Sentinel

Blades of The People

### Date Founded

Unclear due to their many transitional periods. Their first predecessors became organized around 130 CE

### Territories

Global

**Sentinel** is an organization spread out across the world and dedicated to being its defenders in the shadows, targeting tyranny and injustice. Originally mercenaries who shifted from serving as contractors to different states to supporters of rebel causes and dedicating their time to be serving the commoners than the ruling elite as the "Blades of the People". The early Sentinel were targeted by those in power as they gradually saw them as a threat, which resulted in the organization "Erasing" themselves from the world and adopting a discreet existence that they continue preserving today. While the Blades of the People are relegated as a page in history long past, the Sentinel continues their vigil.

## History

Sentinel has its origins as one of the military forces who worked for but were not actually part of Rome. They helped fight foreign enemies as well as fighting off any pirates and brigands foolish enough to attempt to raid Roman trade and supply routes. In return they received riches and a fair amount of prestige.

Around 11 CE, they gained a leader with intense ideals about how they should instead serve the people. The army had amassed considerable wealth thanks to their greater familiarity with magic than many other factions. He ordered that this wealth be stockpiled and used to spread their influence, letting them set out a bit more on their own rather than being dependent on a single employer.

They continued to take on mercenary work but focused on protective jobs rather than helping raids or invasions and the like. They also began setting up more permanent presences in other countries that they traveled to. By 130 CE they had become a power of their own and were more devoted than ever to the people. Most rulers scoffed at them but some at least found them useful enough to turn a blind eye while they cleared out brigands and the like from their territories.

For a long time they worked as the Blades of the People. Relatively small but highly skilled factions spread across the known world. However this didn't last forever. An organization such as they who so blatantly favored the people over their "betters" naturally made many powerful enemies.

They were not entirely infallible either. Sometimes they would support a doomed rebellion like the Yellow Turbans, sometimes they'd assist in failed assassinations on tyrants, sometimes branches would just become too corrupt or inefficient for even the people to support anymore. They were beginning to fall out of favor and by year 940, most rulers ordered them eradicated and struck from the record so their own people wouldn't try to do the same thing again.

Fortunately around this time they were led by a fairly flexible grand leader. He recognized the trend of what was going on and ordered that all fortifications and settlements be abandoned. They could not take on a world turned against them head on, but if they became like shadows then they would not have to. The Blades of the People transitioned into an organization built on espionage and secrecy.

Still though their situation worsened. Becoming a shadowy group of assassins and saboteurs had not improved their reputation. They no longer had a public face and grew a reputation as dangerous deranged killers. Many people both noble and commoner feared them and any operations that were discovered were destroyed.

They may have been eliminated entirely if it weren't for the next successor to the faction building on her predecessor's work. She ordered that their best agents hunt down and destroy any remaining records of the group that they could find. Then for the remainder of her leadership she simply ordered them all to lay low. The Blades eventually became mere rumors as their actions ceased and writing on them was extremely rare.

In this way they became secret not only in operation but their very existence and this allowed her successors to operate much more freely. They set up businesses with the wealth they had amassed so as to maintain their wealth without needing to rely on external payment. Over time they came to call themselves "Sentinels" as no longer were they wielded as blades of the people but rather acted as silent guardians.

They have continued to spread across the globe and now have a presence in every continent. There are legends of them still but only trusted allies and the highest ranks of magical organizations can say with any certainty what is truly the case. That humanity has an entire globally spanning organization dedicated to their protection regardless of border, race, or religion.

Although the very nature of the organization makes symbols an uncommon sight, they do have an emblem. Something that can be used for agents unfamiliar with each other to recognize the other as a fellow agent. Along with codes and such that are usually agreed on ahead of time. It's meant to represent their role in defending the world and also pays homage to their days as the Blades of the People

## Organizational Structure

### Director

The entire organization is overlooked by a director whose identity is unknown to most of their subordinates. They have final say, theoretically on any decision but most day-to-day things are handled by those lower in the ranks.

### Vice-Director

The director's second. When the director needs to give orders to the lower ranks, the vice-director passes on the order so as to maintain the anonymity of the overall leader of Sentinel. They also have authority to give out their own orders within reason.

### Regional Heads

A single man or woman cannot overlook the entire world and as such there is regional leadership that has command over agents in specific countries or other types of regions. These leaders are some of the only people who know the identity of the director. They are chosen for life or until deposed and are chosen by the region they lead.

### The Council

An advisory group that is made up of every regional head. It has little official power but is often consulted by the director. When a director dies or is deemed unsuitable for command they have a pre-prepared choice of replacement that is sent to the council, the council then votes on this candidate. If they vote against the director's choice of successor then each member proposes their own candidate. To keep things honest, council members cannot submit themselves or other members as candidates.

### Squad Leaders

Beneath the regional heads are commanders who are either chosen by regional leaders to command local squads or are in charge of more mobile agents and squads who don't stick to a single region. Mobile squads take their assignments from the council or the vice-director

### Agent

The most common rank. Agents carry out the orders of the higher ups. They can work in squads or independently, in a region or globally, etc.

### Informant, Contact, etc

People who aren't actually part of Sentinel but are aligned with them. Smugglers, spies, and more. They generally are contacted by the same 1-3 agents when business needs to be conducted so that they recognize as few members of Sentinel as possible.

