The Cutthroats
Alexandre Van Chesten [ havoc@videotron.ca ]

Internal Memo 125432-34B

Three,

It has been brought to my attention that the developing group calling themselves the Cutthroats could be a prime candidate to test the procedure we have talked about of late. They are a more recent arrival in Puyallup, and as such show promise. I have enclosed an analysis that has been circulating around our Seattle clans. Despite the litter of useless and bland addendums by our peons, the information should be sufficient to determine whether or not support could be directed towards the Cutthroats’ leadership so as to help them gain control of the area. Their tactics seem brutal enough that our eventual takeover will be seen in much better light by the populace, and therefore more welcome. I will be waiting for your response.

-Four

> This is a translated memo between two very high-ranking people in the Yakuza ladder, and as far as I can tell, they are talking about giving unofficial support to a sprawl gang. This is nothing new, but the following report they did on the gang has enough depth that I felt it should be posted here. The mean streets of Seattle may be getting even meaner.
> Wolf

The Cutthroats are a recent arrival in Puyallup, favoring thug tactics and brutality over any subtlety and efficiency. Nonetheless, they are a force unto themselves and could prove to be troublesome if not routed or tamed in time.

>> Forget taming. The organization has already been tainted far too much by so-called ‘tamed’ individuals who place their own agenda above and beyond that of the clan or the House.
>> Kensei

>> Kensei-san. Four words: Wake the frag up.
>> Nishikihebi

> Sorry to bother y’all, but who’re these guys?
> Redneck Rampant

> Like Wolf mentioned, these gentle fellows are Yakuza personnel - apparently this file passed through a few clans and a few levels of the big ol’ hierarchy before ending up here.
> Wavelength

Focus
Fear, brutality, and overwhelming force; these are the three key points forming the triangle of power that are the Cutthroats. Large numbers make up for what they individually lack—ability and intelligence. They rule by frightening others into giving them what they want, and are not above making examples of the weak or rebellious—thus their name. Their weapons of choice are blades of any make, size and kind. They do little dealing; their main financial gain comes from theft perpetrated on their ever-expanding turf.

> And that makes them different from the yaks because...?
> Smudge

> Finesse, my man. Finesse.
> Sixth Gear

Leader
Gash, a brash young human male, leads the Cutthroats. While his frail stature does not make him fit to be a gang leader, pure greed and malice more than make up for his physical inadequacies. His primary weapon is a multi-barbed whip. A tall head of hair dyed various shades of blue and often gelled and spiked heavily upwards is his most noticeable physical feature. The strongest of his gang members are with him at all times, and he rarely ventures out of his headquarters.

>> Coward. He would not last long in any real confrontation; his craving to inflict pain is obviously a way for him to vent his frustrations.
>> Kensei

>> Eh, I’m tempted to think otherwise. He does keep guards about, and the confrontation begins with them, nya?
>> Nekojin

> Not if you confront them with high-explosive charges or a long-range rifle slug.
> Enrai

Lieutenants
The Cutthroats have three lieutenants: Deathstrike, Jugular and The Pure Zen. They are not assigned any particular numbers; they simply have the authority to give members orders, short-term or long, and are free to recruit any cell not currently attached to another lieutenant and lead them off to any assignment they deem fitting. Unattached gangers usually roam free and, as long as they bring the gang funds, Gash and the lieutenants often ignore them.

Deathstrike is a troubling girl with long red hair, a body-hugging suit of black vinyl-like material and a breathing mask obscuring her face. She appears to be quite insane, as well as addicted to sniping—she carries a rifle with her at all times, and seems to derive physical pleasure from shooting at random targets (including people) from a distance. Her usual tactic is to lead from a distance, letting others do the real dirty work. Out of all the Cutthroat lieutenants, she’s the one least thirsty for actual up-close blood.

>> My kind of girl.
>> Kyohoudo

> Amen to that.
> SMG Guy

> Deathstrike? Who goes by the name Deathstrike? How is that used in casual conversation? "Hey, ‘Deathstrike’, let’s go for a beer. And make sure ‘Pure Zen’ brings money this time - I’m not frontin’ for his sorry hoop again."
> Crowe

> Actually, most of the gang refers to her as ‘That Crazy Bitch’. Out of her earshot, of course.
> Wavelength

Jugular is an overly large troll with one horn broken off near the base and shoulder-length hair obscuring most of his face. He does not speak much, he does not think much, and most of all he does not bathe much—what he does in droves, however, is apply his fists to people at high speed. True to Cutthroat form, he has hand spurs on both sets of knuckles, and leads his detachment of lackeys via gestures and grunts most of the time. Few question his decisions; those who have did not live to regret their disloyalty. Rumors point to Jugular having been a successful gunsmith at one time, but little fact backs this up.

