Operating out of Kansas City, Missouri, the Office of Hidden Realms (OHR) is the closest thing we have to a supernatural police force—if the police had demonologists, sorcerers and ghosts on the payroll along with weapons that could kill things that aren’t supposed to exist.
The OHR doesn’t advertise. They don’t recruit from job fairs. And you won’t find them in history books. But if you see a team in black suits “clearing out an earthquake site” where the ground didn’t actually shake? That’s them.
I’m kidding. They don’t wear black suits. And if you’re Veiled, you wouldn’t remember them anyway.
OHR Origins: Some form of the OHR has existed since the dawn of man. But it wasn’t codified in its current state until after World War I. At the time, humanity was so focused on its own destruction that we didn’t notice something else was watching from the edges. When the war ended, the veil between realms thinned. Supernatural forces, old gods and things that shouldn’t be named slipped through the cracks.
Recruitment: They don’t take applications. If you’re Unveiled and have a useful skill—tracking, spell work, combat experience—they’ll find you. If they need you.
Departments: They have divisions for everything: paranormal investigations, containment teams, field operatives, research, and diplomacy. Some of them don’t even know the others exist, so I’m told.
Technology & Magic: They blend ancient sorcery with the latest tech. Ever wonder why your security camera conveniently glitches when something supernatural happens? That’s them.
Global Counterparts: We are not alone. The U.S. isn’t the only country keeping secrets. Every nation handles it differently.
- The Black Altar (UK): Originally witch hunters for Henry VIII, the order evolved to keep magic from evil and the unworthy. Their words, not mine.
- Order of the Iron Gate (Germany): Members of the Orden des Eisernen Tores are experts in binding, suppressing and rewriting supernatural laws. Almost wiped out in WWII.
- Youdu Shield (China): Reporting to the Jade Emperor, the Shield specializes in supernatural containment. If something escapes their grasp, they meant to let it go.
- Obsidian Komitet (Russia): The Obsidian Komitet survived the Soviet era in the shadows, siphoning resources from an unwitting government. Some say they have their own tamed demons.
- Court of Shadows (France): La Cour d’Ombres operates as a secret society embedded within France’s oldest institutions. Relying on ancient pacts with supernatural beings, the influence they wield is often more potent than their spells and steel.
These organizations and others like them around the world don’t always get along. Sometimes they share information; sometimes they sabotage each other. But they all agree on one thing: If the Unveiled world spills into the normal one, nobody wins.
Are They Good Guys? The OHR does what it has to. Not what’s right. Not what’s fair. Just what’s necessary to contain threats, maintain secrecy and make sure the veiled world stays in the dark… figuratively. Don’t go looking for heroes at the OHR. But they’re the only good guys we got.
TLDR: Think of the OHR as a supernatural Homeland Security, just with less red tape and a lot more firepower.
Stay sharp. Stay Unveiled.
—Penny