#military commission of kazdel

[alkalische]

the military commission of kazdel thanks you for your service

[markedbadguy]

One of the sickest designs in Arknights ngl and it's just a tall dude.

[cerastes]

Something I’ve been thinking thanks to Babel is that you could make a banging game about the Babel period up until the end of the Reunion Arc in the style of Nobunaga’s Ambition, specifically more in the style of Ghiren’s Ambition, the Gundam spin-off.

Besides the obvious Grand Strategy element of managing your greater territory through a mix of generic squadrons and hero squadrons — Babel having Scout, Ascalon, Ace, and the other Elites, while the Military Commission has Ulsulah, Manfred, Scareye, and other such individuals — and the protection and seizing of supply lines and settlements, it’d also open the possibility for one of the signature features of the games: Alternate histories.

In Ghiren’s Ambition, you can try and replicate the canon events of the story perfectly, but you can also heavily derail the established canon for incredibly interesting alternate takes and outcomes. For example, in our hypothetical Theresis’s Ambition, assuming the scope is from the beginnings of Babel right up until the end of the Reunion Arc, we could explore possibilities such as:

The Sarkaz Royal Courts being spurred into action for either side. This instability, in turn, could spur foreign powers into action and taking a vested interest and side in the civil war, greatly expanding its scope.

The Leithanien invasion of Kazdel being a lot more successful, resulting in a far, far more unified Babel and Military Commission. This may in turn result in a far earlier, unified invasion of Victoria, or a far more emotionally charged civil war once the siblings’ differences become irreconcilable.

Amiya’s condition being a lot more stable, leading to Doctor, Amiya and Savage to actually push through with their plans to venture into Yan next. This could happen through either a lot of earlier medical advances, or by outright preventing the accident that gave Amiya oripathy in the first place, this obviously having major implications in the rest of the story.

Theresis early killing Doc when he has the chance. Likewise, lots of implications here.

Doctor not going through with their betrayal and keeping the Shipwide Defense Systems operational. This would have immense implications in the future of Kazdel as well. Furthermore, this could lead into an early Theresis kill.

Rhodes Island failing the operation to retrieve Doctor, and instead, they fall into Reunion hands. As they are a clean slate here, this could very well mean a Reunion-aligned Doctor.

Ursus seizing the Doctor, thus resulting in an Ursus-aligned Doctor. Probably one of the most nightmarish scenarios. Possibly as a result of Kal’tsit successfully pushing back against the notion to retrieve them from Chernobog in the first place.

Ch’en’s leaving Rhodes Island to dry in the Lungmen operation actually costing them that entire battle and Operator lives, subsequently breaking relations between the two factions.

The Chernobog operation in general having a different outcome depending on the level of preparedness and development you come into it with, such as an early Faust kill (Ascalon comes along and hard counters him, maybe?), the possibility to have Ace and Scout survive, the possibility of other R.I. Operators dying instead, the possibility of Reunion personnel/mercenaries dying or going a different route altogether (Ines legitimately dies, W caught early and thus needing to go back to R.I early).

FrostNova’s fateful death being averted, and successfully recruiting her into Rhodes Island.

Reunion!Doctor somehow resulting in events that successfully removes Kaschey from Talulah very early, wildly changing the direction Reunion takes and averting Mudrock and Big Bob’s defection as a consequence; this directly opens a route where Reunion and Rhodes Island can become allies, but it’d also be very difficult as these two reasonably sized powers joining forces might spur Lungmen/Yan or Ursus into deploying against them with absolute force.

The possibilities are so ample, I’d love this game.

[cyborg-squid]

A Kazdelian Rescue and Furnace-side Fables aren't out on Global yet, so I don't know quite how it continues and ends, but there's something really fascinating about how the actions of Dublinn and the Military Commission, Nezzsalem specifically, parallel each other.

