illuminati theory

[Arjan]

I have been reading Steve Jacksons Illuminati GURPS lately and found many ideas suitable for use in a BR Campaign.

one of the ideas popped up was DID Roele die in battle with the gorgon, was he really stupid enough to risk an empire, or was this just a trick to leave the scene and rule behind the scenes? Ruling through the Chamberlain which family is still taking that position after many years and the duchies.
is this why no one did a grab to the Iron Throne?
every 5 years theres a tournament where most anuirean ruler attent to.... not just to play an have fun...

might this be a complot?

IMO there must be dozens of illuminati/Priure de Sion/freemasons or whatever secret organisation in Cerilia.


has anyone ever thought of something like this?




A.

[Azrai]

In principal I don't like this "x-files" secrets. in my opinion it does not fit in a typical middle age campaign. this illuminati stuff has a different flair also.

what could be true is something like the "templars". most organisations in a fantasy middle age world should have a religious background, wealth and power should also play a role.

[Arjan]

I did not mean x-files like things, i just meant secret organisations in general.

the templars and free masons are descended from Prieure de Sion.
Prieure de Sion has even links to Toth the Atlantean, who ruled Egypt from 50,000 BC till 34,000 BC.

there always have been secret organisations, dispite their goals and backgrounds.

the BR setting is well suited for these organisations, all the conspiracy and complots.

[Ariadne]

In my oppinion secret organisations in general might exist. The first I think of is a Belinik order, who can't opperate openly, so he plots in the secret. Eventually some merchant organisations might exist in the secret too.

In general I don't like campaigns, where plots and betrayal are common methods to rule or dominate a kingdom or holding. May be, it is common in Vosgaard and Brechtür, fewer in Anuire and Rjurik, but I think, it is nearly zero in Khinasi.

(The plots of Michael Roele's sister where hard enough for me. I don't think, Michael would fall this deep too.)

[Sir Justine]

I recently played a Ravenloft campaign in which my character was an "Invisible" (a kit on 2º that I converted to prestige) - someone who works to a secret organization as a spy... While I was making the prestige I thought about using it on Birthright. I'm not sure if this is the way I would play Birthright - in the moment my campaign is not centered in this, but I might change...

[Magian]

I once played in a game where I was a part of a sercet organization of
wizards. Basically put, Caine, Arlen Innis, and Toerele Anviras(Talinie)
all banded together to get rid of the Eyeless One and promote the regents we
held in favor (power behind the throne). The oath was like a muskateer one
for all and all for one when it came to defense of sources and attacking
enemies. Also a guilder got invovled in order to gain magical favors and
finance our "needs".



One law,
One court,
One allied people,
One coin,
and one tax,
is what I shall bring to Cerillia


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[Birthright-L]

On Tue, 27 Aug 2002, arjan wrote:
> I have been reading Steve Jacksons Illuminati GURPS lately and found
> many ideas suitable for use in a BR Campaign.
>
> one of the ideas popped up was DID Roele die in battle with the
> gorgon, was he really stupid enough to risk an empire, or was this
> just a trick to leave the scene and rule behind the scenes? Ruling
> through the Chamberlain which family is still taking that position
> after many years and the duchies.
> is this why no one did a grab to the Iron Throne?
> every 5 years theres a tournament where most anuirean ruler attent
> to.... not just to play an have fun...
>
> might this be a complot?
>
> IMO there must be dozens of illuminati/Priure de Sion/freemasons or
> whatever secret organisation in Cerilia.
>
> has anyone ever thought of something like this?

I wrote a straight Priory of Sion steal once and posted it to the list,
featuring Haelyn`s Aegis as the evolution of an order founded to defend
Haelyn`s wife and infant son after his ascension. They lived on one of
those islands off the coast of Brosengae for a while, and eventually
abandoned the complex (which would exist in modern BR as ruins) for the
mainland.

I never quite decided what would be better: the wife was present and
pregnant at Deismaar, and the kid received a direct blast of godsblood,
developing a Great version of Long Life at puberty. That would make him
~15 now in 1524 Haelyn Count.

The other option was that there should be a line of Haelyn`s descendants,
who would actually be unblooded since the kid wasn`t at Deismaar.

I think the Imperial College of Sorcery has nice conspiratorial
possibilities. There were 10 members, right? Make there be 10 member
sources, and whoever controls them is a sitting member of the council.
That puts Aelieles, the Sword Mage, Algondier, Regien, etc all on a panel
where they can interact and occasionally work together.

My present campaign features a group, identified by the inscribed steel
rings they wear, who work together to safeguard Anuire. The Chamberlain,
Antia Maricoere, Darian Avan, the head of the Fortress (I forget his
name), Marlae Roesone, and Fhylie the Sword were the regent members. A
high ranking priest in the OIT (not the regent) is the current master of
the order.

This nicely explains to me why Avan hasn`t siezed the Imperial City, why
several smaller weaker countries and groups haven`t gone under (they`re
supported by wealthier groups), and gives a nice link up for some plot
elements. Plus, my PCs have joined as initiate members (you don`t become
a full Knight unless you rule a realm of some sort), giving them access to
resources and support, plus assignments and missions.
--
Communication is possible only between equals.
Daniel McSorley- mcsorley@cis.ohio-state.edu

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[Lord Eldred]

In my campaign there is a secret organization run by one of our players...I can't tell you which one so that all of them might think it is the person sitting next to them during game time.

