The Order

## Membership

### Members

Laira † Nobu † The Master † Palia † Freda † Freda, the Younger † The Fox Centurion Longbow Charlotte Lipton Aidis Jiru †

### Leader(s)

The Master (formerly)Nobu (formerly) The Fox (de jure Grandmaster) Freda, The Younger (de facto leader of remnants)

## Appearances

### Debut

The Fox Vol. 1

The Order was the *de facto* name for an order of assassins. They operated secretly beginning in feudal Japan, acting for hire, largely being used upon political targets. They gained a reputation as one of the most successful groups of assassins of the era, largely for their continual innovation in their tactics, including the importation of new weaponry from China and Europe. These ideals of development became fanatical as the group became more and more focussed on becoming the greatest assassins possible, attracting a broader membership from around the globe. Whilst this cult-like obsession alienated them from many potential clients and other groups of assassins, it also allowed them to survive through the Meiji Restoration, when orders of ninja and samurai were abolished. Remaining in hiding through this period they continued to work towards their goals of perfecting the art of assassination, at the same time becoming the foremost assassins in the world due to a lack of competition.

Prior to the Restoration, they became obsessed with *breeding* the perfect assassin - a figure they held in a somewhat religious reverence, that would come to be known as the Weapon. This endeavour lasted centuries of experimentation towards this end, largely involving the recruitment and selective breeding of assassins over generations. In the modern era, advancements in technology allowed them to advance their goals greatly, using drugs, physiological enhancements, cybernetics, and later, genetic engineering. However, their progress stagnated, likely due to their archaic practices making it more difficult to attract 'new blood', and their fanaticism limiting the techniques. The Weapon was only born after one of their assassins, Laira, fled the Order having fallen in love David Carter. Their son, Connor Carter, fulfilled the Order's ideals for the Weapon. Laira was later pulled back in to the Order when Connor was only a child, and kept as a prisoner.

The group kept tabs on Carter over the years and realised he was their Weapon after he began his superhero career as The Fox, and brought down the Illuminati. Whilst, as the Weapon, he was due to lead the organisation, certain factions feared losing their power and attempted to kill him, beginning a war with Team Fox. Eventually, The Fox, having killed much of the Order's leadership, took control with his allies, and dissolved the group, though he lost his mother in the process. Many former members of the Order remained active following this, and continued to fight amongst themselves and with Team Fox. Whilst this wiped out most of the Order, some survived to kill Petra Kantor and Aidis, and some continued operating in the years to come.

At some point in the history of the Order, whilst operating in southern China and Tibet, a group of refugees from their sackings were gathered by the Thunder-Maker and hidden in a pocket dimension. Over the centuries, this group would dedicate themselves to the destruction of the Order and their Weapon. They would periodically send warriors out of the dimension to attack the Order, and, ultimately would lead to their downfall due to Aidis joining Team Fox.