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“Mister Sparrow… at long last, we meet.”
Kovic’s voice had been a lot more formal than Sparrow expected. He’d been incarcerated plenty of times, thrown into prison for years, tortured by the NSE for days on end. The prison wardens he’d all seen were cruel, gruff, authority types. Not at all like the man who sat in front of him who appeared more like some overpaid CEO from the future. Then again, “Overseer” wasn’t exactly on the same level as warden.
Sparrow reciprocated with a silent smile as one of the Kovic’s staff members offered him a glass of what looked like a clear though brown-colored liquid. The glass was cold to the touch, and he observed the spirits inside for a moment, “Bourbon,” Kovic leaned forward to inform him with a self-satisfied chuckle, “It’s the good stuff, I’ve just had a crate full of it delivered from back home about a uh… oh, I don’t know, a week or so ago?”
“I see,” Sparrow raised the glass to his lips, surprised that the ‘bourbon’, was sweet to the taste, “It’s definitely a surprise, though I’m not stranger to liquor.”
“You look like a drinker. Not in a bad way, like a professional, you know?” Kovic mused as he reclined in his seat.
“I’ve caught myself staring down the end of a empty bottle more times than I’d like to admit. Hundreds, likely.”
“So I guess I was right? Good. Good,” Kovic nodded slowly to himself as he looked Sparrow up and down, “You have to excuse me for the chaos going on outside. As you might have noticed, suddenly getting handed about one hundred extra mouths to feed wasn't something we were prepared to handle."
“Mhm,” Sparrow nodded along, seeing where Kovic was taking this.
"Under normal circumstances, we may have been more properly able to handle this whole mess. But, there's the matter of logistics. We've got our hands tied. And it goes without saying that you're the cause."
Sparrow shrugged, "One hundred innocent people with nowhere to go, they would've all been killed by the Avonians. The Imperials were willing to drop rainbow gas and then flatten the entire building just to get to me."
"They wouldn't have been in danger if you hadn't kept them there," Kovic said, "What was even the plan? Did you think that the Avonians wouldn't pursue you just because a crowd stood in their way?"
"At the time? Yes... that is exactly what I believed. The Avonians attempted a surgical strike with small detachments of their special forces to apprehend myself and the rest of the ULA. But, once Misfit dispatched of them the Imperials decided that they'd bury everyone."
Kovic muttered to himself, "Misfit..." a tinge of disgust accented his words, oddly enough. Sparrow didn't think Misfit would've been anywhere near Kovic's area of concern. Someone as high ranking as Kovic shouldn't really know or care about the existence of Eli Freeman. And yet, it seemed as if the bureaucrat sitting across from him had grown sick of hearing that name, "Look, I've got a crisis to resolve after this meeting ends, so let's get to the reason why you're here in the first place. I evacuated you, your rebels, and those people out of Helena for a reason. I was promised that the ULA was going to be a valuable partner and I'm hoping you'll uphold that end of the bargain. Extenuating circumstances aside, we're a lot like you are."
Sparrow raised an eyebrow, "We are?"
"We're both trying to fight the Avonian Empire. You just happen to be communards, we're... not. But, if it’s anything like the communism we’ve got back on Earth, I can tell you that it’s very... uh... Utopian. Right? You want to build a world, a future, that has never before existed in human history with the skills, tools, and knowledge afforded to you by the technology of your era. You want to build utopia. Just like we do.”
Sparrow gave a hearty laugh before taking another sip of the bourbon, “That’s a very keen observation, very scrappin’ keen in fact. But I’m not in the business of building utopias or making some grandiose vision for all society or whatever you might believe. I believe in fighting order. Slavery. Imperialism. That’s what I stand for.”
“And I assure you, Mister Sparrow, so are we,” Kovic lied to him. If that were the case, Overwatch wouldn't be using prisoners to do its dirty work, “With our Portal we have singlehandedly done what no other civilization in either of our worlds could ever dream of! We can restart society and rid it of its vices. Our people, mankind, not just perfected. But purified. In your communard vision, I assume those vices to be corporate greed, the exploitation of the working class and especially – Imperialism. While I cannot say I strictly agree, what I can say is that you and I share a lot of the same bugs. If you would call them that.”
Sparrow set the glass down on the table, looking Kovic straight in the eye, “Really now?”
“The Coalition offers you assistance in fighting The Empire. The Avonian Empire, that is,” Kovic stood from his seat, fastening his tie as he did so, “You’ll know our situation is unparalleled. Both in our Earthbound perspective and likely yours too. I’ll tell you what, I’ll be blunt. My bosses send me a report with a list of objectives they want me to complete, and one of them is to end the war with the Avonians by any means necessary. That means, you.”
Sparrow nodded along as he listened, “Okay…”
“The Utopia Project is a very secret thing on Earth, and we’d like to keep it a secret here on Narva. The Ostralanders have already warned me that Avonia is probably aware of our existence to some extent, but we'd like to keep our involvement limited so as to not completely blow our cover. We need to somehow fight an enemy that both outnumbers us and outguns us without committing to a major war effort necessary to do so. Yet at the same time, we have to ensure the sovereignty of our Nexus and the Exclusion Zone and maintain our commitments to shareholders, generals, and eventually – residents – back on Earth.”
“So you want us, a known terrorist group, to fight the Empire for you?”
Kovic tutted under his breath as he took a drink from his glass and then set the cold beverage back down on the table, “Well, if you wish to be so direct.”
