This quest by its very nature spoils major plot elements of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. If you do not wish to be spoiled, do not read this thread.
In which we control the interim government of Shambhala in the aftermath of Those Who Slither in the Dark's failed ambitions. Wear a spooky plague doctor mask! Deal with the collapse of a fascist theocracy! Struggle to maintain advanced technology in a world with a medieval tech base! All this and more, on Agarthaquest! (Remember to bring sunglasses.)
Agarthaquest, or: No, SV, You are the Interim Government of the Mole People, Struggling to Come to Terms with the Systemic Failure of their Dysfunctional Fascist Theocracy
It's been out for three years but I'll say it again: major Three Houses spoilers here, and everywhere in this quest.
Shambhala, the Secret City.
For millennia, it has sat buried under rock and steel, the last vestige of the fallen land of Agartha. Laid low by the wrath of the Fell Star Sothis, enemy of all of humanity, the last souls of lost Thinis huddled in the dark, dreaming of the day when they could again walk in the light. Under the enlightened leadership of the wise Agastya, keeper of the mysteries of their ancient gods, they worked without end to undo the ruin that the False God brought upon the world, and free humanity from the clutches of her wicked brood.
(...or so their histories would tell it. If you ask the Nabateans, the Agarthans were a manipulative cabal of arrogant, ungrateful murderers who turned their gifts of knowledge against them, sent an upjumped thug to murder their mother, gleefully facilitated the genocide of their species, and dedicated centuries to causing untold pain and suffering in the name of vengeance for wrongs no living soul remembered.)
Over the ages, the machines and magics which keep the Secret City alive and isolated found a more deadly foe than the Fell Star - the passage of time. (Though, the two are not so different as one would think...) Life support systems built to last centuries struggled to pass their thousandth year, and even with the finest systems to purify and reprocess vital food and water, the hand of decay tightened around Shambhala's neck; the last haven of the Agarthans became their prison. Even the augmented bodies of Agartha's elite could not hold back time forever, and their earliest leaders faded away, replaced by those who knew only legends of a blue sky and warm sun.
As the situation grew ever more dire, a young man set forth a drastic plan - if Shambhala was to be Agartha's prison, it fell to them to escape it. Styling himself as a bold, commanding visionary, this man - Thales - was elevated to the rank of Agastya by his promises of a prophesised return to the surface, where Agartha would bring ruin to the Fell Star's servants and the savages that worshipped them. Through the death of the Fell Star and the butchery at Zanado, he stirred the people of Shambhala to a bloody frenzy, slowly spreading his influence across the surface world through a campaign of treachery and murder - though to him and his followers, it was simply the culling and corralling of beasts. No expense was spared, either from Agartha's dwindling stores or what they could pilfer from the surface. Living weapons and machines of war were prepared, pawns positioned, and on the cusp of Thales's promised triumph... it completely fell apart.
The blood of the surface would not be the salvation of Agartha. The polished panes of Shambhala's technology were peeled away to reveal the rust beneath, and the mythical superiority of Agartha's "true humans" was shattered like glass. The last thousand years of bloody deeds had not been in the service of a visionary savior, but of a tyrannical madman. As his critics crow that they knew he would fail all along (ignoring how long they followed him anyway) and his followers search for imagined traitors behind every corner (because they would not accept that mere beasts could defeat them), the Agarthan people face an uneasy future.
It falls now to the remnants of their leadership - or what new leaders they can find - to forge a path for the Agarthans in a world they have only ever learned to hate.
That's you, by the way. Good luck!
* * *
The Politics of Agartha: A Primer
First let's go into some background - largely extrapolated from tidbits we get in Cindered Shadows. While Three Hopes is canon to this quest, I'm keeping those cards in my sleeve for now.
The Agarthans were originally residents of four human nations - Thinis, Malum, Septen, and Llium. The goddess Sothis arrived on their world from a distant star and created her children, the Nabateans, who shared secrets of technology and magic with humanity. Humanity grew dissatisfied with the restrictions the Nabateans placed on them, and left to go develop technology on their own. Eventually, humanity began to fight amongst itself, which roused Sothis's anger. Humanity sought to destroy her, but she instead flooded the world. The few survivors of these nations escaped far below the earth, where they came to be known as the Agarthans, swearing revenge against Sothis, the Nabateans, and any who would follow her. They retained access to much of their advanced technology, which allowed their underground settlement - Shambhala - to become essentially self-sufficient for thousands of years. Influential Agarthans are enhanced using biotechnology partially developed from the Nabateans, leading them to live far longer lives than humans; they are still, however, mortal.
Agartha has, for most of its isolation, been ruled by one or more priest-kings known as Agastya. Historically, the attitude of the Agastya and their ruling councils has been one of xenophobic isolationism, built on hatred for the Nabateans and Sothis's destruction of the old world, which was believed to have killed all of humanity. Under Thales, this became a much more overt docrine of Agarthan supremacism, stating that the Agarthans had a divine right to reconquer the surface and kill or enslave its inhabitants; as Sothis's flood was meant to kill humanity, it followed that all that remained above was simple beasts. From here, he enabled Nemesis's genocide of the Nabateans, and began using the human nations as his pawns and guinea pigs in his final efforts to reconquer the surface and eliminate the survivors. This is what leads in to the canon events of Three Houses and the eventual failure of his plan - which is where this quest begins.
In canon, basically every Agarthan we see is 100% on board with Thales's policies, despite basically every other faction having a fair slice of depth. Of course, no civilisation (however dysfunctional) is so homogeneous on ideological lines, so this quest will be extrapolating in a few places. Thales's operatives as seen in canon are here treated as belonging to the military or intelligence service/secret police, which naturally emphasise fanatical devotion to his cause; Shambhala itself, especially the civilian population, is more varied. The functions of government cannot be carried out by the Agastya alone, even if they hold ultimate power; the present Agarthan government is essentially a system of appointed officials, who have historically served at the pleasure of the Agastya, but have had various views and priorities.
This is more of a Victoria 2 quest than a CK2 quest, in that the questers take on the role of a government in which various factions vie for power. (Don't worry, though - there won't be any sliders.) Depending on the amount of influence that each faction holds, they will expect to be given a certain amount of meaningful positions in the state apparatus. Factions will take those appointments and use them to further their own ends - or at least attempt to. Appointees will act independently of the players, according to their general faction profile as well as individual traits. There are presently five factions of note, though more could rise and fall as time passes:
The Supremacists are the dysfunctional basement Nazis we're familiar with, making up the bulk of Thales's support base and operatives. They split off from the Xenophobes as Thales came to power, but the underlying sentiment is far older. In their mind, the Agarthans are the rightful rulers of the world, and everyone else is to be used and discarded to reclaim their imagined lost glory. They're the kind of fanatics who don't blink at dropping rods from god on their sole surviving settlement just to flip the Nabateans the bird.
The Xenophobes are still of the belief that only "true humanity" matters, but unlike the Supremacists their priorities are survival first, bloody reconquest second. They are historically the dominant force in Agarthan politics. Originally supportive of Thales, and largely indistinguishable from the Supremacists, the split between the factions formalised over concerns about the relative costs and benefits of Thales's long-term plans.
The Isolationists don't care about the rest of the world, only about preserving what remains of Agartha - a task which has increasingly been left to fester with the past governments' focus on reconquest and revenge. Under Thales, they were the major opposition bloc, believing that his plans for reconquest were reckless and exposed Shambhala to unnecessary risk.
The Pragmatists argue that survival should be the paramount concern of your people, and will take any means to do so. Previously, they were a minority faction in the Supremacist government, supporting the reconquest of the surface in order to obtain vital resources for Shambhala's ailing infrastructure; they have since denounced their support as misguided, noting that the Supremacists' plans were extremely resource-intensive and have produced little material benefit despite Thales's promises. They have developed something of a reputation as weathervanes, especially among Reformists and Isolationists who voiced such criticisms much earlier.
The Reformists are a young faction, at least openly, having branched off from the Pragmatists over the issue of reconquest. They soon united around challenging the centralisation of power in the Agastya's hands, noting that many vital projects had been pushed back in order to fulfill Thales's agenda despite the long-term costs to Shambhala. With Thales's removal from power, the Reformists have seized on the opportunity to push for broader power for the government, and some have begun to champion the radical notion of foreign trade to make up for resource deficiencies.
