[Scenario Seed] Loose Ends

[Catsmate]

Hallo all, I intend this thread to be for collecting ideas, no matter how brief, about 'loose ends' from the Whoniverse. That is episodes which ended leaving the opportunity for a sequel or reappearance but haven't been pursued in media.
The 'loose end' could be a person, place, item whatever really.

Feel free to drop in with ideas or comments.

[grinch]

It's hard to think of what hasn't been followed up on, to be honest. I'm looking at you Big Finish. Not sure if this idea counts but oh well.

Loose End #1

In 'The Celestial Toymaker' the Queen and King of Hearts imply that they used to be someone else before they found themselves in the Celestial Toyroom. Indicating that they were merely forced to take on different roles and 'characters' at the command of the Toymaker. Presumably, we are meant to believe they were destroyed when the Doctor and co managed to beat the Toymaker at his own game. But what if someone deliberately wanted to find and enter the Toyroom?

Perhaps, they're areas of space and time which the Toymaker often frequents to find pawns and new playthings for his Toyroom? Drawing the dots together and forming a connection between disappearances in the area, someone decides to go on a rescue mission or at least solve the mystery. Whether it be by their own volition or through the promise of payment. Sooner or later, they will find themselves drawn into the realm of the Celestial Toymaker and be forced to partake in his diabolical games. It now becomes an escape mission as they and the Toymaker's pawns must find a way out whilst avoiding being added to his collection of toys. If there even is a way out for those poor unfortunates already trapped there. Either way, it could make for a good introduction for a potential NPC/Companion if the PCs find themselves playing games against another player.

Alternatively, maybe someone wants to find the Toyroom for less benevolent reasons? To become immortal perhaps whilst promising the Toymaker an eternity of entertainment? Another 'Loose Ends' is the Toymaker's supposed familial connection to Hecuba the Queen of Time. Is there truth in her statement? And if so, are there a whole family of them?

Loose End #2

This one from Torchwood now. More specifically, the Night Travellers. Who were they? Aliens? Ordinary humans who were affected by alien technology or energies of the Rift? Maybe they were followers of the same principles of magic that the Carrionites and Hervoken used? In true P.J. Hammond fashion, it is never explained. And perhaps that's for the best. 

Here's an idea of how you could revisit them. In the far future when humanity has left for the stars and established colonies on other planets, a celebration of human achievement and their history is underway. People are dressed in period clothing whilst artefacts such as a Dalek plunger from the invasion of the 22nd century and a comic book detailing the adventures of the Ghost are on display. (His descendant, in question, will making a personal appearance at some point) Best of all, a bunch of film cylinders from the beginnings of the genre will be played in a special showing. Unfortunately, one of the film reels has been acting rather strangely which incidentally coincides with reports of people being found deprived of breath. Who could possibly be responsible? In this new age of humanity, the Night Travellers are once again on the move. 

Or, perhaps, taking into account the lifespan of film reels the film has been digitised to be broadcast across all the Earth colonies. Now the Night Travellers have become the equivalent of a physical computer virus able to travel and transmit themselves through digital technology. No longer bound by the physical media that once imprisoned them, how can they possibly be stopped? 

[Catsmate]

The Sky Gypsy.

The Sky Gypsy was the de Havilland Dragon Rapide aircraft in which Diane Holmes flew into the Cardiff rift in (presumably) 2006, suffering from Future Shock, and hoping to return home.
Given that no-one mentioned any record of her return to 1953 I think it can be assumed that wherever/whenever she exited the rift it wasn’t back in her own time ("According to history, your plane never returned").
So where did she emerge and what effects could this have?

The Plane.
The Dragon Rapide is an interesting choice of aircraft. Obsolete in ’53, and a museum piece in 2006¹, the all-wood biplane first flew in 1934 and was produced, latterly as a military light transport. radio training and communications, and utility aircraft, until 1945 when the availability of more capable surplus aircraft made production uneconomic. About seven hundred were built.
More on the aircraft here and here.

The design was based on the earlier Dragon, with more powerful engines; the airframe, fuselage and winds, were made from plywood. In normal service eight passengers could be carried, though ten were possible.
Maximum speed was about 250km/hr with a range of 900km at a cruising speed of 135km/hr (about nine hours endurance)
Take off run, with a full load, was about 520m but it could land in far less space. about 190m. Stall speed was 95km/hr. Rough field performance, operations on unprepared ground, was good and the type was sued for postal/package deliveries to the wilds of Scotland regularly.

