Stealing ideas from The School of Night

I saw an article on the Dreams in the Lich House blog that talked about a setting a campaign in Shakespearean London, mentioning the Backswords and Bucklers game. Now I already have an Honor+Intrigue campaign set in 1624 France so I don't want a game set in 1590 London. But I found one idea in the post particularly intriguing.

It mentioned a Shakespearean London Secret Society, called the School of Night. Wikipedia tells me that

Quote:

The School of Night is a modern name for a group of men centred on Sir Walter Raleigh that was once referred to in 1592 as the "School of Atheism". The group supposedly included poets and scientists Christopher Marlowe, George Chapman and Thomas Harriot. There is no firm evidence that all of these men were known to each other, but speculation about their connections features prominently in some writing about the Elizabethan era.

Here are some additional facts.

• Sir Walter Raleigh was executed in 1618 by Royal order.
• Christopher Marlowe, said to be an English spy, was stabbed to death in 1593 in suspicious circumstances, possibly assassinated at the command of Thomas or Francis Walsingham. Francis Walsingham was Queen Elizabeth's infamous spy master.
• George Chapman (d. 1634)
• Thomas Harriot (d. 1621).
• Thomas Walsingham (d. 1630)
• Francis Walsingham (d. 1590) was in Paris for the infamous St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre which influenced his zealous anti-Catholic attitude. The spy master predeceased Marlowe apparently striking out from the grave to silence Marlow. :eek:

So we have a secret society with a cool name, a Royal execution, an assassination of a spy by the dead hand of a sinister spy master (is he really dead). This is great fodder for a swashbuckling campaign.

Obviously I'll need to do something to use this in 1624 since most of the Principals are dead, but one of the members of the Society of Night, Chapman, and the spy master's relative, Thomas Walsingham are both still alive.

• Has the Society of Night recruited new members?
• What are the secrets of the society that Queen Elizabeth and her spy master wanted to keep hidden?
• Is the sinister spy master, Walsingham really dead?

What other ideas do you have to tie this to France in 1624?

There is a setting sketch for Trail of Cthulhu by Ken Hite called "The School of Night." Anybody have this? Does it connect to Raleigh and Marlowe? Any cool ideas to steal?

Stealing ideas from The School of Night