> I’ve seen him in action. Believe the rumors.
> He Who Breathes Shallow

> What kind of work could a humongous troll possibly do? Gunsmithing’s fine work, and it doesn’t help when your index finger’s bigger than what you’re building.
> Grind

The Pure Zen is an ork who obviously has seen too many samurai movies. Normally bare-chested, he wears the traditional aikido split skirt, as well as two katana sheathed at the belt. Always serious, he seems to view Gash as his master, but whether he truly follows bushido or Gash is hard to tell. He is an adept, a terror in close combat. A handful of gangers stay around him at all times not as backup, but as apprentices.

>> He and I shall clash blades. I can see it.
>> Kensei

Gang Rating
Following the usual evaluation schematics, the Cutthroats appear to be on equal ground when compared to most other groups and organizations in the area. They have access to small arms at best, and usually rely on cutting implements of low quality. Expect to see their main forces use small blades, knives, spiked clubs, and sometimes low- to large-caliber pistols.

>> They may appear equal in small groups, but I wouldn’t trust these odds - they have access to startling amounts of backup, and numbers can even all odds.
>> Nishikihebi

Head Count
The Cutthroats tend to stick together and act in large groups; their numbers have been reported to be close to at least a hundred, but assuredly not over a hundred and twenty-five members.

Initiation Rituals
There are two initiation rituals to become a Cutthroat. Firstly, one must stand before Gash and suffer as many strikes from his barbed whip as possible until the pain is intolerable and the potential ganger yields. The more strikes suffered, the higher the ganger’s status will be in the gang. The blood-soaked and torn clothing becomes the ganger’s uniform from now on; at least one strike must be weathered in order to become a Cutthroat.

> And when Gash is particularly wary of an applicant (i.e. he’s scared he might overthrow him), he might just add something to those barbs. Know many gangers who have toxin filters?
> Grind

> So how did the lieutenants get up there in the first place if Gash is such a wimp?
> Smudge

> I think I can field this one - lieutenants can be powerful, they just can’t be industrious. I doubt any of the trio mentioned here actually *want* to be at the head of the gang. They seem happy with their position.
> Lisa Diamond-Eyes

The newly-crowned Cutthroat is merely an apprentice at this point. To become a full-fledged member, the ganger must turn a band of white cloth completely red with the blood of a victim. The band is to be worn somewhere on the ganger’s body, and it seals his status as a Cutthroat.

>> It has come to my attention that this band is not only a source of pride, it is a source of shame - shredding the band to some degree is a common way for a Cutthroat to atone for mistakes. As most of us know, that can be exploited to great extents.
>> Enrai

Lieutenants are another matter; Gash chooses them personally from his horde. The test to become a Lieutenant is as of yet unknown, but probably involves repeat appearances of Gash’s whip.

> With repeat appearances of applied chemistry to said whip. This would be a rather good use for hypnotherapeutic drugs, wouldn’t you think?
> He Who Breathes Shallow

> You’re overestimating Gash. Gangers don’t go to such great lengths, especially not gangers in the Puy.
> Grind

> I know the Cutthroats.
> He Who Breathes Shallow

> That reminds me. If this gang is so scroungingly poor, why are they so many? What do they get from getting slashed up by a skinny white guy so they can be another one in a hundred?
> Smudge

> What else is there? At least they get to take advantage of any businesses that are ‘protected’ by the Cutthroats, and they get some buddies to boot. It’s either that or be on the receiving end. And seeing as how Gash rarely steps out of his ivory tower, he gets a lot of notoriety factor due to the simple fact that he’s often heard, seldom seen. Some people want to be on the side that’s on top, and Gash is trying his best to make his side look like it.
> Grind

Uniforms
It is easy to identify a Cutthroat; they wear blood-stained street clothing that has not washed for quite some time. Full-fledged members wear a reddish-brown band somewhere on their body.

Symbol
The Cutthroat symbol and sign of their power is a blade of some sort over a bloody gash, forming an ‘x’ with the latter. Each gang member wears a patch or a drawing of this somewhere as well.

>> The Pure Zen has the insignia tattooed on his chest. Act accordingly.
>> Kensai

Territory
The Cutthroats seem to have staked their claim to the eastern middle part of Puyallup, around the abandoned central train and subway station. The latter acts as their headquarters. Their territory spreads daily as they seek more and more people to terrorize and rob for 'protection.' It is rumored that Gash has tapped into what’s left of the Puyallup phone grid from the station, and directs squads of his gangers by calling pay phones close to their whereabouts.

