To speak of "the Veil" is inaccurate when there are almost as many veils as there are independent paranormal cultures.
by Ethagon
The Second Mission, Concealment, is first and foremost concerned with a global release of knowledge of the occult and parathreats, colloquially called a "veilbreak". The structure of the occult world makes the Second Mission, to a degree, self-enforcing. This means a Second Mission failure is most likely followed by an imminent First Mission failure. Still, we must remain vigilant and stop even local Mission failures, lest they turn into a global final failure.
As we do not rely on the ethical shortcuts that amnestics represent, it is paramount that each operative knows what is required to uphold the Second Mission, no matter the circumstance.
It is common among new operatives to divide the world into the two categories they've experienced: the world of the innocent and the world behind the Veil. In actuality, there is a full spectrum of categories between being fully concealed and the breadth of knowledge provided by the Coalition.
To speak of "the Veil" is inaccurate when there are almost as many veils as there are independent paranormal cultures. The Genius Loci (codeword Etna, colloquially sometimes "Nexus") for instance is often characterized by having a lifted veil solely for the specific paranormal phenomenon that is its anchor. Only very few Etnas are exceptions to this.
This handbook divides the different kinds of knowledge one can have about the paranormal into 5 distinct categories, based on the differing reactions expected of operatives.
Level I: Fully Concealed
Locations: Worldwide, Normal Towns
Agencies: Uncountable
Individuals: Uncountable
The innocent. The vast majority of the global population (both human and animal) fall into this category. The Fully Concealed have no notion of the paranormal based in fact or lived experience. Belief in conspiracy theories or conceptions of the occult in popular culture, even with superficial resemblance to actual occult events, makes no difference to this classification.
In 99% of cases nothing paranormal can be derived from information available in the fully concealed world, be it through science and especially not through research into what the Fully Concealed believe to be the occult.
It is the opinion of PSYCHE that the anomalous condition is only proliferated by direct encounters with the paranormal, and in rare cases through accidental ritual.
The proper action when encountering any Level-I civilian is to keep them from interacting with or even witnessing any paranormal phenomenon. For operatives, this means using appropriately concealed gear based on your location, and evacuating the area prior to open engagement with any parathreat.
It is an unfortunate reality that encounters with the paranormal by the Fully Concealed are often unavoidable. Multiple ICSUT studies suggest that a slip into Level II after such an event is next to inevitable. Not even the application of the morally questionable amnestics serves as a sure way to prevent this transition.
Despite the low chances of success, necessary steps must be taken to ensure individuals remain at Level I for as long as possible. These include:
- Downplaying any witnessed paranormal events
- Creating official accounts of the event that present a rational explanation
- Ensure no evidence of the event remains in case the civilian tries to prove the event's existence
In rare cases and if a Type Blue learned in oath-magic is present a civilian can agree to an Oath of Suppression. This method has the highest chance of success but is dependent on a fully willing subject. More than light pressure may break the oath and is therefore not advised.
A larger group or location becoming aware of the paranormal should be upgraded to the corresponding level or be disbanded on a case-by-case basis. In case of a newly emergent Etna, the threat to the Fivefold Mission is to be immediately evaluated and liquidated if found standing against it.
Only through these methods can the innocence of the Fully Concealed World be protected from the inherent danger of the paranormal world and the anomalous condition.
Level II: Partially Concealed
Locations: Pando Estates, Atlantic City, Backgardens, The Smog Wastes, the Louvre, Hanged King Theatre, etc.
Agencies: Parawatch Wiki (partly), Spicy Crust Pizzeria, Oddity Support Groups, Monster Hunts, Together Dreaming, etc.
Individuals: Hector Canvera, large numbers of private detectives, Foundation Clearance 1 Operatives, Folklore enthusiasts
The affected. The Partially Concealed are aware of only a small number of parathreats. Rarely more than three, often only one. The ones they know of often comprise the entirety of the paranormal world for them. They think their situation unique, and the rest of the world unaffected by the paranormal. This delusion must not be broken, so Operatives engaging with the Partially Concealed must appear about as knowledgeable as a Level I police officer could be in this situation.
