Primary Antagonist Organization in a low-powered "like real Earth" campaign.

[Beryllium]

I'm hoping someone has some good ideas for the following.

I have a campaign that pre-dates the TV show "Heroes", but for the sake of conciseness consider it very similar to that show. I don't want to pre-define ANY deviations from Earth's real history in the official timeline of the campaign world. However, this does NOT mean that supers and mentalists have not existed in this world. It just means that "various" forces have suppressed historical records and genetics/populations of them. Deviations in history, and people's power will be revealed to the PCs as personal experiences. Events and people "breaking the mold" in this campaign will be suppressed publically. The PCs will try to keep a low-profile. Think: Heroes + Jake 2.0 + X-Files meets "They Live".

Now, one of the major forces is a quasi-mystical organization that is based in part on the Illuminati and "life-force" vampirism. The goal of this organization is to "attain total realization" on the personal level, while rulling the world (without the world REALIZING it is being ruled) on the macro level. At this point ( 1999 A.D. ), it can be assumed that this organization has inflitrated (and is the "shadow government of") all major cities in any "modern" industrialized nation. To the point where they brainwash and "chip" the populace in mass quantities. ( The PC's have "woke up" from this influence as from a combination of an infection/mutatgen and their powers ). For example, all TV signals actually "hypnotize and program" the human viewer, and technologies that could reveal this have been "back-doored" to hide this. The organization absorbs "threats" as it sees them arise. Minions/agents are so brainwashed that thoughts toward actually harming the organization will cause serious psychological harm to them (or death, if they are "chipped").

As part of defining this organization, I want to "Regress" back to their origins and start at the beginning, working forwards so that I know all their agents, bases, technology, etc... So that I minimize any un-fair retrofitting of this organization's abilities (which would be grossly unfair in this kind of campaign as the PCs will be vastly underpowered and outnumbered/"survival mode" as it is, at the start of the campaign. ).

So, lets say that a group of philosophers/alchemists/scholars/etc go together as Haley's Comet appeared in 141 A.D., and formed a secret society that successfully intigrated itself into the power structures of the world. Their "powers" revolve around the draining and usage of "life-force", they can be immortal as long as they can drain it. They hold the "secrets" of antiquity, are technologically advanced, and utilize technologies in the later stages of history to begin to "mute" true human potential.

How would you have them do this? How have they arrived at their point in 1999 from what they were in 141 AD, and what can they do?

I have my own ideas already, but I want to pull from as many creative ideas as possible, since this will be the MAIN antagonist group, and will have to have depth.


Many thanks in Advance!!! =)

[Nerdnumber1]

Firstly, Rasputin needs to be a past or current member. He apparently used hypnotism to treat potentionally deadly hemophilia, ignored being poisoned, survived near disembowlment, survived multiple bullet wounds without apparent impairment, and when his body was fished out of a river, cause of death was hypothermia, not drowning. This sounds like accounts of "life-force" manipulation and "hypnosis" for a quasi-historical mystic game. If he can manipulate his own life-force to such an extent, he might have been able to fake his death and live an extended life span (some accounts of his cremation describe the body spasming as if alive, but it has been written off as tendons burning and releasing tension, but thats what they want you to think).*

Besides that, I think the whole men-in-black, agent cliche would be a nice touch for persuing enemies. Got to love the classics.

As for how they got to the top, hypnosis is a great thing. And if you choose the extended life-span idea, then you have wisdom that could aid in any goal.

*Note: I know that the Rasputin story can be explained rationally, but it has enough grey area to fit into a fictional setting.

[Lucius]

In other words, you want a "secret history." History books in that world and this would be identical, but the actual events behind them would be different.

