Phantom Tong

Dai Lo

Winter Masques pp.143-145
Wyrd	●●
Preqs	Larceny ●●●
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The Phantom Tong is a criminal organization. It exists to purposely propagate an illicit underworld bent toward acts of violence, thievery, gambling, prostitution, drug-peddling, piracy — whatever unruly behavior the group can manage. Its members either belong to “normal” fae society and work with the Tong on the sly, or instead disappear from the freehold’s normal comings and goings, working full-time for the order — becoming phantoms, themselves.

The Tong claims that all the bad things it supports are necessary to countermand the rule of the existing Courts. By causing some degree of chaos and unruliness, the Tong helps keep the rulers honest — the corruption is therefore out of their hands, and into the hands of the criminals, where it rightfully belongs.

The greatest criticism levied against the order is that the Dai Los simply use the entitlement as an excuse to act as criminals. The order allows and encourages its members to make money and to enjoy themselves in the process. Some say that the Tong sows too much discord and weakens the freehold.

Mien

To remain secret, the Dai Los of the Phantom Tong have been able to mostly suppress any changes to their mien. They haven’t been able to stifle these changes entirely, however, and those who belong do find that their miens change in subtle ways. In certain lights (full moon, for instance), a Dai Lo’s eyes seem to fade partly out of existence, becoming opaque or translucent — “ghost eyes,” the Tong calls it. Others sometimes breathe out wisps of breath that look like fog but have the haunted eyes and frozen silent mouths of ghosts.

Criminal Network (Privilege)

Once the Dai Lo is officially connected to the larger criminal network of the city, the Dai Lo has easier access to resources that others do not. Dai Los, upon joining the Tong, can take one free Specialty in either Larceny or Streetwise. Moreover, any Allies or Contacts purchased with experience points and specifically relating to the criminal world possess a reduced experience point rate of new dots x 1.

Joining

To become a Dai Lo within the Phantom Tong, one must perform criminal actions (or actions against the extant Courts) in the hopes that the Tong will take notice. This usually means that whatever the entrant does, it must be momentous or at least public — something that stings a given ruler is of particular value. When the time is right and the Tong is said to be pleased, the Dai Los apparently approach the potential entrant with an offer to join. This offer might be genuine, or it might be a con — more than one changeling has been made to believe that he’s tithing money and Glamour to pay the “cost” of entrance, when in reality they’re just fleecing the poor fool.

Once a Dai Lo, the changeling is usually given some manner of control over a particular sphere of criminal influence. If he’s a leg-breaker, maybe he’ll be sent out on collections. If he’s got a cunning mind and a greedy heart, maybe he’ll be cast out to run cons on unsuspecting marks (human and fae).

Leaving the Tong isn’t really encouraged. The Tong takes the “blood in, blood out” attitude, like most street gangs or criminal organizations. The only way out is your own blood, preferably spilled out of your broken head across cracked pavement. Another way is possible: kill all the other Dai Los. If the Tong is eradicated from within, then those who wish to escape its grasp are safe. Or, so they hope.