The Joyous Brotherhood

The Joyous Brotherhood is made up of those who feel the very power of inspiration flowing through their veins and limbs. While Darmon is the god of joy and laughter, the joy in the hearts of the Zhenkefan brotherhood is more like religious euphoria and bliss than the simple joy of a good laugh. The members of this order are lent great strength and power by the elative forces of Zheenkeef, and slip into divine trances to aid them in battle.
Though they sometimes have a wild demeanor, the joyous brothers do not seem madness-stricken like apostles. Instead, they are an ecstatic people, moved from the very well of their beings to do great things. Unlike most apostles, they do care about secular matters, and involve themselves in local struggles and politics, befriending and aiding the underdogs, and those without a voice. In the classic feuds of legends, where two great families tear apart a town, the Joyous Brotherhood sides with faceless peasants caught in the middle. They are trained at noticing the people others ignore.
The order focuses its attentions on serving these ignored groups and opposing of all forces that enslave minds and hearts. Joyous brothers delight in matters great and small, fighting against evil with their massive morningstars and happiness. When confronted with the stolid considerations of decorum, they resort to mockery and japes.
Good manners are not their forte, and for this reason many call them the “vulgar order.” They drink wine, often to excess, do not hold their emotions in check, and don’t stay their tongues when they feel someone is wrong. They are bold, brash, loud, and unquestionably empowered with the divine inspiration of their goddess. While many in power think them drunken buffoons, they are in fact terrifyingly observant, and often cut haughty men low with a single perfectly worded observation.
Every autumn, the joyous brothers see it as their duty to help harvest grapes and press wine. They disguise themselves and show up in communities where they are strangers, lending work to the farmers and departing days later, when the harvest is done. In this, they see themselves as walking in the footsteps of Zheenkeef, who also wandered the land, lending aid to strangers and departing, her identity unknown.
While there are other holy warrior orders, like the Eagles of the Urianath, who seek to oppose tyranny and free the enslaved, no order’s behavior is like the Joyous Brotherhood’s. While the brothers do seek to free those who are literally enslaved, they also wish to awaken the desires of those who are not drinking deep from the cup of life. “There is a kind of slavery in the heart,” they are known to say, “when a man lives free of physical bonds, yet never strays from what is expected of him.” The joyous brothers seek to move all those they meet to live life to its fullest, be bold, love all people, and speak their minds.
More reserved folk find them insufferable. The rules of conduct for the joyous brotherhood are more poetic suggestions than clear edicts:

Never accept the words of the powerful at face value.
Those who are too weak to afford beliefs should be offered aid.
Look for the detail no one else sees.
Remind all those you meet that life is sweet.
Never shrink from looking into the face of tragedy.
A person enslaved by his own beliefs should be offered the hand of friendship.
A person enslaved by the beliefs of others must be freed.
Remember the Creed each day.

Interpretations of these edicts vary, so it is unlikely a joyous brother would be ejected from the order for violating one unless that violation was patently obvious, such as becoming the obedient servant of a king. The command to free the enslaved does not pertain to those who have been imprisoned for evil deeds. That much is universally accepted by the members of the order.

Whatever the interpretation of these edicts, if a joyous brother knowingly commits an evil act or actively aids in the commission of an evil act, she will lose her abilities until she atones.
Joyous brothers prefer chaotic companions. It is very rare to find joyous brothers traveling with, say, officers of the courts of Maal. They most often travel with fighters, barbarians, rogues, rangers, and others who do not mind the occasional song and large jug of wine. Those who take themselves very seriously, or insist that their companions obey every rule, are unlikely to find themselves in the company of a joyous brother for long.

Laughing Brother or Sister

Members of the Joyous Brotherhood are called laughing brothers or sisters. They are addressed as “Brother” or “Sister” and introduced by full title. A laughing sister is charged to ride forth, often with other members of her order, and do great works against the powers of Law.

Drunken Brother or Sister

After a laughing brother or sister has become powerful and filled with the inspiration of Zheenkeef, he or she is raised to the status of drunken brother, or sister. He or she is addressed as “Honored Brother” or “Honored Sister,” and introduced by full title. The accompanying ceremony is true to the name; a new drunken sister drinks for an entire day of the finest wine available, until she staggers. She is then stripped of her weapons and armor and sent to a remote area—a wilderness, a desert, a mountain—to wander alone for three days. Of course, by this time the drunken sister is quite powerful, and it is rare that one does not survive the initiation.
After the initiation, many of the order swear off wine for some long period, except for ceremonial celebrations. Indeed, they hardly need it any longer; they are called the drunken brothers (or sisters) because they can conjure up the deep joy of inebriation without wine and its side effects. A drunken sister laughs louder, speaks more freely, sees more clearly, and is inspired more deeply than ever she was as a laughing sister. She can be understood to be drunk with life, not wine.

Joining the Joyous Brotherhood

A laughing sister is usually someone who heard the call of Zheenkeef at a young age, and went to a vineyard to train in the ways of the order. Quite often, the call is heard with the young person’s first sip of wine, for it is through wine that Zheenkeef speaks to her chosen. Training to become a member of the order usually only takes about two years. Nearly all are chaotic, and most (though not all) tend to be chaotic good. Unlike other militant orders, the joyous brotherhood is made up of sorcerers with Divine Inspiration for their sorcerous origin.

While they possess magical power, most are just as happy smashing their foes with their morningstars as they are channeling the power of their mad goddess.

Type

Religious, Holy Order

Parent Organization

Holy Orders of Zheenkeef

Related Myths

• The Coming of the Titans
• The Need for Wine