Secret Societies

d

Secyet Societies ~o~vcebook of Occult Ovganizations for the Nepbi[iwr Gawremastev

published by CHAOSIUM INC. copyright 0 1995 by CHAOSIUM INC. tered trademark of CHAOSIUM INC. ed from MULTISIM, and is based upon their original game. age version of Nephilim has been adapted by CHAOSIUM INC and is copyright 0 in the pyramid is a registered trademark of STEVE JACKSON GAMES INCORPOn characters in Secret Societies and persons living or dead, especially Newt Ginis copyright @ 1995 by CHAOSIUM INC. yright 0 1995 by the original artists. f material from this book for purposes of personal or corporate profit by photois prohibited.

, or other methods of retrieval

concerning this book as well as requests for free catalogs of Chaosium games to: -A 56th Street, Oakland, CA 94608. aosium on the internet at [email protected]. You can find Chaosium's World Wide ww.sirius.com/-chaosium/chaosium.html. To subscribe to the Nephilim disto [email protected] the message "subscribe nephilim-diy of the message.

ion 31 03. Published June 1995.

nited States of America.

COVER DESIGN E i c Vigt INTERIOR ARTISTS: Jihu Brihges) Keie cawpbel[ Mark 9 6 e v g

EDITORIAL: Saw shirler) GRAPHIC DESIGN auh LAYOUT Saw s6jrLex

PROOFREADING:Eric Rowe and Jeuk;us

TS Prieurk de Sion

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Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia

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Backhouse Library (map)

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Teutonic Knights

New Kurkland Base (map) Thule Bruderschaft Thule Refuge (map)

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*ow the Sba&+ws

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Fratemitas Satumii

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Saturnian Magic (spells)

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Kabbalistic Order of the Rosicross

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Mithradites

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Mithraditic Solar-Ka Techniques

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Order of St. Sulpice

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Order des Neuf Soeurs

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Roshinayas

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Sarmoung Brotherhood

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Sisters of Isis

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Wolf in the Fob

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Bibliosraphy

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Chsrracter Sbcct

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lnbex

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HE WORLD OF THE SECRET SOCIETIES is the interface between normal human existence and the magical realm of the Nephilim. The secret societies of the West all exist in this shadow continuum, some (like the Illuminati) concerned primarily with human politics and finance, others (like the Sar“The [MflatiC, OM the 0 t h ha4 . hoes moung Brotherhood) living a purely mystical with [Ogicj he works 62 short CircMits. and contemplative life. Most of them, howproves evergthiflg else. T h e [MMfltjc i ever, touch both of these areas as they comfX,”uY be Comes flcyoss Coflfirms his Pete with the Arcana of the Nephilim and the h h ‘ t i e s he takes with COWMOM se with each other for their goals of knowledge the fact that SOOMer or YatjoH, a d and power. All know that the fictions of hisyllaYS.” tory are but false fronts, behind which the real wars are fought, the real discoveries are -from Eomadtjs made, and the real power is wielded.

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Since the fall of Atlantis, the secret societies have grown, due to Nephilim patronage or human ambition. Many of them have learned to hate the Nephilim. Worse yet, many of them have learned to fight the Nephilim. These invisible empires rise and fall in combat made even more deadly by its secrecy. This sourcebook is for the Nephilim gamemaster to use in devising suitable antagonists for the players. Nephilim, despite their mystical power, are surprisingly easy to thwart given humans with sufficient occult knowledge, resources, and will. Many a Nephilim has found itself impossibly at the mercy of a small band of humans armed with the proper information. Fortunately, not all secret societies seek to hamper the Nephilim. Some only oppose certain Arcana, while others claim to actively help the Nephilim in their struggle against the Templars and other societies. Others might actually seek the aid of the Nephilim in their own occult battles. It is in the interstices of Hermetic politics that the Nephilim find their opportunity - and also their greatest danger. This sourcebook does not deal directly with the Templars -here they shine in the light reflected from their allies and rivals. Chaosium will be releasing a sourcebook devoted exclusively to the Templars and their fiendish machinations in the future. Also in the future will come sourcebooks detailing the Nephilim outside the West, which will no doubt also deal with such secret societies as the Mau Mau, the Leopard Men, the False Faces, the Thuggee and the Triads.

unkindly meant. I be wed, proseken away in a black Lin-11.. you can see by ‘t want to

--

3ok, I don’t take Inspiracies of any Id I hope they remr. Lastly, an alarming . cy theories and e vicious lies of don’t give these lence - buy their

sed bookstores if ti

them.

Kenneth Hite Halloween, 1994

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HE SECRET SOCIETES in the Western Tradition are deeply incestuous. They fission and rejoin, cross-fertilize and plagiarize like so many amoebae in a stream. Indeed, the “Underground Stream” is a term that is often used for the whole tradition of mystical resistance to or llw eye A I $e sacveb River vav rejection of the orthodox of religTbvoMgb cmevvs weasweless to Mav

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understand secret societies - fyow ~ti6LaKbav, Same[ Ta&w devibge and the role they play in both Western occultism and the world of the Nephilim, it is important to realize that many of them draw on four main currents of the Underground Stream. Although there are other important elements to secret societies’ traditions and organization, these four have been central to the mindset, organization and evolution of Western Tradition secret societies.

flemcticisw The term Hermeticism comes from Hermes Trismegistus (“Hermes the Thrice Great”), who was originally the Greek name for the Egyptian god of magic, Thoth. Later, Hermes Trismegistus was considered to be the first sorcerer, using his magics to become “prophet, priest and king” (the “thrice” in “thrice great”). Although the stories vary, he is given credit for designing the Pyramids, inventing astrology, creating the Tarot deck and giving the secret of hieroglyphics to the Egyptian priesthood. Who Hermes Trisa[ megistus actually was is a matter of conjecture, although he is almost certainly a “composite” figure of Akhenaton, Imhotep, and an Agarthan Nephilim. Certainly the Hermetic manuscripts are the work of more than one author.

In the second or third century A.D., a body of work ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus began circulating as the Corpus Hermeticum (the “collected works“ of Hermes). The central work was called the Tabula Smaragdina (“Emerald Tablet”), and was supposedly discovered by Abraham’s wife Sarah or by Alexander the Great in a cave in Palestine. The Emerald Tablet contained thirteen precepts which defined the laws of magic and the nature of reality, although their exact order and contents differ depending on the translation. The central tenet of the Emerald Tablet is the maxim “As above, so below“, implying the essential interconnectedness of all things in the macrocosm (the world of forms, powers and realities, signified by the motions of the planets) and the microcosm (the material world of the Earth and its inhabitants). This sense of interconnectedness, of a “cosmic web“ linking all things above and below, is the basis of astrology, alchemy, kabbalism, the tarot, and virtually all elements of the Western occult tradition. Hermetic thought influenced the Gnostics, Jews, Christians (St. Augustine quotes the Hermeticum), and pagan philosophers, especially the “neo-Platonists” like Plotinus, Iamblichos and Damascius. Iamblichos wrote a number of works which were suppressed by the Church and lost in the Dark Ages, and only survive in fragments today. He described the 22 Arcana and the influences of the planets on magic, implying that he was possibly a Nephilim. Contrarily, both the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Rosicrucians claim him as a member, so the truth must (like so many matters attached to Hermeticism) remain vague. Hermeticism’s influence did not end with the fall of Rome, however. During the Middle Ages, the Corpus Hermeticum was preserved by the Arabs, and it was translated into Latin in 1471 by Marsilio Ficino, a Rosicrucian adept and Mithradite in the employ of Cosimo de’Medici. This translation sparked an explosion of magical interest in the various secret societies and created great consternation among the Nephilim of the time. Using the Corpus, groups like the Rosicrucians, the Golden Fleece, or the Templars were able to apply the Nephilim’s own magical knowledge against them. The Church also panicked, as any increase in magical knowledge or Nephilim activity was bad for its position, and the magical explosion of the early Renaissance rapidly became the great witch hunt, which all sides used against their enemies. Finally, a Empress Arcanum Nephilim, incarnated in a Swiss classicist named Isaac Casaubon, produced a work “proving“ that the Hermeticum dated only to the 2nd century A.D., and that its magical knowledge was useless. Although this did little to end Hermetic influence on human initiates and secret societies, it did prevent many humans from looking further into Hermetic thought.

Gmsticism Gnosticism is susceptible to as many meanings and as many interpretations as its ancient cousin and rival, Christianity. The word comes from the Greek word gnosis, meaning “knowledge”, and refers to the core Gnostic belief that the key to enlightenment is the attainment of knowledge, whether from secret texts, instruction from a mentor, or sudden personal illumination. This is in contrast to the Christian belief that enlightenment is revealed to all men by God in prophecy, revelation, or Scripture, and not susceptible to purely mortal attainment.

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The origins of Gnosticism predate Christianity, with the traditions of a secret knowledge running back into the mists of Egyptian and Sumerian antiquity. It achieved its first independent form in the schools of thought that gathered in the first century B.C. around what would become the Corpus Hetmeticwm. Many sects and cults in the centuries surrounding the Jesus Incident shared portions of the Gnostic tradition, although the first groups to actually call themselves "gnostics" appcarcd in the late first century A.D. These groups had widely differing theologies, aims, origins and fates, but the general pattern of Gnostic thought and religion was repeated all across the Roman and Persian world. Fundamentally. Gnosticism is the religion of the Gmstic self, as its tenets hold that there exist sparks of divine spirit trapped in the base matter of the Earth which crave reunification with the pure light of another plane. Each Gnostic is such a spark, indifferent to the corrupt world and seeking only the necessary knowledge of the method to return to the divine - to become as God. Many Gnostic sects went so far as to identify the God of the Old Testament, whom they referred to as the Demiurge. as an evil or corrupt being who created the imperfect, evil, material universe. Those who accepted Christ denied his connection with the God of the Jews, arguing that he was simply a spirit in an absurd house, or a "ghost in the machine" as Descartes was to put it later.

"These texts are not abbressd to COWM~OMwortds .... Gnostic is path for e[jte....F ~ in~ the , words of the. ~i6le:Do not cast MY pearls before swine:

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Most Gnostic sects argued that not all humanity possessed the divine si,ark, that there were purely gross material beings, '-psychic" beings who served the e\ril Demiurge, and the "purc" or "elect" or "illuminated" beings, who were destined to rejoin the "aeons" or perfect beings of spirit. This justified, for some Gnostic orders, the deliberate concealment of the truth from the world at large, and even lying to their own lay members about the order's theology. Some Gnostic sects created hierarchies of gods and demons, primary among them being Sophia, the feminine principle of Wisdom, which must be rescued by Illumination from the Material. If Gnosticism ever had a common thread, it was in the teachings of Valentinus (loo?-161),who tried to organize the Gnostic mythos through the light of the Jesus Incident, and created the Gnostic schools of Alexandria and Rome which spread throughout the Mediterranean. Gnosticism's other founding father was Mani (216-276), who tied the Zoroastrian dualism of Ahriman and Ormazd into the Gnostic cosmology of matter and spirit, creating Manicheanism, the doctrine that God and Satan are equivalent in power, and that Satan has lordship over the material and earthly.

All forms of Gnosticism were roundly condemned by the Church as heretical, and stamped out before they had the chance to cohere into anything like a common theology. The result of this persecution and scattering was that Gnosticism came to be identified with any rebellion against traditional authority, and that its various sects rang interminable changes on the basic themes until no two Gnosticisms were alike. Many earthly secret societies and religious cults were wholly or partially Gnostic, from the Druze Muslims to the Joachimite Christians of 14th-century Italy. The Cathars, the best-known Gnostic sect, were rare in that their central group of "elect", the Perfecti, were actually Nephilim, attempting to proceed with their own plans at the expense of the equally Gnostic Templars. The Gnostic myth is the central, empowering myth of virtually all secret societies, both the selfish and the selfless. It is easy to see how a doctrine putting emphasis on knowledge, secrecy, destiny, and the existence of a chosen few would "supercharge" the ritual of any secret group. And indeed, following the Gnostic formulation, the number of secret societies has continued to increase. Groups like the Templars see themselves as the rightful lords of the earth, due to their superior knowledge of occult matters. Groups like the Mithradites see themselves as benevolent stewards of the Light for humans who are not yet able to know the Truth. It has been theorized that the entire structure of "overt" Gnosticism, every Gnostic sect, creed and secret society, is based on misunderstood eavesdroppings on Nephilim truths. The irony, of course, is that Gnosticism is "true" (whatever that means) only for the Nephilim. They are spiritual beings trapped in an Orichalka-soaked, hateful world. Their destiny is to be reunited with the light at the end of the Golden Path in Agartha, and only they are capable of its attainment. They are superior in knowledge to the common run of humanity. They must work in secrecy, and learn from each other in complex ritual and initiation. For humans - even enlightened, occult, initiated humans - Gnosticism may be fundamentally self-deception.

Rosicrtrc i m i s w Rosicrucianism is a system of thought, a conceptual framework for utilizing the Hermetic truths and the Gnostic insights. It is the joining of the traditions of mind, spirit and matter into a common framework blessed by an Unknown Order which directs the course of the Underground Stream. The term "Rosicrucianism" first appeared in 1598 in Germany, and burst on the European scene a generation later with the publication of the "Rosicrucian Manifestoes", three heavily symbolic works which drew virtually every element of the Westem occult tradition together into one organizing legend and concept. However, the body of knowledge which made up the RosjcvMcjaMs Rosicrucian manifestoes goes back to ancient Egypt and t&esaiarz,t exist." Sumeria. Its name comes from its central symbols, the rose and - fY0W the cross, which together indicate the central tenet of Rosicrucianism, the joining or sublimation of the elements into a perfected whole. Rosicrucianism is built around three elements, called "magiam, cabala and alchemiam", which are easily recognizable as the three occult Fciences of the Nephilim.

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The Rosicrucian Order began with the Promethean Brotherhood, and was originally a human auxiliary to the Nephilim-dominated Prometheans. In Mesopotamia it was known as the Sarmoung Brotherhood, and in Egypt it was created as the White Lodge under either Pharaoh Ahmose (1580-1557 B.C.) or Pharaoh Thutmose I11 (1501-1447 B.C.), both of the Eighteenth Dynasty. The Assyrians splintered the Sarmoung Brotherhood, and the White Lodge went underground following the end of Akhenaton's reign.

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Throughout history, the humans running the Rosicrucian orders began to lose their enthusiasm for selflessly assisting the Nephilim, and began to attempt to achieve sacred knowledge for themselves. These attempts always resulted in splits within orders, with the result that Rosicrucianism, although a system of organizing knowledge, has seldom been able to organize its adherents. The main Rosicrucian brotherhood, the Societae Antiquae Rosae Crucis, has been in continuous existence only since the early 1400s, and has split repeatedly, in addition to taking different names in different locations and times. All of this tends to leave Rosicrucianism as what it began as, a system for organizing knowledge, for preparing its holder to use it, and for creating a conceptual framework for increasing it.

Whcre Hermcticism is a theory, Gnosticism is a theology, and Rosicrucianism is a system of thought, Masonry is simply a system of organization. However, it is such a successful system that in less than a century, virtually all Western occult groups were organized in some variation of Masonry, even if they swore eternal enmity to Masonry itself. The form is simple, consisting of individual "lodges" in each city or province, under the rule of a "grand lodge" in the capital, following a series of rituals derived from Scottish Rosicrucian mysticism of the Renaissance. The system of "degrees", in which the Gnostic notion of the exclusivity of Truth is softened to a well-defined initiation into greater and greater power and understanding, began with the three degrees and has expanded to thirty-three or (in some systems) hundreds of degrees. The organization as a whole serves as a "spiritual knighthood" for those who wish to work or think in ' a" age'ts Of fellowshb with searchers for truth. iustice. free'4 to a piece dom or ekghtenment without the strictures of outjcks ill c a s a b h m a... side society. L ~ I Lit was a secvet societp" For secret societies, the attractions of Masonry atilt's PeflaMLMm, umberto Eco are obvious. The rituals provide a cover for genuine investigations into the occult, the lodges give a ready-made organizational structure, and the degrees serve to keep motives obscure or totally hidden from the law, the Church, or even insufficiently eager fellow-Masons.

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The simplicity, purity of design, and smoothness of function of Masonry is both a testament to its architects and the secret of its success. The roots of Masonry, like so many wellsprings of the Underground Stream, are hidden in the mists of history and controversy. Guilds of "operative" masons, people who actually built structures in stone, have been reliably traced to the tenth century in the English kingdoms, and must have existed in the great civilizations of the past. "Speculative" masonry, the notion of a brotherhood of like-minded searchers for truth and illumination, goes back much further, at least as far as ancient Egypt, although no doubt in considerably different forms from its current nature. Speculative masonry probably had only the most tangential of connection with operative stonemasonry for millennia, only in such projects as the building of the Pyramids or (traditionally) Solomon's Temple. The major occultation of operative masonry by speculative masonry came in the Middle Ages, as the Templars used stonemasons' guilds to raise the Gothic cathedrals and arcane fortresses that were the nodal points of their occult network. To properly fulfill the Plan, these stonemasons needed to be directed by occult initiates, and so the Templars created the Compagnons des Devoirs, made up of men high in the stonemasons' operative guilds who could be trusted to learn the occult secrets of speculative hermeticism. Following the suppression of the Templars' overt knighthood, their occult directorate went undercover in many organizations, among them the Compagnons des Devoirs. These masons, both operative and speculative, were the nucleus of the Masonic system, which developed in Scotland between 1314 and 1641, when the first Masonic initiation outside Scotland took place. For the next seventy years or so, Masonry began to influence and be influenced by the political-religious struggles between the English and the Scots, the Catholics and the Protestants, and it became too unwieldy for the Templars to retain control of. In 17 17, the first Masonic Lodge independent of any of the Compagnons des Devoirs (not all of whom remained Templars) was founded in London at the Apple-Tree Tavern as the Grand Lodge of England. Masonry spread like a wildfire throughout the political-economic structures "I bec[a"e, I cba[[en9e a of the time. Less than a century later, it was the overarching structure of ritual and organization in which alvation, Mo CaMjV O f its 0"i9iM, most all Western occult or hermetic discussion took place. planatiolz of its msstevies

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Any hopes for unification died rapidly, as the older secret societies took to using Masonry for their own ends and their own organization, and fighting out their battles under its roof. English Masonry, the nearest thing to "pure" Masonry left after the defeat of the Scottish Pretender in 1745, was split by the American Revolution, as the American Masons went about founding a Masonic Republic in the face of opposition from the Grand Lodge. By the Wilhelmsbad Congress in 1782, with the reintroduction of overt Strict Obedience Templarism and the foundation of the Illuminati, Masonry was unable to agree even on an overarching goal for itself, or on the truth of its own history. Since then, Masonry has been a form for power to hold, not the power itself.

lodges as easily as i t can of transferable divisions. Generally. however, one of thesc thrce systems is thc basis for most sccret society structures.

The N A ~ M o f~the C D e ~ s t - 13

The conspiratorial cell is ;I small group of people. ideally no more than fivc. The leader is a member of a cell hierarchically "above", and the other four members arc leaders of cells hierarchically "below", although practically "some Of the biggest MleM i M the Ufliteb States, the field Of comwerce some of those cells may be mamifactwe, are afraib of soMietbiMg. ~besMOW that there is n or b k frank. p w e v somewhere SO orgaHizeb/ SO stzbtle, SO watchfd SO interlocked] SO Hence, no betrayal can wipe complete, SO pervvnsive, that they better Mot speak abozle &eiv out an entire level of organibreath lVheM the8 slienk coMfieMinatioM Of it: zation, and no member of the organization knows any more - Woobrow W~~SOM, Tb New Fveebowf than a minimum number of fellows to betray. This system has the advantage of redundancy and survivability. but loses something in speed of communications "up" to the head. The other advantage of the ccll system is that fanatics of all stripes can be recruitcd under false pretenses (the "false flag" syndrome) and since they know nothing of the real nature of the directorate, they can be manipulated into acting against their own ideological interests. It seems that the cell syslem was inventcd by Adam Wcishaupt: certainly the Bavarian Illuminati was the first historical organization purposely organized in mutually ignorant cells. Purely political-stylc secret societies such 11sthe Bavarian Illuminati tend to use the cell system. often concealed within other organizations such as Masonic lodges or corporate boards of directors. The military-stylc pyramid is the oldest hierarchical structure known; it is in fact the one that sccms to develop naturally with the evolution of cities and divisions of labor. Certainly ancient Egypt, Babylonia and China all dcveloped pyramidical hierarchies. Each member of a pyramid is given a rank, which carries with it ;I responsibility to fulfill, authority over those lower in rank and obedience to those above. This system makes for the most efficient use of the society's members, as there are clear chains of command and clear understandings of responsibility. Howcver, the pyramid is very inflexible, resisting both evolution from without and creativity from within. It is also easy to disrupt by '*striking at the head" as King Philip of France did to the Templars in the fourteenth century. Most of the "knighthood" style orders arc at least theoretically pyramidical, although after the dcbacle of 1314. they havc tried (with varying degrees of succcss) to alter the form. "MiMb ~ J M , I abmiveb Weisbaclpt a great bedl The Masonic lodge system is the compromise btit for his extvemelx c h h e a b e b viewf of system between pyramid and cell, having some adS h O M l b fHMCtjOM." vantages of both and less of the disadvantages of

- Mot for his ibens,

OW 0 secret society

either. A lodge is large enough to act independently, - frow Fowndt's small enough to not endanger the entire system ifdestroycd, flexible enough to change direction whcn need be, and strong enough to permit large-scale planning. A network of lodges, when combined with sufficient "lhlse fronts" (orthodox Masonic lodges are the general dcfault for these) and levels of degrees to provide structure and concealmcnt, is the best compromise system for secret society arrangement so far developed. This is almost ccrtainly why Masonry enjoyed such overwhelming succcss in such a short period of time, and why even now. virtually all of the actual "business" of secret societies is done in the lodge contcxt.

~euhhm 6y~umbevto Eco

In order to survive, a secret society, like any other organization, must grow and transmit its beliefs to the next generation. This is one of the weak points of any secret society, since it is impossible to be completely sure that new recruits are suitable material for the organization’s purposes. Indeed, with the intense rivalry in the occult world, new recruits are also potential traitors or infiltrators who could be working for the Nephilim, for a rival secret society, or even for a national government suspicious about all these mysterious goings-on. Ll have a Masonic Lodge o OUY own. That we shaLl veHence, recruitment is s OUY nuvsevg garden....A Ithose who aye not suiteb to done slowly and care-

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k sC/alL remain in the Masouic Lodge and advance in

fully. To begin with, a pool of possible recruits must be found, or even -AAbamweisba~pt nurtured. This pool can be a Masonic lodge, occultist group, artistic community, political movement, or any other group of people that selfselects for interest in things other than the purely mundane business of eating, sleeping and earning a living. Occult secret societies will want to select for people with interest or belief in magic, occultism, spirituality or other supernatural forces. The actual tradition is usually irrelevant - most Western Tradition groups cannibalize each other repeatedly, and almost all “self-taught” occultists are eager to follow a teacher who can convincingly allude to Unknown Masters or Gnostic insights. Even active members of orthodox religions can be recruited to secret society ends - Hasidic Judaism started as a millennia1 kabbalistic society, and there are numerous “Catholic Rosicrucian” or “Swedenborgian Protestant“ orders.

bout knowing angtbing of the fuvthev sgstem:

Political-conspiratorial secret societies will want to select for people with a grudge against the status quo - whether “liberal” or “conservative” seldom matters to a group like aid leave a secret and establish the Illuminati. The important characteristic of ~, a recruit, for either an occult or a political seot ““A, camouf[age cret society, is the combination of a willingu r u to ~ move ~ un061u rrlfl,,vJ ness to follow orders and doctrine and a desire tev biding pLace for the tvue to know more about the “real truth”, about “things behind the scenes”. One of the most PoMcaMLt’sPenbuLMm, umbeyto Eco common motivations for both occultists and politically active people is the eagerness to “really know what’s going on“, and to either change it or become part of it, or both. These are the emotions and desires that secret societies feed on in their recruits.

