Developer Journal: RPG Vault - The Brotherhood of Thieves

RPG Vault -The Brotherhood of Thieves 

The Brotherhood of Thieves is a heady mix of thieves, robbers and brigands with a lot of warriors thrown in... a sort of charitable organization of ancient China, where the rich are persuaded to redistribute their wealth to the poor. A noble cause, you might imagine. Surely a white clan, you would think. Unfortunately, while their goals might be noble, their methods are both corrupt and violent, not so much Robin Hood as robbing everyone.

The origins of The Brotherhood can be traced back to two thieves, Ji Longfeng and Ma Taichun. Ji had left the Shaolin clan, as he was unable to keep to its strict moral code. Ma was on the run from a band of mercenaries out to collect a debt. Together, they joined in a lifetime quest to seek out and kill tax collectors and corrupt officials. Along the way, they recruited a whole set of fellow thieves, and The Brotherhood was set up. All across China, more and more recruits came, and the clan started to have problems with discipline - in that there was none!

The policy that The Brotherhood chose to use was the criminal code. Non-adherence to the clan's rules was not something you did if you wanted to live; think of the Mafia and you get a good understanding of how The Brotherhood operated. Entrance was by invitation only, and then only through personal reference. And for life! No one ever left of their own choice. And all that violence made them experts at one thing - combat.

Their fighting style was as uncomplicated as their lives. Spears, axes and maces were their chosen weapons. From a martial arts perspective, the aim was to kill as quickly and with as few blows as possible, unless, of course, you had been ordered to do otherwise. Unlike the Shaolin, who never intended to kill, the Brotherhood believed that it was the easiest way to end a fight. 

 Based on the lore created by Steven-Elliot Altman