Beyond the natural differences that come with playing in a world where supernatural creatures are real, Waking the Dead is also an alternate history similar to the likes of the Marvel and DC Comics universes. In this section of the blog, we will be highlighting some of the more pertinent differences. Some of this was touched upon in our campaign introduction for WTD: Drop the Game.
The Existence of Psychics & Psychic Warfare
Whereas in our world psychic research and paranormal studies is nothing but a strange obsession with close to no grounding in reality, Occult Studies is a real scientific field due to several points of undeniable proof that some of the world’s researchers have managed to uncover. While much of the scientific world continues to question the legitimacy of Occult Studies, it is commonly understood that some people have special gifts, and that the technology to tap into this potential exists.
In Waking the Dead, the first practical application of “true” psychic powers took place on the battlefield. HECATON Special Operations made a name for itself during World War I, using the unique abilities of their psychic operatives to help the Allies turn the tide against Germany – something they did again, only this time under the flag of the United States of America, during World War II. This is not to say that America was the only country with psychic operatives: other countries made their own discoveries between the 18th and 20th Centuries, with varying results.
Interestingly enough, much of what the world understands about the occult continues to be inaccurate – which suits conspiracies like Taskforce Valkyrie fine. As things stand, in the interest of preserving the Veil and pushing their own agenda, institutions like TFV support the falsities. Therefore, humans in the World of Light acknowledge that psychics and psychic powers are real, but the likes vampires, werewolves, fairies and the lot are still mythical creatures.
The biggest application of Occult Studies continues to be in the military and in law enforcement. The nations, at present, who have invested time and effort in psychic research are the USA, China, Russia, Japan, Cuba, Britain, Germany, Canada, and North Korea. The presence of the Abyss makes breakthroughs in Occult Studies increasingly difficult, as the influence of Disbelief often overturns actions that would have normally pierced the Veil and revealed more of the Truth to the general majority.
Taskforce Valkyrie
Everyone and their mother knows about TFV. They’re the special Special Forces of the USA, famous because of their exploits during World War I and II. What sets them apart is that given our new setup, they’re our equivalent of SHIELD in Marvel. All of their soldiers are Sleepwalkers or Touched. Most of these operatives had their powers induced.
Operatives of TFV are under strict orders to not break confidentiality and reveal the World of Darkness at large to outsiders. Anyone who goes against this order is executed or “wiped” without exception.
At present, many view Taskforce Valkyrie as the most frightening military force in the world. America has been placing its operatives “on loan” to its allies since the end of World War II, which has resulted in a world that is even more under America’s sway than ours is. Suffice to say, this ALSO means that the facets of resistance that exist are even more radical than what we’re familiar with. The stakes are also higher, given the sort of firepower that psychics possess, most especially against mundanes whose eyes are open to the truth just enough to render them helpless against a supernatural foe.
TFV’s greatest asset is Field Marshal Joshua LaRue, the Five-Star General of the Pacific Theater. He is America’s finest soldier, a war hero of every armed conflict that his country has had a hand in since World War II, and their living, breathing, indestructible nuclear weapon. After 9/11, he was assigned to the Pacific Theater in order to monitor terrorist elements within Asia. He has also declared that he feels that it is his personal responsibility to bring Mitsuru Aoi to justice.
9/11 and Mitsuru Aoi, the World’s First Psychic Terrorist
According to the records, the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 bombing of the Twin Towers was Mitsuru Aoi, a 16-year-old CIA agent who went rogue and tapped into his connections with the Al-Qaeda. He was supposedly the product of The Children of Lilith Initiative, an American project that involved training psychics of high potential practically from the womb with the goal of serving the country’s interests in mind. They claim that his motivations behind his actions were a deep sense of betrayal and bitterness against the American government and everything that the free world stood for.
Islamophobia was the greatest consequence of Osama Bin Laden’s crimes against humanity, as many of us don’t like to acknowledge how America and other former Allied powers were complicit in the rampant abuse and war that tears the Middle East apart – thus creating an ideal ground for terrorists who feel that it is their holy mission to destroy the “true evil” in front of them. In Waking the Dead, however, Islamophobia exists hand-in-hand with intensified racial prejudices against Asian communities in the Western world because of Mitsuru’s actions. Furthermore, certain world powers – like America – feel even MORE justified in waging their wars against enemies of the free world beyond their shores.
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