Chancellor of Ruin

Synopsis

Amidst the desolation of a post-World War I Central European nation, crippled by defeat and hyperinflation, rises Alaric Voss. A charismatic but deeply embittered failed painter, Voss exploits the widespread despair, blaming the nation's collapse on perceived 'coin clippers' and 'degenerate' elements. He rapidly consolidates power, establishing a brutal authoritarian regime under the 'National Unity Party' and unleashing a pervasive secret police force, 'The Watchers', to enforce his fanatical vision. As Voss's purges intensify, families like Anton Fischer's, a factory worker simply trying to survive, face unimaginable hardship and fear, their daily lives consumed by the struggle against economic ruin and political terror. Unseen by the public, Voss's ascent was subtly influenced by the ancient, clandestine 'Council of the Golden Coin', a secret society of powerful figures who seek to manipulate societal crises for their own long-term goals. Marcus Valerius, a high-ranking member of the Council, watches with growing unease as Voss's unpredictable brutality and fanatical purges spiral beyond the Council's intended control, creating a dangerous shadow conflict between the overt tyranny and the hidden manipulators. Caught between these forces are figures like Lena Schneider, a passionate modernist artist whose work is now deemed 'degenerate' and whose very existence is threatened by the regime's cultural crackdown, forcing her art and spirit underground. As the nation descends further into chaos and oppression, the collision of Voss's destructive ideology, the Council's hidden agenda, artistic resistance, and the fight for everyday survival reveals the dark heart of corruption and the perilous cost of fanaticism in a world undergoing violent transformation.