Obsidian Shrike
Officially classed as an assassin's guild that dabbles in mercenary duties, the Obsidian Shrike are considered a controversial group even amongst those who murder for money, founded on the principle that "anything goes" so long as their target dies. Many assassins guilds prefer the art of subtlety and the avoidance of collateral damage. This is predominantly to maintain their secrecy, but Shrike's dedication to competing the job often sees them killing additional people completely unrelated to the task or destroying buildings to achieve their goal, consequences be damned.
Obsidian Shrike are often paid huge sums of money for their work, not because of their discretion or ability, but because despite often engaging in overkill, the scale of violence often leaves the scenes with little to no evidence of Shrike involvement. For this reason, they are considered relatively successful as assassins, though less so with their other areas of employment. However, this flagrant disregard for what is considered "the assassin's code" has left them at odds with most, if not all, of their peers.
The founder of Obsidian Shrike, Drake Havelock, was originally a member of the Blue Wolf Mercenary Group, but only made it through Standard service for a year before he was expelled for "unbecoming behaviour" and "incompatible principles". Havelock later decided to set up Obsidian Shrike to act as a rival to the Wolves, founded on his own ideals of "anything goes", though the Shrike were never able to truly make any sort of dent against their standing. The Wolves themselves do not see the Obsidian Shrike as a threat to their own operations, and have in fact thwarted the Shrike's activities in the past.
Structure
Within the Shrike there is only one role that carries any weight; that of the Butcher Bird. The Butcher Bird is the leader of Obsidian Shrike, and it is he who decides what jobs are taken and who is expected to complete them. Failure to follow the orders of the Butcher Bird results in severe punishment, perhaps even death. Within Shrike, everyone is below the Butcher Bird, and they all know it.
Culture
Members of Shrike are expected to achieve their goals through whatever means necessary, including collateral damage if required. Nothing is more important to them than eliminating their targets, even to the detriment of their own wellbeing. Failure to achieve a goal results in death, usually at the hands of the Butcher Bird himself.
Anything To Achieve The Goal
Want to see more from this world?
Follow the World of A'arde to stay up to date with articles, maps, and much more!
Or, follow Aely directly to stay up to date with challenges, socials and projects!
Comments