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After the recruit is brought into contact with a “mentor”, he or she is given minor, but important tasks to test willingness to follow orders and competence to do so correctly. Candidates who are either balky or inept are generally eased out of the inner ring, or left to perform meaningless tasks until they leave on their own. More promising candidates are advanced in secrecy (if the fact of the advance leaks in some cases, it actually helps to recruit others, and a leak at this low level can rarely reveal any true secrets). They are given more important tasks, and told a cloaked version of “the real truth”. This is where a false flag can be planted -a Templar lodge can recruit a Rosi-

crucian circle to oppose the Tower Arcanum, tell ing the Rosy Cross rather than the Temple. Often, the false flag becomes so successful th promising members of this lower order are often “inner circle”, with still more of the truth revealed to them. Also, members of the lower order who have laid themselves open for blackmail by following illegal or immoral orders can be safely recruited as well, and are often moved into positions suited for their talents. The Templars and Illuminati are masters of the “recruitment by coercion“ strategy, but most secret societies employ it to some degree. In most cases, coercion is not really necessary -the slow revelation of inner truths has seduced the new member fully, and he or she would do anything their superiors order to advance yet further into the mysteries. At this point, advancement is generally based on merit, although of course, intra-order politics has something to do with it as well. Influential Commanders of the Temple urge promotion for their own recruits at the expense of others, and similar politicking goes on in any other secret society just as it does in corporations, military organizations or any other human society.

Secure communications and reliable transmission of orders and doctrine requires a coherent set of symbols that will be transparent to the initiate and opaque, confusing or misleading to others. Masons have their handshakes of recognition, their code phrases invoking help or warning, and similar means of covert communication. Other secret societies have the same sorts of things, whether passwords (like the Assassins), sigils (like the Order of St. Sulpice), //CCJaractersaye nothing else than certain u~knownLetters esoteric sign lanana writings, reserving &e secrets of spirits ana &eir guages (like the names fyom t e use ana reaaing of profane men..: HIOTES’ gypsies) - Francis Barrett, The Maps, 1801 or even secret scripts like Enochian or the Illuminati codes. Indeed, the Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Druidical Ogham script both began as “secret writing”,known only to the initiates, with meanings beyond the simple recording of sounds.

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The difficulty comes when enough people learn the technique that it becomes fundamentally impossible to keep a secret. There are hundreds of books, for example, that purport to teach the reader the “secret” Masonic handshakes and ritual passwords. Similarly, the Templar cross o[s 6tlt saib that avl iwage that repveis so well-known by now that it is useless b avl$J$lZg. Which - XOM’[[ forgive tvabitiovl, fov the wore a w 6 i g ~ o ~ s as a method of covert recognition and is mostly used only as a symbol like a nagvlificauce anb power. Otherwise, tional flag. faces? Some things work in the favor of a secret society, even when its symbols,

rapidly than any other single action. These improper uses are often encouraged by secret societies, who make sure that distorted versions of their secrets get into the public eye to camouflage any real revelations that have occurred. Also, the commonality of “occult” symbols has essentially created an occult “alphabet” which any society can interpret in its own fashion. A pentagram, crescent moon, Templar cross and the letter “A“ may mean one thing to a Carbonari baraka and its opposite to a Rosicrucian conclave of adept Hence, most secret societies work on a “one-time pad”, with passwords and countersigns being assigned for each agent or I for each mission rather than retaining the same ones repeatedly. Some symbols, such as “danger” or “help” will remain the same across the order, but any more sophisticated message will be encoded so that only the intended recipient can see it. Finally, the profusion of symbols, signs, gestures, passwords, cryptic phrases, and other impedimenta of occultism helps distract dilettantes from pursuing deeper truths, while drawing in the true seeker of knowledge. Hence, what began as secret symbol becomes shop-window advertising. And what better place to hide something than in plain sight?

Enforcing an order is made easier and more difficult simultaneously by the constraints of secrecy. Without open communications, orders can be ignored simply by claiming that they were never received. The slow communications and imperfect feedback of almost all secret societies make discipline and obedience more necessary than in open societies like corporations. This means that enforcement must be seen to be quick, sure, and unstoppable. The most common way of disciplining a wayward member is to have him or her killed. This has the advantage of being unambiguous and impossible to refute. In a secret society, with agents who move through the shadows and out of the light of public scrutiny, arranging a convenient accident or a dagger in the back is usually fairly simple, when the target is a fellow member of the society and has already cut themselves off from conventional life. Killing a family member is not actually a particularly effective means of discipline, although the threat to do so discourages disobedience. Many secret societies prefer not to kill disobedient members, either out of squeamishness or because there are not enough members to go killing them off indiscriminately. Disobedience in the lower levels of the organization can be punished by expulsion - the desire to know more and be promoted further is a useful tool for keeping members honest, and eager to obey. Most secret societies gather dossiers on their members, with special attention to material suitable for blackmail. If a member

I V

u 1;ersonaf spat! H& very)chi[&h. come, cbme, these are occdtjsts' d e s . Yuu ure ke(iaviMg like vdgar Freewnsons.'

or the Temple.

Finally, in many secret societies, members are encouraged to inform on each other, making it much - fro,,,, mMca&tsl ~ ~ , , , d ~ [ ~umberto ~, more difficult to conspire with fellow-members to betray the group. Adam Weishaupt, for example, brought this technique to :I tine art in the Bavarian Illuminati. For larger organizations, this is the preferred method or policing, since the number of totally trustworthy operatives is always much smaller than the number of vital tasks to be carried out. By giving mem-

bers incentives to remain loyal to the group and disloyal to their comrades, what the organization loses in esprit de corps it makes up in confidence that any given task will be carried out.

Mysteries a m cults Religious and spiritual secret societies are not the only ones who found or encourage religious movements. In the United States, religious movements are tax-exempt, and make an ideal cover for secret societies interested in fanatical converts, large donations, and (sometimes) political influence. Also, many sects, cults, or other movements can serve to funnel prospective initiates into the society itself by creating an interest in the supernatural that can be used for mystical ends. The difference between a “cult” and a genuine religious movement is a sensitive one, but the term “cult”, as it is commonly used, has a pejorative connotation that implies a transient creation by fanatics or cynics rather than a genuine outgrowth of human spirituality. Others would define cult simply as any religious movement or organization not in the majority public favor. For this discussion, we’ll use the prior meaning. Certainly secret societies and manipulative Nephilim, for the most part, prefer to work through “cults”, since genuine spirituality is often difficult to control. However, spiritual groups such as religious Rosicrucianism, chiliastic-millennia1 Protestantism, kabbalistic Judaism or neopagan magical circles have many of the same outward appearances (exclusivity, secrecy of doctrine, magico-spiritual orientation, exhausting rituals) as hypocritical or fanatical cults, and can also often be fertile ground for recruitment either by Hierophant Arcanum Nephilim or by human secret societies. Generally, religious groups founded or co-opted by human secret societies fade out within a decade or so. Groups that survive longer either begin deriving and developing genuine spiritual insights or become secret societies of their own (a common occurrence with magical-neopagan covens or Christian Rosicrucians). In the past, Nephilim would spend centuries trying to sustain such movements, which became the “mystery“cults of the ancient world. Most of these mysteries were either syncretized out of existence or turned into secret societies (the Orphic Mysteries became the Golden Fleece, for example, and the Mithraic Mysteries became the Mithradites) as their Nephilim guides lost patience with human limitations. Most modem movements which identify with mystery cults are either self-conscious attempts by a secret society to restore an ancient tradition, neopagan religious movements with no actual tie to the ancients, or groups founded by Nephilim to provide hosts and resources for the coming Millennium.

Conspiracy-Htrnters No organization can keep all of its secrets for long. Even with the discipline of the Templars, the all-seeing Eye of the Illuminati, the sanctity of the Rosicrucians or the

fanaticism of Thule, there will be leaks. Leaks will create leads that interested parties can follow to the true nature of power. As the Templars discovered to their cost in 1314,even occult masters can be destroyed by the actions of suspicious governments, jealous of their usurped power. Thus, some of the greatest enemies of secret societies and Nephilim alike are the investit be the proaHct of a great conspiracg, a conspiracg gators of the unknown, journalwwense as to awarf ang previom s ~ c hventwe ists, authors, mystics or agents wan. A conspiracg of infaw SO black that, of the mundane who resolve to exposed, its principals shal be forever aeservfollow up on the “unexplaintions of all honest wen...: able” and the “accidental”. The - Senator Joseph McCarthn 14 JMne 1951 combination of tenacity, investigative skill, and imagination is the most formidable threat that a secret society can face. Hence, investigators disappear, like Ambrose Bierce. They die suddenly, like Morris Jessup. They are made into laughingstocks, like Erich von Daniken. They are driven mad, like Wilhelm Reich. They are bought off, like Carroll Quigley.

f

Secret societies not only attack the messenger, they attack the message. Any conspiracy theory or supernatural explanation is denounced as wild-eyed nonsense by sober talking heads. The Illuminati, for example, have teams of historians, bankers and other “experts” ready to refute in proper scholarly form any investigation into links between certain Wall Street brokerage houses and the former Soviet Government. The Thule Bruderschaft’s allies in several capitals obstruct any investigations into the whereabouts of former Nazi officials. An Empress Arcanum Nephilim is prominent as a “debunker” of past life experiences. And, of course, it is rumored that some of the best-known “conspiracy-hunters’’ are actually agents of secret societies whose mission is to fill the air with so much nonsense that the real truth will not be noticed. Simultaneously, of course, each secret society and Nephilim Arcanum seeks to encourage those humans who hunt conspiracies to track down and expose its rivals. Research into the Prieurk de Sion is strongly supported by the Templars, and even manipulated to imply that the Templars are dissolved and the Prieurk are the ones with the Master Plan. Ironically, many conspiracy-hunters wind up providing camouflage and information for the very secret societies whose machinations they so fanatically despise.

. -.

I

JVSTW D € R FAC T

hese secret societies have already been dealt with in the Nephilim rulesbook section on “Secret Societies”. More details of their history, plans and resxmsaEmmAdheE A s w e l l gamema&axkaaderziaki$drs e g k n for important or representative operatives of the societies today. The gamemaster should feel free to modify statistics, locations, magic and skills of these gamemaster characters to fit her campaign or just to mess with the players’ heads.

The Bavarian Illuminati are at a crisis point, although few observers from outside could tell. For two centuries, the Illuminati served as the political arm of the Templars, subverting national governments and setting up puppet regimes in controlled nations like Russia and France, or infiltrating and influencing “looser” societies like Britain and America. However, with temporal success came spiritual drift, and the Illuminati lost their eagerness to turn over their hold on political affairs to their titular heads in the Templar Order. In fact, the Illuminati and their partners the Thule Bruderschaft struck for global power themselves in the 1930s and 1940s, cementing their hold over the global economy during the Great Depression and coming within an inch of placing the world under the Eye in the Pyramid. The Templars, fearing the consequences to the Plan of a Thule victory, were forced to make common cause with the despised Nephilim to defeat them, and the struggle brought home to the Temple just how little control they had over their former clients. Over the last two decades, the Templars have been striving to bring the Illuminati to heel, so that its vast political and eco-

nomic power can be used to fulfill the Templar Plan at the end of the millennium. This contest has taken place in the streets of Paris and Berlin, in the corridors of New York and Washington, and in the catacombs of Rome and Moscow. The Illuminati underestimated the Templars at first, and a "It was not mx intention to bo146t that the boctrines of the 11 surprise alliance bespveab in the United States. On the contrarx, MO One is more tween the Templars this fact than I am. The ibea that I meant to conveg was that and the Knights of that the Lobges of Freemasons in this cotlntrg hob, as societi Rhodes wrested propagate these biabolical teuets." Russia from Illuminati control in the - Geovge Washing late 1980s. Now, the Illuminati must decide whether to surrender and accept power in the Templar Empire which will occur when the Plan comes to fruition in 2000, or to fight for their independence, leaving themselves in a position to profit from their enemies' weakness and distraction -or be destroyed by the vengeful Knights of the Temple. This battle for the heart and soul of the Bavarian Illuminati, and with it, substantial control over the financial and political structures of the United States and Europe, is perhaps the most important one the Templars face on the purely exoteric level. The main advantages the Illuminati possess are those of the battleground -high finance and low politics. The Templars, masters of mystic warfare that they are, are babes in the woods of international monetary arrangements, government central banking, and insider stock trading. In political chicanery, the Templars are up aga the heirs of Robespierre and Lenin, Franklin Roosevelt and Lord Palmerston. In short, they have their work cut out for them. The Templar advantages are the advantages of the attacker - surprise and choice. By changing alliances abruptly, the Templars defeated the Illuminati in 1945 and in 1989. By choosing their ground, the Templars can mas forces against a vulnerable Illuminati sa"BX this plan we shall birect all mankinb. ~nthis manlient such as Soviet Her, ana 63 the simplest means, we shall set all in moRussia or Baathist tion anb in frames. The occtlpations mMst be so allottea Iraq. And by exploitana so contriveb that we max, in secret, infltlence all ing their greater politicaI tvansactions." knowledge of magic and the true currents - Abam WeiShaMpt, 1778 of earthly power, the Templars can strike blows that the more conventionally-minded Illuminati cannot counter, such as the mystical assassinations of Pope John Paul I, Yuri Andropov or Kim I1 Sung. For the Nephilim, this struggle is a great opportunity. By playing both sides against each other, they distract and weaken the Templars at a crucial time. Although the Nephilim understand the battleground even less than the Templars do, the temptation to intervene in secret-society fratricide is too great for groups such as the Emperor and Justice Arcana.

William Howard Kavanaugh 111 Illurninatus Major and Potential Nephilim Ally Male, Age 51 Social Status: 28

Opportunity: 84

Education: 21, MBA, Harvard Business School; JD, Harvard Law Life Experience: 8 7 Culture. American East Coast Establishment Profession: International Banker Income: $2,250,000 declared, $1 7,500,000 from hidden trusts Residence: Large house in the Connecticut suburbs Family Relationship: 12, married, kids grown and out of the house Possessions: 60-foot yacht, summer house in the Hamptons Appearance: Graying at temples, distinguished STR13 DEX 15 HP 13

CON13 CHA 14 Actions 3

INT17 Solar-Ka 31 (awakened) db0

Skills: Arcanum Lore (general) 1O%, Art (Evaluate Modern) %%, Bargain 70%, Bribery %%, Business 50%, Computer Use 40%, Finance 85%, History 55%, Law 95%, Politics 95'/0, Psychology 65%, Readwrite (English) 8O%, Readwrite (French) 65%, Readwrite (German) 65%, Research 65%, Speak (English) loo%, Speak (French) 8O%, Speak (German) 8O%, Speak (Japanese)65%, Tarot Lore 55% Weapons: none Magic: none William Howard Kavanaugh ill is the protege of a very influential American member ("Philo") of the Council of Thirteen of the Bavarian Illuminati who favors explicitly breaking the illuminati off from the Templars. Kavanaugh has been ordered to make contact with the Nephilim wherever and whenever he can, and attempt to work out mutually beneficial arrangements, where possible. Kavanaugh has extensive political and financial contacts, both in the Illuminati and in those groups which are controlled by or heavily influenced by the illuminati. He is interested in a sufficiently productive relationship that he can be raised to the Council of Thirteen before the end of the century, and use his Nephilim contacts to further his own agenda. He may approach Nephilim or allow himself to be approached by them, depending on how he reads the overall situation. Although he has little mystic insight or interest, he understands power, money and politics better than most.

Charles Harrison Master Mason, unwitting Illuminati puppet, and "bodyguard" to William Howard Kavanaugh 111 Male, Age 36 Social Status: 11

Opportunity: 33

Education: 14, some college Life Experience: 58 Culture: Modern American underworld-street culture Profession: Private investigator Income: $55,000 Residence: Apartment in New York City Family Relationship: 5, singles bars

26

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sc?crrtSocieties

,

The Templars are not the only organization with an interest in the experience, knowledge and expertise of the Vehm. The Order of Rhodes is also deeply interested in forging an alliance with the Righteous Judges, given their common hatred of the Nephilim. Many in the Vehm are more sympathetic with Rhodes than with the Temple, given the Templars’ role in crushing the Vehm in the Second World War. Pragmatic considerations also account for much of the Rhodes-Vehm cooperation - since the two Orders have between them the largest databases of Nephilim activity, cooperation between the two is already occurring as Horsemen of Rhodes and Free Judges of the Vehm “trade information” over secured, Orichalka-reinforced computer netin extremely sensitive cases. Some elements of the Bavarian Illuminati also favor allying once more with the Vehm, given their joint ties to the CIA and the financial-political power structure of Europe. The Stuhlherr of the Secret Tribunal has not committed the Vehm to any one alliance, preferring to wait until more of the Templar Plan becomes known to make a final decision. By far the most bizarre of the Vehm’s contacts is its history of dealing with the Justice Arcanum of the Nephilim. The Vehm and the Justice Arcanum recognized each other for kindred spirits as early as the days of Charlemagne, and began to use each other’s services in the elimination of humans or Nephilim that offended against both codes of honor. The Selenim and the Devil Arcanum, and the humans that dealt with them, were the first “common enemies” of the two groups, and whenever either show signs of resurgence, the Vehm and Justice Arcanum trade information and assistance in their suppression. As well, the Justice Arcanum has eliminated certain :philim at the request of the Vehm, which is always happy to wo, while not recognizing each other’s jurisdictions as valid in all cases, have a tacit agreement of mutual non-aggression. Indeed, there are cases of Nephilim being captured by the Vehm who have escaped death by conclusively demonstrating their membership in the Justice Arcanum, although it is also known that some Judges of the Vehm have killed Justice Nephilim when the provocation was strong enough.

T h e Vcbmbof i w V i e w w ~ The Vehm’s headquarters in Vienna since 1661, the Vehmhof is a large chateau with attached park land located between the Kaisergarten and the Danube River. Property of the Habsburg family, it was granted to the Vehm in 1701, and has served as the main repository of Vehm archives, records of trials and confessions, and Nephilim and arcane lore for over three centuries. The Viennese branch of the Credit Suisse is headquartered here as well, serving as a false front for the Vehm and keeping the chateau’s profile low. The bank’s offices and business areas occupy one wing of the building, with the other wings, the basements, and the outbuildings all used in the maintenance of the Vehm’s archives and administration of its judiciary network. The bank’s higher oficials are all “Wissende” (knowing) associates of the Vehm, and the Vienna director is a Treufreirichter of the Vehm in his own right. Most of the other bank ofticials and all of

the staff are "Unwissende" (unknowing), and are not allowed access to areas of the building outside their work spaces. Since this is common practice in many European

I

Outbuildings Contain Weapons, Relays, Emergency Generators, More Security Staff

L'pper T w o Floors Contain More Archives, Judges' Chambers

Closed Area Contains Archives, Archival Workers' Offices, Judges' Chambers

\

Basement Contains VEHM Computers And Tribunal Rooms

Identical Door In Row of Offices Leads to Closed Areas

Bank Computers

Bank Officers

Bank Office1

lTTTTiiTT

TTTTTr

\

/

Basement Contains Security Rooms, Utility Rooms

--II

Entry Hall

tI

Drive To Gate

Upper Fliors Contain Employee And Officer Lunch Rooms, Kitchens and Staff

banks, few of them ever become suspicious. The security staff is armed with Orichalka handcuffs, and its officers are also Vehm “Schoppen“ (recruits).

In the Vehm wing of the Vehmhof are libraries full of documents and charters containing histories of the Vehm and reams of information about the Nephilim, including much information about the Arcana, their methods of recognition and organization. Hence, most higher Judges of the Vehm have knowledge of Arcanum Lore, or access to such information. In addition, there are libraries of occult manuscripts covering various magical arts and techniques, although the Vehm practices very little magic itself. Most of the Vehm’s occult collection centers on the actions of the Nephilim throughout history, and the works of the Vehm and other secret societies against them or on their behalf. Much of this data has been transferred to computer files, and is accessible within 24 hours by computer search techniques. Virtually any member of the Vehm can access this data by computer for use in hunting down or convicting a Nephilim or human Nephilim ally. The Occult Research Potential of the Vehmhof library and archives is at least 25. The Vehm computers are maintained by Swiss and German computer experts and warded with Orichalka baffles and cables to prevent magical disruption. The Vehm also employs teams of computer research specialists and hackers who search public (and private) databases for any available information about the Nephilim or their human allies. Few of these people are employed at the Vehmhof, however, for reasons of greater security and space considerations. These computer researchers, as well as the Vehm’s more traditional network of Vehmenotes (informers) in the underworld and in police departments all over Europe, make sure that the Vehm’s archive of information is possibly the most complete in the world.

Leopold von Saubesch Geheimstribunal Heiligerichter of the Vehm, Archivdirektor of the Vehmhof Male, Age 67 Social Status: 17

Opportunity: 51 Education: 18, Bonn University degree in History Life Experience: 91 Culture: Modern European cosmopolitan Profession: Archivist Income: $950,000 Residence: A townhouse across the park from the Vehmhof Family Relationship: 15, one son (Wissende) works for Credit Suisse Possessions: Antique harpsichord, library of first editions Appearance: Thin, tweedy, white-haired STR 9 DEX 12 HP 11

CON11 CHA 15 Actions 3

INT18 Solar-Ka 31 (awakened)

db0

Skills: Arcanum Lore (General for all Arcana) 55%, Archaeology 60%, Art (Play Harpsichord) 65%, Astrological Lore 65%, Computer Use 45%, Evaluate Manuscripts 90%, Hermetic Lore 70%, History (Central European) 90%, Kabbalistic Lore 6O%, Law 40%, Readwrite (German) 1 OO%, Readwrite (English) 90%, Readwrite (French) 90%, Readwrite (Italian) 80%, Readwrite (Hungarian) 80%, Readwrite (Medieval German) 90%, Readwrite (Hebrew)

85%, Readwrite (Latin) 90%, Research 95%, Religion (Catholic) 60%, Scrutinize 90%, Speak (German) loo%, Speak (English) 80%, Speak (French) 80%, Speak (Latin) 80'6, Tarot Lore 75% Weapons: None Magic: Seals 65% Lower Magic 75% Letter-Opener with 67 points of Orichalka, which also serves as a Talisman Von Saubesch is the director of the Vehmhof Archives, and as such controls the clearinghouse of all the Vehm information. H e is completely loyal to the Vehm, and ably coordinates the vast quantities of information that are deposited in his archives, as well as the equally vast quantities that are sent to Vehm agents in the field or to their allies.

Charles Meyer Treufreirichter of the Vehm and NSA Regional Director Male, Age 49 Social Status: 16

Opportunity: 48

Education: 19, Law Degree from Georgetown Life Experience: 81 Culture: American East Coast Establishment Profession: NSA Regional Director Income: $85,00O/year Residence: Large house in Virginia suburbs Family Relationship: 12, wife but no children Possessions: H igh-power telescope, state-of-the-art computer setup Appearance: Brown hair, nondescript, middle-aged STR14 DEX 13 HP 14

CON14 CHA 12 Actions 3

INTI8 Solar-Ka 21 (awakened) db +1 d4

Skills: Arcanum Lore (Magus, Chariot, Tower, Justice, Emperor) 3.5'6, Art (Watercolors) 55%, Astrological Lore 65%, Astronomy 6O%, Business 50%, Computer Use 75%, Drive (Automobile)

35%, Electronics (Surveillance) 55%, Intelligence Analysis 75%, Law 85%, Listen 65%, Psychology 45%, Readwrite (English)90%, Readwrite (German) 85%, Readwrite (Russian) 45%, Research 55%, Religion (Lutheran) 55%, Speak (English) 90%, Speak (German) 75%, Tarot Lore 65% Weapons: ,303 Hunting Rifle 75%, 2d6+4 damage Magic: Talisman with 65 points of Orichalka Twelve .303 shells, each with 20 points of Orichalka Cruciform dagger with 119 points of Orichalka Meyer's position with the National Security Agency allows him access to transcripts or tapes of virtually all telephone calls made in Central Europe, or from United States to Europe. He has a secure link into the NSA database from his personal computer. His position has made him very valuable to the Vehm, and he has not been personally responsible for carrying out a sentence for some time now.

