#of a united Auradon military force

[thebluestbluewords]

please help me establish more extremely made up fairy tale lore:

[deifiedstars]

ADAM DE VILLANUEVE - AURADONIAN EXPANSION       

because it’s important to state, the creation of the united kingdoms of auradon was not a wholly peaceful process. adam has only recently been returned to the throne after his curse breaks and he finds he has a lot to learn about the nearby kingdoms that have all moved on and grown whilst his has been languishing, hidden from view. he throws himself into studying the changes and becoming accustomed to them and then he devotes himself to politics. he puts his wedding to belle on hold until he feels like he can live up to being king of the kingdom of auradon.         

but in all his attempts to learn, he finds that many of the other kingdoms have recently seen attacks from magical beings like maleficent, grimhilde and the horned king. this only further increases his distrust and distaste for magical beings, even those who think they are operating for good- since he knows that the enchantress believed what she was doing was right, but he cannot see it as anything other than evil (even if not for himself then for his servants who had done nothing to deserve her ire).        

he creates a proposal for joining several of the nearby nations under one banner, keeping their autonomy but agreeing to protect each other’s borders as well as their own. verrelac, the summerlands, solaria, north riding, camelot, westerly and tirulia are approached and agree to sign up under adam’s banner. this creates the first united military force of auradon and its main purpose is to defend the kingdoms against large scale magical threats.         

with verrelac on side, adam also finds a kindred spirit in the fairy godmother, who equally wants to see an end to anyone using magic for evil purposes. together, they start a public campaign against dark magic and adam moves on with his political campaign too. he speaks to the kingdoms of corona, south riding, east riding and apheliotia and brings them under the banner too, with promise of military power and safety from those that would want to harm their kingdoms. with this military power behind him he moves into pressuring the kingdoms of northern wei and agrabah to join his alliance. northern wei borders onto the already established alliance and has little choice but to surrender to the superior forces. with northern wei signed into the treaty and ahpeliotia bordering the land, agrabah is quick to follow.      

adam enters into talks with arendelle, using his military and naval power to strongarm the queen into a deal, then does the same for the wild kingdom, faraway, the borderlands and motunui. this is not a peaceful occupation, but comes with threat of an overwhelming military force, backed by some of the most powerful ‘good’ magic users to have ever lived. though from the outside it looks like it was entirely peaceful, it was not.     but for regular citizens, it seems to be working perfectly. they feel safer, technology is expanding and they are earning more money for less work. what they don’t see, or don’t want to see is how magical beings and sentient non-humans are being unfairly treated by the system in order to create a world of wealth.       

and with the entirety of the human kingdoms following this treaty, and experiencing the fastest growth and unheard of levels of prosperity, there is a relative happiness within the kingdoms. adam turns his sights on the more difficult targets of olympia, schwartzwald, atlantica and neverland. to the gods, he promises to look after their human population. schwartwald is forced into the agreement by virtue of arendelle already being part of it and under the promise that the elemental spirits of the forest wouldn’t be touched. atlantica is forced into the treaty by overwhelming forces and the fact technological advancements have created weapons that can be used underwater. neverland is also given no choice, with the fairies anchoring it into the real world and peter being given the option of joining, or being imprisoned for his crimes (like kidnapping and child endangerment) in a place where he would be capable of growing up.      

only once this is done does adam actually agree to marry belle and once they are done, he brings together all the treaty nations to vote in a high king. adam wins the vote with an 85% majority, he is named high king and the treaty nations become the united kingdoms of auradon. shortly thereafter adam announces his intention to build an offshore prison for all of the criminals and villains, so as to make the united kingdoms a land of peace and prosperity. so that’s what he does, he creates the isle of the lost, puts a barrier around it and turns it into a prison, even going so far as to bring dead villains back just to lock them up.

[pariendae-a]

AURADONIAN EXPANSION

       because it’s important to state, the creation of the united kingdoms of auradon was not a wholly peaceful process. adam has only recently been returned to the throne after his curse breaks and he finds he has a lot to learn about the nearby kingdoms that have all moved on and grown whilst his has been languishing, hidden from view. he throws himself into studying the changes and becoming accustomed to them and then he devotes himself to politics. he puts his wedding to belle on hold until he feels like he can live up to being king of the kingdom of auradon. 

         but in all his attempts to learn, he finds that many of the other kingdoms have recently seen attacks from magical beings like maleficent, grimhilde and the horned king. this only further increases his distrust and distaste for magical beings, even those who think they are operating for good- since he knows that the enchantress believed what she was doing was right, but he cannot see it as anything other than evil (even if not for himself then for his servants who had done nothing to deserve her ire). 

        he creates a proposal for joining several of the nearby nations under one banner, keeping their autonomy but agreeing to protect each other’s borders as well as their own. verrelac, the summerlands, solaria, north riding, camelot, westerly and tirulia are approached and agree to sign up under adam’s banner. this creates the first united military force of auradon and its main purpose is to defend the kingdoms against large scale magical threats. 