As with other biplanes the wings are connected by a number of heavy duty bracing wires (the 'birdcage'²), which should be checked before flights. Likewise the controls are unpowered so the rudder and aileron are linked to the pilot's controls by wires and pulleys, and a number of rods. The undercarriage is fixed; to large wheels in fairings under the wing mounted engines and a small tailwheel.

To enter the aircraft a set of steps is needed (or a ladder or rope) to access a portion of the left rear wing that's reinforced; from there the single door opens with a handle. The steps should be brought on-board, usually they're stowed under the rearmost seats.
The interior is cramped with a narrow aisle between two rows of seats, and some luggage space.
The cockpit, for a single pilot, is at the front. Some emergency equipment is usually carried here. Exactly what gear is onboard depends on the owner. The aircraft is unpressurised so high altitude flight is impossible without oxygen gear (not fitted to civilian planes).

There's a set of walkaround photos here.


Diane Holmes.
There's not a lot to say about Diane. Unattached, apart from Owen and a fairly casual lower in 1952, smoker and whisky drinker, with some military service. Seemingly a good pilot (and probably mechanic; "You used to have to know how to fix an engine") and very determined and independent minded ("I'm not exactly marriage material"). Oddly given it was a Torchwood episode she wasn't gay...
Assuming she arrived somewhere alive she'd make an impression. Or get killed quickly.

Exactly what she had with her is utterly unknown; she could easily have acquired some 21st century gear or even a few Torchwood artefacts.


Appearances and game use.
Basically there are five groups of places Diane and Sky Gypsy could appear; loosely these are past, present, future, parallel and alien.

Past.
If Diane emerges in the past she could seriously alter the timestream.
Perhaps she does arrive back in 1953 but decided to disappear and reinvent herself.
She could emerge from the rift in the 1920s, ready to fit into a Pulp era campaign³, or earlier (where her plane would be severely anachronistic⁴) where she could encounter a very different Torchwood, the Paternoster gang and others⁵ in Victorian London.
Earlier and she'd have great difficult in fitting in unless she encountered other alien/anachronistic persons; perhaps the Comte de Saint Germain, Ashildr, River Song or a renegade Time Agent. Or maybe the Hourglass Club, who might detect her arrival in any period.

• If the rift Diane entered is attracted by time disruptions she could pop out in 'medieval' Cornwall and team up with the Time Agent Morgana to further complicate Knight of the Comet.
  

Or maybe the machinations of Jack Harkness and his Chula ships pulls her into the Second World War again, crossing her own timeline. What does she do?

Present.
If Diane pops out elsewhere in the more-or-less present (perhaps over San Francisco?) I could see the scenario of Out of Time repeating with her trying again, perhaps with a few helpful passengers along?

Future.
This rather depends on exactly when she pops out. Quite possibly she dies quickly, shot out of the sky by trigger-happy automated air defenses or alien attackers. But that's boring. So maybe she survives. Without local help, integration is probably very difficult, too many ID checks and databases, but perhaps she finds a patron.

• The Alexandrian Society for example?
  

Emerging into one of the period times of chaos (aftermath of the Dalek Invasion, fall of the Overcities et cetra) she might well be able to blend in.

Parallel.
What if the rift drops the plane out into a different Earth. The Republic Security Force would be interested in her plane (and her). Or the world of URIC, or a Silurian victory world.

Alien.
Finally the Cardiff Rift does connect to alien worlds, so the plane might emerge somewhere very distant. The Weevil home planet?


Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?





1. Though obviously a few are still flying.
2. Which emit a distinctive F sharp noise when they snap. Another characteristic of the plane, or rather the engines, is an engine cowling popping open if not carefully secured. This does not help the plane's handling in flight.
3. She's make an excellent pilot for a group of roving adventurers, perhaps in a Pulp-Who game.
4. Fuel and parts would be procurable, with some effort, back to the 1890s.
5. Refer to Paternoster Investigations for more details of the fascinating mix of factions of the late Victorian Whoniverse

[Catsmate]

Thanks grinch.


OK, my to-do list:
1. The Further Adventures of Richard Mace,Gentleman Adventurer.
2. The Halite Caper.
3. Forced Evolution.
4. The Things They Left Behind.
5. A Companions' Christmas.

