United Sky Triad

The United Sky Triad is an East Asian crime syndicate in the late 20th century Steampunk world of Goodman Games' Etherscope roleplaying game setting.

Overview
The United Sky Triad is one of the world's most powerful criminal organizations. It was founded in Hong Kong and has spread its tentacles throughout the British Empire, with a presence in nearly every city that the British control.

It will do business only with other Chinese and foreigners who behave in a respectful and civilized. They control most of the Southeast Asian drug trade. It avoids violence when possible, as they prefer to come to a mutually profitable arrangement with an enemy as war costs everybody money. Which results in others making the mistake of thinking them weak.

Background
Originally started as a community group in the British-controlled cities that surrounded Imperial China. It gave the Chinese in those cities a way to keep their influence despite British power, and as time passed they evolved into criminal organizations. They became involved in gambling, extortion, prostitution, and then opium.

It was opium which made them into a world power in the underworld, and they have maintained their strong involvement in the trade, which includes controlling most of Asia's drug trade. They expanded from Southeast Asia to the Chinese Diaspora throughout the British Empire, establishing themselves wherever there is a community of Chinese immigrants.

Organization
The Triad has a global reach that is unrivaled among organized crime groups. While originally it's membership was only Chinese, they will now accept any East Asians (except for Japanese) and on rare occasions will accept a Non-Asian who has displayed sufficient respect and skills. They have a horizontal structure in which all members are equals who are not required to receive approval from the higher ranks for their operations in most cases. There are two officers, both of whom are chosen by election and can even be the same person, the Chairman and the Financier.

The Triad acts as the unifier and mediator of the local triads of the Great Metropolis of London (the largest city in the world). It is an organization with 10s of thousands of members, and it's members are known to travel between the branches. Though the various branches operate on their own, therefore keeping their profits they will call for help from other branches if their is trouble. It is primarily concerned with profit and they are willing to settle for smaller profit if it means that they can make a deal with an enemy. They make sure that whatever conflicts they have with rivals or enemies don't each too much of the profits.