Starting on May 4, 1997, over 130 civic organizations across Formosa took part in a "March for Taiwan" in protest of the government's inaction against the perceived rise in violent crime within the nation, primarily being sparked by the deaths of Taoyuan Magistrate Liu Pang-yu (November 21, 1996), Peng Wan-ru (November 30, 1996), and Pai Hsiao-yen (April 18/20, 1997). As part of the protest, various media organizations, including the nation's largest newspaper publisher, the Taiwan Times, were condemned for publishing and distributing a leaked photograph taken of Pai Hsiao-yen's naked corpse after its discovery on April 28th. Additionally, the protestors demanded the President and his Cabinet take responsibility for failing to prevent such tragedies from occurring, with some even seeking for the dismissal of the Cabinet in its entirety. In response, President Lee Teng-hui held a press conference on May 15th to issue an apology to the public for the law and order problems faced by the nation in recent years. Following the apology, President Lee Teng-hui promised that in addition to the Police and Judiciary being required to build up an effective system to guarantee law and order, the Formosan Coast Guard and Military Police would cooperate fully in dealing with drug trafficking and smuggling - stressing that law and order would be one of the government's most important national policies at present.
Following the press conference, Minister of the Interior Lin Fong-cheng and Council of Agriculture Chairman Chiu Mao-ying resigned from their positions in respect of the protestors' wishes. Vice President Lien Chan would also submit his resignation to President Lee Teng-hui to show his acceptance of responsibility and sooth public anger, however he was convinced by the President to withdrawl it. Other changes made include former Executive Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications Hsu Chieh-kui being appointed to the Chairmanship of the Council of Labor Affairs, and Government Information Office (GIO) Director-General Su Chi being promoted to Minister without Portfolio while his Deputy at GIO, Li Ta-wei, replaced him as GIO Director-General.
Despite these various moves by the government, over 500 civic organizations came together once more in a "March for the Love of Taiwan" on May 18th with tens of thousands of citizens showing up to participate. Additionally, the Humanistic Education Foundation organized an all-night silent sit-down protest with 70 other organizations outside of the Presidential Palace on May 24th to admonish the government to quickly solve the incomparably brutal cases that plagued Taiwan in the past year and to give the public a safe environment in which to live and work. Unfortunately, the cases of Liu Pang-yu and Peng Wan-ru's murders would go unsolved due to a lack of evidence to identify the culprits responsible, although many theories would pop up throughout and following the investigations. Despite this, many changes would be made well into the turn of the millennium that would improve the quality of life within Taiwan, leading to a slow but eventually notable decline in the national crime rate.
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In August 1997, Director-General Yao Kao-chiao of the National Police Agency would resign from his position as a result of public backlash. On the 19th of the same month, the culprits behind Pai Hsiao-yen's murder were spotted in Taipei's Zhongshan District, with an ensuing gunfight between them and two police officers resulting in the death of one officer and culprit Lin Chun-sheng (who committed suicide). The surviving culprits, Chen Chien-hsing and Kao Tien-meen, would be on the run over the course of the next few months until Kao committed suicide to avoid capture on November 18 and Chen surrendered to the Police later that same day after holding Colonel Edward McGill Alexander (a Military Attaché to Taipei from South Africa) and his family hostage in their residence.
For the most part this is stuff that happened in Taiwan back in the 1990's. The main difference is that I couldn't include the part of Lien Chan resigning as Premier since canonically the responsibilities of the Premier were transferred over to the President in 1991, so the position essentially no longer exists in the Formosan Republic by this point.
As for the three murder cases mentioned, they are actual tragedies that occurred in 1996 and 1997.
Liu Pang-yu (the Magistrate of Taoyuan County at the time) and seven others were executed in his own home in Taoyuan on November 21, 1996 by two perpetrators who managed to subdue the guards protecting the home before using their weapons on those inside, leaving only four survivors. Afterwards, they stole a car belonging to one of the victims and used it to rendezvous with accomplices before abandoning it and never being found. The case remains unsolved to this day and will most likely stay that way as the statute of limitations ran out in 2016, closing the case.
Peng Wan-ru was the Director of the Democratic Progressive Party's Women's Affairs Department. She disappeared on November 30, 1996 in Kaohsiung and was last seen entering a taxi cab after a DPP meeting. She was later found deceased outside of an abandoned warehouse with multiple stab wounds - there was also evidence that she had been SA'd. Similarly to the Liu Pang-yu case, the killer was never found and there were many false leads over the years; with the statute of limitations running out in 2016, the case will remain closed and unsolved for the foreseeable future.
Pai Hsiao-yen was a 16 year old high school student. She was abducted by three men while on her way to school on April 14, 1997. The kidnappers requested $5 Million USD in return for Pai, and various negotiations were made with police to get the money, however ransom drops were frequently ruined by the kidnappers spotting police in the vicinity. To make a longer story short, Taiwanese media made it extremely difficult for the Police to act, as they constantly followed and monitored them to get all of the events live for their own profit, allowing the kidnappers to always know what the Police were up to. The police were eventually able to find out where the kidnappers were going to set up next and carried out a raid to save Pai, leading to a suspect being arrested, but the main culprits and some of their associates escaped. Without repeating the same stuff from the last post, Pai was discovered deceased in a drainage ditch on April 28th in New Taipei - the kidnappers had killed her days earlier (sometime between the 18th and 20th) and were pretending that she was still alive in order to get money from her family anyway. It is said she died of strangulation and a ruptured stomach after being tortured by her captors.
Glad to see the RMB search function is back, although it seems some of the longer historical RMB posts (the Santa Catalina social calendar, Bartos Report, Elaborated Charter on Universal Personal Rights, etc) have yet to load in. Hopefully they can be recovered, as this RMB has become quite the useful archive after all these years!
