The head of the Fellowship of the Shroud is in the hands of the ancient Grand Commander, Bassiano Dutra, who lead the order from the ancient castle of Monte Negro, located on a lonely mountain near Remas in Tilea. Fearful and superstitious locals stay away from it as much as possible, for legends say that any who pass its portals may find themselves trapped in Morr’s realm before their time.[1a]
He was once a priest of Morr, nearly killed by a Vampire in an abandoned manor house. A miracle saved his life, and Dutra became convinced that it was a sign from Morr that he had a special mission to combat the Undead.[1a]
But his church superiors would not listen to him, so Dutra left the priesthood and dedicated his family fortune to taking the battle to the enemy himself. In the years since, he has gathered like-minded followers and established chapterhouses in all the countries of the Old World. Two of the most important are at Essen in Ostermark and Siegfriedhof in Stirland.[1a]
The cult of Morr is not happy with this, for the Fellowship claims to act in Morr’s name, though they have no sanction or support from the church hierarchy. The cult has several times petitioned the Emperor to ban the order from the Empire, but the Fellowship’s successes have garnered it some powerful friends, and they have so far blocked all efforts to suppress the order.[1a]