Red Mantis

Crimson Assassins of Achaekek

The Red Mantis is an order of professional assassins and one of the most feared assassin guilds in the known world. They worship Achaekek, the god of assassins, and they are distinguished by their imposing insectoid masks and serrated blades. Their headquarters is the hidden Crimson Citadel near the city of Tressaxorva on the island of Serjazir.

Structure

Whilst the Red Mantis are known as an asssassin guild first and foremost, they also govern an island of some 20000 inhabitants in addition to being a highly religous organisation. All Red Mantis assassins answer to the Vernai, the High Killers, who are led by the Blood Mistress Mikela. The thirteen Mistresses of the Vernai oversee their own operational region, which are distributed across the known world. Whilst there are no offical rules stating it, all ranking members of the Vernai have traditionally been women.
This is the formal hierarchy of inducted members of the Red Mantis:

• Blood Mistress: the leader of the organisation, the de facto ruler of Serjazir Island, and a revered figure in the Church of the Mantis God. Whilst the Blood Mistress is less involved in the day-to-day activities of the Vernai than the other ruling members, they are second only to Achaekek in ceremonial importance, and her position comes with exclusive access to the hidden sanctum of the Crimson Citadel, the Iron Heart, which contains libraries of ancient and forbidden knowledge. Only the Blood Mistress may void contracts undertaken by the Red Mantis.
• Red Mistress: these are the thirteen permanent members of the Vernai. The Red Mistresses are responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of the organisation's many activities, and one of them, the Invisible Watcher, is charged with overseeing the civic affairs and treasury of Tressaxorva. They are only known by their titles outside the council.
• Assassin: assassins who have proven themselves faithful executors of the will of Achaekek. Not all inducted Red Mantis assassins concern themselves solely with contracted assassinations; some also serve as the organisation's enforcers, some as diviners and scribes, and others as envoys. Whatever their capacity, a true Red Mantis assassin is fanatically devoted to the teachings of Achaekek.
• Novitiate: fledgling members are called novitiates, and they are assigned mundane tasks for the organisation for an arbitrary period of time. When the time comes, they are entrusted with one high-profile assassination: the Rite of the First Supplication. Those who carry out the assassination with reverence and skill are allowed to become full members of the Red Mantis.

The Red Mantis consider assassination to be sacrosanct. It is a rite that all its members know well, and it is the sole service that they offer. It is not possible to contract the Red Mantis for anything else. When someone is marked for assassination by the Red Mantis, they will stop at nothing to eliminate their quarry; indeed, their assassins track targets after death. Should they be resurrected, the assassin will hunt them down again.
It is quite difficult to contact the Red Mantis, as they have no extraorganisational channels of communication. One must attract their interest by spreading rumours in the most criminal and cutthroat areas of society, which is an easy way for the contacter to get murdered. However, should the Red Mantis deem the person worthy of their attention, they will send a representative and arrange a suitable contract. There must be a tangential connection between the target and the contractee, and lying about existing circumstances will result in the contract being voided (if discovered). Rumours hold that the Red Mantis may contact those who have acquired recent grudges, and it is unknown if this is a mere fabrication. In any case, the organisation makes use of magic to keep track of targets. Rightful monarchs are the one exception the Red Mantis have in the way of assassinations; this is due to Achaekek viewing legitimate monarchs as the mortal equivalent of the gods.

Assets

A Red Mantis assassin is equipped with a distinct black-and-red set of leather armour, alongside a Mask of the Mantis, which allows them to see in the dark and to gauge the health of people. Further, they carry their signature weapon, the Mantis Blades, that they wield with the tips pointed at the ground (resembling the claws of a praying mantis). Senior members of the organisation possess enhanced variations of this equipment.

No wall, no blade, and no magic can evade Those Who Walk in Blood.

Type

Guild, Assassins

Leader

Mikela

Leader Title

Blood Mistress

Deities

• Achaekek

Location

Crimson Citadel

Controlled Territories

• Crimson Citadel
• Serjazir
• Tressaxorva

Notable Members

• Mikela

Signature Equipment
Mask of the Mantis
Mantis Blade