“Can you afford to refuse our offer?” Wherever man goes, you will find those of ill repute; people living outside of law and order, creating their own society within society. They follow their own rules, and answer only to themselves. The Black Dragon Clan of Neocron is such a society. They control the illegal drug market in Neocron, dealing anything from over-the-counter products to black market drugs and even control parts of the real estate market. Some consider them ruthless in both areas of business others praise them as honorable. Nevertheless, they are dangerous businessmen, who do not hesitate to eliminate any competition - literally.

Headquarters

The Black Dragon headquarters is located in the Dome of York; an imposing building well guarded by trusted clan members. Few people dare to enter the building uninvited and those who do rarely return.

Players choosing the Black Dragon Clan as their Runner’s faction will start out in the Dome of York.

Key figures

Maximilian Trond, 54, is the uncrowned leader of the Black Dragon. He started his career at the very bottom of this notorious clan and worked his way up to the top. He rules with an iron fi st and is known to show no mercy. Those who know him fear him – no need for unnecessary questions. Whoever opposes him will certainly end up buried alive somewhere deep in the Wastelands.

Torben ‘Gecko’ Manquist is the clans ‘Consigliore’ – Trond’s counselor, right hand and advisor. Whatever Trond orders, Manquist will see that it is done. Some believe that Manquist only waits for a chance to usurp Trond’s leadership but others flat out deny these rumors as Manquist has proven his loyalty repeatedly. This unfaltering loyalty and Manquist’s trust in the thieves’ honor secures Trond’s position as head of the Black Dragon.

History

The Black Dragon was founded in 2680, when two criminals joined forces. These two, Nico ‘Furry’ Manecci and Wan ‘Dragon’ Tokai founded an organization that followed in the traditions of the Italian Mafia or the Chinese Triads. They initially suffered great setbacks due to Tokai’s bad leadership until he was found dead in an ally in 2683. This act had Manecci written all over it and was considered an unmistakable sign that the Black Dragon was now following Manecci’s ruthless and merciless path. Due to his interest in history the ‘Don’, as Manecci called himself, rebuilt the Black Dragon to resemble the old Sicilian Cosa Nostra. The only remainder of Tokai’s influence was the name of the organization. It was left in place as a warning to its members never to forget Tokai’s weakness and fate. Under Manecci’s rule, the Black Dragon grew stronger and by 2690 it had fi rmly established itself as number one in the ‘business’.

Twenty years later Max Trond joined the Dragon and was soon respected for his coldbloodedness. The Black Dragon kept its independence until an attack in 2727 when Lioon Reza’s anti-crime-program kicked in to full effect and a StormBot running amok killed Manecci. With his last breath, he declared Max Trond as his successor.

Trond brilliantly restructured and repositioned the organization, and was able to secure extended real estate through clever stock market investments. Soon the Black Dragon owned complete bocks and districts. Ever since, the Black Dragons are respected realtors – a perfect cover for their illegal businesses. Even if they’ve moved their headquarters to the Dome of York, they still possess several hideouts in Neocron.

Rumors

It is claimed that the Black Dragon is in contact with all major companies. Most often mentioned is the Dragon’s suspected connection to ProtoPharm because nobody really believes that they could manufacture complex illegal drugs and substances without professional support.

Other sources suggest that Trond has somehow managed to get Diamond Real Estate under his control but nobody really seems interested, as realtors aren’t very popular with the public. The average citizen credits Eric Danmund of Diamond for this debacle and the general opinion is that he deserves it.

This connection should give everybody something to think about as it leaves the Black Dragon in a very powerful position. Further rumors speak of a secret alliance of the Black Dragon with the Brotherhood of Crahn. The supply of drugs for different experiments and the selling of information about other factions supposedly are part of this partnership. However, none of these rumors are confirmed.

Friend and foe

It’s a widely known fact that the Black Dragon maintains a close relationship to the Anarchy Breed. The Breed frequents the Dragon’s dealers, helps them with sales or runs errands for them. The anarchists are frequently hired as clan-gangsters, if they feel like joining the mob.

As long as the inhabitants’ health is scarcely harmed by the Black Dragon’s drug trade, there is little cause for the CityAdmin to interfere. The property market is something completely different, since the Black Dragon dominates it largely and the CityAdmin did not privatize Diamond Real Estate in order to watch it being taken over by some dubious clan. Either the Black Dragon withdraws from these business areas or it will have to bear the consequences - naturally all in the interest of the general population.

The conflict with the Tsunami Syndicate has a long tradition and there have been plenty of victims. Sometimes these fi ghts take place in secrecy, sometimes right in the streets of Pepper Park. With all the endless fi ghts and arguments, dating back to the founding of the clans, the cause for the feud has long passed into oblivion. The Black Dragon’s recent attempt to expand its infl uence into gambling and entertainment, sectors traditionally controlled by the Tsunami Syndicate, has further fuelled the flames.

Another bloody confl ict between the Black Dragons and the CityMercs flares up repeatedly. The supposed cause for these violent clashes is the Mercs’ system administrator who used to be a Black Dragon before he decided to defect to the Mercs.