Haha, what a fun entrance back into the intrigues of Cybusian high society! Despite being two of the most powerful women in the hemisphere, Meredith and Veronika still find time to sip a few margaritas and chat about Taylor Swift and Timmian 'legalese', which I found quite amusing.
I'm also pleased to see some features of Santa Catalina mentioned! In the downtime since the site crashed, I went a bit crazy and added lots of new locations. That and I started re-watching the Sopranos.
Seeing as the original post containing the Montevideo Statute was corrupted (mods have been alerted, but who knows if/when it will be recovered), I'm going to re-post it here. Luckily I had a spare copy of the code in a word document!
CC 2010 I: Montevideo Statute of the International Permanent Criminal Court
The States Parties to the present Convention,
Conscious that all peoples are united by common bonds, their cultures pieced together in a shared heritage, and concerned that this delicate mosaic may be shattered at any time,
Mindful that in the past century millions of children, women and men have been victims of unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of all peoples,
Recognizing that such grave crimes threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world,
Affirming that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished and that their effective prosecution must be ensured,
and
Determined to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes and thus to contribute to the prevention of such crimes,
Have agreed as follows:
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Article One: An International Permanent Criminal Court is hereby established to complement national criminal jurisdictions
Article Two: The seat of the Court shall be established at Geneva in the Timmian Confederation. The place of trial shall be the seat of the Court unless otherwise prescribed by the President of the Court.
Article Three: The Court may exercise its functions and powers, as provided in this Stature, on the territory of any State Party, and, by special agreement, on the territory of any other State.
Article Four: The jurisdiction of the Court shall be limited to the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, namely a) the crime of genocide, b) crimes against species, c) war crimes, and d) the crime of aggression
Article Five: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘genocide’ shall mean any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (i) killing members of the group; (ii) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (iii) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction); (iv) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (v) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group;
Article Six: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘crimes against species’ shall mean any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population: (i) murder; (ii) extermination; (iii) enslavement; (iv) deportation; (v) deprivation of physical liberty; (vi) torture; (vii) rape and sexual violence; (viii) enforced disappearance; (ix) apartheid;
Article Seven: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘war crimes’ shall mean any of the following acts committed against persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention or any other cause (i) Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities; (ii) Intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives; (iii) Intentionally directing attacks against personnel, installations, material, units or vehicles involved in humanitarian or medical assistance or a peacekeeping mission under the banner of the UCP. (iv) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings, material, medical units and transport, and personnel using the distinctive emblems of the red cross or crescent. (v) Intentionally launching an attack in the knowledge that such attack will cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment in excess of the military advantage anticipated; (vi) Attacking or bombarding, by whatever means, towns, villages, dwellings or buildings which are undefended and which are not military objectives; (vii) Killing or wounding a combatant who, having laid down his arms or having no longer means of defence, has surrendered at discretion; (viii) Making improper use of a flag of truce, resulting in death or serious personal injury (ix) The transfer, directly or indirectly, by the Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, or the deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory (x) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not military objectives; (xi) Subjecting persons to physical mutilation or to medical or scientific experiments of any kind which are neither justified by the medical, dental or hospital treatment of the person concerned (xii) Killing or wounding treacherously individuals belonging to the hostile nation or army; (xiii) Declaring that no quarter will be given; (xiv) Destroying or seizing the enemy's property unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war; (xv) Compelling the nationals of the hostile party to take part in the operations of war directed against their own country (xvi) Employing weapons, projectiles and material and methods of warfare which are of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering (xvii) Committing outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment; (xviii) Committing rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence (xix) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings, material, medical units and transport, and personnel using the distinctive emblems of the (xx) Intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including wilfully impeding relief supplies. (xxi) Conscripting or enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into the national armed forces or using them to participate actively in hostilities.
Article Eight: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘crime of aggression’ shall mean the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of another State. Any of the following acts, regardless of a declaration of war, shall qualify as an act of aggression (i) The invasion or attack by the armed forces of a State of the territory of another State, or any military occupation, however temporary, resulting from such invasion or attack, or any annexation by the use of force of the territory of another State or part thereof; (ii) Bombardment by the armed forces of a State against the territory of another State or the use of any weapons by a State against the territory of another State (iii) The blockade of the ports or coasts of a State by the armed forces of another State (iv) An attack by the armed forces of a State on the land, sea or air forces, or marine and air fleets of another State (v) The action of a State in allowing its territory, which it has placed at the disposal of another State, to be used by that other State for perpetrating an act of aggression against a third State; (vi) The sending by or on behalf of a State of armed bands, groups, irregulars or mercenaries, which carry out acts of armed force against another State
Article Nine: Amendments to the Elements of Crimes may be enacted by the General Assembly of the UCP.
Article Ten: The Court has jurisdiction only with respect to crimes committed after the entry into force of this Statute. If a State becomes a Party to this Statute after its entry into force, the Court may exercise its jurisdiction only with respect to crimes committed after the entry into force of this Statute for that State.
Article Eleven: A State which becomes a Party to this Statute thereby accepts the jurisdiction of the Court with respect to the crimes referred to in articles 5-8.
Article Twelve: The Court may exercise its jurisdiction if a crime occurred on the territory of a State Party, or if the crime was committed on board a vessel or aircraft registered to a State Party, or the person accused of a crime is a nation of a State Party.
Article Thirteen: A State Party may directly refer to the Prosecutor a situation for the purpose of determining whether one or more specific persons should be charged with the commission of crimes.
Article Fourteen: The UCP General Assembly may refer to the court a suggestion of criminal charges on the basis of information uncovered in the course of a committee investigation.
Article Fifteen: The Prosecutor may initiate investigations proprio motu on the basis of information on crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court.
