The Assassins Guild

The Assassins Guild, also known as the Unseen Hand, are masters of hidden dirty work. Not only the work of blade and poison. But also of intimidation, whispers, accusations and ugly constructed truths that can influence careers and kingdoms in favor of the one who pay enough gold.

History:

Assassins have been around since the first hunters and gatherers coveted the leadership of their tribe, and bribed a couple of fellow warriors to make sure the clan leader had a little “accident” while no one was looking. But it was not before the Age of Empires that the art of mysterious death became someone’s full-time job.

In the Age of Empires, political commotion were distinct as Lords were thriving on their path to power. Glorious battles were fought on fields of blood, and brave and honorable soldiers went head to head in noble duels. But there were those who did not. A mystical figurine known as Lady Web were one of those.

She was the bastard daughter of a fallen King, and barely escaped the blade of her enemies. Fueled by hatred she sought revenge. For several years she lived as a dirty thief on the streets, and gained accompaniment among these nimble criminals. She learned the trade of the blade, and a masterplan slowly formed in her mind. Paciently, she used her charms and former skills in costumes and herbalism to come close to each and every family-member of the enemy King. Strange that the Kings family all died of some mystical disease...? Later, one moonlit night, several shadows appeared in the bedchamber of the enemy King. Two of Lady Webs accosiates held the King firm, while she forced him to chew on a root that would kill him extremely slowly, and with a lot of pain. Leaving the enemy King and all of his family dead, they escaped together in to the night.

That was the beginning of the Assassins Guild. Now free from the need for revenge, Lady Web and her accosiates had a new motive in establishing wealth and fortune. They started to offer their services in other kingdoms, willingly to shift the political balance with dirty work. Off course as long as the ammount of gold were sufficient.

Organization:

The structure of the Unseen Hand is segmented, with the intention of keeping the the secret identities of the assassins unkown. Missions are given to an assassin in a secret location by a member of the Inner Circle. If an assassin should fail his mission, he would have little to nothing information to share. The Inner Circle consists of 8 High Ranking members, and they are the only ones who speaks directly with the Guild Mother. Some believe that the Guild Mother still is Lady Web, while other believe that the leader of the Unseen Hand is a man of incredible power - Lady just in title. Nobody has yet lived to tell the tale...

The Guilds reputation is built on two principles: Getting the job done, and absolute loyalty among its members. The assassin makes absolutely certain that the job gets done right the first time, and the job stays done. No raise dead or resurrection here; the Unseen Hand has ways of making certain no one comes back after they have done their work

The existence of the Guild has to this day been mystified. Whenever an individual with legal authority takes too much interest in their dealings, the Assassins Guild relies upon a combination of bribery, blackmail, coercion, and murder to keep their activities hidden. Still... Getting in touch with the Unseen Hand for employment, is as simple as making an inquiry or two in the right part of town. Word gets passed, and eventually someone from the Inner Circle comes to see the potential contractor, possibly even in his or her own home. Their headquarters is located secretly somewhere on Sahrean soil...

Recruiting and Membership:

Becoming a member of the Unseen Hand isn’t easy. It requires a demonstrably extraordinary talent level; not just anyone with a penchant for slipping a blade between someone’s ribs can qualify for such duty. The candidate need a certain set of skills as well as loyalty and willingness to obey the Inner Circle Members decision regarding the contract. It starts out with some simple dirty work, and when the candidate got a foot inside, she has to continue to impress to become a full member.

After the candidate has proven herself worthy, she must must undergo a ritual, and pledge allegiance to the Guild Mother where she swear upon the 5 Laws of the Unseen Hand.

The 5 Laws of the Unseen Hand:

- I swear upon the wrath of the Guild Mother, if i break the Laws of the Unseen Hand I shall be forever hunted and brought to final justice.

Law I: Never dishonor the Guild Mother.

Law II: Never betray the Unseen Hand or its secrets.

Law III: Never disobey or refuse to carry out an order from the Inner Circle.

''Law IV: Never steal the quarry of a brother or sister of the Unseen Hand. ''

Law V: Never kill a brother or sister of the Unseen Hand

Contracts:

The Unseen Hand use the word “client” to refer to those marked for assassination, while they use the word “contractor” to refer to those who pay to take out a client. Time spent in negotiating a contract can vary from a few minutes to weeks, depending on the intended target. The prices may vary not only becase of the target itself, but due to circumstancial difficulties as well. And of course the contractor would have to pay for any expences. The average prices for quarry is as be following: (Encounter Level) x (EL + 4) x 1000 = X GP + expences

- 1st lvl Noble = 5000 GP + expences (1 x 5 x 1000 = 5000)

- 5th lvl Noble = 45.000 GP + expences (5 x 9 x 1000 = 45.000)

- 2 x 10th lvl Royalty = 480.000 GP + expences ((2x10) 20 x 24 x 1000 = 480.000 GP)