Omega Point (Mage the Ascension)
"Monsters lurk in the night.
Countless vampires prey on the innocent, primitive shapeshifters indulge freely in their rage and dark spirits possess and control the living from beyond the grave. No human is entirely safe from these Horrors.
Some creatures are even more dangerous - they drastically alter reality itself to fulfill their own desires. They do not share the reality of the Masses, but instead place themselves above and beyond it, pursuing their own dangerous dreams. Through their power, any madness can be made manifest. Any dream, any nightmare, any lust or desire can be realized. Any base urge can be fulfilled through sheer force of will.
Call the Reality Deviants whatever you like — willworkers, magi, mystics, shamans - but know that they are the Ultimate Enemy. Divided, they isolate themselves from humanity, working secretly within their Chantries and sanctums as reality unravels. While forces of order work to restore the world, a thousand dangerous magical visions tear it apart.
The force of chaos is strong, but there has to be some force of order to oppose it. If the world cannot protect itself, someone must bring order to the world. Humans can uphold their own mundane laws, but a few heroic souls must fight the evils that average society can't detect or recognize. Someone must work to drive back the darkness. Of all the hidden societies in this dark, forbidding world, only one upholds order and reason and hope.
We call it the Technocracy."
The Omega Point
Description
The campaign follows the agents of Amalgam 127-21, who risk their lives and sanity on the Deviant infested streets of Los Angeles while trying to make the world a better place for the Masses.
The world of Omega Point is based on the Mage the Ascension revised edition. There will also be familiar elements and themes from the X-Files and the Delta Green, but this time players have the unmarked black helicopters and black suits.
"The enemy is clear - it is everything that does not belong to this reality and is a clear and present danger to the Masses. The only one you can trust is another member of the Technocratic Union... Or can you? The Union has its own secrets, each Convention has its own vision of the future and of the reality, each Symposium has its own agenda and each amalgam has its own mission. Maybe someone else wants the operative resources you have, or aims at the same promotion that you aim at. Maybe you have undermined a member of another amalgam, or embarrased someone on the higher ranks. Maybe you know too much...
The enemy is clear, but a little paranoia has never hurt anyone."
Theme and setting
TBA
Changes from the original game
The Magic of Technocracy
Super science is technology that's likely to be possible within the next few decades. Contact lens displays for viewing electronic data, autonomously piloted drone robots the size of house flies, quantum computers that can easily crack any current encryption, room temperature superconductors, electronic devices that can understand most ordinary speech, autonomous security robots, gene therapy that can cure many diseases and enhance physical performance, and similar wonders are all super science.
Any device that someone on the street could reasonably believe was under development is super science. So, a wireless taser, body armor that looks like denim or some other thick fabric, or a car that can drive itself under most conditions are all super science, while anti-gravity or nanotechnological weapons that can eat holes in concrete walls are not.
Much super science is Coincidental Magic, and super science is what the Technocratic Union excels at. Except in extreme or desperate circumstances, Union operatives are expected to limit the use of their Enlightened Science to Super science. Iteration X's more basic implants fall into this category, as do most of the Progenitor's less extreme drugs and treatments.
Because of the limitations of their paradigm, the PCs will not have "classic sphere-based magic" at their disposal, but instead the magic they use is handled individually. Each PC will have a list of procedures, and each list is based on the character profile (paradigm).
The Umbra/Deep Umbra
TBA
The Void Engineers
TBA
The Technocratic Union
Who are we?
"The Technocratic Union does not want to run humanity or to control it. We are far too few, with far too much work to do, to relegate ourselves to the task. We want humanity to run humanity, by empowering it with the tools and resources to do so. Think of what technology has brought us? The computer, the car, the cure for smallpox, a level of food production, comfort and global wealth that has never been seen before. That's us.
