The large, rectangular meeting room was dark except for the three tall candles, placed to form a triangle around the small altar. Their light dimly illuminated the sacred book and instruments on the altar, but kept the forty or more people seated along the long sides of the room in shadows. A loud sound came from the west.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A man rose, hefting a ceremonial spear, his badge of office, and went to the door. He gave three knocks in reply and slowly opened the door. "Who comes to our door?"

An hour before the man in the doorway had been a pillar of the society, a businessman, a wealthy, trusted member of the community, but now he was barely clothed, wearing only a tattered shirt exposing most of chest, snug trousers of the working class missing an entire leg and one worn sandal. He was blindfolded, and a rough, common rope was round his neck like a leash, led by another man with a spear, this spear with a white shaft. White Spear replied, "Mr. Henry Smith, penniless and sightless. He wishes to join our Great Society."

"Is this of your own free will?" asked the first spearman, his having a blue shaft.

"It is," replied the initiate nervously.

"Has he been found worthy by the investigators?"

"He has, " responded White Spear.

"Then let him enter and be made one of us."

White Spear and the initiate began to walk forward, but they were stopped by the tip of the blue spear, coming to rest dangerously on the bare chest of the candidate, "On your first entrance to our meeting place, you are greeted by a sharp point of a deadly instrument. This is to remind you of your vows of secrecy, and should you ever think to expose those secrets, you should first remember this moment."

Blue Spear removed the spear, took up the leash and led him forward, to the middle of the room, even with the altar and the candles. "No great and serious beginning such as this should be made without the blessing of whichever Deity you worship. Kneel then, and attend prayer."

The candidate knelt and prayed in silence while the others, watching, did themselves, to their own gods.

Sitting in the east, on an ornate throne, was a man dressed in the finest and most formal of clothes. He wore an ancient hat, the only one allowed in the hall, as his crown denoting his place as Master. He rose and came down off his three stepped dais to place his hand on the initiate's head. He voice was strong and powerful, "Despite what you may have heard, each and every man among us is a godly one. We care not which god he holds dear, or by what name He is called, but to be one of us, you must have faith. For only with the fear of god and of the afterlife are oaths made and kept. Arise. And fear no danger here."

The Master returned to his throne in the east. Blue Spear took his arm and led him around the room (still blindfolded), first intoning an ancient and religiously symbolic passage, then stopping at points along the south and west walls to be examined and questioned by other officials of the Society. Finally they came to east, where he was examined and questioned again. Upon receiving satisfactory answers to the questions, the Master spoke, "Escort him to the altar and make him ready to join us."

Blue Spear took him to the altar, helped him knell down, and placed the candidate's hands and feet in a precise arrangement. The Master came down to the altar, opposite the initiate and began, "You will say 'I,' then your name, and repeat after me . . . "

The words that followed were long and elaborate, ancient and reverent. They were in an archaic form of speech, not natural to any in the room, but still understandable and gave the accurate impression of the great age and importance of the ritual. The words said came down to being an oath not to reveal any of the secrets of the Society. The punishment for breaking this oath was brutal, deadly, and symbolic.

The blindfold was removed, and the assembled men stood in salute, using the secret hand signs known only to the order. These he was taught, as well as other secret ways to recognize other members, ranging from footsteps to handshakes to symbolic pins or banners.

He was taught that there were three grades of members, and that he was only member of the first or lowest grade. He would have much to learn about the order and must learn and memorize many of the words and rituals of the order (for they were never written down) before making any advancement.

The man was diligent, learned what he was taught, and memorized the words and ritual. In the course of less than a year, he had passed through two more similar rituals. The second grade was much the same as the first, but explained the origin of the order.

In ages long past and in a place far from there, there was a great king. With the aid of their god, this king and his ancestors had carved out a kingdom for themselves, though it had caused them much adversity. In remembrance and in honor of this god, he took it upon himself to build a great temple.

The greatest builders, craftsmen, stonecutters, metalsmiths, artists and architects from all corners of the world came, and under direction of the king, built this great and glorious monument. But in those times, these men were not simply workers of a trade. They were artisans, scholars, learned men who had devoted their lives to studying nature, to learning how the world worked. In those times, this was the only way to learn these crafts.

