During Death Night many male Dark Elf children are taken away by the rampaging Witch Elves. These children are taken back to the Temple of Khaine and tossed into cauldrons of boiling oil. Most of the babies die and are eaten by the Hag Queens as a appetiser. Those that survive are branded with the mark of Khaine. These Dark Elves become the dreaded assassins, the finest warriors in all of Naggaroth.
In each of the six great Dark Elf cities there is a training complex for assassins which is located under one of the local Temples of Khaine. Here they learn the ways of murder: the twelve movements of the poisoned sword, the deadliest of martial arts - the nine hand cutting, the creation and use of poisons and the art of disguise. They are taught to be ruthless, black hearted and ambitious. Assassins are arrogant and supremely confident in their abilities.
Once an assassin reaches a certain level they are tutored by a Master Assassin. A Master Assassin will usually have between one and five proteges. A few Master Assassins, such as Shadowblade and Nighthawk, have no pupils as they are constantly on missions from Crone Hellebron and Malekith.
The relationship between master and pupil is strained at best. The students regard their mentors with a mixture of fear, hatred and ambition. They are constantly looking for weaknesses so that they can kill and replace their masters. The masters warily watch their pupils gain in strength and skill and slay any that get too powerful. Master Assassins must live each day thinking that one day they will not be cautious enough and an ambitious student will stick a poisoned dagger in their back.
Assassins advance in rank by taking tests set by their masters. One of the first tests for a novice assassin is to stalk and slay a family member. By killing one of their own blood they are set free of former ties. Another test is to infiltrate the elite guard of another Dark Elf city. Only those assassins that are quick thinking and brave deserve to live.
For assassins wishing to attain the rank of master the tests become extremely difficult. They must kill and bring back the heads of Elven, Dwarven and human Lords. After that the tests get dangerously impossible: slaying many rivals, mating with a Hag Queen and defeating an existing Master Assassin. These tests usually end with the young assassin being killed. As the number of existing Master Assassins is so few, and their abilities so great, an assassin gaining the rank of master is a rare event.
The Master Assassins are the finest fighters in the world. There are very few Master Assassins. Many die during dangerous missions, hunting the numerous enemies of the Dark Elf people. Some die fighting other Master Assassins, from rivalries fuelled by pride and arrogance. Some are even killed by their ambitious pupils, a casualty of the chaotic Dark Elf society.
In each city there are only a handful of Master Assassins. Each Dark Lord, Hag Queen and Sorcerer Lord of note has one Master Assassin working for them. Usually a Master Assassin is recruited to keep other Lords assassins from killing them. The Master Assassins are a deadly deterrent and are extremely loyal. Crone Hellebron employs Shadowblade as her personal assassin and the Witch King uses the services of Nighthawk, the successor of Urien Poisonblade. The names of the other Master Assassins are generally known only to their masters and other high ranking assassins and Lords. Occasionally a Master Assassin is sent into battle to kill an opposing character that is considered too dangerous for a lesser assassin to deal with.
| Profile | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
| Master Assassin | 5 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 10 |
Special Rules
Hate High Elves
Like all Dark Elves Master Assassins despise their kin and thus suffer from hated as described in the Warhammer Rulebook.
Assassin Rules
Dark Elf Master Assassins use all the regular assassin rules. Dark Elf Master Assassins have poisoned weapons (D3 wounds when using non-magic weapons.) They may be set up normally or hidden in a unit. Unlike regular assassins Master Assassins can be placed with any unit although they may only be hidden in a unit of Dark Elf infantry like their counterparts. Dark Elf Master Assassins may not be hidden in a unit with another assassin in it. Dark Elf Master Assassins may not lead units. Has special first strike ability.
Whirling Blur of Death
Dark Elf Master Assassins can dodge and twist away from blows with an almost unnatural grace. As such they can dodge any attack made against them. This gives the Master Assassin a special 4+ save against hand to hand attack. This special save is taken before any other armour saves or special saves. The save does not protect the Assassin from shooting or magical spells.