Brotherhood of the Shattered Moon

Formed twenty years ago, and named after that fateful day called the Day of the Shattered Moon, by a few Jeresene nobles. It began as a way for having a tangible institution for which they could put their resources into to do their charitable works for them without themselves having to be involved too much in the process. The whole Brotherhood basically functions as a foundation, receiving endowments from the nobles who founded it, as well as numerous anonymous donors, but has a structure similar to religious institutions where they have numerous members that personally travel and do the works of service.

During the War, the Brotherhood became a voice of opposition, rallying for immediate cessation of conflict. Failing that cause, the Brotherhood sought for recognition from both warring factions to be recognized as an independent institution and be treated with neutrality and their members to be allowed access to anywhere their help is needed.

Their effectiveness in the Benefactor's War was seen by most countries as a shining example of humanity, and it led to the growth of the Brotherhood. At the formation of International League, the Brotherhood was recognized as the sole controlling authority in matters of assisting the victims of war and internal violence, as well as charitable works on the poor and the orphaned. As of date, the Brotherhood of the Shattered Moon has well over a hundred thousand members all over the world coming from all member countries of the International League.

It's organizational hierarchy is as follows:

Entry level members are given the designation of acolytes. Acolytes are generally understudies, and are dispatched as assistants to senior members.

After a few years of service, they are promoted to clerics, who have the authority to conduct missions on themselves, or with other clerics. They are usually accompanied by one or more acolytes, and in some cases, none. Their basic job is to setup orphanages, schools, or medical facilities in places where they are needed. Some clerics are assigned to the Brotherhood training institutions, where their job is to train recruits.

Exarchs are clerics who are designated to be in charge of a particular region, and there are some who are assigned to be the head of Brotherhood training institutions. Their roles are to coordinate the deployment of clerics in their region, as well as the allocation of resources between them. They are also responsible for finding and transacting with donors in their respective regions. There are typically around five Exarchs assigned per region, and their promotion is based on recommendation of other clerics subject to the approval of the Patriarchs.

The Patriarchs are select Exarchs who manage the entire activities of the Brotherhood. They are they ones who handle all the big decisions and transactions with heads of other big organizations or heads of state. Patriarchs are selected by Exarchs from among themselves through the process of election. There are currently twenty Patriarchs, most of whom spend most of their time at the Brotherhood headquarters.

From the twenty Patriarchs, one is elected to be Head Patriarch. His position has no further function other than being the ceremonial head of the organization and does the obligations attached with the said position.

The headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Shattered Moon is located in Taeran, Jeresa.

Mandate on Permit to Possess Weapons
Despite their protection under the law, there have been numerous cases where members of the Brotherhood were attacked. As a response, the Brotherhood lobbied for the amendment of the section preventing the members of the Brotherhood to possess firearms or wield offensive magic, to which the International League gave its approval. Since then, all Brotherhood members are required to undergo basic training in self defense techniques of their choice.

Soulwield
As part of their training, all Brotherhood members are also required to undergo training in medical training, which includes basic first aid and treatment of bullet wounds. Magical healing is also encouraged, especially when one already has existing knowledge of magic.

The preferred form of magic taught by the Brotherhood to its members is Soulwield, with its relative ease of learning and without the need for requisite knowledge of magic. They also believe that Soulwield is the most efficient form for medical and support applications, does not rely on extraneous variables other than the caster, and is the least prone to be abused as an offensive form of magic. Members are taught basic level healing techniques and progress depending on each individual member's aptitude and ability. Generally, only 1 percent of the members ever get to attain high level Soulwield techniques.