Assassin's Guild

The Assassin's Guild is the trade organization and official contracting agency for all licensed assassins. The Guild was established during the Dynastic Period, and became predominantly a puppet organization of the Gudersnipe Foundation in the Golden Age.

History

The Assassin's Guild has its roots in the Order of Wizard-Breakers, but split from them some time around the Intermediate Period. Most historians agree the schism was caused by the Order's hypocrasy and extremely cult-like organization. The Guild's web page, however, states that they did it for the money.

Throughout the early Dynastic Period, the guild earned a reputation for professionalism, efficiency, and over-all effectiveness. An intricate network of spies and safe houses allowed a unified guild to operate over much of the known worlds. Over all the guild operated on a principle of equity, with every assassin owning a 'share' and none profiting more so than others. The guild even owned a large number of legitimate businesses and real estate.

Around the mid Dynastic era, the guild hit on a new strategy: assassinations paid only once, but everyone needs protection. After spending over 600 years establishing themselves as "the guild of death", the organization began offering protection services. Trained and skilled assassins could be hired out as body guards. Since the guild would never take contracts that would involve in-fighting, this effectively protected the target from the most skilled assassins in the verse; additionally guild assassins were the finest counter-assassins available.

At it's height, the guild was the most powerful entity in the verse, with an intelligence network that stretched all across the known worlds. This changed in B.G.A. 901, when Lelerough attacked the Marcon Alliance. The guild had no quarell with Lelerough, and, in point of fact, was unconcered with the destruction she wrought. Such events being common during the era, it was "part of the war" which the guild generally stayed out of. At the time, the guild had been equal-opportunity, willing to work for anyone who paid them. The events of Lelerough's rampage, however, caused the guild's leadership to re-consider, and they began taking sides. Specifically, the sided against the Marcon Alliance.

While the guild had always maintained certain moral and ethical traditions, these were codified around this time, and the guild became much more open. While they still maintained impartiality, they tended to favor freed people or nations which treated their citizens well. Most assassins were quite wealthy and well-educated, and favored an egalitarian system.

When the Second Chaotic Period began, the guild received it's largest contract ever: the Gudersnipe Foundation. This newly arrived power required the guild's intelligence network, and paid quite handsomely for it. Indeed, well into the Golden Age, descendants of guild members were still living off the shares received.

The contract quickly evolved into a partnership, and by the start of the Golden Age, the Foundation held considerable sway over the guild's leadership. They then founded Gudersnipe Assassin's School in order to train new assassins, and urged the guild to pass a rule baring anyone who hadn't graduated from a licensed Assassin's School from working as an assassin. While several such licenses were granted, only a few were renewed.

By the middle of the Golden Age, the guild was effectively a puppet of the Foundation. It's entire leadership were graduates of Gudersnipe School, and it's assets were slowly being absorbed by the Foundation. The guild was maintained, but most contracts were only carried out on the order of the Blind Consul.

Legality

In most parts of the Alliance and all Foundation-controlled space, being an assassin is legal only if bonded and licensed by the Assassin's Guild. Only three schools in the Multi-Verse are certified by the guild, two of them being Gudersnipe School and Sevel School.

It is important to note that hiring an assassin is still illegal. In legal parlance's, the assassin is considered a weapon, and the person who hired the assassin would be guilty of murder. In jurisdictions where assassins are legal an assassin who is caught will typically recieve immunity in exchange for testimony. Hence the reason to hire a licensed assassin: they are highly skilled and very difficult to catch. Unlicensed assassins are considered murderers.

The Society of Assassins

The Assassin's Guild is not to be confused with the Society of Assassins, a clandestine organization with whom the Guild is at war.

Russian School

A very low-brow organization of assassins, whom the Guild has not licensed.