The organization is used by different people of different status including religious types to do jobs that no one wants anyone else to know about but need to be done.

[Doyle]

Alert to any of my players, don`t read the following!
----- Original Message -----
From: "daniel mcsorley" <mcsorley@CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU>
> On Tue, 27 Aug 2002, arjan wrote:
> > I have been reading Steve Jacksons Illuminati GURPS lately and found
> > many ideas suitable for use in a BR Campaign.
...<snip>
> I wrote a straight Priory of Sion steal once and posted it to the list,
> featuring Haelyn`s Aegis as the evolution of an order founded to defend
> Haelyn`s wife and infant son after his ascension. They lived on one of
> those islands off the coast of Brosengae for a while, and eventually
> abandoned the complex (which would exist in modern BR as ruins) for the
> mainland....<snip>
>
>
>
>
>
>
I`m actually using two seperate secret organisations running through the
Southern Anure / Western Khinasi regions. the first is like a hidden guild
network, mostly concerned with keeping the status quo, controlling advisors
to regents, but always being a step removed, but always keeping a great
store of knowledge. One of the PC`s in the group I`m running is working for
this mob at its very lowest rankings and is yet to discover it`s real goals.
The other (other two actually) are based on the above Haelyn`s Aegis
conspiracy (using unblooded heir variation). Unfortunately for the HA, the
recently reformed Order of the Sun (see Sword of Roele) has other ideas as
to how the current heir should be educated and have kidnapped the heir. The
HA cannot raise a stink without endangering the heir, so a secret war is
being carried out. Another of the PC`s in my group works knowingly for the
OS, but has been carefully misinformed of some of the details.

R.
Doyle.

PS: thanx for the plot ideas since I`ve been on the list :-)

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[Lord Eldred]

Does anyone consider the Knights of the Silver Crescent an underground organization?

[Trithemius]

Lord Eldred wrote
> Does anyone consider the Knights of the Silver Crescent an
> underground organization?

I sure don`t.
They seem to be more like the beginnings of what will be, in a few
years, a religious military order sponsored by a theocratic state.

--
John Machin
(trithemius@paradise.net.nz)
-----------------------------------
"Nothing is more beautiful than to know the All."
Athanasius Kircher, Ars Magna Sciendi.

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[geeman]

At 04:31 AM 8/31/2002 +0200, Lord Eldred wrote:

> Does anyone consider the Knights of the Silver Crescent an underground
> organization?

Not really. At least, they seem to be pretty public. That doesn`t mean,
however, that they couldn`t be an organization with a secret agenda or an
inner circle that has some sort of master plan going on. I like the idea
of a puppet master manipulating events from the shadows, so that`s the kind
of thing I`d probably do.

Gary

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[Lord Eldred]

The reason why I asked is I seem to recall that it said somewhere that they work behind the scenes only making themselves known when there is trouble to Meodore. It also is made up of more than just knights.

[Trithemius]

Gary:
> Not really. At least, they seem to be pretty public. That
> doesn`t mean, however, that they couldn`t be an organization
> with a secret agenda or an inner circle that has some sort of
> master plan going on. I like the idea of a puppet master
> manipulating events from the shadows, so that`s the kind of
> thing I`d probably do.

Perhaps a bit like those Knights of the Middle Circle from DotF maybe?

I don`t see these guys being very "secret and nasty". "Secret and
strange" is fine and seems really appropriate though :)

--
John Machin
(trithemius@paradise.net.nz)
-----------------------------------
"Nothing is more beautiful than to know the All."
Athanasius Kircher, Ars Magna Sciendi.

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[Lord Eldred]

I would agree that they are not secret and nasty. I do think what they do is secret while there organization may be public.

[smurfkiller]

> I have been reading Steve Jacksons Illuminati GURPS
> lately and found many ideas suitable for use in a BR
> Campaign.

Yes!
In fact, my first BR campaign was based around the PCs discovering an underground slavers guild in Medoere and Roesone that led to (and was ultimately controlled by) none other than Rhoubhe Manslayer himself.
Sadly, the PCs got killed shortly before they found out who was controlling who.

-doc

[Elton Robb]

Now this sparked my interest. Birthright does lend itself to a lot of Illuminati styled campaigns.

:P

Elton Robb

[Talaran]

Secret organizations do not necessarily mean 'evil organization' - though they do indeed make some delightful ones. I was once in a campaign in which Caliedhe Dosiere kept a member of his family in each court in Anuire. All of which were fanatically loyal to him, or more importantly his position - each carefully groomed for their role as Imperial spies. Even one of the PC's was secretly a Dosiere, though the rest of the party was unaware of the character's heritage until well into the game. Evil or not, I have always found something mildly incedious about the man ever since then.

[Lawgiver]

Knights of the Silver Crescent
I'm so glad you asked LE. That just stirred a new plot line for me. I've remember reading it ages ago, but never really did anything with.

They could operate sort of like the "Watchers" org in Highlander (it is Watchers isn't it...)? Eliminating the evil Highlanders to prevent them from gaining absolute power.


My personal campaign has a secret gestapo type organization being run by one of the heads of the church. He's a respected leader and loved by the people by day, but behind the scenes he's orchestrating chaos to the max... though ultimately he is a puppet himself. ;)