"Onwards Until Dawn."

The Blackreyne Brotherhood is an order of people who specialize in the supernatural - particularly, they are known as hunters who protect the people from these forces that are beyond the ordinary. Blackreyne Hunters are respected as monster hunters across Aurial and beyond. The hunters of the brotherhood are often called 'Ravens'.

The Blackreynes are considered a neutral party by the 3 major nations of Aurial, although they are considered closer to the Lunar Collective than the other two great powers. Their fortress, Night's End, is also in Lunar territory- right at the corner border of the three nations.

The world of Abmarah is home to many dangers, mundane or otherwise, and even more foreign threats make their way to this world every passing day. While there are many who may take up the duty to face any ordinary enemy, the same cannot be said for the more 'supernatural' threats.

Vampires, werewolves, devils, demons, aberrations - there is no shortage of beings that are beyond comprehension, let alone be something that the ordinary person can deal with. It is the thought of having to understand these forces and face them head on that lead to the formation of the Blackreyne Brotherhood.

Hunting the supernatural only forms one fraction of their duties. They also extensively research the extraordinary and record this knowledge for future hunters, so that humanity is always prepared to deal with whatever comes their way. Scholars, researchers, hunters, mercenaries - the Brotherhood takes in anyone who excels at what they do and can contribute to their cause. Many Blackreyne hunters are marked by their traditional raven amulet, that they carve out of obsidian themselves.

A name synonymous with efficiency above all else, their reputation speaks for itself. Their doors are open to all who wish to contribute to the cause, but to earn the title of 'hunter' is a true honor. Though there are many great horrors that have been felled by these hunters, for the longest time - it was said that the present day organization is a far cry from the honor-bound heroes of the old days. It was said that gold is their primary motivator, though their skill still remained unquestioned. This gold-hungry aspect of the organization is being slowly undone with the efforts of the present-day leadership and their reputation is slowly being restored to an organization of purpose, not profit.

They are lead by three 'leaders'. There is the Headhunter of the Hunters, the Headscribe of the Workshop, and the Archhunter who leads the entirety of the guild. These positions are generally seniority and skill based. While the Archhunter often has the surname 'Blackreyne' and are often the children or adopted children of the previous Archhunter, this is largely ceremonial and does not imply a direct familial link to the founder Trevor Blackreyne.

The brotherhood is divided into three sects:

The Hunters are the largest and most well-known part of the brotherhood, as they consist of all the various monster hunters that travel the world for coin and missions. Many hunters almost never make the travel back to Night's End, simply going from mission to mission across the world with little communication with the headquarters.

The Workshop consists of all the researchers and academics that work in Night's End, studying the arcane beasts and mysteries of the world. Their records at the fortress are said to be the largest library of information about the monsters of the world. Oly, the founder of the workshop, is said to have written the first modern Monster Manual.

The Brighthunt is a small secretive sect of the brotherhood that many even within its ranks are not aware of. This shadowy sect, often called 'White Ravens', researches the supernatural and defeats it by becoming one with it, engaging in dark practices and less-than-legal experimentation that is not officially sanctioned by the Blackreyne Brotherhood as a whole. The Brighthunt engages in missions that often include assassinations, torture, dark magic, and other morally questionable actions.

"To defeat monsters, one must become a monster themselves."
- The Brighthunt Motto

It was secretly created in 3E218 by Archhunter Daerron Blackreyne, originally with the goal of conducting off-the-record missions during the The Great Aurian War. However, the Brighthunt was kept around even after the war's end due to its usefulness. The Brighthunt was officially disbanded by Archhuntress Viera Blackreyne in 3E470, but most of its former members still continue to partake in less than legitimate missions and tactics.

Goals

The Brotherhood aims to eliminate any supernatural threat faced by the peoples of Abmarah no matter what race, creed, or nation they may belong to. With intensive research on these potential threats, they act as a hunter’s guild. This protection does not come for free though, as Blackreyne hunters are paid in high amounts of gold for their services, and many small towns have to scrape by to get enough gold to hire one. 

