This document is declassified for the betterment of the historical record by order of Portius Nitraedes in his capacity as Chief Superintendent of the Sentinel Company. All reasonable educational and scholarly uses of this document are authorized for all members of the general public. Commercial uses of this document are forbidden except where expressly permitted by Hallifaxian law.

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FOREWORD

Operational security must often be preserved through the application of classification protocols. It is an unfortunate fact that in this matter, as in many others, the needs of the military and the needs of the scholars are often in conflict. Classification creates gaps in the historical record which can only be mended by the publication of the classified information, which can cause trouble even after the operation itself has concluded.

This text is unlikely to cause any such difficulties. The operation which it describes occurred at some point during the earliest decades of Hallifaxian membership in the Holy Celestine Empire. All of the people who conducted it are dead. The people who opposed it are dead. The empire that would have condemned it is dead. The matter has long since been consigned to historical curiosity, and so it is finally safe for it to be released to historians throughout the civilized world.

The bulk of this book is given over to the primary sources which have survived to the present day, but they are insufficient for the majority of casual readers. The soldiers that wrote those documents knew a great deal about their own world that they would have taken for granted, but the modern reader can have only the smallest fraction of their knowledge. I have taken the liberty of following each document with an explanation of its significance to the historical record and any information that seemed necessary as context. These sections are clearly marked as commentary, and they are entirely my own composition. All of the unmarked passages are taken from the private archives of the Sentinel Company itself.

It is my dearest hope that this little book can encourage the advancement of historical knowledge among intellectuals and a vague sense of amusement among all other readers.

--Portius Nitraedes

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MISSION BRIEFING

OPERATION MINT
TYPE: Briefing
CLASSIFICATION: SE-4
AUTHORIZATION: Olor Nichvey
CLIENT: X Clarramore

The Tethynath family has attained an unacceptable degree of economic influence. You are to destablize their busines in order to prepare their lands for inexpensive acquisition by the client. The target's attainable assets must remain intact for salvage by the client.

You may use your discretion regarding the methods of destabilization. The client has advised us to undertake efforts to reduce the value of Tethynath coiange, and preliminary intelligence suggests that doing so is prudent. Begin the work immediately if doing so seems practical after additional information can be obtained.

You are authorized to violate Imperial law.
You are not authorized to attempt direct military action.

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MISSION BRIEFING-COMMENTARY

This document's heading provides a surprising amount of information for the observant historian. It is classified under the oldest protocol which remains in our records, a format which has long since become obsolete. The format places this mission at some point during the first century of Hallifaxian membership in the Celestine Empire. The authorization allows us to date the operation to the second half of that period, which included Olor Nichvey's term of service with the Sentinel Company. It is intriguing to note that Nichvey's name indicates his krokani heritage. Given that the krokani who felt called to a military career could usually find positions in the imperial military, it seems likely that he joined the Sentinels due to an unusual inability to work with the Empire's forces. It seems reasonable to assume that his preference for covert operations over honorable combat was the cause of that inability, but that cannot be known with any degree of certainty.

The classification protocol also provides insight as to the nature of the operation. The SE prefix indicates that the documents were considered appropriate for operatives that specialized in either social or economic operations, but not those who focused on military expeditions. Classification level four indicates a document that must be kept secret until such a time as a ranking officer chooses to make it public, but that can be used internally for training and references purposes within the Sentinel Company.

This operation coincided with a period in which the Clarramore family went to great lengths to expand their commercial influence, so it should come as no surprise that they sponsored it. The client's first name has been censored and thus lost to history, but the family name was retained in order to ensure that the operations knew the political significance of their work. The Clarramore family often hired mercenaries, so it is likely that their name indicated a reasonably low risk of betrayal by the employer.

