EL PRESENTE: LOS MEDIOS DIGITALES

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Just as Ramos placed Kaeris in charge of the everyday workings of the Arcanists, he set Toni Ironsides up as the public face of the Union in his absence.

This was not an easy transition for her. Her previous roles were breaking the legs of anyone who didn’t pay their dues and hunting down rogue Arcanists; she had never been the sort to play politics or attempt to win over the hearts of others.

In this sense, it made her the perfect choice to temporarily lead the Union. Her dangerous reputation kept the Union’s more outspoken members in line during Ramos's absence, while her questionable popularity insured that she would never be able to replace Ramos as its leader, should she attempt to turn on him.

Ironsides gritted her teeth and accepted her new role without complaint, but she hated every minute of it. She never wanted the spotlight and detested the legal red tape that her new position necessitated. The city was plastered with posters bearing her upturned face and raised arm, but she sneered every time she passed one in the street.

Only when she was personally hunting down and punishing those who caused the Union trouble did she feel free of the burdens of her position.

This earned her an odd sort of respect from the members of the Union; they still loved Ramos, but it was clear from the start that Toni was willing to get her hands dirty and didn't want to hide behind lawyers and politics.

Ramos had assumed that Ironsides' rough demeanor and distaste for authority would prevent her from earning the love of the Union, and to an extent, he was correct.

He just hadn't counted on her earning their respect.

Unlike Ironsides, Colette loved the spotlight, and she started seeing more and more of it after the Governor-General’s death.

The uncertainty that fell over the city after its leader's death resulted in waning attendance at the Star Theater, and the Guild's round-up of Union workers certainly didn't improve the situation. To help bring in more patrons, Colette took a number of measures that would have been unthinkable a year prior.

Working with Angelica, she reorganized the sets and routines of her girls, pushing them to develop larger and more elaborate dance and song numbers that would draw in larger crowds. She also hired a handful of male “Showgirls” to appeal to the growing population of young women in the city, which proved to be a much-needed shot in the arm for the Star’s attendance numbers.

Behind the curtain, things were also starting to turn. Ramos’s sudden and unexplained absence and Kaeris’ campaign of terror meant that nobody was keeping a close eye on Colette, and she used that time to slowly wiggle her way out from under the thumb of the Arcanists.

When Kaeris eventually arrived at the Star Theater and demanded that Colette return to her smuggling duties, the showgirl insisted that she be given more control over the Arcanists' smuggling operation; Colette would still ensure that the Arcanists' Soulstones would reach Earth, but she wanted to set her own schedules for the shipments.

Colette's determination and business acumen impressed Kaeris, who agreed to her demands on the condition that her employees remained available for other Arcanist assignments. The agreement suited them both, and over the course of subsequent meetings to discuss their arrangement, they became steady and unlikely friends.

Now, Colette could spend each night in the spotlight, dancing and singing to distract the masses of Malifaux City from the troubles of their lives.

She has never been more content.

The death of the Governor-General meant little to Marcus, who had grown into the habit of shunning the trappings of civilization. The rumors surrounding the opening of Nythera intrigued him, however, and he set off on an expedition to the Badlands to investigate the ruins for himself.

What he found was a large area of the Badlands that was covered in dense growth. He had passed through the region the year before and was surprised to see that a barren wasteland had somehow become a flourishing forest in such a short time.

Marcus set up camp in the forest and began a vigorous study of the new growth. He catalogued countless species of new plants and animals, many of which he had only seen as fossils and had believed to be extinct. As Marcus continued this line of thought, he realized that nearly all of the extinct species had disappeared or mutated into unrecognizable forms at the time of the Tyrant War, and that he was standing within a forest that simply should not exist.

It was too much to resist. He took samples of the plants, climbed the trees, and stalked the reborn animals of the forest, learning their ways and habits by becoming one of them.

It did not take long for him to cross the path of the Fae, who seemed to share an affinity for this strange new forest. His expertise in tracking and survival allowed him to stay one step ahead of them, but when their paths crossed, he quickly dispatched the wretched creatures and returned to his research.

Marcus knew, however, that it was only a matter of time before he crossed paths with their terrible, undead Queen, and he looked forward to that day with anticipation.

What stories would she tell him, once he had proven his dominance?

December whispered to Rasputina of the danger of Nythera and what lay sleeping there. When she learned that the Freikorps were leading an expedition to unleash the Autumn Queen imprisoned within, she quickly set off to stop them.

Although she fought fiercely, even encasing Von Schill in ice, she was unable to stop the opening of Nythera and the release of the terrible entity within.

Retreating from the woman who had shattered December’s mortal form, she returned to the Ten Peaks, the seat of her (and December’s) power, to decide how to handle the Queen's return.

In the howling mountain winds, Rasputina heard December's voice calling out to her again, but this time, His typical demands and threats were replaced with a thoroughly uncharacteristic tone of deference and respect. He claimed that Titania would destroy them both and that if Rasputina would agree to stop her, He would give her complete control over His powers.

She was skeptical of such a one-sided agreement, but she had felt the power of the Autumn Queen herself and knew that December was not exaggerating her potential for destruction. After a moment's hesitation, she agreed to His deal, and power the likes of which she had never thought possible poured into her body, a waterfall of aetheric power where before there had only been a slow trickle.

In the weeks following, the Cult of December began raiding the Northern Hills more frequently, snatching up miners and their families to sacrifice in obscene rituals meant to concentrate December's power. Some of the people captured in these raids – those who were strong, hardy, and ruthless - were allowed to live, so long as they swore fealty to December. Eventually, Kaeris sent messengers northward to warn Rasputina that such hostility will not be tolerated, and all those sent have gone missing. She killed and ate every one.

Rasputina's power has increased with each passing day, and in the shadows of her soul, December watches her grow stronger with eager anticipation.

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