Victorian Paranormal Societies- Specter Catchers

In the Victorian age, scientific pursuit met the craze for spiritualism. Professional men, laymen, and the idle rich gathered in mutual fascination to explore the unknown. Clubs, societies, and cabals formed undertaking strange experiments, and bizarre investigations to understand paranormal phenomena. And that’s just the real world. Imagine what these groups would be up to in the World of Victoriana.
In the next few weeks, I’m presenting groups devoted to exploring the supernatural. From séance-busters to mind enhancing experiments, each group is described for use in your games. Each group could be an association, an employer, the main villain, or a just a mob of protesters blocking the street during a chase.
Some information (like the Sinister Ideas and Benevolent Ideas) is contradictory and will be dependent on their use in play. The terms Private and Public describe the club’s activates. Public describes activities the club willingly lets the general populace know, and Private describes activates and pursuits known only to initiates and the group’s leadership.
Reputation modifiers (Notoriety and Propriety) are applicable to any member of the groups (NPC or PC).  

Specter Catchers
In the rookery, where constables won’t travel in groups less than four, evil festers and preys on the poor souls stuck in the slums. The destitute and desperate look for help from their only defense against the unknown: a small cadre they call Specter Catchers.
Specter Catchers is a group of ordinary men and woman banding together to protect their neighborhoods. Some want revenge, knowledge, or trophies, others just want to make a better world for their children. When a rumor of something dangerous spreads in the rookery, Specter Catchers’ members close shops early, leave the baby with mother and prepare to hunt.
Most members’ training and equipment are poor but their connections and know-how gets the job done. Known members of Specter Catchers are very highly regarded in the community. After a successful investigation gifts of food and spare clothing are always forthcoming.  

Public Goal: To keep the streets safe from violent supernatural threats  
Private Goal: Same  
Membership: 5-10; mostly lowerclass working men and woman and a few specialists fallen on hard times
Meetings: No regular meetings, they assemble and plan in any space available to them (living rooms, pubs etc)
Sinister Ideas: A benefactor with a malevolent goal, members extorting rewards from those they help, a blind quest for revenge
Benevolent Ideas: Plucky unsung heroes stand against evil, practical and methodical monster hunting
Notoriety: 2 (untrained upstarts digging into things they cannot understand; it’s criminal and pathetic)
Propriety: 2 (a noble cause with little reward, very well regarded in the Rookery)
Sample Members:
Avarice Wellington (Young catfolk pickpocket with a bossy attitude and a devious mind)
Carl Chalmers (Devout church-going ogre with a pugilistic past)
Father Douglas Peabodie (Idealistic dwarven priest eager to help his parishioners with spiritual matters)
Leadership:
Mother Sweets (Middle class dwarven widow, charity worker, and conjurer)
Jack Mcbride (Human rat catcher with eyes on the street, and a friend in every bar)

Plot Hooks
An influential Guild scientist died violently in a local house of ill repute. The Guild and the police are focusing their investigations elsewhere to avoid bringing scandal to his name, despite three similar deaths nearby.

Several locals have been cursed, and changed into monstrous feral forms. If the police find them first, they will be killed on sight for public safety. If Specter Catchers can survive long enough to catch them first, they may stand chance.

The Specter Catchers suspect a criminal recently released from prison may be guilty of worse crimes than those of which he was convicted. Will they be acting against a mostly innocent man?