And for a final warning: Agarthan politics are broken, on a deep and fundamental level. Even before Thales's leadership, the political spectrum essentially ranged from "we should reconquer the surface and take our vengeance upon the False God" to "sure, but we need to keep the lights on first", and that only got worse as Shambhala's situation grew more desperate. Thales - despite what a lot of characters are going to be claiming - was not some kind of Mind Controlling Fascism Wizard who was responsible for all of Agartha's wrongs; he was just the one who realised how to harness existing sentiments most brutally for his own benefit. The attitudes that let him come into power and orchestrate all his atrocities still exist - even if his failure has proven they were never going to do what he promised they would. The Game Over situation in this quest is the fascist elements of Agarthan society coming to power again and doing something to piss off the surface enough that the situation becomes unsalvageable.
Now, with all of that said, let's go with our main vote in the "character creation" stage: How, exactly, did your present government come to power in Shambhala?
Major Three Houses spoilers ahead. Seriously, the loose flow of each route's ending is spoiled in the next vote. This is your last warning.
[ ] After Thales met his end at the point of the Fell Star's sword, while Shambhala burned around him. (Post Silver Snow)
The State of Shambhala: The invasion and Thales's final act of spite heavily damaged Shambhala, and it is unlikely the city will ever be self-sufficient again. While the coalition of surface-dwellers lacked the numbers to garrison and occupy the city, the battle has devastated most of its military infrastructure, and it is unlikely to hold up to a second incursion. Foreign Relations: The nations of the surface have ground themselves to ruin, as Thales intended, but it was not Agartha who seized the power vacuum; instead, the Fell Star's erstwhile vessel has been named their ruler, and Seiros - alive, albeit diminished, despite the Javelins and the curse of madness - stands at her side. It seems the Nabateans will still play their part in the surface's new order. Internal Issues: Supplies and life support are at an all time low, and the people of Shambhala are desperate. Some flee to the surface - especially the unaugmented, who may not be recognised as Agarthans; others delve deeper into the caverns beyond Shambhala, to survive off cave fungus and tall tales of lights in the distance. Unless the shortages can be remedied, it may be necessary to abandon the Secret City for the surface or the depths. The Government: The damage to Shambhala has brought Pragmatist concerns to the forefront, and the Xenophobes and Reformists argue over what will happen now that the city's location has been exposed to the Nabateans and surface-dwellers alike. While the Supremacists are reeling from Thales's failures and his attempted destruction of Shambhala, they have seized upon the survival of Seiros and the Fell Star to close ranks and salvage some of their influence, calling on fears of a second invasion to finish what they started.
[ ] In the midst of the power vacuum after Thales's unexpected death on the surface. (Post Azure Moon)
The State of Shambhala: Most of those on the surface with any knowledge of Agartha have been killed in their war, leaving the Secret City's existence still concealed from the outside world - at least for now. Shambhala's infrastructure is as intact as it can be, given Agartha's centuries-long battle against waste and decay, but it is clear that it will not be so forever. Foreign Relations: The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus rules the surface largely uncontested, and seems mostly focused on postwar reconstruction. The Fell Star's vessel has replaced Seiros as the head of their blasphemous church, but they are occupied cleaning up after Seiros's own mistakes. While the eyes of the Kingdom and the Church will some day fall on Shambhala, for the moment the Secret City can look inward. Internal Issues: Thales's unexpected death, as well as those of his closer followers, has left the question of succession to his many lesser lieutenants - who are not inclined to resolve the matter peacefully. While the conflict has not spilled over into outright civil war, there has already been a spate of assassinations. While many soldiers are deserting, either hiding on the surface or trying their luck with the caverns housing Shambhala, others rally to the banners of numerous would-be Agastyas. The Government: There has been little significant upheaval in Agartha, meaning that by and large the government remains as it was under Thales. The Supremacists, joined by an association of Xenophobes and Pragmatists who believed in Thales's plan, hold most important posts - though those positions are rapidly emptying each other as the conflict over the succession escalates, and rumors are that their critics, already discontent with Thales's rule, may be planning bold action.
[ ] Under the watchful eye of the Leicester Alliance, after their invasion of Shambhala and the destruction of Thales's parting gifts. (Post Verdant Wind)
The State of Shambhala: The Secret City is no longer a secret, and barely much of a city. While the Alliance endeavored to preserve the city's civilian infrastructure, Thales's Javelin strike and the reanimated hordes of Nemesis were not so discerning. The city's core utilities are barely functional, and there is already fears of a food or water shortage as reprocessers begin to fail. Outside help is available through the Alliance, but will no doubt have a price. Foreign Relations: The battle with Nemesis convinced the Alliance's lords that Shambhala needed a close guard, and an occupation force from Goneril now mans improvised fortifications where Viskam towers and Titanus hangars once stood. Relations on both sides of the divide are tense, but for now at least the Alliance holds the decisive advantage - hard though it may be to come to terms with that. Beyond Shambhala, the Alliance struggles with the fate of the continent, and it seems the Fell Star's vessel is poised to take control - though the surviving Nabateans have abandoned much of their power, returning to the ruins of Zanado with the Alliance's protection. Internal Issues: Two uncomfortable, undeniable truths came out of the Battle of Shambhala. The Agastya, spiritual paragon of Agartha, called down an orbital bombardment upon his people; and that the self-proclaimed saint Seiros, your bitterest foe amongst the Fell Star's brood, gave her life to save them (albeit mostly incidentally). Needless to say, this has unsettled the traditional perspectives of the common Agarthan. The Government: Your government is officially elected from among the surviving civilians of Shambhala, but it is an open secret that most Agarthans vote as they're told by more senior officials, while any elected ministers and officials are subject to a veto from Leicester's observers. This leaves a government dominated by a nominally Pragmatist coalition, focused on the many pressing issues Shambhala faces; once those issues are resolved, it can be expected that Xenophobe and Isolationist wings will quickly split off, along with the few Supremacists savvy enough to escape the backlash against Thales. Leicester's merchant class has begun making overtures to the Reformists, though many view their officials as little more than Alliance puppets.
[ ] A hastily-organised palace coup, once it was clear the fallout of Thales's failed schemes would bring ruin to Agartha. (Post Crimson Flower)
The State of Shambhala: The Secret City is intact and at peace, for now, though it has still paid the inevitable price of a thousand years of decay. Security forces have increased their patrols for fear of sabotage, either from Thales's agents or an Adrestian vanguard. Foreign Relations: Thales's erstwhile pawns have made no secret of their plans to move against Agartha, a threat which he never took seriously - one of his many derelictions of duty. The Emperor's right hand has already been sighted in the mountains, supervising the hunt for Shambhala's entrances, while most cells on the surface have gone dark - the few who do respond simply citing sealed orders from Thales. There is little sign of the surviving Nabateans, and even the Fell Star's presence has faded from her vessel, whose Nabatean features vanished the day she and the Emperor slew Seiros. Internal Issues: Thales is alive and in your custody, at least for now. His value as a bargaining chip needs to be weighed against the potential political liabilities - ideally before he can contact any of his remaining loyalists. Deposing an Agastya is not unprecedented, but Thales commanded a great deal of loyalty, especially in the military, and essentially built Shambhala's intelligence apparatus from scratch over his centuries of rule. He will not be held easily. Government: Everything the Isolationists said about Thales has proven true, so it was no surprise they masterminded the coup. Many of his closest operatives and appointees have been replaced with Isolationists and Reformists, who rallied to limit the influence of remaining Supremacists and pro-Thales Pragmatists. Or at least, that's the official story; many of the Supremacists turned their coats a little too swiftly, eager to shift responsibility to Thales alone while building up a bloc of his former supporters.
So this idea came out of a few places - first, just Three Hopes getting my brain back into Fire Emblem mode, and the elements it does and doesn't add to the Agarthans. In particular, it's not an uncommon thing in the FE3H fandom to deal with the potential for Agarthan defectors or civilians, but I've not seen anything about what happens after canon. Crimson Flower is obviously the worst of it, but even in the other routes, it basically boils down to "Thales dies lol" without digging much deeper into it.
Second, I rewatched The Death of Stalin and a couple episodes of Yes, Minister with some friends, which finalised the general form and focus of this quest after the idea for "do something post-canon with Agartha" had been bouncing around without a satisfying shape beyond "something" for a while. So you can subtitle this The Death of Thales, I guess?
A massive, visibly elderly man with neatly-groomed hair but a shaggy beard.
Proclus was a political rival of Thales before the latter's ascension to Agastya, and bears a grudge against him for his perceived sidelining of Proclus and his Office ever since. His office - once considered a prime posting and the Agastya's heir apparent - was repeatedly undercut by Thales's military buildup, leaving him with a narrowing list of responsibilities. With his greater free time, he became a leading critic of Thales's foreign adventurism on Isolationist grounds - though prior to the coup, he had not left the Domestic Security offices for decades, fearing assassination.
