The Darkfall Brotherhood

Small walled cloisters dot the landscapes of Eidos, refuges from the flow of ordinary life, where time seems to stand still. The monks who live there seek personal perfection through contemplation and rigorous training. A sacred place spoken of often by the locals and the place from where all the other monasteries originated is located in the mountains south of the Barrens, home of the Darkfall Brotherhood.

Structure

The Brotherhood is organised with one Grandmaster at its top - an individual for whom the title is handed down personally from Grandmaster to Grandmaster. Advising the Grandmaster is a council of elders who have all reached the apex of their training; the grandmaster is usually (though not always) chosen from this group. Below the council are differing levels of martial prowess, though each member of the council will usually oversee the training of their inferiors.

Culture

The monks teach and practice deattachment from friends, family, loved ones, and personal goals. Instead, they aspire to balance of life - learning to understand the intricacies of sentience whilst also practising unwavering strength and fortitude in the face of hardship. Members of the brotherhood often join as children. Mages and magical powers are permitted, but ultimately members are encouraged (and elders are expected) to pursue instead the energies of Chi - a natural energy that persists in all living things and in the very world itself. Mastering the understanding and usage of Chi was what makes Monks of the Darkfall Peaks formidable in hand-to-hand combat. Through understanding the energy in all things, they are able to bend it to their will, striking with precision and force that even trained martial artists otherwise would envy. In doing so they can also tranquilise the chi of other beings, mitigating their aggression - even pacifying them outright. The brotherhood are not warmongers - they ultimately seek serenity and peace, and will act as fierce defenders but never aggressors. They make a point of meeting with cultures nearby, and they are one of the very few groups in Eidos that even the Orcs will tolerate within their territory. Some orcs even become members of the brotherhood, and whilst one has yet to make it to the council of elders, they are respected within the brotherhood nonetheless. Indeed, the relationship between the orc Warchief and brotherhood Grandmaster can be, at times, even warm - both making visitations to admire one another's respective cultures.

Public Agenda

The practicioners will defend those nearby who are under attack by belligerents, regardless of who they may be; however, they will also be law-abiding in the sense that bandits under pursuit by local authorities will be aided rather than hindered but at the same time encouraged to relinquish their criminal ways.

Assets

Atop the Darkfall Peaks is a meticulously built and maintained monastery, which acts as the centre of governance for the brotherhood and the main location of pilgrimage. Throughout the mountain range there are other, smaller monasteries, usually maintained by an individual elder of the council as their chosen hearth. Some of these monasteries practice slightly different methods of teaching, but all of them act towards the same goal.

History

The Darkfall Brotherhood was formed in the year 100 by an exiled Spellbreaker captain who, having seen his fair share of conflict wrought by both magic users and ordinary individuals, sought a third path. Making a troublesome journey down to the Darkfall Peaks for reasons only his heart would know, he was pulled there by sheer belief and meditated for many days and nights. He shed his name, title, and all else in the pursuit of his goal, and one evening had a vision of the universe as a living, breathing entity - individuals like himself mere blood cells in the veins of the world. As he awoke, he journeyed to a nearby settlement and purchased tools, making friends of the inhabitants there by aiding their village. Some travelled back up the peaks with him, and by hand, they began to construct the monastery that would persist to the modern day. These initial disciples became the first council of elders, and this captain, now only known as the Originator, became the first Grandmaster. When the Orcs arrived in Eidos, they initially saw the brotherhood as a threat; but with the Originator's final act as Grandmaster, he sought out the orc Warchief and made a commitment to peace. Whilst this peace has been strenuous at times depending on the warchief of the Orcs, the brotherhood have ultimately maintained the peace regardless thanks to their calm and negotiable demeanours.

"Aspire to the Mountain"

Founding Date

100

Type

Religious, Monastic Order

Alternative Names

Monks of the Darkfall Peaks

Location

The Barrens

Neighboring Nations

• The Chantry