Jinyiwei

he Jinyiwei, or Fourteen Blades, are the Tianlong Dynasty's answer to the question 'Who watches the Watchmen?'

Sometimes referred to as the 'The Emperor's Tail', 'The Emperor's Bodyguards', and 'The Emperor's Magistrates', the Jinyiwei have been celebrated in popular storytelling for many centuries. A good Tian Xian Ghost story is just as likely to feature a member of the Jinyiwei as it is a Yi Jing Exorcist. The stories inevitably feature colourful and unlikely protagonists with extreme levels of skill battling unlikely demons. A role which, to be fair, a small percentage of the Jinyiwei are called upon to perform in the defense of the empire's stability.

In truth the Jinyiwei form a complex organisation, with a wide range of activities, making them more akin to a secret police than a military unit. The Jinyiwei have two broad areas of interest: magical threats, and threats to the heart of empire via corruption or treason.

Thus, the Fourteen Blades are loosely separated into two primary sections: The Blades Which Preserve Balance, dealing mostly with magical threats; The Blades Which Pierce Deceit, dealing mostly with uncovering corruption and treasonous activity.

Recruitment

The Jinyiwei are recruited through numerous means, but the most common method of entry into its elite ranks tend to be one of three primary paths:

• Exceptionally gifted Magistrates and Magistrate Examinees
• Talented graduates of the Imperial University of Magical Studies
• Members of the military who show exceptional ability in their duties

Training

However an individual comes to the attention of the Jinyiwei, those deemed worthy of making an application to the ranks are typically provided a grant to take on additional training and examination to determine if they qualify for entry into the Jinyiwei. Training for the Jinyiwei is tailored to the individual, focusing not on their already acknowledged strengths, but rather on the areas in which they are lacking.

A knowledgeable magistrate with a keen insight for analysing the smallest details of an investigation would find their training to be more on the physical side. A skilled soldier might find themselves poring over the laws of Tian Xia and learning methods of memory retention and how to understand the hidden language of non-verbal cues.

The training also helps to determine if the applicant is also mentally and emotionally suited to the harsh and unending role of the Jinyiwei, which could be more rightly called a way of life than a simple job.

It is said of the Jinyiwei: "The sword is never sheathed, and only ceases being a sword when the blade breaks." Few Jinyiwei die of old age.

Emperor's Chosen: The Dragon Guard and the Blood of the Tianlong

In principal, all Jinyiwei are equal in status. There is, however, a faction within the Jinyiwei who are trusted above all others: the incorruptible Dragon Guard.

Those Jinyiwei whose devotion to the Emperor is without question are offered the privilege of imbibing an alchemical mixture containing blood of each of the Tianlong. Those who take the blood of the Tianlong into their systems are given absolute trust, and the privilege of becoming part of the Imperial Household.

But this privilege comes at a cost: the mixture, whose ingredients and composition is known only to the Tianlong, creates a permanent physiological change within those who drink it. A Dragon Guard's thoughts can never be concealed from any of the Tianlong shifters. Their minds, thoughts, and emotions are an open book which the Tianlong can read at will. Dragon Guard will register to those whose senses are attuned to Astral energies. Those Jinyiwei who have drunk 'The Blood of the Tianlong' also develop a golden sheen to their eyes. It is almost impossible, short of powerful illusory magic, for a Jinyiwei to hide this discolouration which marks them out as a member of the Dragon Guard.

It is typical for each Tianlong shifter to have a pair of Dragon Guard as part of their formal entourage, and any investigations into treason or corruption are inevitably headed by one of the incorruptible Dragon Guard.

However, those Jinyiwei who do not partake of the mixture are in no way discriminated against. Some Jinyiwei in fact, whose strengths lend themselves to stealth, are discouraged from becoming Dragon Guard due to their subsequent visibility on the Astral spectrums.

Organisation Structure

The Blades Which Preserve Balance

This section is where the most physically and magically capable of the Jinyiwei tend to be assigned. These Jinyiwei are responsible for the capture, containment, or destruction of the supernatural entities which serve to threaten the empire's stability.

• Yaoguai (malevolent ghosts)

• Shifters

• Monsters

• Rogue Martial Artists

• Magic Users guilty of violent crimes

• Magic Users guilty of serious non-violent crimes

• Corruption in the Ministry of Astral Affairs

• Bodyguards to the emperor

The Blades Which Pierce Deceit

This section tends to be filled with talents related to investigation and analysis, and are responsible for investigating treasonous and corrupt activities within the government itself. However, the physical training required to achieve entrance even into this section puts the Jinyiwei at above the average level of the vast majority of bureaucrats

• Deaths and Disappearances of government officials

• Corruption in the Secretariat and Edict Examination Bureau

• Corruption in the Ministry of Personnel

• Corruption in the Ministries of Revenue and Works

• Corruption in the Ministry of Justice

• Corruption in the Ministry of Defence