Brothers of Handrich

"The citizens of the Empire rightly view the Cult of Handrich as an honorable, charitable group with the best interests of the people at heart. This is why we employ the Brothers of Handrich—to keep distasteful things out of sight of the people and keep His name unsullied and pure."

- Gustav Stuttor, Priest of Handrich

Each Cult of the Empire has its own sects, knightly orders, and Templars to protect its interests and defend the righteous from harm. Relatively new, the Cult of Handrich does not yet have its own publicly sanctioned religious warriors. However, the Cult does have a semisecret branch of dedicated individuals that are used to help enforce the decrees of the Cult and further its business. Average citizens call them thugs, enforcers, or “heavies.” The Cult refers to these trusted individuals as the Brothers of Handrich.

The Brothers of Handrich are people trusted by the Cult whose skills, contacts, position, and even physical stature are considered useful. In short, they are exactly what the average citizen thinks they are—muscle. Talented muscle, however. The Brothers of Handrich do the dirty work for the Cult, putting pressure on burghers and politicians, protecting precious shipments, and busting heads as needed. Because the business of the Cult extends into almost every type of commerce and all throughout the Empire, the Brothers of Handrich can find themselves travelling great distances and dealing with all types of people on behalf of the Cult—often making a profit on the side.

Purpose
The vast majority of the Brothers of Handrich are used as heavy enforcers of the Cult, doing the dirty work that helps maintain a respectable face for the public and to further the goals of the Cult. They intimidate rival businessmen or Cultists, break the legs of those who are late with payments, and, when absolutely required, kill people who, in the eyes of the Cult, need killing. Some Brothers are employed for their special skills, such as simple accounting, forgery, breaking and entering, and the like. Finally, the Brothers are also used as deterrents, with certain members being assigned as bodyguards to Priests. The high-pressure demands and cutthroat (sometimes literally) lifestyle of many Priests of the Cult put them in situations where the presence of some muscle helps ensure safety.

The Brothers strive to keep their ties to the rest of the Cult secret from the outside world. Acting under fronts as legitimate business ventures, trade guilds, or even straight out thieves’ guilds, the Brothers do the work asked of them by the Cult. The Brothers take this oath of secrecy extremely seriously and it’s a sure death sentence for any Brother who willingly divulges the presence or agendas of a ring of Brothers.

History
The Cult of Handrich itself is a relatively new Cult, without the millennia of history and conflict that belongs to the other faiths. The Brothers of Handrich can also be considered new, having formed rather organically as the Cult brought in outsiders to assist them with matters of violence. At first, there were no restrictions as to what kind of help a Cultist could employ as muscle, but over time, as profits rose and agendas solidified, the Cult of Handrich realized that it must organise these disparate groups to bring them in line with the motives and methods of the Cult.

In 1987 IC, the Priests of Handrich in Marienburg convened and set to the task of organising their membership. The Cult was divided up into two “rings,” the inner ring composed of the actual Priests and Cultists, and the outer ring, which was the term utilized to described individuals and groups friendly to the Cult and its agendas, but otherwise not affiliated. During the meeting, known as the “Assembly of Brothers,” the Cult created the Middle Ring, composed of close companions and servants of the Cult who were not otherwise full Cultists or Priests. Thus the Brothers of Handrich were born.

Throughout the subsequent years, motions have been passed to both expand and reduce the influence and power of the Brothers of Handrich. Some Cultists feel that the Brothers represent the true, beating heart of the Cult, with its drive, competitive spirit, and first-hand knowledge of market forces. Others believe that the Brothers claim too much profit and opportunities best utilized by the rest of the Cult and think that the Brothers should be reined back or removed altogether. This constant back and forth ensures that membership in the Brothers of Handrich is dynamic and interesting, but definitely not for the faint of heart.

The Brothers Today
The Brothers of Handrich is currently undergoing a boom in growth, power, and influence. As the burghers of the Empire grow and expand their reach, so to do the Brothers, piggybacking on their success. The Cult is also expanding, setting up new Temples and establishing business ventures in increasingly far-flung portions of the Empire and even beyond. The Cult sends envoys to new locations in order to set up new Rings of Brothers, setting the stage for the eventual creation of a Temple of Handrich.