         with verrelac on side, adam also finds a kindred spirit in the fairy godmother, who equally wants to see an end to anyone using magic for evil purposes. together, they start a public campaign against dark magic and adam moves on with his political campaign too. he speaks to the kingdoms of corona, south riding, east riding and apheliotia and brings them under the banner too, with promise of military power and safety from those that would want to harm their kingdoms. with this military power behind him he moves into pressuring the kingdoms of northern wei and agrabah to join his alliance. northern wei borders onto the already established alliance and has little choice but to surrender to the superior forces. with northern wei signed into the treaty and ahpeliotia bordering the land, agrabah is quick to follow. 

      adam enters into talks with arendelle, using his military and naval power to strongarm the queen into a deal, then does the same for the wild kingdom, faraway, the borderlands and motunui. this is not a peaceful occupation, but comes with threat of an overwhelming military force, backed by some of the most powerful ‘good’ magic users to have ever lived. though from the outside it looks like it was entirely peaceful, it was not. 

     but for regular citizens, it seems to be working perfectly. they feel safer, technology is expanding and they are earning more money for less work. what they don’t see, or don’t want to see is how magical beings and sentient non-humans are being unfairly treated by the system in order to create a world of wealth. 

       and with the entirety of the human kingdoms following this treaty, and experiencing the fastest growth and unheard of levels of prosperity, there is a relative happiness within the kingdoms. adam turns his sights on the more difficult targets of olympia, schwartzwald, atlantica and neverland. to the gods, he promises to look after their human population. schwartwald is forced into the agreement by virtue of arendelle already being part of it and under the promise that the elemental spirits of the forest wouldn’t be touched. atlantica is forced into the treaty by overwhelming forces and the fact technological advancements have created weapons that can be used underwater. neverland is also given no choice, with the fairies anchoring it into the real world and peter being given the option of joining, or being imprisoned for his crimes (like kidnapping and child endangerment) in a place where he would be capable of growing up. 

      only once this is done does adam actually agree to marry belle and once they are done, he brings together all the treaty nations to vote in a high king. adam wins the vote with an 85% majority, he is named high king and the treaty nations become the united kingdoms of auradon. 

shortly thereafter adam announces his intention to build an offshore prison for all of the criminals and villains, so as to make the united kingdoms a land of peace and prosperity. so that’s what he does, he creates the isle of the lost, puts a barrier around it and turns it into a prison, even going so far as to bring dead villains back just to lock them up. 

[eviesmyspiritanimal]

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Summary: As one of Auradon’s last hopes for keeping the enemy at bay, Harry’s heading off with Uma to be stationed for one year to lead a military outpost in the war against the insurgency of villains. Evie’s not doing well at all. Hevie or Harry x Evie in an Auradon Civil War AU.

    “Take me with you!” Evie came to a screeching halt on the dock just by the ship an oddly desperate look on her face as she held out a hand in his direction. Only her head and shoulders were visible to any spectators upon the ship’s deck. Harry turned to look at her and his expression softened as he took a few steps so he could see her better over the edge of the ship. He bent over and placed his elbows on the railing.

  “Me love. Ye came,” he happily acknowledged as he regarded her with a subdued happiness. Harry didn’t really think she would after the massive blowout she had last night with the stress of the entire ordeal. After all, he wasn’t doing so well either with all of this.

  “Of course,” she quietly assured him before launching into a more desperate plea.

  “I can’t let you go! I can go to the outpost with you and help where I can. Provide medical care, something. I just can’t be without you!” Evie frantically cried out. He quietly watched her for several long moments before shaking his head.

  “I can’t. It’s dangerous, an’ besides, I can’t take ye away from yer family here. From yer duties,” Harry told her, taking her outstretched hand in his own and kissing it softly before staring at her with a very much saddened gaze.

  “And ye truly don’t wanna leave ‘em either. Yer not foolin’ anyone but yerself, me love,” he told her under his breath and a tear rolled down her cheek as he gazed upon her fair face. He knew she was going to fall apart before it was all over.

  “Don’t cry, Pretty Face. There’s not a thing to be done ‘bout it,” Harry attempted to comfort her, reaching out his other hand and cupping her cheek gently yet firmly.

  “Can’t you tell her no?” Evie pleaded with him as she placed her other hand on the strong wood surface of the boat.

  “It’s my duty, and I have to go where me cap’n goes.”

  “Screw duty! Quit, then,” Evie demanded feebly as she squeezed his hand that was in her own and Harry shook his head sadly.

  “I ‘ave to go with ‘er. Y’know our circumstances. You ‘ave duties ‘ere as royal advisor and I ‘ave duties as first mate to the cap’n of Auradon’s navy,” Harry softly explained and Evie’s shoulders shook as a sob wracked her frame. Harry ran his hand down her cheek and under her chin as he angled her head so that she was looking at him.

  “Hey, I’ll always come back to ye. I won’t be dyin’ in this skirmish or any other one.”

  “You don’t know that, Harry Hook, you don’t know that,” Evie hysterically explained to him and Harry stepped over the railing and hopped down so that he was at her level.

  Without hesitation, Evie crashed into his chest heavily and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He wholly enveloped her smaller frame in his own and ran his fingers through her flowing blue tresses that seemed to wave like a waterfall over her back and his arms.

  Evie breathed deeply between bouts of uncontrollable tears and he placed his lips on her forehead as he inhaled the sweet smell of her perfume and unique Evie scent. It was almost like honey and strawberries and he couldn’t help but immediately think of that bottle of shampoo that she had so proudly exhibited to him just a week or two ago that was supposed to be so beneficial for various parts of the hair. He wished now that he could remember just what she had said.