33

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Kwisbts o f tbs G O ~ C f=leece M

Secrct socicties

The voyage of Jason and the Argonauts has been considered everything from an initiation fable to the first Grail Quest, from a recapitulation of the Zodiacal alphabet to the legend-encrusted history of a Mycenaean pirate expedition. In the tradition of the Nephilim and their eidolons the secret societies, all of these interpretations are true, and none of them are correct. The original voyage of the Argo to Colchis was a joint human-Nephilim expedition to an Atlantean colony that had survived the cataclysm, with the hope of rediscovering the Golden Path to Agartha. Jason was the human that JmoM hoes not gain in WisboW 63 the Wasleader of the expedition, aided by . I I ,.I . I oe 1 ' I e aifcover3Of Orpheus, a powerful Nephilim. :.f. visy~ev a p r ye GYAU~LIOMor rvowetC;leMsand The Nephilim leader of the expediOf wea[tb power tion was Heracles, along with r . . . * sove ' tve inspiring am reign virtties of the Zetes and Calais. The Atlantean

know[-

. I e;xcept 63 tble oisciptes ** ot Orpbeus." <

3a

I

colony of Colchis was the tomb of Prometheus, and his Brotherhood had ruled there after the fall. When the Argo reached Colchis, Heracles and Jason quarreled over the proper use of the Golden Fleece (the information left by Prometheus that would enable the reader, human or Nephilim, to reach Agartha). In the struggle, Jason escaped with the Fleece, but lost his Nephilim allies, necessary for its full decipherment from Enochian. Jason was later killed by an unknown assailant (the Knights and Nephilim blame each other, of course) and the Fleece vanished.

- Ebpbm Levi, The Hist.org of Magic

Orpheus, upon its reincarnation around 800 B.C., attempted to rediscover the Fleece's whereabouts to continue the work of Jason, and trained a school of initiates in certain techniques which came to be called the Orphic Mysteries. These techniques were primarily meditational, enabling humans to awaken their Solar-Ka, and to prepare them for steady association with the Nephilim. Orpheus, unfortunately, was killed by the priestesses of a different Nephilim (possibly High Priestess Arcanum, although they deny it now) to prevent its revealing too much knowledge to humanity, and the Mysteries continued as best they could in its absence. Sometimes, powerful and sympathetic Nephilim (usually of Orpheus' own Magus Arcanum) stepped in to lead the Mysteries, such as the Nephilim known as Apollonius of Tyana (30?-loo?). Eventually, the Orphic Mysteries dwindled to a single school, which moved around Greece and Anatolia to escape the Church, the Templars, and hostile Nephilim. The Mysteries were removed to Constantinople by the alchemist Byzantine Emperor Heraclios, who renamed them the Equites Iasoni. In Constantinople, the Equites worked diligently to recreate the Golden Fleece from ancient texts and maps, which they had decided would show the mystical location of the Agartha Nexus, where all the Earth's magical fields originate. The Fourth Crusade of 1204 sacked Constantinople, and many of the Equites fled to Moorish Spain with their knowledge. They inspired a brief flurry of explorations in the Muslim world, including those of Ibn Battuta, Mansa Musa, and others, but were too foreign to be properly incorporated into the Moorish states. They remained in Iberia, however, and switched sides to the Christian kings when they began the Reconquest. With the rise of Aragon and Navarre, the Equites spread out across the Mediter-

ranean world, seeking out ancient knowledge and creating (beginning around 1300) the portolan charts, which crisscross the map with a network of fine lines. Many of the portolans were used by navigators, and show wind currents, but the hidden portolans mapped ka flows and mystical energies, all in aid of the Quest for Agartha and the Golden Path. The Equites soon began to exchange information and support with the Templars, and were explicitly tied to the Templars by the marriage of Duke Philip of Burgundy to Princess Isabella of Portugal in 1429. Prince Henry of Portugal was both a Templar Knight of Christ and an initiate of the Equites Iasoni, and founded a naval observatory at Sagres from which he sent out explorers to search for “routes to India” (an obvious occult metaphor for paths to Agartha). In fact, Henry was later known as Prince Henry the Navigator, and his observatory at Sagres may have been one of the secret backers of Columbus’ explorations. Duke Philip, at that time the Supreme Knight of the Equites, reorganized the order along Templar lines, with hierarchical ranks, chains of command, and independent circles of action. He also changed its name to the Order of the Knights of the Golden Fleece, and publicized its existence all over Europe, inviting powerful nobles to join. The Knights had a large hand in the exploratory fervor of the time. Together with their allies the Templars, the Order backed the Dutch East India Company, the British Northwest Company, and the French Compagnie du Saint-Sacrament (tied to the Order of St.Sulpice, whose Grail Quest had much in common with the Quest for the Golden Fleece of the Knights). Over the next few centuries, the Order continued its work of mapping the globe, both overtly and covertly. The quest for Agartha was maintained by a select group of initiates, among them St.-Yves-d’Alveydre (1842-1910), whose posthumous book Mission to India in Europe revealed the existence of Agartha to the world at large for the first time. The modem Knighthood is headed by Alexander Pyropolous, who began his term as Jason of the Order by moving its headquarters to Delphi in Greece from Lyon, where it had been based since the 15th century. The Knighthood has many Circles, which pursue their own interests, often independently of each other. The main Knighthood is the European group of initiates who continue to plot the mystical currents on the Earth, piecing together the Golden Fleece from hints and relics. One of the Circles of the Order is a group of scientists tied to the American and French space programs, who map the currents from the various planets to the Earth. The JASON Society, a group of physicists and astronomers with ties to the Illuminati and the Templars as well as their parent Order, is used by the United States Government as scientific advisors, and advanced many occult and experimental programs under the cover of SDI research. Some elements opposed to the Illuminati have theorized that the JASON Society was behind the failure of the Galileo probe and the Mars Observer, and is using these devices to manipulate the ka-fields on Earth. Even more paranoid investigators claim that the Galileo probe is designed to plunge into Jupiter on December 7, 1999, detonating its plutonium engines in a thermonuclear explosion that would transform Jupiter into a new star, with untold effects on the Earth both

physically and magically. If the JASON Society has such plans, they are unknown to the heads of the Golden Fleece, and possibly even unknown to all but the highest ranks of the Templars.

Alexander Pyropolous Jasonof the Order of the Golden Fleece Male, age 58 Social Status: 35

Opportunity: 105

Education: 21, educated at the Sorbonne and Yale Business School Life Experience: 94 Culture: European Cosmopolitan Profession: Shipping company owner; financier Income: $1 55 million per year, officially Residence. Private island in the Aegean Family Relationship: 18, wife and four children Possessions: Mansions, yachts, wine cellars Appearance: Olive complexion, mustache, brown eyes STR15 DEX 16 HP 16

CON 1 6 CHA 1 8 Actions 4

INT20 Solar-Ka 48 (awakened) db + l d 4

Skills: Archaeology (Greek) 45%, Astrological Lore 75%, Business 85%, Computer Use 50%, Drive Sports Car 70%, Finance 85%, Fine Art 8O%, Hermetic Lore 75%, History 70%, Kabbalistic Lore 55%, Law 6O%, Pilot Yacht 8O%, Readwrite (English) 75%, Readwrite (French) 75%, Readwrite (Classical Greek) 85%, Readwrite (Greek) 1OO%, Readwrite (Hebrew) 85%, Readwrite (Classical Latin) 85%, Religion (Greek Orthodox) 40%, Research 75%, Ride 8O%, Ski 8O%, Speak (Arabic) 8O%, Speak (English) 1OO%, Speak (French) 1OO%, Speak (Greek) 1OO%, Speak (Italian) 8O%, Speak (Japanese) 8O%, Swim 8O%, Taste (Wine) 85% Weapons: Grapple 90% (Greco-Roman wrestling) Skeet shotgun 85%, damage 2d6 Magic: Seals 55% Pyropolous is a cultured man who is concerned with rediscovering the original rites of the Orphic Mysteries, to provide the users of Solar-Ka with magical abilities of visualization, meditation and projection. He has so far achieved some success with these techniques, and has been supporting the Orphic Circle of the Order in its attempts to wean the Knighthood from its Templar connections and forge an alliance with the Mithradites. However, the disjointed nature of the Order makes it impossible for him to move rapidly, and many of the Circles, which are more tightly linked to the Templars, openly resist any changes.

Lucy Marquardt Ancaeus Knight of the Golden Fleece and Knight Templar Female, Age 45 Social Status: 16

Opportunity: 48

Education: 16, degree in cartography Life Experience: 71

Culture: Modern American, East Coast establishment Profession: Owner of SATCOM Mapping Income: $11 2,000 Residence: Large house in suburban Virginia Family Relationship: 13, married with one daughter Possessions: State-of-the-art computer mapping system Appearance: Nondescript blondish American STRl2 DEX 15 HP 12

CON12 CHA 14 Actions4

INT17 Solar-Ka 39 (awakened) db0

Skills: Archaeology (Amerind) 85%, Astrological Lore 65%, Astronomy 55%, Business 45%, Computer Use 75%, Drive (Off-Road Vehicle) 65%, Geology 55%, Hermetic Lore 65%, History 40%, Kabbalistic Lore 45%, Law 65%, Make Maps 90%, Pilot Helicopter 40%, Psychology 70%, Readwrite (English) 90%, Speak (English) 90%, Surveying 85% Weapons :Fist/Pu nc h 75 “/n (karate) Kick 75% (karate) ,303 Rifle 75% Magic:Lower Magic 65% Marquardt has two Elixirs, one with Earth-15, Moon12, Fire-9, Water-6, Air-3 and one with Earth-8, Moon-1 0, Fire-4, Water-2, Air-8. She also has focuses for the spells to Dowse the Plexuses of each Ka-Element, which she uses often in creating maps for the Order. Marquardt has two loyalties, which she does not see as conflicting. She is the Master of the PortoIan Circle of the West of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and a Knight Templar under the Seneschal of Washington. As Master of the Portolan Circle, Marquardt is in charge of the mapping of the arcane fields of North America, and heads the research efforts of the Order into the magical history of the continent. She travels to various university libraries, archaeological sites, and map archives all over the East Coast, coordinating the Order’s research into the location of Agartha. Her company, SATCOM Mapping, produces geomagnetic maps for the US Defense Department using top-secret satellite data, which she of course uses for the Order’s maps as well. She is the director of any Golden Fleece activity that North American Nephilim are likely to encounter. She also is a Knight Templar, and helps coordinate the activities of the Temple, the JASON Society and the Golden Fleece proper in America. She has extensive contacts with astronomers in the course of her work, and does contract work for NASA as well. Her Templar connections have given her a great deal of success in business and in the Order, and she sees them as the Order’s natural allies in the quest for Agartha and the contest with the Nephilim.

The Knights of Rhodes, also known as the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, or more generally as the Knights Hospitaller, have long been known for two things - their unswerving loyalty to the Pope and to the Roman Catholic Church and for their rivalry with the Templars. These two ruling standards have been the basis for the Knights’ continuation in the twilight world of secret societies since the sixteenth century.

34

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The Knights Hospitaller began in the eleventh century as an informal grouping of Italian knights from Amalfi, on the Tuscan coast. They elected their first Grand Master in 1 100, and became the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. They not only did hospital work, they also became a military order, similar to the Templars’ overt constitution, holding castles and property in the Middle East and Europe.

Secret Societies

Their rivalry with the Templars was perfectly natural, and occasionally became intense, involving armed combat and mutual accusations of ties to the Assassins and other Moslem sects. Finally, in 1314, when the Templars were suppressed and the Teutonic Knights (the third major knightly or“It’s irtmceivable tbot s ~ c ha powerful order C O H Save ~ survived der in the Crusading so [ O M ~WitboMt havifig a secret directorate: "Yaw veasouiug is f h u East) removed themless: selves to the Baltic, the - frow FoMcmdt’s Peubtlhui, 6y umberto Eco Hospitallers received grants to the Templars’ and Teutonics’ properties in the Mediterranean area. The Hospitallers settled into their headquarters on the island of Rhodes, where they defended the Aegean from the Turks and stayed out of occult power politics. However, in the early 1500s, their Grand Master came into contact with a Nephilim of the Empress Arcanum who showed the Knights evidence that the Templars were still functioning, that their purposes were world dominion, and that the Templars were assisting the Turks in their attacks on Rhodes, which finally succeeded in 1522. At this, the Grand Master took 18 of his most trusted Knights and created the Knights of Rhodes, which would specifically oppose the Templars and aid the Church. The Hospitallers removed to Malta and became the Knights of Malta, changing their official name to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in 1834. The Knights of Rhodes remained an independent secret Order, although closely allied and interconnected with the Knights of Malta.

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The Knights of Rhodes soon added the Nephilim to their list of opponents, as they began to discover more about the occult truths of the world and the Nephilim role in callously directing history, promoting heretical beliefs about Christ, and their manipulation and domination of humanity. In this, they aided and were aided by the Jesuits, who had also begun intensive research into and opposition to the Nephilim. Some commentators argue that the Knights of Rhodes became nothing but Jesuit puppets, but the relation between the two groups is much more that of trusted allies than of master and servant.

Far more peculiar is the relationship between the Knights of Rhodes and their brothers and overt successors, the Knights of Malta. The Knights of Malta are the world’s smallest sovereign state, possessed of diplomatic immunity in many nations and organizers of world charity and hospital organizations that give them power and influence in many areas of the world. Also, the Knights of Malta have cooperated with both the CIA and the Templars in the Cold War against Soviet-Illuminati Communism, although the level of Illuminati influence in the CIA leaves the issue even murkier than before - some suggest a rogue Illuminati group settling a score by attacking their fellows. The Knights of Malta, in

short, have become their own Order, almost totally involved in politics to the exclusion of what the Knights of Rhodes know is the larger struggle for humanity against soulless monsters and Gnostic menaces. The Knights of Rhodes were neutral in World War Two and in the great struggle between the Templars and the Thule Bruderschaft, although individual Knights fought on both sides. The Knights of Rhodes aided the Templars against the Illuminati in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe at the personal request of the Pope, although they resisted any attempt at a permanent peace with their ancient rivals. Now, the Knights feel the issue is once more coming to a head. The Nephilim have returned in unprecedented numbers, and the Templars are entering the final stages of their Plan. A victory for either side is unpalatable for the Order of Rhodes, and so it must prevent Nephilim from finding Agartha as it sabotages key elements of the Templar Plan. The Knighthood is fairly decentralized -members "go with their guts" on local issues, and are expected to use good judgment, think on their feet, and solve their own problems. Larger issues are decided in Rhodes, but which side it aids in any struggle will depend on the correlation of forces -weak Nephilim may be saved by the Knighthood only to find themselves hunted by it when they have become too strong.

Bernard Roncalli Knight of Rhodes Male, Age 36 Social Status: 12

Opportunity: 36

Education: 21, degree in Computer Science from U. of Illinois Life Experience: 72 Culture: American Urban East Coast Profession: Computer Security Specialist Income: $65,000-$85,000 per year depending on contracts Residence: Loft apartment in Philadelphia Family Relationship: 14, single but large extended family Possessions: Electronic equipment, state-of-the-artcornputer Appearance: Scruffy, overweight, glasses, dark complexion STR16 DEX 11 HP 16

CON16 CHA 13 Actions 3

INT17 Solar-Ka 28 (awakened) db + l d 4

Skills: Bargain 65%, Business 8O%, Computer Use 90%, Electronics 90%, Fast Talk 5570, Hermetic Lore 5570, Mechanics 65%, Readwrite (English) 90%, Readwrite (Italian) 45%, Research 8570, Religion (Catholic) 55%, Speak (English) 90%, Speak (Italian) 85% Weapons: FisVPunch 6570, 1d3+1 d4 Magic: None Bernard is in charge of the Knights of Rhodes' inforrnationgathering network in North America, and makes decisions "on the ground" relating to ''local'' Nephilim or Templar plots that he sees developing. Developments that could have a major influence on the balance of power, endanger many innocent lives, or seriously harm the Church or Order he refers back to Rhodes for Instructions.

i d Illuminati Minerval

Income: $74,000 plus "bonuses" from Rhodes and Bavaria Residence: Apartment in suburban Chicago Family Relationship: 11, single, mother still alive Possessions: Red Acura, coin collection Appearance: Black, tal I, corporate-looking STR16 DEX 1 7 HP17

CON17 CHA 15 Actions 4

INT17 Solar-Ka 24 (awakened) db +1 d4

Skills: Chemistry (Explosives)55%, Computer Use 55%, Conceal 70%, Dodge 8O%, Drive (Auto) 80%, Electronics (Surveillance) 55%, First Aid 75%, Listen 65%, Pilot (Helicopter) 65%, Religion (Catholic) 55%, Scan 65%, Scrutinize 65%, Speak (English) 95%, Speak (Polish) 75%, Speak (Russian) 75%, Survival (Urban) 55% Weapons: Fist/Punch 85%, 1d3+1+1 d4 (karate) Grapple 80% (judo, usually a throw) Kick 85%, 1d6+1 d4 (karate) Garrotte 85%, death by asphyxiation in 1 minute Switchblade 7570, l d 4 + l d 4 .45 Automatic Pistol 85%, 1d l 0+2

,220 Swift sniper rifle 8O%, 2d6+2 Magic: None; Orichalka weapons are issued to him on occasions when he is called on to act against the Nephilim Dolby is an example of the tangled nature of the Order of Rhodes' interrelations with the Knights of Malta and the CIA. After serving in the Marine Corps, he became a CIA agent. He was recruited as a Knight of Malta by CIA Director Casey, and was brought into the Order of Rhodes while working in Eastern Europe. H e has an encyclopedic knowledge of the modern secret-society occuIt/political balance of power, and is currently working to infiltrate the Bavarian IIIuminati for the Order of Rhodes. He is often used by Rhodes as a "jack-of-all-trades".

Or3er o f the Black Star The Order of the Black Star is the loosest-knit of secret societies, consisting of a number of almost completely independent sorcerers who work to expand magical knowledge and to destroy the Nephilim by mystical means. They pass on their knowledge from master to pupil, working in isolation from each other. The codes of recognition, mutual aid, and transmission of knowledge are extremely basic and rudimentary - Black Star magicians prefer to work through other secret societies to disseminate

their knowledge. Many Black Star magicians, in fact, rise to positions

of prominence

in other secret societies, since their sole tenet, hatred o f the Nephilim, is shared by so many. For example, there are some Black Star alchemists at high levels within the Ordre des Nwf Socurs, turning its researches to ever more

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JUS^ V M ~ the W S ~ A C C37

effective means of hurting the Nephilim. Even the Rosicrucians, who tend to cooperate with the Nephilim more often than not, have harbored Black Star sorcerers i n their midst. Some Black Star sorcerers j o i n more than one secret society, either simultaneously, or i n series, to gain as many types o f initiation or secret knowledge as possible in the quest o f personal proticiency.

It has been theorized, in fact, that Black Star magicians have been responsible for every magical development made by mankind since the fall of Atlantis, since only the direct descendants

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of the Atlantean mages would have the magical potentials nece w r y to truly affect the mystical web with merely human power. I t i s known that Black S u r mages discovered the

Order

of the Black Star

THE LEGACYOF T H EDLACK STAR HE BLACK STAR, according to most authorities, developed the most powerful basic magics humans can cast: the creation of Elixirs, Homonculi, and Awakened Orichalka. Since most of the authorities quoted are themselves Black Star magicians, skeptics sometimes wonder about these claims. However, there is no doubt that the Black Star's mages and their works have done more to hamper the Nephilim than all the plots of the Temple.

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dixir Crcatim, or Sublimation ofthe Nephilim Circle: Higher Magic Threshold: 20% Ka-Element: Sun Range: 3 m Area: Target Duration: Permanent Description: A clean glass, quartz, crystal or other translucent or clear container must be exposed to twelve hours of sunlight luring the month of Leo to serve as the vessel for the Elixir. A captured Nephilim must be bound (cords of silk work best) and held in darkness, its blood draining into the vessel. The vessel need not be large enough to contain all the blood drained from a human body, since only the Nephilim's magical essences are actually going into the Elixir, the blood in the vessel serving only as the "suspending medium". The Nephilim's Simulacrum dies during this process regardless of any other effect. The mage opposes her Solar-Ka on the resistance table against each of the NeDhilim's Ka-elements. For each roll that succeeds, the

entirety of that Nephilim's Ka-element enters the vessel. If the Nephilim resists on one or more Ka-elements, it retains those. If the mage uses a blade impregnated with Litharge to draw the blood, the Nephilim resists at one-half of its Ka-element score, since the Litharge in the blade prevents the Nephilim from maintaining the full connection with its essence. A Nephilim possessed of only partial Ka-elements is in maddening agony and torment, and must add l d 6 to its Khaiba total for each Ka-element drained into an Elixir vessel. If it is unable to reincarnate or return to Stasis, whether due to Orichalka barriers 01 because its Stasis is full or destroyed, it falls into Narcosis shock. A vessel must contain at least one point of each Ka-element to sublimate the contents into an Elixir, although it contains an Elixir until the last drop is poured out. An Elixir is a magical being imprisoned in the vessel which exists in a blooc suspension, one drop of which can be used to cast spells (see page 192 of the Nephilim rulebook). If the vessel is shattered, the Elixir ceases to exist, and the blood is useless. Ka-element: from more than one Nephilim can go into the creation oi replenishment of an Elixir (although to replenish an Elixir the current level of the Ka-element in the Elixir is added to thai Ka-element of the Nephilim being bled and the total i s used foi resistance). The art of creating Elixirs dates back to the Egyptiar Middle Kingdom, at least.

+bmmwlws Crcatim, or Dimiwution o f the Ncphilim Circle: Seals and Black Stone Threshold: 80% in both Ka-Element: Sun

method by which Stasis objects are made, and invented homonculi. The Order of the Black Star dates back to the earliest days of human civilization, in Egypt and Sumeria. It has gone under many names, including the Order of the Forbidden Star, Brotherhood of the Eclipse, Order of the Noonday Eclipse, Sisters of the Eclipse, Black Mothers, Black Sun, Brotherhood of Nemesis, and the Shadowy Sun. Most Black Star mages can trace their succession back, master-to-pupil, for a millennium or more, and some claim to be able to trace a direct line of master-to-pupil succession back to the court of Horemheb and the fall of Akhenaton. The last major grouping of Black Star adepts was during the 10th century, when Gerbert of Aurillac, the mage who invented the homonculus process, gathered a number of Black Star sorcerers to Rome in an attempt to destroy the magical essence of Nephilim using the ritual of the Head. The Nephilim were able to prevent his plan from reaching fruition, and the Tower Arcanum of Nephilim destroyed his circle. Ever since then, the tenets, knowledge and traditions of the Black Star have been transmitted on a purely individual basis. Usually, a Black Star sorcerer will be released from her apprenticeship when she has learned everything she can from her master. She then travels to another country Powder: Moon Area: Target Duration: Until death of caster or homonculus Range: Touch

A captured Nephilim and its Stasis must be present inside a pentagram drawn with an Orichalka sword or dagger. With a silver blade, the mage must carve a second pentagram on the Simulacrum’s body and then drain the blood, bile, lymph, semen and other fluids of the Simulacrum, killing it. These fluids must be mixed with the Moon powder, and sealed with a pentagram in a large jar or carboy. The mage must then cast a Summoning against the discorporate Nephilim, attempting to force it into the jar at Solar-Ka vs. the dominant Ka of the Nephilim on the resistance table. If the mage fails, the Nephilim is freed to reincarnate elsewhere. If the mage succeeds, the Nephilim is bound into the jar. The Nephilim’s Stasis (or a portion of its Stasis, if the Stasis is too large) is then dropped into the jar, along with a small piece of flesh (commonly a single finger-joint) taken from the sorcerer. The jar is resealed and kept at blood-warmth for forty weeks (a low-heat oven, a hypocaust, the bottom of a manure pile or compost heap, or any other heat source will work). For the entire forty weeks the jar is kept in constant contact with a small piece of Orichalka placed beneath it. The emanations of the Orichalka force the Nephilim essence to embody within the piece of the caster’s flesh, in order to prevent the Nephilim’s destruction. During this time the Stasis dissolves and the Homonculus is forming, but if the jar is broken or cooled, the Nephilim escapes to a new Incarnation adding one point of Khaiba per week spent in the jar. At the

end of the forty weeks the jar i s unsealed to reveal a stunted and twisted humanoid about the size of a large cat or small dog, with a pentagram branded into it corresponding to where the pentagram was carved on the Simulacrum. This humanoid, the Homonculus, is now bound to obey every command of its creator, and can cast spells or perform any magic that it normally could as a Nephilim. A Homonculus can learn spells from humans or from any text it could as a Nephilim and inscribe spells into its aura. Homonculi cannot teach magic or spells, however. Once a Homonculus’ creator dies, the Homonculus is free of control and generally wreaks a fearsome revenge on its creator’s colleagues and family. Usually, Homonculi are killed with Orichalka or sublimated into Elixirs before their creator’s death (Homonculi resist sublimation at 1/2 their Ka-Element value). A Nephilim turned into a Homonculus who somehow manages to avoid being destroyed by either of these methods is reincarnated into a new Simulacrum, adding 40 points to its Khaiba total. See page 192 of the Nephilim rulebook for other details. The technique of Homonculus creation was invented by Gerbert of Aurillac in the late l o t h century AD.