Participated in the coup due to belief in Thales's incompetence.
Known Traits:
Augment (Glory Days): He bears the telltale grey skin and white eyes of someone enhanced to the peak of Agarthan technology, beyond what is capable today. A mark of status in Shambhala, unsettling everywhere else. NANOMACHINES, SON
Conservative: Proclus considers himself the continuation of pre-Thales Agarthan policy and will generally be resistant to dramatic reforms.
Spiteful: Proclus believes he should have been Agastya over Thales, and has nursed his grudge over the latter's "self-serving rabble-rousing" for centuries. He will proactively seek to harm Thales's legacy.
Paranoid: It is not for nothing that Proclus survived for the better part of two millennia in his position - much of it without even hiding his disdain for the reigning Agastya. He is reluctant to work with people who have not proven their personal loyalty to him - but he's very, very hard to kill.
A gaunt woman with greasy black hair and sunken eyes.
Pandrosion is young by the standards of the Senior Directorate, having only held her position for five centuries; she was initially selected as a compromise candidate, having little political experience save for serving as lead on several internal Infrastructure projects. Quickly rose to become a dominant voice among the Pragmatists, sometimes even called a radical, due to her persistent focus on the structural issues at the root of Shambhala's slide into decay.
Organised the coup after discovery of Contingency Makaria.
Known Traits:
Augment (Peak): She has been augmented to the highest degree possible in present-day Agartha, granting extended life and superhuman durability. She is visibly a member of Agartha's elite.
Rebuilder: Pandrosion's tenure has been marked by efforts to restore failing infrastructure beyond the bare minimum for survival - though in practice under Thales this has been mostly focused on military hardware.
Private to Marshal: Pandrosion began her career as an engineer working on Agartha's sewage reclamation systems and worked her way up to Director entirely within Infrastructure. She will tend to prefer promoting from the ranks over political appointments.
Favor Trader: Leading Infrastructure has enabled her to amass a political network mostly by controlling the priorities for her reconstruction efforts.
A Thales appointee, Odesse was previously Project Director for Directive Nemesis before the death of their predecessor under suspicious circumstances. Their appointment coincided with establishment of separate Directorate Offices for Arcane and Spiritual Research and Medicine, also led by Thales appointed Directors.
While a vocal proponent of Agarthan supremacy, and thus ally to Thales, they have little interest in political maneuvering beyond securing material support for their research projects. While they are yet to involve themselves in the interim government directly, they have acknowledged it indirectly and appear to be cooperating.
Known Traits:
Augment (Peak+): They have been enhanced to the height of modern Agarthan technology, as well as integrating several experimental projects from Scientific and Material Research's ongoing efforts. While stronger than other peak augments, their experimental enhancements can seem unsettling even to other Agarthans.
Agarthan Supremacist: "Disposable research subject" is their most generous view of non-Agarthans.
Don't Call Me Hypocritical, I'm Simply Apolitical: They have no real desire to engage in political maneuvering as long as their research is still adequately supported.
The oldest known living Agarthan, Director Herodotus is often jokingly referred to as the most valuable item in the Office of Archival's colleciton.
Known Traits:
Augment (Golden Age): Simply living to his venerable age is impossible with the tools you have today, and the
A Historian's Duty: Herodotus dislikes direct involvement in politics, and has maintained a policy of strict neutrality for the Office of Archival since long before Thales's tenure. He views this stance as a vital protection for Archival's role in preserving Agartha's history, especially in the face of a disapproving Agastya. Do not expect him to act politically unless there is direct repercussions for Archival.
Venerable: Herodotus is the oldest living Agarthan, which lends him no small amount of respect.
Ancient even by Agarthan standards, Hellanikos has lived two millennia, and spent most of it as the curator of the Office of Archival's trove of classified information. He was named to head the forming Office of Foreign Intelligence by the Interim Government after a surprise nomination from Director Herodotus.
Known Traits:
Augment (Golden Age±): Simply living to Hellanikos's age would be impossible with the state of technology in Shambhala today; his body is a marvel of bioengineering that speaks to how far Agartha has fallen. He has also made extensive personal modifications to his augmentations - some of which may even be improvements.
Occultist: Stranger things than Agarthans lurk in the darkness below the world, and fiercer beasts than Sothis soar beyond the heavens. Hellanikos's fascination with what he calls "the Elder Science" has seen him labelled a crank and a madman - yet for all his mysticism, he certainly is capable of things which push the boundaries of conventional science and magic.
Off-The-Books Operator: Took control of the remnants of the former Office of Intelligence and used them as assets for his personal investigations, building up skills as a spymaster but alienating him from the Agarthan establishment. He is likely to continue this trend even as an official head of intelligence.
Wanderer: He has been known to disappear from Shambhala for decades or even centuries at a time.
Director of Arcane and Spiritual Research: Vacated by death of Solon in 6138-01. Director of Medicine: Vacated by death of Cleobulus in 6142-03.
A former veteran Intelligence operative who transferred to ODS on her own request following a heavily redacted incident involving OMed. After working undercover in numerous supporting roles, is now leading up ODS's preparations for conflict with the Empire's intelligence services. Flaws in her experimental augmentations have seriously impeded her ability to communicate verbally.
One of Proclus's twin aides. Trained in warp magic, typically handles internal matters of the Office in Proclus's stead.
One of Proclus's twin aides. Investigated Thales's use of the Javelin system, acquiring vital evidence for the coup. Typically acted as Proclus's representative at formal events and meetings while the Director himself remained safely ensconced at Domestic Security's headquarters.
A mathematician and engineer with a hyperfocus in cryptosystems, he is currently tasked with maintaining Shambhala's complex system of access control. A trusted ally of Pandrosion's, but barred from officially working with Intelligence during Thales's tenure due to a redacted incident involving classified material.
A military engineer responsible for refurbishing the mobile weapon bays of Shambhala in preparation for the invasion of the surface. Commonly believed to be Thales's preferred choice for next Director of Infrastructure, she is an ardent Agarthan supremacist, albeit with a slight Pragmatist slant due to the general attitudes of OI.
One of Pandrosion's aides. Unaugmented.
A known political radical, she has publicly broken with Pandrosion on several occasions - including at the first session of the Interim Government. Believed to be the Reformist faction's inside man in Pandrosion's bloc of Pragmatists.
Field marshal of Pandrosion's army of assistants. The maestro of OInf's orchestra of paperwork. Arguably one of the most powerful men in Shambhala, even though his duties usually consist of little more than sitting outside her office door and paying very, very close attention to whoever comes in.
A former infantry officer in Thales's regular army, selected from among disaffected soldiers to make common cause with the coupists. Politically ambitious and popular among the lower ranks, but has little in the way of personal ideology beyond the same blend of culturally-instilled Agarthan supremacy and desire for advancement that saw him join Thales's troops in the first place.
Participated in the Coup due to existing frustration with treatment of common soldiery, pushed over the edge by Contingency Makaria's existence.
A mid-ranking official from Thales's regime, currently acting as the de-facto leader of his overt loyalists in the military and intelligence forces.
Was involved in the inciting incident in the rioting after Contingency Makaria was revealed. Believed to have been injured in the fighting, has not been seen since.
Oof, this is gonna be a hard choice. Silver Snow and Verdant Wind left Agartha in shambles, and it'd be a struggle to not be exploited and cannibalized. Crimson Flower means Agartha's days are numbered, and requires becoming a puppet state of the Empire to avoid being wiped out. Azure Moon would be the start where Fodlan isn't poised to crush Shambhala, but it's still gonna be chaos as some people might sense opportunity of some kind.
Gonna take Azure Moon and take the intrigue challenge.
[X] In the midst of the power vacuum after Thales's unexpected death on the surface. (Post Azure Moon)
sadly not in a position to do any serious thinking or voting, but my two cents is that we don't want post Verdant Wind, on account of sheer city damage, and post Crimson Flower Thales looks like he's not much use as a bargaining chip what with being Thales
[X] A hastily-organised palace coup, once it was clear the fallout of Thales's failed schemes would bring ruin to Agartha. (Post Crimson Flower)
The one who's government is the least racist while not beholden to any outside faction. Yet. Obviously the Adrestian Empire is going to be a problem, but they're not yet here, in contrast to Verdant Wind.
I also do not fancy our chance against a Time Looper influenced by a Nabatean who would gladly genocide us.
I probably spent about 2/3 of the time I spent writing the first post on making sure there weren't any real "good" options for the vote, so I'm going to call this a win.
Update will come sometime tomorrow evening, now that I've remembered to schedule a closing time for the vote.
