The Patched

"United we Stand"

The Patched are a group of organised thieves and thugs originally based in the Kingdom of Mistral. While they are seen as a very minor and insignificant faction by other criminal organisations, this is in fact a veil put in place to disguise the gang's larger and more sinister motives.

The Patched
Originally based in Mistral, the Patched is gang under the control of the ruthless criminal mastermind, Decadere Diaboli. Created 8 years before the events of RWBY, the Patched operates under the guise of a mere band of thieves and thugs-for-hire. However, under the watchful eye of Diaboli, the gang has grown exponentially, perhaps the fastest in living memory.

In reality, the Patched is much more than a group of thieves. Diaboli has pushed the bounderies set by rival gangs, expanding and contesting many areas monopolised by cartels and the mafia - the drug trade in particular. Rather than absorb their opponents into their own group, the Patched instead make puppets out of their defeated rivals so that they operate in name alone, while the profits flow back to Diaboli and his subordinates, which are then reinvested for future expansion. By doing so, Diaboli has been able to avoid the attention of troublesome organisations such as The Nine Dragons of Vale, and has even been able to secure an alliance with the vigilante group, Master's Realm. Were they to learn of the massive yet fragile network Diaboli has been building up, war would likely be inevitable.

Decadere Diaboli
Diaboli is the brains behind the entire operation, and without him the group would quickly fall apart. Under his leadership, the Patched have grown from a gang of thieves to a sprawling network of puppeted mobs and corrupt officials, all while keeping the entire operation a closely guarded secret. His methods are so secretive, in fact, that in many cases members of the puppeted gangs are not even aware that he is in control, or even who he is.

Veneni Sitis
Veneni was once Diaboli's right-hand man, but after challenging his authority was turned into Diaboli's personal servant and torture doll. His punishments have been so severe that he no longer has the will to oppose his former boss.

Nocte Sitis
Nocte was also a former member of the Patched, but betrayed Diaboli by stealing the items he was sent out to retrieve. He too was tortured for his betrayal, but unlike his brother was released. Diaboli would later come to regret his decision, as Nocte survived his injuries and hounds the criminal boss, making him the greatest threat to the secrecy of Diaboli's organisation.

Methods and Organisation
The Patched rely on influence, blackmail and, most importantly, success. Most of Diaboli's followers are loyal to him purely because they know they will benefit the most from doing so, meaning that true loyalty is rare within the group.

Diaboli himself is the main, if not only, pillar supporting the Patched as the shadowy organisation it has grown to be. His superb ability to pull strings, make allies out of hated enemies, and making the right moves is the reason for the groups near impossible doctrine.

Staying close to their roots, the group is still focused on thievery and the fencing of stolen goods. In recent years, however, they have begun to move towards arms dealing and the selling of recreational drugs - most notably the hallucigen Revival, a revolutionary chemical used to create hallucinations of deceased or missing people from people's memories who they can talk to for comfort and peace of mind. It has been massively successful outside of the kingdoms, but has deemed unsafe for consumption by authorities dues to its severe sideffects. The selling of this particular product has financed many of the group's most recent and daring expansions.