Before getting into the themes, it's first just spectacular, the visuals of it and of a lot of the fighting around Silverrock Bluffs, between Dublinn and the Nachrezer you have like these two 'Evil' (visually, if (debatably) not morally) armies squaring off against each other, you've got super flame necromancy and shadow operatives versus floating sword wielding regenerating mummies commanded by the King on his Deadwood Throne, and then zoom the camera back some, across the entire Victorian front, you've got artillery bombardments and tank brigades squaring off against things like mobile witchcraft altars and death devouring immortal 'devils', while in the sky above, a massive reanimated flying dead-whale-skeleton performs boarding actions against a state of the art but-also-ghost-controlled combat airship. Chapter 14 very much makes the point that 'war is hell' (understatement) but. god. if it doesn't look cool as hell too.

But anyway! The Duke of Wellington! and Nezzsalem! Both rather equally meeting their match in each other, both quite literally described as feeding off of death, the end of Chapter 13 describing the Iron Duke as already having an Ursus Tsar, Herkunftshorn 'the Witch King', and Fantasy Napoleon in his 'belly'. And meanwhile you have Nezzsalem literally feeding off death, powering his soldiers, powering his witchcraft, healing his wounds, as he also has raised and tutored some of the strongest warriors Kazdel has ever known, the likes of Patriot, Theresa, and Theresis. Wellington vs Nezzsalem, very much a match made in Hell.

But Nezzsalem actually ends up being a little off base in his assessment of Wellington, thinking that he desires war for war's own sake. "The Victorians zealously chase after the phantom of victory while never understanding why we crave war in the first place." Because while Wellington is very much into that, war and conflict itself, Eblana herself sees the fire burning in his eyes, Wellington does also know when to pull back, which is also what Nezzsalem does at the end. Wellington lets the other ducal forces go into the meat grinder, then points his guns at the other Dukes as he unfurls the banner of Tara. They have to listen to him, and the upcoming nation of Tara, now.

Which is also what Nezzsalem says at the end. "From death comes new life" (fitting with him and the Nachrezer's tree and plant theming). Like Wellington and Dublinn, this war will also serve to bring new life to the Sarkaz and Kazdel. It very much did not end in a decisive Sarkaz victory or the like, but the long oppressed and scorned Sarkaz managed to bloody the nose of one of Terra's most powerful empires, and return home, not with their tails between their legs, but in a tactical retreat, and now in possession of hypothetical Weapons of Mass Destruction. The military victory that Theresis has wrought (while Theresa delivers a 'spiritual' victory for the Sarkaz over 'fate') is to ensure that there will never again be an omni-nation crusade against the Sarkaz race, never again will Kazdel fall, because now all nations will have witnessed the power of a unified Kazdel, and no nation should be willing to take that risk of going up against the Sarkaz again, with what Kazdel is now capable of. This is why Nezzsalem also says that, at the end, that he is 'sated' (paralleling the belly and hunger speak also used about Wellington), this war against Victoria had a purpose, and that purpose has been seemingly achieved, both in the strengthening of the Sarkaz's geopolitical position and in Theresa's victory over 'fate' and the release of the myriad souls.

You can very much see here that both Wellington+Tara, and Theresis+Kazdel, are practicing very similar forms of gunboat diplomacy, leveraging their partial military successes in order to exert power over the other nations of Terra and strengthen their long-oppressed yet budding nations.

This ties in with something really interesting that Hoederer said in Chapter 13, that this Londinium Crisis can't end simply end with Theresis' death, as W plainly wants, because that would just show to the world something along the lines of: "Sarkaz rabble banded together to attack Victoria but killed their own leader and fell to internal conflict, as the Sarkaz always do", and this weakness would invite retribution not only against the nation-city of Kazdel, but against Sarkaz populations across the globe. As much as Hoederer, and even W, want this war to end, it can't end on those terms, and it actually needs to end in a Sarkaz victory in order for Kazdel to survive; even Manfred, high ranking Military Commission man that he is, views the Lifebone project he (basically) helmed as a tool for the Sarkaz to return home, rather than merely a weapon of war.

(I haven't fully parsed out what exactly is going on now between Reed and Eblana, but I can't help but think it might be something similar, that neither could (even if they wanted to) dispose of the other because in doing so, it would invite other powers to weaken or fully discredit the Taran cause as a whole, if their just seen as another rebel force fighting among themselves.)

