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Ragnarian Giants (Scralet agents)
There are many that would deem a job of a spy as a thankless one... and they might be, for the most part, correct - for any heroic, sacrafices and trickery you did will never be known to the world. There will be no glory, no fame... no thanks. There cannot be... or if there is, you probably aren't a good spy. That is not the case for Ragnaria - being a spy carries some sort of honour and prestige. Not everyone has what it takes to be a spy - only the truly great manage to earn the rank of a scarlet agent.
Ragnarian spies are very distinct from scouts. They are not a common unit, and it would be wasted on more ordinary jobs. Spies ungergo more intensive screening, training and recruitment than any other branch of the military and with their smaller numbers comes greater deliberation over their deployment. As such, they are often deployed on high-stakes missions, many of which we will never know anything about.
Scarlet files
Given the value placed on the spies, Ragnarians like to keep tabs on their whereabouts, and agents are, allegedly, writing extensive reports regarding their assignments. Many of these files are archived and filed away. But every once in a while, there is an exceptional and great spy, one that earned honours for their service to the empire. Their reports are bound in scarlet leather and declassified (with certain details heavily redacted or ommited) - hence the name.
Of course this would be a great honour for the individual. But due to the sensitive nature of the contents, the files are only declassified long after the agent had deceased. Or at least so we are told.
These scarlet files are generally open to the public. However, the writing is very dry and formal, which discourages most. Most, but not all - certain individual, that goes under the name of P. Seering was inspired by these and retells the stories in much more engaging writing in his Scarlet files serries.
Notable spies
One of the common things that needs redacting, is the name of each agent. But the agency is polite enough to come up with code-name for each, which usually communicates something about the agent.
Here are some of the notable agents along with a short summary:
- Silent step - rumoured to be the stealthiest spie that every lived. Some even doubt they existed!
- Watchful eye - no detail, no matter how inconspicous, ever escaped him. Details that might have changed the course of many wars
- Ever alert - assassinations, ambushes and accidents - she lived through all, yet she never seemed surprised by them
- Thought through - they had a plan for everything. And a back-up plan for each contigency. And a contigency for each back-up plan failure...
- Tight lip - a double agent that got captured (on purpose), then tortured and yet, they never betrayed antyhing
- The ingenious - they had a gadget for every situation. And some more.
- White lie - agent with lies so convincing that none would doubt them.
- Bold move - a daring fellow. Risking their life many a time. But luck was always on their side... or was it?
- Deft touch - a thief extraoridnaire - no lock could stand between them and their prize.
- Uncanny dodge - agent that survived a barrage of arrows by miracle alone... and some small help
Composition
Structure
The exact command chain is closely guarded secret. However, we do know some things. We know, for instance, that the missions are approved by the Strategy commitee as they are also the ones that decide when and what files to declassify. What is less clear is the degree of power the commitee has over the agents. General consesus is that the commitee merely needs to know about the missions - missions are picked by the agents themselves, although commitee can (and does) suggest missions of their own.
We have no tangible documents on what happens below the commitee. If certain sources (namely the fictional series Scarlet files by P.Seering), there are group-leaders, each supervising a handful of agents, to whom the agents report directly. They seem to fullfill multiple roles - coordinating agents, issuing commands, forwarding uncovered intel, and providing support and resources.
It is unclear whether all agents know each other, or whether they only know their own group. The afformentioned book serries suggest the former. It may not seem as a good idea, but realistically, Ragnarian brass does not really have means to forbid agents to talk to whoever they wish and it is only natural that they would seek their ilk. Moreover, this provides a sense of comraderie and cross-pollination w.r.t. to intel, tips and tricks.
Tactics
Though Scarlet agents are part of a Ragnarian military, they are not a combat unit. Some agents are proficient fighters and generally can hold their own against a small unskilled platoon. If they find themselves in a situation that requires fighting, something has probably gone wrong somewhere.
These agents rely on stealth, diplomacy and sabotage instead. They work alone, infiltrating enemy ranks, gathering intel and then capitalize on it. Usually they perform auxilary unit to the main force - e.g. they cut enemy's supply lines, sabotage hostile machinery or pressure enemy on their home turf by diplomatic leverages and blackmail.
Agents tend to be deployed individually. Very rarely they send a pair of agents on the same mission. It is, however, common to exchange intel between agents and this may involve a group to gather together.
Scarlet agents are one of the best (if not the best) spies in Laurasia when it comes to intel gathering and infiltrating. What they lack in power compared to Dark Knights of Memel or quick wits and silver tongues of Galician spies they more then make up with their stealth and caution.
See also
- Seering's files - famous beletrized retellings of the giants
- Ragnarian empire - Nation of conquerors, strategists and spies.
- Dark Knights of Memel - The first & last line of defense. A sword of an unarmed nation.