They generally seem to have no political ambitions, although this aspect does change from leader to leader.

Relationships

The Blackreynes are allowed to operate within the jurisdiction of the three Aurialian nations freely. While they are the most connected to the Lunar Collective in the modern day, they are well regarded in the Great Kingdom of Terros and the Crimson Empire.

The Department of Dungeons is often seen as a nicer alternative and competitor to the Blackreynes, but in actuality the adventurers of the DoD tackle much more general-purpose requests and missions. While their actions do align and overlap often, the DoD refers sufficiently strong supernatural threats to the brotherhood of their own volition.

Less commonly, their services are requested all across the world. Blackreyne hunters can be found working with many different factions, from mercenary groups to cults- so long the job gets done and the money is right.

Ranks

The ranking structure of the Brotherhood differs based on which of the two sects you are a part of. The Archhunter is the same for both. The Archhunter as well as the Heads are elected democratically, and all senior members of the Brotherhood have to vote on any big decisions that must be made.

For Blackreyne player characters, this is the mechanical background:

Members

The Brotherhood was founded in 2E590 by a band of fighters led by 4 leaders:

• Trevor Blackreyne, a human noble knight-paladin from Hyrdem.

• Oliver 'Oly' Darkmere, a rock-gnome cleric of knowledge.

• Eryka of Velmont, a zaubarovian witch half-elf who was the one to finally kill the lich.

• Valki Denisov, an earth-genasi paladin serving Aetaos, who secretly became a vessel for the lich and had to sacrifice his life to kill her for good.

Some of the notable members of the Brotherhood (other than Archhunters) who have passed away or left the organisation are:

• Scribe Dr. Rho (Left the Brotherhood, Formerly Brighthunt)

• †Headhunter Can Sinievich Vanadiyin (Retired from the Brotherhood in 3E500)

• †Hunter Aleksandr (Left the Brotherhood, Formerly Brighthunt)

• †Hunter Viktor (Former Brighthunt)

• †Beastmaster Lucius Silverleaf

• †Hunter Fritz von Ehrmann

• †Exorcist Roston 'Moghroth' Räuchermann (Brighthunt)

• †Slayer Sirakos (Brighthunt)

In 3E500, some of the notable members of the Blackreyne Brotherhood included (by rank then seniority):

• Archhuntress Viera Blackreyne

• Headhunter Mash Vuhsen

• Headscribe Otto Albiker

• Exorcist Silas Darkgraves (Former Brighthunt)

• Watcher Zhalimov

• Hunter Daraza

• Hunter Dravin Bahubaahu

• Slayer Naigha

• Herbalist Fieldor Torstol

• Slayer Voriak 'Wolfheart' Vunakakanu

• Hunter Heigall Nikitovich

• Hunter Zerakai

• Exorcist Shun 'Snarl' Kenzo (Former Brighthunt)

• Watcher Faith Blackreyne

• Occultist Blair

History

There have been 14 Archhunters of the Brotherhood since its founding in 2E590. Of these 14, 8 have been killed during active duty.

In a particularly chaotic time, when the fledgling nations of Aurial were not entirely capable of defending their citizens, the common folk were plagued by a horde of undead conjured up by an ambitious Lich by the name of Kroniika who planned to take over the entire continent. It was this enemy that brought together a group of heroes led by Trevor Blackreyne, who had all banded together to fight against this villain. Next to Trevor were his companions, Oliver 'Oly' Darkmere, Eryka of Velmont, and Valki Denisov. Leading a daring charge towards Kroniika's obsidian fortress, nestled amidst the mountain range, they somehow managed to come out victorious when the witch, Eryka, stuck the killing blow on the lich-queen.

