The Syndicate is the overarching collective secretly behind every mid-to-large-scale criminal effort and secret society, as well as some powerful corporations and religions. They control organizations such as the mafia, illuminati, yakuza, freemasons, scientologists, Catholicism and many others.
Many people do not even realize they are cogs within the Syndicate, although many critically placed members do know they serve some larger purpose. The goals of the Syndicate include both the amassing of wealth and power, and the betterment of humanity.