"Two powerful, yet completely different, leaders of the largest secret society in history. Who will win?"

Hendrika XIV and Hendrika XVI are a pair of clones who currently rule the Illuminati Lodge, a profoundly powerful secret organization that has long sought global domination by weaponizing cryptids — both intelligent and feral.
Their reign is the culmination of a Lodge tradition dating back to the early Middle Ages. The lineage began when the brilliant alchemist Jan Hildebrand acquired the bones of a Sirrush — an incredibly rare, extinct cryptid — from a Spanish merchant. Rumors claimed the creature's marrow could grant immense strength. While Hildebrand never fully unlocked the biological mechanics of his discovery, he successfully distilled the Bone Marrow of Immortality: a potent serum capable of generating a younger clone from the remains of a recently deceased person.

Before the Inquisition burned him at the stake in 1186, Hildebrand smuggled bone samples to his fellow Order members. He left strict instructions to test the serum on his daughter, Hendrika Hildebrand, who was dying of consumption.

The Order fulfilled his final wishes. Months later, they injected the Bone Marrow of Immortality into the deceased girl's body, successfully cultivating her clone: Hendrika I. She ascended as the head of the Lodge, becoming the first in a lineage. Whenever a leader died, the Illuminati simply administered the serum again, essentially creating a copy of a copy. As the centuries passed, the Lodge altered the protocol to cultivate two clones simultaneously, establishing a pair of "sisters" to share the burden of leadership and ensure operational continuity. This balance of shared power held for generations — until now.

* * * * * * * *

— HENDRIKA XVI —

"Nothing in this world is more important than profit. Learn this if you intend to live in it"

Hendrika XVI represents the sixteenth — and, as of 2030, the latest — incarnation of Hendrika Hildebrand. Cultivated shortly after the assassination of Hendrika XV, she stands in stark contrast to her surviving "older" sister. Driven by cold pragmatism rather than religious zeal, Hendrika XVI serves as the CEO of the Gilgamesh Cybernetic Corporation (GCC). Under her leadership, GCC operates as an unchecked corporate empire, selling everything from mundane consumer goods like sunscreen, video games, and microwaves to military-grade firearms, advanced technology, nuclear armaments, and captured cryptids.

Hendrika XVI is ruthlessly amoral. She is fully prepared to eliminate competitors or exploit captive cryptids for research and monetary gain, though she remains open to negotiation whenever it proves advantageous. Ultimately, her grand design is to sever the Illuminati Lodge from its archaic past entirely, restructuring the ancient secret society into her own corporate monopoly.

— HENDRIKA XIV —


"And when the last sun rises, the oceans will overflow their banks and flood the earth with human blood; and the carcasses of sinners and monsters will burn in the void, for the glory of the New World!"

Hendrika XIV is the fourteenth incarnation of the Hildebrand lineage, originally cultivated in 1951 alongside her "twin", Hendrika XV. When XV was prematurely assassinated under mysterious circumstances, the profound trauma fractured XIV's mental state. Today, she is the more aggressive and fanatical of the two sisters, fueled by unshakeable faith in the Lodge's original mandate. Her endgame is absolute destruction and rebirth: she intends to amass a weaponized army of cryptids to subjugate every nation on Earth, deliberately plunging the planet into chaos until only one thousand chosen survivors remain to inherit a purified world.

Deeply conservative and ascetic, Hendrika XIV and her followers reject modern technology. They choose instead to dwell in the shadows of society, hiding within sewers, ancient ruins, and forests. Over the last few years, she has effectively seceded from her sister's empire to establish the Order of the Bloodstone, a radical cult dedicated to enforcing the original principles of the Illuminati.

- - - - - - - - - -
TIME: April 28, 2033, ~12:00 PM / ~4:00 AM
LOCATION: GCC Skyscraper, Abu Dhabi, UAE, / Grand Hohenwacht, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
CRYPTID: —
STATUS: Active
- - - - - - - - - -

Intro I For the first time in years, the Gilgamesh Cybernetic Corporation has decided to open the doors of its Abu Dhabi headquarters to the media and elite investors. A lavish, high-profile gala reception is underway in the upper echelons of the skyscraper. Hendrika XVI has orchestrated this public appearance with the sole purpose: she hopes it will attract capital for her new public ventures, while serving as the perfect smokescreen to keep the uneducated masses oblivious to the cryptid-based black projects hidden in the labs below... [ HENDRIKA XVI ROUTE ]

Intro II Though the crumbling, overgrown ruins of Grand Hohenwacht have long been dismissed by the modern world as abandoned, the ancestral heart of the Illuminati is far from empty. In the freezing, pre-dawn darkness of the German mountains, Hendrika XIV and the zealots of the Order of the Bloodstone are quietly settling into the catacombs, preparing to restore the fortress to its former glory — and, ultimately, to force the Lodge back onto its prophesied path! [ HENDRIKA XIV ROUTE ]

Intro III The inevitable breaking point has finally arrived. Having lost nearly her entire reserve of Sirrush bones in a warehouse explosion — and with it, her vital supply of the Immortal Marrow — Hendrika XVI and her GCC mercenaries have descended upon Grand Hohenwacht to reclaim the last surviving fragments. Their arrival is met with resistance from the Order of the Bloodstone. Hendrika XIV stands her ground among the ruins, determined to finally "open the eyes" of her foolish, heretical sister. With corporate rifles aimed at crossbows, the Illuminati Lodge stands on the precipice of a final, bloody schism... [ HENDRIKA XVI / HENDRIKA XIV ROUTE ]

Welcome to the World of Cryptids!

