THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE FOUR:
The Brotherhood teaches and preaches the message of the Four, without denying that God may have sent other messengers as well. The four are the man, the ox, the lion, and the eagle. (Christians may recognize these as the four "gospel beasts:" Matthew is the man, Mark the lion, Luke the ox, and John the eagle.)
"Every pilgrim on his arduous journey through life to heaven must be a man, because God gave to man alone the gift of reason, which he must use to achieve heaven. He must also be an ox, the sacrificial victim, because it is necessary to make penance and mortify the flesh. He must be the lion in his courage and noble hearted deeds. And he must pray and contemplate God and the things of eternity like the eagle, which looks straight into the sun."
While most monotheistic churches restrict their membership to humans, the Brotherhood interprets the above passage differently: any mortal being capable of reason must be considered human, as a recipient of God's gift. "To men a man is but a mind; who cares what face he carries or what form he wears?" The Brotherhood accepts as a neophyte any sentient being who eschews evil.
Applicants generally begin as Oxen, working obediently and humbly for the common good. If they pass this probationary period, they become Lions, fighting as part of the Brotherhood's military. Lions who survive long enough become Men, first students and then teachers within the Order's system of schools, and also officials within its governing bureaucracy. And finally, the Order produces the mystic and other-worldly Eagles, seers and prophets and preachers.
Ox-to-Lion-to-Man-to-Eagle is the normal progression, but this sequence is not an absolute requirement, except that non-humans MUST begin as oxen (who are unarmed).
The Brotherhood (also often called the Order) is open to females, including women. Brothers (which term includes female members of the Order) are allowed (but are not encouraged) to marry. Roughly half of the Order chooses to remain single. Spouses of Brothers are not necessarily Brothers themselves, as this tends to be destructive of a stable family structure. The most common arrangement is a male Brother whose wife is NOT a member of the Order, though she and their children will live within the Order's territory and under its protection. But women, typically single but occasionally married, have risen to high positions within the Brotherhood often enough that it is not considered particularly shocking.
THE OXEN:
Although the Brothers do not insist rigidly on a specific sequence, it is normal for a neophyte to begin as an ox. Oxen emphasize humility, self-sacrifice, and obedience unto death. The most common task for oxen is building and repairing walls and roads, and generally providing a disciplined and motivated labor force. They carry no weapons and do not fight. (Brother Oxen working as sappers during sieges may carry picks and shovels and similar tools, but will often throw them down, if attacked, lest they yield to the temptation to strike back or defend themselves.)
The Order does its best to protect oxen from attack – being the sacrificial lamb is NOT seen as the equivalent of suicide – but they often work in combat zones, serving as medics, stretcher-bearers, and water-carriers. They also row and steer the Order's galleys. (All oxen are taught to swim. They are not chained to their oars, and are ordered to swim ashore if the galley sinks.)
On a PRIDE OF LIONS battlefield, oxen are most likely to appear as units of sappers or construction crews or in the galleys in a naval game. Although vulnerable to physical attack, defending in melee as a D4, the oxen are powerfully protected from spiritual or magical attacks. In game terms, a unit of oxen is immune from attack by spirits, and defends against enemy spells as though a friendly shaman had cast a D20 Block; that is, roll a D20, divide by 2 (fractions up), and subtract the result from the enemy's die roll attempting the spell.
The Order's war galleys carry a marine force and artillery on deck, and these MAY be targeted by spirits or magic, but the galleys' propulsion – the oxen at the oars and at the helm – is protected.
The Great Ox is the order's chief engineer and also the admiral of the fleet, including the fleet's marines and artillery crews.
THE LIONS:
The lions form the bulk of the Order's military forces. Most lions are human, but other species may be found. It is almost always the case than non-humans are mixed among humans who fight in a similar manner. Thus the Order's mounted units might include centaurs or even a rare leonine Sunmane, while the infantry might include fauns or satyrs or other bipedal species.
In terms of our own historical world, the Brotherhood's military system is roughly analogous to the religious orders of the Crusades such as the Hospitalers or Templars or Teutonic Knights.
The Order is quite pragmatic in its approach to military organization and tactics: whatever works. The Order is wealthy, so armor and weapons and equipment are the best available. The infantry is mostly heavy close-order units, with a mix of melee and missile weapons. Cavalry tends to heavy shock lancers. However, the Order understands the need for effective reconnaissance, and includes light cavalry, loose order infantry, and flyers, as well as plenty of artillery. Historical miniatures from the 11th or 12th centuries – chain mail, with just a bit of plate armor beginning to be seen – are suitable.