Oh boy, this is a concept i've been interested in but damn are all these starting positions cancerous.
Plus, we're using Three Houses timeline for this, and none of the paths are especially great, except Verdant Wind I guess.
Basically, the trade-off it seems is "How much Shambala gets fucked" for "How hard do the Supremacists get fucked". Which means the better things are for Shambala, the harder it is to deal with them.
And holy shit are the canon Agarthans the worst, and if they're "Basically the Supremacist Faction", then good riddance.
[X] A hastily-organised palace coup, once it was clear the fallout of Thales's failed schemes would bring ruin to Agartha. (Post Crimson Flower)
The 6142-04-17 and 6142-04-28 sections contain brief scenes of graphic violence.
6142-03-31 | 31st of the Lone Moon, IC 1185
For all his vaunted caution, Thales has never been a quiet man in anger. He sweeps through the great cathedral of Shambhala like a tempest, lesser acolytes scattering like leaves in his wake. "The girl has betrayed us," he declares to all who will listen - and in the heart of his power, he has quite the audience. "She shall be taught the price of defiance" are his only words as he crosses the threshold of the Javelin command centre. While the Agastya commands the soundproofed central bunker, staff outside speak in hushed whispers, as the alarms that surround the inner room remain silent. There will be no launch today - but, as the drone of computer fans grinds upwards, it is clear there will be soon.
When the doors swing open again, Thales strode out with purpose, a twisted grin on his face. He has no words for the low-level administrators who tend to the Javelins' maintenance, and keeps his head held high as the automatic door slides shut behind him. The door's computer - its hard drive and network adapter long since stripped to serve as spare parts - logs his identity number, time of entry, and time of exit by punching holes in a piece of teller tape.
6142-04-03 | 3rd of the Great Tree Moon, IC 1186
When he warps back to Shambhala, Thales is still clad in the stolen face of Volkhard von Arundel. He crosses the threshold of the grand cathedral and strides up to the balcony, looking out over the flickering lights of the Secret City. As he allows his beastly guise to dissolve, he begins to speak. "Arianrhod has fallen; the Empire has betrayed us!" he crows, smiling as his echoing voice draws a crowd beneath his feet. "But we have taught them the price of treachery - though their leaders still cower in the Fell Star's bones, the Javelins have scoured it, and their garrison, from the face of the earth! Know, my fellow Agarthans, that our power remains supreme!"
Lost in his speech, Thales does not see the questioning looks on some of the soldiers in the crowd. He does not hear the mumblings among the Agarthan soldiery about Cleobulus's conduct at Arianrhod. He does not see the surreptitious motions of a few bold footmen, slipping scrawled pamphlets into purses and bags. Thales declares his victory, beams at the crowd, and returns to the cathedral. Today, the last steps on Agartha's long journey to justice, vengeance, and supremacy begin, as his enemies cower at his might.
Many miles away, in a locked office in Garreg Mach, a tall, dark-haired man clears a space to work. An array of dark magic rises around him, and his sharp eyes note even the smallest fluctuations. He picks up a piece of chalk, inspects it, and taps it against a blackboard. Behind him sits a large surveyor's map of Fodlan. As he begins to write, he starts to slowly laugh to himself. The war with the Kingdom and the Church is a war that must be fought; but the war that begins today? As the numbers lead him through their dance, clawing the secrets of his and his liege's oldest enemy from the empty sky, Hubert von Vestra's only other thought is how much he will enjoy what is to come.
6142-04-11 | 11th of the Great Tree Moon, IC 1186
It was not unheard of for merchants, vagabonds, or bandits seeking shelter to stumble upon the caverns which hid Shambhala's few gates to the surface. Typically, they are observed by concealed cameras, their presence is noted by Shambhala's perimeter defense systems and their monitoring staff, and they leave the next day with no knowledge of the meticulously-concealed entrances cut into the rock. Those few who tried to make a more permanent home there soon found themselves fleeing a passing giant wolf or crawler - and usually coming off the worse. After all, such things were wont to happen in the mountains.
A group of merchants settling into the cavern to wait out a spring storm raised little alarm. Parking wagons in front of several camera ports was inevitable, given the larger-than-usual size of their party - and with most of Shambhala's defense force shifted to serve as Thales's troops on the surface, the few remaining guards did not see it remarkable enough to investigate.
Hours after their arrival, that entrance's intruder alarms flared, as a tendril of dark magic thrashed through the control systems. Sheets of false rock retracted to reveal sheer metal walls, while the entrance of the cave slammed shut. Concealed grates in the walls slid open, filling the chamber with a high-pressure blend of xenon and desflurane. It was not for nothing that the soldiers of Shambhala wore masks - and while their orders were to take some captives alive for interrogation, the primary defense forces of the Office of Domestic Security were selected for their very strict adherence to orders.
Several minutes later, as the last of the remaining intruders was dragged, unconscious, through the blast door, the officer on watch pressed a single switch. A series of explosions rocked the cavern, burying the now-exposed entrance to Shambhala.
6142-04-14 | 14th of the Great Tree Moon, IC 1186
To its staff, the headquarters of the Office of Domestic Security is Shambhala in microcosm. In its days as a military installation, base security was a prestigious post, and that only grew once it became a fallback point. There was a time when the Chief Director of Domestic Security was thought of as the most prestigious appointment one could receive, even tantamount to heir apparent to the ruling Agastya. Thales's rise was in direct opposition to Proclus, Director then and now, and when the young Agastya found even he could not oust him from his position, he settled instead to undermine it. Domestic Security's remit ended at the walls of Shambhala - and all the prestige and influence that it once commanded shifted to Thales's standing army and intelligence corps. As their stars rose, the Office slipped further into decay, forced to make do with the scraps of people, parts, and power that Thales's people saw fit to throw them.
And yet much as the Agarthans of Shambhala have endured, so to has the Office of Domestic Security, and its one unambiguous responsibility is the handling of those rare outsiders who attempt to penetrate Shambhala. For the first time in centuries, the sealed cells beneath the building are occupied. With the military unwilling to lend the Office their staff, retired officers are recalled, handling staff work while their replacements fill in empty guard rotations; the Office of Infrastructure was bombarded with requests to repair offices that had been left to rot for decades.
In his office at the heart of the building, Proclus sits behind an ornate desk, ancient and implacable as a statue. Shambhala has starved too long and too often for any Agarthan to be called fat, but neither age nor hunger has wholly suppressed his stout frame. He is flanked by two masked aides, each holding an overfull box of documents; the lighting is such that the shadows of their masks' long beaks intersect in a cross above Proclus's beady eyes.
Neither he nor his aides move as the door opens. The pale white eyes of an advanced Agarthan augment do not betray the target of his gaze, even as the mid-ranked officer steps through and approaches the edge of the desk. Her skin is pale, but not the deathly grey of an augment; her brown eyes are two of the few points of true colour in the dim room. She stands awkwardly at attention behind the chair, hoping he does not notice the slight quiver in her hands.
"You may sit," says one of the aides, or perhaps both at once, "present your report to the Director when ready." It is theatre, perhaps, but Proclus is allowed few shows of power in Shambhala; his people take what they can get.
She pulls out the chair and sets the folder in front of her. "We have confirmed that the intruders serve the Empire's House Vestra, though they have proven resistant to interrogation. Commander Myson requested several captives for his own interrogation; he alleges they have confessed to contact with subversive elements within Shambhala, who they identified as one 'Bophades'."
Proclus shook his head, then spoke in a deep rumble, "Myson couldn't get proper answers from a textbook, let alone Vestra's men. Let him chase his ghosts," he leaned forward, and to the officer the desk seemed to grow narrower in an instant. She stared into the Director's empty eyes, hoping to pry some of his thoughts from behind his stony expression.
After a brief silence, one of the aides plucked a file from a box and spread it in front of the Director. Only the slightest twitch of his face indicated he looked at it at all. The other aide, still not visibly moving, simply asked "What have their machines told you?"
"The sensors that identified our cameras are rudimentary; they only found the ones they did because the replacement lens casings were ferromagnetic. The device which brought them to the cave, though, seems to be quite carefully calibrated. It is... technically within the capabilities of surface technology, assuming they know what to look for, but I doubt they'd find that out themselves."
"And what are they looking for?" Proclus asked, his tone making no effort to conceal that he had his own suspicions.
The officer swallowed nervously. "I believe they have determined how to trace the Javelins' activation signal - though I am unsure of how they knew its weaknesses."
"So," Proclus's voice rumbled like a summer storm, "we are discovered. I shall need to consider this further," he shook his head, "prepare your report for dissemination to Thales and the Directors, and deliver it to Theon," one of the aides turns slightly towards her and nods once, "by the end of the day. I shall compile it with my own report. You are dismissed."
