Red Dragons
The Red Dragons San Lazaro’s most powerful street gang. Originally a Chinese triad, it has recently opened up its ranks to people of all backgrounds under the leadership of the ambitious and ruthless “Lady Rose”. The top lieutenants consist mostly of women who helped Lady Rose ascend to her place of power. This faction is out for survival and profit by whatever means necessary. They are known to use a nanotech poison of their own design to overcome enemies and victims quickly.
“Lady Rose” - Rose “Hong Mei” Lin (林紅玫)
Lady Rose grew up in San Lazaro, part of a fifth-generation Taiwanese American family. Despite a promising early life, she joined the notorious Red Dragon crime syndicate after dropping out of San Lazaro State University. Alongside her older brother, she rose quickly through the ranks; both siblings possessed considerable intelligence and street smarts. However, when her brother was killed in a gang battle three years ago, Lady Rose blamed Horace Zhao, then the Red Dragon boss. Within the year, she staged a coup and displaced Zhao as the new Red Dragons leader, and has ruled the syndicate since then. Her undeniable persuasion and coercion skills have allowed her to gain the trust and loyalty of most of the Red Dragons lieutenants in a very short time.
Lady Rose is just 4’11" tall, but despite her size, she projects a cold confidence and calm befitting a syndicate leader. Her best friend is Little Jenny, her childhood friend and now her bodyguard. Lady Rose always carries an attractive Chinese fan, the points of which contain deadly poison.
Kohana “Fei” Sanchez-Vicario (飛)
Fei has a very exotic heritage, being part Colombian, part Mexican, and part Sioux. She was born in San Lazaro and, because the family had little money, she and her brother Ohanzee sometimes lived on the streets. Fei worked from a young age, delivering messages and packages around the city. She earned a reputation as a speedy, evasive courier, and was eventually recruited to the Red Dragons. Over the past 20 years, she has moved up the ranks to become a capable associate of Lady Rose. Reliable and hard-working, she is a valued lieutenant.
Now in her mid-40s, Fei is 5’5" and still very athletic and lean. She maintains a remarkable degree of fitness and is a very capable climber and a talented runner. Fei wears an adaptive suit that allows her to bend light around her body and blend into her environment. Though sometimes gruff when working, Fei can be surprisingly outgoing, because she understands the value of knowing the city and its inhabitants. Currently single, Fei has in the past had relationships with both men and women.
Aulia "Gudu" Saabiq (蠱毒)
Gudu was born in West Sumatra and began training in the martial art of Silat at age 12. She excelled immediately, but her cruel streak concerned her instructors; she was later expelled from three training schools. Later, she moved to Hong Kong to work as a housekeeper, sending some of her earnings back to her parents. When she started dating a young triad gangster, her obvious fighting skills drew the attention of a local boss. She began working as that boss’ debt collector and, when he relocated to San Lazaro, she went with him. Later recruited by Lady Rose, Gudu is now one of the most feared enforcers within the city.
Gudu is 5’2" and covered in scars from her years of fighting, including one very prominent mark above her right eye. She trains every day and loves to prove herself by taking on larger foes (preferably male). She is always armed with her karambit, a curved knife, and — since the crisis began — her klewang, a type of machete. Gudu is street-smart, ruthless and vicious, perfectly suited to the current chaotic situations in San Lazaro.
Nikki "H3X" Brown (駭客)
H3x grew up in a very poor San Lazaro neighborhood. Her single mother and four siblings constantly struggled, and H3x swiftly learned to fend for herself. Her skill with technology enabled her to steal popular cryptocurrencies and convert it into cash. Soon, she had earned enough to settle her mom’s debts and move out. H3x quit high school and followed her own path, working as a freelance hacker. She is expert at infiltrating and manipulating systems (while always covering her tracks). She worked for a variety of criminal and political organizations until Lady Rose made her an offer she couldn’t refuse: Lady Rose offers H3x protection and, in return, takes a cut of her earnings.
H3x is 5’ 5” tall and 25 years old. Contained within her head and hands are cybernetic implants to assist with her work. H3x, the only African American among the Red Dragons’ leaders, is essentially a self-reliant loner, but she can be charming and witty. She feels some remorse when exploiting others and generally tries to target the rich. She always ensures that a certain percentage of her earnings made its way anonymously to her mother.
“Little” Jenny Tsang (曾小惠)
A lifelong San Lazaro resident of Cantonese descent, Little Jenny was always a target for bullies because of her immense size. She met Lady Rose in junior high and, when Lady Rose bet on Little Jenny in a fight, her confidence was rewarded — Little Jenny knocked a boy out cold. As the pair grew up and eventually joined the Red Dragons, Little Jenny became Rose’s bodyguard and confidante. Now 32, she has foiled several attempts on her friend’s life and has personally "silenced" some of Rose’s most vocal critics.
Six feet tall with a strong frame, Little Jenny cuts an imposing figure. Her black hair is usually pulled tight in a compact bun. Her gang tattoos cover much of her arms and neck, and also conceal illegal cybernetic implants — these augment any physical strike. She arms herself with a TEK 9 equipped with an extended magazine.
Little Jenny plays the role of bodyguard well and appears grim and threatening. She only lets her guard down when alone with Lady Rose.
Jeff "Rhino" Xu (徐金豐)
Rhino was born in Los Diablos to immigrant parents from Northern China. He acquired his business acumen and negotiating skills from his mother and father, who turned a single grocery store into a successful chain. Always searching for other sources of income, Rhino also worked with local Asian gangs in LD, supplying them with ammo, explosives and drugs. He soon came to the attention of gangster Horace Zhao, who recruited him to the Red Dragons in San Lazaro. When Zhao was overthrown by Lady Rose, Rhino persuaded her to keep him on, and he remains her only male lieutenant.
Rhino is 6’2’’ and very broad and muscular; hence, his nickname. Often assumed to be a mindless thug or bodyguard, Rhino is in fact a sly, cerebral character. Now 33, he is very concerned about his parents back in LD, since San Lazaro was cut off. Although he is an excellent negotiator and tactician, these skills do not translate to the world of romance; Rhino doesn’t have much luck with the ladies, who tend to view him as sleazy. He generally wears a black suit and tie, which conceal a trusty Fu-Bar knife and a CK 75B pistol.
Xi (小蜥)
Xi was born on Komodo Island where she lived until injured by hunters at the age of five. Both her parents were killed during the same raid on the endangered lizards. Her wounded jaw was replaced with a cybernetic version that provided increased bite strength. Xi went to live at San Lazaro Zoo, one of the foremost centers for cybernetic surgery. Several years ago, she was purchased as a pet for the influential Lady Rose of the Red Dragon gang. It was Rose who gave the Komodo her name (Xi means iguana in Chinese). She was well treated but also used to intimidate subordinates and enemies.
One week after the San Lazaro outbreak, Xi was stolen while being transported back to the zoo for a health check. The operation was led by Crimson of Cynfo Tech; her boss, Ryder Arcadia, wanted to study Xi to understand how the virus was affecting various creatures. She was later rescued by the Animals and at last became free.
Now fifteen years old, Xi is ten feet long. Her cybernetic jaw was modified by Lady Rose, mixing her natural venom with nanites, further enhancing her destructive power. Even since the Awakening, Xi is comparatively quiet but she remains a formidable predator.
Xi is also a member of the Animals.