RAJA FAMILY

Ishma's Origins
To explain The RAJA Family’s backstory, it is important to understand each of the founders’ backgrounds. Born to David and Iva Goldberg in a small war-torn village near the Mediterranean Sea, Ishma would live a harsh and brutal childhood, that would eventually craft him into the man he would become. Ishma has no brothers or sisters to spend time with nor friends in the village to play with. He never understood why, in his eyes, he seemed normal yet was neglected by all the fellow children in the village. One day, Ishma saw all the kids playing American vs Terrorist in the local junk yard and wanted to join in on the fun. Mostly, he wanted to play with his crush, Bella Medina. She was one of the only children within the village to acknowledge his presence consistently, always greeting him with a warm “Hello Ishma” and a smile. She would also frequently defend him against the other children, once even getting into a fight with another girl who called him worthless and poured goat’s milk over his head. Knowing he would probably be verbally abused if he went down to play with them and, therein, ruin Bella’s enjoyment of “American vs Terrorist”, he chose to just head home. Return home was always difficult for Ishma. At the age of 9, he understood that his family is very poor and that food, more than likely, would not be waiting for him when he opened the door. Ishma took his time heading home, stopping at one of his favorite “secret locations” around the village. This area let Ishma look out over the beautiful sea, letting him lose himself in his imagination. There, in that one spot, he was King of the world. He would often head there to drift off and imagine himself and Bella going there on their first date, where they would head towards their local Halal store. But today, his mind seemed to be drifting a bit more. His eyes glazing over, he looked over the sea, watching the birds and clouds pass by. Slowly adjusting his eyes, he stared intently at the sea waters, watching the projected mist of a family of Orcas as they come to the surface for air. After some time, Ishma returned back from his adventure realizing the sky was turning a myriad of beautiful colors. His village did not offer much, the scenery from this location was a sight to behold. Climbing some rocks with his bare feet, Ishma started his slow walk back home. That night, his father and mother did not fight, which was unusual from the norm he was used to. Instead, they both had seemed starkly different, as if they had lost something. Another peculiar thing was that they also made his favored meal, which Ishma was only allowed on his birthday, due to how expensive it was to make. They allowed him to play all the games he wanted to and his father didn't touch the “bottle” when it was time for him to get tucked into bed. Not only that, but they allowed him to sleep in their bed for the night, commenting that he “was a good boy” and that “he was going to be something great”, exclaiming that they were sorry. Ishma struggled to understand what was going on, asking why they were apologizing. His mother simply started crying, stating “try to stay this poor of Soul my Son”. That night, Ishma found himself back over the dark blue water, but this time it was not a peaceful current. The waves began to swell, indication of an upcoming storm. Forty food waves began smashing down onto his little village. Crashing into his own home, Ishma was grabbed by the current, forcing him to float down into the depths of the ever-expanding sea. Awoken in a panic and frenzy, Ishma jolted upwards. Once calm, he noticed his parents were in the sitting room talking to a gentleman he did not recognize. Realizing he his son was awake, Ishma’s father calls out to him to come and meet their guest. Pulling himself off the make-shift straw bed, Ishma noticed his belongings were packed at the end of the bed. Ishma remembers that fateful day, as if it was yesterday. His parents, that day, sold him to the workhouse. After being sold into the workhouse, he spent countless years working there. During his time in the workhouse, he learned two things. One, to never piss on Master Salamander’s floor. The second, to say absolutely nothing to anything about your intentions in this world. Following those two rules allow Ishma to survive the workhouse (known as Abraham’s Workhouse) and finally break free the bonds of his servitude. During his time in the workhouse, he created bonds with fellow indentured servants. This band of brothers tokened themselves as “the Sons of Abraham”. Once they were all freed, he would carry “The Sons of Abraham” across the various big cities, working construction jobs together. As the band of brother got older, their lives slowly drifted apart, creating lives of their own. Ishma began taking night classes to educate himself on finance and entrepreneurship. It was his dream to, one day, make something he could FINALLY call his own. Armed with a newfound sense of purpose and an arsenal of education, Ishma set out for the bright lights of America. Fast forwarding to 10 years later, Ishma has been able to settle down in a city, known as Lucid City, and has found a beautiful wife with 3 kids. He would find his long-lost cousin within this city, reigniting the bonds to his heritage he so often recollects. As a result, both him and his cousin would bring back the Sons of Abraham, determined to run the transportation business within the city. This adventure would start with the ownership of the Taxi Company.

