Zoran

May 1, 1420
3:45 PM Over Time
Waholi leaned upon his desk and held the ridge of his nose as he coped with the continued bombing of Zoradia. Five platoons worth of men were lost in the city when the bombing began. He doesn’t know whether the men are MIA or KIA and for now considers them MIA. This is all based on reports he is receiving from various hideouts that are receiving the men that were in the area of the city. The men they received informed them of what occurred and after hours of collecting information they came to the number of men lost to be the equivalent of five platoons.
Waholi took another drink of his Badgerian whisky when a junior officer entered the room,
“Sir, Prince Dominic of Larxia is here to meet with you.” Waholi nodded and turned to face the junior officer,
“Bring him in.” he ordered. The soldier saluted before carrying out his orders. Waholi let out a sigh of exhaustion to get himself ready for the prince’s arrival. A few minutes later, Prince Dominic was escorted into the room with what Waholi assumed to be his assistant of some sort following behind him.
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your highness.” Waholi said with a bow, “Please, take a seat. I am sorry if recent events caused any disruptions in your flight here. Is there anything I can offer you and your assistant?”
“Oh, no thanks. We have come here on urgent business. We would like to see you win the war, then we can sit together for a drink or two. But right now you need something and we’re here to offer it to you,” said Prince Dominic in a serious tone as he took a seat.
“As you wish, your highness. I would like to apologize for my, how should is say, disheveled appearance. The bombing that is going on has had a large impact on me. I’ve been up since midnight getting the troops who were in the city or around it out of the area and getting a total on the number we lost in it.” Waholi said with a heavy heart.
“I’m sorry for the loss. There’s nothing worse than losing your men without a chance to fight back, and we are very invested in your victory, given our friendly history with the Ani’-Wah’s,” Prince Dominic said rather coolly.
“Thank you, now I don’t want to waste anymore of your valuable time. I am assuming you know what we desperately need, yes? 
“Of course. We are willing to offer you any kinds of armaments that you require. We’ll be offering you funds to fight and survive through the war, and I know that you don’t control any launch pads or the planes, we are willing to help you with that if you require. Larxian scientists have almost developed a mobile launch site that you can assemble, launch, and disassemble. It would look like there wasn’t a missile fired from that location. Now of course only if you want it. Though I feel I should tell you that the King has  one stipulation, he wants to strengthen the relations with Zoran in the future, so he would like to sign a trade deal with you post war,” Prince Dominic laid out the terms.
“Thank you for your aid, your highness. We gratefully accept the aid you are giving us, of course we would be willing to establish a trade deal after the war. I hope you have a safe flight home, may the Spirit guide you.”
"Oh I won't be flying back for some time. I need to maintain my cover. If you ever need to talk to me, I'll be staying in the Saint Markan estate around ten miles south of Gosdugadohi. Here's a burner phone, call me before you send anyone. May the Spirit be with you," Prince Dominic said as he took leave of the General. Waholi nodded and turned to another soldier in the room,
“Gather all the generals, it is time for a meeting to discuss our strategy for the war along with other issues. Also, Saint Mark said that their mystics might be able to assist us in locating Atsil, send word to them and say we are interested.” said Waholi to the soldier before they left the room. Waholi returned to his desk and turned his attention from the reports on the casualties from the ongoing bombings to the reports on the potential whereabouts of Atsil, to which he sees is very little.
The whole key to finding her location is finding that mythical and illusive hideout of CGZ. Unfortunately, that is unlikely to occur so I have no choice but to resort to using unreliable superstition. Damn it Apenimon, while you were unable to raise that girl she certainly shares many of your qualities.
Waholi thought to himself before gathering up what he needs for the upcoming meeting with other generals in the faction.

@Sultan Arif of Arifiyyah You need to make a map claim first

April 31, 1420
1:00 AM Over Time
Unknown location
Atsil could not sleep, her mind was racing with concern over the innocent lives at risk from the conflict. She thought of her siblings and her nieces and nephews, worried about how they are handling the situation. CGZ did end up getting her a phone as promised and indeed it was better than her previous one and thankfully none of the things she had saved on her previous phone was lost. In the time since CGZ took her here, her siblings have been asking if she’s safe or if she is actually in league with the monarchists. She has been afraid to respond fearing that she would be putting their lives at risk.
She decided to go and get something to drink from the kitchen and left the room. As she descended down the stairs she heard what sounded like surprised movement in the direction of the living room. As she reached the bottom, she saw CGZ wearing a ski mask and sunglasses, jeans, and a white long sleeve shirt.
“What are you doing up so early in the morning?” he asked,
“What are *yawn* you doing up so early in the morning?” she asked back. He let out a slight chuckle before saying,
“Keeping my eye on the movements of the different factions. For the past hour something terrible has been happening in Zoradia.” These words made Atsil worry,
“What do you mean? What happened?” CGZ sighed before asking,
“Do you really want to know?” As simple as those words were it made Atsil’s hair stand up on the back of her neck. She found herself hesitating before answering,
“Yes, what happened?” CGZ tapped the right side of his sunglasses and said,
“Jeeves, turn on family room TV.” The flat screen TV behind him came to life and showed a horrific scene. Zoranian multirole fighter jets bombing the capital city of Zoradia. Missiles collided into the skyscrapers and the jets fired HEI-T-SD rounds into buildings to slowly bring them crumbling down. Soldiers from different factions were scrambling to get out of the city and she saw some get crushed under a piece of concrete. Atsil stood there silently watching it all unfold with shock. Her skin turned pale and her eyes began to water as her body began to tremble.
How could a government do this! Innocent lives are at risk! This act is unnecessary and a waste of resources! All the people who must be living in fear at what is occurring...it fills my heart with sorrow.
Her legs soon gave out and she began to cry, lamenting the suffering of the people. She didn’t hear CGZ tell Jeeves to turn off the TV or his approaching footsteps. CGZ knelt down and helped Atsil to her feet and walked her over to the couch. He offered her comfort while she lamented over the suffering of the people.
CGZ felt bad for Atsil, she did not ask to be part of any of this. All factions are looking for her all because she is the new head of the Ani’-Wah’ family. Atsil was young and while CGZ wasn’t much older than her, she has been experiencing so much change in such a short amount of time.
I do not envy her, no one should have to deal with all of this. There is so little that I can do to help her, but by providing her refuge she will at le-
“I need to go out there.” she finally said after a few minutes of crying.
“What? Are you insane!?”
“People are suffering, I need to do something to help them!”
“Atsil, you have a large target on your back! The corporates want you dead, the theocrats want you dead, even the GDC wants you dead! By going out there you are going to get killed!”
“Hiding away while people are suffering is dishonorable! I need to go out there and do something to help! Even if it is by leading the monarchist faction, I have to do something for them!”
“You don’t even know if the monarchist leadership is only riding on the popularity of your father! They could seek to use you as a puppet for their goals!”
“Well to me they are the lesser of four evils! If they want to use me as a puppet then it will be their fault for underestimating me! I may not want to be queen but I have to do something to help the country and its people.” CGZ got up from the couch and stormed away into one of the many mysterious rooms in this place. After a few minutes CGZ came back with a thick file in his hand and handed it to Atsil. The folder had the logo of the SIC on it and below it said “Training Manual”.
“Read up on this. You aren’t going to be able to master it today but you may need some skills from this if you want to do what you plan on doing.” Atsil took the file and looked at it with surprise,
“How did you even? Nevermind, I shouldn’t be surprised. But if you are so against me going out there then why give me this?”
“Because if you want to go out there I can’t stop you. If you are going to do this then I don’t want to see you get killed out there. So, to me, the best way to help you is to give you access to the skills created by your family so you have a chance of surviving.” He began walking away when he said, “Let me know when you are ready to leave so I can take you to the monarchist headquarters.” CGZ then left the family room and Atsil was left on the couch with the training manual in her hand.
What an odd man. He went from being frustrated to helpful and reluctantly supportive. Well I don’t intend on looking a gift horse in the mouth so I better get to reading this immediately.
Atsil went to her guest room with the file to begin reading the SIC manual.
Meanwhile, CGZ took the sunglasses and the ski mask off and sat at his desk and looked at the monitors of his computer. He pulled up the information he had on the different factions and their allies.
So let’s see here. Seems the GDC has recognition from Giovanniland and support from the Fujansk, Artzotskia, and Marble Mallorca. For the monarchists it seems that they might have support from Saint Mark and Larxia. It appears that the theocrats might have support from Varanius and the corporates have made it clear that they are doing business with Dalimbar. This is going to be an interesting war.
He then turned his attention to the pile of calling cards on his desk and as he looked at the symbol on it Atsil’s words echoed in his head,
Hiding away while people are suffering is dishonorable!
He recalled his family history, how his ancestors performed daring heists and escapes in the past just for the thrill of the steal. But what always stood out to him was how they gave half of what they stole to the people in need. If it was an item like a crown or a valuable piece of art they would take half the value of that item from their own funds and give it to the people without selling the item. His ancestors never turned away from the people and CGZ began to feel the weight of that legacy because of Atsil’s words. He put his head in his hands and pulled at his hair,
Those were different times! I can’t afford to be as bold as my ancestors! Security has evolved and so has criminal investigation! Hiding in the shadows and remaining in the shadows is the way forward!
He let out a growl in frustration and quickly turned to his computer and pulled up some funny cat videos to distract him from his family’s legacy that weighed down on him.

