The Syndicate

The Syndicate is a sprawling network of merchants, smugglers, assassins, and spies who thrive in the shadows of the Scape. More than a faction, the Syndicate is an economy of secrets, built on black markets and backroom deals. To them, war is not a tragedy but an opportunity—and profit is the only measure of loyalty.

Leadership

• The Shadow Council: The Syndicate is governed by a clandestine cartel of powerful tradesmen and crime lords.
• Internal Rivalries: Members of the Shadow Council constantly maneuver against one another, each seeking dominance over both their peers and the Scape’s economy.

Ideology and Nature

• Profit Above All: The Syndicate cares little for who wins or loses the wars of the Scape, so long as profit flows.
• Facades of Trade: In public, they present themselves as neutral brokers willing to do business with anyone.
• Hidden Hand: Behind the curtain, they rely on blackmail, extortion, and control of black markets to maintain dominance.

Operations

• Merchants and Traders: Capable of procuring nearly anything—if the price is right.
• Spies and Assassins: Their network offers intelligence gathering, sabotage, and targeted killings to the highest bidder.
• Black Markets: Vast underground economies ensure that nothing is truly beyond reach, though always at Syndicate terms.

Legacy of Influence

• Survivors of All Eras: While empires and coalitions rise and fall, the Syndicate endures, adapting to new powers.
• Everywhere and Nowhere: Their agents operate in every Shield City and Dominion fortress alike, making them impossible to root out completely.
• Invisible Power: They are rarely the face of conquest, but their influence can tilt the scales of war—if only for a profit.

The Syndicate sells survival to those who can afford it, while tightening their grip on those who cannot. In the Scape, nothing is free—and the Syndicate always collects.