“You know who I am. I know who you are. Spare us both the scrap. You want us to somehow get the Empire off of your ass?”
“It’s necessary for the survival of The Nexus. The war needs to end or else I cannot guarantee security for the people who make Utopia possible in the first place,” Kovic placed his hands on the desk, leaning close to Sparrow, “I will do this by any means necessary.”
“Even though you know I’m a red, and in a perfect world I’d have your corporate ass swinging on the end of a rope?”
“Ah,” Kovic raised a finger with a deceptive smile, “But you'd need someone to sell you the rope. And then you’d need someone to clean up the scene when you go after your first target – The Empire.”
“The ULA has operated fine long enough without the help of neo-orderites.”
“Has it really?” Kovic asked, shrugging his shoulders, “I’ve had a little chat with the elves, and they sent me a report from the Ostralander spy agency. The Revolutionary Department of Intelligence – interesting name. The RDI says that, for all the years that the ULA has been active, the biggest triumph over imperialism you idiots have managed was blowing up a train and killing eighty innocent people.”
“If you think we’re just some terrorists, why would you even bother working with us?” Sparrow leaned in over the table, "You want me to save you, so you can come from your world and start colonizing my own people? Why should I help you?”
“Because you're sitting in my office right now and not currently dead somewhere in Helena. Or worse yet, in Imperial custody getting waterboarded or electrocuted - however the Avonians torture their political prisoners."
Sparrow smirked as he eyeballed Kovic, "That's something more akin to the RDI's style of doing things. I can assure you mister warden, those Imperial cunts are capable of a lot worse than strapping car batteries to my balls and frying my dick off."
Kovic scoffed, "Of that I'm certain," He brushed his distaste for Sparrow's vulgarity away with a flittering wave of his hand and another swing at the cup of that brown stuff called 'bourbon', "What with all that magical ekron tech bullshit they're capable of. They'll probably turn you into some kind of brainwashed slave, if the reports I get from the RDI are anything close to accurate."
"They tend to be paranoid, but the Ossies ain't wrong," Sparrow shrugged.
"More to the point, I extracted you from Helena and rescued you from Imperial custody. You're here in the Nexus, more or less, as a political refugee. But I'll have you know, I don't do favors. I'm a very profit-driven man, Mister Sparrow," Kovic grimaced, "You have an obligation to return the favor. The ULA has potential. Helena is a city filled to the brim with revolutionary activity, even after the battle a majority of the ULA’s cells within Helena remain intact - even if the Republic is collapsing currently. You have major cells across not just the River Republic, but in Avonia and internationally. You are the largest revolutionary group on this continent, perhaps this world. You're the most well organized, the most committed on this continent, and with our help, the most powerful. Ask us what you want, and we’ll give it to you,” Kovic raised a clarifying finger as if to make a point, “But – if we work together, you play by our rules. You want guns? I can get you guns. You want bombs? I can get you bombs. You want reconnaissance? We have drones. But you’ll only get them if you strike the targets we tell you to, and stick to the deal.”
Now Kovic was being blunt. He wasn’t hiding anything about the true intentions of their meeting. The Coalition gets a terrifying new ally and in exchange, the ULA gets a backer. Not even the RDI could publicly acknowledge their support for the ULA, fearful of the controversy that directly arming a group that the Commonwealth had put at the top of the terrorism watch list could cause.
But the Coalition was not from Narva. They didn’t care what happened on this planet, so long as it didn’t affect The Nexus. Sparrow knew from Eli that nuclear weapons existed in some capacity on Earth. The only reason why the Coalition didn't figure to just nuke Avonia was likely because they wanted to keep most of the planet somewhat habitable to colonize. Avonia could become a Communard State overnight and it would not impede anything that Kovic’s team were working on. Avonia could collapse, with its entire glitterbomb arsenal falling into the hands of small warlords and militarized statelets, and the Nexus would not care. Narva could burn, the Coalition would only see profit and opportunity. They wanted to get into Narva, attach themselves, and feed off of whatever it had to offer as they tried to build their Utopia away from Earth. Sparrow knew that much.
He'd hated the idea of working with The Coalition. Sure, the Commonwealth had given them guns under the table to fight the Imperialists with the Ostralanders being neo-Imperialists themselves. The Coalition seemed much worse than the Commonwealth in that regard, comparable to the Avonians rather – if not even worse. By several magnitudes. Avonia may have been a Imperialist, slaving, Empire built on a culture of chauvinistic elven superiority and militaristic expansion. Yet, the Avonians were still native to the Planet Narva. Emperor Kirk ruled over a nation that played home to communities, families, people. Avonia was home to millions of the bastards. At the end of the day, the Avonians shared Narva as their only home with all the other nations, species, and tribes.
So far removed from that was The Nexus. From what he'd seen himself and from what he'd heard from Eli, the Nexus was a corporate-run penal colony whose only purpose was to suck the native resources out of the local land like a mosquito attached to the flesh, and when it was full, leave Narva behind. Or worse yet, colonize as a means to escape their failures on whatever shithole they had tried to escape from. "Earth" as Eli called it.
But on the other hand, it was a tempting offer. The ULA had been struggling to procure arms for the impending revolution. And in their struggle against the imperialists they’d made a unending list of enemies, and scarce few friends beyond other, smaller, revolutionary cells. The RDI was the biggest one, but the simple act of selling them guns in secret was enough of a threat that the ammo was few and strictly supervised. If they could get another backer willing to not only offer more, but actively do more to assist the downfall of the Avonian Empire, then surely…
Sparrow grunted, “We fight revolutions. Not proxy conflicts, not insurgencies. Revolutions. Everything I do is to ensure that one day, Avonia will fall. Be it while I’m still alive or not, that doesn’t matter. If we accept, then you’ll be helping us fight our way.”