The brevity of the briefing is representative of instructions given to experienced agents. The Company had not developed an adequate intelligence network within the Celestine Empire at the time of this operation, so officers usually granted their agents a great deal of operational discretion so that they could adapt as new information became available. Inexperienced agents were usually given relatively detailed instructions and were not used in politically sensitive operations, so it seems likely that this briefing was intended for a seasoned operative.

This briefing provides one of the earliest references to economic warfare in the history of the Sentinel Company. Such tactics became common over the course of the Imperial Period due to the necessity of conducting operations without bringing down the wrath of the Celestine military on the Company or its clients, but they were in their infancy at this time.

It should also be noted that the Tethynath family of Celest operated a number of farms that were dedicated to the production of luxury foods, primarily herbs and spices. Their practice of coining their own money rather than relying on a national mint was common among imperial merchant groups during the earliest days of the Celestine Empire, but it fell out of use after the imperial government centralized its power and restricted the right of the upper class to mint coins out of bullion for their own use.
 
The fact that this operation directed monetary warfare against a family that was known for producing herbal products probably indicates a deliberate pun in the operation's name, a tradition that continues to this day.

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PRELIMINARY REPORT

OPERATION MINT
CLASSIFICATION: SE-4
TYPE: Report

Matters progress slowly. The Tethynath mint derives the majority of its gold from a single merchant who does business with the dwarves. He has been subverted and has debased the gold supply. Widespread knowledge of the impurity of the new coins will likely lead to a significant loss of value.

Spreading that knowledge is proving to be difficult. The mint's manager is aware of the debasement, but he refuses to act on that knowledge. I had expected him to make an effort to fix the problem in secrecy. I would have exposed his efforts and shamed both him and his employers. Instead, he has done an admirable job of concealing the debasement.

In light of that fact, I request authorization to terminate the manager under shameful circumstances. The death will appear to be the result of his own inappropriate conduct, which will bring shame upon his house and cause him to be replaced. His replacement will be encouraged to audit his proceedings to make sure that his behavior did not extend as far as the mint itself, and that replacement will discover the debasement. He will either report the crime himself or attempt to fix it, at which point the original plan may proceed.

A contingency plan has also been prepared. A purveyor of certain heretical texts has been directed to the Tethynath estate. He is operating under the assumption that they desire his products. He will be intercepted by a well-meaning citizen who desires nothing but the triumph of the Celestine church. I expect that he will confess the nature of his mission rather quickly when questioned, which will bring suspicions of religious impropriety upon our targets. Their shame will be great, and those who wish to appear pious will take their business elsewhere.

I took the liberty of contacting the fellow's rivals before I dealt with him. It turns out that their brand of heresy is incompatible with his, and so they were eager to pay an operative to remove him in a way that would not get traced back to them. The gold will be sent separately from this letter.

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PRELIMINARY REPORT-COMMENTARY

It is this letter that reveals the true nature of Sentinel operations during this period. The operative's plan shows all of the hallmarks of Sentinel planning. It is simple, it relies on the actions of relatively few individuals, it takes advantage of the vices of foreign citizens, and it is arranged such that those foreign citizens will take all of the blame for the illegal acts.

Of course, no plan ever fully survives contact with the enemy, even if that enemy is unaware of the conflict. The Sentinel Company knew that it was best to minimize dependence on uncontrolled individuals, but minimization is not the same as elimination. This letter also demonstrates the second factor in the Sentinel's success as a mercenary group, the willingness of operatives to plan for situations in which their own plans fail. The operative opted to persue the most direct options that he could by petitioning for permission to kill an inconvenient obstacle, but he also arranged for an alternative plan that could succeed if that permission was not granted. The second effort would prove useful even if the permission was granted, which made it especially appropriate for use in the field.

That contingency plan indicates that the operative was not certain that he would be given permission to kill. This may seem strange for an espionage specialist in the service of the military group, but it is characteristic of the Company in this period. Assassination is a tricky business. It can do a great deal to advance a plan, but failure is both likely and potentially catastrophic. It was an option of last resort in any operation short of open warfare.

