The Society of the Illuminated

The Society of the Illuminated is a secret society, purported to have been established at the court of a Holy Roman Emperor - but no one can agree when, or under which Emperor, and the Society's historical records are open only to members of the second degree.

Beliefs
The Society firmly believes that those who have proven their capabilities should run the world's countries (and ultimately, the world). Those who are born to power have proven nothing, have never been asked to struggle for their success; instead, the Society believes that success is proven first and foremost by material wealth and financial success. Money and the ability to earn it, to them, is the ultimate mark of worth. They tend to be drawn to recruit those who are self-made (or at least those who used family fortunes to increase their own worth) over those born to wealth, however.

Membership
Membership in the Society is rigidly stratified, with Degrees of Membership conferring status and access to secrets. Outsiders typically aren't even aware of the full extent of Degrees that the Society makes use of; there are at least three, and probably more.