HIDE
      Dr. David Birnie, 37, medical director of Gotham General Hospital, was found dead in his office at 11:45 last night.
      "I was making my rounds on the floor and saw a light on in Dr. Birnie's office," reports a very distraught nurse Amelia Schumacher. "He didn't answer the door when I knocked, but it was unlocked. I found him slumped over his desk and worried he was hurt, so I tried to perform first aid."
      What nurse Schumacher found was that Dr. Birnie's eyes, lips, ears and nostils had been sewn shut with surgical precision, causing the man to suffocate slowly, blind and deaf all the while.
      A note found at the scene of the crime described Dr. Birnie's dalliances with female nurses, orderlies and patients in exchange for jobs and preferential treatment. It included a statement that society was cancerous, and a good surgeon was required to excise the growth. The missive was signed "Suture."
      Dr. Birnie was the direct superior of Dr. Thomas Hamilton, who disappeared prior to his arraignment hearing last Wednesday. Police are looking for any help in finding Dr. Hamilton, who is wanted for questioning in this case, as well as a case of assault on a guard at the Gotham City Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals last Friday evening.
      <questions, as always, to Mustard>
HIDE

HIDE
      Police responded to alarms set off at the Gotham City Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals tonight to find 25 year old security guard Harold Manheim on the desk with lips partially sewn together and a poorly sutured injury to his neck.
      Manheim was rushed to the hospital where he is reported to be in stable condition after receiving nearly three pints of blood in transfusion.
      Missing from the shelter is Maggie, the cat belonging to Dr. Thomas Hamilton, who vanished prior to his court appearance on Wednesday. Another cat was found in the office with singed fur.
      A spokesperson for the Gotham City Police Department stated that they hope to question the vigilante known as Catwoman about the events, but that they do not expect to press any charges against her.
      <questions to Mustard>
HIDE

HIDE
      GOTHAM CITY. Dr. Thomas Hamilton, M.D., was due in City Central Court this morning for a preliminary hearing in the case against him. When the time for his appearance had come and gone his attorney, Richard Saunders, is reported to have requested a new hearing. He claimed to have spoken to his client last night, May 9th, and stated that his client had calmed a great deal after his ranting outburst upon his arrest.
      Dr. Hamilton is accused of stealing a variety of drugs from Gotham General Hospital, where he has been employed for several years, and selling them on the black market and to individuals with money to cover the exhorbitant costs of the medications.
      Police dispatched to arrest Hamilton and return him to custody arrived at his home to find it stripped bare of anything of value, his clothes and car missing. A black cat with a collar reading 'Maggie' was found yowling over an empty water dish.
      Gotham Police are theorizing that Hamilton left town in the wake of his arrest to avoid prosecution. Maggie was released to the custody of the Gotham City Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
      <Questions to Mustard>
HIDE

HIDE
      An attack from within on Arkham Asylum has freed some of the most dangerous killers the city has known.
      Harleen Quinzell, better known as the Joker's sidekick Harley Quinn, aided and abetted by the Riddler, according to Gazette sources, managed to escape from her cell at Arkham, inciting a riot among the general population and freeing most of the Asylum's medium and maximum security inmates.
      In addition to Quinn and the Riddler, now at large are the Joker, Two-Face, Zsasz, the Ventriloquist, Maxie Zeus and Mr. Freeze. Police are recommending that people avoid any people in odd, colorful costumes and contact authorities immediately. All of these villains are considered extremely dangerous, armed or not
      <Questions to Maroon or the Riddler! Much thanks to all who participated -- this was a fantastic scene!>
HIDE

HIDE
      
      This is one of Gotham's IC media boards...this is where "newspaper articles" get printed. The Gazette is the "respectable" paper; it's like the Chicago Tribune or the New York Times...respect ed, well-known. They don't print rumor, they print fact, and they don't go in for sensationalism. Please post anything that you did that was newsworthy, but keep it in the style of a professional paper.
      
HIDE

HIDE
      
      This is one of Gotham's IC media boards...this is where "tabloid" get printed. The Tattler is the Weekly World News of Gotham...the weirder and more outrageous, the bigger they'll print it on the headlines. Two-headed Mutant Cop Slain in Sewer Explosion. Crap like that. :) Feel free to post your exploits in "tabloid" form here. "Savage Man-Bat of Gotham Drinks Human Blood!!!" and so on. In fact, feel free to make stuff up. These papers sure do. :)
      
HIDE

HIDE
      
      This board is reuired reading for all our Gotham players...this is the place to make announcements that all the Gotham people need to know about. Please, this isn't where one posts things like parties and celebrations; we have the newspapers for that. This is more for the Gotham staff to post policy changes or general Gotham info, or for Gotham players if there's something they really need to let the rest of the Gotham playerbase know (Batman's going on vacation for 2 weeks, maybe).
      
