The masses know them as Angers Judgement, but they prefer God’s Will. This group of assassins are never found when searched for; they merely appear when their clients wish death or a brutal maiming upon another. They hear a character’s cry for revenge even if the words do not touch their lips.

When one of them appears before a perspective client he must not refuse the offer; this results in punishment for the client. Death is possible, but a spurned assassin usually pierces their mind with the mark of defiance. All psionics of the order can see this and are honor bound to inflict some type of torture or interference in the life of the marked.

When appearing for a job, God’s Will members wear outfits that are black and purple in color. The particular style varies with the nationality and region in which the assassins live. Obviously, they must keep their identities hidden with veils, scarfs, cloaks and other obtrusions to remain anonymous.

The payment they coherse is never more than they one can afford (they can read their thoughts after all). Usually it is a “favor” to be collected later. Money is usually not their driving desire, but not out of the question. Above all they desire favors to be collected when needed. Refusal for a collected favor is always death.

These men and women are found within all classes: serfs, royal counsel, black smiths, beggars, guilds, e.t.c. All of them are psionics and fill their ranks with babies they sense have the gift. When they breed, they only do so within their circle. If they have a baby without the gift, then they kill them. Children without the gift are worthless to them.

Their hatred for the ungifted is deep seeded in the fact that psionics, for hundreds of years, have been hunted and killed by those who fear their power. Knights, wizards, guilds, and even whole nations, at one point and time, have declared war upon their very existence and ultimately seeked out their extermination. When ever one is found to coexist in a community, the locals break into chaos. This chaos often consumes all those who personally know, or have been in frequent contact with, the psionic be tortured into confession and then burned, stoned, and hung; along with the guilty psionicist.

Many orders (both religious and non) have arose over the years to quell what is considered deviltry, or outright demon possession. The most ruthless and longstanding is the Royal Order of the sphinsters; which was formed some ninety years ago. A baron named beauregarde sphinster, being the type of man to seize an opportunity when it presents itself, used his small amount of political clout to form a small council of puppets who traveled throughout the land promising to rid a town or countryside of this scourge. A hefty fee was charged for the services they rendered, of course. They charged by the head.

This council used actual psionics to hunt down others. When no psionics were found in an area, the council would create one. Creating one meant that they would pick out an outcast of society and pressure (torture) him to confess. The trial they held was always public occassions for grandstanding and to build notoriety. One of the slaves they used for hunting was named Kaeel, and, at first, he reveled in the work.

Kaeel was a baby when the council’s “Dogs” found him. They decided to keep and raise him for future use. Raised in the confines of slavery and taught the brutality of hatred, Kaeel became the most vicious hunter of all the slaves. Often times killing his prey (psionic and not) without a grandiose trial, which angered the council many times over.

In desperation(after roughly forty years of hunting), Kaeel, instead of hunting psionics, recruited them. The only people he brought before trial were men of authority and wealth, and those psionics who would not join him. He
formed an extremely loyal army that was instructed to wait for his return. So that they may rid the world of the tyranny of the ungifted.

It came on a brisk spring evening after a day of reveltry and celebration from another day of successful hunting. Kaeel was being punished for not finding a true psionic. He was tied to a post and being whipped; given one lash for ever year he lived as a psionic. After the beating was concluded the council and it’s members finished out the festivities and went to sleep. During their slumber a fellow Dog came to him and released him from bondage. Together they entered the minds of everyone there, murdered them and fled into the night.

Back tracking his way to where they had been, Kaeel collected all of the psionics that pledged their allegiance. This small, yet formidable army stormed havoc throught out the countrysides of many nations. The more members that were collected, the bloodier their wake became.

For two years the army marched where Kaeel led them; attacking the leaders of nations and known opponents of their existence, and then moving on. They would enter small villages and incapacitate or even murder any capable defenders and then pillage their needed resources. This became known as the purge war.

This misguided plan of sporadically massacring the world’s leaders unwittingly created alliances amongst those that were once enemies. Wizard and knight; thief and noble stood together to fight a common enemy. Small skermishes were used by the ungifted to lure the militarily untrained psionics into a trap: the battle of durin plains. The army of psionics became quickly encircled after nightfall, and at dawn the opposing force, some 5,000 strong fought and nearly decimated the entire psionic army. It was in the fleeting moments of combat the demon-god Thuul appeared.

Kaeel and the other psionics were offered a deal: he would save their lives as long as they promised to serve him against the ungifted. In desperation, Kaeel and his army submitted to him and vanished; being delivered from certain death; giving fealty to a god of chaos.

The assassins now worship the chaotic god Thuul.Thrice times daily, these believers pray to him. Prayer lasts for 30 minutes at a time, and while praying they fall into a deep trance that blocks out all of their senses to the outside world. It is during this that they are most susceptible to any attack.

Once a year, to celebrate the night Kaeel destroyed his masters, the psionic enclaves search out and kill someone who is prejudice towards psionics. This is called the celebration of freedom and is the second most holy day for them; the first is the celebration of Thuul’s Birth.