The woman shot out of the door like a rocket. Rather than move to follow her, Theon simply stepped back into the darkness, then disappeared with the faint flash of a warp spell. Proclus nods to his other aide, who begins gathering up the files before the Director gestures for him to stop. "Look into the Javelins' computation history. We may not have launch control anymore, but I doubt he'll keep you out. I need to see if what he hit was worth this." The aide nodded, then vanished.
Proclus let his posture relax, and allowed his age to briefly show through his stern glare. "If it wasn't, I will finally wring his neck myself."
Alone in the darkness, Proclus laughed.
6142-04-17 | 17th of the Great Tree Moon, IC 1186
If the Agastya's cathedral was the heart of Shambhala, the Office of Infrastructure's sprawling complex was its liver. It was here that the thousand little failures that plagued Shambhala every day were filtered out of the city's systems by the thankless work of a small army of machinists, technicians, and administrators. Of course, if the Office of Infrastructure was the liver, then paperwork was the blood, bile, and lymph; and were it the liver of an augmented Agarthan, Director of Infrastructure Pandrosion would be the conduit connecting to their core.
Which is why, when a document her log claims she has received is nowhere to be found, she grows concerned. First, she searches her desk a second time; nothing. With a wild shake of her head, sending her greasy, black hair fanning through the room, she stands from her desk and leans into the outer office. "Menelaus," she asks as her balding, unaugmented secretary sits bolt upright, "has anyone accessed my office today?"
"Only myself, ma'am."
"Be a dear and check the logs."
He sighs and opens up a drawer next to him, full to the brim with ticker tape. He pulls it taut and squints at the far end. He furrows his brow and looks closer. "Project Director Pittacus, ma'am. I didn't see her go in, but it looks like you just missed her."
"Thank you, Menelaus. Do hold onto that tape for me." She all but sprints back into the office. She had memorised the building's blueprints long before her term as Director. Menelaus wasn't much to look at, but he had a sharp eye and a talent for feigning inattention - the only other access point to her office was via a sealed rear door, installed by a prior Director for a quick escape during the food riots of the 3rd millennium. She'd installed the logging device herself - as well as the emergency override, which triggered as she nudged an inconspicuous section of wall. The first wall panel retracted silently, giving her a full view of the rapidly rising elevator beyond it.
When it came to a jerky stop at the top floor, the doors snapped open, revealing a snarling Pittacus still inside. "What is the meaning of this, Director?" She had a large envelope, clearly freshly printed and sealed, clutched tightly under her left arm.
"I will ask the questions, Project Director. Hand over my document, if you will."
"I am taking custody of this file on Thales's direct orders," Pittacus spat.
"And I am following Thales's emergency directives. Myson is already searching for the Empire's collaborators - anyone tampering with confidential information is suspect," Pandrosion's smile turned predatory, "no matter how much Thales may favor them. Out of deference to our long association, I am allowing you to explain yourself before I call Myson to take you in for interrogation."
"I owe you nothing," Pittacus snarled, "Thales's orders are clear - this is his business, not yours."
"It's the Office of Infrastructure seal on that envelope, not the Agastya's," Pandrosion rolled her eyes as Pittacus struggled to stuff the envelope into her breast pocket, "and I know the codewords for the Viskam project. It has none of them." She stepped towards Pittacus, whose face twisted into a defiant glare.
"Thales said nobody sees these reports. Nobody, at any cost," sparks of magic flared in Pittacus's grip, and she lunged forward. "I've always wanted to be a Director."
"Well." In a flash, a triangular rod snapped up from Pandrosion's waist, unfurling into a crescent-shaped blade of light even as it slipped into her hand. Pittacus moved to leap back, but the incantation on her lips was cut off by a gurgling noise as Pandrosion's blade split her throat. Pittacus thrashed as she fell to the floor, spraying an arc of blood across the room; Pendrosion ducked nimbly to one side, grimacing as the heel of her left shoe settled squarely atop the spreading pool of blood.
"Now, let's see what had you - or Thales - so desperate as to have you to skirt treason in a Director's office and ruin a lovely rug." Pandrosion stepped over Pittacus's body to pluck the crumpled file from her pocket.
CO███GENCY MAKARIA
D███OYMENT STATUS
MI██TERIAL EYES O█LY
Pandrosion kicked Pittacus's remains to the side, pulled out a chair, and sliced the envelope open with the tip of her fingernail. Thankfully, the envelope was robust enough that the blood hadn't stained the files inside; in one motion, she slipped them out and spread them across the clean portions of the table. As she scanned past the first page, she briefly froze, then whipped her head back to read it through again. Then she packed the papers up, shoved them back in the envelope, and sprinted to the door to her office.
"Menelaus," she said serenely, ducking her head outside the office, "there has been a spate of treason. Send for Facilities, tell them to bring fabric soap." Her secretary simply nods once, knowing better than to question the look on her face. He presses a button under his desk, and murmured into a speaking tube. "Then inform the Agastya that the Viskam project may face delays, on account of Pittacus being a treacherous saboteur," she pauses for a moment, then taps her chin once, "who I caught after she destroyed a number of unknown Directoral documents. Of course reassure him that Infrastructure is treating it as a vital matter, and I will be personally overseeing the investigation," she looked back at the bloodied file on her desk, "such that no stone will remain unturned."
6142-04-28 | 28th of the Great Tree Moon, IC 1186
The Reserve Office of the Ministry of Agriculture has sat nearly empty for centuries, manned only by a skeleton crew who monitor the sealed seed vault beneath. The vast hydroponic farms it once housed have long since been stripped bare, or moved to more central locations; as the Ministry shifted to focus more on food reprocessing, it was deemed redundant and placed under the Office of Infrastructure's authority. Shambhala was not short on abandoned buildings - but abandoned and well-maintained buildings were rarer. The Reserve Office had developed two reputations under Infrastructure's management - if someone else sent you there, it was a punishment; if you went there yourself, you were up to something.
Pandrosion's guests, knowing little of the building's history, were simply surprised that the lights were working so far from Shambhala's heart. Neither she nor Proclus had much of a mind for small talk, so they occupied themselves with the great tradition of Agarthan Directors - staring at each other trying to piece together what the other knows and what they want. Their aides, in the equally great tradition of directoral assistants, stood ominously behind them and stared unblinkingly at the opposite wall.
Finally, the door to their repurposed conference room slid open and a man in a bloody infantryman's uniform sauntered in, holding something under his arm. "Sorry I'm late," the man said, as he tossed a severed head onto the table, "I know you're expecting Dolofonos, but he was just going to sell you out to Thales in exchange for heading up Domestic Security. You're welcome, Director Proclus." He pulled out a chair and flopped down into it, one leg hanging over an armrest.
Proclus gave the head a dirty look, then gestured for one of his aides to take it off the table. "I told you that greedy snake couldn't be trusted."
"He said the same about you," Pandrosion said with a sigh, "though I believe he called you a 'stubborn ox'. Now, I assume from the fact that you're not here with Thales and half his army, you have something to say to us."
"I had a brother at Arianrhod, monitoring one of the blue beasts' regiments. Cleobulus had a Titanus step on him to get a better shot at some Empire hotshot - not the Red Emperor or the Fell Star, just some loud bastard on a horse - and the damn thing missed. It's not what Thales promised us when we signed up out there. And it's not just me who knows it," the man pointed in the vague direction Proclus's aide had left, "Dolofonos wasn't just trying to smoke you out for Thales - he wanted to gather as many would-be dissidents as he could, prove he was the man for the job. Made a big show of talking to us grunts one-on-one, tying us together. That meant there were plenty left to follow me once my lance had given the spineless cur some backbone."
"Charming," said Pandrosion, "but why are you here? I doubt Dolofonos was so kind as to explain my invitation."
"He was after you, he was after me," the man waved his hand in an approximation of a circle, "there has to be something I can do for you." After a long pause, he added "Eudoxes, by the way. Just Eudoxes, unless killing Dolofonos means I'm an officer now?"
Proclus sighed. "What do you know about Thales?"
"Thales? As in the Agastya? Never met the man."
"The damn fool had a shot at Seiros and he didn't take it," Proclus snarled. "No, spiting his little 'niece' was more important than Agartha's greatest living enemy - and worth more to him than the secrecy of our city. He dropped a Javelin on Arianrhod, and it led the Empire right back to Shambhala; and from everything I can find, it gained us nothing."
Eudoxes took a deep, steady breath. "If you can prove that," he said, eyes suddenly intense, "I have people who'd need to hear."
