My Players Are Taking Control of the World

The king had been feeling anxious lately. He couldn't shake the feeling that an invisible hand was manipulating his court and empire. To get to the bottom of it, he summoned every powerful figure he knew. There was the prime minister, whose influence held sway over the entire court; the bishop of the Mechanical Order, who controlled the machines; the Grand Master of the Tower of Truth, who sought the truth; the chief inquisitor, who purged heretics; the soothsayer, who peered into fate, and others... The king was certain that these influential figures, whose combined power could reshape the world, would be able to expose the mastermind. Before long, they submitted a report with all their signatures: "There is no mastermind. Your Majesty is suffering another bout of anxiety." Relieved, the king enjoyed a good night's sleep for the first time in ages. But while the king slept soundly, these powerful figures gathered in a little underground tavern. It was the Shadow Society's regular dinner, after all. If anyone asked Ron, the society's president, how he had claimed the throne behind the scenes and come to secretly control the whole world, he might recall that afternoon at the docks of Eastport. The sun was blazing that afternoon, and he had summoned a few players.