User:Norseman

The Thule Society

Introduction

The real Thule Society, as opposed to their sleeper branch, arose out of the Germanic mysticism of the late 19th Century. Though many Traditions want to deny it they were not a fringe, although they were controversial for attempting to share their occult knowledge with the masses. Indeed they were often the spear-point of the occult revival of the late 19th Century. Initially they were not a Tradition of their own, but an alliance of chantries with similar goals. The original members were mostly from the Order of Hermes and the Verbena, but there were some Cult of Ecstasy as well as a few Technocratic defectors.

They enthusiastically supported nationalist groups following the Great War, happily riding the tiger of Nazi success. During the Nazi period they were intensely involved with the Ahnenerbe, at times virtually running said agency. Occult archaeology and expeditions to the far corners of the world brought them influence and power, but also contact with the Nephandi. Even today though they are convinced that if only the Traditions had not betrayed them they would have rooted out the Nephandi and created a perfect state.

Though the Thule Society is similar in many ways to the Verbena and the Order of Hermes they are also extremely eclectic: The Hollow Earth, World Ice Theory, Ariosophy, Theosophy, the Armanen Runes, Vril, and Occult Archeology. In earlier days they were often dismissed as dabblers, the refuse from more serious orders mingling with newly awakened orphans without a clue. The only field in which they had some acknowledged success was in Occult Archeology, which still remains one of their specialities.

Their basic world view however is roughly as follows: Blood and Soil have mystical qualities that reverberate through eternity. The Blood is infused with the mystical properties of the godlike men that used to walk the Earth, it remembers the age of myth. The Soil sustains the people, protects them, holds the secrets of their past, and must be honoured. Yet the union of Blood and Soil must be more than a nation-state, the People there must have an ecstatic Joy in their community and in the very act of living. Finally there must be the leaders who through an act of transformative Will awaken the People to their true potential. This Will is also the force by which a mage makes the universe change to his will.

By researching other cultures, by sending expeditions to strange lands, by conducting Occult Archaeology, they hope to find the artefacts and practises of the godlike race that once ruled the Earth. Once that is done they reason that there will be mass awakenings as the whole of humanity is purified of the lower, base urges that consume them now. Obstacles must be overcome one way or another.

People who meet them are often surprised that they are not ranting monsters. Most Thulites are academic mystics or military officers with those leanings, monsters perhaps but rarely ranting. They are generally extremely concerned with the natural world around them, seeking to protect and preserve it. Social injustice also troubles them greatly, as they seek to create a society where each nation takes care of its own. They care deeply for family, the traditional family, where there's a proper balance between male and female and each know their role. They see guilt and fear as the most negative feelings of all, to be swept aside and replaced with the sheer Joy of action, community, and living. Many of them are genuinely charming and convivial as they explain their doctrine, much of which resonates quite well with that of other Traditions.

Today though they generally have to hide, despite claiming to have cleansed their ranks of nephandi they aren't trusted, and all too many remember what they did. They of course feel no guilt, the past is prologue, to them it is better to take what was accomplished and learned and use it to build a new and glorious future. If there were mistakes then learn from them, don't repeat them, but don't sit around and let yourself be bound by guilt.

Philosophy

Do you feel the Blood pumping through your veins? The love of your Soil, your home, through your spirit? The sheer ecstatic Joy of life going through the fibre of your being? Do not be ashamed of such things! Do not believe their lies when they tell you that Blood and Soil are things to fear, to be trampled upon and diluted, or that the Joy of life should be replaced by guilt! Cast aside your fear and guilt and I will show you the secrets of transformative Will!

Style

Some have called their magic Verbena rites done with Hermetic ritual. Through various mystical acts in sacred places, often invoking martyrs to the cause or shedding blood, they try to force their Will upon the universe. If possible they like to work their magic during grand outdoors gatherings, where the psychic energy of the crowds is in tune with the spell.

Sphere

Life or Matter

Common Foci

Sacred banners, blood of martyrs, daggers, pistols, mystical runes, swastikas, yoga, biorythms, public rallies, and loud singing.

Organisation

The Thule Society is quite hierarchical, the two main hierarchies being that of the Ahenerbe and that of the Kriegsmarine. Awakened mages hold all the senior positions, but they are supported by a staff of sleepers and sorcerers. Chantries are rumoured to exist everywhere from the jungles of Brazil to the ice wastes of the Antarctic.

Initiation

The Thule Society rarely finds all that many recruits these days, but they prefer to recruit newly awakened mages, people not yet corrupted by the teachings of other groups. If they have their druthers they prefer to recruit among academia, particularly archaeologists, or among military men. Prospective candidates have a nationalistic bent to them and an almost mystical view of the greatness of their nation. Initiation rituals are involved and almost baroque, often involving perceived danger and repeated oaths of loyalty.

Acolytes

Archaeologists, occultists, military men, nationalists.

Concepts

Occult Archaeologist, Mad Nazi Scientist, Explorer, Nationalist Mystic.

Stereotypes

Akashic Brotherhood

Transformation is an act of the individual Will in the context of Blood and Soil, their emphasis on internal development, though admirably, is utterly insufficient.