[grinch]

Loose Ends #3: The Terrible Zodin

The famous unseen enemy of the Doctor. And if she is to be believed Iris Wildthyme as well.

So what do we know about her? Well, not a lot if truth be told. All we know for certain is that she is extremely feared and wanted across the galaxy (even ranking third underneath such villains as The Master and the Rani) and that she attempted many a diabolical plan using the services of many a species ranging from giant grasshoppers to mutant kangaroos. Even the nature of her appearance has been very rarely elaborated upon.

Here's my idea. Maybe the reason behind all the contradictory information behind her is the fact that she does not physically exist. But is rather a memetic being, a living idea if you will which is able to inhabit a host and imprint upon them a copy of her own consciousness. As knowledge of her has spread slowly across the universe many an individual has claimed to be Zodin from many a different planet or age. Perhaps in some sanitorium or specially designed facility built by the Shadow Proclamation in some far off part of the universe, there are hundreds of cells each containing patients who claim to be her. And in a way, they're all right. One thing is for certain though, despite physical differences, each of them possesses her hunger for power and her tremendous ego.

Any thoughts?

[Catsmate]

Feb 9, 2020 20:06:59 GMT grinch said:

Loose Ends #3: The Terrible Zodin

The famous unseen enemy of the Doctor. And if she is to be believed Iris Wildthyme as well.

So what do we know about her? Well, not a lot if truth be told. All we know for certain is that she is extremely feared and wanted across the galaxy (even ranking third underneath such villains as The Master and the Rani) and that she attempted many a diabolical plan using the services of many a species ranging from giant grasshoppers to mutant kangaroos. Even the nature of her appearance has been very rarely elaborated upon.

Here's my idea. Maybe the reason behind all the contradictory information behind her is the fact that she does not physically exist. But is rather a memetic being, a living idea if you will which is able to inhabit a host and imprint upon them a copy of her own consciousness. As knowledge of her has spread slowly across the universe many an individual has claimed to be Zodin from many a different planet or age. Perhaps in some sanitorium or specially designed facility built by the Shadow Proclamation in some far off part of the universe, there are hundreds of cells each containing patients who claim to be her. And in a way, they're all right. One thing is for certain though, despite physical differences, each of them possesses her hunger for power and her tremendous ego.

Any thoughts?

Ah, Zodin, the Whoniverse writer's in-joke...

Was she a sword-swallower? The galaxy's third most wanted criminal? Did she have mutant kangaroos or giant grasshoppers as minions? Was she the "devastating de Vil of dissimulation, the queen of corruption and chicanery"? Did she edit the meorries of teh Doctors?
Given she's appeared, if peripherally, in so many media she could be anything. Perhaps some soft of reactive psionic force, that creates a personality to suit the perceiver's beliefs?

[Catsmate]

The Further Adventures of Richard Mace, Gentleman Adventurer.

I'm afraid your pace of life is a little to fast for me, sir. I shall stay here and fight the fire. A much, much quieter occupation.

When we last saw Mace he was alerting London to the start of a fire in Pudding Lane that would devastate the city, end the outbreak of plague (mostly and for a while), and see London rebuilt anew.
While he disclaimed any interest in travelling with the Doctor (a pity IMO as he'd have made an excellent replacement for Adric) he did have some knowledge of advanced technology, alien intervention on Earth, the location of a manor house stuffed with interesting devices and ambitions to use some of that technology as stage effects.

Maybe he did.

Let's assume Mace behaved with uncharacteristic bravery during the fire; he may have been in shock from the events he witnessed and participated in. He comes to the attention of those in power, especially King Charles II, perhaps via Samuel Pepys who'd reported to the king regarding the fire at Pudding Lane.

• Might Mace have had fore-knowlege, from overheard discussions between the Doctor and his companions (especially a certain "mouth on legs"), regarding the extent of the fire? If so perhaps he did a spot of looting...
  

Now, assuming Mace has ingratiated himself with the powers-that-be by his actions during the fire, what does he do next. How much does the establishment know about alien involvement with Earth? Certainly Mace can, assuming the Doctor hasn't returned to the house to clean up, show skeptical courtiers a lot of interesting technology. Might a Restoration Torchwood emerge, with Mace on it's staff? Certainly not the leader though.

Time to dig out Marshall's Intelligence and Espionage in the Reign of Charles II for some ideas and personalities.

