Armlet of Stealth

**Darkness' Armlet of Stealth**

Darkness' armlet was not for the taking. Indeed he let whispers only of its existence filtered through the layers of his followers. He left to them to dig deeper and deeper demanding to know what he only pretended to withhold. They searched far and wide looking further and further for this unknown prize. In the end it was because of the existence of the other armlets of the other Avatars that they realised that the Armlet of Stealth must exist. For whatever Light had so must Darkness have. That was one of the first of Darkness? laws and every one of his followers knew it. So little by little the Lord of deceit led his followers to uncover the existence of the armlet and to covet it. Then they began to compete for it while it was yet unfound. The survivors of this competition were but a few elites.

In the end it was the dark dwarf Dengar who found out that the armlet was being guarded by Death?s followers. These minions of Death including the powerful Bone Dragon Carmanthor were completely unaware of what was so easily within their reach. For the armlet of Stealth also called the armlet of shadows and the Hidden Armlet, was unseen to all but those that deliberately searched for it and only then when it wished to be. Dengar knew his own limitations and the price his knowledge could cost him. So he revealed his knowledge to Darkness himself oblivious to the fact that his patron was well aware of his actions. Darkness was disappointed in his follower much preferring those who not only believed they could deceive him but also attempted to do so. Nevertheless he rewarded his loyalty by allowing him to share the secret with others and while so doing rest under his master?s protection. And so Dengar told Guile leader of the dark elf guild of thieves and Therian leader of the assassins and Tribbin leader of the spies' guild. So all three plotted to have the armlet, one by stealth, one by steel and one by spies.

It was a great battle for the assassins with customary love of a surprise pre-emptive strike attacked first. Therian himself perished in the attack Carmanthor breathing his pestilent breath over the dark lord so strong as to pierce even his protective safeguards. But the thieves and spies knew of the assassin?s attack and both moved at once to secure the piece for themselves. They succeeded in as much as they left with the armlet though many died and the great Dragon lich, the Bone Dragon Carmanthor still lived in undeath.

The spymaster Tribbin had infiltrated Death's followers and so it was he who with triumph held the armlet. Yet this was not destined to continue, for the armlet is primarily an object for a single individual. Tribbin relied for his power upon many and though his spies had warned him and told him of the actions of Death's followers and the assassins and the thieves he became an increasingly wary, paranoid loner. Constantly afraid someone would attempt to take his power from him, he guarded it jealously. What he did not know was that Guile had predicted all. Unlike Tribbin he did not have the resources to 'know' but he had interpreted Dengar, Therian and Tribbin. Best of all Guile understood his master Darkness and interpreted his plan. He realised that Darkness would not let his armlet rest with the Deathites but he reasoned any attack would be costly and difficult after all the defence had been set up by two gods. So he waited and when the time came only sent a token force and himself not in attendance. He spent his energies on discovering how to infiltrate the spies and years of experience and knowledge of his enemy played into his hands. The spies were weakened from their assault and their leader was separated from his followers. The assassins would not interfere because they were the closest to extinction and were suffering from an internal power struggle.

When Guile moved it was with stealth but also great cunning. He isolated his enemy further from his guild and turned powerful subordinates on their own leader. They leapt at the chance to take his armlet and position and he fled a simple enough thing with the armlet of stealth. But the armlet or rather its god betrayed Tribbin. When the faithful thieves confronted him with their master Guile the armlet would not hide him and his enemies destroyed him. Yet the power of the armlet was still such as to cause the thieves many casualties, enough that when Guile retrieved the amulet he could easily kill the rest. He claimed he had failed when he returned starting the legend of the Lost Spy Master and the forgotten armlet. It became the secret of the darkest thief and some whisper the Spy Masters knew more than they told (which was always true). Never the less the successors to Guile inherited the Armlet and some say that the successors were for many generations simply Guile kept alive by the armlet's power just pretending to be the next replacement. Nevertheless, it is sure that by the turn of the century 1800 PE (Post Empire) it had fallen to a thief master who was not the legendary Guile. For a young human who I will not name here for none presume to know his name save Darkness his chosen god and of course he who knows all whom we call Knowledge for he has no other name. This young human who had killed whilst still an infant, no family to claim him, no master who claimed to have trained him. Unknown and unknowable this human came to those born in shadow, or the dark elves as we call them, hidden behind Dark Gate in Saracan.

Yes he knew where to find them and he knew their ways. He lived among them for three years (a very short time to an elf) and he rose simultaneously as a spy, assassin and a thief. Very quickly, too quickly say many he found the location of the armlet. That it was in the guild of thieves had become somewhat more common knowledge among the highest and the lowest in the dark elf cities. He set himself up and slew the leader of the thieves? guild taking to himself the armlet and it disguised itself as a mask. Wearing it he became a nightmarishly effective assassin. He slew the Master of the Assassins and the Spy Master the very same night. It was heard abroad that Darkness had risen up a Master Assassin of the Silent Kill.

His champion his MASK. Mask learned swiftly how to exploit the powers of the armlet, to remain unseen, and to move with unnatural speed. Later he learned to become completely invisible and how to manipulate the very shadows to do his will. The armlet lengthened his life and some say stole his very humanity, making him even more the cold and heartless killer. He has amassed more fame or infamy than any has been able in a single lifetime. Among the shadowborn he holds a place of great respect and even fear that is held by none but their own greatest legends. To this day the MASK holds the armlet and has not died, he is a terror in every nightmare he is the MASK of Darkness.