Astute readers will notice that the operative was able to solicit additional payment as part of his contingency plan. He likely would have carried out the plan even if he could not obtain that payment, but it was a foolish operative that would allow such an opportunity to pass. It is important to remember that the Sentinel Company was a mercenary group, and as such its primary objective in these operations was the pursuit of wealth. Some societies may frown upon that sort of opportunism, but the Sentinels realized that it was significantly better to get paid twice for an operation that to get paid only once.

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AUTHORIZATION OF FORCE

My dearest friend,

The powers that be offer absolution for all that is done in their name, so long as you keep the way of virtue in your heart. Do as you deem proper, and know that you do so with our blessing.

May the Light of the Holy Supernals of Celestia guide your path.

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AUTHORIZATION OF FORCE-COMMENTARY

This is the shortest letter in the collection, but it would not be unreasonable to say that it is also the most informative. It almost goes without saying that this is an encoded letter, but it is the only such letter in the set. The fact that this letter conceals its true meaning while the other are blatant reveals a great deal of information about the operation.

The additional layer of secrecy indicates that the Sentinel Company thought the operation was under scrutiny. The most likely cause would be the forces of the Inquisition, both due to the location of the operation and the interaction with heretical movements. The letter is thus written as a letter from a priest or missionary to a friend in need of spiritual advice, in the hope that it would slip past the religious authorities without arousing suspicion. People in their profession saw many such letters, so it could be expected to hide in the mass of similar notes.

The reliance on implication rather than a cipher is normal for the period. Encryption was not terribly advanced at this point in time, so most operatives were forced to rely on cylinder ciphers if they were to encode their documents, which required the use of a large and rather incriminating piece of equipment. It was better to avoid such things. An enemy would know that the bearer of a cylinder was a spy, and he would know an encrypted document when he saw one.

Permission to kill was granted in spite of the risk of observation. This might indicate that the operative was trusted to carry the murder out discretely, but it is more likely that the commanding officers thought the lines of communication were under surveillance rather than the operative himself. That circumstance would require the operative to act quickly and leave before anything could be linked back to him. Murder offered a swift solution to his problems, and it was most likely authorized for that reason.

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FINAL REPORT

OPERATION MINT
CLASSIFICATION: SE-4
TYPE: Report

All operational objectives have been achieved. Several prominent members of the Tethynath family have been quesionted by members of the Celestine Inquisition. The inquiry revealed their innocence, but it was sufficient to stain their reputation in the eyes of certain members of the public. Their reputation suffered another blow when the manager of their mint was found dead. I arranged for a rumor that said they had him killed in order to hide their heresy. The rumor never took hold with the authorities, but it did take hold among certain parts of the uneducated masses. Their manager's replacement is prone to drunkeness, and so it was easy to persuade him to reveal the debasement of their currency while he was under the influence. The family's humiliation is complete, their reputation in the commercial world is ruined, and several of their members have withdrawn from public life. Our clients should be able to acquire their assets without difficulty.

I recommend that further operations in the area be delayed for several months. This operation encouraged Imperial authorities to focus on the area, and the risk of detection is high.

I have chosen to cultivate all subverted assets for future use. I see very little risk in their survival and a great deal of potential value for future operations. They will be terminated if that assessment changes.

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FINAL REPORT--COMMENTARY

It is a bitter irony that this final report offers very little new information. The operation was completed without further complication, and the operative saw no reason to go into detail about his actions. If nothing else, it is a fine example of Sentinel pragmatism. He provided only the information that he thought would be relevant to his superior officers and declined to offer any superfluous details. The operative could have been debriefed in more detail later on, but the lack of any transcript makes that appear unlikely. This particular operation was likely seen as too insignificant to warrant that sort of scrutiny after the fact. Part of that perceived insignificance probably comes from the operation's success. After all, one can learn a great deal from one's failures, but neat victories do not offer many lessons.

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