THE SCARLET BROTHERHOOD

GEOGRAPHY 

Like Sunndi to the north, the lands of the Scarlet Brotherhood enjoy a great deal of natural protection from would-be invaders.  At the beginning of the Tilvanot Peninsula, where the land juts upwards from the southernmost arm of the Vast Swamp, the Spine Ridge reaches for the sky. These uplands continue many leagues to the south, where they form a great plateau. The ridge is said to be teeming with humanoids, and it is not known whether the agents of the Scarlet Brotherhood have made any attempt to tame this wild area.  To the east, the lands of the Brotherhood are largely protected by the shark-infested Tilva Strait and the frequent storms along the coast of the Densac Gulf make sea travel an oftentimes treacherous proposition.

HISTORY

In the summer of 573 CY, few save the vigilant elves of Sunndi had insight to the peoples who populated the Tilvanot Peninsula, south of the Vast Swamp.  On that year, seafaring merchants from the Lordship of the Isles first reported signs of civilization there. These newly discovered individuals, apparently a sophisticated order of militaristic monks, called themselves the “Scarlet Brotherhood,” and they did not appreciate the Lord’s ships alighting their coast. These reports brought a great deal of interest to the peninsula, and several agents were sent, on behalf of neighboring governments, to determine the nature of this newfound monastic order.  None of these agents returned.  When further information had been gathered, the curious rulers still had little information with which to content themselves.

It was known that the residents of this land possessed largely Suel ancestry and that their society was carefully monitored by silent men in red robes. These men seemed to act as both police force, religious advisors and government, though the exact forms of these, such as which religion these priests adhered to, remained a mystery. The Scarlet Brotherhood, as a nation, was fiercely distrustful of non-natives and conducted little, if any, trade with outside nations.

In time, it was learned that their society, at least around the coasts, was strictly agrarian, with single plantations farming several hundred acres of arable land. These people seemed to be a simple folk, sheepherders and raisers of livestock.  Many advisors to the courts of Idee, Sunndi and others suggested leaving these simple folk as an enigma. After all, they offered, the bulwark of the Vast Swamp provided ample protection from invasion. Logic, however, eventually won the day.

Judging by the amount of crops grown in the fields below the Tilvanot Plateau, these plantations existed solely to provide for a much larger population than evident on the nation’s coast. In time, secretive explorers discovered the closed city of Kro Terlep but, yet again, their activities seldom escaped the notice of those of the Scarlet Sign.  Eventually, it was determined that the men in red robes called themselves the Scarlet Brotherhood, an organization that traced its roots to before the Rain of Colorless Fire destroyed the Suel Imperium. Months later, in the closing days of 573 CY, delegates from the Scarlet Brotherhood presented themselves in the courts of Irongate.  They, like any other foreign agents, were given quarters in the city and called upon when needed. Whatever information they gave to the wily Cobb Darg, however, remained within the stone walls of Irongate.

Information gathering in the lands of the Scarlet Brotherhood (as the nation itself began to be called, though a considerable amount of information suggests that they themselves refer to the nation as the “Land of Purity”) was a case study in frustration.  For instance, spies were able to detect that the Brotherhood itself was led by an enigmatic man known as the “Father of Obedience,” but his exact identity remained shielded from prying eyes. Likewise, infiltrators learned that the culture of the Scarlet Brotherhood had been rigidly formed, with the religious militarists, or “Brothers,” being superior, followed by a smaller group of men and women trained in the art of murder, known as “Cousins” and, finally, a group of thieves known as “Uncles,”—but little of the actual ideology of these largely separate bodies was revealed.  Perhaps most frustrating of all, spies in Kro Terlep discovered that the city was not, in fact, the capitol and governmental seat of the Scarlet Brotherhood at all.  That distinction was saved for Hesuel Ilshar, the so-called “Breedhome of the Suloise,” a hidden monastery that, despite the diligent effort of many, many spies, remains shrouded in mystery to this day.

