[All eras]Some lore questions

[wyrdhamster]

THE SIGNAL: Survived, they took some heavy hits, but their decentralized nature played in their favor by making it impossible to target their leadership. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the signal is the only society who managed to stay active after the war and even leading the new shadow. The Shanghai Accords would change that, sadly.

Why would Shanghai Accords change mode of operation of The Signal? They are literally VERY decentralised. And even with Host being rogue AI - he is rogue AI. He do not need to stick to Accords - he is rogue, in the end 😉 - he even can work just the same as previous. Only it becomes harder for him. I envision that Host then create his own 'children' AIs , just to help him run things smoothie with Signal itself. And yes, they are then all the time on the run - like Tok'ra from Stargate SG-1. 😎

[Demigod Beast]

This is pretty sweet! Me likey!

[Firanai]

Hello,

I just came up with two new assassin societies for our hypothetical future shadow in Anima, let me know what you think.

Terra Sanguinária: Terra Verde wasn't always the group of heroic rogues that we saw in AEON. Decades before, when it was just beginning, it was more a coalition of different groups that shared the same overarching goal, and some of those groups were a bit too eager and bloodthirsty. However, as the organization grew and consolidated their position, the more...let's just say "extreme" members had to be "removed". To the surprise of everyone involved, most of them left when asked. The truth was that many knew already that they were no longer welcome in Terra Verde, and so they went ahead and created a new Terra, one that had their same thirst of blood for those who saw the planet as nothing more than a resource to be exploited.
The group would have never survived had their leaders not been talents, some of them survivors from the destruction of the previous shadow, who saw the organization as a means to regain power. Terra Sanguinaria is an ecoterrorist group, but one that shies away from the usual bombings and public profile of terrorist groups in favor of discreet surgical strikes with their assassins and indirect manipulation. They're the secret masters of most criminal organizations in the Southern Hemisphere, and bitter rivals with the krug vorov which controls most crime in the Northern Hemisphere. Their agents have access to special drugs, both natural and synthetic, that allows them to push the human body beyond its limits for a limited amount of time. Thanks to their special training, they've also learned how to minimize secondary effects and avoid addiction.

Spartan Crisis Management: The aberrant war left the world in chaos and, for the most part, made a mockery of conventional military forces. Army leaders all over the world watched in frustration as the aberrant massacred their soldiers as if they were nothing, and they could do little about it. The public and many politicians blamed them for not being able to protect their countries like they swore at their respective flags. It was quite the unfair attitude, since the truth is that without the valiant efforts of the military all over the world it could have been much worse. In any case, many brave soldiers found themselves on the streets, kicked out by the very same people they sacrificed their bodies and minds to defend. Suffice to say, few took it well, but few listened to their protests or cared when they ended in poverty.
But someone cared. Someone who had lived a similar experience, someone who wanted to give those that still had a sense of honor and duty another chance. That someone was a survivor of the society of Leonidas. He wanted to rebuild the society and had plenty of recruits available, but he would modernize it, get rid of the traditions that had costed them so much. That’s how Spartan Crisis Management was born, a private military company specialized in high risk targets, including aberrants, their most hated foe. Their agents combine ancient techniques from the society of Leonidas with the most modern military training, resulting in one man army Assassins capable to adapt to any hostile situation.

[Amethyst]

Some TC Assassins questions:
1. Would it be possible for an Assassin to work for a Talent faction? Like, an Assassin working for ultimate combat Mastery for the Transcendent Alliance?
2. The ‘sudden surge’ in the Assassin population in 1922 was caused by the Hammersmith Event, wasn’t it?

1. Sure
2. Yes. That’s also about the time the Worshipful Company of Killers was destroyed too.

[Demigod Beast]

Some TC Assassins questions:
1. Would it be possible for an Assassin to work for a Talent faction? Like, an Assassin working for ultimate combat Mastery for the Transcendent Alliance?
2. The ‘sudden surge’ in the Assassin population in 1922 was caused by the Hammersmith Event, wasn’t it?

[Mateus Luz]

Neutered novas, basically. Nihonjin scientists found a way to detect unerupted novas, and then pinpoint which ones were likely to gain really large levels of Transformations; these unerupted novas have a treatment performed where their potential as novas is severely curtailed. Which is why I’m damn curious how Divis Mal and Max Mercer would feel about the idea. (The Taniwe, for instance, treat Superiors as if they were cripples.)

It is not exactly true. The scientists dont pick the ones that will not become aberrants, because its about life choices and not genetic definitions, what they pick is the kids that are the most loyal and psychologically stable and allow them to chose if they want to serve their country for the rest of their lives to their country. Those that reject or are rejected receive a genetic treatment that removes all chances to become a Nova or a Psion.

