Re: KTO-1466-Houdini "Mages Academy" - SCP Foundation

If you're wondering what "Sjhlfels" is, and the resistance we expect to encounter when taking it, read on. It's not just going to be Type Blues this time.

CC: Operation Sternenfall

From: cog.viDEHCYSP|tziLOB#cog.viDEHCYSP|tziLOB

I've been asked to provide those of you new to this project with a summary of KTO-1466-Houdini, "Mages Academy".

Information about this operation is being shared on a strict need-to-know basis. Most of you have had no prior awareness of this KTO - this is a deliberate choice on our part. We have recruited alumni from the Mages Academy into our own ranks in the past, but their loyalties are too divided to use any of them in this operation. Keep this to yourselves.

Mundus, Normalis

Braun Lizt

Parathreat Intelligence

PSYCHE Division

Opening Operation_Sternenfall_Dossier.pto…

Sigil of the Mages Academy

KTO1-1466-Houdini "The Mages Academy" is an association of higher educational institutions located across Europe, but primarily within Germany, dedicated to the research and teaching of paranormal phenomena. Although lacking most of the insights of Unified Thaumatology and instead relying on outdated theories of "Astral Energy", the thaumaturgy they teach is demonstrably effective, despite its typical reliance on complex rituals and vocalised spells. While many graduates from the Mages Academy have gone on to become useful GOC assets, the training of unregistered Type Blue Parathreats presents a significant threat to Normalcy, and a number of graduates have been involved with anti-Coalition activities.

Structure: Each constituent university or college is nominally independent and run by an Archmagister, but the curriculum and policies of the Academies as a whole are decided by the Magistrate, a council of Archmagisters. The Magistrate regards itself as a sovereign legal entity enforcing its own regulations as spelled out in its Charter, and has ignored all orders to surrender parathreats to the GOC for termination.

Resources: The Mages Academy operates covertly within ordinary institutes of higher education, awarding their graduates with degrees in conventional fields in addition to titles (from Apprentice to Grandmaster) reflecting their thaumaturgic proficiency. The Academies receive financial support from their graduates, and effectively have access to a paramilitary force by calling on staff and alumni to enforce the terms of their Charter.

Standing Orders: Although unregulated magic and unregistered Type Blue parahumans pose a significant threat to Normalcy, for pragmatic reasons a diplomatic rather than military approach has been taken so far. The Magistrate of the Academies has rejected multiple offers for Council membership.

Revised Orders: While individual members of KTO-1466-Houdini will only be terminated if non-compliant, it has has been decided that the best course of action will be to liquidate the currently existing organisation and restructure any remnants in accordance with the GOC's Fivefold Mission ("Operation Sternenfall"). Detained Staff and Students confirmed to be human will be re-educated to ensure compliance with GOC Resolution on the Practice of Thaumaturgy. Non-human parathreats will be identified and terminated.

CC: Operation Sternenfall

From: cog.vidSCISYHP|remmarKTP#cog.vidSCISYHP|remmarKTP

Congratulations,

For obvious op-sec reasons we couldn't tell you in advance, but you've just been part of one of the largest operations in the Coalition's history. Simultaneous raids on two-dozen locations across Europe was difficult to plan in secret, but you carried out the operation with the courage and determination we expect from our PHYSICS Strike Teams.

I can't say they didn't see us coming, quite a few of them managed to get away, but we believe we've managed to detain the majority of the Academy's students. We're screening them carefully in our Assessment Centers to eliminate any pseudo-human parathreats that may be hiding among them - it looks like the Academies were willing to teach magic to practically anything that could wave a wand.

There were obviously casualties on both sides, we're unsure on exact numbers yet since our medical teams are still working with the wounded. Let me assure you that you all performed admirably in a stressful situation. Blues aren't quite as unpredictable as Greens, but termination is often the only option - our Black Suits may be bulletproof, but they don't make you invincible! On the other hand, the Academies seem to be teaching even their newest students spells that protect them from most conventional weapons, but we're working on a solution to that for next time - and yes, there will be a next time.

Finally, I want to commend the work of our PSYCHE Division. Those of us in PHYSICS often make light of their undercover efforts, but without their intelligence we'd never have been able to pull off something on this scale. We may not physically have all of the students yet, but we know their names and faces. It's only a matter of time before we find them all.