A w d w n i n s OrichJlu, or Enscnbcrins the sicltle Circle: Lower Magic Threshold: 50% Ka-Element: Sun Range: Target Area: One piece of Orichalka-imDreanated metal or stone

and begins her independent magical research, usually recruiting a circle of adepts or occultists. She gives her circle a mysterious name, and invents a murky past for it, while using them to increase her own powers. Sometimes, rather than recruit her own circle, she will join an existing secret society and rise within it, learning its secrets. Often, she will join many different ones in her career, or join several sects before founding her own. Eventually, she selects the most promising of her circle to be her apprentice, leaves the circle, and withdraws to teach her apprentice the ways of the Black Star. A Black Star sorcerer generally only has the time in her career to train one or two apprentices, given the vast amount of effort it takes for humans to learn advanced magical forms. In the United States, and to a lesser degree in Western Europe, a tenuous network of Black Star magicians is beginning to form in response to the mass awakenings of Nephilim and the increased activities of the other secret societies. Personal ads in newspapers, abstruse articles in obscure journals, bulletin boards in certain college libraries, messages posted to electronic forums, and even scribbled graffiti in train stations carry signals and messages between the independent mages of the Eclipse as the Millennium once more draws nigh. Will a new Gerbert try to steal the Templars’ thunder with an ambitious magical plan to destroy the Nephilim once and for all? Will the Duration : permanent Description: Orichalka is a magical field which poolsin matter, especially metals and certain kinds of stone such as flints. Without being Awakened, Orichalka cannot be used to destroy Ka, but simply repels it like a magnet repels one of similar charge. The process of Awakening Orichalka was the first human sorcery, taught to the human slaves of Atlantis by Prometheus in the wake of Atlantis’ destruction. Therefore, it is at base a very simple spell, although Alchemical knowledge vastly improves the effectiveness of the Awakening.

At base, bleeding on metal or stone containing Orichalka serves to Awaken the Orichalka within it by exposing it to Solar-Ka. With the use of Lower Magic, for each point of SolarKa sacrificed, the Orichalka has the capacity to destroy l d 6 points of Ka. With the invention of Alchemy, it became possible to increase the effectiveness of Awakening Orichalka. This process was one of the first types of Alchemy that human sorcerers developed, in Alexandria around the year 100 A.D. To Alchemically Awaken Orichalka requires not only Lower Magic at 50% but Black Stone at 30%. The Alchemist uses Alchemical processes to refine the metal or stone in her Athanor first. This takes a month and requires a simple roll against the Alchemist’s Black Stone score. If the Alchemist fails, the roll can be repeated once a month until she succeeds. Then, the Alchemist must forge the weapon with a successful Craft skill roll such as Swordsmithing, Flint Knapping, Gunsmithing (for bullets) or Metalsmithing (for a simple Talisman). This roll can be tried once per week until success. Finally, runes containing the refined Orichalka are inscribed into

the weapon, which must be done on a Saturday and takes a Lower Magic roll, which can also be repeated if necessary on Saturdays. The weapon is now ready to have its Orichalka awakened, by being bathed in blood and exposed to sacrificed Solar-Ka. For each point sacrificed, the Orichalka has the capacity to destroy 10 points of Ka. Note that the Athanor used to refine the metal or stone must have at least as many Ka-element points as are sacrificed to Awaken the Orichalka - if the metal is refined in an Athanor with only 21 Ka-element points, only up to 21 Solar-Ka points can be sacrificed to Awaken the Orichalka blade; in this case, the Orichalka can have a maximum 21 0 Capacity (21 x 10). The blood used to make the sacrifices can come from as many people as the caster wishes - in ancient times (and in Nazi Germany) huge numbers of people were slaughtered to create truly astounding Awakened Orichalka weapons. However, the caster must oppose her Solar-Ka against the total number of Solar-Ka points sacrificed on the resistance table. Success Awakens the Orichalka; a failure dissipates the SolarKa sacrificed but the weapon may be Awakened by further sacrifices. A fumble releases both Solar-Ka and Orichalka energies in a titanic alchemical explosion, obliterating the laboratory and magician (and any other unlucky bystanders) and leaving a tracery of Litharge in the ruins. Orichalka, of course, destroys l d 2 0 Ka points each time it touches Nephilim blood, losing the same amount of capacity. For more details, see the Nephilim rulebook, page 191.

Black Star emerge from the shadows to claim its rightful role in the End Times? Nobody knows for sure, perhaps not even the Order of the Black Star itself.

Therese Kinsolving Magus of the Black Star Female, Age 55 Social Status: 10

Opportunity: 30

Education: 14, dropped out of University of Chicago Life Experience: 77 Culture: Modern American Urban "Alternative" Profession : Bookseller Income: $32,000 Residence: Apartment above bookstore in Chicago Family Relationship: 7, sister and nieces in Boston Possessions: Bookstore (owned), magical equipment Appearance: Tall, greying hair, green eyes STR 8 DEX 15 HP12

CON12 CHA 15 Actions 4

INT17 Solar-Ka 69 (awakened) db -1 d4

Skills: Anthropology 45'10, Arcanum Lore (Magician) So%, Art (Play Flute) 65%, Astrological Lore 85%, Astronomy 35%, Bargain 55%, Business 45%, Craft (Magical Tools) 85%, Hermetic Lore 70%, History (Occult) 70%, Hypnotism 70%, Kabbalistic Lore 90%, Pharmacy (Hallucinogens) 60%, R e a W r i t e (English) 90%, Readwrite (Latin) 85%, Readwrite (Arabic) 70%, Readwrite (Hebrew) 85%, Readwrite (Enochian) 80%, Research (Occult) 85%, Religion (Gnostic) 70%, Speak (English) 90%, Speak (Latin) 65%, Speak (Hebrew) 8O%, Tarot Lore 85% Weapons: None Magic: Lower Magic 90%, Higher Magic 65% Focuses for the following: Dowse Earth Plexus, Dowse Moon Plexus, Caduceus Press, Purify Matter, Balance the Humors, Lunar Veil, Pyretic Palm, Caress of Lilith, Mirror of Thoth Seals %yo, Pentacles 60% Focuses for the following: Jade Flowers, ShadowCloaked Sages, Invoking Voices Therese knows Mithraditic meditation techniques to increase her Solar-Ka. She also knows Mithraditic mesmerism. She has Elixirs totaling 35 Moon, 28 Earth, 24 Air, 18 Fire, and 1 7 Water She possesses an Athame with 74 points of Orichalka Therese Kinsolving is one of the more powerful human magicians in the United States, and a central figure in the emerging Black Star network. She has a circle of magicians, occultists, hangers-on, and crackpots who meet at her bookstore on Friday nights and provide her with magical support, information, and protective coloration. Other Black Star mages know her only by her Order name, which is Tanis. She is a former Mithradite, and is continuing their researches with specific attention to attempting to use Solar-Ka in magical rituals and

Apprentice of the Black Star

Social Status: 7

Opportunity: 21

Education: 19, a professional student Life Experience: 56 Culture: Modern American Urban "Alternative" Profession: Student income: $9,00O/year work-study Residence: Teresa Kinsolving's apartment Family Relationship: 6, estranged from parents Possessions: Decent occult library, bass guitar Appearance: Thin, unshaven, long-haired STRll DEX 14 HP 12

CON12 CHA 15 Actions3

INT15 Solar-Ka 24 (awakened) db0

Skills: Arcanum Lore (Magician) lo%, Art (Play Bass Guitar) 45%, Astrological Lore 50%, Computer

Use 4070, Craft (Magical Took) 6O%, Hermetic Lore 50%, History (Recent Occult) 6O%, Kabbalistic Lore 70%, Pharmacy (Hallucinogens) 60%, R e a m r i t e (English) 8O%, Readwrite (Hebrew) 8O%, Readwrite (Arabic) 55%, Research (Occult) 55%, Religion (Marxism) 85%, Speak (English) 65%, Tarot Lore 65% Weapons: none Magic: Lower Magic 71% Seals 67% Simonson has n o focuses of his own, but has access to Kinsolving's spell books and equipment when necessary. Simonson was recruited as an apprentice by Kinsolving when he started hanging out at her bookstore o n Friday nights, and has become her lover. He is being trained to work as a skryer and as an assistant in Summonings.

The Prieur6 de Sion has, since its inception in the wake of the Jesus Incident, been dedicated to undermining the power and plans of the Templars. In 1314, it scored its greatest triumph when, with the help of the Nephilim, it convinced the Pope and the King of France to break the back of the Temple. Since then, it has operated behind the scenes of science, art and politics to mold the mindset of civilization in a more spiritual, less hierarchical direction. In the battle for hearts and minds it remained a force to be reckoned with, although the even subtler and more corrupt machinations of the Templar-spawned Illuminati and Thule groups' propaganda and radicalisms often diluted, hijacked, or simply defeated the Prieur6's efforts. During the Second World War, the Prieur6 was forced to join with the Templars to oppose the Thule Reich. Some members of the Prieur6 believe that this situation was engineered by the Temple in order to suborn the Prieur6 and place

it beneath the Templar Grand Master, as many other organizations were at the time. However, the Prieur6 remained inviolate, working closely with the Nephilim, especially the Empress and High Priestess Arcana. Following the war, the Prieur6 may have been responsible for fanning the rivalry between the Templars and the Illuminati into outright conflict. It is certain that the Prieur6 used its privileged position in French and Eastern European politics and society to encourage such an outcome. However, with the victory of the Templars over “We know that $e ~rieurebe Sion is not a 4unathe Illuminati in the late tic fringe) organization. we know it is well 1980s and early 1990s, the nanced anb inclubes - or, at an)) rate, commanbs Temple’s influence and sytnpath from -men in responsible ana influenpower have grown. In retial positions in politics, economics, mebia, the avts. sponse, so has the nervousWe know that since 1956 it bas increaseb its memness of the Prieur6 de Sion. bership more than fourfolb, as if it were mobilizThe Prieurt can see the outing or preparing for somethng....we also know lines of the Templar Plan coming to fruition at the $at since 1956 ion has been making certain inforturn of the millennium. The mation available - biscreetl)), tantalizingl)), in Prieur6 is hoping to once piecemeaI fashion, in measurea quantities just sufmore derail the Plan, as it ficient to provibe alluring hints: did in 1314. To this end, the - Michael Baigent, Richarb Leigh anb Henv)) LinPrieurk has embarked on a global campaign of “outcoln, HO~S ~ 0 l 3rail reach”, leaking many formerly tightly-kept secrets. This campaign of leaks, propaganda, planted secrets, choreographed interviews, books, articles and documentaries is very much in the P r i e d tradition. Historically, it has attempted to mold opinion by such means, although never has it revealed such a (relatively) large amount of information about itself.

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This media and propaganda campaign has four ends. The first is to prepare humanity for the soul-wrenching changes that are coming in the Millennium, as the Nephilim return in greater numbers, the Fool is reborn, and the mystical perceptions of humanity are barraged by myriads of magical investigations and experiments. The second is to hamper the Templars by revealing secrets of their operation, their agenda, and their organization. The third is to convince other secret societies to do the same in an attempt to coordinate resistance to the Templar Plan on the occult level. The last end, of course, is to spread the image of the Prieurk as the “good“ secret society, one that has only the best in“ARTICLE FOUR - The hration of the Prieure be terests Of humanity and the Nephilim at heart. Sion is wnlimiteb: The campaign began with the deposition by the Prieur6 of a number of documents known as the Dossiers secrets in the Biblioth6que Nationale in Paris. These documents purport to be the governing principles and historical traditions of the Prieur6 de Sion, while subtly slandering the Templars, Vehm, Thule, the Illuminati, Masonry and other secret societies and occult movements. The contents of the Dossiers also hint at revelations that would topple the Catholic Church, arguing that the Prieur6 is preparing for some sort of showdown with Rome. To what degree these

- from $e statutes of the Prieure be Sion

documents reflect reality, and to what degree they reflect careful Prieuri propaganda, is unknown. What is known is that the Prieuri has decided to “roll the dice” and throw its entire weight into the struggle against the Templars. This is a level of commitment and risk on the part of the Prieure that has not been seen for nearly seven hundred years, and it argues that the Prieuri’s Nautonnier fears that the Templars’ Plan enjoys an excellent chance of success. This has, needless to say, womed the Nephilim, who have come to trust the Prieuri’s judgment about the Temple. The Templars, meanwhile, seem to be holding back their strike against the Prieure. Possibly this is because they still hope to recruit other secret societies to their cause. Or, possibly it is because the Prieuri has an ace in the hole that the Templars fear. Possibly the Temple has been bluffed into fearing the Prieuri by the Prieure’s nearsuicidal boldness. Whatever the cause, no observer of the occult scene can doubt that the ultimate rematch between the Prieuri and the Temple is coming soon.

JeanneSaint-Clair de Chambord Commandeur of the Prieure de Sion, East North America Female, Age 50 Social Status: 21

Opportunity: 63

Education: 18, Law and Letters degree from the Sorbonne Life Experience: 80 Culture: Modern French cosmopolitan Profession: Cultural Affairs Attache at the French Embassy income: $11 5,000 per year plus investments Residence: Townhouse i n Washington, D.C. Family Relationship: 14, married, two grown sons in France Possessions. Poussin painting, designer clothing Appearance. Beautiful, stylish, aristocratic STRlO DEX 14 HP13

CON13 CHA 17 Actions 3

INT17 Solar-Ka 36 (awakened) db 0

Skills: Arcanum Lore (Empress)45%, Art (Oil Painting) 65%, Astrological Lore 85%, Fast Talk 75%, Hermetic Lore 65%, History (Art) 90%, History (French) 90%, Law 85%, Psychology 8O%, Readwrite (French) 1OO%, Readwrite (English) 1OO%, Readwrite (Medieval French) 85%, Readwrite (Provencal) 85%, Readwrite (Latin) 80%, Research 85%, Religion (Catholic) 65%, Ride Horse 85%, Speak (French) loo%, Speak (English) 90%, Speak (Latin) To%, Swim 8O%, Tarot Lore 80% Weapons: none Magic: none Mrne. de Chambord coordinates the Prieure‘s actions in the eastern United States and Canada, working to keep abreast of the actions of other secret societies in the area and of the Nephilim as well. She enjoys excellent relations with a number of Empress Nephilim, and works with them to undermine the Templar influence in the United States. She patronizes many artistic events in Washington, New York, and Montreal, giving grants to artists and writers who spread PrieurC propaganda, knowingly or unknowingly. Mme. de Chambord is of the Incarnation Lineage herself, and i s under consideration for elevation to the Kyria.

Jack Boyle Investigative Reporter and Preux of the Prieure de Sion Male, Age 38 Social Status: 12

Opportunity: 48

Education: 17, B.A. in Political Science and a journalism degree Life Experience: 66 Culture: Modern urban American Profession: Newspaper reporter Income: $41,000 Residence: Apartment in Philadelphia Family Relationship: 9, divorced Possessions: Laptop computer, cellular phone, Oldsmobile Appearance: rumpled, balding, large nose STR14 DEX 1 4 HP 16

CON16 CHA 12 Actions 3

INT16 Solar-Ka 25 (awakened) d b +I d4

Skills: Art (Newswriting) 75%, Astrological Lore 40%, Bargain 8O%, Computer Use 70%, Dodge !io%, Drive (Auto) 65%, Fast Talk 8O%, Hide 70%, History (US. Political) 55%, Law 40%, Listen 8O%, Mechanics (Auto Engines) 65%, Psychology 80%, Readmrite English 85%, Research 85%, Religion (Methodist) 40%, Scan 8O%, Scrutinize 80%, Speak (English) 85%, Swim 50%, Tarot Lore 40% Weapons: FisVPunch 85% 1 d3+ld4 Grapple 80% (football tackle to bring down opponent) Kick 60% 1d6+1 d4 Magic: none Jack Boyle is a competent, thorough, respected reporter with extensive contacts on the police force and on other papers. His work for the Prieur6 is investigating Templar and Illuminati activities and exposing them where possible. H e masks these investigations as stories about mysterious murders, official corruption, and similar conventional stories. Boyle, of course, knows far more than his stories ever reveal, and his full reports are given to his Ecuyer, an art-gallery owner in Philadelphia. He sometimes will aid Nephilim in investigations of Templar activities, either trading information or investigating the matter himself if it ties in with other leads. He prefers not to get involved in magic or gunplay, although he has no compunctions about fights.

SocietAs Rosicruciam The SRIA is the pre-eminent Rosicrucian organization in the world today, and one of the oldest still existing. It was founded in 1551 by John Dee, a Magician Arcanum Nephilim, and Sir Philip Sidney, a human Rosicrucian. At the time, it was called the Sidney Circle, since Sidney was a very influential courtier and Dee was an obscure mathematician. However, Dee organized the Circle into one of the pre-eminent magical bodies in Europe. Like the later Golden Dawn, the Circle’s “magical” members

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were mostly Nephilim, with influential human allies in a parallel Rosicrucian order. just VMber the Stvrfhce 45 With the assistance of other Magician Arcanum Nephilim and the iilliance of the Rosicrucians under Sidney, the Circle planned to re-create a new Camelot at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, with Dee as Merlin, Sidney as Ector. the Earl of Ixiccster (another influential Rosicrucian) as Lancelot, and the Queen as Arthur. This mystical "I know that, 63 these few [remarksl, I am providing Mot onI3 starting Rosicrucian-Nephilim Camelot would repoiHts, httt c o n c h i v e proofs to those in nfbo~l i ~ w m i dthere ~ bInzes unify Europe and open up the West to the fiery strength ... : advance of humans and Nephilim to Agartha in partnership. - J & I De, Monas H k ~ ~ g [ ~ b1564 ic~, This program was jealously opposed by the Templars, in a powerful position in England headed by Lord Burleigh, who was chief secretary of state, head of the secret service, and later became the Lord High Treasurer of England. The Templar position in Scotland was even ctronger, since the Stuart royal family had been Templar allies since the Battle of Bannockbum was won with refugee Templar assistance in I3 14. Thc Templars and Rosicrucians dueled for power throughout Elizabeth's reign, and Elizabeth played the two oft' against each other to hold her own position and to protect England. The Nephilirn and Rosicrucians worked together to defeat the Spanish Armada (the Spanish alliance was a project of Burleigh's), and Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh were initiates of the Circle. Anothcr member of the Circle, Sir Francis Walsingham, created his own secret service to protect Elizabeth's life from Templar plots. However, the Templars won victories as well. They engineered Sidney's death in Holland in 1586, and convinced the Queen to sponsor explorations by the Golden Fleece. The Templars finally outmaneuvered the Rosicrucians when Eli~abeth'sdeath in 1601 elevated King James Stuart of Scotland to the English throne and placed the Teniplars in ;I commanding position. Although James could not move openly against the Circle, the Rosicrucian plan ofcreating the new Camelot in England had failed. Dee's death two years later left a human magus, Robert Fludd, in charge of the Circle. The Circle had simply been "the Circle" after Sidney's death, but Fludd changed its name to the Collegia Rosae Crucis in Anglia (CRCIA), commonly known as "the College" or "the Invisible College". Its new plan was to use the alliances Dee had made with other Magician Nephilim in Germany and Bohemia to create the mystical-Rosicrucian kingdom there. In 1613, the Rosicrucian Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia Elector Frederick of the Palatinate was married to Princess Elizabeth of England (although the daughter of James I, she hated the Templars). This "Rosicrucian wedding" tied the English Rosicrucians to the Central European Societae Anticus Rosae Crucis (SARC). Fludd swore allegiance to the SARC's Imperator, at this point. The Rosicrucian orders began publishing pamphlets and broadsides to preparc the way for the new Rosicrucian Europe (and to cover up their real organization and plans by inventing an imaginary "Founder", Christian Rosenkreuz). When Frederick was crowned King of Bohemia, victory sccmed within the Rosicrucian$' grasp. However, the Templars used the influence of the Holy Vehm at the Habsburg court to inspire the Habsburgs to claim Bohemia for their own, and the Thirty Years' War resulted. The Tower Arcanum joined in destroy-

ing the work of the Magician Arcanum, and the Magician Arcanum gave up on the Invisible College. The Invisible College also suffered a setback when Francis Bacon’s Academy of the New Atlantis, a Rosicrucian group, withdrew from the College in 1620 and became the Ordre des Neuf Soeurs. The College continued to work and research under Fludd’s successor, Elias Ashmole. Ashmole began to add scientific research to the College’s activities in an attempt to keep up with the Baconians in Paris. By 1660, the College had split between the magical-Rosicrucians such as Ashmole, Lilly and the architect Sir Christopher Wren (a Wheel of Fortune Arcanum Nephilim, like Sir Isaac Newton) and the scientific group, which became the Royal Society under the Chariot Arcanum, and allied itself with the Templarist Stuarts. Newton, a Wheel of Fortune Nephilim and member of the College, joined the Royal Society in an attempt to wean it away from Templarism and the Chariot and into Rosicrucianism and the Wheel. However, he failed to counterbalance the purely technical and mechanical interests of the Royal Society, and it moved rapidly out of the occult scene following Newton’s death and the return of that Nephilim to stasis. The College stayed in the background for the next two centuries, expanding into Masonry but remaining out of high-level mystical or human politics. It is believed that the reclusive English magician Francis Barrett, author of The Magus, headed the College in the early 19th century. In 1865, the College’s head, Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton, renamed the College the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA). Under Bulwer-Lytton, the SRIA greatly expanded its magical efforts and its occult influence. Bulwer-Lytton met the French magus Eliphas Levi, corresponded with Rosicrucian groups in Germany (unfortunately, including a German Rosicrucian order that had been completely infiltrated by the Thule societies) and wrote a number of novels and other works that introduced mystical concepts to a wide audience. Two members of the SRIA at this time were Magician Nephilim, incarnated in MacGregor Mathers and William Westcott. They attempted to restore the SRIA to its position under Dee as the junior partners of a group of Magician Nephilim. However, the head of the SRIA, Anna Kingsford, was a Christian Hermeticist who objected to serving the Nephilim. As a result of her reluctance, the Magician Arcanum separated from the SRIA and founded the Hermetic Brotherhood of the Golden Dawn in the Outer in 1884. For the next generation, the SRIA was left in the shade by the tremendous magical achievements of the Golden Dawn. The splintering of the Golden Dawn in the early 20th century left the SRIA once more the preeminent mystical group in England, and its role in combatting the Thule Bruderschaft soon made it the first among equals of the many Rosicrucian societies under the SARC umbrella. Since the war, the SRIA has been concentrating on purging the Templar influence from its membership, cementing its ties with other Rosicrucian orders, continuing its research on Agartha and the Nephilim, and preparing for the end of the millennium and the Templar Plan. Most Rosicrucians do not want to see the Templar Plan implemented, but the group is still far too diffuse and interpenetrated by Templar agents and groups to act decisively.