With removal from Level II impossible, Operatives are to mainly focus on stopping the proliferation of the anomalous condition. Most of this process is automatic, as a grand ritual by the Electorate of Demomancers causes most attempts by the Partially Concealed to spread their knowledge to be met by increased social ostracism. The remaining tasks are to help in this process and encourage them to ignore the paranormal for their own good.
If a Partially Concealed has started attempts to move to a Level II location or group, these efforts should be supported instead. Level II is known as an unstable level of concealment, with the seed of the anomalous condition often festering until it has grown into a full aspect. It is possible for the Partially Concealed to develop paranormal characteristics by self-experimentation, reflection of the abnormal encounter, or direct initiation by the encountered parathreat.
The lack of a safety net provided by higher Levels, paired with the higher chance of a paranormal encounter caused by self-experimentation and a more open eye to the paranormal than Level I, makes Level II especially dangerous on an individual level. This is why not letting the Fully Concealed progress to Level II is so important.
Larger groups or locations of this level may alleviate the danger, but still lack the know-how needed to properly protect themselves. The number of Level-II groups makes protection of all of them impossible. Any encountered Level-II group must be found capable of protecting themselves, put under observation if possible, or disbanded for their own safety.
Special circumstances may let a Partially Concealed instead regress back to a Level I-adjacent state. Cathartic removal of the parathreat may result in the subject moving on with its life. To make an example: A group of children have encountered a paranormal game, which traps the children in some way as soon as they start playing. As the game progresses various paranormal effects of the game are revealed, the group concluding the game to be "cursed". By subtly helping the children work through the game they can finish it, apparently through their own efforts, and throw the game away. Operatives can then remove the parathreat for liquidation without being noticed. If the option presents itself, Operatives are encouraged to choose this course of action over the ones previously mentioned.
A concerning amount of private detectives keep stumbling into parathreats after having progressed to Level II. As of yet, no rational explanation could be found on why the amount of parathreats discovered this way dwarves most other parathreat discovery methods. As an unknown amount of them are indirectly employed by KTO-Kewpie ("The Foundation"), standard Kewpie engagement protocols apply: Observe and strongarm into handing over the parathreat when possible.
Another noteworthy anomaly to the normal Level II progression can be found in Oddity Support Groups. Created by the Coalition and co-curated by the Foundation, Oddity Support Groups consist entirely of individuals who are stopped from progressing to Level III or to convert to a Level I-adjacent state. Members are consistently targeted by a range of parathreats. If a civilian seems to fit into this profile, Operatives are to discreetly point them towards the nearest Oddity Support Group. Following the creation of the Support Groups, an unknown amount of Oddity Support Groups have formed without Coalition or Foundation involvement.
Any Etna falling into this level is likely a misclassification or entirely ignorable for Second Mission concerns.
Level III: Aspect-Unconcealed
Locations: Backdoor Soho, Eventide, Nälkä Communities, Alagadda, Lampeter Network, etc.
Agencies: Horizon Initiative, Soiling Craft, Oneiroi, War Machine, etc.
Individuals: dado, Her Lady, Eric, Primrose Fatish Von Trevil, etc.
The Para-User. While not necessarily paranormal themselves, the paranormal is part of the Aspect-Unconcealed's day-to-day life. For a Level III individual, there exists only a single thematically coherent aspect of the paranormal world. The average anartist knows just as little about theological parathreats as a psychic knows about thaumaturgy.