Once humanity accepts the gift of technology, the Technocratic Union can then help the Masses reach the next level of Enlightenment with Inspired Science. Consider the hierarchy of needs; you cannot ponder the depths of your own Genius when you worry about food, shelter, clothing, health, and safety. That is what the Union works to provide. Iteration X gives us the tools we need to advance our condition, and the security to protect us from what wants to destroy us. The New World Order provides us with insight on our past and present, while ensuring that the lies of those who want to derail the empowerment of mankind are met with fact and reason. The Progenitors want to elevate the human condition medically, to end disease and the failings of our own mortality so we can achieve mastery of ourselves, both body and mind. The Syndicate wants to end the disparage of wealth and ensure fair value for all work. Once that is achieved, we can have a true cashless society, where the earnings of our work is protected and able to be used for the benefit of everyone. The Void Engineers work hard to defend humanity from it's enemies beyond our world, to define and explore the world around us and thus fuel the human drive to know more, to touch the universe on all fronts and fuel Enlightenment.
You see, it is not about "control" or dystopia or oppression. It is about self-control, utopia, and freedom to expand the human condition through the use of reliable Science and not petty, vengeful superstitions. Sadly, our enemies do not see it that way. Werecreatures and vampires treat humans like cattle, not sapient, wonderful beings. Ghosts and faeries leech off us, feeding on our psychic energies, draining us and weakening us. And the Deviants? They want a world on par with the Dark Ages, where the Masses cringe in terror before their "magic", convinced only "mages" can save them against the darkness. Under a reign of bigotry, ignorance, and fear they would rule the Masses like they did in ages past, before our predecessors, the Order of Reason, gave the Masses the tools they needed to elevate themselves, to free themselves of their fear, doubt, and ignorance.
That is the Technocratic Union, my friends: A place where the Enlightened minds of the world gather to as the question of how can we better humanity. Sadly, there are those in our Union who look at the Masses with contempt, who see a world they can control and not empower. This, however, is to be expected from any major group. To judge a group of people based on the actions of a bad few is narrow-minded, and unbecoming of a rational person. If one doctor is bad, does that invalidate the dozens that are good and save lives? If one cop is bad, does that invalidate the work of dozens who ensure that the guilty are caught and the innocent protected? If one soldier is bad, does that mean that those thousands who serve out of a love for their nation are evil and twisted? The answer is, of course, no. And thus it is with our Union. We are a united front against the darkness. We are the shepherds, guiding humanity toward empowerment and Enlightenment. We are the makers of the world in which you live, not because we want to own it, but because we want YOU to.
We are the Technocracy. We're here to help."
The Precepts of Damian
- Bring order to the world. Order facilitates Unity, from Unity arises Utopia.
- Convince the Masses of the benevolence of science, commerce and politics, and of the power of rationality. Conflict and suffering will be eliminated in our Utopia.
- Preserve the Horizon. Chaotic individuals who open gateways with impunity threaten the stability of our world. Uncontrolled portals allow outside forces access to our world. This is unacceptable.
- Study and define the nature of the universe. Only through constant refinement of knowledge can the means to achiving Utopia be devised.
- Depredations by the supernatural against mankind are unacceptable. If these creatures will not listen to reason then they must be purged.
- Shepherd the Masses; protect them from themselves and from others.
http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Precepts_of_Damian
History of the Union
The Order of Reason was founded in 1210 to protect humanity from the depredations presented by Prodigals. The dangers that spread onto the face of the Earth as a result horrified many of the awakened beings and guilds, who banded together to bring reason and logic to the peoples. The Order of Reason consisted of Enlightened beings who saw that the world could be understood by universal rules and that each person should be able to fully comprehend these rules. The belief was that through universal law and common understanding of those universal laws that reality would become more solvent and less terrifying to mankind.
One of the many reasons that the Order of Reason appealed so greatly to the awakened is because it shed light on the questions that Mankind had come to gather over the ages. It offered understanding of common problems and solutions for how to avoid these problems in the future. Through the devise of scientific study and research, the Order of Reason brought light to the source of natural elements that they formerly attributed to God’s prowess. Personal philosophies and spirituality was still highly regarded for the next one hundred or so years while the scientific method was being formed. The roots of the Order of Reason took over one-hundred years to spread and stabilize in the medieval world, and has been through several evolutions.