The Backhouse Library in Oxford, England is perhaps the greatest occult library since Alexandria. It has been in continuous existence since 1648, and has remained safe from fire, sack, or any of the other numerous disasters that have plagued collec-

tions on the Continent. It is one of the main reasons for the prominence, power and resilience of the British Rosicrucians, who established the library in the 17th century and have controlled it ever since. Among its 7 million volumes are the complete libraries of Dee, Fludd, Ashmole, Newton, Barren, Bulwer-Lytton and other heads of the Society as well as thousands of priceless manuscripts taken from Egypt, Greece, India, China and other far-flung countries by British Rosicrucians, archaeologists, collectors or soldiers. Much of the occult library accumulated by the Thule Bruderschaft from its looting of Europe and Russia was transferred to the Backhouse in 1945. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Backhouse has been smuggling as much of the Kremlin's occult collection out of Russia and into Britain as it can acquire. Copies of virtually every mystical book ever written are shelved here, many of them first editions or autograph copies, and the Library maintains a first-class preservation facility to keep them in the best possible condition. Priceless maps and charts, ancient stone or clay tablets, papyrus scrolls and vellum codices are all stored within the Library's walls. Many of the texts held here are thought to be destroyed or lost

Tower - Contains Some Communications Gear

N e w Arrivals

Chinese Works

Basement Vaults Contain More Volumes Non-Textual Materials

Skyllght Rotunda READING ROOM Reading DesksCommon Reference Works-

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Offices

Upstairs Stacks Contain More Works

E =

u"

First Floor

19th and 20th Century

forever by exoteric scholars and historians, and the Backhouse has never cared to publicize the existence of some of the more unusual items in its collection. The Library is not part of the Oxford University library systems, although many books owned by Oxford have found their way to the Backhouse’s shelves, to be replaced by inferior versions, later editions, or even forged copies. The Rosicrucians have always maintained a number of agents in Oxford, with instructions to obtain for the Backhouse any volumes in the University libraries that the Backhouse has somehow managed to miss. Similar networks of Rosicrucians are in positions of influence at the British Museum, Cambridge, and other large libraries on the Continent and in America. Even the Vatican Library has been infiltrated by Rosicrucian operatives of the Backhouse. Often, librarians at other libraries or in the employ of other secret societies will send a rare volume to the Backhouse in order to receive a copy of some other scarce work. The Backhouse has a reputation of being more than fair in such dealings, and it also has a reputation of being ruthless in attempts to acquire works it covets that the possessor refuses to part with. The Backhouse enjoys the use of an immense trust fund which it uses to purchase rare books, maps and inscriptions at auction either openly or through confederates. It also is rumored to have the finest book-forgers in the world in its employ, and to have forged copies of many occult works to replace ones it steals from less well-guarded libraries, personal collections or museums. Only the B ackhouse’s own librarians, all high-grade Rosicrucians, are allowed access to the collection. Even other members of the SRIA must request books in the Reading Room or in a private cubicle. Books are brought from the shelves by librarians, who often insist on remaining in the room with the user. Users must pay a large fee (around $10,000per month), although the fees are often adjusted up or down. Access is refused entirely to users with unsavory or violent reputations. The Backhouse has no public catalog, and indeed it is rumored that the books are shelved according to an esoteric system tied in with the Rosicrucian mystical Art of Memory. The bulk of the collection is warded mystically and with Orichalka in addition to the more conventional security systems (all state-of-the-art). The Reading Room and many of the cubicles are unwarded, since many Nephilim come to the Backhouse to study a particularly obscure volume. Nephilim, of course, are usually allowed access on a trade basis -the Nephilim must provide information about a text, give the location of a certain lost archive, or even acquire a book currently beyond the Backhouse’s reach in return for access.

The Rosicruciw Great Art o f Memory One of the arts known to the ancients and forgotten in the modem world was the art of training the memory to its highest pitch. The epics of Homer, the Welsh Triads, the Viking sagas, and most other ancient works were preserved and passed down completely by memorization. With the rise of literacy, the art of memory became an arcane art known only to a few adepts. Given the vast amount of information that the operant magician must know, the conflation of the art of memory with the mystical arts was natural. Various concepts, words, phrases, or whole passages of text can be memorized and interrelated using the Art of Memory. Using the Art of Memory makes the study of magic (as well as other studies involving many abstruse interrelated facts) consider-

ably easier. The Rosicrucians have developed the Art of Memory to a high pitch, teaching it to many of their members upon initiation. The training takes a year or so, but results in a near-eidetic capacity to recall long passages of text or entire books, increases reading speed and comprehension, and allows the rapid assimilation and interrelation of acquired knowledge. Nephilim have naturally better memories than humans, and although they could learn the Art of Memory while Incarnated, few of them bother to do so. For more details on this subject, see The Art ofMemory by Frances Yates (University of Chicago Press, 1966).

Adept of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, Associate Librarian of the Backhouse Library Male, Age 45 Social Status: 14

Opportunity: 42

Education: 16, First in Classics at Oxford Life Experience: 71 Culture: Modern English academic Profession: Librarian Income: $65,000 Residence: Lodgings in Oxford Family Relationship: 9, confirmed bachelor Possessions: Personal library of first-edition atlases Appearance: Tweedy, receding hairline, blue eyes, glasses STR11 DEX 14 HP 13

CON13 CHA 13 Actions 3

INT16 Solar-Ka 41 (awakened) db 0

Skills: Arcanum Lore (Magician, Empress, Wheel) 30%, Archaeology (Egyptian) 45%, Backhouse Collection Knowledge 70%, Bargain 85%, Cartography 8O%, Computer Use 45%, Craft (Bookbinding) 50%, Evaluate BooUMap 80%, Hermetic Lore 95%, History So%, Kabbalistic Lore 55%, Memorize 95%, Psychology 60%, Readwrite (English) 100%, Readwrite (Latin) 85%, Readwrite (Ancient Greek) 85%, Readwrite (Egyptian Hieroglyphics) 65%, Readwrite (Arabic) 70%, Re1igion (Anglican) 75%, Religion (Ancient Egyptian) 65%, Research 95%, Scrutinize 80%, Speak (English) 95%, Speak (Latin) 85%, Speak (Ancient Creek) 70%, Speak (Ancient Egyptian) 6O%, Speak (Egyptian Arabic Dialect) 7070, Tarot Lore 60% Weapons : none Magic: Lower Magic 90%, Higher Magic 60% Has Elixir of Air-9 and a focus for Hermetic Satori Traven is one of the Librarians at the Backhouse Library who is often called upon to deal with Nephilirn. He has a nearly perfect eidetic memory due to his Rosicrucian training. His specialties are antique maps and Egyptian manuscripts, but he has a very broad range of knowledge i n other areas. H e travels to Egypt every year to buy manuscripts for the Library. He is always happy to help a Nephilim that needs a particular manuscript or volume, but is a hard bargainer when setting the price. The Library prefers copies of works it doesn't have (not easy to find) or knowledge of where certain lost or magically concealed archives are hidden.

Victor CamberwelI Frater of the SKlA and Scotland Yard Inspector Male, Age 41 Social Status: 13

Opportunity: 39

Education: 15, University of London degree in Psychology Life Experience: 65 Culture. Modern English urban Profession: Scotland Yard Inspector Income: $40,000 Residence: Flat in London Family Relationship: 12, married, no children Possessions: Used Jaguarsedan, golf clubs Appearance: Mustache, sandy hair, tallish STK16 DEX 14 HP 1 7

CON17 CHA 10 Actions 3

INT16 Solar-Ka 25 (awakened) db + l d 4

Skills: Climb 40%, Computer Use 40%, Criminology 75%, Dodge 45%, Drive (Auto) 75%, First Aid 50%, Forensics 65%, Law 85%, Listen 65%, Mechanics (Auto Engines) 65%, Masonic Lore 85%, Memorize 55%, Psychology 85'4, Readwrite (English)8O%, Kesearch 6O%, Religion (Methodist) 65%, Scan 85%, Scrutinize 85%, Speak (English) 8O%, Speak (Urdu) Weapons: FistPunch 80% l d 3 + l d 4 Grapple 85% (rugby tackle) Kick 60% 1d6+1 d4 Truncheon 85% 1 d6+1 d4 9mm Revolver 80% 1d l 0 Inspector Camberwell was recruited into the SKlA from his Masonic Lodge, and still considers the Kosicrucians "higher degrees of Masonry" although he knows better intellectually. He is an excellent police officer, thorough, tough and lucky. He is learning the Great Art of Memory, and applying it to memorizing the police files in his district. He has little interest in magic, although he knows of the Nephilim. The SKlA uses him to keep an ear open o n the London streets and to investigate Templar activities in the underworld.

The Teutonic Knights are one of the Secret Societies most feared by the Nephilim. Where the Holy Vehm works by assassination, and plays by certain bloodstained rules, the Teutonic Knights (in full, the Order of Teutonic Knights Of the a plan Of WO&J couqtlest, the Templays respect no rule but that of their Emperor, eyes of infltleuce between them: who rules the Order with an iron fist until Fotlcadt's PenaM'Mml'8 umbevto he can be successfully killed by another claimant.

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The Teutonic Knights are cruel, disdaining ordinary mortals as much as they despise the Nephilim. It also means their leadership is never weak or vacillating, but

decisive and ruthless. The Knighthood is, however, not very capable of making longrange plans due to the lack of continuity of leadership. This leaves them vulnerable to manipulation and sometimes even outright control by the Templars, who see them as "shock troops" in their quest for power. It is also occasionally hampered by its own internal politics, as Marshals of the various Commanderies are often more likely to be plotting against their Emperor or each other than moving actively against the Nephilim. However, when the Order is under the undisputed control of a strong leader, there is no more fearsome and efficient force in the occult underground. The Teutonic Knights have their origins in the fifth century, among the war bands of the barbarian Germans. Inspired by a Templar agent provocateur named Maria who returned to the Rhine valley from Egypt in 435 A.D., they be- % gan a campaign of massacres against Nephilim. For almost four hundred years, they were little more than the extended clan of this Westphalian war band, and their depredations had no great influence outside the Rhine valley. But, in the time of Charlemagne, they were used by him as weapons against the Nephilim on the eastern borders of the Empire. Charlemagne attempted to link the Westphalian clan to the Holy Vehm, but they were too disorganized and brutal for him to control. When he died, they reverted to their old ways, slaughtering Nephilim, heretics, and Jews indiscriminately. They eventually became occult "enforcers" for the Dukes of Swabia, who served as Emperors of the Order. Frederick V of Swabia died during the Crusades, and under the influence of the Templars, his shock troops formed their own Knightly Order, the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of St. Mary of the Teutons, in 1198. The Templar influence was just what they needed. From being little more than roving brigands or political-occult hatchetmen, they were transformed into a martial society with discipline and purpose. Their second Emperor, Grand Master Hermann von Salza, evolved their codes of strict obedience and trials by combat, and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick 11, head of the Holy Vehm and a Rosicrucian initiate, channeled much Vehm information into their Order when he made von Salza a Prince of the Empire in 1226. After a short time in Transylvania, where they ran afoul of a particularly unpleasant Selenim, they were merged with the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in Riga and granted Prussia and Livonia as their exclusive fief. They founded a great center at Marienburg, where they transferred their headquarters in 1309, shortly after the Templars were dispersed by the King of France. Many Templars took refuge in the Teutonic Order, which by then controlled a large stretch of the Baltic coast outright. Having slaughtered all the Nephilim in their territory, they moved on Poland, and only the concerted action of the Emperor and Justice Arcana prevented their expansion. Having been thwarted, they began to fall apart in dissension and suffer further military defeats. The distraction of running a temporal state proved fatal to their occult mission, and in 1618 they turned the reins of Prussia over to the Hohenzollerns, leaving themselves free to once more do battle with the Nephilim underground. During the Thlrty Years' War, they obtained many Orichalka weapons by looting magical repositories, and slaughtered Nephilim and their companions throughout Germany. They retained positions of power through the Masonic rise in the 18th century, and

although the Emperor Trump inspired Napoleon to dissolve the Order in 1809, they merely went further underground. The Order primarily acted under the cover of wars or general civil disturbances to wipe out Nephilim groups and took active parts in the wars of German unification and both World Wars. It is theorized, although the records were destroyed in 1945,that Heinrich Himmler or Reinhard Heydrich may have been Emperors of the Teutonic Knights, and channeled the resources of the SS into the Order. It is known that Himmler devoted much of his time to research into the Order's history and acquiring artifacts from the Order's years of glory. The defeat and division of Germany left them weak once more, and under their current Emperor, Frederick von Lehrich, they have seen their power drop precipitously as he becomes less and less rational. Von Lehrich's Marshals are actively plotting his overthrow and replacement, and given his instability, one of them is sure to succeed in the very near future. Under a new Emperor, with the mass reawakening of Nephilim and the confused situation in Europe, the Teutonic Knights could once again come into their own.

Frederick von Lehrich paranoid psychopath and Emperor of the Teutonic Knights Male, Age 69 Social Status: 29

Opportunity: 87

Education: 14, following military service in SS, spent time i n South America and never had time for further formal education Life Experience: 91 Culture: German Military, Nazi expatriate Profession: Military School Headmaster (Secret Society Head) Income: $85,000 per year from the school, millions from "investments" Residence: Deutsche Jugend Militar-Akademie in Muenster, Germany Family Relationship: 5, widower, elderly relatives unaware that he killed his son a decade ago for plotting against him Possessions: Military memorabilia, private jet, antique swords Appearance: Tall graying Prussian with staring blue eyes and a saber scar on one cheekbone. STR14 DEX 15 HP 1 6

CON16 CHA 11 Actions 4

INT14 Solar-Ka 44 (awakened) db + l d 4

Skills: Astrological Lore 35%, Business 45%, Craft Sword 8O%, Dodge 45%, Drive Auto 65%, Hermetic Lore 55%, History (German) 90%, History (Military) 90%, Kabbalistic Lore os%, Metallurgy 65%, Pilot Jet 65%, Readwrite (German) 85%, Readwrite (Medieval German) 75%, Readwrite (Medieval Latin) 65%, Readwrite (Argentine Spanish) 75%, Speak (German) 90%, Speak (Medieval Latin) 50%, Speak (Argentine Spanish) 65% Weapons: FisVPunch 75%, damage 1 d3+1 d4 Grapple 6O%, Von Lehrich prefers to crush windpipes or gouge out eyes after a successful Grapple Kick 50%, damage ld6+1 + l d 4 from steel-toed jackboots Luger Pistol 85%, damage 1 d l 0 Mauser Rifle 75%, damage 1d8+2

Schleger 105%, damage 1d6+1+1 d4 Swords (all others) go%, damage varies Magic: Orichalka broadsword of Graf Nahm von Bayern, one of Charlemagne's Paladins. It has been passed down in the Order from Emperor to Emperor since 1226, and has 551 points of Capacity left. Also, an Orichalka Talisman in the form of the Teutonic eight-cross, with 64 points of Capacity. Under von Lehrich, the Order has been losing members as he has become more and more paranoid and megalomaniacal. His habit of referring to himself as "Frederick the Great" and of ordering senseless massacres of humans has led to his isolation by other secret societies and the open disaffection of two of his chief Marshals. The only questions now are which one will kill him first, and whether the Order will be revitalized or split by dissension.

Victor Pei pus Feldmarschall of the Teutonic Knights Eastern Commandery Male, age 51 Social Status: 33

Opportunity: 99

Education: 22, Soviet Army War College Life Experience: 89 Culture: Modern Soviet Profession: Red Army General, black market mafioso Income: $7 million personally Residence: Dacha in Kaliningrad, Russia Family Relationship: 11, married, one son, two mistresses Possessions: Mercedes limousine, warehouses full of black market goods, HIND-D helicopter gunship Appearance: Burly blond man with cold grey eyes STR17 DEX 14 HP18

CON18 CHA 13 Actions 3

INT15 Solar-Ka 37 (awakened) db + l d 6

Skills: Bargain 80%, Business 8O%, Dodge 40%, Drive Auto 60%, Hermetic Lore 55%, History (Teutonic Order) 85%, Readwrite (Russian) 95%, Readmrite (English) 8O%, Readwrite (German) 80%, Readwrite (Latvian) 90%, Speak (Russian) 85%, Speak (Latvian) 95%, Speak (German) 70%, Speak (English) 80%, Streetwise 90% Weapons: FisUPunch 85%, damage 1 d3+ld6 Grapple go%, prefers crushing bear hugs and breaking limbs when Grappling Kick 50%, damage 1d6+1 d6 Lead-Weighted Truncheon 8O%, damage ld4+3+ld6 AKM Assault Rifle 55%, damage 2d6+1 Tokarev Pistol 70°/o, damage 1d l 0 Schleger 85%, damage 1d6+1+1 d6 Swords (all others) 55%, damage varies Magic: Possesses the 2-handed great sword of the Teutonic Grand Master Winrich, which he uncovered in the castle he makes his dacha. It has nearly 700 points of Orichalka. He wears a Talisman with 56 points of Capacity. The castle has numerous Orichalka Talismans in the walls and other magical protections on it. Peipus is the head of one of the most powerful and vicious mafias operating in the former Soviet Union. He has used his power to have numerous Nephilim who have arrived in Russia or the Ukraine killed, and is attempting to gain access to KGB records to track down possible Simulacra all over the former Soviet empire. His dacha in Kaliningrad (the former Teutonic Order

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stronghold of Koenigsberg)was an old Teutonic Order castle, and he has turned it into a fortress using stolen or smuggled Soviet weaponry. He would be satisfied to run the Order in the O l d World, and is willing to cut a deal leaving Westoval, his rival, in charge in America.

George Westoval Feldmarschall of the New World Commandery and Knight Templar Male, Age 46 Social Status: 23

Opportunity: 69

Education: 17, M 8 A Life Experience: 71 Culture: Modern American, Urban Upper Class-Military Profession : F inanciaI Adviser Income: $2 million declared on taxes from investments and retainer Residence: Chicago Gold Coast townhouse Family Relationship: 0, all dead Possessions: Jaguar V12, state-of-the-art computer system, Learjet Appearance: Ruggedly handsome, brown hair, ice-blue eyes STR14 DEX 17 HP 1 6

CON16 CHA 1 8 Actions 4

INT18 Solar-Ka 45 (awakened) db + l d 4

Skills: Astrological Lore 55%, Bargain 65%, Business 8O%, Climb 70%, Computer Use 75%, Dodge 95%, Drive Auto 90%, Electronics 50%, Hermetic Lore 70%, Pharmacy (Narcotics) 85%, Pilot Learjet 75%, Psychology 65%, Readwrite (English)95%, Readwrite (Latin American Spanish) 90%, Readwrite (Brazilian Portuguese) 8O%, Readwrite (German) 70%, Speak (English) 95%, Speak (Latin American Spanish) 90%, Speak (Brazilian Portuguese) 8O%, Speak (German) 70%, Speak (Japanese)75%, Speak (Ache Paraguayan Indian) !io%, Speak (Vietnamese) 50%, Survival (Jungle) 6O%, Train (Military) 75%, Tarot Lore 85% Weapons: FisVPunch 90%, damage 2d3+ld4, aikijutsu Grapple 90%, usually a bone-break Kick 65%, damage l d 6 + l d 4 Throwing Knife 85%, damage l d 4 .221 LR Target Pistol 90%, damage 1d8 Magic: Confederate cavalty saber, with 345 points of Orichalka. Also, Westoval has a Teutonic cross Talisman with 80 points of Capacity. George Westoval is an American of German descent who works as an adviser to a number of banks on Latin American finances. He is a strong supporter of various right-wing groups, and has been off and on the CIA payroll during the last 20 years. He has begun training an elite combat unit of Teutonic Knights in the Chaco area of Paraguay, to be used for search-and-destroy missions against Nephilim concentrations anywhere in the Third World. He was a General in the Order when he was contacted by the Templars, who are interested in using the Teutonic Knights once more as storm troops against the Nephilim (and perhaps against any other rival secret societies), as the Plan finally begins to come to fruition. Sensing an excellent method of advancement, Westoval accepted Templar initiation, and is now the Cross of a Templar Obedience. The Templars helped him replace his Feldmarschall, and will help him rebel against the Emperor when he judges the time is right.

L

Sensor Array

iker HMG

360" HMG

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0

200m

I

I

7

territory of the Order in the Baltics, and covers about a square mile in the Paraguayan jungle. The base has facilities for about 2,000 men, although it only has about 550 on the premises at the present. The base is overseen by Commandant Paul Richter, a KnightColonel (Ritteroberst) in the Teutonic Order who is personally loyal to Westoval. The men are trained in quick penetration-and-attack raid techniques and other commando skills. They are recruited primarily from unemployed youths with military experience in Europe and the United States, although there are some professional mercenaries and members of the German community in South America as well. New Kurland is isolated from the outside world and the only communication is by air. A small landing strip can support a Leajet or the transport that is used to move recruits in and out. The base is defended by top-of-the-line security systems including heat-and-motion sensors and overlapping cameras. In addition, there are heavy machine guns along the perimeter fence and a twenty-four hour guard. The base has about 30 helicopter gunships (mostly US Army Apaches) and 12 helicopter transports as well. The main artillery on base is man-portable, such as shoulder-launched missiles and mortars. The buildings are mostly barracks, arsenals, and helicopter hangars and repair sheds, although there is a command building with a satellite uplink and an Orichalkalined Nephilim holding pen. The New Kurland Soldaten have already killed several parties of Nephilim posing as archaeologists in Peru and Guatemala. If this program succeeds, Westoval plans to vastly increase the number of men involved, and mount a ceaseless campaign against all the Nephilim in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. He has toyed with the idea of using this force to take over a vulnerable Third World country and set up a new Ordenstaat in South America or Africa.

Paul Richter Ritteroberst of the Teutonic Knights and Commandant of New Kurland Male, Age 44 Social Status: 18

Opportunity: 36

Education: 16, some college and military training Life Experience: 75 Culture: Modern American, military Profession: Soldier of Fortune Income: $150,000 a year Residence: New Kurland Base, Paraguay Family Relationship: 0, thinks he’s dead Possessions: Hummvee, books o n commando tactics, gun collection Appearance: Well-muscled blond man STR17 DEX16 HP18

CON CHA Actions 4

181NT 13 14Solar-Ka 21 db +ld6

Skills: Climb 85%, Dodge 75%, Drive Hummvee 65%, First Aid 55%, Hide 75%, Hunt 75%, Listen 65%, Mechanics 45%, Pilot Helicopter 75%, Readwrite (English) 7570, Readwrite (German) 55%, Readwrite

The conflict known to exoteric historians as the Second World War was one of the most decisive and crucial moments in the whole history of the Nephilim. For the first time since the Great Compromise, there was an actively magical government in control of much of the Eastern Hemisphere, with the explicit bake, but it is I who have caIIeb the tune. I have initigoal of eradicating the Nephilim and using their magitrine, opeveb his cevtters in vision anb given him cal energies to conquer the itb the Powers. Do not mown me, for I have inworld. Virtually every Secret Society and Nephilim Arcanum Dietrich Eckart, b e d of the T h l e Brtlberschaft, 1923 found itself involved in the global conflict as the Nazis used every magical means in their power to gain global dominion for the Thule Bruderschaft. The Illuminati, Vehm and Teutonic Knights aided Thule, the Rosicrucians and Mithradites opposed it, and the Nephilim desperately tried to escape the frenzy. Other groups used the confusion to advance their own aims, which was the original course of action followed by the Templars. However, by 1941 the Thule had come far too close to victory for comfort. Not only did they possess the Spear of Destiny and numberless other artifacts, the Afrika Corps was driving for Egypt and the SS was excavating the ruins of Montsegur. The Templars decided, for the good of the Plan, to make common cause with the hated Nephilim to destroy Thule. This unprecedented action completely upset the occult balance of power, and lead to a great increase in Templar power and to the beginnings of the duel for position between Temple and Illuminati that culminated in the early 1990s. It allowed the Templars to consolidate a great deal of power over smaller secret societies, such as SMOTH, HIOTES and the Order of St. Sulpice. The Templars were also able to heavily infiltrate numerous Rosicrucian Orders, and bring the Golden Fleece once more into their orbit. Only a few societies, such as the Prieurk de Sion, were able to combine resistance to Thule with independence from the Temple.

