Interoffice Communications
To: Shale Staff
From: Emily Shale-Vanders

All Shale Employees,

I thank you so much for your hard work on a daily basis. I'm writing now to comment on the evacuation of the building on December 14, 2046. On the morning of December 14, 2046, we received word of a potential bomb threat to the building from the Moscow Police Department. We immediately enacted our evacuation protocols.  Thanks to you all taking our drills seriously, we were able to evacuate the building in a timely manner. As you are aware, Moscow Police did a thorough sweep of the building and found explosives

At this point, we know little of the threat.  We do not know who issued it or why Shale was targeted. We have been informed that we do not know if this attack was to happen the 14th or not. The threat itself was somewhat ambiguous. With this in mind, the board and I have decided to close down the building until after Christmas. We will work with the police in trying to figure out the validity of these threats and will reassess the situation at a later time. Please note that these days will be paid.  It will not affect your paycheck or benefits.

Your safety as employees of Shale is of the utmost importance and we are keeping that in mind in dealing with this threat. If you have any questions regarding this memo, please feel free to contact your supervisors.

Once again, thank you all for your hard work.

Sincerely,

Emily Shale-Vanders
CEO, Shale International

This post will explain what's coming, since it's being introduced in game here.

Once the world is unified under the CCD, we will transition from traditional money into a new era of programmable commerce. The CCD Dollar will be retired. In its place will come a system designed not just to facilitate trade, but to govern society at every level.

That system is known as Tiles, and it is overseen by a planetary-scale infrastructure known as the Central Lattice.

The following will explain this system OOC. A second post will explain what the general public will know once it's rolled out world-wide.

Officially, this isn't going to become public knowledge until once the entire world is part of the CCD, and that will probably take a bit more time IRL. Nikolai is focused right now on the USA, but there is still all of Africa and China to contend with.

• Programmable – its value is not fixed, but calculated based on the individual.
  
• Identity-bound – each person’s Tiles are stored in their Vein, and cannot be shared, sold, or inherited without approval.
  
• Conditional – your Tile’s worth changes based on how you live, what you do, and who you are.
  

Quote:“A Tile is not what you have. It is who you are.”

• How much your Tiles are worth
  
• What goods, services, or locations you can access
  
• Whether your privileges are active, restricted, or revoked
  

• Monitors all transactions and behavior
  
• Evaluates ideological compliance
  
• Adjusts access to resources in real time
  
• Predicts unrest, and preemptively tightens control in sensitive areas
  

Quote:“The Lattice does not judge. It calculates.”

• DNA-encoded to their owners
  
• Used as identity keys, not cash
  
• Carried by high-ranking CCD governors, Volthstrom legacy holders, and the Ascendancy himself
  
• Indestructible by normal means and capable of executing Lattice overrides, granting special access, or activating hidden systems
  
• Extremely high value. To see one in person is to be in a state of disbelief of its presence.
  

• Held by The Ascendancy only. 
  
• Absolute override of the global Lattice                                  
  

• Dominance governors, select elites
  
• Region-level override & Vein control                                    
  

• Select Volthstrom bloodline members     
  
• Grants access to hidden Tile ledgers and Phantom accounts                
  

• Ideological enforcement officers  
  
• Authorizes emergency actions: arrest, blackout, denial of medical access 
  

• Untraceable operations
  
• Internal CCD politics
  
• Asset manipulation and legacy banking structures
  
• Select Volthstrom bloodlines possess Keystones—ancient access codes hardwired into the Lattice, capable of bypassing normal controls. The bloodlines inspired the name of "Veins".
  

Quote:“Tiles make the world fair. In a global family, every contribution matters. No one is poor—only unaligned. Let your Vein reflect your worth.”

1. Close family members (must be registered)
   
2. State-sanctioned gifting programs (Unity bonuses, end-of-year tax awards)
   
3. Inheritance claims (under verified circumstances)
   

• Financial freezes
  
• Access lockdowns
  
• Physical retrieval squads (for high-value cases)
  

• The thief has compatible biometric or DNA markers (e.g., from a related bloodline)
  
• They have access to illicit Lattice rewriters (found only in resistance enclaves or black labs)
  

• Underground networks will create illegal “Tile Gift Chains”—temporary identity-sharing proxies that let a donor temporarily boost another’s Tile access.
  
