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History of the DFA
There may have been many Foreigners in the past, but the first documented Foreigner happened in 1915. Appearing during a battle between Allied and Axis forces in central Europe,
soldiers in the battle reported seeing a samurai, though Japan was not in the fight--nor did the man seem to be a part of the army, or any army. Further reports describe the man
deflecting bullets with his sword, and doing other such things that seemed to defy gravity and normal laws of physics. He was killed, but strangely his body seemed to disappear before
anyone could move to claim it for study. No one was sure what to make of it, so it was written off as one extremely lucky--or extremely skilled--as well as psychopathic man.
Stranger still, after the war, during in 1922, several large creatures that defied explanation were set loose in Chicago in the United States. An industrial complex was completely totaled
before the creatures began to move, but mysteriously vanished as they began to tear through the downtown streets. It was explained to be creatures who had been born mutated and
contracted rabies. Following this was a rather no-nonsense purging of wild game from the area surrounding Chicago, which brought about several activitist movements. No one actually
knew they were demons.
Other events as strange as these have happened all over the world. The most serious of which occuring in Tokyo, Japan, where the world was almost literally ended, in the summer of
1953. While the day was simply remembered to be one with a particularly serious storm that developed out of the blue, the fact of the matter was that a God had nearly been
summoned into the world by a mysterious monk that did not belong to our world. He was stopped only through the efforts of two other people--a man and a woman, neither of this
world--and one Ichiro Nakajima.
Ichiro Nakajima was a geologist who specialized in studying magnetic fields. When studying the geology around Fujiyama, he came across odd spikes in the magnetic field. Further
study showed these weren't simple fluxuations or reversals of the magnetic fields--the fields were literally warping and going wild, but only in localized places. Travelling to one such
spot, he found two strangely dressed people. Speaking to them, it became clear they were not of this world. Nakajima sheltered them and spoke with them more, discovering they were
something more than human--they possessed powers found only in story books. Fascinated, he would speak with them constantly, learning more and more. That was, until more
magnetic warp fields became apparent. Hoping to find more people from off-world in hopes of piecing together this mystery, Nakajima, with his two new friends, went to the new site of
the warps--and found another off-worlder.
Unfortunately, this one was not as friendly as the other two, however, all three off-worlders were familiar with each other. Immediately, fighting broke out, but the newest addition to the
world escaped before anything could be resolved. Speaking to his two friends, Nakajima learned of the evil man's plot--one aimed to ressurrect an ancient beast, one which would bring
ruin to not only the world, but things beyond, as well. It came to be that Nakajima and his friends, who found no help from anyone, had to face the menace alone--and were victorious.
From then on, the existence of Foreigners was a confirmed one, and while it was a fact that Foreigners could be dangerous, it was recognized that most Foreigners were exactly like a
normal human capable of both good and evil. It's unsure how, but several years after this incident, through secret dealings with both the government and the yakuza, Nakajima
managed to establish the very first branch of the DFA. It wouldn't be until the mid-60's that the DFA would branch out and begin to expand across the globe, with offices in the Middle
East, Asia, Europe, Great Britain, Africa, South America, Canada and the United States. There's even said to be a single branch in the Antarctic.
Throughout the world, various secret dealings were made as Nakajima expertly spread the knowledge of Foreigners to those who would do good with such information. Governments
world-wide, in an effort to protect the public from the potential threat Foreigners possessed (for even good Foreigners could cause chaos), established DFAs one after the other, until
virtually no part of the world is out from the watchful eyes of 'big brother'. But it didn't come easily. While knowledge of the Foreigner existed, techniques in how to deal with them were
still needed. Measures on how to keep information supressed, and how to collect information no one wanted you to know secretly needed to be devised. To this end, humans learned
to work with Foreigners, and have since then developed many new technologies that allow them to keep on top of things.
Most interestingly of all, however, is the discovering of the Boundries. Several attempts have been made in order to bring Foreigners--both good and bad--to other locations, both for
enhanced research possibilites, or more secure prison facilities. Two discoveries were made when a Canadian transport set up a test regarding these Boundries. The first was that while
paranormal activity happens anywhere, they are most centered around certain parts of the world - most of which seem to be rather random, though a few happen to hold spiritual or
ancient structures--most obvious of these is in Rome--particuarly Vatican City in of itself. These 'hot spots' had higher concentrations of not only "normal" paranormal activity, but
Foreigners, as well. Second, the Canadian scientists discovered that Foreigners would begin to suffer physically and mentally if they were brought to the edge of the 'hot spots', and if
they travelled beyond them, they vanished entirely, quite mysteriously.