April 31, 1420
1:00 AM Over Time
Unknown location
Atsil could not sleep, her mind was racing with concern over the innocent lives at risk from the conflict. She thought of her siblings and her nieces and nephews, worried about how they are handling the situation. CGZ did end up getting her a phone as promised and indeed it was better than her previous one and thankfully none of the things she had saved on her previous phone was lost. In the time since CGZ took her here, her siblings have been asking if she’s safe or if she is actually in league with the monarchists. She has been afraid to respond fearing that she would be putting their lives at risk.
She decided to go and get something to drink from the kitchen and left the room. As she descended down the stairs she heard what sounded like surprised movement in the direction of the living room. As she reached the bottom, she saw CGZ wearing a ski mask and sunglasses, jeans, and a white long sleeve shirt.
“What are you doing up so early in the morning?” he asked,
“What are *yawn* you doing up so early in the morning?” she asked back. He let out a slight chuckle before saying,
“Keeping my eye on the movements of the different factions. For the past hour something terrible has been happening in Zoradia.” These words made Atsil worry,
“What do you mean? What happened?” CGZ sighed before asking,
“Do you really want to know?” As simple as those words were it made Atsil’s hair stand up on the back of her neck. She found herself hesitating before answering,
“Yes, what happened?” CGZ tapped the right side of his sunglasses and said,
“Jeeves, turn on family room TV.” The flat screen TV behind him came to life and showed a horrific scene. Zoranian multirole fighter jets bombing the capital city of Zoradia. Missiles collided into the skyscrapers and the jets fired HEI-T-SD rounds into buildings to slowly bring them crumbling down. Soldiers from different factions were scrambling to get out of the city and she saw some get crushed under a piece of concrete. Atsil stood there silently watching it all unfold with shock. Her skin turned pale and her eyes began to water as her body began to tremble.
How could a government do this! Innocent lives are at risk! This act is unnecessary and a waste of resources! All the people who must be living in fear at what is occurring...it fills my heart with sorrow.
Her legs soon gave out and she began to cry, lamenting the suffering of the people. She didn’t hear CGZ tell Jeeves to turn off the TV or his approaching footsteps. CGZ knelt down and helped Atsil to her feet and walked her over to the couch. He offered her comfort while she lamented over the suffering of the people.
CGZ felt bad for Atsil, she did not ask to be part of any of this. All factions are looking for her all because she is the new head of the Ani’-Wah’ family. Atsil was young and while CGZ wasn’t much older than her, she has been experiencing so much change in such a short amount of time.
I do not envy her, no one should have to deal with all of this. There is so little that I can do to help her, but by providing her refuge she will at le-
“I need to go out there.” she finally said after a few minutes of crying.
“What? Are you insane!?”
“People are suffering, I need to do something to help them!”
“Atsil, you have a large target on your back! The corporates want you dead, the theocrats want you dead, even the GDC wants you dead! By going out there you are going to get killed!”
“Hiding away while people are suffering is dishonorable! I need to go out there and do something to help! Even if it is by leading the monarchist faction, I have to do something for them!”
“You don’t even know if the monarchist leadership is only riding on the popularity of your father! They could seek to use you as a puppet for their goals!”
“Well to me they are the lesser of four evils! If they want to use me as a puppet then it will be their fault for underestimating me! I may not want to be queen but I have to do something to help the country and its people.” CGZ got up from the couch and stormed away into one of the many mysterious rooms in this place. After a few minutes CGZ came back with a thick file in his hand and handed it to Atsil. The folder had the logo of the SIC on it and below it said “Training Manual”.
“Read up on this. You aren’t going to be able to master it today but you may need some skills from this if you want to do what you plan on doing.” Atsil took the file and looked at it with surprise,
“How did you even? Nevermind, I shouldn’t be surprised. But if you are so against me going out there then why give me this?”
“Because if you want to go out there I can’t stop you. If you are going to do this then I don’t want to see you get killed out there. So, to me, the best way to help you is to give you access to the skills created by your family so you have a chance of surviving.” He began walking away when he said, “Let me know when you are ready to leave so I can take you to the monarchist headquarters.” CGZ then left the family room and Atsil was left on the couch with the training manual in her hand.
What an odd man. He went from being frustrated to helpful and reluctantly supportive. Well I don’t intend on looking a gift horse in the mouth so I better get to reading this immediately.
Atsil went to her guest room with the file to begin reading the SIC manual.
Meanwhile, CGZ took the sunglasses and the ski mask off and sat at his desk and looked at the monitors of his computer. He pulled up the information he had on the different factions and their allies.
So let’s see here. Seems the GDC has recognition from Giovanniland and support from the Fujansk, Artzotskia, and Marble Mallorca. For the monarchists it seems that they might have support from Saint Mark and Larxia. It appears that the theocrats might have support from Varanius and the corporates have made it clear that they are doing business with Dalimbar. This is going to be an interesting war.
He then turned his attention to the pile of calling cards on his desk and as he looked at the symbol on it Atsil’s words echoed in his head,
Hiding away while people are suffering is dishonorable!
He recalled his family history, how his ancestors performed daring heists and escapes in the past just for the thrill of the steal. But what always stood out to him was how they gave half of what they stole to the people in need. If it was an item like a crown or a valuable piece of art they would take half the value of that item from their own funds and give it to the people without selling the item. His ancestors never turned away from the people and CGZ began to feel the weight of that legacy because of Atsil’s words. He put his head in his hands and pulled at his hair,
Those were different times! I can’t afford to be as bold as my ancestors! Security has evolved and so has criminal investigation! Hiding in the shadows and remaining in the shadows is the way forward!
He let out a growl in frustration and quickly turned to his computer and pulled up some funny cat videos to distract him from his family’s legacy that weighed down on him.

April 31, 1420
1:00 AM Over Time
Unknown location
Atsil could not sleep, her mind was racing with concern over the innocent lives at risk from the conflict. She thought of her siblings and her nieces and nephews, worried about how they are handling the situation. CGZ did end up getting her a phone as promised and indeed it was better than her previous one and thankfully none of the things she had saved on her previous phone was lost. In the time since CGZ took her here, her siblings have been asking if she’s safe or if she is actually in league with the monarchists. She has been afraid to respond fearing that she would be putting their lives at risk.
She decided to go and get something to drink from the kitchen and left the room. As she descended down the stairs she heard what sounded like surprised movement in the direction of the living room. As she reached the bottom, she saw CGZ wearing a ski mask and sunglasses, jeans, and a white long sleeve shirt.
“What are you doing up so early in the morning?” he asked,
“What are *yawn* you doing up so early in the morning?” she asked back. He let out a slight chuckle before saying,
“Keeping my eye on the movements of the different factions. For the past hour something terrible has been happening in Zoradia.” These words made Atsil worry,
“What do you mean? What happened?” CGZ sighed before asking,
“Do you really want to know?” As simple as those words were it made Atsil’s hair stand up on the back of her neck. She found herself hesitating before answering,
“Yes, what happened?” CGZ tapped the right side of his sunglasses and said,
“Jeeves, turn on family room TV.” The flat screen TV behind him came to life and showed a horrific scene. Zoranian multirole fighter jets bombing the capital city of Zoradia. Missiles collided into the skyscrapers and the jets fired HEI-T-SD rounds into buildings to slowly bring them crumbling down. Soldiers from different factions were scrambling to get out of the city and she saw some get crushed under a piece of concrete. Atsil stood there silently watching it all unfold with shock. Her skin turned pale and her eyes began to water as her body began to tremble.
How could a government do this! Innocent lives are at risk! This act is unnecessary and a waste of resources! All the people who must be living in fear at what is occurring...it fills my heart with sorrow.
Her legs soon gave out and she began to cry, lamenting the suffering of the people. She didn’t hear CGZ tell Jeeves to turn off the TV or his approaching footsteps. CGZ knelt down and helped Atsil to her feet and walked her over to the couch. He offered her comfort while she lamented over the suffering of the people.
CGZ felt bad for Atsil, she did not ask to be part of any of this. All factions are looking for her all because she is the new head of the Ani’-Wah’ family. Atsil was young and while CGZ wasn’t much older than her, she has been experiencing so much change in such a short amount of time.
I do not envy her, no one should have to deal with all of this. There is so little that I can do to help her, but by providing her refuge she will at le-
“I need to go out there.” she finally said after a few minutes of crying.
“What? Are you insane!?”
“People are suffering, I need to do something to help them!”
“Atsil, you have a large target on your back! The corporates want you dead, the theocrats want you dead, even the GDC wants you dead! By going out there you are going to get killed!”
“Hiding away while people are suffering is dishonorable! I need to go out there and do something to help! Even if it is by leading the monarchist faction, I have to do something for them!”
“You don’t even know if the monarchist leadership is only riding on the popularity of your father! They could seek to use you as a puppet for their goals!”
“Well to me they are the lesser of four evils! If they want to use me as a puppet then it will be their fault for underestimating me! I may not want to be queen but I have to do something to help the country and its people.” CGZ got up from the couch and stormed away into one of the many mysterious rooms in this place. After a few minutes CGZ came back with a thick file in his hand and handed it to Atsil. The folder had the logo of the SIC on it and below it said “Training Manual”.
“Read up on this. You aren’t going to be able to master it today but you may need some skills from this if you want to do what you plan on doing.” Atsil took the file and looked at it with surprise,
“How did you even? Nevermind, I shouldn’t be surprised. But if you are so against me going out there then why give me this?”
“Because if you want to go out there I can’t stop you. If you are going to do this then I don’t want to see you get killed out there. So, to me, the best way to help you is to give you access to the skills created by your family so you have a chance of surviving.” He began walking away when he said, “Let me know when you are ready to leave so I can take you to the monarchist headquarters.” CGZ then left the family room and Atsil was left on the couch with the training manual in her hand.
What an odd man. He went from being frustrated to helpful and reluctantly supportive. Well I don’t intend on looking a gift horse in the mouth so I better get to reading this immediately.
Atsil went to her guest room with the file to begin reading the SIC manual.
Meanwhile, CGZ took the sunglasses and the ski mask off and sat at his desk and looked at the monitors of his computer. He pulled up the information he had on the different factions and their allies.
So let’s see here. Seems the GDC has recognition from Giovanniland and support from the Fujansk, Artzotskia, and Marble Mallorca. For the monarchists it seems that they might have support from Saint Mark and Larxia. It appears that the theocrats might have support from Varanius and the corporates have made it clear that they are doing business with Dalimbar. This is going to be an interesting war.
He then turned his attention to the pile of calling cards on his desk and as he looked at the symbol on it Atsil’s words echoed in his head,
Hiding away while people are suffering is dishonorable!
He recalled his family history, how his ancestors performed daring heists and escapes in the past just for the thrill of the steal. But what always stood out to him was how they gave half of what they stole to the people in need. If it was an item like a crown or a valuable piece of art they would take half the value of that item from their own funds and give it to the people without selling the item. His ancestors never turned away from the people and CGZ began to feel the weight of that legacy because of Atsil’s words. He put his head in his hands and pulled at his hair,
Those were different times! I can’t afford to be as bold as my ancestors! Security has evolved and so has criminal investigation! Hiding in the shadows and remaining in the shadows is the way forward!
He let out a growl in frustration and quickly turned to his computer and pulled up some funny cat videos to distract him from his family’s legacy that weighed down on him.

