The Brood
From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki
There will be a time to murder and create.
- T. S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred. Prufrock
Weapons are tools of ill omen.
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
All of the Circles within the Handmaidens of Lilith are feared but perhaps none more so than the Brood. This Circle has a devastating flair for being ruthless, cunning and exceedingly militant. Warriors, assassins, mercenaries, bounty hunters and more fill the ranks the Brood, the sword arm of Lilith. Mixed in with the fear of the Brood there is a strong dose of hatred as well. It is one thing to fight an enemy, blade to blade, on the battlefield but when you find that your opponent is a woman, perceptions can change quickly. Men typically fear and hate what they do not know and many do not know, nor how to handle, women fighting them face to face. The Brood are teaching them, however.
The women in the Brood are known to match, if not surpass, the Lilim in their strong negative viewpoints towards men. Either the Brood women came from cultures where the woman was stronger than the man or they came from a culture where they had to prove themselves against incredible odds in order to achieve ranking on the battlefields that men controlled. Either way they normally see men as a challenge they must face or an obstacle long past overcome, neither of which bodes well for the men they encounter.
As with the Lilim, many female dark elves can be found within the Brood. Their culture has practically bred them for the two Circles.
Among the other Circles, the Brood find the most common ground with the Lilim. Often they work together and in fact some paladins function equally well within the two Circles. Along with sharing similar opinions on mankind and their place in the world, the two factions operate well together in a very symbolic manner. The Lilim being the will and wisdom of the Dark Mother and the Brood being the physical presence, the body if you will, of the Goddess. They tend to rely on each other more closely than any other Circle relations within the Handmaidens. A Brood member will almost always aid a Lilim with more priority than other Handmaidens, excluding sister Brood.
The Coven and Lamiae are often seen with either distrust or disgust. Not many Brood are proficient in the arcane ways as the Coven witches are and hence do not trust the powers that the Coven members seem to possess. The Lamiae, on the other hand, are merely thought of as spoiled little children who like to play with their toys too much. A Brood sister will normally put on a face of tolerance and understanding, when around her fellow Lamiae Handmaiden, but within they rarely can fathom why the Lamiae are so fascinated with first enslaving and then (in some fashion usually) devouring men. All too cat and mouse for the more action oriented Brood.