To this day, not everything is known about Foreigners, but studies are continually made, particularly on dead or rogue Foreigners that have been captured. Many scholars suspect that
there is more to the spacial and temporal displacements that happen around the 'hot spots', but as to what, they aren't sure. Until such a discovery is made, however, the DFA is there
to protect the innocent--and even not-so-innocent--from the potential threat of the Foreigners, both from harm, and from the chaos that would no doubt ensue, were the world to learn of
the possibility of off-world travel.
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Intelligence
The Intelligence department is concerned with, what else but, intelligence. Not so much the IQ level of people, but rather the collection, evaluation, distribution and disruption of
information. In the digital age, the Intel branch has become extremely busy, but also extremely efficient. While a majority of government organizations in the United States have a lack of
good intelligence, the DFA boasts possibly the best in the country, though that might be because they only have to deal with people locally, and most of the information they handle
comes packaged with plausible deniability on top of it already. There are only three divisions in the Intel branch: Undercover, Rumormill, and HPI.
Undercover
We live in a world that is full of information. When something happens, we know about it mere minutes, perhaps seconds after it has happened. In this glorious age of digital technology,
we can receive news the moment it happens. People can form more grounded opinions because of this, and can keep aware of what's going on, not only in their neighborhood, but in
the world, as well. But should all things be reported? Sometimes, it is better not to know something; after all, ignorance is bliss. And this is where the Undercover division of the
Intelligence branch of the DFA section 30 comes in. The Undercover division is responsible for keeping things related to Foreigners and other paranormal activity under wraps. The
easiest way to do this, of course, is to stop it at its source, and that is what Undercover does. The Undercover division contains moles and spies, planted in every sensitive area of
Midgard City--the police, government offices, and even the press. You might even find them in influential cults, or in high society. They keep track of all that goes on in their assigned
areas, and if anything smells fishy, they investigate and then take prevenative measures, if necessary, which can be anything from shredding documents to 'disappearing' a coworker.
The moles of the DFA are hired based on their ability to interact with people. If someone has privledged information, they are not likely to tell anyone else until they can be sure they
can publish the material and blow the whole thing open, and hence the moles must be able to gain trust--from everyone. But beyond this, is must also be able to become emotionally
detached from what they do, as 'disappearing' a coworker is sometimes a regrettable, but necessary step in keeping the public safe. To aid in this, unless a mole has displayed their
ability to handle such things, they are often swapped in and out of jobs, and often must take new identities. Moles are required to keep good logs of daily occurances within their posts,
and discuss indepth what is happening. Of course, if a mole finds a nugget, they are kept in that post until the problem has been resolved. Sometimes moles are in too deep, and thus must continue their posts until they themselves can be 'disappeared,' only of course, they live another day, another job, another identity.
Some time ago, when the DFA was still in its infancy, there was a rumor that got started because of one agent's fumble. It turned out to be for the best, however, because from that day
forward, a rumor was started about the Low Men. To the police, the government, and the press, the Low Men are a group of individuals who have infiltrated down to the deepest levels
of society, and keep tabs on everything that goes on. They censor information they don't want leaked, and if you stick your neck out too far, you're likely to get it lopped off. The Low
Men rumor was actually the Rumormill's first 'misinformation' spread job, and has become a rather startling success. People still whisper about the Low Men, and while a majority of it is
shrugged off as paranoid nonsense, it has left a lasting impression in the minds of many--that They Are Watching. However, because it's easy to shrug it off as paranoid nonsense, it
has created a plausible deniability shield for the Undercover agents, and since the first fumble, the Undercover division has never once experienced a failure in keeping things quiet.
In addition to spying, the Undercover division plays the role of the DFA's 'counter-intelligence.' Because they have the most direct access to what the police, the government, press
and other such are doing, they can most readily prepare countermeasures for anything they might be doing that would effect the DFA and their goals. Undercover's relationship with
other divisions is largely nonexistant outside of the Intelligence branch, and many in the R&D and Operations branches see them as cut-throats, liars and snakes. (but probably
begrudingly admit they are necessary) The Rumormill works with them closely, and the HPI often assists them in bigger operations.
PC Applicants
Moles and spies are very welcome to be applied for, but they require, obviously, a bit of work to fit in--mainly that of where the mole will be positioned. This may require a bit of dialouge
with other faction heads, so please be prepared to be somewhat flexible.
Rumormill
The Rumormill is an official branch of the DFA, but in name only. They act very differently from other divisions, and that is because their area of work is very different. Like their name
suggests, they listen, process, and spread rumors. This leads many to the same reaction--confusion. Why would such a division be necessary? And each member of this division would
say the same thing--because rumors have power. Rumors by their very definition are unfounded, and yet they still make people act. Whether they become nervous, or whether they
explore the rumor themselves, they are powerful, and many people underestimate them. In addition to this, some information you can only find in rumors. Because this world is high in
paranormal activity, who's to say whether the old Jansen stead is really haunted? What of the rumors of a monster living in an abandoned warehouse, or that the old man watering his
garden in the suburbs isn't human? This is what the Rumormill handles.