The Brotherhood preached a doctrine of Suel superiority, a message the populace took up with pride.  It was suggested by many that the Brotherhood (which sanctioned only strictly arranged marriages and births) had initiated extensive breeding programs in Hesuel Ilshar, with the intent of purifying the racial strain of the Brotherhood lands.  Rumors flowed of the Father of Obedience’s wishes of an Oerth-wide conquest in which all but the most pale of skin would be eradicated.

Again, this settled poorly with the rulers of the surrounding lands, and many suggested bringing arms against their southern neighbors. Latmac Ranold, in fact, advocated a plan of raid and pillage, suggesting several methods by which the strain of the Brotherhood might become “impure.”  In all instances, however, cool-headed advisors restrained their leaders from action.  “Without a navy,” they opined, “the Brotherhood is no threat to us.”

It took several years for the Scarlet Brotherhood to prove those advisors wrong.  It is not known how the Brotherhood managed to get a party of men to the Pomarj, but their existence there was revealed in the last days of Flocktime, 580 CY. After a siege that had lasted nearly two months, the forces of Prince Olinstaad Corond of Ulek sacked Strandkeep Castle, in the Drachensgrabs.  The key to any effective invasion of the Pomarj on the western front, Corond thought to encounter legions of euroz and jebli and was surprised to be met by human spellcasters, ogres and trolls.

When the invaders finally gained entry to the citadel, they learned much of its inhabitants. Somehow, agents of the Scarlet Sign had managed to gain control of Strandkeep Castle from the humanoids that had claimed it since the close of the Hateful Wars.  The exact details of what these agents revealed to Prince Olinstaad’s generals remains a secret, as each of the prisoners was quickly put to the sword.  The Prince had planned the Strandkeep siege to be but the first in an extended campaign to regain land long lost by Ulek. With the Duke of Elredd’s private army harrying Highport, it seemed the perfect time to continue the fledgling war.  Mysteriously, however, Ulek’s army was unable, or unwilling, to take advantage of these fortuitous events, and the campaign was largely abandoned.  Corond retained a small standing force at Strandkeep Castle and went home. Years later, events would hammer home the tragedy of this mistake.

During the Greyhawk Wars, the Scarlet Brotherhood established itself as a major victor.  In a matter of months, entire nations fell to that order’s assassins. It was revealed that the advisors of many of the royal courts of the Flanaess had been Brotherhood agents, giving their leaders poisoned advice from the beginning. Some nations, such as Sunndi, the Sea Barons and most notably, Irongate, discovered this ruse in time to save their governments. Others did not.

Where guile and deception failed to win the day, the monks of the Scarlet Sign employed brute force.  The Hold of the Sea Princes, already weakened by the murder of 27 of its nobles in a single night, saw hordes of “savages” from the Amedio Jungle unloaded into their lands by ships bearing sails of Scarlet. At one point, captured Sea Princes ships were made to attack the Keoish port of Gradsul, though Uleki assistance rebuffed the effort.

In the captured lands—Idee, Onnwall, the Lordship of the Isles and the Hold of the Sea Princes—Scarlet Brotherhood agents now hold nearly every position of power. Amedio and Hepmonaland natives roam these lands in packs, obediently following the beck and call of the Scarlet monks. Worse yet, foul half-breed creatures, likely created in the halls of Hesuel Ilshar itself, are now used to instill fear in the occupied lands.  he exact numbers of Brothers and Sisters in the taken lands is not known at this time.  What is known is that existence there is hellish, and many of those who cannot escape commit suicide by the day.

POLITICS

Unfortunately, little is known regarding the political structure of the Scarlet Brotherhood or the lands it has recently come to dominate. What is known is that the entire organization is in theory controlled by an individual, the Father of Obedience. This man is said to be a monastic religious militarist and a brilliant strategist. There are likely a number of intermediaries, but the next known step in the Brotherhood’s hierarchy is that of the Brothers and Sisters themselves.