  The truth was, he was terrified of failing her and the kingdom. If Uma and he were sunk on the way to the battle-site or were killed during their long stay at the outpost, there was officially no force stopping the rising insurgency from invading Auradon and killing countless innocents.

  And what would stop them from possibly killing Evie? Sure, her sister could turn into a dragon, but if they managed to get through the defenses or catch them off-guard, Evie could be gravely endangered.

  His subtly shook his head, clinging to her ever tighter as he tried to get those thoughts out of his head. Evie buried her face in his shirt and grabbed his waist in a nigh suffocating hold.

  “Harry!” a voice came in and interrupted their little world where they could just stay there together forever.

  He looked up at the deck and saw Uma standing there with a solemn expression. Her expression was hard, but her eyes conveyed a softness that was oddly suiting of her as she looked at the both of them standing there so beautifully entangled together.

  “It’s… time to go,” Uma softly spoke, and he could barely hear her over the sounds of the crew’s noise as they prepared cannons and other forms of artillery. He glanced down at Evie’s crown of flowing hair and looked back at Uma, pleading for just one more moment with the love of his life.

  She regarded them for just a moment more before looking down at the deck. After a few beats she nodded to him and he could see the tears in her eyes before she determinedly blinked hard to send away the urge to fall apart. Uma turned and headed for the wheel of the ship to prepare for sailing for the high seas.

  Harry hesitantly pulled away from her just a bit and he pushed his forehead against hers, their noses squished firmly together as they looked into each other’s eyes.

  “It’s going to be a year… I don’t want to lose you. I love you,” she murmured, sounding as if she were about to launch into frantic sobs once again. Harry sighed deeply, using his logical brain to push away his desperate heart’s desire for her.

  “I love you, too,” Harry told her just as he heard the horn signifying takeoff. Harry glanced at the ship quickly before taking her cheeks in his hands and passionately locking her lips with his own. She scrambled to grab his coat lapels as she returned it with just as much vigor.

  Harry was determined to get what he could of her before he absolutely had to go. Evie meant more to him that absolutely anything besides his captain and their cause. Of course, his devotion to the cause was almost completely out of devotion to Evie and her safety.

  He finally pulled away from her softly and took in every last detail of her face, determined to remember everything about her in case something was to happen.

  Her gorgeous mocha eyes finally opened to look into his own and he took special notice of every little fleck of green swirled in the beauty of the brown pools. Harry forced himself to draw away from her just barely to gaze upon her face better.

  “Wait for me, my love. I will return,” Harry solemnly swore his oath, taking her hand and pressing it against his heart as the sealing of his promise. Evie closed her eyes for a moment more, mustering her strength, before opening them with a renewed determination.

  “I will,” she took his free hand and pressed it against her heart. He smiled softly at her, squeezing her hand that was against his chest and he stepped back slowly, his hold slipping away from her as he mentally readied himself to return to the ship. He offered her a bow, and with a longing look, he turned and swiftly climbed the side of the ship, vaulting over the railing easily.

  Evie watched him intently as he tipped his hat to her one last time. She curtsied in reply, offering him a vague hint of a smile as they made haste in sailing off.

  She watched them until they were almost imperceptible on the horizon before finally turning around to return to the castle. Evie couldn’t help but feel not empty but at the same time not quite full.

  That boat had a piece of her heart on it, and so help her, Uma had better deliver that part back home to her safely. She didn’t aim to live in this hollowed state for the rest of her life.

  Evie sighed, opening the great doors of the castle, and resolving to do all that she could to bring the enemy to their knees.

   ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

      Evie strolled through the gardens, enjoying the fleeting beauty of the hurried birds and the pure colors of the deep red roses. She had a bit more of a pep in her step today. There was a promise of something great happening today, and she could feel it in her bones.

  The war had been won, but communications were still cut with any ships or units at any distance beyond one-hundred miles as a result of the enemy’s success in eliminating signals sent from boat to boat. She had been waiting for days now in hopes that some sign of Uma’s ship would turn up, and Mal always reassured her, saying the same thing- there’s no telling where in Auradon that Uma will dock the great boat given that communications were eliminated and Mal will let Evie know if she sees or hears of anything from the ship.

  Evie sighed, reaching out and gently cutting a single rose from its place on the bush. She took in a breath of the sweet smell of the roses, unwillingly noting how they paled in comparison to the smell of the sea that seemed to be oddly wafting in the garden. Evie furrowed her brow, wondering where that smell was coming from considering the fact that Mal’s castle was nowhere near the ocean.

  “Tha’ wasn’t very nice. Ye beat me to it,” a voice suddenly came like music to her ears and she turned to face the source.

  Standing there before her was that achingly familiar boy with the hook that she loved so dearly with a rose in one hand and his signature hook on the other. She drank in his appearance thirstily as if it were the last look that she would ever have of him.

  He was wearing the usual deep mahogany leather clothing and his face was covered in a light coating of scruff that somehow made him even more attractive than he was when clean shaven. A small scar ran down his eyebrow and disrupted the growth of the hair, but other than that he appeared to be not worse for wear. Especially with those even larger muscles.