The reason they act differently is because they do not operate in a standard way. They employ anyone who is good at gossiping and listening, and seeming absolutely normal while
doing so--as if the information they are processing is just idle banter. The man sitting at the sushi bar, listening to others talk. The old lady at the hair salon, who speaks to anyone who
comes in. Or the young highschool girl who just loves to talk. All these people could be agents for the DFA, and their business is to collect rumors. Then, they report them, and the only
semblence of normal administrative operation comes into play. Office workers look to the rumors collected, and then carefully rate them, based on how relevant they are to the DFA's
goals (anything concerning Foreigners, for instance), and how likely they are at being true. Then, placing them in a priority listing, they hand them off to the Investigations division, who
looks into them. Most of the time they turn out to be benign, but there have been times when lives had been saved, and when the DFA itself had been saved, thanks to the rumors the
Rumormill collected. Because of this, they are often scoffed at when a rumor doesn't check out, but then praised once something turns out to be real.
The Rumormill is also concerned with spreading rumors, or misinformation. If a Meet & Greet goes bad, they are the ones who provide the excuses that point attention elsewhere, away
from the DFA. They also spread it simply to keep up a shield of plausible deniability. Their operatives could likely teach conspiracy theories at the college level, they are so adapt at
bullshitting. The Rumormill works closely with the Undercover, HPI and Investigations divisons in order to keep the public safe.
PC Applicants
Rumormongers are always welcome! No doubt many will spread their own rumors over bboards, and should expect to run scenes based on them, but it isn't entirely necessary--just a
fun, added perk.
HPI
HPI is short for 'High Profile Investigations.' They are the newest division within the DFA, formed because the workload on the Investigations division was simply too great. Even so,
they are already moderately sized, though hardly comparing with the size of their parent division. The HPI is concerned with rumors that are serious. They may have low chances of
being true, but their scope is huge. HPI looks into reports about satanic cults who threaten to revive some ancient evil and destroy the world, or the sheriff being a bona fide demon. In
short, anything that may take several weeks, months, years to look into and discover. For instance, the biggest case the HPI have right now, is that of discovering why Foreigners are
coming to Midgard City. The HPI has no real organization, except that they exist in two 'parts': admin and ops. Admin are the desk jockeys who do the paper work, but they are also in
charge of reading the Rumormill's files, selecting agents, and then making the whole thing go, often providing diplomatic or otherwise support for their agents. Ops are simply the agents
who do the investigations. They tend to select who would be best for which job, and hence, not many agents end up working together too often, or even with a particular administrator
more than once.
Since the split between the HPI and Investigations, the two divisions don't see themselves as parent/daughter divisions. Rather, they have an intense rivalry, with HPI claiming that
Investigations gets to handle all the dregs, while they handle the real deals. This is countered by Investigations by saying they take too much time to do their work--which is in fact a
legitimate claim, as HPI has much more red tape to handle than Investigations does, often times.
PC Applicants
HPI agents should probably remain NPCs--it's not likely that long term investigation will need to be done on the MUX, but just in case something DOES pop up, this division will not be
closed at this time.
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Comm-Ops
Comm-Ops, as the name suggests, is concerned with communications--those within and without the DFA. They constantly monitor radio frequencies people use for
communications--particularly the police and Citizen's Band frequencies--and use this as a means of 'counter-intelligence'. Different from how the Undercover division works, they simply
coordinate the movements of the Investigations, Strike and Sweeper divisions, tailoring it to the movements of the police. This of course includes acting as dispatch, such as when
backup is needed. Other frequencies are monitored simply to keep tabs on information at the 'ground level', so to speak. Most odd occurances aren't ALWAYS seen by police or the
press, but by the average joe. And because the average joe believes that ghosts aren't real, and that funny-dressed guy on the street is simply eccentric, and NOT from another world,
they usually will simply tell the occurance to their friends, rather than to officials. To this end, Comm-Ops sometimes monitors other radio frequencies, and even phone calls on some
occassions. While they typically don't do this all the time, it still borders on invasion of privacy, but the trick is is that their ability to tap phonelines or intercept cell phones is
unhindered--they can do it to anyone, at any time, without permission, and no one other than themselves are the wiser for it.
How they accomplish this is through the use of the MAGI system. While they use a smaller portion of it than Radar does, they still have access to the functions pertaining to
communication. This includes monitoring equipment on top of the standard communication equipment, and they even have jamming capability, though this is rarely used, only in
extreme emergancies. They also share access to the same GPS and imaging satelites that Radar uses, though they typically use it to run tracking operations for the Investigations and
Strike divisions, and in some rarer cases, interfere with GPS reporting. (This is rare because so few cars use GPS devices in them, and fewer people have actual GPS devices on them.)
