In Dev Diary 17[www.paradoxinteractive.com] we introduced you to the Anarchs, one of the enemy factions you will face. Tonight, we want to introduce another: the I.A.O.

The Information and Awareness Office spearheads the U.S. government's response to the Blankbody threat. While officially defunded, it operates on a large black budget that allows its hunters to face the undead under the guise of "training missions" and "counter-terrorist strikes”.

"Does your kind still feel protective over the young? Do you still feel at all?" 

Agent Baker is pragmatic and methodical. She leads the I.A.O. in its mission to investigate the Blankbody presence in Seattle. She doggedly follows up on any suspicious deaths or disappearances and re-examines historical events to achieve her goal: to understand the monsters that she hunts so their elimination can be absolute.

The agents under her command respect her and have given her a nickname, which she bears proudly: “Mother Hen.”

First and foremost the I.A.O. needed to represent a different type of enemy to those that the player would have already encountered in the game. As opposed to the rough and ready Anarch, I.A.O. are a highly trained paramilitary force hunting a very specific type of prey.

From their hard leather padded extremities or the glaring haze of the thermal weapons, we really wanted the I.A.O. to both look and feel like an adversarial force an elder vampire would think twice about before attacking.

I.A.O. are human and thus use technology and tactics to fight their foe, so it was important that we convey the range of enemies and the threat they pose to Phyre as visually and distinctly as possible. Ranged enemies have large, hooded ponchos framing their piercing eyes from range. The more up-front melee enemies have wide dynamic stances as they swing their thermal batons at you. The weapons are military grade so overall feel harder, heavier and built for a specific purpose. The I.A.O. may not have the perks of ghouls or vampires but they’re a formidable force, using technology to their advantage.
- Project Art Director Ben Matthews

In one of my favourite quests to work on, Phyre explores an I.A.O. stronghold on Harbor Island which is heavily guarded both inside and out by I.A.O. agents.

It’s one of the game’s largest and most expansive combat areas, providing multiple ways to navigate the environment, as well as allowing you to tackle objectives in whichever order you choose. The I.A.O. have set up thermal shielding to block certain routes - touching or going near the shields will damage you. You will need to search Harbor Island to find a way of shutting them down, opening up more areas to explore.

I.A.O. agents are more organized than the other enemies you would have faced by this stage of the game. They patrol the facility in groups making it harder to pick them off one-by-one, and their use of night-vision goggles, searchlights, and personal radios requires you to be more strategic if you want to take them out without being spotted.

If you engage the I.A.O. in combat head-on they will use more militaristic tactics with better accuracy and knowledge of their weapons, knowing where to shoot you for the most damage. They wear combat armor, allowing them to take more damage than other humans, but are still weak compared to ghouls and vampires. They make up for their mortal frailty with an arsenal of anti-vampire weapons, which are the strongest you will face in the game: Thermal Batons for close combat, which unlike other enemies will cause damage if you hit them when they are blocking your attacks; Phosphor Grenades which create pools of burning damage to flush you out of hiding spots; and Sniper Crossbows which fire explosive bolts causing lots of damage if you don’t remove them in time.

A favourite tactic of mine is to catch the phosphor grenades or explosive bolts mid-air and throw them back for maximum carnage. It's also a great quest for using a Ventrue’s Possession ability, getting an agent to attack one of their own and hearing the panicked screams of friendly fire!
- Senior Game Designer Martin Akehurst

The I.A.O. aren’t the only hunters to feature in Bloodlines 2. There is evidence that an ancient hunter is active on the streets of Seattle.

In the early years of the 20th Century, many Kindred met their Final Deaths at the hands of a hunter known only as Santiago. Multiple coteries were wiped out in San Francisco and New Orleans, their destruction attributed to this same relentless pursuer. At the site of each incident, an ornate metal memento in the shape of a sharpened cross was left behind. Crucifixes of this form are called the Cross of St. James - hence the name given to this hunter.

Speculation persists that Santiago, whoever they truly were, was a member of the Society of Leopold, one of the most ancient and feared factions of hunters of the supernatural. If that were true, Santiago would have seen themselves as a soldier of Christ, waging a holy war against the Damned.
- Project Narrative Director Ian Thomas

What makes a vampire distinct? What transforms them from “alluring nocturnal wizards” to memorable creatures of horror, monsters in all but looks? Tonight, we take a look at this element: the mortals.

The characters you are about to see are all caught up in Seattle’s vampire underworld in one way or another. Most are unaware, thinking their misfortune the result of bad luck rather than the interference of vampires. Such is the way of the Masquerade.

To achieve the stark contrasts essential to gothic horror fiction, the vampire must be viewed through the attraction, addiction, and terror they inspire. Every mortal is a lens through which the audience — and player — sees a sliver of the vampire as they appear to the living world.