Mundus, Normalis

General Paul Krammer

European High Command

PHYSICS Division

CC: Operation Uberflutung

From: cog.viDEHCYSP|tziLOB#cog.viDEHCYSP|tziLOB

Operatives,

Before we begin, I'd like to commend all of you who served admirably in our last operation together, and welcome all of you who've been reassigned to this new operation. It's very much a follow-up to Operation Sternenfall, but this time we're focusing on a single target - the Sjhlfelser Hochschule für Angewandte Magie - or for all of you who don't speak German, the Sjhlfels University for Applied Magic.

If you're wondering what "Sjhlfels" is, and the resistance we expect to encounter when taking it, read on. It's not just going to be Type Blues this time.

Mundus, Normalis

Braun Lizt

Parathreat Intelligence

PSYCHE Division

Opening Operation_Uberflutung_Dossier.pto…

Sjhlfels am Rhein

Mages Academy

Das Wunderkabinett

IMBW

Caesus Carnelia Collective

Security and Containment Protectorate

UT2-2015-Zweifach, "Sjhlfels am Rhein" is a extradimensional location accessible from the Sihl Valley in Switzerland and the Dutch Rhine Delta. Existing outside the jurisdiction of any government, UT-2015-Zweifach has become a haven for thousands of Paranormal Threat Entities, with inhuman entities now making up the majority of the town's population.

Although the World Parahealth Organisation was able to construct a medical facility within the paranormal enclave, residents of UT-2015-Zweifach eventually discovered that information gathered on patients was being passed on to the GOC for use for the apprehension and termination of Threat Entities. This lead to the complete expulsion of "St Caesarius Hospital" from the pocket dimension, and the status and location of the building and all personnel stationed there is currently unknown. The Coalition currently monitors all known Ways leading into the enclave, detaining any individuals attempting to enter or leave the location. However, due to violent opposition from local residents, Coalition personnel are unable to act openly within the Territory.

In addition to sheltering various species of cryptid and pseudohuman (predominantly Alfr and Dvergr), illegal aliens and Sarkic cultists, UT-2015-Zweifach serves as the base of operations for multiple Threat Organisations.

Although Operation Sternenfall was successful at limiting the organisation's reach and ability to recruit new students, KTO-1466-Houdini may now represent an even greater threat to Normalcy. Members from across Europe have been travelling to the Sjhlfelser Hochschule für Angewandte Magie (SHAM), bypassing the GOC blockade through unknown means. Intelligence reports indicate the Academy is still operating as an educational institution, but now focuses on the military applications of thaumaturgy, with an emphasis on covert operations, self defence and small-unit guerrilla tactics. Frequent telepathic screening of staff and students has resulted in the majority of PSYCHE operatives embedded within the organisation being detected and detained.

Structure: Four Archmagisters are currently present in UT-2015-Zweifach, sharing joint command of all mages present.

KTE-1678-Blue-Houdini "Ella Roth"

KTE-1542-Blue-Houdini "Nills Weber"

KTE-1986-Blue-Houdini "Peridot Garnier"

KTE-1473-Blue-Houdini "Szabó János"

Resources: Although the majority of Mages Academy alumni and students have surrendered, been detained or gone into hiding, at least six hundred Mages from across Europe are currently present in UT-2015-Zweifach, one of the largest gatherings of hostile thaumaturgists since the last Occult War.

Standing Orders: Mages will protect themselves from conventional weapons using thaumaturgy, and so Coalition operatives participating in Operation Uberflutung will be issued with paratechnological weaponry to bypass this. The four Archmagisters present in Shlfels (shown right) are designated as priority targets. Report if sighted, but do not engage without authorisation.

KTE-1678-Blue-Houdini "Ella Roth": Swiss, resident of UT-2015-Zweifach, Archmagister of the SHAM. Obtained a doctorate in theoretical physics from the Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. Has been working closely with the town council of UT-2015-Zweifach, rallying the population of UT-2015-Zweifach to form militias and fortify the town.