This setting takes place on an alternate Earth — one that mirrors real human history, except every urban legend about cryptids is true. Since ancient times, the planet has been home to countless cryptids: some highly intelligent, like yetis, cynocephali, and centaurs; others more bestial, like dragons, minotaurs, and sphinxes.

In ancient history, cryptids were either feared or revered like gods. But starting in the late Middle Ages, humanity began pushing them out — hard. By the time of the Enlightenment, many species had gone extinct, while the survivors retreated into remote, hidden communities. Over the centuries, most humans forgot they ever existed.

Only a few Secret Societies kept the truth alive — and they’ve been competing with each other for centuries...

— SECRET SOCIETIES BASIC INFORMATION —

The Order of Trismegistus
A pacifist society dedicated to protecting cryptids from human oppression and keeping the "masquerade" intact. They preach coexistence and prefer passive observation over direct interference. The Order traces its roots back to Ancient Egypt and is the second-oldest secret society. Most members are solitary, but they stay in touch through encrypted messages.
Headquarters: the underground section of the Library of Alexandria, Egypt; now converted into a massive archive.

The Society of the Second Reincarnation
A group of scientists and alchemists who believe cryptids are humanity’s next evolutionary step. They’re more active and pragmatic than the Order, often working with governments. Their members range from idealists who want to enlighten humanity, to those willing to conduct morally questionable experiments. They meet at irregular congresses in historic or academic venues.
Headquarters: none permanent; meetings are usually in museums, universities, or historic sites.

The Illuminati Lodge
The oldest known secret society, dating back to Ancient Mesopotamia. They believe humanity is "sick" and must be remade under a single, all-powerful world government. Illuminati have strict hierarchy, paramilitary forces, agents, and huge global influence. This society usually use cryptids as a tools for "reshaping" the world. Disobedience within the Lodge is met with severe punishment.
Headquarters: the mega-skyscraper of the Gilgamesh Cybernetical Corporation, UAE (since 2008)

The Gévaudan Hunting Club
A loose network of cryptid hunters. Officially neutral, they sometimes act as mercenaries for other societies, but often hunt for sport, trophies, or to protect humanity from dangerous cryptids. Some members are thrill-seekers, others see themselves as protectors. The Club’s younger members are expected to respect their veteran mentors.
Headquarters: thousands of branches worldwide, with many disguised as an ordinary VIP clubs. The oldest and largest branch is in Mende, France.

— CRYPTID ENCYCLOPEDIA: SIRRUSH —

— a supposed depiction of Sirrush on the Ishtar Gate, left by the inhabitants of Ancient Babylon

The Sirrush (also known as the Mushussu) is very ancient, near-mythical cryptid that supposedly walked the Earth at the dawn of time, going extinct long before the first prehistoric civilizations of intelligent cryptids ever emerged. Even the oldest known superhuman entities, such as faeries and kitsune, have no memory of encountering a living specimen. However, the creature's fossilized remains are still scattered across the globe. The highest concentration of these bones has been unearthed in the Syrian Desert, with isolated fragments also discovered beneath the sands of the Sahara and the Atacama Desert.

The exact nature of the Sirrush remains shrouded in mystery. It is unknown what the creature preyed upon, how it lived, or whether it possessed higher intelligence. Based on the heavily damaged skeletal remains recovered over the centuries, it was a massive beast resembling a dragon or a prehistoric lizard. It also displayed distinct chimeric traits; ancient Babylonian records described the Sirrush as a hybrid possessing "the head of a snake, a scaly body, a scorpion's sting, the paws of a lion, and the feet of a bird of prey" .The event that led to their extinction is also unknown.

Today, the true value of the Sirrush lies solely in its bones. Through a specialized alchemical heat treatment, the cryptid's preserved bone marrow can be extracted in the form of hardened crystals. Subsequent chemical processing of these elements yields the Bone Marrow of Immortality. When this liquid serum is administered to the corpse of a recently deceased individual, it generates a younger, flawless clone of the subject. Unlike golems or homunculi, these clones are biologically indistinguishable from ordinary humans and possess their own personalities. However, the process is imperfect: the clones retain only fragmented memories of their past lives. Furthermore, the more frequently this cloning cycle is repeated across generations, the less the current iteration will remember of its original incarnation.