Program File # 3 The Bells

Program Files # 3: The Bells

FrozenFyre reporting in

My study of the exile gangs continues with the Bells gang who inhabit Achan in Richland. The gang are both dull and interesting at the same time, displaying a number of qualities, some that attract and some that put off my interest. They want independence from their former co-gang the Blackwoods, yet continually lean on them for support, they display an exterior of combat toughness, decked in black combat gear, yet work for their bosses desire for more “bling”. This made me disinterested until I remembered that these aren’t humans, they are programs aware of the illusion of such things, why then do they desire treasure- it is most likely shallowness, but this shallowness is still interesting to observe.

Henceforth, quotations shall be italicised and supposition shall be in bold.

The gang

Originally formed as a companion gang to the Blackwoods. The full name of the gang was the Blackwood Belles, but the current membership has shortened it as their relationship with the Blackwoods is now tenuous at best.

This gang presents an uneasy mix of pragmatism and style, they’re all black clothing and uniform berets indicate combat readiness, and the gang are more than willing to fight. But a closer look reveals the stylishly cut jackets and trousers of an image conscious bunch of females. The gang only just about manage to mix looking good with looking deadly, and this mix of ideas seems to define the gang throughout. They don’t seem to have any goals beyond holding their turf, adding to their collection trinkets (such as their emblematic bronze bells), and possibly expanding and gaining independence from the Blackwoods at some point.
This connection to the Blackwoods seems to be the gang’s defining feature- though that’s probably not something they’d want. The gang’s holdings in Achan are relatively small, and having a connection to the gang that runs Mara, Magog and holds some territory in Lemone is not a bad thing for them.

The Token

The gang carry small bells made of bronze, partly as a bling item, but it also confirms that they are no longer Belles.

The Turf

Primarily composed of older buildings that have seen better days, Achan has degenerated into a den of vice, crammed with strip clubs, adult book stores, bars and seedy hotels. The few decent citizens left in the neighbourhood know better than to walk the streets at night, when the local Exiles roam in search of trouble. The predominant gang in the neighbourhood is the Bells, an all female gang that guards their territory jealously, and doesn’t hesitate to call on their allies in the more powerful Blackwood gang (in Mara and Magog) when they need a hand.

Achan is quite simply a dump. There is nothing there to draw the eye except the garish neon signs outside of the strip clubs. There is nothing in the neighbourhood to make it stand out and very little to keep anyone who has anywhere else to go; Achan is a place you pass through on your way to somewhere else. The only landmark in the neighbourhood is Achan Square, which is nothing more than a square of land amidst the dilapidated buildings. Behind the crumbling walls there are a few decent apartments etc. but there’s nothing you couldn’t find elsewhere in a nicer neighbourhood.
You can begin to see how the area has influenced the Bells though. Having only a small turf to control with little opposition is what makes them feel like queens in their land. Also, the occupation of many of the attractive women in their area could be the reason they chose combat black attire instead of a more typical “bling” dress code.

Rank and File

The gang name their groupings after famous female performers on screen and stage, perhaps aspiring to the same level of fame amongst the exile community, and clearly viewing themselves as much more than street thugs.

Janets are the most driven of the gang members to broaden the gap with the Blackwoods. They are ambitious and not afraid to show it.

The Madonnas can be haughty and cruel, and make up the majority of the gangsters in the inner neighbourhood.

The Marilyns are the paramount combatants and troubleshooters in the gang. If Belinda’s got trouble, the Marylins will shoot it.

Leadership

Belinda “Bling Bling” Bernelli rules the Bells. Her expensive tastes have earned her her nickname and often drive the gang’s activities.

Belinda is the biggest influence on the gang, and not necessarily the best one. It is her that seeks out trinkets, and the rest of the gang follow looking for minor decorations and ignoring the bigger picture. And it is her influence that keeps the gang kept in the squalor of Achan. Belinda views herself as a God in Achan and no one, not even the mighty Merovingian can shake this belief. So to move out into other territory and to face fierce opposition and maybe defeat would surely threaten that image and quite possibly threaten Belinda’s rule on the gang. I would almost class this as an intelligent move, controlling your turf and keeping the gang happy with trinkets, but for the fact that when she obtained the key to the cheat code vials she didn’t see a chance to gain power for the gang, butinstead saw a chance for a quick profit and sold it on to Jane the Ripper. She quickly passed up her only real chance at becoming a God, and of having a possible alliance with a major organization. As it turns out, the decision was a wise one as the vials ended up with the betrayer Anome- but I doubt she could have foreseen that. As long as “Bling Bling” rules the Bells, that will be their focus, defending their turf and gathering bling for themselves.

Allies and enemies

I’ve already spoken of the coneection between the Bells and their Blackwood counterparts, so I won’t dwell long on this. The alliance is tentative, and is likely to remain so for sometime. Neither side really knows what they want out of it, the Bells want independence, but they don’t want to become enemies with the Blackwoods as that could mean their destruction. The Blackwoods would prefer it if the Bells were back under their control, but don’t want to forcibly take the gang because of their past connections and because it would be an unnecessary use of resources. So the gangs coexist, the Bells use the Blackwoods as a backup whenever they are threatened, and the Blackwoods rely on the Bells to keep Achan under control so they can concentrate on other threats.

But not everyone is happy with this situation, the Janets are eager to separate from the Blackwoods, but they are the least experienced members of the gang, so they probably don’t fully grasp the situation. But there are members of the Blackwoods that want to change the alliance too. Horace wants to fully reunite the gangs, but feels the Bells are too strong for this to happen naturally. So using his program logic he figures that if the Bells were weaker they would be more inclined to join fully with the Blackwoods. He hires outsiders to take out members of the Bells to put this in motion. He feels that this union would be beneficial for the whole of Richland, presumable because this would pave the way for putting the district under Blackwood rule. He collects the Bronze Bells the girls carry as proof of his work being carried out. There is some speculation that Horace has a personal attachment to the gang, maybe an affection for it’s leader- but like most collectors, Horace is pretty tight lipped, only giving instructions for getting the job done.

The only other influential figure in Achan is Yttri, a member of “The elements” who has the occupation of a street musician in the district. She has taken up an interesting in music as it can affect moods, and eagerly studies the code of new compositions to gain new secrets.

An exotic woman with unique viewpoints, Yttri’s conversational habits of long pauses between insightful comments imply that she knows more than she’s telling. Yttri is well known of the streets oh her home neighbourhood Achan.

Yttri has neither affiliation with the gang, nor they with her. They likely see her as a lowly street musician, who also happens to be connected to a powerful group and therefore they have decided to have as little to do with her as possible. Yttri works on the streets and has a good knowledge of everything that goes on in Achan, which means she has some sources within the gang- but her knowledge of anything outside Achan is sketchy at best. Yttri has managed to nail herself one of the few classy penthouse suites in the neighbourhood.

Conclusion

The Bells are small. They are a small gang in a small district with small ambitions, and they are likely to remain small. In studying them I have been somewhat disappointed by this, though I know I should expect nothing else from a street gang. I suppose that is what has affected me really- I studied these women and found some diversity, some beauty and some good right hooks! But what I really found was a street gang when I was looking for exiles.