Assassins/History
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Often the history of the Assassins is shrouded in mystery. Parts of the collective memory are lost when those that walked in the shadows never found their way back to the light. What follows is the history of the Assassins as it has been passed down.
It begins with the mystery known simply as Falcon. Under his leadership the Assassins tried to gain a monopoly on the shadow walkers of the island and went so far as to attack any realm which sheltered an infiltrator unwilling to walk under the guild’s banner. The guild was willing to hire out the services of her shadow walkers and often a noble would post a contract and a guild member would finish the transaction. Fear became the tool of the Assassins and nobles across the island we’re always careful to not walk out at night because nobody knew where an Assassin might be or when they would strike.
Then came the shift that lead to the eventual decline of the Assassins. Valast had recently disposed of the former ruler of Lukon and the armies of Outer Tilog, Wetham, Alebad, Alowca and Portion were united against Lukon and Valast turned to the Assassins for aid, and an arrangement was made.
Lukon paid Falcon to send the Assassins infiltrators against the walls of Portion. Their goal was to damage the city walls and for every level the walls were lowered the sum of 1000 gold would be paid, plus a 50 gold retainer for each infiltrator. It was a steep price but Lukon was desperate and had only three regions and was facing five realms.
Initially things went well and Portion was unable to keep their city walls from falling into disrepair and the damage was mounting. However, the plan was flawed from the beginning and in the end the operation was a failure. Three infiltrators were killed and several more deported. And while the operation was a failure the killing of three members of the guild was more then Falcon could stomach and from that point on the services of the guild no longer required the promise of gold from Lukon.
Although the Assassins did not have a large army Falcon was a brilliant tactician and used what the guild had to harass and damage the realm of Portion. But with more infiltrators being caught and the less experienced ones unable to fulfill the roles of their mentors the guild was forced to withdraw and recover. If it had not been for the guild’s actions of diverting Portion’s attention away from Lukon then Portion would most likely be the realm of who had two cities on the island and Lukon would be nothing more then a footnote.
None can recall what happened to Falcon. He was in Lukon's cells later on and at one point Valast attempted to have him killed. What is known is that eventually Falcon had been caught and banned from every realm on the island and disappeared. The rumors of his disappearance have never been answered but it seems likely he found a friendly port and took a boat to different lands.
And so ended what many refer to as the golden age of the Assassins. Its fear was broken, as it was unable to uphold its threats against other realms having infiltrators and the guild was never the same again.
After Falcon, the dictatorship of the Assassins passed to Ali'i who spent his time rebuilding the guild and establishing many of the ideals that remain today. Ali'i was once a member of Lukon but had been close friends with Falcon and so the guild and Lukon once again enjoyed good relations. While it still offered services of the darker sort many in the Assassins were in training and not ready to assume the roles their predecessors had filled. Because of this, under the direction of Ali'i the guild began to disguise itself as a traveling circus as a way to train the nobles of the Assassins and provide a way for the guild members to move freely about the island. This ruse did provide the time for the Assassins to rebuild but it did little to improve the failing image of the guild and even today most of the nobles on the colonies see the Assassins more as artists and performers then those that walk in the shadows.
As the months grew to a year Ali’i's time had come and the reigns were passed to Martin. Martin seeing that the neighbouring realms of Giblot and Wetham had grown complacent and weak launched dual invasions against both of them. His ambitions were successful in capturing the regions of Helsera and Hulaford, however his successes were short lived as he died shortly after in a duel to the death against his rival, Randy.
Miles, one of the original founding fathers of the guild, had been close friends with Falcon and he desired to return to the old ways and set about restoring the traditions of the Assassins. Much of this was done single handedly with Miles often fulfilling contracts and quickly becoming a feared and respected infiltrator. And yet, time catches up to us all and Miles was not as quick as he once was and his life was ended in a Wetham dungeon by the judge, Wolfgang. During this time Outer Tilog was able to regain several regions and was spared the fate of once great realm of Portion.
After ending Martin's reign Randy seized power. Under Randy's watch the guild continued to fight against Giblot and Wetham, losing the previous gains of Helsera and Hulaford. Randy fell to ill health and eventually lapsed into a coma at his estate, unable to carry on his role as dictator.
After Randy the dictatorship passed to Akando. Akando had a brother in Giblot and they were able to use that influence to bring a wary peace between Giblot and the Assassins. Sadly after that accomplishment Akando retreated into the Dark Citadel and rarely emerged. Eventually, out of frustration, the nobles of the guild banned together and were able to convince Akando to step down. Soon after he left for the realm of Wetham and has remained there since.
Stepping into the role of dictator after Akando was Diana. Under her leadership the Assassins found themselves in a two front war again with Giblot and Wetham. And while Diana was able to negotiate an alliance with Lukon and Outer Tilog the majority of nobles in the realm were frustrated by her leadership. Eventually Innocent, the judge, lead a rebellion with the rest of the inner counsel and removed Diana from power and diana resettled in the realm of Lukon.
Innocent, having studied under Miles for a short time desired to see his dream to completion and set about returning the Assassins to their old traditional ways. To accomplish this he tried to go back to the tradition of being neutral with all of the realms on the island. For a short while this was going well but the realm of Wetham refused to consider a cease fire and the war has continued forcing the Assassins to seek alliances against the aggressions of Wetham. Innocent vanished suddenly without a word, shocking many nobles and leaving the guild without a leader.
Thyra took power after Innocent, and attempted to follow in his footsteps. Although a capable dictator, Thyra's rule was marked by bad luck, and things outside of her control. Giblot declared war on the guild to assist their allies in Wetham. South Bakker soon revolted, and declared their loyalty to Giblot. Then, after a little over two weeks in office, Thyra mysteriously disappeared in the same fashion as Innocent. She sent one last letter to the realm with the words, "Long live the Assassins!"
After Thyra, Targ'n took power. Under his rule, the Assassins expanded into Hulaferd, and launched a massive campaign against Wetham, almost wiping them from the map. The Guild also narrowly avoided a war with Lukon, and failed to save Outer Tilog's capital city from falling to Giblot. As so many have done in the past, Targ'n left on a "journey", not saying for how long, or even if he will return.
Innocent, after returning to the Guild, ran for dictator and was elected by a strong majority for an unprecedented second term. During his time as ruler the war with Wetham continued to remain a stalemate. Outer Tilog city was seized from Giblot for a brief time and a colony was formed, but it was short-lived. Innocent stepped down from his position as dictator to pursue a new path as a priest of Shadowism.
Soren, then General and marshal of the Guild's main army, stepped forward and was elected almost unanimously. A military man at heart, he forged an alliance with Lukon and pushed the war with Wetham to its end. Giblot was driven back from Outer Tilog city, and Wetham was destroyed completely. His rule is not over yet, so history will be left to judge the rest...
For much of its existence the guild has aimed to keep a balance on the island and assure that no one realm, or federation gains too much power or influence. These goals are often misunderstood by other realms and so an inherent mistrust has built up over many years. Never the less, members of the guild remain true to the cause, and often travel across the realms under the guise of traders and entertainers.
Special note: G’war is the last surviving original founding member of the Assassins and his place in the history of the guild is one that is long and honored. Having served the realm faithfully for 43 years as the count of South Bakker, the general of the guild’s armies and the duke of the Dark Citadel. G’war steadfast character serves as a testimony to the commitment of the guild and why many called their fellow performers family
Line of dictators:
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