• These are time-limited and highly illegal. If detected, both Veins are frozen.
  
• Used in emergencies (e.g., paying for medicine, buying restricted transit) or as a method of quiet resistance.
  

• Psychological side effects
  
• Tile corruption
  
• Lattice retaliation (system resets or lethal lockdowns)
  

1. Stolen Vein – A hacker clones a high-ranking citizen’s Vein, triggering a global lockdown and manhunt.
   
2. Legacy Tile Activation – Jay Carpenter activates a physical Tile tied to his bloodline, unlocking forbidden access to the Lattice.
   
3. The Forgotten Zone – A remote area is discovered where the Lattice doesn’t function—and the people want it to stay that way.
   
4. Phantom Market – An underground economy trades illegal Tiles that grant power—but erase your identity.
   
5. Inheritance Denied – A child is denied their parent's Vein and must uncover hidden Tile caches tied to a family secret.
   
6. Tilefall – A system glitch reshuffles Vein values across a region, creating chaos as citizens rise and fall overnight.
   
7. Gift Chain – A group attempts an illegal chain of Tile gifts to save a dying woman, risking their own Veins.
   
8. Ascendancy Exemption – A journalist uncovers proof that the Ascendancy doesn’t have a Vein—and lives above the system.
   
9. Veinborn – A child is born with no Vein signature, immune to the Lattice—sought by both the CCD and the resistance.
   
10. The Seventh Tile – A lost master Tile rumored to override the entire system sparks a global race to find it.
    

The cold had teeth in Moscow this time of year. Sharp, gnashing things that chewed through fur and pride alike. Zixin cursed it every time it kissed his face, but today… Today it suited him. The streets below were frozen in place, movements cautious and slow, as if the whole city waited to see what would come next.

From the glass-walled penthouse of the Radiance Hotel, the skyline glittered like a constellation trapped beneath ice. Below, the boulevards of Moscow’s wealthiest district stretched clean and quiet, gleaming with salt and privilege. Up here, forty-one floors above consequence, the city felt almost tame.

Zixin adjusted the cuffs of his ink-black coat. The wool was a whisper of luxury against the charcoal collar beneath. No gold. No ornament. He didn’t need symbols. He was the symbol.

The suite had been stripped of Adrian Kane’s usual decadence. In its place: austerity. A long table of black-stained walnut bisected the room, framed by the icy glow of the windows and the low, ambient hush of a city kept far away. No waiters. No music. No distractions. Even the hotel staff had been cycled off the floor for the evening, replaced by trusted faces whose tongues were already bought.

This was not a party. This was not a negotiation. This was a claim.

A gentleman’s understanding had gone out through the channels: neutrality. No weapons. No retaliation. No blood on Radiance floors. Not tonight. Adrian’s hotel was considered neutral ground now, and no one had reason to test the boundaries yet. Still, eyes would watch from the corners, security swept and reswept. Adrian promised he would ensured it.

There would be seats at the table for the players: the Yakuza captain, likely first to arrive. Punctuality was as much ritual as reputation. The Russians would likely arrive fashionably late - though it remained to be seen whether the Stoyas, Petrovich's, or Vasilev's would arrive first. Adrian, of course, was already here. Always watching. He was both host and observer, in the way predators sometimes pretended to be idle.

Ryker would come when it amused him.

And then there was Ozymandias and Alistair. Wild cards in every way, especially allure. Zixin didn’t need their endorsement, but their presence would serve as a quiet reminder of the game already in motion.

Beyond the table, Adrian had arranged standing space around the edges of the room. A gallery for lieutenants, enforcers, middle-men. Those too important to be absent, but not important enough to speak. Besides, each party was unlikely to arrive unaccompanied. They would hover like shadows, eyes fixed on the table, ears hungry.

Zixin didn’t pace. He didn’t fidget. There was no need. The room already answered to him. And the city. If it didn’t yet, it would.

This wasn’t about violence. This was about inevitability. When they arrived, he would already be seated at the head of the table.

It felt odd to be going to the burlesque club. It wasn’t really Emily’s scene. Elyse worked here, but Emily never really thought she’d go to one. In this instance she wasn’t going to see a performance though. She was sort of curious now though. Maybe she’d show up sometime. If she ever got the courage to go. 

