Society for Passive Equality

The Society for Passive Equality (sometmes called SPE, or colloquially "Spee") is a galdori group that opposes the cruel and often inhumane way passives are treated. It is composed mainly of family members of outcast passives, as well as liberal-minded academics. The group's main argument is that the poor treatment of nonmagical galdori degrades galdori society as a whole. They believe that slavery is wrong, and they don't believe that passives should be considered cursed and socially outcast. They see passives as regular galdori who aren't naturally gifted, and think the passive's spell ability has not been properly researched.

The group was founded at Brunnhold, but now has a chapter in Vienda as well. It has approximately fifty members. Because of the controversial nature of its aims, members choose to remain anonymous.

Motivations of the SPE

The SPE is primarily a galdori organization. It exists as an outlet for frustrations that some of the more liberal galdori have against the current government and society, as well as a support group for family members of passives. It is a "secret" in that no one talks about it in polite company, but most galdori know it exists. Technically it is not illegal to sympathize with passives or even help them, but it is definitely looked down upon.

Research is one of the primary functions of the SPE, as many of the top members are scientists and magical theorists. They meet to to discuss whether passivity can be explained and to test alternate theories.

Passives in the SPE

There are some passive members of the society, but not many. Most members keep paid servants (not slaves), and they usually treat them well; they would only include them in SPE affairs if they knew they could be trusted. Strange passives who show up for meetings are regarded with caution, but usually the SPE will hear their story and offer them help in some form.

The paradox with the society is that even though they purport to be for passive equality, most still have prejudices bred into them, and don't think of passives as equals so much as children or victims. They pity passives but don't often respect them as individuals, and they have a bad habit of lumping all passives into one group. Passives who have bought their own freedom can attend meetings at will, but there is prejudice among passives too, and most don't trust the galdori.

Relationship to the Resistance

The society and the Resistance do not share the same goals. While the Freedom Fighters want to topple the galdori regime and create racial equality (well, most do; some resistance members want to do away with galdori altogether, but that's a different story), the SPE is only concerned with galdori/passive affairs.

Though a few members of the SPE are sympathetic to the plight of the humans and wicks, most are not; the sympathies of the group as a whole are reserved primarily for members of the galdori race. Non-galdori are not permitted to join, though some passives take refuge within the group. As a rule, no one who owns passive slaves may join SPE.

Conflict with Harper Moore

The SPE has stated publicly that it does not agree with the research and laboratory work of Professor Harper Moore, who is attempting to explain (and potentially cure) passivity by performing experiments on passive volunteers. Moore's reputation as a mad, heretical and possibly abusive scientist is largely due to the efforts of the SPE to cancel his funding and destroy his research.

Although they are working towards a similar goal, the SPE do not wish for passives to become powerful, and are against any sort of cure that might be offered; this is because they fear that such a change would be catastrophic, as the leading theory from Professor Moore and Professor Devlin is that passives would be innately far more powerful than average galdori if they had control of their magic. The SPE believes that handing power to a people who have been so terribly subjugated would cause them to seek revenge on galdori society, severing the bonds that the SPE is attempting to build.

Publicly, however, the SPE claims to oppose the methods Professor Moore uses, believing him to brainwash and coerce passives into participating in his experiments, which they believe to be horrific and barbaric. (In truth, the experiments are painless and voluntary.) Attempts to discredit him are becoming more and more desperate.