Hello all! 
Here we are with another ACE Tuesday video! Unfortunately I couldn’t make one this time around ( 
) so we’ll join Duncan as he goes through backstabbing, treachery and deceit to talk about how we are approaching one of the “Lost Kickstarter Promises”… The Pirates, Ninjas and Politicians one - also known as The Order of Applied Equivocation!
So… Here it goes, have fun and have a great week! 
Transcription from the video:
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Hello everyone, my name is Duncan and welcome to Ace Tuesday episode 8!
This episode, we will be looking at a little history. At the history of a group that a lot of people wanted to see in the game.
Who am I talking about? The Order of Applied Equivocation. -
Let start off with something simple.
What is the Order of Applied Equivocation?
I can imagine that people may not know this name. Hell, I’ve had people in my lore team who were baffled by it. But quite simply, the order of applied equivocation is the combined group of the factions known as the Pirates, the Ninjas, and the Politicians. Why are they called the order of applied equivocation…? I don’t know, ask Radiant. They made up the name. -
Anyways, the order is a group that will lie, cheat, swindle, kidnap, you name it, to reach their goal again. And their goal is to get to the point of power, they once had.
Now, their history.
The order dates back to the time of the Phoenix empire, created by a group of three men known now only as the Grand Master, The President, and the Captain. Slowly, they began to set their roots into the Phoenix Empire, doing what they can in small operations to get the power they so desired. -
There were many examples for these operations. For example, the Captain would steal gold from the innocent, whilst the Grand Master would silence witnesses and the President would ensure any legal actions will end up in their favour.
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Over the course of 10 years, the order grew significantly in size. Recruiting new members in any of the three groups, as their operations would quickly grow in size. They knew that with their new size, they can step their game up, and they shifted their focus upon the Phoenix Empire. They wanted to control it, to make it their own.
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Unfortunately, the three leaders would never live to see the day, as several years before the fall of the Phoenix Empire, they all passed away. The order burried them deep within their sanctuary, hidden away from the public to protect them as three new leaders took their place. Three much more ambitious people.
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With their passing, the corruption within the empire only grew more and more. Everyone wanted the power, everyone wanted a piece of it, and it became so badly that even the order themselves would plot against one another. This eventually lead to an unstable empire, which the Red Empire then took as an opportunity and brought the fall of the empire.
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Just like the northern alliance, the ascendency, and Rayya’s Children, the order survived. With few, they went underground. Crafting an entirely new sanctuary within the midsts of the lands, hidden away from all other kingdoms and empires, licking their wounds.
Today, many, many years later, the order is once again strong enough. Their ways have not changed, nor their desires. They are still out for power, and are willing to do anything to get it. -
This is the history of the Order of Applied Equivocation. You may think, “okay, funny. What’s the point?”
Well, the point is, is that this story defines who they are. What they are capable of, and how they will stand against the player. And besides that, the player will explore the Tomb the three original leaders have been burried in. How? Remember that Ace Tuesday I made last time? About the Stellaris Style Questing. That’s how. -
Now, we know their history. But how do they operate today? Just a quick warning, this bit WILL contain spoilers for the upcoming campaign, so if you don’t like spoilers…. You might want to skip this.
In the present day, the Order is attempting to regain their control again. For this, they fabricated a fake empire known as the Holy Kroyan Empire. They use this name to create embassies in settlements, slowly expanding their influence as they collect taxes. Besides this, the different groups within the order, known as the Pirates, Politicians, and Ninjas, have made themselves publics, but only as seperate groups fighting against one another. Their tactics resolve around fooling a settlement into this idea, so they they will work with one of the factions, and thus fall under their influence and power. They will try to swindle gold and people from you, to send back to their sanctuary as slaves and workers. -
Eventually, the player will retaliate against them, in one way or another, depending on the player’s choices, but how that will go, who knows? You’ll have to play the game for that.
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Now, I hope that you all had fun with this little episode about the Order of Applied Equivocation, and if you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments below, or head over to our Discord! And hopefully, I’ll see you again in another episode, Bye~
)
Tom was dubious, but I’m glad it’s still serving it’s function.