Espionage

Gitcni the Spymaster General

Information gathered from OPS sources which cannot be named, and dossiers of the Estasean Special Committee

Gitcni's Early Life

The story goes that

"Gitcni was born into poverty in the streets of Danfelgor’s Old Quarter, where the smell of fish markets, seaweed and salt water mixed with the cries of gulls and dockside traders. His father was a dock worker, crippled in an accident, who died young, and his mother just about made a living washing clothes. As a child, Gitcni got used to scavenging scraps and running errands for petty thieves and traders.

It was as a child that Gitcni developed his observational skills —watching gestures, expressions, and movements and became a practised eavesdropper, slipping unnoticed into shadows and overhearing secrets traded between merchants, lovers, and criminals. By the time he was twelve, he had begun selling valuable bits of information to local gang leaders, earning money as a boy informant."

However, this cannot be verified at this time.

Gitcni’s first documented encounter with the Office for Public Safety (OPS) came at the age of sixteen when an agent named Volen heard a report that he was blackmailing a minor official over an affair with a merchant’s wife. Instead of arresting the boy, Volen recruited him and he quickly proved invaluable, providing details about criminal activity, political rumors, and  smuggling routes. His code name "Gitcni" dates from this period in his career.

Recognizing his potential, Volen recommended Gitcni for a minor post in the OPS as a courier, delivering sensitive messages across the city. Gitcni used this position to surreptitiously read internal documents, learning the methods of the agency while discreetly making contacts within its ranks.

 

Gitcni's Rise

Gitcni’s rise within the OPS was fueled by his cunning, adaptability, and ruthless pragmatism - he gathered dirt on his superiors, waiting for  perfect moments to expose their misdeeds. One senior agent was disgraced after Gitcni leaked evidence of his embezzlement to the Merchants’ Council, while another was quietly removed after an unfortunate incident with poisoned wine. 

As he progressed up the ranks of the OPS, Gitcni formed strategic alliances with key figures, including influential merchants, magistrates, and even members of the priesthood - ensuring their loyalty through a combination of bribery, favors, blackmail and threats. When the previous Spymaster General fell from favor following a failed counterintelligence operation, Gitcni subtly positioned himself as the ideal replacement, feeding critical intelligence to the ruling council, thereby earning their trust and gratitude.

When he became Spymaster General, Gitcni transformed the Office for Public Safety into a formidable apparatus of surveillance and control. His methods were innovative and ruthlessly effective. Gitcni maintained a network of informants across all levels of society, from palace officials to tavern owners. He used the city’s wealth to buy loyalty and silence. He also kept detailed files on Danfelgor’s elite, documenting their indiscretions and weaknesses, ensuring compliance with his will.

 

Under Gitcni’s leadership, the OPS developed an advanced cryptographic division, creating unbreakable ciphers for secure communication while also cracking enemy codes, giving Danfelgor a decisive edge in intelligence. He also did not shy away from eliminating threats - his assassins operated with skill and precision, making deaths appear accidental or natural. Gitcni utilised propaganda to orchestrate a campaign of misinformation and spreading rumors to discredit enemies and glorify Danfelgor’s leadership.

Many Betrayals

Gitcni’s ascent was marked by betrayals, both given and received. One of the most significant betrayals involved his mentor, Volen. When Volen grew wary of Gitcni’s ambitions, he attempted to sideline him. Gitcni, anticipating the move, planted evidence placing Volen as a mole in a conspiracy with Estasean spies. Volen was arrested, confessed under torture, and executed, clearing Gitcni’s path to power.

Gitcni’s most personal betrayal, however, was of a childhood friend, Kalyne, who had helped him get by in the underworld of his youth. When Kalyne discovered Gitcni’s darker dealings and threatened to expose him, Gitcni framed her for corruption. She was exiled, leaving Gitcni haunted by the loss of one of the few people he had ever truly trusted.

Under Gitcni’s leadership, the Office for Public Safety has become both feared and respected - it seems that no secret can remain hidden in Danfelgor, and no whisper unheard. Gitcni’s innovations in espionage have shaped the city’s politics and ensured its security, but  people live in apprehension of his network, and even Danfelgor’s rulers tread carefully around the man who knows all their secrets.

Gitcni’s story is one of ambition, ingenuity, and sacrifice—a testament to sheer determination in pursuit of power.

 

Gitcni’s calculated rise to power involved eliminating rivals who underestimated him or stood in his way, such as Serel Montar, a senior officer in the Office for Public Safety who was known for his arrogance and excess, particularly his love for fine wines.

Gitcni saw an opportunity to discredit Serel during a high-profile banquet hosted by the ruling council of Danfelgor. The event was a lavish affair to honor the success of a recent diplomatic mission to Estasea, attended by prominent merchants, magistrates, and foreign dignitaries. Serel had arranged for a cask of rare Estasean ruby wine to be served during his speech—a gift, he claimed, from a grateful merchant prince.