Or might Mace build himself a new life and then pop back to Hounslow Heath to do some looting before the missing family is noticed? What might he find in the house and cellars? What about the original escape pod?

Interestingly Eric Saward wrote three radio plays for the BBC (The Assassin, Pegasus and The Nemesis Machine) with a character of similar personality named Richard Mace, though this one was a Victorian actor-manager, who becomes involved in various strange mysteries.


Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?

[Catsmate]

The Halite Caper.
In the EU audioplay Industrial Evolution an alien visitor to Earth, in the nineteenth century, is engaged in the illegal halite (rock salt) trade. While contact with Earth is prohibited the mineral is valuable off-world (presumably as a food additive?). His spaceship is looted (by whom?) and much of his equipment stolen. So he uses forbidden, and obviously rather advanced, technology to accelerate local technological development. Problems ensue....

• Who looted his "astropod" isn't stated. Other aliens (stranded or otherwise), locals (Torchwood?) or some stranded time traveller.
• There are many possibilities; Torchwood is an obvious one, though I'd expect them to have relocated the whole ship. Ashildr and her band of alien refugees are another possibility.
  

Annoyingly, to me anyway, the setting isn't given. Brewster was supposed to be returned to 1870 but the story feels later to me. Given that the brass extrusion process used by "Belfrage" is anachronistic the period most be before ~1894.

The story ends with "Belfrage" and Thomas Brewster heading off into space, perhaps to have more adventures.

Which leaves a mountain of loose ends. Humans who've witnessed or been effected by alien technologies, the process "developed" by Belfridge (perhaps in the Whoniverse brass extrusion is developed earlier) which may spread and whatever other equipment was lost or stolen.
Plenty of scope for misadventures. Even assuming Brewster & Belfridge don't return.

[misterharry]

Feb 10, 2021 12:16:36 GMT Catsmate said:

Annoyingly, to me anyway, the setting isn't given. Brewster was supposed to be returned to 1870 but the story feels later to me. Given that the brass extrusion process used by "Belfrage" is anachronistic the period most be before ~1894.

The Doctor says that Belfrage's copper extrusion technique is thirty years ahead of its time - so I've always placed this story in the early 1860s.

[Catsmate]

Feb 10, 2021 13:36:52 GMT misterharry said:

Feb 10, 2021 12:16:36 GMT Catsmate said:

Annoyingly, to me anyway, the setting isn't given. Brewster was supposed to be returned to 1870 but the story feels later to me. Given that the brass extrusion process used by "Belfrage" is anachronistic the period most be before ~1894.

The Doctor says that Belfrage's copper extrusion technique is thirty years ahead of its time - so I've always placed this story in the early 1860s.

Ah ha, I'd forgotten that (audios are annoying when it comes to searching for phrases....). So around 1870 would be accurate then, given that extrusion was limited to lead and soft alloys until 1894 and the technique probably took a few years to become common.
Thanks.

[grinch]

Doctor Who has touched on the idea of creatures existing before the birth of "our" universe such as The Celestial Toymaker, The Great Intelligence, The Beast and the vast pantheons of the Elder Gods and the Great Old Ones. On occasion, they have even suggested that much like a certain Galactus from Marvel comics they once possessed a physical form but were irreversibly changed by the process of emerging/surviving the Big Bang becoming the godlike/ethereal beings they are now.

Which got me wondering. What if a group of PCs via the use of a powerful TARDIS or time machine managed to go back millions upon millions of years before the Dark Times, before the start of the Big Bang even arriving in the previous universe no less. What physical changes would that force our PCs to go through? What sort of universe would they enter, one which is completely alien to anything they might have seen before? And what might it cost to return to their own universe?

It's not an idea I would perhaps do but you could even suggest that some of the Elder Gods or ancient entities your PCs have been facing are in fact the future forms of your very own PCs! Changed beyond recognition to the point where they no longer remember possessing a physical form.

[grinch]

The Memory Weave

One from The Sarah Jane Adventures. In the story 'Death of the Doctor' the Memory Weave is introduced as a device that is able to extract memories and turn them into physical objects. In said story, the villains aim to use the collective memories of both Jo Jones and Sarah Jane Smith to create a TARDIS Key which will, in turn, enable them to access the TARDIS and the whole of Time and Space. Now, creating something as simple as a TARDIS Key is all well and good. But am I the only one who sees the potential in such a device?