Their God demands them to live their lifes integrated into society, but, at the same time, isolated from normal interaction with non-psionics. God’s Will members live in small groups consisting of as many as ten, to as little as one. The assassins know that it is not their destiny to rule the world; just keep chaos within it.

Their typical methods of destruction:
1. mind melt: the psionicist puts his hands on the victims head whipping his brain into a liquid that oozes out of his head.
2. madness: Their opponent suffers for hours, even days. This causes the victim to feel claustrophobic and fearful of mundane things. He may see bugs crawling in and on his body; see his body transform into another lifeform; and have total loss of bowel control. The end result is permanent madness.

The Keepers of Names are predominantly elderly diviners, unusually beatific and removed from the cares of the world.  They rarely or never speak in public, and are frequently found in deep reverie over a flower or an insect.  The distracted air comes from a lifetime of intensly rarified study, away from any normal interaction.  It takes years of the most rigorous practice to discover the True Name of anything, let alone the more powerful sentient beings.  To know a True Name is said to induce a state of euphoric oneness with the thing itself; The greater the power of the Name, the deeper the euphoric state.

It is also said that to know the True Name of a being gives one power over that being.

Although all beings have a True Name, many do not know their own True Name.  Some may have never known, and many others may have willfully forgotten lest they let it slip.  Their True Names are there to be found, though, in the auspices of their births and the deeds of their lives, by magics that peer back into their past or by patterning the ripples their lives impart on the various planes.  Such research is difficult, time-consuming and subject to error of interpretation, but far from impossible. 

It is said that anyone who would wield power must first learn their own True Name, lest the power they attain come to wield them.  Wizards and kings, generals and priests, and those whose pursuit is transcendant enlightment must either know their own True Names, or rely on the Keepers.   It is also in the nature of these greatest of diviners to share secret knowledge among themselves.   To deliberately harm or allow harm to come to a Keeper, even through layers of intermediaries, is to risk the retaliation of the rest of the Keepers.  Thus the Keepers of Names are needed, and also feared and hated, but always well-protected by the most powerful forces around them.

Now, the fear and hatred is somewhat mitigated by the fact that the Keepers themselves appear to have little interest in exerting control over the True Names they know.  The Keepers of Names are driven by the pursuit of pure knowledge, by a mystical conviction that knowing the names of things is the highest and purest calling in and of itself; Any would-be Keeper that had any other motivation, no matter how deeply buried, would be discovered and excluded very early in training.  Any wizards who try to pursue the study on their own, outside the Keepers, do so at their peril, for they will become either the slave or the enemy of those seeking power, and be anathema to the Keepers themselves.

The Keepers may not be assassins, exactly, since they rarely take a life.  Under the appropriate conditions, though, the Keepers give a few minutes advance warning to their victims of impending doom:  The victim\‘s True Name will be revealed to all.  Most victims choose to take their own lives.

After having read through some of the many, many submissions on the main site, I have come to this conclusion:  The mysterious, wiry and highly skilled assassin with daggers in his boots, a difficult childhood and black clothes… Well, he needs a makeover! It seems everyone else has concluded the same.

But instead of just complaining about it, lets try to improve upon this profession, because they are very handy in any political plot.

Here is an example from history:

Led by Hasan Al Sabah, the “Old Man of the Mountain”, the Hashishin were a cult based at the mountain fortress of Alamut, located in what is modern-day Iran. By all accounts (including that of Marco Polo), these people - from whose name the modern term assassin is derived - were a pretty scary bunch. Hasan’s followers were a band of fearless political killers, and his method of indoctrination was pretty unique. He constructed a secret garden furnished with all the paradisical delights of paradise - women, great food and, of course, hashish. After the would-be assassins had experienced a few days of this mediaeval rock star lifestyle they were cast out with a mission, and the promise that if they completed it successfully and then committed suicide, they would return to the paradise.

So, lets break the cliche and create some great alternatives! I hereby challenge everyone to create their own unique strain.

Long ago, The assassin’s guild was hired to kill of The Evil One of Keldor(Litch or suitably powerful Evil thing). They sent three assassins on this apparent suicide mission. On their way to the Evil One’s lair, they encountered a paladin. They had cleverly disguised themselves as normal adventurers, so he suspected nothing. He was questing to destroy “Evil” so they helped steer him towards The Evil One’s lair.

Of course the Paladin, with his forces of light and goodness defeated The Evil One of Keldor.

The three assassins were both amused and impressed. They found out he was very useful in killing certain targets (notably big, powerful, and EVIL). These three became his handlers, feeding him intel on various targets, and passing wealth -minus the guild fees- on to him. Discovering a very effective racket, the three assassins began to pose as “agents of a secret order”. They began to recruit “good” paladins and clerics (as well as others of stiff moral bent) to take on contracts that the guild could not handle.

Eventually, they created “The Order of the Dry Bones”. It was good for recruitment and organization. The assassin’s guild passes information to various Order Houses, who then assign the quests to various “Good Groups”. The Contract Fees pay for the upkeep of The Order Houses and fill all the various member’s Assassin Guild Fees.

Sometimes, when the Order wants to go kill a Great Evil, the assassins will shop around and find someone who is willing to pay for the contract upon the Great Evil. That way the Order continues to make money for the Guild.

