FROM THE FILES OF THE CARD ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

  [The following file is a selection from the required readings of Casting 101, a lower division class at the National Card Academy of Cascadia. These readings are offered within the first week, with Cadets expected to have a full understanding of the cards and casting by their first quiz.]

  In order to understand and properly enforce the current landscape of Card Use, you must first understand the cards themselves. This includes knowledge of the cards on a theoretical level, as well as their practical applications. This reading is meant to accompany prior readings on Card Types, and is designed to acclimate you to Card Sources; if you have any questions contact your professor before your first qualification quiz.

  When conducting any governmental operations utilizing cards, it is important to know which source the card you are casting originated from, alongside the regulations regarding those cards’ use. This primer is not intended to give you an in depth understanding of Card law - which will come in your Casting 104, 212, and 333 classes - but will touch upon a few of the regulations you will get a greater understanding of later. As a reminder, all Card Academy Cadets are subject to all relevant legal and organizational regulations regarding card use; your professors will ensure that Casting applications within classes are conducted according to current legal standards.

  At present, there are four known sources of cards: Government Cards, Corporate Cards, Shadow Cards, and Sacred Cards. The first two of these - Government and Corporate - are legal and accepted in almost all applications. The last two of these - Shadow and Sacred - are little known, and heavily regulated. Knowledge of card sources are constantly evolving - especially regarding the last two - so do not take the information offered in this reading as set in stone. Your professors will be aware of the latest updates regarding card sources and use; refer to them for all concerns, and assume their information is more current.

  Government Cards:

  Government Cards are any cards produced by the 20 machines currently operated by national and multi-national governments around the world, and provide the base level cards used by the majority of the Earth’s population. 18 of these machines are currently held by national governments, with the final two being used by the United Nations and European Union multi-national governmental organizations. Of the nations which have their own Card Machines, 17 disperse Government Cards to their populations on a semi-regular basis; amongst the 4 North American nations to have Machines these disbursements are called Allotments. These Allotments allow citizens to procure and use basic Government Cards even if they are from the lowest economic classes, with the vast majority of Government Cards being dispersed being various base level Support Equip and General Equip cards. For nations that do not have access to their own Card machine, Card access is provided via treaty or purchase from a Card Producing entity and regulated via multi-national United Nations Law. Currently there are seven nations with no card access by either Sanction or Internal regulation - The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, The Holy Iberian Kingdom, Turkmenistan, Amazonia, The Southern Confederation of First Nations, The Eritrean Empire, and Sealandia.

  Currently, Government Card production is regulated by United Nations Decree 1987.283.a6: On the Production and Regulation of Official Governmental Cards, which was passed 32 years ago. The Decree stipulates every Government Card machine must be linked via a cooperative network, that each government producing cards must set a minimum 15% of their card producing output aside for nations unable to produce their own (Cascadia currently sets aside 22%, the highest percentage of any nation), and that each government cannot intentionally delay or defer deliveries of cards to dependent nation states. The law stipulates heavy penalties for violation, and is enforced stringently by the United Nations Card Agency. As an officer of the Cascadian government you may get stationed a UNCA office at some point during your career; their procedures are covered in Casting 314, International Casting Law.

  Government Cards are by far the most plentiful cards available, with over a billion individual cards produced each year. The vast majority of these cards are base level support equips, such as Awaken, Patience, Sleep, Heal and similar cards. Significant funding is allocated each year by the Card Producing Countries for new Card Research; once unlocked these cards are then immediately available for production and use by any Government Machine across the globe, due to the cooperative network they run on. As an employee of the Cascadian government it is likely you will be issued one of a number of Government Decks produced by the nation for its use; these decks often contain cards unique to government use, such as Restraint and Major Water Lord Labubuan. While private sale of these cards is currently illegal in Cascadia these cards can be found on the secondary market in multiple nations around the world, with some available for private purchase in a few nations. There are some rumors that one or two nations have discovered a way to remove their machines from the cooperative network, though these rumors are unsubstantiated at this time. If during enforcement operations you receive any evidence to indicate otherwise, current UN Law requires it to be forwarded to the closest UNCA office.

  Corporate Cards:

  Corporate Cards on the other hand are any and all cards produce by the five private corporations currently known to own their own Card Machines: FateCo, Happy Card Co., Advanced Decks Inc., DefTech, and Wonder Corp. Contrary to Government Cards, the machines of these companies are run on an Adversarial Network; cards discovered on corporate machines are locked specifically to that machine, and cannot be produced by any other. The Adversarial Network predates the United Nations Decree regulating Card Production and use, with the Cooperative Network being discovered by Card Researchers based in Canada roughly 16 years after the cards were introduced. The five companies were invited by the United Nations to be a part of the Cooperative Network when it was formed, but at this time all five have declined the invitation. Multiple attempts have been made via regulation to force the five companies to join the Cooperative Network, all of which have failed due to the companies locations in international waters and stringent security measures. Each of the five companies has developed a reputation surrounding the cards they produce, which are as follows:

  FateCo: One of the largest producers of Corporate Cards, and known to have one of the smallest Research and Development departments. FateCo has cultivated a reputation for reliability; they produce a variety of established and well known cards, and only unlock a few new cards a year. Due to this they have become the backbone of most competitive, recreational, and occupational casters. They are additionally known as the most economical of the card companies - providing nearly double the amount of cards per pack than the others - making them an excellent option for individuals to collect basic and useful cards. Cascadian Card Enforcement Officers are almost guaranteed to encounter these cards during their careers; they’re ubiquitous in lower level illegal casting tournaments. This company originally produced mass market sports cards, primarily showcasing athletes from the western sports of American Football, Soccer, and Baseball.

