My friends, I wish to discuss with you something that is happening right now.

There exists a cabal of extraordinarily wealthy bloodlines, none of whom answer to any city of CL, and all of whom take a keen interest in this thing of ours.  They can, and have, supplied enormous funds to cities and CLs they favour, to movements whose aims they support, and individuals they wish to see develop.

In short, they have huge power and are unaccountable - the money stays with the bloodline, and it seems all offspring retains the same views as their forefathers.

So the obvious question arises - what can be done?  

There will be the naysayers, the fools who suggest that money doesn't make this thing run.  I say, look at iocaste, and Philly.  Look at the expense incurred in employing and training staff and maintaining defences.  Money is vital.  

So, why don't the leaders of the major cities in this thing not negotiate?  Try to bring them in from the cold, make them allies?

NY is the only city generating anything like enough revenue to rival them in worth, and even then, they could ratchet things up at a moment's notice.

Money talks.  It's time for realism to enter into this thing of ours.

$100M to shoot a leading member of a city should be a contract that is taken.  A city should allow its hitters to earn their money as they deem fit - paying the appropriate tribute.

It's time to allow nature to take it's course: hitters, hit.  Let the gunmen man their guns, and let those unable to protect themselves negotiate with those that put them in danger.

Or let them wither and die.

No, far more basic than that - successful people wise with their assets, lucky gamblers and so on.  I know a few of them.  They are committed to this thing of ours and take an active interest on it growing and developing positively.

Walks in 100% man still looking around for any boltons, seeing none he decides to chime in.

From what I hear quite a bit of the money left PH in the cleansing of a family, but who am I to know these things?  But I know if any hitter decided to take a shot at someone on the hitlist could essentially mean all out war.  Hitlist is just a way for Tyler to attempt to collect a bount is all it's used for anymore.  And I really don't feel that many people are what you would consider and immeasurable amount of wealth on them, however I do know a large chunk of the vanished when the dust settled in BV.

​Heads out and catches the first available cab.

"So, why don't the leaders of the major cities in this thing not negotiate?  Try to bring them in from the cold, make them allies?"

I think we are way past that train of thought unfortunately. There have been a few attempts to 'bridge the gap' between both sides by members of each group and by completely neutral people but to no avail.

It's a sad state of affairs that there aren't even negotiations anymore, just an endless grind of money and blood paid to Gods because of the stubbornness of a few. We little people are just pawns being played by the mobsters at the top and the others with money unless we too reach the heights of power and wealth ourselves.

But in a world like this, what else did we really expect?

Well let me ask you, if a city, as a while, was offered a vast sum to remove another city, shouldn't that city be removed, for business purposes?

Don't expert hitters get frustrated sitting idly by whilst hapless fools doge Tyler bullets?

I say, let nature take it's course.

Money is important and does help with getting into power, but there are more important things, such as connections.

Is this it? Three speeches and a dozen half-assed, vague responses? Smite us, oh mighty smiter!

Che bella sorpresa, I'm not sure what more we could have expected.  

Your money and influential contacts, should they even exist, cannot buy fear among our cities. Your 'vast sums' of cash might buy a kill, but you can't end a bloodline. Che sciocchezza.

Your efforts are futile.

It's Kuku just being kuku. Pay him no mind

I agree, $100 million in 1930's is a hit you'd expect people to take in terms of the value, it's hardly a small amount of money. Yet the time, money and effort people invest into their lives in the long run seem to be worth protecting more.

It's a shame really as I'd like to see hitters take more of a risk. As for your suggestion on hitters paying tribute after taking on a contract, part of me thinks it wouldn't be seen as business and would be received in a more personal way.

Truth is, there's too much money within the world, especially with the currency the God's provide being so readily available. Once upon a time $100 million would be seen as an extraordinary amount of money. 

Theon, your response lacks balls.

Aniki - yup, I agree.  Hitters should be allowed to hit, to earn and to build a reputation.

How do these ways differ than any of the eras before? It's always just a rinse and repeat, different names, same bloodlines and so on, so forth. The only way to overcome one reign of tyranny is to replace it with another, it's the only option, seeing as how democracy is not how this thing of ours works.

You say let the hitters hit? Pfft. You encourage an unauthorized hit, and say they do. Pew. Suhweet, payday. Next thing, they're dead. The effort in said career goes to waste, and for what? A cheap payday that may get you a little bit of a head start for their children.

Really though, want realism? You're in a world ran by the mob. Realism at its finest already. 

Wake up.

Doesn't anyone remember what it used to be like in the old days. It was chaos. People dropping like flys and no one able to stick around long enough to set up rules to on business

I don't seem to recall it working like that.

TLWolf listens to Bulsara talking in the the streets, it was an interesting topic, but is it real or is it just out of no where. He looks at Bulsara and says: Can you give some names? I mean names of those extremely wealthy bloodlines ? Just to make sure we are on the same page.

I'm old school, I respect Omerta.  But some of the names are reasonably well known.  I work with them to affect the change I'd like to see.

Tell you what, change does not come from this type of behavior and attitude. Seasons come and go, so do the people of this world. Some bloodlines are long and full of history, some good and some bad. My family has been around these shores for many many years and I have in my possession, pages from journals and letters written that reflect the positive change. There have been some incredibly dark days and moments, there has been poor leadership that got members of my family killed, there has been misguided retribution that has led not to change that the attackers wished to see, but a strengthening of the resolve of those left behind to rise up greater. 

You will always be a pot stirrer, someone who tries to rile up the general populace with "facts" and "back alley secrets" and yet the change you so desire NEVER HAPPENS the way you want. 

As a freethinking soul like yourself Mr. Bulsura I find a key issue with your bloodline. All talk, and no action. Buddha says you must be the change you wish to see. The more I hang around the beautiful eccentrics of the cities we've chosen to operate within the more I realize that the people who talk are the last to take action, and the men of action are the last to find the words. To change the outside world you must change how you view it. So I propose you stop talking, and do something if these really are your beliefs. 

Jank lit a blunt he had lifted from some high schoolers in an alley and walked off.