| Leadership | |
|---|---|
| The General | Faerah |
| Divine Patron | Severn, the Manipulator |
| Lieutenants | Eydis, Trikal, and Fezzix |
| Keeper of Names | Atarah |
| Information | |
| Residence | Spinesreach |
| Alignment | Shadow |
| Main Help File | (HELP SYSSIN) |
| Opportunistic merchants of death. | |
History
The Syssin Defenders were created by Severn, who wished to form a group of perfect soldiers to defend Ankyrean-era Spinesreach from outsiders. Their ranks were made deliberately of non-Ankyreans, and were often no more than farmers or lowly guards in their former life.
Following the end of the Second Mortal Epoch, the origins of the Syssin were lost in the Grand Artifice, but Severn's teachings lived on in a corruption of His original intent: a clandestine guild known as the Shadowsnakes. Headquartered in Ashtan, the Shadowsnakes operated for years as scoundrels, merchants, and assassins.
Following an incident that resulted in the destruction of their guidlhall, the Shadowsnakes went for years without a home, until the discovery of Spinesreach allowed them to unearth their Ankyrean history, and thus resume their career as the Syssin Defenders.
Well into the Third Mortal Epoch, the Syssin underwent a number of reforms, following the city of Spinesreach during the state's transformation into a republic. Rechristening themselves the Syssin Syndicate, the Defenders put to rest their history, and choosing Maghak, the Sovereign as their patron, began to operate as an enterprising business/family, an identity which continues today.
Guildhalls
Like many guilds, the Syssin have operated from quite a handful of different bases.
The Shadowsnake Ship
The first incarnation of the Syssin guildhall, during their tenure as the Shadowsnakes. A ship of considerable dimensions, it was moored in the harbor of Ashtan for many years, unable to leave due to the surrounding mass of the archipelago. When an outbreak of expiring suicide mice destroyed parts of the city, the ship's lagoon was opened to the ocean for the first time, and the Shadowsnakes sailed it to the Western Wilderness, one of the most remote areas in Sapience.
The ship itself was eventually sunk by another suicide mouse, and currently lies at the bottom of the ocean.
Spirean Hideaway
The ancient, underground home of the Syssin Defenders, reoccupied as the guild's identity was rediscovered. Housed in Spinesreach, it contained a small number of rooms, including a physics laboratory, workstation for the milking of venoms, and bunkers. It contained a mechanism for accessing another, hidden part of the guildhall, but the means of getting there was a closely guarded secret.
The Defenders Sanctum / Syndicate HQ
Originally an expansion to the original Spirean hideaway, the Sanctum was designed by Lin al-Akir during her first tenure as guildmaster, and eventually superseded the original guildhall entirely. Designed for residence as well as training, it features a dormitory, library (the Kazael Complex), chambers for each secretary and the guildmaster, a training yard, pool, and theater. A hidden chamber in the Sanctum leads to an escape hatch, which allows Syssin to exit to the Pachacacha River. The secret lower portion of the guildhall still exists, unchanged, but the access continues to be guarded.
The Defenders Sanctum has been continually added on to and modified since its inception, and is now informally known as "Syndicate HQ", a term coined by guildmaster Klonk Gnarlstone. The guildhall exists, currently, in this state.
Allies and Enemies
Because of their controversial, mercenary attitude, the Syssin are not often liked by many guilds on either side of the Shadow/Spirit spectrum. They are most notably, however, aligned closely with the Atabahi, who began as a group of former Syssin Defenders who were experimented on by the Ankyreans. Those guilds who espouse truth and Spirit are often the Syndicate's worst enemies; namely, the Luminaries and Daru.