This last usually goes with the small 'sub-division' of Comm-Ops that works with the Strike division, going with them on operations in order to provide tactical data, and of course tracking
of runaway Foreigners.
PC Applicants
This should primarily be a NPC division, but like most divisions, it won't be closed to applications.
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Investigations
The Investigations division is the bread and butter of the DFA. The largest division, they are the 'common cop' of the DFA--the agents who do most of the dirty work, and the ones
where most of the rumors about the DFA spring up around. Their primary jobs are two fold. The first is the most obvious--they investigate things. Criminal activity and such 'mundane'
things have no bearing on their work. Instead, they are concerned with the non-mundane, the weird and the paranormal. Ghosts, monsters, demons, creatures of legends, all, and the
public believes them to be nothing but that--and that's what the Investigations division wants it to be like. They investigate reports of paranormal activity, and shut it down one way or
another. Usually, they have lists which are provided by the Rumormill, listing priority of various things that need investigating. These are broken up and given to investigators at the
beginning of each shift, and off they go.
The second part of their job comes from what have been dubbed 'Meet & Greets'. Radar will detect a new incoming Foreigner, and will report it to Investigations. It is then their job to
send someone out in order to deal with the new Foreigner. If the Foreigner is good and cooperative, they assist them in getting on their feet, so to speak, and give them a push in the
right direction to getting started with their new lives. If they are unruly or uncooperative, but not outright antagonistic, they are given very concise and to the point warnings about the
DFA, the new world, and the rules expected to be obeyed. If they are Rogue Foreigners, the agent sent to the investigation typically must then put the Foreigner down if possible, or
otherwise subdue the Rogue and bring them in--usually these Rogues are attempted to be reformed through simple ultimatums (usually in the vein of 'shape up or die'), but in some
cases they are put in the back of a truck and driven to the edge of what is known as 'The Boundry' as a means of torture, or ultimately, execution.
Organization
The Investigations division has a simple hierarchy. There is a Chief of the division, who oversees the management of the entire department, and under him are several 'section chiefs'
that manage specific details, such as funds, internal investigations (otherwise known as the Disciplinary Committee), training of new agents, et cetera. Under them, but not directly
related to the administration of the division, but rather the administration of the personnel, are the Lieutenants, who act as managers, and typically oversee a portion of the agents, and
give their evalutions and similar. Below the Lieutenants are the actual agents. Agents are divided into groups of six, called a 'squad', who work together on larger investigation
operations. Each agent is paired with another (collectively called a team), and these two typically work together on anything, from investigations to Meet & Greets. Squads are evaluted
as teams, even if they don't often work together, and are rated as Rank D, C, B, A, with S being the highest. Individual agents are also rated, but this is more of an 'employee evalution',
like you'd get at any job.
Investigations is often considered to be the 'lackies' of the DFA by other divisions, so aren't seen in a very good light. The division itself doesn't actually have any bad blood with any of
the other divisions, however, because even if they're seen as 'small fry', they are indeed very much necessary. The only bad blood the Investigations division carries is with HPI, saying
their 'daughter division' is too slow to be of any use, while HPI claims that its 'parent' is only good for handling the small stuff. Investigations works closely with the Rumormill, as well as
the Strike and Sweeper divisions. They also heckle with the Development division in order to try out 'new toys'--and it usually works, since there's no better place to test things than in
the field, and agents are usually all too happy to try out new, high tech toys.
PC Applicants
Yes. We definitely want many, many Investigation agents. When applying for an agent, you will be assigned to a squad and team at the admin's discretion, unless you have a specific
request. If you do wish to be in a certain group, please inform staff, either through page, @mail, or simply include it in your application.
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R&D
Research & Development is just as the name implies. This branch of the DFA Section 30 is primarily concerned with the research of things, primarily those related to Foreigners, whether
that be advanced technology brought in by Foreigners, or Foreigners themselves. From these findings, they develop new technologies or other things, all for the benefit of the operations
branch. The R&D branch mainly hires scientists, medical doctors, mechanics and other sciency types. They, understandably, have the least amount of Foreigners in their department,
as much of the information that flows in and out of R&D is particularly sensitive; most of the world doesn't even know a tenth of what R&D scientists do. There are four divisions within
the R&D branch, which are: Radar, Development, Ordinance, Medical. More information is available on each division within their own theme file.
Radar
The smallest of the divisions, but also the most important, the division known only as Radar is where everything begins at the DFA. Without this division, the DFA would be very
different--more than likely for the worse. The much much worse. Radar operatives monitor highly tuned and sensitive equipment for one thing only, which are fluctuations in the
magnetic field surrounding Midgard City. This in turn gives the DFA a constant surveillance of two things. First, and most importantly, Radar will pick up any Foreigners that are being
deposited into the city, and can get their 'landing point' within one kilometer. Other than this, Radar can pick up any large displays of power going on within the city, usually evident
when one or more Foreigners are fighting in an area. Radar, in turn, communicates these findings to Investigations, who go out and do their business.