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  Happy Card Co.: The second card company to release cards for private purchase; this company is known for producing cute, child friendly Corporate Cards in a variety of pack types. The majority of cards unlocked by this company follow a specific adorable design aesthetic, and are oriented towards children. Their stated purpose is to make casting as accessible towards younger generations as possible; despite this a small cult following of Competitive casters has emerged around those who utilize cards from this company as the basis for their decks. Happy Card Co cards can very wildly in effectiveness and power levels, and casters of this company are relatively rare to encounter during Card Enforcement Operations. This company originally started as a Toy Manufacturer specializing in plush dolls.

  Advanced Decks Inc.: The first card company to release cards for private purchase; besides a few early base cards that have never gone out of production, this company is known for primarily unlocking and producing technology based Support Equip and General Equip cards used by governments and heavy industry. Amongst the cards available for private purchase they are known to produce the widest variety, moving almost every card they unlock into manufacturing to capture a wide market. Early in their history they attempted to produce specialized packs which competed with Happy Card Co., but they were unable to unseat them from market dominance. These cards are moderately common in competitive casting, where they are known to be riskier to purchase due to their variety. Individual casting is currently less than 20% of their total business, as they pour the majority of their resources into large bulk contracts. This company originally began as a cloud computing corporation, and still maintains and manufactures many of the electronic and computational equipment used around the world today.

  DefTech: This Company’s cards are extremely uncommon to encounter outside of internal military and government use, though they are technically legal in all official tournament formats. This company focuses almost exclusively on national defense, and doesn’t sell any cards to the general public. They can be found occasionally on the secondary market, but they are typically quickly purchased at a premium by collectors. Their primary source of income is defense contracts, which they hold with a majority of the national governments that utilize cards. While they are unlikely to be encountered in Card Enforcement Operations being used by criminals, Card Enforcement Officers will very likely see a variety of their cards on joint-operations with military forces. Cascadian Military Forces currently hold a small contract with DefTech for specialized heavy strength cards, but otherwise relies on Government Cards and conventional military tools. This company originally manufactured advanced weapons for the United States of America’s national government.

  Wonder Corp.: The most mysterious of the Card Companies; their factories and facilities have never been properly toured or assessed by any national or multi-national government, and many of their facilities' locations (including their headquarters) remain unknown. This company is known for unlocking and producing some of the strongest and most innovative cards on the market, often changing the Competitive Casting meta each time they release a new line. These cards are highly prized by Competitive and Illegal Casters, and every winner of the International Casting Tournaments around the world for the past 15 years has had Wonder Corp cards in their deck (A record that would have been longer, if not for 3 consecutive wins by a Happy Card Co. Caster in the years prior to that). Little is known otherwise about this company, and it is the only company of the five which originated as a Card Manufacturing corporation. It is unknown how they obtained a card machine; information on this company is highly prized by the Cascadian Government, and must immediately be reported as a matter of national policy.

  Shadow Cards:

  Shadow Cards are a unique form of unregulated card, with little known information. They began appearing en masse in illegal card operations a few years after the Cards first appeared, though it is presently unknown where or how the cards are manufactured. Shadow Cards are currently distributed via Shadow Packs - unique card packs that seem to mimic the Corporate Card release strategy, but exclusively contain Shadow Cards. These cards seem to made from different materials and designs than Corporate Cards and Government Cards, with increased durability and cards that have not been unlocked on any currently known machine. There is a variety of research - both public and classified - being conducted into trying to learn more about these cards, but they have at present resisted all attempts at comprehension. At the time of writing this guide it isn’t even known what materials the cards are made of, besides knowing the material itself is artificial.

  As a whole, Shadow Cards are considered incredibly dangerous - Cards from this group have a greater tenancy to have hidden Secondary Effects, typically have unpredictable power levels, and are the primary suspects for the still unsolved destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge during the Second Bear Flag Revolt. While not technically illegal as a category in Cascadia, all government agencies forbid their employees from casting them, and the cards are banned in all official tournaments and casting settings. They are fairly common in illegal casting operations due to this, as there is little to no other practical use for casting them. Almost all known Shadow Cards are oriented towards match casting and battling; act with extreme caution when encountering them.

  Sacred Cards

  The existence and use of Sacred Cards is technically confirmed, however little else in known. These cards are wielded exclusively by the Holy Order of Aman’thea; 14 at present have been catalogued thus far via security footage and firsthand accounts, but none have yet been recovered by any government for study. It is said when they are cast that they shine, and that the power they produce is often immeasurable. It is strongly recommended to avoid any confrontation with the Order of Aman’thea for this purpose - any government official engaging with members of the Order are considered fully individually responsible for the results. If you encounter the Order and they try to battle, run.

  This covers the four major sources of cards as is currently known by Cascadian Government officials; please defer to your professors for the latest information. Knowledge of the sources of cards is considered just as important as the types of cards in Card Enforcement Operations, and Card Academy Cadets will not be allowed to Cast until they not only pass their first quiz, but also demonstrate the ability to recognize both type and source on site. Future readings will go over the different formats of casting you may encounter, however those will not be covered on the first quiz. This completes all the readings required for your first week assessment; ask any questions of your professors before that quiz. Your second quiz will cover Modern Competitive Casting, and will be administered at the end of the first month.

  trust in the cards…