Kaushan Assassins

Professional assassins have been used among the Eastern Principalities and the Kaushan tribes before for several hundred years.
About 10 years ago, all the Princes agreed to stop using their assassins for politcal purposes, essentially outlawing their use. Instead, they agreed to send contingencies to the Tournament of Champions at Nežgub. This has had some success, but a few of the Princes still maintain assassins, especially the rivals of Ptau and Bikal.

Perception

Purpose

Assassins are used by the primary leaders among the Kaushan to control their rivals powers. They usually target specific advisors or confidants. They never target the rival directly, and generally leave their wife and children alone.

History

When the Kaushan were still individual tribes wandering the deserts, the chiefs of the tribes would inevitably come into rivalries with one another. One means of meting out punishment that became informally agreed upon was to assassinate those that helped the rivals maintain power.
Assassinations became such an important tool, that rules were laid out and agreed upon by all the tribes. These rules continue to be followed, even though, technically, assassins are no longer an approved means of competition.
As the tribes began settling, an assassins guild was established to help ensure the formal rules were always followed. This led, in turn, to a school for assassins, established in what would become Karībaun, before the Kingdom of Kiŗaun was founded. It was officially moved to Īyonī, but a clandenstine school remains in Karībaun.
After the splitting if Kiŗaun, each of the Princes increased their use of assassins, as their inherent rivalry as siblings and cousins increased once they were each in charge of a country.
However, about 12 years ago, the Prince of Rilīsh saw good men being killed needlessly, without so much as an opportunity to defend themselves. Thus, he began a campaign to eliminate the assassins. After two years, he finally convinced all the Princes to agree to settle differences in a more humane way via the Tournament.
Bikal and Ptau, whose long and bitter rivalry has not abated in over 200 years, have continued to maintain a small cardre of assassins each, primarily to attack one another. To aid in this the covert school in Karībaun has remained open, without the knowledge of any of the other Princes, including the Prince of Ībaun, who lives in Karībaun.

Type

Illicit

Demand

Limited use. Currently declining.