Cleansing Blade

The Cleansing Blade is a military order with roots stretching into 's ancient history, tracing back to a time before the formation of the . A clandestine order of warriors, spies, and assassins, the Cleansing Blade's exploits were the subject of legends; its members targeted criminals, warlords, and that grew too powerful or corrupt. The Blade was persecuted to near extinction after the by forces loyal to the new Covenant theocracy and its very memory was suppressed in the following centuries by religious edicts and decrees. Though the Blade survived the purge, it clung to existence as only a shadow of its former self and was able to truly reemerge only in the wake of the and the onset of the . Using the chaos of the war to regain some of its old power, the Cleansing Blade was ultimately reinvented under the leadership of rogue warrior Shinsu 'Refum. 'Refum organized the Blade in opposition to both the -based provisional government and encroaching alien forces from beyond Sanghelios. The Blade remained loyal to 'Refum in his self-imposed exile from Sanghelios and covertly integrated itself into 's Storm Covenant. Following the Covenant's collapse and the onset of the dominion, the Blade retreated to the edges of known space and organized a campaign of resistance against the galaxy's self-proclaimed caretakers.
==History==
===Pre-Covenant Era===
In ancient times, centuries before the formation of the , existed in a state of perpetual war. Clans and keeps warred against each other in an endless battle for power and survival, giving rise to the great legends that would fuel the Sangheili people's mythology and entrench their fabled warrior ethos as the highest ideal of their society. During this archaic period of strife and conquest, a mighty bloodline known as the Refum was betrayed by its allies and driven from its lands and keep. The survivors of this massacre fled into the wilderness, where they regrouped and forged alliances with other exiled and marginalized clans. Reacting against a world where violence and bloodshed had become ends in and of themselves, these outcasts took it upon themselves to bring justice to the warring clans, striking first against Refum's betrayers and then directing their legions of skilled and devoted warriors to bring order and justice to the rest of the planet. Dubbing themselves the "Cleansing Blade," this coalition eschewed many of the Sangheili people's feudal norms, discarding traditions of ceremonial warfare and honor in favor of such tactics as assassination, sabotage, and misdirection. Hated by the over-mighty clans they preyed on but admired by smaller keeps and the serf population, the Cleansing Blade established hidden sanctuaries across Sanghelios and brutally repelled any effort made to curb their activities, giving rise to many folk legends about their exploits. The Cleansing Blade played a key role in the conflicts that eventually brought stability to the Sangheili states, but faded from public memory amidst the era of peace they had helped create. Much of the order was disbanded, its warriors fading into the shadows, but the legend of the order's exploits continued in folk tales and oral traditions. An era of unity and prosperity would reign on Sanghelios until the and the formation of the Covenant centuries later.
Like many other secular aspects of Sanghelios's past, the history behind the Cleansing Blade was suppressed by the Covenant's theocratic regime in favor of a strong emphasis on the role of the transcended in bestowing their divine blessings on the Sangheili. Although remembered amongst the keeps and bloodlines of those who had once belonged to it—as well as in the folklore of Sanghelios's peasant villages—the Cleansing Blade's achievements drifted from history to myth, then on to faint legends. The Refum clan, its once-proud founders, drifted into poverty and destitution, their bloodline all but extinguished within the new political reality of the Covenant.