HIDE

HIDE
      Word on the street is also that the Lucky Hand Triad seems to be... recruiting? What for? Well, people will have to find out. But something's going on with them, whatever it is, remains a nice secret.
HIDE

HIDE
      Word on the street is that the different criminal families are getting quite tense after the Arkham Breakout. They are not very happy, and there are rumors that they might put into work their own solutions to the whole thing. But of course, rumors are just rumors... right?
HIDE

HIDE
      
      This board is where you should announce "the word on the street." Things that characters with a decent Streetwise ought to know. There's some overlap here with the other boards certainly...a mob war would be both here and on the Crime board, but this one is specifically what the normal street people would know, whereas the Crime board is something that the criminals themselves ought to know. :)
      
HIDE

HIDE
      The following was copied from the 'Must Know' bboard (+bbread 67/2). However, I'm putting it up here since it affects Gotham.
      Over a year ago now, Scarecrow apprehended Lilith Clay/Omen of the Titans and used his fear toxins to radically affect her mind/powers. Ultimatey saved by Dream of the Endless, something of that event has lingered and remains to this day over Gotham and Budhaven. If you are a telepath to ANY DEGREE they you -must know- and -abide- by the following.
      Over Gotham and Bludhaven is a 'Fear Factor' which is in effect EVERYWHERE in those two cities. It doesnt matter if youre inside or out, protected or shield in any way. The -instant- anyone with telepathc abilities attempts to use such a power they will -instantly- be hit with the nightmares of all the people in that city. Now, it can be dealt with should you +roll a successful Willpower check. However, even to succeed at that means you HAVE TO use your power while under extreme distress, to struggle through the barrage of it all to still carry out even the simpliest of mental tasks.
      This 'Fear Factor' also drastically increases he number of hate crimes commited in the two cities. From open violence to verbal slurs, theyre more prominant because of this effect. Often people will find themselves slipping into it without thought to the otherwise, inciting such acts back... and so on.
      If you have questions on this, contact GothamStaff or Cobalt about it.
HIDE

HIDE
      OTHER ORGANIZATIONS:
      I'm leaving these organizations more vague and ill-formed because they can be fleshed out by players apping for characters running the organizations (or even just participating in them!)
      Two-Face. Two-Face has been able to run a powerful and ruthless organized crime cartel in the past, even eclipsing the Mafia in power at times. However, his erratic behavior means this organization comes and goes. (The character is (happily for me!) filled: contact the player for information on what they want/need/can do for your RP!)
      Ventriloquist. Generally portrayed as a third-rate crimelord, but deserves mention because he can get an organization together and his immense creativity makes his organization able to accomplish much more, criminally, than a similar organization run by others. There's no reason a PC Arnold Wesker couldn't build an organization that would be a serious threat to...or an important part of...another organization's operations.
      Penguin. The Penguin's organization focuses on black marketeering at the moment, although it does have a great deal of diversity in its resources - and Cobblepot's group will freelance for whatever organization requires his inestimable skills. The Penguin himself puts a lot of work into appearing to have "gone straight", and for the moment has succeeded.
      Mayor Dickerson. The Mayor's machine is tied to the Mafia, but it will also pander to other organized crime interests. The Mayor's political machine includes the mechanisms of influence throughout the city, as well as in high society and (most importantly) throughout the police department. Corrupt police officers, detectives, medical examiners, and records-keepers make sure that Mayor Dickerson's friends are taken care of, and Mayor Dickerson makes sure that he and his public servants are well-paid.
      Black Mask. Black Mask has successfully carved out a "regional" criminal empire in the East End - a place nobody else really wanted. He clearly has bigger plans, though, and unlike Ventriloquist and Two-Face, his insanity doesn't hurt his ability to sustain an organization.
      The Vitis: The Viti family of Chicago has long wanted to extend some tendrils into Gotham City. For the moment, they've been stymied. But it's only a matter of time before they start to do so again.
HIDE