Unfortunately for Serel, Gitcni had intercepted the cask en route and laced it with a fast-acting nerve agent which was not lethal but would cause near-instant symptoms of dizziness, vomiting, and fever. During the banquet, as Serel raised a toast and sipped the wine, he began to sway unsteadily. His face turned pale, and moments later, he collapsed onto the table. Chaos ensued and physicians were summoned.

Gitcni, during the confusion which followed, quickly planted documents among Serel’s clothing indicating dealings with Estasean spies. This "evidence", discovered as Serel was being treated, pointed to Serel’s supposed betrayal, and the ruling council, although shaken by the spectacle of Serel’s collapse, ordered his arrest. Although the poison eventually wore off, Serel was exiled to a remote fortress, never to return.

Gitcni, meanwhile, was praised for uncovering the “conspiracy” and rose several ranks in the OPS hierarchy.

 

Gitcni’s Suspicions About the Sealed Hermetic Order

The Sealed Hermetic Order is a secret society of alchemists, scholars, and philosophers that Gitcni views with great suspicion. Though they described themselves as a guild dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the study of alchemical principles, Gitcni received reports about their secretive practices - dangerous experiments, encoded correspondence with foreign powers, and  attempts to weaponise alchemy reached Gitcni’s ears through his informants.

 

The Files on Elite Figures

Gitcni’s most effective tool as Spymaster General is his extensive archive of meticulously curated files, which contain compromising secrets, personal vulnerabilities, and detailed records of Danfelgor’s elite. Here are a few notable examples:

The File On Merchant Ulvian Voros

Crime: Bribery of port inspectors to smuggle Estasean silk.

Personal Vulnerability: An affair with a famous poet/singer, despite being married to the daughter of the Iron Guild’s influential leader.

Leverage: Gitcni had love letters exchanged between Ulvian and the bard, as well as evidence of smuggling operations. Ulvian pays a hefty tithe to Gitcni to ensure this information never reaches his wife or the guild.

 

The File On Magistrate Caldra Oren

Crime: Misuse of public funds meant for street repairs in the Docks, funneling them into constructing her private villa.

Personal Vulnerability: A gambling addiction, which has left her heavily indebted to Estasean lenders.

Leverage: Gitcni uses her debts to control her votes on key rulings, ensuring policies favorable to the OPS are passed without opposition.

 

The File On Priest Alven Daric

Crime: Selling counterfeit religious relics to desperate pilgrims.

Personal Vulnerability: An illegitimate son living in the poor quarter.

Leverage: Gitcni’s agents know the location of the son and have intercepted correspondence between Alven and his mistress. The priest now serves as a quiet advocate for OPS surveillance within the temples.

 

The File On Captain Sorin Drelas

Crime: Collusion with pirates operating near Estasea to raid rival merchants’ ships.

Personal Vulnerability: A secret stash of stolen gold and treasures hidden in a vault beneath his ancestral estate.

Leverage: Gitcni’s operatives not only know the location of the vault but have marked it for confiscation if Sorin ever steps out of line.

 

Gitcni’s files are not merely tools for blackmail—they are the foundation of his power. He believes that everyone has a weakness, and by knowing it, he can steer their actions like a ship on the river. The files are stored in the archives beneath OPS headquarters, protected by intricate locks and traps designed by the city’s most talented alchemists and engineers.

Gitcni’s secret knowledge is both his greatest weapon and his deepest vulnerability. If anyone were to penetrate the vault and expose the files, it could lead to chaos in Danfelgor’s power structure—and likely to Gitcni’s downfall. Perhaps as he stands by the Danfel River he feels the weight of his knowledge pressing down on him.

 

Gitcni’s Personal Habits and Psyche

Despite his success, Gitcni remains a deeply enigmatic figure. He rarely shows emotion, his face a mask of calm calculation. Some say he is a man who trusts no one, while others claim he is haunted by the things he did to achieve his position.

Gitcni’s home is a relatively modest - but strongly guarded - stone house with a walled courtyard near the palace, where he lives alone apart from his servants, and spends hours poring over reports and maps. His periods of leisure are spent walking along the Danfel River, where he seems to find solace in the flow of the water.

Gitcni publicly presents himself as calm and calculating, but he seems prone to a degree of paranoia - he keeps offices in different locations, each fully furnished, to prevent anyone from predicting his whereabouts.

He writes his thoughts in a private journal—written in a cipher so complex that only he can decode it, and is obsessed with control, not only over others but also himself. He practices meticulous rituals, such as eating the same  meals and wearing the same outfit every day, to maintain his mental focus. His greatest fear is losing his edge. He secretly tests his own operatives, creating false conspiracies to see how quickly they uncover them and telling them false “secrets” to trap them if they betray his confidence.

 

Beyond his official dossiers, Gitcni collects personal tokens from his “conquests”, such as a ring from a noblewoman whose scandal he uncovered, or the pen used to sign a treaty he secretly orchestrated. These mementos are kept in a locked chest, symbolic of his victories but also of the weight of his deeds.