Article Sixteen: The Court shall determine that a case is inadmissible where: (i) The case is being investigated or prosecuted by a State which has jurisdiction over it, unless the State is unwilling or unable to carry out the investigation or prosecution; (ii) The person concerned has already been tried for conduct which is the subject of the complaint; (iii) The case is not of sufficient gravity to justify further action by the Court;
Article Seventeen: The Court shall have jurisdiction over natural persons who were at least 18 at the time of the alleged commission of a crime. A person who commits a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court shall be individually responsible and liable.
Article Eighteen: A person shall be criminally responsible and liable for punishment for a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court only if the material elements are committed with intent and knowledge.
Article Nineteen: A person shall not be criminally responsible if, at the time of that person's conduct: (i) The person suffers from a mental disease or defect that destroys that person's capacity to appreciate the unlawfulness or nature of their conduct (ii) The person is in a state of intoxication that destroys that person's capacity to appreciate the unlawfulness or nature of their conduct (iii) The person acts reasonably to defend himself or herself or another person, against an imminent and unlawful use of force in a manner proportionate to the degree of danger (iv) The conduct which is alleged to constitute a crime has been caused by duress resulting from a threat of imminent death or of continuing or imminent serious bodily harm
Article Twenty: The crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court shall not be subject to any statute of limitations.
Article Twenty-One: The Court shall be composed of a trial division, an appeals divison, and the Office of the Prosecutor.
Article Twenty-Two: Judges assigned to the Court shall serve a term of ten years from appointment.
Article Twenty-Four: The Appeals court shall be composed of the President and four other judges within the Appeals division, and the Trial court of three judges within the Trial division. The assignment of judges to a particular trial shall be randomized.
Article Twenty-Five: No two judges assigned to a given trial may be nationals of the same state.
Article Twenty-Six: The judges shall be independent in the performance of their functions. Judges shall not engage in any activity which is likely to interfere with their judicial functions or to affect confidence in their independence. Judges required to serve on a full-time basis at the seat of the Court shall not engage in any other occupation of a professional nature.
Article Twenty-Seven: The President may, at the request of a judge or the Prosecutor, excuse that judge from the exercise of a function. A judge shall be disqualified from a case if that judge has previously been involved in any capacity in that case before the Court, or if his or her impartiality might reasonably be doubted on any ground.
Article Twenty-Eight: The Office of the Prosecutor shall act independently as a separate organ of the Court. It shall be responsible for receiving referrals and any substantiated information on crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court, for examining them and for conducting investigations and prosecutions before the Court.
Article Twenty-Nine: The Prosecutor shall be appointed by the Secretary-General of the UCP for a single term not to exceed ten years. The Prosecutor may be impeached by the UCP General Assembly as normally pertains to other senior officers of the UCP.
Article Thirty : The prosecutor or the convicted person may, following the trial phase, make an appeal on any of the following grounds: (i) procedural error (ii) error of fact (iii) error of law (iv) disproportion between the crime and the sentence
Article Thirty-One: If the Appeals Chamber finds that the proceedings appealed from were unfair in a way that affected the reliability of the decision or sentence, or that the decision or sentence appealed from was materially affected by error of fact or law or procedural error, it may (i) reverse or amend the decision or sentence; or (ii) order a new trial before a different trial chamber
Article Thirty-Two: The Court may transmit a request for the arrest and surrender of a person, to any State on the territory of which that person may be found and shall request the cooperation of that State in the arrest and surrender of such a person. States Parties shall comply with requests for arrest and surrender.
Article Thirty-Three: States Parties shall comply with requests by the Court and the IKK to provide the following assistance in relation to investigations or prosecutions: (i) The identification and whereabouts of persons or the location of items; (ii) The taking of evidence, including testimony under oath, and the production of evidence, including expert opinions and reports necessary to the Court; (iii) The questioning of any person being investigated or prosecuted; (iv) The service of documents, including judicial documents; (v) Facilitating the voluntary appearance of persons as witnesses or experts before the Court; (vi) The temporary transfer of persons; (vii) The examination of places or sites, including the exhumation and examination of grave sites; (viii) The execution of searches and seizures; (ix) The provision of records and documents, including official records and documents; (x) The protection of victims and witnesses and the preservation of evidence; and (xi) The identification, tracing and freezing or seizure of proceeds, property and assets and instrumentalities of crimes for the purpose of eventual forfeiture.
Article Thirty-Four: The Court shall establish principles relating to reparations to, or in respect of, victims, including restitution, compensation and rehabilitation. On this basis, the Court may determine the scope and extent of any damage, loss and injury to, or in respect of, victims and will state the principles on which it is acting.
Article Thirty-Five In the determination of any charge, the accused shall be entitled to a public hearing, having regard to the provisions of this Statute, to a fair hearing conducted impartially, and to the following minimum guarantees, in full equality: (i) To be informed promptly and in detail of the nature, cause and content of the charge, in a language which the accused fully understands and speaks; (ii) To have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of the defence and to communicate freely with counsel of the accused's choosing in confidence; (iii) To be tried without undue delay; (iv) To be present at the trial, to conduct the defence in person or through legal assistance of the accused's choosing, (v) To have legal assistance assigned by the Court in any case where the interests of justice so require, and without payment if the accused lacks sufficient means to pay for it; and (vi) Not to be compelled to testify or to confess guilt and to remain silent, without such silence being a consideration in the determination of guilt or innocence;
Article Thirty-Six The Court shall take appropriate measures to protect the safety, physical and psychological well-being, dignity and privacy of victims and witnesses. As an exception to the principle of public hearings provided for in article 35, the Chambers of the Court may, to protect victims and witnesses or an accused, conduct any part of the proceedings in camera or allow the presentation of evidence by electronic or other special means.
Article Thirty-Seven The Court may rule on the relevance or admissibility of any evidence. Evidence obtained by means of a violation of this Statute or internationally recognized human rights shall not be admissible.
