Tinsel & Treachery

History

The Red Sleigh Union began as a collective of artisan craftsmen dedicated to preserving the art of traditional holiday handcrafts in the face of mass-produced, corporate Christmas merchandise. Once respected for their intricate craftsmanship and deep cultural roots, the RSU initially fought for fair trade practices and ethical production standards.

However, decades of exploitation, corporate consolidation, and the erasure of traditional crafts pushed the Union to the brink. When even the most skilled artisans were reduced to factory cogs or driven out of business, the RSU radicalized. Now, it is a militant movement of disenfranchised workers and craftsmen, determined to dismantle the corporate control of Christmas by any means necessary.

Structure

The RSU operates as a decentralized collective, united by shared ideals rather than a rigid hierarchy.

1. Council of the Forge: A leadership council composed of veteran artisans and outspoken worker leaders. They develop strategies and rally support but leave operations in the hands of local cells.
2. Craft Guilds: Regional cells composed of artisan craftsmen, factory workers, and grassroots organizers. They handle propaganda, recruitment, and localized actions.
3. Union Brigades: Armed militias formed from disillusioned workers, combat-trained mercenaries, and those willing to take up arms for the cause.
4. Labor Vanguard: A covert group specializing in sabotage and intelligence gathering, often operating deep within corporate facilities.

Tactics

The RSU relies on a mix of grassroots organizing, direct action, and armed resistance to advance their cause:

1. Worker Strikes and Factory Takeovers: Organizing mass walkouts and occupying key production facilities to disrupt holiday supply chains.
2. Raids on Corporate Warehouses: Seizing goods and redistributing them to communities, often coupled with public demonstrations to highlight corporate greed.
3. Sabotage: Targeting corporate infrastructure, from sabotaging automated assembly lines to orchestrating cyberattacks on logistics networks.
4. Guerilla Warfare: The Union Brigades engage in skirmishes and ambushes against corporate security forces, especially in regions where RSU influence is strongest.

Philosophy

The RSU believes in a Christmas built on fairness, community, and human connection rather than cold corporate profit. To them, the mass-produced, glossy veneer of modern Christmas is a betrayal of its roots in handcraft, generosity, and shared tradition.

They seek to dismantle the structures that exploit workers and commodify holiday traditions, envisioning a future where artisans, small businesses, and local communities reclaim Christmas. While their methods are often extreme, they see themselves as liberators fighting against a system that values profit over people.

• Operation “Golden Hammers”
  RSU agents infiltrated a massive holiday ornament factory owned by NorthStar Media Conglomerate. Posing as temporary workers, they sabotaged critical machinery and leaked footage of harsh working conditions to the public. The resulting scandal led to weeks of strikes and cost NorthStar millions in lost revenue.
• Operation “Sugar Chains”
  The RSU targeted a Gingerbread Trust sugar plantation notorious for exploitative practices. A brigade launched a coordinated assault, seizing shipments of sugar and redistributing them to impoverished communities. The operation sparked a wave of local uprisings against Trust facilities.
• Operation “Red Frost”
  In response to the Tinsel Committee’s crackdown on worker protests in a key industrial hub, the RSU mounted a daring counterattack. Union Brigades ambushed Purification Corps units, using improvised explosives and guerrilla tactics to reclaim the region. The skirmish marked a significant victory for the RSU but escalated tensions with the Committee.
• Operation “Gilded Stockings”
  To disrupt the unveiling of Yuletide Dynamics’ latest holiday tech line, the RSU staged a dramatic assault on their headquarters. Artisan craftsmen in disguise delivered “gift boxes” rigged with EMP devices, shutting down the facility’s automated systems. The chaos allowed a Vanguard team to extract sensitive schematics later leaked to the public.
• Operation “The People’s Christmas”
  The RSU held a massive public festival in defiance of NorthStar’s corporate-sponsored event in the same city. The festival showcased hand-made crafts, live performances, and free holiday meals sourced from seized corporate warehouses. Despite repeated attempts by NorthStar’s PR teams to shut it down, the event drew widespread attention and support.

The RSU continues to be a thorn in the side of the wider Christmas Movie Industrial Complex, blending traditional craftsmanship with radical resistance to fight for a holiday that belongs to the people.