First of all, the classification I provided of Secret Societies was just that, a simplified classification, and it said right at the start: "Real societies will be a mixture of types".
Now the operative question is secret. That a society is secret does not mean nobody knows of its existence, but that its membership and organization is partly or completely secret. In this way, everyone knows about the Borists, but you will not know of any members (except the last one rotting in the gibbets) and you will have no idea who or what rules them.
Another example is the Loons. Here you may know members, as you could know Masons in the RW, but an outsider wold have no idea who rules the society, and what further objectives, if any, they have. Strong governments detest this kind of thing, but few governments can be called strong in Safelster (strong as our centralised ones are). Despite Peter's dislikes, Guild structures are (or were) as secretive, and often the Guildmaster is a straw man for the real power players. Some guilds have anonymous meetings, where the Master is the one unmasked, and where you can discuss anything.
Why there are so many secret societies in Safelster? We have a tradition of resistance against outer powers, a fractionalised society with literally hundreds of sects and deviant religions, weak governments, and one of the most highly urbanized regions in Glorantha. We have mysteric societies, spy rings (we are bound to have a war soon!), brotherhoods (all men who know the spell Temper Bronze, or its non-magical equivalent), sisterhoods (wise women who know the secrets of the Green Lady, or protesters against male dominance in X city), trade monopolies, minorities protection gangs, etc.
Why do I join up a Secret Society? To protect myself, and those that think/work/pray/speak like me. To achieve my personal, economic, political or diplomatic aims (war is a common occurrence in Ralios). To find that spark of the divine, that I miss in everyday life and church in Godsday. To have something to do after work, or to spend all this money my mother left me.
There would be Secret Societies without Arkati. The arkati just profit from the situation, and at the same time are weakened by it. Somewhere else the arkatis would have unified and would have risen again as a world power, or would have been squashed for ever. Here they bicker, spend their energies in secret, and have just the time to quest to keep the world in one piece.
As an example, I have Felstra as a secret cult in western Safelster, where the state churches dislike the evident paganism of her theist worship. Of course, sailors will spread this, and many coastal towns have shrines to her, openly or secretly. You need to know someone to recommend you to the acting priest, usually a low caste retired sailor, but sometimes a rich merchant or noble ship owner. There is little pressure, but local worshippers will try to keep their identities secret (even if only to avoid a rebuke by their own priest), while foreign visitors will be more open. A fellow worshipper will be slightly more favoourable to you, will be less likely to mislead you, or cheat you. So in a short time the cult's members control indirectly much of the lake trade. And that's it...
Unless the Old Arkat Kult, of which Felstra is a traditional ally has secretly maneuvered to have his members as "priests" in Sentanos, as part of their campaign against Arginn Terror. But the Old Arkat Kult is secretly controlled by a "cleansed" arkati coven, fanatically dedicated to fight chaos. They are convinced Arginn Terror controls the Guild of Chaos Monks (erroneously) and they are willing to lose several pawns testing this foe.
Meanwhile the Frere Trading Family is busy trying to set up a monopoly on salt trade, and will use their cult contacts as information sources...
In the end a new war (the third or fourth this year), and hard times for the Felstra cult in Sentanos. Some fortunes will change hands, but that is also commonplace around here.
Jose
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