These great men learned much from each other. When the temple was completed and it was time for them to return to their homelands, they realized that they would most likely never see each other again, and this saddened them, both personally because of the friendships that had made, but also in their professions, because of all they had learned. So they made an agreement, that they would each welcome any of the others in their home like brothers, no matter what -- no matter if their nations were at war, no matter their religious beliefs -- and they would protect them from any harm while they were there.

By doing this, these men traveled and much knowledge was spread. As they grew old, their sons were made part of the arrangement. Soon, there were too many people involved who had not been at the building of the temple, so they created secret methods of identifying themselves to each others. They developed secret handshakes, foot positionings, salutes and passwords. This continued and grew for centuries and they called themselves the Great Society. They became known for their great knowledge, their kindness to strangers, their tolerance for different peoples, ideas and religions, and their love of freedom.

The third and final grade started the same and the first two, but was longer, and added a bit of theatre. After his initiation, he was blindfolded again, and was told that he was now at the building of the temple. He took on the role of the Overseer of the Work, a brilliant architect and student of nature. The Overseer knew many secrets of the world, and had shared many, but had kept one in particular to himself, but promised to share it once the temple was completed. In the final days of the temple, the Overseer was confronted by three men who desired to know the secret now, and could not be persuaded to wait. They threatened his life, but he would still relent and told them nothing. So they murdered him, hid the body, and tried to escape the country. The king learned that the Overseer was missing, and sent men looking for him. By accident, they found the hidden grave and learned of the Overseer's death. They also captured the three men, tried them, and put them to death by the same horrible methods by which candidates must still swear. But with the death of the Overseer, they lost his secret, and it is this secret that all members of the Great Society have been searching for ever since.

Origins of the Great Society

Much of the history of the order has been lost in time, as everything done by the Society has been oral until recent times. What is known for certain, is that about 300 years ago, 4 chapters in the greatest city in the world at the time decided to work together, become a little less secret, and to find and denounce other groups claiming to be part of the Society, but who really weren't. This group, the Grand Conclave, is still in existence, and is made up of members who been Masters of their own chapter.

While this did happen, we still do know what the Great Society was doing before then. Many theories abound and some are more credible than others. While it would be nice to think of the story told before as the actual history of the order, it is highly unlikely. The most popular origin theory is that it evolved out of earlier craft guilds. There is one document which survives today that dates back 600 years, and describes the Society in very guild-like terms, but when these are compared to the charters of other craft guilds of the time, there is a striking difference. True guild charters tend to be very business-like and lawyerly, with no colorful prose or history. This old Society document gives a long and detail history, makes numerous references to philosophy and so on.

Other theories include its evolution from groups of alchemists, secret groups meant to overthrow kings, its evolution from ancient mystery cults, that it is the remnant of an exiled group of priests or that it is the result of someone's vivid imagination. My favorite theory is that it came to be after the destruction of a famous order of religious knights about 700 years ago. Many of them fled persecution and found homes in a land far from danger. But the persecutors followed them, but were slowed by a compassionate king. These men found homes, but continued to meet, in secret, to discuss their revenge. It came about 75 years later in the form of a peasants' revolt that took control of the country for a few days, and did horrible damage to a number of enemies of these old knights. No one knew who organized this revolt, although some spoke of a Great Society . . .

What is the Great Society today?

While it has changed over the years, the Great Society is still very strong to this day. It is no longer a secret organization. Its meeting places are clearly marked on the streets and its names in the public lists. Many members wear its emblem openly as a ring or badge.

Many consider it to be a sinister secret society, controlling government and individuals alike. While it is true that many rulers, generals and leaders are or have been members, the Society does not control them or have great influence to their decisions. It has, however, been able to greatly assist these men in their duties because men of all walks of life, not just the rich and powerful can belong to the Society, and so, those who are rich and powerful can find themselves in social contact with others from all walks of life.

There are also many who see it as a religion, but this true is false. All members must profess a belief in Deity and an afterlife, but it doesn't matter which one. The Society does espouse its own morality: Truth, Honesty, Patriotism, Charity, and Brotherly Love. But these are certainly not in conflict with any other religion. There is one concept that some religious groups object to, and that is tolerance of other religions. As members may belong to nearly any religion, they cannot be trying to convert each other or risking the disharmony that intolerance can breed. It is so important to them that they do not allow the discussion of religion (or politics) at their meetings.