Article Thirty-Eight The Court shall have jurisdiction over the following offences against its administration of justice when committed intentionally: (i) Giving false testimony when under an obligation to tell the truth; (ii) Presenting evidence that the party knows is false or forged; (iii) Corruptly influencing a witness, obstructing or interfering with the attendance or testimony of a witness, retaliating against a witness for giving testimony or destroying, tampering with or interfering with the collection of evidence; (iv) Impeding, intimidating or corruptly influencing an official of the Court for the purpose of forcing or persuading the official not to perform, or to perform improperly, his or her duties; (v) Retaliating against an official of the Court on account of duties performed by that or another official; or (vi) Soliciting or accepting a bribe as an official of the Court in connection with his or her official duties.
Also, the first UCP update since the site went down:
The Clerk of the General Assembly has announced that CSR 2029 I:Referring Tomas Issak to the International Permanent Criminal Court has passed by a margin of five votes in favour, none against, and none abstaining. The method of referral is direct vote by the UCP General Assembly.
It now falls upon the IPCC Prosecutor (yet to be named) to decide whether there is enough evidence of Issak's crimes to proceed to trial phase. The Prosecutor must also decide exactly which crimes to try Issak under — namely, those outlined in articles 5,6,7, and 8 of the Montevideo Statute of the International Permanent Criminal Court.
The Prosecutor may refer to earlier court statements or enlist outside counsel in order to arrive at this decision.
Stages of an IPCC court case: https://imgur.com/SYxlfqO
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The Clerk reminds delegates to submit their votes on CPR 2024 I: Relocating Critical UCP infrastructure from Santa Lucija and CSR 2024 IV: Appointing a Special Rapporteur to Investigate Genetic Modification in West Africa. Neither of these resolutions has reached the required quorum of four votes in order to pass.
In a press conference in front of the Lucijan embassy in Santa Catalina, Tsarist UCP representative Stanislav Galkin dismissed these charges as nothing more than a political witch hunt in attempt to pin charges to the leadership in Santa Lucija. One particular excerpt was as follows:
"How easy it must be to judge embittered Lucija from the safety of these chambers. Let us be clear — the pretensions and rules of Western democracy do not apply in a state of war. The very survival of my country is at stake, half its territory already occupied by an illegal and unaccountable rebel force beholden to outside powers. This is a time to batten down the hatches and recover our national peace, not provide a pedestal to those who plot our very destruction. To suggest the Timmy Confederation, or the Orsonian Federation, or West Africa, would do anything different, is utterly ridiculous."
A spokesman for the Lucijan Justice Ministry has added that neither Prime Minister Zory Bichenko nor Grand Duke Fyodor have sanctioned crimes which fall under the jurisdiction of the international courts. Political repression is not in and of itself a matter for the UCP to adjudicate.
The Lucijans have continued to stonewall any attempts to continue with this case, and will not recognize any further legal actions.
Santa Lucija The Confederate Government has offered to ship the FLG unassembled Icarus I air-to-air/point defense smart missiles for the FLG to finish assembly themselves with instructions from GHI the manufacturer of such WW3 era smart missiles.
It's hoped that this would simultaneously provide FLG forces a decisive advantage against Tsarist aircraft, blunt the firepower of Tsarist artillery, and provide the FLG experience with working with high-tech smart munitions which could prove useful for later FLG developments in air launched missiles for their own independent production.. All while technically not violating an agreement not to ship long range weapons by instead shipping components for long range weapons that still are limited by FLG's own capacity to assemble them.
Although if the FLG feels it too much a risk of escalating Cybusian aid to their Tsarist enemy they can reject the offer.
Following the non-aggression pact's signing in Santa Catalina and the White Movement's elimination, Federal High Command has announced a substantial reduction in the Federal Military's strength as Orson fully transitions into a peacetime economy.
By 2025, the Federal Military will possess 800,000 active duty personnel and 1,200,000 reserve personnel- a massive decrease from the 20,000,000 total personnel who served during World War Three. This smaller force is expected to be equipped with highly advanced weaponry and gear over the next few years, with outdated WW3 gear being put into storage or scrapped. Military spending has been set at 3% of GDP. The Communists will also use this opportunity to remove any remaining Aturorist sympathizers from the ranks, forcing them into permanent retirement.
Wartime rationing, first enacted in January 2020, is officially suspended. Although WW3 ended in 2022, various goods were still rationed by the communist government as Orson became mired in several civil conflicts and suffered intense instability. The military will no longer possess first priority over critical goods in the economy such as fuel, food, and clothing.
“I cannot make any promises either, except that we will do our best to aid you. It is up to you and your countryman to do the needful, to fight, to struggle. I cannot fight for you, Amelia. The Russian must decide if he wants to reject centuries of tradition and faith to embrace madness. We can help tilt the scales, but we cannot decide for your people, unfortunately. If I could, I would do it in a heartbeat; the people have been led astray by idiots and worse, communists." Von Seeckt paused for a few moments, remembering something. “Our cultural attache, Viktor Logachev, once told me of a trope in your nations folk tales. The Tsar is seen as the little father; second only to your ‘God’, and a person who has sympathy and love for his citizens, who will help ease their earthly woes. If Russia has ever needed the little father, it is now. Have you memorized the tablet’s contents?" He asked, prepared to remove and destroy the memory card.
Fascinating addition Fel! The fact those were real cases, in quick succession with all different types of people dying, certainly makes it seem like the kind of that would inspire fear and demands for action from the government.
