Shadowkin
Overview
The Shadowkin were one of the Seven Great Guilds of the Orethan Dominion and counted among the so-called crystal guilds, distinguished by their use of shadow crystals. Unlike most institutions of the Dominion, the Shadowkin maintained no fixed headquarters, instead operating entirely in secret across the empire. Their membership was never officially recorded; estimates placed their numbers at approximately 3,000 at their height. The guild's leader held the title of The Umbral Voice.
Their symbol — a black cloak on a gray field — was, according to A History of Rislandia, "rarely displayed," a reflection of the guild's deliberate obscurity.
Role and Methods
The Shadowkin served the Orethan Dominion as its primary instrument of covert power. Their responsibilities encompassed imperial intelligence gathering, counter-espionage, and political assassination. Through these activities they constructed and maintained the empire's intelligence network, making them indispensable to the imperial apparatus during the Dominion's stable periods.
The guild engaged in sustained covert conflict with the Chronists over the control of information — a rivalry that reflected the broader tension between those who shaped knowledge and those who weaponised it.
Corruption and Decline
According to A History of Rislandia, the Shadowkin were secretly corrupted, though the full extent and origins of that corruption are not detailed in the source. During the Long Decay, the guild quietly tolerated blood magic despite its official prohibition — a practice that troubled the conscience of the Church of the Great One, particularly in light of the guild's record of political assassinations.
Among the most serious allegations levelled against the Shadowkin was the rumoured assassination of High Priest Benedictus III. As A History of Rislandia records, "rumors pointed to the Shadowkin acting on behalf of corrupt senators" in that killing, though the source presents this as unconfirmed.
Sethran Corvus and the Night of Shattered Crystals
Following Emperor Nerovan the Mad's appointment of Sethran Corvus as First Advisor, command of the Shadowkin passed to Corvus. Under his direction, the guild led imperial soldiers during the Night of Shattered Crystals, the purge in which the Great Guilds were dismantled.
Legacy
The Shadowkin's dissolution marked the end of organised guild-based intelligence within the Orethan Dominion. Their methods — covert networks, shadow crystal use, and political assassination — left a lasting imprint on how successor states understood the relationship between secrecy and power. The guild's tolerance of blood magic and its alleged role in the death of a high priest remained points of moral controversy in later historical accounts.