The Ghost Corps

In the earliest days of the Circle of Nine, few stood in open opposition to the push towards global unity. Even before the signing of the treaty in 1 YC, the nations involved in that push—ancient states Norsivar and Solisvar; the sprawling Lar Aslaki; and newer powers Elasiril and the Federation of Vay—were already global bulwarks that few dared to challenge. Many small and disjointed factions found themselves outmanned and folded into the Circle of Nine's rule as it became clear that the Co9 was not going anywhere. Others just disappeared.
The Ghost Corps were among the pool of dissenter factions that faded into obscurity in the early years of the Circle. But that obscurity came on the tail of a decades-long campaign described by some as radical activism and by others as terrorism.

Rise and Fall

The true origin of the Ghost Corps are the stuff of legend, amidst which the truth is disguised and buried. What is known with certainty is that the Ghost Corps' work began in the republic of Nytho Nalore, now a province of Kassaan, when a cluster of assassinations decimated a cell of pro-Co9 Nalorian politicians. The assassinations were superficially investigated, but the anti-Co9 majority of Nytho Nalore largely let those investigations fall by the wayside. The group branched outward from Nytho Nalore slowly but steadily from around 20 to 10 YW. In their wake came assassinations of important Co9 organizers and supporters, guerrilla warfare on troops from the Co9-supporting nations, and destruction of infrastructure. It wasn't until some 30 years later that the sum total of the Ghost Corps' work was linked conclusively back to them, by virtue of a fundamental feature of the Corps: the impeccable precision with which their work was carried out.
Near their peak around 5 YW, the Ghost Corps struck fear into the hearts of many a powerful supporter of the Circle of Nine. The Corps executed hit after hit on Co9-linked politicians and military strategists, particularly those in the Federation of Vay and Norsivar, with a degree of impunity afforded by their silence and anonymity. Its small network of operatives worked under code names, communicating with such secrecy that to this day, the true identities of those responsible for many of the Corps' most notorious hits remain unknown.
The Ghost Corps fought against the ratification of the Circle of Nine for years following the treaty's signing. Ultimately, it was the combination of an international crackdown on the Corps' activities—and the resulting exposure of quite a few of its members' identities—and the growing sense of futility in the face of the Co9 that lead to the group losing steam. By 35 YC, the Ghost Corps had all but died out.
Though no illicit activities have been conclusively linked to the group for almost 700 years, the Corps retains a strong presence in the public conscious; conspiracy theorists have pointed to countless supposed links between various murders, arsons, and political machinations as so-called evidence of some ongoing influence of the Ghost Corps, to no particular avail. Most recently, some believe that Anarch, the assassin who has menaced the Federation of Vay over the last several years, to be the newest active operative of the Ghost Corps.

Notable Activities

A handful of assassinations and other crimes remain inexorably linked to the Ghost Corps, iconic even seven centuries later. Some of these were, at their time, claimed by the Corps to be their work, while others were only traced to them later. Listed here are a few of the best-known activities of the Ghost Corps during their heyday.

Destruction of the Solisvaran Monarchy

In 7 YW, a still-unidentified Corps operative known only as Ghost Moth assassinated the reigning King of Solisvar, Tlalax IV of Coyotl-Olli, and both of his adult descendants, Crown Prince Tlalax V and Princess Ilhuitl, thus extinguishing the Coyotl-Olli line. Though ultimately ineffective in producing a new Solisvaran dynasty that would oppose the Co9, the flawless and devastating assassinations became an iconic symbol of the anti-Co9 resistance. The end of the Coyotl-Olli line lead directly to the establishment of the Ahuilan dynasty, the current ruling house of Solisvar.

Ambush on Norsivaran Diplomatic Mission

In 4 YW, a group of around twenty operatives lead by the Corps' most-successful strike team leader, Ghost Cobalt, annihilated a squadron of sixty Norsivaran soldiers in contemporary Oristhane. The soldiers were escorting a coterie of Norsivaran diplomats to Lar Aslaki to discuss the potential establishment of a northern and southern capitol of the Circle of Nine. Under Ghost Cobalt's command, the strike team ambushed the squadron at night, assassinated the diplomats and murdered all but three Norsivaran soldiers, whom they instructed to return to Norsivar to inform their supervisors of the loss of the diplomats' lives at the hands of the Ghost Corps. The soldiers did. Despite a ten-year-long manhunt, neither Ghost Cobalt nor any of other members of the strike team were ever identified.

Siege on the Vayan Capitol

In 2 YC, operative Ghost Daylily stole a Vayan war engine and piloted it into a one-man siege against the Capitol Building in Vay Proper, demanding the release of a non-Corps-related group of anti-Co9 militants whom the Federation had recently captured and imprisoned. Though Ghost Daylily's quest proved to be a suicide mission, it made them an icon for the anti-Co9 resistance.

Structure of the Corps

The Ghost Corps' inner structure remains largely unknown, lost to time and the veil of secrecy that the organization upheld during its active years. It is known that the Corps maintained two classes of operatives: actives and passives. Actives were the operatives involved in the Corps' work most directly, whether they be soldiers, assassins, thieves, strategists, or infiltrators; passives were sleeper agents that relayed information to the Corps and served to enable the work of the actives. It is estimated that some 90% of the Corps' passives at their peak never had their cover blown, their work with the Corps unknown to this day. In their work with the Corps, individuals of both roles took the title of Ghost as well as a codename to protect their identity. It is known that there was some hierarchy within the Corps, but the nature of that hierarchy remains unknown.

"Blades in the Light Make Statements, Blades in the Dark Make Change"

Founding Date

c. 20 YW

Type

Illicit, Terrorist group

Alternative Names

The Corps

Controlled Territories

• The Wildwood Site