HotB Suaven: The Lord of Murder

Ikhalu: The Lord of Murder
When the ven first found their freedom, two brothers sought to lead them to their destiny: Uhmume and Ikhalu. Both spoke to the gathered, both made their appeal for leadership. When all the words were spoken, the ven choose Uhmume. The brothers’ rivalry is now one of the greatest stories in ven legend. After years of bloodshed, Ikhalu and his followers were cast out. But that was not the last the ven ever saw of them.

The ven who revere Ikhalu do so in the shadows. The Senate declared worship of Ikhalu illegal centuries ago: one of the few laws that remains without loopholes. Death is the only penalty for any found with an Ikhalu shrine or one of his forbidden knives (see below).
Those who follow Ikhalu are called Ikhalavu which best translates as “priests of the assassin.” (I’m using “assassin-priest” for the sake of brevity.) The assassin-priests use forbidden rituals to steal the souls of other ven for a dark purpose: to raise the Lord of Murder from his Solace.

The Ikhalavu are masters of disguise and the shadow-powers their dark lord bestows upon them. They are also taught a martial art specifically designed to immobilize targets. Also, every Ikhalu priest carries a magical dagger; any person killed by this dagger has their soul sent to Ikhalu’s fortress.

Secrets
Ikhalu assists his followers with powers devious and diabolical. Every assassin-priest is given an unholy dagger that steals souls and sends them to Ikhalu. His shadow-magic helps hide his assassin-priests, giving them the ability to hide in plain sight and disappear into shadows. Ikhalu also visits his followers in omens and dreams. This makes him one of the most active suaven.

Tabba: The Ikhalu Knife
An Ikhalu knife is a sacred item given to the most trusted assassin-priests. All of Ikhalu’s Blessings are bestowed through the knife. The Hidden Blade All Ikhalu knives are bestowed with one Secret: if the priest hides it on his person, it cannot be found. No man, woman, or child can find the knife if the priest hides it.

The Deepest Cut
By invoking this Blessing, the priest gives his opponent a permanent Wound. This Wound cannot be healed by normal means.

False Death
One of the greatest Secrets of the Ikhalu assassin-priests is their ability to feign death. By invoking this Secret, the priest tells Ikhalu “I am not yet ready, Lord,” and appears by all accounts to be dead. His wounds appear fatal to any onlookers. Only if his heart is removed from his body is the priest actually killed. He remains in this false death until midnight. Then, under the moon, he rises again.

The Stolen Mask
By invoking this Blessing upon a body he’s murdered, the priest may steal the face of his victim. By stealing the face, he steals the demeanor of the victim as well. The priests clothes appear to be his victim’s clothes, his voice sounds the same, even his possessions are identical. The deception is true until the mask is removed; the face then shrivels and cannot be used again.

Avali: Holy (or Sacred) Murder
Whenever an Ikhalu priest commits “holy murder” with his knife, he sends the soul to Ikhalu’s secret palace. The knife immediately gains a bonus die. The knife may have a number of bonus dice equal to the Devotion of the assassin-priest.

To commit avali, the assassin-priest must strike his enemy without the enemy knowing he’s present. The priest slices the throat of the victim or pierces his heart. Then, the priest utters a small prayer to Ikhalu, telling his dark Lord that a soul is on its way.

Again: the avali ritual may only be committed if the target has no clue the priest has intention to kill the target. The priest could be in disguise or hidden. Then, once the priest is in place, he rolls his Devotion to the Lord of Murder. If he gains effect equal to the target’s Fortitude, the target is doomed to die in three rounds.

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If you want to know more about Ikhalu, just ask

 or

. They’re both experts.

(Oh! And

 and

, too!)