The Agency

The Reaper Agencies are a series of organizations that were formed in order to seal rampant Souls and protect areas that cannot protect themselves, such as Human cities. Most Agencies are formal, with there being test, sign-ups, and employment used within them, but there are some smaller, “unofficial” Agencies that are available for anyone. Many of the Agencies are connected, though many of them also have their own system of operations. The main Agency is the Chesapeake Agency, but for a small amount of time the D.C. Agency was the main one.

The first Reaper Agency was the Chesapeake Agency, which was founded around 1920 by the Four Horsemen. It was built underground near the Chesapeake Pure City. It started out as a small organization, but over time it started to expand to other areas in both the United States and other countries.

Note: Not all Agencies follow the same rules or history. For this article, it follows the Chesapeake Agency's history, as it is the most important Agency (both in-universe and story-wise).

Eras

Four Horsemen

The Four Horsemen were a group of four Humans that “founded” the Agency. They control the Agency, with War being the main Headmaster, Death and Plague being the strategists, and Famine being the healer. The four of them led the Agency from its founding in the 1920s to the end of the Master Reaper Era in the 1970s despite Famine and Plague dying in 1965. They handled many of the management and communication aspects of the Agency, while the Master Reapers were for the leadership and mission aspects. They were never intended to be replaced. They also controlled every other Agency during their time in power. The Four Horsemen outfit was the main Reaper outfit, but with a tailcoat instead.

Master Reapers

The Master Reapers were a group of Reapers that were above every other Reaper but below the Four Horsemen. In Chesapeake, they acted as the leaders of each of the groups and as role models. In other Agencies, they act differently according to what Agency they work for. In the Greek Agency, for example, the Master Reapers are the leaders of the Agency as a whole. The Master Reapers are intended to be replaced once the previous ones can’t be Reapers anymore. The Rainbow Master Reapers only lasted until about 1970, where all Agencies under the Rainbow Era moved to the Blue Era or their own Era. The Rainbow Master Reapers were never replaced. The Chesapeake MR Era lasted from 1925 to 1970, totaling 45 years.

Blue

The Blue Era was the Era directly following the Master Reaper Era, where the leadership of the Agency was transferred from War to Blue, with Orange being their co-leader and Indigo helping as well. The change from the MR denominations to levels did not occur until the 80s, however. The levels went from 1st-level, the entry level, to Lord Reaper, the 6th and highest level. Leftover MR Era Reapers were typically either 2nd or 3rd-level Reapers, with some being higher depending on how long they’ve been in the Agency for and their prowess. Reapers were grouped up depending on their level and the ranking of the Rift, with many Reapers not being in a consistent group. The Blue Era ended once Blue, Orange, and Indigo left the Agency, with Blue handing the Headmaster role to Viktor Rosi. The Chesapeake Blue Era was from 1970 to 2000, totaling 30 years.
Reapers in this Era increased their rank through tests. They could apply to take the test at an average of five years after each test. The test consisted of a minimum number of missions to have been completed, a combat test, and a written test. For each level, the test would get harder, with the Lord Reaper test being the hardest. The Lord Reaper test used for Lord Reapers during this Era is very similar to the test used for the Squad Era Lord Reapers. Each level has their own benefits, with the higher levels having more access to harder missions and more of the Agency. There were no Master Reapers, with the only higher rankings being Lord Reaper and Headmaster and their subordinates.

Squads

The Squad Era was the Era that directly followed the Blue Era once Blue left the Agency. There is no more leader of all of the Agencies, with each Agency having their own Headmaster. Viktor Rosi is the Headmaster of the Chesapeake Agency. All Reapers in the Squad Era were the same rank, aside from Lord Reapers. Reapers were placed in “Squads”, with about three or four Reapers each, and a Lord Reaper as a mentor. The Squads are numerical (i.e.: Squad-118). The Squad Era is the Era that most Agencies are in currently. The Chesapeake Squad Era was from 2000-current. Reapers stayed in the same rank for most of their career, with becoming a Lord Reaper becoming optional. Becoming a Lord Reaper required taking a test in order to become one. Afterwards, Lord Reapers gain their own Squad to mentor/lead.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships were most prominent during the Master Reaper Era and the early Blue Era. The only Reapers able to have apprentices were the Four Horsemen or the Master Reapers (or Agencies with other important Reapers), where they had about three apprentices each. The apprenticeships were used in order for higher Reapers to teach younger Reapers that were worthy of it how to use more advanced techniques. The Reapers were usually already a part of the mentor’s denomination, but any apprentice underneath one of the Horsemen gained a black Gem. Reapers underneath the Horseman were also called by the Horseman’s name (i.e.: Indigo War Reaper). Tests were needed to get into these apprenticeships, and graduation was possible. They were very hard to get into and those underneath a mentor were very highly regarded. They still exist currently, but they are very rare in Agencies in either the Blue Era, Squad Era, or any other Era that isn’t a Master Reaper Era.

Governmental Connections

Once Blue took over as Headmaster of the Agency, they decided to connect the U.S. Agencies to the U.S. government, effectively creating a more intact system of Agencies. The D.C. Agency was founded as a result of this connection, and it became the head Agency for a short amount of time. Many Agency missions became intertwined with the government, and the Agencies had a larger network, such as a broadcasting system. About the time that Blue left, however, the main Agency once again became the Chesapeake Agency, and the government connection became almost non-existent, with the only thing remaining being the allyship and the network.

Layout

All Agencies contain dorms, a cafeteria, vault, storage rooms, strategy rooms, training rooms, and mission boards. Most Agencies contain a lobby, with branching hallways to dorms and rooms, with the cafeteria in the back of the Agency. The mission board is usually found in the lobby. Other rooms that are protected, such as the Vault or Labs, are contained in offshoots of hallways and are generally not known by many of the Reapers. The overall look of the Agency is very gray, with blue being a common accent color.

Other Information

Aside from Reapers, other jobs within the Agencies are typically Medics and Record-Keepers. They are labeled as Lord Reapers in their files, but they do not have a Gem or many of the Lord Reaper privileges. Most of the older Agencies were also built underground, but any Agency built during the Blue Era and afterwards was built aboveground. There's also another smaller group called Fourth Force, who engage with more complicated matters of the Reaper world.