Secret society (Dark Jazz)

Introduction

The most reliable way for a talented individual to learn magic is through a secret society. While it is not required to learn magic, access to a society and its library, the knowledge of its members, and various other resources can be beneficial. While not every secret society is a magic society, every magic society is a secret society. Some magic societies are secret societies within other secret societies. Magic is the most secret of secrets.

Membership in a secret or magic society is a 1 point Perk that allows the player to access such advantages as claims to hospitality, occult contacts, and allies. Secret societies also have Rank and may provide Status. Note these are separate advantages that must be purchased and are not part of the Perk.

Membership in a magical society requires Code of Honor (Secret Society) or Code of Honor (Oathbound), each worth -5 points. The latter should be reserved for those who have taken a magical oath. Both are stackable with other Codes of Honour.

Use of society resources requires a Savoire-Faire (Secret Society) roll.

Below are some historic and fictional magic societies that exist in Dark Jazz. Players are free to join any of these organizations or contact the GM with other suggestions.

A∴A∴

After the leadership struggles of the Golden Dawn, the A∴A∴ became a secretive organization whose composition was largely unknown even to members. The order was initially formed to create a new society that was to be the successor of the Golden Dawn. But once the O.T.O. was established, several members of the A∴A∴ refused to dissolve the order and went underground. The were thought to be destroyed in the 1920s, but announced in the 1950s they would be pursing "magickal efforts towards world peace."

• A∴A∴ article at Wikipedia.

Brothers of the Yellow Sign

The last known appearance of this group was in 1926, led by noted occultist and spirit medium Ramsey Parsons.

Choronzon Club

A very small, secretive, and intimate group of magicians who are said to practice a form of Tantric sexual magic learned from a nameless drifter. They are said to perform a variety of rituals, many of which concern Yog-Sothoth.

La Couleuvre Noire

Cult of the Black Snake, a Voodoo cult originating in Chicago in the late 19th century that had spread to every major city in the US by 1955. Though not a Mythos cult itself, members are sometimes associated with local Mythos sects and other left-hand organizations.

Esoteric Order of Dagon

Possibly of ancient origin, this cult made its first known North American appearance in Innsmouth, Massachussetts in the 1830s. It remained active through the 1930s but disappeared soon after the Fire Magic Wars.

Golden Dawn

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn survived the leadership struggled of the early 20th century and went on to become the preeminent occult society of Great Britain and the United States. It boasts the largest membership of any occult society, though less than 20% ever progress beyond neophyte or initiate status.

• Golden Dawn article at Wikipedia.

Ordo Templi Orientis

The O.T.O. emerged from the leadership battles of the Golden Dawn. Headed by Aleister Crowley, the organization is dedicated to bringing magic to the masses.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordo_Templi_Orientis article at Wikipedia.

Thule Society

• Thule Society article at Wikipedia. In Dark Jazz, the Thule Society is more prominent and absorbs much of the Nazi party hierarchy in the 1930s when the party is banned.