She set up a time with Nox so he could inform people to be there and Liv would have a chance to get off work to do learn. This was a big deal and possibly would open many doors. She sighed as she drove there, Jared in the passenger seat. 

”You ever go to these types of clubs?” she asked him. 

Jared chuckled. ”That feels like a loaded question,” he gave her a disarming smirk. ”Burlesque, no, but I’ve been to my share of gentlemen’s clubs”

Emily smirked back. ”I see. I’ve never been to anything like it. I know - it’s not like it’s a show or anything.”

”They’re people just like anyone else. No need to be nervous.”

She nodded. ”More worried about feeling out of place.”

”Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.”

Emily nodded and arrived at the location. She went to the door that Nox had told her to go to, and pressed the buzzer. A security guy came to the door and Emily introduced herself. She was expected so they were taken to a lounge area. There they found some others already waiting. 

”Hi, I’m Emily and this is Jared,” she introduced themselves and took a seat. ”Here to teach people how to link and to try some things.”

Hey all! Since linking has now been discovered, I thought it would be a good idea for use to have a thread where we could find all the linking rules.  I did a lot of research to make it as accurate to the source material as I could, and I thought I'd save you guys the headache of finding all of this later.  I felt this was the right section to put this thread in - if I didn't - mods feel free to move it

If you know anything that I forgot, please comment!

All these rules are from the Wheel of Time Companion:

1. Combined flow is not as great as the sum total of the individual flows - but it is more precise and has a far greater effect than the individual flows can
2. One person leads the circle.
3. Men cannot link their abilities without the presences of a woman or women in the circle
4. Up to thirteen women can form a circle without the presence of a man. Adding a man can extend this number by another thirteen up to the limit of six men and sixty six women (a total of seventy two).
5. There must be at least one more woman than men in a circle with the following exceptions.

• One man and one woman
  
• Two men and one woman
  
• Two men and two women
  

• Man has to control a link of 72 people
  
• Man has to control the link in mixed circles of fewer than thirteen
  

Anna had spent a couple of nights at her own place.  Not that she didn't like Nox's place or being with Elyse.  There was just a feeling of being home that she liked.  Everyone liked that feeling she thought.  Home. Elyse also seemed to be doing well, and she seemed to be hitting things off with Rachel Shale even if Rachel didn't seem to be doing well. Poor girl.

Anna had just finished cleaning when she got a text from Cade.

Hey! Was wondering if you had time to help me look for an apartment? Got a few options but want some company. I hate looking by myself.

Anna smiled at that. She was glad he was staying and not just because she was crushing on him bad. It seemed like he needed a new start, and moving to Moscow would be good for that. An apartment meant he had decided to stay. She thought Nox had offered him a job. Maybe he had accepted.

Sure thing! Let me know when and where and I'll be there! She responded.

Anna was still in her pajamas so she got dressed and waited for a response from Cade.  When she got a place to go, she left, grabbed a cab and headed out.

Emily shut the door to Rachel's bedroom. It had been a hell of a day for all of them. She had received Elyse's text and she wasn't surprised.  It confirmed what she had been thinking. Emily knew what she had to do now. They just had to keep her going for a bit. Hopefully her plan would work.  If it didn't, Emily would be at a loss for what to do next. 

Emily went to her room and changed into her exercise clothes before going to their gym.  She found Jared there, working through some martial arts movements slowly. He did that when he needed to calm down.  Jared was good at hiding his emotions when he needed to, but he was also good at channeling them into something to relax them.

Emily needed something more physical.  She went to the punching bag.  Jared responded by moving, gripping the bag from the other side as she attacked it. There was nothing tactical about what she did. She just hit the bag - hard and repeatedly.  It wasn't enough. She stopped as she began to sob and fell to the ground.  The day had been too much.  Way too much.  Jared was there in a moment, holding her tight and she sobbed into his shoulder. Neither one spoke. Both of them knew that no words were necessary yet.  The only thing she needed was to cry.

Emily finished and released Jared, wiping the tears from her eyes. "What happened at work?" Jared asked, going right to the heart of it.  He knew what had happened with Rachel, but he knew it had to have been more than that to cause this reaction.

