Black Hand Assassins

The Black Hand assassins' guild is something of both a public secret and a well known boogey man throughout civilized Sanzeia. Either there is no definite way to invoke the Black Hand or the methods vary wildly by region, but once the guild has accepted a contract and agent must either kill their target or die trying. The guild is most active where nobility thrives, and are considered to be of such cost that only very personal grudges are settled via the Black Hand, however, an equal number of stories exist where the Black Hand as avenged a wrong visited upon a peasant by the nobility. The only thing for certain is that if the Black Hand is after you, someone wanted you dead very badly and you are in grave danger.

Worship

The assassin's guild is vaguely tied to the death god, Raz'ka. Methods for invoking the guild vary by region but follow a set, almost ritualistic pattern pattern: 

1. First, the contractor must inform the guild they want someone killed. This process involves a ritual scarifice in some way, though it it unclear if the scarifice is meant to invoke the divine or mere draw attention of the assassins' guild. Such rituals are often passed own via rumor and word of mouth, and are typically only attempted by the most desperate of persons.
2. Second, a representative of the guild will appear and demand a price. This is usually gold, but some instances of peasants or slaves contracting the Black Hands to kill nobles have been reported suggesting that the price varies based on the contractor.
3. Third, the price must be paid. Often this involves burying gold in a specific location, but may involve performing deeds or other tasks.
4. Fourth, the contractor will find some proof the the contract's completion, typically a body part or trinket removed from the target. 

At times it has been said to take years for the guild to complete a job, and not every contract is fulfilled, even when paid for. It is unknown if this represents some moral quality of the guild or the difficulty of the kill.

Type

Guild, Assassins

Deities

• Raz'ka

Notable Members

• Velvet