☂ The Cobblepot Crime Family [Duplicity]

The Cobblepot Crime Family

This post is intended as a bit of a primer of what the Duplicity incarnation of the Cobblepot crime family looks like and how it operates. The information here is to give an indication of someone would likely find on Penguin's operations if they actively went searching for it.

Please feel free to hit me up in the comments below if you have any questions, need clarification on something, or want your character to get involved one way or another!

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General Information

Anyone putting an ear to the ground, especially in the Down, will hear mutterings in slightly different strokes that all ultimately point toward the same general direction. All will indicate that there is a gang in town that has been steadily forming over the last half a year or so, the ring leader of which is a LIES participant who also happens to be a submissive.

What will become clear, with some additional digging, is that Cobblepot's crew have overlapping work and interest with the Rubies, one of Duplicity's well-established local crime gangs. (See here under 'The Key to Thee,' here under 'I'll see them' for some information on them and here for a list of player characters involved with the Rubies)

Some will describe Cobblepot's group as a gang, an enterprise, an entrepreneurial project, a business venture, and a criminal organisation. All of these statements are true. However beyond these whisperings, it's very hard to find concrete evidence tying criminal activity in particular to Cobblepot or his closer associates. Anyone with experience in law enforcement, or in crime themselves, would be able to recognise the work of an experienced professional criminal operation.

For anyone looking to get in on Cobblepot's enterprise, feeling around long enough will reveal that there are several places to catch him or members of the operation to shoot their shot. After all, the Cobblepot family in Duplicity, one way or another, is growing.

Members & Associates

Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin ◈ paxpenguina

The head of the operation and seasoned businessman. In Duplicity, he is marginally more circumspect about his criminal dealings than in Gotham, taking a little more time to cover his bases as he fronts his legitimate business over his under the table ones, but it doesn't take much to know this guy is a snake.

Some digging will reveal that virtually from his point of arrival in late May, Cobblepot has been heavily active and enterprising, acquiring businesses and making connections across many different areas.

He is interested in mutually beneficial business deals and promotional opportunities and only too happy to give his time to eager parties wishing to discuss terms, whether as individuals or as part of wider collaborative ventures.

The overwhelming word on the street though is that The Penguin is hiring.

IC Contact: ✉

Edward Nygma / The Riddler ◈ theansweris

It doesn't take a genius to find out that Edward Nymga is Cobblepot's right hand man and that the two are incredibly tight in more ways than one.

Investigation into Nygma will uncover that for a time he worked at Sally's Interplanetary Agency in their chemical and toxicology lab and since that time his time and energy has been thoroughly taken up and associated with work done with Cobblepot.

Often, Nygma can be found in The Arena where he acts as co-proprietor and fight announcer/commentator or at The Clockhouse in Insincerity and in both locations it's not uncommon to catch him at Cobblepot's side, the two of them frequently seeming to be conspiring in hushed voices.

There are rumours though that if you're looking for a chemical pick-me-up (or downers, hallucinogens, stimulants, pain killers, or substances otherwise generally deemed as experimental), Nygma may the man you want to get in touch with.

Further digging will find that the dilapidated site that became The Clockhouse was bought outright with Nymga's money.

IC Contact: ✉

Vrenille ◈ cryfrustration

It's relatively easy to find out that Vrenille is Oswald and Ed's Dominant. It's easy information to find because one, it's a matter of public record, and two, that Vrenille doesn't do much to hide this fact.

The other thing that comes up quite easily when looking into Vrenille is that he has a regular ad in Duplicity's personals advertising his services as a sex therapist.

What isn't so easy to find is much in the way of specific ties to the Cobblepot businesses. Vrenille's name doesn't appear on any paperwork associated with either The Arena or The Clockhouse, though more scratching the surface probably will reveal that Vrenille's money backed the renovation and fitting out of the club, but it's hard to say he's involved exactly.

And in truth, he doesn't seem involved with Cobblepot's work, except with the occasional signing of paperwork granting endorsement for uncontracted Submissives to travel and work for Cobblepot. That's about it though.

While he's sometimes seen to frequent both The Arena and The Clockhouse and is able to move with the freedom of someone who might be staff, he doesn't work there and doesn't sit in on business meetings. For all intents and purposes, he's just Cobblepot and Nygma's Dominant.

IC Contact: ✉

Harley Quinn ◈ mahem

Unambiguously and incredibly unsubtly Cobblepot's Head of Security, taking the position when Victor Zsasz (the classy one) got sent home.

Harley is a known associate of the Rubies and an all-round troublemaker whose security work gets split between The Clockhouse and The Arena, meaning it's relatively easy to find her in either establishment.