Anyway, Theresis might be one of the most talented military minds of our generation.

[exoticalmonde]

The Evealia Guide Through Babel (event) - Part III

Last time we left off, things are going absolutely terrible. There's a Sarkaz that is gone insane with sorrow for his comrades and his son, so he's taken it with himself to go destroy the Leithanien he's noticed lurking around Kazdel.

Leithanien. From Babel.

I'll just let you read this part on your own for cinematic value.

GOOD GOD ALRIGHT

Damn it... Ugh.

He is sent to Theresa, but he's so out of it that he doesn't even realize what is going on. He very happily tells her that he killed the traitorous Leithanien and has avenged his son, along with all the others who died in battle.

He's taken away since Theresis doesn't want Theresa to be the one meting out punishment like that.

It's strange though, because he doesn't use Arts, but the guards were hypnotised. Somebody on the outside is at fault for this. Yet, the Military Commission refuse to investigate, because the victim is just an outsider to the Sarkaz.

Babel is to remove itself from all political activity too and finally make some clear boundaries between what it can and cannot do on Kazdel.

In a different light, we get to see Theresa and Theresis as caretakers for Ascalon.

Theresis gives her knife back and teaches her, briefly, about how she should sharpen it since warriors should treasure their weapons, while also being considering on who it gets to cut.

Theresa is much softer on the approach. Asks her about what she likes in the city.

Despite that, Ascalon feels like she can't really hate the gentle Sarkaz. I SCREAMED when Theresa offered Ascalon to touch her horn. Is it a way to show affection? Vulnerability? Whatever it is, WHY did I not think of this sooner. That's so heckin adorable.

Theresa cleans Ascalon's wound and teaches her that weapons can't heal these - only time and medicine. So one day she can wake up and learn that it doesn't hurt anymore.

That much, Ascalon agrees with.

Babel Classroom, Kazdel

…

Well, nobody showed up to class.

Except Theresis, who is there to confirm that the casualty report from the Military Commission states a lot of children have gone. Those who survived - their parents refuse to let the outsiders of Babel teach them. Plus, many of the Babel teachers left - out of fear.

Even if Theresis thinks Theresa is wasting her time, he waits with her upon her request.

IT WASN'T FOR NOTHING!!

Down, Dog.

ARRRGHBFEUSUGIH MY HEART.

I hated him, okay? I hated Manfred in the way you'd hate a handsome scrimblo, in the way where I'd be ashamed to say that I like him; like how people who love stinky cheese don't want others to know, they just sit in the corner eating it and hope that nobody is going to notice the smell.

I liked him for his perseverance before and because he was so very 'aware' unlike other leaders we've seen in the past. Meanwhile, I'm being set up with this charming little creature that just wants change for the better, wants peace, and wants to help.

HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME ADMIT I LIKE HIM?!

Now I suddenly wish he does not die. Now I get upset when I remember I derogatively called him Milfred out of rage. I never managed to pass CC 9 or 10, I forgot which one was Ashring, but now??? I'm mean to NOT be upset???

I hate it here.

Within Kazdel, Goodluck and his son are… either waiting for the worst to happen or they're morning the loss of their third family member. Goodluck can't really stand sitting around, doing nothing, so he is planning to become a mercenary and make the people who hurt his wife pay.

Before departing he gives her name to his son - Odda. And promises to teach him how to fight with her weapon once he returns.

---

BB-3 Before

Silent Crack

[Today, though, we face the tragic reality of disunity and betrayal.]

Eight Years Ago...

Summer, 1086

Classes are being held in Kazdel, secretly. Kids have to keep their voices down and they're not allowed to tell anybody about what is happening inside their secret little base of operation.

The war between Kazdel and Leithanien never stopped, so for 18 years they've been pursued. A lof of people feel into despair, either from the ghost of war or the infection.

Within the Scar Market, Goodluck picks up a commission - some teacher in Kazdel has been saying too good a thing about Babel. Somebody is willing to pay to shut them up.

