The Whispered Shadows
"A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy."
More Than Just a Rumor
The Whispered Shadows are the bump in the night. They are the monster under your bed. They are the things that nightmares are made of. To put it quite succinctly, when they come for you... "you can run, but you'll only die tired."2 Luckily for the inhabitants of Echorea, most of their enemies cannot afford the services of the Whispered Shadows. They are the elite, and for the most part only contract for political assassinations. Led by half-elf Pasha Byria Dafield, the exact number of actual members as well as most of their identities remain unknown to all except her.
Bonded in Blood
The Whispered Shadows have been in operation for roughly one hundred and twenty six years, founded in 1643 during the elf wars by Pasha Merirue Oridove. Merirue was best friends with Byria's mother Yralissa Dafield, and she was beyond outraged when Yralissa and Byria's human father were murdered as an act of war in 1642. Eight other elf/human couples, taken from all areas of the globe, were also brutally slaughtered . Byria, just a wee child, arrived at Merirue's door for sanctuary with all innocence lost and a burning desire for retribution in her heart. Merirue, having been a housekeeper by day for years, knew how most nobility (Yralissa not included) tended to consider the help beneath them. Maybe it was just her, but many would have private conversations with her around as if she wasn't there. Her part-time trade by night taught her that some people tended to ramble on and on about things they shouldn't after being fully saited. She decided to use all of this to her advantage and put down Yralissa and Byron's killers like the dogs they were. To facilitate this goal, she gathered Byria and a select few other trusted friends and begain actively searching for those who ordered the executions. As time went on they were joined by Jahleia Skygee, who was a victim of the violence starting with her conception. At the tender age of twelve she wanted nothing more than to strike the killing blow to the monster she had the misfortune to call a father. They began gathering information in any and every way they could, taking jobs scurrying amongst and servicing the royalty of Riyos. The small band slowly began to piece together the details they needed. The spy network had begun and the results of that formation would change the course of history.
Shrouded Vengeance
It took nearly six months for Merirue and her crew to gather enough information to learn that, without a doubt, the assassinations were ordered by none other than Daylor Wyndvyre, the crown prince of Riyos. Furthermore, she had indisputable proof that this action was enthusiastically approved by the King, Alluin Wyndvyre. It did not take long to work out a plan. There was a banquet coming up in celebration of Prince Daylor's birthday; the Shadows decided they would poison them both at the banquet for maximum impact. The logistics took a little longer... and then of course, there was the little detail of how does one poison people in front of a room full of partygoers? Merirue had an affinity with animals, and just happened to have befriended a Scherzukot named Astor. Astor didn't like Merirue's distress, she was a lot less entertaining when she was upset, and that bothered him immensely. Astor decided he would provide Merirue with toxin from his claws to help with her mission. Now they had the people and the tools to deliver their justice. The Wyndvyres were incredibly paranoid, and would have tasters for their foods and wines before they ate or drank anything. That ruled out poisoning the meal or the wine (you know, that and they didn't want to poison everybody.) The royal family didn't use the same glassware or utensils as the taster though, and the table was always set up right before the banquet. Since Merirue already worked in the castle, it was simple childs play to swap out their wine glasses with ones they had prepared. That night at the banquet, the King and the Prince both died horribly, twitching and frothing in their seats, a morbid display for a shocked and stunned crowd. With both the king and the crown prince dead, the seat of power fell to Wyndvyres youngest son, Ornathalius. Shortly after his coronation, the newly minted king met with the other elven leaders for a summit, and there he signed a treaty ceasing all hostilities. See The Elf Wars for more details. After The Elf Wars, the main branch of The Shadows was moved to Forest's Rest in Echorea, as half-elves were not welcome in Riyos. Marirue ran the operation until Byria and Jahleia Skygee were of age to take over. Once they were ready, the guild was split based on skill sets and the girls were assigned based on their individual strengths. Byria and Jahleia regarded each other as sisters and best friends, and indeed shared a surrogate mother, so there was no animosity between them.
Killing is Their Business... ???3
The Shadows have offices in every major city on Xanthia (including Riyos) and, on the surface, they function as brothels where legal and seedy taverns if not (one location even operates as a broker for married people to find their undercover lovers!) If one were to dig a little further, they appear to function as an assassin's guild. In reality, the Shadows most valued commodity is information. Bryria could possibly be compared to a spider sitting on her web of secrets... but you'd be dead before you could finish the thought (Bryia abhors spiders!) She gathers information from everyone, even those who don't realize they are collecting it for her. For example, she often sends initiates out to smaller villages that don't have branch offices to offer reduced-rate services as a member of the Taraksugen. As a result, she not only gains income from another caste bracket, she gathers information from the serfs and other lesser royalty & nobility in those areas. Her ear is to the ground and even the tiniest tidbit can be a lead to another, better, piece of information.
...and Business is Good!3
With what she knows and how to properly use that knowledge, Byria has built upon the legacy of her mentor Marirue. While there haven't been any more assassinations of any royalty, Byria has kept the Whispered Shadows at the pinnacle of success for over a century. The Shadows do not have uniforms, codes, signals, signatures, or any other means to discern whether an individual is a member. That is need-to-know information, and Byria figures nobody else needs to know. The Shadows operate under a code of ethics as laid out by Marirue during their conception. Their initial goal was to take out the bad guys who were hurting people for no valid reason. The Shadows don't wantonly kill just for gold. Contracts require justification before they are accepted, and always include a verification process before the contract can be fulfilled.
Home City: Riyos Forest's Rest
Offices: Angsparity, Bemister, Boston, Crestone, Dralossle, Ereloin, Ioglisia, Iverstead, Pedon, Riyos, Steadystone, Stone's Passing, Zanagril
Offices: Angsparity, Bemister, Boston, Crestone, Dralossle, Ereloin, Ioglisia, Iverstead, Pedon, Riyos, Steadystone, Stone's Passing, Zanagril
Type
Illicit, Syndicate
by WorldAnvil
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