Borgov's Origins
Borgov was born in Russia, where his parents died in a gas explosion that was meant for his uncle, Igor, who was a captain in the Russian mob (the Bratva). His uncle felt responsible, and as a result, took custody of Borgov, refusing to allow him to grow up without parents. Growing up surrounded by the mob, Borgov began to have a love for guns, violence, and brotherhood. At the age of 11, Borgov started working for the Bratva full time, doing small jobs (such as stealing cars and being “the muscle” of the Bratva) and deliveries for the mafia. On his 17th birthday, Borgov received his first MP-443 Grach, a well-known Bratva pistol. At the age of 20, he was promoted to Bratva captain, making him one of the youngest captains ever in the Bratva. One night, Borgov and his fellow brother Vladimir, Maximillian, and Alexei were out drinking celebrating recent accomplishments when a rival gang came down with Kalashnikovs and Glocks and started shooting. During the skirmish he was shot in the leg and his fellow brother fell before his eyes. In shock of his Bratva Bothers’ deaths, he was determined to leave the mafia life behind him, vowing to become a changed man. Unfortunately, this is not how the Bratva works. If you are Bratva, you are Bratva for life. His uncle called him to warn him of this, but it was too late, as he was already on a plane to America, seeking asylum from the Bratva. Landing in America, he quickly chose Lucid City as his new home to begin this new chapter of his life. After situating himself in Lucid City, Borgov began working as a simple taxi cab driver for the Taxi Company. Simply trying to make ends meet, he continued to work as a cab driver until his boss, Ishma’s cousin, was exiled from America for crimes against the state. As result of this exile, many individuals within the Taxi Company felt lost and had no clue where to turn. Ishma Goldberg, now known as Rabbi, took over the Taxi Company, attempting to bring balance. Compounding onto this issue, Ishma and Borgov were confronted by The Pimps, creating a struggle of power dynamic within the Taxi Company. As a result, Borgov resorted to his old ways, creating the Russian Brotherhood in Lucid City, inviting members of the city who were looking to be a part of something bigger than just themselves. Under Borgov’s lead, The Russian Brotherhood continued to work for The Taxi Company while slowly building their own recognition in the underground world of the city.

RAJA Origins
As the two families, The Sons of Abraham and The Russian Brotherhood, started to spend a significant amount of time together, doing both legal and illegal activities, they became close. Compounding onto this was the fact that many of both the Russian Brotherhood and the Sons of Abraham worked at Taxi together on a regular basis. The members became significantly intertwined in their daily activities and communications. As time went on, and the city began to develop, it was clear that both families needed to merge in order to survive the hardships of the city. A meeting of the minds occurred at the MC Club adjacent to the Taxi Company. During this meeting, it was decided that both families were already treating each other with enough respect and trust to recognize one another as brothers and sisters. The meeting adjourned with two leaders (Borgov and Rabbi) of a newborn family, known as RAJA (The Russian and Jewish Alliance). Since that day, The RAJA Family has grown stronger, interconnecting the bonds between the family members further. As brothers and sisters, we now devote ourselves to the safety, security, & prosperity of the family.

Little do they know that the origins of the Russian Brotherhood (the Bratva) and the Jews have been united for far longer than the RAJA Family’s existence. Spanning a multitude of generations, the Jews and the Russians have worked side-by-side in cities around the world to maintain order and structure within the underworld. Both Rabbi and Borgov were introduced to this fact by “The Executioner”, a mysterious man of unknown origins (beyond being related to Mark Whalpatty), who has recently visited Lucid City to ensure that they are representing the RAJA Family name appropriately within the city. What could The Executioner, and maybe other members of the RAJA Family from other cities, have in sort for them?

Mark Whalpatty Death
Little is known about the death of Mark Whalpatty. The only thing known currently is that he was Killed by Rabbi.