Sanguine Brotherhood

The Sanguine Brotherhood is a faction of mages, dedicated towards scientific and magical understanding of the universe. Originally, their primary focus was in the field of biomancy, however, over the years, their research areas have expanded to other fields of magic as a result of the interests in their individual members.

## Structure

For the most part, the Sanguine Brotherhood is a very loosely organized faction, with each individual member being allowed enormous leeway with their own studies, being afforded very little oversight so long as they abide by the Core Directives of the Brotherhood. However, a structure of rank does exist within the Brotherhood, and one's position is based on their contributions to the order.

### Head Director

The Head Director sits on the Board of Directors, serving as first among equals in the ruling body of the Sanguine Brotherhood. The Head Director is responsible for facilitating the discussion among the Board, setting meeting dates and locations, and is unique in that their vote counts twice on any matters of debate. Else wise, though, the Head Director is no different from their fellow board members. In the nearly three and a half centuries since the Brotherhood's formation, Edgar Cullen, the primary founder of the order, has held the rank.

### Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is the governing body of the Sanguine Brotherhood, located at their base of operations, Cor Meum. The Board serves the role of sending out missives to members of the Brotherhood, directing the faction's general research focus. Furthermore, all prospective research projects, nominations of Associates or Assistants, and findings in research, must be sent to the Board for them to look over, and if necessary, approve.

### Senior Practitioners

Senior Practitioners are handpicked by the Board of Directors for their loyalty to the Brotherhood, expert knowledge, and competence. There is no official process for becoming a Senior Practitioner. Instead, a person's progress reports are constantly evaluated, and if a Practitioner constantly visits Cor Meum, adding useful contributions to the knowledge of the Brotherhood, and getting into favor with a Board member, their odds of being promoted increase. In practice, this means that Senior Practitioners often receive their positions by currying favor with a Board member. Once they are promoted, however, a Senior Practitioner receives numerous benefits over their lower ranking brethren. For one, they are granted access to the restricted section of the library in Cor Meum, and all knowledge contained therein, and are allowed to undertake much more dangerous research. They are also commonly sent travelling throughout the world, checking up on lower ranking members, making sure they are following regulations. Additionally, they, if they so choose, have the authority to completely usurp control of a research project from a Practitioner, and are not under any obligation to share findings with them.

### Practitioners

Upon becoming a Practitioner, a member of the Brotherhood gains a number of additional privileges. Practitioners have full access to the library at Cor Meum, apart from the restricted section, and they are able to begin research projects after submitting a request for it to the Board of Directors. Furthermore, any Practitioner may request access to any information another Practitioner has garnered in their research, and the other Practitioner must grant it to them. However, a Practitioner does not have the authority to take over a project, with power over it belonging to whoever's name was on the application sen to the Board. Furthermore, copies of all their findings must be sent to Cor Meum, where it can be added to the library located there. They are also required to send constant progress reports to the Board of Directors on whatever it is they are doing.

### Assistant

Assistants, similar to Associates, are not full members of the Sanguine Brotherhood. However, unlike the Associates, they are on the path to becoming one. Assistants come into their position when a full member of the Brotherhood successfully submits the required form to the Board of Directors to allow a non-member to become their Assistant. Once this is done, the Practitioner, Senior Practitioner, or Board member begins instructing their Assistant in the ways of magic and in the doctrines of the Brotherhood, while the Assistant, as their title implies, assists them in their research. All the while, the Assistant's teacher is required to continually record the performance of the Assistant, and send copies of such reports to the Board. When the Board, based on the reports they have been receiving, deems the Assistant ready to advance to a full Practitioner, they will be summoned to Cor Meum, in order to demonstrate their skills and knowledge. Should the Board be satisfied with their performance, they will become Practitioners, gaining all the rights and privileges of a full member of the Brotherhood.

### Associate

Associates, as the name implies, are Associates of members of the Brotherhood. Whilst they are not full members, and do not have access to the research of the Brotherhood, official Associates are recognized as allies of the Brotherhood, and therefore, are allowed to be afforded protection and a limited access to the resources of the Brotherhood, should they so choose. To become an Associate, an individual must be willing to provide assistance to a member of the Brotherhood, be that in the form of physical attention or monetary gifts. They must do this on a consistent basis, and be willing to provide such service to any Brotherhood member, at least in theory. Once these criteria are met, a Brotherhood member must submit an application form to the Board of Directors in order to make an individual an official Associate.

## Archetype: The High Studies

The Sanguine Brotherhood follows an archetype wherein practitioners acknowledge the existence of the supernatural, but seek to apply scientific means and principles to it so as to attain scientific understanding over its various aspects. Magic to them is a force of the universe which can be mastered and bent to the will of those willing to undergo the rigorous scientific study necessary to divine its secrets. As a result of their rather scientific approach to magic, the Sanguine Brotherhood use incantations in a language devised by their leader, Edgar Cullen, known as Cullenite, named in his honor, as focuses for their powers. Additionally, they view conductive elements, due to their conductive properties, to be more conducive to magic, and as a result, often equip members with silver jewelry to as to focus their magical abilities when utilizing the power of the High Studies, their name for the spheres of magic. Said names go thusly:

Animate Sphere: Biomancy

Dynamic Sphere: Potency

Etheric Sphere: Transmundanity

Expansive Sphere: Oscillationism

Immaterial Sphere: Cerebralism

Quiescent Sphere: Corporeality

Temporal Sphere: Chronology

See here for a List of Sanguine Brotherhood Spells.

## The Core Directives

1. Seek knowledge.
2. Support your peers.
3. Do not reveal the Brotherhood's knowledge to the unworthy.

## Cor Meum

Cor Meum is the main sanctuary of the Brotherhood, located in the city of Birmingham, England.