Karrigan'Xalda
Daughter of the Karishzar
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on Xioquo and Sio's retinue. Sub a team for Xalda to be part of and lead.
Image Credit: Here. Found on Deviantart. By 000Fesbra000.
Permissions: Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here and here. Permission for Firemane to use ARGH tech in this thread. Permission to use Tricks of the Trade submissions here.
Links: Xioquo, Daughters of the Destroyer, Liavondra, Quas'Ziru, Twilight of the Goddess.
CREW INFORMATION
Crew Name: Shadows of the Ascendant Flame.
Crew Type: Comrades-in-Arms. Black Ops Team.
Base of Operations: The Ghostfire, an X-70B Phantom-Class.
Crew Size: 8.
Loyalties: Karrigan'Xalda, Firemane, House Kerrigan-Alcori, Xioquo, Siobhan.
Description: The Shadows of the Ascendant Flame are a secretive group of special operatives who do the bidding of Siobhan Kerrigan. Every single member of the group is a powerful Force-Sensitive Xioquo. They are assassins, spies and black ops operatives who perform special missions for their mistress. Each Shadow swears a blood oath to serve Siobhan and her family. Their mistress is known to them as the Karishzar, which is the Xio word for Destroyer. This title was conferred on her for her campaign against the Underealm and her defeat of Mystra, the primeval Xioquo who was the first of her race and worshipped as a goddess. The Shadows maintain a close connection to their patron, considering themselves her personal agents. For her part, Siobhan places a lot of trust in her Tygaran minions, regarding them as more loyal than mercenaries.
In terms of function, one could broadly compare them to the Emperor's Hands that served Emperor Palpatine millennia ago. However, unlike these agents, each Shadow is not given the false impression that she is the sole Shadow. Instead, they are supposed to operate as a team, though they can also be deployed individually. Furthermore, they do not possess the quasi-unrestricted authority of the Hands. This means they cannot commandeer military units or warships. However, they have a certain ability to requisition resources such as weapons, vehicles and credits. They may operate in concert with other black ops operatives such as Cross, leader of Chimaera Squad, and Natalie Dorne, an Essionian spy, rebel and Firemane Intelligence contractor. The Shadows may also be embedded in more regular Xioquo units.
One particularly significant aspect of the Shadows is that every member has the surname Karrigan, which links them to Siobhan Kerrigan. Karrigan has become a popular surname among former Xioquo slaves who were emancipated when Firemane and its allies conquered the Underealm and toppled the slavocratic oligarchy that had ruled over the dark elves for millennia. This is similar to how Saobana and Saobahana have become popular surnames among former Qadiri slaves who were freed at Siobhan's behest.
This obviously does not make everyone a Kerrigan zealot, but the freedmen are still an important pillar of support for her regime. Firedawn, Firemane's freedmen bureau, has been responsible for providing freed slaves with the means to begin a new life as free people. Of course, some opportunistic Xioquo have tried to appropriate it to create an imagined link to their quasi-feudal overlord. A good number of Shadows are freed slaves, others are former members of the old assassin societies and cults. They take the Karrigan name as a title as much as a surname when they are recruited. It symbolises that they have broken with their old life.
Religious cults, secret societies and Byzantine intrigue have long been the hallmarks of the Xioquo, and the Shadows fit right in. Some Xioquo cults have sworn allegiance to Siobhan and in some cases integrated her into their pantheon. However, this has allowed some figures who used to be prominent in the ancien régime to make an oily transition into the new order by swearing allegiance to the winning side, claiming they had always been against the old ways. One of the duties of the Shadows is to help monitor such groups and eliminate potential troublemakers through surgical strikes. However, they can also be deployed against external enemies of their patron.
They favour finesse, stealth and precision over brute force, following traditions similar to those of the old Xioquo assassin cults. Like them, the Shadows are fond of poisons and poisoned weapons. In addition to be taught how to harness the Force, they receive training in areas such as sniping, climbing, diving, infiltration, poisons, intelligence gathering, martial arts, escape and evasion. This makes them quite versatile and gives them broader options to eliminate threats than just relying on Force abilities. The members of the team are fond of using stealthy equipment such as Ghostsuits, stealth field generators, Infiltrator suits and BC-11 Comlinks. Multi-Weapons, various Shattergun models, Last Whisper pistols and Terminus Shivs are also popular. Like Rebel Alliance Intelligence operators of yore, the crew members carry suicide pills.
