Emerald Guard

The Emerald Guard are bodyguards, assassins, and warrior diplomats of the Emerald Empire, and the loyal servants of the Guanyin Dynasty. They are Path of Gray personified, willing to use both diplomacy and violence when necessary to maintain peace. They are equally as capable of peacekeeping as they are assassination. They use Heavenly Strike style, a martial arts system which is focused on straight-forward, highly damaging strikes mixed with some acrobatic moves for dodging. The style is focused on direct strikes to vital areas, catching limbs and breaking them, and pinpointing weakness within the enemy's body.

History

The Emerald Guard are an organization with ties to the origin of Kun'lao and the Guanyin Dynasty. They originate from the original Emerald Empress' inner circle, which according to legend was made up of virtuous diplomat assassins. The Emerald Guard continue the tradition set y the first emperor's inner circle. For generations, they have been acting as the first and last line of defense for the Imperial Capital. When needed, they act out political assassinations. They act as bodyguards for the Guanyin Dynasty as well, and are fanatically loyal to them. When conflict breaks out between major islands or political actors in Kun'lao, the Emerald Guard are sent out to try and cultivate peace.

The Emerald Guard has nearly been wiped out at least 3 times. In the 2nd Era, as Kun'lao was nearly torn apart by bandits, warlords, and pirates- the Emerald Guard were slowly whittled down as they were spread out trying to keep the peace. It took the rise of the 8 Heavenly Cities to finally give the organization room to recover. The 4th Era also saw the Emerald Guard nearly destroyed during the Conquest of the Core in the war against the Holy Samurai Empire. However, at no time was the Emerald Guard more volitile than in the 3rd Era, when the Emerald Guard was actually wiped out by the Order of the Scorpion. When the Guanyin Dynasty finally returned to power after the defeat of Guan Zhou, a new Emerald Guard was fostered using the historical and cultural records left behind in the Imperial Capital.

Today, the Emerald Guard are strong and numerous. In many ways, they are healthier as a martial arts sect than every before. They loyally carry out their duties across Kun'lao.

Culture

Emerald Guard are picked from the most prospects of the Imperial Capital's security forces. While the Imperial Capital has no military, it has no shortage of potential talent. I addition, there are numerous noble families that cultivate powerful fighters. Those who are seen as having the highest potential and brought to a deserted island located somewhere in Kun'lao's Midsphere. There, the Emerald Guard typically train a group of around 10 or 12 recruits. The training is brutal. Emerald Guard learn everything from political theory to Heavenly Strike martial arts, a deadly assassination art. It is not uncommon for those involved in the training to quit, or die of exhaustion. These would be the most lucky recruits. The training eventually ends in a tournament among the last recruits, with the battles being to the death. Potential recruits are locked in a pit through a series of 1 on 1 battles until there are only 2 survivors. These 2 survivors will then be accepted into the Emerald Guard.

Emerald Guard are typically spotted either alone or in groups of 2 or 3 around members of the Guanyin Dynasty. They typically hide their faces, and wield any number of deadly weaponry. Their presence outside of the Imperial Capital is considered a bad omen, it typically either means that they are there to kill a target or try and prevent a great conflict from breaking out.

As expected, the Emerald Guard are extremely loyal to the Guanyin Family. Many consider them fanatical- no doubt a result of their extreme and gruesome training. With that said, there have been cases of Emerald Guard betraying the order. Typically, such schisms almost always result in terrible bloodshed.

Membership

The Emerald Guard do have ranks, although these rankings are few in number. Emerald Guard often work alone, and the chain of command is rarely important save for when the Grandmaster

• Emerald Brother/Sister: The default ranking for an Emerald Guard. Pretty much all members of the organization are of this rank.

• Chronicler: Typically a veteran member of the Emerald Guard. There is typically only one Chronicler active at a time. Chroniclers are responsible for keeping records of Emerald Guard activity, maintaining contact with the Guanyin Dunasty, and handing out missions to members of the Emerald Guard.

• Grandmaster: Typically a title reserved for the oldest member of the Emerald Guard. In reality, this is the member of the Emerald Guard tasked with training new recruits. Actual commands, management, and punishments are handled by the Chronicler. Despite this, the Grandmaster is nonetheless considered the most respected member of the Emerald Guard.

Qi Abilities

The following are examples of prominent Qi techniques often used by the Emerald Guard. Note that this list is not comprehensive, and actual abilities can vary wildly.

• Enhancement Style - God Eye: Almost mandatory among members of the Emerald Guard, as the technique is essential to mastering Heavenly Strike and part of Emerald Guard training. God Eye allows for one to pin point "weaknesses" in the Qi flow of their targets. Through hitting these weak points, Emerald Guards can not only stop Qi flow, but strike secret points of weakness across the target's body. God Eye allows for Emerald Guard to act as deadly and efficient assassins, as they can typically spot a weakness that will allow them to kill a target with a single strike thanks to this technique.