"Someone informed Moscow Police that there was a bomb threat at the building. We got everyone out okay, and they found nothing, but they have no certain date for when it will happen.  They don't even know if it's true, but it's credible. They told me they couldn't tell me much more yet, but they're investigating. Staff is working from home as much as possible, and security is going to be increased at the building until we know what's going on. They say they'll keep me informed as much as possible. At least they're taking it seriously."

Jared nodded, and kept silent as she embraced him again. "I'm going to move on with Rachel's treatment...later tonight - I need to not think about these things for awhile." she said breaking the silence.

"I have a distraction. An experiment I want to try," Jared responded, pulling away and wiping tears from her eyes.

She chuckled and gave a wry grin. "Not until after the baby."

Jared chuckled. "Not that kind of experiment.

She laughed. It felt good to laugh. "Alright - what do you have in mind?"

Walking in to Manifesto on a cold winter's night was an exercise in contrast. The darkness of the outside changed to vibrant colors; the frigid winter air changed to the warmth of heat and bodies pressed together. The biggest change for Elend, however, was the change in sound. Outside the building was quiet. People waiting for their cabs or those just passing by had quiet conversations, while the slight sound of booming bass from the inside tried to permeate the building's walls. The conversations disappeared upon entering the club. The volume increased as you approached the club proper, and upon entering the main area with the dance floor, the music was deafening. It was a place in which Elend felt at home.

Elend worked his way through the crowd. He had just arrived, and although he had arrived alone, he was hoping to not leave that way tonight. Still there was a time for that. Right now, he was in the mood for a drink. Crossing the dance floor took some time.  It was a busy night and dancing was almost standing room only. It took time to make his way to the vodka bar.  Elend was recognized. He was a fairly regular customer here.  He got his drink and moved to the side.

Elend's face turned to the crowd and he began to look. In one hand he held his glass, bringing it to his lips to take a slow drag off of the liquid. Elend, well dressed in a fine suit, ran his free hand through his hair as leaned against the wall.  Although his gaze moved through the crowd, his mind began to wander, thinking about his research.  The Fountain of Youth and the Tree of Life had to be out there somewhere, but his research had revealed little. Elend was certain the Ascendancy knew something. His ageless face at the very least meant something. Maybe his cult of worshippers did as well. 

Elend blinked the thoughts away.  That's not why he was here.  He had been searching too much, and his mind was no longer clear.  What he needed was a distraction - a way to clear his head.  He'd find someone here, he was sure of it. His gaze went back to the crowd, scanning for familiar faces - or those who would just be in the mood for some mingling. 

Elend's eyes would linger at times at the DJ's podium, where it was likely Ozy was stationed.  The man was the face of the club, and a beautiful face it was. Here, the man was a god, worshiped not for his ability to use the power (as far as Elend knew he couldn't), but for his skills as a DJ. Devotion to him was certainly merited.  The thought brought Elend back to thoughts of immortality. A man like that - well - agelessness would be a good fit for him. There were rumors that Ozy was actually going to be leaving Manifesto - that he had found something else. That was certainly interesting gossip. It made Elend wonder if the crowd size here would decrease in his absence. 

Elend took another pull off his drink and sighed contentedly. It was a good night to be out. It was a good night to clear his head. Tonight, he'd find his good time. Tomorrow, he'd be back to the grind. Several options were available to him. He could continue his research. That could take him to the Sanctuary of the Ascendant Flame.  Regardless of if it would help, Elend was curious to meet this "Luminar." Forming a cult required a particular personality. He could do work for Arc too.  Cadence Mathis was recording in one of his studios. He also heard Ezvin was working with her. Ezvin was talented, and Elend really wished he could get Ezvin to join his staff full time. The man seemed to like the freelancing life though. It would probably be a good idea to make an appearance with Cadence for professional reasons. Elend chuckled.  Once again, his mind was roaming.  Tonight was about clarity.

Ozymandias Kassim, DJ, nightlife icon, digital-era hedonist

Age: 24
Origin: Singapore
Occupation: DJ
Past lives: Narcissus, Don Juan
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Ozymandias Kassim, better known to fans as Ozy, comes from Singapore’s upper-class. The Kassim family was old money, polished, and respected, but never quite dominant in the hierarchy of the city’s elite. That didn’t matter. Ozy didn’t just inherit status, he claimed it for himself.

