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   The Brotherhood are ritual preservationists -- fond of technology without knowing much about it. Their Holy City of Light (Phoenix) is their capital. About the most "mutants" you'll see.

     The Brotherhood have begun to spread out along the trade routes, bringing with them a pacifist vision of a united future for all humanity. They believe the Fall (the Atomic War) was a punishment invoked on mankind, and that we have been given a chance to learn from this and set up a new civilization of diversity, peace and harmony.

Origin

Pre-War

     Just a bunch of residents of the American Southwest, as far as is known. Some were employees of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.

Post-War

     Luke Air Force Base received a couple of nuclear strikes; six nuclear weapons detonated in the skies over Phoenix, setting the city ablaze. For whatever reason, the missile presumably aimed at the Palo Verde reactors never arrived.

     For several decades, a group of plant workers and refugees relied on the Palo Verde reactors for heat, power, and defense (the clear area around the reactors was heavily mined). From the middle of the 21st Century, however, the inhabitants became a superstitious lot. In 2070 a small group of charismatic men, now know as the Founding Fathers, led the change from "mere" refugees to a monastic order. It's likely that the Founding Fathers were hoping to preserve technical knowledge, rather than to spread the "word of Enlightenment", but nobody knows for certain now.

What Outsiders Know

     They are a well-known movement, sprawling over the desert in recent years. Since the "City of Light" is close to major trade routes, and the Brotherhood is willing to sell technology and water for food and raw materials, they are seen as "doing pretty well." Outsiders don't usually understand the goals of the organization, but feel (with a wink and a nod) that they're not benevolent.

     The "City of Light" is a now a dusty ghost town, but an electrical grid is kept running. Outside of the holy city, the Brotherhood is known to have numerous cells and branches, especially in places which might assist their goal:  returning the Palo Verde nuclear plant to working condition.

     Traveling Brothers are seen chanting strange, nonsensical harmonies, calling out to outsiders with offers to join and be Enlightened.

The Reality

     The monks of this order believe in the "magic" of ancient technology, especially electrical power generation equipment. Their chants include long sections from technical manuals, the names of the elements, and other misunderstood information. The upper echelon of their leadership are badly affected by radiation sickness, since they spend far too much time around the Palo Verde plant.

     "With the ultimate glory of power will come Enlightenment ..."

     Some of the more pragmatic Brothers have been covertly trading with some equally-pragmatic Tribulation Warriors; none of these pragmatists would care for this to become known.

     The Brotherhood is best known for making and selling light bulbs.

Population

     There are about 25 Masters (almost always at the Temple), a couple hundred Brothers, a thousand or more Oblates, and several thousand Recruits. The number of pilgrims present varies with the season and current dangers of travel.

     There is a permanent Cartel station/fort present at the City of Light, and a Clean post also.

Territory and Locations

     The Brotherhood controls the area within a hundred kilometers or so of the Ancient city of Phoenix -- now called the Holy City of Light. There are roads, forts and repair depots along the Salt River Project.

    The City of Light is a semi-public citadel, open to pilgrims from distant lands and visitors who seek to know more about the Brotherhood and its message for the world. The City itself is, from a distance, a miracle of preservation – though largely empty in many districts, it appears to have been spared the devastation of the nuclear war. Up close, it's literally a facade; roofs were crushed and flammable materials were set ablaze by the nuclear attacks of the Atomic War.

     The Brothers have managed to turn some of the lights back on (and make a good supply of incandescent and flourescent bulbs), bringing a marvelous aura of color to its dusty skyline. The signs and storefronts of ancient, burned-out businesses glitter, sparkle, and hum in the city’s maze of streets and sand-dusted boulevards. The streets and parks are dry dustbowls where sprawling, decrepit camps of faithful pilgrims rise now and then with the newest influx of newcomers.
     About 80 kilometers west of the City is the Great Temple (the Palo Verde reactors), which once supplied power to the entire region. This is the worldwide center of the Brotherhood, but what secrets lie within are for the Brotherhood and its most trusted circles to keep.

     Attacks by the Tribulation Warriors and other road gangs happen from time to time.

Organization

     The Brotherhood is composed of Masters, Brothers, Oblates, and Recruits. The Masters are usually too old and sick to leave the Temple or the City of Light, and have little to do with day-to-day activities. Many of their rituals involve electricity and radioactive waste, and are thus fairly dangerous.

     Military units are composed of "shifts", a group of about 40 Recruits led by an Oblate. Four shifts form a "work team", led by a Brother. The Brotherhood has about 600 men in their armed force, guarding the Temple and the City of Light, keeping order, and patrolling the Salt River Project. Besides the fifteen teams, there are a good number of veterans among the Oblates and Brothers, and enough arms for everyone.

Equipment and Resources

    They wear tunics or long robes of dusty yellow, with purple trefoils on them. The garments are longer, more ornate and carefully-made for the higher ranks -- those of the recruits are "Roman tunics" with crudely-stenciled or hand-painted trefoils.

     The Brotherhood preserved and used a goodly amount of 20th Century weapons; by the time those had begun to fail, they could afford to buy the best "modern" firearms. They are very fond of cattle prods, electric fences, electrified door knobs, and other "zap" traps.

     Rifle and pedestal-mounted machine guns are their main armament; the Brotherhood doesn't own any artillery, not even mortars. In case of serious attacks the Brotherhood expects to hire mercenaries for any specialized or technical tasks.

     There are a lot of searchlights around the Palo Verde plant itself -- one of the few places in North America with such a profligate display of electrical capacity. The reactor domes and cooling towers have been coated with thousands of broken mirrors, reflectors, and shiny things, and glitter quite marvelously night and day.

     Despite the primacy of the Palo Verde plant in their culture, essentially all of the electrical power for the City of Light is generated by the dams of the Salt River Project.

     Within the holy city, Oblates operate several machine shops, auto repair shops, and salvage yards -- the Brotherhood has an impressively large collection of "junker cars" (almost all missing their headlamps and batteries now).

     The Brotherhood has long ago located and collected all the useful contents of the Wenden Depot, about 160 kilometers west of Phoenix -- manganese ore, liquid mercury, copper, and miles of tungsten wire. The tungsten is used to make light bulbs, of course.

Items for Sale

     The main items produced by the Brotherhood are light bulbs. Prices here are FOB Phoenix:

Vehicles

     Several dozen old trucks move heavy materials around; short trips are taken in electric vehicles -- mostly ancient golf carts. Some of the trucks have simple mild steel armor attached around the cab or engine compartment. Half-a-dozen GM "fishbowl" buses are used to haul Oblates and higher-ranking cult members around the City of Light.

     The buses and golf carts have lots of randomly-affixed lights on them, and are gaudily painted; they resemble Manila jeepneys. The trucks also have extra lights, but more purposeful -- a Brotherhood vehicle is nothing without a light bar!

Aircraft

     None.