Yakuza (Bral)

The Yakuza were a thieves' guild operating in the city of Bral on the Rock of Bral in the mid-to-late 14 century DR. They were led by Underbaron Ozamata Ku Murawa.

Organization
They were highly organized and numbered around 40 members, but Ozamata could recruit up to 50 to 60 thugs and fighters if needed. Members were all Shou humans native to Bral. They were marked by their tattoos.

Activities
They engaged in extortion, racketeering, and gambling, and avoided any thing as basic as burglary or fighting for territory. Their goal was simply to maintain the status quo that they profited off of. They carefully watched all visitors to Shou-town.

Tactics
Members were thieves and fighters skilled in gaming, gathering information, and intimidation, and were knowledgeable in Bralian history.

Base of Operations
The Yakuza ruled Shou-town and controlled the Docks and much of the Low City.

Their headquarters lay concealed within Shou-town. Originally a warehouse, and one of the oldest in Bral, it was converted to a boarding house, then abandoned, and finally reclaimed and renovated by the Yakuza. It still seemed to be a small and unremarkable warehouse, and so ramshackle it had a decided lean. Passers-by noticed nothing unusual, but it was well-secured with locked doors and many alert guards inside. It lay just off Dragon Street in Shou-town.

Possessions
They were armed with daggers, clubs, and crossbows, and wore leather armor or studded leather.

Relationships
Within Shou-town, the leaders of the Yakuza were well-known and readily obeyed by the people. No Shou within their domain would freely betray them. However, Lord Chan Fu Wi, ambassador of Shou Lung, ignored them and Ozamata.

Within the city's politics, the Yakuza were tolerant of the Temple of Ptah and giff; were neutral toward the Seekers, mages, and the Arcane; did not much like the Pragmatic Order of Thought, the Tenth Pit, the Juggler's Men, and dwarves; and were enemies of the Halfling Thieves' Guild, the Red Masks, the Watchers, and elves.

History
The Yakuza were established by Ozamata when he first settled in Bral. They quickly took hold in Shou-town and fought vicious battles to expand their territory.

By the 1360s DR, they were still swelling in power and were plotting to force out the Halfling Thieves' Guild.