House of the Blessed Brothers

The House of the Blessed Brothers (幸福的家 Xingfu Dejia) is a banned doomsday cult and terrorist group. The group was founded in 1985 in the city of Zong by Min Yaaj Zoov, who styled himself the 'Blessed Brother Leader'. The main tenet of the cult is that the Apocalypse can be triggered by the mass killings of unbelievers. The media have dubbed it the House of Troubles for its brutal attacks on civilians.

History
The organization was originally founded as a study group for Min Yaaj Zoov's series of self help books. The 80's economic recession that battered individuals of all strata made self help books very attractive at the time. Zoov's publication of bestsellers such as 'The Art of the Deal' and 'Self Apotheosis' created great public interest in his groups activities. Attendance to Zoov's group sessions swelled and his modest Zong office soon became an inadequate space for his gatherings. With donations from his students and even celebrities, in 1987 Zoov bought a dilapidated industrial warehouse and began converting it into the nerve center of his self help movement. He expanded the activities to yoga, group meditation sessions and other similar activities meant to encourage inner peace. By this time the government was now wary of the eccentric Zoov and his growing following and several police raids were carried out on movement centers were drugs were seized and some members arrested. Tensions continued to escalate when some of Zoov's followers carried out a knife attack on judge Yan Zug who authorized the raids. Zoov's movement narrowly avoided being banned at this point, successfully arguing the judge's attackers had acted on their own volition and were not commanded by the movement's leadership.

In the summer of 1990, Zoov was shot by judge Yan Zug's son during an attempted assassination. Miraculously the bullet did not hit any vital organs and Zoov made a quick recovery. It was in the aftermath of the shooting that Zoov began working on his 'Path to Apotheosis' doctrines and began to exert harsher control of the members of the movement, while increasingly making the movement revolve around his charismatic leadership. Members were forbidden from making direct eye contact, he had to be always addressed as 'Brother Leader' and members had to sign over to him all of their assets. Zoov began engaging in sexual orgies with his more attractive followers where they shared in his 'vital energies'. Beginning in 1993 he oversaw the increased militarization of the movement in anticipation of a confrontation with Linge Chen's new government, which showed signs of an authoritarian streak and was threatening to ban the movement for 'attacks on public morality'. Cult buildings began to be converted to fortified redoubts and weapons were smuggled from overseas to prepare for an attempt to capture state power.

During the winter of 1995, just as the government was confronting a communist inspired revolt in the western districts; Zoov's movement decided to strike. Armed cult members stormed into a meeting in the Zong municipality building and gunned down the mayor and his entire cabinet. The local chief of police was shot and killed in his home and coordinated attacks against police stations took place. Min Yaaj Zoov marched into a radio station and declared himself 'Brother Leader of the State', called Chancellor Linge Chen a 'fraudster' and 'idol of clay' and vowed to 'restore our values and community life'. Chen responded by sending seven BPO battalions to restore order 'by any means necessary'. Government crack troops engaged in running battles with cult members all across the city. With his ragtag force facing military defeat, Zoov ordered the sabotage of the Zong Power Plant and thus was able to make his escape from the city under the cover of darkness.

Under Chen's directive, the organs of dictatorship were now fully unleashed against anyone suspected of being a follower of Zoov. Only approximately 300 members are suspected to have been able to escape from Zong, fleeing to the countryside or hiding out in caves in the wilderness. Very slowly Zoov began to gather his followers into a network that would wage an asymmetric campaign against the Corummese state.

Doctrine
As of modern day the previous focus on self improvement through traditional methods has been brushed aside in favor of the Path of Apotheosis written by Min Yaj Zoov. The basic premise of Zoov's doctrine is that an individual can 'march up the steps of the path' to a godlike perception of the world by fulfilling a series of concrete actions in order to reach the ultimate prize. The number of steps is supposedly only known to Min Yaj Zoov himself, who is claimed to be the only human to have reached the path's summit and achieved the ultimate state of being. The first steps that are taken usually involve wedding the individual more closely to the Movement, by giving up all material possessions to the Movement and cutting off all contact with outsiders. Others require taking part in the campaign of violence against Corummese society to 'cleanse the world of disbelievers and make way for the true community'. In the ideal world vision of the Movement, the only humans worthy of life are those that will follow the Path of Apotheosis. In pursuit of this ultimate goal, they are forever seeking to lay their hands on weapons of mass destruction.

Notable Attacks

 * 1995 Zong Revolt
 * 1996 Bombing of the Mirzak Friendship Bridge
 * 1996 Shooting down of Shanjin Airlines Flight 260
 * 1996 Heilin International Airport bombing
 * 1997 Attempted assassination of Chancellor Linge Chen
 * 1997 Poisoning of Daguo board of directors
 * 1997 Attempted poisoning of Zong water supply
 * 1998 Poisoning of Komangji water supply
 * 1999 Truck bomb attack on Zong New Year celebrations
 * 1999 Hijacking of Mimban Airlines Flight 385
 * 2000 Lashjing Metro bombing
 * 2000 Ziyang sniper attacks
 * 2001 Supreme Court attack