Precursor/Integrated Groups

Precursor/Integrated Groups

MegalomaniacInchworm 29 Oct 2017 12:57

So, I've got an idea for a tale or series of tales that I'm writing up notes for, presently. The idea is that while the operations arms of the GOC and the Foundation (PHYSICS, PTOLOMY and PSYCHE, for the former, and the sub-O5 researchers and MTFs for the former) are more or less solid and uniform, the anomalous constituent groups (the integrated groups of the Council of 108 for the GOC, and the precursor groups represented in the Overseer's Council of the Foundation) that make up their policy-setting arms are fractious and often unique. The idea is that it would be a tale of political maneuvering between these various groups during a significant time in their history- the Foundation and the Coalition merging into a single massive organization.

Anyway, I've got a moderately well-filled-out list of integrated GOC groups in my big, barely-organized headcanon text file. They are as follows:

Bavarian Illuminati; International Center for the Study of Unified Thaumatology (ICSUT); Holy Order of the Knights Templar, Reformed; Servants of the Silicon Nornir; United Church of Satan, Scientist; World Parahealth Organization; Universalist Order of the Aesir; Pr-Ankh-n-Ab (Djehutian House of Life); Haudenosaunee (League of Paramerican Nations); Society for Olympian Restoration.

I'm wondering if anyone can point me to GOC groups that I missed, and help me fill out the list of Foundation precursor groups mentioned on the site. Or just chime in with your own headcanon'ed constituent organizations and thoughts regarding the Foundation and political structure of the two organizations.

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

Modern_Erasmus 29 Oct 2017 16:17

For the Foundation precursors, Wrong’s proposal has a pretty in depth exploration of the subject that lists 13 possible orgs.

Just as an aside, I really like this idea. Internal political conflict within these groups is always fun, and imagining the degree of that which would follow a proposed merger sounds amazing.

Last edited on 29 Oct 2017 16:18 by Modern_Erasmus Show more

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

MegalomaniacInchworm 29 Oct 2017 20:06

I'm probably going to be assuming there's more than thirteen precursor groups, though I'm not sure how I'm going to square that with the Thirteen O5's. Thanks for the tip about Wrong's Proposal- I remember reading it.

There's also the American Secure Containment Initiative (ASCI), a British group (her Majesty's something or other), a Roman group, a Vatican office, and likely a few more. Currently a bit busy, but I'll be sniffing after a complete list shortly.

Also: right? I've got some ideas for major events, and how some of the groups would interact, and those ideas are taking up so much of my brain's processing cycles that my note-writing hasn't yet extended to characters.

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

Modern_Erasmus 29 Oct 2017 21:07

The ones you just mentioned are also part of the 13 that appear in Wrong’s proposal. Good luck!

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

Petrograd 29 Oct 2017 22:43

Just for fun, I did what is most likely an incomplete search.

Wrong Proposal (links if found elsewhere)

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Her Majesty's Foundation for the Secure Containment of the Paranormal (+"His" Majesty's, SCP-2823, "HMRSCP")
Estate noir
Tsar's Seers (+scp-2237)
Imperial German Anomalous Matters Examination Agency
American Secure Containment Initiative (+SCP-2750, Ghost, SCP-2896, SCP-2237, SCP-1851-EX, SCP-3872, SCP-3155, SCP-3310, SCP-1328)
Imperial Commission on Transgressive Occurrences (article calls defunct rather than precursor)
Royal Office for Christian Artefacts (see below)
Special Investigations Board, Dutch East Indies Company
Inner Africa Expeditionary Society
The Knights of the Military Order of Borja y Aragón
Bureau of Onmyō (陰陽寮) (+"Onmyō Bureau", SCP-2478)
Abnormality Institute (異學會)
0th Anti-Cult Regiment

Others, alternate versions, and one-offs:

+ show block

• Royal Society for the Security, Containment, and Protection of Anomalous Artifacts (+SCP-2601,SCP-1408) (British, seems like same role as HMFSCP)
• Vatican Holy Office for Secrets and Prophecies (Secretorum Camerus Prophetias) (merged in 1964, "of" Secrets...) (Wrong's Royal Office for Christian Artefacts is stated to be a spinoff of this)
• The Royal Society for the Study of Curiosities and Peculiarities (Turkey)
• Holy Emperor's Council on Unearthly Matters (SCP-2478 claims this is mistranslation of Bureau of Onmyō)
• Silver Sun Organization
• Vatican's Congregation for Otherworldly Acts
• Royal Society for the Imprisonment of Abnormalcy
• Her Majesty's Fellowship for the Study of Curiosities and Phantasmagoria
• Society of the Golden Arrow (not a precursor, but we got their stuff)

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

MegalomaniacInchworm 30 Oct 2017 01:11

Ayeeyah, thanks, boss. That is profoundly helpful.

There's some overlap between the two lists, as you helpfully noted. I can probably retcon the two lists via splinter organizations and identification errors to fifteen or so, and come up with historical reasons why a couple precursor groups aren't represented on the Overseer's council.