Living beneath the earth in the dark for so long has given the Xioquo excellent night vision and an impressive ability to blend into the shadows. However, it has also made sunlight and bright lights painful to them. Their skin can blister if left exposed. The Shadows home in on this weakness by forcing their candidates to expose themselves to bright lights so that they can cope better. For the same reason, training droids often use sonic weapons, as the elves have sensitive hearing. They must also endure an escape and evade course, which includes being subjected to a simulated imprisonment and interrogation that is meant to push them to their brink. It includes being exposed to a full battery of mental assaults.
During their training period, the character of the candidate is tested. Their instructors are harsh and unforgiving, and they are put into a situation where they are seemingly given the chance to betray their patron, advance by sabotaging an ally or otherwise profit in illicit ways. This can go so far that they might be led to believe that one of their instructors may be up to something illegal. This is a bit manipulative, but is supposed to test their character and commitment. In addition, their training includes a test where they seemingly have to respond to an enemy attack, and are pit against foes who use holographic projections or alchemy to resemble their friends or loved ones. If they cannot pull the trigger, they are out. There is also a trial where the recruits are brought food or wine and told that one has deadly poison. Any who hesitate are excused immediately. The group has its own initiation rituals.
By their very nature, the Shadows are an extremely small group. Indeed, they have less than a dozen operatives in total, though they obviously have support personnel outside of the actual unit. As a result, each operative is handpicked. The Shadows are grey or dark Force-users. While Light Xioquo exist and have become organised under the auspices of Queen Lia, they are drawn to groups such as the Seekers of the Sky and their paladins. Moreover, the actions the Shadows must undertake to accomplish their objectives may be difficult to reconcile with a staunch Light Side alignment. The group does not want mindless sadists, cackling megalomaniacs or similar, but it definitely prioritises ends over means. They are not shy about employing what is euphemistically referred to as 'enhanced interrogation'. Stealthy Force abilities and elemental powers, particularly ice and water ones, are common among the group.
Aside from Xalda herself, the group has eight members. These are Talxui and Xalian, both former members of the old Xioquo assassin cults, a former slave-soldier called Qaltui, Zazqan, a Xioquo rebel who fought against the ancien régime before the coming of Firemane, a Xioquo witch and poisoner by the name of Ocquice, Xexucai, a former slave, Veoqaxi, a professional spy, and Lioxaqu, a disgraced bastard daughter turned assassin. All members of their group have Karrigan as their surname/title, though they obviously have cover identities. Xalda is more of a shock trooper and commando than a trained spy, but trusted, brave and skilled. She is also extremely loyal to House Kerrigan-Alcori.
The operatives specialise in assassination, sabotage, theft, intelligence gathering, sowing chaos and confusion. Their focus lies in eliminating high-value targets. They are ghosts that can strike unexpectedly and vanish thereafter. The Shadows are very zealous and swear a blood oath to Siobhan personally. Their leader, Karrigan'Xalda, is also a religious zealot and capable irregular fighter. Overall, they can be very ruthless. Being Xioquo, they have excellent night vision and excel at blending into the shadows.
CREW MEMBER 1
Name: Karrigan'Ocquice
Age: 125.
Species: Xioquo.
Role: Witch, mystic. Ocquice is a dark side sorceress, poisoner, alchemist and pathologist. In short, she performs a vital support role.
Description: Ocquice is a potent Xioquo witch and a notorious maker of poisons, who used to serve the Council that ruled the Xioquo in the stead of Queen Myrou. Tales connect her to several assassinations, carried out on the behalf of her patrons on the Council. These changed over time and the witch acquired many enemies, but had a knack for surviving the Byzantine power struggles at court. Ocquice joined the group to practice her craft undisturbed and gain protection against her manifold enemies. In short, self-preservation and ambitions are her driving motives, though she feels strong professional pride in her work. She treats cases like puzzles that need to be solved. The more difficult the case, the more intrigued she is. She is an avid perfectionist.