  “I wanted to give ye a rose first,” Harry told her with a slight smile before she suddenly and without hesitation practically jumped onto him. She pressed her lips against his with a nigh frenzied fervor, trying to show him just how much she had missed him as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Harry immediately dropped the rose and his hook to the grassy ground and reciprocated quickly, heatedly making out with her as he held her up.

  She drew away from him for a moment, running her lips and nose along the newfound roughness of his cheeks and chin. Evie couldn’t help but grin dopily at the feel of it. He started tracing kisses along her jawline and she barely resisted the moan that was sure to come.

  She willfully pulled away from him just enough so she could get a closer look at his face. His gaze locked onto hers and she found herself mesmerized and completely overwhelmed by the love and desire that she found there. Evie trailed soft kisses across his skin, lingering especially long on the eyebrow scar and the one that she had just noticed on his upper lip.

  Evie pressed her forehead against his and he slowly lowered her to the ground. Evie kept her gaze firmly on his own as she carefully guided his hand to her heart and smiled sweetly at him.

  “I waited for you.”

  Swallowing hard, Harry took her hand ever so gently in his own, pressing it to his chest as he had about a year ago.

  “And I’ve come home,” he whispered just barely.

  All was right.

A/N: I kind of want a Descendants Civil War AU now... I hope you all enjoyed it!

[timeshuffles]

rewatching tts got me back on my worldbuilding bullshit again ANYWAY

→ this is me trying to cram a frozen heart canon, tangled the series canon, and descendants canon, and assorted personal hc together into one map in a way that. makes sense. 

→ descendants is a mess so when i say “descendants canon,” i mean i cherry-pick the things i like from the books + films and ignore everything else.

→ as always, when it comes to rp, i’m willing to be very flexible on big worldbuilding things like this.

auradon

- is an authoritarian, imperialist empire built on slave labor.   ( “sidekicks” aka the working class not getting paid at all for their labor is a minor plot point in the first book. this is canon. )   the canon nonsense about “united all the kingdoms” and how of course everyone was just pleased as punch to join up is just that — nonsense. it’s propaganda. auradon began as an alliance between antipe (king adam’s kingdom), corona, and sleswick (where camelot and sherwood forest are) and expanded slowly from there, through a mixture of diplomacy, espionage, economic manipulation, and open warfare. kings frederick (of corona) and arthur (of sleswick) are nominally on an equal footing with king adam, but king adam is first among equals and the de facto emperor. 

- i refuse to use the canonical names of auradon’s regions because they’re stupid. as far as i’m concerned those are names given to auradon’s member states by king adam as part of the propoganda machine — but citizens of those lands still, by and large, use the old names ( and languages ) in private. 

- in addition to its thirteen official states, auradon occupies significant territories in vakretta, aphelothia, and zaria. conflict along the borders of the occupied territories are ongoing, and the end goal for auradon is to conquer each country and absorb them into the empire altogether. 

- atlantica, the southern isles, and vacona are all formally allied with auradon (and send many of their criminals and unwanted individuals to the isle of the lost). agrabah has a strong economic and academic partnership with them (hence jafar’s presence on the isle, too), though it is also a member of the coalition of al-qamar and thus providing military aide to zaria against auradon.

- corona joining up with auradon threw fuel on the fire of the saporian separatist movement. there are many saporians on the isle, and many more living as refugees in other nations outside of auradon.

- (timeline wise, i know auradon is sUpPoSeD to be formed ~after all the happily ever afters~ but i imagine the events of frozen taking place ~6 years after auradon is formally founded and the first season of tts ~1-2 years after that) (also in terms of blog canon i. auradon’s tech is steampunk tech, not modern tech, okay. i just. truly cannot handle the suddenly, smartphones vibe.)

the hléssian league 

- arendelle, seland, skaron, vakretta, and the duchy of weselton are members of an alliance that predate auradon by several decades. 

- blavenia was once also a member of the league, but those ties were cut about a year after queen elsa’s coronation when the blavenians, rattled by the magical summer blizzard and the thought of what else elsa’s magic might do, withdrew from the league and exchanged their sovereignty for the protection of auradon’s wards and laws against magic.

- half of vakretta has been conquered and occupied by auradonian forces, and auradon was embroiled in war with the league until, again, queen elsa’s coronation. the reveal of her incredibly powerful magic — and its unique resistance to fairy godmother’s ability to bind and disperse other magic — put an immediate stop to the conflict. since then, the league and auradon have settled into an icy stalemate.   (...pun intended.)

- the league  ( led by arendelle )  sends regular shipments of food, medicine, and other supplies to the isle of the lost. these shipments are kept very very secret, because auradon doesn’t know about them. 

- arendelle, specifically, openly offers sanctuary and a path to citizenship to any auradonian sentenced to exile on the isle of the lost, and to any auradon with magical ability who wishes to use it. this is a source of... considerable tension between arendelle and auradon, as well as arendelle and other members of the league who wish to take a more conciliatory approach to their aggressive southern neighbor.

the eastern bloc

- is not an alliance as such, but chatho has an interest in ensuring that auradon never comes close enough to actually touch its borders and as such bends its considerable political, military, and economic power to protect those nations lying between auradon’s eastern border and chatho itself. 

