SmallWorlds Blog
Secret Societies in SmallWorlds
August 8th, 2009 - SmallWorlds Chronicle
It all started with the Fat Clan, that group of unusual-looking players who mysteriously appeared back in February. Since then, I have been keeping a keen eye open to see if any further manifestations were to appear and whether I could uncover information on other groups of citizens joined together for unknown (and bizarre) purposes.
Well citizens, it seems that my vigilance has paid off, and I can report on a number of strange sightings that I have recently become aware of. It would seem that there are at least three (and quite possibly more) secret societies here in SmallWorlds, and I shall not be at all surprised if we see the emergence of others over the coming weeks. Who are they, what do they want? What is their purpose? I’ll share with you all the information I was able to find out.
According to Wikipedia (Kent and I just love Wikipedia; we often read it together), a secret society is a social organization that requires its members to conceal certain activities (such as rites of initiation or club ceremonies) from outsiders. Members are often sworn to keep the society’s secrets private, and the society may have secret ceremonies. I was determined to find out as much as I could about the those I knew of.
The Secret Society of Trees
The first I one I discovered was the Secret Society of Trees. You can see a small “forest” pictured at left. I was unable to find out how many members belong to the Trees, but they are definitely growing in number. It would seem that their roots are delving ever deeper in-world, as reports of Tree sightings are increasing. The Trees are seen simply standing and holding their ‘branches’ up. They seem to mean no harm and as far as I could tell, they seem intent on educating citizens about tree and environmental information.
As you can see, they have a distinctive dress style and I can well imagine that being in the presence of a large group of them would indeed be quite the nature experience! I am hoping that citizen Ivana has ceased her axe-seeking and may be considering more supportive actions.
If you are lucky enough to meet a tree citizen, I’d encourage you to stop and talk a while… trees are slow growing and wise and you never know what one might share with you. If you would like to become a member, you could try connecting with Tree Boy, Tree Woman or Leafy Tree. If you’ve got what it takes, maybe you can help expand the society by forming a new branch!
The Secret Society of StatuesThe next group I have been able to source information on is the Secret Society of Statues. As you can see they are visually distinct from most citizens you might see in-world, and as such are very easy to spot. Inspired it would seem by the ancient statues in Thermae Spa, the statues do lend a real air of of antiquity to any space they enter.
Citizens have been sharing their statue sightings and experiences on the forums. It has been suggested that “the one that looks kinda old” is their God, and noted that some statues also have statue pets. A quick search revealed 50 citizens with the word statue in their avatar name, so their reach is extending. If you seek more information on this secret society, a search for avatar Statue God may be a good place to start. Although, citizen Kalid Heurtelou has also claimed leadership, so perhaps we may be witness to a leadership coup about to happen within the Society of Statues.
I found evidence of a few different divisions within the primary statue society, the first of which is the Rebel Statue Group, who include a daring splash of color to the standard dazzling white. Also, as you can see from some of the pictures, many of the statues are actually dancing. Whether this means they are members of a second separatist group I am unsure at this point.
I thought I would share a byline I came across while looking through all the statue avatars: “Whispers can be heard at night, statues should not give you a fright… do not fear us”. I found it somewhat comforting. The Statues have thus far shown themselves to be a peaceful group, although I am unclear about their motives, activities and future plans. If you have any further information to share with the wider SmallWorlds community, please do so on the statue forum thread.
The Secret Society of MGB – The Murderous Group of BunniesThe first two groups seemed relatively harmless, but I’m not sure I can say the same about this one… the infamously named MGB or Murderous Group of Bunnies. The very name sends shivers up my spine and sees me running for the relative safety of the SmallWorlds Chronicle Head Office.
As you can see from this chilling photo, poor citizen Mike simply wanted to “pet a cute bunny” but got a lot more than he bargained for.
I can only hope that he escaped with his hair intact, as the bunnies all brandish a flaming torch, and all are very close to his head! It would seem that MBG society members Raysil and Piper are out there preying on innocent citizens and then blatantly reporting their frightening activities within the forums! Piper (whom lays claim to the leadership of the society) says in her invitation “If you want to join, just mail me. You have to have a bunny suit and a torch. I will mail you the info for our chat channel”.
Citizens, I ask you… do we really want to support this group of bunnies who seem intent on scaring the populace? They may look cute and fluffy but they would seem to have a darker agenda. What oath are they required to swear?
To my horror, they were even seen to infiltrate our recent Celebrity Central event, placing the many celebrity avatars who attended at great personal risk. You can see the late great Michael Jackson; who, upon confronting this MBG attack was probably extremely relieved that he has in fact already left this mortal coil.
Secret Society of MonkeysJust as we were going to press, I heard word of yet another secret society in formation, The Monkeys, masterminded by citizens Skippypaul VMK and SweetVanillaGirl VMK. These two citizens have been blatantly recruiting on the forums, and people have been signing up.
I have serious concerns, and I quote here some of what I consider to be rather suspicious lines from Skippypaul’s recent forum postings:
When I get enough signed up, Sweet and I will message you the trade secrets. / Sweetvanilla and I will be working on a special project / Speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil lol
Citizens, I urge you to exercise extreme caution. All may not be as it seems. Another recent post by Skippypaul read “I think we have room for maybe 2 more in the banana boat then it’s time to shove off for Monkey Island”. Kent felt sure that this was a coded message, and he is furiously trying to decipher it. It would seem that their secret plans are all coming together this weekend. You can be sure that Kent and I will be investigating further; I just hope he can decipher that message in time. We are sure it has something to do with their secret society initiation ceremony. Hmmm - I have just remembered that there was a Monkey entry in our recent celebrity lookalike competition. Could there be a link?
Will there be more?
Well citizens, that is all I was able to bring to you at this time on the growing number of secret societies, an increasing trend here on SmallWorlds. Some, like the Trees and Statues seem to be nothing more than
somewhat eccentric groups of citizens who mean no harm and like to dress a little differently. Others like the MGB should be approached with extreme caution. The Monkeys we are unsure of, but more information may be available after the weekend. What other groups, clubs, or secret societies might we see appear in SmallWorlds from this point on? Kent and myself have sworn an oath together to remain ever vigilant in our role as journalists, and to bring you the news as it happens.
~Honesty Blaize
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Topic: 8/8/2009 Secret Societies in SmallWorlds (Read 4848 times)