On rare occasions, Gitcni demonstrates compassion. For instance, he once shielded a poor family from retribution because their child unwittingly witnessed a sensitive operation. He sent the family to live anonymously in a distant village, providing them with funds.

 

Gitcni’s Personal Vulnerabilities

Gitcni has never forgiven himself for betraying his childhood mentor, Master Laren, to rise within the OPS. Laren, a former spymaster, had vouched for Gitcni when others doubted him. Gitcni’s betrayal—revealing evidence of Laren’s  (genuine) involvement in a smuggling ring—secured his promotion but left him with lingering guilt. Gitcni keeps Laren’s old pocket watch on his desk as a constant reminder of his ruthlessness.

 

Gitcni is believed to harbor affection for Selindra Vaerith, a brilliant Estasean diplomat known for her wit and charm. Their paths have crossed, and if Selindra is aware of Gitcni’s interest, she has never shown her hand. Such affection, if it exists, could possibly leave Gitcni vulnerable, as Selindra could exploit his feelings if she chose to.

 

After the events surrounding the Eye of the Storm, Gitcni received an ominous message from the Shaman of the Tree: “You dance on the storm’s edge, Gitcni. Beware when the tempest calls your name.” While Gitcni dismisses the warning, it seems to linger in his mind, making him somewhat superstitious. He shelters from storms and has instructed the OPS to monitor any rumors involving the Shaman.

However, due to the impenetrable bonds of kinship - via family, clan, tribe and loyalty to the Sara nation - the tribes are almost impossible to infiltrate, even leaving aside the difficult steppe dialects that they speak. Within the Sara nation, because of kinship, everyone knows exactly who everyone else is.

The Sara have been known to hang OPS agents who have been captured and are seen as presenting any kind of threat to the Sara and/or their way of life.

Anecdotal news comes from merchants' trade agents in the trading posts, but the Sara are largely immune to Gitcni’s machinations. 

They may be the only ones who are.

 

The Office of Public Safety (OPS)

A Dossier compiled by the Estasean Special Committee

 

The Office of Public Safety (OPS) is the institution at the heart of Danfelgor’s political and social order, operating as a hybrid between a state intelligence agency and a secret police force. Its purpose is to protect the stability of Danfelgor, though "stability" often aligns with the interests of its most powerful benefactors. Below is a detailed breakdown of its structure, funding, accountability, legal framework, and its relationships with other power players such as the Guild of Merchants.

 

Founding and Purpose

The OPS was established two centuries ago during a time of great unrest in Danfelgor, when the city was rife with uprisings, espionage from rival city-states (notably Estasea), and internal conspiracies. It was founded by the Guild of Merchants, with the approval of the reigning monarch of the time, Gorak Adamas III. The Gorak was weak and relied heavily on merchant wealth, and the guild feared that the monarch’s inability to control unrest might threaten their trade routes and profits. The OPS was envisaged as a tool to eliminate threats to commerce and order, including spies, political dissidents, and criminal syndicates.

 

Administrative Structure

The OPS operates in strict secrecy, with its internal structure divided into compartments to ensure that information is not centralized in any one person’s hands, except for its leader.

Directorate

Head: Gitcni, the Spymaster General, who has ultimate authority over the agency. 

Gitcni is supported by three Deputy Spymasters, each overseeing a different division: Domestic Surveillance: Monitoring Danfelgor’s population for sedition, corruption, or unrest. 

Foreign Espionage: Collecting intelligence on rival city-states and tribes. 

Special Operations: Conducting assassinations, kidnappings, sabotage, and other covert missions.

 

Bureaus

Bureau of Information and Archives: Maintains vast records on individuals, guilds, and foreign entities. The OPS is famed (or feared) for its meticulous dossiers, which contain secrets that can be used for blackmail.

Bureau of Interrogation: Responsible for questioning suspects, often using methods that fall into moral and legal gray areas.

Cipher Bureau: Focused on encryption, codebreaking, and intercepting enemy communications. Gitcni has made this bureau one of the most advanced in the region.

 

Field Agents

Agents are carefully trained in espionage, infiltration, disguise, and assassination. They operate in teams but often know little about one another to maintain deniability. Many agents are recruited from the lower classes, offering loyalty in exchange for wealth or status.

 

Funding

The OPS operates on a mix of public and clandestine funding:

Public Funding

The OPS officially receives a portion of its funding from the city treasury, under the guise of supporting public order and law enforcement. This is controlled by the Council of Danfelgor, which includes representatives of the Guild of Merchants.

Clandestine Funding

The Guild of Merchants provides substantial covert funding. The guild recognizes that maintaining order and securing Danfelgor’s position as a trade hub is in its best interests.

The OPS also generates its own revenue through "quiet operations," such as smuggling, the confiscation of goods from enemies of the state, and extortion.