Radar uses an array of equipment, from teslameters to satellites, all of which are part of a system called MAGI (Multi-Array Geosynchronous Interface). While a majority of work is done
with teslameters in order to measure magnetic fluxuations, Radar is often asked by field operatives to track certain people or things, which Radar can do via GPS satellites, so long as
the person or thing needing to be tracked has a tracking device planted on it. In extreme circumstances, Radar can also hack other GPS satellites and input 'false data', but such is
rarely, if ever used. Finally, Radar will often take satellite photographs, particularly if they are looking for a specific individual. Even though the capability of MAGI is great, however, a
majority--roughly 95%--of Radar's work is simply monitoring the city's magnetic field, and hence why it is the smallest of the divisions, as it's very boring to sit and stare at a teslameter for
several hours at a time.
While MAGI has a vast array of what it can do, there are things it can't do, as well. One of the major faults with the MAGI system is its inaccuracy, and more stressing than that, despite
it being very sensitive equipment, it doesn't pick up all instances of magnetic fluxuation. This leads to many Foreigners 'slipping through the cracks', as it were, so some Foreigners
come into the world without ever seeing the DFA first. It also sometimes doesn't pick up smaller fluxuations, such as in the case of Foreigners fighting each other only using a small bit of
'power'. As such, something like 40 of Foreigner activity isn't even picked up by MAGI. This doesn't even take into account problems inherent in the Investigations division.
PC Applicants
While there technically is no reason why you couldn't app for a Radar operative, the job is extremely boring, and there won't be much of a guarantee you'll get any RP through your job.
It's highly recommended that Radar operatives stay as NPCs, but should someone be really set on the idea, we won't turn you away.
Development
When faced with beings from somewhere not of your earth, and when most of those beings either have much more advanced technology than you do, or have powers that you lack,
you are obviously placed at a disadvantage. While most of these beings tend to be friendly, helpful sorts, you on occassion get those bad apples, and then what are you going to do
once this bad apple starts to wreck up your place? This is what the Development division hopes to keep from happening. Development is concerned with just what its name implies:
they research and develop new technologies for the DFA to use. They are particularly concerned with any new tech that comes down the line from Foreigners who pop up--cybernetics
or otherwise, but in general, Development is not just limited to weapons. They also continually seek to improve the MAGI system for Radar, manufacture new vehicles for the Strike
team, keep communications equipment updated, and of course, develop new weapons, ammunition and armor for field operatives.
The DFA has its finger on the pulse of top colleges in the fields of technology and science around the world, and they often will hire promising young scientists fresh from college.
They also hire any older scientists which catch their interest. In particular, Section 30 (the Midgard City section of the DFA) has one of the best collections of scientific minds in the
United States, if not the world, and it truly shows. Sadly, few, if any Foreigners work in this division, solely because of the amount of sensitive and classified information that is kept here.
And while Section 30 itself has admirable lab facilities for its scientists, much of the production work is done by companies the DFA selects and funds. Most products, unless they are
'top secret', are manufactured in these plants, typically the firearms, ammunition, armor and vehicles. Anything else is done right in the DFA itself (which is probably why new equipment
is hard to get ahold of--production is very slow if the DFA produces it, so numbers are spread thin). Most notable amongst these outsourced production plants is Balin Industries, which
manufactures the firearms for field and strike team agents.
Technically, the Development division is the largest within the DFA. But, most of the outsourced manufacturers are only funded by the DFA, and rarely have anything to do with it. They
simply are there to build what the DFA tells them to, with maybe only the management actually having any idea what's going on. Development is well respected amongst the rest of the
DFA, and it's not uncommon to see field agents (who use a majority of the items produced) stopping in to volunteer to 'field test' certain new products. The only problems inherent in this
division are that the more useful and bigger things tend to be a little slow in planning in production.
PC Applicants
Applying for a scientist in the DFA is another 'should be NPCs only' thing, but again, we won't stop you. Should you decide to app for a DFA scientist, you would be allowed (and
expected) to come up with new ideas for things, but such would need to be closely discussed and designed with staff. Please keep this in mind.
Ordinance
When Development puts something out, it needs to be catalouged, stored, and protected. You need to know how many of a certain item has been checked out, and who has it. You
also need to know if you're running low on something. After all, you wouldn't want your prized toys all willy-nilly; you wouldn't know who had what, for what reason, or if you were
running low on .45's. That's where Ordinance comes in. Whenever something comes out--whether that be a new handgun, or a new troop carrier--it is Ordinance's job to make sure it's
locked up, and then regulate that item carefully. In short, Ordinance could be considered quartermasters. An agent makes a request for an item, whether that be more bullets, a new
gun, or a different pair of shock gloves, and Ordinance makes them fill out the paperwork, checks their clearance, and then sets them up if everything's a-okay.