- despite this, chatho maintains relatively cordial relations with auradon, to the point that a fair number of chathonese nationals live in auradon and/or send their children to be educated in its schools (see: mulan.) 

- yultadore, weselton, and arendelle have extensive trade agreements with each other and frequently work together on the international stage to further each others’ interests. if it were ever abandoned by chatho, yultadore would likely turn to the hléssian league for protection against the empires it is caught between. 

- aphelothia and zamora have a long history of conflict, mainly over the richly fertile land between the twin rivers that run between them. for the time being, their differences have been set aside in favor of the greater threat of auradon, but the alliance between them is tenuous at best. 

the coalition of al-qamar 

- eighteen years ago, zaria, aberdinon, and agrabah were flooded with terrified refugees from aphelion — once a prosperous kingdom, now transformed into a dark, desolate wasteland by an infestation of indestructible black rocks with mysterious occult ties to the moon. in the years since then, once-mighty aphelion has become known as the dark kingdom and half-forgotten, relegated to the realm of children’s stories. but knowledge of the black rocks and legends of the droplet of moonlight from whence they came lives on in the nations that welcomed aphelion’s people, and a political coalition has grown around it. 

- weaponry carved from the black rocks is the prize of the wealthy and distinguished within the coalition, for it is rare and immensely valuable due to its indestructible nature — the only thing that can damage a black rock is another black rock, which makes carving weapons out of the stuff a laborious task, to say the least. 

- despite this, auradon has pushed deep into the coalition’s territory, claiming nearly half of zaria’s land for its own — for though the sorcerers of the coalition have a wealth of magic at their fingertips, they, unlike the more fortunate queen elsa, are not immune to auradon’s magic-cancelling wards and can be of little use on the battlefield. combined with the fact that auradon’s alliance with atlantica guarantees domination of the lost sea ( whereas the selkie kingdoms of the hléssian sea by and large do not concern themselves with human conflicts ), the coalition is at a distinct disadvantage in comparison to their northern counterpart. 

- the “uncharted desert” is only uncharted by auradon’s cartographers. chathonese and agrabahan mapmakers are fairly detailed in their knowledge of the desert — though it is mostly uninhabitable desert.

[brydeswhale]

The various kingdoms in Mysterious Fathoms so far

Auradon: actually just an average sized country, notable for being the “United States of Auradon” and also the location of the Isle Of The Lost. Fascist state, basically, organized by the Beast King and his pretentious hipster wife. Currently embroiled in a scandal due to the conditions the Isle is in and the recent escape by the villains. Notable for a “purge” of magic users and “villains” not long after the formation of the USAu

Aquitaine: Cinderella’s Kingdom. Subsumed into the USAu not long after the Beast’s return. More reluctant than it seems, but also economically dependent on Auradon and military presence of similar size. Negotiated so that most of the “villains” and magic users were able to escape before the official joining of the kingdoms. Queen Ella and King Charming retain their titles as a courtesy, but hold no actual power.

Agrabah: a country with diverse landscapes, ranging from deserts to rainforests to temperate mountains and plains. Also subsumed into the USAu, but were able to maintain better rights for magic using citizens. Borders with Maldonia and holds strong cultural ties with the other country. Yasmin retains a courtesy title of Sultana, Aladdin holds a royal consort title as a courtesy, neither has any real power.

Boreal/ The Moors(The name of the human kingdom might change): the humans were always uneasy with their fae neighbours, particularly after the incident with Maleficent, and participated enthusiastically in the purging of magic users. Many of the lower ranking fae were sent to the Isle, along with Maleficent, even those that might be considered “non-evil”. The only ones to escape were the middling fairies, such as fauna and flora. Problematically, people are still being born with various powers and physical attributes associated with the fae, due to the fact that the two kingdoms have never been as separate as they pretend. Queen Leah and King Stephen hold courtesy titles, have no real power.

Wolfsland: the kingdom of Snow White, who abdicated not long after her adventure, stepping down and allowing a council of learned elders, including the miners who sheltered her from her stepmother. Small, but rich in minerals and forests, they were enthusiastic participants in the anti magic activity of the USAu and the council voted as a whole to join the USAu.

Atlantis: a large underwater empire. Once a diverse nation of many peoples, Triton seized power in something of a coupe about forty years ago and enforces a mermaid supremacy. This has resulted in a drain of non-mer people, although some still remain. Atlantis has a complex relationship with USAu. They’re a member, but given the inherently magical nature of mermaids, the Isle is mostly used by them as a dumping ground for political dissidents.

Pearl Kingdom: Atlantis’ closest neighbour, home to a royal family with pearl magic inherent in their line. More diverse than Atlantis, it’s beginning to outstrip its neighbour due to their embrace of so many different peoples.

Shenzhou Empire: a large, diverse conglomeration of different nations, ranging from the nomadic to the city dwelling. Ruled over by a young emperor, and understandably wary of USAu, it has one of the largest economies in the world, and, since it was permitted to grow without interference, one of the highest standards of living. Strongly influential, they have a policy of non-interference with other country’s disputes, due to a not so distant history of conquest by “invitation” that proved disastrous when their nomadic neighbours invaded in response.