We learn that it's been a while since Goodluck was in this part of Kazdel. Although Goodluck doesn't remember a lot of things, he remembers the look of his front door - the address where that supposed 'teacher' might be hiding.

Inside, said Teacher is really doing good. He's teaching the children that the Sarkaz blame Babel for their misfortune since they have nobody else. Babel brought the enemies, Babel's medicine makes Oripathy worse, Babel this and that-- and children nod along, because they probably hear that from their parents a lot.

It's not quite so, though; they can't take things at face value. That's why they have to see, learn and think for themselves.

Odda notices somebody at the door. Everybody scrambles to hide before he opens it and sees...

Surprisingly, it's Ascalon.

She scans the sparsely furnished room and understands.

...

She says 'Thank you for sheltering him. But you must leave'.

It's clearly a warning for oncoming danger. The teacher has to go. Odda stays by the door - a habit of his since he was little. As if he was waiting for someone familiar to come back home.

From the shadows, Goodluck recognises him immediately. He's unfortunately already bound with his own mission and knows there's only one way to ensure his child gets a better life.

Ascalon makes the decision for him. Her mist shrouds the corpse, erasing all traces of its existence.

[The passing of a life in Kazdel is akin to a speck of dust falling to the ground, unheard, unceremonious, and unnoticed.]

[His luck ran out.]

Manfred seems to also have been in the area at the time of this occurrence. They fight a little, both at friendly terms, though they serve different sides of Kazdel.

It drives up a memory of another time they were sparring.

THEY EVEN LAUGH TOGEHTER, because Theresa helps Manfred down by levitating him to safety.

Though adorable, we're back in the present with Ascalon and Manfred fighting. There's a misunderstanding between their approaches I think. Manfred has remained by Theresis' side because he thinks there can be a different approach to the future they're looking for. Since the start Theresis has been hesitant with Theresa's plan, so now they have parted ways.

On the other side, Ascalon has turned her back on Theresis out of anger that he'd allow the others in Kazdel to badmouth Her Highness and her choice to stick with Babel.

Manfred is more understanding than ever though. It's not really the twin sovereigns who had to make the decision of parting. It's just circumstance. Perhaps the prophecy.

They're so caring for each other though... These four care about each other so much I want to put them in a box and keep them together forever.

Sadness isn't over by the way~

Because Manfred appears on Odda's door with his dad's... remnants. Odda doesn't really remember him, but Manfred doesn't make much of it as he presents the items and explains:

[There have been some disturbances in the city, and I'm afraid your father... I'm so sorry.]

[Wh-Where did you find them? Was there...?]

[There was nothing else left at the scene. I'm sorry.]

[...]

[What's your name?]

[...Odda.]

[If you need any help...]

[No... no, I'm very grateful that you brought these back. It's been a long time since I last saw him... this is enough. I don't have to wait anymore... He's not coming back...]

[Do you have family? Or friends you can count on?]

[I can take care of myself. Besides, we see things like this every day in this city, no?]

[...]

[I-I'm sorry I gushed, sir. I just feel like I know you, somehow... I'm sure you're busy. I won't keep you any longer.]

[My condolences.]

THIS IS NOT FUNNY

WHAT THE HECK ITS NOT FUNNY, YOU'RE NOT ORIGINAL?!?!?!?!?

I've never cried so hard in my life, oh no I'm broken.

---

BB-3 After

There's been an accident - feelings are mixed.

A father beat his child for trying to defend the Teacher, and the Teacher fought back with the father to defend the kid. In the end, both of them were going to die from their injuries. He was set upon by the angry crowd and it escalated from there. The turmoil dragged in everybody - Civilians, Babel, mercenaries, even the Military Commission.

Somebody blew up the Babel office building, so then Royal Court troops were involved.

Theresa has made the decision to remove Babel from Kazdel. It's become way too dangerous for any of the personnel to stay any longer, since they're now completely unwanted. Odda immediately signs up to leave with them.

Out on the streets, the dying teacher is mocked by the Sarkaz soldiers, but he's actually seeing an invisible to others little banshee - Logos. He was there in the classroom and learned a lot from the Teacher.

