Psi Order Norça [Trinity Continuum: Æon]

Following up on a previous Sudamérica preview, today we offer a look at the continent’s Psi Order, the Norça.

There is a power that humanity has both wielded and been the victim of since the era of cave paintings, a power that can achieve far greater things than the mightiest expression of psionic power. It’s a power the Norça have mastered, the power of myth. Ever since the psi orders revealed themselves, the biokinetic order has been shrouded in mystery, allowing gossip to grow as well as nurturing some of their own. The result is a public perception that is one part misconception, one part fable, and the rest is up in the air. In Sudamérica, the Norça are heroes of legend, the strangers that emerge from the wild to defeat evil and protect nature, only to vanish without giving so much as their nickname. In the rest of the world, they are the shadows in the corner, the eyes that pierce the strictest privacy, and the things that replace friends and family with ill-minded duplicates. This contradictory view suits the Norça just fine, as it allows them to conduct their true mission with greater ease, and to subvert their enemies’ expectations as they wish.

“Norça” is the shortened form of Nova Força Nacional, or New National Force, and while the public automatically assume the “national” part refers to Brazil, or Sudamérica as a whole, shifters answer with sly smirks and winks when asked “which nation?” The definition of nation under Proxy Giuseppe del Fuego is wide, extending to the whole of humanity, and representing the relationship of pride, love, and influence people have with their place of birth and the land that supported their growth. For del Fuego, this means the entirety of Earth.

Myths are more powerful when they have a kernel of truth, and while many tales are gross exaggerations, the Norça perform surreptitious patrols in remote locations as they hunt for resource traffickers, poachers, petty tyrants, environmental despoilers, and of course Aberrants. Although most of their patrols are in Sudamérica, where they are welcomed and have actual jurisdiction, they deploy wherever a threat to Earth and humanity appears, especially if del Fuego trusts nobody else to deal with it.

Their air of romanticism extends inward. Del Fuego has always understood the power of narrative, and created one for his Order so that every Norça, psion and neutral alike, feels pride in their mission and knows they are part of something greater. The core of the Norça’s internal narrative combines del Fuego’s sincere environmentalism with the teachings of Otha Herzog. Every Norça knows they are part of a noetic whole, symbolized by the land. They consider themselves avatars of life that mark them as defenders, champions, and guides.

This belief borders on magical thinking, but noetic awareness confirms how deeply interconnected the universe is. The nature of biokinesis itself lets Norça members understand their own life cycle, and they extrapolate this to the natural world. Del Fuego’s words ring true with the shifters’ senses.

Although Proxy del Fuego cultivates mystery and romanticism, he’s perfectly capable of using cold reason to convince cynics and demolishes arguments through logic as well as his considerable charisma. He has embraced the name he received as Pai dos Norça, the Father of the Norça, but discourages the loyalty of his followers from growing into a cult of personality. He wants all Norça to be independent and autonomous even as they are aware of the family to which they belong. He enjoys nothing more than one of his subordinates, whatever their station, contradicting him and then convincing him to adopt an alternative course of action.

Del Fuego ensured that his powerful narrative of belonging was fractal in nature. There is power in the individual, which brings power to the family, then to the group, the psi order, the community, the nation, the planet, the entire species, and the universe. This creates a complex network of organic relationships between Norça cells, task forces, and departments. It is customary for Norça to address each other as brothers and sisters in whatever language they speak, only using ranks and titles with others, or to maintain a clear chain of command during crises.

Del Fuego expects excellence from all his Norça whether they are psions or neutrals, and wishes them all to keep testing and surpassing their limits. Psi order Norça is infamous because of the potential for espionage and heroics biokinesis provides, but they also contribute to security, bioresearch, and environmental protection. Once they had clearly established that the biokinetics were here to fight Aberrants, they devoted their time and resources to ally themselves with Sudamérican companies and governments and made certain their environmental agenda was an integral part of all such alliances.

The noetic expertise of Norça researchers helped companies like the Colombian firm BioSystems rise to the top of biotechnological development, and these companies return the favor by providing the materials and goods the Norça need. Rather than compete with Orgotek in the consumer goods market, Norça and their affiliates focus on infrastructure and biomodification using vegetable templates, and are a silent partner in many endeavors, including the construction of the Brasilia BioArcology.

Pharmacology and applied biochemistry are two more fields of interest to the Norça, as a more precise knowledge of substances and the dynamics of proteins help them fine tune their own psionic powers. This often puts them in contact with the Æsculapians, and they are happy to trade information they deem shareable.

The Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook and Trinity Continuum: Æon are available for preorder via BackerKit.