Chapter Five: The World of Darkness

The following is a brief guide on the relationship between the Illuminati and the other denizens of the World of Darkness. Note that these relationships are based my personal concept of the Illuminati and WoD in general. You should feel free to alter or scrap any or all of this information if it doesn't fit with your campaign.

Vampire: The Masquerade

The Camarilla

"The Illuminati and the Tremere are one and the same. It is an obvious ploy to divert the blame incurred by their scheming actions. This mythical group does not exist. " -Victor, Ventrue ex-prince of Peterborough, Ontario.

The Vampires suffer from the elitist philosophy which tends to relegate mortals to the roles of food and petty annoyances. Except for the Arcanum and some Hunters, the Camaralla doesn't see humans as a serious threat. Of all the Kindred, the Tremere have been the most victimized by the Societies. Whether by design or just chance, the Tremere have named their information network "The Illuminati" (See the Vampire Players Guide). This offered the True Illuminati an opportunity to pass of some of the blame to the Tremere. While the Tremere are not innocent by any means, they've been blamed for many conspiracies that they have had no part in.

The Elder Vampires of the Camarilla are not likely to have any idea about the Illuminati. The Societies have laboured hard to taint any truths they may hold with fraudulent information. Still, its more than likely that there are some Elder Vampires (Especially Methululahs and those of low Generation) would know something about the Illuminati.

The Sabbat (and the False Hand)

"While I have never heard of them, I have noticed strange things in the city. This requires more investigation" -Piper, Nosferatu Bishop of Peterborough, Ontario

Sabbat cities offer the opportunity for the Illuminati to take control of mundane institutions. Because the Sabbat sever all ties to the mortals, there is often a control vacuum in the city. While the Lupines, Mages, and Technocracy have tried to fill this void; the Illuminati usually find the most success (generally due to its ability to "blend" in with the rest of humanity). The Sabbat generally don't have the contacts with the mundanes to have any chance of discovering the presence of the Illuminati (and the Illuminati generally doesn't tackle with them directly, preferring to use some militant holdings to deal with them). The Societies feel that the Sabbat are the worst threat the Vampires pose to Humanity and that they should be eliminated at all costs. Even the normally passive Harmonist Creed have no love for the Sabbat.

Note that since both the Sabbat and the Illuminati use the term "Bishop" as status rank, the Societies members can be confused with the Sabbat in case of a breech. This of course, only benefits the Illuminati.

The True Hand

"Illuminati? No Comment." -, Member of the True Hand

The relationship between the True Hand and the Illuminati is a reverse to the normal link between the Societies and the Supernatural. Of the True Hand, the Illuminati know almost nothing. They know they exist, but know little more than they are the "Secret Masters" of Ventrue fame. However, it's very likely that the True Hand knows much about the Illuminati and its purposes. While both the Hand and the Illuminati both are protecting mankind, the Societies do so at the expense of the Supernaturals. The Pacifier Creed has the Hand especially nervous, for they advocate the genocide of those of Supernatural origin. But to actually crush the Illuminati would by very hard and damaging to the Hand. For one thing, the Illuminati (in one form or another) vastly predates the True Hand. As such, they have a lot more experience in fighting phantom wars. To actually crush the Societies, while possible, would greatly tax the Hand's resources and undoubtedly reveal their existence for all the world to see. So, the True Hand wait in secret, erecting invisible walls to hem in the growth of the Illuminati. They hope these barriers will be enough, for they dread the day the will have to deal the Societies of the Pax Concordat.

[Author Note: Depending on your own campaign, the True Hand could be a complete mystery to the Societies, or both will have complete knowledge of each other (and fight an invisible cold war). You may also have the True Hand influence or even control the Illuminati, but I personally discourage that (especially the control part). That would make the Illuminati redundant; we already have enough supernatural conspiracies.]

The Shamans of Beltane

"Fantasy is the truth no one wants to hear." -Corvus Beltane, 8th Generation Tremere.

Jacques DeCarnac is believed to be the only Bishop to have successfully rebelled from the Illuminati. A member of the Blood Covenant, he managed to smuggle one of the Basilica's texts to a certain Tremere called Corvus Beltane (obviously a pseudonym; real name unknown). Corvus, a former Verbena embraced by a jealous Tremere, had promised Carnac the very secrets of Vampire Thaumaturgy. However, the traitor was killed by the Court's Cadre before he could collect. From that day in 1634, Corvus spent his waking hours in hiding, attempting to crack Fabula's multi-level encryption sequences. When Corvus cracked the codes, he thought he had discovered the source of much of the Tremere's bad image; a human organization that has pull the strings of many occult organizations. However, the false paragraphs in the book led him to many erroneous conclusions. For instance, he believes the Blood Covenant to be much more powerful than it really is, controlling the other thirty Societies with an iron fist. He also falsely affirms that the Blood Covenant is behind the Path of Evil Revelations and the Sabbat. Beltane was quick to tell the others in the Camarilla about his findings but mistrust for the Tremere (and a healthy dose of Illuminati Disinformation and Scapegoating) convinced all concerned it was nothing but an ill-conceived scheme to redeem his clan. Especially since no one but Beltane could understand the book's contents.

