Pre-Illumination (<2005 AD)
Most people understand that the Supernatural didn't just pop into being in the year 2005 and accept that the Supernatural has just always been around; it's just that until then, no one could prove it. There exist thousands of cases across time and space, borderless, that were chalked away due to a lack of evidence, lack of ability to provide or preserve evidence, and/or lack of cooperation from appropriate authorities to assist in/or distribute said evidence, if any.
The governments of the world are thought to have dealt with the Supernatural, before the Illumination, in mostly covert secret: whenever they knew, they knew, and whenever they didn't, they didn't, its thought that they were maybe just in the dark as everyone else or even restricted knowledge on such topics to higher levels of authority but whatever the case; all such sanctions were lifted &/or revised during The Illumination.
The Illumination (>2005 AD)
The rise of Technology, prominently in the west and more developed nations, lead to the ability to capture and transmit being put in the pockets of each and every man who could afford it; and now that everyone had the capability to capture evidence, preserve, and distribute it, rather effortlessly, it was only a matter of time. Around the same time as technology's rise, a particularly ambiguous & anonymous platform known as Cryptoleak popped up on the interwebs, knowing no state, no borders, no lords or masters, only a simple adaptive function of "Once it goes up, it will not come down". These two factors combined to begin the era known as "The Illumination", coined as such due to the popular action of mass-distributed supernatural evidence being referred to as "Illumination"(s).
Generally niche or especially particular entities such as "Angels" &/or "Vampires" largely escaped the Illumination due to their perceived elusiveness, rarity, and other obvious and/or unobvious factors that might be keeping them out of the public eye. Entities that did not escape the Illumination included "Supes", people Supernaturally-Abled who usually illuminated themselves on purpose, Ghosts, Were-people, Aliens, and the like.
The act of Illumination was exciting, the scene was booming, and there was money to be made and fame to be acquired through the act of being the first person to prove [INSERT] is real, or prove [INSERT] is fake, or present a specimen of [INSERT], or even acquire [INSERT] for [INSERT]. All across the world, people were suddenly holding seances for their dead husbands, recording encounters of the third kind, stealthily filming homeless people transforming in the night, and with all the (mis)information going around; people were clearer than ever, but also more confused than ever.
What was real? what wasn't? If X is real, isn't Y also real? If Y is real, X is real, and if these two are real; then Z is true, right? And if not, how much of all of that is real? Pretty quickly people began to doubt their faiths, and/or find new-found validation in said faiths, Religious organizations and institutions generally began to prosper and grow well beyond their real-world counterparts and a new-age faith movement worldwide began to blaze. Suddenly Monks & Priests were recieving more house calls than ever, Synagogues were becoming more packed, Mosques more funded, and just-as-suddenly "Faith Healers', "Mediums", and other charlatans popped up world-wide.
With all this though, the abuse of the Supernatural and/or the Supernaturally-abled caught the eye of world governments and before long it became apparent that this was a problem waiting to happen so all around the same time the world Governments installed and/or brought (or revived) organizations from the past and/or the shadows to assist/serve in this new era. In nations like Japan, the Bureau of Onmyoryo was brought back and merged into the (PSB) Public Security Bureau, in nations like America the (DSP) Department of Supernatural Phenomena was created from hand-picked agents from around the agencies, in Europe the Holy See was granted authority over the Supernatural and quickly organized the (IS) Iscariot Sections to administer said authority. Nations that could not, or can not, care to afford to deal with the Supernatural simply leave it up to local police or institutions, or outsource it to countries who can afford to care about it; and do, care about it (USA, Vatican, Interpol, ETC).
The Illumination, Present (Modern-day)
Today, the buzz and hype of the Illumination's prime has winded down to a more tolerable level; not everyone even uses Cryptoleak, though most are aware of the existence of the Supernatural (if only some). Charlatans have largely settled into the zeitgeist, Cults & the like having already had their run in the media, either into the ground, or into the shadows, and most/all who could have had power to gain or seek have either already done so, or have missed their best shots to do so. Regardless, there still exists a thirst for knowledge, and a thirst for fame and fortune, just waiting to be rekindled by the right people(s) with the right capabilities.
