Changes

The Overseer of this Sphere is the Grand Merchant, an odd fellow dressed in heavy yellow robes. Whether a Long or a mechanical creation lies beneath these robes is an enigma, and nobody knows where the Grand Merchant appeared from or what it was before becoming a Name. Like the Spokesman, it spends much of its time outside the New Mansus, but it prefers the waking world to the Mansus. There, it travels the wastes, offering deals that seem too good to be true in exchange for material and insubstantial things. It is through The Grand Merchant that most get the rare materials required to construct a Bronze Gate. The majority of these profits go towards the purchase of new goods from the Demiurge, but some always remain the Grand Merchant's own, at least for a while. When the Grand Merchant visits the New Mansus, they enjoy gambling at the Second Sphere casino known as the Red Pearl, one of the few venues in the New Mansus not co-owned by the Demiurgea Grai-Long known as Aramintha and an Amaranthine Aristocrat calling herself Esmerhild. The Demiurge has attempted to acquire the Red Pearl several times, but Aramintha and Esmerhild, the duo of Grail-Long who own the casino, have so far refused to sell it. There are rumors that they have connections to the Syndicate Scarlet Mandible Cabal or that they have gained access to information that allows them to exploit the Grand Merchant to their own ends, but nobody dares accuse them, as they have several Long and possibly a Name in their pocket.

'''Lantern-Long'''were once rare in the New Mansus, but have recently begun to become more and more common. The Lantern-Long of the New Mansus are fascinated by the New Glory, and most work in close association with the Demiurge to study it. This association, however, does not imply loyalty. It is rumored that the Demiurge pays his Lantern-Long researchers exorbitant sums to keep them from revealing the secrets of the New Glory to the corporate executives of the First Sphere and the Hours of the Mansus. The New Mansus is also home to many other kinds of beings, from Names and spirits to various forms of automatons and Amaranthine Aristocracy. Mortals are occasionally smuggled to the New Mansus for various reasons, but they usually do not survive for long, as the food, freshwater, and oxygen that mortals require in order to survive is a luxury in the New Mansus. The radiance of the New Glory is also a hazard to mortal physiology, as is the creeping approach of Nowhere, the occasional scorching temperatures, the hazardous gases, and the exposed machinery. Mortals discovered by the Demiurge are exiled back into the Wake, though some may be given the option to ascend as Forge-Long if the Demiurge takes a liking to them. Amaranthine Aristocracy are capable of surviving the journey through a Bronze Gate, and have recently became a relatively common sight in the New Mansus, especially in the outer Spheres where the law of the Demiurge is more distant. The Demiurge distrusts them, as they are the creations of a foreign Hour that he fears they are loyal to. Even though many perform honest work, work is often hard to find and many have turned to organized crime. '''The Crimson Carapace Mob''' is the wealthiest of the countless Amaranthine criminal outfits of the New Mansus, specializing in the smuggling of goods, people, and information in and out of the New Mansus. The Carapace is led by the young Gregor Kermes using his First-Sphere family company, Kermes Industries, as a front. The leader's high status and the open secret of his criminal affiliation, alongside the mob's monopoly on illegal trade through the Leonine Gate and the Demiurge's increased reliance on products from the Mansus has led many to conclude that the Carapace is in lieu with the Demiurge. The mob's previous leader, Franz Kermes, died under mysterious circumstances a few years back. Many suspect that he was assassinated by the Demiurge for refusing to comply, and that the younger and more complicit Gregor was installed in his place. In truth, Franz faked his death fearing the Demiurge's assassins, and is currently waiting for an opportunity to reclaim the family business '''The Scarlet Mandible Cabal''' is the largest of the Amaranthine criminal gangs of the New Mansus, and the only one to accept Long as full members. The Mandibles specialize in gambling and confidence schemes, and have nestled themselves deep into New Mansus society through a complex web of blackmail and debt. They are led by a secret council of Aristocrats known as the Inner Circle, who keep their identities concealed through careful use of secret identities and codenames. Recently, a large amount of these codenames and secret identities have been leaked alongside classified transcripts of their meetings. These transcripts are highly confusing and there are multiple conflicting accounts of what they imply, but nonetheless the Inner Circle has taken the matter very seriously and most members have gone into hiding. The long period of stability that let the Mandibles nestle as deep as they did into New Mansus society appears to be growing towards its end, and there are rumors that the Cabal will split in two in the near future '''The Vermillion Claw Gang''' is not a defined group as much as it is a loose coalition of Amaranthine criminal organizations who have banded together out of convenience. Their decentralized structure, alongside their focus on bodyguards, protection racketeering, and hired muscle makes them occasional allies of the Syndicate. There are several individuals claiming to lead the entire gang with varying degrees of actual power, all with distinct allergiances. Lady Vespoidea has openly allied with the Syndicate. Count Culicoidea worships the Gods-from-Nowhere in secret. Baron Lucanida swears fealty to the Listless King and the Crimson Queen. Marquis Dermaptera just wants to fuck shit up