"My staff recovered the door access logs for the Javelin system - no one else with launch scheduling privileges has entered the room in the last month," Proclus shook his head, "though that list is short enough these days. No one on it would move without Thales's orders, even if he didn't see to things himself."
"Access logs? The Agastya's movements are not for such things to observe," grumbles Eudoxes, with the tired cadence of a man reading something aloud for the eightieth time, "for such scrutiny would be near to blasphemy. Your machine is less than useless, even if your words are true."
"So it would be," Proclus smiles, or perhaps simply bares his teeth, "if the machine knew Thales was Agastya. Maintenance records show its network terminal was detached in 4711, replaced with a stripped-down read-only memory chip. As far as this door is concerned, it is still the reign of Ctesibius. And that means Thales is just a rabble-rousing Vice Director, subject to the same scrutiny as the rest of us mortals."
"And now you've left me envious of an access monitor," Pandrosion huffed, "but this is not simply a matter of misuse of resources. Proclus, are you familiar with a sealed order known as Contingency Makaria?"
"Makaria..." Proclus furrows his brow, "Goddess of blessed death, to the old faith. But I'm not aware of any order which bears her name."
"Perhaps Domestic Security has had repairs more recently than Infrastructure, then."
"That'll be the day," Proclus grumbled under his breath.
Pandrosion drew out the still-bloodstained file, and passed it to Proclus. "You should have received this from your office's fax line - though I only received it because the system didn't properly receive Thales's override, and erroneously alerted me that it had arrived. He had to send Pittacus to destroy it - and, well, I had standing orders from Thales himself about how to handle infiltrators seeking to gain access to Infrastructure secrets..." Pandrosion's voice trailed off as fury slowly overtook Proclus's face.
"Of all the cowardly-!" he slammed the file on the table, sending paper sliding across it in an arc. "I understand why this may have been passed - and why it ought to have required our signatures to initiate. If we truly had a chance to trap the Fell Star here - during the war, when we were one of many - one bunker would be a small price to pay to catch her far from her wards. But here, now? For the scavengers? Thales must be mad."
"When Thales ordered the Javelins to strike Arianrhod, he also selected their next target," she scanned the scattered papers, then picked one up and slid it to Eudoxes. He picked it up, stared at it, set it down, and picked it up again.
"Is that-"
"Yes. The Javelins are trained on Shambhala itself, waiting only for a final command to bring a 'blessed death' to every living Agarthan. And, I can only assume, the army that Thales soon expects to be upon us."
Eudoxes's next words were not suitable for print.
When he finally calmed down - or at least stopped to catch his breath - Pandrosion continued. "We know Thales has lost control of his alleged pawns on the surface, who likely outnumber us twenty to one; we know that he's given them ample reason to hate us; we know we're barely keeping the city running as is; we know that he's let them know exactly where we are; and we know that he's going to kill us all out of spite if he thinks they'll win - which, again, we're outnumbered, undersupplied, exposed, and our best weapon is presently occupied by being aimed at us."
Eudoxes shook his head. "Such defeatism; do you really believe that they will best us?" He flexed his right arm, as if to emphasise the point.
"No. I believe they will best Thales, and then he will drag us all to hell with him," Pandrosion leaned forward. The corner of her mouth turned up in what could be mistaken for a smile. "Unless..."
6142-05-04 | 4th of the Harpstring Moon, IC 1186
The warp anchor outside the Cathedral of Shambhala is unusually crowded when Thales returns. A festival, perhaps, to celebrate the so-called Immaculate One's death? He regrets that he could not see Seiros's demise with his own eyes, but war waits for no man. At least he would soon witness Edelgard's and the Fell Star's. He nods to the guards at the gates - strange that Myson wasn't around, but perhaps he had finally found a lead on Vestra's elusive infiltrators.
He smiled as he mulled over whether he would kill Vestra and make Edelgard watch, or kill Edelgard and make Vestra watch. He almost envied the Fell Star's twisted power; if he had it, he could try both. Perhaps he would extract the Fell Star's crest stone, and-
His thoughts were abruptly halted as he walks into a large man in a suit of armor. "Clear the way, fools, I am-" but before he finishes speaking, he is thrown to the ground.
"What you are is a traitor," declares a voice he somewhat recognises. "Thales of Llium, the Senior Directors of the Ministerial Offices of Agartha find you guilty of criminal negligence, aiding and abetting hostile forces, and conspiracy to betray the Agarthan people." Thales stares up at the man in front of him, and notices a Director's insignia on his shoulder plate. There was something about his face... Well, he would have plenty of time to learn this fool's name when he was flaying him alive for his impertinence.
Thales does not bother leaping to his feet, and simply lets his arcane might pull him into the air. "Conspiracy?! Treason?! I am Thales! Savior of the Agarthans! I shall drag you to the center of Shambhala and make you beg for death!" The swirl of darkness around him reaches a crescendo, and he hangs in the air, glaring down at the dead man who stands in his way.
Proclus punches him twice in the stomach and he crumples to the floor. The Domestic Security soldiers dogpile him, restraining his arms and legs and gagging him to prevent the use of any emergency overrides or prepared magics.
Someone in the back of the hall chuckles, and badly disguises it with a cough. No one speaks, but two words ring in the silence - what next?
I dramatically underestimated the length of this update even without getting into voting options - the first policy slate vote will be up shortly, I just need to finish formatting it.
Regarding Thales getting bodied - he's pretty easy to take down in one turn in Three Houses, and that's fighting normal humans with more or less surface-tech weapons, after he's had time to prepare his last stand. Here, he's fighting an equally superhuman Agarthan - who unlike him is specialised in physical combat - while caught essentially flat-footed. The Agarthans definitely have a bit of the Freeza-doesn't-need-to-train superiority complex going on, and Thales in particular generally has people to do his brawling for him.
I'm generally treating the exact dates in Three Houses as a gameplay abstraction rather than a hard and fast rule - which is particularly relevant with how compressed Crimson Flower is. After Second Garreg Mach, the Siege of Arianrhod begins essentially as soon as logistically possible, and spends most of the month engaged in conventional siegecraft before the climactic storming of the fortress - which occurs on the canon date of 31 Lone Moon, 1185. Thales's "what a lovely fortress you have there" ultimatum to Edelgard occurs several days later, after the Black Eagle Strike Force returns to Garreg Mach (as opposed to making the trip instantly and meeting him on the same day as in canon). Likewise, I'm treating the Third Battle of the Tailtean Plains as occurring on the canon date of 29 Great Tree Moon, while the Burning of Fhirdiad occurred a few days later (time enough for the Empire, Church, and Kingdom remnants to reposition - and for Seiros to get her Aerys on).
On the topic of Arianrhod, it's home to one of many Epic Edelgard Translation Moments. Cornelia/Cleobulus's dying words in Japanese are cursing Edelgard for betraying and manipulating the Agarthans, while in the English text they imply that Edelgard's betrayal is all part of their plan. I'm going with the Japanese text on this one.
And yeah, I'm using "they" for Cleobulus. There's a whole lot of really nasty implications you can read into their disguise and behavior as Cornelia and EN Thales's use of masculine pronouns for them in Three Hopes (his language in JP is gender-neutral); while I doubt this was deliberate on either KT's or the translators' end (it's likely the EN team only had the context of a few lines, and Cleobulus is a masculine name in the original Greek) I'm still just going to stick to the JP script's ambiguity. Will this come up outside of author's notes? Probably not - Cleobulus's machinations aren't that important to Edelgard et al compared to Thales or even Solon. If we'd gone Azure Moon I probably would've had to think and say more about it.
Final shout out to the multiple people who independently responded to "I need an obviously fake Agarthan name for Hubert's people to lie about" with "Bophades".
Turn 1, 6142-05: Formation of the Interim Government
The currently unnamed government of Agartha meets in what was once Thales's solar. Its previous occupant is under heavy guard by the Office of Domestic Security, and for the moment his chair sits empty. There is an unspoken consensus that the question of Agastya will be the last matter to be discussed at this meeting; no faction wishes to yield that power to their rivals so soon.
The topic of the Agastya's power, however, is quickly raised. The military and intelligence forces raised by Thales were a considerable increase in Agartha's military capabilities, and throughout his tenure he kept himself as sole commander - not even clarifying whether their loyalty belonged to him personally as their commander, or his role as Agastya of Agartha. No sooner has the topic been read from the pre-agreed minutes than Proclus is on his feet, his full size looming over the others at the table. It was the separation of these forces from Domestic Security which caused this crisis; in his capacity as Director, he can re-integrate the forces and have them serving Agartha as a single, smooth unit.
