Antivan Crows

The Antivan Crows, also known as House of Crows, are an elite organization of thieves, spies, and assassins which are renowned throughout Thedas.

Background
The Crows started as an arm of the Chantry. In the hills north of Treviso, an order of monks used the herbs grown in the gardens of their abbey to assassinate a despotic duke. Since then, through their deadly reputation and exotic poisons, the Crows have practically come to rule their homeland. Though honor among such an organization is generally dubious, they do adhere to one standard: contracts are met and agreements are kept. Failure to eliminate a mark means the life of the operative is also forfeit. The Antivan Crows are a driving political force in Antiva, often hired to assassinate Antivan nobility or even royalty. Their reputation is enough to deter many nations from openly attacking Antiva despite its lack of a standing army. The Crows are an important part of Antivan society as a whole.

When the Crows are hired for a job, generally one master handles the contract. However, if the master is unable to complete it, then other masters can be hired. It is even possible to hire the entire House of Crows, however that would be extremely expensive. There is only one known case where this occurred.

The Crows run Velabanchel, an infamous and feared prison just outside of Antiva City, where they keep people incarcerated for "fun and torture." Its reputation has earned it the nickname of "the House of Graves."

Hierarchy
The Antivan Crows are compartmentalized into family houses, in imitation of the great noble families of Thedas, with each member of that house, from its leader to its rank and file assassins taking the house's name as their family name. The leadership of the Guild as a whole lies with the Eight Talons, and their respective houses, while lesser houses are referred to as cuchillos (knives). Houses frequently rise and fall in rank.


 * Talon: The leaders of the Crows. Around 9:44 Dragon, the leading houses are Dellamorte, Balazar, Valisti, Kortez, De Riva, Nero, Cantori, and Arainai. Houses frequently rise and fall. While new recruits are told that anyone can rise to the rank of Talon, in practice few achieve this rank without family or connections.


 * Guildmaster/Grandmaster: A leader of a large group, such as an entire house.


 * Master: A high-ranking assassin who accepts and handles assassination contracts.


 * Assassin: A member of the guild without greater rank.

Recruitment
The Crows usually employ elves because humans often find them attractive, giving them an advantage over their target. However, they also have a large number of human recruits. They train their recruits from a young age, and have no problem killing them if they make a mistake. It seems to be an effective method, though they would have everyone believe it takes some special skill to do what they do.

The Antivan Crows often buy orphaned or enslaved elves and humans when they are children and force them to live together in tight quarters. The only way they can survive the brutal process and prove themselves worthy is by surviving every test the Crows throw at them, including killing their peers.

Antivan Crows who achieve the rank of Talon are given a ceremonial dagger from the Guildmaster and sent to assassinate a target using that dagger alone. The greater the risk, the greater the good omen for the Talon's future.