KTE-1542-Blue-Houdini "Nills Weber": German, former Archmagister of the Augsburg Academy, expert in mind-affecting spells and effects. Placed the entire PHYSICS team deployed to the Augsburg Academy into a coma, allowing its students and faculty to escape before re-enforcements could arrive. Leads a division of mages known as "The Inquisition", using various occult methods to identify PSYCHE operatives embedded within KTO-1466-Houdini and UT-2015-Zweifach. A full PHYSICS Division of psychics will be deployed to neutralise KTE-1542-Blue-Houdini.

KTE-1986-Blue-Houdini "Peridot Garnier": French, former Archmagister of the Colmar Academy. Anticipated the arrival of the GOC, coordinated the thaumaturgic relocation of the entire student body to the nearby town of Mulhouse, then dispersed. Expected to play a supporting role rather than fighting on the front lines, appears to be supplementing physical barricades with occult defences.

KTE-1473-Blue-Houdini "Szabó János": Hungarian, former Archmagister of the Bucharest Academy, reopened in 1993. Collapsed the building during Operation Sternenfall, killing 21 GOC operatives. Rarely seen in public since arriving in UT-2015-Zweifach, spending his time in the SHAM building known colloquially as the "Wizards Tower". Reports from ATO3-0917-Scarlet-Dagger "GRU-P" describe his participation in resistance to the Soviet occupation of Hungary, indicating a highly aggressive approach to magic.

Image representing Das Wunderkabinet, found on advertisements and products.

KTO-1995-Funke, "Das Wunderkabinett", is a organisation manufacturing and selling paranormal objects, based out of a shop in Sjhlfels am Rhein but distributing their products across Europe through unknown means.

Structure: KTE-1563-Blue-Funkefather, "Ms Regula Mirabilis", a defector from ATO-1956-Mauer, "Division XXV" is the founder and leader of Das Wunderkabinet. Known associates include KTE-2003-Moro-Domino-Funke, an animate marionette capable of animating other objects, and KTE-1056-Velveteen-Funke, a heavily armed Trabant 601 S.

Resources: In addition to being parathreats themselves, the members of KTO-1996-Funke have the ability to create various paranormal artefacts. While earlier products appear to have been developed for everyday utility, many more recent artefacts seem to have been designed to help their customers evade or escape the GOC, indicating a shift in the organisation's priorities.

Standing Orders: Terminate members of KTO-1996-Funke on sight. Coalition operatives should destroy any artefacts suspected to be associated with KTO-1996-Funke from a safe distance while avoiding any physical contact, since many appear to have been hexed to cause harmful effects if a GOC operative attempts to use or damage the object.

One of three versions of the Institute's Logo

KTO-1982-Darwin, the "Institut für menschliche Bildung und Weiterentwicklung" (Institute for Human Education and Development, IMBW) was founded in 1972 in Berlin, allegedly to promote human education and development. However, Coalition investigations discovered that experiments were being performed that converted humans into parathreats, and the organisation was shut down by Coalition agents, with all personnel to be recruited, detained or terminated.

Structure: The founder of IMBW, KTE-1983-Red-Bronze-Darwinfather, "Professor Voss", was presumed terminated following a point-blank gunshot to the forehead during the liquidation of the original IMBW. However, closer inspection revealed that this was actually an R.T.I. Titan android replica (Representatives of Raptor Tec. Industries insist this was supplied to the IMBW prior to their signing of an exclusive contract with the GOC). KTE-1983-Red-Bronze-Darwinfather has survived three subsequent termination attempts due to the continued use of remotely controlled replicas and its own paranormal abilities. KTE-1983-Red-Bronze-Darwinfather rebuilt KTO-1982-Darwin by recruiting other fugitives with scientific and paratechnological expertise, especially after relocating to UT-2005-Zweifach to evade the Coalition's reach.

Resources: The IMBW has limited financial resources, but has significant parascientific capabilities, with a focus on the mental and physical alteration of its formerly human members and test subjects. KTE-1983-Red-Bronze-Darwinfather embraces self-experimentation, possessing both biological and cybernetic augmentations that have been augmented in each subsequent encounter with the GOC. Strength, endurance and regenerative ability are significantly above human norms, and KTE-1983-Red-Bronze-Darwinfather is armed with paratechnological weaponry, either remotely controlled by a brain-computer interface or incorporated into its cybernetic left arm.

