Brotherhood of the Beast

The Brotherhood of the Beast is a fictional organisation that worships The Beast, Nyarlathotep's avatar (: Masks of Nyarlathotep).
==History==
The Brotherhood was founded by two men (Baron Hauptman and Lang-Fu) in the 12th century with the intention of making Nephren-Ka's prophecy come true. Lang-Fu, the leader of a cult of the Deep Ones in southern China, befriended Hauptman in Damascus when both were studying astrology. Lang-Fu possessed a fragment of the Kitab Al-Azif that he claimed had been brought to him by a dark, winged being, and which came from a city buried under the sand in Arabia. The fragment told of the prophecy and the Royal Family waiting in G'harne. Together they traveled to central Africa to find the miserable remains of the priest's descendants, more animals than humans after centuries of isolation. These descendants resisted contact with the two men until Hauptman transferred his mind to the body of his chief, and as tribal leader led these people north to the Mediterranean coast, where they began to mix with normal people, extending their genetic line east towards Muslim lands and north towards Europe.
When Lang-Fu returned to China, Hauptman established the Brotherhood's headquarters in Europe and began to create a network of agents drawn from among the descendants of Nephren-Ka, to help him track the genealogy of the families who possessed the said genes. These agents are not usually aware of the Brotherhood's activities, but they know that they are part of a family with a specific destiny and are benefiting financially from the situation due to Hauptman's constant machinations. Throughout these centuries, Lang-Fu has laid the foundation for much of the Brotherhood's spiritual and political guidelines.
The original plans of the Brotherhood were to establish a kingdom in Eastern Europe, but both attempts were made in failure. The first was due to a political revolt in Poland and the second, to the accidental death of the chosen child at the hands of a misguided being. With the advent of the twentieth century, constantly changing world conditions have once again altered their plans. Using Lang-Fu's ability to summon spirits, much like Paul LeMond's, they got in touch with the spirit of the centuries-dead priest, and the three of them devised a desperate plan for world domination, much like the one Nephren-Ka intended to use against the pharaoh.
==Notable members==
*Nephren-Ka: powerful Egyptian priest and leader. He was one of the first members of the separatist movement that originated in the Nile Delta, and which was later called the XIV Dynasty. He and his followers worshiped Nyarlathotep in secret subterranean temples, and with the help of this god, Nephren-Ka devised sinister designs against the pharaoh. These designs required that certain monsters of the stars (Dholes) be summoned from the secret temples to cause desolation in the kingdom. When the pharaoh sent his troops against the monsters, the armed followers of the priest had the mission to attack the palaces and government buildings, in all of which Nephren-Ka had the support of Nyarlathotep who had promised to send him a messenger. Aware of the plot against his life and his kingdom, Pharaoh Klasekehmre Neferhotep sent spies and assassins to the remotest parts of the kingdom in search of the evil priest. At last, they found him in a secret underground temple, deep in the western deserts. This temple was known as the Well, and it was particularly sacred to Nephren-Ka and her followers. Finding him kneeling to pray, the assassins attacked him, fatally wounding him before being literally torn to pieces by his followers. With his dying breath, Nephren-Ka spoke the prophecy that was later reproduced by the insane Abdul Alhazred. When the pharaoh learned of Nephren-Ka's death, his followers had had time to carry the body to a small valley, where they buried him in a hastily constructed tomb. From there, they traveled to central Africa to G'harne, the ruined city of the Great Old Ones. There, Shudde M'ell and his men preyed on Nephren-Ka's followers, leaving only those who were inbred with him alive. The Royal Family (as they were called) had to live in alliance with the Chthonians until the fulfillment of the prophecy. It was the year 1773 BC.
