The Blackguard Tarot

The Blackguard Tarot is a well-established and ancient guild of assassins, saboteurs, and infiltrators. The exact identity of each member is unknown, but they always leave a calling card: one of the major arcana of the very tarot deck they derive their name from.

The Blackguard Tarot operates across Brythenia with ease, many of them holding multiple identities in multiple cities so they can move in and out without trouble.

History
History goes here. :)

The Cards
The Blackguard Tarot is only known due to the cards they leave at the site of their activity. The backs of each card are solid black with white scales--the symbol of the Blackguard Tarot itself.

The face of each card varies dependent upon the member. Each member is known by their alias outside of the organization, and that alias is one of the 22 major arcana of the tarot. Each member leaves the tarot card associated with them as a calling card upon completion of their contract.

The quality of the cards vary from member to member, but most prefer simple painted cards crafted themselves to prevent the cards inevitably being traced back to their secret identities.

A long time ago, the fabled Deck of Many Things was known by another name: the Tarot. It was after this unpredictable--and often both helpful and unhelpful--artifact that the Blackguard Tarot took their name, and the more obscure names of the individual cards themselves. And as such, the Tarot holds a position in the society of Brythenia that can be helpful and unhelpful, an opinion that is entirely dependent upon perspective.

Becoming a Member
The only way to become a member of the Blackguard Tarot is to have been chosen by a current member and trained extensively. During the training, the only member of the Tarot whose identity that is permitted to be revealed to the apprentice is that of the member who found and chose to train the apprentice. This is to prevent more than one member being caught by authorities.

If one of the members of the Blackguard Tarot are slain, then the rest of the organization votes and chooses one of the current apprentices (if any) to raise into the position. If no apprentices are chosen, then another is to be selected from the population and trained. To date, this has never occurred.

If one of the Tarot decide to retire, they choose an apprentice and train them to their own standards. Upon their retirement, that apprentice is immediately instated in their previous mentor's position amongst the Blackguard Tarot.

Upon acceptance into the Blackguard Tarot, an oath is made and sealed with magic (TBD?) leaving naught but a tattoo of a roman numeral on the inside of a wrist signifying which Tarot card they represent. These marks are instantly recognizable by other members of the Tarot and are often how they prove their own identities to each other. Once a new initiate is marked, then they meet each of the other members of the Tarot to learn both their true appearances and their identities. Due to the nature of the magic, they cannot ever reveal the identities of any other member, even through force or magic.

Organization Structure
The Blackguard Tarot are led by The Emperor, who is generally the most senior and respected member of the Tarot. Unlike the rest of the tarot, The Emperor is the only card that cannot be gained by an apprentice, but must be elected to a current member of the tarot by a majority vote. The member's card that was just vacated is then filled by an apprentice who is deemed ready to join the ranks.

Beneath The Emperor are two lieutenants, and beneath them, a total of four captains comprising the hierarchy of the Blackguard Tarot.

The secret headquarters of the Blackguard Tarot is located deep in the northern Nisor Mountain Range where the driven ice and snow as well as dangerous craggy peaks make travel treacherous. And the danger and frigid climate has kept the secret hideaway for centuries.

Most of the members of the Blackguard Tarot have a personal safehouse or bolthole in the majority of the cities across Brythenia for ease of access, and a space to store identification and specialized complex aliases.

Contacting the Blackguard Tarot
Across Brythenia the Tarot have trusted, well-paid contacts that are approached by people seeking out the Blackguard Tarot. They then pass along the information to the members of the Blackguard Tarot. Then, one night at some point in the recent future, a member of the Blackguard Tarot appears in the darkest time of night, cloaked and hooded and either accepts the terms of the contract, or denies it.

Once a contract is accepted, it is on the honor of the Blackguard Tarot that it is completed, whether it takes one member or all 22. The Tarot doesn't stop until the contract is fulfilled.