Something like the Men-In-Black of the supernatural world, the Exchange are the people who hold the line between the supernatural and the mundane. As a group, they are capable, competent, and intimately in the know about the supernatural. With a long, storied history, they operate primarily in Western Europe and North America, with a few offshoots or reformed groups in the British Commonwealth of Nations and former British colonies.

They are known for being an agile and stealthy force - while they do patrol at street level, many agents make use of stealth tactics to stay out of sight and out of mind. It is generally accepted wisdom that you want the upper hand when fighting the supernatural - if you can hit a demon before it even sees you, your chances of survival greatly increase.

The attitude towards the Exchange in the local supernatural community in Easthaven is generally positive, as they're viewed as a necessary line of defence against out of control supernatural entities and dangerous individuals putting the community at risk. However, on an individual basis this opinion does vary, based on personal perspective and experience. Many Agents are locals drawn from the supernatural community, with intimate knowledge of both the community and magic.

For supernatural who are troubled or in need of housing or other support, the Exchange run the Lethe Hostel, a place to stay and their primary office for social outreach in the supernatural community in Easthaven.

Please take note: Players who do things to catch the Exchange's attention will have to contend with the consequences of their actions, although the way those consequences manifest can be discussed. Carefully consider what you will or will not do in a plot where your character is in trouble and talk it out with staff and other Exchange players. Crossing the line can be anything from bothering the locals enough to get reported, attacking an agent, or causing a magical disaster that harms someone or threatens the secrecy that the Exchange work to maintain.

The Exchange accept both humans and metahumans into their ranks, having seen the tactical misstep of limiting their recruitment pool. Magic-users, half-bloods, shifters, and the undead are not viewed much differently than pure humans. The Exchange agents aren't absent of their personal prejudices, as one cannot control individual opinions, but the organisation has a merit-based hiring approach.

Morality varies within their ranks, from the pinnacle of goodness to the sort of person who will do whatever it takes for the greater good. In essence, these men and women of the Exchange stand on the edge of the void and scream back, lending to a whole variety of personalities that may or may not clash. The job takes a lot out of the agents, as it is a high-risk, low-reward job that leaves little room for anyone simply seeking status. Summed up, they're a collectivistic group that rates cooperation highly but also requires the sort of person who can operate independently and make choices in tough situations.

Each Exchange cohort has a cypher for digital and physical documents, which preserves the secrecy around their work. Many also have a collection of diaries and books written in older cyphers that they no longer have the key to, thanks to the writers, past Inquisitors and agents alike, being killed in action before being able to share their key. Easthaven's collection of coded books is extensive, thanks to its long history.

Every agent who joins the Exchange signs a magical contract that serves as an oath to the organisation and their cohort, a product of an arcanists work. This magic goes beyond simple spoken oaths, as breaking this written contract marks the agent with a visible sign of their betrayal. Their hands turn black, as if they have been dipped in ink. The agent cannot scrub away or otherwise remove or magically hide these markings until they seek out the sitting Inquisitor and state their case. On a case by case basis, this either results in the agent being tied by the tongue tyers, kicked out of the organisation, or killed.

To break the oath, a serious transgression must happen. Examples of this can be: sharing information to the detriment of the Exchange, the cohort, and the supernatural community; misusing magic or magical objects for personal gain; recklessly endangering fellow agents, mundanes, or members of the supernatural community; misappropriate Exchange property.

Quick Summary

Both mundane humans, magical humans, and metahumans work in the Exchange.

Agents vary in morality and opinions on the supernatural and life.

Agents work in cyphers when they mark down information, as secrecy is central to their work.

Agents are bound by a magical contract when they join, a written oath that marks them with black hands when it is broken.

The sole authority in an Exchange office is the Inquisitor, a formal title left over from the European roots of the organisation. There are differences in leadership styles between Inquisitors, but there is a common goal of protecting everyone from supernatural threats. The other ranks, senior to junior agent, represent the level of experience of the agents under the Inquisitor's command. Senior agents can lead bigger teams on cases that need more manpower, but usually, agents handle cases with their partners, calling in back-up when needed.

A player may place their character in any of the agent ranks at their discretion. The only qualification is that the history of the character reflects their chosen rank.

Inquisitor for Easthaven

Theo Crowhurst

Ranks

Senior Agent

Agent

Junior Agent

The dynamic of the Exchange in Easthaven is that of a small investigative division in the mundane world. They tend to be somewhat insular and defend their own, as is typical in a group regularly facing the weird, dangerous, and deadly. They're small in number, especially compared to the community they police. The larger cities like New York or Los Angeles have more bodies to throw around, while Easthaven has learned to get the most out of their available agents.

While they hold no power in the mundane world, being nothing more than a fully licensed PI firm in the eyes of the law, they work to maintain the secrecy of the supernatural and protect the supernatural community. They work to eliminate risks to that secrecy, and neatly fill in the role as the men in black of the supernatural world. These risks can be rampaging creatures of all sorts: the bay creatures looking for a snack, unauthorised spiritual activity, people getting lost in the subway and ending up in the underworld, flesh-eating possessed scarecrows, and many more. The more unfortunate cases, such as shifters gone amok or ritualists pushing the envelope too far, are also handled by the Exchange, often to deadly effect.

Although small in number, the Easthaven cohort has recently established their very own Sewing Circle. With an experience Arcanist coming up from Boston to spearhead an organised group for enchantment and charm work for the Easthaven cohort, their small cohort has reinforced their position and supply lines. This, along with their favourable reputation in the community, means they are generally respected and taken seriously. Despite their losses and inability to expand as rapidly as the community they protect, the Easthaven Exchange cohort is intent on using their resources as effectively as they can to fulfill their charter.