None of these “good” people really know who are their “Aid in their battle against Evil” is.

Unlike most assassin creeds, the Order of the Red Knife is no major shadowy organization with tendrils of corruption snaking through it. As an extension and cell within the greater Freelancers Guild (more coming on that) it is composed of largely the same type of people who become mercenaries and adventurers-upon-return. Those who join the Red Knife are generally intelligent, well mannered, and good at gathering information and not being noticed.

A Typical Red Knife Assassin
Best known for their curved blades made of Dracorex Steel, most Red Knife assassins look very normal. They affect the same clothes as the general peerage of the lower to middle social class. Their training is considered decent by most standards, but on a skill versus skill level, a Red Knife is going to fall short of the typical cloak and dagger, clad in black assassin. Most of these assassins tend to be female, and are able to eaily find employ as scullery maids, serving wenches and the like.

A Brief History
The Red Knives began during the early years of the Freelancers Guild when it was discovered that sending mages to deal with mages was a very costly and ineffecient way to deal with enemy magic users. The arcane arts required large amounts of time for study, spellbooks were expensive, and many spell reagents were dangerous as well as costly. While defeating an enemy magus usually gained the guild possession of his tower and other magical goods, all too often this weregild was lost in the magical battle. Worse still was when the Freelancer Magi were defeated. The Freelancers not only lost out on the often badly needed loot, but also lost magic users of their own to boot.

An alternative was found, the use of the mage-hunting assassin. Armed with only a dracorex steel dagger, the assassin carried no detectable magic, and attempts to find the weapon with magic also invariably failed. After a certain amount of time, the assassin already unnoticed and likely in the Magic user’s employ would strike. Many a wizardly foe of the Freelancer Guild perished in their beds when the serving girl planted a curved dagger between the ribs while their master drank his nightcap before bed.

Since the balancing of the equation, the Freelancers have moved away from employing dedicated Magi. This has lessened the competition between the magic users and their guilds and the Freelancer’s Guild in general. The Red Knives remain, and while their numbers are few, rumor of a red knife is enough to have a mage turn over his entire tower, strip search all of his servants, and generally cause lots of paranoid behavior.

The Red Knife
A single handed knife, curved inward with a sharpened inner edge and sharp point, is designed to penetrate light armor or cloth and slip unimpeded between the ribs to penetrate a vital organ and cause a relatively quick death. Crafted of Dracorex Steel, a skilled assassin can use the knife to deflect magics hurled against them (though this is likely only the most elite of the Red Knives, who now train and no longer hunt magi) or to disrupt protective wards and magical barriers.

Game Usage
Sometimes, there is a need for an assassin who isnt a dyed in the wool cold-blooded killer who is also secretly in the employ of the diabolist necromancer and his demonic girlfriend. The Red Knives are a creed born from a grass-roots guild, the Freelancers, and are utilitarian and pragmatic more than being evil or tied to a specific dogma. The closest thing the Red Knives have to a motto would be: The Good of the People outweigh the Good of the Magi. While there is not a fued between the two sides, for a long time, the common people have born the brunt of sorcerous mistakes and experiments gone wrong. In areas where the Freelancers exist, mages sleep much more lightly, and think twice before working their experiments.

The religious assassins known as the revenants are some of the most effective killers in Midian. As followers of a death cult, they fear neither dying nor living. The death-lord Bhaal demands total commitment to its service. Nothing is too extreme for them to achieve their mission: drugs with dire side-effects, implanted weapons, vile atrocities, are all within their ready repertoire. Even the threats of execution or life imprisonment will not dissuade them - as they are completely devoted to both living & dying for their selected mission. The task chosen for them by the high priests & priestesses becomes an all-consuming goal for a revenant. They will gladly sacrifice themselves for their assignment, but even the promise of blissful dissolution within Bhaal by dying in its service will not prevent them from accomplishing that goal - mission first, dying may come later.

The cult’s symbol is a black skull, without the lower jaw, and often depicted stylised and somewhat wider than a normal skull. It is worth noting that the Revenants do not typically wear the symbol when on assignment, and will leave a marking or icon at the scene of a murder only if specifically instructed to do so. Few, if any, Revenants have the black skull symbol tattooed, scarred, burned, or otherwise imprinted upon their bodies. There are no required vestments or symbols worn when on assignment, and no visual way to identify the cultist as a Revenant.

Substance abuse is common among them. It is certainly possible that one encountered on a mission will be under the effects of at least one drug; even potentially lethal chemicals will be considered if it may aid them at their assigned task. One legend states how a team of revenants assigned to slay a paranoid nobleman saturated their bodies with slow-acting poison before acquiring access to the noble’s kitchen - adding pieces of themselves to his meal over the course of many days. Revenants assigned a mission typically receive their choice of substances to use, however drug-use is considered a sacrament to them, rather than a recreational activity. In spite of their vast pharmaceutical reserves - and their collective knowledge & experience - they do not sell their drugs, nor do they share with outsiders - poison for the chosen target is a different story.