“And that way is?”
“Well, you said it yourself. Eliminate the empire by any means necessary. We’ll do what we do best, and we’ll cause chaos.”
“You'll be putting the lives of innocent people in danger,” Kovic looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, yet it didn't seem like he was cautioning Sparrow or even trying to stop him. He seemed more curious, trying to learn who Sparrow was, trying to dig deeper into the psyche and figure out what line he was and wasn't willing to cross.
“I know, that’s the point,” Sparrow shrugged, “If you can cause enough chaos, enough destruction, then the hegemony of the Empire will be so busy putting out the flames you’ve burned that they won’t see the inferno coming down on them.”
“Aren’t you concerned about potentially destroying so many lives? I mean for goodness sake,” Kovic feigned sympathy, "Won't someone think of those poor people?"
“You should be asking yourself that question. I’m committed. I always have been. The Empire bombs, tortures, enslaves, and displaces millions of innocent people. Day after day. Millions have died because of the cruelty of The Avonian Empire over the course of its history. We've seen systematic exterminations of ethnic groups by the pressures of Avonian culture, blunt military force, and cruel political violence. But when the oppressed people fight back on those same terms, suddenly it's terrorism? Suddenly we should be concerned morals?" Sparrow let out an inhale as he looked Kovic straight in the eye, meeting the suited man on his level, "What moral grounds have the Avonians given us to fight on?”
Sparrow smiled as he leaned across the table, “The question you should be asking yourself is why. You’re a man concerned with your visions of some purified mankind... profit and finance. A dictator beholden to some esoteric vision of utopia on another planet and maintaining the integrity of your police state. Why are you coming to me – a communard – for help? I ain't even gonna call you a neo-orderite, 'purified mankind', those are actual orderite speaking points. So why me? Why a... communist, as you Earthlings call it?”
Kovic took a brief though contemplative sip of his bourbon before responding, “It doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white. So long as it catches the mice, there’s a value to it.”
“Ah,” Sparrow nodded his head, “You’re awfully pragmatic.”
“You'll find that it is impossible to be Overseer otherwise,” Kovic told him, his voice flat and cautioning, “Whatever keeps the money flowing and the Avonians away is what I will pursue. Glass the Empire if you want to. It doesn’t matter what you do, so long as you do it in our interest. You understand?”
Sparrow had to admit. He was impressed. He'd gone on his diatribe mostly in a hope to scare Kovic off and make the Coalition reconsider. Sparrow obviously didn't want to see the people get harmed, that was not his intention. Afterall, the very concept of People's War necessitated the support of "The People". But, he was willing to accept civilian casualties in order to make larger strategic victories. To be so blunt about it all, bordering on extremist even within Sparrow's own tastes, and yet to still have Kovic not give so much as an afterthought...
He got an unusual chill down his spine when he locked eyes with Kovic once again. Kovic didn't see lives, he saw numbers. Symbols, represented by vague abstractions. Statistics. Outside of work, Kovic probably was a friendly person who would never so much as think to bring harm to another soul. Hell, Kovic could've even been a family man. But here, with the potential deaths of thousands - millions - listed before him in some strange political game of profit and advantage, printed out and filed away into documents and reports that were brought up to his desk for approval - Kovic was capable of so much evil. Yet in his world, Kovic was not a murderer. He was just an agent of the state doing his job.
Sparrow remembered that evil, true evil, was often mundane in that regard. Kovic's role could've been the same as any kind of pencil pusher's. They sat here in air conditioned offices and read reports, so far removed from the violence that they authorized. The same was true of the Avonians. The same was true of the Orderite exterminators. The same was true, even, of the Commonwealth. Bureaucrats were truly capable of so much horror, and bureaucracy was perhaps the worst invention to spawn from society.
“I believe I do.”
“Good. Now. Terms,” Kovic scratched his chin as he pulled out a clipboard and a notepad, “I have already made our terms clear. We want to employ the services that the ULA can provide.”
“Anything in particular?”
“Well that’s up to you to decide. We want you to either neutralize Avonian interest, morale, or capability to fight within the Kiote Peninsula; eliminate the Empire as a threat entirely; or at the very least bring them to the bargaining table with the Belford Alliance's diplomats to end the war.”
“Right… well,” Sparrow cleared his throat, “The political situation within Avonia is very complicated – but fragile. Extremely fragile. This might surprise you but they are a democracy, technically. They have a Senate, but it is beholden to supreme rule by an increasingly assertive Emperor Kirk. The overarching system is robust but as I said, fragile. It can survive a crisis, even a powerful one. But once you begin lighting multiple fires in the Phoenix’s nest, the Phoenix will burn. Ever since General Bonneville died the Empire’s been in a shifting state of sorts… there’s a lot of political infighting if you will.”
“Can you exploit that? That’s what we need?”
Sparrow smiled, “Oh I can do more than that. Public discontent within Avonia is rising either along reformist or reactionary lines. Things are pulling apart from within. Kill Emperor Kirk and the Avonians will do the rest of the job on their own. If he goes, The Senate, the reactionaries, the army, everyone will start fighting. And even if the Empire doesn’t fall in some violent or chaotic manner like a civil war, they’ll be so caught up in the disaster and turmoil you've unleashed that they can’t focus on you. Doubly so since Kirk's wife and legal heir, Catherine, is a pacifist. If the Empire doesn't collapse, she'll be next in line and Catherine will be more willing to offer a ceasefire.”