Anyone digging a little deeper might hear that she's also one of Cobblepot's enforcers and has been known to skip through the Down with a baseball bat in hand. Sometimes she's in a group. Sometimes she also has a hyena. Best not to ask and better pray she doesn't need to come knocking to collect.

Other searches might well uncover that she and Roman Sionis have some bad blood between them to say the least, though the public details (beyond Roman talking about how much he dislikes her with the colourful use of some misogynistic language) are a little hazy. Though a little more prodding will basically uncover that when Roman said he didn't want Harley working for or around him anymore, Cobblepot offered her work instead.

IC Contact: ✉

Hellboy ◈ redrighthanded

Some people say less is more, but for some... More is more. And Hellboy is definitely more.

Harley's submissive also acts as one of Cobblepot's muscle. And he is a lot or muscle. Very, very red muscle.

There doesn't really need to be word on the street about Hellboy because if he's out on the streets he's hard to miss. But if he's on the streets and heading your way on behalf of Cobblepot's crew then you must've really done fucked up.

While Hellboy is offically listed as The Arena's Public Relations Manager, that often translates to him managing the relations of the public with a lot of firm, imposing stares that usually breaks things up before tensions get too high, and if that doesn't work he's got more than enough to back it up.

The other word is that he's especially close with a few members of the crew. But hey, who isn't especially close with a coworker now and then? It's Duplicity!

IC Contact: ✉

[SENT HOME] Proinsias Cassidy ◈ crassidy

It is basically no secret at this point that Cassidy is two things: a druggie and a vampire.

Primarily, Cassidy works as bar manager at The Clockhouse, though he's also sometimes seen serving at The Arena and occasionally on bouncer duty.

For anyone who has managed to get into Cobblepot's office in The Clockhouse, they'll have been told in no uncertain terms to leave the small fridge in there alone, though on rare occasion apparently Cassidy gets to go in and out of it. Rumour has it there's blood in mason jars stored in there. (There isn't. They're blood bags, thank you very much. Cobblepot runs a classy joint!)

Much like Harley though, whom Cassidy is contracted to, he also works as one of Cobblepot's enforcers and despite his scrawny junkie looks apparently can be really very scary when he wants to be, at least that's what some mutterings on the street are.

The other thing that is incredibly, blatantly obvious, is that he is incredibly, doggedly loyal to Cobblepot, often speaking very highly of him and calling him a 'good bloke.' Initially, it might seem fake, but it won't take long to find out that, no, really, Cassidy is that loyal to the crew's work and its ringleader.

Oh, and he's also trying to (not so) subtly rebrand The Clockhouse to The Cockhouse either claiming it's to better fit with the situation they're all in or a typo, even if he's speaking about it and not typing.

IC Contact: ✉

Jason Todd ◈ turdusmigratoriusmortuus

A relatively new addition to the crew, Jason Todd has recently been appointed as a bouncer working under Harley unless Cobblepot has specific work for him.

Like others, he can found working at either The Clockhouse or The Arena, depending on the staffing needs at each event that particular night.

Rumbles on the street don't have too terribly much to say about Todd specifically yet, but, I mean... would you look at that brick shithouse? Safe money is on him being more than just a bouncer in time.

IC Contact: ✉

Jacob Frye ◈ nothinglikefather

Apparently, Jacob Frye moves fast because barely a month after his arrival he slid himself right on in as site manager and head trainer at The Arena in the Down.

Much like the rest of Cobblepot's rag-tag bunch of misfits, Jacob is about as subtle as a chunk of wood to the face and probably just as gentle. He's already earning quite the reputation for being a bit of a loose cannon on his own time, getting himself into fights and earning citations left and right, though it doesn't seem to bother Cobblepot all that much or seem to care much about the reputation the crew might be gaining by association. And why should it? He's not Jacob's Dominant!

IC Contact: ✉

Persephone ◈ ragingnature

The head chef at The Clockhouse, Persephone makes delicious food and pastries.

No really, that's what she does. There are no stories about Persephone in connection to any of the more underground workings of Cobblepot businesses, legitimate or otherwise.

In fact, overall, she is perhaps the most out of place member of the group at this point, though the crew clearly value her tremendously.

Digging into Persephone will uncover... nothing. Literally nothing. She seems to know nothing about any additional off-the-books work and anyone looking into the details won't even find a whisper of her involved in anything.

Maybe she really does just bake delicious cakes... At least for the moment.

IC Contact: ✉

Bruce ◈ N/A

Bruce is BEST BOY. 12/10, very soft and fluffy. Bruce is baby!

He'll also take off a limb if Harley tells him to, so don't push it.

Sometimes seen sitting pretty by Harley at the door to the club and fight club, but also sometimes brought along as a fuzzy intimidater to collection jobs... Yeah, he's Quinn's pet hyena. Just go with it.

