Ualek

Cesca has a squadron of seductresses and seductors at her beck and call in order to manipulate persons of interest, advancing her master plan and advancing her status all the while. Depending on her personal opinion of whether the targets are good people or not, she often decides whether to leapfrog or defame said targets. I have visions of a twirling laughing duo in a night garden.

Cesca's plan to infiltrate the aristocracy is to use her current influence as practical leader of the Acrefell underworld to gain an invitation to the annual Midwinter Gala and influence Princess Emiliya. From there, gaining Emiliya as an unaware puppet, she progressed to manipulating Emiliya to unknowingly manipulating King Hektar into desiring more power from his parliament. He threatened to make more noise if he wasn't granted more power. The Tervan-based second and third generation aristocracy backed his claims (from influence of the Tervan king) and Cesca thus used the chaos to insert sleeper agents and sympathisers.

Once Psychedelia had begun to accrue enough wealth and power, Ualek detached itself from Psychedelia and the thriving drugs trade, leaving behind a smaller, less competent gang. Instead, it began to rely on the donations and profits made from the shares of dozens of companies under its shadowy control. It shifted away from the Acrefell underworld and built a global HQ deep in the Czifnyan Islands (exterior like Tuilieres Palace, interior like the Oval Library) with vast libraries, file rooms, studies, vaults and opulent halls with portraits of notable individuals, with multiple of Cesca as she grew older.

Once the phase involving the Consortium is done, she secretly recruits all manipulators from wherever she can get them, using the gangs as a springboard to stardom - most of the original gangs are either seriously diminished in power or completely ruined without raising suspicion. Psychedelia in particular was left to fend for itself and is doing alright, especially considering the drug trade and the fact that it has sentimental loose ties to the kingmaker organisation.

Ualek itself is the native Bolscemenan (Jiggo-Mormilic) term for the northern lights, Jiggo being the native language group and Mormilic being integral to the languages of the Thwaitian language group. Ualek is often borrowed as a loan word, with the mernicised form being the hullwick. The Yvinndts and the West use the term moromora.

## Grand Strategists

* Francesca Maycoombe
* Scritt Areas
* Sebastian Morginner
* Jacquelyn/Ajakalama Honeyborne

The title of Grand Strategist is usually for life and, as such, everybody has remained until death due to large paychecks and nigh unlimited power, not to mention the sheer fun/thrill of the role. The title is definitely not hereditary as the skill required is extremely extremely rare - wide and thorough screenings take place near the event of death and a heir is usually tucked away somewhere. Enhanced manipulation, ability to obsessively plan and general benevolence is required for the job. The hardest factor to identify is true benevolence since anyone who attempts to nefariously infiltrate the organisation already demonstrates manipulation and planning. This is why vigorous testing (Hitman style live tests)is carried out by the current Grand Strategist; one of their most important roles is to identify and find a suitable candidate as soon as possible. Ideally, since the Grand Strategist is supposedly the most cunning person alive, nobody should be able to trick their way into the role and thus the power. Even if that is the case, independent contingency plans are in place to dissolve Ualek or kill any non-benevolent manipulator who is getting too adept.

Scritt Areas' thing for when he was Grand Strategist was to write bestselling, absolutely gripping and ingenious mystery novels under the pseudonym H. Broadwing. He would just send the manuscripts to random publishing companies expecting no payment or recognition, solely entertaining himself through watching how the public reacted.

Sebastian Morginner's thing was to make a single stand-up comedy routine. And it was the absolute funniest thing, pretty much quantifiably in human history. I have visions of people howling with laughter at every sentence, holding sides, red-faced. In the comedy world, this became known as the Wayling routine after the bar it was made in. Only grainy, monochromatic footage remains and nobody could track down the comedian because of the mask (incorporated into the routine). There have been covers but nobody can quite capture the calculated and almost scientific perfection of the original.

The members of Ualek are not solely the powerful (if you're powerful, you're automatically inducted into the club) but rather for the most manipulative and cunning. If you display excellent ability in acting or strategic manipulation, rich or poor, chances are that you will get scouted, or at the very least, employed in information gathering through a front organisation. Their base in Carroway is based in an abandoned power station similar to Tate Modern.

The Reconnaissance Cartograph is a famous map in cartographical circles due to it being the first Eastern map of the Western shorelines. Very fancily drawn too.