Rational Ascendancy

Faction
Area of Operations: Closeness; Beyond the Closeness
Allies: See Louisiana Chapter
Rivals: Genesis Group; Lazarus Society; others
Enemies: Assembler Plague; Brotherhood of the Shroud; Harmony; Swarmkin; others
Ethos: Lawful Neutral
See also: Louisiana Chapter

The Rational Ascendancy (RA) is a decentralized league of nation-states, corporations, non-governmental organizations, and other groups. These disparate factions are unified around two beliefs: the Lockbox Doctrine is a net good and maintaining the Breakwater is in the best interests of humanity on Earth, at least for now. RA also promotes the Monolith Doctrine but it's not currently required for membership.

History

While some people describe RA as the United Nations of the Edge, the reverse is actually true. RA pre-dates the UN. RA claims to have helped create the League of Nations and then the United Nations, partly to advance their own agenda.

The Francia Chapter in Europe is the original RA. Its origins are shrouded in secrecy, but it probably existed as early as the Roman Republic (circa 80 BCE) and may have roots in Pythagoreanism (circa 500 BCE). It emerged as a major influence in the Edge and beyond during the Italian Renaissance (circa 1500). RA claims that Leonardo da Vinci was an influential leader at the time (although some critics assert that da Vinci was opposed to RA).

Ostensibly, RA prides itself on the application of dispassionate logic to solid evidence, within a meticulous framework of protocol and just laws. In practice, RA policies and activities have been a lot like the UN Security Council: the greater strategic motives of members often color the outcomes.

Since World War 2, RA has claimed to be close to controlling of the Edge worldwide. Actually, their influence is limited in many parts of the globe, especially Africa and Central Asia.

Organization

RA is organized around multiple chapters. When RA spread across the globe between (circa 1600-1800), other chapters were subordinate to Francia. However, the balance of power shifted and no chapter currently dominates. Each chapter is led by a Council of RA (CRA) and ostensibly governs the Edge of a region:

• Endurance Chapter: Central Asia and the Middle East (Headquarters: previously rotated between Moscow, Russia and Beijing, China); collapsed in January 2000 when Russian President Vladimir Putin withdrew his country, followed by China doing the same
• Francia Chapter: Europe and North Atlantic (HQ: rotates between Paris, France and Berlin, Germany)
• La Sección Unidad ("Unity Chapter"): South America (HQ: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• Louisiana Chapter: North America and Central America (HQ: Chicago, USA)
• Pacifica Chapter: Western Pacific and Southern Pacific, including Australia and East Asia (HQ: Tokyo, Japan)
• Deel van die Toekoms ("Chapter of the Future"): Africa (HQ: Cape Town, South Africa)

All chapters uphold the central written charter of RA, which includes the league's main goals and how chapters work together on global matters (via the Global Council). Each chapter has its own regional charter, which includes how its Council functions and how to obtain membership. In general, any individual or organization can petition to join one or more chapters. To do so, the petitioner must demonstrate considerable paranormal power. Individual members are rare. Most members are nation-states or large companies--organizations with many Unbound personnel and paranormal resources. At a minimum, an accepted member gets one vote, but a member with more power may have more votes. Members often band together to form voting blocs. Membership and votes are re-evaluated every two years.

Some individuals and organizations only seek Observer status in a Council. Observers receive most communications about a Council's activities. They can attend meetings and speak, but can't vote.

Aegis

RA members agree to some mutual aid and the sharing of some intelligence and some research. The Aegis Network and the Aegis Database are the products of these agreements.

Inquests

Unbound are rare and could be described as a strategic resource for Earth. So any member of CRA can call for an inquiry into an Unbound's death. For example, was it preventable? In spite of the dangerous lives that many Unbound lead, such hearings are relatively rare because many deaths go unnoticed and the great powers in the Edge don't care about most of them. Like most things CRA, a hearing almost certainly has a political dimension, beyond the obvious inquiry.