The Shroud

"Do you blame the sword when it’s swung? Or do you blame who wields it? We've been charged with a task; we intend to finish it."
— the Master

Expertise and Training

Their expertise lies in poisons, information-gathering, tracking, and of course, assassinations. Their expense only highlights their effectiveness. The Shroud prides itself on always completing a contract, one way or another. The organization's reputation hinges on their ability to reach any target, regardless of status or abilities. This was proven during the Raid of Tregaron, when the Shroud executed Semia’s loyalists as part of a long-planned coup.
Training in the Shroud begins at a very young age; initiates are usually sons or daughters of impoverished farmers. Initiation to the Shroud and training involves tests of extreme endurance, interrogation techniques and resistance, and torture (both administering and resisting). Initiates often die during training. Part of the more advanced parts of Shroud training involves, of all things, undertaking and embalming. This is both part of the Shroud’s adherence to the idea of death as an inevitability, and to familiarize trainees with human anatomy.
Shroud agents are also experienced in Mithridatism, the practice of immunizing one’s self against various toxins and venoms. Small doses of poisons are administered over the course of months and even years, with the dosage increasing as training continues. Due to the nature of the poisons used, Shroud agents are immune to almost all poisons. Resident poison-makers in the Shroud's ranks often test new formulations of poisons on initiates to ensure no "friendly fire" would be possible during an assignment. These formulations are proprietary, with the creators always taking the recipe to the grave. The most famous of these is "the Little Death."

Structure

Shroud agents don’t, as a matter of security, know the full names or identities of other agents outside their home cell. This is deliberately done to protect the organization from betrayal by a fellow agent or a former client. Their current client list is unknown, and no records exist that agents can view. Only the Master of the Shroud can know for certain how many contracts exist at a given time,how much money was paid, and who the current client/s and target/s are. Contracts are promptly burned upon completion as to protect the identity of the client. It isn’t uncommon for agents to be given one assignment for years at a time.
After the Master's demise during the Raid of Tregaron, a new Master was chosen through a long and violent selection process. The current Master's true identity is unknown, as they go by several different names and hold multiple aliases.

Public Agenda

The Shroud is a secret group of mercenaries, mage-hunters, and expert assassins. Their history stretches back centuries in Dianera, though much of it is treated as secret. At one point, it's thought there was a schism within the Shroud, which led to the expulsion of some members. The present-day Shroud is embedded throughout the country of Dianera, with agents rumored to be stationed in major towns and even remote villages.

History

The Shroud was once contracted by the Coalition to find a "solution" to the United Force's growing number of mages. The Shroud agreed, and to combat the magical disadvantage the Coalition found themselves at, created the Voidbearer.
During Semia's reign, they were again contracted by a cabal of noblemen, with the strict instructions to "watch and wait for an opportunity." One of their agents was caught and killed by Semia himself. Embittered by the loss of an agent, the Shroud continued to gather information and wait for an opportune moment. 
That moment came during the Raid of Tregaron, when the Shroud was instrumental in removing Semia's remaining loyalists to install the Royal Council and consolidate their power. It was said that the Shroud's Master was present during the Raid to personally oversee the completion of the contract and the coup itself. He was killed by the Champions.

Type

Guild, Assassins

Training Level

Elite

Leader Title

The Master

Location

Tregaron