Eighth Direction

Officially referred to as the GRU-N58 (often foreshortened to simply the N58), the Eighth Direction is an elite military intelligence unit dedicated to keeping Russia free from vampiric influence. Originally formed by the USSR, the Eighth Direction is infamous for being far more subtle than many of its counterparts within the Coalition, preferring kidnapping, extortion, and false flag operations to the typical "Shake and Bake" tactics employed by other members. To date, their strike teams are considered on par with the Vatican's Entity Special Operations Group in terms of effectiveness. They even maintain their own storehouses of artifacts and occult knowledge through a long-standing alliance with the Akritai.

Because of this emphasis on subtlety and self-reliance, N58 does not play well with others - particularly its American affiliates within FIRSTLIGHT and the IAO. The main point of contention ultimately stems from their belief that - apart from the Vatican - the other allied agencies are focused on individual geopolitical goals rather than the actual supernatural threat they all face.

Another point of controversy is the Eighth Direction's tendency to adopt a "fight fire with fire" approach: weaponizing paranormal creatures against their own kind. The most infamous example of this practice is the Eighth Direction's Unit 242, a black-budget organization that recruits directly from foreign paramilitary forces. Candidates for the unit that show exceptional promise are taken to a top-secret compound in the Black Sea to undergo the classified "ZMEI Protocol" - transforming them into Thin-blooded shock troops.

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