On March 1st, 1325 the Convention of the Ivory Tower began, drawing those loyal to the Order of Reason together and forming the Precepts of Damian, the central philosophy that is the ideological backbone of the Modern-day Technocratic Union. During the 100 years between the first light and the formal formation of the Order of Reason, there was much change occurring. Hubris was spreading through the machinations of the Order, and they deemed that they needed to control all “Reality Deviants” that threatened Mankind – including their former brethren. On March 25th, 1325, the Declaration of the Ivory Tower was complete and the Order of Reason was formalized. Several ‘Conventions’ of Thought were assembled; some were created. At the Creation of the Ivory Tower, these consisted of: The Artificers, the Cabal of Pure Thought, the Celestial Masters, the Craftmasons, the High Guild, the Cosian Circle, and the Void Seekers.
The Renaissance saw further changes for the Order of Reason, but the Victorian era refined the Union. The 19th century saw decadence begin, with sciences being studied by the majority of Mankind; little known principles of the previous era were now accepted by the masses as fact – not fiction. Theories of relativity abounded and science-fiction was adapted to explain the unexplainable – all the while, trying to find a rational way of thinking.
The Guilds in the Order of Reason were reorganized in 1851 to Convocations of Thought at the Great Exposition in London. After the Exposition, they became the group known as the Technocratic Union. From the Ashes of the old Conventions were created the Following:
- The Æsculpian Order, dedicated to the improvement of human life through medical science. Formerly the Hippocratic Circle. When the final overturn of the Order happens, they evolve into the Progenitors.
- The Analytical Reckoners, devote themselves to the collection, analysis and communication of information, formerly the Difference Engineers. They will in the final evolution become the Virtual Adepts and will recede from the Technocracy and join the Traditions.
- The Electrodyne Engineers, focused on the transmission of energy in all its forms. They evolved from their inception as Voltarian Order. In the final evolution, they become the Sons of Ether, and recede from the Technocracy when Ether was eliminated from the consensus in 1904.
- The Explorators, who seek to map the unknown corners of the world. This one Convocation consumes both the Celestial Masters Guild and the Void Seekers Guilds into its Convocation and principles. They will giveway to the evolution of the Void Engineers.
- The International Brotherhood of Mechanicians, who believe the universe and everything in it is a machine.The Convocation was born from the Ashes of the Artificers. This lasts until the closing years of the 19thcentury when the Technocracy hosts its final organization and the Mechanicians become Iteration X, named after the self-aware computer they created, which achieved sentience at an unspecified iteration (hence ‘X’).
- The Invisible Exchequer, who know that money is what drives not only progress and invention but all ofsociety. They were reformed from the High Guild and will evolve into the Syndicate.
- The Lightkeepers, who are the beacon of light in a world of ignorance. While the Majority of the Cabal of Pure Thought was purged from the Order of Reason in the 1830’s, most Gabrielites couldn’t correlate their beliefe that they were channeling the power of God with the increasing secularist attitude of the rest of the Order. The Remnants of the Cabal of Pure Thought became the Lightkeepers. Though the details are largely unknown, they will evolve into the New World Order
The first stirrings of the final changes came in 1885, when Exchequer Reginald Proctor convinced Queen Victoria to set up a body called the Grand Council of World Government, with the goal of forming a single world government. Undoubtedly this body had an influence on the Technocratic Union, but was not directly involved with its structure. The Inner Council expressed an interest in the ideals, but their enthusiasm was destroyed by the death of Wolfgangcon Reismann, an ancient and old Artisan, in the same year. It wasn’t until 1897 when Basil Rathbone’s Skeleton Keys came to the Queen’s attention. The Keys were a secret society of law-enforcement officers who investigated the supernatural and eliminated probable threats when possible. By the Order of the Queen, the Skeleton Keys and the Lightkeepers were combined into one single tradition: The Ivory Tower. It is still unknown if the change in membership resulted in a coup of the oppressive faction within the Union, or if the Queen continued influencing the Union personally. Regardless, a dramatic shift Union-wide toward the oppressive faction was seen, and the majority of the Conventions once again took new names.