’3

‘

.

! ruderschaft

Since the “stab in the back’ by the Templars in 1941, the Thule Bruderschaft has bided its time and plotted its revenge upon all its enemies. Thule agents are active throughout the industrialized world, creating race hatred and sowing the seeds for urban riots and general social disintegration. They currently have two major Goals: to acquire nuclear weapons to use in the Final War of Purification, and to acquire as many powerful magical artifacts as they possibly can.

The Thule Bruderschaft is currently well-placed in the governments of Argentina, Chile and Bolivia (not Paraguay, following the 1990 coup) which is where it draws much of its manpower. It is increasing its presence in Europe once more, in neo-Nazi and neo-Fascist groups. It is also branching into North America and Russia, in criminal mafias with fascist ties. It is unclear the extent to which the

Thule controls the Zhirinovsky neo-fascist movement in Russia, but it is certainly very close to obtaining nuclear material from the Russians, if it hasn’t already. The Thule Bruderschaft is directed from its Refuge in Neuschwabenland, Antarctica, where Bormann escaped by U-Boat after the Second World War. It has other bases in the mountains of western Tibet and the Andes mountains. Its communications are maintained by Extreme Low Frequency transmitters located in Antarctica, which broadcast through the Earth’s crust (the U.S. Navy’s similar program for submarine communications was canceled in the 1980s, due in no small part to Thule influence). It has a fleet of submarines of the most advanced diesel-electric turbine type available (no nuclear submarines are made available on the open arms market - yet). It also has several disk-shaped aircraft which operate based on Atlantean technology, and are responsible for many UFO rumors. There is probably no truth to the rumor of a secret Thule Bruderschaft base on the dark side of the Moon engaged in magical experimentation to reawaken the Black Moon energies slumbering there since the age of the saurians.

Martin Bormann Overman and Undying Fuehrer of the Thule Bruderschaft Male, Age 95 Social Status: infinite to Thule, 0 to all else Education: 10, joined the Army during W W I rather than finish school Life Experience: 108 Culture: Prewar German Profession: Fuehrer Income: Millions in Nazi gold Residence: The Refuge, Neuschwabenland, Antarctica Family Relationship: 0, believed dead Possessions: Priceless art treasures Appearance: Bland appearance, stocky, about 50ish ~

STRl2 DEX 12 HP 11

CON11 CHA 15 Actions 3

l N T l9 Solar-Ka 48 (awakened) db 0

Skills: Astrological Lore 55%, Business 65%, Chemistry 25%, Computer Use 45%, Hermetic Lore 4570, History 55%, Politics 95%, Psychology 95%, Readwrite (German) 95%, Readwrite (Spanish) 8O%, Speak (German) 90%, Speak (Argentine Spanish) 85%, Speak (Tibetan) 85%, Speak (Russian) 85% Weaoons. Luger Pistol 45%. damage 1 d l 0

SS Dagger with 196 points of Orichalka Bormann has been kept alive by Elixirs of Longevity prepared by Heinz Helweg, his Alchemist. Martin Bormann was born in Halberstadt, Germany in 1900. He joined the German Army in World War One, and afterwards drifted into radical fascist politics, joining the Freikorps and the Frontbann before he was jailed for conspiracy to commit murder in 1923. He was released in 1925, and he joined Hitler’s Nazi Party and the Thule Bruderschaft that year. In 1928, he became the Nazi Party treasurer, and personal assistant to Rudolf Hess, Overman of the Thule Bruderschaft. H e helped cover up the death of Hitler’s mistress and niece, Geli Raubel, in 1931, and from that point became one of Hitler’s

OCCVLTALLEG~ANCES 1N WORLD W A R T W O Thule Bruderschaft

Templars (with SMOTH, HIOTES, ROT etc.)

Teutonic Knights

Knights of the Golden Fleece

Holy Vehm

SRIA, AMORC, other Rosicrucians

Devil Arcanum

Most other Arcana of Nephilim

The Tower Arcanum, Order of Rhodes, and the Roshaniyas were the

closest confidants. Around that time, he persuaded Hitler to order that Bormann should never be photographed, which made hunting him after the war difficult indeed. H e had a hand in the elimination of Ernst Roehm’s SA, and was made an honorary Major-General of the SS. By 1938, he had become one of the Arrnanen of the Thule Bruderschaft, second only to Hess. In 1941, he engineered the forcible Incarnation of a Hermit Arcanum Nephilim into Hess, driving Hess mad. The Nephilim immediately fled to Scotland to return to its Stasis, and Bormann became the Overman of the Thule, leaving

the shattered husk of Hess in the hands of British Intelligence and the Rosicrucians. The forcible Incarnation of Nephilim is a technique that Thule has been attempting to perfect, first in experiments i n the concentration camps and later at their Antarctic base. So far, they have met only limited success, since the procedure drives both Nephilim and Simulacrum insane. By 1943, it was obvious to Bormann that the Germans would lose the war, and he began smuggling billions in gold, thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of slaves to Antarctica and South America to prepare the Refuge. After Hitler's suicide on Walpurgisnacht, 1945, Bormann eluded the Russians and made his way to Bremen, where he boarded a U-boat and relocated the Thule to Antarctica. From his Refuge, he has been working to prepare for the end of the Millennium, and the War of Purification, which will destroy all Nephilim and "inferior" humans, leaving the Thule masters of a shattered world.

Heinz Helweg Chief Alchemist for the Thule Male, Age 54 Social Status: 33 in Thule, 0 elsewhere

Opportunity: 66 int Thule

Education: 23, Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Cologne Life Experience: 80 (reclusive lifestyle minus) Culture: Isolated German Profession: Alchemist Income: $0, all needs and wants provided by the Thule Residence: The Refuge, Neuschwabenland, Antarctica Family Relationship: 12, only son is in the Thule-SS Possessions: Alchemical-chemical laboratory of vast extent; immense library of alchemical manuscripts Appearance: Greying, intense, hawk-nosed man STR12 DEX 14 HP16

C O N 16 CHA 14 Actions 3

INT20 Solar-Ka 42 (awakened) db 0

Skills: Astrological Lore 85%, Biochemistry 95%, Biology 80%, Chemistry 90%, Computer Use 40%, Geology 45%, Hermetic Lore (Alchemical) 85%, Medicine 65%, Pharmacy 80%, Readwrite (Classical Arabic) 8O%, Read/Write (Egyptian Hieroglyphics) 70%, Readmrite (Medieval Latin) 8O%, Readwrite (German) 90%, Research 85%, Speak (German) 90%, Speak (Classical Latin) 85% Weapons: None Magic: Black Stone 92%, White Stone 55% The Refuge's alchemical laboratory is stocked with a dizzying number of Elixirs created by Thule Alchemists from their Nephilim victims; functionally there are enough Elixirs here to last for a generation. There is also a plentiful supply of simple Nephilim blood for other rituals. Helveg's main magical tool is an Athanor confiscated from a very powerful Nephilim, shortly before the Nephilim was boiled down for an Elixir. lt is in the shape of a brazen pot: Fire 44, Moon 39, Air 35, Earth 22, Water 12 Helweg is the son and apprentice of Bormann's previous Alchemist, who died while testing the Longevity Formulation he developed for Bormann. Helweg is fanatically loyal to Bormann personally.

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ecret Societies

The flelwes Formvlatim; the Pmlonsatiow of Life Circle: White Stone Threshold: 40% Powder: Air Area: One person Duration: Until the next winter solstice Range: ingested Description: Helweg’s father, Joachim Helweg, developed this formulation based on the semiotic/semantic cross-correlation of works by Artephius, Flame1 and other sources. It must be created in the week before the winter solstice, and ingested in a bowl of Nephilim or Homonculus blood at midnight on the solstice by the recipient, who must pit her Solar-Ka against the Formulation’s Potency of 16. Failure means she ages as normal. If she fumbles, she is dissolved like a sand castle in a strong wind (this i s what happened to Helweg’s father). if she succeeds, she can attempt to roll under her

Radar/Satellite Links

Neuschwabenland, Antarctica

ornputer Center

Solar-Ka times 3 to avoid losing a characteristic point for that year‘s aging (Nephilim page 115).

T h e Rdtlse The Thule Bruderschaft’s headquarters is the Refuge, a hidden base somewhere in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, south of the Cape of Good Hope. On January 19, 1939, two modified Domier-Wal seaplanes under the command of SS Lieutenant Emst Stoll took off from the Kriegsmarine catapult ship Schwubenlund, and completed an aerial survey of some 600,000 square miles, reaching at times 300 miles into the interior of the continent. The survey planes dropped six-foot long metal spears with swastika fins for stabilization in a complicated pattern across the entire region, literally “staking a claim” to this remote area. After a brief landing, at which time the area was claimed for the Third Reich and renamed Neuschwabenland, the survey party left the area on January 29, and returned to Germany in April. The finned spears, of course, wove a mystical net of Orichalka across Neuschwabenland, creating an Orichalka barrier around the mystically powerful Nexus chosen by the Thule’s dowsers as the site for the Refuge. During the war, slave laborers were shipped to Antarctica to construct the Refuge and prepare it to harbor the Thule’s high command. Numerous U-boats were diverted to Neuschwabenland, with cargoes of treasure, scientists, Thule-SS officers and magical secrets. Finally, Martin Bormann escaped to Neuschwabenland with a select group of the Thule’s Armanen aboard U530 and U-977, which returned to Argentina four months after the war was over. Neuschwabenland has been continuously expanded to include a geothermal power plant, an airbase for its saucer craft, a submarine pen, and the ELF transmission system. Virtually every type of weaponry available anywhere in the world’s open arms markets has found its way to the Refuge, especially missiles and electronics.The Refuge contains about 10,000 men and women in a highly automated complex. For major projects, slave labor is imported from African or South American dictators. From here, the Thule coordinates its network of agents as it bides its time for the Fourth Reich.

ANY OF THESE SECRET SOCIETIES are mentioned in the Past Lives section of the Nephilim rulebook, but not developed further. 0thers are being described for the first time here. The descriptions follow the format in the Nephilim rulebook's Secret Societies section.

eMC/aMs, Pia et dtimissima abmovrestatjo be Fvatvihs Rosae-CvMcis, 1618

Ctrltcs Ses G d c s Place and Date of Creation: Central Asia, 1lth century BC Founder:: An unknown Selenim, possibly Ahriman Center: Mexico City, Mexico Goals: To gain occult power by aiding the Selenim

Attributes: A black mirror Methods: The Cultes des Goules attempt to reawaken the Selenim with blasphemous magics of the Black Moon, and serve awakened Selenim by procuring the blood and flesh of their fellow humans. Some debased practitioners of these rites also ingest the flesh and blood in an attempt to magically become Selenim. Others simply provide the bemom corpse-eativrg c d t Selenim with sacrifices, blissfully submerging their humanity in a tide of blood and evil. tI....

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Famous Heads: Gilles de Rais, Madame de Montespan

Structure: The Cultes are structured in mostly-independent lodges, which is one reason they are so hard to exterminate. The most powerful sorcerers in the Cultes generally comprise a sort of Black Council, but it meets only infrequently, and at the behest of the Selenim they serve. Past and Present: The Cultes des Goules were founded by a tribe of Central Asian nomads who worshipped the Selenim in their midst, similarly to the worship accorded the Selenim by the Aztecs. By the days of the Assyrian Empire, the cults, known as the Magi of the Starless Night, were encouraging the decimation of the Nephilim to leave humanity helpless against the Selenim. The Babylonians purged them, but the cults remained in existence on the fringes of the empire. The Cultes have changed their names many times over the centuries, being known variously as the Magi of the Starless Night, the Yezidi sect, the Blood Red Moon, the Obsidian Fraternity and the Lodge of Ahriman. The Cultes have been active in France off and on since the Crusades, when some French knights encountered the Yezidi sect among their enemies in Palestine. The Selenim tend to be drawn to periods of bloodshed or decadence, and the Cultes flourish within such times as well. The name Cultes des Goules dates from the French court of Louis XIV, when they were active in the circle of Satanists around Madame de Montespan, the king’s former mistress. The Cultes spread to many French colonies during this period, such as New Orleans and Haiti, and remained a subterranean force in decadent French society during the Revolution and the Bourbon Restoration. There was a brief flurry of activity by the Cultes during the Second Empire and the Belle Epoque, and it has been theorized that Jack the Ripper may have been either a Selenim or one of their human adherents. There were scattered Selenim outbreaks throughout the world wars, but the Cultes have remained quiescent since the end of World War Two. Currently, the Cultes have membership scattered throughout the world, which keeps in contact through certain dark channels of rumor and underground publications. The Selenim show signs of awakening in Mexico City, their old Aztec stronghold, and the Cultes are beginning to gather at the scent of fresh blood.

Place and Date of Creation: 1486 in Spannheim, Germany Founder: Johannes Heidenberg, aka Trithemius (1462-1516) Center: Berlin, Germany Goals: To master the Saturnian emanations of Orichalka, enabling humans to cast Orichalka-based spells and destroy all Nephilim. Also, to map, dowse and recreate Orichalka Plexi. Attributes: The crossed-sickle astrological symbol for Saturn

Methods: Magical research and occasional activity. The Fraternitas Saturnii is primarily an occult academy, taking little part in secret or overt politics. However, it does provide expert assistance to groups that oppose the Nephilim, especially the Holy Vehm. Also, it sometimes trades information with other occult researchers, most especially the Ordre des Neuf Soeurs. The Mithradites are its primary human rivals, since to the Fraternitas, exploring the Sun is to fall into the Nephilim trap and be bred like cattle for the Nephilim. However, they do not take active measures against the Mithradites. Famous Heads: Trithemius, Francesco Giorgi Structure: The Fraternitas Saturnii is organized along the lines of a monastic order, although its members take only vows of obedience and secrecy. The head of the Brotherhood is called the Aratron, and under him are Abten (Abbots) who head the three Colleges of the Brotherhood, the Colleges of Magiam, Alchemiam, and Cabala. Below the Abten are Bruders (Brothers), and below them the Novizen (Novices). Each College pursues a different type of research into Saturnian magic - Magiam concentrates on awakening Saturnian Ka and using it for sorceries, Alchemiam concentrates on producing Orichalka magically, and Cabala concentrates on summoning spirits attached to the Saturnian sphere. All three Colleges have enjoyed some success, although not without cost. Past and Present: The abbott Trithemius was an extremely gifted magus who resented and hated the Nephilim. He devoted his lifetime to developing a method of creating a purely-human magic that the Nephilim would recoil from in agony, allowing human magicians to seek their own path (he called it the Path of Lead, and argued that the Golden Path was the Nephilim’s demonic trickery trying to lead humans to Hell). His efforts were crowned with some success, although virtually all the rituals he developed in his lifetime could only be done during rare astrological conjunctions and still required Nephilim blood to activate Saturnian-Ka. His followers, the Fraternitas Saturnii, or Brotherhood of Saturn, continued his life’s work as they saw what Nephilim meddling had reduced Europe to after the promise of the Renaissance. str6jecteb to biw, a d Mot be to the stars. Even if be

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During the Thirty Years’ War, the Seven Years’ War, and the Napoleonic Wars, the - Pmacehs, Astvomwia Mapa, 1537 Brotherhood continued to work, refining their rituals with inhuman persistence. The Thule Society saw the Brotherhood as a possible resource in the war against the Nephilim, supported them with arcane texts and gifts of money, and encouraged their move to Berlin in 1848. The Brotherhood aided the Thule during the Second World War due to their hatred of Nephilim. With access to Elixirs, homonculi, and other Nephilim remains provided by the Thule-SS, the Brotherhood’s magical techniques took a quantum leap upward in power, although they were still only usable by awakened, trained humans on days when Saturn is in power. Currently, the Brotherhood is continuing its researches, following up leads developed before the fall of Thule in 1945. The Brotherhood’s headquarters was in the Soviet sector of Berlin, and so it remained fairly safe from Nephilim interference. Now, it sits in an Orichalka Plexus created in 1986 after a sixty-year ritual.

spells o f Saturn These spells have been developed by the Fratemitas Satumii, and can only be cast by humans who have undergone at least ten years’ Saturnian training and have the proper knowledge of the magical forms, although Brotherhood researchers are confident that they will soon make a breakthrough which will cut “awakening time” dramatically. Additionally, they can only be cast on Saturdays in Capricorn and Aquarius, although once again, Brotherhood researchers are hot on the trail of a theoretical insight that will make it possible to cast these spells on any Saturday. Spells are cast as normal spells, but against Saturnian Ka (equal to 21 minus the mage’s lowest characteristic - if Fratemitas mage Ingrid Elvire has a STR 11,DEX 13, CON 7, CHA 16, and INT 18 her Saturnian Ka is 14 (21-7)). To activate (sometimes called “awaken”) the magician’s Saturnian-Ka, she must drink an Elixir containing five times her Saturnian-Ka points in Nephilim Ka (for the example above, Ingrid must consume an Elixir containing 70 points of Nephilim Ka) and then undergo an immediate aging roll. This activation only needs to be performed once, but must be repeated if the sorcerer increases her Solar-Ka and then wants to take the opportunity to increase her Satumian-Ka as well. The adepts of the Brotherhood know techniques for increasing Saturnian Ka permanently over a long period of time. They have not yet found any means of temporarily increasing it. Magicians of the Fraternitas are capable of increasing their Ch’awe by adding the Ka-element Modifier (table on page 81 of the Nephilim rulebook) of their Saturnian Ka to their CON (for the example above, Ingrid’s CON is 7 and her Saturnian Ka is 14, which makes her Ch’awe equal to 11 (7+4)). Each spell requires the use of one point of Nephilim Elixir per circle of spell, and also the use of Awakened Orichalka. In casting, the Elixir is spilled upon the Orichalka, destroying part of both. The amount of Orichalka expended depends upon the spell being cast.

Dowse OricballmPlerms Circle: Lower Magic

The dowsing tool must be made of lead or iron containing Awakened Orichalka, and five points of its capacity is expended.

Threshold 50% Range: Touch Area: Target Duration: 30 minutes Description: Allows the target to know the direction of the closest Orichalka Plexus. With this the caster creates a rod, pendulum, or other dowsing tool which guides the target to the Plexus.

Create Orichallm WE^ Circle: Lower Magic Threshold 50% Range: Touch Area: 2 square meters per point of Awakened Orichalka Capacity expended.

Duration: Until next Saturday midnight Description: This is the only Fratemitas spell which can be cast in any month of the year, although it must be cast on a Saturday. An item containing Awakened Orichalka is used to draw a ward over an area, and expends one point of capacity per 2 square meters covered. this ward sustain Ka loss of ld6 points of dominant Ka. The ward is visible in Ka-vision as a darkly glowing black line. This spell can also be cast by sorcerers not of the Fratemitas, by sacrificing blood and expending SolarKa at the same rate as the Awakened Orichalka capacity is spent. A Black Star sorcerer who has learned this spell claims she has found a way to expend somebody else’s blood and Solar-Ka, but this has been difficult for others to

Shod o f Orichalla Circle: Higher Magic Threshold 30% Range: Touch Area: Target Duration: 10 minutes Description: Causes a dead-black shadow to overspread the target, the sole effect of which is to provide a coating of 6 armor points. This coating also contains 6 points of Orichalka capacity, but it evanesces with the coating at the end of the 10 minutes. Ten points of the capacity of an item containing Awakened Orichalka must be expended.

WMifcst Orichdlu Plems Circle: Grand Secret Threshold: 90% Range: Touch

Circle: Higher Magic Threshold: 20%

Area: Within a pentacle inscribed using powdered Orichalka-metal by the caster or casters, which can be no more than 60 yards per stroke. Duration: Unknown

Duration: 10 minutes Description: With this spell, a deadblack sickle appears in the hand of the caster. A successful Sickle attack roll does ld6+db in damage to the opponent. This damage can affect supematural or summoned creatures. If the damage exceeds a Nephilim’s armor protection, thereby drawing blood, it causes ld20 Ka drain as an Orichalka weapon. With each successful Ka drain, an equal amount of Capacity is lost from the Orichalka used to cast the spell. Once the Capacity of the Orichalka is depleted, the spell is can-

Description: This spell takes sixty years to cast, working every Saturday and every night in Capricorn and Aquarius. A succession of mages can cast it, but only the first must pass the Threshold and roll successfully. When completed, an Orichalka Plexus occupies the space inside a pentacle. This spell requires the powdering of an item (or items) containing Awakened Orichalka, with a capacity of three points per yard of the pentacle inscribed. A pentacle requires five strokes to draw, thus the largest Pentacle (60 yards per stroke) would require 900 points of Orichalka Capacity (5 strokes x 60 x 3). A one yard pentacle would require (5 x 1 x 3) 15 points of Capacity.

Leabm Shabe of the Etruscan Sibyl (Realm of Spiritual and Elemental Comprehension) Circle: Seals Threshold: 70% Contract: 21 Rupture: Special; the summoned creature drains Id8 points of CON from the caster before departing Duration: One question Range: Pentacle Autonomy: Total Description: An ancient woman with a bloodstained mouth appears, hunched over a smoldering brazier. She will predict either the manner or the time of death of any human, or discorporation of any Nephilim. Five points of capacity from an item containing Awakened Orichalka must be expended to cast the spell.

machbil Vttavs, T h e Feaber o f the Dust (Realm of Emotions) Circle: Pentacles Threshold: 30% Contract: 28 Rupture: Capture; the caster undergoes one attack by Quachhil Uttaus Duration: Until Sunday morning sunrise Range: Unlimited Autonomy: Total Description: Blood, hair or skin of a targeted human being or Simulacrum must be placed in the center of the pentacle. When the wavering, unseen, misty form of Quachhil Uttaus appears, it absorbs

that material and travels to wherever that target is currently located. Quachhil Uttaus then contests its 28 Ka against the Solar-Ka of the human or the dominant Ka of the Nephilim incarnated in that human. If successful, Quachhil Uttaus ages the being 6d10 years. Age rolls apply (Nephilim page 115). Ten points of the capacity of an item containing Awakened Orichalka must be expended.

Draw D ~ W H the SaWmian Emmatiom Circle: White Stone Threshold: 45 % Powder: Orichalka (Five points of Awakened Orichalka must be sacrificed to “energize” the metal.) Area: One piece of magnetized metal, no more than 5 kg. Duration: Until Sunday Sunset Range: Target Description: Upon scattering the Orichalka powder on the piece of metal, it becomes energized with Orichalka emanations with a Capacity equal to ld4 times the Saturnian Ka of the caster. Saturnian sorcerers are able to this spell to make temporary Orichalka items. This temporary Orichalka is useful only for attacking Nephilim and destroying their Ka. As with normal Awakened Orichalka, each blow that draws a Nephilim’s blood destroys ld20 points of the Nephilim’s Ka and reduces the weapon’s capacity by an equal amount. However, each such blow also permanently reduces the Saturnian Sorcerer’s Saturnian Ka by one point, as it its this Ka which energizes the temporary Orichalka.

Kabbalistic Orbcr o f tbe Rosicross Place and Date of Creation: Paris, 1888 Founder:: Jostphin Ptladan and the Marquis Stanislaus de Guaita Center: Las Vegas, Nevada Goals: To discover the mystical nature of the world and the entrance to Agartha by utilizing pure gematria. Attributes: The Rosicross in a Seal of Solomon Methods: Almost purely research. The Order was far more magically active in its earlier days, but now concentrates primarily on discovering the gematriac patterns of the cosmos.