===Resurgence===
Following the crushing defeat of the Sons of the Preserving Blade militia at the hands of forces loyal to House Vadam, one of the group's surviving leaders fled into a mountain hideout once used by the ancient Cleansing Blade. Shinsu 'Refum, heir to the destroyed Refum bloodline, had read of the Cleansing Blade as a child and even sought to emulate the group while leading the Preserving Blade. Betrayed from all sides and utterly defeated in his efforts to avenge his clan against Vadam, Shinsu all but succumbed to despair and hoped to end his life amidst evidence of his anscestors' former glories. But his resolution to commit suicide faltered and he instead found renewed inspiration for resistance to Thel 'Vadam's leadership. Gathering the handful of warriors still loyal to him, Shinsu resolved to fight on through subterfuge and clandestine operations rather than the direct conflict that had failed so miserably with the Preserving Blade. To this end he resurrected the Cleansing Blade under his leadership, drawing like-minded warriors from among the ranks of the forces arrayed against Vadam and its allies. Realizing that nothing could be gained from remaining on Sanghelios, Shinsu knew that he would need to leave his homeworld and rally support elsewhere. After forging alliances with several minor keeps to ensure the Cleansing Blade could maintain some presence on the planet, Shinsu and the rest of his followers fled Sanghelios. They sought refuge with a new power emerging to defy both Vadam and the growing power of the UNSC: a reformed Covenant under the leadership of Jul 'Mdama.
Jul 'Mdama's rapidly growing Covenant was eager for fresh recruits, but Shinsu was not willing to settle for a subordinate role for himself and his followers. Using his reputation as a fierce guerilla warrior, Shinsu garnered an audience with Jul 'Mdama himself and stressed the need for the Covenant to expand its intelligence gathering capabilities. Intrigued but wary, 'Mdama ordered the upstart warrior to prove his military theories with decisive action. In a preview of battles to come, Shinsu led the fledgling Cleansing Blade in a covert raid on a Vadam shipyard; his small team of warriors made off with nearly a dozen enemy warships. Shinsu advertised himself to 'Mdama as a freethinking military adviser for an organization beset by older traditionalsts. He won officer positions for himself and key members of the Cleansing Blade and their efforts in organizing raiding operations proved crucial for the resurgent Covenant's growth into a military force to be reckoned with. Before long Shinsu was welcomed into Jul 'Mdama's inner circle as one of his key lieutenants, tasked with overseeing all of the Covenant's intelligence operations and clandestine activities.
Though Shinsu and his followers never sought to actively undermine the Covenant, their ideals were far from the religious fundamentalism preached by Jul 'Mdama, the so-called "Didact's Hand." The Cleansing Blade saw danger in both the Covenant's hardline traditionalism and the arbitrary, unfocused reforms championed by Thel 'Vadam--reforms with little purpose outside of entrenching the legitimacy of Vadam and its powerful allies on Sanghelios. Like his enemies in Vadam, Shinsu saw value in reforming Sangheili traditions and instructed his officers to study the tactics of such varied sources as Kig-Yar pirates and human special operations. However, he realized that the future of the Sangheili people would hinge on their ability to unify into a strong political and military force to face the challenges of a shifting, dangerous galaxy. Cleansing Blade officers used their positions to identify like-minded warriors from amongst the Covenant's recruits. In this manner the Cleansing Blade's numbers quietly swelled in the shadow of the Covenant's war against Vadam and the UNSC. Meanwhile, Cleansing Blade agents outside the Covenant spread out through Sangheili space and the frontier. With few organized rivals to oppose them, the Cleansing Blade soon commanded an impressive network of spies and supporters stretching from Sanghelios to the frontier and even human space.
War, as it turned out, was fertile ground for an aspiring military order to grow. Shinsu supported 'Mdama's campaigns while quietly finding ways to advance his own agenda. Warships declared destroyed or missing during naval engagements were secreted away to Cleansing Blade havens on the frontier as the organization slowly built up a small but agile naval force. Though outright alliances with keeps and ruling bloodlines would risk exposure, the Cleansing Blade swayed bloodline heirs and respected warriors to its cause in an effort
==Ideology==
Unlike counterpart Sangheili anti-government organizations such as Jul 'Mdama's Covenant or the Abiding Truth, the Cleansing Blade does not claim a single all-encompasing ideology to motivate its actions. While many identify it as a Sangheili supremacist organization, its alliances with non-Sangheili faction and its open recruitment of soldiers from other species suggest otherwise. Furthermore, the policies it enacts illustrate an organization more willing to cooperate with other races then dominate them, and Shinsu 'Refum's alliances with humans and various former Covenant races indicate more interest in cooperation and self-determination than in constructing a new, Sangheili-dominated galactic order.