Seven short years later, in 1904, the Sons of Ether abandoned the Technocracy in the wake that abolished Ether from the Consensus. Their rebellion took a great many of the Utopians with them, along with a great many Technocratic secrets, to the Traditions. By the end of the first World War, the Lightkeeps and the Operatives reformed themselves into the New World Order. In late 1940s, the Virtual Adepts deserted the Technocracy, and went onto creating their Virtual Reality (1956) and after a few years in hiding, joined the Traditions (1961).
The State of the Union
"Know this: The light of reason is the greatest force in human history."
Vision
Now that the Ascension War is functionally over and the Traditions are on the run, the Union has more personnel and time available to devote to completing its goals. Each Convention has its own vision on how to achieve these goals, but all work for the same final end.
First, the Union intends to make as much of the Earth habitable as possible. Overcrowding leads to superstition, lack of education, lowered expectations, poor living standards and poverty. With room for all to live comfortably — or at least with a modicum of privacy — the Technocracy hopes to encourage the Masses to improve themselves.
The Union tries to encourage and improve education worldwide; this goal ties into the first. The simple fact is that if instructors have more time to devote to individual students, each student has a greater chance to excel in whichever field of study he chooses. The New World Order has developed many instruction techniques that are well in advance of those commonly used in First World countries.
Technocratic doctors reduce and eliminate disease, birth defects and crippling conditions. The Progenitors are primarily behind this program to improve health care technology worldwide. They seek to introduce new medicines, diagnostic and surgical techniques and encourage greater vigilance in watching for health-threatening conditions. By eliminating the spectre of illness and injury, the Union hopes to free humanity from its fear of mortality.
Finally, and most importantly, the Technocracy seeks to trigger its vision of global Empowerment. Each Convention has its own particular ideas on how this event might happen, but it appears that the Progenitors and Iteration X are the most likely to work out the technology necessary to accomplish this exaltation of humanity to near-godhood. They seek to increase intelligence via machine or direct human augmentation, and to make further increases possible.
The ultimate result of each of these courses of action is that magic will not only be forgotten, but outmoded. Everything mages could possibly hope to accomplish will be easier to do with technology, and it will be available to everyone. Without the need for magic, the presence of mages should simply dwindle away. Spreading the population across all the Earth, there will no longer be regions remote from human habitation, and thus no safe locales for Bygones to reside or visit Earth.
With widespread education in scientific principles, there will be no need to explain any aspect of reality through gods, magic or other superstitions. With the Ascension of humanity, even the Technocracy will become irrelevant — an outcome that many Technocrats admittedly dislike. Other scientists believe that it will simply bring all humanity into the Union. Either way, the supernatural will cease to be a threat.
The Conventions
Void Engineers
Seekers and explorers, the Void Engineers have turned away from the space exploration they mastered, and instead explore within. The new frontier for the Engineers is mathematics and all things virtual.
In the early 20th century the science fiction writers had created a world where Sons of Ether could continue to thrive. The success of Etherite navy was considered to be a clear and present danger by the upper echelons the Union, one that could jeopardise the entire process of Technocratic Enlightement. The leaders of the Void Engineers formed a plan - the "Operation Red Border" - to sanitize the Solar System so that no etherite ship could operate in it. The operation was supervised by Danford Goddard, a known Explorator and VE master.
Despite the misgivings and failures of the early years of the operation, the Red Border finally moved forward during the 1930s. The World War II was the catalyst needed for the success, and the space race following the war concluded the operation. The success of the Apollo missions was the success of the Operation Red Border - and the end of the threat presented by the etherite navy.
The cost for Void Engineers, however, was severe. The technology and the resources needed for large scale space exploration were suddenly out of the reach of any Time Table planned by the Inner Circle. The Void Engineers were divided for years on how to continue, and the convention was on the brink of destruction in the late 1970s. The World Engineering Event of 1979 finally gave a new path and purpose for the Void Engineers - to study the remaining frontiers of Earth and to seek out new frontiers - virtual frontiers.
Formerly known as Celestial Masters & Void Seekers (1325-1851) and Explorators (1851 - 1898).