“You can assassinate Emperor Kirk?” Kovic seemed relieved, though he stiffened “Wouldn't the aforementioned Senate be a concern? And what about their intelligence group... The NSE? If they catch wind that you're going after the big boss, we're done. The RDI sent my office a report, and they believe that Avonian intelligence is already aware of our existence. Truthfully I'm not surprised, we did a horrible job keeping secret and I'm counting my days until the news breaks back on Earth. Anyway, the point I'm making is that the RDI believes Avonian Intelligence isn't making a big fuss about us because they have no grounds to actually justify doing so. If they came out with a statement saying that there are aliens backed by the Commonwealth which kickstarted a major war in the Kiote Peninsula, they'd come out sounding insane. It might ruin public trust in the Empire. But, if they get evidence that we were the ones behind Emperor Kirk's death... you'll be giving them a real reason to start panicking."
"That's why I'm doing it," Sparrow said, "Me and a colleague. I already have one in mind. So long as we can find our way into the Empire without alerting the NSE or their Border Control, I can work my magic. Kill the King and there won't be a single trace of evidence leading back to you. Most likely they'll implicate myself and the ULA, which is fine. Worst case, they'll blame the Commonwealth. And we could be looking at a potential glitterbomb exchange if that's the case. Kind of puts a damper on your Utopian plans though, global annihilation."
Kovic, asserting that he did in fact have some form of humor in that stuffy corporate brain of his, enthusiastically smiled, "Yeah, try not to blow up the entire Planet. We do in fact need that."
"It won't get to that stage. The Commonwealth and Empire will have the whole world in another major crisis for a few weeks until they start negotiating and inevitably come to some agreement as they always do. But there's a risk is all. As with everything."
"What about the Imperial Senate? Will they be an issue?"
"Currently, Imperial politics are fluctuating too much to really predict. There are several major parties in Avonian politics, but two of the largest are the Nora's and the Royal Party. They're both Imperialists, but the Nora's are slightly more open to reforming some aspects of the Empire internally. Currently, the Nora Party has a narrow coalition majority in the Senate, and if the Emperor is dead, they'll be more or less the ones running the country."
"Is that a good or bad thing?"
"It doesn't really matter," Sparrow shrugged, "The Nora's under Prime Minister Fairchild are somewhat more open to peace, but for their own interests. They'll probably try to continue the war and then it'll be a whole mess."
"But you just said Catherine was a pacifist, she can just end the war, right?"
"True, but the silly thing is that Catherine also believes in this fickle thing called 'democracy'. She's unlikely to override the will of the Senate in order to end the war. Which is why this moment is crucial, because the 1240 elections are coming, and nobody is certain if the Noras are gonna keep a hold on the Senate and Prime Minister's seat."
Kovic nodded, scratching his chin, "Give me the ideal scenario then."
"Ideal scenario, the Empire blows up and all of the pricks drop dead. I doubt that's gonna happen just by shooting Kirk, so lets file that away into the unrealistic category, right?"
Kovic rolled his eyes, "Sure."
"Next case, the Visionary party. They're what you would call... I dunno, progressives? Some of them are communards too, much more moderate and electoral based than I am though as you might be able to tell. They're virulently Anti-War and claim to be anti-Imperialism. If they come to power along with Empress Catherine, you can see the Empire immediately come to the negotiating table in order to bring an end to the war. But it's unlikely that will happen as cleanly as you expect. Because there's the chance that the Senate shifts in the complete opposing direction."
"And that is?" Kovic asked leaning in.
"Worst case scenario, the Imperial Popular Front gains control. Their ideological visions range from, 'bomb anyone who dares lift a finger against the Empire' , to, 'kill or enslave anyone who isn't a Avonian elf'. If the IPF gains control, you might not see just a continuation of the war, the Empire might choose to escalate it. Hundreds upon thousands of Imperial troops would invade, and I don't think you have nearly enough soldiers to counter that kind of troop surge - even if Belford finally gets off of its ass and intervenes. We'd be talking about the Commonwealth needing to re-mobilize and re-conscript new armies, meanwhile the Empire is already geared up and rearing to go. If the IPF wins in the Senate... game over."
"And that's just if Kirk dies?"
"The elections to the senate will happen regardless of if Kirk is dead or not. 1240 is an Avonian election year. In fact, having Kirk and the IPF both in charge of the country would effectively guarantee that you'll never get any kind of peace at all in the Empire. They used to pretend that the Emperor was above petty political disputes. But now that Kirk's mentor, General Bonneville, is dead - Kirk has been growing much more influential. Having Catherine as Empress might be some kind of stabilizing pull if the IPF does come to power, but I wouldn't hold my breath in that case. A potential assassination of Kirk will wind up radicalizing Avonia in either direction, and it really is impossible to predict what will happen."
"So... hopeless?"
Sparrow wagged his finger, "Again, the Senate might not be an issue at all if this happens."
"Might?" Kovic winced.
"Might. Killing Kirk will inevitably send the Senate into chaos again, and heavens knows what kind of mess that'll cause. But, it'll be a major mess, probably the biggest one in Avonian history since the Sacred War. If they're too busy putting out their internal fires, I can confidently say that it will zap their will of any support for a foreign war, even if the IPF gains power in the Senate and elects one of their own as Prime Minister."