Breton: a small nation located on an island off the coast of USAu, nominally part of the USAu. Includes Sherwood Forest, and was the home of the legendary King Arthur and the great Fae Merlin. The anti-magic laws have enthusiastic support from the conservatives in their country, and none from anyone else. They’re awaiting the return of their great king.

Cymra: a small country inside Breton. The true resting place of Merlin and Arthur. Not a member of the USAu, according to them.

Alba: a nation to the North of Breton, ruled over by King Fergus and Queen Eleanor. Under near constant attack by Viking forces, their fierce independence has cost them dearly. The crown princess, Merida, has come under increasing pressure by outside forces to make a marriage alliance in exchange for military aide, preferably to a USAu heir, but has the support of her country in resistance.

Moana: the Moanan peoples of the Pasifika ocean comprise the great oceanic confederacy above the waves, and also includes Moanans who’ve settled in places outside the islands. Moana stretches from the Abuya islands in the Southwest, to the Fire Islands in the far Northeast. The confederacy itself is a sort of happy anarchy, without much tying it together beyond a desire to explore and trade and a love of the ocean. Every year each island, from the tiny to the near continental, sends a representative to Te Fiti, in order to cheerfully argue about laws and governance. Te Fiti herself is known to occasionally wake up(usually because it descends into a happy party) and join in.

Orleans: a swampy citystate of canals, alligators, and music. An important trade hub on a peninsula off the coast of the New World, made up of multiple species and peoples, primarily settled by traders from the southern Great Golden Continent, and by Aquitanian merchants, its history has been one of violence, magic, and brilliance. Recently it’s become a major trade hub, bringing wealth and a new sophistication to a former backwater.

Maldonia: a large country, stretching from the tip of the Great Golden Continent, to the borders of Shenzhou, Aquitaine, Agrabah, and Boreal, along the coast of the Inland Sea. Diverse and welcoming, with a consitutional monarchy and a policy of acceptance. Historically welcoming of refugees.

Corona: borders Maldonia to the east and south, Arendelle to the North, with a small island capital. Unique in being ruled over by one of the immortal Elemental Queens, Rapunzel of the sun, and in being home to an unusual form of chameleon. Due to its proximity to Great Golden Continent, its royal family and many of its citizens descend from settlers from that land.

Arendelle: a cold, northern country, the land of the Elemental Snow Queen, whose power over the elements has introduced an unusual pax with other countries the world over.

The Sun Kingdom: an empire in the south, ruled over by Kuzco, the Sun King. Once a vain and selfish ruler, he took a vacation, got better, got married, and is trying to negotiate the return of his former advisor and her kid. It’s not going so well, however, due in part to his giving financial aid to the Tsenacommacah.

Tsenacommacah: This Powhatan empire is the main point of contact for invaders from countries such as Breton and the USAu, and when Powhatan’s daughter, Amonute, also called Pocahontas, was taken as a hostage, an uneasy peace formed. Kocoum, her husband, and her first born children are vocal proponents of maintaining this peace from fear of her being harmed by the Bretons, but the Powhatan and their allies are beginning to grow wary of further invasions by the USAu.

Neverneverland: an island, supposedly, but not. It’s small and large, up and down, back and forth. Honestly, it’s a dimensional point between all worlds. Claimed by a being called “Peter Pan”, supposed to be one of the great fae, and home to pixies and mermaids and animals and To a Dakota settlement from another world. Also pirates, making it a suitable target during the magic purge.

[ruffsficstuffplace]

Reunions (Part 17): The Shadow Council

Note: WELL, this update took an entire year to get here. With Descendants 2 renewing my interest, and interested comments long after I initially abandoned this project, I'll get back to it, hopefully for good this time with all the new tools and inspiration I've picked up along the way.

Chapters will be shorter from now on, by the way, ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 words each. A big contributor to my original fatigue was that each chapter just got way too long, and I was having unrealistic expectations about my progress.

I'll attempt a once a week update, no set day of the week.

The room was large and circular in shape, two semi-circle tables lined with chairs of various designs, all arranged around a throne on a raised dais. Bright LED bulbs cast everything in a cold, white light, letting nothing hide in darkness or ambiguity, the faces and features of all the occupants cast in sharp relief. They varied greatly in appearance, except for their eyes:

All wizened and aged by time, wisdom, and things no person should ever have to bear witness to.

This was Auradon's Shadow Council, the one government organization that did not appear in the public lists, whose existence was known only to a select few. They were the people that constantly asked themselves the questions:

“What can go wrong now? What will? And what are we going to do about it?”

Preferably, the solutions were discrete and seen to completion long before it becomes a large enough issue to merit the public's attention, but they were amenable to brute force and blatant, often dangerous and questionable measures if necessary.

Their numbers were handpicked from all over Auradon, both before and after the Great Uniting. Spy masters and mistresses; directors of intelligence agencies; beings who had lived for milennia and silently, subtly dictated and guided the destinies of the societies and world around them for their own mysterious reasons; generals and other heads of militaries, both private and state; even former criminal masterminds and heads of powerful organizations who hadn't been too proud to exchange their empires to escape the Isle.

