![[Espadas Logo]](../../graphics/EspadaLogo2.gif)
On the surface, Las Espadas focuses on the dual objectives of making money and defending their turf. They are a very effective money making operation, concentrating on weapons sales and mercenary hires. Expansion into matrix rackets, information brokering and general Salish-Seattle smuggling ops gives them a wide base for generating funds.
They defend their core turf with a single-minded determination that fringes on outright fanaticism. This tendency includes not only the physical turf, but the people and families that live there. Outward expansion is kept to a moderate level and is rarely achieved via outright, blatant force.
The leadership of Las Espadas is unusual for a thriller gang in that it effectively a triumvirate formed of the three most influencial members of the gang and local community. The official leader of the gang is called the Cuadillo Guerra or "War Leader." The Cuadillo Guerra serves as the visible face of the gang's leadership and leads Las Espadas' warriors in battle. The title is currently held by an ork street samurai called Slag. He served as the previous Cuadillo Guerra's chief lieutenant until the man was killed in an abortive takeover attempt by members of the gang supporting Doña Leña as Cuadilla Guerra.
The second member of the triumvirate is Leña Hernandez Anderson, a retired shadowrunner who has been responsible for much of the gang's growth over the past three years. Leña's influence with Las Espadas is very great and very subtle. Before the current balance of power stabilized, there were a number of tense periods as a result of Leña's meteoric rise to power with the gang. The worse of these times resulted in the death of Calavera, the previous Cuadillo Guerra. Rather than seeking the title herself and potentially tearing the gang apart, Leña threw her weight behind Slag and ruthlessly supported his bid for leadership of Las Espadas. Following this incident she withdrew from her prominent role in the leadership of the gang, preferring to work through Slag and others to acheive her ends. This move eventually lead to the current three way balance of power. Leña has no formal title, though she is referred to by the gang as Doña out respect. She tends to restrict her influence to internal and long-term concerns of Las Espadas, usually working through one several senior members of the gang as intermediaries.
The third member of Las Espadas' leadership is much more difficult to pin down. There have been several persons in the gang and in the community who have held this place depending on the needs of the gang at the time. Predominate among these have been: Leña's husband Daniel Anderson, a dog totem street shaman and the resident expert on magical issues; The Clapp, who heads up the buying and selling end of Las Espadas' gun running operations; Doc Brown, a local street doc who has bought into what Las Espadas is doing for its people and Zarna, leader of an all-female sub-group of Las Espadas. The person holding this position has tended to shift as needed and is often filled by a member of the local community rather than an actual member of Las Espadas. There is no set title for this person, though their power is no less real than either the Cuadillo Guerra or Doña Leña when their expertise is called upon.
A trend which may change the role of the third "slot" in the triumvirate is the growing popularity of Daniel Anderson within the community and Las Espadas. He has always enjoyed a good reputation among both groups of people and finds himself more and more being the person that community leaders look to as their representative in the leadership of Las Espadas. If this trend continues and Anderson (as he is generally referred to on the streets) comes to hold the third point in the triumvirate full time, it is uncertain what having two or the three members married to each other will do to the delicate balance which currently exists.
Each member of the leadership triumvirate controlling Las Espadas each serve as lieutenants to the others when the need arises. There are also several other members of Las Espadas which are could be considered Lieutenants in the traditional sense. These senior Lieutenants tend to either lead sub-groups with the gang or fill roles not-disimilar to staff officers in a military organization.