Twilight Clearance Intel Files: BA International Relations

(NOTE, THIS LORE FILE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR HECATOMB OF THE VAMPIRE AND FACES OF MALICE)

Greetings Twilight Clearance level member, this is Master Apothecary Vilbert. Attached is the analysis file of BA’s global standings considering factors from the last regime and the current one. As per Twilight Clearance debriefing regulations, I’m sure you are aware of the failed Gehenna Project and the 8 children it produced. Each branch of BA assumed custody of one child: North America took charge of the sacrifice of the Mind, Europe the Intelligence, Asia the False Ego and Earth (twins), South America the sacrifice of Water, Africa the sacrifice of Air and Oceania the sacrifice of Fire. The remaining sacrifice, Ether, was placed in a neutral testing facility in Antarctica that has been missing for nineteen years at the present date. The Antarctic facility  was created in the service of the “Country Called Earth” project to promote unity and shared research throughout BRAHMASTRA global affairs. The disappearance of the facility, the sacrifice, and 49 staff members raised suspicions across the board. The status of the sacrifice is unknown and no attempts at revamping the unity project have been made. One of the initial reasons for the Gehenna project and the creation of the children of sacrifice’s was to arrive at a point of occult deterrence. In theory their immense powers and loyalties to their respective branches of the organization would dissuade infighting and occult warfare. In many ways, it did. At the same time, the sacrifices also cemented the rifts that had formed since the beginning of BA’s global alliance.

Post WWII, North America had emerged as the decisive leader of occult defense and organization despite its lack of manpower. In truth, the massive slaughter of Indigenous peoples, witch hunts in Colonial America, and cultural assassination and other atrocities of slavery left the United States very weak in comparison to Asia and Africa, which even today boast sheer numbers estimated to be triple of North America’s occultists. Canada’s ties with Europe and Mexico’s reluctance to get into bed with the US had reduced its influence prior to the war. However geopolitics in general, North America’s aggressive recruiting policy, and poaching mystics from portions of the world ruined from war laid the foundation for power. Sturm Wettenmacher, the first two star five points ranking agent in BA North America came from Romania through Germany and was offered shelter. Outposts in the Caribbean also yielded experienced occultists. Beyond that, the Edenflame’s advanced barrier effect made it so troublesome occultists had no choice but to forge loyalty contracts to enter the continent. The Edenflame file will be opened shortly. This filtering is a huge line of defense. Four two star five point occultists, alliances with BA Europe and more recently BA Asia, and the promise of prosperity for loyalists have elevated the branch to a seat of global power. Many occultists have hailed BA North America as “the cradle of supernatural civilization.”

BA South America is at a crossroads. Numbers wise they have access to the third most occultists in the world and excellent preservation of techniques and history but they are mostly divided between occultists loyal to La Mayoria, the brujos of the Chilean Archepelago in the South, and the hidden descendants of the Incan Empire in the North. La Mayoria holds more power in BA’s structure but they’re in a state of flux as their longtime leader José Manuel de Moraleda y Montero (a Spanish explorer that learned the ways of the brujo) was deposed after the Gehenna Project failed. Señor Montero was demoted back to a sitting member of La Mayoria’s council but after evidence was found linking him to the kidnapping of the child of Fire, he was sealed by the rest of La Mayoria in a mirror hidden within the deepest cave on the Archipelago, and the other members of the council bound to a vow of silence to keep him there. On the subject of the sacrifices, South America produced the child of Water, given the name Caiman “Cai-Cai” Campos. Their status is unknown, a blemish on SA’s global pedigree.

BA Europe has stagnated with the passage of time. Although much of the skeleton of BA’s accords, policies, and even some members come from Renaissance era Europe, all these things have flown to greener pastures. The landmass is much smaller, and the witch trials killed or drove out prospective members ages prior. Ireland and a few other places have preserved their techniques and stayed interested in the agenda but there are many occultists in Europe who are not affiliated with BA. BA Europe does have at least 5 sets of the Ferrish at their disposal however, with one set being gifted to NA in the 90s to cement their relationship. It is thought that the Ferrish originated in the Scottish Isles, but most attempts to live with the Ferrish and study their ways resulted in the researcher being turned into a Pawn (see BA Personnel File 8x8 for more information.) BA Europe’s sacrifice, the Child of the Intelligence has gone rogue and is marked for apprehension on sight. Their lack of a sacrifice only makes the NA-Euro alliance that much more important to the Euro branch.

BA Asia is the second most powerful branch, the most powerful as far as aggregate occult strength, numbers, and organization. The size however comes with its own share of hurdles. It is estimated that 35% of occultists in Asia are not affiliated with BA and are generally content to stay wherever they are. BA Asia has never placed too much emphasis on recruitment as a whole, so these occultists remain undeclared, skewing numbers. BA Asia’s size also requires division. There are three headquarters of BA Asia, one in Rajasthan, India, one in Eastern Siberia, and one that has recently settled in Honshu. The Honshu headquarters has moved numerous times. Although there’s little outright fighting in BA Asia, the sheer numbers and the loyalties of individuals and regimes have made communications between the different regions, ahem, very intentional. What is and isnt said is carefully crafted. Also, BA Asia’s size and the relationship between the children warranted the twins, the sacrifices of Earth and the False Ego, to be given to them and nurtured in a facility near Bhutan. Both twins children have been assigned the status of rogue and deadly force has been authorized in the course of apprehension

BA Africa’s host is organized by language and belief system, and we know that the Original Christians in the East, the Fon, the Yoruba, and devotees of the Ancient Egyptian practices are among the represented groups. BA Africa is extraordinarily tight lipped however, and governs itself without much parley or even information given to BA global powers. Intel on the power structure of the African Occult Parliament is almost nonexistent, and it seems that the leader who attends BA’s global conferences is often times whomever has the worst luck on the day of selection. BA Africa has the sacrifice of Air but its status is unknown. It is assumed the child is still active in BA affairs in Yorubaland, the third continent HQ along with Ethiopian and Egypt. The estimated power of BA Africa is great and the occultists that come out of the continent are formidable

Lastly we have BA Oceania, the last to join the organization. The region was inducted just before the Gehenna Project was enacted. They had custody of the child of Fire but that sacrifice was abducted five years prior in a raid on the Central Australian facility. A hostage was taken and found to be a Chilote Brujo but no other link to La Mayoria has been found. The status of the child of Fire is unknown. Oceania has been outraged ever since and relations have been sticky. They lack the resources and numbers to be a threat to a major power but with alliances…They have iced out the rest of BA in most interactions. Because of the harsh nature of the landmass much of their operations are hidden in the inhospitable center of Australia, and aboriginal occultists raise concerns for BA at large if left unsatisfied.

Summary and Breakdown

Jahari D. Jones - NA - Mind - Active

Maya and Bhumi (no surname) - Asia - False Ego/Earth -rogue

Aster Zoeller - Europe - Intelligence - Rogue

Caiman “Cai-Cai” Campos - SA - Water - Missing

Yindi (no surname) - Oceania - Fire - Missing

Child of Air (name withheld) - Africa - Active

File on child of ether was lost, status unknown. She was a female named “Heaven” code named “BatKol”

Note - BA regulations state that all prospective members be assessed and assigned a rank. Only prospects ranking three star and above are permitted to do field work, and most occultists worldwide are in the three star range.