[attr="class","h1"]Chasing Shadows

[attr="class","body"]Ekahi's childhood has been unconventional, to say the least. Parents taken away when she was still young, kept in an abusive orphanage, and finally adopted and raised by an assassin, the panthro has undoubtedly been shaped forever by a series of events almost entirely out of her control. So much so that the cub, though still young, now serves as an assassin herself for the infamous Shroud order, living the only life she was given after years of little more than loss.

Which is why she hesitates to lose anything, or anyone, else. It has now been almost a year since her adoptive guardian, a man named Alten, left Ekahi in the care of the Shroud, promising that he would return after finishing a special contract. Since then, the cub has heard no word of either the job or her mentor. And it worries her. Though now a respected member of the Shroud branch in Dirys, the panthro has thought at times of going after Alten and finding out what happened to the man, and if luck would have it, be reunited with the assassin. So far those thoughts have remained just thoughts, but they grow stronger with every passing day. After all, she allowed her family to be taken from her once before.

Is she really willing to let that happen again?

Killer for Hire
Not really a rule per say, but as an assassin Ekahi is a hired killer. If another storyline or thread needs someone along those lines I'm more than happy to throw her in. She does work for a "professional" assassin order though so a character would need to be willing to contact them, but other than that I'm pretty open, and I probably wouldn't even have huge difficulty finding reasons for her to act outside Dirys.

Locations

• Muerte
  A nation known for it's rising hatred against beastfolk and Ekahi's homeland. It was in a Muerte slum that the panthro was born and raised for some time by her parents, until the latter were taken and presumably killed by a local gang. The Little Palace is also located in Muerte. The last time the cub saw the nation was after she was smuggled across it's border into Dirys by her adoptive guardian and mentor Alten, and since then Ekahi has never set foot again in her old home. And all things considered, the panthro is more than happy to keep it that way.
• The Little Palace Orphanage
  A small but well-known orphanage located in the slums of one of Muerte's larger cities. It was this same city where Ekahi was born and raised, and the Little Palace became the panthro's home for a little under a year after her parents were taken. The only beastfolk there, Ekahi was subjected to poor living conditions, seclusion, and abuse and torture from the other children and the owners of the orphanage, and nearly died in the process. It was only by climbing out of a chimney that Ekahi managed to escape, and though years ago, the place still torments the cub's dreams and heavily influences her art.
• Dirys
  The nation bordering Muerte and the place which Ekahi now calls home. It was her mentor Alten who first smuggled the cub from Muerte into Dirys, and it was here where the man raised her, as well as trained her to be an assassin. Though prejudices still exist, the nation is far less hostile to beastfolk than Muerte, and especially with the care of Alten and now the Shroud assassin order, it has become a place for the cub to live out her new life.
• The Boneway
  A series of abandoned sewer tunnels and hidden catacombs underneath the city of Dimant, capital of Dirys, and the sanctuary for the Dirys branch of the Shroud assassin order. It's from the Boneway that Ekahi now performs contracts and where she hangs up her crossbow at days end, ever since Alten left her in the care of the infamous organization. The young assassin has even earned herself somewhat of a reputation among it's members for her skills and successes despite her young age, and for both contracts and day to day life, the other members of the Shroud have taken to calling the cub Little Paw.

People

• Alten
  A human male, freelance assassin, and Ekahi's adoptive guardian and mentor. It was Alten who rescued the cub from death in the streets in Muerte, raised her back to health, and then smuggled her into the nation of Dirys, where he then raised and trained the panthro to become an assassin herself. In truth Ekahi knows very little about the man, but after spending years at his side the assassin has come to consider Alten almost like a father figure, especially with her real parents having been taken from her. The freelance assassin left Ekahi in the care of the Shroud order over a year ago, however, after stating he had to leave to perform a dangerous contract. Since then Ekahi has heard no word of Alten or whether he is even still alive.
• The Shroud
  The Shroud is a small but infamous assassin order in Fortuna that has become notable for their willingness to take on high profile and dangerous contracts. Though they come at a premium price, the Shroud is popular among the nobility and rich of Fortuna for their success rate and strict adherence to the contract, and a slew of exceptionally bloody and well known murders have made their name one that tends to only be whispered behind closed doors. The Shroud operates from a number of hidden sanctuaries across the world. These sanctuaries are largely isolated from one another, and for this reason the assassins of each sanctuary operate in an almost family-like unit. Each sanctuary selects its own leader, creates its own rules (following the main tenants of the order), and reaps the benefits of its own contracts. Shroud assassins are also notable for taking on aliases that are used not only with clients but also among other members, and true names are often kept secret or even forgotten entirely.
  
  It is from the Dirys sanctuary, located in Dimant, that Ekahi now operates out of after being left there by Alten. After joining the order Ekahi was given the alias Little Paw, and since then has become a mainstay for the Dirys sanctuary with her specialty in infiltration and ranged assassinations.

Objects

• Paw Print Collar
  A small black leather collar with a silver paw print on the front. It was the last thing given to Ekahi by her mentor Alten before he left her with the Shroud, and not only does the panthro seldom take it off, but it stands as her most prized possession. It has also become the basis for her Shroud alias Little Paw.

Summary

The full summary of this storyline can be found in the spoiler tag below. This gets you up to date on all of the events so far. This summary was last updated on 00.00.00.