While this might seem extraordinarily dull and somewhat pointless, Ordinance also has a second, very important task. All of the equipment that is kept in their storage lockers must be
cared for, and when equipment breaks or is damaged, it must be repaired. As such, Ordinance is tasked with maintanence of everything from oiling guns to keeping strike team
transports in top condition. If anything, Ordinance is famous for this: every item is kept in perfect condition, almost obsessively so. This earns rather high marks from agents all over
Section 30, though most times it's taken for granted. Interestingly, because of their duty of keeping everything in top condition, as well as having not a few 'classified' items in their
position, Ordinance has a reputation of being rather tight-fisted when it comes to parting with things 'unnecessarily.' Unless an agent has a good reason for wanting something, or if an
agent knows someone personally who works in Ordinance, getting any new equipment (unless issued by a higher-up) is, more or less, next to impossible.
A third and final job for Ordinance to take care of is evidence, usually collected by Investigators and Sweepers, kept in evidence lockers, much like at a police station. While this is one
of their smaller tasks, Ordinance adheres to it like they do with everything else with intense zeal, though slightly less than with their actual equipment.
PC Applicants
Mechanics and other similar sorts are very welcome to app in here, though a majority of this division will no doubt be NPCs.
Medical
What's a top secret government organization who fights super powered beings from alternate dimensions without a medical team to back them up? Though, the Medical division deals
with a whole lot more than just patching up wounded agents, even if that is their first priority. If an agent comes into contact with a Foreigner, and is wounded, it must be treated. In
addition to this, there are a number of communicable diseases that Foreigners might bring in--Medical, more or less, gets to study these and come up with immunization or vaccines.
While DFA agents would no doubt be the first ones to come in contact with the disease, it's merely a matter of time before it reaches the populace. This is where a lot of shady dealing
comes in. While a person has a right to know what they are being injected with, the DFA steps over this, or flat out ignores it. Though it's for the better, there have been countless flu
and other types of vaccination and immunization shots that have been given that have had 'something extra' in them, to prevent a certain disease carried over from infecting people.
No doubt many people would be upset over this, but secrecy comes before all else, in this case.
In addition to keeping the public (unknowingly) safe, Medical is charged with the study of Foreigner's bodies. In particular, they study cooperative Foreigners to test out just what,
exactly, makes certain ones capable of their powers. Why, for instance, can a Foreigner lob a ball of fire they have seemingly made from no where, while the majority of humans in the
world can only dream of such. Many kinds of tests have been conducted over the years that the DFA has been established, but the most they have come up with is that when powers
are activated, they typically interfere with the surrounding energies--particularly that of the magnetic field. While seemingly not that big of a deal, without this discovery, the DFA would
not be as effective as it is today. In short, this discovery gave birth to the Radar division, and gave the DFA a big advantage in terms of detection of Foreigners. A third, and not so
enjoyable task, is that Medical is responsible for autopsies on dead Foreigners--some in the field, however, rather like this, as they can get a more 'hands on' look at what makes
Foreigners tick.
Medical staff is recruited much the way Development staff is, but with even more zeal. While having new toys is great, the DFA was originally established in order to keep the public
safe--should a disease come about that Medical is not able to handle, then the DFA has failed. Thus, Medical is the best funded out of the divisions, and their doctors are paid very well to keep secrecy, as well as to work as best as they can to keep the public safe. The DFA owns several hospitals in the city, all of which are staffed by DFA doctors, and they also have their own research labs--apart from Development's--used to test Foreigners, and to work with new diseases. Medical has a rather varied reputation with other divisions. While the agents are grateful for medical assistance at no cost, not a few believe that Medical is full of quacks, and there are even a few rumors of there being rather unscrupulous doctors in their midst. For the most part, however, these seem to be just jokes.
A small group of doctors are also held in reserve, who work with the Strike Team division. These doctors, simply, are there to provide medical assistance to any downed agents, as well
as monitor their vital signs (largely for research purposes, for instance, should a person's brain waves or pulse act erratically when a Foreigner does something to them, the doctor can
record the response). They sometimes also work with the Investigation division.
PC Applicants
Yet another 'mostly NPC' division, but there isn't any reason as to why a person could not apply within this division if they wanted to.
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Sweepers
The Sweeper division, otherwise known as 'Public Relations,' is the second most important division in the DFA. Where the Undercover division seeks to keep information about certain
events from getting out, they merely play 'second string' to the Sweepers. When an Investigations agent makes contact with a Foreigner, when a Foreigner decides to pop the roof off
a random warehouse, or when anything relating to Foreigners takes place that the DFA knows about, there will need to be cleanup. This can range from all sorts of things - from picking
up shell casings discharged from an agent's sidearm, to collecting the bodies of DFA agents and Foreigners, to playing 'relations'. There's always something to be done in order to keep
the knowledge of Foreigners and other paranormal activities not-so-public, and that's where the Sweeper division comes in.