HIDE
      THE ODESSA MOB
      Style: Russian mobsters. Psychotic, ambitious, with many European criminal connections. Like the Escobedo cartel, they lost their leader in a Ra's al-Ghul manipulation and the vicious struggles of the second tier of the organization is engulfing the mob. Partly focused on Little Odessa.
      They get money from: black marketeering, extortion, smuggling, some narcotics, and gun running. (They are the largest provider of illegal military weaponry on the East Coast.)
      Top Resources: 1. Reputation for brutality. The Russian mob is known even among the criminal world for particular nastiness. Although the Mafia contains its fair share of violence and blood, the Russian mob is known for utterly psychotic behavior, including routine torture and horrendous killings instead of executions. This gives them a powerful intimidation factor. 2. European connections. The Russian black market is the same as the Russian economy, and the Russian black market is synonymous with the Russian mob.
      They Give Money To: Nobody, although a few lieutenants have considered throwing in with the Mafia by paying them a vig to operate in Little Odessa with impunity.
      Recent Rumors: Unlike the Escabedo cartel, nobody has emerged as the front runner in the battle to control the Odessa mob.
      Enemies: Everyone, but only the most powerful forces will attack the Odessa mob, usually hiring third parties to make the actual move.
      Hooks: You know you like the "splatterfest" crime scene. If you need a mobster to saw off someone's leg with a chainsaw, these are the mobsters to do it. The Mafia didn't /mean/ to maim Harvey Dent with that acid - they meant to kill him. The Odessa mob, by contrast, maims people to make points. In addition, if you want to have a mob war and you need it to be touched off by a group that's competent enough to be a serious combatant but not competent enough to keep things quiet, the Odessa Mob is the perfect candidate. Heroes also hold a special place in their heart for protecting innocents. The Odessa Mob is the only "big" organization that does indeed undertake violence that appears to be truly random (because they spread their net so wide when they take revenge or try to intimidate someone.)
HIDE

HIDE
      THE FIVE FAMILIES
      Style: The Mafia. You know 'em, you love 'em, you love to hate 'em.
      Name the Five: Galante, Berretti, Cassamento, Inzerillo, Panessa.
      They get money from: Everything. No, really. Every crime on the books that you can make money from, the Five Families are making money from it. Everything. Drugs. Prostitution. Blackmail. Murder for hire. Extortion. Embezzlement. Fraud. Everything.
      Top Resources: 1. Being Number One. The Five Families are on top. Every little criminal (and most citizens) of the city know it. All they have to do is just show up a lot of times, and people fall all over each other to make sure they're satisfied. 2. Excellent money laundering. The downfall of the Falcones started when their avenues of moving illicit funds out of Gotham City were shut down. This has been made a top priority for a very small, secretive and intelligent cadre of mafiosi - to make sure this doesn't happen again. 3. Influence. Perhaps more than any other group, the Mafia controls the institutions of Gotham City life. The government (in partnership with Mayor Dickerson's machine), the police, the morgue, city employees from the department of public works ("We got some dumping we need to do here. Take a walk.") to the recorder's office ("You don't need to know who owns this place. Lose the file.") They have controlling interests in many legitimate businesses that are of use to their criminal enterprises and can easily get more influence if they need it. All drug use in high society or in middle-class areas can almost always be traced back to the Mafia. Their former reticence about handling "hard" drugs is long gone. 4. Richer Than God. As an organization, the Mafia in Gotham City and in Italy are tightly linked, with the result that on a bad day they're richer than Wayne Enterprises and on a good day their collective monetary resources are so vast that even they don't quite know how far it goes.
      They give money to: A complex set of financial arrangements exists between the Five Families such that generally speaking, the Galantes are the most important (and therefore receive the most generous share of the profits of the "family businesses"), and the Panessas are the least important. Pasquale Galante, Jr. is the cappi di tutti cappi, the boss of bosses, and his word is law even over all the heads of the other four families. Other than this, however, there is no strict hierarchy, which means that the Five Families compete with each other as well as the outside world.
      Recent Rumors: None of importance. The new organization takes omerta, the code of silence, extremely seriously. Nevertheless, the mob is well-known for having chatty people in it, and it's likely only a matter of time before informants and snitches start to arise.
      Enemies: Every other crime organization with the exception of the Escabedos, who need them, and any other gang (urbane or street-level) that pays them a vig. These are too numerous to be mentioned. Few of the Mafia's enemies are powerful enough or foolhardy enough to do anything against them directly.
      Hooks: The Five Families are by far the most powerful organization in Gotham City, but that also means that their tendrils are going to be everywhere you look. Severing a particular line of influence or flow of money is a serious task for crimefighters both costumed and uniformed.
HIDE

HIDE
      LUCKY HAND TRIAD
      Style: Chinese triad - local, good information network, eyes throughout Chinatown.
      They Get Money From: Extortion, drug distribution, control of a few street-level gangs in Chinatown.
      They Give Money To: Other than a few "respect" payments and gifts to other Triads in other cities to maintain close ties, nobody.
      Top Resources: 1. Chinatown. As the Mob controls Gotham City at large, the Triad controls Chinatown, on a smaller scale - Chinatown cops, business owners, and key people throughout the community are on the payroll of the Triad. 2. Leadership. Because the Triad is smaller, there is less friction among its leadership at the moment, making it unique among Gotham City organized crime. "Little Brother" Ekin Tzu is thought to be a wise leader, even if he was recently duped by Ra's al-Ghul into starting a war with the Odessa Mob.
      Enemies: The Mafia. The Mafia doesn't like an enclave as thoroughly controlled as Chinatown in its midst, and the Triad doesn't want to be "stuck" in Chinatown forever. It aspires to the same position as the Mafia holds today. Naturally the Mafia would prefer Chinatown be under its thumb.
      Hooks: In some ways, only the Mafia and the Triad are "together" at the moment. All the other crime organizations are either loose (like BTM) or scattered and fractious (the Escabedos and the Odessa Mob). Thus the Triad is an excellent place to find criminal villainy that's not thoroughly overwhelming. In addition, the close, atmospheric feel of Chinatown can make for terrific action.
HIDE