"Right..." Kovic sighed jotting that down into his notebook, "Let's put a pin in that. Besides killing Kirk, what else can you do?"
“There’s several factions within the Empire proper that could prove potentially useful. There’s a revolutionary separatist group based in Azure, a city and region in the Empire close to the River Republic. It used to be another independent Kiote nation before it was invaded by the Empire just before The Sacred War ended. Azure is a major industrial region for Avonia, and if my ULA men can get in touch with the local Azuri Nationalists and trigger an armed revolt, it’ll be another crippling blow for the Phoenix. This one is guarenteed, the independence movement in Azure has been at its strongest since the Imperials invaded them half-a-century ago. ”
“The more fires you can start, the merrier I’ll be.”
“For a price of course.”
“Go on.”
“I demand shelter for the ULA either here in the Nexus or somewhere within the Exclusion Zone. Somewhere where I can establish a proper base of operations, store our equipment, train our recruits, that sort of thing.”
“I can hook you up with something in Canau.”
“Second, I want guns. Not your guns though. They have to be either from the Commonwealth or some other supplier here on Narva. If I were to assassinate Kirk for instance, The NSE is going to start looking for targets. They’ll find the bullet casings. Once they find out that the bullets are untraceable, that’s how they’ll find out about you,” Sparrow said, “They need to be suspicious of someone, just someone who clearly came from this planet.”
“We’d need contacts with your suppliers. I’ve had a few run-ins with the Commonwealth’s RDI, I believe. But I doubt they’d be willing to loan us some weapons to assassinate the leader of a country armed with nuclear weapons.”
“They’re glitterbombs… nuclear bombs are obsolete on Narva.”
“I see…”
“Of course, we request some aid in planning, coordination, and support.”
“Again, that can be arranged…”
“And finally..." Sparrow looked up at Kovic, choosing his words carefully, "I want Misfit.”
“I’m sorry?” Kovic shook his head as if Sparrow had said something strange.
“Misfit. Eli Freeman,” Sparrow smiled, seeing the Overseer finally blink. Killing innocent people? Kovic didn’t blink an eye. Suggest staging a revolution in the one of the largest glitterbomb-armed superpowers on this planet? Kovic could care less. But once Sparrow even suggested something that could potentially disturb Kovic's own base of power, suddenly he was getting second thoughts. He took some enjoyment watching Kovic squirm in discomfort.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Sparrow smiled as he awaited Kovic's response.
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==The Revolutionary Department Of Intelligence==
==[THE MASTER OF FAREWIND]==
Flag of The Greater Avonian Empire
Map of Western Farewind and Northern Gelandia, with Avonian territory and Avonian North Gelandia highlighted in Purple. Imperial puppet states are portrayed in dark purple.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Capital: Aria
Ideology: Imperialism (Avonian-Absolutism)
Government: Semi-Constitutional Absolutist Empire
Current Ruling Party: The Nora Party (Absolutist Democracy)
Current Head of State: Emperor Kirk-Stefan Rupert
Current Head of Government: Prime Minister Maya Fairchild
Population: 200 Million
Primary Species: Elf
Tolerated Species: Human, beastkin, most humanoids
Faction: The Continental-Unity Pact
GDP:(CEC) 238 Billion
Currency: Avonian Depleted Ekron Standard (DE)
Avonia (Avonian: Avonie), officially the Greater Collective Realms of the Avonian Empire, or simply The Greater Avonian Empire, The Avonian Empire, or commonly referred to as just The Empire is a primarily elven nation and one of the three global superpowers. Avonia borders The Valdacian Magedom and The Bevern Protectorate to the east, River Republic and North Oran to the south, and the White Channel to the north.
The Realm of Avonia has been the single most powerful region in all of the Farewind continent for centuries. The center for Farewind's art, culture, power, and economic influence - with two great rivals. The daring human civilization of The Ostralands across the strait, and the militaristic magical colleges of the Valdacian Magedom on their eastern border. The Avonian Empire's grand mythos is of the great Iron Phoenix, a national titan achieving near god-like status in the minds of Avonia's die hard nationalists, who leads her children from the Phoenix's nest within the Imperial capital of Aria to claim all of Farewind as their birthright. Successfully utilizing a hybrid blend of elvenkind's natural magical prowess and the recent advancements of engineering technology made possible to the industrial revolution, the Phoenix's strength seems as unmatched as ever before. Avonia remains, after so many long centuries, as Farewind's nearly uncontested hegemonic power. A juggernaut of industry, cultural influence, wealth, and pure military might...
Yet, the cracks within the Phoenix's iron nest have never been larger.
Despite the magnitude of Imperial influence across Farewind and even the globe, mass systematic issues plague nearly all levels of Avonian society. Imperial megacorporations employ long lines of prisoners-turned-slaves to keep the engines of modern civilization firing. Millions of lower class workers and citizens are kept shunned in sprawling, unhygienic, violent slums that flank the vibrant and glorious halls of core cities and ancient noble mansions. Mass racism fueled by a culture of Elven superiority and Avonian chauvinism routinely shuns the millions of humans, beastkin, and reptillians that share the Iron Nest as their home. Willingly, or not. And the most obvious sin is that, despite being an industrialized and mechanized power, Avonia maintains a massive slave economy. The Avonian slave empire is the largest and most horrific institution of slavery outside of the Dragonian Heavenly Sphere. The Phoenix's nest sits on the corpses and bones of her vanquished enemies. Choking the survivors out through systemic ethnic cleansing and rigorous genetic modification to make even the most "dangerous" species amenable to Imperial civilization. Genocide has been a tool that Avonia has used liberally to defeat all populations who dare oppose the might of the Phoenix's talons. Imperial megacorporations employ millions of penal-slaves - known as "Stoneliners" - to build and reinforce the empire. On almost all levels, Violence; greed; and corruption, run through the Phoenix's veins. For all the Avonia's great houses of nobility shine and sparkle with the glamour of Avonian civilization painted across the beautiful colored halls, they are built out of bricks made with slave's blood...
