Post by Risukage on Jan 18, 2017 17:45:08 GMT -5
Ever since Deep became a town it has been a hub of commerce, and where people gather, information flows. Lys found a strange and lucrative income by providing a place where gossip and news could flourish, and as Deep and the Lux Cantatio grew, so too did his efforts to keep tabs on the goings-on of the world. Over the millennia it has grown from just Lys chatting up merchants and travelers over a pint or a cup to a realm-spanning network of informants, contacts, and agents. Where many would use this knowledge as power, and therefore leverage and influence, Lys has remained startlingly humble and quiet about what he knows and how. Rather, he is as a dragon that perches atop its hoard, loath to part with even the smallest of coin. Further, where many would use this information to plot, spy, and otherwise cause trouble for others but elevate themselves, Lys uses what he learns to aid others, almost always anonymously so as to maintain the stance of neutrality. Many people owe their lives to him for dropping the right word in the right ear at the right time, and this has gained him no small amount of goodwill from people of many cities and factions.
Eventually, there was too much to track at once and Lys began to employ trusted confidants to monitor and gather what was being said for him, and from this the Yggdrasil network began. Taking the code name of "Odin," he began to turn the loose collection of random news to a dedicated tracking of useful intelligence and information. One of the first things that he did upon founding the Lux was to create an office for himself, not just to act as an administrative center for the facility, but as a central location for which information would flow and be stored. Lys does not manage everything himself directly, he only directs and acts upon critical information, though he does try to keep a hand in the overall workings and moving parts of the world so that he can best maneuver his forces. His second-in-command, known within the network as "Ratatosk," is a human of no particular renown or interest, and manages the network for him so that he can focus on running the Lux. After Xander is created, he takes the name of "Loki" and assists her with her duties, as the workload and information flow is enormous at this time, and his continual presence near Lys allows her to do much more field work, providing faster and more accurate information. Particularly feared is Lynn, known as "Fenrir," and also as the "Wolf of Yggdrasil." Widely rumored to be the daughter of Xander (or even Lys), she is the lone enforcer for all of Yggdrasil, and quite often simply the word of her arriving in an area will cease the hostilities and actions that lead to her deployment in the first place.
Informants and contacts in the field are known as "Ravens" and can be identified by a small, enameled pin of a stylized flame somewhere on their clothing or gear. At least one can be found in every major city in Sinis, and anyone seeking to find them need only begin asking around; the Ravens can never be contacted directly, but upon hearing of inquiries being made they seek out the one who needs their aid and determines whether or not to assist. It is well-known that nobody ever, ever brings harm to a Raven, as they are a valuable resource for the community and have an unofficial level of diplomatic immunity. Strangely enough, retribution for harming a Raven almost never comes from within the Yggdrasil, it is always those who know of them and what they do that take matters into their own hands, and even stranger, the local law enforcement tends to look the other way... They are not completely helpless, however, as all Ravens are equipped with a needle-pack that contains toxins to subdue or incapacitate threats; blue needles are a sleep-toxin that will render a victim unconscious for around an hour, give or take certain biological factors. Green needles cause fatigue, shortness of breath, and muscle weakness for half an hour with no additional or lingering side effects. Yellow needles induce nausea and dizziness in the victim for several minutes, and most attempts to act or move while under its influence can produce vomiting. Red needles are tipped with a highly deadly toxin for which there is currently no known cure, but these are only to be used when authorized to do so by certain members within Yggdrasil, which is an extremely rare event. It is a slow-acting, multi-spectrum venom that acts as both a neurotoxin and a paralytic, causing the victim to lose control of their motor functions as those functions shut down at the same time. Usually victims perish due to cardiac arrest, or suffocation from their lungs and diaphragm being unable to process air and therefore suffocating them. This toxin also has a strong sedative and painkilling effect as well, ensuring that the process is as painless as possible.
Members of Yggdrasil communicate through coded messages, with both ciphers and "flowery" writing that makes it highly difficult to decipher the message within. Further, not all traffic is data; there have been multiple instances of sending "dummy" or "trash" messages just to test the effectiveness and security of the network, as well as to create "chaff" for any who would intercept the transmissions. Thus, anyone attempting to gain access to their intel through nefarious means often finds themselves too frustrated to continue or outright baffled at what they think that they've discovered. The message is clear: if you want to know something, JUST ASK. You may not always get what you're looking for, or anything at all, but it is a hell of a lot easier than trying to go about it sneakily, although the Ravens do find it good for a laugh.