The Great Lion is the commander of the Brotherhood's army. Soldiers serving as marines are under the command of the Great Ox; naval crews serving on land fall under command of the Great Lion. Wartime strategy is the joint responsibility of these two commanders, with the Chief Clerk breaking any tie if they cannot agree.
THE MEN:
The Brotherhood emphasizes learning, and everyone, including oxen and lions, is taught to read and write, as well as simple arithmetic. At some point every surviving Brother Lion is given the opportunity to become a Man and complete his education. This may happen upon receiving a crippling wound, or just slowing down with age, but it may also come when a younger lion displays gifts or talents that can be developed through schooling.
Alternately, a lion who lacks physical prowess (some may be too small or weak or clumsy to make good soldiers) may be kept in the ranks just long enough to prove his courage, and then be sent off to school before he gets himself and possibly others killed.
The Order's academies run from elementary schools teaching basic literacy up through the University's departments of mathematics and engineering and philosophy and theology. At the end of each stage tests result in the best moving up and the rest being assigned to appropriate duties. There is always a need for literate and organized clerks and teachers, and those displaying managerial talent are assigned oversight responsibilities. The Head Clerk, chosen by vote of the University's professors, is in effect the Order's chief executive.
THE EAGLES:
Although the Men conduct the normal day-to-day administration of the Brotherhood and its territories, the Order's ultimate authority is the Eagles. If a majority of the Eagles assemble and speak God's message, it is absolutely binding upon the entire Brotherhood. This is rare, happening perhaps once in a long lifetime; but it definitely does happen. The opinion of a single Eagle is not binding, but is always given a respectful hearing and often obeyed. If several Eagles, though a number less than a majority, speak the same message, it is for practical purposes treated as a divine command, unless other Eagles are saying something different.
In a campaign, the Eagles jointly provide five points of strategic "magic", typically allocated as one point of Ward and four points of Thrive. Additional points may be shifted from Thrive to Ward as necessary, and one or two points may be used to Scrye. The other effects (Blight, Projection, Witchweather, and Suborn) are not available to the Brotherhood.
Men – or oxen or lions – become eagles when the Spirit wills it. There is no test to pass, but there are widely recognized signs that a Brother has risen to eagle status. Basically an individual becomes an eagle when the other eagles recognize him, her, or it as one of themselves.
Eagles serve as army chaplains and their prayers may have powerful effects.
EVANGELICAL TEAMS:
The Order's Fundamental Words prohibit wars of aggression, but encourage evangelism, which may under certain circumstances entail violence. The Brotherhood sends out teams of missionaries among any and every qualifying culture of which they are aware. ("Qualifying" means mortal, sentient, and not automatically hostile.) These teams can be tailored to circumstances, but typically number about a dozen Brothers, including representatives of all four Beasts. The team is commanded by (usually) a single Eagle preacher, with a Man as his deacon/executive officer. The main force of the team will be eight Lions, with a pair of Oxen completing the twelve.
These evangelical teams are not intended to conquer but rather to persuade. Nevertheless, their Lions are well armed and will fight if required. The teams do not wish to be easy prey for dangerous animals, nor for parties of marauders. Appearing strong and dangerous is often the best way to AVOID violence. And it will sometimes happen that a demonstration of martial prowess is an effective, indeed sometimes an essential missionary technique. But the primary emphasis will be on the Eagle's message; it is the job of the rest of the team to get him (or her) into a setting where converts may be won.
Experienced Brotherhood missions teams can be considered roughly comparable (in terms of scouting, trekking, and combat skills), to the Warders of Wyldewood or King's Rangers of Mountain Home, or, from our own world, to a company of Rogers' Rangers, or Texas Rangers in the 1840's, or a Special Forces A Team today. Although it is considered secondary to their missions of winning souls, the teams provide very detailed reports of their journeys, and these data are analyzed and integrated so that the Brotherhood possesses a very accurate picture of every part of the world into which its teams are able to penetrate and return.
The Order's missionary efforts have not yet resulted in the mass conversion of any non-human cultures, but HAVE made numerous individual converts. There are hundreds of goatkin (fauns and satyrs) among the Brothers, including some females, so that their numbers are increasing naturally. Dozens of centaurs have likewise converted, as well as a small number of leonines. The Brotherhood's pragmatism extends to missionary methods, and as its understanding of these cultures improves, so too are likely to grow the numbers of conversions.