- E.T. Be[& The Magic of Ntrwbevs

Famous Heads: none

Structure: The Order is organized roughly in the same fashion as the SRIA, in ten degrees. The degrees are Magus, King, Superior, Epopt, Legate, Adept, Brother, F’racticus, Zelator and Neophyte. There are eleven Superiors and one King and Magus. Past and Present: The Kabbalistic Order of the Rosicross (KORC) was founded in 1888 by the magicians Jostphin Ptladan and Marquis Stanislaus de Guaita. The two were among the most talented magicians in France, and began quarreling at once. Ptladan became interested in High Catholic magic and formed the Catholic RoseCross in 1890, blasting his erstwhile partner de Guaita with broadsides and condemnation. De Guaita, meanwhile, began using drugs and behaving erratically. De Guaita and Ptladan fought a series of magical duels with each other and with a magician in Lyon named Boullan, who may have been a Nephilim of the Lovers or Magician Arcana. At any rate, by 1897, de Guaita was dead and Peladan had joined his Catholic Rose-Cross to the Prieurt de Sion and entered the artistic world. The Kabbalistic Order of the Rosicross would almost certainly have died out had it not been for de Guaita’s successor, Gtrard Encausse, known as Papus. Papus was a tremendously able magician, organizer and member of the Paris branch of the Golden Dawn who had left the Templarist Golden Fleece to join de Guaita. He worked against the Templar and Illuminati plans in Russia, and tried to prevent the anti-Semitic Pmtocols of the Elders of Zion from being published by the Illuminati (ironically, many modem conspiracy researchers have decided that the Protocols were x i Illuminati blueprint that they attempted to pin on the Jew\). Howcvei. F?yii\ wa\ hilled by t 110 Templara i n IC) I6 tund the KORC removed to Provence to get o u t of the way.

While in the south of France, the research that Papus had done on the kabbala and the tarot became the focus of the Order’s studies. The new physics, with its emphasis on indeterminacy and chance, made the study of kabbala seem to be the wave of the future. The KORC began to investigate the operations of chance on numbers and cards, observing the Grand Casino at Monte Carlo and developing several new tarot techniques based on their discoveries. Rather than have their research fall into the hands of the Vichy government, the KORC removed to America in 1940, smuggling out a number of mystically powerful tarot decks and their kabbalistic research and records. They stayed in New York until 1948, when they moved to Las Vegas with the opening of Bugsy Siegel’s Flamingo. Ever since then, the KORC continues its observations of the occult behavior of numbers, cards, and colors in preparing a unified kabbalistic theory of the universe that will enable them to translate themselves to Agartha by altering the local fabric of chance.

Place and Date of Creation: Persia in the sixth century B.C. Founder:: Mithra, a Sun Arcanum Nephilim Center: Phoenix, Arizona is the residence of the current King of the Mithradites, but the society has no center as such. Goals: To reawaken the Solar-Ka in all humanity and to master methods of Solar-Ka control and expansion to allow humanity to continue magical evolution. Attributes: The sun in splendor Methods: Academic and political. At times in history, the Mithradites have worked with the Sun Arcanum, although the Nephilim are stingy with information and sometimes abandon the society wholesale. However, the legacy of cooperation “The SMM il~MMliMateSthe OtC/evphlletS MOL SO does mean that the Mikadites do not as bx its bivinitg a ~ bohess, b a ~ OM b S~OM fear the Nephilim, and see them as useful but not necessary partners in the secod Goa, govevuiug a[[ tbhgs ana spv human progress. bei~gsof the wov h...: Famous Heads: Emperor Julian, Nicolaus Copernicus, Cardinal Richelieu (a Sun Arcanum Nephilim), Cardinal Mazarin (his human successor)

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Structure: The Mithradites have retained the seven Mithraic Degrees of initiation, the Raven, Groom, Soldier, Lion, Persian, Heliodromus, and Father. These are granted to show increase in ability and trustworthiness, and generally an individual Mithraditic lodge (or Mithraeum) will only have one Father. The society as a whole is directed by the King, who is advised by Fathers of exalted understanding. When the Sun Arcanum cooperates with the Mithradites, a powerful Nephilim takes the rank King of Kings, although his authority is not always total. Past and Present: The Mithradites date back to the days of %roaster in ancient Persia. One of his prime advisors and mentors was a Sun Arcanum Nephilim named

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Mithra, who had been incarnating in Persia over the 1 s t two millennia. Mithra began to train some of Zoroaster’s followers in certain techniques to awaken their Solar-Ka, in an attempt to allow incarnated Nephilim to use Solar-Ka as well. These were the kernels of the Mithraditic Order. Mithra vani4hed after Alexander’s invasion, and it is unknown whether he achieved Agartha, was discorporated by a rival Nephilim or by a secret society, or \imply lost interest in the humans as they persisted in trying to develop themselves. This pattern of Sun Arcanum interest, irritation, and abandonment ha4 been repeated throughout the Mithradites’ history. Their nearest approach to triumph came in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, as they were energized by the leadership of a Sun Arcanum Nephilim of great power and subtlety who incarnated twice in that era, the second time as Cardinal Richelieu. The publication of the Hermeticum led to immense magical advances, and Mithradites like Giordano Bruno and Tommaso Campanella created a large number of magical techniques for influence, control and expansion of the Solar-Ka of humans. The Sun Arcanum thought that it might be time to re-establish a magical kingdom for their purposes (a thought that occurred to many Arcana in that era), and set about creating the Sun Kingdom in France. These attempts were resisted by many factions, including other Arcana of Nephilim, the Templars, and the Church, Mithraclitcs which imprisoned Campanella and burned Bruno at the stake. Richelieu was not tremendously distressed to lose the troublesome and independent-minded human magicians, and concentrated on politics, creating the Sun Kingdom of Louis XIV. However, the human Mithradites continued to research Nephilim secrets, and when Solomon de Caus and the other architects of Versailles revealed the truth of the 22 Arcana in its mazes, the Sun Arcanum began to lose interest. Louis kept squandering the resources of the Sun in pointless border warfare, and the Sun Arcanum abandoned the effort in the 1680s. Louis purged most of his magical advisers. and the Mithradites retired once more into obscurity.

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Currently, the Mithradites are pursuing purely magical and academic research, having rejected any attempts to directly influence human politics since the eighteenth century. However, they have developed methods of awakening and strengthening Solar-Ka in themselves and others, and the use of Solar-Ka to influence other humans, visualize K patterns, and resist Nephilim magics.

Basically, a Mithradite’s chance of successfully perceiving Ka is her Solar-Ka x3.

A The Mithradites have developed methods for awakening the human Solar-Ka through meditations and breathing techniques. They do this to every member who advances to Soldier or beyond. This Mithraditic ritual has become common knowledge among many sects as diverse as the Teutonic Knights and various martial arts dojos.

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The Mithradites have learned to increase their Solar-Ka through meditation, breathing, diet, special drugs, and magical rituals. They can increase it permanently. This is a slow process taking years, but a Mithraditic Father never has a Solar-Ka lower than 21, and some Fathers-of-Fathers have a Solar-Ka of 50 or more.

A Mithradite-trained sorcerers can increase their Ch’awe by adding the Kaelement Modifier (table on page 81 of the Nephilim rulebook) of their SolarKa to their CON. Q The Mithradites can compel other humans to obey them by force of SolarKa. By overcoming the subject’s Solar-Ka with her own Solar-Ka, a Mithradite can compel the subject to perform some action (other than suicide), forget a period of up to an hour, or simply create trust and allegiance. These techniques are not widely known outside the order.

A Mithradites have developed techniques for seeing different types of Ka using Solar-Ka-vision. Although they remain monochrome, they can sense Nephilim’s Ka-energies and the Kafields of Nexi and Plexi using Solar-Kavision as a skill much like Ka-vision. Fire Ka flickers, Water Ka ripples, Air Ka spirals like smoke, Moon Ka wavers, and Earth Ka quivers. Solar-Ka is also visible, appearing as a golden flame.

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Mithradites can, given some warning, use breathing techniques and meditations to prepare themselves to resist Kaforce such as magical attacks. The Mithradite’s full Solar-Ka must be overcome by the Ka element of the Nephilim attacker corresponding to the element of the spell used. This is instead of the normal 1/2 Solar-Ka resistance value of awakened humans.

A Lastly, the Mithradites have developed the ability to temporarily house Nephilim while retaining personal awareness. This is only possible for Mithradites with Solar-Ka scores higher than 21, and the Nephilim can still attempt to force the Mithradite into unconsciousness in a Ka-contest, thereby permanently incarnating in the host. This process, called guesting, is therefore done only by very highly advanced Mithradites, and only with Nephilim they have reason to trust. This temporary incarnation costs one point of Ch’awe per hour of guesting, and the lost Ch’awe does not begin to regenerate until the guesting ends. The Nephilim, obviously, cannot be incarnate in someone else at the time. To KaVision, such a “guested“ Nephilim is almost invisible, obscured by the golden pillar of the host’s Ka. The Nephilim’s Ka is only visible to a Ka x 1 roll, and then only if the examiner thinks to scrutinize the host with Ka-Vision. All Mithraditic Solar-Ka techniques are favorably influenced by Solar Enthronements, such as Sundays or the month of Leo. They receive a ld6 bonus to Solar-Ka, in the same manner as spells.

Goals: The recovery of the Holy Grail Attributes: The descending turtledove, the Grail Methods: Research, with violence only against those who bar the way. It has no animosity to Nephilim as such, and has even included one or two historically. Famous Heads: Sir Galahad, Sir Thomas Malory Structure: The Order of St. Sulpice is very small, and organized in three degrees, Knight, Grail Knight, and King. There are seldom more than fifty members of the Order at any time. Past and Present: The Order of St. Sulpice was founded by King Arthur after the Grail was stolen from his Kingdom by his enemies, who have never been identified exactly, except that they included both humans and Nephilim. The Order refers to them as the “Judas Brotherhood”,and its guess as to their identities changes with time and hermetic politics. Even the nature of the Grail is lost in mystery, and the Order has run into its share

of dead-ends over the centuries. The Grail poets, such as Chretien de Troyes and Wolfram von Eschenbach, were members of the Order (although Wolfram was first and foremost a Templar) and Sir Thomas Malory was its King. It has cooperated with other secret societies, especially the Knights of the Golden Fleece, and had a part in the attempts to found a New Camelot in Elizabethan England. The last major advance the Order had was during its competition with the Thule Bruderschaft in the 1930s and 1940s. The Order opposed the Thule’s premier Grail scholar and magician, SS Colonel Otto Rahn, at every turn, and may have had a hand in his death in 1939. The Order was very involved in World War Two, but came under definite Templar influence at that time, influence it has not shaken off as yet.

(Ov&r o f the Nine Muses) Place and Date of Creation: 1620 at St. Albans, England Founder:: Sir Francis Bacon Center: Palo Alto, California

Goals: The pursuit of magical knowledge by scientific and technological means. Attributes: The pendulum, the cogwheel. Methods: The Ordre des Neuf Soeurs is attempting to reproduce Ka energies, Stases, Orichalka and Litharge by technological means. To this end it engages in very highlevel research in cybernetics, plasma physics, nuclear chemistry and metallurgy. It is also very interested in Alchemy, training its initiates to the limit of human caDability (surprisingly high). Lastly, the Order two uses technological means to gain and $ese keep power and influence, especially in w e and exce//ent inventions.” scientific matters. The Ordre des Neuf Soeurs and the Chariot Arcanum have a symbiotic relationship, with the Order providing many technological services to the Chariot, and the Chariot giving magical advice to the Order.

Famous Heads: Sir Francis Bacon, Benjamin Franklin, Nikola Tesla Structure: The Ordre des Neuf Soeurs has retained a basic Masonic structure, with nine levels. The lowest three are ordinary Masonic degrees (Craft Mason, Accepted Mason, Master Mason) which are held by purely scientific technicians of the Order. Upon reaching the Third Degree, the technician is told something of the actual nature of things, with more revelations occumng as they advance. Magico-technical research is mostly done by members of the next three degrees (Hero, Daedalus, Tubalcain). The last three degrees are composed of members are fully aware of the Nephilim and their natures, and are the Hephaestae (who oversee research centers, move around the world hunting up alchemical artifacts and contesting with Nephilim), the Archimedes (nine in number, serving as the coordinating council of the Order), and the Grand Master, or Pythagore. Past and Present: The Ordre des Neuf Soeurs was founded as the Academy of the New Atlantis by Sir Francis Bacon, a Rosicrucian initiate, as part of his goal to gather knowledge to use against his rivals, both Nephilim and human. Bacon’s most serious rivalry was with his fellow Rosicrucians in the Invisible College (especially Robert Fludd), and he finally faked his death in 1626 and moved the Academy to St. Martin’s-des-Champs in Paris, where he met the Nephilim inhabiting Rene Descartes, and forged the alliance with the Chariot Arcanum that the Ordre kept until recently, when tensions between humans and Nephilim began to increase as the Ordre began to achieve actual success at synthesizing Orichalka and other magical materials.

Currently, the Ordre is advancing on all fronts, especially in the use of Atlantean technology, which human science is finally beginning to comprehend. The Ordre maintains the secret research facilities at Papoose Lake, Nevada, the so-called “Area 51”, in cooperation with certain magicians of the Black Star.

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Benjamin Franklin, a Pythagore of the Ordre, developed a technique for using already Awakened Orichalka to draw on the emanations of Saturn to instill Orichalka temporarily in properly prepared metal (heavily ionized and gaussed), especially leaded iron. This rite, which can be done during Saturdays in Capricorn and Aquarius, has been kept a secret and used to provide the Ordre with funds by selling Orichalka weapons to other secret societies. A similar rite is also known to the Fraternitas Saturnii, although it is unknown whether it was independently discovered, bought, or stolen. Since Franklin’s day, the Ordre has improved this method. The discovery that some nuclear reactions produce Orichalka Plexi has caused the Ordre to investigate nuclear physics in the hope of generating all manner of Ka, with the eventual goal of creating Elixirs and alchemical powders without the necessity for capturing and sacrificing Nephilim. These lines of research are very promising, although the Ka produced by such means is often temperamental, evanescent, or otherwise imperfect.

T h e @&elet Societe A junior order of the Ordre des Neuf Soeurs, the QuCtelet SocittC is dedicated to determining statistical and scientific means of influencing human mass behavior in addition to mystical ones. It was founded as a research collegium by Adolphe Quktelet (1796-1874), a member of the Ordre and Astronomer Royal of France. He did a number of statistical studies of human beings, determining the parameters of the behavior of the “average man” and attempting to apply mathematical models for prediction and influence. As an Archimede of the Ordre, Quttelet worked with the Prieurk de Sion, and may in fact have been a member of that group as well. Although his first attempts were crude, later methods increased in complexity and sophistication. With the improvements in both mathematics and computers of the last century, the ability of the SociCtC to influence events has grown. Currently, the findings of the QuCtelet SociCtC have been applied by the Ordre in advertising, stock market investing, and politics, with increasing success. The QuCtelet SociCtC works primarily, albeit carefully, with the Empress Arcanum.

Place and Date of Creation: Peshawar, modern Pakistan, 1570 Founder: Bayezid Ansari, a Sufi initiate and possible Assassin Center: Kandahar, Afghanistan Goals: To amass mystical knowledge and power Attributes: The lamp Methods: Their methods vary, depending on the conditions. Fundamentally, they operate on contract, whether providing information, obtaining artifacts, or killing designated targets. They have established a vast network of informers, fences, smugglers, and assassins throughout the “I’ve these gears that the Afg Degree, 614t this i s a mjyac[e.’ Middle East and South Asia, and are often called “the occult BCCI”. They - fyom The Ma14 Wh will use Orichalka or Elixirs themselves with impunity, but make Homonculi only for clients.

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Famous Heads: Although the Aga Khans have been associated with the Roshaniyas, the actual heads of the society tend to be obscure figures. Structure: The Roshaniyas are organized like many Sufi groups, in “barakas“ (lodges) either overt or covert, or usually both. There are seven degrees, Salik (seeker), Murid (disciple), Fakir (devotee), Arif (enlightened one), Khwaja (master), Emir (commander), Imam (priest) and Malik (king). After the degree of Khwaja, the wgrcgntion ot the $exes is not practiced, and men and women advance interchangeably. Vii-tually all members above the rank of Murid have some magical capability, and those above Khwaja are among the finest of human magicians. u Past and Present: In 1567, Bayezid Ansari was initiated into Sufism (enlightened Islamic mysticism) in Peshawar, Afghanistan (which is now in Pakistan). He founded a school of initiates, which rapidly increased in number until he became a political threat to the governments of Persia and India, which both sent military expeditions after him. Moving from mountain fastness to mountain fastness, he eluded capture while increasing his own magical understandings. He cooperated with some Nephilim, and was taught something of Nephilim politics by a member of the Hanged Man Arcanum while both were in a hashish-ridden haze. Finally, he was killed in battle with Mohsin Khan, the Moghul governor of Kabul, but not before he had created the Roshaniya (“illuminated’) order. The Roshaniya were partly a religious school, partly a mystical sect, partly a band of assassins and bandits, and partly Afghan rebels against the Moghuls. These divergent goals led to disarray in organization, as the group’s occult strength would be squandered in mad military attacks against the Moghuls. By 1736, the last of the military

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leaders of the Roshaniya had been firmly defeated and killed, leaving the group to lick its wounds. By the time it reemerged, the new power in India was the British Empire, and the newly realistic Roshaniya realized that this was a force they could not defeat. Instead, they concentrated on providing occult services and information to all comers, becoming “information brokers” throughout the Islamic world and British India. Their cooperation helped Sir Henry Sleeman and a number of Justice Arcanum Nephilim in their campaign against the Thuggee death-cultists, for example. They also smuggled the high priests and Hierophant Nephilim of the Thuggee cult of Kali out of British jails just as happily. Their connections in the Arabian states reconnected them to global politics with the oil crisis, the Iranian crisis, and the Gulf Wars. The Roshaniya also assisted the mujaheddin in their campaign against the Soviet Army during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, contacting the Order of Rhodes through the Knights of Malta and the CIA. They have begun a lucrative trade in information with the Order of Rhodes, and by using computers and satellites are rapidly expanding their resources of information and influence.

Place and Date of Creation: ca. 2850 BC in Kish, Sumeria Founder:: Enki, a Nephilim Center: Diyarbekr, Turkey

Goals: Over the millennia, its goals have shifted from the preeminent Rosicrucian goal of syncretic development with or without the Nephilim to alliances with certain Arcana of Nephilim. For the last century, its goal has been to aid the Star Arcanum in its quest for the extraterrestrial Agarthans; the Sarmoung Brotherhood believes that upon the “translation” or “return” of the Nephilim, humanity will move into the role of spiritual beings.

Attributes: Mark of Bau (a crimson starlike symbol with four long points and four short points; according to the Sarmoung Brotherhood, the origin of the Merovingian and Napoleonic bee, the fleur-de-lys, and the Rosicross itself, hence they also use these symbols) Methods: They eschew science, believing it to give a false picture of the universe. They concentrate on discovering a magical path to the stars by meditation, ritual, and examining ancient records. Currently, the Sarmoung Brotherhood work fairly closely with the Star Arcanum of Nephilim. They oppose the Chariot, but do not go out of their way to use violence. They do not use Homunculi or Elixirs, but have used Orichalka. Famous Heads: Since the 1lth century BC, the heads of the Sarmoung Brotherhood have remained obscure, even in the mystical community.

Structure: The Sarmoung Brotherhood’s structure is similar to that of the Sufis, Assassins, Mithradites and other secret societies with origins in the ancient Middle East. There are a series of initiatory grades, granted on the basis of dedication, talent, and obedience. The four primary degrees are Ashiq (devotee), Muhib (dedicated), Baba (father), and Khalifa (deputy). The Brotherhood was divided into Lodges (called Halkas) early in its history, each of which took a guild-name such as Potters, Weavers, Tent-Makers, Carpenters, Axe-Bearers or Masons. A Baba is the head of each Lodge, with the Khalifas selecting from among their number a Sidi (saint) who serves as the overall head of the Brotherhood. However, the Brotherhood is governed by the consensus of the Khalifas, with the Sidi providing moral and esoteric guidance rather than autocratic authority.

Past and Present: The Sarmoung Brotherhood began as one of the Rosicrucian descendants of the original Promethean Brotherhood, and there is a Sarmoung tradition that it was the original White Lodge of the Rosicross, and that the Egyptian Rosicross was a later branch of the Brotherhood. Needless to say, most orthodox Rosicrucian scholars reject this thesis, although there are records of the Sarmoung Brotherhood dating back to at least the time of Gilgamesh (ca. 2700 BC).

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The Brotherhood existed primarily as a semi-secret society within the Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian priesthoods, serving as a link between these (often Hierophant-created) hierarchies and the more purely esoteric sects of the Rosicross. However, the invasion of the Assyrians in the 1lth century BC caused the Brotherhood to splinter, and much of its wisdom was lost. The Chaldean Empire that succeeded the Assyrians attempted to restore the Brotherhood, but no sooner had King Nabonidus of Babylon (according to some, an Empress Nephilim and Sidi of the Brotherhood) restored the Sumerian records than the Persians conquered Babylonia, dispersing the Brotherhood yet again. The Templar-influencedMagi carried off most of Nabonidus’ occult library to Egypt and other Templar strongholds. The Brotherhood went into deep seclusion, almost hibernation, in the tumultuous invasions and counterinvasions of Mesopotamia by Greeks, Parthians, Romans, Sassanians, Arabs and Turks. Their teachings may have influenced the early Sufis (especially their focus on the Way, which the Brotherhood sees as the Golden Path), and they were well-represented within the Nestorian Church, which was driven out of the Byzantine Empire for heresy (or contradicting the Templars, depending on which source you read). The Brotherhood had intermittent periods of fruitful activity during the great days of the Caliphate, under Saladin during the Crusades, and under the early Pahlavi kings of Persia. In between these bursts of activity, they remained moribund, passing the rituals of their Brotherhood down but doing little else. However, they were revitalized by the beginning of archaeology in Mesopotamia in the late 19th century, as the Mesopotamian magical texts (many of them written by forgotten Brothers) were excavated, translated and published. They began providing aid to archaeological groups based on their own fragmentary records, and soon came into contact with the Star Arcanum. Many of the Star Arcanum’s beliefs corresponded all too closely with the

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most ancient and obscure teachings of Enki, and the Brotherhood became convinced of the truth of the Nephilim’s extraterrestrial origin. It has continued to work in the Middle East, despite a new round of warfare, and has divided its time between further secretive archaeological expeditions and attempting to astrally project human consciousness to other planets, including ones far beyond our solar system.

Sisters o f Isis Place and Date of Creation: Thebes, Egypt during the reign of Hatshepsut (15041481 BC) Founder:: Asutiri, the high priestess of Isis Center: New Orleans, Louisiana Goals: The goals of the Sisters of Isis are unknown, although they generally oppose both the Templars and most Nephilim. At times, however, the order has helped one or the other for reasons of its own. Lately, the Sisterhood seems to be allying itself with the Prieuri de Sion and the High Priestess Arcanum of Nephilim. The Sisters of Isis seem to be primarily concerned with increasing their own power mobern flmnat, Of and influence, and since they work ivioMs Icier s, and literal behind the scenes even of other secret societies and seldom take - Lynbon credit for their actions, the extent of their power is unknown.

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Attributes: The Thet, or Knot of Isis Methods: The Sisters of Isis work on two levels, the cultic level in which many people are drawn into obedience by sex and drug cults, and the political level in which powerful figures are seduced or coerced by the Sisterhood into advancing its aims. Many Masonic Orders, despite being officially closed to women, have been totally controlled by the Sisterhood. They use magic, and at one time or another have used Elixirs, Orichalka and Homonculi.

