Supernatural America and the World

The supernatural world across the planet Earth holds to some strikingly standardized lines. Most countries have some kind of shadow-government with key influence in the public government through the use of bribes, threats, and occasionally Vampiric Servants. Though the use of a Vampiric Servant is far less common in the world than it is in the United States of America, China, Japan, and Russia where it is commonplace to have a powerful figure in government as a Vampiric Servant.

Africa

The only place on Earth where Vampires have little or no control and influence at large is Africa, where the turmoil there has been mostly caused by a mass killing of the Vampire leadership across many different countries. While most of the people are unaware of Vampires by name, there is knowledge of how to spot a dangerous person or a person meant to die, steeped in superstition Vampires surprisingly don't last all that long outside of South Africa and Egypt. There is a contingent of Shape Shifters which keep very low levels of control and organization throughout the continent, although if any area proves to supernaturals that humans cannot govern themselves effectively, it is said to be Africa where for the most part, they do.

Humans and mundanes who were aware of the situations may also argue that the continued efforts of non-humans to control the area are what keep it in a constant state of unrest and violence. Some even say that there are a few supernatural creatures which thrive on such conflict and keep it going as a matter of enjoyment.

Middle East

The unrest in the Middle East has been a great problem for Vampires and Shaper Shifters alike but both have very different views on how to get there. The religious dividing lines between all the powers in the area also divide the supernatural creatures of the area. This has the startling effect of making it nearly impossible for any one group to calm the tensions down enough for peace. Pakistan and Afghanistan have absolutely no supernatural leadership outside of those that run the terrorist organizations and the countries magic and psionic users wish to keep it that way. These humans who use magic and psionics have allied themselves with various terrorist and militant groups to try to keep control.

More developed countries such as Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and such have similar conflicts going on internally but have not devolved into chaos the way some of the other countries have. One may be inclined to speculate that some force of magic users or vampires are in control of the Palestinian conflict, but this is not the case. Both Israel and Palestine have almost the same mix of humans to supernaturals as any other region and it still comes down to Israel having been granted the area as a nation by the British in 1948 even when the Palestinians still lived there.

Europe

Supernatural Europe is overal controlled through a loose association of Vampires which has maintained their alliance for literally thousands of years. They leave most of the politics to the humans and only influence when way may be close to breaking out. Even then, they do little to disrupt the efforts of war except in so much as it pertains to their direct interested - mainly the continuation of their power and authority. This lack of interest should not be confused with lack of power. While in ancient times and medieval times, they controlled through fear and a more direct approach the modern day has not diminished their power.

Several corporations with ties to every single major government and political party in Europe are controlled through this association of vampires, run by their servants and others loyal to them. There are literally hundreds of families which see it as their sacred duty to protect and serve these vampires. As such, their power cannot be overestimated. Though they seldom reach into America (having a strong distaste for the politics and social norms of the region) they do have the ability to.

The ruling vampires call themselves the council, they are complimented by a much tighter knit but more guerrilla organization of the pack which is made of up shifters. The pack isolate themselves in cells like a terrorist organization, few members of the pack know the names of many other members. This is due to a war between the two sides which spilled over into the mundane world as The Great War (WWI). While neither side won, the shifters went underground and actually increased their numbers and influence considerably. Still they execute that influence carefully and thoughtfully if with little of the finesse common to the vampires of the council.

Asia

Asian is dominated by Russia and China, both of which have had significant upset over the last several hundred years.

Russia

The current political dynamic in Russia is quite similar to that of the United States, though they would never admit to that. The fall of the Soviet Union had a significant impact on the Vampire population there and caused many assassinations carried out by magic users during the fall of communism in the country. For many years after the country was ruled by humans, but an underground movement to restore the country of Russia to its former glory also pulled in an element to restore the rightful rulers of the country. The current Russian president is known to be a Vampiric Servant but his master (or mistress) is unknown. The country is highly unstable and a harsh and heavy hand is used to control potential dissenters. The country is thought to be run by a single head Vampire, this vampire hires out the shifter population and pays them to be body guards, thugs, or soldiers as needed.

This upsets shifters from other countries who feel that their kind is being blatantly exploited there, and there is growing unrest to stop this from continuing coming from Europe and China.

China

China has a very strong root in the power of ancestry. While in the ancient history many emperors were vampires and ruled directly, this ended several centuries ago. The current practice is to rule from the shadows, where a pair of young boys and a pair of young girls are chosen from the most prestigious families in the country to become vampiric servants from a very young age. They are groomed for a life of political maneuvering and service to the country from the time they are roughly 4 years old up until puberty, where they are then taken as servants. Each one takes control of a different part of the general running of the country. The children ascend to control the ruling political party, large business interests, criminal organizations, and dissenters. By controlling these facets with vampiric servants they ensure that they are able to control the entirety of Chinese society. The vampires and their servants are simply called 所選擇的 (The Chosen Ones).

Shifters also play an incredibly large an honored role, as the personal guards and police force to the vampiric servants who run the country. Their positions are revered and they see it as the greatest honor. Though occasionally one wishes to break from tradition, largely they are allowed to and usually become a middle-mangement figure in some other area of society. By allowing such shifters to choose their own way, they also ensure a better finger on the pulse of the country at large from within its middle ranks as well as its upper ranks. It is also not above the chosen ones who indirectly ensure that some of their people do choose to leave the fold and become less successful, to allow for resources in various social and economic circles.

United States of America

The world of supernatural America is dominated by the paradigm that Vampires are patient enough to ascend to positions of political power, but usually in the background. There are many places where the figurehead in power is actually a Vampiric Servant whom is being controlled by a spouse or even a mistress into controlling the city or some part of the government. Being a much younger country, those who run it from behind the scenes tend to be more brash and less patient than their cousins from other parts of the world. The supernaturals that lead in America are more likely to show up at ones doorstep with armed thugs and less likely to patiently wait until a human in their way dies of natural causes, or using corporate influences to ruin them financially.

Other nations have a general dislike of this rash behavior (as they call it) and shy away from the country as a whole. America gets very little supernatural help from outside its boarders but at the same time gets very little outside influence as well. There is a generally uneasy peace as well, it is rumored that America did not enter World War II until a conflict arose between two Vampires, one in America and one in Germany, and that the American orchestrated the bombing at Pearl Harbor to justify to the masses forcing the United States into the war.

Shape Shifters also have a much bigger part in the running of the country, in fact most organized crime syndicates and police divisions have some direct connection to shape shifter leadership, this can be a thorn in the side of Vampires locally but there is a steadfast commitment to peace between the two sides, in working together. Shifters will say they work together to protect the humans while vampires will say they work together to protect power and money. Either way, they both work together for more continued survival than anything else.