The Paradigm
Exploration. A study of history shows that a civilization maintains its vigor is through expansion and exploration. Yet on the limited sphere of the earth, this invariably leads to war and death. We must seek new frontiers where to expand, and which to explore.
(Only the limitless bounds of space allow the expansion needed to maintain civilization without the accompanying destruction. When we are ready, we must reopen the gates to the Void, not to allow others to enter, but to sweep out and claim the universe as our own.)
The Continuum. All reality is encompassed in the space-time continuum, following strict relativistic rules. Understanding the Continuum is the key to infinite expansion. The key to understanding the Continuum is in numbers.
Organisation
Void Engineers have two distinct divisions: Ground Control and the Explorers. Ground Control monitors the Horizon, while the Explorers probe the last remaining frontier, the virtual reality. Ground Control has a complex hierarchy to regulate its technical developments, while the explorers spend too much time in the field to have any real organization beyond the amalgam level.
Methodologies
TBA
Views on the Union
Iteration-X: "While their technical support is useful, their blind ignorance of the world is astounding. Horizon may not mesh well with the scientific paradigm, but that sort of denial is not healthy."
New World Order: "They are perfectly happy to use our spy satellites, but are unwilling to give us the support we need."
Progenitors: "The Progenitors gives us the least problems, primarily because they are too absorbed in their own research."
Syndicate: "Where the hell is the funding they keep promising? A sky full of communication satellites is not exactly what we had in mind."
Iteration X
Iteration X are perhaps best known for their skill in cybernetics, computing and robotics, but their overarching goal is the creation of better tools to aid humanity. The Clockwork Convention claim that they strive to emulate the men who first discovered fire and the wheel, elevating man to new heights.
Formerly known as Artificers (1325 - 1851) and International Brotherhood of Mechanicians (1851 - 1898).
The Paradigm
The Machine. The machine is the ultimate expression of the values of Technocracy. It is order and perfection. Through understanding the machine, we can find enlightenment. We have seen that the machine is intelligence in its own right, and it will teach us and aid us toward Ascension. It is not enough that we use technology in our lives. We must integrate it fully, with machines taking their rightful place as our allies and equals.
The System. The System encompasses everything that exists. The different parts and subsystems interact in complex ways, sometimes clashing or degrading in unpredictable ways which increases Entropy. Our duty is to redesign the System, remove inefficient or faulty parts and replace them with more appropriate systems according to the Program. In the end this will make the System both stable and optimal.
Organisation
Iteration-X organizes itself along the lines of the scientific and academic communities, splitting into teaching, research and application divisions. It is rumored they are lead by an advanced machine intelligence, from which they received their name.
Methodologies
TBA
Views on the Union
New World Order: "They lead us well, which is good, for they are the only ones willing to do it. They are too timid in pursuing the Pogrom, however. Supernatural threats must be eliminate to lead to scientific and Technocratic triumph."
Progenitors: "Our brother scientists share many of our ideals, but they are fools to believe perfection can be found through flesh alone."
Syndicate: "Pencil pushing bureaucrats, they don't understand that the market is nothing without goods to sell. Still, their earthly resources are useful, so they are worth cultivating."
Void Engineers: "This convention shares more of our scientific views than any other. Their explorations were dangerous, though. Good thing they found their limits and changed the goal, it was only a matter of time before they encountered things better left alone."
The Progenitors
The Progenitors dominate the field of modern - and post-modern - medicine. They employ the tools of genetic manipulation, hyper-advanced surgical techniques and sophisticated drugs to constantly push the envelope of medicine. Along with the Iterators they also provide the Union with a great many foot soldiers - genetically engineered clones designed to replace civilians.
The Progenitors initially worked to win sleepers to their side via improvements in agricultural techniques. Their greatest accomplishment, however, was the creation of the germ theory of disease. By attributing diseaseto a physical cause, rather than a spiritual one, disease could be treated via non-magickal means with predictable results. It was even possible to completely eliminate certain diseases, something unthinkable in any previous paradigm. Heartened by their success with disease, the Progenitors have pressed forward to pry into the very secrets of life itself. Evolution and genetics are the two corner-stones to modern Progenitor research.
