The Brotherhood of Sanguine Bonds
Welcome back to Nefarious Knowledge, the article we devote to expanding on the people, places, and things we talk about in our books. This week, I’ll be talking about the Brotherhood of Sanguine Bonds, a group mentioned in our first supplement, Liber Vampyr (which, by the way, has been updated and is available for download here).
The Brotherhood claims to be an organization for vampire disciples, a place where they can come to learn and share the secrets of the Sanguine Path without the effort and risk involved in discovering the steps alone. However, most vampire disciples are suspicious of the Brotherhood, certain the group has some dark secret to hide. So far, though, no one has been able to prove the Brotherhood to be anything other than what it purports to be.
Location
The Brotherhood of Sanguine Bonds is located in the city-state of Megiros. There are many speculations on the reasons for choosing this location, especially since the leader of the Brotherhood is said to be from Kyldor (though a few claim he is instead from somewhere on the Imre peninsula). One good reason for choosing Megiros may be the fact that there are known to be an exceptionally high number of vampire-related artifacts within the city as well in the surrounding area. In addition, the Caliph of Megiros is known to be rather tolerant of undead, all things considered – but if tolerance is the main priority for the Brotherhood, one must ask why they did not instead choose Gorgynia, a city entrenched with undead? Others say the reasons are simply a preference for the warmer climate and the availability of cheap housing within the city.
Leadership
The Brotherhood is headed by a man by the name of Jonathan Dulam, a very advanced vampire disciple. Jonathan is starting to get on in years, being somewhere in his late 40s or perhaps early 50s. Those who have met him describe him as very clean and a fastidious dresser, but what makes the biggest impression on them are always his eyes – always staring, intense and piercing.
There are those who say that Jonathan is not what he claims to be; for one, as the rumor goes, he is not just an advanced vampire disciple, but in fact a full-fledged vampire. According to these people, he founded the Brotherhood for his own advantage. From his position, he can aid those disciples who show the greatest potential (and the greatest loyalty); but more significantly, he devours those disciples he considers less than worthy. And based on the number of people who he is known to have personally aided, he doesn’t like many people. Of course, these rumors may simply be the result of suspicious imaginations run wild – vampire disciples are certainly known to be distrustful.
Secret Artifact
Perhaps one of the most intriguing rumors about the Brotherhood claims that the group has gained possession of a very potent, very complex, ancient artifact. No one is sure exactly what the artifact is – perhaps it is a sort of astrolabe, or maybe a pillar covered in indecipherable runes. Whatever the artifact looks like, it is said to hold all the secrets of the Sanguine Path. As yet, it is believed that the Brotherhood has not yet been able to discover how the artifact works or how to control it.
However, some say that Jonathan has indeed learned the secret of the artifact. Allegedly, he uses the device to steal the life essence of various members of the Brotherhood and imbibe it. He disposes of their bodies in secret, always with a reasonable alibi – after all, many have lost their lives while on an errand to retrieve some vampire-related artifact, and indeed the Sanguine Path itself requires the risking of one’s life. But, then again, this could just be paranoid vampire disciples making up more wild tales.
Organization
The Brotherhood offers several services for its members, such as room and board for members in town. Obviously, though, the service valued most highly is knowledge of the Steps of the Sanguine Path. This prize, however, does not come free: members must earn access to the steps through by doing work for the Brotherhood. This work may involve adventuring to recover various artifacts useful for the group (here, the abundance of vampire artifacts around Megiros comes in handy); it could also involve research about these artifacts, or about other things related to the Steps or vampires in general; occasionally, a member has even proven himself through political action which gains some advantage for the Brotherhood. Ultimately, it all comes down to how much one can impress the group’s mysterious leader.
Each member of the Brotherhood is unofficially ranked according to how many Steps he or she has completed. Further, it is considered more impressive for one to have acquired the knowledge on their own than to have had it given to them by the organization. This informal and unofficial ranking is nonetheless quite strictly adhered to: it is an unwritten rule that members of the brotherhood are to obey and render assistance to those who outrank them, though abuse of this power is typically dealt with harshly.
The Brotherhood claims to be a neutral place for vampire disciples, and forbids its members from committing any sort of violence against each other or from stealing the property of another member. And, for the most part, this rule is followed and enforced.
Occasionally, however, some members have been able to get away with back-stabbing their companions, taking either the credit for some impressive deed (and thereby gaining access to the next Step) or some valuable artifact. Some vampire disciples outside the Brotherhood would have you believe this happens far more often than the organization lets on, but they may simply be jealous of the power the Brotherhood has been gaining.