The Assassin's Guild - Samheen 20th

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Wed May 25, 2005 6:48 pm

Perhaps the most unpleasing building to the eye in the all of Gulanadur is the Assassin's Guild. Situated next Dark's Knight Guild, what it lacks in beauty if makes up for in sheer size

The building you approach is one gigantic cube, unmarked for its purpose is well known, and large enough to house almost a hundred souls (However no one knows how many reside within). There is but one entrance way, a modest stone door facing in towards the spire.

Many rumors fly about what the training is like inside those walls, but the only ones who truly know, are the ones inside. It is rare to catch an assassin leaving his guild, and he will not utter a word about what takes place behind the lone stone door.

Beside that stone door a rope hangs from a bell latched above the doorway, ringing this bell will gain you entrance, but it will take much more than a curious whimsy to gain the company of what many say are the deadliest assassin's in all of Tazlure.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed May 25, 2005 9:37 pm

Almost eight yahrens of determination, dreams, and a hope for the future brought the taller than average, broad and confident elf to the front door of the Assassins Guild of Gulanadur. It was there, at age 12 and a half, that Angrod was assaulted by the drunken man later killed by an assassin in training, swiftly and cleanly. The thought never crossed his mind as he stood here at the door that in time he too might be able to do such things with his talent and skill.

He was far too nervous.

Pacing, he remembered that he had yet to tell his mother and father of his plans. He had simply left the house that morning and journeyed throughout the City, afraid to get any closer than he was now. Pacing...

It was time to ring the bell. Standing, he dusted off his cloak and stepped closer. Reaching out for the rope, he took a deep breath before tugging it down. And from there, fate would guide him.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Thu May 26, 2005 4:27 pm

OOC: Remember thay Gulanadur is an underground realm. No sky to look at.

IC:

The rope pulled easily enough but no sound of a bell could be heard. Still, one must have rang somewhere inside the guild for Angrod could hear the shuffle of footsteps from beyond the closed door.

The stone door opened a crack and the nose and eyes of a young adhiel could be seen.

"What do you seek here?" He demanded.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu May 26, 2005 8:01 pm

The face of the adhiel startled him and he stepped back off the doorstep a ways, then straightened back up and addressed the young one.

"I've come to enroll... I wish to learn how to be a great assassin." He forced a smile, not appearing too soft and friendly for deliberate reasons. Then he awaited the elf's reply.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Fri May 27, 2005 6:58 pm

"Have you now?" The adhiel replied with a dark chuckle. "Then I have only one thing to say to you and one question to ask of you." He opened the door a little wider so Angrod could see his full face and stared into his eyes.

"From the moment you step through this door, you will belong to the guild. You will learn what we teach you, you will show proper respect to those above you, and you will kill who we tell you to kill. To do otherwise is to die." The boy's eyes were hard and his voice deadly earnest.

"Is this the path you would walk?" He asked then slipped to one side and opened the door wider. "If so, enter. If not, leave and do not darken our door again."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 27, 2005 8:21 pm

With hardly a single moment of hesitation, young Angrod stepped through the door and stood within its entrance halls. Generally the cautious adhiel might take a moment or two to weigh the options but for a dream like this to possibly come true... it just had to work. There was no denying his destiny.

"I live only for your guild now, so guide me well."

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:44 pm

The young adhiel smirked at him and moved to shut the door. Angrod felt his knees buckle and his head strike the floor. The young adhiel stood over him with a knife at his throat.

"Then here is the first lesson of the guild." He informed him flatly. "No matter where you go, now matter who you are with, you are one flicker away from death. Only honest respect for your betters with let you live long enough to earn respect from others. Clear?" He demanded.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 5:48 pm

The impact of hitting the floor and the thought that his life nearly flashed before his eyes all made Angrod careful to speak so soon, so he gulped at air before making a pitiful sound. "Yes... very clear." He blinked, waiting to be released. The entire idea was beginning to go downhill.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 4:19 pm

"Good." The young elf nodded and removed the blade from Angrod's neck. "The second lesson is that for all the rules and the dangers, the Guild looks after its own. You can always trust a fellow member more than you can trust anyone outside. Which may not be saying much but that's life for ya huh?" He smiled down at Angrod and offered him a hand up. "They call me Jet. What's your name and what's your game?"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 8:38 pm

Surprised at the sudden change in the young elf's mood and behavior, Angrod took his hand and stood up slowly. "Jet, eh? My name's Angrod, and my game...?" A grin formed on his lips as he realized he had no idea what the elf was getting at with such a phrase. He had of course heard it on the streets before but had always thought it meant one thing or another. Taking a shot in the dark, Angrod replied, "My game is to find a place to sleep for the night. Do you have anything?"