Even if others did not believe it so, the Sarkaz Teacher is welcomed by the myriad of souls and he's guided to them with the little banshee's song.

[It is an elegy that commemorates the passing of an ordinary Sakraz.]

['You were talking about the future of Babel in the lesson, but you didn't get to the end. What were you going to say?']

['I believe... that Babel will die someday. I hope I'm wrong.']

In the court, Laqeramaline is saying goodbye to Theresa. It's a sweet conversation they have, with the Banshee Queen being as truthful to her beliefs as she is supportive to Theresa. She also knows there is no other way, so all she can do from the position of a mother is hope for the best.

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

With long running franchises you sometimes run into an issue I call the "Eternals Problem" after thoroughly boring and disappointing Marvel movie The Eternals. The Eternals are a group of very powerful beings, I think they're some kind of extraterrestrial in the movie, who live for a very long time. This presents a potentially huge problem for the narrative, as your movie has come out after the big final confrontation to prevent someone who doesn't know how population growth works from committing a mass killing, so often times stories with these characters will be set before the big event so as to leave a gap.

The Eternals is not. The snap has already happened by the movie, and there's basically no explanation for why they didn't get involved. It's really a sign of shitass writing but it more gives an example about the importance of temporal relevance when you're discussing power level. The more important and/or powerful a character is, the more pressing it is that they are not just "missing" from the timeline. Magic the Gathering also runs into this issue with Tovolar, a big werewolf pack leader on Innistrad who has been about for quite a long time but is entirely absent during the plane's big climatic sudden Emrakul event. It's shoddy writing.

I've been thinking about this because of the Abyssal Hunters. We aren't given, as far as I can remember, any definitive dates on when the three Seaborn events happen, but given that these three basically do not show up in the story and the Kazdel Military Commission and almost any reference to the Sarkaz in general do not appear in IS3, it's pretty safe to say they come after the entire main story (which also puts some temporal placement on Grani's event and the first Siesta event). This makes sense, the Abyssal Hunters are very powerful and it avoids the potential dumb arguments about whether Gladiia could 1v1 Sanguinarch or something.

I'm glad that the timeline isn't really set in stone. We do have some definite dates for when things happen (hello Vigna module???) but there's enough flexibility that our minds can fill in the gaps and have some temporal elasticity, and the Zelda fandom has kind of soured me on the topic of timelines in general b-

hold on what the fuck do you mean they released an official timeline

fuck. post cancelled i guess

[arknights-global-news]

Theresa, founder of the nomadic city of Kazdel, co-originator of the Military Commission of Kazdel, creator of the Babel organization, and former head of state of Kazdel.

Original Tweet

[waheelawhisperer]

Okay here's a list, ranging from minor nitpicks to broader changes

Change the number of times Kazdel's been razed - as per Chapter 12, the Teekaz homeland has been destroyed something like 3,400 times in the span of recorded history. That averages out to one obliteration every five years... over a period longer than humanity in the real world has developed agriculture. It violates my suspension of disbelief to assume that Kazdel/the Sarkaz have anywhere near as much of a coherent national/cultural identity as they're shown to possess in the story, even with the long lifespans and racial memory some races of Teekaz have going in. I can't take it seriously. It goes from a sober illustration of the depths of Sarkaz oppression to just being funny. Like seriously? The shortest Kazdel ever stood was three days? Why did anyone ever bother rebuilding it lmao (I'm not even getting into how rapid cultural genocide via assimilation has been demonstrated to work in reality like idk it doesn't feel believable to me that Sarkaz culture would endure for 13k+ years of everyone trying to stamp it out)

Delete Mark Max - I hate this fucking thing and its introduction makes the setting so bleak that I almost dropped the game, especially coming on the heels of the newest installation of the Victoria arc's fumbling attempts to remind us all that War Is Bad and combined with all my other issues with the writing. Frankly, my issues with Mark Max deserve their own post.