With the Cult of Handrich taking a more aggressive hold on trade and commerce in the Empire, the Brothers find themselves getting involved in bigger schemes all the time. Every new discovery of resources, technological advancement, or piece of land reclaimed from the Greenskins represents additional opportunities that the Brothers are more than willing to embrace.

The biggest threats that the Brothers encounter are the thieves’ guilds who consider the Brothers to be nothing more than interlopers, the meddling of the Cult of Ranald, and conservative citizens of the Empire who consider the Cult of Handrich (and thus the Brothers) to be a backhanded assault on the traditional way of life that the Empire has engaged in for untold centuries. To help grease the wheels of commerce, the Brothers utilize the time-honoured method of carrot (money, influence, and favours) and stick (or hammer, axe, or firearm pressed into the stubborn person’s face).

Structure
In order to understand the structure of the Brothers, one must first understand the structure of the Cult of Handrich. The Cult is divided up into three different tiers, or “rings.” The Inner Ring includes the full Priests of the Cult and has further degrees of delineation that are not revealed to outsiders. The Outer Ring refers to friendly businessmen and those who owe favours to the Cult, but do not put themselves in harm’s way for it. The Cult internally refers to the Brothers as the Middle Ring.

Every Brother of Handrich is tied to a particular Temple, which hires certain personnel depending on their particular needs at the time. Brothers either work in small crews, which have a degree of autonomy or are assigned to specific Priests to do their bidding. A Priest of Handrich strives to have control of his own rings of Brothers, and is ultimately responsible for their actions. A Ring that gets out of hand or endangers the activities of the Cult must answer to its Priest, who must in turn answer to the Inner Ring of the Cult. Punishment for poor performers can be extremely harsh and most Priests keep constant tabs on the Rings that they control and place serious pressure on the High Brothers responsible for their day-to-day operations.

Crews of Brothers vary in size, but usually comprise between four to eight members. The Brother who controls the crew and directly reports back to a specific Priest is typically known as the “High Brother.” High Brothers control their crew tightly, constantly on the watch for signs of disloyalty or for Brothers who try to skim too much from the top.

To help maintain a line of deniability, the Brothers never refer to themselves as such with outsiders and maintain the front of some sort of other venture, such as a “normal” thieves’ guild, a union of workers, or a regular business guild. Other Rings put up the front as political agitators or members of a completely different Cult to further muddy the waters and to get them into places otherwise denied by the Cult of Handrich. Communication between a ring of Brothers and their handlers is done through messengers, clandestine meetings, and secret codes.

Once inducted into the Brothers of Handrich, a Brother finds himself running errands, busting heads, and doing other things of a questionable nature. After a few years of proving himself as a solid earner for the Ring, the Brother is usually granted additional, highly lucrative jobs to bolster his earnings and further solidify his ties to the organisation. Each Brother strives to attain the role of High Brother, controlling his own band of Brothers and putting his own agendas and moneymaking ventures at the top of the list.

Outside the Empire
The Brothers travel far outside the borders of the Empire on the behest of the Cult. As business is conducted and agreements are reached, the Brothers also help establish additional Rings in the cities of foreign lands. The Brothers are particularly numerous in Tilea and the Border Princes, where they blend in seamlessly with the large population of criminal groups, guilds, and nebulous partnerships that thrive in those lands.

The Brothers are rare in Kislev, both due to Handrich’s relative obscurity there and the insular manner of Kislevan criminals, making it difficult for outside groups to gain many inroads. Bretonnia hosts a fair number of Rings of Brothers, mostly in the larger cities and villages closer to the Empire. Couronne and Bordeleaux boast anywhere between four and six Rings of the Brothers of Handrich, although these relatively new groups are struggling to stake their claim among the businesses and criminal organisations that are resentful to these foreign interlopers.

Goals and Motives
The goals of the Brothers of Handrich work in tandem with the rest of the Cult—make a profit, expand business ventures, reduce (or remove) the competition, and keep business ventures safe from harm. Brothers join up to gain access to the Cult’s influence, power, and coffers, and some do so with hopes of being admitted as a full-fledged member of the Cult. One thing is for certain, however: they are in it for the coin.