Famous Heads: Cleopatra, Madame de Maintenon, Helena Blavatsky, Moina Bergson and Marilyn Monroe are only a few of the powerful or mystically adept women who have been identified by some authorities as heads of the Sisters of Isis. It is unknown to what degree, if at all, these identifications are accurate. Structure: The Sisterhood is a multilayered organization, probably consisting of a central council of either three or thirteen members, with a number of lodges, orders, and individual operatives in addition. The Sisters change their organizational structure repeatedly, which argues that the central body of Sisters is made up of cells on the Illuminati model. Past and Present: The Sisters of Isis were part of the contest for power in Pharaonic Egypt after the fall of Akhenaton. Their rivals, the other priesthoods, were mostly defeated or subsumed, and by the reign of the Ptolemies, the Isis cult was the dominant popular religion of Egypt. With Egypt’s annexation by Rome, the Isis cult

rapidly spread throughout the Empire, which may have been Cleopatra’s motive in aiding Caesar. Octavian stopped the spread of the cult by defeating Cleopatra’s lover Mark Antony, and the Sisterhood was forced to destroy the Julian line by debauching it under Tiberius, Caligula and Nero. The Sisterhood once more spread throughout the Empire, but was stopped again by the alliance of Constantine, the Christian Church, and the Templars. During the Middle Ages, the Sisterhood was spread in secret by the witch cults, and popped up in a number of courts including that of Edward I11 of England (whose Order of the Garter represented the Knot of Isis). The Sisterhood flourished in England, repeatedly gaining and losing influence over the monarchy. Isis was probably aligned with the Templars during the Elizabethan era, and was very influential in the Stuart courts. In the 17th century, the Dukes of Buckingham were servitors of the Sisterhood, conspiring with the Empress Nephilim Anne of Austria against the Sun Arcanum and Mithradites headed by Richelieu. There were a number of attempts to establish Isis’ influence at Versailles throughout this era, and they may have played a role (perhaps inadvertently) in raising Marie Antoinette to the throne and bringing about the Revolution. The guillotining of Marie Antoinette was probably what drove the Sisterhood to oppose the Templars and their allies in the Illuminati. In the nineteenth century, the Sisterhood and the Illuminati alternated between cooperation and competition to gain control of the British Empire, with the result that neither quite did. Cecil Rhodes, Lord Milner, and other influential imperialists were probably under the spell of Isis. The Sisterhood may have been working with Bulwer-Lytton’s Rosicrucians as well, and probably had a number of Sisters in the Golden Dawn. The mysterious Hunting Lodge of female magicians that helped turn the tide of the Second World War was probably an offshoot of the Sisterhood, and the Gardnerian neopagan witchcraft movement of the 1950s and 1960s may have been a Sisterhood front as well. The Sisterhood began to restore much of its old power during the 1960s “counterculture” era, and has now relocated to New Orleans to increase its influence in the United States. Whether it will use that influence to help or hinder the Templars or the Nephilim is still unknown.

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1N TtlE FOLD The Comte be Saint-Gennain

1

N 1757, A MYSTERIOUS FIGURE appeared at the court of King Louis XV of France. Going under the admitted pseudonym of the Comte de Saint-Germain, he was soon spending hours alone with the King, inspiring furious jealousy in his ministers, producing alchemical diamonds, and being sent on mysterious diplomatic missions. He was given an alchemical laboratory by the King and was the toast of Versailles for his brilliant conversation and mysterious demeanor. He often dropped hints that he was immortal, often referring to historical figures like King Francis I as if he had met them personally. His enemies at court were finally able to put him in disfavor, and he moved around Central Europe, engaging in financial chicanery, political machinations, and Masonic intrigue. He met Cagliostro, whom he impressed, and Casanova, who disliked him intensely. All of these activities were done under a bewildering number of false names and titles such as Count Welldone, Baron Soltikov, Conte Aglik, or Signor Balletti. After spending time at the courts of Frederick the Great, Catherine the 'at I am 500 ears oh, a ~ Ibcourfirmea them Great, and Emperor Joseph of Ausget a Lot of p easwe otlt of it. Not but what tria, he took up residence as court : appear." alchemist to Margrave Charles of - attribtlteb to the comte be Sailzt-Gemailz Hesse-Kassel in 1779.

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He stayed in Hesse-Kassel after that, working on his alchemical researches, taking a part in Masonic politics (he was a delegate to the Wilhelmsbad Congress in 1782), and died in 1784, buried in the church at Kassel. After his death, numerous witnesses claimed to have seen him, especially in Paris before the Revolution, the Himalayas in the 19th century, and the American West during the Depression. Although he was thought to be the heir to the throne of Transylvania, the Wandering Jew, the bastard son of the King of Portugal, and an Alsatian kabbalist named Wolff, nobody knows where he came from or whether he is truly dead. A cult called the "I AM" movement in Colorado worships the Comte de SaintGermain as one of the Ascended Masters. The truth is perhaps even more bizarre. The Comte de Saint-Gemain was one of the many Simulacra of an Agarthan Nephilim called Rakhos. Rakhos is a Magician Arcanum Nephilim who, upon achieving Agartha, has returned to Earth to infiltrate

secret societies and defeat them from within. For example, it was Rakhos' work that prevented the Templar Strict Observance orders from gaining control over ail Freemasonry at Wilhelmsbad in 1782. Rakhos was also a key player in the Illuminati-Thule breakdown in 1941 and in the Illuminati-Templar contest of the postwar era. Now, Rakhos has returned to thwart the Templar Plan at the end of the millennium. It does not want to throw all its weight into the struggle until the very end, so it is working to infiltrate the Templars using powerful masking spells to sublimate its essence into a seemingly mortal body. The Templars have vastly increased in magical sophistication, however, and success for Rakhos is by no means assured. Rakhos will sometimes help Nephilim who are in immediate danger from Templar action, or give advice to Nephilim trying to stop some dangerous Templar plan. However, it will take no immediate action of its own unless the situation is at its most critical. Rakhos prefers to remain in its mortal form, which is of a stocky male human approximately 5'8" with dark hair and eyes. No Nephilim (and hopefully no human) knows the precise position (or positions) of Rakhos within the Temple hierarchy.

RAKHOS Note: these statistics, skills and spells are meant to be an approximate guide to the resources Rakhos commands. Gamemasters are free to change them in any fashion; and players should not count on Rakhos' assistance regardless of h o w critical they think their emergency is. Title: The Ascended Master Simulacra Identity: Various pseudonyms (see box) Human Livelihood: Independently wealthy occult dilettante Major Arcanum: I. The Magician Social Status: 31

Opportunity: 93

Found At: Occult conclaves, European resorts, American skyscrapers. Rakhos is always at the fringes of something tremendously important, seemingly uninvolved. important Past Lives: (see below) Stasis: None any more, although it still has its old obsidian scarab for a keepsake, and as a means of funneling Ka energies from the Elemental Planes. Metamorphosis: Phoenix. Since becoming Agarthan, Rakhos can conceal its true form from all but the most perceptive Nephilim or humans. STR21 DEX 21 HP 27

CON27 CHA 21 Actions 5

INT35 Ch'awe 39 db +2d6

Ka: Fire 101, Earth 89, Air 66, Moon 42, Water 23 Skills: Arcanum Lore (Magician) 115%, Archaeology 45%, Art (Compose Classical Music) 60%, Art (Play Violin) 8O%, Art (Play Harpsichord) 90%, Astrological Lore 90%, Chemistry 8O%, Craft (Jewelry)50%, Fast Talk 8O%, First Aid 8O%, Geology 8O%, Hermetic Lore 11 5%, History go%, Kabbalistic Lore 125%, Medicine 8O%, Pharmacy 8O%, Physics 50%, Psychology 80%, Readmrite (any) 100%, Religion (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Gnostic, Catholic) 75%, Scan 75%, Scrutinize 8O%, Smell 8O%, Speak (any) loo%, Tarot Lore loo%, Taste 90% Weapons: Fencing (Rapier) 90%, Pistol (Any) 90%, damage varies Magic: Lower Magic 90%, Higher Magic 90%, Grand Secret 50% Seals 1OO%, Pentacles 1OO%, Keys 90% Black Stone 120%, White Stone 120% The gamemaster can give Rakhos any spell she wishes.

PAST LlWS OF R41OHOS A Old Egyptian Era: Memphis, Egypt 2645 BC to 2560 BC, priest of Thoth, knew Imhotep A Akhenaton Era: Thebes, Egypt 1464 BC to 1357 BC, again priest of Thoth, active in Rosicrucian Order, joined Magician Arcanum A Temple Era: Egypt and Palestine 1022 BC to 934 BC, again priest of Thoth, ambassador to King Solomon A Hellenic Era: Miletos, Asia Minor 640 BC to 546 BC, was Thales of Miletos, active in Dionysian Mysteries A Jesus Era: Alexandria, Egypt 44 BC to 70 AD, participated in Gnostic developments, helped compile Corpus Hermeticum A Late Roman Era: Athens, Greece 410 AD to 485 AD, was the Neoplatonist Proclus A Millennia1 Era: Rome, Italy 987 AD to 1056 AD, helped stop Gerbert and the Cult of the Head; served as Pope Benedict IX A Renaissance Era: Milan, Florence, and Paris 1455 AD to 1522 AD, involved in many intrigues with the Temple and the Prieurk A Elizabethan Era: London, Heidelberg and Paris 1551 AD to 1634 AD, active in the SidneyDee Circle, conspired against Richelieu *probably at this time achieved Agartha

*

A Revolutionary Era: Europe, India and America 1696 AD to 1806 AD, was “Comte de Saint-Germain”, designed American flag A Victorian Era and WWII Era: Europe, India and America 1855 AD to 1948 AD, member of the Golden Dawn, active against Thule

ALIASES OF T H f ‘‘COMED€ SAINT-GERMAIN~~ NE OF RAKHOS’ tactics is to hide its actions behind a dizzying array of aliases. Here are some of the ones Rakhos used during its Incarnation as Saint-Gerrnain: Conte Aglie Marquis d’Ayrnar Signor Balletti Count Bellamare Marquis of the Black Cross Signor Giovannini Marquis de Montferrat Chevalier Schoening Baron Soltikov Count Surmont Graf Tzarogy Count Welldone

genre) of giving sources for its assertions. Warning: May be concealed Scientology.

Cavendish, Richard, The Black Arts (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1967) Cavendish, Richard, ed. Man, Myth and Magic (Marshall Cavendish, 1970,24 vols.) Cavendish’s The Black Arts is, for my money, the best one-volume introductory survey of the magical arts (and some of their practitioners) around. Man, Myth and Magic is a gorgeous encyclopedia with an extensive bibliography.

Daraul, Arkon, A History of Secret Societies (Citadel, 1990) Originally published in 1961, Daraul’s book is required reading, but unfortunately, gives no sources.

Epperson, A. Ralph, The Unseen Hand (Publius Press, 1985) Epperson, A. Ralph, The New World Order (Publius Press, 1990) Subtitled “An Introduction To The Conspiratorial View of History”, The Unseen Hand is a massive tome concentrating primarily on the United States. Thirty pages of notes and a decent bibliography make a good jumping off point for other right-wing conspiracy theorists. The New World Order goes back to the Pyramids and attacks the Illuminati, Masons, and Communists as Satanic tools. Both are praiseworthy for their refusal to fall into the anti-Semitic trap that so many right-wing conspiracy theorists do.

Findley, Nigel, GURPS Illuminati (Steve Jackson Games, 1992)

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Excellent source for roleplaying in the twilight world of secret societies, conspiracy theories, and tinfoil hats.

Hoffer, Eric, The True Believer (Harper, 1951) Subtitled “Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements”, an excellent study of why people become fanatics.

Knight, Stephen, The Brotherhood (Dorset Press, 1984) Dark hints about the Freemasons.

Levi, Eliphas, The History of Magic (repr. by David McKay, n.d., orig. pub. 1859) This edition translated and with copious footnotes by Golden Dawn member and Freemason A.E. Waite.

Mackenzie, Norman ed., Secret Societies (Crescent Books,1967) Anthology of secret societies from the Mau Mau to the Klan. Includes the Rosicrucians, Masons and Assassins.

Pauwels, Louis and Bergier, Jacques, The Morning of the Magicians (Avon Books, 1963)

A gallimaufry of mystical anecdotes, magical theory, and half-hidden magical movements. Without notes or index, so beware.

Ravenscroft, lkevor, The Spear of Destiny (Bantam, 1973) Books on the Nazis and the occult are fairly commonplace; this is the most exciting, and the craziest.

Roberts, J.M., The Mythology of the Secret Societies (Scribner's, 1972) Another real historian accidentally sucked into the web; sober examination of the historically verifiable facts behind the myth.

Robison, John, Proofs of a Conspiracy (repr. by Western Islands, 1967, orig. pub. 1798) Robison is the main source for everybody else's book on the Illuminati. Detailed, less dramatic than Webster, but not as bigoted.

Still, William T., New World Order: The Ancient Plan of Secret Societies (Huntington House, 1990) From Atlantis to the Council on Foreign Relations via the Illuminati and the Freemasons.

Temple, Robert K.G., The Sirius Mystery (Futura, 1977) Without a doubt, the best ancient astronaut book in existence. Highly recommended. Also nice on the neo-Platonists.

von Junzt, F.W., Nameless Cults (repr. by Golden Goblin, 1909) Eclectic, somewhat hysterical descriptions of numerous ancient and surviving cults and secret societies all over the world. Worth finding.

Waite, Arthur Edward, The Real History of the Rosicrucians (repr. by Steinerbooks, 1977, orig. pub. 1887) Waite, Arthur Edward, A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (repr. by Weathervane Books,1970, orig. pub. 1926) The Rosicrucian book makes better game material, but the Freemasonry book is far more factually reliable.

Webb, James, The Occult Underground (Open Court Press, 1974) Webb, James, The Occult Establishment (Open Court Press, 1976) Both of these books are scholarly attempts to explain the development and trace the influences of the western occult tradition since the French Revolution.

Webster, Nesta, World Revolution (Constable & Co., 1921) Webster, Nesta, Secret Societies and Subversive Movements (repr. by the Christian Book Club, orig. pub. 1924)

Nesta Webster’s books are a prime source for most other works on the Illuminati and their ties with the French and Russian Revolutionaries, as well as some other groups. They are also deeply and offensively anti-Semitic. Buy them used, if possible.

Wilgus, Neal, The Zlluminoids (Sun Publishing Co., 1978) Excellent overview of secret societies and the authors that love to hate them. Irritatingly, unindexed.

Yates, Frances A., Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition (University of Chicago, 1964) Yates, Frances A., The Art of Memory (University of Chicago, 1966) Yates, Frances A., The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age (Ark Paperbacks, 1983) Yates, Frances A,, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment (Ark, 1986) Frances A. Yates, one of the leading historians of the Renaissance, has published a number of must-have books on the development and interrelations of Western Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism and occultism. All hard historical facts.

FictioM Eco, Umberto, Foucault’s Pendulum (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989) Absolutely perfect.

Flynn, Michael, Zn The Country of the Blind (Baen Books, 1990) An excellent libertarian conspiracy thriller.

Neville, Katherine, The Eight (Ballantine Books, 1989) A dizzying conspiracy centered around Charlemagne’s magical chess set.

Wilson, Robert Anton and Shea, Michael, The Zlluminatus! Trilogy (Dell, 1984 omnibus paperback ed.) Goofy speed-rap conspiracy propaganda sex drugs fnord.

Constitution Inte I1igence Dexterity

07 08 09 Damage

14

13

Body Armor

HP

IO II

IS

I2

S I 16 17 18

16

I7

18

19 20

21

22 13

24 25 26 17 28

29 30 31 32

33 34

35

36 37

38 39 40

MELEE N-Skil-

0 S- skill^ 0 SKILL NAME

Damage

NEPHlLlM SIMULAC.

3amage

Arcanurn Lore

3amage

HP

Damage

3amage

HP

0 S- skill^ 0 HP

0 S- skill^ 0 HP

0 S-Skill__

0

V-Skil-

0

-0

0

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History

-0

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--....-a -0 D

D

Kabbalistic Lore Kick

-0

-0

-0

Law

-0

__ 0

-0

Bargain

-D

Biology

-0

-0

CI

Build

-0

-0

0

Business

-0

-0

0

Chemistry

-0

-0

0

Climb

-Q

Conceal

~

0

Life Experience

-0 D

-Q

0

0

Astronomy

Q -0

0 Listen

-0

-0

Mechanics

-0

-0

-D

Medicine

-0

0

-0

-0

Natural Lore

-0

D

Dodge

-0

-CI

Pharmacy

-0

-0

Drive

-0

-0

Physics

-0

-0

Pilot

-0

0

-0

0

-0

0

Range

MISSILE

Hide

D

0

-0

Craft

3amage iounds

-0

Art

Computer Use

MISSILE V-Skil-

Grapple

Archeology

Astrological Lore

MELEE V-Skil-

0

0 S- skill^ 0

MELEE V-SkW i-

NEPHlLlM SIMULAC

Hermetic Lore

U S- skill^ 0

MELEE V-Skil-

D

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Anthropology MELEE N-Skil-

SKILL NAME

HP

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-0

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-0

MISSILE

'arming

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0 S- skill^ U

Range

~

0

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D

ReadlWrite

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SORC€RY

LOWER MAGIC HIGHER MAGIC

......................................................................

LOCATION: EPOCH & DESCRIPTION

EARTH

GRAND SECRET ‘pel1

FIRE AIR

WATER

!!e.

....thre!h!!d

. . .‘leme?tt.. ..

MOON FIRE AIR EARTH WATER MOON

Trait

Transformation

Points

I I I I

SVMMONlNG

SEALS

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PENTACLES KEYS

Name Solar Ka Gender

Age Social Status

Opportunity (SOCIALSTATUS~ 3 ) Education Life Experience Profession Family Relationship Culture Description

ALCHEMY

BLACK STONE WHITE STONE PHILOSOPHERSSTONE

spell

circle

threshold

elements

Place

Year

Points

Occupation

Academy of the New Atlantis 46, 75 Agartha 9,30,35,82 Agarthan Nexus 30 Akhenaton 6, 10, 38, 80, 84 Alchemiam 66

Marie Antoinette 81 Arcanum Lore 28

Atlantean technology 59 Atlantis 6, 30, 37

Backhouse Library 46 Francis Bacon 46, 75 Francis Barrett 46 Bavarian Illuminati 18, 22, 26 Black Council 65 Black Moon 64,59

Brotherhood of the Eclipse 38

Columbus 31 Compagnie du Saint-Sacrament31 Compagnons des Devoirs 11 Comte de Saint-Germain 82 Constantine 81 Constantinople 30 Nicolaus Copernicus 71 Corpus Hermeticum 7 CRCIA 45 Crusades, 65 Cukes des Coules 64 Symbol 65

D John Dee 44 Demiurge 8 Rene Descartes 75 Devil 26 Dossiers secrets 42 Sir Francis Drake 45 Duke Philip 31

f East India Company 31 Edward 111 81 Egypt 38 ELF transmission system 63 Emerald Tablet 7 Emperor 26 Emperor Julian 71 Empress 20, 34, 42, 76, 79, 81 Gerard Encausse 70 Enochian 15,16 Enthronement 73 Equites lasoni 30

F

Catholic Church 33, 42 Chaldean Empire 79 Chariot 46, 75, 78 Charlemagne 26, 51

Final War of Purification 58 Robert Fludd 75 Fool 42 Fourth Reich 63 Benjamin Franklin 75 FraternitasSaturnii 65, 76 Symbol 67

G Calileo probe 31 Gardner 81 Gerbert of Aurillac 38 Cilgamesh 79 Gnosticism 7 Golden Dawn 44,46,70,81 Golden Fleece 19, 30, 31, 58, 70 Golden Path 30, 66, 79 Grail Quest 30 Grand Plan 23, 35, 42 Great Art of Memory 48

Great Compromise 58 Gulf War 78

H Habsburg 45 Handshakes 16 Hanged Man 77 Heracles 30 Hermes Trismegistus 6 Hermetic Brotherhod 46 Hermeticism 6 Hermeticum 72 Hierophant 78 High Priestess 30, 42, 80 Heinrich Himmler 52 HIOTES 58 Holy Grail 74 Holy Vehm 25,45, 51, 58,66 Symbol 10 Horemheb 38 Hunting Lodge 81

1 Iberia 30 Illuminati 11, 22, 25, 35,41,42, 58, 70, 81,83 Invisible College 45,46, 75

1 Jason30 JASON Society 31 Jesuits34 JesusIncident 8, 41 Joachimites 9 Judas Brotherhod 74 Jupiter 31 Justice 26, 78

Ka-vision, Solar 73 Kabbalistic Order of the Rosicross 70 Symbol 70 King Arthur 45,74 King Louis XV 82 Knights Hospitaller 33 Knights of Malta 34 Knights of Rhodes 23, 33, 34 Symbol 34 Knights of the Golden Fleece 30 Symbol 31 KORC 70

t Las Vegas 71 Eliphas Levi 46, 51,55 Litharge 75 Louis XIV 65, 72

M

R

Madame de Montespan 65 Mafias 58 Magi of the Starless Night 65 Magiam 66 Magic Resistance with Solar-Ka 73 Magician 30,44,45, 82 Sir Thomas Malory 74 Mani 8 Manicheanism 8 Mark Antony 81 Masonry 10,42,46 American 11 Master Plan, see Grand Plan Mithradites 19, 58, 66, 71, 81 Solar-Ka Techniques 73 Symbol 72 Marilyn Monroe 80 Montsegur 58 Moorish Spain 30 Mujaheddin 78

Colonel Otto Rahn 74 Rakhos 82 Sir Walter Raleigh 45 Wilhelm Reich 20 Cardinal Richelieu 72, 81 Ritual of the Head 38 Robespierre 23 Christian Rosenkreuz 45 Roshaniyas 77 Symbol 77 Rosicrucian Manifestoes 9 Rosicrucians 9, 37,45,48, 58, 81 Royal Society 46

N Napoleonic Wars 66 Nazis 20, 58 Nero 81 Neuschwabenland 59 New Kurland Base 55 Northwest Company 31 Nuclear Weapons 58

Ogham 15 Order of Rhodes 26, 78 Order of St. Sulpice 58, 74 Symbol 74 Order of the Black Star 36 Symbol 37 Order of the Forbidden Star 38 Order of the Garter 81 Order of the Noonday Eclipse 38 Ordre des Neuf Soeurs 37,46, 66, 75 Symbol 76 Orichalka 26, 28,48, 51, 56, 63, 65, 67, 75 Plexus 65, 76 Ormazd 8 Orpheus 30 Orphic Mysteries 19, 30

P Papus 70 Paraguay 58 Path of Lead 66 Josephin Peladan 70 Pharaoh Ahmose 10 Pharaoh Thutmose 111 10 Prieure de Sion 20,41, 58, 76, 80 Symbol 41 Princess lsabella 31 Promethean Brotherhood 79 Prometheus 30

Q Queen Elizabeth I, 45 Quetelet Societe 76

S SARC 45 Sarmoung Brotherhood 10, 78 Symbol 79 Saturnian-Ka 66 Saucer Craft 63 Saurians 59 Schleger 51 SDI 31 Selenim 26, 64 Seven Years’ War 66 Shadowy Sun 38 Sir Philip Sidney 44 Sidney Circle 44 Sisters of lsis 80 Symbol 81 Sisters of the Eclipse 38 SMOTH 58 Societae Anticus Rosae Crucis 45 Societae Antiquae Rosae Crucis 10 Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia 44, 45, 46 Symbol 45 Solar-Ka 30, 73 Awakening 73 Sophia 8 Sovereign Military Order of Malta 34 Soviet Russia 23 Soviet Union 35,47 Soviet-Illuminati Communism 34 Spanish Armada 45 Spear of Destiny 58 Spells Awakening Orichalka 38 Create Orichalka Ward 67 Diminution of the Nephilim 37 Dowse Orichalka Plexus 67 Draw Down the Saturnian Emanations 69 Elixir Creation 37 Engendering the Sickle 38 Homonculus Creation 37 Leaden Shade of the Etruscan 69 Manifest Orichalka Plexus 68 Shoal of Orichalka 68 Sickle of Kronos 68 The Helweg Formulation 62 The Treader of the Dust 69 SRlA 44,46 SS 58 St.-Yves-d’Alveydre 3 1 Star 78, 79 Stases 75 Sufism 77, 79 Sumeria 38

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