[risoknop]

One of my players asked me to prepare a mission / campaign involving some sort of a magical cult or secret society/organisation. The cult/group should be involved in some sort of dark conspiracy.

Any ideas about what sort of a cult or secret group of conspirers to use? What are some interesting organisations in the Shadowrun world I could use? What are their goals? How would they go about achieving their goals?

I don't want to use insect spirits as that's probably the first thing players would suspect if they get involved in some sort of dark plot involving ritual murders etc.

[Spooky]

Aztechnology is into blood magic rituals, could investigate them. Very tough opposition going that way. Hmm, what about an offshoot of a go gang that is all mage types run by a technomancer "prophet" who "communes" with an escaped/covert ai with an agenda of world domination ala the "Terminator" films? Start by running into them on a couple of runs where they screw up the runners plans, and work up to a final battle. Just one thought.

[Sternenwind]

Do you look for something goofy or some serius buisness?

[risoknop]

Do you look for something goofy or some serius buisness?

hmm, probably more of a serious business.

[Sternenwind]

http://shadowrun.wikia.com/wiki/Source:Ghost_Cartels

Or, if you have time, you can check out Dresden Files.

http://dresdenfiles.wikia.com/wiki/Blood_Rites
http://dresdenfiles.wikia.com/wiki/Changes

[Sendaz]

The Black Lodge is a tough nut to crack as they have their fingers in so many pies and have political as well as mystic power.

But when you want a good consipiracy a small cabal of Black Lodge members working on a scheme is not a bad way to go.

[farfromnice]

Last year I work on a game (which I never had to play  ) where the runners were engage to steal a potato and kill the GeneHacker who design it in a Genetic Lab (Aztech Subsidiary). When they try to kill the GeneHacker they see that something is odd with her, she's a Toxin Shaman. Ultimately she flees and the runner go the other way with the potato. Before they see M. Johnson a third Party appear (I was tinking about a made-up group with the name : Pan's Society for preservation) and they want to buy the potato. If they sell to the new Group (without doing research) Johnson appear and COMBAT ! or vice versa

the Cast:
The Potato
so the potato was design by a Toxin Shaman (not known by Aztech) and it's design to be an invasive species, but since it was design by a someone of the twisted paths, with world agriculture consequence

The Toxin Shaman
She wasn't Toxic when she began to experiment with the GMO potato. But is goal should be to plant it somewhere and wait and see

Johnson
He is from Manadyne and want to take a shot at Aztech. If he discover the potato is really invasive he will use it and plant it not far from the cropt of Aztech and when the potato will grow in the Aztech's field, Manadyne will sue them for stolling (like Monsato did with some farmer who didn't want to grow Monsato crop)

Pan's Society for Preservation
Pan is the myth of bestiality and sexuality. The Pan adept are eco-anarchist mage/shaman who want to kick Aztech and destroyed there field but they power hungry and will use the potato to destroy all of the other players. They are all is bad in extremist left-wing partisan (this one where from my friends I'm openly left and I want to show that I understand that not all in the left movement was good)

Aztech
want to have the potato to Monsatos all other corp who has an agricultural subsidiary and assure is hegemony

in the end the players should choose the lesser of two evils, they could destroy it but where the fun (and the nuyen) in that

[MijRai]

The Black Lodge is a tough nut to crack as they have their fingers in so many pies and have political as well as mystic power.

But when you want a good consipiracy a small cabal of Black Lodge members working on a scheme is not a bad way to go.

Also, the Black Lodge is now at war with dragons.  Not a dragon, but pretty much all of the dragons (they are allegedly responsible for the magical sucker-punch that hit Lofwyr in his fight with Alamais, the one that blew out a chunk of his torso).  Tough, but with a lot on their hands right now. 

[DigitalZombie]

You could set them up against a wendigo cult.

Wendigos are ork infected with HMHVV (some number?) that prefers creating cults of cannibalistic lunatics.

A good excuse to throw all different kind of opponents against the characters (with a common cannibalistic cult theme of course). Have gangers rub hang out with rival gangers and corporate employees, that always freaky... when people that should be hating eachother, seemingly gets along fine  euch... like familiy dinner:)

[MijRai]

You could set them up against a wendigo cult.

Wendigos are ork infected with HMHVV (some number?) that prefers creating cults of cannibalistic lunatics.

A good excuse to throw all different kind of opponents against the characters (with a common cannibalistic cult theme of course). Have gangers rub hang out with rival gangers and corporate employees, that always freaky... when people that should be hating eachother, seemingly gets along fine  euch... like familiy dinner:)

HMHVV I, to be precise.  Hell, wendigos are the only Infected to tie with Nosferatu on the Infected bounty lists, because they're some manipulative, scary things.