IC Contact: He doesn't have his own inbox, so contact Harley Quinn instead.

Businesses & Work

The Arena ◈ The Down

Situated in the Down, The Arena offers a dual function for duel functions.

By day, The Arena offers a rustic, bare-bones gym and training space with a particular focus on hand-to-hand combat. While not as well-equipped or as well-presented as gyms and training facilities in The Up, The Arena caters to clientele who cannot afford or access finer establishments due to designation restrictions, or to those who specifically looking for something a little rough and ready.

By night, The Arena's offering alters. The space is converted into a full-scale fight club, sometimes with more sexual themes involved.

This is a good space for anyone listening out for whispers on under the table deals in The Down or wanted to place bets on the fights as keen-eyed attendees should be able to spot bookies moving throughout the space over the course of the evenings. Don't expect the house to have your back if you're a Submissive found gambling through, they will deny any knowledge of gambling on the premises and will swear blind that they do everything they can to crack down on such activities. In reality, a blind-eye isn't cheap here, so engage in this activity at your own risk.

Anyone looking into the history of The Arena will find it was first founded by a LIES Dominant named Akande "Doomfist" Ogundimu (goldrighthand). It was later passed on to Victor Zsasz (everyinch) who subsequently added Nygma and Cobblepot to the lease. When Zsasz was sent home from Duplicity, ownership defaulted to the other two Gothamites. Anything that falls closer to the side of illegal that might be traced back to being given the sign off at The Arena has moved through a lot of different hands and mouths though, so even if this is a den frequented by criminals and the open secret is the house is doing multiple types of business, finding proof that it's either Nygma or Cobblepot pulling the strings is made intentionally very difficult.

Overall, this seems more like Nygma's playground than Cobblepot's, the former often seen center stage as announcer and quippy commentator, while Cobblepot might be seen as more of a figure in the background either talking in hushed voices in the crowd or stepping into the office at the back.

The Clockhouse ◈ Insincerity
CLOSED PERMENTANTLY AS PAR PLAYER PLOT

Accessed via a single door in a disused clocktower, guests to The Clockhouse descend rather than ascend into an underground club and bar space hidden away beneath Insincerity's streets and is the first business owned by a LIES participant to have opened in one of Duplicity's sibling cities.

Aiming to entice guests from Duplicity who are looking for something a little different and city locals looking for something more than meh, The Clockhouse presents itself as a chic entertainment establishment with strict four hour entry slots on rotation to ensure guests get the most out of their time and are returned to the door back to Duplicity to avoid any messy complications.

It's widely known that the Clockhouse serves unique, experimental cocktails with extra special ingredients selected from The Supermarket and that entry to the club also comes with one complimentary drink from an exclusive and ever-changing selection.

For all intents and purposes, The Clockhouse is a reputable establishment and a legitimate business. Nothing really seems untoward, it's not sleezy or shifty, and Cobblepot is building quite the reputation for knowing how to throw a damn good party.

While it might be inferred that when Cobblepot vanishes into the backroom with guests it's to talk business, there's no way to tell if the discussions are around legitimate business or not.

The history of The Clockhouse shows that the space was paid for outright using Edward Nygma's money that has evidently been squirrelled away over the course of his year in the LIES programme. There are also rumbles that Cobblepot's Dominant, Vrenille, funded the renovation and fitting out of the space, but otherwise his name doesn't appear on any formal paperwork outside of the occasional Dominant signature to make it easier for uncontracted Submissives to work there.

While there might be whispers of what Cobblepot's crew gets up to in The Clockhouse, overall the place really does seem to just be a cocktail bar.

Under the Table Work & Odd Jobs ◈ All Over

With any gang that's trying to branch out, there's more work to be had for those who know how to seek it out.

Whether it's via hushed whispers on the street in the Down, in the crowds in the Arena, or somewhere else entirely, there's under the table work to be had through Cobbelpot's pipeline.

Sometimes it's runner work. Sometimes it's cleaning cash. Sometimes it's information gathering. Sometimes it's jumping on the latest city trends to try and make cash quick.

Sometimes in collaboration with The Rubies (though often times not), it's not much of a secret that Cobblepot likes to know things and likes both the currencies of knowledge and favours. Got some especially juicy street gossip? Some dirt on another gang? Know something coming down the pipeline? Chances are someone in the Cobblepot crime crew will be willing to barter.

Areas of Current Interest

☂ On-going
New crew members and criminally-inclined individuals for partnerships, business opportunities, possible small ventures to sponsor (ie., have in the back-pocket), enemies

☂ November 2020
Mushrooms in relation to this event

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