Slayers Guild

The Slayer’s Guild is the secret sword of the ambitious, the vengeful, and the wealthy. They don’t stage deaths to appear to be accidents, nor frame other parties—instead, they stab, garrote, and poison. For the right price, they can be hired to kill anyone. It is (ostensibly) a secret guild, and they will actively suppress knowledge or talk of their existence. This organization is strictly mercenary, having no political agenda of its own. They are active all over Aorlis, but the Slayer’s Guild is in Ruislan, Caindos, with Hazard’s Spire being their guildhall.

Organization

The guild’s hierarchy is based on the standard guild system, with apprentices, journeymen, masters, wardens, and an arch warden. There are wardens in Baelrin, Gwyfned City, and Ignarth, and the arch warden, often called the Prince of Killers, is in Ruislan. To be admitted into the guild, the potential slayer is given an impossible mission, and he is admitted as an apprentice if he survives. Slayers kill each other to climb the guild hierarchy.

Membership

Everyone at the Slayers' Guild uses codenames or pseudonyms. There is no single profile for all slayers—race, religion, nationality, age, gender, none of that matters. Members are often students and alumni of fencing schools. They are more often than not trained in disguise, evasion, poisoning, ambush, as well as daggers and garrotes. All members receive a small skull tattoo at the base of their skulls, hidden by their hair.

In Practice

Slayers will refuse jobs that might ruin the guild or cause significant blowback, such as regicide. Guild infractions always result in death—sharing guild secrets, or not sharing their fees and dues with the guild, is deadly. A slayer may go inactive, living as a normal citizen, for years at a time, and he only reactivates when ready. Consequently, they may become deeply embedded in other organizations, churches, governments, etc., before springing into nefarious action. If someone else kills a slayer’s intended victim first, it is a matter of professional pride to slay that other killer.

Advantages

One perquisite of belonging to the guild is its resources, which include wealth, secret alliances, safe passage, safe houses, equipment on demand, and mission specific spells provided upon request. The Slayers' Guild hires necromancers and sorcerers to use their magik (especially astrology, divination, and necromancy spells) in reconnaissance and intelligence work. Besides support necromancers, the guild also keeps talented chemists, herbalists, and alchemists on retainer for specialized poisons.