Hooked to a large enough power source, the Memory Weave could serve as the perfect means to reintroduce deceased villains/old friends into a campaign or even act as the basis for an entire campaign where someone intends to use such a device to reconstitute a lost planet or species. Of course, the memory is not perfect so those crafted from such a device would not necessarily be resurrected as such but rather be an impression. An impression of a memory if you will which could lead to them possessing/losing various personality traits or even becoming nothing more than idealised/demonised version of a person.

Might even result in said villain/character trying multiple times to reconstruct their loved ones only to get frustrated when they can't get them exactly right. They're not as they remember. Something is missing.

[Catsmate]

Oct 16, 2021 20:08:21 GMT grinch said:

The Memory Weave

One from The Sarah Jane Adventures. In the story 'Death of the Doctor' the Memory Weave is introduced as a device that is able to extract memories and turn them into physical objects. In said story, the villains aim to use the collective memories of both Jo Jones and Sarah Jane Smith to create a TARDIS Key which will, in turn, enable them to access the TARDIS and the whole of Time and Space. Now, creating something as simple as a TARDIS Key is all well and good. But am I the only one who sees the potential in such a device?

Hooked to a large enough power source, the Memory Weave could serve as the perfect means to reintroduce deceased villains/old friends into a campaign or even act as the basis for an entire campaign where someone intends to use such a device to reconstitute a lost planet or species. Of course, the memory is not perfect so those crafted from such a device would not necessarily be resurrected as such but rather be an impression. An impression of a memory if you will which could lead to them possessing/losing various personality traits or even becoming nothing more than idealised/demonised version of a person.

Might even result in said villain/character trying multiple times to reconstruct their loved ones only to get frustrated when they can't get them exactly right. They're not as they remember. Something is missing.

Ooooo, interesting. I wonder what it can do. And where it came from.
A fascinating idea.

[grinch]

Oct 16, 2021 20:48:33 GMT Catsmate said:

Oct 16, 2021 20:08:21 GMT grinch said:

The Memory Weave

One from The Sarah Jane Adventures. In the story 'Death of the Doctor' the Memory Weave is introduced as a device that is able to extract memories and turn them into physical objects. In said story, the villains aim to use the collective memories of both Jo Jones and Sarah Jane Smith to create a TARDIS Key which will, in turn, enable them to access the TARDIS and the whole of Time and Space. Now, creating something as simple as a TARDIS Key is all well and good. But am I the only one who sees the potential in such a device?

Hooked to a large enough power source, the Memory Weave could serve as the perfect means to reintroduce deceased villains/old friends into a campaign or even act as the basis for an entire campaign where someone intends to use such a device to reconstitute a lost planet or species. Of course, the memory is not perfect so those crafted from such a device would not necessarily be resurrected as such but rather be an impression. An impression of a memory if you will which could lead to them possessing/losing various personality traits or even becoming nothing more than idealised/demonised version of a person.

Might even result in said villain/character trying multiple times to reconstruct their loved ones only to get frustrated when they can't get them exactly right. They're not as they remember. Something is missing.

Ooooo, interesting. I wonder what it can do. And where it came from.
A fascinating idea.

It was used by the Shansheeth (albeit a rogue flock) so it does make me wonder if it was initially designed to help aid the grieving process.

Mainly by allowing those suffering from loss to conjure up an object from their memories which they closely associate with the dearly departed. In a way, keeping the memory of them alive. 

Of course, there’s probably some limiter stopping the weave from creating organic life which could possibly be easily bypassed by someone desperate enough to do so or someone wanting to weaponise it. 

[Catsmate]

Oct 16, 2021 22:30:09 GMT grinch said:

Oct 16, 2021 20:48:33 GMT Catsmate said:

Ooooo, interesting. I wonder what it can do. And where it came from.
A fascinating idea.

It was used by the Shansheeth (albeit a rogue flock) so it does make me wonder if it was initially designed to help aid the grieving process.

Mainly by allowing those suffering from loss to conjure up an object from their memories which they closely associate with the dearly departed. In a way, keeping the memory of them alive. 

Of course, there’s probably some limiter stopping the weave from creating organic life which could possibly be easily bypassed by someone desperate enough to do so or someone wanting to weaponise it. 

Was it their invention? Or something they found/acquired.

[grinch]

Oct 16, 2021 23:03:27 GMT Catsmate said:

Oct 16, 2021 22:30:09 GMT grinch said:

It was used by the Shansheeth (albeit a rogue flock) so it does make me wonder if it was initially designed to help aid the grieving process.

