The Ha'sheshe'en (hosh-shosh-shEEn)
The depths of the Rhegev Desert hold many secrets. Many of them are exquisite in their beauty; the one or two mornings per year that bring the The Painted Sands spring to mind as an example. The unparalleled immersion of the Glaine Cuan's nightscapes are another. And, of course, the Singinging Valleys, far to the north, where the very wind will whistle a song it made just for you. Yet, also it hides grave and deadly dangers! Scorpions, iridescent harbingers of many painful owies, can sometimes strike people at exactly the right spot. Much like the famous snapping turtle that randomly severed King Corill Grey's femoral artery, a prick from a venomous scorpion can be deadly in many instances. The hand-sized trapdoor spiders that leap out of their lairs to slay and feed upon unsuspecting birds and small mammals sometimes mistake a sleeping human's foot for said bird or small mammal, and pounce. It's poison will burn away a piece of the flesh if left untended; it is one of the reasons desert dwellers always carry an anti-venom kit. Again, these are but examples that spring to mind, not an exhaustive list.
There is one thing here, under the sands, however, that has a very select type of prey. Distinct, in fact, in that they will only kill and consume other humanoids. Even more precisely, their prey consists of humanoids that they have been paid to kill and consume. They are secretive, and known only to a very few either highly educated scholars or nefariously minded rulers. Their cost is exorbitant, along the lines of the gross domestic product of a small nation; and yet their business is quite good, and was diversified and expanded by strong leadership and smart decisions over the centuries. They stayed politically active, but deep behind the scenes, only showing their hand when rulers who vow to stamp them out make themselves known. Otherwise, they watch, and they wait, and they gather intelligence.
Their bunker, deep beneath the surface somewhere within the endlessly shifting tides and currents of the Sea of Sands, also keeps guard over another secret; indeed, they call it the secret to their success. They grow specialized strains of canna weed, and process them into a substance they call 'ha'sheesh'. They make meals with it, and chew chunks of it during ceremonies. Their teeth become stained with the resin, over time, hence the saying 'bold as a blacktooth'. This powerhouse of an organization has influenced and controlled many global and political events for centuries; through arranging marriages, setting policy, allocating resources, and many other subtle but powerful resources, the Ha'shashe'en are a global powerhouse. Wealthy beyond reason or compare, they back several large banks and mercantile companies. They are the sworn enemies of the Merchant and Sailors' Guild and their hard-working members, who do nothing all day long except break their backs to feed their families.
Quartermaster Felton Pho
S/V Waverunner
History lesson while mending canvas
Circa 5395NG
Structure
Querilarnikax is the only authority.
Culture
Their culture is one of excess, and hedonistic pleasure brought about by causing suffering unto others.
Public Agenda
They have never admitted their existence.
Assets
Their assets are vast and quite varied, from holdings and vineyards in The City of the Lights, to most of the Kingdom of Cotnor's mineral fields in the north.
Silence, my sweet.
Founding Date
12 Juno 892NG
Type
Guild, Assassins
Alternative Names
Hasheaten, hash eaters, hash men, assassins
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
The Devoted
Leader
Leader Title
Location
Comments