For the Betterment of Cathedris

Be careful what you believe

Fear not, friends, for all are safe under the Legion.

Patrons

click

tap

here for bonus info

If you want to see extra info, consider subscribing!
~
If you already are a subscriber, you may need to log in!

— Catobella Song, Legion board of directors

In a world populated by nearly unkillable monsters, titanic undead gods trudging across the landscape, and rapidly emerging technology that advances faster than anyone is prepared for, the single most powerful material found is information -- or, when refined, propaganda. Those who control the narrative in Cathedris are able to shape it according to their whims; fear, hate, and trust are all byproducts of the information being shared by those in power. The Legion uses their considerable network and substantial existing power to wrestle yet more away from the world, hiding their true actions as they quietly pull at the world's invisible strings.

Straight from the Source

The world's most powerful misinformation campaign is possible due to the unique situation that the Legion finds itself in; it has connections to every government and bases within every country. The worldwide multi-national "neutral" defence force has more information gathering potential than the rest of the world's leaders put together.
If there's a new technological development about to occur, or a power hungry country is about to go to war with their neighbour, the Legion will be the first to know -- it might even be the catalyst behind these events happening in the first place. But the Legion's place on the world's stage is one of neutrality, and it makes sure to show that as emphatically as possible; using a myriad of news organizations across the globe paid for by Legion coin, the organization downplays any involvement in world politics, glosses over any disasters from H.A.P. experimentation, and outright denies any intention of doing anything but protecting humanity from the Rendlings.

Welcome all, you're listening to Legion Radio, your number one place to go for all things world news related, where you can hear it straight from the source you trust most. Today, we've got a fantastic story of hope and perserverance in the face of danger as we talk to three brave Legion operatives all the way from the Shattered Isles.

— Roy Goodman, Legion Radio operator

Special Announcements

Aside from simply trying to control the overall narrative in the global news cycles, occasionally Legion communications and information operatives would begin specific targeted campaigns to persuad the general public in certain areas to do, or not do, select things.

When the secret of Catalurgy was leaked to the world, the Legion briefly attempted damage control with a set of posters prompting readers not to mix Ichor and Blood, warning of the imminent danger -- but it was too late, and the campaign was quickly shelved.

Library of Congress, edited by Stormbril

---

Seeing Clearly

"It's crap. It's all crap. I know it. You know it. He'an help us, the rest of them better know it too. Especially after the shit the Legion pulled with the whole Catalurgy business. Just look at how that's going now."
Alex slammed his hand down on the device in front of him. The feed prattling on about Legion good deeds and societal improvements stopped.
"So why is everyone still eating this drivel up?" He looked expectantly at Ash, but they just stared back, bewildered.
"Because it's easier, of course." Ash moved through the piles of books, boxes, and documents that cluttered the space around them. They opened a box, seemingly at random, and pulled out a stack of papers. "If you were just an average citizen, in say, Kazcallen, just trying to make enough money to afford your next meal -- what would you want to believe?"
Ash pointed at the header on the document in front of them. "This? The fact that the Legion has been quietly disappearing prisoners and shipping them off to Hansun for He'an knows what?"
They moved closer, grabbing a newspaper from the table Alex sat at, and lifted it up to showcase the headline: 'CRIME RATES AT RECORD LOW, PRISON POPULATION SHRINKING'
"Or would this be something more comfortable to read -- a headline telling you that there's no reason to fear the streets anymore?"
Ash dropped the paper. They sat back down and ran their fingers through their short gray hair.
"The world's a scary enough place without revealing all the terrible secrets it holds. We both know that. It's our job to know that. To gather that intel." They looked up at Alex, who's stern gaze was fixated on the papers arranged haphazardly on the table in front of him. "And it's our job to supply it to the Regiment. They're the only constant source of resistance we've got right now."
Alex's eyebrows softened a bit, the grimace replaced with exhaustion. "I just. I expected something different before signing on here, is all. I thought it'd be as simple as yelling the truth from the rooftops."
Ash softly laughed; there was no malice behind it, but a shared sadness instead. "We'd be branded as crazy. Locked up if we're lucky. Grabbed by Legion operatives if we're not." Their fingers tapped idly on the table, without any particular rhythm. "They've got more spies than we could ever dream to have. Anything the Regiment chooses to do against them needs to be slow, careful, and even more secretive than the bastards are themselves."
Their hand curled into a fist. "I know some days I wish I could just read the easy answer and believe it. Go back to the early days of running this shop, gathering and loving old book after old book. But that's not how things are right now. And that's not how things ever will be again, if we don't do what we can -- if we don't help the Regiment."
Alex's frown came back. "I really wish I hadn't poked my nose into all this." He sighed. "I know it's the right thing, for what it's worth. I just hate the methods. It's so slow. I'm impatient."
Ash leaned back in their chair. "Good research takes time, you'll get used to it. The truth is not fast; information flows slowly. We'll continue gathering intel and feeding it to the Regiment until the time is right. Then they can use it to take down the Legion from inside and out."
"And when'll that be?" Asked Alex.
"When humanity needs it most."

---

The Legion Misinformation Machine

One of our most important goals is discovering each and every Legion operated or affiliated news agency across the globe. We need to know which ones are the source of the lies, rather than which are simply parroting the trash.

— Regiment anti-misinformation leader

The overwhelming force of information and propaganda that the Legion wields comes from a few specific areas, for the most part. These shell companies and news organizations are the driving force that much of the rest of the world's news cycle simply perpetuates. Located in a few powerhouse countries, such as Artazia, Hansun, or Kazcallen, they cast out wave upon wave of misinformation that manages to blanket the world in confusion and trust in the wrong sources.

Tools of the Trade

The resource of information is refined in these locations in two main ways -- through radio, and through newspapers. Rendulgraphs, capable of transmitting information instantaneously across any distance, are too expensive and rare to be overly commonplace yet; and they're essentially all Legion owned and operated, anyways. Instead, Rendulgraphs allow the Legion to hone and direct their misinformation with precision, ensuring a cohesive backstory before sending the propaganda to print.
Meanwhile, puppets on Legion payroll spend nearly every waking hour spouting opinion after opinion on public radio stations, bombarding anyone that listens with so many lies that there's not even time to keep up. In some places, this method of dispersal is less effective, but there's enough radios in the world that this sort of blanket-attack approach still manages to convince a significant portion of the public that the Legion can do no wrong.

Special Announcements

Following a horrific chemical spill from a Legion transport ship in the waters of Russin, the city was quickly bombarded with a campaign to reassure the citizens on the safety of the ocean around the city's docks. It promoted swimming for health and fun for all locals.

by Library of Congress

Read Next