As an obsessive cat, I'll have to go through all the associated articles, and do a bit more searching about the site- found the Roman one, Cura Praetoria Sapientae Occultae- and then likely write reams of new notes.

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

Petrograd 30 Oct 2017 02:39

No problem! Just to let you know my methodology in case you want to hit other angles, I mostly just searched for the word "precursor", the names of the groups from Wrong's Proposal, and a few things from memory. Also, this post points out that other SCP branches may have their own precursor groups, which might have some overlap with ours.

(Edit: And switching back and forth between google with " site:scp-wiki.net/scp "search term" " and site search.)

Also, if you count ancient precursors, there's the Keepers and the Hudaru.

Last edited on 30 Oct 2017 02:42 by Petrograd Show more

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

MegalomaniacInchworm 30 Oct 2017 03:12

Oomph. Just spend forty minutes justifying to myself jamming together all the 'His/her Majesty's' groups under the pretext of a long history and several name and raison d'etre changes, and doing the same with the Christian and Catholic groups, and coming up with plotlines involving shadowy organizations puppeting other shadowy organizations and declining fortunes and brutal, annihilative attacks to explain why I still had more than thirteen groups- and thanking my stars for every group noted as defunct or destroyed or consolidated with another. But more and more keep popping out of the woodwork. I'm gonna need some time to get my headcanon (and ever-expanding universe of notes) under control before I even start writing the beastie.

Thank you for the research angles; I stand in awe of your lore data-mining skills. I was, in fact, planning to incorporate ancient groups, but at this point, I think I'll note several of them as operating under a new and familiar name or simply long extinct spiritual ancestors.

I feel like I should include precursor groups from at least a couple of the other branches. Feel rather provincial in that that hadn't even occurred to me. Whoop, more research opportunities. Luckily, I dig exploring other people's headcanons as much as developing my own.

EDIT: If anyone's interested, I've got my notes in acceptable order, and I've started writing the first installment of what's looking like a series. It'll be an intro, a historical document providing background on the merger. Anyway, if anyone wants to chip in with their own headcanon, or interesting plot-lines or references from around the site regarding the constituent groups of the Foundation or GOC, please feel free.

Last edited on 30 Oct 2017 18:40 by MegalomaniacInchworm Show more

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

Petrograd 31 Oct 2017 05:30

Just spend forty minutes justifying to myself jamming together all the 'His/her Majesty's' groups under the pretext of a long history and several name and raison d'etre changes

I usually mentally model the HMFSCP after the imperial/industrial age groups like the Royal Geographical Society (1831-present) or British Science Association (1830+), with older precursors along the lines of the Royal Society (1660-present). But covert. Edit: That is, going from a small correspondence/discussion society in the 1600/1700's to fully funding major expeditions in the 1800's.

The College of Antiquaries (1586-1607) and Society of Antiquaries (1707+, officially chartered in 1751) provides a good illustration of the kind of political nonsense that leads to name confusion and also some mine-able history, I guess. There's also the English Civil War and I'm sure other regime changes.

(Not that I exactly knew which societies I was thinking of or their histories, I just had a general picture. Yay Wikipedia!)

Not trying to step on your machinations, of course :)

Last edited on 31 Oct 2017 05:40 by Petrograd Show more

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

MegalomaniacInchworm 31 Oct 2017 13:43

That fits very well. One of the group's mentioned is 'Her Majesty's Fellowship for the Study of Curiosities and Phantasmagoria,' which would seem more appropriate to a smaller academic institution, rather than a major, well-funded organization- though I'm not altogether certain the timeline fits. Something to work on when I have the time.

Thanks for the background resources- feel free to step on my machinations any time. Anything to give the storyline more depth and historical plausibility is absolute aces. I really appreciate the help.

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

Modern_Erasmus 31 Oct 2017 14:45

Btw, is your GOC/Foundation merger storyline something you want to tackle alone or are you thinking about trying to make it a canon? It has a lot of potential for that imo.

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

MegalomaniacInchworm 31 Oct 2017 15:44

I've given that some thought, actually. But I figure I should crank out a couple stories before I start planning for that. Cart before the horse, and all that. If you or anyone else wants to write something for it, cool. I'll be making up a timeline shortly (once I'm done the first installment of the series). The following are the themes of the series/possible canon as I've conceived of it:

• Secret societies- the world is full of secret groups, and there's a secret history involving their interactions, feuds, and politicking.
• No group (or major group, at least) is homogeneous; religions have sects, movements have ideological factions, and aggregate groups like the GOC and the Foundation have a wide array of mysterious member organizations.
• Things change- the political landscape is in constant flux. A major event is the Integration, but there are countless smaller related events- backroom deals, shifts in loyalties, alliances and enmities, assassinations and promotions.