The Sweeper division acts as a sort of 'CSI' for the DFA. After an incident, they come in, investigate the scene while taking 'official control' of a situation until they're done, collecting
any evidence that is necessary, and in certain cases, planting it, as well. Rarely will the Sweeper division plant evidence that will make trouble for someone else, it's merely to throw 'red
herrings' out there to confuse normal police investigators. They take reports, give several copies of it to different divisions, and that's that. Evidence can be anything, of course--as
mentioned, bodies of agents or Foreigners, shell casings, blood, fabrics, anything that would seem suspicious or 'out of place'. In some cases, they will provide 'explanations' for things,
such as unexplained scorch marks or the like, which can and will be outrageous at times, such as the ol' weather balloon or the natural gas pipe explosion.
Sweepers run in teams, though it's a loose definition of 'team.' Because multiple situations can and do arise at any given time, it's easier to assign a team to go to it, rather than just
whoever's available, and also makes recalling team members when there's a question about a certain case easier. Teams, however, can and often do temporarily lend each other their
members, depending on how big of a case it might be, and sometimes more than one team will work on a case. Administration is low in this division, having enough simply to keep track
of the teams, which goes where and does what, and the like. When dealing with other agencies, such as the FBI or the police, the Sweeper division identifies themselves as the DFA
flat out. This grants them immediate control of any situation, even if sometimes it needs to be called in. Police and the FBI rarely themselves have heard of the DFA, though may have
experience dealing with their agents, in that they know enough not to ask, and simply let them do what they need to do. Sweepers, outside of their own division, aren't regarded very
highly, because the Sweeper division rarely has anything to do with anyone.
Sweeper agents all carry a converted Balin Zero that, instead of the normal .45 ACP, fires a special tranquilizer dart. This is because, more often than not, Radar will pick up something
happening much faster than the police do, if the police do at all, and will often arrive as the situation is in progress, whatever it might be, and from there are instructed only to disable,
rather than kill Foreigners. To note, because the dart requires less pressure to move, and more might actually break it, the propellant used to fire the dart is less than a normal bullet load.
As such, it doesn't have enough energy to cycle the action on the Zero, and so after each shot, the slide must be pulled back manually to load the next shell. These guns also come
with a silencer. Because of this, and the weakened pressure, it's inadviseable to use the Zero-T beyond 25 yards. Still, many Sweeper agents keep another sidearm with actual bullets
of their own choosing, not feeling safe enough with just a tranq gun.
PC Applicants
Sweepers are an NPC-only division, because there wouldn't be anything for a PC Sweeper to actually do, as they do not investigate situations themselves.
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Hunters
The MAGI system is composed of highly sensitive equipment. The Rumormill division is filled with people who are very skilled at gathering and processing information. The Investigations
division has a very high success rate in dealing with Foreigner and paranormal activities. In general, the DFA is a very well oiled machine, one meant to protect the public from the
otherside of the world - the side that is filled with the weird, and the horrifying. It does this job well, and for over fifty years, there have been very few incidents occuring that involved
either Foreigners or the paranormal that were slipped out of the DFA's grasp, and almost nothing that has had any reprocussions the DFA couldn't handle. But sometimes, things slip
through the cracks. Investigations loses a rogue Foreigner, or has too much of a work load. Information that is disregarded by the Rumormill is nothing more than an unfounded rumor,
turns out to be true. The DFA is well aware that it isn't perfect. The city of Midgard is huge. Sometimes things happen, and the DFA doesn't even know it did. Sometimes, the MAGI
fails. Sometimes, the Rumormill and Investigations screws up. That's where the Hunters come in.
The Hunter division has very few real employees. Those that work for the division are administrators, paper pushers, and the stray janitor to keep the grounds of the office tidy. They
receive updates from the Investigations division primarily (though sometimes the Rumormill, as well), about rogue Foreigners who have eluded the DFA, or certain rumors that the
Rumormill has passed down, that the Investigations division simply can't get to in a timely fashion. These administrators place the job offerings and bounties up on the board, and then
wait. They always come. There's always those few who need to make a buck, or those that work against the paranormal, keeping the same goals as the DFA, but have no desire to
work in the DFA. Freelancers, mercenaries, or simple Foreigners who wish to fight against evil on their own terms. The Hunter division aims at relieveing some of the 'build up' found in
the Operations department, and because the DFA cannot watch everywhere at once, they also provide information on rogue Foreigners, in hopes that while they keep a watch on the
general town, the Hunters can work selectively, in a more focused way, to bring down rogue Foreigners, and assist in keeping the public safe.
