[Icelander]

I'm going to be asking for suggestions and ideas for some of these. In all cases, comments from anyone are welcome, even if it's just a tangentially related observation.

I'd also love more ideas, ideally with some context and suggestions for what kind of group might call themselves that; and what their background, resources, relations with others, goals, motivations, etc. might be.

Originally Posted by mr beer

Woken

I'm not sure about English-speaking people seriously applying that term to themselves in this context (for one thing, it's uncomfortably close to 'Woke', which I have never heard used unironically by an actual person in real life). However, in Ken Hite's excellent The Nazi Occult, it is the term used to refer to those with magical talent, as 'gewekt', which literally means 'woken' in German.

I know that the Swiss Guard is aware of the occult and has been for some 25 years. The Guardsmen are trained to defend the Pope and the Vatican from more than just physical threats. Former Swiss Guards are also the backbone of the Vatican counter-supernatural response.

I haven't thought about any other German speakers in the context of being aware of the supernatural. There will be some Places of Power and ley lines in Germany, but most of the population probably lives in No Mana areas, certainly during the day, in the modern, organized, secular cities of Germany. So I don't see there being much awareness of the paranormal as being likely among the powers that be in German government and bureaucracy. A priori, I'd probably name Germany among the least threatened by supernatural phenomena by capita in the world.

That, of course, doesn't mean zero supernatural phenomena and I'm sure there are powerful Places of Power in deep dark woods and spooky mountains, as well as haunted castles and faerie paths, in Germany. Just, you know, for such a powerful country, they have a lot fewer homicide cops who believe in monsters, consulting occultists and private monster hunting clubs than much smaller nations located near a Vile Vortex.

Unless, of course, there are some places in Germany so steeped in occult legendry that they are bound to feature robust paranormal scenes. In which case 'Gewekt' (Woken) might be the local term for someone aware of the occult.

Originally Posted by mr beer

Gnostics

I plan to have a group or groups of occultists and researchers of esoteric lore who espouse Gnostic principles. Of course, like most people who find out about the supernatural, few of them will voluntarily seek out monsters. Sane people, even if they are intellectually curious and open-minded about the occult, understandably want as little to do with evil spirits, anthropophagic beasts and inimical ultraterrestials as possible.

On the other hand, if there exists a society of Gnostic scholars who dabble in the occult, founded in the 1990s or 2000s, they might employ supernatural-savvy security contractors for personal protection. Or there might be a sub-group of more martial occultists who believe that the escalating events associated with paranormal phenomena represents a dire threat to humanity or the world as a whole, who dedicate themselves to fighting evil (or at least some subset of it, as they define it).

I wonder what they might call themselves?

And from which real-world origins such orders might spring?

International? And if so, through what real organizations would the early members have gotten to know each other?

Originally Posted by mr beer

Cleaners

That's a nice, clean secular term that might be used by various groups.

Originally Posted by mr beer

Janitors

Ditto.

Originally Posted by mr beer

Pest Control

Very descriptive, blue-collar, brings to mind a group of friends in a small town.

Originally Posted by mr beer

Chosen

Of what? Or whom?

The campaign setting is agnostic in terms of Prime Movers or any omniscient, omnipotent divine powers, but there are certainly various spirits who claim celestial or divine origins (as well as a variety of beings considered demonic, evil or infernal by many people). And a lot of people believe that supernatural gifts result from faith, religious ritual, pacts with spirits, honouring ancestors, loas, orishas or other powers, or the like.

So, which real life religious movements might have a secret group of monster hunters who call themselves Chosen?

Originally Posted by mr beer

Touched

This strongly implies belief in some entity or force that touches them. Any suggestions?

Originally Posted by mr beer

Lightbearers

That's also a mystical-sounding title. Who do you see referring to themselves as Lightbringers, in the real world, if they had found out about the supernatural and were secretly defending humanity?