Turning this fortress into their base of operations now named Night's End, the Blackreyne Brotherhood was officially formed. The entire continent became aware of their presence once they heard of their victory against this impossible foe. To this day, the fortress has stood strong, housing more and more members with each passing year. Since then, the nations of Aurial call upon them whenever they are faced by a supernatural threat. Their domain has only expanded since then, for it is not uncommon for Blackreyne hunters to operate on foreign soil if their duty calls for it.

Of the four founders, Valki Denisov would leave the Brotherhood after only a few years, as tensions rose in his homeland. However, that is the public story, as his true fate is a guarded Blackreyne secret. In reality, the lich Kroniika wasn't truly defeated for good then, and her soul bound to Valki's as he became her vessel. Though he managed to control her within himself for years, his mortal body was tearing at the seams and it became evident that Kroniika would one day take over his body and return to power. Valki forced his companions—Trevor, Oly, and Eryka—to kill him and destroy Kroniika's soul for good.

Years later after the death of their founder and first Archhunter, Trevor Blackreyne, the leadership fell onto his friend, Oliver 'Oly' Darkmere. Oly led the brotherhood for a hundred years, unmatched even to this day. He retired after that, becoming a monk of knowledge for the rest of his days. Since then, the leadership has passed down through many people, whether they had the name Blackreyne or not. Trevor Blackreyne's direct bloodline only lasted for a few generations, and since then children have been ceremoniously 'adopted' into the Blackreyne family to be molded for leadership.

During the Great Aurian War of 3E215, the Brotherhood's neutrality was under a lot of question. During this period, it was being led by Archhunter Daerron Blackreyne. His family ties were from the Cinder Steppe, which was in active rebellion against the Crimson Empire. However, he had inherited the leadership from Archhuntress Sypha Darkmere, who was a lifelong friend of the crimson emperor. This put the political allegiances of the brotherhood into a lot of tension, with their Hunters being met by hostility wherever they tried to go. Daerron created the Brighthunt, a secret sect of the Brotherhood that would allow him to conduct off-the-record missions even under this scrutiny. The Brighthunt helped the The Ballista in reawakening the lost Lightwatchers. After the independence of the Lunar Collective, Daerron favored them and St. Arbal. Near the end of the decade-long war, Daerron Blackreyne disappeared amdist a mission. In 3E227, at the end of the great war, Archhuntress Cîrhel Blackreyne helped in the final border negotiations between the great powers, placing the cornerpoint of the three nations near Night's End. Viktor became the de-facto leader for the Brighthunt.

In the middle of the 21st century, the brotherhood came under the control of Zmeya Merkuriyev, who was a part of the Lunar House Merkuriyev and had made the brotherhood far more lunar-friendly and profit-based. He even changed his name to Blackreyne, although this decision was reversed after his death. He was elected as the leader of the brotherhood after his predecessor, Ethera Blackreyne, died during a mission against an elder vampire. This death was blamed on her adopted daughter, Viera Blackreyne, who was labelled to be killed-on-sight. Shaken and disillusioned, she fled to the continent of Eqos. However, she returned eight years later as a part of the Chimera, and regained leadership from Zmeya in a strong-armed takeover. Alongside her now wife, Lucine Lunaa, she has been leading the Brotherhood since with the aim to adhere to the more heroic principles with which the order was found.

In 3E470, Viera Blackreyne abolished the Brighthunt after a close vote between the senior members of the Brotherhood (7-6). The de-facto leader of the Brighthunt, Viktor, objected to the dissolution, but was outvoted. Silas Darkgraves and Aleksandr, both senior Brighthunt members, ended up voting to disband the Brighthunt after all these years, recognising that the Brighthunt was no longer what Daerron wanted it to be all those years ago. While the Brighthunt had been dissolved in name, many of its former members continued to operate in illicit activities and missions as long as Viktor was there to defend them. This all came to a boiling point in 3E498 when Viera disappeared for a few years while fighting the The Dark Hunt. Viktor attempted a takeover of Night's End, defeated just in time by Mash and the Darklight Crusaders. In 3E500, Can retired from his duties as Headhunter and was succeeded by Mash.