Contract of the Fall

by Artemisia Gentileschi, public domain

Note: It is highly unlikely that the average character would know much about the guild, other than perhaps a few vaguely menacing references they'd heard in passing or a friend of a friend who swore they'd met an assassin once. If you think your character would know about it, discuss with the DM privately.

Despite the Ad Hoc Adventurers Recruitment and Resettlement Guild (AHARRG) staunchly refusing to take any contracts that call for the murder of another sapient entity and Esku Argiak positioning themselves as The Good Guy Thieves, Ostelliach is like any other land in that there will always be someone who wants someone else dead.
Whether for political reasons, personal grudges, or rival business dealings, the Contract of the Fall make themselves available to Ostelliach's underbelly as the people unafraid to cause bodily harm to others. This can include physical intimidation and roughing people up, but technically those services are available by AHARRG if a person is unscrupulous enough to take the gig; Contract of the Fall makes murder its real selling point.
Though finding members of this guild is understandably delicate, it also is not particularly difficult if one has the right contacts. They are said to operate in every major city, and though they have no singular symbol to identify them, they are largely associated with carrion birds and onyx/obsidian metal; to have a familiar that is one of the former or a blade that is the latter is not exactly damning incrimination of being an operative as far as the law is concerned, but it's generally a good indicator that someone may know someone.

Doing the Deed

1. Contracts are submitted via dead drop in one of the major cities; they don't make it easy, because they don't want frivolous arguments turning into ill-conceived contracts or drunken bets. You have to know where the dead drop is, then submit the name/general location of the person and a way to contact you discreetly. You also can specify things like a message you want given to the soon-to-be-deceased, or how you would like proof.
   (Regarding contact, using the same dead drop is not an option, because for one they don't want you returning to a location over and over, and for two, they don't want to have people rooting their grimy hands around in the dead drop looking for mail with their name on it. An unmarked envelope in your mailbox is acceptable, but some people really buy into the intrigue of it all and request a code word given to a specific barkeep at a certain time or something; these people usually are not taken seriously, because this is not a game.)
2. The guild receives the request, reviews it, and contacts you with an amount you're required to put on the contract. You pay ahead of time, and they hold the money until the deed is done (less some for the guild fees). The price they suggest is relevant to the target: how difficult it will be to find them, how hard they will be to kill. Well-known targets or targets with exceptional combat experience are more costly.
3. The guild distributes the contract info to their network of operatives and the contract gets claimed. Generally they try to prevent more than one person taking the contract at a time, to reduce attention and risk of collateral damage.
4. Assuming all goes well (for the guild and the contractor, not the target!) the proof is returned to the guild, who alerts the person who requested the contract, and the operative is paid. Then everyone pretends nothing happened.

Public Agenda

Contract of the Fall do not advertise publically, given their obviously illegal and typically immoral nature. However, the impression they strive to see tied to their name when it is whispered in taverns or alleys is one of inevitability. They work to convey the notion that murder for hire will always happen in any society and their guild exists to fill this need with some semblance of structure and order.
(This is paired with a concerted effort to take out any who operate as freelance assassins, guild scabs that don't follow their rules; if it's going to happen anyway is their attitude, it's going to happen either way, but it had better happen through us is the full sentence.)

Ethics

The Contract of the Fall is not in the business of drawing attention to itself. Thus, there are rules and ethics dedicated to keeping the guild running.

• Bloodlust for the sake of it will not be tolerated. Particularly showy, gruesome kills draw attention. As do macabre serial killer trophies and certainly as does killing people outside of those the contract states. Violating this tenant is grounds for ending up with a contract with your name on it.

• Discretion is your lifeline. Don't be seen, don't leave evidence, and don't get caught; if you do, no one is coming to help clear your name.

• Don't aim too low or too high. Contracts on the downtrodden simply to be evil (children, the infirm, homeless etc.) are not taken, and neither are prominent heads of state such as mayors/governors/generals. The guild recognizes there are many reasons for political assassination, but if it's going to get an entire army brought down on their heads, they don't want it.

Founding Date

??

Type

Guild, Assassins

Demonym

Operatives

Currency

The Contract of the Fall accepts gold and platinum all day long (good luck contracting someone for silver!) but they are more interested in special goods and rarities or in information. New poison recipes, a particularly dangerous dagger, the whereabouts of a fugitive with a price on their head, or the name of somebody looking to put their murderous itch to good use are all fine currency to Operatives.