Standing Orders: KTE-1983-Red-Bronze-Darwinfather appears to bear a personal grudge against the GOC due to the termination of a parathreat that KTE-1983-Red-Bronze-Darwinfather claims was formerly its wife. It is expected to engage the GOC, likely supported by other members of the IMBW with unknown paranormal abilities. Conventional weaponry will, at best, slow down KTE-1983-Red-Bronze-Darwinfather. Operatives should immediately report any sightings of KTE-1983-Red-Bronze-Darwinfather to command, then perform a fighting retreat, since an immediate artillery bombardment of the area with the goal of the total incineration of KTE-1983-Red-Bronze-Darwinfather has been authorised and prepared in advance.

The logo of the Caecus Carneliana-Collective

LTO-3389-Baum, the Caesus Carnelia Collective, was a paranormal terrorist organisation that recruited and created parathreats. The organisation had a hierarchy modelled on the Kabbalistic Sephirot, and was presumed to be liquidated following the termination of LTE-3110-Yellow-Baumfather, "Kether", after the capture, release and tracking of KTE-3032-Yellow-Baum, "Daath".

However, a successor organisation designated UTO-4910-Baum appears to have been established shortly afterwards, presumably by surviving members of LTO-3389-Baum. Members refer to it using the same name as the original organisation, but refer to each other with names derived from the Klippot.

Structure: UTO-4987-Baum appears to be lead by KTE-6011-Yellow-Baumfather, "Thaumiel", an humanoid entity of variable appearance. The abilities and appearances of the members of the Collective are unknown, but it is believed that there are at least 10 other members.

Resources: Unknown, but all members of the organisation are parathreats. Known paranormal abilities possessed by one or more members include shapeshifting, temporal distortion and psychic manipulation.

Standing Orders Operatives should refer any unknown esoteric terms to a Coalition Kabbalist. As always, proceed with caution when engaging an Unknown Threat Entity, and do not hesitate to use overwhelming force.

While each of these organisations in isolation represents a significant threat to normalcy, PSYCHE operatives embedded within have observed meetings between leaders of these four factions and a fifth individual, believed to be Alyx Chao of KTO-0001-Bellfather "Overwatch Council". These meetings were mediated by former members of LTO-1150-Alethinos, the "Tatzelwurm's Paw", and while exact details are scarce, there appears to be a plan for these various organisations to work together to coordinate a defense of UT-2015-Zweifach against the planned GOC assault ("Operation Uberflutung") .

CC: Operation Uberflutung

From: cog.vidSCISYHP|remmarKTP#cog.vidSCISYHP|remmarKTP

Operatives,

I've heard some concerns about this upcoming operation.

I'll be honest, there's plenty to worry about. Individuals and groups that we've been hunting for years have been gathering in Sjhlfels am Rhein. It's the only place beyond our reach in the German-speaking world, and it seems like they're willing to die to prevent us from taking it.

Let them die.

This is an opportunity to wipe them out, once and for all, and restore some semblance of Normalcy to Europe.

We're going to simultaneously assault both entrances to the Nexus. We expect heavy resistance, but that means we're coming prepared, with our best thaumatologists and the most advanced paratech in the world. You'll of course all be wearing White Suits, and our arrangement with Raptor Tec Industries has given us plenty of new weapons to deploy. While the tanks and drones may be flashy, the assault rifles are going to be the most useful - there's no bullet to block with armor or deflect with magic, they crush bones and pulp organs with pure kinetic force.

But no matter how impressive our arsenal, we still need brave men and women to wield those weapons. I'm proud to be the one leading you into battle against monsters and traitors.

Mundus, Normalis

General Paul Krammer

European High Command

PHYSICS Division

CC: Operation Uberflutung

From: cog.vidYMELOTP|enorKM#cog.vidYMELOTP|enorKM

I've been asked to give a post-battle report, based on eyewitness testimony. While I was not present until the very end, my experience with Astral Manipulation makes me more than qualified to comment on the numerous errors and oversights that plagued this operation.

(A note on the terminology: I have attended your lectures at the ICSUT, and while your theories involving EVE and the observer effect certainly are ONE approach to magic, Astral Manipulation is something quite distinct. I have long been insisting that the more accurate "Type Violet" term be adopted to refer to magical practitioners who draw on energy from other planes of existence.)