 

Accountability and Oversight

Direct Responsibility

Gitcni is officially accountable to the Council of Danfelgor, which includes the monarch, influential nobles, and representatives of the Guild of Merchants. However, in practice, the current spymaster wields so much personal power that his oversight is more theoretical than actual.

Guild of Merchants

The guild is Gitcni’s true master. They fund his operations, provide him with protection against political rivals, and often use the OPS to eliminate competitors or rivals within the city’s commerce.

Controls on Activities

Technically, the OPS operates under laws that restrict its actions, including prohibitions against unauthorized assassinations or interference in guild politics. However, these laws are vague, and Gitcni has proven adept at manipulating them. The Council turns a blind eye to many of his activities as long as they benefit the city’s elite.

Legal Assassinations

Assassinations are technically illegal, but Gitcni has established a secret "writ of exceptional measures," which allows the monarch or the Council to approve targeted killings in the interest of state security. Gitcni rarely seeks explicit approval, preferring to act first and present the results as faits accomplis.

 

Methods and Innovations

Gitcni has introduced several methods to consolidate the OPS's power:

Propaganda

Gitcni employs poets, playwrights, and town criers to spread messages that reinforce loyalty to the state and discredit its enemies.

Blackmail Files

The OPS keeps exhaustive files on every elite figure in Danfelgor, detailing their personal vices, political secrets, and business dealings. Some notable files include: A merchant prince with ties to illegal  trading, a noblewoman who secretly funds Estasean rebels, and a popular judge who has a history of taking bribes from criminal cartels.

Cipher and Codebreaking

Gitcni has elevated the art of cryptography to an unparalleled level, employing brilliant mathematicians to develop unbreakable codes and break the codes of his enemies.

Bribery and Corruption

Many city officials and merchants are on Gitcni’s payroll. He ensures their loyalty with regular payments and threats of exposure.

Infiltration and Surveillance

Gitcni’s agents have infiltrated nearly every guild, religious order, and social club in Danfelgor. The Sealed Hermetic Order is a key focus of his suspicions.

 

Relationship with the Guild of Merchants

The Guild of Merchants is both an ally and a leash around Gitcni’s neck:

Support: The guild ensures that the OPS remains well-funded and politically protected, as they benefit from Gitcni’s suppression of unrest and espionage against rival trade cities.

Tensions: The guild occasionally pushes back against Gitcni when his actions threaten their interests. However, Gitcni has amassed so much leverage over individual merchants through his blackmail files that their opposition rarely gains traction.

 

Conclusion

The Office of Public Safety is a complex and multifaceted organization, both feared and revered in Danfelgor. Under Gitcni’s leadership, it has become a shadow empire within the city-state, enforcing order while advancing the agendas of its spymaster and his benefactors. Gitcni’s mix of ruthless efficiency, cunning diplomacy, and outright manipulation ensures that the OPS remains a force to be reckoned with—though its unchecked power could one day be its undoing.

 

Other aspects

Internal Rivalries

Not everyone in the OPS is completely loyal to Gitcni. Some operatives view him as too powerful and seek to undermine him. A Shadow Faction has emerged within the OPS, led by a deputy spymaster who resents Gitcni’s dominance. This faction has begun leaking low-level intelligence to foreign powers, hoping to destabilize Gitcni’s leadership and force his removal. Gitcni is aware of the faction and plays a deadly game of cat and mouse, feeding them false leads to expose their members.

 

Training and Recruitment

The OPS’s training program is extremely demanding - recruits are subjected to tests of loyalty, deception, and endurance. Only one in five survives the process. Gitcni personally oversees the final test for recruits, which involves uncovering a fabricated conspiracy within the city. He evaluates their analytical skills, adaptability, and ruthlessness.

The Unsolved Disappearance

Gitcni’s greatest professional failure was his inability to prevent the assassination of a prominent councilor, Lord Evandor, who was secretly a double agent working for Estasea. The assassin escaped without a trace, and despite Gitcni’s best efforts, the case remains unsolved. Unbeknown to Gitcni, the assassin is now living as a merchant in Danfelgor, biding their time.

 

The Lost Manuscripts

The OPS once intercepted a series of alchemical manuscripts believed to hold secrets to extending life. The documents were stolen from OPS archives under Gitcni’s watch. While publicly the loss was attributed to external thieves, Gitcni secretly suspects one of his deputies.

The Secret Chambers of the OPS

The Vault

Beneath the OPS headquarters lies The Vault, a heavily guarded repository of Danfelgor’s most dangerous secrets and artifacts. These include: Maps of underground passages beneath the city. Alchemical substances capable of mass destruction. Sealed records detailing agreements between the Guild of Merchants and foreign powers.

The Black Room

Deep within the OPS headquarters is The Black Room, a soundproof chamber used for interrogations - no one enters the Black Room and emerges unscathed. Gitcni rarely uses the room himself, preferring to let his subordinates handle interrogations, but when he does, it is often to question a high-value target personally.

