Orochi Group

The Orochi Group is a major multinational corporation in the urban fantasy MMORPG ''The Secret World. ''Often considered the largest and most powerful company on the planet, its currently operates as a major innovator in science and technology. Though its many subsidiaries allow the group controlling interests in many profitable fields and a good deal of influence on international politics, it initially appears to be a relative newcomer to the Secret World, especially in comparison to factions like the Illuminati and the Dragon. However, as the game reveals, what the Orochi Group lacks in experience, it makes up for in enthusiasm - dangerous, uninhibited enthusiasm.

Based in Tokyo, the Orochi Group has recently been the focus of considerable attention following a terrorist attack in the subways close to their headquarters. However, despite the scrutiny of the player factions combined with their involvement in global conspiracies and highly unethical experiments uncovered through the game, the Group's relationship with the players has swung from the amiable to the adversarial: sometimes, profitable alliances have been made, while other times, the group has all but declared war on the players and their faction.

The Eight Heads
Since its creation in 1945, the Orochi Group has expanded its influence on the global market through its eight subsidiaries: Anansi Technologies, Faust Capital, Manticore Research Group, Plethron, QBL Media, Sycoil, Váli, and Zagan. Each of these daughter corporations furthers the Group's interests in a particular field of research, development and production, and each of them has something unpleasant going on behind the scenes.

Anansi Technologies leads the computing industry in the development of top-of-the-line software and hardware, producing operating systems, gaming consoles, multimedia players and mobile phones. However, conspiracy theorists insist that Anansi products monitor their users through keystroke logging, audio recording and GPS tracking; some even claim that there are ongoing attempts to brainwash customers through subliminal marketing. The former claim is later proved correct when players obtain AEGIS anti-shielding technology - only to later discover that Anansi scientists have been monitoring their kills and statistics ever since then. Anansi also has interests in virtual reality and artificial intelligence, having not only helped master software for Orochi's drone army, but also having spent considerable effort on producing a master computer capable of reasoning and innovating on its own.

Faust Capital is currently the largest financial institution in the world, covering investment banking, personal banking, insurance, and stock-market trading. Somehow, it has also managed to avoid every single major economic depression or recession in the last sixty years - though the Bees imply that there is actually some mystical process behind this. Faust accountants appear to suffer from serious workaholic tendencies, remaining at their desks even throughout the world of the Tokyo Incident, oblivious to the fact that several of their number appear to have died of starvation. Furthermore, Faust's name isn't an accident: the company is actually run by Mephistopheles himself, still making Faustian Bargains for the good of the Orochi Group.

Manticore Research Group dominates the global market in aerospace, security and weapons development, building everything from civilian airliners to ICBMs. They also provide Orochi with much of their futuristic weaponry and technology, including the drones and mechs pitted against the players in Kaidan. Unknown to most of the Secret World, Manticore joins Sycoil in their attempts to harness the power of Anima, specifically for use in powering or creating weaponry: they have even managed to capture a tiny fragment of Agartha's legendary Guardian, allowing them to create a clone of this powerful entity.

Plethron focuses on agricultural biotechnology, producing special genetically-engineered crops and pesticides in order to dramatically increase seasonal crop yield - making the group particularly celebrated in Third World nations. However, the conspiracy theories suggest that Plethron's GM crops have been specifically grown to alter human brain chemistry and encourage loyalty through addiction. Their ongoing attempts to create fireproof crops have met with failure, and while their efforts to create inexpensive protein bars from the giant locusts of Egypt initially proved successful, the mass breakout of locusts and insect golems on their Alpha Level have set their plans back by several years.

QBL Media supports developments in almost every form of informative or entertainment media, including television channels, movie studios, special effects studios, record labels, book publishers, newspapers, magazines, and even the occasional theme park. However, this all-encompassing media allows QBL to command vast influence on behalf of the group, even controlling the course of presidential elections and directing the opinions of entire countries - sometimes to the point of war. Players find themselves on the receiving end of this very influence when Samael uses QBL Media to frame them as the terrorists behind the Tokyo Incident.

Sycoil is