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**

* Character level+1/2

levels

* Halfblood Suel+1
* Purebred Suel+2
* Is lawful+1
* Has evasion as a class

ability+1/2

* Has improved evasion as a class ability+1/2
* Makes continual reports

to superiors+1

* Able to provide sensitive information to superiors+1
* Uses

influence beneficial to the brotherhood in daily job+1

* Fulfills assigned

objective+1

* Infiltrates another affiliation+1
* Establishes new safe house in a

useful spot+1

* Establishes a new enclave+2
* Assassinates known enemy of the

brotherhood+1/8 creature’s CR

* Converts person of note to brotherhood

agenda+2

* Recovers lost artifact of the Suel+2
* Is chaotic-2
* Is good-4
* Fails to obey

order or report significant intelligence (each incident)-2

* Is responsible for

the death of a gang of cousins (see below)-4

* Divulges order secrets including

fellow members identities-6

**Benefits**

* 3 or lowerSubcitizen: no benefits. If a former agent ever falls to

his rank, an assassin is dispatched to “execute justice.”

* 4-10Citizen: You are

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.

* 11-20Agent: You may call, with

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.

* 21-29Elder: Claim audience with the

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.

* 30 or higherFather of Obedience: You

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.