Your Last Assignment

Adept, you stand at the precipice of your destiny. If you have successfully decrypted the clues and opened this vault, you have completed the final trial of your training. The path behind you is one of blood, shadow, and relentless determination. The path ahead? That of a master assassin within our order—a title earned, never given.

 Within this vault, you will find scrolls detailing advanced techniques in weaponry, poisons, and the subtle arts of subterfuge. These are not mere lessons but fragments of our guild’s collective knowledge, passed down from the Great Guilds themselves. Their mastery will shape your legacy. Alongside them, a Cryptex awaits. Encased within is a key—and your first target.

The First Trial

Your target holds the second key. Together, these keys unlock the chest at the heart of this vault. Without them both, any attempt to force the lock will release a deadly toxin, ending not only your training but your life. This test is designed not only to challenge your skill but to measure your resolve. For in our world, a mistake can mean the end. Failure here reflects failure in life beyond these walls.

The target, a former student, betrayed the guild by stealing a key and fleeing. Treachery carries the penalty of death. To succeed, you must retrieve the key—however necessary—and demonstrate that your training has forged you into a weapon sharper than any blade.

 

The Choice Before You

At this crossroads, you must decide: continue or abandon the path of the Left Hand.

If you choose to leave, take the scroll marked with the sigil of the Black Dragon Tavern in the Ashfork region. Present it to the barkeep, and you will find refuge with the Thieves Guild. Their skills, though formidable, fall short of the shadowed mastery we teach. There, you may carve a life of cunning, but know this: the memory of what you could have been will haunt you forever.

Should you embrace your destiny as an assassin, your path will demand more than physical prowess. You have learned the tools of the trade, but these are mere instruments. True mastery lies in understanding when and how to wield them. Take the key from the chest and the tools provided. Your task is not just to retrieve the second key but to affirm your worthiness through the trials that lie ahead.

 

The Lessons Within the Trial

This task is not simply a test of strength or cunning; it is a crucible of character. Every action you take will reveal who you are beneath the masks we all wear. The knowledge within these scrolls has been guarded for generations, drawing on the wisdom of the Great Guilds:

House Alkozomier: Where their hands are quick, yours must be lethal.

House Chla-Drothrow: As they know where to cure, you must learn where to strike for swift or lingering death.

House Ty-Lah-Nul: Their mastery of herbs is matched by your ability to use them as tools of poison.

House Zend-Wynn: They craft tools for creation; you will innovate weapons of destruction, building a signature arsenal.

Each scroll you study holds a fragment of these lessons. Burn each after learning its secrets, and in the flame, another truth will be revealed—a cipher leading you closer to unlocking the chest. The enchantment within will mark your eyes, allowing you to see the sacred documentation of our guild, our ways, and our marks. This spell lasts a lifetime but fails if you fall and are reanimated, safeguarding our secrets against even the unnatural.

 

The Second Key

The second key resides within your target, surgically embedded by one of the guild’s own healers. To retrieve it, you must confront the thief, overcome their defenses, and extract the key by any means necessary. Within this vault, you will find the tools required for this operation, along with antidotes and remedies for the poisons that may afflict you during your mission. This trial is as much a test of your resilience as it is of your precision.

 

Mastery Through Trial

To Walk the Path of the Left Hand, you must embody the principles of our craft. The adept assassin understands not only how to strike but when and why. Each move is calculated, each decision deliberate. This is your chance to prove that you are more than a student—you are a master in the making.

Should you succeed, the chest will yield your final instructions and the token that will signify your induction into the guild. Without it, no further conversation is needed.

 

A Word from the Master

This is my final lesson to you, Adept. The guild is not a haven; it is a crucible. Those who emerge unscathed are not only worthy—they are unstoppable. Should you open the chest, follow the instructions within and seek me. Your place among us awaits.

Fail, and let your name be forgotten, a whisper lost to the wind.

~Master of Shadows.

 

GM Tips 

This narrative provides an excellent framework for integrating an assassin’s guild into your game. Below are suggestions for incorporating this scenario:

 

Building the Setup

Use the vault as a starting point for a character or party already involved in guild affairs. The clues leading to the vault can be part of a broader campaign arc or a side quest.

Customize the Cryptex contents to include local lore or tie-ins to ongoing storylines in Ertha.

 

Interactive Elements

Turn the vault into a small dungeon crawl with traps, puzzles, or hidden compartments.

The Cryptex could require solving a cipher or riddle, enhancing engagement for players focused on problem-solving.

The Target Encounter

The “former student” can serve as a complex NPC with motivations tied to guild politics or personal vendettas. Introduce moral dilemmas or unexpected twists.

For party-based play, make the retrieval mission a collaborative effort where different roles shine, such as stealth, combat, and negotiation.

 

Guild Integration

Use the assignment as a gateway to deeper involvement with the guild, revealing secrets about its structure, hierarchy, or history tied to Dicesongs’ Great Guilds.

Tie the completion of this task to “Leveling by Merit” as outlined on Dicesongs.com, rewarding players with progression tied to the narrative.

 

Long-term Impact

The enchantment gained from the scrolls can manifest as unique abilities or bonuses in gameplay, creating mechanical rewards with narrative significance.

The knowledge of guild secrets provides hooks for future missions or conflicts, such as uncovering the location of hidden guild assets or resolving rivalries with other Great Guilds.

 

This setup ensures the adventure remains dynamic, memorable, and rooted in Ertha, and the Dicesongs universe, while offering flexibility for GM customization.