April 31, 1420
1:00 AM Over Time
Unknown location
Atsil could not sleep, her mind was racing with concern over the innocent lives at risk from the conflict. She thought of her siblings and her nieces and nephews, worried about how they are handling the situation. CGZ did end up getting her a phone as promised and indeed it was better than her previous one and thankfully none of the things she had saved on her previous phone was lost. In the time since CGZ took her here, her siblings have been asking if she’s safe or if she is actually in league with the monarchists. She has been afraid to respond fearing that she would be putting their lives at risk.
She decided to go and get something to drink from the kitchen and left the room. As she descended down the stairs she heard what sounded like surprised movement in the direction of the living room. As she reached the bottom, she saw CGZ wearing a ski mask and sunglasses, jeans, and a white long sleeve shirt.
“What are you doing up so early in the morning?” he asked,
“What are *yawn* you doing up so early in the morning?” she asked back. He let out a slight chuckle before saying,
“Keeping my eye on the movements of the different factions. For the past hour something terrible has been happening in Zoradia.” These words made Atsil worry,
“What do you mean? What happened?” CGZ sighed before asking,
“Do you really want to know?” As simple as those words were it made Atsil’s hair stand up on the back of her neck. She found herself hesitating before answering,
“Yes, what happened?” CGZ tapped the right side of his sunglasses and said,
“Jeeves, turn on family room TV.” The flat screen TV behind him came to life and showed a horrific scene. Zoranian multirole fighter jets bombing the capital city of Zoradia. Missiles collided into the skyscrapers and the jets fired HEI-T-SD rounds into buildings to slowly bring them crumbling down. Soldiers from different factions were scrambling to get out of the city and she saw some get crushed under a piece of concrete. Atsil stood there silently watching it all unfold with shock. Her skin turned pale and her eyes began to water as her body began to tremble.
How could a government do this! Innocent lives are at risk! This act is unnecessary and a waste of resources! All the people who must be living in fear at what is occurring...it fills my heart with sorrow.
Her legs soon gave out and she began to cry, lamenting the suffering of the people. She didn’t hear CGZ tell Jeeves to turn off the TV or his approaching footsteps. CGZ knelt down and helped Atsil to her feet and walked her over to the couch. He offered her comfort while she lamented over the suffering of the people.
CGZ felt bad for Atsil, she did not ask to be part of any of this. All factions are looking for her all because she is the new head of the Ani’-Wah’ family. Atsil was young and while CGZ wasn’t much older than her, she has been experiencing so much change in such a short amount of time.
I do not envy her, no one should have to deal with all of this. There is so little that I can do to help her, but by providing her refuge she will at le-
“I need to go out there.” she finally said after a few minutes of crying.
“What? Are you insane!?”
“People are suffering, I need to do something to help them!”
“Atsil, you have a large target on your back! The corporates want you dead, the theocrats want you dead, even the GDC wants you dead! By going out there you are going to get killed!”
“Hiding away while people are suffering is dishonorable! I need to go out there and do something to help! Even if it is by leading the monarchist faction, I have to do something for them!”
“You don’t even know if the monarchist leadership is only riding on the popularity of your father! They could seek to use you as a puppet for their goals!”
“Well to me they are the lesser of four evils! If they want to use me as a puppet then it will be their fault for underestimating me! I may not want to be queen but I have to do something to help the country and its people.” CGZ got up from the couch and stormed away into one of the many mysterious rooms in this place. After a few minutes CGZ came back with a thick file in his hand and handed it to Atsil. The folder had the logo of the SIC on it and below it said “Training Manual”.
“Read up on this. You aren’t going to be able to master it today but you may need some skills from this if you want to do what you plan on doing.” Atsil took the file and looked at it with surprise,
“How did you even? Nevermind, I shouldn’t be surprised. But if you are so against me going out there then why give me this?”
“Because if you want to go out there I can’t stop you. If you are going to do this then I don’t want to see you get killed out there. So, to me, the best way to help you is to give you access to the skills created by your family so you have a chance of surviving.” He began walking away when he said, “Let me know when you are ready to leave so I can take you to the monarchist headquarters.” CGZ then left the family room and Atsil was left on the couch with the training manual in her hand.
What an odd man. He went from being frustrated to helpful and reluctantly supportive. Well I don’t intend on looking a gift horse in the mouth so I better get to reading this immediately.
Atsil went to her guest room with the file to begin reading the SIC manual.
Meanwhile, CGZ took the sunglasses and the ski mask off and sat at his desk and looked at the monitors of his computer. He pulled up the information he had on the different factions and their allies.
So let’s see here. Seems the GDC has recognition from Giovanniland and support from the Fujansk, Artzotskia, and Marble Mallorca. For the monarchists it seems that they might have support from Saint Mark and Larxia. It appears that the theocrats might have support from Varanius and the corporates have made it clear that they are doing business with Dalimbar. This is going to be an interesting war.
He then turned his attention to the pile of calling cards on his desk and as he looked at the symbol on it Atsil’s words echoed in his head,
Hiding away while people are suffering is dishonorable!
He recalled his family history, how his ancestors performed daring heists and escapes in the past just for the thrill of the steal. But what always stood out to him was how they gave half of what they stole to the people in need. If it was an item like a crown or a valuable piece of art they would take half the value of that item from their own funds and give it to the people without selling the item. His ancestors never turned away from the people and CGZ began to feel the weight of that legacy because of Atsil’s words. He put his head in his hands and pulled at his hair,
Those were different times! I can’t afford to be as bold as my ancestors! Security has evolved and so has criminal investigation! Hiding in the shadows and remaining in the shadows is the way forward!
He let out a growl in frustration and quickly turned to his computer and pulled up some funny cat videos to distract him from his family’s legacy that weighed down on him.

Hello again, fine friends in the West!
 
The 6th issue of The Boiling Pot, "Technocratic Musings," has been released. This issue contains an opinion piece about technocracy, a response to last month's P&C article, a shotgun interview, and a retrospective look at the past month in the STU. You can find it here:
https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1488914

April 31, 1420
1:00 AM Over Time
Unknown location
Atsil could not sleep, her mind was racing with concern over the innocent lives at risk from the conflict. She thought of her siblings and her nieces and nephews, worried about how they are handling the situation. CGZ did end up getting her a phone as promised and indeed it was better than her previous one and thankfully none of the things she had saved on her previous phone was lost. In the time since CGZ took her here, her siblings have been asking if she’s safe or if she is actually in league with the monarchists. She has been afraid to respond fearing that she would be putting their lives at risk.
She decided to go and get something to drink from the kitchen and left the room. As she descended down the stairs she heard what sounded like surprised movement in the direction of the living room. As she reached the bottom, she saw CGZ wearing a ski mask and sunglasses, jeans, and a white long sleeve shirt.
“What are you doing up so early in the morning?” he asked,
“What are *yawn* you doing up so early in the morning?” she asked back. He let out a slight chuckle before saying,
“Keeping my eye on the movements of the different factions. For the past hour something terrible has been happening in Zoradia.” These words made Atsil worry,
“What do you mean? What happened?” CGZ sighed before asking,
“Do you really want to know?” As simple as those words were it made Atsil’s hair stand up on the back of her neck. She found herself hesitating before answering,
“Yes, what happened?” CGZ tapped the right side of his sunglasses and said,
“Jeeves, turn on family room TV.” The flat screen TV behind him came to life and showed a horrific scene. Zoranian multirole fighter jets bombing the capital city of Zoradia. Missiles collided into the skyscrapers and the jets fired HEI-T-SD rounds into buildings to slowly bring them crumbling down. Soldiers from different factions were scrambling to get out of the city and she saw some get crushed under a piece of concrete. Atsil stood there silently watching it all unfold with shock. Her skin turned pale and her eyes began to water as her body began to tremble.
How could a government do this! Innocent lives are at risk! This act is unnecessary and a waste of resources! All the people who must be living in fear at what is occurring...it fills my heart with sorrow.
Her legs soon gave out and she began to cry, lamenting the suffering of the people. She didn’t hear CGZ tell Jeeves to turn off the TV or his approaching footsteps. CGZ knelt down and helped Atsil to her feet and walked her over to the couch. He offered her comfort while she lamented over the suffering of the people.
CGZ felt bad for Atsil, she did not ask to be part of any of this. All factions are looking for her all because she is the new head of the Ani’-Wah’ family. Atsil was young and while CGZ wasn’t much older than her, she has been experiencing so much change in such a short amount of time.
I do not envy her, no one should have to deal with all of this. There is so little that I can do to help her, but by providing her refuge she will at le-
“I need to go out there.” she finally said after a few minutes of crying.
“What? Are you insane!?”
“People are suffering, I need to do something to help them!”
“Atsil, you have a large target on your back! The corporates want you dead, the theocrats want you dead, even the GDC wants you dead! By going out there you are going to get killed!”
“Hiding away while people are suffering is dishonorable! I need to go out there and do something to help! Even if it is by leading the monarchist faction, I have to do something for them!”
“You don’t even know if the monarchist leadership is only riding on the popularity of your father! They could seek to use you as a puppet for their goals!”
“Well to me they are the lesser of four evils! If they want to use me as a puppet then it will be their fault for underestimating me! I may not want to be queen but I have to do something to help the country and its people.” CGZ got up from the couch and stormed away into one of the many mysterious rooms in this place. After a few minutes CGZ came back with a thick file in his hand and handed it to Atsil. The folder had the logo of the SIC on it and below it said “Training Manual”.
“Read up on this. You aren’t going to be able to master it today but you may need some skills from this if you want to do what you plan on doing.” Atsil took the file and looked at it with surprise,
“How did you even? Nevermind, I shouldn’t be surprised. But if you are so against me going out there then why give me this?”
“Because if you want to go out there I can’t stop you. If you are going to do this then I don’t want to see you get killed out there. So, to me, the best way to help you is to give you access to the skills created by your family so you have a chance of surviving.” He began walking away when he said, “Let me know when you are ready to leave so I can take you to the monarchist headquarters.” CGZ then left the family room and Atsil was left on the couch with the training manual in her hand.
What an odd man. He went from being frustrated to helpful and reluctantly supportive. Well I don’t intend on looking a gift horse in the mouth so I better get to reading this immediately.
Atsil went to her guest room with the file to begin reading the SIC manual.
Meanwhile, CGZ took the sunglasses and the ski mask off and sat at his desk and looked at the monitors of his computer. He pulled up the information he had on the different factions and their allies.
So let’s see here. Seems the GDC has recognition from Giovanniland and support from the Fujansk, Artzotskia, and Marble Mallorca. For the monarchists it seems that they might have support from Saint Mark and Larxia. It appears that the theocrats might have support from Varanius and the corporates have made it clear that they are doing business with Dalimbar. This is going to be an interesting war.
He then turned his attention to the pile of calling cards on his desk and as he looked at the symbol on it Atsil’s words echoed in his head,
Hiding away while people are suffering is dishonorable!
He recalled his family history, how his ancestors performed daring heists and escapes in the past just for the thrill of the steal. But what always stood out to him was how they gave half of what they stole to the people in need. If it was an item like a crown or a valuable piece of art they would take half the value of that item from their own funds and give it to the people without selling the item. His ancestors never turned away from the people and CGZ began to feel the weight of that legacy because of Atsil’s words. He put his head in his hands and pulled at his hair,
Those were different times! I can’t afford to be as bold as my ancestors! Security has evolved and so has criminal investigation! Hiding in the shadows and remaining in the shadows is the way forward!
He let out a growl in frustration and quickly turned to his computer and pulled up some funny cat videos to distract him from his family’s legacy that weighed down on him.