Further, though outwardly projecting the image of an information network that dedicates itself to peace and neutrality, it does have several routes to provide enforcement, and, worst case, outright war. There are no "warriors" within its ranks, but nearly every member is a "force multiplier" that adds to the effectiveness of the allied unit with whom they are deployed. There has been no need as of yet to scale up for conflict, but it appears that the political landscape has changed enough in the new year to warrant concern and preparation. Further, there have long been rumors of a "Ragnarok Protocol," but nobody knows what that is, or if it is even a thing, as Yggdrasil is also well-known for obfuscation and misdirection, though they never outright lie or give false information. It could just be a deterrent and not actually be anything of note, but given the organization's lengthy history and in-the-shadows operations, it is likely that it really is something of note, and likely a devastating weapon. Only "Odin" and "Loki" are absolutely certain of what it means, and the few people who have asked about it only received the vexingly cryptic answer of "if it becomes necessary it will become known."
Origins of the red needles:
Eventually, there was too much to track at once and Lys began to employ trusted confidants to monitor and gather what was being said for him, and from this the Yggdrasil network began. Taking the code name of "Odin," he began to turn the loose collection of random news to a dedicated tracking of useful intelligence and information. One of the first things that he did upon founding the Lux was to create an office for himself, not just to act as an administrative center for the facility, but as a central location for which information would flow and be stored. Lys does not manage everything himself directly, he only directs and acts upon critical information, though he does try to keep a hand in the overall workings and moving parts of the world so that he can best maneuver his forces. His second-in-command, known within the network as "Ratatosk," is a human of no particular renown or interest, and manages the network for him so that he can focus on running the Lux. After Xander is created, he takes the name of "Loki" and assists her with her duties, as the workload and information flow is enormous at this time, and his continual presence near Lys allows her to do much more field work, providing faster and more accurate information. Particularly feared is Lynn, known as "Fenrir," and also as the "Wolf of Yggdrasil." Widely rumored to be the daughter of Xander (or even Lys), she is the lone enforcer for all of Yggdrasil, and quite often simply the word of her arriving in an area will cease the hostilities and actions that lead to her deployment in the first place.
Informants and contacts in the field are known as "Ravens" and can be identified by a small, enameled pin of a stylized flame somewhere on their clothing or gear. At least one can be found in every major city in Sinis, and anyone seeking to find them need only begin asking around; the Ravens can never be contacted directly, but upon hearing of inquiries being made they seek out the one who needs their aid and determines whether or not to assist. It is well-known that nobody ever, ever brings harm to a Raven, as they are a valuable resource for the community and have an unofficial level of diplomatic immunity. Strangely enough, retribution for harming a Raven almost never comes from within the Yggdrasil, it is always those who know of them and what they do that take matters into their own hands, and even stranger, the local law enforcement tends to look the other way... They are not completely helpless, however, as all Ravens are equipped with a needle-pack that contains toxins to subdue or incapacitate threats; blue needles are a sleep-toxin that will render a victim unconscious for around an hour, give or take certain biological factors. Green needles cause fatigue, shortness of breath, and muscle weakness for half an hour with no additional or lingering side effects. Yellow needles induce nausea and dizziness in the victim for several minutes, and most attempts to act or move while under its influence can produce vomiting. Red needles are tipped with a highly deadly toxin for which there is currently no known cure, but these are only to be used when authorized to do so by certain members within Yggdrasil, which is an extremely rare event. It is a slow-acting, multi-spectrum venom that acts as both a neurotoxin and a paralytic, causing the victim to lose control of their motor functions as those functions shut down at the same time. Usually victims perish due to cardiac arrest, or suffocation from their lungs and diaphragm being unable to process air and therefore suffocating them. This toxin also has a strong sedative and painkilling effect as well, ensuring that the process is as painless as possible.
Members of Yggdrasil communicate through coded messages, with both ciphers and "flowery" writing that makes it highly difficult to decipher the message within. Further, not all traffic is data; there have been multiple instances of sending "dummy" or "trash" messages just to test the effectiveness and security of the network, as well as to create "chaff" for any who would intercept the transmissions. Thus, anyone attempting to gain access to their intel through nefarious means often finds themselves too frustrated to continue or outright baffled at what they think that they've discovered. The message is clear: if you want to know something, JUST ASK. You may not always get what you're looking for, or anything at all, but it is a hell of a lot easier than trying to go about it sneakily, although the Ravens do find it good for a laugh.
Further, though outwardly projecting the image of an information network that dedicates itself to peace and neutrality, it does have several routes to provide enforcement, and, worst case, outright war. There are no "warriors" within its ranks, but nearly every member is a "force multiplier" that adds to the effectiveness of the allied unit with whom they are deployed. There has been no need as of yet to scale up for conflict, but it appears that the political landscape has changed enough in the new year to warrant concern and preparation. Further, there have long been rumors of a "Ragnarok Protocol," but nobody knows what that is, or if it is even a thing, as Yggdrasil is also well-known for obfuscation and misdirection, though they never outright lie or give false information. It could just be a deterrent and not actually be anything of note, but given the organization's lengthy history and in-the-shadows operations, it is likely that it really is something of note, and likely a devastating weapon. Only "Odin" and "Loki" are absolutely certain of what it means, and the few people who have asked about it only received the vexingly cryptic answer of "if it becomes necessary it will become known."
Origins of the red needles: