The Secret Of The Brotherhood

The last news I heard of my friend, Stephan Gleichman, was that in the Summer of 1975 he had gone hitch-hiking in the Bavarian countryside some miles south of Munich. That was until recently. A few weeks ago at a concert in the Herculessaal, I unexpectedly ran into him again. After the concert we went for a drink at a huge 'gasthof' near the Marienplatz. "I will tell you, my friend, of one of my strangest experiences." He said. "Something happened to me, and you are probably the only person I know to whom I can recount my tale without them thinking that I'm totally crazy." As the first steins of beer arrived, he began to tell me this bizarre story. Stephan was hitch-hiking on his own in the Bavarian countryside in 1975 where the green, rolling hills give way to the Alpine slopes, and gigantic, Tyrolean chalets dot the hillsides just below the line where the seemingly endless, dark green forest starts to absorb the landscape like a monstrous slime mould. There was very little traffic. He was far from the closest town - the picturesque Prensburg - and it was starting to rain. Moments before, the sky had been clear but dark, sinister clouds had quickly and the precipitation was becoming dangerously heavy. The only sign of life that Stephan could see on that stretch of road was a fortified monastery, high up, on a rocky outcrop, a few hundred meters above him. It is no big secret that in this area there are dozens of monasteries with bizarre traditions of secret initiation rites, and links to Teutonic masonry dating back to the 11th Century, all complete with hierarchies of Grandmasters, Inquisitors, Masters, Patrons, Brothers and Friars. Most of these are just harmless collectives of monks living in harmony and possibly running a brewery or two, but there is the occasional fortress - usually high up on a rocky outcrop - which may be home to some austere bunch of extremely secretive and weird gentlemen who consider themselves, in some inexplicable way, bound by oath to guard and maintain a very big secret indeed usually a secret so big that it would bring about the end of the world - or at least the disintegration of society as we know it - if it were to become common knowledge. The rain was just beginning to seep through Stephan's clothes as he started to scramble up the rocks towards the monastery. When he reached the steep, stone walls he took a moment to regain his breath, despite the pounding torrential downpour which showed no signs of weakening. Drenched through to his skin, by this time, Stephan managed to find a huge, oak door. He pulled hard on the rusty chain, dangling from an opening high up in the buttress. A faint clanging - dulled by the fizzling raindrops falling on his anorak - could be heard well within the fortified walls. If there was anyone inside, they would surely have heard it. A few moments later a small hatch in the door slid open and a pair of ageing, grey eyes glared out into the rain. "Can I please come in?" Asked Stephan, "It's really quite horrid out here!" There was a groaning, metallic squeak and the lock, which probably last opened over a year ago, let out the final crackling growl in it's repertoire and the heavy, wooden door slowly eased back. Behind it there was a covered courtyard with a wooden-beamed roof. In the courtyard there were dozens of anonymous, pinewood crates stacked at one side of a stone well. The monk, whose grey eyes had peered out into the rain, wore a long, dark blue hassock tied at the waist with a thick rope knotted once with the ends hanging down to about a foot above the ground. His face was exactly what you would expect, extrapolating from his eyes, which were now fixed on Stephan, standing in the covered courtyard as his dripping clothes