 

Notable Operations

The Great Code War

Gitcni once engaged in a prolonged battle of wits with Estasea’s Cipher Guild. Each side tried to outmatch the other’s codes and intercept communications. Gitcni’s eventual victory came when he planted a double agent in the Cipher Guild who introduced subtle flaws into their coding systems.

The Spider Web Infiltration

Gitcni orchestrated the infiltration of The Spider Web, a clandestine criminal network operating in Danfelgor. By turning key members into informants, he dismantled the network from within, then publicly credited the Guild of Watchmen, deflecting attention from the OPS’s true role.

 

Gitcni’s Relationship with the Guild of Merchants

Mutual Dependency

Although Gitcni works closely with the Guild, he treats them with caution . He knows the Guild’s wealth and influence make them a threat to his autonomy, so to ensure the Guild remains in check, Gitcni keeps detailed dossiers on its leading members. These files include evidence of smuggling, tax evasion, and secret dealings with foreign powers.

The Hidden Bargain

It is rumored that Gitcni negotiated a secret deal with the Guild to protect certain trade routes from piracy in exchange for a share of the profits. This arrangement has made the Guild more reliant on the OPS, but Gitcni has enemies within the guild who resent his power.

A Game of Leverage

While the Guild funds the OPS, their relationship is far from harmonious. Gitcni maintains dossiers on every merchant councillor, containing evidence of their illicit dealings. The Guild, in turn, keeps a close watch on the OPS’s budget, ensuring Gitcni cannot act entirely unchecked.

Gitcni once uncovered a plot by a faction of the Guild to embezzle public funds. Rather than exposing them, he used the evidence to secure additional funding for the OPS, ensuring the faction would remain indebted to him.

The Unspoken Agreement

The Guild tolerates Gitcni’s excesses because his work protects their trade interests. However, there are unspoken boundaries: Gitcni is forbidden from targeting key Guild members without prior approval. In return, the Guild refrains from interfering in the OPS’s internal affairs. This uneasy balance creates constant tension, as both sides look for ways to tip the scales in their favor.

 

Gitcni’s Legacy

Gitcni envisions himself as a protector of Danfelgor’s future, even if his methods are brutal. He believes that his work, no matter how morally dubious, is essential for maintaining order in a world full of chaos and betrayal. However, his obsession with power and control has created a precarious foundation for the OPS. If Gitcni were ever to fall, the organization could fracture under the weight of its secrets and rivalries, plunging Danfelgor into turmoil.

Gitcni’s story is one of ambition, paranoia, and brilliance—an enigmatic figure whose legacy will shape the city’s destiny long after he is gone.

The Contingency Files

Gitcni has secretly prepared a series of “contingency files” that detail potential threats to Danfelgor, including plans to neutralize dangerous factions, should the OPS collapse after his death. These files contain:

Emergency protocols for maintaining order.

Blackmail material on rival powers.

Instructions for selecting a successor from the OPS ranks.

The files are locked in a time-sealed safe, set to release to a trusted operative if Gitcni dies under suspicious circumstances.

A Hidden Successor

Gitcni has been quietly grooming a young operative, Lyra Calvek, as his potential successor. Lyra is fiercely intelligent and ambitious but has a strong moral compass, making her reluctant to fully embrace Gitcni’s more ruthless methods. Their relationship is fraught with tension, as Gitcni both admires and resents Lyra’s idealism.

 

The OPS and Its Broader Reach

Foreign Operations

The OPS maintains a covert network in Estasea and other neighboring regions. These foreign cells engage in:

Espionage to monitor political alliances.

Sabotage of rival trade routes.

Recruitment of double agents within foreign courts.

Gitcni’s greatest success abroad was uncovering an Estasean plot to manipulate Danfelgor’s grain supply, preventing a manufactured famine.

The Informant Web

The OPS has cultivated a vast network of informants, ranging from dockworkers and tavern keepers to disgruntled servants of the elite.

One of Gitcni’s innovations was the Whisperer’s Guild, a secret society of informants who communicate through coded messages hidden in everyday objects—books, market signs, and even embroidery patterns.

The Propaganda Machine

Gitcni employs a subtle propaganda system to shape public perception. This includes:

Commissioning books, plays and songs that glorify Danfelgor’s stability and the OPS’s role in maintaining it.

Planting rumors that portray rival nations as corrupt or dangerous.

These efforts have helped solidify the OPS’s reputation, though they also breed paranoia among the populace.

The Estasean Special Committee

Dossier complied by the Office of Public Safety

Overview

The Estasean Special Committee (ESC) is an organization dedicated to safeguarding Estasea’s trade interests, maritime security, and internal stability.

Formed by a coalition of Estasea’s Merchant Guilds and elite noble families, the ESC operates with a mandate to protect the city-state’s prosperity and ensure the dominance of its commercial and political interests, both domestically and abroad. 

Unlike Danfelgor’s Office of Public Safety, which balances its role between statecraft, moral philosophy, and espionage, the ESC is unapologetically pragmatic and utilitarian. Its methods reflect Estasea’s values - wealth, pragmatism, and resourcefulness.

