In 2001, Luxirom entered talks to merge with another ISP, MetaSatellite. The merged company would have controlled nearly all of the world's Internet traffic. At the eleventh hour, however, Pirelli started having second thoughts about the deal. Unknown to Pirelli, the investment bank financing the deal had been taken over by the Brotherhood of the Thorn, an elite society of upper-level demons. When the Brotherhood got wind that Pirelli was getting cold feet, they decided to kill him and have the Brotherhood's second-in-command, Vornac, pose as Pirelli at the vote.