A definitive presence of force

The construct-world of Corregidor is the capital of the Commonwealth of Man. It is, and not without justification, held to be the centre of the multiverse by millions spread across several worlds. Corregidor itself is ruled by a Queen, but nothing is decided without having consulted the calculations of the God Machine that occupies the world's core. Beneath the monarch, a class of Captains of Industry govern the 314 wards of what is essentially one massive city.

Just as Corregidor is the centre, Argos is accepted as being the First World - the one from whence all of mankind sprang - and during the Second Argonian War the Commonwealth again fought the Ordo Ultima Thule, that age old enemy. For some reason, humans born outside of Argos cannot achieve Arcane Enlightenment and so the people of the Commonwealth have turned to science and technology instead.

The God machine has long forbidden any direct involvement with Argos, but during the latter stages of the war it produced calculations proving an urgent necessity for a permanent mission to the First World. In the decades that has passed since then, an enclave has been established on the Wild Coast, close to Dragonstomb. The New Picton outpost has now grown from a fortified camp to a proper town in its own right. Still, it is first and foremost a military base tasked with containing Thulean activities.

At the head of the Argonian Mission is High Comissioner Sir Willford S. Nebulon-Alpha IV, a career administrator and former royal analyst. His mandate is to maintain the delicate balance between involvement in Agonian affairs and not upsetting the status quo. According to the the Calculations of Protocol for the mission, it is of vital importance that the world is left to develop along its own trajectory, and that technological seepage be kept at a minimum.

As is usually the case when larger issues are to be resolved, the hard work falls not to the high and mighty, but to the many whose names will never be remembered. The backbone of the Aragonian Mission is thousands of sailors, soldiers, and marines. These are the men who fight Thuleans and storm cultist strongholds, who man the watchtowers and crew the cannons. Many have brought their families to New Picton and despite the prospect of a gruesome death at the hands of a crazed nephandi, few would change the fresh Argonian air for the smog of their homeworlds.

There are of course problems that cannot be solved by ironclads, dirigibles, or volley fire. To this end, the High Commissioner has issued letters of marque to a number of special agents. These enterprising individuals travel the world, carry correspondence, meet with contacts, or engage in outright espionage. One of these agents is Hal Singelton, smuggler by trade and captain of the cloudskiff Rustbucket.

Storyteller's note: No my friends, I am not back in the one-post-a-day mode of the heyday this blog, but seeing as we're about to kick off another BoW chronicle I have a few of these update-posts lined up. Still, blogging was a big part of my life for a good while back there and it does feel good to be back.