The Syndicate

The Syndicate doesn't exist. Anyone who says otherwise usually finds themselves in the middle of a group of hungry shamblers or having learnt the lesson of how to keep their mouth shut. The knowledge of the Syndicate is a tightly kept secret and knowledge of who is in it is an even tighter kept secret. But behind the scenes, the Syndicate is the most secretive biggest money making organisation in the Heights. While individual factories do make more, none have the power that the Syndicate holds over the middle class and lower classes.

Background
The founding of the Syndicate, as is all things to do with this secretive organisation, a mystery to most. However, to those who are high enough to deal with the Two Fold Council themselves are sometimes given privy to the truth of their founding. It started off with a simple deal between Captain Crunch of Captain Crunches Armor Emporium and James "Jonah" Hazzen of Liberty Arms to not compete with each others markets. The deal evolved into something more as Captain Crunch part of his company to Jonah for tax evasion purposes.

The partnership expanded into different sectors like strip clubs and the weed market and eventually into protection and control of the underworld. While the Syndicate has expanded, it's goals still haven't changed from it's original ones, to make more money.

Hierarchy
At the very top of the Syndicates Hierarchy is the Two-Fold Council. Despite being a council, it consists of the Boss and his Consigliere. When the Boss dies/resigns, his Consigliere takes over the Syndicate. According to tradition, one of the two handles the legal operations and the other handles the illegal ones so that incase one dies due to a government change or is caught by the law, the Syndicate as a whole doesn't fall.

Below the Council are the Capos. They each have their own businesses and send a cut up to the Council. They order around their associates who are the lowest ranking in the structure. Hermano's stand outside the structure entirely, and are people who aren't part of the Syndicate yet have proven themselves as useful enough to keep around and are allowed to have knowledge of the Syndicates Existence. They are all given code names, so they cannot be tracked incase the Syndicate is caught.

Companies and Forces
The Syndicate has two main armed forces. The Enforcers and the Torches. The Enforcers function as the hand on the street of the Syndicate while the Torches are a full on paramilitary force for hire. Both remain firmly under the control of the member of the council who controls the illegal activites.

The Legal companies are called Cattle Companies and include the following.