The Oblique Concord
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It began with a single act of mischief—one that should have been forgotten.
A scribe, weary of his lord’s greed, changed a single number in the tax records. Not enough to be noticed, but just enough to ensure a starving village received a reprieve from crushing levies. He expected nothing to come of it except his own dismissal, but instead, the village thrived. With a single winter’s mercy, they grew strong enough to defend themselves from raiders. Their gratitude never found its way to him, but it didn’t need to. He had seen what a well-placed lie could do.
The story spread—not as a name, nor a legend, but as a whisper. A merchant, hearing of the scribe’s quiet defiance, did something similar. He made a clerical error in a debtor’s account, erasing a sum that had bound a struggling craftsman in servitude. That craftsman went on to form a guild that broke the monopolies of corrupt nobles.
A guard, hearing that story, made a different choice. One night, instead of arresting a known agitator, he looked the other way. The agitator went on to inspire a rebellion—not a war, but a peaceful, bloodless movement that changed the laws of the land.
None of these people knew each other. But their stories inspired more. Each was a single droplet, a lone stroke of coincidence. Until one man—who would never be named—saw the pattern forming.
He was not a leader. He was not even the most cunning among them. But he was the first to realize that these scattered acts of defiance, mercy, and manipulation were not accidents. They were tools. And like any tool, they could be refined.
He did not command. He did not recruit. Instead, he planted an idea:
"What if we stopped working alone?"
The idea spread like wildfire among those who already walked in the shadows. Soon, messages were passed through coded letters. Techniques were shared through anonymous correspondences. And slowly, what had once been scattered individuals became something more—a network, an understanding, an unseen force.
And so, the Oblique Concord was born. Not from power, nor ambition, nor divine decree. But from a series of small, quiet rebellions—each unnoticed on its own, yet unstoppable together.
1. The Art of Influence: Shaping Minds Without a Trace
The Concord does not coerce directly but plants ideas so deeply that the target believes they originated them.
Social Engineering & Psychological Profiling
Every target is studied exhaustively—fears, desires, insecurities. Agents leverage this to introduce doubts, ambitions, or revelations tailored to their personality. A loyalist scribe with unspoken doubts about his king may receive anonymous letters reinforcing his unease, or "chance" encounters with people voicing his hidden thoughts aloud.
Dream Manipulation & Sensory Conditioning
Through controlled exposure to scents, sounds, and subliminal triggers, individuals can be primed to experience vivid dreams or waking visions. Herbal concoctions or exposure to specific stimuli over time can make a person "hallucinate" a prophecy or recall false memories, guiding them toward desired actions.
Misinformation & Perception Management
By carefully controlling what someone believes is happening around them, their choices become predictable. Forged documents, staged conversations overheard by the right ears, and rumors planted in a way that ensures they feel organic all push a target toward a predetermined conclusion.
2. The Unseen Hand: Engineering Events Without Direct Action
The Concord ensures that everything unfolds "naturally," with no direct evidence linking them to the change.
Controlled Coincidences
By manipulating seemingly unrelated factors, outcomes can be arranged to appear as fate. A warlord having second thoughts before a raid may suddenly find an old friend in his path, urging caution. A noble set to expose corruption might be handed a letter filled with irrefutable evidence before he can act rashly, ensuring he takes the "right" course.
Whisper Networks & False Omens
The Concord plants information in a way that appears untraceable. A paranoid ruler might find a note in his chambers, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. A merchant visited by a mysterious stranger may hear an unsettling truth that gnaws at his mind, making him believe he reached a decision independently.
Pre-Arranged Miracles & Curses
The guild exploits knowledge of alchemy and toxins to create "miraculous" effects. A ruler experiencing what seems to be divine punishment might actually be slowly poisoned with a mixture that causes hallucinations of spirits condemning him. A person who suddenly "sees the light" may have been subjected to carefully administered mood-altering substances or sleep deprivation techniques.
3. The Vanishing Truth: Erasing Their Presence
Ensuring that the Concord remains a myth requires unparalleled control over information.
Memory Disruption & Self-Doubt Techniques
Those who work with the Concord never quite remember the full extent of their involvement. This is done through a combination of:
- Hypnotic suggestion (carefully crafted conversations that instill forgetfulness).
- Chemical treatments that cause natural memory degradation of specific events.
- Circular misinformation, where multiple conflicting accounts are planted to ensure no single "truth" remains.
Erasure of Evidence
When the scholar was about to reveal his findings, he did not vanish by force. Instead:
- His work was subtly altered over time, making him question his own conclusions.
- Mysterious sources of new information led him in circles until doubt took root.
- His "disappearance" may have been voluntary, guided by fabricated evidence that convinced him he had been compromised, leading him to exile himself.
Hierarchy & Organization
The Oblique Concord does not operate like a traditional guild with ranks and titles. Instead, it functions more like a decentralized web of operatives, each only knowing what they need to.
- The Voices: The true decision-makers, unknown even to most within the Concord. They analyze patterns, direct efforts, and remain entirely in the shadows.
- The Whisperers: Those who implant ideas, manipulate perceptions, and direct events without ever taking credit. They often take on multiple identities.
- The Veiled Hands: The ones responsible for "coincidences"—forging documents, staging events, ensuring things fall into place without direct intervention.
- The Forgotten: Individuals who have unknowingly worked for the Concord and had their memories altered. They serve as unknowing agents, acting upon suggestions placed in their minds long ago.
The Fall of king vainglore
Legacy & Fear
The Oblique Concord thrives not on power, but on the belief in its power. The moment someone believes they are being manipulated, they begin to question their own thoughts, their own decisions—and that uncertainty is their greatest weapon.