To say that they were a diverse group of many opinions and points of view was an understatement. However, for all their differences, they all managed to reach a consensus or a compromise at some point, delivered by their spokesperson:

Xiao Jing, “The Jade Dragon” and “The Opium Empress” in her past life, living proof that Ruthlessness, Efficiency, and Cunning knew no gender.

Everyone stood up to greet Ben and pay him the proper respects, as he entered the room just after his escort of elite guards. He managed a pitiful smile and a limp wave as he made his way to his second throne.

After he slumped into it, the Council reseated themselves—except for Xiao, who moved from her seat to just before Ben, her beloved tablet in the crook of her arm.

She bowed. “Your highness.”

“Give me the good news,” Ben muttered.

“Islander Rehabilitation success rate remain at 87%, with a 2-3% margin of error. The 7% that have strayed have not done anything serious enough to merit another round of life sentences on the Isle, prolonged imprisonment here exceeding three weeks at the worst, or lawsuits in amounts higher than a few hundred silver dollars, at the absolute worst.

“Economically: losses are down, spending is up, and the surge of new businesses, consumers, and the Islanders' pursuits to raise their standard of living promise to sustain it for decades yet. Waste and inefficiency is down now that demand is so high and visible, and even states like Cinderellasburg are now keenly aware of the environmental effects of their consumption, and are reacting accordingly.

“There are concerns over our agricultural lands and present infrastructures’ capability to sustain this growth, let alone feed our people in the long term, but the loosening of the restrictions on magic, and the innovation the Islanders are spurring should help.”

Ben nodded. “What's the bad news?”

“Of the remaining 6%, we fear they are beginning to organize, biding their time gathering resources and waiting for the opportunity to revive their criminal enterprises, if on a small scale for now.”

Ben shot up in his seat. “What?! How?!”

Xiao scowled. "We VASTLY underestimated just how creative, resourceful, and determined the Islanders can be. Though we have been accounting for their incredible ability to survive and sometimes thrive with literal table scraps and refuse, we did not realize how quickly they could gain access to larger supply chains, and more worryingly, the funding of independent entities.”

Ben frowned. “Can we track them? Can we stop them from supplying them?” He paused. “Do we even know who they are...?”

Xiao nodded her head sadly. “Even if they were corporate entities, it'd be difficult to outright impossible. Our taxation laws and monitoring are not nearly as strict or thorough as those BGU, given the extreme to outright lack of fraudulent spending, misleading records, or outright evasion. What few discrepancies we have found tend to have no records, presumably due to personal favours between the entities involved, one-time offenses, or just negligence.

“It would also be difficult to open up an investigation without any strong proof of criminal involvement—by which time, we fear that the damage may have already been done. And this isn't even getting into the political repercussions of accusing someone of funding subversives...”

“So we're basically forced to sit here and wait as people from within our borders are helping undermine the security and the peace, possibly overthrow the government and take over the world,” Ben said flatly as he slumped down yet again.

Xiao nodded. “Precisely,” she said. “Speaking from personal experience: thriving legitimate businesses are almost as valuable as more lucrative criminal enterprises—cutting out the money laundry saves so much time and manpower, along with reducing interest from the authorities.”

“That's not an encouraging piece of information!” Ben cried.

Xiao hummed. “It's our reality, Your Highness. On an encouraging note: we still have full-coverage of most every business transaction that happens in Auradon, even with the influx of Islander activity; if anything, it's even more reliable than before with how much more chatty and prone to gossip the latter are about their indiscretions and anomalies.

“Should someone be attempting large scale movement of resources, or anything else suspicious, we will hear about it.”

“That's great!” Ben said, brightening up. “Should we start outfitting and mobilizing the Royal Guard, or will that overstretch the budget?”

Xiao raised a finger. “I was just about to get to that, Your Highness...”

Ben's face turned gloomy once more. "Let me guess: Dog?”

"Yes: his ability to effortlessly crush, outsmart, and outmaneuver literal armies of our best has given the Islanders great hope that they, too, can slip through the cracks in our defenses, and has the general populace in serious concern over their safety.

“And this is not going into the effect it's had on the political level…” Xiao muttered as she pressed some buttons on her tablet.

One of the projectors on Ben's throne activated, and beamed a screen right before his eyes.

The scene was that of a political rally, somewhere in Bayou de new Orleans from the mostly white and black residents in the crowd, and the odd swamp creature in the mix, the alligators most prominently. On a stage was one Mayor John Mark Sweeney, from the annotations.

“This rally was held just a day after the terror attack in New Hope, but the dissent and the unease has been brewing since Dog's unexpected arrival,” Xiao explained.

The video began to play, in the middle of his speech.

“… But now, my family, my friends, we have been proven wrong, so very wrong!

“The first and last defense against all Evil has been thwarted, for on an invader was not only able to outwit, outmaneuver, and outfight our brave soldiers, he did it all while vastly outnumbered and with a frozen tuna! Who uses a frozen tuna to fight literally a hundred soldiers at once, and expect to win?

“That invader did, and boy, did he make his point to all of us!”

“My family, my friends, who knows how many more like him lurk among us waiting to strike? Who knows when they will target not our guards, with their swords and their training and their bravery, but innocent, unarmed, helpless civilians?  Who knows if the Guards can even protect us?!