Its true purpose is to take in men of any age, but especially young men, and encourage among them personal growth. It is often said that they, "take good men and make them better." It does this primarily by example, as the other members are, with few exceptions, men of great character. But also it trains men to be leaders by giving them the opportunity to lead. Each new member is given opportunities to become officers in the conclave, eventually becoming Master. There are also many projects that each chapter is involved in, and these all need organizers and participants.

Each conclave meets once or twice a month, usually in the evening. In some places, a dinner a served before the meeting, in others, after the meeting. The meeting itself is held in a rectangular room, with the long sides facing north and south. The entrance is on the west wall, and the throne of the Master takes up the east wall. Members assemble at the appointed time and sign in outside the door. Each person attending must be recognized as a member by someone else. If the visitor is not known by anyone, there are elaborate methods of determining if he a truly a member of the Society. As the meeting begins, passwords and secret salutes are given to once again ensure that everyone belongs. The beginning of the meeting usually involves some small amount of mundane business, such as the paying of bills and the reading of minutes. That is followed by the discussion of current projects. Finally there is some sort of program, which could be a presentation of the history of the Society, a public speaker from the community, or something else of interest to the members. After the meeting there is usually a snack served, and there is a great deal of socializing.

Each conclave always has a number of projects going on. These are often of a charitable nature in the community. The type of these charities will be different for each conclave, but include the sponsorship of hospitals, helping individuals in the community, and various events to raise money for other charitable groups. Learning and science are of great importance to the Society, so many conclaves are involved in education and with local schools. Each conclave also needs to fill its own coffers, and many operate booths at fairs to generate money.

Roleplaying with the Great Society

The Great Society could be a wonderful aspect of any sort of fantasy, historical, modern or even futuristic roleplaying game.

If all players are members of the Society, it makes an excellent way of introducing them together.

In times of war or oppression, the Society could be very helpful to players. When visiting a foreign country, conclaves would give shelter and allow visitors to make contact with natives. They could form the basis of a resistance movement after invasion or against a tyrant. Historically, the Society has been a part of several revolutions and the pursuit of freedom. They have also been persecuted by those leaders who fear freedom.

And if it fits into your campaign, they could also fill the role of the evil conspiracy bent on controlling the world. Their conclaves in every nation would become secret headquarters of the conspiracy. Their pursuit of knowledge over the ages could have taught them the secrets of magic. Or equally, they could be a great benevolent conspiracy, using their ancient powers to fight evil. The choice is yours . . .

Author's Notes

If any of this sounds familiar, it is because the Great Society is a real, living organization called Freemasonry. In writing this, I have changed a few names and made some tiny alterations to reality in order to keep our few secrets, but the Great Society is Freemasonry. Change "Conclave" to "Lodge" and "Society" to "Masonry" and this article is accurate.

The reason I did this was that many people have pre-conceived notions about Masonry, and I wanted to challenge those. So I struck upon the idea of writing it as fiction, and revealing my deception at the end.

I was made a Mason in 1996, and have loved every minute of it. I've written out my full thoughts about it elsewhere, but suffice it to say that it is the third most influential thing I have done in my life, after marrying my wife and having a child.

I think I did a good job of accurately depicting Masonry to someone one who is unfamiliar with it. If it has sparked your interest, I encourage you to investigate it yourself further. Freemasonry is currently going through a major revision, as those who joined in large numbers during the 40s and 50s begin to pass away. What we need now is young, new blood to revitalize and invigorate ourselves.

What we offer is friendship, trust, love, the opportunity to do meaningful work in a fun, social environment.

Gamers and fans of science fiction are unique people. They have diverse interests that often cross paths with Freemasonry. History, Charity, Fellowship, Acting, Public Speaking, Esoteric Studies, Hermeticism, the American Revolution, the Illuminati, the writings of Robert Anton Wilson, Katherine Kurtz and so many others all have a strong link with Freemasonry.

If this comes off sounding like and advertisement, maybe it is, but hopefully you've found something of value in my description of "The Great Society." And remember, you will never be asked to become a Mason. That's a myth and I don't know where it came from. You have to ask. The name of a local lodge is in your phone book yellow pages under "Fraternal Organizations."

--Tim Morgan

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