I do not own the Forgotten Realms setting. The Forgotten Realms setting is the property of Wizards of the Coast. The Assassin (main character) is my creation along with the plot and many of the characters.
Tainted Blade Chronicles I: The Evil Unleashed
Prologue
In The Year of the Bright Blade, 1347 DR, Cyric, the god of murder and deception, made a deal with a skillful young assassin. The Prince of Lies promised the mortal eternal youth, the mortal would never die by age, only by sword. In return, the mortal had to assassinate the leader of Tethyr, Alemander IV. The assassin agreed to the deal.
Alemander IV was secretly a member of a clergy of Cyric. He had made a deal with Cyric to spread his word throughout Tethyr if the god gave him the throne. Alemander IV agreed, but never held his part up. He never intended to uphold the deal. He believed that if he held power, he would be unstoppable. He could not be farther from the truth. When Cyric approached him in a dream, Alemander claimed he was afraid. He claimed he was afraid that the people of Tethyr would turn on him if he began spreading the word of Cyric throughout his land. Alemander IV was foolish.
Two months into Alemander's rule, he was found with a dagger in his face while lying on his bed. On the dagger was a note that read:
Do not attempt to trick the father of trickery.
Immediately fingers were pointed at a family who ruled Tethyr before Alemander. This family was very strong and still had many followers. Eventually, in the same year, a civil war arose. The war lasted twenty years and began another war in Tethyr. Still, today, in The Year of Rogue Dragons, 1373 DR, there is still bloodshed in Tethyr.
For three years after the assassination of Alemander IV, there were many more murders of those in high places who opposed Cyric. Many of these victims were High Clerics of Bane, an enemy of Cyric. All of these assassinations were linked to the same assassin who murdered Alemander IV and had caused hundreds of thousands of deaths over the years.
But who was this assassin? He was never identified. He was always one step ahead of the authorities. That was the sign of a master assassin. A sign of a master assassin was that he is unknown to the public. A sign of a lousy assassin were the ones who gained infamy through their assassinations, one of which is Artemis Entreri.
The assassin was eventually arrested in Calimport in The Year of the Dragon, 1352. He was arrested for attempting to pickpocket a rich merchant, who just so happened to influence the rulers of Calimport. He was thrown into a Calimport prison cell for as long as they wanted to keep him. No one ever knew that this man was the assassin and even though the assassinations had ceased, enemies of Cyric still lived in fear.
The years went by and the assassin became just another prisoner believed to be a petty thief. He spent many years in prison, but Cyric upheld his deal and the mortal did not age. The assassin was long forgotten, tucked away in a dirty prison cell, until now.