Fathoms Below Progress Log

The Fallen Rose Society/The Order of Sibusiso

Fathoms Below partly takes place in our world but in an alternate timeline. Things took a different turn there, resulting in certain events following the Vietnam War. Several of the events and wars that followed never happened, so the things that happened in the present-day here (like COVID-19) did not occur in the version of our world from Fathoms Below. This is because, unlike in our world, there were enough people who cared enough to fight and make a difference (not that there aren't people who don't care enough to make a difference here. It's that there's only so much we can do). In this alternate timeline, the people who cared enough to make a difference mostly succeeded where we mostly failed. As such, the governments, the UN, and various government organizations are being held together by the skin of their teeth in this alternate timeline, and there's an ongoing battle between those who try to keep the corruption within them at bay so they can eliminate it and those who wish to stay in power for selfish reasons, even if it means letting that corruption run rampant.

Francis Bonnefoy from Hetalia compared nations to ships once, saying that the government is the sails, people are the wind, and time is the sea. Here's an addition of my own: think of the mast as the people who hold up the sails of the government by combating the corruption within them and any storm at sea as the people who seek to further that corruption for self-serving purposes by tearing the sails of the government or causing the mast to break in two. Only as long as people who care enough to fight against the storms exist can the ship be used forever. If not enough people are willing to make a difference or speak out against said corruption, things will remain as they are or worsen until all is lost, including the nation itself. That's where The Order of Sibusiso and like-minded organizations come in.

The Fallen Rose Society is a code name for The Order of Sibusiso. They pose as a Dungeons & Dragons gaming group, and that's part of what they do, but their game also consists of code words so they can easily communicate without getting caught by prying eyes and ears. Anyone could be eavesdropping.

Their actual name is The Order of Sibusiso, which was named for Mbali's husband Sibusiso. It was named for Sibusiso because he always advocated for unity between the supernatural and humanity. He was always trying to protect the rights and freedoms of both to ensure their safety, security, and happiness. He was always talking about how we needed both equality and equity between the species. The Order of Sibusiso is an organization that functions similarly to the UN but is a separate organization that often deals closely with the UN, only to be continually frustrated by the fact that several of the world leaders and staff members are willing to selfishly overlook human/civil rights violations if it's beneficial to them.

The Magical Relations Committee focuses on foreign relations and diplomacy between the supernatural and humanity on a universal scale. Politics and Civil Rights are also a major focus of this branch to ensure that the supernatural and humanity are given their rights and freedoms, no matter where in the universe they live. This branch is considered to be the petals of the rose due to needing skill in politics, civil rights, and diplomacy, which requires knowledge, logic, eloquence, charisma, and delicacy.

The Magical Intelligence and Security Agency focuses on espionage and handling magical threats that human authorities can't handle. They fight villains who threaten either the supernatural or humanity or expose the supernatural before the humans are ready to handle their existence. They also deal with people like S.T.Y.X. and find supernatural beings who have gone missing. The Marvel Heroes work under this branch too. They're considered the thorns of this branch because they'll prick you if you threaten them and they are well-versed in combat skills, plus, they're just as intelligent as those in the Universal Committee of Magical Relations, only their intelligence requires a balance between strategy, diplomacy, eloquence, and quick thinking. You have to be able to be a skilled tactician but also be able to rush headlong into danger without being careless, so being able to think on your feet and come up with plans on the fly quickly is a must.

The Supernatural Financial Department takes care of the financial and economic aspects of The Order of Sibusiso. They handle all the logistics, resources, and money that's needed to cover any expenses that The Order of Sibusiso needs to ensure that they can remain up and running so the supernatural can stay protected. They also help The Magical Intelligence and Security Agency handle people like S.T.Y.X. from Twisted Wonderland as both branches work together to protect the supernatural from facilities who would use unethical research practices on them, but they alone handle protecting the supernatural from unethical businesses with corrupt corporate executives who would subject them to unfair treatment akin to the kind of labor people would do at a sweatshop for below minimum wage pay.

The Magical Languages Administration takes care of the communication aspect of The Order of Sibusiso. Not everyone speaks the languages of humans, and some supernaturals are protective of their language depending on their ethnicity and culture as well. They translate for ambassadors who don't speak English, French, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Zulu, etc., and are well-versed in various languages, including sign languages from across the universe. They and The Supernatural Financial Department are considered the stem of this branch as they both hold The Order of Sibusiso together: without their finances and resources, they wouldn't be able to operate and they need to be able to communicate with other supernaturals to achieve their goals, or it will just result in more misunderstandings.