Hey, folks. I've been thinking of something to do for everyone who's put up with me, and especially those who found something in my ramblings worth clicking that applause link. And since I don't know what I was applauded for (I can guess when I see the rep go up, but I quickly forget), I'll just burden you all with some other stuff.
So, I finally decided what to do, but I had to wait until now.
Here's some material that didn't get into
Conspiracy Theories for one reason or another. I should, and am required to, point out that
this is NON-CANON material. However, it was written so I figured I might as well share it.
From the
Who Do You Know In This Town? subchapter of
DeeCee.
ROZILYN HERNANDEZ
Professor Hernandez is a hugely influential person in DeeCee. She was the one who really made people stop and look at how DeeCee had embraced magicians and magic into its very heart, and the world didn’t end. She founded the Illuminate of the New Dawn, which is one of the largest independent fraternal organizations for magicians and their supporters in the world. The Illuminates engage in public advocacy and lobbying programs throughout the world, and especially in the UCAS, and she’s at the heart of it all. Meanwhile, she’s still a tenured professor of Sociology at Georgetown, and the chair of the New Century Party, which is often seen as synonymous with the IOND. However, there is a growing call for the party, which was founded by disgruntled Technocrats following the 2056 election scandal, to rejoin the Technocrats. Her 2057 running mate, Ramsay McMulkin, did just that. He eventually became the UCAS party chair, and then improbably became CAS President last year.
The more important issue directly affecting her, and applicable to our discussion is that after several decades, Hernandez is quietly looking for someone to succeed her as High Magus. The top suspect is Nicholas Grace. He’s been a senior member in the Inner Circle for decades, and has eyed the job for years. However, she may be looking for a younger, more pliant successor like Claudia Morgan. Morgan is a young, but dedicated acolyte who lives and breathes magic, but also has some impressive family connections in DeeCee.
> There are a half-dozen Sylvestrines, all professors at Georgetown or CUA, who are all in the IOND Inner Circle. There is a theory that she was already in the Black Lodge, but she “came to God” and eventually founded the IOND in response. Another takes that one step further and asserts that she was “deprogrammed” by the Templars. This is the best part. She was the face of the IOND, and recruited other Lodge members, but those Sylvestrines (Templars) control it behind the the scenes.
> Pistons
> New Jesuits agents don't get to just quit.
> Fianchetto
> Here’s a thought. She’s another one of those politicos nostalgic for the old USA, rules an international order of politically connected mages, and her old running mate is the damn Yankee carpetbagger who weaseled his way into the Manor House. There’s your New Revolution ringleader. I normally don’t mess with politicos, but I could make an exception in this case.
> Kane
> Calm down. Let’s take this offline.
> Riser
This is in a separate section. I will leave it up to you all to figure out where.
> If I may, I’d like to mention something I’ve been thinking about.
Fallen Angels
The whole subject of DeeCee encompasses a variety of conspiratorial talk. I haven’t worked in the sprawl much, but it’s hard to avoid the overlap of talk of spies, politics, magic, the Church, and the megacorps. Shiawase and Ares are the two biggest boys around. The former has its largest subsidiary headquartered in Washington. However, Ares and the UCAS, especially the military, are virtually synonymous for most people. Ares is on the outs, though, with Colloton, and it’s been suffering its own setback of late. When I look at the anti-Ares politics, espionage, and all happening in a city where the Church has a presence big enough to hide conspiracies within, I think of one thing: The Seraphim.
The Seraphim was the name of a covert intelligence, security, and special operations unit that reported directly to Lucien Cross and did his bidding for decades. It also operated with distinct Catholic motifs, names, and other influences. Common lore goes that when Cross died, Ares made its move and his Seraphim were wiped out. Many field ops were exposed and killed. Some were turned. Others disappeared, either into the shadows or deeper within the remains of CATCo. Some joined SIS, the CAS-based intelligence corp. Others from the Quebecois mega joined their French cousins in SDEI, Esprit’s intelligence arm. Others, I’ve noticed, took refuge in the UCAS as it has rebuilt its decimated security programs. Nine years on, Ares is in trouble with the UCAS, Esprit has dug in, SIS has been doing contract work for the CIA, and the Church seems to be getting bolder in its local actions towards the government and the megacorps.
I’m not going to say that it is all because of the Seraphim, but I see their hands engaging and encouraging behavior that was already headed in that direction. They were loyal and faithful to Cross as a man and an idea, and that included a zealous hatred of Ares, and especially Damien Knight. I would not put it against them to continue waging a long war against Knight. I am near certain Seraphim are plotting some righteous vengeance, but Knight is not stupid and their people can see the same thing I did. So there’s bound to be action on both sides in the sprawl for a while.
> Thorn
There's some more material, but I'm going to format that into a more presentable form and post it in Google Docs because it is quite long.