HIDE
      THE ESCABEDO CARTEL
      Style: Colombian drug cartel - violent, well-funded and urbane. Currently leaderless, several vicious lieutenants wage a savage (but limited) war for control of the organization.
      Top Resources: 1. BTM provides a layer of deniability that allows them to operate with impunity from the police and federal authorities, since drug sales are linked only to BTM gangs and never to the Cartel. 2. International contacts that have immense influence over several governments in South and Central America. 3. A lot of money to buy influence, protection and other resources.
      They get money from: Drug sales of the BTM, other parts of the cartel, drug wholesaling throughout New Jersey.
      They give money to: Nobody. However, they do have an "understanding" with the Mafia in which the Mafia gets a great deal of their drugs from the Escabedos. This business Arrangement is conducted at arms' length, particularly since BTM drug distribution often conflicts with Mafia drug distribution. Nevertheless, the Escabedos need the Mafia connection more than ever at the moment. The Mafia needs them a little less - but still consider the relationship convenient.
      Recent Rumors: Carlos Escabedo, the son of executed crimelord Emanuel Escabedo, is the "front runner" in getting the cartel together, but in some sense this means mainly that he's the top target of the other lieutenants. (Emanuel Escabedo was apparently framed and then killed by the top BTM man, Able Crown, but this itself was a frame by Ra's Al-Ghul, and the imposture was recently revealed.)
      Enemies: All organized crime factions in Gotham City other than BTM. (Even the mob is only nice out of convenience.) Their vulnerability at this time has not gone unnoticed by the other factions - but has not been overestimated, due to their ability to hire mercenaries and muscle to defend themselves should a war be started.
      Hooks: Any plot involving the movement of narcotice in large quantity, the Escabedos can be involved in. A plot based on the internal shakeups within the Escabedos could result in a lot of blood being splashed around the street. The Escabedos also have a blood enemy in Ra's al-Ghul, as he is the one that arranged the killing of the former head of the cartel, which always provides some interesting opportunities as they may go on a horrendous spree of torture and bribery just to get a scrap of information about his whereabouts. Linking the Escabedos to actual drug distribution would also be a challenging and important task for heroes and cops.
HIDE

HIDE
      BURNLEY TOWN MASSIVE (BTM)
      Style: Independent street gangs loosely organized under BTM "authority". The distribution network for cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other narcotics both local and imported. Focused in the Burnley area - for the moment.
      Top Resources: 1. People. BTM does not lack for disaffected youth to constantly fill its swelling ranks, and it attracts street gangs that need more money than they can make on their own. 2. Broadness. BTM is so big and loosely organized that shutting down one gang doesn't affect the whole "deal" that much (except in providing opportunities for others to move in.) (Note that it is by no means ineffectual to shut down a BTM operation - it does take time and resources away from the gang and the Escabedos.)
      They get money from: Drug sales (bulk and independent), street crime (car theft, extortion, thuggery). Some gangs have a "side business" in prostitution or petty theft.
      They give money to: The Escabedo Cartel, which provides a modicum of protection from larger organized crime interests and drug connections.
      Recent Rumors: BTM, dissatisfied with the deal with the Escabedos, has been establishing ties to the Lucky Hand Triad.
      Enemies: Street gangs not under BTM "authority", any competition they can affect by hitting with 2x4s or shooting.
      Hooks: BTM is a very "active" organization, meaning that it's out there "doing stuff" a lot. The endless flow of narcotics into Gotham City's poorer neighborhoods passes in large part through BTM gang hands. Any streetgang plot may be made into a BTM plot with larger reverberations (either ICly intentionally or not!). Villains may find BTM gangs prime recruiting grounds for thugs and hangers-on, as the ambition of the group is much greater than its limited resources. For the police and other authorities, BTM is a good source of low-level street snitches, as well as criminals who are not normally "protected" within the department or in the courts.
HIDE

HIDE
      
      This board is another one for Gotham players to keep on top of; this is where we announce Gotham plots, and the -effects- of those plots. Hence, if you're not reading, you might end up looking silly, trying to start a happy day in the park if we're doing a version of No Man's Land. :) Feel free to post here on your own, if you do something everyone should know about, but please, keep it common sense, and remember, this is more for announcements than discussions.
      
HIDE