Mainly by allowing those suffering from loss to conjure up an object from their memories which they closely associate with the dearly departed. In a way, keeping the memory of them alive. 

Of course, there’s probably some limiter stopping the weave from creating organic life which could possibly be easily bypassed by someone desperate enough to do so or someone wanting to weaponise it. 

Was it their invention? Or something they found/acquired.

I don’t believe it’s ever fully stated that they created the the memory weave. Entirely possible as you suggested that they merely found it and decided to use it for another purpose. 

Would be an odd thing for what essentially is a race of undertakers to design in any case. 

[grinch]

The Brotherhood of Logicians

A collective or secret society of intelligent humans who value logic above anything else. A group who consider the Cybermen to be the superior species and seek to be more like them.

A group first introduced in The Tomb of the Cybermen and strangely enough has never been used since. Obviously, that means they are virtually a blank slate in which GMs can develop as they see fit. Just how secretive is the group? Is it publicly acknowledged but generally despised or ridiculed? (A few pseudo-science religions spring to mind...) And aside from Kleig who else is a member of the Brotherhood?

[Catsmate]

Oct 26, 2021 19:27:56 GMT grinch said:

The Brotherhood of Logicians

A collective or secret society of intelligent humans who value logic above anything else. A group who consider the Cybermen to be the superior species and seek to be more like them.

A group first introduced in The Tomb of the Cybermen and strangely enough has never been used since. Obviously, that means they are virtually a blank slate in which GMs can develop as they see fit. Just how secretive is the group? Is it publicly acknowledged but generally despised or ridiculed? (A few pseudo-science religions spring to mind...) And aside from Kleig who else is a member of the Brotherhood?

They seem to have popped up in Last of the Cybermen too, but I haven't listened.
They're described as having been closed down during the Cyberwars (ideologically opposed to the war) but had formed a secret society which was also suppressed and it's members drugged.

Probably by the time of the Tomb expedition they're public but quiet, perhaps like the Freemasons or Mensa today. Considered a slightly odd fringe group?

[grinch]

Oct 26, 2021 20:16:31 GMT Catsmate said:

Oct 26, 2021 19:27:56 GMT grinch said:

The Brotherhood of Logicians

A collective or secret society of intelligent humans who value logic above anything else. A group who consider the Cybermen to be the superior species and seek to be more like them.

A group first introduced in The Tomb of the Cybermen and strangely enough has never been used since. Obviously, that means they are virtually a blank slate in which GMs can develop as they see fit. Just how secretive is the group? Is it publicly acknowledged but generally despised or ridiculed? (A few pseudo-science religions spring to mind...) And aside from Kleig who else is a member of the Brotherhood?

They seem to have popped up in Last of the Cybermen too, but I haven't listened.
They're described as having been closed down during the Cyberwars (ideologically opposed to the war) but had formed a secret society which was also suppressed and it's members drugged.

Probably by the time of the Tomb expedition they're public but quiet, perhaps like the Freemasons or Mensa today. Considered a slightly odd fringe group?

Sounds about right. A fringe group which is little more than just a social club with plenty of connections/members who has a few more militant members. Kleig was probably just a radical whose activities the group never formally sanctioned or approved. Probably just humoured him if truth be told. No doubt the group would become more active should the Cybermen become an active threat again. 

[Catsmate]

Oct 26, 2021 20:24:12 GMT grinch said:

Oct 26, 2021 20:16:31 GMT Catsmate said:

They seem to have popped up in Last of the Cybermen too, but I haven't listened.
They're described as having been closed down during the Cyberwars (ideologically opposed to the war) but had formed a secret society which was also suppressed and it's members drugged.

Probably by the time of the Tomb expedition they're public but quiet, perhaps like the Freemasons or Mensa today. Considered a slightly odd fringe group?

Sounds about right. A fringe group which is little more than just a social club with plenty of connections/members who has a few more militant members. Kleig was probably just a radical whose activities the group never formally sanctioned or approved. Probably just humoured him if truth be told. No doubt the group would become more active should the Cybermen become an active threat again. 

That strikes me as the best take on them, a social group with ambitions and factions. They do remind me of the Scientific Reform Society, which also strikes me as an interesting antagonist for a UNIT era campaign or a modern day relocation of the First Doctor era.