The exact goals of the revenants, as either a church or organisation, are unknown, even to the common member. One mission may be seen by outsiders as an act of mercy, euthanizing someone in mortal pain but helpless to end their own life, or the slaying of a tyrant - while another may seem to be senseless slaughter of innocents or to spread chaos & discord such as infecting a town’s well with a terrible disease, or murdering the entire family of a monarchy. Some less scrupulous people may even hire them out for murder or terror. There seems to be no reasoning behind which commissions they will undertake, and no reasoning can change their minds - nor their chosen price. All such commissioning must be approved by a priest; a sharp contrast to the autonomy they are given on a mission. A prospective employer must be greatly cautious, once a revenant has been assigned, nothing will prevent the assassin from achieving her goal to the exact letter. It is worth noting that this is not a proselytizing religion; its adherents do not actively seek converts nor “spread the word,” and yet somehow new followers will still gladly come. After all, everyone eventually finds their way into Bhaal’s dark embrace.

The assignment process is one of their most holy (or is that “unholy?”) sacraments, second only to the act of dying in Bhaal’s service itself. Revenants are under no more restrictions to remain at their basilicae then are members of other churches, in fact they are encouraged to go out into the world, but many remain, waiting, training, praying, working, hoping, for that fateful day when they will receive their own divine assignment. Some of these even have raised families at the basilica, their children growing up in service to Bhaal & becoming revenants themselves. The cult does take a long view at the world; an assignment may take many years, for example. This helps explain why they allow their members to travel freely; they insinuate themselves into other areas & cultures and are spread far & wide if a mission is needed in that area.

All known revenant basilicae are located within the Byzant Empire, but their blades may be felt all across Midian. The make up of this cult is largely Bizzannite Humans & Metas - surprisingly few Goths - but the Revenants of Bhaal readily accept all members; after all, even the longest-lived must die some day.

How does a large and well-known death cult stay in business? Some of their basilicae are considered sovereign city-states within the Empire; those that aren’t are located in distant and hostile areas, and are relatively safe from prying legal eyes. In some areas, their status as a church affords a degree of protection; in others, bribes perform the same role. In some areas, the Revenants are sanctioned, officially or otherwise, by the local government by using the cult’s services. From the perspective of the Empire as a whole, the revenants simply aren’t a national threat, and at worst should be addressed locally. All this is not to say that a given revenant may kill with impunity, slaying someone openly could still bring about a death sentence, even if it was the local lord who placed the contract. From a law-enforcement perspective, even if it is common knowledge that the complex several miles into the desert or mountains houses a group of murderers, no crimes or evidence will be found there. Even encountering a revenant on the street isn’t always a valid excuse to arrest them. Not only is it quite difficult to guess someone’s religion while they buy groceries in the market, but they may not have actually committed any crime. Even those who advertise themselves as revenants aren’t always on a killing mission, and even if they are, may not be killing someone within the local jurisdiction. In fact, many missions undertaken by junior revenants are supporting roles, and won’t involve actually killing anyone. Not to mention that many people in authority turn a blind eye to the revenants and their basilicae out of fear and expedience - it’s always useful to know exactly where to go if you need a rival discretely and permanently removed.

The Azure Swords are expert bladesmen and masters of the arts of theatre and infiltration. Their modus operandi is quite simple. One or more members establish a role for a time. Sometimes these roles are long term, for others they are just a night. They get close to the target and engage them socially. By manipulating events in a public setting, they force the target into a duel. The target either loses their honor or must face the agent. Since the agent seldom appears to be an expert swordsman, the target normally engages them in a duel. The Azure Swordsmen then cuts them down.  After a while, they abandon the role (especially to avoid reprisal duels). Few are the wiser, not knowing that the target had been assassinated.

The mechanism of contact seems to vary from city to city. Somehow the Azure Swordsmen’s network of contacts know when to approach people who need to challenge someone. They may use their theatre and infiltration abilities to embed themselves into noble households.

Note: The Azure Swordsmen do no use blue scabbards or blades, despite the local stories told by bards.

One persistent rumor is the Azure Swordsmen is that they are somehow connected to the King’s Spies. This could color their accepting certain targets. Or maybe the whole assassination game is just a past time between their missions for the Crown.

Hidden away among the various orders and monastic groups are The Black Robes.  They are a smaller order of one of the obscure orders that deals with Outsiders/ Demons/ and other things of that ilk. To fight the forces of Darkness, one has to learn about the forces of Darkness and how to control it.  The Black Robes are masters in the art of summoning and controlling such dread forces, for the good of the Church.  The Church does not deny that they exist, just down plays it to such an extent that few know of its existance.

When certain senior church officials needed to remove certain people, for the Good of the Church, they found the Church lacking in the art of disposal (and rightfully so).  They wished they had access to the forces of Evil, like their opposition did.  Someone, the record is not clear who, cleared his throat and mentioned the Black Robes, they all smiled. 

The certain people were dispatched by the Forces of Evil. Those certain people were discredited, “the demons turned on their masters” it was said. Things went well.  More people who were deemed, “threats to the church” were removed and discredited. Eventually a Council of Removal was set up. While listed as a prayer group in the rosters of the Church, it was designed to hold the reigns of The Black Robes.

