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Supernatural and Mundane Relations 101
SUPERNATURAL & MUNDANE RELATIONS 101.
As previously mentioned, Pax Deorum has placed the Methuselah in charge of mediating between supernaturals and mundanes, handling World of Darkness business in tandem with the World of Light’s. They are the pacifiers and the negotiators, geared towards stopping trouble before it even begins without the use of lethal force. They also keep the rest of the conspiracies in line.
The Methuselah’s biggest supporters in this regard are the Midnight Riders. While the Methuselah handles the urban centers and heavily populated areas, the Riders are the patrolmen, handling pretty much every other area in the world. They’re often the first to know if there’s trouble beyond the safety of the cities, and they always inform Methuselah operatives first.
Netsach, the original conspiracy that spearheaded the reforms, is the “second tier” with regard to responding to trouble. More often than not, given the instrumental role that they played in helping the world along prior to the Darkest Vigil, and the things they did during the Darkest Vigil, the very thought of them getting involved again is enough to put many dissidents in their place.
Zangyaku is the last resort. Unlike the Methuselah, they do not believe in pretty words. Unlike Netsach, they do not believe in a strong-arming that involves more holding hands and using “positive reinforcement” on a dissident group or individual in the hopes that they’ll come around. When all else fails, Zangyaku’s oni-tsukai are the extermination squad, positioned to handle any threat that is beyond redemption. That was their primary purpose during the Darkest Vigil; at present, they are the quiet threat that groups are reminded of whenever negotiations look like they’re about to fall through.
Outside of the compacts and conspiracies, the world of Waking the Dead is a world that has exhausted itself from fighting itself. Human beings are still, in general, incredibly uncomfortable with the idea that they’re sharing their space with beings that are ultimately stronger than they are in spite of the restrictions imposed upon them by their respective supernatural natures. Many supernaturals are, in general, rather unhappy with being out in the open, being studied and cataloged, and having even more rules to deal with in order to co-exist with a group that was, prior to 2012, more or less totally ignorant of their existence. The problem lies in the fact that the World of Light still remembers a “better” time, a “safer” time when the monsters under one’s bed could still be reasonably justified as a figment of one’s imagination. That sort of thing is something that only time can heal.
POLITICS, POLITICS.
Here’s a list of some of the more important political groups that have devoted themselves to particular areas of communities of interest. The compacts and conspiracies of today’s Vigil have a section of their own.
GENERAL: PAX DEORUM
Pax Deorum is the New World Order embodied, and is headed by two groups: the United Nations, and the Methuselah. The United Nations represents, as a collective whole, the interests of mankind. The Methuselah represents the collective interests of the supernatural community. The leaders of the different political groups of the Fifth World and representatives from the compacts and conspiracies of today’s Vigil are all part of the delegation.
ALCHEMISTS/PROMETHEANS: THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DAWN
Redemption is a reality for the Created. Beyond this, there are times when their Redeemed brothers and sisters remember what it was like to be an inhuman monster, unable to be one with the very thing that they were created in the likeness off. Sometimes, the Redeemed still possess the spark of Azoth within them, and pass the spark down to their children.
Alchemists are individuals who, by merit of their redemption or because of the Promethean ancestor, devote themselves solely to the study of Promethean alchemy. Alchemists of the Golden Dawn take this a step further by focusing their efforts entirely on using the powers at their disposal to destroy Pandorans, and protect their Promethean brothers and sisters on their respective Pilgrimages.
If you wish to read about the Order of the Golden Dawn as an entitlement, go here.
CARDS & SIN-EATERS: THE MIDNIGHT NETWORK OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD
There’s a special sort of kinship in surviving (or cheating) death once: this is something that the Methuselah recognized before anyone else did. Cards – the wielders of the power of Persona – and Sin-Eaters – those brought back from Death’s Door by striking a Bargain with a geist – of the Methuselah have worked together best throughout the history of the order. Now, however, the Grateful Dead has become its own entity separate from the Methuselah and other conspiracies, to provide even better support to their own kind.
The Grateful Dead have always recognized two leaders: a Card and a Sin-Eater, bonded by their common experience of a second life and capable of balancing the interests (and well-being) of Cards and Sin-Eaters alike. The respective Chapters that they have all over the world also always have two leaders.
If you wish to read about the Order of the Greatful Dead as an entitlement, go here.
CHANGELING: THE COURTS OF THE LOST
Once upon a time, the lives of the Lost were lives colored by constant paranoia and fear, of running away from a human reality that they could no longer understand and the terrible beauty of Arcadia. Nevertheless, even the Lost cannot be alone forever. The Courts of the Changeling have always existed to provide a support group for Changeling, and a means to protect them against the True Fae.
Changeling Courts are always centered on particularly powerful ideas, and their structures vary per region. Temperate countries, for example, put a lot of premise on the Four Seasons; East Asian nations treat the Four Cardinal Directions with particular reverence. Prior to the Breaking of the Veil, Changeling Courts were generally content with ignoring each other. Things have changed since then.
MINSTREL: THE ORDER OF MINSTRELS
Because of their history, the Order of Minstrels has always been particularly close to Changeling – the first Minstrel of the Fifth World, in fact, was one of the Lost himself. Throughout history, wherever there was a Changeling Court, there was a small contingent of Minstrels close at hand. This is one of the reasons why the Order of Minstrels is the large organization that it is today.
The Order of the Minstrels, at present, serves as a support group for Minstrels all around, regardless of whether they are mundane or Changeling. They ensure that Minstrels get the training they need and have jobs that best utilize their abilities, and also make sure that the strays of their kind don’t end up abusing the powers that they have at their disposal.