created a small lake on the stone floor around him. "Well, my friend," started the monk, "you really are quite soaked! Let me call some of the brothers to find some dry clothes for you and then we'll get you something to eat." "Thank you so much." Answered Stephan. "I was taken quite by surprise. It was fine one minute and then this!" Stephan raised his hand gesturing upwards in the direction of the door. "You could say that you were lucky that the monastery was so close. Sometimes the road floods and it can get quite dangerous." Stephan did consider himself lucky. The other brothers soon came into the courtyard and greeted their soggy visitor. One by one, with a handshake, each of them stated his name and title like a class roster - Gerhard; Key-holder, Franz; Headfriar, Andreas; Convener, "I'm also the librarian," added Andreas, - and so on and so forth. After the introductions the old monk who had opened the door added his own name to the list; Harald Doorkeeper, again sounding-off like a class attendance roster. Stephan was led out of the courtyard into a large hall where an enormous fireplace hosted a great pile of logs which were just beginning to char as the newly lit kindling crackled and spat beneath them, He asked Harald the Doorkeeper to which order the monks belonged. "We constitute what is left of the Grand Royal Bavarian Order of the Covenant of Ludwig VI." Said the Doorkeeper proudly. "That sound very impressive," replied Stephan. "How many of you are there?" "Unfortunately, we are now only those whom you see here; that is, eleven brothers including myself. We don't get many visitors, as you can imagine, but we are a loyal brotherhood and, I think I can say, a very happy one." Stephan was being ushered through a long, cloistered corridor with beautiful, carved wooden doors - all very close together - on one side, and a small area of exceptionally well kept grass on the other. The rain seemed not to collect anywhere on the lawn and was obviously seeping into the ground below. Despite the stone walls, the corridor was warm and well aired. With the monks taking Stephan's Anorak and back-pack, and towels being passed back and forth as they went, he began to dry off and feel quite comfortable. Harald continued to explain a little more about the brotherhood as they walked. "The Order was originally formed by King Ludwig VI in the thirteenth Century and consisted mostly of knights, who had sworn to protect vital information which the King thought might make him vulnerable to his many enemies." Franz spoke up excitedly, "All of this material this is still held in our library. You can see it if you like." Harald turned to Franz, "All in good time, Brother. All in good time" Continuing his history of the Grand Royal Bavarian Order of the Covenant of Ludwig VI, Harald turned once more to Stephan. "After the defeat of King Ludwig's Grandson Ludwig VIII in the Bohemian war, the Order was to be dissolved but by then it had become a religious order and, despite the redundancy of the secret covenant of King Ludwig VI, the order remained intact." "So, you are a bit like Franciscans or Jesuits then?" Asked Stephan, as he was finally led into a small room with one single bed, one table and one chair. "Yes, you could say that we are a bit like Jesuits." Smiled Harald, as Stephan got his socks off and dried his feet at last. "There is a bathroom through this door and you will find soap and towels in the cupboard. I'm sorry we don't have any modern clothes here, so you must wear a hassock until your clothes have dried. Get

cleaned up and then we will have something to eat. Then you can rest." The simple meal of potatoes and egg was just what Stephan needed. The monks of the Brotherhood all sat round a large table and shared everything with each other. Dark, heavy bread was offered around and a strong, sweet-smelling 'dunkelbreu' certainly a product of the monastery - flowed abundantly. There seemed to be no vow of silence and the chattering monks laughed and sometimes even sang to one another as they ate. Stephan was beginning to feel very much at ease. "Doesn't our visitor look quite the part in his new hassock?" Asked Harald, rhetorically. "He will have to become a monk if he wants to keep it, though!" Joked Andreas. "It's not out of the question, you know." Stephan though for a second. "Well, I do think of myself as a spiritual kind of man but I would have to think very hard about devoting my life to a monastic order like this." Then he added, smiling, "I haven't even seen Prensburg yet, but maybe after that..." The Brothers laughed with Stephan's wit and continued with their meal. Stephan took advantage of the air of familiarity to ask further questions about the Brotherhood. "So, now that you have no Royal secrets to keep, you seem to live a very happy and simple life indeed here." He started. "Oh, hardly simple, my friend." Said Harald, suddenly looking quite serious. He stopped and turned to the Brothers, who now also looked a lot less frivolous, and then to Stephan again. "The Royal Secrets may be ancient history now, but the Knights discovered something much more terrible. So terrible that they could not even tell the King." Harald's face intensified, "Our Order is sworn to protect the world from this awful thing. We like to think of it as 'the Secret of the Brotherhood'." Stephan now realized that the other monks were not looking at all frivolous, in fact they were all staring directly at Harald. Franz, the Headfriar, spoke up. "I think our visitor is probably quite bored with all our strange stories." Turning to Stephan, he added. "You really must get some rest after your climb in the rain." "Brother Franz is right," said Harald. "But first, we could show you the library." Laying on the soft mattress - something which he didn't expect in a monastery Stephan thought about the library and the old manuscripts piled up there, full of details of illicit affairs and royal, bastard offspring. Then he imagined the Knights' terrible secret and wondered what it could possibly be. Slowly, sleep overcame him and his imaginings turned to dreams of chivalry and heroic deeds, damsels in distress and even the odd dragon to be slain. Our Glasses were getting empty, so I ordered two more weissbiers and Stephan continued with his narrative. I had never suspected Stephan of being involved with anything like this but it had been years since we had last met and he was, after all, an adventurous soul. Gradually, Stephan realized that he had been woken by a dull, thudding sound which seemed to be coming from deep, underneath the monastery. He waited, thinking that it might stop soon like a flushed toilet in the next room at a cheap hotel but, after a few minutes, he realized that this particular noise was not going to stop anytime soon. He pulled himself out of bed and, finding only the heavy, dark blue