The Aspect-Unconcealed gather in a single group or location focused on their paranormal aspect. Often this ends up being an Etna where this aspect is strengthened over all other paranormal phenomena. The Second Mission is to a degree self-enforcing in any Level-III Etna. Differing paranormal phenomena will be suppressed, hidden or integrated depending on how well they interact with the strengthened aspect. Only a strong enough phenomenon can overcome this hurdle. This is ill-advised due to Second Mission concerns and the likelihood of this action making the Etna hostile.
The Whytefels are a family that is speculated to have applied some properties of goats to themselves through occult rituals. Yet, as they live in Backdoor Soho, the population believes their goat-heads to be elaborate anart-tattoos. The Etna helps them hide their not-anart based magic, because the family feeds into the Etna's aspect by evaluating art through consumption.
Missions are easier when Operatives comply with the Etna. Ill-fitting equipment is to be concealed and thaumaturgical workings disguised as aspect-appropriate alternatives. A good Coalition-Etna relationship will make it easier to remove unrelated parathreats, though it may be protective of parathreats likewise strengthening its aspect.
If the liquidation of an Etna was decided, Operatives should instead try to overpower the Etna with ill-fitting paranormal phenomenon, causing a weakened cohesion.
Level III is self-sustaining. As the Partially Concealed gain more and more of an eye for a single aspect of the paranormal they eventually complete their journey of discovery with the Etna (or group) most central to that aspect. Further progression will not happen unprompted. Any attempt to progress to Level IV or V seems to go slightly counter to the anomalous condition. Progression of individual Aspect-Unconcealed is easy though progression of an entire group seems to be actively resisted by most groups. Proper integration into larger occult society takes time and is easiest to achieve via economic interaction as part of the occult globalization process.
While a Level III Etna can definitionally not know of the Coalition proper, they are still part of the paranormal world proper and thus fall under the Coalition's governance. As such, each Level III Etna must be made aware of the Coalition as some UN organisation, responsible for the supervision of this aspect, alongside other more mundane tasks. Governance may remain largely independent, with some UN-level justified legislation. Operatives may point to such UN legislation which has been thaumaturgically modified to be in accord with the Etna. This does of course not apply if the government of the Etna is a member organization of the Coalition. In this case, to what degree its population be made aware of the Coalition or whether or not efforts are to be made to upgrade the Etna to Level V is fully within the rights of the member organization to decide.
Caution is advised the less connected a Level III Etna is to Earth. As the number of anchors an Etna has decreases, so does its grip on physical reality loosen. Without anything as a counterbalance, the Etna starts feeding into its own reality recursively. After the anchoring decreases beyond the Randall Limit, the Etna is to be classified as an extradimensional entity and, in most circumstances, a parathreat. This process is the cause of all known hells and one speculated origin of Alagadda.
Level IV: Partially Unconcealed
Locations: See Agencies
Agencies: The Foundation, Marshall, Carter & Dark Ltd., Chaos Insurgency
Individuals: Nobody, Plundering Tourist
The Observer. This category should not exist. It is not really reached from Level III, most on this level coming here directly from Level II or I. The most common cause is not any encounter with the paranormal, but indoctrination into one of the existing Level IV agencies.
The Partially Unconcealed are aware of multiple aspects of the paranormal, but are not directly part of it. As the anomalous condition resists the combination of multiple aspects, the Partially Unconcealed use a different framework to unite the known aspects under one theme.
The Foundation, as the most famous example of a Level IV agency, combines most aspects of the paranormal under its philosophy of Science and Containment. Containment, in turn, becomes its own pseudo-aspect that is able to integrate, or more accurately contain, other aspects into it. Answering how Containment can be an aspect of the paranormal is too complex to answer without a thorough understanding of Unified Thaumaturgy, but the short answer is that all actions under the anomalous condition count as microrituals that may potentially affect the world.
Protocol in theory dictates the elimination of Level IV as an active consideration. In the long-term the Coalition aims for all agencies in Level IV to either be liquidated or upgraded to Level V as part of the Coalition. No new Level IV entities are allowed to be formed. The Partially Unconcealed are not part of the occult world. They nevertheless often interfere with it with potentially disastrous consequences. In the interest of the Fivefold Mission their existence is tolerated as long as direct interaction with Occult Society remains limited.
