An independent mercenary group and guild of about 2000 archers, all extremely skilled in the ways of archery, and are the finest archers you can find among the shorter lived races. They are primarily made up of humans, but stragglers from other races often make their way into the ranks as well. While there is no explicit bias or rules against Elves or other, longer-lived races from joining, Elves are usually better archers than those of the Brotherhood of the Bow, and thus don't have much incentive to join other than the perks of being in an organized, independent guild.

Archers who wish to join the Brotherhood must pass through a series of trials that involve both marksmanship with the bow itself, as well as demonstrating the ability to deal with harsh conditions such as hunger, bad weather, and long marches. Soldiers who are vouched for by reputable, influential figures may skip the tests except for the marksmanship test.

Initiates into the Brotherhood are expected to bring their own equipment, although it is not mandatory. Upon being with the guild for some time and climbing to the rank of Bowman, Brotherhood archers are given a finely crafted Yew longbow, or a Laminated Shortbow, depending on their personal preference. They utilize a variety of ammunition, occasionally including magically enchanted arrows or expensive Mithril-tipped arrows for penetrating steel.

The Brotherhood typically takes on military missions against other humanoids and monster hunting missions. Bow Sergeants lead commands of generally 20-30 men and will fight wars or monsters for the right price, with payments being expected per command hired. In the event of large scale war, however, the entire Brotherhood may be called to action. They possess Chapter Houses in most major cities, but are centralized in Alliria, Vel Anir, and Oban. That said, they will travel to distant lands for the right price.

The Brotherhood of the Bow utilizes both standard massed archery practices and light skirmishing tactics, divided into two major divisions: the Bowmen, and the Rangers. Bowmen are usually called to fight other humanoids and monstrous races, while Rangers are called to fight in remote locations or hunt monsters. On campaign, Rangers act as scouts for the Bowmen.

Brotherhood of the Bow members are generally regarded with some esteem. Members are expected to act with acceptable conduct, and trespasses against the Guild are generally seen as ill-advised, as the Brotherhood has some connections in most political structures. That said, they are apolitical and only seek to improve the art of archery and maintain the guild's existence through payments on contracts. They are strictly against political action and subterfuge that does not involve open war; they are not assassins, despite the usefulness of highly-skilled archers in such a role.

The Brotherhood of the Bow is currently led by Gerard Montefort, who some see as the greatest Human archer who ever lived.


History:
The Brotherhood of the Bow was formed by an enterprising longbow archer named Granger Loris, an ex-army general of an old kingdom who became disillusioned with his ruler's treatment of archers in the army. Granger took many skilled archers with him, all armed with the signature yew longbow the guild would later become known for. The furious King at the time sent a detachment of his army after Granger, hopelessly outnumbering him and his small retinue. Granger and his followers led the King's army into a small mountain pass, where they had established many defenses and barricades, and waited. In what would later be known as the Battle of Mordrem's Pass, Granger and his 30 archers defeated a regiment of about 200 men through their use of the terrain and their powerful bows. Before the battle took place, each archer swore an oath of brotherhood, and thus was the beginning of the Brotherhood of the Bow.

Since then, the Brotherhood has passed through many Headmasters, and the story of Granger itself is more legend than history at this point. Granger's bow is kept safely inside a glass case at all times, alongside a few arrows recovered from the battle, but as his bow was simply made of Yew, the guild would later have a masterwork bow enchanted by a great mage, known as the Everbow, a bow which would never be affected by the elements, and allows its user to fire arrows at an increased power and draw weight, yet is effortless to draw.

The Brotherhood has been involved in many major conflicts since its formation, including most recently in the civil war in Vel Anir, where they fought on the side of the rebellion as mercenaries.