When a certain crowned figure needed help in removing someone, he asked his local high priest for assistance. He said, for a small gift to the church, he would pray in certain circles for him.  He did. The target was found worthy by the Council. The Black Robe’s pets removed the target.

Soon other nobles (and some new rich) were donating to the church and asking for prayers of assistance.  It became quite a boon to the Church, as donations and favors poured in. Though the Council loosened the criteria for removal, many targets were rejected.

The Black Robes and their Parent Order The Occurum Shields of the Faith began to a more visible and active role in church and public affairs.  With their new found patronage, they began many programs to strengthen the church, the orders, and remove “threats to the Church.” Black Robes may now wear their robes openly, as most people do not know what they do.

When the Council gives agreement, a message imp is sent to the nearest Black Robe cell.  That night (or as soon as possible) a circle is scribed, candles lit, and the ritual is performed.  A living, flying, shadow is eventually unleashed… with orders to destroy the target… usually in a public place.

The Candles of God are a small cult, officially outlawed; they worship a fierce and jealous deity of fire whom they believe will soon come to rule the world and cleanse it of the unrighteous.  They seek to speed up that process.

They keep their membership strictly secret; any given member will know, perhaps, four or five others at most.  Their beliefs are spread through myriad poorly-typeset tracts and pamphlets distributed to their members by a leader, known by the code-name Quicklime.   The Candles adhere to a strict set of moral principals- sex and alcohol are only to be engaged in on certain, ritual days; money is to be donated to the cult or to the poor; Thievery, fighting for any purpose other than the advancement of the faith, and eating uncooked foods are all completely prohibited.  Members often react violently to anyone who even unknowingly violates their morals.

The cult seeks to overthrow the corrupt, decadent order of society and replace it with the glorious reign of their god. They will stop at virtually nothing to obtain their goals, but their favorite weapon, fittingly, is fire.  Most often, they operate through arson, using magic or simple explosives to kill or destroy the properties of those who have offended them, leaving cryptic warnings about the decay of society in the ruins.  They save the full force of their wrath, however, for public killings, often wiping out entire crowds of people in an instant.

It is for this, a tactic which they call “Illumination”, that the Candles are truly dreaded- an operative will infiltrate a crowd and begin to cast a very long and complicated spell.  Aside from their almost-undetectable muttering of the spell under their breath, there is nothing to draw suspicion to them.  Nothing, that is, until the spell is cast, and they and everyone in a hundred-meter or so radius is consumed in a vast, fiery explosion.  The Candle, and most people within the explosion will be killed instantly, and fires often spread to surrounding buildings, doing even more damage

Some time later, a threatening note will appear nailed to a door or wall near the site of the blast as the Candles claim responsibility and lament the decay of society, promising the advent of their Utopian reign.

Naturally, this sort of tactic is rarely used, as it takes a great deal of magical training to prepare a candle for the “Illumination”, and the spell can only be performed once.  Most often, they attack prominent figures- rulers, war heroes, politicians- making a public appearance, to wield a double blow to public morale and generate more notoriety for their cause.

The Strangler is a chaos entity worshipped by this cult. The cult has been outlawed in every major civilization and cultists are hunted wherever they may be. Still their services can be purchased by those who know where to look, yet only the desperate seek to do so, for more than once a crazed strangler cultist has been known to turn upon his employer. Often these assassins are no more than rambling madmen met in dark alleys or sleeping in rags in the gutter. If they cannot get any assignments, they make their living through murder robbery.

The cultists use a strong narcotic* when they perform their ritual killing and they wash their hands in goat blood before the kill. Such are the ways of the cult and such are the teachings of the Mad Strangler. The narcotic lends them unnatural awareness and the blood sanctifies their hands. The stranglers always strangle with their bare hands, and the strength in their sinewy arms is legendary.

*The narcotic they use is called Khamot and is drunk before they bathe their hands. It makes them unnaturally aware and long time usage often result in psychotic black outs. Of course, the strangler cultists ain’t exactly stable in the first place.

For nearly all of Time, The GreenMan faith served the people of The Land. For decades new Faiths made inroads among the people of The Land.  The New Faiths came with the traders and a few invading armies. They were the “mainstream faiths” for much of the world. People saw weakness in their old ways (as invaders were coming in and setting up new homesteads and the people of The Land were powerless to stop them) and saw the “advantages” of the new Faiths. The new faiths also spread many rumors (and even some outright lies) about the Old Green Faith.

Some of those were quite unsavory.

A small contingent of the Old Green Faith broke with the passive submission of most of the Green Council of the Faith. If they, followers of the GreenMan, were going to be branded murderers (non voluntary human sacrifice) and thieves, then they will live up to and exceed the lies of the new Faiths.

The Dark Sickle uses the old green magics and forest crafts as practiced by the GreenMan faith to kill and steal. Over the decades they have adapted the greenways to city ways.  In addition to attacking high ranking officials of the invaders and clergy of the New Faiths, they will take on other targets (on commission).  The price is dependent upon the opposition the the target (or target’s owner) posses to the Sickles. So invaders, “collaborators”, active followers of the New Faiths, and nobles who have handed land over to the invaders, are all less expensive targets, while those faithful to the GreenMan faith are excessively/ prohibitively expensive.