They are the canvas on which the Kindred wield their bloody brush, for to be a vampire is to possess terrible powers, allowing one to use and abuse people as tools, food, and pleasure. (Of course, the ratio of these three also says something about a vampire’s moral nature.) Most of all, mortals elevate the vampire experience, providing the backdrop against which the undead stand in bloody relief.

After all, if everyone is a vampire, then no one is.
- World of Darkness Head of Creative Management, Karim Muammar

Description: In-game video compilation showing various places where you will meet mortals.

"I know that you are powerful. That you are artful. That you are dangerous. That you conceal a well of such pain, deep inside you. I share that pain too. I am so glad to be in your presence."

A girl calling herself Pandora stumbles into a bar in Seattle in velvet and eyeshadow knowing too much about the Kindred and yet knowing very little about life. Who is she really, who’s been feeding her information, and does she realise how close she is to death? It’s unlikely - she seems to have a bad case of main character syndrome.

Description: 3D render of Pandora.

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"A deep sleeper? A goddamn deep sleeper? It is eight o'clock at night and I've been standing out here for an hour! Well I am sorry to interrupt your me-time, but someone wants to kill me and no-one seems to care!"

Verona left her wealthy parents to come to Seattle to find a little excitement. Given the elegantly-calligraphed death-threat she just found in her purse after a night on the town, she has achieved her aim…

Description: 3D render of Verona.

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"Oh, hey there. I got your list, somewhere - check over by the pizza boxes? We brewed up a new batch of elixirs, but my guy took some and left me this neat cloudberry candle. You want a sniff?"

Dale is so laid back that he’s almost horizontal. He is certainly aware that Kindred society exists, but only in the same way that he’s aware that cleaning products exist, or personal hygiene. They’re out there, occasionally he crosses paths with them, but he wouldn’t call any of them close companions.

Description: 3D render of Dale.

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"Ma frien', life'sss a bowl o cherries. Schweet, sticky, full o' color, an... an... uh... Lemony, lemony moss..."

No-one knows what Mr. Lemon’s real name is, but that’s okay, because neither does he. He’s been in the SPD’s drunk-tank for a few days now and still hasn’t sobered up. He keeps muttering about citrus fruit and seems to think Seattle might be his mother.

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"Well now, my man, I can see the ghosts in your trail. Don't pay them no mind. You can always lay them down gentle. Just find your purpose."

There are a few people in Seattle who claim to sense the out-of-the-ordinary. Guru talks about seeing ghosts, but that doesn’t seem to disturb him. He’s usually to be found close to the rest of his biker friends near The Dutchman bar.

"You know how it is. When the call comes to you to help others, you see so many faces. They blur together for a time, and I guess, I guess, it all just got too much... I started to forget..."

Carla used to be a dedicated paramedic, but somewhere along the way something went wrong, and she parted ways with her employers. You’ll still found her out on the streets though, helping where she can, dispensing medicine that she must have got through less-than-legitimate means.

Description: 3D render of Carla.

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"Do you hear the city? It's waiting there for you. Become one with its heartbeat... sharing is the route to nirvana."

Reggie is a bum. He’s philosophical about it - he has his own view of the city, how the city functions, and where he can make a difference. He haunts Pioneer Square and usually has a good idea what’s going on in the nearby streets.

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"For a few bucks I can show you the heavens - one way or another."

Marigold is a familiar figure in the streets near Atrium - she's been plying her trade to passing johns for a long time now. Her side gig is prognostication through astrology. Whether her predictions are accurate, who knows? She believes with a whole heart.

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"The end is nigh, yet it is a gentle end that will carry us to rapture."

Shelby was a trader in a major financial organization until six months ago, when she was granted a Revelation. Now she walks the streets of uptown Seattle making sure everyone is aware of the coming Rapture. According to Shelby it is nothing to fear.

Description: 3D render of Shelby.

"I gotta wonder what craziness you're bringing into our station this time. Just do whatever you do, and I better not hear any... well, you know. Any. Just... don't."

Wheeler is a solid, dependable officer of Seattle’s Police Department. Although he does have problems with his memory, from time to time. And is aware that... everything isn’t quite as it should be. It’s probably best to focus on the things that he does understand, like desk duty, and not to think too hard about the rest.

Description: 3D render of Wheeler.
These are only some of the mortals you will encounter in the game. What you do with them is up to you. Whether you treat them with respect, contempt, or simply as the next meal, their lives may be irrevocably changed by the encounter. Some will never sleep easy again. Others will spend every night looking for you. And some — perhaps many — will face death, victims of Hunger, fury, or casual whim.