Called Hunters, those that would come and take jobs or bounties from the DFA, do them, then return with proof (or in the case of bounties, captive Foreigners). In exchange, the DFA
pays them. Jobs are essentially investigations that the DFA can't get to in time, and bounties are simply rogue Foreigners or those with paranormal powers who have evil aims that the
DFA hasn't been able to catch. Each job and bounty is classified on a grading scale (D, C, B, A, S, with S as the most dangerous, but highest paying), and each Hunter or Hunter
group is free to choose whichever to take. But because Hunters are not employed by the DFA, there is no guarantee that others won't be working on the same job or bounty, though
the DFA takes claims of 'hijacked jobs' or bounties very seriously. Jobs typically pay less than bounties, but there are also usually more of them, and are typically less dangerous.
'Overviews' of jobs are free, giving a general description of the job, but for more indepth information on the job or bounty, a Hunter needs to pay a small fee, and thus gains access to
the Rumormill or Investigations dossier on the job or bounty in question.
Hunters can be anyone. From an ex-cop that is 'in the know', to a Foreigner that is having trouble adjusting to a 'normal' lifestyle, and thus needs a little freelance work. In either case,
the Hunter division employees and the DFA asks no questions about HOW a person knows about the 'dark side of life', simply expects them to keep the code of secrecy. In return, the
DFA will provide 'cleanup' of jobs, and of course, the reward for the completion of the job. Beyond this, Hunters are free to come and go as they please, working as often or as little as
they like. Thus far, it has been a mutually beneficial arrangement, one that has been going on for quite some time. In certain instances, the DFA will contact, directly, 'famous' Hunters
or Hunter groups, and offer them special jobs, as well.
PC Applicants
Anyone can be a Hunter, though people actually employed by the DFA are frowned at if they take jobs independantly--though it's not precisely forbidden. Thus, Hunters are free to
come and go, but your character would both know about the Hunter enterprise (usually through word of mouth), and have a reason to undertake it.
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Strike Team
Sometimes, the Investigations unit isn't enough. Sometimes a Foreigner is too powerful for even a team of agents to take down, sometimes a supernatural force is too stubborn to
remove. That's where the Strike division comes in. The Strike division is the DFA's equivalent to a SWAT team, though their training and efficiency is actually more on the level of a
special operations outfit. They are organized like a military unit, from their ranking system down to their overall structure. Their primary purpose is to, simply, raid a location or area, and
take down rogue Foreigners, from hostage situations to simple surround and conquer.
To describe them any further, one would need to break down their command structure and identify what each squad and team carries, as far as weapons. So, we shall do that.To start
with, the structure is designed exactly like one would find at the 'company' level in the United States military. The company level itself merely dictates the administration. For instance,
there are roughly ten people that make up the administration of the Strike team, one of which is the Captain in charge of operations, followed with finances, an ordnance represenative,
and a few 'drivers', for driving the command vehicles and sometimes helicopters. The Captain is in charge of the entire Strike division, and will cooridinate with the four Lieutenants, who
are in charge of the four platoons that make up the bulk of the Strike Team. These platoons have similar makeup, and are primarily there to handle multiple instances in which the Strike
Team is deployed, which, by their number, you can tell is fairly rare.
Rarely will the Captain ever leave DFA HQ. That is to say, he himself will rarely be in fights, as his work deals with most managerial things, such as reports, red tape and the like (they
obviously let him go home!). Lieutenants receive orders from the Captain, and from there will work independantly to achieve the goal. He normally will be stationed outside the area of
operations in a command vehicle filled with communications equipment, that is, of course, manned by select members of the Comm-Ops division, but will also have medical staff on
hand. Comm-Op agents will relay orders from the Lieutenant to the Sergeants, who are in charge of the three squads that make up the bulk of the platoons. In addition, they transmit
maps of buildings, and keep track of fleeing Foreigners, if possible. Medical staff will keep track of vital signs of all members of the strike team that are actually in the fighting, and report
it to the Lieutenant.
The squads are where the real 'fighting force' is. Each squad is headed by a Sergeant, and divided into two 'fire teams'. A Sergeant is usually not included in the number of a fire team,
and so can move with whatever team he wants. He usually carries communications equipment, so as to communicate with the Lieutenant, as well as the senior agent in charge of the
fireteams. He also will carry a special flare gun converted to fire 'tracer rounds', that will plant a tracer bug onto a fleeing Foreigner. Fireteams have equipment based on their
designation. For instance, most fireteams are equipped with 'assault' weapons, though there are also sniper fireteams and the like. Fireteams also usually carry equipment to compliment
each other, because they have to work in unison, moreso than with other squads) To explain what each is likely to carry, we will now break them down. Note, however, that it's not
always that a platoon will work just by itself. Squads can be swapped or used to aid other platoons, as the situation necessitates.
PC Applicants
Although there's a lot of available information, the Strike Team will be NPC-only, though this is subject to change in the future.
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