The Darkness can be hired by those few that know, for a nice sum of course. If they accept a target (how do they choose their victims is unknown), after a short time the victim mysteriously vanishes. Some in need of assasination prefer this, for if there is no body, there is no evidence, and instead of becoming a heir and prime suspect, one can silently steal that wealth, have the woman they love, etc.

Strangely enough, nobody is killed. The sect believes in the coming of an Ueber-human (or dwarf or elf or what), that is subconsciouly battled by the average people, that shall be replaced eventually. So if somebody is to be killed, it may be the ancestor of the True Man! The victim is actually kidnapped by the sect. (The diffilcuty of doing this decides if they do the "kill", and what price they ask for. Consequently, people of real power, with good bodyguards are rarely accepted as targets.)

Despite the saving, these are no friendly guys. The victim is completely brainwashed, and sent into some other cell of the sect, as far as possible. Living in the darkness they must tolerate until the Coming, helped with drugs along, the victim forgets most of the former life, and lives fanatically for the cause.

Using a combined tactic of peer pressure and the promise of great things, he lured his enemies to high-class establishments and publicly ridiculed them - before making wagers that, if won, would completely reverse their fortunes and leave him in their shoes. He gambled his honour - but he always won, through a combination of underhanded tactics and simple misinformation.

Several hundred years later, Duchampe’s legacy of swindling and pressuring has been taken even further by the society set up in his name. The Duchampe Society prides themselves on being able to lower a man completely in the eyes of the world - and then quietly dispose of him. In this way, not only are their enemies - or clients - done away with, but their entire family’s name is dragged through the mud, effectively destroying every shred of honour connected with the departed gentleman in question.

The Society takes its business very seriously, and usually acts entirely of its own accord - although its services can be purchased in the proper circumstances. It does not deal with commoners or very high nobles, preferring to prevent modest businessmen from gaining too much favour with new ideas or boastful ways. Their favoured tactics are Duchampe’s own - placing impossible wagers with their own fortunes on the line, and then making sure that they cannot possibly lose. Generally they leave the actual killing to the losing party himself - suicide is all too common among the landed gentry of Dernwich.

There is no way to join the Society except to be born into it. The leading members dislike any form of inheritance besides nepotism, and take great care to groom their successors to the best of their abilities.

The Order of Silver Stars is the premire healing organization in the world. They possess powerful healing magics and tangible medical skills. For centuries, they have been healing the sick and injured. They are not attached to any diety, nor do they have an apparent agenda other than to relieve suffering in the world. They are here to make the world a better place.

Unknown to all but a few upper level Stars, the source of each healer’s powers is The Silver Star, an Orb created by Corvus. It is the Orb of Healing, one of many tools created by Corvus to make his life easier. It not only heals, but can change the metabolism of a body to make it more efficient. It not only knows more about healing all species than anything else in the world, it also channels fractions of its powers into every Silver Star.

It was powerful before it became free to follow its own agenda. It has only grown in strength and intelligence since then. It may be the most powerful orb in existance, as almost everything organic can be its play thing. An admusing side note: The Star is on public display as an ornament in the rotunda of the main Silver Star campus building.

What does all this have to do with Assasins? They are The Hand.

The Hand are the things of legends. They are inhumanly powerful assassins. The black garbed figures are not only masters of stealth and entry (able to breach any defenses), they are super strong, super fast, and able to heal any wound inflicted upon them. Many try to hire them, but The Hand select which targets they will accept. The Hand will always leave a “calling card” of some kind so people know the Death is theirs, black gloves/ cryptic messages/ or standing on the ramparts until someone sees them. Woe be it to any fool trying to frame them, The Hand will kill them in usually a horrible manner. They sometimes send posts (letters) to those in charge telling them that they killed X individual, so no one else would be punished for their deeds.

Like many of the Orbs, The Star has come to have its own purpose. It has begun to see all of society as a body. It has all the same features at a different scale. For centuries, it had helped to heal the bodies of individuals just to watch them be torn apart again by war or stupidity. Like all illnesses, you can’t just treat the symptoms, you have to treat the cause. Some problems can be healed with time and effort, other illnesses require surgery. The Star has arranged for special tools. Many healers have training in breaking/ entering/ stealth/ and escape abilties. Their healing knowledge is turned to killing or stopping opponents. (The basic hand to hand training that all Stars receive expanded.) Since most Stars are fantatical followers (or soon become so as they stay members of the Order), there are more “Hand” than one would expect. The Star channels power into the Hands, so they can accomplish their missions. (And sometimes to Stars in need). This gives them inhuman stamina and recovery, minimized pain responses, as well as enhanced strength and speed. This “state of perfect health” is what gives the Hand their mythic repuation. They will often use their Star Identity to get close and eliminate the target, then prance about in the black suit to allow the Hand to draw blame.

