What's a good social order without a secret society or two? The Order of the Hidden Hand is an Illuminati-type order. The members are encouraged to spread out into various fields and guilds, attain positions of power and prestige all the while maintaining a hidden, yet supreme, allegiance to the group above all else. Members can war/compete against each other so long as it furthers the goals of the order itself with the exception that members in the upper tiers can not directly assassinate each other. Requests between members are put first so long as it doesn't break the secrecy of the order.
Tiers within the order are as follows:
- The Hand: A single person occupies this position and sets the overall direction of the order while upholding its core tenants. Proposes new activities and rules to keep the order from getting stagnant.
- The Glove: Comprised of an inner-circle, this tier acts as a trusted circle that both takes direction from and gives advice to The Hand. This tier is also the most likely recipient of orders from The Hand and is responsible for carrying out his/her orders. This tier can, upon a passing vote, issue orders but must inform The Hand of doing so. Upon unanimous vote, it can replace The Hand, through any means necessary. This tier is comprised of those who have distinguished themselves above their peers in The Arm and are permitted via invite-only means at a secret destination.
- The Arm: The Arm is a series of middlemen whose sole purpose is to distance the order from any ramifications of its business while making new connections and attracting new members. Extreme subtlety is required as each person who is a member of The Arm is required to further their own goals and the goals of the order without exposing the order. Several sub-tiers exist as necessary for any given function. Typical "real world" roles filled by this tier are the business owner, guild leader or a guild lieutenant, harbormaster, mayor, senator, king, etc. Members of this tier enjoy lucrative work contracts often from other members of the order.
- The Body: Basically, these are the foot soldiers of The Hand. While the vast majority of this tier will not even know the existence of the order, a select few may be let on to "officially" know the organization exists. These few are exceptional people who may one day become a member of The Arm, or higher, or are individuals who are being set up as patsies as part of some operation. These are the thieves, paid-off guards, fences, assassins, information brokers, etc and are by far the most populous tier of the order. This tier is kept in check mostly through information each individual would prefer to not be known, assassination threats to friends/family, bribes, etc.
"Known" goals to The Arm:
- Advance in profitable commercial ventures.
- Keep a close circle that freely shares information about all things except about the order itself or its interests.
- Put in place regulations, rules, and/or laws that are favorable to the order without being overt about this end.
- Put the needs of the order above all else at the expense of your own interests and even life.
- Attract potential recruits among those reasonably believed who can be controlled through various means.
- Always be ready to perform tasks on behalf of the order.
- Give various jobs to The Body that keeps them coming back. Don't pay too well while consistently putting members into compromising situations for leverage when needed.
Goals of The Glove:
- All functions of The Arm.
- Keep itself secret from The Arm while operating in it and meeting as necessary for meetings/votes, etc and "dealing" with leaks as necessary.
Goals of The Hand, themselves, is all the above while similarly appearing like any other member of the order as The Glove does.
Alignment Restrictions:
All alignments are allowed. However, those of "good" or "lawful good" are useful in a limited fashion, unlikely to become a member of The Arm or higher and is likely to only be used to route out competitors. "Chaotic good" type characters can be courted for more risky operations if it is believed they can be shifted more toward neutrality or evil than good.
The order itself is LE.
OOC Structure: Messages are passed from courier to courier in-game with information being changed/disseminated as long as need to know exists. No out of game communications.
RP Level: Advanced/Hardcore (OOC = no talk of the order or it's business/members. Violation would lead to IC assassination. IC = business as usual.)
Purpose: To expand monetarily, militaristically and knowledge-wise for the end-game of controlling everyone through direct or subtle means.
Checks
Know: (Local) - DC 10:
Whispers of odd disappearances or business deals that don't seem to make sense.
Know: (Local) - DC 15:
Bits of information come together to show a couple related events while not connecting the whole picture.
Know: (Local) - DC 20 + Know: (Nobility) - DC 20:
Definite pattern among larger number of events. Still no conclusive facts of why, who or what.
Know: (Local) - DC 30 + Know: (Nobility) - DC 20 + Know: (History) - DC 20:
Can start to piece together various members of The Arm while not knowing about the order itself. May appear as a small cabal doing power plays.
Know: (Local) - DC 30 + Know: (Nobility) - DC 30 + Know: (History) - DC 20 + Diplomacy - DC 20:
It is conclusive a larger organization exists.
Know: (Local) - DC 40 + Know: (Nobility) - DC 30 + Know: (History) - DC 30 + Diplomacy - DC 30:
General consistencies among methods allow members of The Arm to be identified with relative ease as long as they're connected somehow to a particular event.
Know: (Local) - DC 50 + Know: (Nobility) - DC 40 + Know: (History) - DC 40 + Diplomacy - DC 40:
Given a couple years, all members except the most dimwitted hirelings may be identified.
Heal - DC 40:
If examining a body of a member of The Arm or above, this check reveals an anomalous object under a patch of skin. If extracted, the appropriate detection method reveals an object affected by arcane mark.
Spells
Detect Magic reveals a faint aura of universal magic on all members of The Arm and above.
...because nothing says "secret society" like posting on a blog...
Sorry, just had to say that. I have to admit, this reminds me of one of my
all time favorite secret societies in literature, "The Brotherhood of the Hand," found in the Death Gate Cycle. Any basis here, or just pure happenstance? Either way, I like where this is going.
Goblin Squad Member
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Good luck, Buri.
I'm not sure if your plans are compatible with formal diplomatic relations with other Companies, but The Seventh Veil is interested in establishing lines of communication with as many other Companies as possible. If you're interested, please read our post on Diplomatic Outreach.
Indeed! Though, the great thing about secret societies, and Illuminati-type ones in general, is that you can know about them yet not know who is in and where it is or isn't because of the duality of the allegiances required. Normal business can double as society business as well. So, I can sit here and talk about it all day conceptually but as long as I stay away from specifics you'll never be able to pin point it in game. Given the nature of the proletariat caste you could also be doing work for the order and not even know it. :D
But, no, no references is intended.
@Nihimon. Thank you for the invitation. However, you are correct that formal relations won't work. No formal relation process exists outside the order so as to maintain secrecy. Any agreements with the Seventh Veil would never be known directly and would be maintained through organizations individual members control.
I don't think the primary purpose of this order was spelled out so here it is: primarily the order is a high-stakes information brokerage that leverages the information it collects to further its partners in all types of business ventures and meets traitors with public shaming, violence or an overall blockage of the ability to do business.
To the ends of enjoying the game, the enjoyment for our members is to be filthy, stinking rich in any area of economics, armies, knowledge and/or magical arts or simply having access to an information network.
We are open to all types so long as they can maintain the secrecy of the order. Essentially, "sanguinem sanguine," or, blood before blood.
I will be setting up a forum for pre-launch "order business," but after launch this will be dismantled.
A forum for interested parties: http://threefourgames.com/handforum
The reach of the hand grows...
A word for the wise: our forum hosts the Nest of Secrets, presided over by Abraxas himself, a place where anyone can inform our order of anything they so wish with absolute confidence without taking our oath. Only myself and the author may view these posts. All you need to do is register to be able to post here. Similarly, our member list is equally private.
