ANDERS MAGE PAGE 2.0

HHC is a charity organization which is doing its best to help the poor, the misfits and the outsiders of society. It is also controlled by the Technocracy and one of its more subtle tools. HHC is involved in activities like soup kitchens and providing shelter, but it is mostly aimed at helping people become normal citizens despite their disadvantages. HHC supports people through counselling, sponsors programs for education and help getting new jobs and homes. This is completely innocuous, and the people in HHC are generally dedicated people with a real concern for the poor.

HHC is hardly the largest charity organization around, but it is quite effective. Much of its success stems from the fact that it cooperates with other charity organizations, churches, the Red Cross and local communities. It seems to have a knack for getting on amicable terms with many groups, and most of the time manages to stay out of politics, even in sensitive areas. It has gained a fair amount of media coverage, and Emma von Kellstahl, chairwoman of Helping Hands Charity Trust Fund, has appeared several times in the news. She is charismatic, efficient and quite devoted to the organization. She often personally visits the poor and needy to help them and isn't afraid to get her Armani dress dirty. On the other hand, she is equally at home among the crust of society, where she gets much support. Her contacts have proven very useful to HHC, and it can be argued that the current organization is almost completely her work. All in all, HHC is a friendly and open organization. It is quite easy to get in touch with it, even if Emma is often hard to reach because of her schedule.

Few suspect that Emma is a mage. A visit to her apartment would reveal an extremely well ordered collection of art with subtle occult themes and shelves with old and valuable manuscripts in forgotten languages. She is active in several Masonic groups, some quite esoteric. If pressed, she will admit that she collects esoteric art and books as a hobby, and that she is a member of a few Masonic groups, but mainly groups involved in charity. In fact she is a full mage, a member of Ordo Rosae Crucis, a Rosicrucian faction of the Order of Hermes.

Or rather, she was. Some time ago, she was captured by the Technocracy who cloned her. Her clone, loyal to the Technocracy, helped them destroy her Chantry. Afterwards, she turned to HHC. With a little help from the Technocracy, she set out to build it up. The original Emma was involved in charity, mostly as a kind of balance from her work as an executive and her activity as a mage. The clone has retained her interests, and even become slightly more philanthropic. But the most important reason is the fact that HHC furthers the Technocracy's interests in a very subtle way. By making people become normal, well adjusted citizens, HHC strengthens the mainstream paradigm. By subtly monitoring the people HHC interacts with, the Technocracy can find Orphans, potential troublemakers or recruits for their projects. And by giving them jobs and homes, the Technocracy can direct the right people to the right places. All in all, HHC is doing a lot of good for people, but it is also good for the Technocracy.

The Technocracy do not directly interact with HHC other than Emma. She receives her orders, subtly coded and included in normal mail (when they reprogrammed her mind, the responsible technomancers added a decryption-system among other things). These orders are often almost subconscious, and she isn't completely aware of them. Most of the time she has free rein. All of Emma's activities are completely normal and legal, and it would be very hard to find any evidence of something amiss. She is using her contacts and allies to further HHC and connect it to other charity organizations. When hiring contractors for repairs, she hires from Technocracy-controlled groups which will in secret install their surveillance systems.

The Technocracy has full access to the files of HHC, but they are mostly unimportant. They have installed subtle surveillance measures in several locations where HHC is active, and is constantly keeping track of Emma (since they still believe other Tradition mages may know about her). Most of HHC is not bugged, since it would be counterproductive and isn't cost-effective. Most of the organization's purpose is, after all, completely legit — helping the poor and challenged. The Technocracy is doing its best to make sure that only dedicated people work in HHC, and they are discouraging any forms of corruption or activities which could damage the organization. They also support HHC somewhat, by anonymous donations. These are lots of small donations from all around. The total sums involved are peanuts to the New World Order and Syndicate, but quite a lot of money to a charity organization. Since HHC has placed much capital in a few banks, the organization has also gained some power over them.

Emma is almost her old self. She has a few new quirks, like she has stopped smoking and she is much more involved in charity than before. A few of her old friends have noticed her change but think it is due to her commitment. She is also not irreplaceable. If she disappeared, it would be a blow against HHC, but it would probably still continue its work, a bit less efficiently. In fact, she has designed its administration to work quite well in her absence, and she spends much of her time lobbying for the organization in media or among other groups.

The most radical change in Emma is the fact that she is no longer a mage. The cloning copied everything except her Avatar. She has not really noticed it, since she thinks she has far too little time left for magical studies. If she would realize the truth, she would probably just shrug it of and continue her work.

HHC can be used in a story as allies and helpers. Let the players meet the dedicated members and really learn to trust the organization, perhaps even helping it and Emma. After they have become used to seeing HHC as a good and humanitarian force in an otherwise dark world, let them begin to realize the truth. Slowly the facade crumbles, and the players will realize who they have unknowingly served. What seemed to be pure altruism turned out to be tainted.

All in all, HHC presents the players with a subtle and sticky moral dilemma. On one hand, it is really helping people. On the other, it is helping them become good, mainstream citizens indoctrinated by the Technocracy. Are they going to stop a well functioning, uncorrupt charity organization because of their principles? Are they going to let the Technocracy continue to streamline people? And if they really want to disrupt HHC, how will they do it? Killing Emma wouldn't work, and would only create a martyr if she wasn't replaced by a clone. There is very little dirt to find, and spreading malicious rumors about such an obviously beneficent organization requires much talent and contacts. And if they really manage to stop HHC, what about other charity organizations?