[Work in progress] {Feu} The Feu Follet — Information

[Feu Follet]

La Vérité Est Là-bas | The Truth Is Out There

ID/IFF: Gallic National Intelligence Tag: {Feu}

The Feu Follet is a Gallic National Intelligence cell which originates from Orleanis. While they sometimes operate as usual GNI agents would, their objectives often include exploration and search for artifacts, as well as dealing with paranormal activity and anomalies.

Primary goals: Investigation of paranormal activity and anomalies; Search for artifacts; Exploration of uncharted space.
Secondary goals: Intelligence operations; Protecting Gallic space.

Hierarchy

There are three subdivisions in the Feu Follet.

High Command

Director
Director is a person that currently leads the organization. Not necessarily the most battle-hardened, they are often the most dedicated and experienced organization members. Tasked with overseeing all organization activity and directing it, they rarely leave the Feu Follet’s headquarters. After the acting Director passes away or steps down from their position, the next Director is chosen from the ranks of High Command.

Deputy Director
Deputy directors are the most loyal and trusted agents of the Feu Follet. Handpicked by the director from senior agents, they act as their commander’s proxies, overseeing the most important missions of the Feu Follet.

Full-fledged Members

Senior Agent
Senior agents are the Feu Follet’s most recognized members. They have demonstrated their bravery and loyalty many times, often serving in Feu Follet for years. Typically they are picked for the most challenging and dangerous tasks, especially ones that will require working alone or in small groups.
This rank is currently the highest possible for a non-Gaul individual to attain.

Agent
Agents are the bulk of the Feu Follet's forces. Person with this rank is usually tasked with protection of Gallia’s territory and keeping criminals and other hostile parties from interfering with Feu Follet and GNI tasks. However, they can act on their own volition if permission is given from the High Command.

Agent In Training
Agents in training are the Feu Follet’s recruits, usually a fresh addition to the organization. A typical agent in training is expected to become an agent after a year of training, although especially talented individuals were able to get through this rank in a month or two. Agents in training are encouraged to learn from their more expecienced colleagues while helping them with their tasks.

Mercenaries
While not officially members of Feu Follet, mercenaries historically play an important part in the organization's life. Usually the new recruits are picked from the most promising mercenaries that expressed a wish for a more permanent employment.

Diplomacy

all not mentioned factions are considered neutral

Allied: Gallic Military, Police, Corporations and Civilians

Friendly: Zoners; Rheinland Military and Police

Neutral: Junkers; Corsairs; The Order; Bounty Hunters; Corporations of other nations; Unione Corse; Golden Chrysanthemums; Blood Dragons

Unfriendly: Most criminals; Liberty Military and Police; Bretonnia Military and Police; Kusari Military and Police

Hostile: Outcasts; Xenos; Maquis; Gallic Brigands; Slomon K'Hara; The Wild

Origins

The Feu Follet owes its origin to one of the members of the noble house of Artoux, named Alain. Although the House of Artoux was not the most noble of Gaul's nobility, it possessed considerable wealth, acquired through the production of a variety of agricultural goods, from bread to wine. Alain, being young and ambitious, received his family's blessing to serve in the royal military not long before Gallia’s first war with Sirius forces.
At the first days of war Alain was tasked to survey and analyse what remained of Gallia’s enemies, in an attempt to better understand the principles of their technology and discover potential weaknesses that could be exploited. While performing this task, he stumbled upon the vessel that didn’t bear marks of Bretonian or Kusari military forces, presumably a mercenary or civilian that got himself caught in crossfire. Somehow, despite the owner’s demise, the vessel was still partly functional. Curious, Alain managed to obtain some data from this ship. Amidst the mundane information of little use, the young nobleman discovered a vague description of some valuable artifact in the far Omicron systems, with estimated coordinates.
Seeing this as an opportunity to gain fame and glory, Alain began preparations for a long expedition. Needless to say, it wasn’t easy even for a man of noble origin and considerable wealth — with Gallia in the midst of war, most of the resources were not available for such eccentric endeavors. Still, through persuasion, bribery and promises of riches and glory, Alain managed to gather some volunteers (most of which, naturally, were just as idealistic and fame-hungry as Alain himself) and, inspired by his success, declared the foundation of the Order of the Feu Follet; an act that even his closest followers considered somewhat inappropriate at the time.

