Tain

A tain (Kwang: [taĩ́], lit. 'hall') is type of Qonklese transnational organized crime syndicate based mainly in the Quoncosphere, often with operations overseas with significant Kwang populations. Historically, tain groups started as righteous armies during the late Celestial Empire, evolving into banditry or union-busting services in the League of Eight Cities during the Warlord Era. In the early years, the imperial government used these groups to intimidate rival groups and the opposition. The tain was deemed to be anti-revolutionary during the 1950s to the 1970s, though their existence was tolerated due to their abilities to provide grey market items in a time of country-wide shortages of foreign goods. After 1975, the tain maintained a low-profile existence through maintaining steady cash flow via fronts.

Though tain groups vary widely in size and sophistication, they common operate through semi-legitimate front entities in logistics,

Terminology

The world tain, literally meaning 'hall, house' in Kwang, is used by both its members and the public. The Qonklese government officially classified these groups in 1952 as reactionary bandit fraternites, but has since switched to grey economy organizations since 1975.