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BloodThorne Brotherhood
The Bloodthorne Brotherhood is known as one of the most lethal mercenary forces in the underworld. Home to an elite group of killers, the Brotherhood has existed for thousands of years, and induction is only achieved through sponsorship by an existing member. This is not a group that can be joined, and there are never more than a dozen members at a given time. Created in Persia at the height of the Achaemenid Empire, when Xerxes I conquered most of northern and central Greece (550BC), the Brotherhood were elite fighters from all over Europe and Asia that served the God King. When the king eventually fell and the empire crumbled, they continued the tradition as mercenaries for hire, retrieving the BloodThorne Rose and continuing the traditions many centuries later. Once sponsored by the group, the initiate must undergo a trial known as Bloodletting, testing their skill and strength by fighting an existing brotherhood member. If they pass, either by surviving long enough or even defeating a member of the group, they will then be invited to drink the Brother's Blood; a potent mix made from the existing member's blood and a drop of venom from a Bloodthorne rose, which will connect all the brothers, sharing their strength and abilities across all members. Therefore, you can only be sponsored by existing members, as they only want the strong to join the group. There is always a leader of the Brotherhood, and change of leadership only occurs through a challenge, their death, or the naming of a successor (though this is rare). A naming of a successor can happen when a 150-year period has passed with only one leader, and they can then nominate another member of the Brotherhood to succeed them. This has happened only twice in the long history of the Brotherhood, with Apep’s nomination of Maxim becoming third in the history of the Brotherhood.
ILLUSION
Located in a warehouse district in downtown Philidelphia, the ILLUSION Nightclub is the current base of the BloodThorne Brotherhood.
ILLUSION began as a demon biker bar, known for its bloody fight ring and demonic patrons.
The demons were known for kidnapping women and girls from the neighborhood to sell them into sex slavery, while the males would be thrown into a pit where the DJ stage now stood. There they would be forced to fight and die brutally for the entertainment of the demon patrons, while the women and children were bought and branded, raped and mutilated, often left in dumpsters around the city for human law enforcement to find.
Now it is a thriving nightclub called ILLUSION: a 'safe zone' for humans, Supernatural and the Fae to mingle, play, and imbibe under the watchful eyes of the Brotherhood.
As you enter the club, a glamour is cast; affecting the mind's ability to form long-term memories. The patrons then enter an oval room with a circular stage in the center that hosts a DJ or band, and the surrounding walls are full of bars and bathrooms. Large screens cover the walls, displaying videos and images while one large staircase leads up to the second floor and a VIP area. The second floor houses more expensive liquors, cocktails, and exclusive curtained booths that line the entire upper level, except for the Brotherhood's Section.
In the Brotherhood section, there is a throne for the vampire lord Maxim to sit and observe the masses below and a large black security door that is guarded by werewolves.
The black door leads to a security room full of screens and the base of operations for the BloodThorne Brotherhood, while other rooms such as offices, private quarters, sparring lounges, armories, and holding cells make up the rest of the underground base.
With gothic themes, loud music, and supernatural-themed cocktails, ILLUSION is a very popular club frequented by both cambion and human patrons. Upon entry, patrons pass through a glamour that makes it difficult to formulate memories of the night. This protects the supernatural secret from the humans and with the help of alcohol, human patrons typically awaken the next day with hazy memories of their time at ILLUSION.
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Members
All the members of the Brotherhood do their part to operate and run ILLUSION; the BloodThorne Brotherhood's base of operations.Hanta and members of his pack keep tight control of security within the building, while Roman and Forneus monitor patrons on the second floor of ILLUSION's VIP Area. Being cambion demons, they have connections within the supernatural community that frequent the upper floors and restricted VIP areas. Romans Incubi charm allows him access to information that individuals wouldn’t normally part with, while Forneus, as a Crossroads Demon, will often be seen making deals and networking with the upper and lower echelons of the demonic community. Sariel monitors and reports on hell and the movements of its Fallen Angel leadership while Apep controls the security center that is the beating heart of the Brotherhood base. As the leader of the Bloodthorne Brotherhood, Maxim is tasked with overseeing the entire operation. Ensuring the club remains the front for the organization and brings in income to the Brotherhood itself. With Apep changing the direction of the Brotherhood hundreds of years ago, they had begun losing money on contracts they would normally take; becoming more selective with who they would and wouldn’t kill. When Maxim and Hanta had proposed the idea of a club like ILLUSION to Apep and the Brotherhood, it met little resistance, ensuring the Bloodthorn could continue to grow and expand its influence in the supernatural community. They are now more akin to peacekeepers and secret police than mercenaries, but their old reputation is still known throughout the world.
You can learn more about the BloodThorne Brotherhood Members here!