Celestial Chorus

They are faithless liars, yes faithless. In all other traditions the elite simply gold to a more sophisticated version of the common philosophy, but the Celestial Chorus asks you to build your life on a faith and then reject it as you ascend the ladder. At least you can respect those few honest fanatics who still hold to their old faith.

Cult of Ecstasy

Yes there is power in ecstasy and joy! Yet they make the mistake of supporting unrestrained ecstasy, pleasure without a cause. True Joy comes from the ecstasy of life itself and union with the People. They need to drop their selfishness and serve the People.

Dreamspeakers

There is much great wisdom in what they say, when they speak for the tribe and the spirits of the land then they are truly great. Yet most of them don't understand the transformative quality of Will and so their peoples remain weak.

Euthanatos

They understand that sometimes it is best to let a soul continue its great journey on the wheel of dharma. Yet they often object when we accept the consequences of this teaching. Beside they are too obsessed with death and decay, rather than the creative glory of Blood and Soil.

Order of Hermes

Yes they understand the importance of Esoteric History in ways that most orders don't, there is great knowledge hidden in their vaults. Yet this knowledge should be open to the masses! Musty mystics spending all their time indoors cannot transform society!

Sons of Ether

This is what Science should be! Your Will conquering the very laws of nature and bringing benefits to the People! Though all too prone to sterile scientism.

Verbena

It is such a tragedy that we should be at odds. They truly understand the bonds of Blood and Soil, the Joy of the oak forests and outdoors rites. If only they would use their Will to shrug off the ridiculous mores of modern society.

Virtual Adepts

It is commendable to try to show your science to the People. What is not commendable is the desire to flee into a fantasy world and abandon the real one.

Points of Interest

Werewolf

To the sleepers Werewolf was a plan to pursue guerrilla warfare after the fall of the Reich. The enlightened of course tend to know that it was nothing so insignificant; it would involve actual werewolves launching raids of the invading forces. Of course this project failed, the Thule Society claim to have called it off, others think that the werewolves themselves got wind of the Nephandi presence. Either way the Thule Society has extensive knowledge of werewolf society and domains, possibly they have even maintain contacts with some packs.

Occult Archaeology

Given all of their expeditions and digs, especially given the massive support they had and the belief of the workers, it seems inevitable that they would find something of value. However occasionally they found artefacts that have no business being there, artefacts that contradicted even the secret history known by mages. Some theorized that these digs pulled in materials from other realms, or more interestingly that the mages present subconsciously created these artefacts. Of course it's harder to believe that you could create a Talisman or a Fetish this way, unless of course you treat the archaeological dig as an extended ritual.

The Hollow Earth

Too lengthy a subject to go over here, but it's worth noticing that several of the places that the Ahnenerbe visited or wanted to visit (South Pole, Iceland, Tibet) were rumoured to have entrances to the Hollow Earth. Of course the Sons of the Ether haven't said anything so far, but the Hollow Earth could be a big place.

History

The real Thule Society, as opposed to the sleepers they were associated with, arouse out of the Germanic mysticism of the late 19th Century. Along with the Theosophic movement the Thule Societies predecessors extended further contacts with the east, seeking in part to gain new knowledge, and in part to use the exoticism of the east to have new concepts accepted by the sleepers. Though frequently forgotten the late 19th Century was a great blossoming of western interest in Buddhism and Hinduism. Most interesting was the introduction of eastern style static magic to select sleepers in Europe, these rituals along with spiritualism often passed notice from the Technocracy of the day.

This led to a logical next step in belief: If eastern magic still remains active, if the ancient knowledge of the east is preserved where the Technocracy is weak, then why not that of the west? The science of archaeology was still in its youth, many of its practitioners were unorthodox to say the least. It could be turned into a tool to enlighten the sleepers, presenting them with a romanticised ideal of the past, a mystical ideal. Better yet portals to places long lost, Lemuria, the Hollow Earth, and more could be reopened by a combination of physical digging and sleeper belief.

Yet the mages of the age were not immune to some sleeper ideas, namely that of self-improvement, of enlightening the masses and bringing them up to a new level. So too they decided that the truth should not be hidden from the masses, but distributed among them, although in a way that would foster enlightenment. Thus the writings of Blavatsky and many others passed Technocracy notice due to being mostly nonsense with a few accidental truths. However by studying them and meditating on them you could in fact gain enlightenment, in a similar way the Sons of Ether would later support the writings of Erich von Däniken.

All of these plans ran into a serious problem when the Great War broke out. It is hard to explain to people who think of World War Two as The War just how devastating the Great War was. In effect it devastated the world in which the Thule Society existed and since the Society was so much closer to the sleeper world than most other chantries it devastated them as well. During the war there were awakenings, magical energies unleashed, and millions of deaths. Across Europe the Technocracy saw this as an opportunity to destroy the old established order and replace it with something scientific. This culminated in the murder of the Tsar and his family and the defeat of the Kaisers Germany.