The first complication was the weather - if you'd consulted me in advance, I'd have pointed out that the rituals for weather manipulation are relatively simple when working within a closed system like Sjhlfels, and that would have enabled you to protect yourselves better against the lightning that was directed with such deadly effect. Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done to stop a weather system like that once it's established and sustained, and in the absence of the original casters to reverse their workings, constant thunderstorms may well become a permanent feature of the Sjhlfels microclimate.

The landing craft coming in from the Rhein weren't designed for that kind of weather, and quite a few of them were overturned. I know there are a lot of rumours about some sort of creature or creatures in the water, but that's not been confirmed - I hear that trawlers are still dragging the coast to see if the the bodies can be found. The rough waves and strong winds scattered the fleet, and every boat that got too close to the Sjhlfels docks were sunk by mages on the shore - the idiom "sitting ducks" comes to mind. While the landings further up the coast were successful, they were more spread out along the shore than was ideal, enabling the defenders to carry out a defeat in detail by attacking each landing party while they were still disembarking. However, I've been informed that despite the high casualties and the lack of progress made for most of the day, this assault was essential to keep our foes divided.

The force that came in overland from the Sihl Valley made much faster progress. The mud and rain made it difficult for most of our vehicles, but the R.T.I. Grizzly tanks really were impressive, both for their manoeuvrability and for the ability of those railguns to punch through pretty much everything. There were a few ambushes by mages, but generally the battle went very well while in the open, and Coalition forces quickly reached the town.

If I had been consulted, I would have advised that you reduce the entire settlement to rubble via an artillery bombardment. In the confined spaces that characterise urban warfare, a small number of prepared defenders can inflict heavy losses on a much larger attacking force. While I have been told that the plan was to capture the Nexus mostly intact, you severely underestimated the capacities of the Mages Academy, likely because no graduate of the academy was consulted until it was far too late.

There was a regrettable lack of precautions taken to protect against psychic influence. Entire units were hallucinating, attacking enemies that weren't there, or directing fire against our own forces (the fact that the R.T.I. Hammer P1 bypasses all armour and cover is something of a mixed blessing). I believe that the psionics divisions was eventually able to incapacitate Archmagister Weber, but I'm afraid that the brain damage caused by his retaliatory curse is irreversible.

After recovering from this initial confusion, our forces then proceeded deep enough into the town to be attacked from all sides, primarily by mages but also by local residents. The attack by Professor Voss and his IMBW creations was particularly noteworthy, since the collateral damage from the artillery bombardment was almost as deadly as the initial attack - indeed, he ensured that he was totally surrounded. I suppose you wouldn't expect to find a body after the use of that many incendiaries, but the lack of one is still concerning.

The use of unconventional weaponry to bypass Mages Academy wards was ingenious, although I doubt they'll be so unprepared next time you face them on the battlefield. They'd already developed countermeasures to your otherwise impressive armor - seeing through invisibility is trivial, it offers limited protection from lightning strikes, and it seems the mages also developed a rather viscious spell to warp and distort the plating and crush the wearer inside it. After their initial losses to the R.T.I. Hammer P1, the mages learned to keep their distance and protect themselves with mobility and stealth. The Invisibility cloaks created by Mirabilis seem to have been used to great effect to ambush and evade us, and I suspect that Ways were created to connect locations throughout Sjhlfels together to enable rapid advances and retreats. With our progress slowed by the barricades and traps they filled the streets with, we certainly took more casualties than they did.

(Personally, I don't trust the reports that Das Wunderkabinet was destroyed - I know the lot the shop was in is now occupied only by rubble, but I speak from experience when I say that my former apprentice always was very skilled at slipping away.)

As for General Krammer, it seems the cause of death was venom from an unknown source. I suspect that one or more members of the Caecus Carnelia Collective specifically targeted him, because troops report receiving orders from him long after his body would have been cold - or at least, orders that they are confident originated from him. That impersonation seems to have been used to get our forces exactly where the enemy wanted them.