Dawn in Arkham. The sun slowly rose over the gambrel roofs of the witch-haunted town, slowly burning through the fog that rolled off the Miskatonic River. Within Arkham Sanitarium, the poorest of God’s creatures awoke, sensing the dawn even where there are no windows. The ravers and screamers rose and cleared their throats to scream again, while others awoke to spend the day in their own private hells. Across town, Miskatonic University’s campus was coming alive too. The student body was already active, some already trudging sleepily to early morning classes, others just turning after an all-nighter. Nathanial Ward II, Professor of Archeology, walked through the hallways of the Archeology department, ignoring a poster proudly announcing that the Miskatonic Myrmidons were having a home game next week. He had far graver concerns than sports on his mind. Ward entered his office. It was a comfortable office, with a nice window offering a view of the Orne Library, and a huge oak desk. He made sure to draw the blinds tightly and turned on his tabletop lamp, the rest of the office dark; he did not want some undergraduate seeing the light under his door and interrupting him with a question easily answered by the syllabus. Nate took a sip of his coffee from the Grafton Diner, a cozy little place near the train station across the river, and sat down, looking grimly down at his briefcase. He entered the combination and the briefcase opened with a click. The strange item had been found on a murder victim, his corpse recovered from the rocky cliffs of nearby Kingsport. The body had been battered by the waves and had been lodged in the rocks near the lighthouse, recovered after a local fisherman had spotted it. The corpse was of an as-of-yet-unidentified Wagain sailor, badly mutilated and with a cross carved deeply into the forehead. Ward had not been called in for that, of course, but for what they had found on the body. There was no fear of contaminating evidence; the saltwater would have long erased any fingerprints or evidence, and so, it had been placed under his care with the understanding it be returned as soon as he finished his analysis. Nate unwrapped the cloth-covered item and set it on his desk. It was a scrimshaw, carved in a large tooth; Ward would have to consult with another department but he knew this was impressively large for a tooth. It depicted a strange amphibian creature, with a set of razor-sharp teeth, faintly glassy-looking bulbous eyes, and webbed hands and feet like a frog, but in a more anthropomorphic configuration. Sharp-looking yet somewhat blocky-looking fins protruded here and there. Ward thought it looked almost like a man merged with a fish. There were some faint stylistic elements which reminded him of something. Meso-American, perhaps, definitely reminiscent of the various prehispanic cultures, the Inca, Maya, Aztec chief among them. He stood up and strode over to one of his bookshelves, taking down a hefty tome; The Comparative Encyclopedia of Wagain and North American Mythology by Albert Wilmarth, Ph. D. Published in 1938 by a Miskatonic folklorist and literature professor, it was a massive book, replete with illustrations and color photographs -taken at great expense- and produced in collaboration with his ancestor, the first Nathanial Ward, a legend of archeology, who, among other things, had discovered the Codex Beltran-Escavy. The massive book was the result of decades of research, field recordings and photography, expeditions, and was still considered one of the best reference works on the myths and gods of either of the American contents. He turned to the section on the Aztecs, and located the entry for Chalchiuhtlicue, the Aztec goddess of water, rivers, storms, and fertility. There were two photographs; one of a carved statuette, the other a photo of the beautiful illustration of the goddess in the Codex Borbonicus, an Aztec codex held in France. It had a slightly geometric design, lots of lines and a flowing blue skirt which strongly resembled a squid. He returned his attention to the strange creature on the scrimshaw. The pseudo-geometric lines, the fins, reminded him of the image of the goddess. OED was carved over the creature. He instinctively knew what it meant; a Spanish translation of the name Esoteric Order of Dagon. This was clearly a Wagain artifact, almost certainly related to the cult of the same name. They worshipped a creature known as Dagon, supposedly a monstrous sea deity. Ward was familiar with them, vaguely; he had never encountered them in person, but in the circles he ran in, one picked up broader knowledge of the occult and esoteric. You could offer Dagon offerings in exchange for smooth sailing or to avoid seasickness, other boons for sailors. They were said to have a presence in Innsmouth, the small fishing port that had nearly been abandoned after the federal raid in 1927. They must have sects in Wagondia, and this one had seemingly run afoul of fanatical -no doubt very fanatical- Catholics, given the cross carved into the body. Ward stood from his desk and strode over to his safe. Entering his combination, he pulled out a hefty revolver and loaded it. It was a custom-built Ryan Arms revolver, a .44 with a glow ring sight and recoil compensator. He’d used it several times before when faced with threats of a supernatural or supernatural-adjacent nature (such as cultists) and placed it on his desk. He thought for a few minutes. Then it occurred to him who to call. Mahalia Isserson. The brilliant Wagain professor had taught a summer course on the Cybusian Empire nearly two decades ago. He had already been making a name for himself in archeology, but even so, they probably wouldn’t have met had a sudden summer downpour not driven them both into a bar near campus. The two had struck up a friendship, debating the respective merits of ancient artifacts and astropolitics. He had attended one of her lectures on the Cybusian idea of enlightened monarchy, while she had attended a presentation on a planned dig on Mars the following year. He remembered that particular dig sourly; one of his graduate students had died under mysterious circumstances; Mr. Englehardt had ignored his warnings and meddled with a Shining Trapezehedron. Nate tried to block out the look of abject terror on the face of his grad student’s body, and tried to remember happier times with Mahalia, drinking and debating and briefly engaging in a doomed flirtation. They remained friends to this day; while Ward only very occasionally traveled beyond the solar system, he made it a point to visit Mahalia whenever he was in her neck of the woods, catching up over coffee at one of Arcadia’s many cafes. He dialed her number and left her a message, his gravelly voice being recorded and transmitted light-years away as a data packet to be transferred to her voicemail inbox. “Mahalia, it’s Nate. I have found something unusual…something distinctly Wagain. It’s not your area, of course, I’ll confer with Ambassador Cabao…but…you once mentioned knowing a friend who specialized in the unusual, on the staff at Buenos Aires? I think you might want to have them get in contact with me. Get back to me when you can, hope you’re doing well." Hanging up and sending the packet of data to a complex series of relays, he lit up a Morley and leaned back in his chair, studying the strange scrimshaw in further detail, smoking and waiting.
