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The Shadow Network
Anvhadians in Coeur d'Ennui
The Shadow Network is by far the most secretive organization in Coeur d'Ennui, outstripping even the Assassins' Guild. No one, not even their fellow faithful, knows who its members are or who gives their orders, and it is rumored that after completing a particularly demanding mission, its operatives commit ritual suicide to carry their secrets into the grave.What is known is that the Shadow Network is divided into tiny cells of one to four operatives, who cloak themselves as ordinary citizens and carry on outwardly unremarkable lives. They have been known to marry, work, and raise children without whispering a word of their true identities or purposes. Only when orders come down that it is time to strike do they break cover, sometimes after years or decades of painstaking secrecy. Sometimes the operatives' friends and families continue to remain unsuspecting while the agent does his surreptious work; other times they vanish once their cover is blown -- perhaps to resurface elsewhere with a new name and a new identity, perhaps to commit suicide as rumor tells.
Although the Falcons and Kliastans in the Coeur maintain tenuous relations with the Shadow Network, they too are ignorant of the agents' identities or their greater goals. The Anvhadians' machinations are so complex, and their goals so opaque, that distinguishing between their plots and the unrelated scandals and disasters of the city is impossible. The Shadow Network encourages this confusion, or at least does not bother to dispel it.
Most of those who come to Anvhad's worship are motivated by a desire to strike against some foe that they do not have the power to find or confront directly. Those who believe they have been wronged by their rulers may turn to the Betrayer for justice, or at least revenge; those who resent an usurper may join the Shadow Network to overthrow his reign. Merchants facing competitors who undercut their lifestyles may seek Anvhad's help; ambitious generals seeking cause for promotion might foment wars out of self-interest. Everywhere that grievances cannot be aired openly, there is opportunity for Anvhad's influence to spread. Once within the faith, members are guided by nightmares and spycraft to enter the positions where they will eventually be used.
There are no temples to Anvhad in the city, secret or otherwise. Worshipers have, at most, a discreet symbol or a tiny, easily disassembled shrine tucked somewhere safe. No congregations meet beneath the Betrayer's sign, and no priests would dare be so foolish as to gather flocks within the city. Because Anvhad's worshipers are scattered, no one really knows how many there are, but the most generous estimate is less than a hundred members, and most believe there are probably not half that number inside the city walls.
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