Given the scale and history of the threat to the world posed by the Ashigath, it’s not surprising that many governments have agencies and departments empowered to confront the demons. Such agencies often function under covert operation guidelines, refl ecting the public (and, usually, offi cial) ignorance of the problem. Authorisation for funding has been easy to acquire: the (Dreamtouched or Infused) heads of the sections can show the legislative and executive leaders hard, compelling evidence of the Ashigath threat, confi dent that funding will be immediately authorised. Even after the politicians rationalise the demonic threat into something more prosaic, if also quite threatening, the funding remains. Top political leaders in important positions (such as senior offi cials in intelligence agencies) may be given full- time awareness of the Ashigath menace via Infusions for the duration of their stay in offi ce. No awakened Dreamtouched individuals are currently known to be in charge of a country.
Although they are both fighting the same threat, anti-Ashigath government agencies and independent organisations rarely bother to contact each other, let alone co-operate. Most offi cial demon-hunting agencies view the independents as dangerous amateurs at best and threats on the same scale as the demons themselves at worst. Conversely, most independents believe the primary purpose of government-run groups is not to destroy the demons, but to fi gure out how to turn them into controllable weapons. Attempts by some operatives to dismiss this belief as comic-book-paranoia are undercut by repeated discoveries of efforts by some government agencies to do just that — although, so far, without success.
Most government demon-hunting agencies recruit new talent nearly as aggressively as the Nighthunters, which sometimes results in several teams descending upon the newly awakened simultaneously. Such a situation can be as likely to result in a skirmish as it is in shoptalk and coffee. In particular, Nighthunters and the United States’ Force Tango recruiters have little love for each other, and have fought several times in the last year — not to the death, but perilously close.
While most official demon-fighting organisations have functional knowledge of the nature of the confl ict and the enemy they face, few of them seek a deeper understanding of the real structure of the Realms. Many of the better-funded, combat oriented departments deride groups like Eskaton as “ivory tower researchers,” or worse. The government groups tend to be particularly mistrustful of any independent demon-hunters working with “friendly” Ashigath.
What demon-hunting agencies lack in knowledge of their foe, they make up for in sheer fi repower. Government groups learned early on what works and what does not work when fi ghting demons. Most offi cial strike teams
D R E A M I N G C I T I E S
D R E A M I N G C I T I E S
P A G E 1 5 3
P A G E 1 5 3
C H A P T E R 1 2 : T H E N I G H T M A R E C H R O N I C L E S
C H A P T E R 1 2 : T H E N I G H T M A R E C H R O N I C L E S
can bring in far heavier weaponry than is available to even the best-funded independent. Anti-Ashigath agencies learned the hard way to have all bullets empowered by Mages, and most have developed specially-designed stand-off weapons for use against the nastier demons. While the majority of medium- sized or larger countries have some kind of government oversight for demon- hunting activities, a few nations are much better funded than others are. Some of the more notable agencies are outlined below.
C
ANADA: RCMP, S
PECIALI
NTERESTSD
IVISIONWhile many other nations treat the Ashigath threat as a military or intelligence concern, Canada approaches it as a law-enforcement issue. This is largely because Canada has not experienced a recent infl ux of aggressive Ashigath, and because Canada has become an unoffi cial refuge for Nightmare beings that wish to avoid both the civil war at home and the various Dreamtouched demon-hunters. Canada has the largest number of non- hostile Ashigath (what the Special Interests Division — SID — terms “non- combatant nonhumans”) of any nation. Rather than forming large centralised communities, most of these Ashigath end up settling in small clusters in cities and towns around the country, avoiding direct human contact when possible. A few even fi nd work and friendship among normal humans, who (through Veil-shrouded eyes) come to see them as just another set of immigrants, albeit ones with very odd skin conditions.
As a result, most problems with Ashigath in Canada are closer to bizarre cop-show episodes than military concerns. Drunken demonic domestic disputes, petty theft, bar-room brawls where one combatant just has to pull out the spiked tail — these are far more common than threats to the world. Larger-scale events do sometimes happen, and the SID is equipped with appropriate hardware (usually purchased from Force Tango — see page 155) for those occasional emergencies.
