The Century Club

The Century Club is international philanthropic organisation devoted to the protection and advancement of human civilisation.

It is also an ancient and powerful conspiracy that has popped up in different guises since at least the Roman times. Its assets include immense wealth, countless safehouses, skillful, versatile agents and above all connections with political, economical, cultural and religious elites throughout the world. Its stated objectives are nonetheless apparently still genuine. However, the Club goes to far greater lengths to secure them than may seem apparent. At the heart of this conspiracy is the increasingly poorly hidden secret that is the Centurions: special people born on the first day of the first year of every century, bound to an uncanny destiny and able to rise well beyond the regular human level of accomplishment. All Centurions bear within them an inclination to heroism, one they cannot fight for long, though it may manifest in different forms. The simplest way to describe the Century Club, then, would be to call it the Centurions' support network that makes sure they have everything they need to do what they must and always shall.

For some time, the Main Branch of the Century Club was situated in London. At the start of the 20th century, the changes in relative fortunes of Britain and America and concerns over the possibility of a world war have led to Washington D.C. becoming the new "capital" of the Club. There are active branches in almost all the capital cities of the world and in some major regional centres too. Although the Club exists (at least in theory) to cater to the needs of the Centurions, it has its own somewhat opaque leadership structure. There are entire families that provide agents to the Century Club in various capacities, particularly as liaisons and safehouse minders. A particularly important position is that of Decurion, elected on the first day of the first year of every decade and charge with assorted crucial Club tasks during their term. There does seem to be some coordination between the different branches, connected to the Main Branch, but for now the 19th century gentleman amateur spirit, with its emphasis on voluntary cooperation and the honour system, appears to hold strong.