Cookies wins!

1st Presidential-Vice Presidential Joint Debate ends in CLP ticket victory
Today, the 1st presidential-vice presidential joint debate was held in Friberne, Santos-Dominius. The contenders included President Paul Goldberg and Vice President Donald Verbloem, from the ticket of the Democratic Coalition Party(DCB). Facing off against the incumbents were popular Senators Jeremy Maxson and Art Bernstein, from the Country Liberal Party(CLP). Riding a wave of anti-DCB popularity, Maxson and Bernstein were well-positioned compared to Goldberg and Verbloem, who were pummelled in the polls due to their tumultuous term and unpopular policies, including the controversial SD-Works employment programme. As the night went on, it became clear that the burden of their sheer unpopularity was simply too great for the President and Vice President to handle.
The major issues raised during the debate were neutrality, employment and urban development. President Goldberg talked about his recent partial waiver of the Act of Peace a few weeks ago, stating that "Santos-Dominius must and continue treading the fine line between excessive involvement in international diplomacy and complete isolation". However, this was rebuked by Sen. Maxson, who called for "more participation in international affairs" and "strong, sustained efforts to make Santos-Dominius a valuable player in international diplomacy". Maxson argued that "inaction and isolation will not help", and that "a fresh approach to diplomacy should be adopted".
Employment was the hottest issue of the debate. Vice President Verbloem attempted to defend his superior and distract from the DCB administration's poor record, but Sen. Bernstein seized on the moment and blasted him, stating that "the Goldberg administration is the worker's nightmare, the big bosses' puppet". Maxson followed up with further criticism, saying that "the Goldberg administration has shown nothing but sheer contempt and disrespect for the Santo-Dominian labour movement, its unions and its workers". Sen. Bernstein also mentioned the Louisann General Strike back in late November, a major incident which almost threatened to topple Goldberg's presidency and severely plunged the incumbents' popularity to immeasurable lows. The President could not defend himself as time was up and the topic was changed by the debate moderators.
The incumbents fared slightly better in the topic of urban development. "My administration's major investments in inter-island ferries, as well as the rebuilding of dilapidated and heavily used arterial roads, has drastically improved the lives of Santo-Dominians," President Goldberg stated. Sen. Maxson attempted to strike at the President, saying: "The President and Vice President have yet to lay out a sustainable, environmentally friendly infrastructure plan. Santos-Dominius needs a plan now, or you do not deserve another term." President Goldberg brushed off Sen. Maxson's attack, saying that "a plan is in the works" and that "the gentlemen on the other side of the aisle should acquire some patience in politics". Sen. Bernstein fought back, replying: "Santo-Dominians cannot wait, and will not wait for the President. The future is at stake."
Overall, the debate was heated and uncharacteristically fierce. President Goldberg, battered and bruised by Maxson and Bernstein, emerged from the debate more unpopular than ever. Vice President Verbloem also suffered, with DCB supporters criticising him for not defending the President more often. Both Maxson and Bernstein reaped the rewards of their good performance, winning the political commentators' straw poll. The CLP benefitted from an upward trend in the polls immediately after, while the DCB continued its downward dip.
With the presidential election weeks away, the 2nd presidential debate is scheduled on the 15th. If the CLP ticket continues to sustain its momentum and popularity, it will most likely win by a landslide. However, the race is still not over, and the President and Vice President may earn just enough time to fight back and clinch another term in the Fribernese Fortress. This presidential race is expected to be the most heated one ever in Santo-Dominian history, and the DCB's increasingly fragile political hegemony may finally come to an end soon.

April 30, 1420
2:30 PM Overtime
From the perspective of a Zoradian resident
An emergency announcement popped up on my phone and on the television. It was an official announcement from the GDC that was straight and to the point,
“Attention all residents of Zoradia! The GDC is ordering an immediate evacuation of all people from the city. Take only what you need and flee the city. Soldiers will try their best to ensure a safe evacuation of all people. This order also goes for those who remain in embassies in the capital. No one is permitted to prevent people from evacuating the city. People can evacuate via roadways or by sea. Everyone must be out of the city by 23:00 Overtime tonight!”
When the television reverted back to its normal channel and I looked up from my phone, I heard honking and pandemonium from outside my window. The gunshots still exist but they are now drowned out by the sound of honking and panic.
Soldiers were guiding cars and people to the evacuation routes while keeping a lookout for rebels. Who knows if the evacuation will be pulled off in time.
 
April 31, 1420
00:00 Overtime
The once bustling streets of Zoradia are now practically empty. The streets were devoid of life and those that remained were rebels that thought the GDC had abandoned the city. But those that remained did not get the memo of the evacuation. The roaring sound of jets could be heard in the distance when the first explosion occurred, one of the skyscrapers has been hit with a missile. The rebels in the city dove for cover as debris began to rain down from above. But the explosions didn’t stop there. There was soon another explosion and another and then another. Buildings began to crumble and burn.
The fighter jets roared over the city executing the order they have been given—destroy the city and make sure nothing remains except for the Temple and the Mausoleum if possible. While the government may lack bombers the missiles from the jets will complete the job after numerous runs. At the same time, off in the distance, members of the military were firing shells of artillery in hopes of speeding along the process.
It was clear that the bombing was not going to stop for quite some time. But the biggest tragedy of this act is that some people still have yet to evacuate. While the evacuation order was initiated, many elderly people were unable or unwilling to leave their homes. On top of this, those who were in the hospital and other medical facilities were unable to leave because of their condition and this led to many employees in the medical facilities unable to leave the building to care for the patients. This led to the death of innocent civilians when the homes of the elderly and the medical facilities were bombed as well.
Outside the city, people fled to other cities and others set up refugee camps. Those that fled by sea were either taken in by ships sent by the fujansk for humanitarian aid, military vessels, or private ships of the wealthy who were forced to provide aid to their fellow Zoranians by military officers on the scene.
The desolation of Zoradia has begun and with it begun the true suffering of the Zoranian people.

April 30, 1420
2:30 PM Overtime
From the perspective of a Zoradian resident
An emergency announcement popped up on my phone and on the television. It was an official announcement from the GDC that was straight and to the point,
“Attention all residents of Zoradia! The GDC is ordering an immediate evacuation of all people from the city. Take only what you need and flee the city. Soldiers will try their best to ensure a safe evacuation of all people. This order also goes for those who remain in embassies in the capital. No one is permitted to prevent people from evacuating the city. People can evacuate via roadways or by sea. Everyone must be out of the city by 23:00 Overtime tonight!”
When the television reverted back to its normal channel and I looked up from my phone, I heard honking and pandemonium from outside my window. The gunshots still exist but they are now drowned out by the sound of honking and panic.
Soldiers were guiding cars and people to the evacuation routes while keeping a lookout for rebels. Who knows if the evacuation will be pulled off in time.
 