The SID is the only government demon-control operation that regularly employs normal humans alongside Infused and Dreamtouched employees. This is due to the low-key nature of the Ashigath situation in Canada; a normal human SID offi cer, working alongside a Dreamtouched or Infused offi cer, will tend to treat the concerns of Ashigath residents with the same detached effi ciency used for those of human citizens. The normal human offi cers are of little help when truly bad things happen, but SID employs suffi cient numbers of Dreamtouched and Infused to handle such situations. The current head of the SID is a Deathless soldier named Jacques Marcel (not his original name, but a decent approximation of the original Gaulish).
One unanticipated side effect of the growing number of non-combatant nonhumans living in Canada is that a higher percentage of Dreamtouched people are awakening due to contact with Ashigath. While the proportion of awakened Dreamtouched runs about 1% in most nations, in Canada the fraction of Awakened is now pushing 10%. This is starting to become a headache for SID personnel trying to handle the growing number of people who are now aware that reality isn’t what they once thought it was, and who have discovered that they occasionally exhibit extraordinary powers.
J
APAN: K
AGEKAMINARIOffi cially known as the Extraordinary Situation Self-Defence Force, the Ashigath-hunting agency in Japan is more often referred to as “Kagekaminari,” or “shadow thunder.” This name refers to the original Japanese demon-slayer clan from over 700 years ago. Ashigath have long been a troublesome part of life in Japan, and essentially ran the country from about 1930 to 1945. As a result, the post-World War Two government has focused heavily on the total elimination of the Ashigath threat.
Kagekaminari is unique in a number of ways. It is led by a group of fi ve Deathless warriors from Japan’s past, including one who is rumoured to be Miyamoto Musashi, although he himself denies this. Unlike other Deathless in positions of authority elsewhere, the Kagekaminari leaders do not pretend to be anything other than centuries-old, immortal demon-hunters.
Kagekaminari is also unusual in that it avoids the use of any sort of fi rearm or heavy weapon for combat with Ashigath. This comes in part from the infl uence of the leaders, who are never without their empowered blades and in part from bad experiences in the 1950s with improperly enchanted ammunition. Kagekaminari operatives use only modern variants of classical Japanese hand-weapons, and are trained to use a wide variety of everyday items for self-defence in emergencies. Field operatives are exclusively Dreamtouched, largely Tanks; Kagekaminari does have some Infused agents, but they are only used as analysts.
This does not mean that Kagekaminari is opposed to the use of modern technology. Quite the contrary: all operatives are well-equipped with the most advanced communication and information gear, sensors designed for low- and no-light actions, as well as cutting-edge gear created by the agency’s Dreamtouched Adepts. A small number of agents have been outfi tted with a highly experimental blade that is as much made of magical energy as it is beaten steel.
The Ashigath that appear in Japan tend to be extremely clever and cruel, and Kagekaminari has its hands full. While Kagekaminari refuses any offers of outside assistance, both Eskaton and the American ACD believe that, if a major world-threatening demonic event is to take place, Japan is its most likely epicentre. Fortunately, Kagekaminari has proven able to handle Ashigath activities in Japan over the last 50 years.
S
OUTHA
FRICA: B
LACKL
IONB
ATTALIONThe original counter-demon arm of the South African Army, the Death’s Head Regiment, earned a nasty reputation in the 1970s and 1980s as it probed into neighbouring nations hunting for Ashigath, casually killing any humans it deemed to be “consorting” with the Nightmare beings. Consisting entirely of Dreamtouched soldiers, Death’s Head was responsible for numerous atrocities during various Apartheid-era South African military actions. Quite understandably, when Apartheid was dismantled and the African National Congress government took power, the Death’s Head Regiment was shut down. Those members of the Regiment who were not immediately caught and arrested fl ed the country.
