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Shadows Seeking the Grail

To the people of peerless loyalty and bravery,

This day, we take a new step towards the revival of our Great Nation. The day of valor in which we take back the symbol that was usurped from the Aryan people long ago, and return it to the Homeland.

Remember the pride of our homeland Germany, of us, Germanic people, who’ve been unjustly looked down upon. Remember the twenty years filled with naught but turmoil, disgrace and anguish. Remember the faces of those despicable men, who even to this day trample and crush the fruits of our blood and honor, walking the land of our ancestors as if they owned the place.

Fury and valor make a warrior’s strength. The next time we meet, it will either be at the official residence in Berlin, or at the halls of Valhalla. Now, let us raise our cups, for victory!

— Konrad Weiss
Speech at the departure ceremony of the survey team on August 3rd, 1938

Thanks to the devoted sacrifice of Comrade Tarkov, the 3rd Section of the Department of Parapsychology obtained important war results in the North Sea. An unknown form of magical armament was seized from an Obskurakorps patrol unit, two of which used consecrated catalysts made by the Vatican.

The 4th Abnormal Occurrences Commission and the party’s Politburo hold the same views. The Roman Catholic forces are not hostile towards the paranormal research institutes of the Axis powers, and have secretly traded resources with them. This clearly contradicts the views of the British Occult Service, who are obliged to politically pursue this.

The situation of the Great Patriotic War is still severe, and we don’t know when the attacks will stop. The enemy sing the praises of God’s will, of blessings from the fallen, of saintly protection… They’re all wrong. We have an obligation. We must defend our Homeland, destroy the invaders, and show the world the validity of our thesis.

Comrades, let us deny God.

— Georgy Mitrochov
Internal letter from Division “P” GRU, 3rd Department, on December 23rd, 1941

Welcome, shepherds.

It is an honor and a privilege to be meeting you all here. I have served as a scribe for ten years, and have never had the chance to gather all district members under one single roof. Praise be to God.

However, this is not necessarily a good omen. Those who are hostile to our faith have become active, and Paris is no longer a safe haven. Alchemists observed in Prague, flesh cults in Budapest, Kabbalists in Najd, and even heretical followers from Hongkong have continued to operate in this city.

We will never openly confront them. We mustn’t forget the principles of faith and reason. However, be cautious. Be on your guard, don’t let emotions control you, and act with care and self-control.

Good luck. May the Lord protect you.

— Elaine the Scribe
Gathering at the Île de la Cité, date unknown

… moreover, we would like to confirm that the duty of the Global Occult Coalition has not changed since it inherited the mission of the Allied Occult Initiative since 1945, up to the present time.

We have become a gigantic being, nothing like the organization we once were. However, the paranormal world subject to the Fivefold Mission has been expanding, and the public is under constant threat.

The Council of 108 and its affiliated organizations will not be restrained from acting as long as they comply with the organization’s charter. However, the principle is always held: Any kind of deviation is disallowed, and we will always act as men of law, or, at the very least, as fair arbiters of the law.

The catalogue lists threats that could easily disrupt the balance of the world for the next 20 years. We must act quickly. If any organization, hostile or not, becomes aware of this, we must purge them at once.

Let them look down on us as incompetent people who can only destroy. It is in our interest that they do so.

Intercepted telephone call from the Liaison Department of the Global Occult Coalition
Midnight, July 4th, 1999

Forty years ago, as a result of two great wars in parallel, many societies fell, and we took their place as the dominant association of the paranormal world. Although not the goal we aimed for, with the support of many talented people, we became an enormous cornerstone. A Foundation.

Looking back, those were times of restructuring and progress. Amidst the chaos, we were naught but a number of small organizations that had yet to merge together. Some contained fascinating monsters. Some colluded with politicians. Some operated behind closed curtains. Each operated according to their own beliefs and, fortunately, we became one.

Today, however, we seem to have forgotten the simple, straight-forward skepticism from when we were but a small organization. The light of science has aided us greatly in our duties, but there is no reason for turning our backs to the enigmatic conventions from old times.

I know of this organization’s tradition of dismissing elements of magic, faith, and customs, and it greatly worries me. We’ve certainly prevented many disasters that could have ended the world. However, didn’t we witness 40 years ago of how no matter how trivial, superstitious, or childish the occult may be, there is always a tinge of truth lurking within it, an example of the old laws at work? Wasn’t the opposition to such miracles what brought us together as a single foundation?

Once more, we must go back to the basics, and look at our steps. Mankind must not revert to the times where we ran and hid from our fears. Because of this, we must constantly defy these primordial superstitions.

— The Administrator
Personal letter addressed to the Overseers’ Council

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Documented Records

Documents are ordered in a roughly chronological order:

What happened?

This world is overflowing with anomalies. Since ancient times, mankind has given various names to beings that are beyond understanding. Gods, spirits, ghosts, demons… The ambiguous perception and notions of those who strongly believe in them have influenced them in various ways.

Irish druids, North African nuns, New World shamans, Korean immortals, and then? Mankind has always had faith, which became the chance for a great strife for those on either side of the veil. The Latest war started in Czechia in 1939, but the trigger had been smouldering for a long time, and flared up at the right time.

Nobody knows the exact details of what happened during the 7th Occult War. What is at least clear is that Nazi Germany discovered the Holy Grail, and that it was then lost. The war was fully concealed, the Veil Protocol being finally maintained as a compromise between the Foundation and the GOC, and attempts to solve the mystery vanishing under the Iron Curtain.

In 1945, the Foundation was still young. It was too late for anything meaningful.

Now, the ghosts of the past are announcing their triumphant return. Relic forgeries inundate auction houses, and the internet is overflowing with accounts of paranormal phenomena. Several anomalous associations are operating publicly, investigating their lost legacy. Sorcery and faith show signs of restoration, and the paranormal society shakes under the shadow of the old days.

What can the Foundation do? Or rather, what have they done?

The Words of a Braggart

Welcome to the dazzling world of war and magic. We search for mystery and romanticism amidst the 20th century battlefield, where the last remnants of sacred divinity intertwine with the remains of imperialism and grotesque evolution.

The first half of the 20th century was not as modern as we’d like to think today: Many superstitions were still believed in, and science was not yet a popular concept. Even as airplanes danced across the sky, railways traversed the land, and tanks and machine guns controlled the battlefield, people believed witches would steal milk from farmhouses, and mediums could predict next year’s harvest.

Talismans, fortune-telling, magic rituals, spiritualism, mythological lore and relics: This canon is an attempt at reinterpreting legends and explaining the mysteries of the people that believed in them, creating a new story by linking historical fact and fantasy, adding the essence of occult thought to it.

Currently, this canon includes or plans to include the following:

  • Trends of the Seventh Occult War.
    • Nazi Germany’s quest for the Holy Grail, and its consequences.
    • Soviet Union’s psychokinetic research.
  • The pursuit of anomalous entities by the Foundation’s predecessors, and its results to date.
  • The pursuit of goals and conflict between various Groups/People of Interest.
  • Other historical adventures and occult research.

However, the occult is traditionally a series of outlandish claims, and their contradictions, so there will always be a chance to say something eccentric. You have the freedom of being creative and adding anything you want to these elements, as long as it fits the overall mood and direction of the canon.

When writing for this canon, historical investigation is not as important. We are dealing with fantastical history, and you are free to change any historical fact and incorporate it into your story.

However, sufficient respect and care is necessary when creating based on historical fact. Clearly separate fact from fantasy, and also mix them together with clear intent in mind.

The Foundation of this canon is strong, but also reserved. They appear to be a relatively new organization that emerged from the gathering of several founding organizations during World War II. Uniting in the face of the threat of occult war, they’ve forgotten about the danger of old-fashioned rituals as society modernizes. Whether this is good or not, it has yet to be seen.

Many Groups of Interest are more active than in other canons. They’ve rediscovered the effects of good old-fashioned occultism. Here are some examples:

  • The Serpent’s Hand, or rather, its predecessor, is a secret mystical society that has existed since ancient times. They were locked out of the Library for a time, but they were still fervently active.
  • MC&D is a well-established antique auctioneer, as well as cultural merchants that deal with countless religious artifacts.
  • GRU Division "P" was the most active organization during the Cold War. Nowadays, they’re one step away from the grave.
  • Obskurakorps is no more. The marks they left behind can still be found in various places.

In addition, there is potential for various Groups of Interest to participate. With war flaring up across the globe, and where there is conflict with people, the occult is sure to be found amidst the shadows.

Important note: In this canon, all facts are connected. Inconsistencies in the timeline will not be tolerated. Because of the many intersecting organizations and individuals, it’s possible for a story seen from someone’s point of view to have a different meaning from another’s. Note that only stories that belong to the main timeline are listed in the “Documented Records” section.

If you have any concerns, please contact islandsmasterislandsmaster. I’ll help you fit your new legend into the canon.

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page revision: 3, last edited: 04 May 2023 06:14
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