Shinardu

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GM James R

A Shinardu (plural Shinardi) is a mercenary who works under no lord or land. While a Shinardu might work with other Shinardi, they do not consider themselves a faction. Shinardi serve no one and work only to make themselves wealthy.

History

The Shinardi arose out of the Troverth Dynasty both before and after the Holy War, where they scrounged the surface dwellers like dreadful opportunists. For the most part, Shinardi are only found in Osugbo, but small numbers of them can be found nearly anywhere that there are pockets to pick and slaves to trade.

Many attribute the Shinardi's formation to an individual named Deng Lo, and while it's not known for sure if Deng Lo founded them, he heightened their global presence by making many deals with the Slaver's Guild of Galik

Many Shinardi are former Unshu of the Troverth Army, having gained their skills through espionage work in the war.

About

Shinardi often use the wealth they gather to masterwork their weapons or enchant them.

A shinardu is often expected to be agreeable to deals involving the trade of superstitious material, illegal arcane ingredients, and even darker markets such as slavery and human trafficking.

Shinardi are martial aritsts, and lurk in the shadows, with very few Shinardi being spellcasters (a remnant of their Troverthian heritage).

Names

Shinardi have bleak psuedonyms to protect their identities. Examples include:

• Quick Stain
• Dead Smile
• Muzzled Raven
• Tranquil Grin
• Unmoving Eye
• Hollow Blade
• Soothing Stroke

Notable Appearances

• A group of Shinardi kidnapped Eve, Orris and Rustle in their early days as an adventuring team (a team later known as The OathWielders. The group cut off Orris' horns and nearly killed Eve when trying to contain her in various bags. The group escaped and also saved a group of Slaves that the Shinardi were holding on to.
• The same group tracked the OathWielders to Senshi no Rakuen where they ambushed Orris in his sleep, only to be counterattacked by the local legend Kel. It was this combined fight that eventually led to Kel joining the OathWielders on the rest of their realm-traveling mission.

Behind the Screen

• The term "Shinardu" is a portmanteau of Shinobi and Ardu, the former being a feudal mercenary, and the latter being the slave class in ancient Babylon. Unlike most slaves, Ardu weren't considered property, and could own and operate their own property, including having slaves of their own. Nevertheless, any Ardu was still subjected to the will of their master.