April 31, 1420
00:00 Overtime
The once bustling streets of Zoradia are now practically empty. The streets were devoid of life and those that remained were rebels that thought the GDC had abandoned the city. But those that remained did not get the memo of the evacuation. The roaring sound of jets could be heard in the distance when the first explosion occurred, one of the skyscrapers has been hit with a missile. The rebels in the city dove for cover as debris began to rain down from above. But the explosions didn’t stop there. There was soon another explosion and another and then another. Buildings began to crumble and burn.
The fighter jets roared over the city executing the order they have been given—destroy the city and make sure nothing remains except for the Temple and the Mausoleum if possible. While the government may lack bombers the missiles from the jets will complete the job after numerous runs. At the same time, off in the distance, members of the military were firing shells of artillery in hopes of speeding along the process.
It was clear that the bombing was not going to stop for quite some time. But the biggest tragedy of this act is that some people still have yet to evacuate. While the evacuation order was initiated, many elderly people were unable or unwilling to leave their homes. On top of this, those who were in the hospital and other medical facilities were unable to leave because of their condition and this led to many employees in the medical facilities unable to leave the building to care for the patients. This led to the death of innocent civilians when the homes of the elderly and the medical facilities were bombed as well.
Outside the city, people fled to other cities and others set up refugee camps. Those that fled by sea were either taken in by ships sent by the fujansk for humanitarian aid, military vessels, or private ships of the wealthy who were forced to provide aid to their fellow Zoranians by military officers on the scene.
The desolation of Zoradia has begun and with it begun the true suffering of the Zoranian people.

April 30, 1420
2:30 PM Overtime
From the perspective of a Zoradian resident
An emergency announcement popped up on my phone and on the television. It was an official announcement from the GDC that was straight and to the point,
“Attention all residents of Zoradia! The GDC is ordering an immediate evacuation of all people from the city. Take only what you need and flee the city. Soldiers will try their best to ensure a safe evacuation of all people. This order also goes for those who remain in embassies in the capital. No one is permitted to prevent people from evacuating the city. People can evacuate via roadways or by sea. Everyone must be out of the city by 23:00 Overtime tonight!”
When the television reverted back to its normal channel and I looked up from my phone, I heard honking and pandemonium from outside my window. The gunshots still exist but they are now drowned out by the sound of honking and panic.
Soldiers were guiding cars and people to the evacuation routes while keeping a lookout for rebels. Who knows if the evacuation will be pulled off in time.
 
April 31, 1420
00:00 Overtime
The once bustling streets of Zoradia are now practically empty. The streets were devoid of life and those that remained were rebels that thought the GDC had abandoned the city. But those that remained did not get the memo of the evacuation. The roaring sound of jets could be heard in the distance when the first explosion occurred, one of the skyscrapers has been hit with a missile. The rebels in the city dove for cover as debris began to rain down from above. But the explosions didn’t stop there. There was soon another explosion and another and then another. Buildings began to crumble and burn.
The fighter jets roared over the city executing the order they have been given—destroy the city and make sure nothing remains except for the Temple and the Mausoleum if possible. While the government may lack bombers the missiles from the jets will complete the job after numerous runs. At the same time, off in the distance, members of the military were firing shells of artillery in hopes of speeding along the process.
It was clear that the bombing was not going to stop for quite some time. But the biggest tragedy of this act is that some people still have yet to evacuate. While the evacuation order was initiated, many elderly people were unable or unwilling to leave their homes. On top of this, those who were in the hospital and other medical facilities were unable to leave because of their condition and this led to many employees in the medical facilities unable to leave the building to care for the patients. This led to the death of innocent civilians when the homes of the elderly and the medical facilities were bombed as well.
Outside the city, people fled to other cities and others set up refugee camps. Those that fled by sea were either taken in by ships sent by the fujansk for humanitarian aid, military vessels, or private ships of the wealthy who were forced to provide aid to their fellow Zoranians by military officers on the scene.
The desolation of Zoradia has begun and with it begun the true suffering of the Zoranian people.

April 30, 1420
2:30 PM Overtime
From the perspective of a Zoradian resident
An emergency announcement popped up on my phone and on the television. It was an official announcement from the GDC that was straight and to the point,
“Attention all residents of Zoradia! The GDC is ordering an immediate evacuation of all people from the city. Take only what you need and flee the city. Soldiers will try their best to ensure a safe evacuation of all people. This order also goes for those who remain in embassies in the capital. No one is permitted to prevent people from evacuating the city. People can evacuate via roadways or by sea. Everyone must be out of the city by 23:00 Overtime tonight!”
When the television reverted back to its normal channel and I looked up from my phone, I heard honking and pandemonium from outside my window. The gunshots still exist but they are now drowned out by the sound of honking and panic.
Soldiers were guiding cars and people to the evacuation routes while keeping a lookout for rebels. Who knows if the evacuation will be pulled off in time.
 
April 31, 1420
00:00 Overtime
The once bustling streets of Zoradia are now practically empty. The streets were devoid of life and those that remained were rebels that thought the GDC had abandoned the city. But those that remained did not get the memo of the evacuation. The roaring sound of jets could be heard in the distance when the first explosion occurred, one of the skyscrapers has been hit with a missile. The rebels in the city dove for cover as debris began to rain down from above. But the explosions didn’t stop there. There was soon another explosion and another and then another. Buildings began to crumble and burn.
The fighter jets roared over the city executing the order they have been given—destroy the city and make sure nothing remains except for the Temple and the Mausoleum if possible. While the government may lack bombers the missiles from the jets will complete the job after numerous runs. At the same time, off in the distance, members of the military were firing shells of artillery in hopes of speeding along the process.
It was clear that the bombing was not going to stop for quite some time. But the biggest tragedy of this act is that some people still have yet to evacuate. While the evacuation order was initiated, many elderly people were unable or unwilling to leave their homes. On top of this, those who were in the hospital and other medical facilities were unable to leave because of their condition and this led to many employees in the medical facilities unable to leave the building to care for the patients. This led to the death of innocent civilians when the homes of the elderly and the medical facilities were bombed as well.
Outside the city, people fled to other cities and others set up refugee camps. Those that fled by sea were either taken in by ships sent by the fujansk for humanitarian aid, military vessels, or private ships of the wealthy who were forced to provide aid to their fellow Zoranians by military officers on the scene.
The desolation of Zoradia has begun and with it begun the true suffering of the Zoranian people.

April 30, 1420
12:00 PM Over Time
In an undisclosed location that is definitely not in an ancient fortress from the height of the rule of Saint Mark over Zoran

“What do you mean you lost her?! How can you lose the daughter of Ani’-Wah’!?” exclaimed Wohali Lanusila, leader of the Monarchist Forces,
“We’re sorry sir, but this guy in a really cool black armor just took out the GSC forces that were in the apartment, took Auraelia to his vehicle, and drove off at fast speeds with her in tow. Since then we lost track of her.” said the soldier on the encrypted phone. Wohali took a deep breath and pinched the ridge of his nose before asking,
“Did you even attempt to follow the vehicle this mystery man was in?” there was a moment of silence before the soldier answered,
“No sir.” Wohali was about to throw the phone at the wall but instead he just poured himself a glass of Mist Over the Lake Badgerian whiskey with a shaking hand and downed it in one go. He let out a sigh before asking,
“What did this armored man look like?”
“Well we didn’t see anything that could make his identity stand out but he wore black armor and had a helmet mask.” The soldier stopped and the sound of discussion distant explosions could be heard on the other end of the line, “The scouting party just got back from the apartment and they found something which gave us the identity of the suspect. Sending you a photo now.” Waholi then looked at his messages and saw a photo of a purple card with black crown and a cookie on it.
By the Spirit CGZ has gotten into this, what is going on in this country anymore.
“Tell all forces to be on the lookout for any sign of CGZ, we need to find the future queen to be safe in our hands!”
“Sir yes sir.” Wohali ended the call and poured himself another cup of Mist Over the Lake whiskey to calm his nerves.
Without that girl our faction will be divided among who should succeed. I was able to unite the factions into supporting Adsila as the Queen but if she dies or goes missing then our forces will lose their purpose and we will lose this war.
He let out a sigh as he looked at his watch to see that it was time for him to meet with the delegation from Saint Mark. As a monarchy itself he hopes that their similar alignments may allow for some support to be arranged for the monarchist cause.
This country has been left ungoverned for far too long. While the ideals of the founder were noble it was flawed and chaotic. People have been stuck in poor conditions while the Council tells the world that there are no problems. President Ani’-Wah’ was the closest unifying force this country has seen since the days of Austenaco. Only a strong unifying figure with the power to enforce regulations and to create laws to protect Zoranians from unfair and unjust conditions can save this country. All this can be done through a monarch and the Ani’-Wah’ family are trusted by the people because of the late president. The GSC has practically already lost after a large number of their troops defected to our cause or to the theocratic cause. While the theocrats have a fire and a passion, they are few in number and lack support from the Divine Shaman himself. The only real threat is the Corporate faction because they have money, resources, connections, and influence.
Waholi thought about all this and more as he marched down the ancient halls of the Saint Markian fortress to meet a potential ally in his fight for a truly united and better Zoran.