She is very untroubled by and quite blase about the somewhat macabre services she provides. Ocquice views the power plays between Xioquo leaders with a sense of clinical detachment and an air of 'been there, done that'. The same applies to the struggles of humans, Eldorai and other groups. Being the oldest of the team, she has seen several rulers rise and fall. The sky people, the 'Light Queen' and the Karishzar are just the latest in a long series and doubtless others will supplant them one day. It is all just another episode in the game.
Ocquice still worships the deities of the old pantheon of the Xioquo and has a profound knowledge of toxins, biology, herbs and plant life. It is ironic that she is also the best medical doctor and healer of the group. She practices dark healing rather than using the Light to heal, and is talented in the use of Force Slow and Force Net. Moreover, she can perform the role of a pathologist. She runs the pathology lab and has her own, somewhat morbid workshop, where she keeps all manners of strange things. Overall, she is more of a support person than a direct combatant, as she only has basic skills with duelling or guns. For her own amusement, Ocquice sometimes writes articles for a human medical journal under a pseudonyme.
CREW MEMBER 2
Name: Karrigan'Qaltui
Age: 65.
Species: Xioquo.
Role: Commando. Pilot.
Description: Like Xalda, Qaltui is a former slave-soldier who was forced to serve the ancien régime. Indeed, the two janissaries served the same cruel mistress. The two became friends and helped each other survive in these dark days. When Myrou awakened and mobilised her children for the last stand, Qaltui was one of the janissaries who were supposed to conduct a last futile charge against the invaders. However, decades of pent-up anger exploded and she murdered her political officer and ordered the child soldiers to stand down. She was reunited with Xalda when Myrou died and the remaining oligarchs surrendered to Firemane. These events turned her into a devoted acolyte of the Karishzar. As a result, she has joined the unit out of devotion, which has also raised her status.
She was chosen to be a member of the group due to her skills as a soldier and commando, having distinguished herself while still serving the ancien régime. She is less reserved, more outgoing and spontaneous than Xalda. Qaltui feels strong hatred for the ancien régime and its beneficiaries. She is suspicious of old guard figures who have managed to worm their way into the new order, believing they should do penance.
She is a good shot, has been trained as a pilot and is good at stealthy insertion and exfiltration. She is a better pilot than Xalda and is usually responsible for piloting the crew's ship, as well as any other vessels they might commandeer on a mission. In some ways, she is less superstitious about space travel than her friend. She is skilled enough to be a dogfighter, though on the whole the crew will try to avoid dramatic engagements in space. Qaltui has an affinity for telekinesis, elemental ice powers and more traditional dark side abilities.
CREW MEMBER 3
Name: Karrigan'Lioxaqu
Age: 56.
Species: Xioquo.
Role: Gunslinger.
Description: Lioxaqu is the bastard daughter of a Xioquo noblewoman. Disgraced by courtly intrigue and the circumstances of her birth, she was sent away to an assassin temple to ensure that she could not disrupt the line of succession. There she underwent a thorough indoctrination process to erase her personality and all vestiges of her former life. This was supposed to turn her into the ideal instrument to do their bidding, serving as a professional killer and a seductress. Despite the best efforts of Order of Fire and Xioquo mentalists, her memory still has significant gaps.
After being able to piece pieces of the truth together, she started working against the interests of her family and helped engineer their fall from grace. They had feigned submission to the new order but secretly plotted its downfall. Siobhan gave her the chance to exact vengeance on those who had scorned her and sent her away to be brainwashed. Though given the option, Lioxaqu has chosen not to take control over her house. Instead she has preferred to let it crumble into dust and force its surviving members to start over as commoners at the very bottom of society without any of the privileges they once took for granted. As a result, they were stripped of their lands, wealth and titles, leaving them as proles.
