Scarlet Brotherhood

The Scarlet Brotherhood

Affiliation

￼

Symbol

A four-pointed wavy-armed black cross on a field of red.

Background, Goals, and Dreams

The Scarlet Brotherhood is a society of fighting monks, rogues, and assassins dedicated to rebuilding the Ancient Suel Empire on the backs of their racial and cultural inferiors. The Brotherhood traces its history more than a thousand years, when the great human Suloise Empire stood at the zenith of five millennia of cultural accomplishments. The society survived the empire’s conflagration in the devastating Rain of Colorless Fire, migrating east across the continent and settling in the forbidding Tilvanot Peninsula. Since that disaster, the Brotherhood has schemed in secret to preserve the culture and way of life of the Suel Imperium. In a recent continental war the Brotherhood struck form the shadows to conquer several maritime nations, including the Sea Princes who once held Sasserine. As a result Brotherhood agents are tolerated—barely—in the city, where they focus on issues of trade and exploration and claim interest in working with—rather than against—the citizens.

Enemies and Allies

Members of the Scarlet Brotherhood present themselves to the outside world as contemplative advisers and martial artists. The organization’s monopoly of Oerik’s southeastern seas gives them considerable economic influence, and their colonial outposts reach as far as the southwest shores of Hepmonaland and deep into the Vohoun Ocean. Outside their expanding empire their members are considered spies and must live in hiding.

Members

With almost no exceptions, members must be humans of Suel extraction. The Brotherhood occasionally dupes members of other races into acting as their catspaws, but seldom allows those of unpure lineage to join the organization. Members may worship only Suel deities such as Kord and Wee Jas.

Type

Government (racial)

Scale

16 Multi-continental/empire

Titles, Benefits, and Duties

Most Brotherhood agents fall into three varieties. Cousins are generally rogues or cutpurses—folk who travel in shadow and who have the social skills necessary to support the Brotherhood’s agenda in the outside world. Those who serve primarily to assassinate the enemies of the order are known as uncles and aunts, with elder assassins sometimes called foster uncles or foster aunts. Monks, who form the backbone of the society, are referred to as brothers and sisters or, in the case of elders, fathers and mothers. Other members use military ranks or lesser designations. Executive Powers: Assassinate, Harvest, Law, Shadow, War, Terrorize

Criterion levels ability+1/2 to superiors+1 influence beneficial to the brotherhood in daily job+1 objective+1 useful spot+1 brotherhood+1/8 creature’s CR agenda+2 order or report significant intelligence (each incident)-2 the death of a gang of cousins (see below)-4 fellow members identities-6
 * Character level+1/2
 * Halfblood Suel+1
 * Purebred Suel+2
 * Is lawful+1
 * Has evasion as a class
 * Has improved evasion as a class ability+1/2
 * Makes continual reports
 * Able to provide sensitive information to superiors+1
 * Uses
 * Fulfills assigned
 * Infiltrates another affiliation+1
 * Establishes new safe house in a
 * Establishes a new enclave+2
 * Assassinates known enemy of the
 * Converts person of note to brotherhood
 * Recovers lost artifact of the Suel+2
 * Is chaotic-2
 * Is good-4
 * Fails to obey
 * Is responsible for
 * Divulges order secrets including

Benefits his rank, an assassin is dispatched to “execute justice.” considered a citizen of the Great and Secret Suel empire. Non-Suel will be adopted into a Suel family at this rank. With the recitation of several lines of doctrine, you must be given safe harbor in any Brotherhood safehouse or enclave. In a settlement with a brotherhood enclave, you gain a +4 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy checks to gather information. a day’s notice, a gang of four cousins (NPChuman rogues) up to three times per year or any number of times when on brotherhood missions. The cousins serve loyally, even throwing their lives away. leader of the Suel empire once a month after 1d6 days of waiting. Gain 4 cousins as cohorts; these may now advance in level in your service but never attain a level higher than 4 below yours. receive a permanent honor guard of 4 monks as honor guard: these serve you as full cohorts and may advance in level in your service.
 * 3 or lowerSubcitizen: no benefits. If a former agent ever falls to
 * 4-10Citizen: You are
 * 11-20Agent: You may call, with
 * 21-29Elder: Claim audience with the
 * 30 or higherFather of Obedience: You