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Profile
Nero is presumably the mastermind behind Exilium AG. His habit of lying with pathological intensity, combined with his tendency to appear and vanish with startling suddenness, makes him difficult to read. Virtually nothing is known about him—a fact that brings him great amusement. Fibo refers to him as a “404.” Whenever Nero appears, Spasti falls into a state of peculiar trauma, likely linked to his own past within Exilium.
The Schöneberg Protocol
The so-called “Schöneberg Protocol” led to a stalemate in the talks between Schöneberg and Moabit: Mia von Schöneberg received a document—a “wing”—purportedly signed by Komissar Richtig, which claimed that Moabit was planning to nationalize Schöneberg. Komissar Richtig immediately denounced the document as a forgery. Before both sides could conduct a joint investigation into the incident, they received a confession from Nero, in which he took responsibility for the forged letter.
Later, this confession also proved to be a forgery.
This left it unclear not only who had authored the original letter, but also whether Nero had been falsely accused, had falsely accused himself, or simply intended for both possibilities to coexist. Mia and Komissar Richtig found themselves compelled to offer mutual assurances, even though neither had demonstrably harmed the other. The Schöneberg Protocol forced the parties from Schöneberg and Moabit into weeks of arduous negotiations that ultimately led nowhere.
The Schöneberg Protocol gave rise to the theory that Nero was not the mastermind behind these events, but merely a figurehead in a larger conspiracy. His forged confession, in particular, was interpreted as a sign that Exilium AG had already established a foothold in Neu Berlin—manipulating their supposed puppet master just as they were manipulating all other parties involved.
Nero and Exilium AG
Only Exilium AG signed the agreement. Nero is considered the mastermind behind it. His sightings in Neu Berlin—accompanied by conflicting witness accounts—fuel the suspicion that Exilium was never actually dismantled, contrary to what Spasti continues to claim. A more plausible theory is that Exilium simply vanished from plain sight and relocated its headquarters to Neu Berlin, remaining undetected. Furthermore, Nero’s efforts to establish a new system of governance among the largely autonomous clans bear his unmistakable hallmark: after every round of negotiations, the parties involved find themselves in a worse position than before.
The attacks that ultimately triggered the clan wars in Neu Berlin are attributed to Nero. He has personally confirmed these allegations on several occasions, only to retract them later. This highlights the difficulty of accurately reconstructing the true sequence of events surrounding the attacks: Nero’s confession prompted investigations that became mired in contradictory evidence and were eventually abandoned.
The Night of the Four Embarrassments
On the night leading into November 4, 2121—an event that would later go down in the chronicles as the “Night of the Four Embarrassments”—every single treaty seal belonging to the clans of New Berlin vanished. By the following morning, they had been replaced by forgeries that were identical in appearance. Since it was no longer possible to determine with any certainty which treaties remained valid, years of negotiations had to be restarted from scratch.
Nero later claimed that he had discovered the distinction between when the clans remembered the substance of their treaties and when they merely recalled the seals themselves. Others interpreted this as a sign that the theft was not the primary objective, but rather a means to reveal a new possibility to the clan leaders.
The Missing Map
For decades, the only complete map of the waterways of New Berlin hung in the Sentinel of the Moabit district. One morning, the entire area surrounding the Tempelhof Diskoord was missing from it.
Two days later, that same part of the Diskoord burned to the ground.
Nero declared that he had learned from this incident that maps could describe the future, rather than merely charting past observations.
Ever since, any gap in the archives of New Berlin is interpreted as a harbinger. Cartographers fill in vanished lines before it is even established whether they ever existed. The clans secure locations that may not be under any threat at all, while neglecting others. Nero hardly needs to take action himself; it is enough that the city, upon noticing any irregularity, anticipates his next move.
Perhaps this is his true maneuver: Nero brings New Berlin under his control by ensuring that the pieces position themselves in anticipation of his next move.