Lion Blades

Lion Blades

(Organization)

Type

Spy

Leader

Dominicus Rell

Alignment

Neutral

Headquarters

Oppara, Taldor

Goals

Support Taldor from the shadows

Scope

National

Images of Lion Blades

Source: Faction Guide, pg(s). 28-29

The Lion Blades of Taldor are a secret organization committed to protecting the interests of Taldor and its ruler, the Grand Princess Eutropia. They oppose the enemies of the empire through infiltration, assassination, and espionage.

Description

The organization does not officially exist, which avoids criticism and oversight. Its members serve Taldor from the shadows without moral considerations. In regards to domestic enemies, one of their tasks is to keep a rein on corruption. Another is to keep any one faction of the imperial court from becoming a threat to the Grand Princess. Unlike the assassins of Qadira, the Lion Blades prefer crowded urban areas because they are masters of motion within the crowd. They are also quick, agile, knowledgeable, and masters of disguise. Lion Blades are usually recruited out of the famous bardic colleges of Oppara. They are trained at the Shadow Schools for at least a year before taking on missions. Although most Lion Blades work for the government, some hire themselves out to non-governmental organizations, work for themselves, or even become turncoats and serve Taldor's enemies. Of those who defect to another nation, most work for Cheliax, the nation most eager to accept such traitors.

Leader

The unofficial leader of the Lion Blades is Dominicus Rell. He is the master of the Shadow Schools who previously served under the Grand Princess' father, Stavian III. Rell's official duties consist entirely of training new Lion Blades, but he has won the personal loyalty of most of the members. It is supposed that most of the decisions of the faction are made by debate and consensus among the most senior members, but Rell often gives a completely different set of personal orders and these orders always turn to be beneficial to the Lion Blades. There have been rumors of a growing division in the Lion Blades, with some agents favoring Rell while others prefer a senior agent named Laurisa Tromaine.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.