“Defending the truth against all heathens until Crahn the Savior returns!” The Brotherhood of Crahn is the biggest and most influential religious organization in Neocron. Having played the game of power on both sides they have been both rulers as well as persecuted underdogs. They seem to have reduced their activities to the field of Psi research and the production of Psi devices in recent times - apart from their ever-present religious activities, of course.

The Psi Monks are perhaps the most exotic group in the world of Neocron. They are descendants of a tribe of people who lived underground for centuries after the nuclear apocalypse. Discovered by a tribe led by the infamous Crahn, their ancestors were incorporated into the society of these surface dwellers and thus their fate closely bound to that of the great leader and his descendants.

After Crahn‘s downfall in 2588, he fl ed from Neocron and founded the ‘Brotherhood of Crahn’. Together with his most loyal Psi Monks, he started teaching the doctrine of the god of the blinding light and the need for ‘normal’ humans to develop their bodies and minds further, just like the Psi Monks in their underground caves had done for centuries. The sect soon became the major religious force in Neocron, while Crahn started to regain the power he had lost when Thor drove him out of the city. Crahn‘s successors accomplished this task by establishing the rule of the Psi Monks over Neocron in 2611. Their reign ended in 2724 when the Twilight Guardian, led by Hagen Yager and Lioon Reza, overthrew the Psi Monk government.

Headquarters

The Crahn Abbey in the Dome of York is an impressive building. Astonishingly it has suffered only minor damage from the devastation of the Dome. The chants of the novices echo through the halls, while the already initiated brethren rely solely on their Psi powers to communicate with each other and their deity. Followers of the Crahn sect will find shelter and job opportunities within these walls.

Products of the Brotherhood, mainly psi modules and implants, are sold in the Yakarma shops that can be found all over town.

Players choosing the Brotherhood of Crahn as their Runner‘s faction will start out with an apartment in the Pepper Park.

Key figures

Neopha Kansil, the ‘First Follower of Crahn’ is already 63, but still a powerful Psi Monk. He is rarely seen outside of the monastery, in which he spends most time in quiet devotion and prayers. Nevertheless, he is the unquestioned leader of the Brotherhood and his word is law for all of the faith.

Golon Kalah is one of the most qualifi ed communication specialists of the new world and a strong believer. He would happily give up his life for Crahn and the Brotherhood and lives a withdrawn and ascetic life, letting nearly nothing of the true nature of his personality leak out into the public. His strong feelings of admiration towards his religious leader Neopha are well known and he reads every wish from his lips (or his thoughts?).

History

The Brotherhood was founded 2558 by Crahn and his elite Psi Monks. They took over an old monastery and made it their fi rst home. It is assumed that the Brotherhood maintained contact to other Psi Monks within the city, thus receiving information, goods and fi nancial support. When the Brotherhood of Crahn took over power again in 2611, many followers returned to the city and only a few leaders remained in the monastery. Parts of the monastery were destroyed in 2684, when a psi-amplifi er exploded in one of the laboratories.

In the year 2715 Neopha Kansil became the ‘First Follower of Crahn’ and thus also the ruler over Neocron. His laws were in force until the fall of the Psi Monk government in 2724. The Psi Monks fled into their monastery - a strategy which had functioned once already and, the way it looks, did so again. Dictator Lioon Reza loosened the Psi Monks ban in 2728 and a small delegation established an outpost in Pepper Park that is doing its best to develop good relations with the inhabitants.

In the second Dome of York war, Crahn did not hesitate to place himself on the side of the Dome, although his actions on the battlefield were not worth mentioning. He simply wanted to maintain the chance to side with the winning faction. After the neutralization of the Dome of York, the possibility arose to escape Neocron’s repressions by moving to the Dome altogether.

Rumors

According to rumors, the Brotherhood is researching in far more areas than just Psi and spine-chilling stories of dreadful experiments in the dungeons below the monastery are circulating. Perhaps the Psi Monks are researching for a genetically altered super-human being, perfectly adapted to the hostile living conditions of a radioactively contaminated world. Spokespersons of the Brotherhood of course deny these rumors and assert that they have only been created to harm the Brotherhood‘s good reputation.

In connection with these stories, the Brotherhood is also suspected of being responsible for the mutated creatures that roam the Wastelands. Again, the sect’s followers vehemently deny this.

Other rumors claim that the monks are involved in a technology transfer deal with BioTech, selling the results of their dubious experiments. If this is true, both organizations have formed an alliance at the highest level. Thus, some people assume that Seymour Jordan, head of BioTech, will join the Brotherhood.

Finally yet importantly, some sources believe that the Brotherhood is operating a large information network, dating back to its founding. The most obvious form of this network is the Psi Monk Secret Police, which was established shortly before the takeover of power in 2611. According to the Psi Monks it has long since ceased to exist but the rumors of a secretly operating organization nevertheless persistently remain.

Friend and foe

Since its invasion of the Dome of York, it is no secret any longer that the Brotherhood has formed an alliance with the Twilight Guardians. Neocron’s government has good reasons to observe this for the time being, without taking any action. President Reza assumes that the alliance between the Monks and the rebels is doomed to fail. Hagen Yager, leader of the Twilight Guardian, has enough reasons to hate the Psi Monks, as the alliance totally contradicts the democratic ideals of Yager and his followers. The fact that this alliance came into existence nevertheless, is a small miracle and only shows how strongly the two factions are interested in overthrowing the present government (only to dissolve their partnership again later on).

One can often see members of the Brotherhood hanging out with Black Dragon dealers. According to them, they only want to convert the poor souls to Crahn the Savior. However, who can be sure of their true motives? Madame Veronique hates the rotten preachers, as she calls the monks, nearly as much as drugs or customers who don’t want to pay. When the Psi Monks established themselves in Pepper Park, there were violent clashes between them and the Tsunami Syndicate. The situation between the neighbors in the Dome of York has calmed down somewhat, but they still watch each other with distrust.

The Anarchy Breed is not on friendly terms with the Brotherhood. They are convinced that the monks kidnap weak and unprotected Breed members to abuse them in their dubious experiments. Naturally, the Brotherhood denies these accusations, and claims that the strong prejudice against the sect is responsible.