Fraternitas Averni
Structure
The Brothers and Sisters of Avernus are a society of equals, every full fledged member of the organization has exactly one vote to cast when decisions must be made, and none may command any other. The only allowance they make or recognition they give to something like "ranks" is that the amount of time a member is allotted to speak at a meeting increases with seniority. Even for initiates who have not yet been made brothers or sisters, very little restriction is placed on them and very much is expected. An initiate and be expected to be treated exactly like a member except in that they do not have a vote until they become a true sworn sibling.
Culture
The first many generations of the order were born, raised, and most often died in Avernus. That would doubtless have left deep marks even if there had been a complete break with the plane. As it is, most brothers and sisters wind up spending cumulative years of their lives in the hells, and much of that in Avernus, even to this day. The culture of the fraternity is the culture of Hell. When interacting with those outside their organization, every member will speak and act like a noble of fine pedigree, and can expect to be received as such anywhere the Infernal Seal holds even a modicum of sway.
Public Agenda
Hell's vanguard are exceedingly clear about their goals: they seek to maximize the number of eternally damned souls by any means necessary.
History
The First Great Demon War brought both devils and angels to Khthon, each seeking to contain the Abyss and prevent the other from establishing a new powerbase. Rather than risk destroying the newly discovered world, each force pulled the majority of their forces out of the plane and acted against each other primarily indirectly. In what is perhaps the most successful scheme ever pulled off by the forces of Hell, the seeds of the Fraternitas Averni were planted. Even as they feigned aloof disinterest, and further feigned plans for conquest underneath that first layer of deception, devils all over Khthon were enticing as many mortals as they could sneak away with into relocating into Avernus. Once there, the mortals were bred and raised for war at the greatest rate that logistics could allow. The legions of Hell would become numberless. The operation had to be halted when the War Against the Dragons attracted greatly increased angelic scrutiny of Khthon, but by then the process was more than self-sustaining. After the Second Great Demon War, all living mortals had to be expelled from Hell, and devils could no longer travel to Khthon without being summoned. This too, it seems, was a part of the infernal strategy: angels were similarly proscribed direct intervention, and the very moment the mortals of Avernus arrived on Khthon they founded a kingdom of the damned and began a war to conquer the world.
The Kingdom of Goetia was wildly successful in its initial conquests, and continued to demonstrate incredible competence at warfare even after the tides turned, but they were waging war against an entire world, one more unified than it had ever been before, and likely ever will be again. Two hundred eighty four years after its founding, Hell's client kingdom on Khthon was destroyed. That was not the end, however, for it was an eventuality long planned for. Every conquest had seen sleeper agents planted both in conquered territories and among fleeing refugees. The Goetian king could not escape the wrath of Khthon's natives, but who could say how much of his council, how many of Goetia's nobles, escaped simply because no one would betray them and the victors did not know who they were? This is the basis for the Fraternitas Averni.
Vincere est Cor Hominum
Founding Date
318 Awe
Type
Secret, Brotherhood
Alternative Names
Hell's Vanguard
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Avernal
Leader
Location
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Comments