For one, alien technology is highly coveted and sought-after and generally, depending on where you live, corporations are willing to shell out top-dollar deals (if they do not first, exploit or seek to) to validate individuals. For two, Supernatural specimens are highly coveted and sought after for the purpose of zoos, science, pharmaceutical purposes, and the like, and similar compensation and financial incentive is available to those who can fulfill the aforementioned desire. For three, the information and education surrounding the Supernatural is generally, very poor, and based in archaic & ancient myths, story, and lore, which may not even be entirely accurate from entity to entity. In Academia, the Supernatural is largely scoffed at due to a lack of subject matter, professors, employability, and/or reasonably employed experts from which to derive, basically its a dump minor and a worthless major to most.
"Supes" & The Supernatural.
"Supes" (Supernaturally-Ableds)
Approximately ten-thousandth of the people on earth are thought to be "Supernaturally-Abled", meaning that they possess some sort of ability, quirk, alteration, mutation, or otherwise attribute, that is distinctly irregular and/or impossible for regular Humans and is thus Supernatural: these people are called "Supes". "Supes" generally exist across the world, distributed disproportionately in an unknown manner, with abilities ranging from lesser abilities such as enhanced strength or eyesight to insane sci-fi nonsense like extreme telekinesis and/or mind control. Due to this, "Supes" tend to fall into one of three boxes.
- Those who hide their abilities.
- Those who do not hide their abilities.
- Special-types, are permitted to use their abilities.
Generally, use of Supernatural Ability is considered to be very abnormal and also illegal in many different nation-states around the world depending on circumstance; yielding additional charges and/or extreme response in all but the most lawless of lands. Though in places like the USA, the land of the free, "Supes" are able to exist and use their abilities so long as they register with the DSP (Department of Supernatural Phenomena) and update annually, so long as they are not committing a crime, for the purposes of providing information to hospitals and/or detering and stopping "Super Crime".
The Supernatural At Large & Legality.
The Supernatural at large is considered a grey area, somewhere between an animal and property, depending on what it is, who you ask, and the circumstances; there is little to no legal precedent for the Supernatural. The Supernatural is largely treated across the world similarly to firearms; it's something that's regulated, controlled, monitored, if not flat-banned and nationalized. Generally the Supernatural invokes an illicit response when misused by unauthorized people, prompting immediate police calls if not immediate live-streaming; it is usually not a crime to be Supernatural so much as it is a crime to misuse or otherwise commit a crime while being Supernatural.
In all but the most nationalized nation-states, Corporations are free to own / use and/or research and/or develop the Supernatural so long as no crime is committed prior to the acquisition, ownership is all legal and right, and no crime is committed during the acquisition and everything is up to typical & normal code and circumstance; the Supernatural is largely treated in the business space as similar to a firearm and/or hazardous material, or endangered animal.
Organizations and/or Groups
(Does not represent all groups which exist within Illuminated Earth)
General
Escorts
A good majority of celebrities, people in power, and important people employ/utilize some form of supernaturally-abled Escort; these range from bodyguards, to advisors, to PR managers, just about anything really. These Escorts typically are elusive in nature though generally, depending on one's home country, information may be available on them through federal databases and/or prior events.
Monster Hunters
In many countries around the world, including the USA, "Monster Hunting" is a valid and viable profession which can feed one's family and propell one towards financial security rather quickly; Corporations and wealthy over-seas (or domestic) buyers will shell out top dollar for certain entities of supernatural alignment, or otherwise, and thusly Monster Hunters exist to fill that demand. Monster Hunting as a career can be thought of as almost professional-level-poaching; it's the Most Dangerous Game, people who engage in "Monster Hunting" may be specialized, may have special equipment, more often then not are "Supes" themselves, and usually operate in legal grey areas to secure their marks.
Monster Hunting as a profession is the most prolific in places like Africa, and the Global South, as well as Siberia, and northern Canada.
USA (United States)
DSP (Department of Supernatural Phenomena)
Declassified in 2005, and hand-picked / organized from Agents from all major US-Agencies which would apply (CIA, FBI, Special Forces, ETC), the DSP is effectively a bridge between the CIA, FBI, and Special Forces that specialize and have jurisdiction over all things Supernatural on US Soil, and wherever the US has power; they keep the books, they keep the registry, and they are not at all required to share information with anyone who isn't "In-The-Know" or otherwise involved.