While such a potent mix of conflicting ideologies might tear a lesser organization apart, the Cleansing Blade's paradoxical aims has actually proven beneficial to its growing power base, particularly in light of the Created ascendance. By making himself the fulcrum through which all faction leaders align themselves to the Blade's cause, Shinsu manages to balance conflicting long-term goals while ensuring that his followers cooperate for short-term mutual benefit.
==Organization==
When building the Cleansing Blade, Shinsu 'Refum drew on his experiences in both the Sons of the Preserving Blade militia and the Fallen separatist movement. His time as an officer in these movements had taught him that an entrenched insurgency on Sanghelios was ineffective as either a political or military strategy; likewise, any attempt at open warfare short of a massive, decisive assault would do little to further his initial aim to topple the government led by Thel 'Vadam. Thus, he organized the Blade as a highly mobile organization, relying on warships rather than planetary installations to coordinate its movements. Although Shinsu's manipulation of various species and factions would draw more conventional forces into the fold over time, the Cleansing Blade's most effective and recognizable elements are teams of highly skilled warriors deployed from light, stealth enabled ships such as Shinsu's flagship, the Cleansing Fire.
From the very beginning, Shinsu sought to establish connections within the highest levels of all major galactic governments. Dozens of his hand-picked followers spent years infiltrating military and political institutions on Sanghelios, providing him with priceless intelligence sources and even a degree of influence within the Sangheili government itself. The Blade's alliance with the Syndicate and incorporation of Insurrectionist elements have granted it similar connections within humanity's colonial governments, while Shinsu uses more direct methods to coerce politicians within weaker governments to align themselves with his cause. 
Aside from the principle military elements centered around Shinsu's inner circle, the Blade employs a network of isolated cells that act independently of each other, providing support for the organization's operations by procuring resources, recruiting new members, and gathering intelligence. Cells vary in size and importance and could range from groups of highly active agents operating in the galaxy's criminal underworld to patient sleeper agents within the Sangheili military, following the government's orders while waiting for orders to turn on their erstwhile leaders. When all is said and done, Shinsu's political connections and cell network give him and his allies access to enormous amounts of data on all aspects of galactic society to an extent that rival intelligence agencies of established governments.
===Funding===
Over the years of his self-imposed exile, Shinsu amassed an impressive array of sources to fund his renegade movement. The Cleansing Blade utilizes everything from public sector front corporations to marauding mercenary bands to fill its coffers, funneling credits through countless back channels stretching across nearly every system in the settled galaxy. The Blade's close working relationship with the Syndicate has allowed it to significantly expand its financial operations, and its network of agents within Interspecies Union governments ensures that most of these transactions escape the notice of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Large amounts of the vast sums collected by this incredibly efficient system go towards troop training and resource acquisition, but other portions are often diverted for secretive purposes unknown to any but Shinsu and his small inner circle.
===Inner Circle===
Although all members of the Cleansing Blade share Shinsu's vision of a galaxy purified of crime and corruption, he also maintains a small cadre of dedicated allies within the organization. Consisting of his finest warriors and most influential allies, Shinsu's inner circle is a unique brotherhood that dedicates itself to influencing the Sangheili people's progression and forging it into the most powerful race in the galaxy. Highly secretive, the inner circle reports exclusively to Shinsu and remains relatively unknown to the rest of the organization as it works towards his goals.
==Known Operatives==
*Shinsu 'Refum (leader of the Cleansing Blade)
*Umbra 'Vesic
*Pula 'Refum
*Yur 'Oltem
*Shur 'Vadum
*Inti 'Andal
*Mir 'Demal
*"Lens"
*Ro'nin (mercenary operative)
*Kenpachus (mercenary operative)
Category:AAO Factions