The Divine Swords

Though not a large part of the military, the Divine Swords are the 'Shinobi' in service of Rong, yet more importantly they are a holy order, in service to the Chant and it's lofted servants. They are a fearsome force as they follow the ideals of the Chant without question, making them feared and hated in secret by the others in Rong. They are relentless fighters that are devoted to making the Chant spread to all the corners of the world using whatever methods they deem acceptable in accordance with the different facets of the Chant itself, leading to what an outsider would see as merely a change in gear, but in reality is an internal schism between the different factions present within the organization known as the Divine Swords.

## The Origin of the Divine Swords

A point for some of the greatest contention within the Divine Swords themselves is that of their own origin. Shrouded in mystery and almost entirely lost to time, the Divine Swords themselves know little of their past. Many owing any they know of the rise and nearly 1300 year long history of their clandestine organization to the words of myth and folktales, or spoken history passed down by the eldest of living Divini or High Priests that are almost simultaneously as ludicrously unbelievable as they are entirely probable. Despite this fact, there a few keys points that seem to be widely agreed upon by all without contention.

It is without contention that the Divine Swords were stood up following the revelations of the Divini Su and the Birth of Rong. An order first believed to have been setup to provide protection for the many priests of the fledgling Chant as they spread its holy word to all that could be reached, some of which were less than welcoming to the word that would secure them a place at the Makers side. It is from here on that the stories of the Divine Swords diverge, end abruptly, or simply putter out to nothing leaving massive gaps in their records and room for dangerous interpretations of their true purpose.

### The Schism

Though scarcely spoken of even between Divine Swords of the same factions, it is a widely believed yet almost unanimously ignored fact that the very organization they serve, that the Chant itself caused what was likely the largest and most costly conflict in Rong history to date. A Schism of such magnitude that what little has been recovered and spread before the disappearance of those insane enough to search lists death tolls for single engagements larger than some of Rongs most recent wars combined. Losses so astoundingly large, suffered in such short time periods that any who have been told such tales almost instantly write off the stories as hoaxes.

The Schism itself was believed to have been caused by a fundamental disagreement between two living Divini of such regard that the nation of Rong itself split with them. Resonating out from the center of the Grand Temple of Zhao itself, entire cities joined one side or the other, armies of soldiers separated in the middle of marches and marshaling, and the Divine Swords themselves came to a bloody and almost complete destruction in the opening hours of the Schism.

Rumors of the schism between the Divini and their holy order of protectors quickly spread through Zhao, spreading first uncertainty among the populace and their average hosts of soldiers meant to protect them before a fevered madness seemed to engulf the city as smoke and fire rose from the Grand Temple of the Chant. The city tore itself apart, citizens on citizens and soldiers on soldiers as the devout were forced to choose a side in the hopes of surviving the chaos. Quickly, with those that escaped and those that set out to bring more to their side of the schism, word spread and the country itself was embroiled in a civil war of such scale that it likely---

The Divine Swords, once sworn protectors of the Priests and most high Divini, found themselves turning upon one another and those they were meant to protect in the opening hours of the Schism. Small bouts of combat broke out in the many rooms of the Great Temple, valiant defenses of those they were sworn to took place against astounding odds, and a majority of the Divine Swords within the Grand Temple, a large portion of the organization at the time, were lost due to the fact that they were not the only combatants present at the time of the Schism. They shared the sacred duty of protecting the Temple and those within with city guard, of which they were very much outnumbered within the walls of their holy sanctum. It is believed that this is the reason why no common soldiers are allowed to enter the Grand Temple with a weapon, only Divine Swords are allowed to be within its sanctified walls armed and combat ready. Though of course, this is unconfirmed.

The Schism itself spread, and the country fell into a war of unseen proportions both within its borders and anywhere outside since the beginning of time and still to this day. Or so it is claimed.

### Reconstruction

Lost, like so much of the history of Rong and then specifically that of the Divine Swords, the conclusion of the great Schism is entirely unknown. Whether a purposeful destruction of knowledge to keep the revelations that caused the Schism from every being found once more, or some other, unknown purpose by what is assumed to be one victor, the true winner is lost for what can only be assumed as forever.

Following the end of the conflict, the Divine Swords set about rebuilding their holy order. Recruiting in numbers yet unheard of from the common folk of the nation and the soldiery alike. Their numbers began to stabilize to pre-Schism strength. As the holy order of warriors numbers approached their strength of old, the first and only truly recorded piece of history of the Divine Swords took place. The Divine Swords, still wary of the massive conflict, came themselves to a schism of ideas. Refusing this time however to come to open conflict over a difference in ideals, the Divine Swords agreed to split peacefully, retaining an appearance as a cohesive organization to the outside world while internally becoming a fractured and bickering entity, content to disagree, slow, stonewall, and even outright kill one another quietly as long as the Chant was upheld and their nation knew none the wiser to their issues.

