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| In Defense of the Realm; An Introduction | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 12 2009, 12:07 AM (77 Views) | |
| The Storyteller | Dec 12 2009, 12:07 AM Post #1 |
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[align=center]"So first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself..." ~President Franklin Delano Roosevelt~ "I believe there are more instances of the abridgments of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." ~President James Madison~ "Surveillance. Awareness. Defense." ~SAD motto~[/align] Since the dawn of civilization, humankind has been aware that it is not the only force on this planet. Strange creatures with vast and eerie powers walk the earth's face. The immortal Kindred stalk the streets of our great cities in search of human prey. In the countryside, the savage Garou cast their baleful eye upon all the works of civilization, viewing humanity's empire as a cancer that must be excised at all costs. From the bosom of the human race itself;f have grown the mages, people who have discovered powers both wonderous and horrifying. Many of them have forgotten what it means to be 'merely human' and regard others of their race with proprietary disdain. Beyond these three are the powerful alien forces of the Wyld, the Weaver and the Wyrm, the faeries, and the dark domains of the restless dead. It would seem that such powerful and often hostile entities roaming the world, common humans are little more than helpless victims. Often, they are. When placed in competition with the immortal manipulations of the vampire, the razor claws of the Garou, or the almost infinite pallet of bizarre powers from which the mage can choose, it may seem as though Homo Sapiens are destined for a spot in the evolutionary dust bin, next to the Neanderthals they had supplanted ages ago. But humanity has not had it's last hurrah's. Despite appearances to the contrary, humans may yet survive these beings who seem for all purposes better suited for the long haul. In fact, humans have many advantages, including a vibrancy and sense of purpose that is lacking in all but a few of the immortal Kindred. They also have a knack for organization and (at their best) cooperation on a macroscale that the vain cadres of supernaturals (especially the disorganized Garou) cannot even begin to match. This organizational zeal is embodied in great social structures such as religions, mercantile systems, learning institutions and governments. For good and ill, supernatural entities have had a long history of involvement (almost always covert) with human governing bodies. Every government in the world today unknowingly interacts with, and is to some degree manipulated by, supernatural forces. This branch of October Dreams concerns those nascent government agencies that have begun to knowingly involved themselves in the affairs of these secret beings. The United States Government is a labyrinthine, often ponderous institution which is all too often ill suited to recognize, let alone effectively challenge, the near demigods that walks its streets. In fact, the government has been a prime factor in shrouding the existence of these creatures. This comes partly from a genuine concern for what it perceives to be the public welfare, and partly at the behest of the supernaturals who wield a good measure of influence in the halls of power. Very few in the government know of the threat posed by these supposedly fictitious beings. Those who do, however, are aware of the turmoil that would erupt should knowledge of their existence become widely accepted. If the supernatural were to become natural in the public mind, the government fears the result would be nothing less than the total disintegration of all existing social structures. They may be right. The government thus believes it has no choice but to engage in a campaign of deception and misdirection to cover up the existence of these beings, becoming a de facto ally to the very creatures it fears. At the same time, it has launched (especially in the last three years) an ambitious plan to gather information with the hope that it will someday have the power to curb, or even perhaps control, these entities. |
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| The Storyteller | Dec 12 2009, 12:08 AM Post #2 |
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The US government has vast human resources and financial reserves (budget deficit not withstanding) which put both the Camarilla and Pentex to shame. It has allowed its special agents a good deal of latitude and "extra legal" powers (sometimes equal to those given in a police state) to deal with the incursions of supernatural activity as they see fit. No special agent has ever been formally accused, let alone convicted, for their often questionable activities while investigating paranormal phenomena. The history of the various para intelligence agencies, at its worst, displays a troubling pattern of abuse, including such activities as covert spying operations on its own members, secret experimentation, wholesale violations of civil liberties and even assassinations, in order to keep a lid on the street knowledge of the existence of the supernatural. Certain of the more "conservative" factions in the supernatural community (most notably the Kindred Camarilla and the Technocracy Mages) have reciprocated in kind for what they see as the government's wide course of "discretion". They have acted (separately) in various ways to defend the government against assaults by the more "reckless" supernaturals (ie: the many Garou tribes, the Anarchs, the Sabbat, etc.). This system of countervailing forces has been successful in maintaining the status quo and in keeping the general public in the dark. However, it may not continue for much longer. The evidence is beginning to mount. As the final days approach, it is becoming harder and harder for even the most uninformed minds to escape the conclusion, at least subconsciously, that there is something very big going on. The government, after spending many decades in denial of the mounting evidence, has finally begun to show some signs of life when it comes to what it has dubbed the "Super Human Equation", or "SHE". (Many paraintelligence agents speak darkly amongst themselves about the growing menace they perceive as a living entity; it is almost always referred to in the feminine gender.) The other nickname commonly adopted by the agents involved in the investigation of the paranormal is "Project Twilight". This stems from the sense that many agents have that they are constantly treading the terminus between day and night, reality and madness. Living in a perpetual world of twilight. Going on a mission is invariably compared with entering the "Twilight Zone." Funding for both research and direct action has increased precipitously in the last several years, owning particularly to the heightened interest of the Department of Defense and the NSA. All paraintelligence-type activities are "black book" funded, meaning that Congress votes for a lump sum to go into top-secret activities, but is not aware (with the exception of several key Congressmen) of the ends to which the funding is being put. Most of the decisions about which aspects of paraintelligence research receive funding, as well as their general mission statements, are in the hands of a few mysterious "Puppet Masters" who form a shadow government within the government system. Some of them are not human. When it comes to dealing with the recent increase in supernatural manifestations, the government has found most of its standard methods to be ineffective. Its efforts are hampered by an unwieldy bureaucratic structure and a budget which, while still growing, is unequal to the tasks that are expected of it. Its greatest drawback however, is that the intelligence-gathering organizations are, for the most part, inherently conservative, lacking in imagination and vision. Many of the endeavors of the paraintelligence agencies, as well as poor analysis of available data (the CIA is particularly guilty of this sin), and ~perhaps most damaging~ a divisive arrogance and corruption on the part of its leaders. But for these interdepartmental rivalries, the government would know much more. In addition, several agencies have been heavily co- opted by the beings they seek to investigate. These disadvantages are only partially ameliorated by the superb field work of many lower-echelon operatives, and the fact that a large number of supernatural beings greatly underestimate the government. Finally, it should be noted that the government in the World of Darkness is, if anything, more corrupt and ruthless an organ than our real world government is held to be (even by its more severe critics). The far ends of the political extreme have dominated the debate and violent, quasi-military political groups, both left and right, have become increasingly ubiquitous. But there are glimmers of hope. The government is still a democracy of sorts, and often responds to its citizens' calls for justice. As the converging forces of the Apocalypse tighten their grip around all of society, however, the government has become increasingly authoritarian. Whether the players decide to battle this trend or to become its willing tools may decide much in the final days. |
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2:41 PM Jul 11