“Who will save us now?! Who will keep our streets safe, our businesses safe, our children and loved ones safe? Who will make sure we can sleep soundly at night, and let us keep our doors unlocked, our windows open, and our arms stretched out in welcome to all visitors?

“My family, my friends… we can save ourselves!

“We can band together, standing for us, for Auradon, for what is Right and Good in this world! And as your mayor: I will happily throw myself on the front-line for you all! Stand as our vanguard! Be the one who will step forward into this scary, unknown future with my head held up high!”

“My family, my friends: Sweeney Will Save You!”

The crowd went into an uproar, crying, whistling, and howling their support for Sweeney. Ben noticed distinctly uncomfortable looking faces from the crowd, folks who were plently scruffy and dressed in similar looking, plainly designed clothes:

Islanders.

He felt a churning in his stomach and shut off the projector himself.

“Psychological profiling, and our digging into his history points that he is most definitely completely honest and well-intentioned in his belief about the impending threat of chaos, crime, and lawlessness. He is even more sure that he is the only person for the job, that his plan won't fail catastrophically, or have far-reaching, unintended consequences.

“In other words, a Messiah Complex.”

Ben sighed, and put his hand to his face. “Nothing's more dangerous than a man on a divine mission...”

“Indeed,” Xiao said gravely. “Let us hope that the rest of Auradon have taken the lessons of Judge Frollo and Paris to heart.”

Ben put his hand down. “Are we really that outmatched in case we have that sort of situation on our hands?”

“No. By our analysis, our guards are doing well enough,” Xiao replied.

“Describe 'Well enough.'”

“Our soliders are mostly incompetent, with only a handful of highly skilled individuals distributed all throughout the states—but the Islanders are more or less in the same situation, which makes us evenly matched.

“Our home advantage in resources, intelligence, and manpower tilt the odds greatly in our favour, so long as the Islanders threatening a relapse into crime remain the minority, and the very worst of them remain imprisoned.

“Retraining and reeducation of our guards to be better prepared for real-life scenarios are well under way, not to mention that the Islanders themselves have been a most unexpected and valuable boon in leads and insider information to potential problems and suspicious activity—no honour among thieves indeed, especially if the minority's actions threaten the all of their ability to stay off the Isle.

“So, your majesty Benjamin, after much research, discussion, and reflection, we of the Shadow Council can confidently say:

“Auradon is fucked.”

Ben smiled, before he realized what she'd said and he scrambled in his seat. “Wait, what?! I thought we had a handle on the crime situation with the guards!”

“Technically speaking, we do! But the seeds of Fear have been sown all throughout our dear nation and all our citizens, Auradonian or Islander, and believe me when I say that Fear never let silly things like facts and statistics influence its decisions.

Xiao pointed to one of her colleauges. “As General Woolhearth so aptly put it in our discussions earlier--”

“Buckle up your seatbelt and put on you crash helmet, boys and girls, we're in for a wild ride and there's no tellin' when it will end,” General Woolhearth repeated, grinning underneath his impressive full beard.

Ben frowned, already feeling his eyebags grow darker, and his hair and eyes lose some of their luster. The meeting continued, going into the specifics of their future plans and countermeasures, discussions on how to solve this impending crisis in the short and long term, and getting a handle on the most urgent ones before they worsened still.

Then, the Shadow Council was dismissed, slinking back into the darkness to wherever they stayed, be they penthouse apartments in the highest skyscrapers, nondescript lodgings in the slums, or even alternate dimensions.

Ben retired to his room that night, but he slept not a wink, unable to relax with the burden pressing down on his shoulders…

… One that would only grow more overwhelming as the days passed, starting with the news about a certain public outburst making waves all over Auradon.

[thebluestbluewords]

Excerpt from Establishing Council of the United Sovereignties of Auradon, General Meeting Minutes, Early Spring, year XXXX

Motion #22: Villainous Uprising:  King Adam of Rouen-Metz

King Adam presented to the council the current status of the villain uprising, which now controls the kingdom of Atlantica, the border with Waverly City to the east, and the border with Astoria to the west. The troops dispatched by the United Sovereignties upon our last meeting have been returned to their respective kingdoms in the form of a large quantity (roughly equivalent by weight to the bodies of the soldiers originally dispatched) of black sand. 

In light of this development, King Adam proposes that the council dispatch the full military forces of Auroria and Charmingdale to disburse the villain uprising and recover control of Atlantica. 

Princess Briar Rose of Auroria proposed a second division of troops, in order to lessen the burden on specific kingdoms within the United Sovereignties. 

King Adam reminded Princess Briar that the current troops were returned in ashes, and suggested that perhaps this abject failure at quashing the villains was due to the scattered nature of the previous defense. Furthermore, he brought to the council the proposal of sending all of the troops from each of the united sovereignties in waves so that if the first were to fail once again at suppressing the forward motion of the villains, the second could have an encampment prepared a short distance away so as to avoid the constant moving a troops into position while the villains march forward. 

The council approved the deployment of a united force from the kingdoms of Auroria, Charmingdale, and New London, to attack on the current front lines. An additional contingent will dispatched from each of the other kingdoms in the United Sovereignties who holds a standing military force, to establish a breakpoint in the kingdom of Westerly should the villains evade the front line deployment. Motion approved 16-2, 1 abstained.