She has become an enthusiastic convert to the cause of the Karishzar. This is in part to spite her family, who were devout Myrou worshippers and secretly supported death squads that targeted 'race traitors'. Lioxaqu is quite flamboyant and a bit eccentric, which probably represents a reaction to the time when her personality was suppressed and she was an obedient drone. She is trained in many forms of combat, but where she excels is as a gunslinger. She likes to dual-wield pistols and her Force abilities help her pull that off. She can use the Force to enhance her gunslinging, enabling her to display impressive feats of speed and accuracy. Moreover, she has a talent for psychometry, Darkshear and is very quick on her feet.
CREW MEMBER 4
Name: Karrigan'Talxqui
Age: 75.
Species: Xioquo.
Role: Talxqui is a trained assassin, being a graduate of one of the Xioquo's assassin temples. She often performs in a sniper role and is a good investigator.
Description: Talxqui is a woman of low birth who was sold to the Tecuanimeh, one of the most prestigious assassin temples of the Xioquo, at an early age and trained as a professional killer. Ironically, she does not feel much of a grudge against her former mistresses. They were harsh and often cruel, but for someone of her station, the alternative was labouring in the stone quarries, fighting as a janissary or suffering as the personal slave of a noblewoman. Being one of the 'Beasts' gave her a measure of power, protection and even influence. After all, the temple took care of its own and was able to blackmail or even topple noble families that crossed it. The twilight of the ancien régime restored her freedom, but she elected to remain in the business, though as a free woman. Talxqui was a tool, but she still has fond memories of her former trainer.
Talxqui is a consummate professional who completes her tasks without fuss. Killing is her day job and she does it well - without sadism, but also without any regrets or remorse. She fulfils her role, and moves on to the next job without dwelling on things much. After hours, she is quite personable. She keeps her personal life strictly separated from her professional one. Talxqui has a very good memory and is a capable investigator. She is skilled in the use of stealthy Force abilities, allowing her to conceal her aura and turn herself invisible. Likewise, she can use the Force to temporarily disable security cameras, blind or disorientate foes. Similar to the Dark Jedi Alema Rar, she has a knack for mind tricks and can manifest an elusive Force presence, which enables her to slip from the memories of those whom she has encountered moments after departing.
Her skill and professionalism are why she was recruited for the group. In contrast to Ocquice, she is an atheist, having concluded that the Xioquo deities may have been powerful beings, but not divine. Myrou's death is proof to her that the dark mother was just a powerful Xio who fed on her own people. She also rejects the idea that the Karishzar is a goddess just because she managed to kill Myrou. Thus Talxqui lacks the religious zealotry of the likes of Xalian or even Xalda. She appreciates her greater freedom, but treats Siobhan as a secular ruler. However, she has zealous dedication to attaining perfection in her vocation. One could call it a strong sense of professional pride. There is some friction between her and Zazqan due to their very different outlooks on the temple. Zazqan became a rebel who revolted against the old order, whereas Talxqui does not mourn its demise, but served it to the very end. Both were slaves and tools, but chose rather different paths.
CREW MEMBER 5
Name: Karrigan'Xalian
Age: 62.
Species: Xioquo.
Role: Assassin. Xalian is a capable mentalist and effective, though ruthless, interrogator.
Description: Xalian is another graduate of one of the Xioquo assassin temples. In her case, she was a member of the Blades of the Blessed Dread. This is a dark cult that has beliefs even many old school Xio consider bizarre, which says quite a bit about them. They believe the world is a harsh place of fear, terror and pain. To achieve enlightenment, one must conquer fear, pain and doubt. Those who cannot pass through the crucible are condemned to remain in ignorance. But there are always enemies, and to be able to crush them is one thing, but to make them fear you is another.
Xalian worships the Karishzar, believing she conquered those weaknesses when she toppled the false Goddess Myrou, and now seeks to spread the Blessed Dread in her name. She is the strongest mentalist in the group and particularly adept at using her powers to instill fear, terror and psychosis. Her ability to manipulate minds through use of mentalism and illusions also makes her a potent interrogator. She probably enjoys that role a bit too much.
