Order of the Serpent's Blade

None speak openly of the Order of the Serpent's Blade. Many hold that there is no such organization. Many more pray that they never discover the truth at the end of a poisoned blade.
In the tales that survive from the Old World, it is not uncommon for a hero or villain to fall victim to a "serpent poisoned blade", often after another character has talked to a shadowy figure who requires "a coin for passage, a name to find, and a fate to seal."
In The Coastal Realms there are those who sell their skills as assassin to those with enough coin to purchase such services.   They often wrap themselves in the mystique of an assassin's guild sometimes called The Order, or sometimes the Serpent's Blade.  But no wise man would seek to know if such claims are evidence of a real connection to the ancient Order of the Serpent's Blade.  And no foolish man has survived those questions passing their lips.
The price to take the life of another varies widely depending on the wealth of the "employer" as much as the difficulty in reaching the targeted "mark."  But one facet remains true in all contracts is that the fee always incudes at least one silver coin.

Structure

No one outside of The Order knows how it is organized. It is widely believed that those members who negotiate a contract with an "employer" is not the same individual who completes the contract with the "mark". Whether this is indicative of small cells working independently or a larger interconnected structure is ultimately unclear

Public Agenda

Most folks won't admit that the Order of the Serpent's Blade even exists. There is no way to assign any motive to their actions outside of a desire for the coin they earn for their contracts.

Assets

Some tales claim the Order has more wealth than all the gods.  Other tales tell of benevolent murderers who scatter their blood-stained coins to the poor and downtrodden.

History

Many a bard's tale will tell of the mysterious masters of murder who haunted the cruel and unwise of The Old World.  Back in those ancient days The Order of the Serpent's Blade was one of the Grand Orders that made civilization possible.  As the Old World saying went; "Some people just need killing."
These days, in The Bright Lands, those who are foolish enough to talk about the order do so in whispers.  The hooded figure you payed to eliminate your rival might just be a thug taking advantage of an ancient myth, but are you going to be the one to question his claims?

A coin, a name, a fate.

There are legends of such an organization existing in the Old World.  But it is an impossibility for it to still exist in this day and age.

— Loremaster Rovert Ornald 

Founding Date

Before the Crossing. Before the Dimming. Before remembering

Type

Guild, Assassins

Alternative Names

Assassin's Guild

If you ask me, I'd say the old duke was killed by assassins.  You see all this peace is bad for their business.  They needed to shake things up to get the contracts flowing again.  You'll see!

— Last known words of Bett Lapaun before his sudden and mysterious disappearance