VAMPIRE: ORDO DAYWALKER & THE KINDRED COVENANTS
There is no other group of individuals that are more keenly political than Kindred are, and it shows in the constant sniping, intrigue and squabbling that occurs between the Covenant. With the death of the Masquerade, however, the Children of the Night have discovered, the hard way, that they’ll need to play nice with the meatbags Or Else.
Ordo Daywalker originally existed as a Covenant of its own, with intimate ties to the Methuselah and later, to Netsach. It was headed by Riley Falner, the first vampire in the Fifth World to reach Golconda successfully. The Ordo was meant to be a home for Kindred Hunters, and provide support for vampires who wished to calm the Beasts within and redeem themselves. At present, however, the Ordo serves as the authority group among the Kindred, meant to keep the Covenants in line and handle Kindred affairs. It hasn’t been easy both for the Ordo and for the Covenants, but some real progress has been made since the Darkest Vigil. Even the most ornery, arrogant vampires don’t want to suffer an inglorious Final Death, after all.
If you wish to read about the Ordo Daywalker as an entitlement, go here.
MAGE: THE PLEIADES AND THE FIVE MAGE ORDERS
At the beginning of the Fifth World, it was the Voidseeker – the Last Dragon – who taught the Awakened magic. He left them to their own devices in spite of his better judgment, and they Fell. It taught them more than a few valuable lessons about nobility and hubris. Of course, as time went on, many of them ended up going back to their old ways…
The Five Mage Orders represent the different interests of the will-workers. On paper, they defer to the Pleiades, which serves as the policing body for Mage-kind. The reality of it, however, is that Mage politics can be just about as messy as human and Kindred politics can be. Things have gotten better since the Darkest Vigil, but there are still more than a few noisy voices within the Orders that need some silencing.
WEREWOLF: THE GREAT TRIBE OF THE PEOPLE
Prior to 2012, the Tribes of the Forsaken and the Pure were locked in a bitter conflict whose origin they could no longer remember. The Breaking of the Veil and the First Reforms, however, showed many of them that there was a need for a united front, to better deal with whatever was going to come out of the dawn of the new age. As things stand, both the Forsaken and the Pure have bigger things to worry about. If they’re not trying to fight their enemies from within – the Bale Hounds, Uratha that have cast their lot in with demonic spirits and amrita – they find themselves facing discrimination and outright hatred from a fearful mortal populace, and suspicion from other supernaturals.
The Lodge of the Vigil – a division of Netsach, the Methuselah, Zangyaku and the Thrones devoted towards providing their werewolf hunters with a home to call their own – has done a great deal for bringing the People together under one standard. Their work, however, has only just begun.
A PROFILE OF THE SUPERNATURAL COMMUNITY.
Here’s a demographical breakdown of the supernatural community as a whole in 2066. These are, of course, rough estimates centered on Pax Deorum’s registry.
Classification Population Qashmallim 2 Dragon Born 200 Artisans 500 Possessed 1,500 Demon Born 5,000 Created 10,000 Rivers Hunters 53,000 Bladians 180,000 Technomancers 250,000 Alchemists 500,000 Changeling 2,000,000 Minstrels 3,000,000 Werewolves 4,500,000 Changing Breeds 5,000,000 Sin-Eaters 7,500,000 Cards 10,000,000 Vampires 20,000,000 Mages 25,000,000 Riskbreakers 52,000,000 Touched 170,000
This is, of course, not a complete listing of everything that’s out there, as not all supernaturals are arranged in large communities. Furthermore, some of these figures require points of clarification.
- Qashmallim are exceedingly rare creatures precisely because the result of a union between a djnn and a mortal creature rarely survive birth. Furthermore, records state that most Qashmallim often choose to completely relinquish their humanity and become spirits, or eventually end up “ascending” – that is, becoming another natural force within the Fifth World. At present, Kaizen Tempesta and his adopted son Vergil Tempesta are the only registered Qashmallim in Pax Deorum’s database.
- It is next to impossible to get an accurate reading on the number of Created – that is, Prometheans and Pandorans – within the Fifth World. This is both due to the fact that Prometheans are constantly on the move, and because Pandorans go dormant if there is no source of Azoth within their vicinity. The number presented above is theoretical, cobbled together from Golden Dawn reports.
- About 92% of the estimated 53,000 Rivers Hunters in the Fifth World are “potentials” – that is, they are descended from Rivers lines, and have not actually received the abilities of their respective legacies.
- About 87% of the estimated 500,000 Alchemists in the Fifth World are “potentials” – that is, they are the descendants of Redeemed Prometheans, and carry notable traces of Azoth within their Patterns. As such, they have not actually awakened as Alchemists, and there is a strong possibility that they will live out the rest of their lives as “mundanes”.
- Changeling that remain imprisoned by the Gentry or have hidden themselves away within Arcadia remain unaccounted for.
- The number listed above for the Minstrel population only constitutes “mundane” Minstrels, not Changeling with the Gift of the First Harper.
- About 79% of the estimated 4,500,000 Werewolves in the Fifth World are actually “Wolfborn”. They have not undergone the First Change, and there is a strong possibility that they will live out the rest of their lives as “mundanes”. They are listed by merit of their heritage.
- About 83% of the estimated 5,000,000 Changing Breeds in the Fifth World have not undergone their First Change, and there is a strong possibility that they will live out the rest of their lives as “mundanes”. They are listed by merit of their heritage.
- Sleepwalkers count as Touched. The gift they possess is their very ability to perceive supernatural energy.
On another note, the reactions that the different members of the supernatural community had to the destruction of the Veil were as varied as their numbers. So are their ways of dealing with the brave new world that everyone has found themselves thrust into.
If you wish to read up about individual classes, go here.