Ankara (CofD)
Ankara is a city in central Anatolia in Turkey. It is one of the core settings of Deviant: The Renegades. Within the city, two major conspiracies war for dominance: the Onachus and the Vigilance Society.
Overview
Ankara is home to multiple distortions in reality, causing parallel worlds to intersect in numerous places. Few Deviants and conspiracies have any idea why these rifts occur. Some theorize that a catastrophic reality-altering bomb was detonated sometime in the past (or future), creating a confluence of alternate timelines. Others believe the Tree of Life on Turkish money points to the branches of reality having its base in Ankara.
Progenitors come to Ankara to investigate the divergent realities, or to study the texts of ancient conspiracies. Others are lured by legends of King Midas or jinn. Most of these independent researchers are watched by the Onachus or the Vigilance Society, and are either forced into working for them or removed.
Deviants are largely unconcerned with why Ankara has such distortions, more concerned about the effects they have. Cohorts teach their newer members what places to avoid under which circumstances. Some wily Renegades use the parallel realities to evade pursuing Devoted.
Baselines remain largely unaware of the divergent realities, but they still have some idea that something is off about the city.
Conspiracies
The two major conspiracies of Ankara, the mystical Onachus and the military Vigilance Society compete for control over the city.
Onachus
The Onachus, named both for the ancient Greek word for "anchor" and a legendary Anatolian monster, has existed for thousands of years, controlling both mundane corporate fronts and an organized mystery cult. It exists throughout the Middle East and parts of Europe, but most of its efforts are centered on Ankara.
The Onachus believes itself to be the protector of humanity against the unseen horrors of the world. It works to to seal the tears in reality and investigate the many mysteries within. While the conspiracy has considerable corporate influence, it mainly relies on community and religious groups within Ankara itself.
The Devoted are central to the Onachus' power. The conspiracy practices Divergence carefully, implanting occult artifacts into the bodies of its subjects and infusing them with supernatural radiance. The Devoted of the Onachus are zealous for the conspiracy; they believe themselves to be part of humanity's future, hoping to cast of the body and live entirely as a soul.
Currently, the Onachus is searching for Kelebek, a Deviant who recently went Renegade and has formed her own cult of sorts. In addition, the conspiracy is deeply embroiled in conflict with the Vigilance Society. Some conspirators believe that the Onachus' time is coming to an end.
Vigilance Society
The Vigilance Society, or the Uyanıklık Cemiyeti, is a paramilitary organization that claims to serve the Turkish government, but answers only to itself. The Society arose in the aftermath of the Great War, after the Ottoman Empire fell and Turkish nationalism took its place. During the movement, the society absorbed the Eiraf procedures, developed by an archaic conspiracy of astrologers and prognosticators. In time, they would use these procedures to begin producing Cephalist Remade.
The Vigilance Society dwells in the shadow of the Republic and the military. They have access to wiretaps, surveillance, police, and literal black helicopters. These days, however, the conspiracy's focus is on creating more Cephalists to better monitor and influence the public. The Society views Renegades as potential threats and terrorists, and it works to capture as many Deviants as it can.
Due to a bureaucratic mishap, the Vigilance Society has managed to obtain - and lose - a nuclear warhead. One of the conspiracy's Deviants has vanished along with the bomb, and the best guess the Society has is that both are still somewhere in Ankara. This problem has grown after rumors have surfaced that the Deviant is planning to sell the bomb to Kelebek.
The Midas Club
The Midas Club is a conspiracy that doesn't realize it's a conspiracy. The group consists of a loose network of interested parties who want to identify protect Deviants from the major conspiracies. Under the mantle of humanitarianism, the current head, Orhan Tilkiki, seeks to transport Deviants out of the city where they can be studied and treated in facilities.
In truth, the Midas Club was founded by a group of military officers who discovered the existence of the Vigilance Society. Over the past several decades, it has survived the cold war between the Society and the Onachus through bribery and deceit. While Tilkiki does have the Remade's best interests in mind, he has begun using more coercive means to bring Deviants into the fold.
References
- DTR: Deviant: The Renegades Rulebook, p. 251-260