Brotherhood of Masks

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> —**Brotherhood of Masks**
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The **Brotherhood of Masks** was a cult and secret society that believed in magic and worshipped a higher being known as the Gryphon. They wore a ruby ring at all times in order to identify each other in public. They competed with Edmund Cloudsley for possession of the Golden Idol until he infiltrated the Brotherhood under the alias of Lazarus Herst, eventually dissolving it and forming the Order Party in its place.

## Practices

The Brotherhood of Masks was divided into three houses: Darkhands, Watersnakes and Proudbeasts. Darkhands were represented by a hand, and wore a green mask with a long nose and a wide, toothy grin. Watersnakes were represented by a snake, and wore a blue mask with hollow eyes and a gaping mouth with fangs. Proudbeasts were represented by a lion, and wore a red mask with fur on the scalp, eyebrows, and chin.

Additionally, members were divided into three ranks: Initiate, Steward and Master. Initiates were represented by one eye, and wore a burgundy cloak with two white vertical stripes. Stewards were represented by two eyes, and wore a green cloak with two white diamonds on the shoulders. Masters were represented by three eyes, and wore a white cloak with two gold circles next to the shoulders.

### Challenge rituals

If a Brotherhood member accused another member of going against the Brotherhood, one of four challenge rituals would take place. In all four rituals, both parties drank from one of two wine glasses, one of which was poisoned. It was believed that the Gryphon will ensure that the party who was in the wrong would be the one to drink the poison. The ritual chosen depended on the severity of the accusation; more serious rituals used more lethal poisons, and the ritual hall was decorated differently depending on the ritual. The four rituals, from least to most severe, were: the ritual of squabble, which could only take place between Initiates; the ritual of conflict, in which the accuser must deeply hate the defender; the ritual of dispute, which could only take place between Stewards or Masters; and the ritual of discord, where each member of the accuser's house and defender's house stood behind them.

### Endurance rituals

The Brotherhood had four rituals of endurance; their contents and purpose are never definitively elaborated on, but members presumably went through them to ascend to different ranks. Those who underwent an endurance ritual endured four tests, which were represented in the ritual hall as a series of pictorial riddles. The four endurance rituals were: the ritual of inception, which might have allowed a non-Brotherhood member to gain the rank of Initiate; the ritual of evaluation, which might have allowed an Initiate to gain the rank of Steward; the ritual of transition, which might have allowed a member to change houses; and the ritual of admission, which may have allowed a Steward to gain the rank of Master.

### Gryphon Rebirth

A member of the Brotherhood could claim themselves to be Gryphon Reborn by performing a miracle. If this happened, another Brotherhood member (which historically was always Angus MacBain) would attempt to repeat the claimant's miracle. If the miracle was repeated, it could not truly have been a miracle, and the claimant would be executed for their heresy. If the miracle couldn't be repeated, the masks of the Brotherhood members would fall, and the claimant would be crowned Gryphon Reborn. Four Brotherhood members died for claiming to be Gryphon Reborn; three because Angus repeated their miracle, and one because they were unable to demonstrate the miracle of flying and instead fell to their death. Lazarus Herst simulated the miracle of flying using the Golden Idol, and Angus was unable to repeat it, resulting in his death and Lazarus becoming the only Brotherhood member to be crowned Gryphon Reborn.

## Known members

* Lazarus Herst (Gryphon Reborn)
* Alistair Koch (Proudbeast Master)
* James Turner (Darkhand Master)
* Angus MacBain (Watersnake Master)
* Sebastian Cloudsley (Proudbeast Steward)
* Walter Keene (Darkhand Steward)
* Jeffrey Sinclair (Watersnake Steward)
* Willard Wright (Proudbeast Initiate)
* Chester Davy (Darkhand Initiate)
* Nicolas Maker (Watersnake Initiate)
* Lord Harrington (First Darkhand)
* Lord Pledsley (Proudbeast Master)
* Lord Jones (Darkhand Master)
* Lord White (Proudbeast Master)