The Four Families - Clubb, Spadros, Hart, and Diamond - are four crime
syndicates which have divided up the domed city of Bridges, each taking a quadrant.
The
families themselves had been in Bridges for generations before the
Alcatraz Coup, many engaging in criminal activities on a small scale,
but after the overthrow of the Kerr dynasty and the chaos which
followed, they became more organized. The city of Bridges fell into deep
financial straits, and the wealthy fled the city center, making their
way into the countryside.
Alcohol and drug use skyrocketed,
especially a drug called Party Time, which had up to this point been
more of a social drug. A religious group called the Bridgers began a
violent campaign to make Party Time illegal, linking it to the decadence
of the Kerrs.
Once Party Time became illegal, dozens of gangs began taking over factories and converting them to production of the drug, with all-out war over Party Time distribution and market share. After decades of violence, four Families remained, each controlling a quadrant of the city.
The Spadros family was among the original laborers brought in to work on the city’s construction.
Emboldened
by the overthrow of the Kerr dynasty after the Alcatraz Coup and flush
with newfound power, the first Acevedo Spadros began collecting men
around him, calling in favors city-wide to claim larger portions of the
city.
As the smoke cleared and the city settled into its new
life, the scarred, frightened people who survived the battles wanted
strong leadership, which Acevedo Spadros was happy to provide, at a
price. With most of the businesses burned and their owners fled to the
countryside, poverty and famine meant all the Spadros Family need to do
was have access to food and the muscle to protect and transport it in
order to win the hearts of many.
Also see: History of the Spadros Family (found in The Jacq of Spades)
A large group of immigrant workers from the South African diamond mines settled in Bridges in the early 1500’s AC (After the Catastrophe). Proud of their unique identity, this disparate group of clans - many of Xhosa heritage - began to call themselves “Diamonds” and exclusively intermarry.
During the Alcatraz Coup, the Diamond clans banded together, seizing the prison. Releasing the prisoners to cause more chaos, they recruited many of them to their cause as they fought for territory. Tight-knit and secretive, the Diamonds were almost impossible for the other Families to infiltrate or woo members away from, and were the first to successfully claim a quadrant for their own.
Also see: History of the Diamond Family (found in The Jacq of Spades)
Clover Banditerna was a indentured worker on a wheat farm near the zeppelin station until
the Alcatraz Coup. Seeing an opportunity, he and his fellow workers
called themselves the Clubbs Of Justice and seized the station,
along with the controls to the Aperture.
Knowing that no one
could enter or leave the city without going through them, the group
charged exorbitant rates and became extremely rich. After the Coup,
Clover Banditerna changed his name, calling himself Johnny Clubb.
The
Clubbs’ main focus since the Coup has been on controlling the flow of
goods and information into, out of, and around the city.
Also see: History of the Clubb Family (found in The Jacq of Spades)
Descended from Appalachian and Chinese workers, Crispin Hartmann, Sr. led one
of the early street gangs of the early 1700’s. This gang called
themselves the Hartmann clan and were one of the major players in the
looting and other unpleasant acts seen during the Coup.
After the
destruction of the Pot, the Hartmanns, wanting to improve their image,
began calling themselves the Harts. They spread money, liquor and Party
Time to whoever would join them, and once Party Time became illegal,
devoted much of their time to seizing warehouses, setting up Party Time
labs, and undercutting or killing the competition.
Also see: History of the Hart Family (found in The Jacq of Spades)
Also see: A Short History of Bridges
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