April 30, 1420
11:00 AM Over Time
“Atsila Ani’-Wah’ under orders of the Grand Defense Council you are under arrest for treason!” yelled a soldier from the other side of the door. Atsila looked at the door in fear as the thought of being put in a prison cell crossed her mind.
I didn’t ask for this! I don’t want to be queen! I wasn’t part of any of this!
She thought to herself. The soldier banged on the door again,
“Atsila Ani’-Wah’ if you do not open the door this instant we will be forced to use force.” yelled the soldier. Atsila could hear the soldiers planting charges on her door. She just stood there, paralyzed with fear.
Great Spirit please help me!
“Hey what’s the deal here? Don’t you guys think that ballistic breaching is a bit much for a normal apartment door?” said a muffled and unrecognizable voice. The sound of gunfire followed along with the sound of bodies hitting the floor, people being grappled, and a...wilhelm scream? Atsila leaned against her wall and slid down to the ground out of fear. Then there was silence and no sound was outside...until there was a slight click heard from the door followed by another click and a third click. After the third click the door unlocked and the door opened to reveal a man in a black reflective helmet mask in some strange black armor. Behind him were the unconscious bodies of six Zoranian soldiers and the man looked completely unharmed. He walked into her apartment casually as if nothing happened and looked at Atsila.
“Sorry about that, hope they didn’t cause you too much trouble.” said the man. Atsila could tell that the man’s voice was modulated as it sounded too deep for it to be natural.
“Who are you?” asked Atsila. The man’s body language shifted to give the idea that he was insulted,
“How can you not know who I am?! I am the one and only CGZ and I am here to save your hide from the idiots in the GSC, the fat cats in their towers of false power, the fanatics that use the Great Spirit’s name for their own desires, and from the monarchists that are the closest thing you have to a fan club. Look I am not on any side of this war but seeing as you are an enemy to three of the four sides and a potential pawn for the fourth and that just makes you a target. Now I am offering you the chance to come with me and hide until the war ends. Just going to say it now, I am probably your only hope kid.” CGZ offered his hand to Adsila. Adsila thought about her situation for a minute, what he said was realistic as without her one side in the war effort would fall into divisions over who to make into a monarch and so she would become a target by the two other sides. Also she already is considered a traitor by the GSC so it looks like she has no other choice. She takes the legendary thief’s hand and is pulled to her feet.
“Now before I take you with me I am going to have to blindfold you.” He says, taking out a black blindfold, “While I want to help you I can’t trust you with the location of my secret hideout. So if you could put that on it would make my job ten times easier.” Adsila sighs and begrudgingly puts it on. The thief then grabbed her hand and began to lead her out of the apartment building, through the conflict filled streets and into what she can assume to be a car. She was buckled into her seat with help from CGZ before he accelerated causing her to be pushed back into her seat.
“When did my life get so complicated?” she said out loud without even realizing it,
“Probably when your father died. Just stating the obvious here.” answered CGZ.
As they sped down the streets they could hear the sounds of gunfire and explosions. While she could not see, Adsila already imagined what must be going on. A few bullets even hit the car but they didn’t do any damage to the vehicle due to how armored it must be.
“Jeeves play My Mix!” said CGZ and a posh sounding voice answered,
“Right away sir.” A drum solo began to play from the speakers of the car and classic rock filled Adsila’s ears.
“How are you so calm during all of this?! People are literally dying around us!” Atsila says trying to yell over the classic rock music,
“Look it isn’t that I don’t care but it's the fact that I have to worry about getting you to safety without drawing too much attention to myself by using secret tunnels that I have all around the country. The thing is that the closest entrance to one of these tunnels is in the middle of one of the conflict zones. It is going to keep a level head when driving anyways.” says CGZ as he manages to swerve around a very obviously placed landmine that was set in the middle of the road.
“Damn that was a famous Dalimbari mine! How much funding do these private militaries have!? Anyways, as you can-oh wait you can’t see, well if you could see you would understand why I am having to be so calm while driving. If I wasn’t calm then we wouldn’t survive so if you would be so kind try not to interrupt the music.” Adsila didn’t know what to say about this.
By the Spirit I don’t know whether I am with a bold genius or an adrenaline junky madman!

Gio! How could you!
But of course I have to choose cookies, it is part of my whole schtick!

April 30, 1420
2:27 PM Over Time
Unknown Location
After driving through a battle zone and then three hours of driving through what Atsil can only assume to be underground tunnels, Atsil felt CGZ’s electric car come to a stop.
“At last! We are finally here!” said CGZ, “Oh wait, you still can’t see. Hold on.” The blindfold was then removed from Atsil’s head and she saw the interior of CGZ’s car for the first time. The seats were a black leather that went with the midnight black color of the interior. There were multiple touch screens along the dashboard that detailed underground tunnels, patrol routes, conflict zones, traffic, etc. as well as climate control and things you would expect to find in a regular car. Atsil could only look with awe at the technological look of the interior.
“Impressed? All of this was the design of my father and I before the car industry began designing electric cars. But that doesn’t matter right now, come on I will show you to where you will be staying.” said CGZ in their synthesized voice. He got out of his car and Atsil quickly followed. Upon exiting the car, Atsil stood starstruck when she saw the machinery in what she could only assume to be the garage. She didn’t understand what most of it did but she could only assume it was for inventing new gadgets or for the car. But she stopped looking around when she noticed that CGZ was about to leave the room and so she hurried behind him.
The hallway she followed him into was even more extravagant, but not with machinery. The hallway had Saint Markian doric columns made of white marble all the way down to the end and in between the columns there was a statue of what Atsil could only assume to be CGZ’s of the past. Golden chandeliers lit the hallway and gave a yellowish hue to the stone grey walls and the floor was a checkered black and white with polished marble and black granite. Atsil observed all of this as they walked through the hallway until they reached the end.
“If you think this is impressive, just wait till you see what’s next.” said CGZ as the door opened in front of him to reveal a large room full of bookshelves that are built into the walls and that are lined up in rows in the middle of the room. But the bookshelves only occupied half of the room, which was the side they were on. At the other side of the room there was one large computer monitor with two smaller monitors attached on the either side of it displaying a variety of data or news reports.
“By the Spirit, were you inspired by a certain comic book superhero or something?” asked Atsil,
“I didn’t design this room, the original room was made by the sixth CGZ and was modified, expanded, upgraded, updated, etc. by other generations and my father got the computer all set up before he passed. But he was a bit of a comic nerd so it is quite possible.” He answered as we made our way passed the part of the room occupied by bookshelves and into the area occupied by the computer along with a variety of other things such as what looked to be an armor display case and other things.
“How did your family manage to keep all of this a secret?! Surely the purchase or theft of the things needed to create half of the technology you have would have here would draw a lot of attention!” asked Atsil,
“Can’t tell you or else you might go blab about it to someone after this mess is over. But let’s just say my family were people of many faces.” he said cryptically. They then turned right and went through a door which led to what seemed like a regular living room and kitchen with a mixture of the architecture and design found in the hallway and modern appliances and technology with a large window that overlooked the Zoranian jungle. The furniture was elaborate and had a royal feel to it. Atsil was kind of disappointed at what she saw, something which CGZ could sense from her and let out a chuckle before saying,
“What? Am I not allowed to have some normal comforts in my home?”
“No of course not!” said Atsil, “I am just surprised there wasn’t some advanced machine hidden somewhere.” He just laughed in response and led her up a spiral staircase in the middle of the room and led her to a large double wooden door.
“This will be your room. You should be able to find everything you would need in there including clothes. Also, do you still have your phone on you by any chance?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“Give it to me for a second.” He said as he held his hand out for the phone,
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to be tracked. The security measures here that prevent tracking are advanced but I don’t want to take any chances.” Atsil, begrudgingly, gave her phone to CGZ who removed the case from it, took a tool out from his suit, and removed the sim card from it. He then threw it onto the floor as hard as he could and crushed it under his foot.
“Hey! What the f-”
“Language, also don’t worry I will get you a better one of my own design. I still have the sim card so all your data should be safe.” He said as he slid the sim card into a small pouch in his suit and picked up the pieces of the shattered phone from the floor. “I will get the phone to you in about an hour or so. In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay and let me know if you need anything. Also don’t go snooping around, there are a lot of rooms in this place and some of them can be dangerous.”
With that CGZ walked away down the stairs and out of sight. Atsil was still angry about the phone but turned towards the door to her room and pushed it open only to let out a gasp. The room was like she walked into a royal bedchamber, something which seemed ironic to her considering that one faction wants to make her a queen. But considering how old the place is and how wealthy CGZ must be from all that his ancestors stole over the years, the room’s design and style made sense to her.
Does he live here on his own? How does he keep all of these rooms so clean and dust free if he does live on his own? Did his ancestors hire people to build all of this? There are just so many questions to be asked about this place! But most importantly, where exactly am I!?
Atsil sat down on the soft bed, feeling the soft silk sheets with her hand as she thought about all of these questions. However, the thought that weighs heaviest on her mind is how the Zoranian people are living during these times of conflict.

