The Silence, the Vote, and the Aftermath: What Really Happened with the Xandrians and “The Big Party”
By Jorge-Ben Georges Senior Investigative Reporter, The Red Sun News
A Note to Long-Time Readers
It’s been several months since you last heard from me. In that time, I’ve received (conservatively) thousands of messages, pings, and in-person questions about my interview with the Xandrian representative XN-1031 and whether that conversation tilted the vote on Xandrian inclusion in the Second World Invitational—better known (despite official grumbling) as “The Big Party.”
Here’s the truth I can state plainly: the Vote passed. Xandrians were allowed to participate. The specifics, however—the round-by-round tallies, the pressure campaigns, the precise arguments voiced by each bloc on the Chaos Broker Council — have been kept under wraps from the public.
I’m one of the few outside the High Council, the Academy staff, and the Broker Council who has seen the details. But I am bound by a strict embargo, enforced by the High Council itself. That silence has taken a toll—professionally and personally. Today, I received permission to reveal some of what I know from the High Council, and can finally publish again. And I intend to do nothing but report the unvarnished truth.
What I’m Allowed to Reveal (And What I’m Not)
Per the limits of the embargo, I can confirm only two facts about the vote mechanics:
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Two rounds of voting were required for the Broker Council and the High Council representatives to arrive at consensus.
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When consensus was reached, the decision was to allow Xandrian Handlers to participate in the Second Chaos World Championship—The Big Party.
That’s all I can say about the vote count and deliberations. Which brings us to the question many of you have asked—sometimes politely, sometimes not: Did my interview influence the outcome? My answer has never changed: I am not a participant; I am a reporter.
I’ve done my job as an investigative reporter: to publish, verbatim, what XN-1031 said. Nothing more—and certainly nothing less. I neither endorse nor oppose Xandrian rights to full licensing. My duty is to inform, not to anoint.
The rest is the Firmament’s to decide.
After the Gate Opened: How the Xandrians Performed
What’s common knowledge by now is that the Xandrians not only competed; they performed. - Over 100 Xandrian Handlers joined The Big Party.
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25+ Handlers appeared in the coveted Gold Trials, including XN-1014 with their Clausius Agent Orlin Mossrider, who climbed as high as #10 during Gold Trial #5.
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Beyond the Trials, Xandrian Handlers demonstrated remarkable consistency across one-off Shard Battles against Academy Brokers—showing up, logging results, and steadily sharpening their faction’s edge.
Yet in the same breath, you’ve likely heard the counter-narrative: Were Xandrians given a fair shot at the Grand Finals?
Padoccia’s Charge
Edrei Gesa of the Padoccia Trade Union, speaking on behalf of the Xandrian High Repository, told me:
“Our Xandrian brethren have struggled daily for their rights as Chaos Brokers, diligently participating in every Academy-hosted Match and Trial—never wavering, never complaining. The Broker Council and High Council voted to allow Xandrians to enter The Big Party, but were they given sufficient opportunities to succeed at the World Championship?
By our estimate, only about 25 Xandrians were allowed to participate in Gold Trials despite many more having earned Gold Tickets by winning Silver Trials. Further, no Xandrian was allowed into the Grand Finals—why? Why did the Altareth Union Bosses not insist that Xandrians have a chance to compete at The Grand Finals?
We believe the High Council—and perhaps the Chaos Broker Academy—did not want our Xandrian brethren to demonstrate their full potential as Brokers, despite their consistent performances and their help training Academy Brokers.”
These are serious allegations. They’re also not surprising coming from Padoccia, a staunch backer of full Xandrian Brokership rights and an early enabler of Xandrians directing all species of Agents—not just Rhodians. If you track the evolution of Xandrian claims, this cross-species Elemental Connection milestone is significant; it argues that Xandrian Battle Tech is both safe and reliable across biology.
What My Investigation Found
I’ve investigated Padoccia’s claims in depth. My conclusion: there’s truth in them—but some varnish too.
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It is true that no Xandrian featured in the Grand Finals of the Second World Championship.
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However, the reason was not sabotage or procedural trickery at the finish line. Simply put: no Xandrian won a Gold Medal at any of the eight Gold Trials, which served as the qualifiers for the Grand Finals.
That could be the end of it. It isn’t.
On closer inspection, I found that fewer Xandrians were afforded starts in those Gold Trials than fully qualified Academy Brokers. How?
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The Altareth Union Bosses and the Chaos Broker Academy instituted a rule prioritizing Academy-licensed Brokers who had earned Gold Trial Tickets (via Silver wins) over Xandrian Handlers for the limited Gold Trial slots.
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Only if there were open slots could Xandrian Handlers compete—meaning some Xandrians were bumped from Trials after registering, to make room for late-registrant Academy Brokers.
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In multiple cases, Xandrian Handlers who held Gold Tickets never got to race for a Grand Finals berth.
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Meanwhile, Academy Brokers—including eventual World Champion Cephalon—were permitted to enter additional Gold Trials even after securing a Grand Finals spot, effectively consuming slots that might otherwise have gone to Xandrians.
Is that fair? I asked.
What the Powers Said (and Didn’t)
From Union Boss Jak Camora:
“The Altareth Union Bosses were not responsible for managing Gold Trial participants. Our focus was on making The Big Party as successful as possible, and the record-breaking viewership numbers across The Firmament bear witness to the Second Championship’s unprecedented success. We are now deep in talks with The Academy on the next great Championship events—citizens of The Firmament will not need to wait long for the next Shard Battle spectacle.”
It’s telling that the usually eloquent Mr. Camora offered little on Xandrian access equity, spending most of his statement promoting The Big Party and its (as yet unannounced) successors.
Separately, a representative of the High Council emphasized in their missive to me that the Council had no say in the format or management of the Second World Championship—also reminding me that “The Big Party” is a marketing phrase favored by the Altareth Union Bosses, not an official designation. As for the Chaos Broker Academy: I’ve reached out, I have not received a response.
A New Front: Permanent Contracts and a Loophole
Meanwhile, smoke signals from the Three-Headed Liar suggest the Chaos Broker Council has lodged increasing complaints with the Academy—and directly with the High Council—over Xandrian Handlers retaining Chaos Agents under Permanent Contract.
The legal knot: Xandrian Handlers do not hold full Brokerage House Licenses, which would ordinarily be required to connect to the Shard Brokerage Network and run a sanctioned house. The loophole—if loophole it is—appears to be a self-limit of one Permanent Contract per Handler, neatly sidestepping Agent Slot restrictions that bind licensed Brokers.
Will these protests bite? Hard to see Padoccia or the Xandrians surrendering permanent-contract rights without a fight.
Where This Leaves Us
Expect ripples. My revelation about why Xandrians were absent from the Grand Finals—not because of last-mile sabotage, but because of front-end slot priority—will not please everyone. Based on the fallout from my interview with XN-1031, I’d be foolish not to expect backlash.
I’m therefore writing from an undisclosed location, known only to The Red Sun News’ Chief Editor and Chief of Security. From here, I’ll continue to report what my investigation uncovers—and to stay, I hope, one step ahead of the longer arms within the Shard economy’s machinery.
The road from “permission to participate” to “parity of opportunity” is long, technical, and political. The Xandrians have stepped onto it. Whether the Firmament will level that road—or keep it gated—remains the question that will define the next championship, and the balance of power that follows.
Wish me luck, faithful reader, as I march further into the unknown—and send back whatever light I can.