Structure and Organization

 Directorate - The Five Anchors:

The Five Anchors act as the executive leadership, directing major operations and maintaining oversight over the Committee’s actions and are known for their deep ties to Estasea’s wealthiest families and trade networks. Meetings are held in secret chambers beneath the Grand Merchant Hall.

Administrative Divisions:

Trade Security Bureau: Focuses on protecting trade routes from pirates, rival city-states, and saboteurs.

Internal Stability Division: Handles domestic surveillance and counter-espionage, monitoring dissent within Estasea’s borders.

The Shadow Fleet: A covert naval force composed of disguised ships used for smuggling, clandestine transport, and interception.

Economic Intelligence Office: Specializes in economic espionage, infiltrating rival markets and acquiring trade secrets.

Silent Blades: The paramilitary wing, composed of assassins, saboteurs, and enforcers.

 

Funding:

Unlike the Office of Public Safety, which relies on taxes and secret funding from the Danfelgorian state, the ESC is funded entirely by contributions from the Merchant Guilds and wealthy nobles. A percentage of profits from key exports like timber, wine, and maritime trade is diverted to fund its operations. Tariffs are also applied to clandestine operations such as smuggling and piracy.

This private funding gives the ESC a level of autonomy unmatched by most state-run organizations.

Objectives

Economic Domination: Ensure that Estasea maintains its position as a primary trade hub, undermining competitors like Danfelgor when necessary.

Maritime Control: Protect shipping lanes and maintain naval superiority in nearby waters.

Internal Order: Suppress revolts, labor strikes, and rival factions that could threaten Estasea’s stability.

Counter-Espionage: Identify and neutralize foreign spies, particularly those from Danfelgor, who are frequently suspected of infiltrating Estasean trade and political networks.

Expansionist Influence: Covertly destabilize neighboring territories to create favorable trade conditions or to annex critical resources.

Operations and Methods

Espionage in Rival States:

The ESC employs merchants, sailors, tradesmen and tavern keepers as informants in key cities like Danfelgor. There is a special unit which specialises in the use of honey traps and prostitutes to gain information and set up blackmail opportunities.

ESC agents gather information about trade policies, troop movements, and political unrest.

The Committee also bribes officials and embeds spies within foreign guilds to manipulate market trends.

Propaganda and Economic Sabotage:

The ESC spreads disinformation to destabilize markets in rival cities.

For example, they might release rumors about poor-quality goods from Danfelgor, swaying buyers to favor Estasean merchants.

The Silent Blades:

This elite unit handles assassinations and kidnappings. They have been known to eliminate pirates who refuse to join the Shadow Fleet or rival merchants who pose a threat to Estasea’s dominance.

Pirate Collaboration:

Unlike Gitcni’s OPS, which fights piracy to protect trade, the ESC has secret alliances with several pirate crews, offering them safe passage in exchange for targeting Estasea’s rivals.

Codebreaking and Cryptography:

The ESC employs brilliant minds to crack foreign codes and ciphers and create new codes which are almost impossible to decipher. However, their approach to the use of cryptography is more focused on trade secrets and economic intelligence rather than political intrigue.

Manipulation of Labour:

The ESC has been known to foment unrest in rival cities to disrupt production and weaken their economies.

Gitcni’s Operations in Estasea 

Top Secret OPS Dossier

Authorised Personnel Only

These are some of the most intricate and dangerous undertakings of the Office of Public Safety (OPS). Estasea’s proximity, wealth, and influence as a maritime power make it a critical focus of espionage, sabotage, and intelligence gathering for Danfelgor. Below is a detailed account of Gitcni’s network, methods, key operations, and notable challenges in Estasea.

 

The Importance of Estasea to Danfelgor

Estasea is both a trading partner and a potential rival. Its wealth flows from its dominance in seaborne trade, its highly developed guild system, and its skilled alchemists. However, its political factions and ambitions often conflict with Danfelgor's interests. Estasea is a city of opportunities, secrets, and dangers—subtle maneuvers can shift the balance of power in the region.

 

Gitcni’s Goals in Estasea

Trade Dominance:

Ensure Danfelgor’s merchants have an edge in negotiations and contracts.

Disrupt rival trade deals or manipulate prices of key commodities such as timber, spices, and silk.

Counterintelligence:

Expose and neutralize Estasean spies operating in Danfelgor.

Uncover Estasea’s covert alliances with other city-states or tribes.

Sabotage of Alchemical Research:

Estasea’s alchemists often pose a significant threat due to their innovations, particularly in weaponry and maritime technology. Gitcni aims to destabilize their progress by infiltrating their workshops and occasionally orchestrating accidents.

Political Instability:

Subtly exacerbate Estasea’s internal factionalism, preventing any one group from consolidating power.

 

OPS’s Network in Estasea

Operatives and Informants

The Harbor Station:

A group of dockworkers, tavern owners, and shipwrights paid to keep Gitcni informed of movements in and out of Estasea’s port. They report on, for example, foreign ships and their cargo, Estasean naval maneuvers and smuggling operations.