Yet, in the darkest days of the Cold War, things may very well change. Either for better, or for worse...
Despite Imperial victory in The Sacred War (Alongside their begrudging Commonwealth "allies"), the scars of devastation and occupation have never quite healed. The divisions within Avonian society are boiling out of control, and have transformed into violent - radical - fury. The Imperial Senate is divided among petty factional lines, and necessary legislation to address societal issues are often shot down or buried underneath the political scheming and lobbyist meddling. Meanwhile, the Phoenix's guiding father and savior during her darkest times of the Sacred War - Supreme General Marcus Bonneville - is but a corpse laying in state, leaving matters of ruling over the largest Empire in Farewind within the hands of a paranoid ultra-traditionalist, Emperor Stefan Kirk Rupert.
As the extremes radicalize, and as the institutions that govern the nation rot, the seams that hold Avonia together begin to splinter and dissolve... if nothing is done, urgently, it may very well spell doom not just for Avonia and the millions of sentient creatures that call the Phoenix's nest their home - but also for all of Planet Narva - as the threat of glitterbomb extinction weighs over their heads.
But cooler heads may very well prevail, for there is hope emerging in the Imperial youth and reformist factions to set the Empire on a new course. Spreading the ideals of liberty, egalitarianism, and justice within Imperial society. All with the hopes of correcting the long moral and political decline of Avonia through reformist policy. Yet, despite this hopeful optimism, the reformists and visionaries face an uphill battle. They must first battle their own demons in the Imperial Senate, to correct the systemic corruption and corporate influence that plagues the political system. And then, they must battle the notoriously reactionary Imperial core population. As the extremes become more radical with each stinging Avonian defeat, even the prestige of being a member of the Avonian government may not be enough to save them from the violent outbursts of an angry populace...
The Phoenix finds herself in the throes of a new world order, one that she's helped to build. If the Empire successfully reforms, there may be a hopeful future for all of Planet Narva and those within who dare to dream.
But if the Phoenix slips into the clutches of reactionary hatred, racial segregation, and the pitfalls of megaindustry, then surely all will fear...
For when Empires become as large as Avonia, even their death throes are forces to be reckoned with...
In Avonia, massive palaces display the beauty and glamour of Elven civilization. Owned by a modern aristocracy who can trace their birthright back centuries into Avonia's rich past. They never mention where the wealth came from, as if they have no idea. Yet the slaves toiling away to keep the grounds picturesque always seem to have the answer.
[Absolutism]
Absolutism is one of the oldest ideologies and political theories on Planet Narva, coming to prominence with the emergence of the very concept of "Political Thought" itself. Absolutism seeks to justify Empire, usually along the lines of Magical superiority, divine rule from proclaimed demi-gods and religious orders, or simple supremacy via military strength. Absolutism is a fundamentally traditionalist, and nominally authoritarian ideology, seeking to guard the old nostalgic worlds of kings, queens, nobles, and ladies, against the perceived evil that Radicalism has brought upon the Planet, or even worse, their infernal Communard brothers and the rising specter of Communism within an increasingly industrialized world. While Absolutism originally got its start among the feudal era magical empires like the Valdacian Magedom or the early Avonian Kingdom, with the rise of the industrial revolutions sweeping changes to all class and economic structures, the Kings, Lords, and Barons of the world needed to shift in order to justify their existence to the serfs and peasants whom they lorded over. As such, Absolutism has become malleable, able to adapt to change in order to justify a rigid and stable regime. They keep one gun pointed outside, to act as a shield against the specter of Radical thought. And they keep another gun pointed inside, to keep the population obedient and working within the fields (Now factories). Absolutism endures, even in the face of a new world order...
[Imperialism]
Imperialism can take on two meanings. The obvious form being the methods through which Empires (and other major political entities) exert, reinforce, and maintain power outside of their borders or within against cultures falling outside of primary groups. This happens either through blunt military suppression, cultural extermination, forceful cultural conversion, economic subjugation, or (most usually) a combination of all these things.
The second definition refers to Avonian-Absolutism, one of the most enduring forms of Absolutism found anywhere on Planet Narva. The Phoenix is imagined in Avonian religious and cultural mythos through the might of her nest, and her means of enforcing her rule. In contrast to other forms of blunt imperialism, the Phoenix does not exterminate, but instead, "civilizes". In a world full of barbarians, radicals, and uncivilized thought, the Phoenix guards her nest by militaristically pacifying lower creatures to be more aligned with Avonian elven rule.
Avonian Imperialism is a unique blend of Ultranationalism, Militancy, cultural chauvinism, and Reactionary thought. All people within the Phoenix's nest have their place in society, those at the bottom classes were ordained by the Heavens to exist as machines that power the Empire. Those at the top exist as leaders of the herd, guiding the state through their superior strength of intellect or magical supremacy. And those that fall outside of the herd are forcefully assimilated. It is not uncommon to hear rumors of entire species being genetically modified to make them more amenable to Imperial rule. Imperialism demands that the Phoenix and all of her children, rule the world at the top of the pyramid. All those below must continue to work, whether or not they are content in doing so is unnecessary. The Avonian Empire, must survive. And the Phoenix will maintain her position at the top of Narva's pecking order by any means necessary.