Xalian appears calm and serene on the outside. She also does not preach or make obvious efforts to convert others to her beliefs. Ironically, this can be beneficial for getting close to a target, as she is able to dissemble and obfuscate her true nature. However, her supposed normalcy is deceptive, as it hides a rather cruel, wicked streak in her personality. Scratch the surface, and her normal attitude turns out to be a mask. Xalda recognises her use, but dislikes her personally and regards her beliefs as blasphemous. Thus she keeps a close eye on her. Unsurprisingly, Xalian does not get on with Zazqan or Talxqui, both of whom regard her as a throwback to a darker time the Xioquo should move on from.
CREW MEMBER 6
Name: Karrigan'Zazqan
Age: 63.
Species: Xioquo.
Role: Insurgent, irregular warfare expert.
Description: Zazqan is a Xioquo assassin turned rebel insurgent who rebelled against the ancien régime, using the skills the temple had taught her to subvert it. She led a group of rebellious slaves during the Battle of the Underealm, using the fighting as a chance to rise up in the forced labour camp she was being held in.
Zazqan has a lot of experience in irregular warfare and is well-accustomed to life in the underground. Forced to endure in the darkest depths of the Underealm, she has learned to survive on very little and is very good with improvised weapons. She does not share the views of those Xioquo who see Siobhan as some kind of messianic saviour. She is also distrustful of ancien régime figures who have managed to make an oily transition into the new order. In the aftermath of the fall of the Underealm, she acted as a vigilante, dispensing justice as she saw fit. In that capacity she acted as judge, jury and executioner. She liked to use psychological warfare to terrorise those she targeted and favoured poetic deaths. Some of her methods were quite brutal. For instance, she made a propaganda mouthpiece of the old regime choke on her own tongue. She is also crafty with a garrote.
In her view, she was punishing war criminals and leeches who had escaped justice. This brought her into conflict with the authorities, as her actions went against the law and threatened the fragile peace. Siobhan did not want disorder, but was sympathetic to her aims and considered her useful. Zazqan was brought into the fold to make use of her skills and to put a leash on her. She is not too thrilled about this, but has recognised she can use the new situation to her advantage. Her past experiences have hardened her, leaving her with mental and physical scars. She has a strong commitment to justice and a preference for close quarter combat and melee weapons, such as the Eldorai Sarix. Zazqan is strong, especially for a Xioquo, and a very capable duellist. She can use the Force to create real darkness to provide concealment and use Force Stasis.
CREW MEMBER 7
Name: Karrigan'Veoqaxi
Age: 92.
Species: Xioquo.
Role: Spy. Veoqaxi is a trained spy, infiltrator and intelligence specialist. She acts as the second-in-command of the team.
Description: Veoqaxi is a professional spy with a lot of experience in clandestine operations and intelligence gathering. She defected close to the twilight of the ancien régime, while lying to her superiors. She offered her expertise to Firemane, as well as access to intelligence data she had buried while organising her defection. To her former colleagues, she is a blood traitor. Revelations about Myrou's true nature played a role in her decision. Some see her as an opportunist, though she calls herself a realist.
She is credited with providing information on an artefact that Xioquo zealots planned to use to awaken Myrou a second time. She revels in what she refers to as the game. Veoqaxi was never raised by one of the assassin temples. Indeed, one of her duties consisted keeping an eye on them. This is helpful given the rivalries that can arise between graduates of the different assassin cults. She does not have the Force abilities of several of her colleagues. Indeed, she is only minorly Force-Sensitive, lacking powers of note beyond the usual extrasensory perception and as well as a knack for mechu-deru. Thus she lacks the majority of the powers typically associated with Force-Users, especially hard-hitting, combat-based ones. However, she excels in intelligence gathering and is a good slicer. Broadly speaking she is an infiltrator, slicer and support person, not a direct combatant, though she is good with a gun. Xalda is not a professional spy, a bit superstitious and has limited experience with galactic technology, so Veoqaxi helps out on that front.
