A man may vanish, but his reputation will remain for ages.

For the Cúram, he who loses his reputation loses his status. Reputations can be gained by spectacular deeds or exemplary virtues - and of course by being able to spin an even more spectacular tale about them. There is no border between fiction and reality for the Cúram, so embroidering one's accomplishments is perfectly acceptable, as long as it is done in style and good grace. If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing with flair. This sometimes leads to their members taking insane risks just hoping to live to tell the tale. No one minds a good liar, but a spoilsport is no fun to be around.

The Cúram have always been Paradise City's underdogs. The origins of the Cúram lie in building a defence force for their poor neighbourhood against other immigrants and criminal gangs. Members are ranked by military terms to this day and they see themselves as responsible for the well being of their quarter or street. The Cúram stick together in good as well as bad times, of which there were quite a few. But surviving hardships has made the Cúram that much more dedicated. Although they have little ambition to expand their territory as a faction, mercy on the man who tries to take away their district from them.

Bravery is admired in one's friends and one's enemies and it is not unusual to have a fierce fight and then go on drinking together, honouring each other's tenacity. Bravery is also important for business, since excelling in any undertaking needs dedication and a stout heart. Managing to do something great only once may just be sheer luck, so a hero's mettle is proven by doing it again and again. As the proverb says: It isn't a trick until it is done three times. From con men to pickpockets, no one executes crazier schemes than the Cúram.

Structure

Máistir/Master
The Master of the Cúram, a position which not many look forward to gaining. Keeping a bunch of ever-quarrelling, big mouthed, foolhardy individualists in line is a job for only the most patient and cunning. The Master is appointed by the majority of the officers, but they can only choose from the candidates nominated by the old Master. It is not unusual for the Master to introduce some competition to see who may be the most suitable for the job and nominate the winner - or someone else completely.

Garda Cosanta/Officer
Officers under the boss (literally his bodyguards). Anyone wishing to enter the Cosanta must prove his worth as a true Cúram by some formidable and daring enterprise. He is judged by his peers and the Master has the last word on promoting anyone. He rarely goes against the judgement of his officers, though. The number of Cosanta may thus vary considerably depending on the candidates' merits.

Laoch/Warriors
The bulk of the Cúram, they each are responsible for certain areas of trade or streets in a district. The title is one that brings honour and reputation, many of the Laoch, therefore, take pride in their job.

Prentice/Initiate
Any Cúram may take a prentice to teach him, or her, the trade, but never more than one, thus ensuring the quality of teaching. Unfortunately, it also ensures that the Cúram's numbers will not grow much over time, making them unable to expand much beyond their home turf.

Members

Pearse "Bigmouth" Finegan (Laoch/Warrior)

Bigmouth earned his name for boasting extensively and then failing to deliver. While everyone loves a good storyteller and no one minds a good lie, Pearse has managed to fumble each and every one of his endeavours and, thus, people quickly stopped listening to him. He started to drink heavily and entered a downward spiral of booze and bad decisions.

He found the solution at the bottom of a cheap whiskey bottle - it was not necessary for him to actually DO what he said he would, as long as someone was doing it and he could take the credit. As material gains mattered little to him, it would even be beneficial to his "doubles" to have the luxury of anonymity and a solid source of income. So now he lets others do his business for him and claims the credit.

Pearse is a sucker for attention and will do anything to get the respect of his peers. But like any addict, he will always need more and this may one day be his downfall yet again, as the saying goes: Many a time a man's mouth broke his nose.

Seamus "James" Joyce (Laoch/Warrior)

A big man with a taste for rare books and rare whiskies - and many think he has had too many of both, spouting citations and wandering around the district in apparently random patterns. Seamus, however, is a man with a clear vision and, somehow, his wanderings manage to always get him to the right places, as he is exceptionally well informed.

Though no one can say for sure what he is doing or why, he continues to find sources of income. Seamus is in fact an informer for the Máistir and, because everybody thinks he is harmless, he overhears many an interesting conversations. He is also known to be open to bribery with the occasional book or bottle.

Rosie "Tapster" O'Connel (Prentice/Initiate)

Rosie runs the tabs at "The Gunner", a pub she has inherited from her father and which is well liked by the locals. For some time, however, she has found it hard to make a living from her business, as she is unwilling to raise the prices that her father had set.

Instead, she has begun an apprenticeship under "Ice Queen" Maher and quickly learned the trade secrets from her. Many a man has found his drunken boasting of some heist he is going to undertake to result in said heist to be executed by someone else and Rosie serving him a free drink with a knowing wink.