hassock hanging on the back of the solitary chair, he got dressed and went out into the cloistered corridor to find someone who could tell him what this din was. After walking around for quarter of an hour, he found that the whole monastery seemed to be deserted. He found the door leading to the covered courtyard and realized that the thudding sound was getting louder. Also, there was now a whirring sound and something a bit like electrical sparking sounds too, involved in this cacophony. When he opened the door to the courtyard he could see that the crates had been moved and there was a small metal door in the wall where they had been. The noise was coming from somewhere behind this door. As Stephan leaned down to reach the weighty, wroughtiron handle he realized that someone was standing behind him. He froze in a stooped position and turned his head slowly round to see Gerhard, the Key-holder, standing over him. And, as you might expect, he was holding a large silver key with an ornate handle. "Brother Stephan? Were you initiated last night? I wasn't able to be there, but I was told that you have still to see Prensburg. Is that true?" "Sorry?" Said Stephan, completely confused by what Gerhard was saying. "What initiation? What's all this about Prensburg?" He let go of the handle and straightened up again. "Oh, I'm sorry." Replied Gerhard, "I saw you in the Hassock and I thought... Well, It's my mistake. Never mind." "Never mind?" "Yes, this is something for initiates only. When you came to us yesterday, we were all sure you had come to join the Order. But If you need more time - to see Prensburg perhaps - that's all right, we can wait." Stephan, of course, did not want to seem over inquisitive or rude to his hosts, so he only asked about the noises and left the Prensburg issue alone, ascribing it to a wierd, monastic sense of humor. "I only came to see what the noises were and I couldn't find any of the brothers anywhere." Said Stephan. "Can you tell me what's going on?" "Unfortunately, we are sworn to secrecy in this matter and I can only tell you that it concerns the Secret of the Brotherhood." "The Secret of the Brotherhood?" "Yes, but I can't tell you any more, since you haven't yet been initiated." "I understand. I'll go back and try to get some more sleep." "Of course, Broth.. sorry, Stephan. Good night and pleasant dreams." Gerhard watched Stephan as he retraced his steps to the door and returned through the cloistered corridor. Stephan could not get back to sleep. The noises of grinding and clicking metal, occasional screeches and burring kept him well away from the clutches of Morphea. Eventually, the morning sun broke through the high, thick-glassed window in his room. Almost immediately, a deep-toned bell rang somewhere in another corner of the monastery and soon the scuffle of sandals, and the chattering of monks could be heard in the hall. There was a light knock at the door and a polite voice asked, "Stephan, Are you awake?" Stephan replied that he was, and the voice then informed him that he could have breakfast in a little while in the confectory, where they had eaten dinner last night. Fifteen minutes later, Stephan was in the refectory with the monks, enjoying some white bread with fruit and honey. There was fresh milk and eggs too. The whole Order was there, chattering and laughing as before. Gerhard was first to speak up, addressing all the monks.

"Brothers, we have been blessed with the presence of our new friend, Stephan, who we feel, is already like a brother to us. I would like to ask him officially, if he would like to see Prensburg eventually and then return to tell us about his travels there?" The monks roared with joy and raised glasses of milk toasting Prensburg and Stephan, thieir new brother!. The clamor was amazing and Stephan felt that the Prensburg joke was getting a bit worn. Then Harald lifted his hand and silence fell over them again. After a moment, he spoke. "Stephan has come to us for shelter in troubled weather." He said solemnly, "He has asked for no more. We cannot make him do anything he does not want to. But we must not forget that last night he told us all that he did want to see Prensburg." Nods of confirmation were exchanged amongst the monks. Then, continuing his announcement, Harald added; "I have taken the initiative to find a friend of the Order who will drive you there today." Again, spontaneous cheers broke out amongst the Brotherhood - "Well done, Harald!", "Stephan's going to Prensburg!" - and other cries of well-wishing. Stephan could hardly believe his ears. The monks had really sent for a car to take him to Prensburg just because he mentioned it last night? 'These are really amazing guys!' he thought to himself. He stood up to address the brotherhood in thanks. "Brothers," he started. A short cheer of delight rose from the monks on being addressed as 'Brothers' by their visitor. "Brothers, I have only known you for one day but you have made me feel ever so welcome and I will always remember your hospitality. I must say that finding a car to take me to Prensburg was a very unexpected service and I will, at the very least, send a post-card." The monks looked a little disappointed at this. "Come back and tell us about it!" Advised Franz, with a nod. "I might even do that." Said Stephan, seeing how much it seemed to mean to the monks. "I would only like to ask one question, and I know that it is possibly inappropriate. I was woken by some noises last night and I was wondering if you could tell me what they might have been?" Silence fell, once again, on the gathered monks. Gerhard shook his head slightly at Stephan but it was Harald who spoke first. "I'm afraid, Stephan, that we cannot tell you anything about those noises. They are part of the Secret of the Brotherhood and, unless you are initiated, we are unable to divulge even the slightest detail of what they might be. Once again, I'm sorry we can't shed any more light on this subject." After a short pause Harald continued, "Well, have we all finished breakfast? Let's get our new friend back on the road to Prensburg!" The monks scuffled around, bringing Stephan his clothes, which had been cleaned, dried, and ironed perfectly. He headed back to his room and changed. A few minutes later, a car horn sounded outside the courtyard door. Stephan thanked the Brothers again for everything and got into the car which was waiting with the engine running. The wooden, monastery door closed and the driver headed for Prensburg, with stephan as his passanger. I was fascinated. "Did you eventually go back to the monastery and tell them about Prensburg?" I asked.

