Fall of Parthenon

Unofficial Art by Grivetart

## History

The fall of Parthenon is one of the most significant events in the OGAM universe, as it allowed for the collapse of the British government and subsequent takeover by the BUF and Inquisition of much of the UK mainland. Taking place in on the 20th of November 1916, the fall of Parthenon was precipitated by the sudden public revelation that artificial magic was produced from human remains. The public outcry and scapegoating of Parthenon lead to its almost complete destruction.

The beginning of this event is thought to have initially begun in 1902 when private investigator John Goltz and his companion Damien Whitweather were hired by the Linton family to investigate their son, Edgar's, disappearance. The P.I.s discovered that Edgar had reportedly failed his magical aptitude test at the London Orphic Academy, after which he had reportedly been sent to Africa for further vocational studies. This however proved to be untrue, as the P.I.s discovered he, alongside other failed students, had been sent to a facility nearby owned by Meinhard & Sons. Obtaining a spell of disguise from Professor Darkwood, they were able to infiltrate the school as students and fail the aptitude test in order to discover what happened to the students. Upon failing, the students were rounded into transports that would take them to the Meinhard facility. Upon arrival they were told that their failure meant they were now considered outcasts, and their bodies were to be reconstituted into artificial magic which would be resold. Goltz and Whitweather were able to cause a panicked distraction amongst the students, moving deeper into the facility. After a long journey fighting through the factory, the two discovered a girl who went by the name Absentia, a failed student with seemingly no memory of her former life, she had lived in the dark unused parts of the facility. She was able to guide the two through the facility and eventually to the office of Rain Meinhard, the CEO of Meinhard & Sons. After a confrontation with the ceo, who explained the importance of maintaining the system of artificial magic, Goltz and Whitweather decided to take her down. The group engaged in a long battle with Rain, eventually ending with Absentia sacrificing herself to kill her. Goltz and Whitweather, both worn out and injured, escaped the facility, hoping to bring out the truth.

14 years later and Meinhard & Sons had managed to cover up any attempts at revealing the truth by Goltz, leading him to be somewhat ostracised and regarded as a failure of a P.I. The public revelation of how artificial magic was sudden and unexpected, papers detailing the inhumane practice and framing Parthenon as the main conspirators. The outcry from the public was quick and violent, with crowds piling into the street to raid magic shops, government offices (the government also being blamed), and the Parthenon headquarters. The mobs of angry civilians were urged on by members of the BUF who had plotted for the fall of the government and Parthenon alongside the Inquisition. Eventually the citizens and BUF 'blackshirts' arrived at the Parthenon headquarters and were confront by Alimina Direheart and several agents. A long standoff began as Alimina attempted to reason with the crowd, this was cut short however by her assassination by a hidden Inquisitorial agent, something witnessed by her younger sister, Penny Direheart. As this was happening Alimina had initiated the destruction of the Parthenon archives and communications network, something aided by Hemlock who proceeded to start burning down the building. Zeta Squad were able to escape the crumbling building with Alimina's body, delivering it to the Direheart reference, then fleeing into the countryside.

London and other cities throughout the UK were in utter chaos as the government lost control to civilian and BUF elements. The BUF quickly declared the administration of Prime Minister David Lloyd George to be illegitimate and that they would take over the government of the UK. This new fascist regime was led by BUF leader Oswald Mosley who proclaimed himself 'Lord Protector' of the British State. As London began to collapse and loyalist security forces were routed, King George V and the cabinet were evacuated from the city, eventually moving to the Canadian capital of Ottawa.

   As the various cities of the UK fell to the fascist/Inquisitorial forces, various militias made up of leftist and conservative elements began to rise up to fill the void of a fleeing government. Many parts of England were divided between BUF/Inquisition administrations and the newly formed People's Army, which engaged in vicious guerrilla and urban warfare. Cities such as Brighton, Manchester, and Cardiff saw significant risings by People's Army forces, allowing for formal resistance against Mosley to begin. Meanwhile in Scotland and Ireland, loyalist forces were able to, somewhat feebly, maintain control of the region, preventing coups by local rebel factions. This however has proven to be tenuous, with nationalist elements beginning to mobilise themselves, the potential for independence being too great to ignore.

Parthenon was formally disbanded by the new BUF regime, declaring it an illegal organisation whose members were to be hunted down and prosecuted. Most of Parthenon's agents and personnel subsequently fled the country or went underground to prevent their capture. The British Government-In-Exile however maintained its recognition of Parthenon, declaring the Inquisition instead to be an illegal and traitorous organisation. Various regional headquarters of Parthenon, now without communication to each other, formed autonomous leadership structures, some declaring themselves the new central Parthenon hub, one such being Parthenon Montserrat. The only legitimate centre of Parthenon recognised by the Lloyd government has been in Ottawa however.

With much of the British Isles now under enemy control and its leader dead, Parthenon has been forced to regroup and restructure. Former Secretary-General Damietta Direheart has been made the new provisional leader of the organisation by the Central Committee. Parthenon's official objective is now to retake the mainland UK and restore the rightful British government.