Zhǒng Zi
Zhǒng zi is a clandestine occult faction that seeks understand the unexplainable, categorize the bizarre, and otherwise access the ephemeral systematically.
Structure
They have research teams, a small number of seasoned commandos, and a handful of operatives that work alone.
No one knows the full extent of their organization and influence and they operate like an academic phantom cell organization. Outside of Chugoku, they utilize a decentralized, cellular structure with loosely connected compartments, where individual cells operate independently with limited knowledge of the wider group, making it difficult to disrupt the entire network by targeting one single point; this structure is often described as a "hive" or "network" model, allowing for greater resilience and adaptability in the face of the Temple's counter occultist efforts.
In Chugoku, though, they have several buildings that are well guarded to house relics and magical artifacts. These buildings are unlabeled and many are located underground. But these depositories of information are extremely well organized and monitored.
There are rumors that they are state funded or the black ops arm of Nakado University, but you would be hard pressed to find any documentation to support these conspiracy theories.
Culture
Due to the control of magic and the occult by their rivals, The Temple of the Undying Sun, Zhǒng Zi operates in the shadows to uncover and preserve knowledge and items of supernatural provenance. While they don't appear to be a large organization, due to the knowledge and rare supernatural objects that they collect, they are surprisingly powerful.
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