The Black Daggers Guild

The Black Dagger guild, commonly referred to as the Black Daggers, is a highly regarded assassin's guild based in the City of Taralan. They exclusively employ Lightmage and are infamous for their high casualty numbers and the elusiveness of their members.

Structure

The guild is divided into multiple chapters, each lead by a headmaster, who answers to the secretive Grand master, known as the Elder Blade. Each of them also has a few assistants to help manage the chapter, such as a tresurer and a few trainers. Students are divided into two groups: Pupils and Journeymen, the latter of which is required to cary out some missions, while they are still being trained. Each chapter holds about 5-10 members, plus about the same numebr of staff.

Public Agenda

Officialy, the guild is a branch of the Kavasian Empire's military, but neither the guild's leadership and members, or the Emperor's court, see it this way. Their services were aquired in 141 Ac, for a massive amount of gold. However, it became clear soon after that the empire had no intentions of using their services, and instead simply bought their loyalty, so that none of their assassins would ever target members of the royal family, or prominent noble families. Most of their day-to-day operations consist of striking down low-nobility or merchant class targets, which are requested by the Empire's nobility or private clients.

Assets

Troops

Each of the guild's 5 chapter numbers around 5-10 members in total, with the one in Vrahlis being the largest chapter and the one in Syracsa being the smallest. Assassins, including full-time worker as well as aprentices and journeyman, make up about half of that number. Pupils are gathered in Talaran for training, before being sent to other chapters as journeyman. In total, the guild has about 30 assassins that are able to carry out missions throughout Arros, but generaly, only 10% of them are deployed at any time.

Territory and influence

The guild has set up shop in the following cities: Larasor, Taralan, Kus'Qari, Syracsa and Vrahlis, the later of which being where they are headquartered. From there, they are able to operate all throughout Arros, minus Rumalia and the Vechor Islands because of their remoteness. Since Enaskia was designated to be exclusively Red Dagger territory when they and the black daggers split, the latter organisation doesn't operate there. As for Mahador, they have carried out missions there before, but most of those are also taken up by the Red Daggers of Valcor.

Weapons and Clothes/Armour

Each of the guild's 5 chapters possesses a deep and well furnished armoury. By far their most prized weapons are the Vrahlian steel daggers, crafted by the esteemed Steel guild of Vrahlis, which produces the world-famous Vrahlian Steel. All weapons made of this alloy, are able to wistand magic attacks, a characteristic that continues to prove useful against any mage targets. The guild also has numerous Battan, which it can use against mage targets, as well as a few Cerbats that their members can use. As for clothing, most assassins have adopted a hooded robe as their work attire, usualy of a darker colour. Bronze platted and leather braces are attached to their lower arms under their robes to help deflect and absorb strikes.

History

Founding and early history

The black daggers have a long and convoluted history. They were first formed as the Red Daggers of Valcor, based in that same city in the year 407 Bc. Officialy, they had been formed as a bransh of the Esnian empire's army, with the goal to weaken and undermine its enemies, but they would later at least partialy contribute to it's own downfall. At the time, they also employed Shadow Mages, who had an even deadlier record than their Lightmage colleagues. However, their never had high numbers and in the year 294 bc, the last Shadowmage left the organisation. Since then, its member have been exclusively lightmages.

Their most infamous target

In 178, Bc, the organisation was tasked by the Western Esnian empire's emperor, to kill Sokral Nehen, the founder and leader of Sokralism, an anti-mage cult that was reaking havok in the empire's Solian-majority provinces. Despite the fact that they were successful, his assassination only fuelled the spread of his cult. His members saw him as a martyr, and his killing by a Lightmage, as proof of the validity of his anti-mage teachings.

Eradication

For the nexy 250 years, both organisation; the Red Daggers, and the Temple of Sokral, would fight a war in the shadows across three continents, but mainly concentrated in Enaskia. In the process, the assassin's guild would kill thousands of Sokralian cultist, but it wasn't without lost as they would loose a few dozen of their own members in the process. However, by the year 50 bc, the cult was now severely weakened, in part thanks to the Red Dagger's efforts, amongst others.

War against the Blighted

In 23 bc, the guild looses their main patrons and employers, the Western Esnian Empire, as it falls under the onslaught of blighted beasts, called Rekkhysians, rampaging across the Continent of Enaskia. Despite the dire situation, they continue on with their task of killing sokralian cultist. However, they also ally with other Mercenary Guilds across Enaskia and Arros and join the war effort against the blighted beasts.

Organisational restructuring

In 7 bc, the guild moves their main headquarters from the City of Valcor in Enaskia, to the City of Vrahlis, in Arros. This was done in order to be closer to the main front of the war against the blight, which was Carathenga. However, in 4 bc, the guild would splits into two allied, but seperate organisation. The group in Valcor retains their name, but the one in Vrahlis changes their to "The Black Daggers, to differentiate themselves from the Red Daggers. Black was chosen in reference to the Vrahlian Steel of which their most famous blades were made of.

Entering the Third Age

In 127 Ac, they open another outpost in Larasor, and then another in Syracsa 10 years later. Both of these outposts are scarcely known to the general public, and none but the guild's own members know their precise location within these cities. The opposite is true in vrahlis, where the guild, upon moving into the city, had constructed in 39 AC, a large guildhall in a prominent neighbourhood of the city to showcase their power.

Current Affairs

After spending the 1st and 2nd century of the Third age as an independant guild, like many others, the Kavasian Emperor at the time, occupying a position which had been targeted by the Black Daggers before, taught it wise to bring them under the Empire's fold and influence. Since then, they have been at the Kavasian Empire's disposal, but the guild continues to accept the requests of private clients, as long as they do not interfere with the Empire's wishes.

Founding Date

407 Bc

Type

Guild, Assassins

Alternative Names

The Black Daggers

Ruling Organization

Kavasian Empire

Notable Members

• Sorah

Related Species

• Lightmage

A Little Rumour

It is rumoured by many throughout the Kavasian Empire that the amount of gold nessessary to buy out the Black Dagger's loyalty would have been able to completly fill up the deep moats surounding the Emperor's palace, in Kus'Qari. Some even believe that the crown still sends them enormous amounts of gold every year to keep themselves safe, but obody knows for sure, except the emperor and perhaps the Elder Blade themselves.