Brotherhood of the Night

"We have been embraced by the night, and fight for her as kin.  Under the glow of the moon, we strike and protect her.  And when the sun rises, we wait in silence for dusk.  We are invisible.  We are eternal.  We are everywhere.  We are the Brotherhood of the Night."

Brotherhood of the Night's motto.

Founding and History
"'Despite the Brotherhood's autonomy from the other Huntsman and Huntresses of the world, we would not and cannot exist without them."

 History of the Brotherhood of the Night, Volume 11 

The Brotherhood was founded shortly after mankind's original war against Grimm, originally for the purpose of creating more specialized Hunters, who were more precise in their craft. For the time between man's war with the Grimm and the Faunus War, the Brotherhood operated more overtly, with many Hunters enlisting in the Brotherhood shortly after finishing their training. However, over time, the Brotherhood became more and more autonomous from the official organization of Hunters in Remnant, and eventually became its own entity altogether. However, both organizations still maintain a level of professional respect for each other, and to this day, the majority of members in the Brotherhood have been a Hunter at some point their lives.

However, when the Faunus War came, while the Brotherhood was officially neutral in the came, members found themselves on both sides, and when the war ended, the Brotherhood had lost nearly 1/3 of its members worldwide. This brought about a major shift in the policy of the Brotherhood's operation, with the Brotherhood operating covertly to combat a new threat known as the Nightmare Organization, which had emerged in the final days of the war. The Brotherhood also ceased openly recruiting new members at this point. Now, you're either born into the Brotherhood, or they find you. Sometimes they recruit people they help with no other prospects in life, sometimes they notice especially skilled Hunters, and sometimes they recruit repentant Nightmare agents. Whatever the way people join, the Brotherhood now operates secretly, enough to the point that most people believe the Brotherhood no longer exists at all.

The Brotherhood has since isolated itself from other branches for its own safety, though they do still keep in contact with other branches. Members of one chapter would not necessarily recognize members of another, though all members are taught how to find members of another Kingdom's branch when necessary. Each of the Four Kingdoms has at least one chapter, with the central command chapter located in Menagerie, where supposedly the Brotherhood was formed. Each branch also has its own theme and special methods for their work,

Organization and Command Structure
(Note: Command Structure is from bottom to top.)
 * Recruit: The first stage all members of the Brotherhood enter, this is merely basic training in what the Brotherhood is and what it's goals are.  The future place of recruits is determined at this stage.
 * Initiate:The first step for members who will become field agents.  This stage contains training in weapons, Dust, and learning to control Aura and Semblence.  It's important to note that for all stages of training for all positions, there is no set amount of time one will stay at a stage.  The instructors for each branch determine when each student is ready to advance.
 * Apprentice: The first step for recruits who will become a chapter's librarian, or several other non-combat positions.  They learn how to acquire new volumes on Grimm and supernatural phenomenon, and how to properly care for a chapter's more rare and delicate books.  This branch is normally reserved for members who cannot, for physical or mental reasons, act as field agents.
 * Street Contact: The first step for recruits who will become spies, or administrative positions.  They are given basic combat training, though not nearly to the extent that Initiates are, and are taught to gather intelligence and act as contacts for members outside their own chapter.
 * Daywalker: The stage following Initiate, this is where future field agents are exposed to the outside world, usually by sending them to schools that train Hunters.  They also make contacts they'll need for future work during this state.  It is also not unheard of to be promoted to a full field agent before a member finishes their education.
 * Bookkeeper/Taskmaster: Bookkeepers continue along the road to becoming a chapter's future librarian (There is only one librarian at a time), becoming more familiar with acquiring knowledge for the chapter.  Taskmasters are partnered with a field agent, and are responsible for giving agents missions and corresponding intelligence.  Both positions take vows as full members at this stage.
 * Spy/Administrator: Spies operate outside a chapter's normal reach, and gather intelligence with minimal supplies.  Some operate in self-established cells, some infiltrate ranks of Nightmare agents.  Spies also report any supernatural occurrences back to Taskmasters to be distributed to field agents.  Administrators also handle a chapters day to day operation.  Again, both positions take vows as full members at this state.  Administrators can also appoint members of their respective branchers to act as instructors for Recruits.
 * Field Agent: The final stage for most members, Field Agents are the backbone of the Brotherhood, and take vows at this stage.  Field Agents complete missions set by their Taskmaster, and are given full freedom to complete missions as they see fit.
 * Librarian: Librarians are responsible for maintaining a chapter's collected knowledge, and approve all missions before Taskmasters can distribute them.  A chapter's Librarian is always a member of the Council Of Three.
 * Overseer: The Spy or Administrator who is a member of chapter's Council Of Three.
 * Assassin: The Field Agent who is a member of a chapter's Council Of Three.
 * Council Of Three: The body responsible for maintaining and operating a cell.  Members serve three-year terms, with the exception of the Librarian, who holds the position for life.
 * Watcher's Court: A special council that convenes at Menagerie once every year for one month.  Every chapter sends two members as a representatives, though many more will attend the proceedings.  While typically a chapter sends members of its Council Of Three, they are allowed to send any members they wish.  In fact, records indicate a representative from the Atlas chapter at an early Court was a Recruit.  In addition, every representative receives the title "Watcher".
 * Vampire King/Queen: The head of the Brotherhood.  Kings/Queens are appointed to five-year terms by the Watchers Court.  They release annual reports on the state of the Brotherhood, and can propose laws that are voted on by the Watchers Court.  The King/Queen also assign special missions to any member of the Brotherhood without question.  Again, like members of the Watcher's Court, the Vampire King/Queen can be any member of the Brotherhood.

Chapter names
(Note: This list will likely expand as more places are revealed in canon.)

Every member of the Brotherhood, while always a "Brother" or "Sister", identifies themselves by the name of their respective chapter, i.e., a member of the Vacuo chapter would be a "Reaper Guard".

Vale Chapter: The Batcave. This chapter's emblem is a side profile of a bat in flight, silhouetted against the moon. The Vale chapter also has a tendency to be the most "trouble-making" chapter, with a significant record of vigilantism among its members.

Atlas Chapter: The Court of Owls. This chapter's emblem is an owl backwards with its head turned around. This chapter has the highest rate of recruiting members who were not born into the Brotherhood.

Vacuo Chapter: The Reaper's Guard. This chapter's emblem is a kite shield with a scythe behind it. The Vacuo chapter likes to partner its Field Agents together more often than the other chapters.

Menagerie Chapter: The Royal Shadow. This chapter's emblem is a crown being engulfed in shadows. This chapter has the highest rate of working with other chapters.

Known Members
(Note: While I created this organization for one of my OC's other people are more than welcome to add this to their character's backstory.  Just message User: Lurooke Surana to have your character added to the list.)
 * Ciarán Abraham: Field agent of the Vale chapter.  Currently a student of Beacon Academy.  Was recruited at a young age along with his brother Reilly.  According to the Council Of Three, he is a likely candidate to be a representative for Vale at an upcoming Watcher's Court.
 * Reilly Abraham: Currently a Bookkeeper for the Vale Chapter.  Has a good chance of becoming the chapter's Librarian in the future.
 * Mina Westerna: The current Assassin of the Vale Chapter.  She was raised in the Brotherhood, though like many, she spent time outside the Brotherhood at Beacon Academy.  She recruited the Abraham brothers into the Brotherhood, and acts as a mother figure to Ciarán, who remembers very little of his own parents, and to a lesser extent, Reilly.