CS: The Cappollas

It was often wondered how one of the smallest and most inconsequential crime families like the Cappollas had lasted to see the nearing end of the downfall of Italian crime power. Upon reflection, the question asked provides the answer, as few of the rising crime syndicates run by the Chinese, the Cubans, and the African Americans ever held any respect for the Cappollas and the threat of a possible usurpation of already attained power by the three by the Cappollas was also something that rarely even crossed their mind. In fact, the thought had not entered the thought of any of the families, as they were busy focusing on the still dominating Italian power, the Gambinis.

Nevertheless, the Cappollas were far stronger than most gave them credit for. They were still larger than the Eights, the reigning African American crime syndicate in the city. They also had their hands into several large money industries that helped them rake in more fortunes than any of the other families save the Gambinis, who continually dominated in manpower, money, brains, and technology. Still, the crop of cash that Tony Cappolla, the head of the family, brought in annually could not be dismissed as a great factor that had allowed them to survive so long. The Gambinis had often exacted great tolls for the protection that Tony needed as the Cappolla family continued to face problems with the slowly growing empires of the Eights and the Cubans. It also cost Tony a lot to keep the Eights and the Cubans at bay both with direct bribes as well as with small insurrections which he secretly funded. The constant willingness of the members of the Eights to rise against ‘The King’ as he was called allowed the Cappollas to survive virtually unharmed.

At the same time, it was the wisdom and battle strategy of Tony Cappolla, who often times was underestimated due to his arrogance and vulgar language, that helped keep the Cappolla family alive. Not even Sylvestro Gambini, who was reknowned for his dealings in the area of violence, paled in comparison with the ability Tony had with such a small force of loyal followers and hired guns. It was the Cappolla crime family that was responsible for the sudden and overwhelming strike that nearly crippled the Cubans as they tried to overwhelm the Gambinis. In fact, it was that strike that had caused the need for trained mercenaries, assassins, and free agents by the Cappolla crime family.

With the swift thinking fitting of the supreme don of crime, Sylvestro Gambini was able to turn the tables of power on the Cappollas, whose funding and strategy was beginning to make them rise in the eyes of the four other crime families and threaten all of them. Sylvestro, with the help of a small renegade group of Cubans cut free from the syndicate attacked the Cappollas and were betrayed by the Gambinis, allowing a quick alliance between the Italians. Quickly, Sylvestro was sucking the Cappollas dry of their money, dropping it to the state of a dependent branch of the Gambinis.

In the end, the division that had been wedged between the Italian families had sealed itself by an inevitable need and worry that they would be wiped out by the sudden coaliton of the Eights and the Cubans. Where it would end was anyone’s guess, as the Black Dragons, the Chinese crime family which so often faded into the background despite its massive size, second after the Gambinis, continued to not favor either side but remained neutral. Both groups had begun to negotiate with the group, though it seemed that neither side was making any headway.

There was word passing through the shadowed alleys, the frequented strip clubs, and the dockyards that a war was brewing.

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The Cappolla mansion was by far the most strategically placed mansion of the remaining crime families. While the Eights seemed to run their business through their expansive empire of casinos, with no real base of command where their higher ups could meet, the Cappolla mansion was highly centralized and almost all the remaining figureheads and family members resided within the expansive mansion, with its over one hundred rooms. At the same time, the Cubans were by far too weak to have a good number of commanding men left, as they had exhausted their efforts at trying to control the insurrection sparked by the Cappolla’s funded rebels, thus they had little need for a base of operations where the group could gather to discuss a generalized decision. The Gambinis had no problem nor need, as they had long ago relinquished their trust to the don, which was one reason why no inner feuds had divided the group, all accepted the decision. The Black Dragons had the same arrangement as the Gambinis, though they too had a large estate which housed and protected their elders and allies.

The Cappolla mansion stood upon a great hill, its upper level balconies able to see over the great stone walls that guarded it and giving it a clear vantage point to see anyone coming up the hill, the hill being rather narrow and affording the mansion with being the only thing at the top. This was where the drive ended and there was no way around back except by boat, which was a ludicrous route of attack. There was a fair amount of beach along with a beautiful rock face near the back of the mansion, which offered a nicely built sandstone stairway, but it was nothing more than another perk of the Cappolla residence, not its crux.

The estate was well maintained, one perk of having plenty of money to spend on the luxuries of life. The trees were trimmed and the grounds maintained so that the grass and grounds were free of clutter. Pristine did not describe the beautiful rolling green punctuated by conifers and maples, all bred and placed so that prying eyes couldn’t get a good view in, but those inside could get a good view out. Tony Cappolla did not let anything go by unwatched, unguarded, unsafe. That was the same view he had of the actual mansion, whose entire floor plan was strategically created with several ways out in case of any problems. And while there were only four floors, (ground level, two above, and a complex basement) the expanse and intricacy of the mansion was not to be underestimated.