Barely managed to slip through the enemy lines that were busy dealing with the main Gallic forces, Alain and his newfounded Order found themselves in the border and edge worlds, filled with pirates and terrorists of different kinds, none of which were happy to see the unknown intruders. Journey to the Omicron systems has proven to be harsh and unforgiving, with expeditionary forces suffering losses in almost every system they passed through. Sadly, even Alain himself didn’t survive the road.
Battered and tired, with little hope of making it back home, members of the so-called Order were close to becoming pirates and criminals that roamed the systems in search of easy prey. This, however, was not meant to be.
Delmont Moreau, a man of low birth that was responsible for scouting ahead of the main force, managed to save a small convoy of traders from slavers. In gratitude, traders shared some of their supplies with the Feu Follet. Moreau proposed something that was originally unheard for — in order to survive, accomplish their mission and return home, they had to seek help from foreigners. After a brief consideration, members of the Feu Follet agreed to Moreau’s proposal. Possessing a natural talent for leadership, Delmont soon became the unofficial leader of the expedition.
Employment of mercenaries and opportunistic freelancers has proven to be the right decision. Not only they bolstered the diminishing numbers of Feu Follet’s knights, but also were far more familiar with Sirius systems, guiding their employers to their original destination.
However, the greatest challenge was still ahead. Traversing the far Omicron systems, the Feu Follet faced a threat unlike anything they met before: beings that the locals called Nomads. Fight with the aliens was a costly one, but in the end the Feu Follet and their allies managed to break through to the planet they’ve been searching for. Unlike the descriptions that claimed it to be a world of lush forests and deep lakes, knights found a rigid, arid rock, barely capable of supporting human life. Despite this, there were traces of unknown civilization, mostly in the form of strange ruins. Exploration was surprisingly fruitful, and the knights left the planet with many artifacts that awaited study.
The way back, however, wasn’t an easy one. With losses that the Feu Follet sustained after the battle with Nomads, odds weren’t in the favor of knights, considering they had to traverse through enemy territory.
Moreau came to an uneasy decision: Feu Follet had to remain in the edge worlds, building strength and sending scouts in hope of an opening. In the years that followed, Feu Follet managed to create an understanding with various groups of Zoners and even the Order, a mysterious organization that was fighting Nomads. Battling pirates and criminals (especially Outcasts), freeing slaves and behaving with peculiar sense of honor, the Feu Follet ended up with some of their temporary allies expressing their desire to stay with the knights indefinitely. Moreau, realising that coming back home will require more permanent forces than they had currently, began to personally pick outsiders that were allowed to stay within their Order.
Then the rumors about the end of the war and unrest within Gallia reached the ears of the Feu Follet, they were almost as formidable as they once were. Troubled about what exactly was going on in their homeland, Moreau started preparations for the long-awaited return.

Despite expectations, the journey back was far easier than the knights thought it to be. Perhaps they became more experienced, or perhaps the previously warring sides were too busy licking their wounds. However, the Gallia they returned to was not the Gallia they left.
Taken aback by the Leeds Glassing, rumors of which most of the Feu Follet disregarded as foul lies, knights had little trouble to denounce the monarchy and pledging allegiance to the new state. The only question was — were they still welcome?
Fortunately, the Fou Follet were recognized by Alain's sister, baroness Raina, who saw the Order as a legacy of her late brother. After the Glassing of Leeds she was among the few family members who openly supported the Council. As a result, most of the House Artoux ended up dead or exiled, with Raina getting most of her family’s wealth, thus becoming one of the richest women in Gallia.
Pulling a few strings, she managed to bargain for a place in the Gallia military, members of which Feu Follet once were, making them a part of Gallic National Intelligence. Feu Follet handed their findings to the new Gallic government and got permission to enforce Gallic laws while conducting their own research and expeditions for the profit of Gallia.

Persons of note

Director Delmont Moreau

Current leader of the Feu Follet, Delmont Moreau wasn’t born into nobility and had a questionable past. However, due to resourcefulness, bravery and leadership of this man the Feu Follet were able to complete their mission and return to Gallia. Considered no less than a hero by the majority of the Order, he came to view the Feu Follet as his family, caring deeply for each member of the organization.

Baroness Raina Artoux de Orleanais

Lady Raina Artoux is one of the few surviving and not exiled members of the once large noble family and one of the richest women in Gallia. Sister of the deceased founder of the Feu Follet, she saw the Feu Follet as her late brother’s legacy, becoming its biggest sponsor. She is an honorary member of the Feu Follet, deeply respected by its members.

Senior Agent William Reverdin

Descendant of a minor noble family and one of the original Alain’s companions who saw the founding of the Feu Follet and braved the dangers of unknown space, William "Scorn" Reverdin is one of the Feu Follet’s most trusted agents. Currently holding the rank of senior agent, it is rumored that he has refused the promotion to deputy director, believing himself to be more useful in the field.

Deputy Director Sophie Laurent

Little is known about this woman other than she is the Feu Follet’s current lead scientist, holding the title of deputy direcotr. Sophie Laurent's position suggests that she is the one responsible for all of Feu Follet’s initial artifact studies, working closely with Gallic scientists.