Joining sentinel isn't something one can exactly seek out in most cases. Instead most are born into it or must be scouted, thoroughly vetted, and sponsored by an existing agent. At this point those who accept the invitation are put through training that varies by region and department. Tests of loyalty and character are secretly spread throughout training to ensure they do not recruit brutes or future traitors.

### The Sentinel Uniform

Despite the name, the Sentinel uniform tends to have a lot of variety. Most often it is worn as a suit or a dress but members can request whatever design they like as long as it remains practical. About 1000 years ago the finest artificers of the organization discovered how to weave special materials together with magic to create clothes that look and feel normal but are highly protective. The uniform can resist bullets, spells, knives, etc.

### Vanguard

The Sentinel vanguard is a defense type piece of equipment. It's made with durable plasteel frames and manaweave canvas to appear as an umbrella and provide greater defense than the Sentinel uniform. In addition the inside of the umbrella can turn transparent so that the user does not have to sacrifice vision for defense. The vanguard is mostly meant as a shield against projectiles but has also found great uses as a melee weapon and is able to fire projectiles of its own from the tip, most often rubber bullets

### Watcher

The aptly named Watcher wristwatch has a dart launcher hidden inside it that can fire small but sharp darts often filled with venom of some sort. Effects can vary from being lethal, to knocking out, to disorientation, to amnesia.

### Stormneedle

A disguised pen design inspired by the shockpen used by a certain Southeast Asian mage group. Unlike the original design that it is based on,  the Stormneedle is meant to be used more as a handheld EMP that stops electronics from working once touched with it. It can still be used against people but unlike the Shiai-shi counterpart is not really lethal.

### Bladerunners

Retractable blades hidden within the soles of shoes worn by Sentinel agents. They are primarily meant to be used as surprise weapons against enemies who have no idea about them or as a secret tool to cut out off or through things. Some members modify theirs to also be venomous.

### Dealmaker

The Dealmaker is made to look like a briefcase with its main purpose being to hide a weapon inside and, if it is a gun, to fire it without needing to open the case. There is also a variation meant to get past metal detectors and such that fires magic bullets instead. In addition to its offensive capabilities the dealmaker has a foldable covering that can expand to act as a light but large shield covering most of the user's body. The dealmaker is partially see-through from the user's perspective to grant protection without sacrificing too much vision.

### Ironclad

A design contributed by armory associate, Antonia Monomiki. The ironclad is another mystic code meant to look like a wristwatch and remain undetected until use. It is less subtle than the watcher, meant more for combat. The ironclad once activated covers the wearer's hand in armor tougher than even the Sentinel uniform and is capable of casting offensive spells, some lethal some not.

### Hidden Blade

One of the more mundane pieces of equipment used by Sentinel agents, most often used by agents feigning weakness such as old age or crippling injuries. It is the classic cane sword. Standard issue ones are not special aside from being of particularly high quality, however agents may request customization such as spells applied to the blade. Many of the cane swords carried by agents are completely metal in order to avoid suspicion when passing through metal detectors. Agents who cary one are also trained in using the cane itself as a weapon incase of situations where a non-bladed weapon would be better.

### Shroud

An item made for stealth operations. It's a cloak or a blanket meant to cover a single agent plus their equipment. The shroud automatically adapts to its surroundings to camouflage the wearer. It also prevents magical energy from leaking out and absorbs sound. It is unfortunately not made of the same materials as the Sentinel uniform and can be more easily damaged, which is why it's usually worn over the uniform.

### Light Up

A piece of equipment usually disguised as a lighter. The light up comes in three variations: flamethrower, grenade, and flashbang. A special activation process is required to activate the light up, otherwise it just acts as a normal lighter.

### Death's Band

A tool for subtle assassination. Death's band, or the death band, is disguised as a ring. Upon activation the ring parts and reveals a needle carrying a venom or poison of choice. This can be used to administer toxins more subtly than with the blade runner, being able to administer it in drinks or to pierce a target and hide the blade by the time they react to the price of the needle. It is single use however, due to the small size.

### Seers

Contact lenses worn by many Sentinel agents on missions. They have a variety of utility uses. They allow users to see through objects including walls, identify and translate languages, tag important things, zoom in, and quickly identify people of interest. They also have shared perception spells useful for group missions being able to look through a teammate's eyes, send "footage" back to HQ, and transmit visual information

### Mimicry

An artifact meant to record and playback audio. It can create a database of sounds that it is exposed to and then make that sound. It is also capable of throwing this noise, making it sound like the noise came from a different direction. This can be used as a distraction, to record audio information, etc. there are two variations to this. One version appears as a pin and possesses a larger amount of features. The second version takes the form of a pill, it cannot record any new noises once swallowed nor can it throw noises but it is very specialized in mimicking voices, a useful tool for masters of disguise.

### Skeleton Key

The sentinel Skeleton Key usually appears as a small sphere of metal. The purpose of this sphere only becomes clear when around physical locks. Upon activation the metal shifts from its sphere form and takes on the shape of a key. At first the key isn't actually fitted for any lock but upon being inserted into a lock it automatically senses the mechanisms of the lock and further alters its shape to fit the lock. It is also meant to seek out and help the agent disarm any defensive spells connected to the lock. This allows Sentinel agents to enter any locked door that uses a key. It is unfortunately not as useful against more modernized targets and locations that use keypads instead, however the stormneedle can often make up for this.

## Members

* Clara "Crosshair" Silva - Havoc Squad Leader (Alternate Timeline Clara "Crosshair" Agnote)
* "Agent Twilight"