What is Des Xi?
Des Xi is a group of 3 regions that are now individual nations. These nation/regions are Vanaq Ir, Ectanoc, and Dezonoc.
A Brief History of Des Xi
The original kingdom of Des Xi was taken over by the Outworlder tribes long ago. This occupation spread out over lifetimes, but much anti-Outworlder sentiment lingered.
Capitalizing on these tensions, The Urs Prime Empire offered its assistance in driving the Outworlders out. In exchange, Des Xi would be assimilated into the Empire, although its national individuality would be maintained with the installation of a native king; it would be a vassal state. As a result, Outworlder rule was removed, but many Outworlders had built their lives in Des Xi, so many stayed.
The Des Xiacs enjoyed their religious and cultural freedom under Urs Prime, whose rule continues to this day.
Modern-Day Des Xi
Xiam (King) Mefir had twin sons, Archaeon and Raqred. Before he named his successor, Xiam Mefir died of a stroke. At first, the two had agreed to a diarchy: Archaeon would manage Dezonoc, Raqred would manage Ectanoc, and Vanaq Ir would be split down the middle. However, their ideological differences on how to rule the state as a whole, especially in regards to the massive oil exportation in Ectanoc and Outworlder/Cult relations in Vanaq Ir, would tear their relationship apart. Civil war erupted.
The fighting was intense, but neither side showed signs of defeat. Amidst the conflict, Outworlder guerrillas and technology cults, who were once on fair terms with Xiam Archaeon, exploited both sides' inability to maintain order in Vanaq Ir, and the region was quickly taken.
The fighting ended in a stalemate, and Des Xi was effectively split into 3 parts. The nations were crippled and the brothers were left to pick up the pieces. Contractors and businessmen from Urs Prime, however, grew fat off the war, as weapons were traded for oil, which had dropped down dramatically in price in order for Xiam Raqred to meet their demands and arm his military. Dezonoc, on the other hand, with less money and resources, survived using the advantage of terrain and the strategic expertise of Xiam Archaeon's chief advisor and Old Master, Meh Kada. Overall, the war had lasted 4 years, with neither side benefiting from the ordeal.
What is the "Veil"?
The Veil was Meh Kada's secret operations unit that acted beyond the knowledge of Xiam Archaeon. It was led by Meh Kada's protege and emissary, Indra, an expert of stealth and the martial arts. This unit was formed after the war against Archaeon's brother, in response to the deteriorating political and socioeconomic strength in Dezonoc.
Although Meh Kada acted in the interests of Xiam Archaeon and the state, he utilized illegal methods in order to expedite those interests and break the stalemate between the brothers. Meh Kada's plan was to economically outmaneuver Xiam Raqred by dominating the means of energy production: coercing or persuading the energy giants into abandoning oil, which is the primary resource amongst the Des Xiac nations, and adopting the emerging fusion technology (cheap to produce, but the production will undoubtedly be fixed in order to inflate the prices).
Meh Kada estimated his plan to be fully realized in 7 years, roughly the same amount of time it would take to fight a war, but more sound because it would leave Archaeon in the position to release Urs Prime's choke hold on the nations. From there, Meh Kada convinced Archaeon that the Cult of the Star's fusion technology would be obtained through diplomacy. When diplomacy failed, however, he resorted to subterfuge, assassinated leading cult members, and stole many of their arcane schemata.
(to be continued...)