Beltane would later lose his evidence while using the book to find "the Mystical secrets of the Blood Covenant". A Clique, hiding in wait at this chosen site, attacked the Warlock and forced him to flee in panic. Unfortunately, he dropped the book in the early moments of the attack and lost his only evidence of the Illuminati. Beltane has since gone underground with his information, along with a few Tremere and Ventrue. Corvus has now devoted his unlife to routing out the Illuminati and destroying it. Calling themselves the "Shamans of Beltane" they spent some time in Peterborough, Ontario; once the last bastion of Camarilla rule in Central Ontario. Staying there until the Sabbat takeover, the group went on to Ottawa and then moved into an undisclosed location in the states. The current whereabouts of the Shamans of Beltane are unknown, but the Illuminati are dying to have a talk with them...

[Author: Peterborough is near my home-town of Havelock and the location of our Vampire LARP. I actually played Corvus, who was an 8th Generation Tremere. Also played Piper, the 9th Gen. Nosferatu who would eventually cause the city's fall to the Sabbat...hehehe]

Werewolf: The Apocalypse

The Tribes of Garou (including all were-creatures)

"Mortals are slaves to superior powers, whether it be us or the Vampire pawns of the Wyrm. To suggest they are capable of this level of manipulation is laughable." -Krieg Iron-Hand, Shadow Lord

The Werewolves and other Were-creatures are the hated enemy of the Illuminati. It was the Garou Impergium which sparked the Growth of the Blood Covenant and indirectly the other Societies. However, while their hate of the Garou is strong, the Illuminati has done very little harm them. That occurs because the agents of the Wrym have done such a good job of depleting the Werewolves numbers that they haven't nearly been the threat to humanity they once were. Still, those Garou like the Glass Walkers and the Shadow Lords have made forays into the cities to make pawns of mankind. It is then when the Illuminati have cracked down upon them. The Garou rarely have the resources in the human world to even hint at the presence of the Illuminati. The Glass Walkers may have their suspicions, but generally the Garou are the least informed about the Illuminati. Not due to any deficiency in skill or power; more likely due to their single-minded battle against the Wyrm and its servants.

The Wyrm (including Pentex)

"Yes, we have had contact with a few of them, more of which I will not say. Draw your own conclusions if you wish. You know the way out." -Unnamed Pentex Board Member.

Wyrm minions and those of the great multinational corporation Pentex have clashed with the Illuminati on occasion. However, due to the great power the Wyrm has on the planet, the Societies have had only partial success in stemming their domination of humanity. With the legions of Fomori and other creatures at Pentex's disposal, any Acquisition generally leads into a hostile takeover (something the Courts want to use sparingly). As such, the Illuminati pick and choose their targets carefully, making sure they have some scapegoats that their enemy will actually believe in (generally the Garou). Pentex and the Wrym-agents do know of the Illuminati's existence and may (depending on your campaign) have subverted the Blood Covenant. Otherwise, they don't see the Societies of much of a threat. This is not a foolish attitude because its quite possible that Pentex could easily overcome any Society's attempt at subversion and control. Whether they could match the Illuminati in a head-on battle is unknown, but it is a possibility.

Mage: The Ascension

Traditions

"Oh yes, I've heard all sorts of stories about conspiracies, alien viruses from deep space, honest politicians. Won't believe it, though, 'till I see it." -Platon, Virtual Adept.

As stated in the introduction, the Illuminati have very little hatred for the Mages of the world. They fear the Mages for their ability to warp reality and for the strange insanity and occurrences (Quiet and Paradox Flaws) which happen around them. This, along with the practise of recruiting Acolytes had convinced the Illuminati that it's in humanity's best interest to subvert the Mages as well. Ascension, in all its forms, is an alien concept to most members of the Pax Concordat. Most believe if anyone has the right to enlighten mankind, its going to be the Illuminati and other mundanes.

As with the Werewolves, the Societies will not bother with Mages unless the involve themselves in activities that will control or harm mundanes.