Every Brother strives to find the big score that will allow him to retire or, for the more devout, allow him to join the ranks of the Cult of Handrich as a member of the Inner Ring. Brothers watch and maintain the businesses that are under their control—extorting money where needed, protecting “clients” from the predations of criminals or opposing Cults (particularly those of Ranald), sending important missives, or protecting cargo. In doing so, they receive a cut of the action and are always on the search for more and more opportunities.

As most Brothers are not part of the Inner Ring, they are not considered Priests or even full-fledged Cultists (although many eventually become one). Because of this, the one job that Brothers are not tasked with is spreading the word of Handrich, which is left to Priests to administer. Most Brothers are relieved that they do not have to perform this chore.

Symbols and Signs
The Brothers utilize the same symbols and signs as the Priests they work for, most notably the gold coin and the sign of the crossed fingers. When hired on by the Cult, a Brother is given a special gold coin that represents Handrich—one side is blank, but the other is etched with subtle notches, whorls, and letters, each of which has its own meaning. When a Brother wishes to get his point across to a stubborn “client,” merely flashing this special coin is often more than enough to make the target realize what he’s up against.

Each Temple has its own special symbols that are used on the backs of the holy coins, typically to show a Brother’s rank in the organisation, special favours due to him when travelling to other Temples, and other special merits, as well as the Brother’s own unique sigil. For example, the main Temple of Handrich in Marienburg carefully notches the edge of a Brother’s coin like hours on a sundial, each indicating a notable favour the Brother has done on behalf of the Cult.

The more notches on the back of the coin, the more likely that a Brother is to be inducted as a full Priest. Other etchings include a square, meaning the Brother is to be granted shelter and complete assistance if chased by the authorities. The extremely rare “V” etching indicates the Brother is part of the cadre tasked with serving and protecting the High Priest himself. A Brother that loses his coin is either released from service or severely punished for the infraction, including a high fine and a heavy tax on his pay until his patrons deem him ready to return to full service.

The coin also serves as a token for voting or as a literal bargaining chip—a Brother who gives his coin to another is showing the ultimate sign of trust or is indicating that should he fail in a given task, his life is forfeit. Many Brothers of Handrich also get tattoos of these symbols placed on their bodies—inner bicep being the most common location, as it is readily hidden, but also easily shown when the situation demands it. When the Brothers choose to leave some sort of sign behind as a warning to others or to show that someone is marked as an enemy of the Cult, a simple circle symbolizing the blank coin of Handrich is painted on doors (or carved on a body) left behind for others to find.

Like the rest of the Cult, the Brothers make extensive use of body language and hand signals that are used in their conversations, especially when they believe they are being overheard by the competition or authorities. Dozens of secret handshakes exist that are used to show status, distress, or warnings, some of which are specific from temple to temple.

Some gestures, however, are universal. For example, crossing the ring and little finger on the left hand indicates the presence of a Cultist of Ranald nearby. During negotiations, smiling while rubbing one’s chin with the back of the hand is a way of indicating to fellow Brothers that the other party is lying. A Brother who taps his fingers together, but not his thumbs, is signalling that he believes the conversation is being overheard and that discretion (or lies) should be employed. Lastly, when a Brother believes he is dealing with a Brother he doesn’t know or a Cultist of Handrich, he uses the crossed-finger sign of the Cult, with the tips of his thumb and little finger on his right hand touching as a further cue that they are not full-fledged members of the Cult, but should still be accorded the respect they deserve.

Membership
To the outside observer, the Brothers of Handrich are made up of brutish thugs and cold-blooded killers. In essence, this is true, but unlike the thieves’ guilds to which they are compared, the Brothers are picked as much for their ability to keep a low profile as for their willingness to break legs if needed. In order to be successful, Brothers must show business acumen and an understanding of the “big picture,” with the understanding the short-term gains do not always translate to profit later on. The Cult prefers to work with Brothers with few outside ties or loyalties and is content to leave most Brothers to their own devices, calling upon them only when something requiring anonymity or a heavy hand is required.

The average Brother falls into one of four different categories. The most common is the enforcer. This Brother is hired on for his strength, prowess with weapons, intimidating manner, or preferably, all three. He’s willing to engage in whatever type of violence is required, but the Brothers avoid bringing in truly sadistic people, as they usually prove too difficult to manage. Some of these Brothers specialize in hurting people, but not necessarily killing them, simply because of the belief that a dead man is a lost revenue stream, while a scared man pays as regular as clockwork.

