Iskatonic International Institute of Inquiry - Notes, Thoughts and Scribbles

OVERVIEW:

The Iskatonic International Institute of Inquiry: while there are many organizations that deal with super powered beings and freak attacks, the Institute stands out as the group most focused on the most esoteric and paranormal, and phenomena that threaten the fabric of reality and overlap with adjacent dimensions. They also deal with ancient history and lost super civilizations, and have helped other governments create a clear picture of the world's hidden history.

The Institute had long served a supporting role in the paranormal and temporal dimensional anomalies encountered over the years since the late 1800s. Dealing with such anomalies would explain the Institute's pre-disposition towards cultural stasis of the early 1900s to 1950s, as well as its divergence from mainstream technological development.

The Institute is a society of scientists, occultists, historians, scholars, explorers and sometimes guardians and caretakers of sensitive information and dangerous artefacts. They can’t handle big threats well, hence the Associates system- Usually super powered beings from outside the Institute. They have knowledge but little power, and are more observers, chroniclers, and guides.

LOCATION(S):

The Institute itself is Headquartered in the Northern portion of Maine, on the border with Quebec. Large portions of wilderness were also given in guardianship for the housing of supernatural but harmless entities. Due to the Institute's dealing with anomalies, especially of those with effect on time-space, their main building and the surrounding town had, over the years, become somewhat displaced from mainstream reality. The American and Canadian Governments  cooperate with the Institute to isolate the affected zone as a restricted access area, and the access points are carefully guarded. Add to the fact the difficulty of regularly re-supplying and replacing equipment, the Institute's overall infrastructure and equipment tend to be built to last.

The Institute has outposts scattered throughout the world to serve as staging grounds to receive and transmit information relevant to the current case. Anachronism Engines that take on the appearance of unusually large grandfather clocks dominate each outpost, allowing the outpost to access the otherwise inaccessible records of the Institute, while simultaneously providing a camouflage defense for the outpost and its minimal staff. These Engines dampen paranormal anomalies and slightly cap the upper limits of super powers in an area, while also creating a hypno-amnestic effect that makes the experience of passing through an easily forgettable experience.

PERSONNEL:

Agents - True Institute Men and Women who deal directly with paranormal events and beings. The supernatural nature of the Institute are most apparent among them, as members have been around since the early 1900s but seem no older than 50 and are exceptionally athletic for unpowered humans. Agents spend as much time in research and paperwork as in the field, and are the ones who establish final containment or termination actions against the paranormal or anomalies. Given the increasing frequency of events or entities of power levels beyond what Agents can handle, they are more and more taking on the role of mission control and critical intelligence for Associates.

Associates - As having existed before the meteoric rise of supers, the Institute lacks the sheer power to overcome some of the more dangerous missions and anomalies they might encounter. Thus, the Institute has need of capable Super Powered Associates. Metahuman OC's are the most common, and this explains how the Institute ties in with ongoing stories of existing Characters.

The Institute has a peculiar way in which Associates are chosen- due to either a quirk of temporal tampering or their ability to manipulate memory, even new Associates can be brought up to speed very quickly with the institute's needs, or when services are no longer required, knowledge of the Institute slips away into the unconscious, like a fleeting dream or a forgettable day from one's childhood.

Support Staff - support staff such as cooks, janitors, non-agent clerks, accountants and barristers, who've worked with the Institute's Agents. Support Staff are frequently rotated in and out, typical serving five or ten year contracts that seem to blur into the background fairly quickly. All people know is that their resumes are padded out, and they've barely aged a day.

RESOURCES:

Institute HQ - The Institute HQ is a large, classical neo-gothic building at the heart of an old campus town...

Containment Cells - Underneath the HQ building, with multiple access points, are the holding cells of the Institute. Built into a much older cave network...

Institute Outpost - Any building on earth can become an outpost...

Wilderness Reserves -

(To be Expanded)

This seems neat!