From Introduction: When an upstanding, respected member of a community commits suicide, many people read the note that’s been left behind and shake their heads at the waste of life. What they don’t realize is that the suicide is a murder, the note a letter-perfect forgery, and both of them are courtesy of an assassin named Jayce Cussan. Few people know what Jayce really looks like under the cowl of his deep blue cloak and shadowy clothes. An albino human, his hair and skin are ghostly white, and his eyes are pink rimmed and dead. His voice is hoarse and crackly and sounds like dry leaves blowing across loose gravel. He stands five and a half feet tall, but usually appears one to two feet taller or shorter, depending on the disguise he’s currently employing. Jayce has a reputation for stealth, deception, and cunning, and these three traits have earned him the nickname “Death’s Shadow.” Jayce is patient to a fault and will study his targets for weeks on end before fulfilling his contract. He prefers to perform most of his observations first hand, under the guise of someone that his target would normally interact with. His favorite technique is to disguise himself as a servant and attend to the target for several weeks. In this manner, he learns the layout of the target’s home, the target’s daily routine, and speaking style. It also affords him ample opportunity to glean gossip from other servants, as well as the chance to procure writing samples.