I was disappointed to find that Professor Ward’s first appearance with Hildred Castaigne was either somehow deleted, or I never posted it in the first place. I shall remedy that now. This is from September 2022:
The clouds were overcast, the weather chilly even for Massachusetts, wind from the mighty Miskatonic River that coursed through the center of town adding to the chill. This was the changeless, legend-haunted city of Arkham, with its clustering gambrel roofs that sagged and swayed over attics where witches hid from the King’s men in the dark, olden years of the Province of Massachusetts. The city sat astride the darkly muttering Miskatonic River, which rolled to the cold Atlantic, a small island sitting amid the river in the center of town, home to curious standing stones where the Devil supposedly held court. Gambrel-roofed buildings lined the streets, and there were very few skyscrapers; the city seemed trapped in another time. The sleek black 1958 Citroen DS slid through the streets of Arkham, pulling to a stop outside the Classical Revival buildings of the famed Miskatonic University. The slim man behind the wheel was handsome enough, but his face was devoid of a smile. He had big blue eyes, taking in all the details around him, ever alert for Control operatives. Everything about him was perfectly arranged, from the neatly folded yellow pocket square protruding from his Savile Row suit to his neatly combed hair. He carried a briefcase, securely locked with a combination lock to which he alone knew the combination. He was here to get something evaluated. Miskatonic was a highly prestigious school, and had Hildred not attended Harvard, he likely would have attended Miskatonic instead. The school was famous for its archeology, physics, mathematics, and English programs, medical school, and above all, it’s extensive rare books collection, which included an extensive occult collection. The famous Orne Library housed such texts as The Necronomicon (in Latin, Greek, Arabic, and the English translation by John Dee), The Book of Eibon, Der Vermis Mysteriis, The Book of Azathoth, The Occido Lumen, Cultes Des Goules, The Pnakotic Manuscripts, The Book of Skals, the Egyptian Book of The Dead, The Munich Manual of Demonic Magic, Unaussprechlichen Kulten, and more. It was one of the largest occult book collections on Earth, and was secured in the restricted section of the library, under close watch. Access was restricted solely to university faculty, graduate or doctoral students, and legitimate scholars. Appointments were limited, and the head librarian had to be present at all times for the entire consultation of any of the books in the restricted section. But today, Hildred ignored the library. Hildred had an appointment in the Archeology department, with a Professor Ward. Striding through courtyards and hallways and ignoring the students, many wearing the red and grey school colors or shirts celebrating the Miskatonic Myrmidons, the school football team, Hildred approached an office, the placard beside it reading “Professor Nathanial Ward”. Knocking first, Hildred entered. Professor Nathanial Ward the II did not match Hildred’s expectations. Far from an elderly and frail professor, he was hale and fit, a man perhaps in his late 40’s, evidently quite accustomed to leading his own archeological expeditions and navigating crumbling ruins on his own. His great-grandfather, Nathanial Ward, had been a Miskatonic archeology professor of some fame from 1900 to 1949, writing several monographs of note and making interesting discoveries in Mexico, Peru, Egypt, The Marshall Islands, and other exotic locales: one of his most noteworthy discoveries was the Codex Beltrán-Escavy, a Pre-Hispanic codex depicting strange gods which did not appear in any other codexes. Professor Ward of the present day was carrying on his ancestors illustrious legacy, leading expeditions across the globe and in the Cybusian Empire. He dabbled in a variety of specialties, most notably Cybusian Studies, Meso-American Religions, Ancient Slavic cultures, and other, darker topics, and was already a famous figure in his field, having written several important monographs and led the excavation of several sites: most recently, he had uncovered a forest shrine to the Slavic god Perun, the thunder god, deep in the mountains of Czechia, with signs of activity and potential worship as recent as the late nineteenth century, suggesting a long-standing survival of paganism once thought eradicated long before. He wore a button-up shirt and suspenders, and to Hildred’s surprise, was smoking. The professor put out his Morley cigarette in an ashtray. His voice was deep and a tad gravelly. “Mr. Castaigne. Welcome, please come in. Take a seat.” Hildred pulled up a chair to the desk, and noted a great many interesting specimens on shelves; statuettes, stone tablets, dozens of small specimens. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me Professor Ward. I have an object I would like you to identify for me, if you can.” “Yes, your correspondence was somewhat vague. I understand you found it among your brothers possessions?” There was a brief, uncomfortable pause. Hildred didn’t care for mentions of his brother, but that was the explanation he had settled on to explain this artifact. He had actually acquired it discreetly some months ago, via a discreet third party specializing in fulfilling unusual requests. He was hardly conscious of doing so, but upon the mention of Louis, his hand went to his chest, protective of his scars from where his insane brother had eviscerated him. “Yes. I found it among Louis’s belongings. It is…most unusual.” He unlocked his briefcase’s combination lock, and pulled out a small statuette. The thing stood a mere 6 inches tall, but it was the only thing either of them could look at. It was a strange, irregular construct. It was a 7 sided object, a heptagon, cast of a strangely bluish stone. The sides of the heptagon were covered in a bizarre curving script, strange glyphs not resembling any other script on the planet. As the sides rose, they became covered by tentacles, emerging from a horrific slightly squid-like head with six eyes arranged in two trios over the mass of feeler tentacles. The back of the heptagon was dominated by a pair of large wings, folded up on the back of the creature. As a stylistic choice, the creature’s wings curved upward, one of them higher than the other, almost like a scythe. Just looking at it was enough to give you a sense of unease, and it seemed to glow faintly. Professor Ward picked up the object and turned it around in his hand a few times, looking closely. He frowned, and stared closely at the Franco-American banker. “You say you found this among your brothers belongings? It’s no wonder the man went mad. This is…something very…unique. Possibly even dangerous.” “It cannot be dangerous, it is a rock. But please, go on Professor.” Ward hesitated