Gangs of Kaineng
The Celestial Ministry ostensibly runs the bureaucracy of the Canthan government, while the emperor rules as the sovereign monarch and commander of the entire Canthan military. Commerce, however, falls largely to the two largest organized crime organizations in Kaineng City. The two gangs—something of a misnomer, since each gang contains hundreds if not thousands of captains, money-men, thugs, and the like—control almost all trade, legal and illegal, in the Canthan capitol.
The Am Fah and the Jade Brotherhood are in a state of constant cold warfare which sometimes spills out onto the streets, along with a lot of blood. For hundreds of years, neither has been able to topple the other, and out of necessity the gangs have been known to cooperate during the occasional crackdowns on their activities. Were one gang or the other ever to gain the upper hand, the resulting trade monopoly could conceivably lead to a coup against the throne, so the emperor’s personal agents help ensure that never happens.
