The Qigekki are an elite mostly female(around 99%) order
of warrior Inquisitors within the Zhu Empire. Chosen by genetic mutation they
all share characterized by more wild and powerful chi than usual, they are
trained from the onset of puberty in various special camps around the empire.
These harsh and brutal camps train them in the ways of the warrior and
condition them into seeing themselves as the wrath of the religion, something
them and the squad they are put into are expected to take into their daily
life. Their purpose is to combat threats to the religion as well as general
things that are against it, from demons and rebel cults to heretical citizens
spreading their ideas. They are sent as small squads to do various missions,
with countless operations going on each year all across the world and beyond,
at least one of the squads on a mission each week. They are sent out on
missions that range from the quick exterminating a small cult, to more long
term jobs sending them to temporary hide outs or traveling in foreign lands for
extended periods. Outside of missions they are expected to watch out for and
take care of threats to the faith, killing any proven cultists, demons, or anti
zhu rebels they find. If they simply suspect someone of connection to such
things or of general heresy and trying to incite people against the religion
they can bring people into regional Qigekki grounds for trial. No one can
refuse and not cooperating grants the Qigekki the right to kill the person on
the spot with no legal consequences, as well as putting on trial or killing any
others who interfere. The sole exceptions are nobles who can force a Qigekki to
halt for one day, after which if no word from command they can continue to
their jobs no matter what the noble says. Regional nobles and above can’t be
confronted by normal Qigekki and after evidence is collected, must be dealt
with by Regional Command or the High Council, the latter of which has the
authority to force even the Imperial family to do tests of faith or put them on
trial with an unanimous vote. Qigekki of all levels are exempt from all
authorities baring the Qigekki Order and the Empress herself, and any problems
with them must be taken to the High Council who run and govern over the Qigekki
. The government otherwise has no hold over them, and they expected to do
whatever must be done to fulfill their tasks, something that makes them both
feared and heavily respected within society.
Duties:
Protect Zhu: It the priority of any Qigekki regardless of rank
or type to protect Zhu by any and all costs. This refers to protection in a big
picture sense, but some Qigekki take this on a more local level and take it as
their duty to always protect people from threats if they are nearby. This does
not speak the Empire itself, but of the species in whatever form is best for
it.
Cleanse Corruption: There are natural enemies of the sea and
chi and their corruption threatens to damage the environment as well as the
hearts of people. A Qigekki must remove both before they spread too far, and
look into any reports of it.
Protect The Faith: A Qigekki is to always protect the faith,
from threats that seek to destroy or disrupt it. Those who seek to do so should
be shown no mercy and do not deserve the honor of a trial.
Enforce The Faith: A Qigekki most enforce living by the
standards of the Great Mother and her prophets when she sees the opposite
happening. Warnings for minor mess ups such as slight blasphemous speak or
ill-suited actions, and trails for those she suspects are more sinister.
Embody The Faith: A Qigekki should be a living embodiment of
the 5 tenets of faiths to set an example for all those around them.
Five Tenets of Faith:
The core tenets of the kind of person a devout child of the
Great Mother should be. How exactly to embody them is up to interpretation as
there is no official direction for them.
Strength: Weakness in all of its forms is to be challenged
and overcome and not allowed to fester within one's body, mind, or soul. To
accept the weakness within is to fail the Great mother and accept dishonor.
Courage: Never allow fear to take hold of your mind, one
must fight through it and continue on with whatever causes them distress. To
follow Zhu is never whimper in the face of fear, but to bear your fangs and
destroy it.
Loyalty: Blood may be thicker than water but Loyalty is
stronger than blood. Your loyalty must be the most sacred bond you have no
matter who it may be too. When you swear loyalty you must stay true to it as
long as it stays honorable, the faith and those who you are loyal to must take
precedence over any others.
Honor: The most important of all tenets is to be an
honorable person at all times. To disregard Honor is to forsake the Great
mother and be a blight on society and those above you. Even in the face of
certain death, Honor must be maintained for the integrity of one's soul is more
important than the vessel of flesh
Discipline: Having control over one’s life, keeping yourself
balanced in the aspects that form a proper Zhu. You must be able to control
your emotions and reign yourself in when needed, or have the strength of will
to force yourself to learn how. You don't abandon tasks of import and force
yourself to see them through to the end. You must be in complete control and no
instincts or circumstances should win over your mind unless you want them to.
Qigekki:
Qigekki Warrior: The most common type of Qigekki is the
Qigekki Warrior, the Death Dealers of the Great Mother. Split into squads these
are the Qigekki that undertake the various missions given by their commanders
and are who drags people off for trials and on occasion slays people in the
middle of a street. Any large scale combat operation fill be filled with them
as there are essentially the military of the Zhu religion. Their primary focus
is to take up the various missions given to them and follow up on local
reports, but they are also told to handle any relevant problem that they happen
to come across as they see fit.
Qigekki Guard: A type of Qigekki trained to defend things
and areas as their primary focus. They get moved around a lot but their focus
is watching over and protecting holy sites, artifacts of religious significance,
and serve as security for large scale religious events. In ancient times they
were the bodyguards of the prophet herself and as such it is a position of high
regard, these Qigekki don’t involve themselves in trials and have the authority
to kill anyone to protect what they are watching over, told to never given more
than one warning from a distance. They don’t guard the Qigekki buildings as
that task tends to fall to the Qigekki Warriors.
Qitontai: They are the Qigekki of the shadows; they start
off in the same camps but are quickly moved into a more hidden location for
special training. While the rest of the Order reacts to threats to the faith
they are tasked with preemptively taking them out before they can become a
proper threat. They are spies and assassins and most are unknown to all but the
High Council until after their death and sometimes their retirement if they
gain considerable honors.
Qigekki Guide: While still combat trained these Qigekki
focus more on the spiritual side of things and often are taught various magics
in addition to their chi abilities. As their name implies they help guide
others on the proper path, and maintain the various holy sites, they are also
called on to battle spirits. Their most important job is creating and altering
the Tests of Faith, physical and spiritual trials the Qigekki sometimes force
people to go through testing both their fortitude and their will/faith in the
Goddess.
Command: Various Commanders and the people apprenticing to
replace them and other officers. They mostly work within a large building
within each sector where they sort out the various missions and assign Qigekki
squads to deal with it, or post open ones. They control the various operations
and collect the evidence found against people, these are always older Qigekki
though very promising young ones tend to work alongside them in directing other
Qigekki around. The majority of trials are presided over by them.
The High Council: Above the sector command is the Qigekki
High Council. These are the 11 Qigekki in charge of the entire order and have
the final say in all of the affairs. Any actions against a high ranking noble
has to be approved by them, and with an unanimous agreement they can even put
the Empress herself on trial. They are in the position until death in which new
ones are chosen by the High Priestess upon approval of the Empress and
Matriarch. If those three also agree they are capable of removing the Council
and replacing them.
