About the Path
The Ancient of Shadow is willing to teach those who prefer to work from within the shadows, observing, scouting and relaying information. The Nightblades suitable for the teachings this Ancient can offer are the ones who are adept at moving silently and unseen and they know the lay of the land like the back of their hand.
Path Ranks
Shalla’dorei – Child of Shadow (one branch completed)
Thero’shalla – Student of Shadow (two branches completed)
Shalla’do – Master of Shadow (three branches completed)
Shalla’ethella – Shadow Watcher (all branches and Ritual of Shadow completed)
Path Action
Stealth Bonus
Once per event, an action you take while hidden from your enemies gets a bonus which stacks in addition to your guild traits. This can be a sneak attack, or another kind of roll.
Higher ranks grant a larger bonus
Rank 1: +2
Rank 2: +4
Rank 3: +6
Rank 4: +8
Path Tree
Branch of the Snake
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Branch of the Fly
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Branch of the Spectre
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Branch of the Spider
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Venomancer
It had only been half a bell since the serpent, coiled to spring, had sunk its teeth into his leg.
Task: Begin making a plan for a poison you wish to create. Should it be sedative or lethal? What do you need to gather for it to work? How should it be applied? Use the resources at hand in the regiment, either by studying documents or speaking with your brothers and sisters. Write a report on your planned creation.
Casual RP + IC Report
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A Dress For All Occasions
I had found myself in a new and strange place, and suddenly I was a lieutenant no longer.
Task: Build your own hide-in-plain-sight outfit. Wigs, clothes, cosmetics, maybe even a new name. Create a new you!
Casual RP + IC Report
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The Study of Phantoms
It was a night like any other, or so we thought. The moon was bright and the wind was calm.
Task: A bonafide ghost has many tools in her toolbox. Pick one of your choosing to study; perhaps it could be lockpicking, covering your tracks, or muffling those loud footsteps, and instruct your fellow Nightblades in how to use these skills themselves.
Spontaneous RP + IC Report/Presentation
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Malice in Chains
Now, if you found yourself stuck in a spider’s web, wouldn’t you spill any secret to save yourself?
Task: A Nightblade faces many enemies throughout the course of her career, and not all enemies are at their best dead – at least not initially. Pick a foe that we have faced in the past, and theorize on how you would keep them secured in one of our prisons. It could be anything from a simple grunt to one of the foes detailed in our registry of enemies.
IC Report
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Pick Your Poison
A feverish sweat formed upon his brow, as the forest before him became a blur.
Task: Gather some friends (or go by yourself) and forage for the materials needed for your poison. When you have all that you need, craft the concoction.
Casual RP + IC Report
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Testing the Waters
It was refreshing and frightening. It felt as if they all knew, but…they heeded me as one of their own.
Task: Embark on a trip to a foreign city or town and blend in with the locals. Find out some piece of information and report back. Consider bringing some brothers and sisters from the regiment along after weighing the pros and cons… Do they need disguises? Or not? Who knows…
Spontaneous RP + IC Report
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The Plan That Survived
We lost all our best-laid plans and secrets that night, without so much of a trace of an intruder.
Task: It is a common misconception that no plan survives contact with the enemy. That is just an excuse for insufficient planning. Pick an enemy outpost of your choosing. Study its layout, guard routines, entryways – everything that you need to execute a silent infiltration of it. Finally, bring some fellow Nightblades along and enter the base, retrieving what you came for, and leaving no trace…
Spontaneous RP + IC Report
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Escaping…and Other Skills
The problem is getting someone into the web. You would have to be one strong spider.
Task: Everyone knows that a Nightblade is too skilled and strong to ever find themselves in a spot of trouble. Nevertheless, it does not hurt to be prepared. Study a way of escaping; be it picking the locks of a pair of manacles or a cell door, slithering out of ropes, or something otherwise useful when danger comes knocking.
Presentation
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Practical Applications
Thirty minutes more and he would never wake again.
Task: It is time to test out your poison. Pick your target and map out a plan of attack. What situation works best? How do you get the target to become poisoned? If all goes well, maybe you’ve created a new staple in the world of subterfuge and silence…
Spontaneous RP + IC Report
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Hiding in Plain Sight
I was the fly on the wall. Practically invisible, and all secrets of the world laid bare before me.
Task: You may have been unremarkable to a populace that does not know who you are, but can you trick people who know your identity? Spend some time in a Feralas outpost and see if you can make them believe that you are a mere visitor of little consequence.
Casual RP + IC report
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Ghost Buster
Some of the men seemed to believe it was the work of ghosts. I am inclined to believe them.
Task: Using what you have learned, set up a routine in Feathermoon for your fellow Nightblades to follow in order to minimize risk of being infiltrated by enemies. It could be a patrol focusing on the base’s weakest points, reinforcement of those weakest points, or perhaps even stopping an infiltration in progress…
Spontaneous RP
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Little Bit Tied Up
Unfortunately for you, my dear, that is exactly what I am.
Task: It is time to test your mettle as a spider. Select a target from the list of volunteers (ask the Huntress for the list) or an enemy target if applicable, and plan for their capture. Write down your plan; where to keep them, how to get them, how to hold them, etc. and be ready to report those findings. Then, execute your plan. It will be regarded as a success if the target is extracted silently. Have the Huntress inspect your work, or if she is unavailable, write a report.
Spontaneous RP + IC Report
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Ritual of Shadow
By walking the path you have gained new knowledge and new skills, skills and knowledge that will aid you going forward.
Task: For your final, and examining task of the branch, it falls to you to organise a short series of events based around a plotline that will showcase what you have learned by walking the path. The events should involve all of the Nightblades, and in a good way showcase and apply the knowledge you have gained through walking your path.
Organized RP + Campaign Reports
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