In the aftermath the Thule Society continued their work in Vienna and Berlin, developing the occult scene there further. Society was ripe for a change now, new blood poured into the Society often unable to fully separate fact from fiction in the Societies public writings. It was now that the Society began to change from a collection of chantries to a small t-tradition of its own. The sheer scale of the suffering had left people eager for something else, Spiritualists and Occultists flourished like never before. It seemed like a natural progression to support nationalist groups in Germany, groups that would promote the ideas and ideals of the Thule Society.

Contrary to popular myth the Thule Society was not responsible for the rise of the Nazi's, however they were glad to use the party for their own purposes. Among these purposes was a general suppression of all competing occult groups, this suppression also entered the universities and other old strongholds of the Technocracy. On the surface though it seemed pleasing to the Technocracy, who saw an eradication of superstitionist forces.

However it would be the Ahnenerbe not politics, which would occupy most of the Thule Society prior to the war. They sent expeditions to the South Pole, Tibet, and many other locations. It's known that they discovered several nodes, talismans, artefacts, and lost entrances to other realms. More importantly though there are strong indications that they found something on the South Pole, but no one is quite sure what.

In much of Ariosophic and Theosophic lore the North Pole was identified with Hyperborea and the creative energies of the Arian race. The South Pole however was viewed as a centre of destructive, demonic energies. Some theorists wonder if the 1938 expedition to the Antarctic was the first source of Nephandi corruption. Certainly the vast, bleak, unexplored wasteland would have an unusually low gauntlet, a perfect place for things from beyond to arrive.

This theory is supported by the fact that during the 1939 expedition to Tibet the powerful Tibetan mages present failed to detect any sign of corruption. At the same time several of the SS-men and other expedition members received the Kalachakra ritual apparently once more without any sign of corruption. At the same time though the first human sacrifices had already occurred, but its possible that simple blood magic on the hands of the German Verbena wouldn't count as corruption in this sense.

By the time Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union the leadership of the Nazi party were in the main corrupted by the Nephandi. Many mages that fought for Nazi Germany would under magical interrogation testify that they were unaware of the Nephandi presence. It seems then that the Nazi habit of multiple competing agencies allowed the Nephandi to do what they wanted to, while keeping other magical traditions in the dark. This would also explain why so many Tradition Mages and renegade Technocrats supported the Germans.

In the beginning of the war the Thule Society were heavily involved in developing the fortress at Wewelsburg, to which location they hoped to shift the mystical middle of the earth. Another project was the development of Welthauptstadt Germania, particularly the great southern railway station, the Victory Avenue, and the Volkshalle. These would be enormous lay lines that would focus tremendous magical energies onto the Volkshalle where tens of thousands of party faithful would aid in the use of powerful magics. They were also partially responsible for the success of Hitler's submarine fleet by using dowsing to help spot allied ships and convoys.

By late 1942 however it was starting to be clear even to the most enthusiastic member of the Thule Society that the Nephandi had infiltrated Germany. One of their responses was to block construction at Wewelsburg, ostensibly to recheck their calculations. In reality they removed the real Black Sun plate and certain other artefacts from the tower in order to avoid it falling into Nephandi hands.

Despite this they never swayed from their support of Nazi Germany, which to them seemed like a perfect state in the making. Instead they used the energy gathered from the great killing grounds to empower their magics. They experimented on prisoners in the hopes of finding methods of enhancing German soldiers. In short they still viewed the war as their best chance for learning and for impressing their views upon the consensus. They did however reach out to the werewolves, promising them to cleanse vast swathes of Russian and Polish countryside in return for their aid. Surprisingly quite a few agreed.

Little by little however the Allied forces began to close in on them, though they conjured up storms and bad weather the Allies were still able to conduct the Normandy Landings. Secondly despite an equally ferocious resistance, backed by powerful magics, the Soviets were able to break through Dukla Pass. With both major defences gone it was clear even to the Thule Society that the Third Reich was doomed. Thus they began an internal purge of their own society, doing their best to tear out the Nephandi presence while at the same time plotting an evacuation.

In early March 1945 the U-boats U-2620 and U-2924 set out for an unknown harbour, either the umbral forts on the South Pole, or else the North Pole entrance to the Hollow Earth. No outsider is quite certain which, or if it was either for that matter. Following this evacuation all that remained in Germany were the Nephandic forces, who out of sheer outrage decided to destroy all that they could before the inevitable fall. They certainly made a good game out of that.

Very little is known of what happened to the Thule Society after this, there were some rumours of their presence in Tibet during the Communist takeover but this was never confirmed. Other rumours mention the sight of a huge, gleaming fortress in the Antarctic umbra, but once more this has never been confirmed. Some sightings of unidentified submarines could be the U-2620 or U-2924, but once more nothing has been confirmed.

In recent years there's been peculiar rumours that the Thule Society has resurfaced in North Korea, even to the point of being allowed to establish chantries there. If this is true or not remains to be seen, but the Juche ideal has much in common with the ideology of the Thule Society. Certainly access to North Korea would allow the Thule Society resources and manpower that they would by now be running short on. Of course all of this is pure speculation.