[Orderism]
Heaven's Embrace shields all of its devoted followers, for the scaled ones are as close to holy as all mortal creatures can possibly be. To be closer to the dragonian gods who sit upon the Heavenly Throne, is to be standing among the stars. The Heavenly Dragons are the closest things on Planet Narva to Gods walking among mortals, born with magical abilities so powerful and lives so long that few mortals can dare stand in their presence without cowering in the face of their overwhelming might and majesty. As such, within the Heavenly Empire, the cursed seeds of the modern industrial ideology of Orderism can be found. Heaven is shaped by its caste. The scaled ones who are closest to their dragonian creatures are obviously the closest to holiness. The Kobolds, Lizardkin, Serpents, and minor sapient dragons all occupy positions in the upper echelons of Heaven's Caste, working as the most loyal devotees to their God-Emperor who will stop at nothing to fulfill Heaven's mandate and satisfy their rulers.
Meanwhile, the bottom of Heaven's Caste is reserved for the mockery of the pure Dragonian form.
Man.
According to Heavenly theology, Mankind is a child born from the "Sixth" Angel of the original creators of all sentient life, a sinful, egotistical, violent, beast taken from the form of the equally barbaric fallen angel from whom they originated. As such, mankind was cursed to be without magic and to exist as slaves for their hubris against Heaven. This has been the natural order for a majority of Planet Narva, and it is from this where modern "Orderism" as an ideology originates.
Modern Orderism, much like its Heavenly ancestor, is zealously committed to upholding the species caste that keeps Humans and other deplorables (normally Beastkin, Radicals, Communards, ethnic and sexual minorities, among many - many - others) as slaves or undesirables. Unlike Heavenly Thought, Orderism has adapted to the industrial era of the world outside of the holy embrace of the Heavenly Empire's borders. Orderism is one of the most enduring of the extremist ideologies, utilizing the power of the state, media, culture, and military, to corrupt nations from the inside out. Orderism, as it originates within the Valdacian Magedom and The Empire of Oran, generally posits Elves or Avians as the master race of Planet Narva (With differing theorists bickering over whether or not this means supremacy over the dragons too, or begrudging equality with them). Orderites seek to create a modern regime in a new world to safeguard elven civilization from the specter of Radical thought and Communard corruption. Hyper-Militaristic, rabidly anti-Commonwealth, even the supreme might of the Avonian Empire is but a tortured betrayal of true Elven civilization according to Orderite dogma. Orderism gained a massive following after the political zeitgeist of the late 1100s and early 1200s, rising to prominence after the complete devastation of the Trench Wars, the advent of radio and magivision, and mass industrialization destabilizing the major societies of the era. Finding a root among Avian artists who dreamed of a future utopia where they could return back to the limelight of their ancestors as untouchable rulers of the sky, and among Elven peasants who were driven out of their picturesque farms and villages and packed into urban slums en-masse. This dangerous synthesis culminated in both Valdacia and Oran falling to the festering hatred, anger, and fear that Orderite thought spawned - and the fruit of it was the single deadliest war in Planet Narva's history... only to utterly fail.
Disturbingly, Orderism still prevails in the minds of many closest to the spot of power, as the post-war world of Narva continues to decline in a quagmire of stagnation, defeat, and betrayal... Orderism lives on... or perhaps, it'll morph into something new yet again...
==[THE UNHOLY TRIFECTA]==
Despite what many across Planet Narva believe, the Avonian Empire is not entirely an authoritarian reactionary dictatorship. Imperial government is as broad as it is powerful, and to govern such a massive empire, all of the actors play a delicate balancing game in order to maintain a facade of responsibility. Known as "Trifecta of Power", the Imperial Senate, Imperial Throne, and the Imperial Rule Assistance Council all play a hand in governing the great nation. The unholy trifecta was established following Avonian victory in The Sacred War. Prior to the Orderite invasion and occupation, the old Avonian King Valois abdicated the throne and fled the country, leaving the absolute monarchy without its monarch. A democratic republic was hastily established and the Avonian Republic was proclaimed, but it only lasted a few short years until the Orderite invasion and a reactionary coup tore the republic apart. General Bonneville, a leading member of the Avonian military, defeated the coup and marshalled the nation on to victory in the long brutality of the Sacred War becoming the hero of the Avonian people in the process. In the wake of the Sacred War and the creation of the Reconstruction Government that ruled Avonia in the aftermath, the Trifecta was born. Reconciling the Avonian obsession with kings and absolutist rulership, with a defanged and heavily tempered "Democracy". The modern Imperial government rose in the ashes of the conflict, as the Phoenix rises from fire...
While many will be able to tell what the Imperial Senate and the Imperial Throne are off of the name alone, few recognize the soft and often understated power of the Rule Assistance Council. A council of twelve to twenty four appointed officials who oversee the laws passed by the Senate to moderate the will of the people. It is a check on radicalism instituted by General Bonneville to ensure that extremist divisions in the Senate do not boil out of control and afflict the whole nation. While it was forward thinking in some regards, the mass amount of power that the IRAC has accumulated into the hands of about twelve individuals is impossible to ignore. At the snap of a finger, democracy can be overruled...