The Silent Ledger:

A secret cell of bookkeepers and scribes embedded in Estasea’s Merchant Guild. They provide Gitcni with access to trade contracts, financial records, and internal correspondence.

The Alchemist’s Apprentice:

The OPS has placed a mole, Kaeren Mivell, within the workshop of a prominent Estasean alchemist, Lorvan Ilimian, known for his work on explosive compounds. Kaeren feeds intelligence on new discoveries and occasionally sabotages critical experiments.

Society Spies:

Through bribes and blackmail, Gitcni has recruited several courtiers and merchants’ wives who attend Estasea’s elite gatherings. They relay conversations overheard at banquets and parties, often revealing alliances or rivalries within the upper echelons of power.

 

Key Operations in Estasea

The Case of the Vanishing Timber

Estasea once attempted to monopolise the supply of timber to Danfelgor, vital for house and ship building. Gitcni orchestrated an operation to foil the plan - OPS agents bribed Estasean dock officials to mislabel shipments, diverting the timber to neutral ports. Simultaneously, Gitcni caused the timber to be infected with a wood-boring pest, causing merchants to cancel contracts. The resulting chaos disrupted Estasea’s market, forcing them to sell uninrected timber to Danfelgor at a loss.

The Poisoned Wine Plot

Gitcni learned that Estasean merchants planned to ship tainted Estasean wine to Danfelgor disguised as Danfelgorian wine, to damage the reputation of its vintners. However, OPS operatives intercepted the shipment and replaced it with flawless wine. The wine that had been sabotaged by Estasean agents was then rerouted to Estasean markets, resulting in a scandal that weakened one of Estasea’s merchant factions.

The Alchemist’s Gambit

When Gitcni discovered that Estasean alchemists were developing a fireproof resin for ships, he feared its implications for naval warfare - Kaeren Mivell, Gitcni’s mole, sabotaged the project by adding a reactive compound to the resin, causing it to combust under heat. When Estasea tested the resin on a prototype ship, the vessel caught fire and sank, ending the project.

 

Challenges to Gitcni’s operation

The Shadow Trade Network:
Estasea’s underground trade network is led by Vareon Dirik, a cunning smuggler with a personal vendetta against Gitcni. Vareon has successfully disrupted several OPS operations, including the assassination of an Estasean noble who had been working for Gitcni.

The Glass Cipher:

Estasea’s spies use an advanced encryption technique involving glass lenses and light refraction, making their messages nearly impossible to decode. Gitcni has devoted significant resources to cracking the cipher, using captured fragments of lenses and Estasean informants.

The Shard:

A secretive Estasean spy known only as the Shard has exposed several of his agents and thwarted an attempt to steal Estasea’s naval blueprints.

 

Gitcni’s Methods in Estasea

Bribery and Blackmail:

Gitcni often blackmails officials and merchants with evidence of their illicit dealings, ensuring their loyalty to the OPS. He uses informants to dig up scandals, from adulterous affairs to financial fraud, leveraging them for control.

Propaganda and Disinformation:

The OPS spreads rumors in Estasea to destabilize its political factions, such as fabricating accusations of treason among rival merchant families.

Sabotage:

Gitcni’s agents sabotage key infrastructure projects, such as damaging Estasea’s dry docks to delay shipbuilding.

Covert Diplomacy:

Gitcni occasionally collaborates with discontented factions within Estasea, offering covert support to groups seeking to weaken the central government.

 

Gitcni’s Long-Term Vision for Estasea

While Gitcni’s immediate goal is to protect Danfelgor’s interests, his long-term aim is to subtly erode Estasea’s power, ensuring it can never challenge Danfelgor’s dominance. He envisions a future where Estasea becomes dependent on Danfelgor economically and politically, turning its wealth into a tool for Danfelgor’s ambitions.

The Golden Shipment

Top Secret OPS Briefing Dossier

Authorised Personnel Only

The Estasean Special Committee smuggled a large quantity of counterfeit gold coins into Danfelgor. These coins, very difficult to distinguish from genuine currency, were distributed across the city, causing economic upheaval when their counterfeit status was discovered. The incident undermined confidence in Danfelgor’s economy and forced the Guild of Merchants to introduce costly measures to restore trust, including exchanging counterfeit coins for genuine currency.

The ESC's Plan

The ESC launched a counterfeit currency smuggling operation, known later as The Golden Shipment:

Counterfeit Coins: The ESC commissioned Estasean alchemists and metalworkers to create near perfect counterfeit gold coins, plated with a fine layer of genuine gold, making them indistinguishable from authentic currency unless subjected to advanced testing.

Mass Distribution: The plan was to introduce the counterfeit coins into Danfelgor’s economy in such large quantities that it would devalue Danfelgorian currency, create economic chaos and mistrust among merchants and citizens.

Smuggling Route: The coins were transported by riverboats disguised as fishing vessels which would blend in with regular traffic on the Danfel River.

