From Introduction:
Trained as infiltrators, deal-brokers, and assassins, the Genja Kesh represent the dark face of an oppressed elven people. Their methods are those of a serpent – crafty, patient, and ultimately opportunistic. Initiates of the Genja Kesh train in the arts of stealth and poison, even to the point of infusing their bodies with magical toxins.
The typical agent of the Genja Kesh views himself as a freedom fighter against the decadent rule of the elven elders. Elves, half-elves, and humans who discreetly oppose the elvish rule sometimes find themselves tested by the Genja Kesh. Hired for a simple job, during which they discover their mission and the alleigiances of those on both sides are hidden in layers of deception, the potential agent must escape the trap and still complete his mission, or at least come out of the conflict alive without being too heavy-handed.
If he passes the test, the potential is contacted by a current agent who gives him poison, instructions on how to build up a tolerance, and instructions on his first mission. Few agents of the Genja Kesh ever are aware of the chain of command, and those who cannot handle the demands of secrecy are not worth recruiting.