The missions seems strange in the short term, but The Star is immortal and takes the long view of things. So key political, religious, business, mystic, criminal, and social figures (or people who are in positions to affect these people) are the only targets they eliminate.

The Elven Emperor has existed since the begining of recorded time. A few of the highest posts in the Imperial lands have been held by Elventi almost as old.  There is one post that has been mentioned in the annuals for as long as they have been kept.  It is unclear if this is a job title or simply the literal translation of an Elventi name.

If there is some obstruction to Elventi Imperial desires/ laws, the Remover ... removes it. Normally this is though killing or making people disappear, but sometimes it is just enough to keep someone occupied for a while. While the Remover of Inconvenient Things is the hand of the Emperor, the Remover takes other people\‘s requests…. for an interesting price.  At first it was only Elven Nobles. Then it became any Elventi. Now it is anyone who can meet an appropriate price.

Sometimes the price is money. Other times it is items of interest (artistic, historical, or magical). Occasionally it is a promise AND YOU DO NOT WANT TO BREAK A PROMISE TO THE REMOVER… it gets ugly.
So far, The Remover has never failed to finally complete a request (though sometimes the timetable was a bit off).  Some people search out the Remover. But only those the Remover wants to work with are the ones who are approached.

No one every sees the Remover (except the Elven Emperor that is) and is aware that it is the Remover or lives to tell the tale. Any negociations are carried out with a twisted farie (small, bat-winged, with two different color eyes) named Hoth.  Hoth\‘s ability to be unseen, unsmelled, and travel great distances in a blink, makes him a perfect messanger. 

This idea was rippped .... errrr inspired by a really good book. http://www.tadwilliams.com/war_of_flowers.html

Introduction
The Royle Quartermasters are an organisation of Vampires that swear a blood oath of allegience to a vampire lord. Usually to a high ranking Vampire such as one of the 13 First Vampires. These Vampires can afford the services of the Quartermasters.

Joining and Training
These Vampires are elite that either choose to join the order or are Choosen by their future master. Once Chosen you either join or suffer a great punishment, however if you refuse with a good reason then you are spared for the time being, and if you are of an important bloodline you are asked not Chosen. The Chosen are probably already experts at killing and feeding or brilliant assasins but they are taught many important skills once they gain entrance to the order. Sometimes human assasins can be Chosen and they get no chance to say no. usually the humans become Vampires but there are a known few who prefer humanity, not that they live long or have an etirnity to enjoy it.

The training includes the following:
1. Arcane skills like Shadowclinging(making yourself look like the night), Mesmerising(A limited form of hypnosis), many killing spells(for guards)and a numifying spell which leaves the victim helpless while his blood is drained(blood of the living is always best) to name a few.
2. Fighting skills(obviously)
3. Skills of an assasin.
4. Finally they are taught how to bottle blood, choose targets and organise missions.

After several years of training they are sworn servants of their chosen lords. They swear an oath on their family honour(their bloodline). In return for the blood they give they live a life of luxury with as much refinments in life as they could possibly want. Quartermasters are in many cases the most valuble servant of a Vampire Lord.

Life of a Quartermaster
These elite vampires first choose a target (they know how much blood their master will need a month and set themselves a target). The target will have to be completely healthy and of good lifestyle, she/he will have to be of great skill. The target must be strong, fast, supply or smart (as in genius).

The Quartermaster usually chooses people that have all kinds of protection as well as many that are masters at protecting themselves. They have even been known to try and kill magicians, and to succeed as well.

Sometimes Quartermasters are directed at targets picked by their employer. This is because the Vampire Lords often make use of the Quartermasters’ killing ability to kill an enemy and get a meal at the same time. This has made the Quartermasters into master assasins as well as suppliers of what the Vampire hierarchy calls ‘purple wine’.

When the blood is drained from a body it is then put in containers made of Freeze Glass which is an Alchemists’ invention that keeps the blood cold and fresh. It is then sent to their masters.

Rank
There is a First Quartermaster who has Seconds for subordinates and Thirds as teachers. Everyone else is a normal Quartermaster.

Roleplaying notes
1. The players are chosen as targets for the Quartermasters
2. They are drawn into a hunt for a Quartermaster inorder to use him or her as a link to a Vampire Lord.

Within the southern empire, there is a rumour. Those rumours tell of mysterious deaths, the corpses bloated and bruised. Witnesses to these deaths tell of unsuspecting victims engaged in normal, everyday activities. Then all of a sudden, the victim gets convulsions and seizures, eyes bulging and mouth foaming. Strangely only the wealthy and powerful ever gets this rare disease.

These deaths are the workings of the Shievren, a witches coven based in the coniferous forest known as the Nebelwald. The witches are approached through the intermediary agent “Grey Dog” in the city of Ur-Kanesh. The witches always require something from the victim, hair, blood and the like. The sages of Yinos believe that these are sewn into their strange puppets and boiled in small ceramic pots they call the Foetherii.

The Sons of Charshaf are assassins devoted to the worship of Charshaf, the Lord of Ashes, a god of disease and plague. The Sons of Charshaf have an elaborate temple-fortress in a cavern complex in a certain mountain range in a certain portion of the land. They can be contacted by knocking on the corner of the building closest to the gates of a city, whereby a nearby initiate/contact of the Sons of Charshaf will be sent to take the price.

