Shadow for Hire

In the Shadow

Leopold

At only 14 years old, Leopold is the youngest member of The Shadow. His small size and slim build make him a perfect choice for the group’s stealth expert. Though remaining unseen is his preferred method of operations, He can rely on a deadly array of combat skills if he gets cornered. He wears a long cloak of dark, mottled colors, perfect for breaking up his silhouette and blending into shadows.

Leo’s mysterious past is hidden from him due to amnesia caused by a previous trauma. He remembers nothing until just before meeting Midas. This missing piece of his story bothers him, and he is often frustrated by his inability to recall memories. Without knowing where he came from, how can he possibly know what his purpose in life is?

In the mean time, Leo finds his purpose in working for Daniel, the leader of The Shadow. This man saved Leo and Midas from a dangerous situation, and they have been in his debt ever since. Though Leo doesn’t agree with everything Daniel says and does, he finds that being part of a tight-knit group is better than the alternative. Besides, purposefully ignoring hard questions goes a long way toward quieting his conscience.

Leo’s life is also lent meaning by his friends. He and Midas have been like brothers since their introduction. Later, the two of them, very familiar with dangerous situations, were rescued from a particularly deadly one by Daniel. Raven was already part of The Shadow at the time, and the inclusion of Leo and Midas brought the group’s total membership to four. The Shadow is an incredibly effective covert mercenary group, and the dangerous nature of their jobs coupled with the small size of the organization created a close-knit relationship between its members. It is the closest thing to a family that Leo has every known.

Raven

Coming Soon!

Midas

Coming Soon!

Castle Rajikline

Castle Rajikline

Castle Rajikline was built as a method for controlling an important trade route. Because the terrain did not aid the defensive nature of the structure, the baron who built it left no stone unturned in its design. To make his new fortress as strong as humanly possible, he sourced defensive features from castles across the known world, showing a particular penchant for technology and architecture from distant lands. He hired the best engineer he could find to lead the project, a man called Rajikline who hailed from a distant country. Rajikline had to use interpreters to communicate with the craftsmen, so construction proceeded slowly. The building took so long to build that the original baron died before it was completed, and his son took over.

Rajikline’s exacting standards were another reason the castle took so long to construct. He was mocked incessantly for his high standards, so much so that people took to calling the castle “Rajikline’s Folly.” When the castle was finally completed, however, it was undeniably an impressive structure and so effective at its job that it quickly became known as truly impregnable. After standing firm against an invading force, people took to calling it Castle Rajikline. Utilizing a host of brilliant machines and architecture implemented by its builder, the castle has successfully withstood every siege. It only changed ownership once and only with the help of a particularly devastating famine.

Castle Rajikline, or simply Rajikline, is one of my favorite locations in Wages of Death because it pits technological innovation against human ingenuity. This castle with all the advantages of a meticulously designed and technologically advanced defense must be infiltrated. It sets up the stakes common to contracts of The Shadow, creates a situation to showcase the group’s skill sets, especially that of Leopold, and guarantees a bit of action to go along with it all.

I like Rajikline because I love castles. It was fun to design a fortress that can come across as impregnable. Afterwards, I had the joy of developing an infiltration strategy to defeat the very same fortress! Everything about this location from the visuals to the architecture to the defensive designs and interior features like spiral staircases and trash chutes, are thrilling to me. I liked designing it, I loved infiltrating it, and the joy of bringing it to life in the story makes it one of my favorite locations in Wages of Death.

Wages of Death: Fight with the Marsh Monster

My Favorite Scene from Wages of Death: Fight with the Marsh Monster

SPOILER WARNING for Wages of Death

I love Castle Rajikline because it shows The Shadow in their element, introduces the crew, and sets a baseline for their personalities and professionalism. On the other hand, I love Marsh Madness for the opposite reason. The marsh strips away the surface, continuing the group’s development by revealing how they act when forced outside their element. How do they behave when their unique skills don’t help them? When they get frustrated, what happens to the group dynamic?

The battle with the marsh monster is my favorite part of the story because it answers all the questions of loyalty, bravery, fear, and ingenuity in a single climactic action sequence. Yes, the battle itself is fun to read, but more impactful is the selflessness of the characters rushing to rescue their friend. Midas whaling away at a gigantic monster leg with an axe, the only weapon at his disposal, is a perfect depiction of how he approaches problems. It also illustrates his innate impulse to stand up and be counted, even in the midst of a hopeless situation.

In contrast, Leopold’s ability to utilize his standard skill set in the unfamiliar environment emphasizes his ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Similarly, his approach to combating the swamp monster highlights his bent toward critical thinking and ability to solve complex problems in the midst of stressful situations.

Additionally, Daniel’s words and actions do a lot to set the stage for exactly what kind of a leader he is.

Overall, I just love this scene. It is a nice bit of action while also developing the individual characters and the group dynamic. In a small way, I think you can trace the final destination of each character in In the Service of the King all the way back to their beginnings in this story.