and his tone became tense. “There are certain books that identify this very object. I have seen these markings before, as did my great-grandfather. They are of an occult nature. Something dark. This creature you see is supposedly called Cthulhu, a creature of great power, yet a servant of far greater things that supposedly lurk in the cosmos. Made of an unusual material, one I’ve seen before but cannot identify. I cannot identify the age, but it is anything like similar objects I’ve seen, this may very well be many centuries old, possibly even older. Tell me…have you kept this object near you? Did your brother? Are you experiencing strange dreams? Did your brother complain of any strange dreams?” Hildred was both fascinated and disturbed. “I? Why no, I’ve kept it locked away. Louis did complain of strange dreams before he…” Ward’s stony exterior softened. “It’s ok, Mr. Castaigne. I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me anything more. And your certian you’ve had no strange dreams? No odd visions? Nothing at all out of the ordinary?” Hildred shook his head. “No, nothing at all. No dreams, nothing out of the ordinary. You seem to be attributing a lot to a hunk of rock, Professor.” Ward seemed unconvinced. “Hmmmm. This is what certain occult texts such as the Necronomicon and the Book of Eibon refer to as “reliquary of dreams”, and is purported to cause strange dreams, nightmares, and visions. I am glad you seem to be ok, but I strongly advise that you let me hold on to this for you Mr. Castiagne.” Hildred frowned, irritated. “I asked you to identify this object, Professor Ward, not to confiscate it from me! Please hand it back to me.” Ward did so with obvious reluctance. “I have warned you, Mr. Castaigne. If you should begin to have any strange dreams, I only ask that you return to me immediately or seek the help of a mental health professional and hand the object to the care of this department.” Hildred took back the reliquary and locked it in his briefcase again. “I understand, Professor. I appreciate your efforts to identify this object for me. Thank you.” “You are welcome, Mr. Castaigne, but I still believe you’d be better off leaving in the capable hands of Miskatonic.” Hildred’s polite tone didn’t change, but he frowned. “This was my brothers. Now it is mine. I shall keep it and be perfectly fine, thank you very much Professor Ward. Good day.” Hildred politely shook hands with the professor, and exited, striding back to his car through the sea of students who were excitedly buzzing about the upcoming game against Brown.
A scene with Hildred Castaigne (finally interacting with someone other than Johannes!), trying to learn more about the occult (since all he knows is what Johannes tells him), at H.P Lovecraft’s famous Miskatonic University. Ward is meant to evoke a bit of an occult Indiana Jones, and has almost certainly had some strange encounters over the years, hence his caginess with Castaigne. He might appear in another role at some point, or be referenced here and there by my more educated characters. Also, I actually have a Reliquary of Dreams. It glows an ominous blue in the dark, but because my camera is terrible at taking night pictures, I’ve only included a daytime picture. I got it (and other fun Lovecraftian items) from an Etsy shop. https://imgur.com/gallery/7EjtzsK
Whaite has agreed to speak with Isard in his office. He is not especially trusting of the more hardline Isard, but is nonetheless intrigued by what he wants.
"Thank you for seeing me, Representative Whaite," Nemāk said, taking a seat near Whaite's desk.
"To be frank, this is not about official UCP business, but is a personal matter, albeit one of life and death.
I have received a tip from an old friend who works in the Federal Security Bureau regarding a clandestine operation currently underway. In reaction to Turner's resurrection and the White Movement's formation, First Commissar Māia Akenehi authorized the assassinations of dozens of suspected Aturorists and other 'bad actors' who are opposed to the republic.
I am one of the targets, undoubtedly in an attempt to eliminate the Conservative Faction. I am certain that Elenā is aware of this, but due to our...strained relationship, she has little reason to help me. If this operation was exposed on the General Assembly floor, it could cause the government to back down and save my life. I would be in your debt if you help me with this, Whaite."
Henry immediately looked appalled and then outraged. Even if he disliked Isard personally, the thought of the Orsonian government killing their own representative absolutely infuriated him. “What?!? Tell me everything! Do you have any evidence to support this, Deputy Representative Isard? If you can provide me with a credible source or any evidence to support this, I’ll immediately move for an investigation by the UCP into these extra-judicial executions. That is inexcusable and cannot be tolerated!”
Nemāk passed Henry a manila folder he was carrying, which contained numerous documents.
"Those are classified FSB files, obtained courtesy of my contact. I cannot reveal their name or rank however, as that would put their own life in danger. Those files contain a list of 500 people, many of them government employees, and agents assigned to their "case". Of course, these agents are the assassins."
Henry quickly began flipping though the documents. “I assume several of these individuals are already dead? I am so sorry Nemāk. If I need to, I can say Torchwood acquired these documents, and leave you out of this. Leave this with me, I’ll do some fact-checking.”
"That works for me. I appreciate you doing this Henry. I know our political views are at odds with each other, but I owe you my life for this. I'll be in touch."
Nemāk left the Cybusian Mission, quickly heading back to his own office. He knew he had to remain discreet; FSB agents were almost certainly within the Orsonian Mission, monitoring his every move, waiting for him to slip up.
Areodyne Vehicles, or as they are commonly abbreviated, AVs, are unique aircraft, occupying a niche between helicopters and tilt-rotors. They are compact aircraft, small enough to navigate dense urban cityscapes and land in tight spaces with their ducted fans or jets and small airframes. Used by Ryan Industries for personnel and cargo transport, surveillance and patrol, naval patrol and anti-submarine warfare, Trauma Team medevac services, and more, AVs are highly versatile. Faster and more maneuverable than a helicopter, but slower than a fixed-wing aircraft (with some exceptions; they are often faster than small aircraft such as a Cessna), they excel in urban conditions, low altitude situations, and have been compared to in-atmosphere versions of Cybusian dropships. Developed in secrecy by Ryan Aeronautics, the first few AV’s were unveiled to the world at the Santa Catalina Airshow in 2022 when several versions of the AV-4 were revealed.