Like the Father of Obedience, the Brothers and Sisters of the Scarlet Brotherhood are often, though not always, trained in a bizarre form of unarmed combat. Because of this, these individuals abstain the use of weapons under any circumstance. Often found wearing scarlet, deep-hooded robes, these individuals command a near-frightening amount of respect from their subordinates. To fail in the eyes of a Brother or Sister of the Scarlet sign is to invite death.  Strangely, the monks seldom have to dirty their own hands.  With a single order, the disfavored are often expected to end their own lives. It is a testament to the place the monks hold in their society that such an order is seldom challenged.

Below the Brothers and Sisters are the assassins of the Scarlet Brotherhood. Called “Uncles,” it was these individuals who brought the order its greatest successes during the Greyhawk Wars. Because of this, many Uncles (the term is used for both men and women) have been given important stations in the Hold of the Sea Princes, where their efforts were most successful. Many more of their number have returned to the field, and are now thought to be in place in nearly every uncontrolled nation in the Flanaess.

Finally, the “Cousins” make up the day to day members of the Brotherhood’s hierarchy. These men and women are often field agents; a spy for the Brotherhood planted in a foreign land is most often a Cousin. Because of this, the Cousins are often adept at those skills necessary to avoid detection.  Seldom can be found the Cousin who cannot blend easily into darkness or climb the sheerest of surfaces. Still, however, such individuals do exist.  Because the Scarlet Brotherhood is a multi-faceted organization, the Cousins are the most diverse of the three groups that define its upper echelons.  Members of this faction occasionally dabble in the arcane arts or devote much of their time to physical perfection.

Below the Brothers, Sisters, Uncles and Cousins, life in the Scarlet Brotherhood isn’t particularly enjoyable. The Vitiates, or “flawed,” are the closest analog to a merchant class evident in the lands of the Scarlet Brotherhood.  Their numbers are comprised of those for some reason unfit for membership in the upper levels of the Brotherhood and are not technically members of the organization. They are, however, fully subordinate to even the lowest of Cousins and are subject to the orders of any superior.  The Vitiates are the landowners and merchants of the Brotherhood, and are accorded a very small amount of respect from the higher ranks. On a very rare occasion, Suel-blooded nobility of conquered lands have been awarded with this status, particularly if they aided in the invasion of their homeland.

Below the Vitiates are the Suculum; the “soiled.” This category of citizenry includes any of a not-strictly Suel heritage, and it’s numbers make up the menial workforce of the Brotherhood. Those showing clear evidence of Baklunish ancestry are not given Suculum status, but are often killed upon their discovery. Nearly every resident of foreign lands fall into this category. Their place in the coming Suel society is clearly delineated, and there is no hope for social advancement.

At the lowest mark of Brotherhood society are the slaves. These individuals are beyond contempt in the eyes of the government, and are often used as mere agricultural machines. In the occupied lands, where the supply of slaves is nearly limitless, agents of the Brotherhood often work these men and women until their deaths. Clearly, the health and well being of this caste is not an issue in the eyes of the greater hierarchy.

RELIGION

Curiously, though the monks of the Scarlet Sign have been rigidly straightforward about imposing their society upon the fallen lands, they have on no occasion exported their religion. The churches and temples that stood before the ships of scarlet arrived have in nearly every instance been torn to the ground, but nothing has been erected on their sites. Indeed, it seems as if these men and women follow no power but that of Suel supremacy. However, it is known that priests of some sort walk the closed streets of Hesuel Ilshar, and they can occasionally be seen at Kro Terlep or beyond. These priests almost invariably command a great deal of fear and respect, though they seldom speak in public. Perhaps because of their enigmatic and secretive nature, many have postulated upon the religion of the Scarlet Brotherhood, and many have spoken the same, dire name: Tharizdun.