Cassiline Brotherhood

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In Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series, the Cassiline Brotherhood is an order of priests who swear allegiance to the Precepts of Cassiel. Their service is as rigorous and far sterner than that of Naamah. Noble houses often pledge their middle sons to the Brotherhood, sending them off for fostering at the age of ten.

The Cassiline share an affinity with the Yeshuites, who believe alone of Elua's Companions, Cassiel did not break faith with the One God, but only turned away in shame. Their difference in theology comes in that the Cassilines believe Cassiel took up the duty the One God neglected: loving the son of Yeshua's blood.

[edit] Rules and Customs of the Cassiline Order

• A Cassiline Brother never draws his sword except to kill. For non-lethal fights, they use twin daggers.

• All Brothers take vows of celibacy, and are cast out of the Order if they break them.

• The Cassilines refer to Elua and the other Companions as the Misguided.

• The final act a Cassiline may perform is called the terminus, in which the Cassiline throws a dagger into the heart of his charge while simultaneously slitting his own throat. It has not been performed in living memory.

• If a Cassiline fails to protect his charge from harm, he is considered a disgrace and may be released from his vows and become anathema, or return to the Prefect of the Cassiline Brotherhood to atone for this.

• The ruler of Terre d'Ange is always warded by two Cassiline Brothers by tradition.