Placement Agents: The ESC bribed, and in some cases blackmailed, traders, merchants, innkeepers, and even minor guild officials to distribute and circulate the counterfeits as quickly and widely as possible before they were detected.

Gitcni’s Discovery

The Office of Public Safety became aware of suspicious activity through Spymaster General Gitcni’s intelligence network:

Intercepted Correspondence: A coded letter between an Estasean operative and a Danfelgorian merchant was intercepted which hinted at the arrival of a “shining wave” but provided no details.

Undercover Operative: A Gitcni double agent, embedded in a smuggling ring, reported rumors of an “unusual cargo” moving upriver but could not provide confirmation of its nature.

Economic Indicators: There was a sudden influx of Estasean goods in Danfelgor’s markets being sold for suspiciously low prices, which caused the Merchant Guild to begin complaining about unfair competition. This dumping of goods on the Danfelgorian market was also intended to devalue Danfelgorian currency.

Gitcni’s CountermeasuresIncreased River Surveillance

Gitcni ordered the deployment of patrols along the Danfel River to monitor all incoming vessels - teams of inspectors boarded and searched boats suspected of carrying counterfeit coins. Fishing vessels and cargo barges were flagged for inspection.

. Economic Monitoring

The Office of Public Safety coordinated with the Guild of Merchants to track large transactions and analyze fluctuations in the local gold supply, with trusted goldsmiths, money changers and bankers being enlisted to identify counterfeit coins.

Decoys and False Information

The OPS planted false intelligence suggesting that it was focused on another Estasean smuggling operation, causing the ESC to divert some of its resources. The Estasean operation was real, and was known to the OPS, but in fact, all OPS resources were concentrated upon the currency smuggling.

The Confrontation

The pivotal moment occurred when OPS river patrols intercepted a suspicious barge near the village of Redwillow, a day’s journey downriver from Danfelgor. 

The Search: The patrol boarded the barge and demanded to inspect the cargo. The smugglers initially complied, showing agents crates of dried fish and barrels of wine. However, OPS agents noticed that the barrels seemed unusually heavy.

The Discovery: Upon breaking open one crate, they found layers of fish concealing bags of counterfeit coins. Realizing they had been caught, the smugglers attempted to flee, causing the OPS agents to jump off the barge into the Danfel. Recovering the agents from the river delayed the patrol, giving the smugglers an initial advantage.

The Chase: The river patrol pursued the barge, but the smugglers had the advantage at first and were nearly at the mouth of the Danfel River when the patrol cornered them in a narrow channel. A fight ensued, and the barge was seized and the crew manacled and taken to OPS HQ for interrogation. 

The Aftermath

Gitcni’s team had managed to seize the barge and recover several barrels of counterfeit coins. However, this was only a portion of the shipment. The ESC had successfully distributed the rest of the coins in Danfelgor, causing significant disruption:

Economic Chaos:

Merchants began rejecting gold coins out of fear they might be counterfeit, leading to a temporary economic freeze, and panic spread among citizens, many of whom now realised that they held counterfeit coins. The Guild of Merchants was forced to issue a public notice declaring the counterfeit coins invalid as legal tender and launching a massive recall. 

Investigation and Cleanup:

OPS agents launched a citywide operation to recover as many counterfeit coins as possible. They raided suspected distribution points, including warehouses, taverns, and private residences. Partial compensation for counterfeit coins was granted, alongside severe penalties for further distribution of the coins. Several Danfelgorians who had collaborated with the ESC were arrested, tried, and harshly punished to deter further cooperation.

Political Fallout:

The Guild of Merchants publicly demanded accountability for the breach in trade security, leading to a tense exchange between the Office of Public Safety and the Guild. Gitcni skillfully deflected criticism by emphasizing the swift containment of the crisis and blaming the Guild for failing to monitor its own members.

The Role of Propaganda

To turn the situation to his advantage, Gitcni launched a propaganda campaign. He framed the incident as a victory for the Office of Public Safety, highlighting their ability to detect and intercept a foreign plot. Further propaganda portrayed the ESC as cowardly and deceitful, stoking anti-Estasean sentiment in Danfelgor.

Lessons Learned by the OPS

The incident reinforced the need for:

Stronger Economic Oversight: Gitcni pushed for tighter controls on currency exchanges and higher fines for smuggling.

Enhanced Intelligence: He expanded the Office’s network of informants, placing particular emphasis on Estasean operatives and sympathizers in Danfelgor.

Counter-Smuggling Tactics: Gitcni devised new strategies to disrupt Estasean trade, including infiltrating their smuggling networks and spreading disinformation about Danfelgorian trade vulnerabilities.

The ESC’s Response

Despite the setback, the ESC viewed the Golden Shipment as a partial success, because they had demonstrated their ability to disrupt Danfelgor’s economy and the incident exposed vulnerabilities in Danfelgor’s trade defenses, which the ESC began exploiting further.