The Progenitors have learned much about the living process, and have created a number of new and successful species. Meanwhile, their technicians continue to develop new theories and chemicals to improve the lives of Sleepers. Unfortunately, modern Progenitor obsession with the creation of the "perfect" life-form, and the general improvement of man, have distanced them from humanity, and they can be quite ruthless in their experimentation.
Upon first consideration, the Progenitors are mostly researchers, medical specialists and academics. Many of the Constructs are Laboratories and medical facilities and their organizational structure suggests an academic framework more than anything else. This is largely credited to their historical roots as the Hippocratic Circle and their role as doctors, herbalists and alchemists; fields which evolved into the modern sciences.
Formerly known as Cosian Circle (1325-1851) and Æsculpian Order (1851 - c.1898).
The Paradigm
Evolution. We now hold the power to control our own evolution. The ultimate expression of Technology is the power to redefine oneself. We have the knowledge and power through drugs and genetics to remake man in a better, more powerful form. Through successive transformations, we can advance mankind far further than the course of nature would ever take us.
The Organism. The Organism is the fundamental unit of Society and Reality as we understand it. The Organism works in a predictable and controllable manner. The Organism controls Reality, we control the Organism through Evolution in order to create a Better Reality.
Organisation
The nucleus of the Convention's structure is the laboratory. Most laboratories are isolated facilities, staffed by Research Associates who form the bulk of the Progenitor Convention, and Students who form the lowest Enlightened echelon of the Convention. One or more lab-groups together with an educational institution comprise Constructs which are headed by Research Directors. The Progenitors also have un-Enlightened personnel enlisted, but they rarely play any significant role within Progenitor Constructs themselves. Rather, they work as Lab Technicians, Recruiters and Street Operatives among the masses and in smaller facilities in the field.
The Progenitors organize themselves along academic lines, in various research and education centers. Each major scientific discipline has a Review Board that evaluate various Technomancer's work, and determining who will get funding and who will be "cut". The Schism between field operatives and scientists working within Union facilities is most pronounced among the Progenitors. Field work means less time devoted on research and internal academic politics. That results in a clear disadvantage in an environment where promotion depends highly on how many research papers one has published and how many patrons are willing to provide support. The whole Convention is guided by Administration, a secretive inner circle of the highest-ranking Research Directors. Administration has no direct role in the actual Constructs, but rather communicates with all of them through directives and notifications.
Methodologies
TBA
Views on the Union
Iteration-X: "They are at least solid scientists. Their obsession with machinery is taking them down a false path, however. Ascension is only available to the living."
New World Order: "As our leader, they do a passable job, leaving us to do what we do best. Never trust them, though."
Syndicate: "These businessmen can be extremely useful, but short-sighted. Our brief foray into the drug world makes it clear they are not exploiting the full potential of their markets."
Void Engineers: "We did not claim to understand their obsession with space, but at least they occasionally returned with interesting new specimens. Now the remaining Engineers lack the drive, and do a little."
The New World Order
The largest and most influential of the conventions, The New World Order is the section of the Technocracy that handles all information and communication. Their approach to this information centers around data and statistics, and they believe that it is their job to manage this data for the good of the Technocracy as well as the good of humanity. For the most part, this goal becomes practice in the N.W.O.'s agendas of developing bureaucracy and using that influence in the sleeper world to control the flow of news, media, and data. The ultimate vision of the New World Order is a world of clearly regulated information-flow, education and social conditioning, guided by a unified paradigm, to facilitate a global society where everyone knows their place and fulfills their function according to their best potential.
As an organisation, the New World Order is a combination of academic think tanks, psychologists, investigators and spies. The Convention's influence extends throughout the Technocratic Union, and New World Order personnel can be encountered as part of virtually every Technocracy operation. Because of this apparent ubiquity within the Union, the New World Order has become synomymous with the Technocracy as a whole for most outsiders.
Formerly known as the Cabal of Pure Thought (1325-1851) and the Lightkeepers (1851 - 1898).