April 30, 1420
2:27 PM Over Time
Unknown Location
After driving through a battle zone and then three hours of driving through what Atsil can only assume to be underground tunnels, Atsil felt CGZ’s electric car come to a stop.
“At last! We are finally here!” said CGZ, “Oh wait, you still can’t see. Hold on.” The blindfold was then removed from Atsil’s head and she saw the interior of CGZ’s car for the first time. The seats were a black leather that went with the midnight black color of the interior. There were multiple touch screens along the dashboard that detailed underground tunnels, patrol routes, conflict zones, traffic, etc. as well as climate control and things you would expect to find in a regular car. Atsil could only look with awe at the technological look of the interior.
“Impressed? All of this was the design of my father and I before the car industry began designing electric cars. But that doesn’t matter right now, come on I will show you to where you will be staying.” said CGZ in their synthesized voice. He got out of his car and Atsil quickly followed. Upon exiting the car, Atsil stood starstruck when she saw the machinery in what she could only assume to be the garage. She didn’t understand what most of it did but she could only assume it was for inventing new gadgets or for the car. But she stopped looking around when she noticed that CGZ was about to leave the room and so she hurried behind him.
The hallway she followed him into was even more extravagant, but not with machinery. The hallway had Saint Markian doric columns made of white marble all the way down to the end and in between the columns there was a statue of what Atsil could only assume to be CGZ’s of the past. Golden chandeliers lit the hallway and gave a yellowish hue to the stone grey walls and the floor was a checkered black and white with polished marble and black granite. Atsil observed all of this as they walked through the hallway until they reached the end.
“If you think this is impressive, just wait till you see what’s next.” said CGZ as the door opened in front of him to reveal a large room full of bookshelves that are built into the walls and that are lined up in rows in the middle of the room. But the bookshelves only occupied half of the room, which was the side they were on. At the other side of the room there was one large computer monitor with two smaller monitors attached on the either side of it displaying a variety of data or news reports.
“By the Spirit, were you inspired by a certain comic book superhero or something?” asked Atsil,
“I didn’t design this room, the original room was made by the sixth CGZ and was modified, expanded, upgraded, updated, etc. by other generations and my father got the computer all set up before he passed. But he was a bit of a comic nerd so it is quite possible.” He answered as we made our way passed the part of the room occupied by bookshelves and into the area occupied by the computer along with a variety of other things such as what looked to be an armor display case and other things.
“How did your family manage to keep all of this a secret?! Surely the purchase or theft of the things needed to create half of the technology you have would have here would draw a lot of attention!” asked Atsil,
“Can’t tell you or else you might go blab about it to someone after this mess is over. But let’s just say my family were people of many faces.” he said cryptically. They then turned right and went through a door which led to what seemed like a regular living room and kitchen with a mixture of the architecture and design found in the hallway and modern appliances and technology with a large window that overlooked the Zoranian jungle. The furniture was elaborate and had a royal feel to it. Atsil was kind of disappointed at what she saw, something which CGZ could sense from her and let out a chuckle before saying,
“What? Am I not allowed to have some normal comforts in my home?”
“No of course not!” said Atsil, “I am just surprised there wasn’t some advanced machine hidden somewhere.” He just laughed in response and led her up a spiral staircase in the middle of the room and led her to a large double wooden door.
“This will be your room. You should be able to find everything you would need in there including clothes. Also, do you still have your phone on you by any chance?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“Give it to me for a second.” He said as he held his hand out for the phone,
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to be tracked. The security measures here that prevent tracking are advanced but I don’t want to take any chances.” Atsil, begrudgingly, gave her phone to CGZ who removed the case from it, took a tool out from his suit, and removed the sim card from it. He then threw it onto the floor as hard as he could and crushed it under his foot.
“Hey! What the f-”
“Language, also don’t worry I will get you a better one of my own design. I still have the sim card so all your data should be safe.” He said as he slid the sim card into a small pouch in his suit and picked up the pieces of the shattered phone from the floor. “I will get the phone to you in about an hour or so. In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay and let me know if you need anything. Also don’t go snooping around, there are a lot of rooms in this place and some of them can be dangerous.”
With that CGZ walked away down the stairs and out of sight. Atsil was still angry about the phone but turned towards the door to her room and pushed it open only to let out a gasp. The room was like she walked into a royal bedchamber, something which seemed ironic to her considering that one faction wants to make her a queen. But considering how old the place is and how wealthy CGZ must be from all that his ancestors stole over the years, the room’s design and style made sense to her.
Does he live here on his own? How does he keep all of these rooms so clean and dust free if he does live on his own? Did his ancestors hire people to build all of this? There are just so many questions to be asked about this place! But most importantly, where exactly am I!?
Atsil sat down on the soft bed, feeling the soft silk sheets with her hand as she thought about all of these questions. However, the thought that weighs heaviest on her mind is how the Zoranian people are living during these times of conflict.

April 30, 1420
2:27 PM Over Time
Unknown Location
After driving through a battle zone and then three hours of driving through what Atsil can only assume to be underground tunnels, Atsil felt CGZ’s electric car come to a stop.
“At last! We are finally here!” said CGZ, “Oh wait, you still can’t see. Hold on.” The blindfold was then removed from Atsil’s head and she saw the interior of CGZ’s car for the first time. The seats were a black leather that went with the midnight black color of the interior. There were multiple touch screens along the dashboard that detailed underground tunnels, patrol routes, conflict zones, traffic, etc. as well as climate control and things you would expect to find in a regular car. Atsil could only look with awe at the technological look of the interior.
“Impressed? All of this was the design of my father and I before the car industry began designing electric cars. But that doesn’t matter right now, come on I will show you to where you will be staying.” said CGZ in their synthesized voice. He got out of his car and Atsil quickly followed. Upon exiting the car, Atsil stood starstruck when she saw the machinery in what she could only assume to be the garage. She didn’t understand what most of it did but she could only assume it was for inventing new gadgets or for the car. But she stopped looking around when she noticed that CGZ was about to leave the room and so she hurried behind him.
The hallway she followed him into was even more extravagant, but not with machinery. The hallway had Saint Markian doric columns made of white marble all the way down to the end and in between the columns there was a statue of what Atsil could only assume to be CGZ’s of the past. Golden chandeliers lit the hallway and gave a yellowish hue to the stone grey walls and the floor was a checkered black and white with polished marble and black granite. Atsil observed all of this as they walked through the hallway until they reached the end.
“If you think this is impressive, just wait till you see what’s next.” said CGZ as the door opened in front of him to reveal a large room full of bookshelves that are built into the walls and that are lined up in rows in the middle of the room. But the bookshelves only occupied half of the room, which was the side they were on. At the other side of the room there was one large computer monitor with two smaller monitors attached on the either side of it displaying a variety of data or news reports.
“By the Spirit, were you inspired by a certain comic book superhero or something?” asked Atsil,
“I didn’t design this room, the original room was made by the sixth CGZ and was modified, expanded, upgraded, updated, etc. by other generations and my father got the computer all set up before he passed. But he was a bit of a comic nerd so it is quite possible.” He answered as we made our way passed the part of the room occupied by bookshelves and into the area occupied by the computer along with a variety of other things such as what looked to be an armor display case and other things.
“How did your family manage to keep all of this a secret?! Surely the purchase or theft of the things needed to create half of the technology you have would have here would draw a lot of attention!” asked Atsil,
“Can’t tell you or else you might go blab about it to someone after this mess is over. But let’s just say my family were people of many faces.” he said cryptically. They then turned right and went through a door which led to what seemed like a regular living room and kitchen with a mixture of the architecture and design found in the hallway and modern appliances and technology with a large window that overlooked the Zoranian jungle. The furniture was elaborate and had a royal feel to it. Atsil was kind of disappointed at what she saw, something which CGZ could sense from her and let out a chuckle before saying,
“What? Am I not allowed to have some normal comforts in my home?”
“No of course not!” said Atsil, “I am just surprised there wasn’t some advanced machine hidden somewhere.” He just laughed in response and led her up a spiral staircase in the middle of the room and led her to a large double wooden door.
“This will be your room. You should be able to find everything you would need in there including clothes. Also, do you still have your phone on you by any chance?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“Give it to me for a second.” He said as he held his hand out for the phone,
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to be tracked. The security measures here that prevent tracking are advanced but I don’t want to take any chances.” Atsil, begrudgingly, gave her phone to CGZ who removed the case from it, took a tool out from his suit, and removed the sim card from it. He then threw it onto the floor as hard as he could and crushed it under his foot.
“Hey! What the f-”
“Language, also don’t worry I will get you a better one of my own design. I still have the sim card so all your data should be safe.” He said as he slid the sim card into a small pouch in his suit and picked up the pieces of the shattered phone from the floor. “I will get the phone to you in about an hour or so. In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay and let me know if you need anything. Also don’t go snooping around, there are a lot of rooms in this place and some of them can be dangerous.”
With that CGZ walked away down the stairs and out of sight. Atsil was still angry about the phone but turned towards the door to her room and pushed it open only to let out a gasp. The room was like she walked into a royal bedchamber, something which seemed ironic to her considering that one faction wants to make her a queen. But considering how old the place is and how wealthy CGZ must be from all that his ancestors stole over the years, the room’s design and style made sense to her.
Does he live here on his own? How does he keep all of these rooms so clean and dust free if he does live on his own? Did his ancestors hire people to build all of this? There are just so many questions to be asked about this place! But most importantly, where exactly am I!?
Atsil sat down on the soft bed, feeling the soft silk sheets with her hand as she thought about all of these questions. However, the thought that weighs heaviest on her mind is how the Zoranian people are living during these times of conflict.

The fire crackled in the hearth, shining on King Maddy IV and his brother Prince Dominic, as they sat in front of each other.
King Maddy IV said," My brother, you will be visiting Zoran to meet up with the Monarchists' General. An agent of -redacted- will accompany you, disguised as your assistant, for your safety."
Prince Dominic asked," Won't sending a member of the Royal Family raise suspicion in the other factions?"
King Maddy IV replied rather coolly," It would if you would have just visited the country without no good reason. That's why I talked with Prince Marcarius, and he agreed to lease some of the Saint Markan estates in Zoran for a period of ten years. Your cover will be to check on the estates and secretly meet with the General."
"Understood. You know, I'm sometimes in awe of how you think and how you maintain your international relations. I have a question though, how much can I stretch for them, you know because I won't be able to reach you at that time."
"You can offer them arms and money and if they are in a dire need, other kinds of armaments. Promise some post war reparation funds and put in an idea of a trade deal post war."
"Sure. Goodbye brother, I'll see 
you soon", Prince Dominic said while hugging his brother, because as good an opportunity this was, there was an existential threat to his life.
"Goodbye brother. Your 'assistant' will brief you further on your way there. And be extremely careful, God forbid, if anything happens to you, no power in this world will stop me from marching into Zoran."
Prince Dominic left the palace for the airport with his 'assistant', with pride that his brother trusted him with this important duty. His life was probably in danger, and he hoped that he would be alive to see his beloved brother again, but he wouldn't let that stop him from accomplishing the task at hand.