Have Talulah find a way to kill Kashchey permanently so I never have to listen to his stupid ass monologue ever again

Put Rhodes Island on the right side of a conflict for once - so far across two main story arcs we have: assisted cops who answer to a guy who was willing to commit genocide against an oppressed minority to make his political allies happy in putting down a revolution by those same oppressed minorities, fought alongside a military unit that serves an imperialist empire and dirty bombed civilians (most of which were oppressed minorities) against the only group advocating for those same oppressed minorities, and tried to restore the heir to the throne of that same empire while fighting against the group of oppressed minorities that got dirty bombed and also the setting's Jewish analogue, a faction which has been brutally repressed and colonized for at least 13,000 years. Yes, I'm aware that the writing justifies our alignment against the enemy groups by having Kashchey subvert Reunion from within, making Dublinn brutally violent against even the Tarans they supposedly protect, and portraying the Military Commission as willing to use the Shard to cause Catastrophes all across Terra, but the question is... why? Why did the writers choose to go this route? I could write off one instance as an attempt to tell a story about well-meaning movements being subverted by those who would use them for evil ends or about the way hatred and resentment corrupt and corrode, but they've done this 2.5 times now. It's becoming a trend, and that doesn't suggest good things about the stance the writing is taking. Like idk man if every step the supposedly-heroic faction takes in the main story is done with the goal of preserving the status quo that indicates to me that the writing is presenting that status quo as a good thing.

Make nations other than Iberia have actual coastlines - it has always felt bizarre to me that every nation besides Iberia is entirely landlocked. It also makes Iberia's fleet seem pointless because what other maritime nations even existed for it to fight? Apparently it won a victory over Victoria somehow, but where the hell does Victoria's coastline even lie? Tf?

Find some way to trim the setting down a bit and figure out which core threads of lore deserve focus - right now there is an absolute shitton of plot threads/lore hooks/whatever you want to call them running around and precisely none of them get adequate focus. We learn more about any given one of them once a year if we're lucky. I understand that character bloat and extending the story as long as possible are a necessary part of the gacha model, but holy shit absolutely nothing seems likely to be resolved before I am in a nursing home. There are a million plotlines that make me want to say "either cut it or develop it properly" ffs

Make Laterano marginally less ridiculous. I don't know how a country where you can just blow shit up at will even functions.

Frankly I feel like the Victoria arc would need to be redone from scratch - there's so much about it I dislike that I can't solve it with a couple changes (another thing that probably deserves a special post)

Explicitly confirm the majority of the cast as mspec - this would make me happy and both reddit and tumblr seething mad, so I assume it requires no further explanation

There's probably more and I might add them as I think of them, but these are the things that bug me most at this specific moment

If you could change one Arknights lore detail that isn't related to Kal'tsit, what would it be and why? (Making sure to cut down the low hanging fruit :p)

I would make every character heterosexual

[alkalische]

WOAG! it's the kazdel military commission!

[alkalische]

kazdel military commission doodles... thinking about how theresis was a mentor to ascalon and manfred...

[alkalische]

reminder that the KMC is HOMOPHOBIC 🏳️‍🌈🚫

[cyborg-squid]

This might be reading a bit too much into their designs, but I think there's something, visually, with the fact that Hoederer's design, especially in the first half of Victoria Arc, (where he looks so sad) has a much more medieval look to it, the most 'modern' parts of it being various 'tactical' pouches. and his weapon, his big old greatsword, being much more medieval...

...cuz I was looking at the CG of Manfred cutting into him, and thinking about how much more modern (comparatively) Manfred looks, and how his weapon of choice seems to be a saber, a weapon that's much more of an officer's weapon, if that makes sense? (I'm no military historian) as well as Manfred being part of the "Kazdel Military Commission", reflecting a much more modern approach to the military, especially when compared to both the mercenary status of Hoederer, or the military of some other Terran nations. Ines' criques of Nadine (great NPC design) reflect this somewhat as well, Nadine may not be incapable, but she's much more of a "war-college educated person promoted to officer due to her bloodline" than, say, the battle hardened mercenaries of the Scar Market.

[alkalische]

can't believe the military commission of kazdel is homophobic