The second type of Brother is someone directly involved in business. This includes burghers, dock foremen, guild leaders, and the like. These Brothers are obviously chosen for their business acumen, contacts, and ability to be discreet. They allow the Brothers to piggyback their own shipments with caravans, act as intermediaries between other groups, and start new entrepreneurial ventures on behalf of the Cult. They also launder money, set up false fronts and fake businesses, or fix prices as needed.

The third type of Brother is best known as “the specialist.” This is a person with some specific skill in high demand by the Cult. This includes cat burglars, forgers, interrogators, litigators, and other occupations that require education, special training, or both. These Brothers are used sparingly and given the most leeway in their approach, as the Cult is aware of their scarcity and try to keep them in good graces. They are also rarely used for “general work” and, unless their given trade is dangerous by nature, is unlikely to be put in a position where violence is possible.

The last kind of Brother is the rare wizard or person with magical talent that is willing to work for the organisation. Unlike many other Cults, the Cult of Handrich (and thus the Brothers) has few objections to consorting with wizards, seeing it as just another client-patron relationship. The Cult is willing to overlook a wizard’s eccentricities, even a few blasphemies, as long as the job they are involved in is completed to the Cult’s satisfaction. Persons with magical ability are highly sought after by the Brothers and are well paid with both money and favours for their services.

Recruitment
Considering the dangerous line of work that most Brothers find themselves in, turnover is high and temples are constantly on the search for new members to fill spots in their ranks. The leader of a crew keep an eye out for street youths that show potential as well as businessmen that are favourable towards the Cult. These potential individuals are then watched from afar, as the Brothers ask questions and do research into the mark’s character, exploits, and personality. Particularly flashy individuals or those seeking the limelight are usually avoided for recruitment, unless they possess in-demand skills or have highly sought-after contacts.

Once a person has been marked as a possible inductee, he is approached by a High brother under the guise of a “regular” organisation, such as a thieves’ guild or a burgher in need of some special assistance, and tasked with doing some property damage against a competitor or threatening a stubborn vendor who refuses to give payment. If he proves his worth, he’s brought back in for a formal induction ceremony.

The inductee is brought before the rest of the Ring and made to get on his knees while the others surround him in a circle, representing the structure of the Cult. The Brothers pull out knives and point them at the inductee, who then recites his oath of loyalty. Each Brother then draws his knife along the arm of the inductee, drawing a little bit of blood. This blood is spilled into a bowl that contains the coin that he’ll carry to show his membership into the ring (see Symbols and Signs above). He then rises as a full member of the Ring, taking the bloody coin as a sign of his inclusion. The Brother is then given a list of his particular turfs and territories for which he is responsible in generating income.

Member Benefits and Responsibilities
Once a person has been accepted into the Middle Ring of the Cult, becoming a Brother of Handrich, he can expect life to be both profitable and dangerous. As long as a Brother does his best to keep the Cult free from blame or inquiry, he is granted tremendous latitude to do what needs to be done, and most are allowed to conduct their daily lives as they see fit until called upon by the Brothers to perform some task.

The Cult of Handrich pays the Brothers well for their work, as well as granting particularly juicy contracts, business leads, and the removal of competitors. Although details vary, it’s typical for a Brother to receive the equivalent of half a month’s pay or more on top of their regular wage for whatever the Brother does on the side. If a Brother does particularly well for the Ring and the rest of the Cult, they can expect additional windfalls. In the eyes of most Brothers, moving to the Inner Ring and becoming a full fledged Cultist, and hopefully a Priest, is the ultimate goal, gaining access to the Cult’s tremendous power, wealth, and influence.

The main responsibility of the Brothers of Handrich is loyalty. A Brother must be willing to drop everything and do what is asked when called. Requests by the High brother or the Priest that manages it can also be dangerous, timeconsuming, or even bizarre. For example, a Brother who specializes in forgery may be asked to first bluff or infiltrate their way into a Burgher’s home in order to copy a given document and leave the fake behind. An enforcer might be asked to corner and persuade a minor official or kidnap the only heir of a business consortium. Other tasks might seem nonsensical at the time, such as standing at a street corner at noon carrying a red feather, or traveling to a distant city only to return immediately upon arriving there.