> If he tapped into the phone service (or what’s left of it), then he’s got to have some serious decking muscle.
> Redneck Rampant

> Or just a one-time affair. Wink.
> Wavelength

> Given the disrepair of Puyallup’s grid, carrier pigeons are probably more reliable.
> Rat

Operations
The Cutthroats support themselves through thug work and robbery. Nothing else.

Foes
The Cutthroats oppose anyone and anything that occupies the territory into which they wish to expand. Most notably, they oppose the Crash Hammers, whose troll leader has reportedly started looking for outside help to dispose of some of the Cutthroats, possibly Gash himself. Otherwise, the Cutthroats stand relatively unopposed in their thuggery-driven expansion.

>> Leave the gangs to the gangs, and they shall take care of themselves without our involvement.
>> Kaze no Hishu

>> But it’s so fun to get involved!
>> Nekojin

Uniqueness
The Cutthroats are renown for slitting the throats of those who died opposing them or refused to pay what they wanted. These examples are left in the street, the head sometimes completely separated from the body. Cutthroat squads attack without a discernible SOP or goal; they simply loot and brutalize people on their turf into paying them to go away.

Game Information

Cast of Characters
All characters should be given other skills, gear, and cyberware as appropriate for your campaign.

INIT: 3 + 1D6
Dice Pools: Combat 5
Karma Pool/Professional Rating: 2/2
Active Skills: Edged Weapons 3, Etiquette 3, Interrogation 2, Leadership 4, Unarmed Combat 2, Whips 4 Knowledge Skills: Chemistry 3, Puyallup Area 4, Puyallup Gangs 3

Gash is little more than a thug, but a very competent one at that. He has a working knowledge of chemicals; enough to know which ones have what effects and how to apply them to his whip without getting high.

INIT: 3 + 1D6
Dice Pools: Combat 5
Karma Pool/Professional Rating: 2/1
Active Skills: Athletics 3, Edged Weapons 4, Etiquette 2, Interrogation 3, Leadership 2, Rifles 4, Unarmed Combat 3
Knowledge Skills: Puyallup Area 5, Puyallup Gangs 3

Deathstrike is indeed a certified nut with a Barrett, but her ammo is running low and she’s not above ‘thinking outside the box’ (i.e., hiring people or cutting deals) to acquire more ammunition for it.

INIT: 2 + 1D6
Dice Pools: Combat 3
Karma Pool/Professional Rating: 2/2
Active Skills: Cyber-Implant Combat 3, Edged Weapons 3, Etiquette 3, Heavy Weapons B/R 3, Negotiation 4, Pistols 3, Pistols B/R 1, Rifles 2
Knowledge Skills: Firearms Theory 3, Puyallup Area 3
Cyberware: Spurs (2)

Jugular is an accomplished gunsmith, and had his own business until goblinization left him dunced and dimple-fingered. He only works on heavy weapons now, as anything lighter is too small for him to work on. He’s currently toying with a minigun on "loan" from a yakuza contact.

INIT: 5 (7) + 1D6 (2D6)
Dice Pools: Combat 5 (6)
Karma Pool/Professional Rating: 2/2
Active Skills: Athletics 4, Edged Weapons 4 (Katana 6), Etiquette 3, Instruction 2, Unarmed Combat 4
Knowledge Skills: Bushido 3, Haiku 3, Puyallup Area 4
Adept Powers: Blind Fighting, Combat Sense 1, Freefall 2, Improved Reflexes 1, Smashing Blow

An adept devoted to combat with two swords, The Pure Zen has a pair of very low-powered foci blades of his own. He’s fanatical, speaks in haiku, wears Japanese garb, and his real name is Ezekiel Walthertorsh. Amongst his possessions are tattered copies of Shogun, Amaterasu for Dummies, The Collected Written Works of Megumi Hayashibara, and The Life and Teachings of Daruma.

He has lost two magic points due to injuries suffered in turf wars.

Head Count
The Cutthroats number 110, with that value depending on the rollover. They’re on equal footing with starting runners in terms of power, as their numbers make up for their individual lack of skill and experience. Most are armed with melee weapons, but they also have access to pistols, as well as shotguns and hand-held automatic weapons if the Yakuza backing comes through.

Phone Grid
The public phone grid around their territory has been hacked into and turned to their use; the state of things in Puyallup has made the phone company not care at all what happens to a few wires. The new center node for the lines is in the gangers’ HQ in the old train/subway station, and it’s connected to at least one physical phone line out of every two in the sector.

The Yakuza
The actual extent of the financial backing depends on what the GM wants to do with his campaign. The Yakuza plan to use the Cutthroats to terrorize an area of the city, then take that territory over from them, looking like heroes. They could also be using the Cutthroats for something more mundane—grooming them to test some sort of new drug, equipment, or implant.