Why not take it even farther back in time? Even mundane science acknowledges that the Sahara was once pretty lush. Posit a prehistoric culture that discovered the secrets of life force manipulation, founded a civilization with them, and discovered what goes wrong when you let EVERYONE in on the secret of how to drain life energy. This gives the foundation for secrecy and elitism; the survivors (who may still be alive at the center of the Order) vowed to never again let these secrets become common knowledge. They became the "Gods" of Egypt, selling the Egyptian kings an elaborate lie about how to become one of them.

"The origins of the Order were in the Sahara Jungles..."
"The Sahara is a desert, you madman!"
"Well, yes, NOW it is."

Have they always been united? United in wanting to keep their existence secret, yes, but would there not have been factions and sects among them? Or perhaps sometimes their dupes have found out too much and turned on them. Perhaps a certain Prince of Egypt absconded with some of their devices - tools that could open a path through a sea, protect an entire army against "poison" (if that's what it was...) generate food in the desert or even an artifact so powerful that it guaranteed that the kingdom holding it could not be conquered.....generations later of course a female agent of the Order would finally recover that artifact, ironically from the king with the greatest reputation for wisdom.

"We called her Bilqis, then. History also knows her as Helen."
"I suppose she's still alive too?"
"Today she's called Paris."

Many historical "conspiracy" groups would be associated with the Order - sometimes deliberately created and betrayed just to discredit the whole idea of "secret cabals of conspirators."

Perhaps more later as I think of ideas....

Lucius Alexander

And the palindromedary conspiracy

[Beryllium]

Firstly, Rasputin needs to be a past or current member. He apparently used hypnotism to treat potentionally deadly hemophilia, ignored being poisoned, survived near disembowlment, survived multiple bullet wounds without apparent impairment, and when his body was fished out of a river, cause of death was hypothermia, not drowning. This sounds like accounts of "life-force" manipulation and "hypnosis" for a quasi-historical mystic game. If he can manipulate his own life-force to such an extent, he might have been able to fake his death and live an extended life span


Excellent point, I did overlook him as a possibility, but I do need some "old guard" leaders to introduce to the party to impart how old this organization truly is. He'll either be one of the leaders, or perhaps an object of misinformation. Thanks!



In other words, you want a "secret history." History books in that world and this would be identical, but the actual events behind them would be different.

Why not take it even farther back in time? Even mundane science acknowledges that the Sahara was once pretty lush. Posit a prehistoric culture that discovered the secrets of life force manipulation, founded a civilization with them, and discovered what goes wrong when you let EVERYONE in on the secret of how to drain life energy. This gives the foundation for secrecy and elitism; the survivors (who may still be alive at the center of the Order) vowed to never again let these secrets become common knowledge. They became the "Gods" of Egypt, selling the Egyptian kings an elaborate lie about how to become one of them.

"The origins of the Order were in the Sahara Jungles..."
"The Sahara is a desert, you madman!"
"Well, yes, NOW it is."

Have they always been united? United in wanting to keep their existence secret, yes, but would there not have been factions and sects among them?

Many historical "conspiracy" groups would be associated with the Order - sometimes deliberately created and betrayed just to discredit the whole idea of "secret cabals of conspirators."

Perhaps more later as I think of ideas....

Lucius Alexander



Yes, I am torn about having them be "too old" and not having their secret get out. But I did pick an arbitrary starting point. Based on your suggestion I'll at least have their roots go back even further. I'm avoid the "I used to be Anubis" thing since my players are familiar with Stargate and I did indeed use this same plot device in another campaign.

There are indeed factions, so your suggestion does help in that area. I justify the secrecy and power of the organization over it's rank and file based on psychological and physical chains designed to harm the member considering something harmful to the core system/group. But that doesn't mean there cannot be difference of opinions on adminstration policies. ;)

I will definitely use the Doctrine of False Opposition, and misdirection in the campaign. How can I not? The 9/11 conspiracy? Chemtrails? Tin foil hats protecting "beaming into my brain"? Perfect smoke cover for "the Real Illuminati" ;)


thanks again for the suggestions! =) I hope I'm just impatient and others will weigh in with more! ;)