The Sons of Charshaf have a very unique way of killing their victims- in their Temple of Charshaf, they possess jars containing dusts of the various plagues and illnesses that they have collected in their long history. When the Sons send out an assassin, they contaminate him with any of a great variety of horrible maladies.

The Son of Charshaf travels as beggar or a leper, resisting the disease with willpower and prayers to the Lord of Ashes, making his way to the appointed victim. When the victim is found, they are infected, and the assassin usually either dies from the disease or allows himself to be captured. There are no antidotes for the sicknesses that the Sons of Charshaf keep; the deaths of their targets are assured.

The old noble name of the family has been struck from the records and a death sentence is on the head of any who speak its name, such is most of the punishment for the family’s attempted rebellion.  They are called The String because of the magical part of the punishment.

The Family was cursed with a powerful curse, the curse of total obedience. They will do what ever they are told. The family line will do this down the generations. They are now puppets on strings to those who know of the curse.

Of course the children were fostered to a variety of houses, and a few bastards were located because of the curse.  Those who knew of the curse kept in track of the children for they saw the potential.

The Adults and older children were punished by being kept at court as servants. They are called the Puppets are often have their faces painted as garish puppets and dressed in equally garish clothing.  There lives are a living hell. Yet some of them are still tapped to be a member of the String. 

The Master of Intelligence is the main user of The String. He has a masterful way with words and a cunning intellect. (He has left a small tract on how to handle The String, in the state code, for future Masters). With a few careful words, he turns any member of The String into a perfect assassin or spy. He has even given some of The String special training, as they are obedient to any command, but not always compentent in its execution - despite the magic’s compulsions. The children are now growing into proper young people, and being placed in key places and a few odd ones, so they can be utilized at a moment’s notice. Some of the younger were sent to foreign homes, where they were unsuspecting or unknowing of the curse. Other than being well mannered, no one in these foreign lands truly suspects what these fosters are. They are the Master of Intelligence’s aces in the future games of state.

The Strings are living somewhat normal lives, fitting in perfectly (as they were told to do), until the day they will be turned to the purpose of state by The Master.

Note: the children of the puppets are also being fostered, so they will renew the string… and a few of the string have been turned into brood mares, to ensure a steady supply of spies and assassins of total loyalty.

Paul d’Orino was the only son and heir of a wealthy baron.  He was also a sadistic homicidal psychopath.  Naturally, no one was aware of that side of his nature.  At least, not until Paul overheard his father complaining about the expense of reliable assassins.  Baron d’Orino, it seemed, wanted a rival of his out of the way, but was loath to pay the high fees demanded by the assassin’s guild.  Paul offered to eliminate his father’s rival “for the thrill of it.”  His father scoffed, thinking it a joke.  Until, that is, his rival was brutally murdered in his bed by an unknown assailant.  The Baron was horrified by his son’s actions, but did not take any action.  And, inevitably, another rival came along, and the Baron lamented the expense.  So he casually mentioned the problem to his son, and was rewarded with the inexplicable death by violence of his new rival.

Even knowing as much as he did about Paul’s activities, the Baron was not on his guard.  So it came to be that Paul sent his father to his ancestors in the dead of night.

The new Baron d’Orino had no interest in politics, so he was not particularly interested in removing rivals.  At least, not more so than he was removing any other random person.  But Paul was an intelligent young man, and realized that many other noblemen might have his father’s same complaint about the cost of assassins.  So he mentioned to a few friends of his that he had found an excellent assassin who charged very little.  Unfortunately, the assassin did not permit his name to be given out to anyone, but Paul could pass along job requests to him…

The response was immediate.  Several people contacted Paul as an intermediary for his “assassin” and Paul had his pick of killings to be done.

Over time, Paul found a few like-minded people among the aristocracy.  Wealthy young men and women with nothing to do, and an insatiable bloodlust.  And so the Thrillkill Society was born.  There aren’t many members, and they use codenames to avoid legal repercussions, not that they couldn’t buy their way out of trouble.  Each member has their preferred targets- “Widowmaker” (the fourth son of a duke) very much enjoys killing young married men, and will not accept a target at all unless he has at least two children.  “Innocence Lost” (a young count, brother to a priest) prefers to strangle children and pretty young women.  “Rose” (in fact a princess by marriage) seduces and then cuts the throats of what she refers to as “dirty old men.”  And so on and so forth.

Each member of the Thrillkill Society is a dangerous killer, in it for the thrills and the pure love of killing (not one of them is less than a titled lord, and they need no money).  Their work as assassins for hire is merely to give them an excuse to do what they would anyway.  Fees charged are always very low, and depend on how much fun they had completeing any given assignment.  They are not overly concerned about getting caught; money can work miracles.

Finding the Society is hard, hiring them is easy, provided that one has no qualms about how long it takes the target to die or how much they suffer before hand.

Of course, if one does business with them (or even considers doing business with them), one needs to be cautious.  Because you never know when the Thrillkill Society may turn on and kill you… just for the thrills.