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

Modern_Erasmus 31 Oct 2017 19:35

Sounds fantastic, I’d definitely love to write some tales in the setting once you fully hash your plans out. What do you think the merged org would be called? (I can imagine a tale that’s just representatives arguing about that topic lol)

Re: Precursor/Integrated Groups

MegalomaniacInchworm 01 Nov 2017 01:50

I was planning on the fourth being basically that, yeah. People in authority arguing over the minutiae at a summit, and then, in little collapsibles, the wording of the ensuing document.

No name change; the Foundation would claim thirteen seats (one for each Overseer) on the Council of 108 (which would become the Council of 121), becoming the most powerful voting bloc in the GOC, as well as the richest, largest, best-staffed and best-equipped integrated group; and the GOC would be granted an honorary seat on the O5 Council. They'd merge their policy making apparatuses and operational staffs, and make certain common sense concessions to one another.

Also, here's some of the tentative headcanon I've filled in for some of the Foundation precursor groups (I've been busy, and my free time is torn between world-building in my notes and working on the first installment)

headcanon

• Her Majesty's Foundation for the Secure Containment of the Paranormal (HMRSCP) AKA Her Majesty's Fellowship for the Study of Curiosities and Phantasmagoria AKA Royal Society for the Security, Containment, and Protection of Anomalous Artifacts AKA Royal Society for the Imprisonment of Abnormalcy- A British Learned Society founded in the late seventeeth century based around the acquisition and study of anomalies. Divided into Fellows, Doctors (they accept most external doctorates, but also their own; they manage their own academies into occult studies), and their governing Council. At times it has been recognized as a governmental body, but for most of its history, has been an independent academic institution. One of the major founders of the Foundation (along with the ASCI, Secretorum Camerus Prophetias, and Bureau of Onmyo), they've lent a great deal of their methodology, organizational structure, and philosophy to the Foundation as a whole. Possesses a seat on the Overseer's Council.

• American Secure Containment Initiative (ASCI),which was forcibly consolidated with the Silver Sun Organization (nature of group to be invented later) during a serious cataclysm (to be invented later) . Federal group; lasted into the early twentieth century before being absorbed into the Foundation. Focus on acquisition, containment and safety, rather than academia- they're an anomalous policing organization. One of the major founders of the Foundation, they leant quite a bit of their methodology and philosophies to the group, especially via containment procedures. They've lost quite a bit of clout over the last century, with the rise of the DoD's Pentagram and the UIU, as well as the disgrace of US Government-tied Foundation assets post-General Bowe's weapons program. Lost their seat on the Overseer's Council, though said seat is traditionally filled by an American member (currently rumored to be the Cowboy, a member of the Bright family), and is still an active member organization.

• Vatican Holy Office for Secrets and Prophecies (Secretorum Camerus Prophetias) AKA Vatican's Congregation for Otherworldly Acts; AKA Royal Office for Christian Artefacts- Quite possibly the oldest consituent group, this Vatican Office has been extant continuously since the sixteenth century. It's never been very populous, but it has vast records and a great deal of experience dealing with hostile anomalies, and has saved the Foundation's bacon on more than one occasion. One of the major founding groups, it has significant political clout, though it hasn't much influenced the structure of the Foundation. Has a seat on the Overseer's Council.

• The Holy Emperor's Council on Uneathly Matters, which absorbed the resources of the defunct 蒐集院(Shushu-In, or the Collection center) and later the Bureau of Onmyō (陰陽寮). Quite an old group, has existed for centuries; much older and quieter than the IJAMAE, which it outlasted. The Shushu-In was an older and much more mystical academic group which went defunct, and was largely absorbed by the Council. One of the major founding groups, it's had a significant effect on the Foundation's bureaucratic structures. Has a seat on the Overseer's Council.

• Tsar's Seers- Group which advised the White Russians. Largely killed or chased out of Russia by the Communist Revolution and the GRU-P. With the fall of the Soviet Union, many have returned to Russia, and helped the Russian Foundation become what it is today. Recently reclaimed it's Overseer's seat, and has more political clout than it has in a while, which it guards jealously; will therefor typically vote conservatively.

• Estate Noir- To be invented later. Perhaps French, perhaps a rogue Masonic lodge with a focus on the anomalous?

• Imperial German Anomalous Matters Examination Agency- Outlived the German Empire solely via membership in the Foundation. Has devolved from one of the more well-funded group into a loose association of paranormal investigators, albeit with pedigree, in Western Europe. Little political clout. Hasn't held an Overseer's seat in a number of years.

• Special Investigations Board, Dutch East Indies Company- Outlived the Dutch East India Company via wise investments in paranormal companies and products. Engaged in extensive trade with several Foundation precursor groups, and joined not long after formation. Fortunes have grown with the anomalous market, and they provide major funding to the Foundation; however, they have ties to MCD and other moneyed or corporate GOIs, and their loyalty is suspect. Moneymen, however, tend to have quite a bit of influence. Holds an Overseer's seat.

Last edited on 01 Nov 2017 01:51 by MegalomaniacInchworm Show more