[Demigod Beast]

Neutered novas, basically. Nihonjin scientists found a way to detect unerupted novas, and then pinpoint which ones were likely to gain really large levels of Transformations; these unerupted novas have a treatment performed where their potential as novas is severely curtailed. Which is why I’m damn curious how Divis Mal and Max Mercer would feel about the idea. (The Taniwe, for instance, treat Superiors as if they were cripples.)

[Mateus Luz]

What are Superiors? Weaker version of Novas from Japan?

They are basically Novas that had their eruption controled in certain way.
They can improve their bodies and minds beyond human levels, but not as high as Novas, and cant use quantum powers.

[wyrdhamster]

What are Superiors? Weaker version of Novas from Japan?

[Mateus Luz]

Superiors are not used as Assassins, they are a different set of tools, hypercapable in other things (maybe also in killing, but...).

Superiors are exactly as you are describing the assassins, all Superiors working for the government have some cybernetics, including the kill switch, and are selected among the most dedicated and stable members of the society that are naturally capable of becoming superiors. They are the best tool and the most guarded secret of Nihon government.

In the end, to best fit the politic game and create some kind of inner adversary in Nihon, the idea may be the Swarm becoming the ninjas working for the corporations inside Nihon, and fighting a secret war against the government for information and control over the technology. The government with talents and Superiors x the corporations with talents and assassins.

[Demigod Beast]

I wonder how Divis Mal or Max Mercer would react to Superiors. With Mal, it’s probably be outrage, but what would Max think?

[Firanai]

Swarm becoming the secret army of Nihon government is great. And add to it cybernetics and Superiors and you have an awesome setting for internal/international politics and intelligence in a secrete war...

Using Superiors as Assassins is...risky. I don't think Nippon would take this path. It all comes down to control, and you want to make sure that you can control your army of super assassins. With Cybernetics, you can ensure that you're the only one with the means to repair and give more implants to the Assassins, and if they go rogue? Well, you can turn them off or tell them to self-destruct. Superiors though? Their power is their own, you can't take it away or give more. Also, some superiors may start to question their servitude and think that perhaps they should do some cleaning in the Nippon government...perhaps even take over, for the good of Nippon of course.

[Demigod Beast]

Oo! Oo! Nihonjin Assassins vs psion infiltrators!

[Mateus Luz]

Swarm becoming the secret army of Nihon government is great. And add to it cybernetics and Superiors and you have an awesome setting for internal/international politics and intelligence in a secrete war...

[Firanai]

Just a clarification, when I say that a society is destroyed, I don't necessarily mean that it's completely eradicated. It is expected for some members and resources to survive and move on, especially if those members belong to the leadership of the society.

The majority of survivors from the daughters of the Jacobins and the society of Leónidas would have joined project Protect Proteus in AEON as some of you pointed out, with a few joining the signal, going independent or retiring. The remains of the Swarm would have probably become some sort of private security corporation; that said, taking into account that their base is in Japa...sorry, I meant Nippon, it wouldn't surprise me if the government didn't do something similar to the yakuza and reach some sort of agreement with them, becoming Nippon's secret army of ninja assassins (Why also ninjas? Well, I think ninjas are cool ;P).

The aberrant war was indeed a huge mess, with no clear lines or sides. This is precisely one of the main reasons why the combined efforts of the Assassin societies could not have stopped it. There was no clear army leader or ruler they could kill that would have ended the conflict, instead there were hundreds of them, each with their own plans.

Now, how about we speculate a bit about the situation of the surviving assassin societies in Anima, I will also come with two new ones later:

The Signal: Since they survived the Nova age and the Aberrant war with few loses, they've become one of the dominant assassin societies of the world. I imagine them like deadsec from the watch dogs video games, a crypto-insurgency army that uses a lot of AI technology and with Assassins with an uncanny ability to use hacking for their hits. However, with their growth I think they would have expanded their operations and also become like the Archangel alliance.

The Krugu Vorov: This society was humbled by the Novas. Such a situation can't be tolerated ever again. After entrenching their position in Russia and becoming its indisputable masters, they started to slowly rebuild their global criminal empire, with an emphasis on controlling weapon trafficking, especially if they include Nova Tech. They've become obsessed with acquiring the most lethal weapons in the world to make sure that when the Novas come back, it will be the last thing they ever do.

Mure 群れ: This society is how I see the evolution of the Swarm. They reorganized as a cross between a private security agency, a ninja clan, and an intelligence agency supervised by the Nippon government. They're the eyes and ears (and sometimes the knife) of Nippon on the world they've left behind, making sure that Nippon, and then the world, stay safe. Their operatives have access to the most advanced cybernetics in the planet. (Cyber ninjas, even cooler than regular ninjas)