At best, the Easthaven police department would consider them vigilantes if they knew what the Exchange got up to. However, there is still the vestiges of a working relationship between the two organisations. Should a mundane case start looking supernatural, higher-ups in the know are known to tap the Exchange PI for the work, to the bafflement of some officers.

Quick Summary

The Easthaven Exchange operates as a fully licensed and legal private detective firm.

They're small in number after some rough years and low recruitment, but as a result they ferociously defend their own.

Their charter is to maintain the secrecy and protect the supernatural world and protect the mundane from supernatural threats.

The Easthaven Exchange has an active Sewing Circle, headed by an experienced Exchange Arcanist from Boston.

The community they protect generally views them favourably and cooperates willingly when problems crop up.

The Easthaven Police Department as a whole are unaware of their presence as supernatural experts, but some individuals know and willingly cooperate with them.

There is no single recipe for how to train an Exchange agent. The training model used across America is an apprenticeship approach, focused on learning on the job with another agent. Therefore, rookies are often already familiar with the Exchange and the community, possessing some skills that would be useful. In the case of a skilled individual showing promise, an Exchange cohort in a city may actively pursue recruiting them. Still, recruits primarily come from those who actively seek out the Exchange themselves.

The variety of training depends on senior agents available in each Exchange office. If a rookie or agent is interested in pursuing a magic or ritual focus, seeking an apprenticeship with another agent with expertise in that area is the natural progression of their training. Most senior agents are expected to offer their expertise, especially if they're experts in any magical field or theory.

Generally, all agents know how rituals and magic work, especially the Codes of Conduct. Agents learn counter-magic tactics through a mix of on-the-job training and course work, specifically the quirks of magic, identifying ritual circles and breaking them safely, and the weaknesses and strengths of metahumans. Depending on an agent's training, they employ a variety of abilities and tools to counteract the magics they encounter on the job. Many agents carry objects of silver and iron, with the cleverer agents, with access to good arcanists, carrying around little bottles of sunlight for an emergency.

While retirement is an option within the Exchange, most do not choose to leave the organization. It is difficult to go back to normal life at the end of it all. So they remain on board (and thus retain the bonus) often serving as archivists or researchers. Alternatively, an agent may go rogue and retain their bonus, but they will then be avidly hunted by the Tongue-Tyers and more often than not meet a swift end. The third option is allowing the Tongue-Tyers to take it all from you so that you may go on to live a normal life in ignorance.

A Sewing Circle is an Exchange-associated group of hedge witches, hobbyists, arcanists, and other magic users. When magic users find each other over the internet or through community centers, sharing knowledge and resources, they often group together and become something of a magical force in the community. More often than not, this means that the Exchange needs to keep a close eye on them lest they find their way into more dangerous practices, becoming something more like a cabal or a cult.

Rather than disbanding or destroying these groups where they find them, the Exchange offers positions in an adjunct organization known as the Sewing Circle. In return for attaching themselves to an Exchange cohort and helping by creating simple enchanted utility and protection items, these groups gain access to better resources and protection. The Easthaven Sewing Circle is slowly building their numbers, a new Exchange Arcanist having come up from Boston to spearhead their efforts. Despite their new status, their expertise is unmatched in the city.

Like the Tongue-Tyers, they are primarily based in Europe, although there are a few small groups in the Americas, often housewives, hobbyists, hedgewitches, and other minor magic users.

History

Again, the name comes from a group in old Erasmus Cross. Part ritualist resource, part social club, the Sewing Circle was a group of women who lived openly as women as part of the Exchange and were classified as noncombatants. They also were not required to live on Exchange property and often ran households of their own in the city, gathering weekly to exchange gossip, news, and tips on magic use. It's not much different these days.

The upper echelons of Exchange Arcanists. Largely the hand in the dark, they are rarely recognized for their work - and many of them prefer it that way. As the Exchange's version of a spook, they are often in charge of intensive and high-profile interrogations as well as investigations. Their methods are esoteric, and often brutal, cutting to the quick on protecting the line between the supernatural and the mundane.

Their name comes from their roots. This branch of the Exchange was originally meant to keep track of the comings and goings of Erasmus Cross, using intimidation and vigilance to keep the secrets of the city hidden. However, after the advent of Egyptian grimoires and the introduction of Ritual Magic to the Cross, they became known for branding runes onto the top of people's mouths. These runes kept the unfortunate from speaking about the city, or about the brand that keeps them from doing so. The practice has expanded as the art of enchantment was refined. These runes can now create all sorts of controlling effects, which allows the Tongue-Tyers to create protective measures for both the Exchange and the supernatural.

In Europe, they are primarily based in Erasmus Cross, and joining their ranks is a competitive and often dangerous affair. Their academy is world-class, with a demanding curriculum that produces powerful and knowledgable arcanists.

There is no academy or central location for Tongue-Tyers in America and as such their numbers are sparse, with agents going where they are directed rather than settling in any one place. If a Tongue-Tyer darkens your doorstep, then things are serious indeed.

Since they are so rare, in the Americas there are no available positions for Tongue-Tyer characters, although you are free to use them for your character's history.

History

In the era of old Erasmus Cross, Arcanists were primarily high-born women with the time, money, and energy to put into ritual magic. As such, the Tongue-Tyers were one of the few groups in the Exchange that were comprised almost entirely of women. As such, the group never received an official hierarchy. Instead, they have organized themselves into a group subordinate to a Matron and her secretary. This group complemented the combat-focused agents and assisted the detectives and uniformed officers in their work.

These days, they take everyone into their ranks, functioning as a meritocracy, but they have not forgotten their roots and more often than not, the head of the European academy is still a Matron.