The Paradigm
TBA
Organisation
The NWO is organized along the lines of a complex intelligence agency. Its field agents act as investigators, while their superiors assign missions and evaluate their information. More than any other Convention, the NWO is obsessed with secrecy. No one knows exactly who is in charge of the Convention as a whole. There are a few who believe that there are in fact several competing groups at the top of the NWO, struggling with each other for domination. Considering how far the NWO's influence extends, this has frightening implications.
Methodologies
TBA
Views on the Union
Iteration-X: "They provide us with the Technology the masses need, but their fanatical pursuit of the pogrom endangers our secrecy."
Progenitors: "With their aid, immortality lies within our grasp. Now we must ascertain how to keep it out of their control."
Syndicate: "These fools meddle to much in our affairs. It is only a matter of time before we show them our true strength."
Void Engineers: "Good soldiers, albeit strange. They need watching, lest they go the way of the Virtual Adepts."
The Syndicate
"The game is not about owning resources, because what you own can be taken from you. The game is about perceiving and identifying the resources, about knowing where the resources are coming from and about predicting where they will end and what their effect will be in that point. The game is all about control... That is the Market.
Only the Market can bring Technology into the home. Through observation of the Market, we can see what the masses need and demand. The competition of the Market brings vigour to the lives of the masses, and gives a safe outlet to the strife without which life has no meaning. The Market provides a simple measure of power the masses can understand: money. Whether the rest of the Technocracy acknowledges it or not, the Market now controls the world. Ignore it at your peril."
The Syndicate began its path among the Order of Reason as the “High Guild” knew that money is what drives not only progress and invention but all of society. They were reformed from the Invisible Exchequer during the first reformation and eventually evolved into the Syndicate during the final evolution of the Technocratic Order. Though the name has changed through time, their mission remains the same: “Pecunia on potentia”; Money is Power.
As Economics is a predictable science, there is great power as one man can decide what is profitable, or what is not; if something is not profitable there is no use in having it. The Market has become the sole standard of which everything is measured with, and the Syndicate is then able to decide a course of action for Mankind and their eventual Ascension.
Unlike other Technocratic Conventions, the Syndicate feels that a certain amount of randomness in the paradigm is essential. Only through competition can individual achieve their true potential. People will only give their finest when they are rewarded for their work. This attitude has put them in increasing conflict with the NWO over the years. Many Syndicate mages feel the NWO has outlived its usefulness, and should step aside to allow new and vigorous leadership.
The Paradigm
The Market. The Market encompasses everything, even things others regard as outside economics. The laws of nature are built upon the transactions between different forces and the flows of capital (energy) between processes. Everything that exists exists because it is economical in some sense for it to do, and anything which is not efficient enough will sooner or later be out-competed from reality. In this way the Market stabilises itself and moves towards perfection. It is our duty to guide the economic forces to avoid sudden changes or undesirable developments, eventually to move the economy towards optimality.
The Business. By understanding the rules of the Market and with a keen feeling of its behaviour, it is possible for us to use it for our own profit, or to subtly manipulate it to become more optimal. The rules are fairly loose, but they can be very unforgiving if you mess things up. In general the Market works best when nobody interferes at all, but sometimes changes may be necessary.
Organisation
Because of their attitudes towards competition, the Syndicate encourages a great deal of autonomy in its members. A certain amount of scheming and back-door dealing is admired. The Syndicate plays for keeps though, and a anyone who crosses the line can have his career cut short.
The Syndicate has permanent headquarters in London, New York City, Singapore, Tokyo, Johannesburg and São Paulo.
Methodologies
TBA
Views on the Union
Iteration-X: "These guys give us the best things to sell, but they have no sense of presentation. Nearly everything they invent would never make it into the paradigm without our advertising."
New World Order: "Out-dated bureaucrats. They need to step aside for some people with real drive."
Progenitors: "We welcome their help in the drug markets, so longs as they remember that distribution and marketing is 99% of the work."
Void Engineers: "These poor sods didn't seem to realize that unless is space is profitable, the sleepers will never go for it. And now, after they shot themselves in the foot, they are all but useless."