Shadow for Hire Quotes

SPOILER WARNING for Wages of Death, Out of the Shadows, and In the Service of the King

It’ll only get me to the moat. Do you expect me to swim across it? I hate even touching the water from those things with all the filth which floats around in them.
LeopoldWages of Death
For the first time in his life, he was part of team, surrounded by people he cared about and who cared about him.
Wages of Death
For every problem there was a solution, this one in particular coming from the mystical bag of Daniel’s tricks.
Wages of Death
Midas would do anything for Leo, and if that meant dying, he would put aside his fears and die. His brother was worth it.
Wages of Death
Second guessing is normal. I do it at least once for every contract I strike and for every plan I make. But as much as you second guess, you can’t let it affect your judgement.
DanielWages of Death
When he got rich, he would straighten himself out. After all, scruples and conscience were the commodity of the wealthy.
Wages of Death
Unless you want to end up dead, you need to be quiet.
LeopoldWages of Death
I hereby banish you from my lands.” “Do not show your faces in them again, or you will be punished.
MariaIn the Service of the King
Nobody was above the law, and even if he was nobility, she must still banish him.
In the Service of the King
It’s not a sin to make a mistake, but now that you know, the sin would be to not correct the problem.
LeopoldIn the Service of the King
Pain will tell you that your fingers are cramping, that your arms have lost their strength, that you cannot continue. You must press through the pain to succeed.
LeopoldIn the Service of the King
…darkness is your foe. It pretends to be your friend, to hide your evil deeds, but then it disappears, leaving you vulnerable to the blinding light of the truth.
LeopoldIn the Service of the King
If his sword could not handle what was ahead, he was fine trusting his fate to God one more time.
In the Service of the King
Remember this. In battle, no, in life, no one person is more important than the other. We all have different roles, different responsibilities, different levels of authority, but never mistake these qualifications for importance.
MidasIn the Service of the King
I promised to rid the town of bandits, and that’s what I intend to do.
MidasIn the Service of the King
I know the good in you isn’t dead. It’s just buried, exiled to some self-imposed purgatory, so let me appeal to it. Wouldn’t you like the chance to make up for some of the wrong you’ve done?
MidasIn the Service of the King
Life is hard to understand sometimes. There’s a fundamental aspect of the faith that God works all things together for the good of His people.
RavenIn the Service of the King
When I have to rest, my past will be there to haunt me. I don’t want to be here when that happens.
LeopoldIn the Service of the King
Evil men hate the light. Let’s shine some on his actions for our audience here to see. Then we let fate take its course.
MidasIn the Service of the King
Never let your opponent play to their own strengths. A jarring blow seemed to jog Midas’s words from her memory. If they have a longer reach than you and more powerful strikes, close the distance. In close, their reach will no longer be an advantage, and the power of their punches will be diminished.
In the Service of the King
Shadows may conceal evil deeds, or they can bring relief from the heat of the mid-day sun. We choose to believe you do the latter.
ZachariahIn the Service of the King
When there’s no bridge, standing on the edge of a pit is no closer to the other side than if you were a hundred miles away.
GeorgeIn the Service of the King
Battles can easily be won or lost in the mind, long before they are decided on the battlefield.
RavenIn the Service of the King
So in answer to your question, sister, yes, I believe the three of us can make a difference. I believe our lives up to this point have been directed to prepare us for this task at this time in this place. I firmly believe that we are the only ones who can protect you and the king and that it is our duty to do so. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.
LeopoldIn the Service of the King
Is it a path you shouldn't be on? Many times, the paths we need to take are uncomfortable, unpleasant, and unhappy.
BardonIn the Service of the King
Capture and imprisonment are fine, but try to stay alive, will you? I don't know anyone who can raise the dead!
RavenIn the Service of the King
There were many things a person could not change about themselves, but it was the ones they could change which showed their mettle.
In the Service of the King
Campaigns run on information, and ours is starving right now.
Captain HayleeIn the Service of the King
A lotta good a weapon does when it's a mile away. If the manure starts to fly, lass, we'll find ourselves playing a very one-sided game of fisticuffs, of that you can be sure.
GeorgeIn the Service of the King
Your argument is convincing as is my inability to get up.
The KingIn the Service of the King
I was never good at following orders. Actually, maybe I was at one time, but since becoming king, I've developed a nasty habit of not taking the advice of people I should listen to.
The KingIn the Service of the King
Nothing we’ve ever done has been on our own terms.
LeopoldIn the Service of the King
Have you noticed the past is the only aspect of your life difficult to explain?
LeopoldIn the Service of the King

Image Gallery

Coming Soon!

SPOILER WARNING for Wages of Death, Out of the Shadows, and In the Service of the King

Coming Soon!

SPOILER WARNING for Wages of Death, Out of the Shadows, and In the Service of the King