It was clear that we'd eventually win with our superior numbers, but what you took for a fighting retreat was really a trap. If I'd been consulted I could have told you the dangers of cornering an Archmage within an Academy that they've had plenty of time to fortify, especially when a man as spiteful as Szabó Janos is coordinating the defense. He was a thorn in the Soviets' side in his youth, and it seems he's only become more stubborn in his old age. Your thaumatologists may have eventually worked out how to protect themselves from the lightning strikes he was directing at us, but in the absence of any understanding of the principles behind the wards placed around the SHAM, they decided to just brute force their way through. It could have been an accident due to channelling too much energy into his defences without the proper precautions, but I suspect Szabó knew exactly what he was doing when he allowed an Astral Being to possess him.

Reshaping the storm above Sjhlfels into a cyclone that quickly was the kind of magic that would normally be impossible, but those limits simply don't apply to Mages possessed by Astral Beings. It's rather difficult to explain to an uneducated audience, but imagine taking hold of a live wire, except the energy that courses through your body has a will of its own.

Entire divisions were swept away by that hurricane, allowing Szabó (since the entity held all of his knowledge, I'll consider it to be him) to focus all of his attention on the little that was left, consisting of the thaumatologists capable of protecting themselves from those winds, and the tanks and Orange Suits that were too heavy to be picked up.

Szabó attacked those by creating an intense electromagnetic field around himself, destroying any electronics he got too close to, but also blocking every shot from the R.T.I. Hammer P1. I expect we'll be seeing a lot more of that defense in future now that the mages know it works. Conventional weapons and railguns could still be used, but Szabó was constantly in motion and could easily deflect or redirect the few projectiles that would have hit their mark. That left only our thaumatologists, who eventually brough him down by throwing out too many different spells for him to counter, although not without a great many losses. Szabó resorted to tearing apart the fabric of reality to bypass their defenses - for obvious reasons, this is not a technique someone with concern for their own safety would ever use. However, he was an old man, I suspect he simply wanted to take as many of you down with him as he could.

It's a good thing you called on me to clean up that mess, the reality breaches were already starting to spread, releasing dangerous levels of Astral Radiation. If they'd been uncontained for much longer the entire Sjhlfels Nexus may have broken apart and collapsed into the Astral Plane. I eventually gathered enough Mages to perform a ritual to excise the area around the Hochshule from the Sjhlfels Nexus. While that was the safest way to repair (or at least remove) the damage, it does means that the town of Sjhlfels is now smaller on the inside.

I have no idea where all the residents of Sjhlfels went, but one would presume that you did not actually have all entrances and exits to the town blockaded, and that they evacuated either before or during your rather slow invasion. I suppose this operation could be considered a success in achieving its main objective, however I must insist that I am consulted prior to any further actions against the Mages Academy. The destruction of a non-anomalous settlement will be much more difficult to cover up.

Mundus, Normalis

Magister Krone

Esoteric Research and Development

PTOLOMY Division

CC: Operation Sternenfall

From: cog.viDEHCYSP|tziLOB#cog.viDEHCYSP|tziLOB

Operatives,

Although casualties sustained during the capture of CT4-2005-Zweifach were higher than anticipated, High Command has deemed the losses of men and material to be acceptable sacrifices in pursuit of the GOC's main missions: the Survival of Humanity and the Destruction of Parathreats.

Magister Krone's remarks will be taken into consideration.

Mundus, Normalis

Braun Lizt

Parathreat Intelligence

PSYCHE Division

CC: Operation Uberflutung

From: cog.vidSCISYHP|remmarKTP#cog.vidSCISYHP|remmarKTP

Win another battle like that, and you'll have no soldiers left to follow you. You'll find the news is spreading fast that the GOC can be beaten.

We stand in solidarity with an international movement, eager to learn from our successes and your failures.

We are the German-Speaking branch of the The Security and Containment Protectorate.

- Supreme Archmagister Ella Roth of the Mages Academy

- Regula Mirabilis of Das Wunderkabinett

- Professor Alexander Voss of the IMBW

- Thaumiel, the Contending Force of the Caecus Carnelia Collective

Mundus, Liberari

| Mundus, Liberari | Occult Warfare »

Footnotes

1. Known Threat Organisation

2. Uncontrolled Territory

3. Absorbed Threat Organisation

4. Coalition Territory