Her job is all about lies and deception, but she is still faithful to the old deities. She has a strong drive to always know more than others about both allies and foes, and so she is constantly seeking out information. Veoqaxi has musical talent, which she pursues in her off-hours. It has also been employed as one of her covers. In addition, she is very good at disguises and dissembling. She holds the title Keeper of Secrets.
CREW MEMBER 8
Name: Karrigan'Xeucai
Age: 52.
Species: Xioquo.
Role: Assassin. Understudy of Xalda and Lioxaqu.
Description: Xeucai is the newest member of the group. She is a former slave, but unlike the others in the unit she was not a slave-soldier or assassin. Rather she was a household slave for a Xioquo noblewoman. When slavery was abolished after the ascent of Queen Lia, her owner paid lip-service to the law, but tried to hold on to her slaves.
The mistress used her mental powers to brainwash Xeucai, making her believe that she was serving her of her own free will. She bound Xeucai to her will through a telepathic connection. An escape attempt was punished harshly. Her owner was disinterested in raising Myrou a second time or inciting rebellion, as she had recognised that the first Xioquo was a mad goddess and that there was no profit in a revolution. But she was secretly involved in slave trading and selling dark artefacts on the black market. Xeucai served her mistress as a scribe, which made her privy to several of their secrets.
When the team started investigating the noblewoman, Xeucai managed to piece the fog of lies that had enveloped her mind and kept her docile. She saved Xalda's life and snapped, killing her owner. Freed from her brainwashing, Xeucai received counselling and elected to join the team. Freed from the mental blocks that kept her from accessing her power, she has honed her strength in the Force since then.
Force-wise Xeucai is a bit of a midling. Her telekinesis is weak, which is one of the reasons she was not inducted into the janissary corps under the ancien régime. She is the least experienced member of the group, but dedicated, brave and very observant. Xeucai has inherited some of the dark artefacts her former owner peddled on the black market and has started to study them to broaden her understanding of the Force. She has manifested the ability to utilise Phase, but it is extremely unrefined, requires a lot of focus and is in need of further training. Her former status as a personal 'servant' to a noblewoman means she knows the world of the Xioquo nobility well. She and Lioxaqu are close, having suffered in a similar way. However, Xeucai is not a believer in the Karishzar or in the old deities. Her experiences have shaped her into a dedicated atheist. While the two differ in terms of faith, Xalda is quite protective of her and has taken the younger Xioquo under her wing.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Xioquo society has always been steeped in the Dark Side. For centuries, the drows were governed by a ruthless mageocracy where only those who pursued the path of Darkness ended up on the top. Thousands laboured as slaves to serve the whims of the mistresses who sat on the top of the pyramid. The disobedient were brutally punished and often sacrificed in ghastly rituals to power war machines or be turned into abominations.
Believing that Tygara was theirs by right and that one day their 'demigoddess' Mystra would awaken to lead them to conquer Tygara, the Xioquo warred against their neighbours and rivals, the Qadiri and Vashyada. While the technologically most advanced of Tygara's natives, their low population, incessant power struggles and the constant need to be on their guard against slave revolts kept them from fulfilling their potential.
Nemesis came to their subterranean kingdom, the Underealm, when a coalition of Firemane, Eldorai and Qadiri forces invaded their territory, defeated their armies and war beasts, and finally slew Mystra herself. By that time many Xioquo had become disillusioned with their creator since she fed on them just as enthusiastically as on their enemies. Slaves rebelled, seeing a chance to cast down their chains, and the remaining mistresses finally capitulated.
Trials were held for several war criminals, slavery was abolished and a new government was set up. Liavondra, the renegade scion of a Xioquo noble family who had rejected the ways of her foremothers and embraced the Light, was put on the throne as a vassal queen. She was dedicated to weaning her people off despotism and leading them to a better future. With the backing of Firemane, she promulgated the abolition of slavery and broke up the old patronage networks. However, there was resistance from those who rejected the 'White Queen' as a foreign puppet who had been imposed on them.