Second Mission concerns can almost be entirely waived when interacting with the Partially Unconcealed and are solely focused on keeping them from progressing to Level V on their own. Concealment is only necessary as part of general efforts to hinder the replication of Coalition technology.
Operatives are to ensure at all times they are not followed by Level IV individuals or agencies when travelling towards a Level III or V location. In isolated cases, the Coalition may cooperate with a Level IV agency in service of the Fivefold Mission. During such missions only equipment marked for Level IV usage may be given to Level IV agencies.
Similar to agencies, existing Level IV individuals may under circumstances be cooperated with in service of the Fivefold Mission. Barring those circumstances and depending on associated risk to the Fivefold Mision, they are to be integrated into Level V or designated as a parathreat.
Level V: Fully Unconcealed
Locations: Eurtec, Wanderer's Library
Agencies: Global Occult Coalition
Individuals: Black Queen
The Occult Civilian. The Fully Unconcealed is part of Occult Society, and as such under indirect governance of the Global Occult Coalition through its member organizations.
The Fully Unconcealed is aware of the many differing parts of society that make up the Global Occult and is thus able to overcome the restrictions of the anomalous condition without having to rely on a specific aspect colouring their perspective. Full awareness of how different aspects relate, or the role Etnas play in the occult ecosystem, can only be achieved in Level V.
The Second Mission can be disregarded entirely. Excluding the non-Earth-based Wanderers Library, Level V is the Coalition. There is neither a reason to hide from our own men nor the people we govern. It is instead necessary for any Level V zone to be guarded. None of its occult influences must spread out into the concealed world, and in return, any Level V zone enjoys sovereignty under the Coalition per United Nations mandate. Outside of Level V zones, each occult citizen is responsible for their own concealment. Breaking concealment is a crime to be judged by intent, as well as the severity and risk of the resulting Second Mission failure. Operatives are to apprehend such criminals and bring them to the nearest Level V zone.
All recognized Level V zones are governed by one or more member organizations of the Coalition. These may be concealed or isolated places in the concealed world, or special zones in Level III Etnas. The latter is of special importance as the exchange of paranormal phenomena which feeds the Etnas and holds the occult ecosystem at large together can only be properly judged by a Level V individual. Only through occult globalization is a progression beyond Level III Etnas even possible.
Level V Etnas exist, as Eurtec serves as evidence, but it is not the Etna's natural state. Left to its own devices, a Level V Etna will revert to Level III, focusing on its core aspect. After a period of lapsed attention in the Maintainance district of Eurtec, the district converted into a state rejecting everything paranormal save for Gen2+ Technology. Thaumaturgy no longer works in the district, except as a supportive and hidden element of technology. Inhabitants of the district have likewise shown little awareness of thaumaturgy at large. These results are consistent with a Level III Etna.
For similar reasons, Coalition Technology should not be solely developed in Eurtec, as this technology may stop working outside the city due to not entirely conforming to the laws of physics.
It is unknown how or if the Wanderer's Library solves this problem. It has been suggested to downgrade the Library to Level IV in accordance with the theory that its core aspect, occult knowledge, integrates other aspects under it similar to a Level IV agency. Despite being at its core opposed to the Second Mission, the Wanderer's Library poses no direct threat due to its non-interference policy.
Any rogue individuals who have reached Level V through their own faction will be judged as a one-individual faction and must be opposed. The Black Queen poses a direct threat to the Fivefold Mission and the established Concealment system. Liquidate as soon as possible.
Only through these methods can the civilians of Occult Society stay protected under the mantle of the Coalition. Only through the existence of the Second Mission can our citizens stay safe from any discovery by the innocent world, which would not know better than to lock us up and deny the occult its existence.