Eudoxes counters that his men did not split off from Thales to serve some arbitrarily appointed Director, and puts his own name forward - or rather, he suggests that the military name their own commander-in-chief, who then holds rank equivalent to Director until dismissed by their subordinates. His own election to such a post appears to be a foregone conclusion - especially to the military's observers, who chant Eudoxes' name until he silences them with a stern glare. To Proclus's bellowed complaint that such a system would produce less, not more, oversight of military capacity, Eudoxes suggests a compromise position where the military is simply directly subordinated to the Agastya by law, rather than Thales's unstated policies, but otherwise operates as it has.
The two argue back in forth, talking in circles until one of Pandrosion's aides cuts in. If Eudoxes' proposed post would be equal to a Director, and Proclus wished for closer oversight, why not create an Office of War to oversee military operations abroad?
The unstated implication that Agartha would be engaged in war with the surface-dwellers for long enough to warrant a dedicated Director was lost on no one, and the room broke into murmurs. Pandrosion gave her aide a stern look, but the unaugmented woman met her eyes without flinching. The murmurs quieted as Pandrosion raised her own hand, and noted that while such a proposal has merit, there was no need to take as radical a step as creating a new Office entirely - especially given the wasteful history of Thales's military. The precise chain of command, she suggests, is a matter for the officers and the Agastya - earning a nod from Eudoxes; the issue for the interim government is preventing misuse. She proposes that the military be restricted in its operations to the immediate defense of Shambhala - both preventing costly foreign adventures like Thales's meddling on the surface, and ensuring materiel can be more readily recovered.
* * *
When the discussion stalls out, Eudoxes moves to proceed to the second issue - Thales's intelligence operatives, the second institution created whole cloth under his rule. In Eudoxes' view, this intelligence structure - distinct, independent cells operating according to overall mission objectives relayed through a hierarchical structure from Shambhala - has proven its efficacy in the recent surface conflicts; it was Thales's personal mismanagement that was the problem, and the overall structure should be maintained. Proclus barely lets him finish speaking before he roars to his feet a second time, declaring that once again, Thales had sought to undermine the purview of Domestic Security, and that leaving the cells independent would not only potentially compromise the security of Shambhala, it would create a robust power base for Thales's followers to restore him to power. To no one's surprise, he advocates that the intelligence services be integrated into Domestic Security.
Once again, Pandrosion's aide speaks up, to her superior's apparent frustration. The decentralised nature of the cells is laudable, she says, but they should not be left accountable to the Agastya alone. For the second time, the woman suggests a new Directorship, this time dedicated to foreign intelligence; while observer reactions are not as shocked as before, it is clear that Pandrosion is far from happy - to say nothing of Proclus, who bellows for Pandrosion to either control her staff or speak for herself.
Thanking him for the invitation, Pandrosion again notes that while a new Office may be of value in the future, Shambhala simply isn't big enough to support dedicated staff for such a small venture. She agrees with Proclus's assessment of the network as a threat, given its emphasis on loyalty to Thales - and the established instability of cells such as Solon's, which risked exposure of the entire operation. While the network's structure is sound and could be useful, its current iteration is not - and it must be torn out root and stem to limit Thales's influence. This draws an objection from Eudoxes, who calls Pandrosion a hypocrite for denouncing the waste of Thales's military expeditions, only to propose discarding an entire system of potentially valuable assets because of potential ties to Thales. If the network needs to be thrown away - and he reluctantly concedes that it may - it should be used to Agartha's benefit first. Turn the networks against the Empire, do what damage they can, and let Thales's former pawns destroy each other.
* * *
It is at this point that the observers are escorted from the room. On the official agenda, there is one remaining item - the question of Thales's succession, as he is clearly incapable of naming a successor. Such deliberations are not for the public eye - nor is the true next item: the existence and implementation of Contingency Makaria.
Reversing the prior trend, it is Pandrosion who first stands to speak, mere moments after the door closes. She was the one who found conclusive proof of the plan, without whom Proclus would never have known to look for anything naming Thales. She and her advisors have long debated how much of the plan to reveal to the people of Shambhala. It was nearly unthinkable that Agartha's greatest remaining weapons may have been turned upon their own people, let alone that such action was supported by past Agastya, or came so close to activation. When she says she was advised to reveal only part of Makaria - the plan's existence, not who approved or implemented it - her aide again leapt to her feet, only for Pandrosion to shout "I'm not finished".
While she acknowledges the benefits of short-term stability, Pandrosion's final conclusion is that the truth of Makaria brings the greatest political benefit if revealed now. It will hurt Thales's support base far more than their government's, and they will not need to fear the truth being revealed by some other means. It is her personal conclusion that revealing Makaria now, and taking every effort to disassemble the systems that allow it, is the best path even if it means political disruption. Proclus seems torn between the political humiliation of Thales and the stability of the present government, but agrees that at least the broad outline of Makaria should be revealed - though the details should remain classified until an internal investigation can be completed (by Domestic Security, of course).
Eudoxes is far from Pandrosion's equal in rhetoric, and flits between several reasons to suppress knowledge of Makaria. If Thales was willing to use the system, he argues, his followers may have some means to activate it and hold Shambhala hostage; it would also avoid great political upheaval, which could cripple the government during the transition. Finally, the weapon may be necessary in the future - so long as proper protocols are followed and Shambhala is evacuated first, unlike Thales's apparent intent to use the people of Agartha as bait for his enemies.
* * *
With each major bloc's stances laid out, the matter of the Agastya seems next - until Pandrosion's aide leaps up and demands action on Shambhala's ongoing resource shortages. Domestic production, she argues, is no longer sufficient to keep the people of Agartha fed and clothed - especially with how much materiel has been diverted to fund Thales's war machine. Before she even finishes her proposal, Proclus has leapt to his feet with a roar of "We will not beg scraps from savages!", hanging over the young, unaugmented woman like a storm cloud. Eudoxes steps up next to him, and notes that with the surface set to invade Shambhala, there must be no risk of further intelligence - or worse, technology - falling into the hands of Adrestia. As he proposes a formal ban on exchange of goods with the surface, Proclus simply nods slightly; his glare never leaves the woman's eyes.
She meets his glare head on, and declares a formal proposal for an Office of Trade, to determine how best to address Shambhala's shortfalls - by any means. Pandrosion, pinching her nose and sighing, states yet again that her aide's out-of-turn suggestions, while not completely without merit, constitute a dramatic overreach of this council's intentions. Supplies can be acquired through use of covert assets already in place, without needing to further compromise Agarthan isolation and independence from the surface. Here, Eudoxes counters that if they're going to use covert assets anyway, it'd be best for Shambhala if the surface-dwellers' goods just... disappeared. Especially for hostile surface-dwellers, like the Empire - who conveniently control two nearby major breadbaskets in Bergleiz and Gloucester territory. His suggestion is noted, though no one else seems pleased with it.
Pandrosion gestures for her aide to sit down, and the room settles into an uneasy silence.
* * *
Proclus is not a man of silence. He immediately puts his name forward as a candidate for Agastya, citing his prior history of service, and the fact that if Thales hadn't cut in front of him in the first place, none of them would be in this mess. "Proclus of Septen seeks Agartha's blessing!" he declares. Pandrosion meets him head on - while it is true that he was never part of Thales's administration, that just means he is ignorant of the political realities of Shambhala, while she has had to navigate Thales's mess to keep everything working for almost as long as he had been sulking off in the Domestic Security offices wishing it was still the fifth millennium. "Pandrosion of Llium seeks Agartha's blessing!"
Eudoxes - too young to be a serious candidate - steps into the perhaps ironic role of peacekeeper, trying to argue that there is precedent for the Directors to serve as an interim government for longer periods. This way, the new Agastya's term will not be tainted by association with Thales's overthrow - and it would allow more candidates to distinguish themselves. Eudoxes does not name names, but his meaning is clear enough. As he waits for the other two to respond, a fourth voice enters.
"Philon of Shambhala seeks no blessing but her own." Pandrosion's aide - Philon - stands and declares, every bit as proudly as the two before her. This is what she has been building to - and even Pandrosion stares at her in shock as she continues to speak. If the Directorate can serve while the Agastya is gone, and if it was the Agastya whose overreach has brought ruin to Shambhala - why must there be an Agastya? Has Proclus not complained of Thales's arbitrary interference with his Office? Has Pandrosion not struggled to manage a thousand impossible requests, while her own work was ignored or downplayed in favour of Thales's appointed favourites? Has Eudoxes not said that his soldiers did not come forward to subject themselves to arbitrary rule? Philon pushes Pandrosion aside and leaps up on the table - her small frame meaning she is only now at eye level with Proclus. "Why must there be an Agastya?" she repeats, staring down the millennium-old Director as he stares at her in silence.