He was a force from the start. Mischievous, magnetic, impossible to discipline. But he learned early how to avoid warnings and discipline by leaning into his greatest strengths. By fifteen, he had his first viral clip. By sixteen, his own cult following. With a face like an angel and an instinct for how to hold an audience in thrall, Ozy craved attention, and easily found it.

Naturally, he ended up dating the city’s most desirable prize: Jia Xin Kao, the immaculate daughter of the most powerful family in Singapore. She was disciplined elegance, practically royalty, and perfectly polished like glass, but Ozy was the wildfire that might have cracked her. They were a media fantasy for eight breathless months: yacht photos, movie cameos, co-branded merchandise drops. And then, just as quickly, it ended.

The Kao family never publicly commented, but rumors swirled. Some said they disapproved of Ozy’s online persona. Others claimed he slept with one of Jia Xin’s cousins. Whatever the truth, Jia Xin wasn’t seen with him again, and Ozy moved on. Visibly. After Jia Xin, he was never again seen with the same person twice in a row.

At eighteen, Ozy immersed himself into music. Not only for its art, but for the command he found he could exert with it. He taught himself the language of sound, of control, of setting moods and snapping minds in half with nothing more than a change of beat. By twenty, he was already headlining underground parties in Tokyo, Seoul, and Berlin. At twenty-three, he moved to Moscow, where the myth of Ozymandias solidified.

Now, he is the face of Manifesto. There, Ozy stands above the crowd like a modern idol, watched by all and watching all. Rumor says that he is being recruited for something even bigger. It remains to be seen what he will do or where he will go next. Ozy never seems to stay in one place for long.

Personality

He doesn’t think of himself as arrogant. He simply believes he is more interesting, more deserving, and more important than the people around him. He assumes others are drawn to him because they recognize his value. And if they don’t, he quickly loses interest.

He relies on attention and admiration to maintain his self-worth. If people stop talking about him, he’ll make sure to give them something to talk about. He doesn’t like being questioned or criticized, and when he is, he either dismisses it completely or turns cold and cutting. He never admits fault. If a friendship or relationship ends badly, he tells himself it’s because the other person wanted too much, or because they never really understood him.

He’s charming. Very much so. He knows how to make people feel special, seen, and wanted. But it’s calculated. He knows what to say to get what he wants, and once he gets it, the connection fades. He doesn’t form real emotional bonds, and when someone tries to form one with him, he sees it as pressure or weakness.

Empathy is not his strong suit. He can mimic it well enough, especially in public or in bed, but in private he struggles to care about other people’s problems unless they directly affect him. He prefers to stay in control of his surroundings, his image, and his narrative. Anything he can’t control, he avoids.

Appearance

Ozy’s beauty isn’t soft. It’s arresting. His facial structure is sharp but symmetrical: high cheekbones, a straight nose, a strong jaw softened just enough by full lips.

His eyes are his most talked about feature. Pale, glacial blue with dark rims, intense without trying to be. People often describe them as either uncomfortably direct or completely vacant. His hair is tousled and artfully disheveled: deep brown with natural sun-caught glints. He wears it cropped at the sides, slightly longer up top, styled with the kind of effortlessness that costs thousands to maintain. His skin is golden-olive, smooth and luminescent under club lights, untouched by excess but somehow soaked in indulgence.

He wears eyeliner sometimes. Not for drama, but because it works. On Ozy, everything does. People stare when he enters a room. Some hate him for it. Most just can’t look away. He often wears earrings or layered necklaces: subtle, expensive, and always coordinated.

He stands just under six feet tall but often seems taller, thanks to the way he holds himself: chest forward, chin slightly raised, shoulders relaxed but alert. His body is toned but not bulky. His definition comes from maintenance, not discipline. No signs of overtraining or vanity workouts. He’s the kind of fit that looks effortless, like he was born knowing how to wear clothes well.

Associates



Ezvin Marveet - lover
Saelia Marveet - lover
Jaxen Marveet - ally
Jia Xin Kao - lover
Zixin Kao - ally
Gideon Marquis - lover
Guillaume de Volthström - lover
Elend Braitwaithe - lover