AV-4: A compact AV and the first one to be mass-produced, the AV-4 is available in several varieties. The base variant can hold up to 12 people in cramped conditions in a bench configuration, 6 comfortably in the standard chair configuration, and 4 (or 2, depending on layout) in VIP configuration. Equipped with a side door and advanced AI, the AV-4 has a cruising speed of 160 mph and a maximum speed of 230 miles per hour. AV-4s have no windows; deemed a potential vulnerability, they instead have various small cameras which display the outside world on the cockpit and passenger compartments. In the passenger compartments, this can be changed to other media if desired, such as films or projections.
AV-4C: The AV-4C (AV-4 Cargo) “Hercules" is the industrial workhorse of the AV-4 line. The passenger compartment can either be wholly removed to hold a shipping container or underslung load, or can be used to stow up to 5,200 pounds of material or equipment. The AV-4C is frequently used for transporting material to and from Ryan factories and facilities.
AV-4B: The AV-4B (AV-4 Battle) “Cobra" is the standard Ryan Security combat model. Equipped with a door-mounted Gatling Laser or Eradicator machine gun, as well as a chin-mounted 40mm autocannon and hard points for up to eight missiles or other equipment, the AV-4C makes an effective and highly maneuverable gunship, well suited for urban combat and the deployment of up to twelve troops. Equipped with a shield generator, extra armor, and two Ember lasers to act as point defense systems, the AV-4B has yet to prove itself in combat, but has excelled in simulations and war games. Virtually never deployed outside of Rapture’s airspace, there is also a dedicated maritime patrol variant (the AV-4MP) with launchers for torpedos and depth charges, the troop bay full of a wide variety of sensors monitored by a pair of operators; the AV-4MP draws inspiration from the West African Dragonfly, and can land on the water. There is a specialized “missile bus” version; the AV-4BM, which holds up to twenty air-to-ground or air-to-air missiles on various pylons and internal bays; the idea being that, in cooperation with the AV-4N, missiles can be guided to targets from extreme range, potentially destroying more valuable enemy aircraft or ground assets for a fraction of the cost.
AV-4E: The AV-4E (AV-4 Executive) “Empress” is a specialized corporate transporter intended for executives and the rich. Equipped with a quartet of highly comfortable and fully adjustable shark leather covered seats which can be heated or cooled, surround sound audio systems, a minibar and mini-fabricator (acquired from a deal with Vostrov), and Braindance uplinks, the AV-4E is well suited for both luxury and business work, boasting a personal assistant AI from Rapture Central Computing, a full workstation and desk (which can fold away if not desired) as well as a small restroom. Equipped with an encrypted communications array to allow you to talk with corporate without anyone listening in, the AV-4E also has additional armor and a light shield system. The AV-4E has a sleeker design than the rest of the AV-4 family, and has a higher top speed as well.
AV-4N: The Netwatch version of the AV-4, the AV-4N (AV-4 Netwatch) is stealthy and optimized for gathering signals intelligence, tracking netrunners, or allowing Netwatch netrunners unparalleled field maneuverability while also vastly increasing their processing power. The AV-4N has it’s passenger compartment replaced with a pair of netrunning chairs with dedicated cooling systems, cryptanalysis suites, and a single Operator drone modified for stealth, to be used as a proxy or to gather intelligence more discreetly. The Operator can be deployed mid-flight. Specialized versions of the AV-4N are equipped with advanced radars and sensors, enabling them to function as AWACs craft; several of these variants are on permanent patrol in a radius around Rapture, extending the city’s extensive sensor arrays by several thousand square miles each (one AV-4N modified for AWACs duty can cover 150,000 square miles with it’s various sensors and radars), and are an integral part of Rapture’s early alert network. More conventional AV-4Ns are used to gather signals intelligence or allow a netrunner to conduct advanced electronic warfare to a much greater degree than on foot while still able to deploy to physically support ground units if the need arises. AV-4Ns are equipped with specialized self-destruct protocols, to be activated if the AV is about to fall into enemy hands. Nicknamed Ravens for their jet-black paintjob, AV-4Ns are occasionally used to deploy more discreet Ryan Security units due to their stealth characteristics.
AV-6T: Designed from the ground up for the needs of Trauma Team, the AV-6T “Angel” is faster than the AV-4, with a cruising speed of 200 MPH and a maximum speed of 300 MPH. The passenger compartment has been fully replaced with a bay for up to two stretchers, and plenty of emergency medical equipment. There is room for the three-man security detail (who sit in a sub-compartment after client pickup to avoid contaminating or interfering with medical care) and the two-man medical team, augmented by a Hippocrates Medical Operator. A full suite of sensors are mounted, and there are tanks of saline solution prebuilt into the vehicle, needing only the IV to be hooked up and inserted into the patient to begin providing fluids, saving a few seconds of having to find and hang bags. The AV-6T is only a bit larger than an ambulance, so it can land in surprisingly small spaces, allowing Trauma Team personnel to perform client medevacs almost anywhere.
Novo Wagondia Henry Whaite has passed the information on to the Cybusian Embassy for further analysis and confirmation. Ambassador Voijtech Reznik has contacted Torchwood, seeking confirmation of the information contained within. Seeking a third party, Reznik has also contacted the Wagain government, hoping to have the Servico Ultramarine assist in confirming or denying the idea that the supposedly reformed Orsonian government has begun to assassinate its own citizens. It is his hope that having a Wagain agency assist in the confirmation of such a obviously controversial theory will help lend further credibility and - in the event that it is brought before the UCP - help make it clear that it is not a Cybusian fabrication.
The Democratic Republic of The Unified Nations of Felucia
The People's Republic of The Orson Empire
The Imperio Constitucional of Novo Wagondia
The Tsardom of Santa Lucija
The Semi-Direct Democracy of Oceara
The Infinite Empire of Cybus1
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