Backwaters Factions

In the Backwaters, crime is not just survival. It is structure, control, and reputation. Hidden behind rusted trailers and half-abandoned storefronts are factions that shape daily life in Port Laveau. Some run drugs. Some run people. Some run from nothing. What they all have in common is tribute, tension, and turf.

The Syndicate’s Rule

At the top of the criminal food chain is the Syndicate. No one sees their faces, but everyone pays. They control what flows in and out of Laveau, and they expect tribute from any group working in their territory. Tribute can be money, drugs, manpower, or something worse. Fail to pay, and the Syndicate will make an example out of someone you care about.

• Tribute System: Factions that wish to operate in Port Laveau are expected to pay tribute regularly. These offerings buy protection, silence, or access to Syndicate-controlled channels.
• Indirect Enforcement: The Syndicate rarely acts in the open. Instead, they use whispers, alliances, and quiet threats. Those who defy them often vanish or wake up bleeding.
• Lost Characters: Captured or broken characters may be transferred to Syndicate-affiliated businesses. These placements spark new roleplay and create long-term connections across the region.

The Lawless Frontier

Unlike the raw violence of the Crack Den’s urban grid, Port Laveau moves with eerie purpose. Crime here is not loud — it is ritual. Every whisper, every disappearance, every body pulled from the water is part of a larger rhythm. In the Backwaters, power is earned not just through muscle, but myth.

The Sheriff’s Department in Laveau is not a neutral force. They serve the Silent Serpents — a cartel cloaked in shadow. Deputies act as both protectors and enforcers, keeping the peace in public while quietly collecting tribute for their masters.

• Crime as Ritual: Many factions blend criminal enterprise with spiritual practice. The line between cult and cartel is often thin.
• Enforcement with Purpose: Deputies answer to local authority, but their loyalty often lies with the Serpents. Justice is personal, political, and rarely clean.
• Lost and Owned: Syndicate-affiliated businesses funnel the lost into controlled roles. Some are broken. Others are reborn.

Territory and Graffiti

The Backwaters use a live territory system that tracks faction control through activity and street markings. Presence matters. If your group is active in an area, you claim it by tagging it. But if you leave it alone, someone else will paint over your legacy.

• Spray Can System: Players can tag walls, fences, dumpsters, and buildings using spray cans found throughout the town.
• Marking Requires Activity: You must be present and engaged in roleplay to claim or defend a space. Passive control fades over time.
• Visual Map Updates: Turf control is updated regularly to reflect real in-world presence. Your actions shape the landscape.

Power and Presence

• Tagging is a Statement: Marking over another faction’s tag is an open challenge. It means you’re ready for retaliation. Be prepared to follow through.
• Persistence Builds Power: The longer you hold a zone, the stronger your grip becomes. Respect is earned through consistency.
• Story Drives Everything: Real power comes from storylines. Conflict, alliances, betrayals, and scenes all reinforce your faction’s place in the world.

Propose a New Faction in Laveau

Factions in the Backwaters are not newcomers. They rise from bloodlines, curses, and stories passed down through whispered oaths. If you want to build something here, it must feel like it belongs. Laveau does not accept outsiders lightly.

Requirements:

• Three completed story chapters focused on your group
• A defined identity, purpose, and a unique symbol or mark for tagging
• At least three active players committed to leadership and narrative progression

What We Look For:

• Deep Roots: Your faction’s origin should connect with Laveau’s history, myths, or tragedies. This isn’t a pop-up gang. This is a legacy.
• Defined Trade: Control something. Whether it’s smuggling, soul trafficking, rare relics, or whisper networks, every faction has a hustle.
• Connection to the Supernatural: Laveau dances with spirits. Rituals, voodoo, mysticism, and eerie traditions give your faction presence and narrative tension.
• Relationship to Power: Are you paying tribute to the Serpents? Are you defying the Sheriff? Or playing both sides?
• Visual Identity: A symbol, crest, or sigil representing your group. We’ll incorporate it into the tagging system as part of your turf claims.

If your group moves with purpose and leaves a mark on the town, the world will take notice.