The Technocracy

"The whole concept is fascinating but pointless. If sleepers were capable of such things, the Technocracy would never have been needed. As you see, we are still here. We are still needed." -Dr. Francis Cavalier, Iteration X

Years ago, the Illuminati voted to allow the Technocracy freedom to create the Age of Reason. It is generally believed that this was done to further subvert the Supernaturals (specifically Mages and other Umbral beings) as well as provide more weapons to use against their enemies. However, now it's generally seen as a catastrophic mistake. The Technocracy now rivals the Illuminati is total size and has a stranglehold on the minds of the entire world. If the Illuminati could unite, they may be able to wipe them out. However, with all the infighting (and the questionable loyalties of the Shadow Bank and the Enigmatic Stratagem), its unlikely they would have the strength to accomplish this goal.

The New World Order has long suspected a shadow government paralleling their's. The Enigmatic Stratagem (along with the Cadres of the Court) have been very efficient in hiding their existence, but the NWO probing continues. However, the NWO has no idea that the Illuminati exist (at least not that they are not Supernatural-controlled) and can be easily convinced that the Vampires, and especially the Traditions (like the Virtual Adepts) are involved. While it's only a matter of time until the Technos find out about the Societies, there have been rumours that someone is preventing the NWO from discovering the Illuminati. This supposition has been forwarded by the same people that believe the Shadow Bank and Syndicate are one in the same. However, it is possible that some remnant of the Architects of Reason could be subtly manipulating the NWO (as well as the rest of the Technocracy) away from the Illuminati. This makes many wonder how true these rumours really are.

The Nephandi and the Marauders

"So, you want to know about the Illuminati... Are you willing to pay...the price?" -Redden Malthus, Nephandi

These fugitives from beyond the Gauntlet may or may not know about the Illuminati. Even if these two powers learned of its existence, it will not easily share this information. Not many people believe the ranting of the Marauders and the Nephandi would tend to exact a...heavy price for such information. As for the Illuminati, they consider both these Mages more threatening to the welfare of humanity than the Technocracy. It partially vindicates their decision to let the Technocracy set up the Age of Reason (though still considered a grave mistake on many more grounds). The Illuminati will terminate any Marauder on sight and will consider the same fate for any Nephandi.

Wraith: The Oblivion

Wraiths

"I care not for the Quick. We are the dead and we have a more important problems that require our attention." -Elias, Hierarchy Centurion

Since Wraiths generally do not involve themselves in the lands of the Quick (except to protect their fetters and nurture their Passions), they are not a threat to the Illuminati. In fact, some within the Blood Covenant have good relationships with these denizens of the Shadowlands. Obviously, unless the Wraith has spend much time in the real world, they are not going to know about the Illuminati. So generally both sides leave each other alone.

Of course, its been said that there are a lot of former Society members in the Shadowlands as Wraiths. Some say these Wraiths even formed their own Society called "The Silhouette". Again, wether The Silhouette exists and its relationship with the other Illuminati is up to the Storyteller.

The Other Beings

Mummies

"Don't take the Illuminati so lightly. Mortals are capable of much more than we could ever dream of; I know for a fact that all those who call themselves Illuminati are not all Tremere." -Amonhotep, Mummy

Mummies, the undying remnants of the Egyptian way of life, know well the existence of the Illuminati. They may have well been part of the early Blood Covenant before the battle between Set and Osiris forced them to be part of the Spell of Life. For the most part, Mummies are more concerned with the eternal cycle of their lives and joining Horus' battle with the Followers of Set, to be worried about the Illuminati and humans in general. There is one mummy who has been "inducted" into the Illuminati (The Blood Covenant, of course), but it's unknown whether he did so of free will and whether they Society can control him throughout his many lifetimes. It is clear that though they may have been part of the Societies at one time, Mummies are now considered no better than the rest of the Supernaturals: Pawns and potential enemies.

The Illuminati cares very little about the Mummies. They have done very little harm to humanity and have not sought to dominate them. Even if they did impose their will on a number of humans, it is impossible to kill a Mummy permanently. So the Societies tend only to control/subvert these types of Mummies while they're in the land of the living. This includes the evil Bane Mummies of the Vampire Set.

Immortals (Highlander: The Quickening Net Supplement)

"There can be only one? I wonder what will happen when the last Immortal gets The Prize and finds out what's really going on in the world. The suspense is killing me!" -Nicholas "The Razor" Caliburn, Immortal

Immortals, like Mummies, may know about the Illuminati. It depends on how old the Immortal is and where they lived. Luckily, the Immortals are often more concerned with "The Game" and winning "The Prize" to be worried about mortal secret societies. However, there are those Immortals who have carved their own Empires on the backs of mundanes and have sought out groups like the Societies. It's these Immortals that mostly concern the Illuminati.

The Illuminati have take great pains to make sure that the Immortals do not discover their existence. The Watchers, the organization that conducts surveillance on Immortals, could be such a defense measure the Societies (most likely the Keepers of Secrets) have erected. The Hunters would be a suitable assassination tool for those Immortals who did get too close. Again, this is up to Storyteller approval (but it explains a great many things).