*Edward Chandler: is a direct descendant of the Egyptian priest Nephren-Ka, and has been chosen by the Brotherhood as an instrument to achieve world dominance. Born at midnight on February 1 (date of a pagan festival superseded by Christianity such as Candlemas) in 1880, his parents (minor Brotherhood members) notified Dr. Ambrose Cornwallis of Boston that a new member had been born. Of the consanguineous line. Immediately realizing the significance of the date, Cornwallis contacted Hauptman with the information. After verifying that Edward Chandler could be the boy mentioned in the prophecy, plans were made for his education. At the age of ten he was taken to Boston from where, after a short stay, he traveled to Europe with Baron Hauptman. There he resided in the old Transylvanian castle studying the arcane tomes in the Baron's library. At sixteen, Edward and the Baron repeatedly traveled to Celaeno's forbidden library where they studied the arcane spells necessary to summon the Beast. Edward's education concluded with a trip to Egypt where they met Lang-Fu and traveled west to find the Well of Nephren-Ka, lost for centuries. There, Chandler's visions caused the awakening of long-dormant cellular memories, allowing him to live a kind of dual existence with the spirit of the priest. Nephren-Ka's personality is far from complete, but far enough to affect Chandler's to a great extent. Chandler has always been careful to hide his dealings with the dark side of life, but once, and as a result of a youthful exuberance, he almost made a disastrous mistake. At a certain party where he drank too much (it must also be said that he was not used to alcohol), he began to mention to his friends the strange things he had seen and read. The young people did not believe Edward's tremendous stories, but after a few more drinks he agreed to make a demonstration, crossing the odd bet. After kidnapping a college student, they went to a park where the police (alerted by the girl's screams) found them humming, totally drunk, and with the poor girl tied to the ground. The five were arrested but due to the influence of their respective families, the story was hidden from the press and the girl's family got monetary compensation without going through court, on account of the tremendous scare. If the researchers prove to be very persistent, they could discover this story. Lately Edward Chandler is always accompanied by various bodyguards, and if an investigator tries to confront him, he will most likely pay the consequences.
*Baron Hauptman: is a man several times a hundred years old, who has managed to prolong his existence over the years by transferring his mind and his memories to other bodies. When the body he occupies begins to age, he looks for a young victim and, when the moment is right, uses a powerful spell to swap the bodies. He then murders his victim (who then inhabits the Baron's former body) and buries him as if he were the late Hauptman. Later, he appears in his new body with all the necessary documentation as the new heir to the title. Due to his reclusive way of life, Hauptman has been able to maintain this hoax for several centuries without arousing undue suspicion among the peasants. Hauptman now occupies the body of his young English secretary, Lionel Newman, who had been hired by him the previous summer. Newman was chosen because he was an orphan, without a family and would not be missed when he disappeared. Newman's appearance, which the Baron now enjoys, is that of a young man of about 25, tall, blond, and with a slight limp. It is unknown where and when Hauptman was born, but part of his diaries indicate that he participated in the Crusades, from where he traveled to India, where he studied magic with an old guru. Later, he met Lang-Fu, an oriental stranger with Batracian features, in Damascus, and together they founded the Brotherhood of the Beast. After rescuing the descendants of Nephren-Ka from G'harne, Hauptman returned to Europe, and with the help of two German merchants he helped create the Teutonic Order in 1190. Hauptman planned to use this organization as a cover for Brotherhood activities but It seems that it was not discreet enough. Hermann von Salza expelled him from the order in 1212 on charges of heresy. Hauptman disappeared for some years, to reappear in 1240 (with a new body), commanding a small army with which he defeated a contingent of Mongols in the south of what is now Romania, while the Teutonics were defeated at Liegnilz. Hauptman built a castle on top of the mountain called Montelui Mare, claimed the area for himself, and continued to defend it against the Mongols. It was later discovered that the Baron claimed to be a descendant of the Hauptman expelled from the Teutonic Knights. The 'family' Hauptman has occupied the castle almost without interruption since then. In 1542, Hauptman intervened in the disappearance of the original of Ludwig Prinn's De Vermis Mysteriis, which had been seized by the Inquisition in that same year and was subsequently executed. In 1586, the Baron was briefly visited by Drs. Edward Kelly and John Dee. The second of them translated the fearsome Necronomicon into English from the Greek copy owned by Hauptman. Dee had reservations about the content of the book, however, and omitted some parts that he found too blasphemous. In 1627 there is an entry in the journal that the Greek text was stolen from him. Hauptman, although an extremely clever and skilled man, has a morbid inclination to contemplate the suffering of others, which nearly cost him his life in 1628 when peasants stormed the castle. Hauptman recognizes this weakness, and in recent years has acted with more caution.
*Lazlo: He has been working for the Baron for almost twenty years, and is loyal to him until death. The Baron's tastes for death and torture are to Lazlo's liking, but he is unaware of the Baron's most heinous activities. He is a short, muscular man with a dark mustache; he hardly ever separates from his shotgun. He's a criminal maniac and all he needs is a cue from Hauptman to kill someone.