The DSP's primary field "agents" are men-in-black types which serve as the executive arm of the organization; they are the ones who do the investigation work, on-site enforcement, and/or are dispatched similarly to police to deal with Supernatural threats and/or suspected Supernatural threats. DSP Agents are typically assigned to field offices, located in each major city, and are belonging to larger "Units" or "Task Forces", DSP Agents typically are assigned Aliases and go by callsigns related, or not, to their specialty.
The DSP's agents are required to ID themself if asked during Investigation, and generally legally only have jurisdiction in matters Supernatural and matters to which they are assigned through a strict system of clearance and bureaucracy; they follow about the same rules as other Federal Agents with the added power of additional ability, backing, as well as additional rules of engagement and enforcement due to the nature of the job.
The DSP's "bookies" and administration team generally are tasked with keeping the registry organized, secure, and updated, and are tasked with notifying individuals for summons whenever they must update their annual registration, or otherwise are suspected of misuse of ability. When a warrant is issued for the arrest of a "Supe", DSP agents are dispatched to deal with them instead of typical police, typically the agents are dispatched in squads or units as well.
The DSP, since their inception in 2005, has had some controversy due to its involvement in "Cult-Culling" (Mass-termination of Cults), it's agents having absurd rules of engagement and enforcement, civilian casualties, misuse of power and over-stepping of jurisdiction, lack of public insight and/or information, and other issues typically associated with Federal Agencies.
Regardless, the common consensus of the DSP is that they are a shadowy organization of "Men in Black" whose jurisdiction and authority varies from case to case, and whose rules of engagement and enforcement border on the absurd.
The Holy See & Europe
Iscariot
Iscariot is the executive arm of Christianity; specifically, the Holy See / the Vatican. Iscariot can be described as a "Holy-task force", they are ordained by god, the church, and usually the country, to administer justice and righteousness wherever and whenever they are allowed to by Interpol / local governments, and generally are known for their brutality. Iscariot units are typically very free-form and varied in the shapes they take, their identities are usually top-secret due to the nature of their work, and they typically are recognized/ordained/sworn in by high-ranking authorities within the Holy See / the larger church.
Iscariot often works with Interpol / local state governments in order to dispatch threats or investigate threats, of a Supernatural / "Demonic" nature. Iscariot does not typically deal with criminals, terrorists, and the like, and they typically do not operate outside of the European Union without explicit permission from those who it concerns.
The common consensus of Iscariot is that their an organization of holy priests and "Paladins" who serve the church, God, and the Holy See; they exist to moderate and cleanse the unholy, and protect God's children and God's chosen.
China
CTA (Chinese Taoist Association)
Brought back from the dead, the CTA in Illuminated Earth operates less as a de-facto moderator for Taoism in China; and more as an organization of various clans and families who are known for practitioning Taoist / Daoist "Magic" into a singular cohesive bureau that ultimately can be controlled and moderated by the state. Typically, the CTA is left to their own devices for a majority of their activity but are brought in-line by the State for matters of supernatural concern and security; it is not uncommon to see CTA agents assisting and/or escorting the MSS (Ministry of State Security) during investigations and/or enforcement activities.
Little to nothing is known in the west about the CTA due to western-misinformation campaigns and propaganda which apply to China at large; the common consensus is that their an organization of overseas "Magicians" who use magic to investigate, solve, and administrate authority over, supernatural situations and phenomena. It is known though, that independent practitioners exist.
Japan
Onmyoji (PSB, Public Security Bureau)
The Onmyoji is a reinstated class of "Magicians" and "Diviners" who have been merged into the PSB (Public Security Bureau) for the purpose of serving the state in matters of supernatural concern; practitioning magic and extensive historical supernatural knowledge. The Onmyoji tend to descend from various clans, a sort of "power structure" existing between existing clans, but independent practitioners do exist... even in the Gajinn sphere.
Regardless, the common consensus is that the Onmyoji are an organization of "Magicians" who serve the Japanese Government in dealing with matters of supernatural concern; usually, Yokai.