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 4:26 pm

"You're gonna have to learn the lingo quick around here, my friend." Jet sighed with a roll of his eyes. "You'll be given a room here in the guild and a special knife that is all your own. Assuming the guildmasters allow you to stay of course. I'm only the first step." Jet starts leading Angrod down the hall. "When I asked what's your game, I was asking what kind of killing you were hoping to persue. Myself, I am engaged in the noble art of the knife. Others prefer poison, deep cover disguises, simple but well planned thuggery. If it can used to kill one subtly it is taught here."

"So what's your game my friend?" Jet asked again. "I'll steer you to the right master."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 3:13 am

Feeling less intelligent than he had felt before he entered the guild, Angrod walked quietly beside the elf. "I suppose I've always been interested in politics, the way it works and all... I'd like to work as a spy and assassin, so quite possibly a combination of many "games" would fit me well." He smiled, proud of his use of the new lingo he had been taught.

He was quite nervous about meeting the master, however, and so his thoughts were beginning to drift away from the conversation. Would he be accepted? If not, where would he go? He had banked his entire life on this opportunity, he would not be rejected. He would make sure of it...

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 12:58 pm

"Deep cover stuff then." Jet nodded. "Never could stomach much of that myself. I'd much rather be unseen in the shadows that hide in plain sight. Still. to each his own." Jet made an about face and backtracked them a bit to another set of corridors.

"You'll be wanting to meet with Mistress Vlast then." Jet informed him. "Though I'm sure you're be putting in your time with Rallinda and Habriul in due time. Oh, a Poisons Mistress and Weapons Master." He clarified. They have arrived at a door of black stone. Engraved upon it are the classic happy and sad theather masks, only there was a hand carved above the happy mask holding a driving a dagger through the sad mask.

"Here we go, sport. Remember show proper respect and don't show fear." Jet knocks politely upon the door. They waited in silence for a few burns.

"Enter." A cultured female voice called out.

Jet opened the door and led the way inside. The room they entered was small and mostly filled with the small table and few chairs. Two doors in the back wall lead to rooms beyond. A lady in a midnight blue gown stood there waiting. Her lustrous ebony skin was tastefully made up with just a hint of sapphire dust for sparkle and style. Her smile was warm and inviting but her eyes were hard. Jet immediately went down on one knee. "Mistress Vlast, this man desires entry to the guild and wishes to learn the way of the spy and assassin."

"Let us hear it from his lips and actions." Vlast replied languidly and looked to Angrod.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 4:55 am

Lips and actions... gulp. It was too bad that he had not prepared for meeting someone in this way, but he also remembered Jet's advice just before they entered the room. "Remember show proper respect and don't show fear." Taking one last deep breath, Angrod looked to his side and saw Jet on his knee. Following suit, Angrod also fell to his knee and looked up at the woman who would become his teacher. There wasn't anything that made her seem more or less an assassin, but Angrod wasn't about to argue.

"Miss... Mistress Vlast, greetings. Thank you for... uh, having me here." He feared that if he didn't stop soon, endless babble would just begin to flow and he wouldn't be able to contain it. He smiled a tight smile and bowed his head slightly. Whew... this is going to be tough, he thought.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:36 pm

Mistress Vlast moved towards them gracefully and slowly circled Angrod where he knelt. "Well hardly the best entrance." She observed with a pout. "Smart enough to follow Jet's lead," she continued, "and to fall silent rather than babble and reveal how truly out of his depths he is." She smiled prettily at Angrod.

"Yes, I think we can work with what we have here." She nodded thoughfully. "You may return to your door, Jet."

"Yes, Mistress." Jet turned his head towards Angrod and mouthed. 'Good luck.' He then rose and left the room without a sound.

"Rise Angrod. Join me here." She instructed. The tone was social but the expectation of being obeyed was clear. Vlast seated herself and turned to face Angrod.

"This wasn't what you expected was it?" She flashed that understanding smile once more. "Why do you want to kill, Angrod?"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 5:14 pm

With Jet having left the room, Angrod felt a lot more nervous. He was beginning to assume that they both did not feel he was capable, that he wasn't in it for true intentions. How he yearned to just spill his thoughts onto the table for her to pick through and learn of his true personality and motive through them. Having resigned himself to the fact that this could never happen, Angrod silently took a seat in front of the Mistress' table.

"I want to kill because...". He looked to the ceiling, searching for the reason among the tiles there. "There are people in the world who have made it their goal to cause damage and wreak havoc upon our land. I wish to work for those who yearn to eliminate the land of these people and to learn their secrets. I want to be a spy, to slink along in the shadows and... spy." He smiled weakly at his feeble last thought and then leaned fowards a bit for her response.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:56 pm

Mistress Vlast let out a bell like laugh. "Someone has been following the writings of Zghieb the Silent." She leaned forward until she almost touched noses with Angrod.

"The noble assassin is a fantasy, Angrod." She told him flatly. "As a junior assassin you will expected to kill who you are told to kill without question. You are as likely to be causing havoc as stopping it and the only one who will benefit from your work will be the one that paid the guild."

