Red Right Hand
"We can't expect God to do all the work"
The Samaritans of The Grotto are by and large a peaceful bunch. Their vow of pacifism and dedication to saving lives and aiding in hardship has made them a welcomed sight all over Cascadia, and most would agree that their mission convoys are off-limits for predation. However Portland is not a safe place for those of bleeding hearts, and there are many threats both human and otherwise that stalk its snowy streets. To this end a splinter faction from the Samaritans has formed in recent years that eschews their typical notions of nonviolence in favor of a mindset that swings wildly in the opposite direction.
The Red Right Hand are a small group of zealous warriors led by one Reverend James Heacock whose goal is to defend the Samaritans mission of peace by any means necessary, up to and especially with the application of extreme violence. They will defend their peaceful brethren with ferocious tenacity against any perceived threat; something that has led to a mounting animosity between them and the less fervent members of the Samaritans. Many of the former view the pacifist priests and toothless monks as cowards who pointlessly limit the good they are capable of bringing to the world by refusing to defend themselves and clinging to outdated beliefs. The latter consider the Hand to be a perversion of all that their organization has stood for since its inception, and many outright refuse to associate with Hand members unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately for them such circumstances are becoming more and more common as the streets of Portland become increasingly fraught with peril from countless sources. As a result, tension between both groups has begun to rise and whispers abound of a split within the Samaritans that looms on the horizon if a compromise cannot be made.
Reverend Heacock preaches that while the others may call him a sinner, a killer, an oath-breaker and worse names that he fully deserves, they will forever be his brothers and sisters. He believes that the ways of peace and turning the other cheek are left-over doctrines from a time long gone, and that in this world the only thing that matters is the Lord's one sacred law: That of human decency.
Love thy neighbor, do no harm against those who would not harm you, but suffer no insult and treat others the way you have been treated. Those who would trespass against decent folk like the Samaritans who only want to help others are worse than beasts to Heacock and the Hand, and they will be put down as such. Each human soul is a precious, rare thing in this world of the Heavenly Father, and those who are tainted must be removed from it with extreme prejudice. To allow them to fester and prey upon their fellow man would only be leaving the door open for more suffering.
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