Neeral's investigation doesn't turn up anything about how the hobgoblin assassin got into the city or where he was hiding during his time here. According to the spymaster, he was part of or allied with the same tribe of goblins that attacked for reasons of revenge, and has no known connections to the cultists. His monastic training and apparent ki powers were different from the rest of the assassins there, though. Neeral's inquiries into where he learned his shadow powers turn up several possibilities, none of them nearby and half of them hostile. Disregarding the monasteries of northern Yenelas where she herself trained, four viable options are presented. Ithezras, to the north, is said to have secret monasteries open only to certain bloodlines. According to legend, monks trained there learn powers relating to serpents. In certain parts of Bror, to the far south, there are supposed to be hermitages whose training strongly resembles to monastic. In Eastern Athas, the region known as Skath is home to all manner of strange mystical beings of shadow. Nobody is entirely clear on what happens over there, though the local bard college apparently has a sister branch in the area. Finally, to the southwest, parts of Balebornia are supposed to be dedicated to personal enlightenment, and monks trained mentor-to-pupil are common there, though few dedicated training monasteries exist.