*Abd Katif: is a tall and thin man whose black, almost blue beard, gives him a threatening air. He has worked for Baron Hauptman for many years, but this is the most important task he has ever been entrusted with. Hauptman would have preferred to commission someone else, but Katif was the only one available. Still, he is a prominent member of the Brotherhood. Katif claims to be of Coptic religion, and therefore does not take part in Muslim bracero ceremonies. He has been Ronald Galloway's foreman on his excavations from the start, and has worked with the doctor before. Galloway considers him somewhat rare, but in the past he has had occasion to appreciate his knowledge of the past and his sometimes uncanny ability to find difficult archaeological sites. Galloway completely trusts Katif and will not turn against him unless conclusive evidence is shown. The braceros fear him, although they don't know what he's up to.
*Lang Fu: is over two thousand years old. For most of this time it has been associated with a cult of the Deep Ones, first on the southern coast of China and later, with the discovery of America, on the western coast of the North American continent. He was the one who first discovered Nephren-Ka's prophecy and, together with Baron Hauptman, founded the Brotherhood of the Beast. In the first phase, Lang-Fu was concerned only with drawing up plans designed to keep China and other parts of Asia in a state of political instability. Its greatest success took place in 1194, when it managed to alter the course of the Huang Ho (Yellow) River, which caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people. More recently, he has helped transport NWI-made weapons to various Chinese warlords, using depths as carriers. He is also directly responsible for the death of Edward Chandler's parents, who were savagely murdered by the deep under instructions from Lang-Fu. He has also been entrusted with the design and development of the Rhon-Paku temples, and his agents control the 'holy man' of India. Most of the past year has been spent preparing the special incense and spells that will call the dholes on the Day of the Beast. Lang-Fu has connections to the San Francisco Tongs, and has been implicated in opium smuggling and illegal emigration from China. Immigrants are an ideal source of sacrifices to the deep, and both operations bring significant benefits to the Brotherhood's coffers. Lang-Fu's many connections in San Francisco make it more than likely that he is aware of the presence of potential investigators, but since he is in the final stages of his plan, he will not be able to take any major action against them, although it is safe that he will alert Dr. Dieter and may send a murderer or cult members against the investigators. Lang-Fu does not have the blood of the deep one, and uses his Mantle of Life to spread his.
*Ambrose Cornwallis: Dr. Cornwallis belonged to the Brotherhood of the Beast, and was the one who first discovered the birth of Edward Chandler, alerting Baron Hauptman in Transylvania. Dr. Cornwallis was also the one who briefly housed Edward Chandler, before handing him over to Hauptman. When Hauptman arrived in America, he brought with him a gift for the doctor; glasses fitted with strange prismatic lenses that allowed us to see other dimensions. One night, while the doctor was away, his wife, seized with curiosity, put on her glasses. The doctor, who returned home late that night, found his wife huddled in a corner, half mad with terror. Later, Cornwallis discovered that she had been impregnated by a being from the other side. After giving birth to a son eleven months later, Mrs. Cornwallis went completely mad and was confined in a room on the upper floor of the mansion, while the doctor and his sister Sara tried to raise the being in a basement bathtub. One night Mrs Cornwallis managed to escape and, before anyone in the house could help it, she crawled into the cellar, picked up the boy, threw him into the well (which was dry) and began to throw huge stones into it. Dr Cornwallis, alerted by the noise from the courtyard, discovered his wife as she was throwing the last stones. Then there was a chase throughout the house. Finally cornered in the kitchen, Mrs Cornwallis managed to mortally wound her husband with a knife. Sara Cornwallis, herself alerted by the screams, shot Mrs. Cornwallis down with the doctor's pistol, then placed the gun in the dead man's hand before calling the police. Sara was briefly hospitalized due to a nervous breakdown, and in the two weeks that she was absent from the house, there were some murders of children. When Sara returned to the house she discovered that Jeremy, the being-boy, still lived at the bottom of the well, where he also enjoyed a humidity that was very pleasant. Then he began to leave him raw chickens at night on the well curb, a practice that he has been practicing for years. As long as Jeremy continues to be fed, he is no problem to anyone. However, Sara has become senile and has forgotten about Jeremy's food a few times, which explains his forays over the past few nights.
es:Hermandad de la Bestia
Category:Cults
Category:Organisations Originating From Expanded Mythos Works