And then before he can respond, she is gone; faster than Proclus had expected a baseline human to move, but nowhere near the speed of an augment. Any of the three of them could have stopped her; none of the three did. Each of them wished to be Agastya, true - but they also wished their rivals, let alone Thales, not be Agastya. The political upheaval would make the earlier coup seem like a drop in an ocean, and nearly every entrenched power bloc would oppose it - but still Philon's words lingered.
It would certainly spite Thales, thinks Proclus. She speaks without thinking and moves too quickly again, but at heart is she wrong? thinks Pandrosion. That was a baseline?! What would she do with augmentations?! thinks Eudoxes, who only now begins to ask if he is in over his head.
But, with the positions laid out, it was now time for the haggling to begin.
* * *
The per-turn votes will be done in two parts - first, a policy vote, which sets your general goals on various issues, followed by an appointment vote, where voters choose between candidates put forward to help fulfil these goals. There are five policy issues that the interim government has immediately: the fates of Thales's military and intelligence services, the handling of Contingency Makaria, the beginnings of a resource shortage, and filling the Agastya's seat. Votes will be by plan for both sections.
Different policies are more or less preferred by different factions, which determine their faction's base influence for the turn. Higher influence means factions are more likely to nominate competent ministers for matters that fit their issues; lower influence means they are more likely to be obstructionist. If a faction's influence falls below -5, they will break with the government and begin planning hostile action - in this case, probably a countercoup.
Due to the makeup of the coupist forces, any plan for this turn must have:
Isolationist influence ≥ 5
Pragmatist OR Reformist influence ≥ 3
Pragmatist AND Reformist influence > 0
Xenophobe influence > -5
This Google Sheet is a calculator which has each option for each vote and computes the total influence result from a plan - as well as whether it meets all the requirements. Use it! (Anyone should be able to use the grey dropdown cells to select options, though you may need to make a copy.)
Issues and Policies for the Interim Government, 6142-05:
[ ] [MILITARY] Pass command to Eudoxes, or whoever the soldiers may elect (it will be Eudoxes). [+2 X, +1 S, -2 I]
[ ] [MILITARY] Subordinate the military to the Director of Domestic Security, Proclus. [+3 I, +1 X, -2 R]
[ ] [MILITARY] Formalise the role of the Agastya as military commander-in-chief. [+3 X, +1 S, -1 IP, -4 R]
[ ] [MILITARY] Create a dedicated Office of War, and search for candidates for Director. [+2 X, +1 R, -2 P]
[ ] [MILITARY] Leave command unsettled, but restrict military operations other than the defense of Shambhala. [+3 P, -1 SX]
[ ] [SPIES] Continue Thales's policy of independent cells. [+2 SR, -1 P, -2 I]
[ ] [SPIES] Subordinate the intelligence apparatus to the Director of Domestic Security, Proclus. [+3 I, +1 S, -2 R]
[ ] [SPIES] Create a dedicated Office of Foreign Intelligence, and search for candidates for Director. [+2 R, +1 S, -2 X]
[ ] [SPIES] Purge the intelligence apparatus. [+3 P, +2 I, -1 X, -3 S]
[ ] [SPIES] Activate intelligence cells indiscriminately, both to strike at the Empire and have them purge the network for you. [+3 X, +1 P, -1 I, -2 R]
[ ] [MAKARIA] Reveal the details of the plot and Thales's role. [+5 IR, -2 P, -3 X, -4 S]
[ ] [MAKARIA] Reveal the plot but not the officials involved. [+2 P, +2X, -2 SR]
[ ] [MAKARIA] Cover it up. [+3 SXP, -3 I, -5 R]
[ ] [TRADE] Ban foreign trade and emphasise self-sufficiency. [+3 XI, -2 P, -3 R]
[ ] [TRADE] Create an Office of Trade, and search for candidates for Director. [+4 R, +3 P, -3 X, -8 I]
[ ] [TRADE] Legitimise use of deniable assets to bargain for vital supplies. [+3 P, +1 S, -2 IX]
[ ] [TRADE] Legalise use of covert assets to seize vital supplies from the surface. [+2 SX, +1 P, -2 IR]
[ ] [AGASTYA] Proclus, the most senior member of the coup. [+6 I, +2 X, +1 P, -1 S, -4 R]
[ ] [AGASTYA] Pandrosion, mastermind of the coup and the most politically connected. [+4 P, +1 XR, -2 S, -3 I]
[ ] [AGASTYA] The senior Directors will serve as a temporary regency. [+3 I, +2 P, +1 XR]
[ ] [AGASTYA] The position was a mistake, abolish it and work out something new. [+12 R, -3 SXIP]
[X] Plan : Destroy that fucking seat!
- [MILITARY] Subordinate the military to the Director of Domestic Security, Proclus. [+3 I, +1 X, -2 R]
- [SPIES] Purge the intelligence apparatus. [+3 P, +2 I, -1 X, -3 S]
- [MAKARIA] Reveal the plot but not the officials involved. [+2 P, +2X, -2 SR]
- [TRADE] Legitimise use of deniable assets to bargain for vital supplies. [+3 P, +1 S, -2 IX]
- [AGASTYA] The position was a mistake, abolish it and work out something new. [+12 R, -3 SXIP]
Supremacist
Xenophobe
Isolationist
Pragmatist
Reformist
Final Influence
-9
-3
5
7
10
I loved playing with your excel, well done! There was no true good answer, you are a devil. :3
I suspect a lot of this quest's upkeep is going to be me checking over voting slates to ensure nothing too good jumps out. (As for being a devil, I can neither confirm nor deny any formal infernal connections, however I have previously taught mathematics, which I'm told counts in some jurisdictions.)
Also, I noticed that the full vote on the partial Makaria reveal was missing the second half of its sentence, so you might want to edit your vote for the fixed version.
[X] Plan : Ruining the chair in steps, where's Nemesis? -[MILITARY] Formalise the role of the Agastya as military commander-in-chief. [+3 X, +1 S, -1 IP, -4 R] -[SPIES] Create a dedicated Office of Foreign Intelligence, and search for candidates for Director. [+2 R, +1 S, -2 X] -[MAKARIA] Reveal the details of the plot and Thales's role. [+5 IR, -2 P, -3 X, -4 S] -[TRADE] Legitimise use of deniable assets to bargain for vital supplies. [+3 P, +1 S, -2 IX] -[AGASTYA] The senior Directors will serve as a temporary regency. [+3 I, +2 P, +1 XR]
Supremacist
Xenophobe
Isolationist
Pragmatist
Reformist
Final Influence
-3
-1
6
4
7
I don't want the Supremacist and the Xenophobes to see the government as enemies, I also want to reveal Thales's plot so we can justify reining the Agastya later on. The Military and Agastya policy is throwing Eudoxes a bone so he doesn't bite. The Spies gets representation and Makaria. Should hopefully allow a stable provisional government to deal with the Empire in the meantime.
[X] Plan Delaying Actions and Future Preparations
-[X] [MILITARY] Subordinate the military to the Director of Domestic Security, Proclus. [+3 I, +1 X, -2 R]
-[X] [SPIES] Activate intelligence cells indiscriminately, both to strike at the Empire and have them purge the network for you. [+3 X, +1 P, -1 I, -2 R]
-[X] [MAKARIA] Reveal the details of the plot and Thales's role. [+5 IR, -2 P, -3 X, -4 S]
-[X] [TRADE] Ban foreign trade and emphasise self-sufficiency. [+3 XI, -2 P, -3 R]
-[X] [AGASTYA] Pandrosion, mastermind of the coup and the most politically connected. [+4 P, +1 XR, -2 S, -3 I]
Supremacist
Xenophobe
Isolationist
Pragmatist
Reformist
Final Influence
-9
6
9
3
0
The Empire knows of us and likely knows or has an approximation of our location. We need to do delay them as much as we can before they decide to march against us. To that end, I really feel like we should use the intelligence cells against them. The other options are mainly chosen to ensure the plan is valid, even with that addition. Opinions are welcome.
I don't like the leading plan because it wastes our intelligence assets without having them doing anything useful in getting rid of them, at a time where we have enemies that we can not fight head on, who we must deal with using subterfuge and said enemies can also contest when it comes to espionage. If we want to purge our intelligence assets out of fear that they are disloyal, unleash them on the Empire at least. Otherwise, we're better off reforming them in some way. Both Delaying Actions and Future Preparations and Ruining the chair in steps, where's Nemesis? are better plans that the plan in the lead imo.
