An Agent of the Shroud at work upon an investigation.
The Fellowship of the Shroud is an organisation of Vampire hunters dedicated to the service of Morr, the god of the dead, and based in Tilea where that deity's cult is politically powerful. The companions of the Fellowship have chapterhouses in other nations, as well, and in the Empire of Man they are based in Essen and Siegfriedhof. The Imperial chapter of this unofficial branch of the Cult of Morr, who operate without the official sanction of Morr's priests, call themselves the High and Chivalric Order of Deserved Rest, though they are known to most as the "Raven Knights" for the Morrian symbols they decorate their armour with.[1a]
The members of the Fellowship and the Raven Knights are dedicated to destroying all Undead wherever they find them, but many are sworn specifically to the destruction of Vampires. They welcome any devout foe of the Undead to their order, whether soldier or academic.[1a]
The Fellowship has a definite advantage over independent Vampire hunters in that they possess accurate information on their enemies and their weaknesses. There are many scholars in the Fellowship of the Shroud who, although non-combatants, dedicate their lives to unearthing information about the Undead, such as where they may be found and how best to defeat them. They also have alchemists, herbalists, and engineers who are committed to finding new ways of battling the Undead.[1a]
However, they are hindered by cult politics with members of the Order of the Shroud who consider them a waste of time at best and heretics at worst -- some amongst the Fellowship suggest adopting the heathen practice of cremation to prevent corpses from rising. There are moves to have them investigated by the Templar Witch Hunters, and some within the hierarchy of Morr's cult are already pretending they don't exist.[1a]
The Fellowship of the Shroud's headquarters is in Tilea, where the worship of Morr is strong. On a lonely mountain near the city-state of Remas squats the ancient castle of Monte Negro. 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. Its head is the ancient but still powerful Grand Commander of the Fellowship of the Shroud, Bassiano Dutra. Once a priest of Morr, he was 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.[4a]
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.[4a]
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 organisation from the Empire, but the Fellowship's successes have garnered it some powerful friends, and they have so far blocked all efforts to suppress it.[4a]
The Priory of the Spear has gained considerable notoriety. Anton Aethelbert, now a saint and commander of the fortress in Siegfriedhof, implemented a reformation of the order under the guidance of the Fellowship of the Shroud. The fortress at Siegfriedhof was converted into an abbey, and the order's charter was officially re-written to emphasise a defensive role. Unofficially, the Fellowship of the Shroud remains very much an offensive order to this day; its core mandate is to hunt and kill the all the scions of Nagash, the Great Necromancer himself. Famous historical figures have lent their support throughout the Fellowship's 1,000 year existence, including Leonardo da Miragliano and Empress Magritta I.[3b]
Companions of the Cult[]
The Fellowship of the Shroud recrtuits who think the Undead are such a threat that violent action must be taken now, that defending the world requires a great crusade against Necromancers and their foul creations. These are people—Human, Elf, Dwarf, and even Halfling—who have either miraculously survived what should have been certain death at the hands of the Undead, or who have suffered a devastating loss to this evil. In either case, the only thing that now gives meaning to their life is eternal struggle against this scourge. For these tortured souls, there is an organisation that understands their plight: the Fellowship of the Shroud.[4a]
Calling themselves “companions,” the men and women of the Fellowship, Human and non-Human alike, live together in an imitation of monastic life, submitting themselves to an ascetic discipline when not striking out against what they call “the enemies of Life.” They spend their days, when not in prayer, studying the ways of their foes to better combat them. In addition to armour and weapons, they always carry hawthorn stakes and mallets to lay Vampires to rest, and blessed candles and salt to perform rituals to banish unquiet spirits. When necromancers raise their evil heads and perform their obscene workings, the companions are often there to bring them to justice, even when the legitimate authorities are nowhere to be seen.[4a]
Weapons and Equipment[]
They are well equipped with conventional weapons and armour, but also carry mallets and hawthorn stakes to deal with Vampires as well as salt and blessed candles to banish unquiet spirits.[4a]
Knights of the Raven[]
A Knight of the Raven.
The Imperial chapter of this unofficial branch of the cult, who operate without the sanction of Morr’s priests, call themselves the High and Chivalric Order of Deserved Rest, though they are known to most as the Knights of the Raven, and their mandate is very clear: destroy every Skeleton, Zombie, and Shade upon the earth and exterminate the necromancers and Vampires who summon them. Unlike their sister order the Black Guard, the Knights of the Raven are ruthless and aggressive, seeking out their enemy rather than waiting for Undead to come to them.[1a][1b]
Many were posted to Siegfriedhof in Stirland when rumours of Mannfred von Carstein's return arose.[4a]
Notable Members[]
- Bassiano Dutra - Dutra is the Grand Commander of the Fellowship of the Shroud who leads the order from the ancient castle of Monte Negro.[4a]
- Hertwig Teichmann - Hertwig Teichmann was a young physician with a promising career in Nuln when his fiancée was murdered by a Vampire. After dispatching the fiend, he joined the Fellowship of the Shroud. He is an expert on the detection of Vampires.[2a]
- Leo Schwenkfeld - An Imperial soldier, Leo Schwenkfeld served until he was caught in the explosion of a cannon misfire. He had a religious experience, a vision that told him he had been spared for a reason, to devote himself to the service of Morr, the god of the dead. Leo was never a learned man, so he serves Morr the best way he can: as a soldier. At first he didn't understand why the Raven Knights wanted him to learn to read and write -- he already knew how to wield a halberd, and what else did he need? Now that he's being sent to track down a Vampire, he wants all the information he can get, even if reading all those books about their history gives him a headache right where his metal plate is.[1a]
- Leonardo da Miragliano - Leonardo was one of the greatest engineers and inventors ever born among Men in the Old World.[3b]
- Magritta of Marienburg - Magritta was the Elector Countess of Westerland during the Age of Three Emperors, and became a candidate for the throne of the Empire in 1979 IC, when she was just a child, initiating the chaotic period of Imperial history later known as the Anarchy.[3b]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Night's Dark Masters (RPG)
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Career Compendium (RPG)
- 2a: pg. 8
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: The Thousand Thrones (RPG)
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Sigmars Heirs - A Guide to the Empire (RPG)
- 4a: pp. 35-36