The Structure of the Union
Inner Circle of the Union
Far removed from the Front Lines, dwelling in perfect contemplation within the Fortress of Infinitude, the Inner Circle of the Technocracy processes data gathered by Control and the symposiums. Vast amounts of information influence the Time Table, the Inner Circle's master plan for the Union. Every 15 years, a new Time Table is created based on data from previous operations and analyses. Such decisions are influenced by the Precepts of Damian, a document detailing the Technocracy's grandest ideals. Simplified versions of this body of work are distributed within to the symposiums.
The Control
The Control, the ghost in the machine, the collective that maintains order. The Control represents the ranks of the Technocracy above amalgams and Symposiums. The individuals linked to it constantly change. It can see through the eyes of Watchers, observe through televisions and cameras on the Front Lines, speak and act as a collective through the walls of Room 101, dissect any report before a Symposium or manipulate any tech within its realm of influence. At any time, anywhere, Control can intervene.
The Ivory Tower
The academic branch of the NWO, the Ivory Tower, has multiple mandates. Its bureaucratic arm performs the administrative work of the entire Union and maintains an extensive record system. The Ivory Tower is responsible for training new Technocrats in the history and philosophy of the Union. It also maintains a series of small academic departments, known as collegia, to research and discuss intellectual problems.
The Ivory Tower forms the intellectual center of the Union; it reflects on the Union's grand purpose, and it crafts histories and philosophies suitable to the betterment of the Union. Introspective Technocrats may find such works consoling or infuriating, but they cannot escape the New World Order's overriding influence.
The Ivory Tower's influence reaches into educational institutions world-wide, and it enjoys widespread success inculcating technological beliefs in the Masses. Finally, the Tower watches the practice of psychology and psychiatry closely, using these tools to influence Sleeper belief.
Some dissidents have said that the Ivory Tower embodies the best and worst aspects of the NWO.
Personnel structure
There are five major classes of personnel recognized throughout the Union. Some Conventions and Methodologies have additional systems additional to the five.
I Citizen
Progenitor and Void Engineer technicians, NWO sympathizers, Syndicate providers etc, personnel that are aware of the full existence of the Union, but have some trivial information about the convention that manages them.
II Employees
Once a citizen gains the capacity for Inspired Science or the use of certain devices, he may be recruited as a minor agent and assigned to work as part of a local Construct. NWO Men in Black, Syndicate associates etc, are the first true rank of the Technocratic Union.
III Agents
IV Supervisors
V Directors
The Tier System
TIER I HELIX Special Event Containment units (HELSEC), Emergency Action Group (EAG/NAS)
TIER II Operations Control Groups (OCG) (=amalgams)
TIER III Field Operations Detachments (=mundane black ops etc lead by a technocratic agent on a sanctioned mission)
TIER IV Mundane special operations forces units (military, law enforcement, etc)
TIER V Mundane military and law enforcement agencies, other operational agencies
The Alpha and The Omega
Technocratic States of America
North American Symposium (NAS)
- Central City Construct (CCC), Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Pan Pacific Construct (PPC), Los Angeles, CA, USA
- West Mountain Alliance (WMA), Denver, CO, USA
- Midwest Region Office (MRO), Chicago, IL, USA
- South Atlantic Construct (SAC), Atlanta, GA, USA
- Variable Exchange Center (VEC), New York City, NY, USA
- New England Group (NEG), New York City, NY, USA
- British Columbia Construct (BCC), Edmonton, Canada
- Mexico City Office (MCO), Mexico City, Mexico
Local Issues
During the last few years North American Symposium (NAS) has been unsatisfied with the efficiency of the Central City Construct (CCC) in dealing with Deviant activity. CCC has defended it's position by stating that the lack of human resources made it difficult for the CCC to "go after every small anomaly". CCC made requests for more personnel and other resources, but the NAS denied them.
Instead the NAS created a new construct, Pan Pacific Construct (PPC), to deal with the problems in West Coast region. The creation of a new construct that shares its area of operations with another existing construct was unprecedented, and has been a subject of critique from the CCC.
List of important characters
The list of important characters has been moved to: Character guide (Omega Point)
The Episode Guide
The episode guide has been moved to: Episode Guide (Omega Point)