Vlast withdrew from Angrod's personal space and leaned back in her chair once more. "Your loyalty must be to the guild first and whatever code you choose to keep second, Angrod. Else we have no incentive to reveal our secrets to you. Can you accept that?" Vlast paused and caught his gaze with her eyes "You only have this one chance to refuse. You can walk out the front waving to Jet on the way out." Vlast idly waved her hand at her own door. "Perhaps you'll swing next door to join the Dark Knights in their quest for honor." Vlast prettily wrinkles her nose in distaste at the thought. "Or you remain here and join our family in the shadows." Vlast leaned forward again. "What will it be Angrod?"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:52 pm

"You are most correct, madame. I was only speaking of my future goals, my faraway plans. Until I am strong enough to go out on my own, my loyalty rests here. You have my word." Angrod bowed once more, then looked into her eyes. "You have my word."

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 12:59 pm

"Go out on your own?" Vlast echoed with amusement. "If you join the guild, you join for life." She informed him flatly. "The only release from the guild is death."

She leaned forward once more. "Your death to be precise. In the center of this complex is a small plot of land called Traitor's Field. There lies the bodies of all those that thought themselves clever, or skilled, and just plain lucky enough to break free from the guild once they reached the rank of master. You may be allowed a certain latitude in your actions as reward for services rendered but once you join this family you always a member. Is that understood?" Vlast demanded. "Do you still give your oath to the guild?"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 5:37 am

Scornac Lunari had found his way back to the guild easily and quickly enough and now moved his way down the hall following his map as closely as possible. He passed by Jet the door guard and nodded to him not forgetting their first meeting as he reached the door he was looking for.

This was marked as the politics classroom and the teacher here could surely get him the information he needed in order to mingle nicely within the household long enough to make his presence known before disappearing to the temple.

He raised his hand and knocked upon the door hoping he wasn't interupting anything important. Only two voices could be heard on the other side. He would bet money on the fact though that his task was more important to the guild than her lesson.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 11:34 pm

A feminine cultured voice answered his knock. "Enter and announce yourself properly as you do." She instructed.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 11:44 pm

Scornac responded to the knock and bowed his head politely as he entered. "Mistress I am Scornac LUnari a student under the leadership of Habriult he blades master, and on an urgent mission set by the headm mistress. I need some help if you would be so kind as to assist me. There is information I need in order for things tonight to go well."

He stated all this head bowed before rising it and looking respectfully into the eyes of what he took to be the instructor. Sitting before her was a solitary dark elf who appeared to have just arrived by the way the conversation he had heard outside was going.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:12 am

The lady before Scornac should be on the arm of a king not in a guildhouse of killers. She wore a midnight blue gown stood there waiting. Her lustrous ebony skin was tastefully made up with just a hint of sapphire dust for sparkle and style. Her smile was warm and inviting but her eyes were hard.

"Angrod, you may leave us." The bite of steel in the cultured voice of the lady made it clear this was no request. Once he was gone, Mistress Vlast appraised the young man before him as one might a sculpture or a beast of burden.

"Your manners need work, young one." She stated with preamble. "Just enough respect to not earn punishment but not enough to truly impress or make one feel at ease. I would expect nothing less from one trained by Habriul." She lets out a brief bell like laugh. "His role is to be direct after all." Mistress Vlast smiled at him and motioned for Scornac to join her on the couch. "If you are contemplating a mission of requiring deep cover I can only hope you are a quick learner or have much time to prepare for the assignment."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 6:01 pm

Scornac listened and winced slightly. he did not know if she was mocking him, habriul, or complementing him. These calm assassins of the guild were always so hard to read. He just nodded his head a bit and then listened to her closely and yet again felt a pang. He had not expected to have had much to learn. He hadn't planned on being at the party all night long. "i find myself of late to be quick learner, but so far I have only learned blades. Actually knowledge such as this may not come as easy mistress." He stated with a bit of uncertainty in himself. "Even on that note I have only a few hours before the Mourning feast to the dead Eskizuria is held." He had been given no permission by the head mistress to let on that he killed Eskizuria so he just shut his mouth on that bit of the story right there.

"I need only enough information though to mingle for more than a mark or two. Then I will be moving to the temple for I feel the secret reception in which Elamshin is attending is this gravetide." He stated with great certainty. It made sense as the feast that was held at this time he would not be attending so where else would he be. Scornac stood there now stock still and silent as though he were a statue being appraosed by the beautiful women beofre him.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:35 am

"You think he is using the feast as cover." Mistress Vlast catches one lip between her teeth as she mulled that over. "It would fit his sense of misdirection and it is true that services to Anasati tend to fall at the ebb of days. Still I would not wish to risk my neck on such a guess." She commented mildly.

"I suppose it doesn't matter now. If Elamshin held it earlier in the day, you've missed your chance so best prepare for the chance you may have. One important question before I render my aid. You have already determined that your mark will not be attending the feast. For what reason do you make plans to infiltrate it?"