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mano della morte[break]GLORY CANNOT BE WITHOUT BLOOD

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gluttony lives in every man’s belly, greed festers in their chest; pride swells their shoulders and wrath settles their debts; lust lashes tongues and envy heavies their pains—[BREAK][BREAK]
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a den of assassins hiding in names like “the sinner’s circle,” “death’s dealers,” or “the fallen angels,” the mano della morte, or, simply, the "mano morte"— the hand of death — is an organization as old as time. once spanning the underbelly of delphi and creeping into the desert, living life in shadows and secrets, the syndicate was decimated by a rival brotherhood — the mangiatori di morte, often referred to simply as "the mangiatori" or "tories" — half a century past, driven to isolation in myca alone.[BREAK][BREAK]
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established half a millennium past by twin brothers vittorio and vasco vice, the syndicate has a rich history, drenched in the blood they've soaked delphinian soil in. the brothers perfected the art of death, the act of prying life out of one's chest and guiding it through gilded hands; it was only a matter of time before envy took hold, and vasco's throat met the same fate he had forced on countless others. it was meant to be a smooth operation — large scale, high stakes, but maneuvered to precision — so when his head was pike-propped and vision-caught, vittorio, the lion, king of beasts, ravaged his pride for dissent and deceit.[break][break]
so when the name mangiatori di morte came to be, here was born a rivalry that would dispel all he had worked hard to see.
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but it wouldn't — didn't — happen immediately of course; fulfilling high profile contracts and building a reputation for themselves that overshadowed other assassins, opening casino dens to conduct their business dealings, known below ground with ghost holdings and dead names, used extensively in the great war for anti-hydra operations, they have some credibility as mercenaries above-board, although they took care to stray from the association in their day to day.[break][break]
but success came with a susceptibility to enemies, and the mangiatoris took every stolen opportunity as a personal slight — so when the mano morte's casinos were raided, their operatives hunted and chased into taking risks otherwise unthinkable, it was clear that delphi no longer bent to their fist as surely as it once did.[break][break]
having begun expansion into myca a century ago, this became their savior in their time of need— they fled delphi for the sandscapes, found home in the heat and satrap-sullied city state, but even this was not enough.[break][break]
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every life has a beginning and an end, but his ended too soon, a prodigy with a proclivity to bring doom to all who opposed him; counter attacks were common — assassins do not engage in traditional warfare — and he was known for his brutality and cunning; but he, too, vanished beyond the veil.[break][break]
their mycan base was burned down, their new CARDINAL, viveca vice, the viper targeted and nearly taken down, and she set her eyes on the only place she knew how to get to: home.[break][break]
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every assassin is expected to follow the five tenets — the creed by which they swear their loyalty to the syndicate and their commitment to the cause. failure to adhere to these commandments often results in punishment, and repeated offenses lead to a stripping of status — or even one's life.[break][break]

• stay your blade from the innocent
• shy away from eyes not of your own
• silence is a tool to be honed
• tricks can be used but a fool cannot be unmade
• spurn treason and seek retribution in its place

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the syndicate operates with a biblical hierarchy, the cardinal being the head with their second-in-command, the seraphim, acting as their advisor and enforcer.[break][break]next, comprising an effective council — referred to collectively as the thrones — are five senior assassins; these assassins also function as the cardinal's strike team and extension of their will.[break][break]
each throne mans a collective of strike teams, typically comprised of 3-5 operatives a team; there is no cap on the number of teams or operatives they can command; the collective term for operatives are angels and each strike team further has a captain, referred to as the archangel. [break][break]
every syndicate member is equipped with a hidden blade and a white cloak with a royal blue trim; the blades can be unsheathed with a flick of the wrist and the cloaks have a reflective quality to them, rendering the wearer particularly hard to see. recently, viveca has begun undergoing possible improvements on the blade's design, with a particular interest in the possibilities of imbuing them with special properties, custom to the angel. [break][break]
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