"Of course!", gesturing her beautiful, by the monks all

replied Stephan, as he waved to the girl with long blonde pigtails, to bring us more beer. "I went to Prensburg - which is very the way - and, two weeks later, I was back at the monastery to tell about it." - He continued his tale.

Stephan had stayed for a couple of weeks in Prensburg, taking in the scenery and wandering around the lovely town with the Statue of King the central square. He visited the instrument makers workshops where finest string instruments in the world are made. He played on dozens and generally had a marvelous time.

glorious Ludwig VI in some of the of violins

Rejuvenated and in high spirits, Stephan headed back to the monastery with the intent of stopping, briefly, to tell them of his time in Prensburg but he could not find a car heading along the road which led to that steep, rocky outcrop, from which the thirteenth Century fortification, housing the Grand Royal Bavarian Order of the Covenant of Ludwig VI, surveyed the plain below. He was taken as far as the fork in the road from Prensburg to Badissel, which was only about three kilometers from the Monastery. After thirty minutes of walking, laden with his backpack, Stephan looked up to see the jagged silhouette of the monastic fortification above. He soon found the path where he had climbed two weeks before and started to scale the gravelly slope. While he was about halfway up he noticed dark clouds gathering in the West and, by the time he reached the top, it was starting to drizzle. The familiar door loomed before him and the rusty chain now seemed much more friendly than before. He gave a gentle tug and the bell rang as before, a distant clang hidden in the increasingly heavy rain. Again, the door eased back. Harald, the Doorkeeper, stood smiling before him. "Welcome back my friend." Beamed Harald. "I knew you would not forget us in such a hurry." "Yes, Brother Harald. It's nice to see you again." Said Stephan. "Is everybody well?" "Of course! We all missed you while you were in Prensburg." Turning his attention to Stephan's wet clothes, he added, "Let us find you a nice dry hassock." "Yes, quite a coincidence. It started to rain, just like that!"Replied Stephan. Soon the entire Brotherhood was aware of the return of their visitor. Suddenly, monks were swarming around him with towels, taking his wet clothes, and entreating him to recount his tales of adventure in Prensburg over dinner. He was, once again, led along the cloistered corridor with the perfect lawn which was still soaking up all the rain. In the room, there was the simple bed, chair and table just as before. It had been cleaned but it seemed to Stephan, as if the Brotherhood was keeping it ready just for him. And once again, the Brothers left him alone to take a rest, after which Franz would come to take him to the refectory for dinner. When Stephan and Franz reached the refectory, the other monks were already chatting and laughing but as soon as they noticed the arrival of their visitor, who was now dressed in the familiar, dark blue hassock of the Order, they all stood up and welcomed him to the table. "Welcome back, Brother Stephan!" They cheered, as Stephan was directed to his place at the huge table. "Thank you all very much for such a warm reception." Said Stephan. "I have the feeling of 'deja vu', now that I'm wearing this hassock and eating with you all again." The monks smiled. "I had promised to come back and tell you about Prensburg; it's just such a lovely town." Realizing that they were all still