Amidst all this, there were Xioquo who entered the services of the off-worlders, hoping to exploit the opportunities offered by them. Mystra's demise left a spiritual vacuum that a plethora of cults sought to fill. One of the Xioquo warriors who joined the sky people was Karrigan'Xalda, a former slave-soldier who had originally been sent by her mistress to assassinate Siobhan, but been spared and freed by Firemane's leader. Xalda repaid Siobhan with fanatical loyalty. Until this day, she had had no name of her own, so she took her patron's.
The young Xioquo fought bravely during the Tephrike campaign. There Firemane troops and auxiliaries battled the Dominion of Light, a totalitarian, Jedi-led theocracy. Xalda faced its Jedi warriors and clone troopers at the Battle of Fortress Purity. It was a bloody engagement and she was decorated for her bravery, slaying one of the senior Jedi officers of the elite Ever Loyal Vanguard. In the aftermath, she faced demons summoned by the Vaderites when Firemane bombarded their castle. Later she participated in a covert operation on Cademinu.
The Shadows of the Ascending Flame came into being after the battle. Their creation was decided by Siobhan after a summit organised by her aboard the Arx Aeternae. There the leaders of the four elf races convened and decided that their people would have to move into space and expand. Firemane agreed to provide technical support and know-how, including ark ships.
The Xioquo were poor and technologically primitive, but they had useful skills to offer. In exchange for uplifting them, Firemane could recruit from among the dark elves. It went without saying that this was also a way for the megacorp to secure its influence over its elf vassals. Siobhan considered herself to be their 'high queen' and intended to stay that. The same applied to the Qadiri, where ambitious vassals such as Shahbânu Semiramis needed to be monitored. The plethora of cults that had sprung up since first contact also merited watching. Cults are pretty uncontrollable at the best of times, so having people watching them who know how they works makes sense. Loyalty is good, control is better.
Only a few senior Firemane officers learned about the Shadows. Siobhan sought emancipated slaves who had the talent as well as the necessary discretion, along with some of the most talented members of the old assassin cults. To this end she personally reviewed each candidate and put them through a harsh training programme that was supposed to test them mentally and physically.
Ziva Khalan, the Falleen leader of the Truthseekers, was charged with overseeing their intelligence training and vetting them. Significantly, the Shadows swore an oath of fealty to Siobhan personally as well as her house. Xalda was one of the warriors who was recruited for the group. While not a spy or assassin by training, she was good at stealth, an efficient killer and absolutely loyal to her liege lady, whom she idolised. Moreover, she had proved her valour and martial aptitude during the Tephrike campaign. Xalda helped with recruiting, bringing with her former slaves she knew and trusted.
One of the early assignments involved unmasking a cabal of traitorous Xioquo matriarchs who had feigned allegiance to the new order, even going so far as to build ties with the Daughters of the Destroyer. Operating in concert with her comrades, Xalda infiltrated the group by pretending to be a disaffected worshipper who had grown disillusioned with the so-called Karishzar and realised that her mistress was a fake who was just using her people for her own selfish gain. The ringleader of the cabal was a sorceress called Xihal'Tualz, who wished to overthrow the foreigners and their collaborators.
The Shadow had to act against her true allies and engineer a split in order to gain the trust of the cabal. It was discovered that a Firemane governor called Mariana Duchamp was making common cause with the rebels in order to cover up mismanagement on her part and because she believed she had been denied her rightful place in the hierarchy. Ironically, the governor was rather xenophobic towards 'darklings', but willing to use them nonetheless. Xalda was able to warn her mistress of an assassination plot. The would-be assassin was forced to drink the poison herself. Xalda later slit the Firemane governor's throat.
Later, the Shadows were deployed to capture or eliminate agents the Shadow Knights, an Eldorai rebel group, had tried to embed in Firemane's elf protectorates. In the process they eliminated an Eldorai rebel cell that had tried to instigate a revolution in New Solstace. Abductions and targeted assassinations were part of the Xioquo operatives' repertoire. The group was also dispatched to take down a cabal of Xioquo matriarchs who were trying to circumvent the abolition of slavery and continue their practices in secret, and conducted industrial espionage and raids against companies that were rivals of Firemane.
Last edited:
