Cloaked Brother

*"Really? There is a rumour going ‘round that poor Bertram is caught up in a cult? Tell me more, good brother..."*

## Advanced

(ToC) Cloaked Brothers are hidden agents loosely affiliated with Sigmar’s Witch Hunters. Though not a true branch of the Templars, they often have cause to join forces with their, sometimes overzealous, brethren. However, they are just as likely to double cross them as they are with any organisation they deal with. Cloaked Brothers are masters of information. They infiltrate organisations to learn what they can, reporting their findings to their superiors – though who exactly “they” are is unknown. This organisation draws from a vast array of talent, from ex-Witch Hunters to Mutants.

### Secondary Profile

**Skills:** Charm, Common Knowledge (any three), Concealment, Disguise, Gossip, Perception, Read/Write, Search, Secret Language (any two), Secret Signs (any two), Silent Move, Speak Language (any four), Trade (any one)

**Talents:** Acute Hearing, Alley Cat, Coolheaded, Linguistics or Mimic, Savvy or Suave, Schemer, Streetwise

**Trappings:** Light Armour (Leather Jack), Hand Weapon, Garrotte\*, Cloak, Good Craftsmanship Disguise Kit, three sets of Good Clothing, one Dose of Poison

\*See Old World Armoury page 31 for details.

### **Career Entries**

Assassin, Courtier, Crime Lord, Demagogue, Friar, Master Thief, Politician, Scout, Spy, Veteran, Witch Hunter

### **Career Exits**

Assassin, Charlatan, Crime Lord, Demagogue, Master Thief, Politician, Scout, Spy, Veteran, Witch Hunter

## Recruitment

The Cloaked Brothers do not exist, and that’s just the way the Cloaked Brothers like it. The vast majority of the Empire has never heard of the Brothers, and the tiny portion that has believes they exist only in beerfuelled tavern tales. While their structure remains entirely concealed to outsiders, the Cloaked Brothers are in fact a highly ordered fraternity. The organisation only consider candidates for recruitment from among long-standing friends and proven associates who possess knowledge or skills that it values. Cloaked Brothers come from all walks of life, and from both sides of the law. There are only two non-negotiable directives that govern recruitment: The candidate must have experienced firsthand contact or exposure to the ruinous powers, and the candidate must be of temperate nature and evidence a personal history that demonstrates caution over zeal, patience over urgency and restraint over indulgence.

Recruits are always selected in groups of five to form the standard Cloaked Brother cell. The Cloaked Brother who recruits a new cell becomes its leader. This way, veteran cells that gain too much attention or notoriety can be “retired” from active duty, yet still put their members’ experience to use. The five members of a Cloaked Brother cell will never meet face-to-face. Cell members know the name and occupation of their cell-leader as well as the other members in their cell, but no one else. In theory, this modular command structure should ensure that individual cells are insulated from one another should a breach in security occur.

Many Cloaked Brothers are trained in cryptography, and communications with their cell-leader and fellow cell-members are handled through an elaborate code scheme utilising a series of cipher discs. A major limitation to early cryptography was that codes had to be simple enough for recipients to decode without the help of advanced academic knowledge. Famed Tilean scholar, Cosimo Baldacci, offered an innovative solution in 1204, with his invention of the cipher disc. The cipher disc is a device used for encoding and decoding messages through the use of concentric wheels imprinted with alphabetic and numeric characters. The Tilean City States make extensive use of cipher discs to maintain the security of their diplomatic missives; however their use is still limited in other regions.

A Cloaked Brother will hide his cipher disc in many places, including inside rings, belt buckles, dagger hilts and even coat buttons. Cipher discs are typically crafted from gold or other soft metals so they can be quickly melted, trampled or otherwise defaced in the event of capture.

## New Skill: Academic Knowledge (Cryptography)

Description: Cryptography is the art of disguising or “encoding” information within a seemingly unrelated sequence of letters and numbers known as a code. In theory, the intended recipient can only read an encoded message through the use of a code key. However, experienced cryptographers are often able to decipher or “decode” a message through meticulous research and toil.

Related Talent: Super Numerate (+10% on Academic Knowledge (Cryptography) Skill Tests)