standing, Stephan turned to Harald and gestured that they should perhaps sit. Harald spread out his hands, palms facing upwards, and they all sat down to a dinner of heavy, dark brown bread with pork sausage and dunkelbreu. Over dinner, Stephan told the Brotherhood about the instrument makers and the town square. He described the glorious scenery and the old castle looking down over the town. He answered questions about the beautiful murals on the buildings in the main street and the state of the cobbled paving in the square. Franz and Gerhard added information about the history of the town while Andreas mentioned some technical details about the architecture and town planning. The greatest Bavarian luthiers of past centuries had left their legacy in Prensburg and today's instrument makers keep alive the secrets of the construction of a 'myriad of mysterious masterpieces', as Andreas put it. Talk of Prensburg went on all evening and everyone had something wonderful to say about the place; some interesting detail about it's political history or the geological constitution of the surrounding hills; how delightful it looks in winter or who made the bells in Saint Benedict's Church and why they are tuned in such a particular way. The rain outside was still thundering down and, when Stephan asked if it was possible to send for a taxi, he was told that no taxi would come up the slippery, dirt road in this weather. Harald suggested that he should stay the night and, if he felt like it, he could set off after breakfast. Stephan agreed and said good night to the monks, who were all still talking about their beloved Prensburg. As he lay in his room, reflecting on the Brotherhood's almost obsessive interest in the town of Prensburg, Stephan thought that maybe there was a real connection between the monastery and the town, but it was never mentioned amongst all the finite details discussed that evening. 'Surely someone would have mentioned it,' he thought to himself. He then decided that perhaps some or all of them are from Prensburg. Gradually, he was lulled into a deep sleep where visions of Prensburg swirled in his mind. The perfectly cobbled streets with the incredible, baroque murals were now populated with dancing monks in the familiar, dark blue hassocks of the Royal Order of Ludwig VI. Harald, Andreas, Franz, Gerhard and the others had linked hands in a circle, and were singing one the songs that he heard at dinner two weeks earlier. The singing was accompanied by the rhythmical stamping of their feet as they circled round and round in the picturesque town square with the bronze statue of Ludwig VI. Suddenly the bronze statue leaped down from the sculpted marble pedestal and joined the Brotherhood in this bizarre ring-dance. The bronze King and the sworn protectors of his secrets bonded into a single form, swirling and stamping. A dark blue ring pulsated around the town passing the various workshops of Luthiers who had poured out into the streets with their violins, playing the same simple melody. The scene was becoming a symphony in honor of the beautiful, Bavarian town of Prensburg. Slowly, the stamping turned into a pounding which was filling Stephan's head and was gradually pulling him back to consciousness. His eyes snapped open suddenly and he realized that the thumping was not just in his head but in his room. It was the same sound that he had heard on the first night that he had spent with the Brotherhood, when his curiosity had led him to the small, metal door in the covered courtyard. Stephan had made his decision. He got up and put on the hassock which he had worn at dinner. He headed straight for the courtyard and the metal door. He met Gerhard, the Key-holder, who seemed to be waiting for him. "Well, Brother Stephan," said Gerhard. "Did you have the dream?" How did you know about the dream, Brother Gerhard?" Asked Stephan, strangely realizing that he was not at all bothered that he was being addressed as

'brother'. "We knew that you were ready to make the decision and we were certain that you would have the dream. You see, the initiation into to the Order is very simple - a visit to Prensburg, and then all the details of it's history that we discussed; the statue of King Ludwig VI, the luthiers and the murals. We have all had the dream in one form or another. Years ago, when I was a young man, I too went to Prensburg and then met with the Brotherhood. I had a dream in which the satue of the King gave a concert in the town square, with the brothers clapping rhythmically below. Like you, I awoke and followed the thumping sounds and met here with Franz, who was then the Key-holder." "You're telling me that I have been initiated into the Brotherhood against my will?" Asked Stephan, who was now in a slight state of shock. "Hardly against your will." Answered Gerhard. "You wanted to see Prensburg, you came to us, dined with us and chatted about the town all evening. In any case, you don't have to stay. You don't even have to go through this door. We won't stop you, though, but we ask only one thing: if you do decide to go through this door and see what is on the other side, we ask you to swear an oath of secrecy and never to tell a living soul about anything you witness there. Can you do that?" Stephan thought for a moment, It was easy for him to see that Gerhard was right. He was drawn to the Brotherhood and he needed no time at all to give his answer. "Yes, Brother Gerhard, I'm absolutely certain I can swear to that." He stated, heartily. Gerhard slid the key, which he had been holding the whole time, into the steel lock in the small, metal door. It swung open and the terrible, thumping noise suddenly became much louder. The two men ducked slightly to pass through the narrow opening and proceeded down a stone-walled passageway to a ornate, carved panel door. The noise was becoming deafening and the screeching and whirring, like broken glass on a chalky blackboard, was almost unbearable. Gerhard turned to Stephan once more and asked if he was ready to take his oath. When he indicated that he was, Andreas and Franz appeared from another door behind them and made Stephan repeat his vow of absolute secrecy. I was totally enthralled with Stephan's tale. He was now leaning completely over to where I was sitting. Before he continued, Stephan looked carefully around to see if there was anyone listening. His voice then fell to a conspiratorial whisper. "After I my eyes! "So what "I can't

took the vow, the carved panel door creaked open and I couldn't believe There it was!" was it?" I asked impatiently. tell you, I took an oath to protect... the Secret of the Brotherhood!"

No, seriously, he didn't tell me!