Hand of Mahra

The Hand of Mahra is a cult based in New York City in the Crimes of Passion series. Though they appear in Chapter 1, they are not identified until Chapter 6.

History and Origins
The Hand of Mahra was founded by Mathus Blake in c. 1937, who took inspiration from a symbol he found on a shard of pottery in Germany. The symbol, which has three arrows, originates with a group of hunters, known as the Mahrenaen tribe, in pre-Roman Gaul, now part of modern-day France and Germany. Blake brought the ancient artefacts he found at the site back to New York with him and founded the cult shortly after. The symbol is believed to indicate possession.

It was originally formed as a spiritualist group using iconography from the Mahrenaen tribe, and the members worshipped a three-headed goddess called Mahra. The members believed the goddess bestows wealth and power upon them. The goddess has three masks, each of which has its own personality; which one she displays depends on what is sacrificed before her. Her favorites were said to be jewelry, fine weaponry and vital organs.


 * Maiden - she was kind but the most difficult to deceive.
 * Mother (also known as Huntress) - was fair and just.
 * Crone - a vicious god, who values human sacrifice.

In 1956, a fire broke out and killed Mathus, his servants, family, and several millionaires that were members of the cult. Unlike the new iteration, who were more focused on partying, the original cultists engaged in numerous ritualistic sacrifices and were heavily implied to cannibalize members that didn't properly contribute, similar to the original Mahranean Tribe. It was re-established by Nick Bastion in the early 21st century, after he read about it on a Twitter thread and thought it would be fun to recreate. The cult has grown, and now features several dozen members.

Present Day
While some members of the cult appear deeply religious, such as Tony Kowalski, most members enjoy the bacchanalian-type parties thrown by its founder, Nick Bastion. Because much of the enjoyment comes at a toll, Nick sought out Anika Desphande to help reign in the members and prevent them from exposing the cult's drug induced orgies by blackmailing them into silence. Their partnership was beneficial, as it allowed Nick to continue his sex parties and gave Anika leverage over members of the upper crust. As Ruth Iverson mentions, everyone in the upper crust knew about the cult and wanted in (before the police raided the last party). It was the hot, scandalous, "orgy cult", whose members were everyone who is anyone and carried a lot of prestige.

Each member of the cult has a secret identity, often named after other Gaulish gods, whose identity is hidden from the other members.

Initiation
Those who are chosen to join the cult are instructed to wear black robes, blindfold themselves and wear a tight pair of handcuffs at a certain location, usually an abandoned factory or warehouse, before being drugged with chloroform and kidnapped. When they are awakened, they must face three trials, each one appealing to the three masks of the goddess. Not all who begin the first trial will make it through, and some are killed rather than allowed to return to their homes. Those who pass the first two tasks are injected with novogliterol and interrogated. Those who do not pass the first tasks are drugged unconscious to be dealt with at a later time.

Current Activities
The cult in its present form is criminal, mainly due to the extortion that Anika and her people are involved in. They also use several associates to help them with their goals, notably Bird, who sells and ships them supply of novogliterol, and Tony Kowalski, who manufactures their masks and weaponry.

The Killer
The Killer is an unknown variable to them, being fanatical and extremely dangerous. His victims, who are often killed in a brutal way, have their vital organs sacrificed to Mahra, usually as a result of a cardioectomy (surgical removal of the heart). His crimes include murder, kidnapping, assault, battery, drugging, and arson.

The latest victims of the killer are both upper class women, hinting at a possible 'target'. Both women were killed by the same person, a masked killer using an ornate sword made of Azure Iron and inscribed with ancient Gaul runes. Both women were drugged using novogliterol, before having their hearts cut out of their chests as a sacrifice to Crone, hinting at a possible modus operandi. Analysis of the killer by the coroner's office indicates the killer is a highly skilled surgeon, for the precise manner in which the heart is removed would not be possible for any amateur.

In Chapter 14, the Killer was revealed to be Tony Kowalski.

The Mastermind
The Mastermind is the authoritarian leader of the Hand of Mahra, the brains behind the killings and the Chosen One. The Mastermind is revealed to be Eleanor St-Claire in Chapter 15, who engineered the killings of Sonja, Bethany and Professor Reese, as well as the kidnapping of Marguerite.

Appearance
Members of the cult have a variety of appearances, but all have dark black and gold robes when taking part in cult activities. All have masks to protect their identities, some of them animal shaped with horns. Some members and associates have a tattoo featuring the cult's emblem, the three arrows. Several members, such as Devona and Vosgesus, also use voice-changers to further mask their identities. The higher-ups and leadership wear gold masks, rank-and-file wear silver masks, and security guards wear the same bronze animal masks as the Killer.

Associates

 * Bird

Others suspected of their involvement with the cult are NYPD captain Maria Thompson and Rahim Madani, the latter having a small statue of Mahra in his bathroom.

Crimes of Passion, Book 1

 * Chapter 1: Cross Your Heart
 * Chapter 3: Body Language (appears only via their symbol)
 * Chapter 5: Up In Flames
 * Chapter 6: Sleep When You're Dead (first named)
 * Chapter 8: Forging Ahead (mentioned)
 * Chapter 9: The Rite Track
 * Chapter 10: Behind The Mask
 * Chapter 11: Reasonable Doubt
 * Chapter 13: A Stab in the Dark
 * Chapter 14: The Heat
 * Chapter 15: The Final Curtain
 * Chapter 16: The Heart of the Matter

Trivia

 * The cult has similarities to The Society, who were also psychotic and murderous, though with different aims.
 * The cultists' robes and masks are similar in appearance to those worn by the Via Imperii Circle members.
 * The original cult's crimes include murder and cannibalism. The new cult's crimes include blackmail, extortion, kidnapping, purchasing narcotics and distributing narcotics.