==[POLITICAL ANIMALS]==
[The Nora Party] Responsible Economics, Common Sense Foreign Policy, and Democratic Values. The Nora’s have a long history of being the established Visionaries of the two main parties. However, despite their ideals, the party has been tainted by it’s long standing connections to the Empire’s Oligarchs. Before Prime Minister Maya Fairchild, Emmanuel Francis Chiraq was the first Prime Minister of the nation, and the first Nora in the seat. His rule was disastrous for the party, fracturing it between the loyalists who remained, and the Radicals who rallied behind the rising Senator Theodore Drake, and fled to The Visionaries. The source of The Great Schism being the first sparks of the Kiote War, and EFC’s refusal to dismantle Avonia’s massive Slave Economy, built off the backs of the imprisoned, and heavily biased against the ethnic minorities. The Slave System, and long standing policies of Racial discrimination within Avonia have become a divisive point within the Nora. But under Fairchild, it seems the Party is pivoting towards the creation of a New, Harmonic, Avonia.
[The Royal Party] The Royal party are the Senate’s traditionalists. Made of Economic protectionists and pro-monarchy supporters, they stand diametrically opposed to the Harmonists in the Nora Party. They seek the stability of the Empire above everything, and hold the monarchy close to their values. Despite their traditionalist cohesion, the party is more divided than ever before. The Ardently Traditionalist Roses of the Party, who insist on economic deregulation, upholding the Stoneliner-Slave system, and pursuing a balanced budget. And the Reformers of the Royal Party, who are willing to offer an olive branch to the Nora’s to pursue the end of the stoneliner system, greater protections for workers, and responsible economic policies. The Reformers, led by High Lord Henri Blum in the Imperial Rule Assistance Council, have gained a massive voice after the disastrous leadership of the Roses over not just the party but also the Empire at large. But as the Empire continues its path into the most chaotic period yet, the Royal party will only continue to shift. A shift that could spell doom for the empire.
[The Visionary Party - Moderates] What is injustice? What is inequality? What is persecution? If not the long standing tradition of those who hold the monopoly on violence and power denying those who lack such advantage their fair deal to prosperity? Avonia is a land of injustice, but even despite what the naysayers may offer in defense of things like Species-based segregation, or the upholding of the brutal Stoneliner-Slave system, it doesn’t have to be this way. Moderate-Visionaries will fight for a equal deal, a fair one, for all species. To tackle injustice and create a dream that all can prosper from under the wings of a new, free, fair, and visionary Phoenix. Among the ranks of the Moderates is a broad coalition of peasants, racial minorities, Democrats, Labourites, Visionary idealogues, and those who wish to operate within the system to enact real visionary change.
[The Visionary Party - Radicals] It is impossible to fix a system that is fundamentally broken via reform. And the Avonian Empire is one of the most broken systems on the planet. Reform and being “Moderate” is not enough to cure the rot that plagues Avonia's institutions, economics, and culture. As such, Radicals look to the Ostralands for inspiration. Over 200 years ago, the Ostralanders had their revolution against their king, and from the violent beheading of the monarchy, the human revolutionaries birthed the greatest democracy known to Planet Narva. If Avonia wishes to move forward, they must look to their greatest rival for clarity. Though unlike the Ostralander revolutionaries a century ago, the Radicals believe they can win through electoral means. Radicals, much like their Moderate brothers, are a broad tent. Mostly full of the working class, unions, anti-monarchy Republicans, Radical-Democrats, and especially Communards. With this odd alliance of Visionaries and Communard forces, the Radicals hope to dismantle the Empire, the Monarchy, and all that holds the nation back. All to forge a new system cured of disease, a revolution by the ballot.
[The Imperial Popular Front - Nationalists] The Nationalist Faction of the IPF are a strange bunch. Despite being the largest of the two factions, they hold a very loosely coherent Traditionalist ideology. Whereas most in even the Royalist or Nora parties would balk at the idea of introducing “Communard” policies to impede on the Imperial free market, Nationalists draw plenty of their support from the Traditionalist parts of Avonia’s working class, and as such are advocates for expanded social welfare programs. One that would benefit and take care of it’s Elven subjects first. They hold few things as close to them as the Monarchy, which they view as a bastion of Avonian tradition. Nationalists even draw upon the Warhawks who think that it’s time to end the Empire’s humiliation at the hands of her enemies. These loose, yet popular, ideas have launched the Nationalists - and thereby their Reactionary allies in the IPF - into political prominence. With the nationalists positioning themselves as ardent defenders of Avonia’s people, freedoms, way-of-life, and values.
[The Imperial Popular Front - Reactionaries] The Avonian Empire is at a crossroads. Visionary evils are growing more zealous and violent, the old traditional ways of the Avon people are dying, and the Empire is falling into disgrace. Decades of constant humiliation at the hands of Belford radicals, and internal stagnation caused by a culture that's forgotten the sacred past, have corrupted the Iron Phoenix into a shell of her former self. And in that void lies empty hearts and broken souls. If The Phoenix wishes to reclaim her glory of being the Iron Master of Farewind, then it needs unity and to return to tradition. Proper values must be taught in schools, the beastkin and minorities must know their place, the youth's violent and immodest "Counter-Culture" must be destroyed, and good Elven subjects must not accept becoming second class citizens in the empire that they have built for themselves. The Reactionaries are the die-hard enthusiasts of Imperial culture, society, and tradition. They’ll stop at little to ensure Avonia remains proud, elven, and loyal to its past. Democracy be damned.
==[END TRANSMISSION]==
