Rogues Guild: Fire Knives

A collection of assassins. Ruthless, merciless, entirely amoral, and extraordinarily efficient. Fire Knives are outlawed and openly hunted in every land in Azgaarnoth, and rumors of a cell within a city have often led to open warfare in the streets between Guilds.

Organization

Each Fire Knife cell is led by one individual, called a "Hilt", who is the only one who knows the full membership of the cell. Each Hilt knows only two other Hilts, but leaves specific succession instructions inscribed in a rogues' cant in the event of his/her untimely demise. Within a cell, most Hilts will have a successor as a right-hand, who will often act as a contact for incoming contracts.

Assassination as a means of advancement is entirely forbidden; while the Fire Knives do not torture their paid targets, they are extremely accomplished at the task, and will bring all of their arts to bear on any Fire Knife member who violates the order of assassination, regardless of rank.

Those who seek to unravel the secrets of the Fire Knives are prone to wind up dead themselves, usually in particularly grisly fashion. Many City Watch guards will resoundingly swear off any case if a Fire Knife brand appears anywhere; however, Fire Knives also jealously guard their emblem, and any unauthorized use of the brand is also subject to extreme sanction, also in particularly grisly fashion.

The Fire Knives are rumored to have several "schools" within Liria, where one can learn the arts of assassination. No such school has ever been found, nor is the means by which they recruit new members known to anyone, at least publicly.