## Factions

A direct result of the reconstruction of the Divine Swords, factions began to appear as different groups within the organization interpreted their duty to the Chant, and even the Chant itself, differently from others. Factions can vary from simple ideological differences leading to little issue between such groups, to extreme interpretations of the Chant and their holy duty to those they serve, leading to outright dissent between groups and on many occasions even shadow conflicts to settle disputes. Though many factions feel strongly for their views, *almost* all factions are willing to work with those from a separate faction in order to further the Chant and Rong as a whole, setting aside differences when needed.

### Prolepticalists

> "True faith shall bind us, and true swords shall guide us."
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Prolepticalists believe, to the most degree, exactly what the Chant tells them. They follow the three pillars of the Chant almost exactly, carry out their sworn duty to the exact parameters of their oaths of service to the Chant, and view those that step outside the Chants doctrine as deviant at best and heretical at worst.

#### Zhaoists

Proclaiming themselves to be the "most pure" of the Prolepticalists (and thus the most pure of any of the Divine Swords) in their interpretation of the Chant and their holy duty. The Zhaoists are among one the most powerful factions within the Divine Swords. Their strict interpretations of the Chant, and nearly fanatical following of its three pillars leading them to attract the most Divine Swords to their ranks. Zhaoists believe that many of the Prolepticalist factions ideas are on the verge of heresy, causing many if not all Zhaoists to seldom work in tandem with any outside of their faction, and especially not with any that proclaim to be among the Contemporaries.

#### Divinians

Divinians garner their name from the Divini themselves. Considered one of the smallest factions within the Prolepticalists, it is easily the most influential of them. The Divinians devote themselves to the utter protection of the Living Divini and High Priests of the Chant. Often found in close proximity to such high ranking members of the Chant and many times in large numbers, the Divinians are close to the seat of power within Rong, and thus hold much sway and favor in the highest of sanctums and courts. On top of following and adhering to the teachings of the Divini, they are strict believers in the first pillar of the Chant known as "the Duty" willing to lay down their lives with a smile for any follower of the Chant though most notably for the most holy that they serve. Beyond all of this the Divinians devote much of their free time to uncovering, studying, and archiving texts and documents; especially ancient texts; in the hopes of unlocking hidden secrets of their organization or of Rong. Many Divinians end up unexpectedly missing or mysteriously found dead in the course of such acts that the character of all Divinians is often called into question.

### Contemporaries

> "One must start a Prolepticalist, but only after seeing the world true will they see their folly. For one must begin unawares of our truth before they can find their way to us."
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Contemporaries are the radicals of the Divine Swords. Following the Chant in ways that to any Prolepticalist would seem to be barely following it at all. Deviating to such extremes that even within the Contemporaries themselves their views differ wildly and clash spectacularly and often. There is a common saying among the Contemporaries that all Divine Swords start as Prolepticalists, and once learned enough in the truth of the world they convert to a Contemporary factions views. To the puritan Prolepticalists this statement is utterly baseless and highly offensive.

#### Adjudicators

Claiming to be the Makers Judge, Jury, and Executioners. The Adjudicators seek out any that they perceive to be a threat to the existence of Rong and the Chant. Eliminating with extreme prejudice based on instinct, little evidence, and faith alone, the members of this faction are considered among the most zealous of the Divine Swords, standing apart from their fellows in other factions by an order of magnitude. They are known to flagellate themselves to "purify" their souls and have been implicated in the deaths of more than a handful of fellow Divine Swords and even Divini in the past. Beyond what is whispered and feared of the Adjudicators, it is known that they take a liking to far more covert means of going about their business. Instead of relying on their positions as Divine Swords to strong arm their way to what they want they tend to take more concealed approaches to their goals or less obvious means to their ends. They as well possess a distinct uniform and mask, the origins of which are unknown.

#### Xiāodú

Mocked for their name by many of the other factions within the Divine Swords, Xiāodú (Sanitarians) partake in what they believe to be the most crucial and sacred duty of the entire organization; destroying any and all records of the past heresy that is the Schism and any matters since that have caused disaster or even the idea of such. The Divine Swords of the Sanitarians are few, where it is known that even a smaller factions such as the Divinians (their sworn enemy in their pursuit to purge all information from the records) numbers more than a thousand, it is completely unknown what the number of Divine Swords within the Sanitarians stands at. Sticking almost entirely to the darkness of their chosen field and using all means necessary to censor and protect their fellow Divine Swords and Rong as a whole from the heresies of the past. Though believed to number not more than a hundred, it is the Sanitarians that are believed to be the sole reason for the censorship of the history of the Schism, the separation and creation of factions within the Divine Swords, and even the great stagnation of Rong that saw it sitting idle for centuries. Xiāodú adepts are believed to have doctored, destroyed, and outright created false information in order to halt the expansion of their state and the spiral it moved faster and faster down to its own destruction following the great Schism. The Sanitarians are laughed about by members of all factions, though they are known to work in partnership with the Adjudicators in order to further censor living individuals. Records uncovered and since protected by the Divinians have almost proved without a doubt that the Sanitarians orchestrated a complete purge of the Chants' higher echelon leadership and subsequently covered up the entire act by purging the following several years of administrative data from the entirety of the country. Though the only proof of this that the Divinians have is the complete lack of information from the period and a short letter about a small amount of unrest at the Grand Temple from a passing merchant.