April 30, 1420
1:30 PM Over Time
Temporary Grand Defense Council Building in Southern Zoran
 
“Ladies and gentlemen in this room, we are the few members of the GDC left. Others have either abandoned their position, been captured by one of the rebel groups, or joined the rebel groups.” said Speaker Quadelo, “This is not our finest hour, our more experienced members of our officer corp have defected to the monarchist rebels and much of the army has either defected or deserted. While we still maintain control of our naval vessels along with our air force, the corporations have taken the missile launch sites and we lack support from the people.  However, we still have some international support whether it be recognition, funding, or by other means. With that I open up the floor to the generals in attendance to give us their plan in regaining control of the country.”
A young general, General Lagodo, stood up and walked to the center of the room, a cocky smile on his face. He believed that he was going to be the general to save Zoran. He lacks experience and the only reason why he holds his rank is because of connections he had in the government that helped him progress his career. He had a plan, a bold plan, and he considers it the best plan.
“Representatives, it is an honor for me to serve this country during these turbulent times. Each of you should have a copy of the operation I have planned underneath your seats.” said General Lagodo as the representatives in the room got the folder out from under their seats. The room was quickly filled with shocked muttering, “The plan I have will ensure that other factions cannot claim to be the legitimate government of the country. An evacuation order will be issued and executed as soon as you all approve of the plan. The actual execution of the order will take place at midnight tonight.”  Representative Tsolaquo shot up out of his seat and slammed his fist on the table,
“Are you insane!? What you’re proposing is a war crime! While it may prevent the rebels from claiming legitimacy there will be serious ramifications as a result of doing this!” Several other representatives nodded in agreement with Tsolaquo’s statement.
“While what you say is true we are in a desperate situation representative, desperate times call for desperate measures.” said General Lagodo,
“But it would be dishonorable to use that as justification for this! I cannot allow this!” exclaimed Representative Tsolaquo,
“Ladies and gentlemen, while I understand your concern about this plan you must realize that we lack authority over our own country! We wouldn’t be able to challenge the rebels should one of them take control over Platypus Island and claim to be the legitimate government! The plan might be morally questionable but it will prevent them from making such a claim, allowing us to have time to gain more international support and to coordinate an offensive against the rebels and retake the country. Most honorable speaker, I would like to request you put the plan up to a vote.” said General Lagodo. Speaker Quadelo nodded and put the plan to a vote. Representative Tsolaquo and a few others voted against the plan but they were unfortunately outvoted by two votes. General Lagodo smiled and said,
“Excellent! I will issue the evacuation order immediately and prepare the air force for the operation!”

April 30, 1420
1:30 PM Over Time
Temporary Grand Defense Council Building in Southern Zoran
 
“Ladies and gentlemen in this room, we are the few members of the GDC left. Others have either abandoned their position, been captured by one of the rebel groups, or joined the rebel groups.” said Speaker Quadelo, “This is not our finest hour, our more experienced members of our officer corp have defected to the monarchist rebels and much of the army has either defected or deserted. While we still maintain control of our naval vessels along with our air force, the corporations have taken the missile launch sites and we lack support from the people.  However, we still have some international support whether it be recognition, funding, or by other means. With that I open up the floor to the generals in attendance to give us their plan in regaining control of the country.”
A young general, General Lagodo, stood up and walked to the center of the room, a cocky smile on his face. He believed that he was going to be the general to save Zoran. He lacks experience and the only reason why he holds his rank is because of connections he had in the government that helped him progress his career. He had a plan, a bold plan, and he considers it the best plan.
“Representatives, it is an honor for me to serve this country during these turbulent times. Each of you should have a copy of the operation I have planned underneath your seats.” said General Lagodo as the representatives in the room got the folder out from under their seats. The room was quickly filled with shocked muttering, “The plan I have will ensure that other factions cannot claim to be the legitimate government of the country. An evacuation order will be issued and executed as soon as you all approve of the plan. The actual execution of the order will take place at midnight tonight.”  Representative Tsolaquo shot up out of his seat and slammed his fist on the table,
“Are you insane!? What you’re proposing is a war crime! While it may prevent the rebels from claiming legitimacy there will be serious ramifications as a result of doing this!” Several other representatives nodded in agreement with Tsolaquo’s statement.
“While what you say is true we are in a desperate situation representative, desperate times call for desperate measures.” said General Lagodo,
“But it would be dishonorable to use that as justification for this! I cannot allow this!” exclaimed Representative Tsolaquo,
“Ladies and gentlemen, while I understand your concern about this plan you must realize that we lack authority over our own country! We wouldn’t be able to challenge the rebels should one of them take control over Platypus Island and claim to be the legitimate government! The plan might be morally questionable but it will prevent them from making such a claim, allowing us to have time to gain more international support and to coordinate an offensive against the rebels and retake the country. Most honorable speaker, I would like to request you put the plan up to a vote.” said General Lagodo. Speaker Quadelo nodded and put the plan to a vote. Representative Tsolaquo and a few others voted against the plan but they were unfortunately outvoted by two votes. General Lagodo smiled and said,
“Excellent! I will issue the evacuation order immediately and prepare the air force for the operation!”

April 30, 1420 AF
12:15 PM Over time
In the catacombs of an ancient Zonethos Temple
Shaman Oconostota Nideloyu was offering up a prayer to the Great Spirit in hopes that his meeting with the Varanian delegation would end with the support he needed. He knew the theocrat faction was the weakest among the four involved in the civil war, he desperately needed support should the Will of the Spirit be fulfilled.
The Spirit has warned us against straying from His Will and the country is now in turmoil because of the previous government straying from His Will. Only the Divine Shaman, the successor of Adanvdo can return the country to glory in the eyes of the Spirit.
He got up from the ground and started making his way down the halls of the catacombs in order to meet with the Varanian delegation. He knew little about the delegation but he knew they were willing to give support to his righteous cause.
As he drew closer to the meeting place within the catacombs, he could see the Varanian general waiting for him. He could tell the general was not comfortable standing in a dimly lit room surrounded by skeletons. He entered the room and held up a hand in greeting,
“It is a pleasure to have you here in general. I apologize for keeping you waiting here for as long as I did. Come, let’s go to some place a bit less...grim.” said Nideloyu.
“The pleasure is mine,” said General Ristovski, “and yes, let’s.”
General Ristovski and Shaman Nideloyu made their way through one of the many tunnels of the catacombs until they reached a staircase that leads into the temple which resides above them. This temple was ancient, abandoned long ago when Adanvdo reformed the faith. The reason it was abandoned was because it was judged to be tainted by a giant symbol of a crab, the sign of Ulagohvsgi, being etched in the middle of the temple floor. But this temple, which has been reclaimed by nature, is now the base of operations for the theocratic faction. They stopped in the most intact room in the temple that had a table and a few chairs in the center of the room.
“Please take a seat general, we have much to discuss.” said Nideloyu as he gestured towards one of the chairs. General Ristovski  nodded in gratitude and sat in the chair while Nideloyu walked over to the other side of the table to sit in the seat opposite of him.
“Ah, thank you.”
“Now might I ask why Varanius is interested in backing our most righteous cause? It seems unusual for a secular state to back a group that wishes to create a theocracy.’
“Yes, it does admittedly seem rather odd. But, we wish the best for the people of Zoran, and we think you have the best chance of making that happen.”
“We thank you for coming so far to meet with us. I would be lying if I said we didn’t need support. What kind of assistance is Varanius willing to give us? Arms? Funds? Legitimacy?”
“Funds mainly, to begin with. Arms and legitimacy may come later, depending on availability.”
“And what would you like in return from us in the future? I can imagine that something trade related is what Varanius is looking at correct?”
“Right to the point I see. Yes, well. We do actually have our eyes on those exotic plants. Things like that have so many uses after all.”
“We can do something with that when we win the war.”
Nideloyu muttered a prayer of thanks to the Great Spirit before extending his hand to General Ristovski and shaking on their deal. The future may not be so dark for the theocrats as people once believed with the support they will receive from the Varanian government.

April 30, 1420 AF
12:15 PM Over time
In the catacombs of an ancient Zonethos Temple
Shaman Oconostota Nideloyu was offering up a prayer to the Great Spirit in hopes that his meeting with the Varanian delegation would end with the support he needed. He knew the theocrat faction was the weakest among the four involved in the civil war, he desperately needed support should the Will of the Spirit be fulfilled.
The Spirit has warned us against straying from His Will and the country is now in turmoil because of the previous government straying from His Will. Only the Divine Shaman, the successor of Adanvdo can return the country to glory in the eyes of the Spirit.
He got up from the ground and started making his way down the halls of the catacombs in order to meet with the Varanian delegation. He knew little about the delegation but he knew they were willing to give support to his righteous cause.
As he drew closer to the meeting place within the catacombs, he could see the Varanian general waiting for him. He could tell the general was not comfortable standing in a dimly lit room surrounded by skeletons. He entered the room and held up a hand in greeting,
“It is a pleasure to have you here in general. I apologize for keeping you waiting here for as long as I did. Come, let’s go to some place a bit less...grim.” said Nideloyu.
“The pleasure is mine,” said General Ristovski, “and yes, let’s.”
General Ristovski and Shaman Nideloyu made their way through one of the many tunnels of the catacombs until they reached a staircase that leads into the temple which resides above them. This temple was ancient, abandoned long ago when Adanvdo reformed the faith. The reason it was abandoned was because it was judged to be tainted by a giant symbol of a crab, the sign of Ulagohvsgi, being etched in the middle of the temple floor. But this temple, which has been reclaimed by nature, is now the base of operations for the theocratic faction. They stopped in the most intact room in the temple that had a table and a few chairs in the center of the room.
“Please take a seat general, we have much to discuss.” said Nideloyu as he gestured towards one of the chairs. General Ristovski  nodded in gratitude and sat in the chair while Nideloyu walked over to the other side of the table to sit in the seat opposite of him.
“Ah, thank you.”
“Now might I ask why Varanius is interested in backing our most righteous cause? It seems unusual for a secular state to back a group that wishes to create a theocracy.’
“Yes, it does admittedly seem rather odd. But, we wish the best for the people of Zoran, and we think you have the best chance of making that happen.”
“We thank you for coming so far to meet with us. I would be lying if I said we didn’t need support. What kind of assistance is Varanius willing to give us? Arms? Funds? Legitimacy?”
“Funds mainly, to begin with. Arms and legitimacy may come later, depending on availability.”
“And what would you like in return from us in the future? I can imagine that something trade related is what Varanius is looking at correct?”
“Right to the point I see. Yes, well. We do actually have our eyes on those exotic plants. Things like that have so many uses after all.”
“We can do something with that when we win the war.”
Nideloyu muttered a prayer of thanks to the Great Spirit before extending his hand to General Ristovski and shaking on their deal. The future may not be so dark for the theocrats as people once believed with the support they will receive from the Varanian government.