Shadow's Hand

Introduction

The Shadow's Hand is a well-known human mercenary organization whose members are all extremely powerful by human standards. The Shadow's Hand is often referred to as simply "The Hand" and its members are typically called "Shadows", and are often organized in to five-man teams. It is based out of the city of Ravenhall with The Empire of Lys.

The Hand is traditionally neutral in all conflicts, except for those that threaten the human race as a whole. It accepts only humans who have achieved level 200 in at least one class. It provides training, guidance, and profitable contracts to its members. There is a substantial initial fee to join, but it can instead be handled as a debt paid off through future earnings. Members who are fully paid up have no real responsibilities - they have the option to take contracts, but no obligation to do so. Those still in debt to the hand are in a different boat entirely, of course. The Hand generally has the least obligations and political entanglements of any major organization providing training and guidance to people over level 200. The Hand has an extremely high rate of successfully collecting what they are owed from those who hire their teams. It is not clear how that is managed.

History

Ilea joined the Shadow's Hand as a payed member. Her assigned team, Team 34, consists of Ilea herself, Eve, Trian, Kyrian, and Claire Russel.

The Shadow's Hand is initially lead by 5 Elders, those being Adam Strand, Verena Quil, Wallace Urn, Elder Lucas, and Elder Pierce. Due to the demon invasion and related events, Elder Urn was assassinated for betraying the independence of the Shadow's Hand and Elder Strand was sufficiently disgraced that the Shadow's Hand by being the cause of the demon invasion to be cast out. In addition, a number of elders are frequently missing - Pierce in particular had not been seen or heard from in the course of the story until chapter 655 when she and Verena Quil approach Ilea at her house, and Elder Lucas was not seen or heard from until Ilea finds him in The North. In practice after the demon invasion the Hand was led at various times and to various degrees by Claire Russel, Dagon, Sulivhaan, and to some extent Ilea herself. This is eventually formalized as a new council.

Under new leadership, the Hand reclaims the city of Ravenhall, which had been overrun by demons, and helps hunt down surviving demons, and the new leadership engages in various plots to secure economic and political strength. They exploit the war between the Empire of Lys and the Kingdom of Baralia to extract favorable legal standing, and plot to use the war to achieve full independence as well.

Eregar's Haven

The Shadow's Hand controls a magic underground utopic space-expanded base / garden / arena, called Eregar's Haven. The exact importance of this base is unclear, but it's implied to be strategically important - many generations of of the Hand have put work in to it, access is somewhat restricted, and larger internal gatherings among the Hand are held there. Possibly it relates to one of the Shadow's Hands very few non-neutral stances, their goal to safeguard humanity as a whole.

Trivia

The name Eregar's Haven is one of the biggest hints to just how old the Shadow's Hand mercenary organization really is - an ancient diary refers to "Eregar's mercenaries" as a contemporary of the Azarinth Order, while discussing the aftermath of the war with the Ascended. The implication is that the name Eregar was associated with powerful organized mercenaries even ~3000 years ago, which presumably evolved in to the Shadow's Hand over time. In the event that Ravenhall falls emergency protocol for the Shadow's Hand dictates that they would meet in the capital of whatever empire or kingdom the city belonged to at the time.

Notable Members

Elders

• Eregar (founder)
• Verena Quil (Rarely visits)
• Wallace Urn (Died in Demon Fiasco
• Lucas (Absent, Stays in North)
• Pierce (Absent)

Librarians

• Dagon
• Elise - Arcanist Lvl 211, former librarian of the Library of Souls

Management

• William Hendricks - Ice & Water Mage, Trainer of the Shadow Guard, purple eyes
• Sidney - Warrior, initiate evaluator
• Claire Russel - Head Administrator

Teachers & Trainers

• Joseph Trail - Team Fighting Class Supervisor
• Liam - Poisoner, Monster Knowledge Class Teacher, from the Isanna Desert
• Martha - Ranger Lvl 183, Archery Class Teacher, red haired, thin & beautiful

Teams:

Viper's team

• Viper - Light/Solar Mage around level 230
• Philipp - Hunter lvl 214
• Katelyn - Dead
• Robert - Dead

Team 8

• Sulivhaan (Mage)
• Rock (Tank)
• Navalis (Ranger)
• Senia - Rogue Lvl 203

Team 34

• Ilea Spears
• Eve Aillan (Murdered by Golden Lily)
• Trian Alymie
• Kyrian
• Claire Russel

Varren's Team that came to Riverwatch's rescue (chapter 470)

• Duncan - lvl mid 200s, use a dagger & void magic
• Varren - lvl mid 200s, uses Arcane magic
• Fire magic user, female
• Wind & sand magic user, female

Rivka's Team that came to Riverwatch's rescue with Varrens (chapter 470)

• Rivka - Astral Mage lvl 285, Astral Mage
• Miller - Male warrior lvl 250, uses Mana intrusion
• Charles - Light Mage lvl mid 200s, met in Virilya after Demon invasion and in Riverwatch later
• Petra - Lava Mage lvl 285, Met in Virilya after Demon invasion and in Riverwatch later

Uriah's Team who tried to explore the Dungeon beneath Ravenhall

• Josie - Light Mage / Mind Mage -
• Uriah - Warrior
• Pak - healer and ranger
• Sivya - Water Mage

Finnley's Team who tried to explore the Dungeon beneath Ravenhall

• Finnley - lvl 220
• Makai
• an unnamed Rogue

Demora's Team

• Demora
• Javis

• Larina - Water Mage
• Gan - Arcane Mage, from the northern plains, initiate
• Bataar - from the northern plains, initiate
• Levi Walken - Mage lvl 214
• Hayden - Warrior lvl 228 - has settled down in Dawntree

Affiliated with Sulivhaan

• Levi Walken (Mage lvl 214) chapter 486
• Hayden (Mage lvl 228) chapter 487

Excommunicated Members

• Adam Strand - Former elder
• Lorcan Agor