Shutting down the Regiment meant that South Africa, the only real powerhouse in sub-Saharan Africa, no longer had an offi cial organisation dedicated to fi ghting the demons. Independent groups and local teams tried to pick up the slack, but these did not have the resources necessary to completely take over the fi ght. The independent demon-hunters in the region had an added problem: former Death’s Head soldiers, now working as Dreamtouched powered mercenaries, began fi ghting alongside the demons they once fought. A Dreamtouched Mage with connections to the ANC managed to get an audience with the offi ce of the President; she brought a Raxankashi pup with her, allowing her to demonstrate the reality of her claims. The government immediately authorised a new Ashigath-fi ghting group, eventually known as the Black Lion Squadron.
Black Lion spends as much time hunting the mercenary Dreamtouched as they do fi ghting Ashigath. The leadership of the Squadron openly embraces co-operation with local independent demon-hunters, recognising that the successes enjoyed by the independents against the Ashigath allow Black Lion to concentrate on the Death’s Head mercenaries. Black Lion also uses Eskaton as a resource for information and analysis.
At the present, Black Lion is smaller and less well funded than it would like, and is in the process of actively recruiting Dreamtouched individuals. The co-operation between the Death’s Head mercenaries and hostile Ashigath puts Black Lion at a disadvantage, as the renegade Dreamtouched are often able to use magic attacks on Black Lion operatives who are not yet close enough to the demons to be able to use their own powers. Black Lion has put a high priority on the recruitment of Half-Blood operatives, and is even willing to consider hiring foreign mercenaries of their own to assist in the fi ght against demon and renegade alike.
D R E A M I N G C I T I E S
D R E A M I N G C I T I E S
P A G E 1 5 4
U
NITEDK
INGDOM: S
ECTION21
A sophisticated operation, Section 21 comprises awakened members of both the MI-5 and MI-6 intelligence operations, as well as military personnel who have demonstrated both real talent and Dreamtouched powers. One quirk of Section 21 is that members are scrupulously rational; they will refer to the Ashigath as “transnatural creatures,” never as “demons,” and use the term “transnatural energy effects” — or “TFX” — rather than “magic.” Originally founded in the 1950s to defend the UK from the Ashigath, Section 21 operations have in recent years taken on a more global character. While most operatives focus on the UK, increasing numbers are active around the world. They tend to work in small teams, most often half-Dreamtouched/half-Infused. A large number of Section 21 agents do not work in the fi eld, but in the lab — Section 21 treats the Ashigath as a scientifi c mystery as well as a national threat.
Section 21 primarily targets Ashigath, but will aggressively go after rogue Half-Bloods and Dreamtouched as well. Section 21’s defi nition of “rogue” is fairly broad, and more than one independent demon-hunting team operating in the UK has found itself in the crosshairs of the government for being a bit too careless with public property and the public during a fi ght. As a general rule, Section 21 doesn’t care for freelancers, but will take advantage of them if they feel the situation warrants such action.
The agency is presently in the midst of an internal power struggle between the traditional elements of Section 21 (including the current operations director, an Infused named Jeremy Woodward), who wish to eliminate all transnatural creatures while completely closing off the Realm of Nightmares, and elements who wish to eliminate the threat the Ashigath pose but learn how to employ TFX (and, if possible, tamed Ashigath) as a political tool.
U
NITEDS
TATES: F
ORCET
ANGOForce Tango is one of two American agencies fi ghting against the Ashigath threat, along with the Anomaly Correction Department (see below). This is not because the United States has more Dreamtouched warriors available than other nations, or because the United States is particularly vulnerable to the Ashigath. Rather, the existence of two agencies is a result of their more or less simultaneous origins, one military, and the other a purely civilian operation. Neither group was willing to be absorbed into the other. Each has its own patrons in Congress and the Executive branch, although few of these patrons are Infused and able understand the real situation. Each group has a separate and fi ercely protected budget. Unsurprisingly, there’s little love between the two organisations.
Force Tango is the military side of the American anti-demon efforts, and it takes a shoot-to-kill, Special Forces approach. No Ashigath incursion is too small or too large for them to handle, and Force Tango will use whatever means necessary to bring down its target. Operating out of a small offi ce in the Pentagon, Force Tango pulls from all of the active-duty services, and is constantly on the lookout for potential new recruits. For bureaucratic reasons, anyone joining Force Tango must also join one of the military branches. Which branch is suggested as the best one to join typically depends on which branch the Force Tango recruiting offi cer calls home.
Force Tango has authorisation from Washington to operate globally, and to call in support from non-Force Tango resources. They even have authorisation to “take out” civilians who may have been contaminated by Ashigath magic, such as Devourer-Thralls. In the past, this authority was occasionally abused, but the current leadership (under Admiral Leslie Graham, USMC) keeps a tight lid on misbehaviour. Against the demons Force Tango can be as violent as needed.
While Force Tango is probably the most aggressive of the large-scale government operations, it actually has a couple of Ashigath Dissectors as in- house advisors. These Ashigath allies provide intelligence analysis, strategic advice, and act as triggers for the Dreamtouched Mages employed by the Pentagon to empower ammunition for use against the demons. This is the primary duty of Dreamtouched Mages in Force Tango; the leadership strongly prefers not to employ magic during operations, believing it to be too unreliable and uncontrollable. Force Tango assault squads are nearly always a mix of Infused soldiers and Dreamtouched Tanks.
U
NITEDS
TATES: A
NOMALYC
ORRECTIOND
EPARTMENTThe second of the two American agencies working against the Ashigath is the Anomaly Correction Department, or ACD. One of the spin-off groups from the World War Two-era OSS, the ACD is a civilian intelligence and operations agency with an exclusive focus on the activities of the Ashigath. Its existence is a top-level secret; its funding is pulled from activities considered classifi ed even for those with access to the so-called “black budget.” Only the heads of the various intelligence agencies and the Force Tango leadership are aware of the ACD’s existence, although some of the independent demon- hunting groups have heard unconfi rmed rumours.
The ACD primarily depends on Infused agents, reasoning that anyone who wishes to leaves the organisation can do so after the effects of the Infusion have worn off, and the Veil again takes hold. The agency has very few Dreamtouched; those who are part of the organisation are exclusively Mages and Adepts. The ACD only recruits from within other intelligence agencies, never directly off the street.
The agency conducts extensive research into the nature of the Ashigath, the Realm of Nightmares, and the structure of magic. The ACD believes that its collection of rituals rivals that of Eskaton and given that it has had covert operatives in place within Eskaton for the last four decades, it would know. The ACD is the only government group to mount an expedition to the Realm of Nightmares. Anomaly Correction, despite its name, rarely sends agents to investigate or combat a “typical” Ashigath event. The appearance of a new type of Ashigath or evidence of the use of future technology by a Deathlesswill bring them in, as do events that threaten to change the overall nature of the confl ict (for example, an attempt to reseal — or fi nally destroy — the Incubata).
The rivalry between Force Tango and the ACD has a couple of odd results. When in need of non-combat support or resources otherwise unavailable to them, Force Tango tends to turn to the UK’s Section 21. Similarly, when they are in need of combat acumen but do not wish to endanger their own units, the Anomaly Corrections Department is more likely to call upon the Nighthunters — but never offi cially, only through elaborate cut-outs. The Nighthunters, when so employed, have no idea they are being used by the ACD.
O
THERN
ATIONSMost countries have some kind of government-run or government- sponsored anti-Ashigath operations, but these organisations are often quite small. Nations with unstable or oppressive governments tend to use Dreamtouched or even Ashigath assets as tools for factional or political violence rather than to counter the threat posed by the Realm of Nightmares. Eskaton believes, for example, that the Chinese government has quietly agreed to scale back its fi ght against the Ashigath in exchange for magical and demonic support for the Beijing authorities in other matters. They also believe that Russian anti-demon efforts have devolved into a fi ght between the Russian Mafi a and the remnants of the KGB, each trying to build up magical and Ashigath weapons to use against the other.