Shinpika no Shugosha

"The Sentinels of Mystery"

## Basic Information

### Organization Type

Protectors/Preservers of border realms and areas with similar significance such as areas considered sacred or where non-evil spirits gather.

### Other Names

Sinbijuuijaui Suhoja, Their most commonly used name is simply “Guardians of the Mystic” in Japanese and they will answer to this title in various languages.

### Date Founded

Shinpika no Shugosha can be considered to have multiple beginnings. Most consider the best date that it came into being to be 1598 when they took their first steps to become a group that would consist of people from various origins working in multiple nations.

### Territories

The organization is largely located in Eurasia but is scattered around other parts of the globe such as in Africa or among Native Americans

The **Shinpika no Shugosha** (神秘家 の 守護者), more commonly known as the *Guardians of the Mystic* is an organization of guardians that dedicate themselves to preserving the remaining places in Earth that retains mystery and preventing the Decay from further degrading the influence of a bygone time. This protection also extends to Border Realms, as the Guardians attempt to stop other mage groups from exploiting resources and the entities that reside in different Border Realms. An organization spread out across the globe, the remain vigilant and attempt to preserve the mystery of the magical world, even if many oppose them.

## History

The Shinpika no Shugosha were not always a worldwide organization, nor were they called that. Their predecessor was the temple and teachings of Tenmitsu-ji. A moderately powerful group of temples, although Tenmitsu-ji never reached the influence and scale of the more famous temples. This was in part due to their beliefs, they had sohei like the other temples but didn’t seek fights or to influence politics. Instead focusing on harmony with themselves, the kami, and overall spirituality. Their sohei only ensured that the monks, pilgrims, and those seeking shukubo would remain safe.

The temples mostly kept to themselves for most of their existence due to their teachings. This changed during the Sengoku period. In the past, even conflicts between rival monks often led to the destruction of temples and other sacred areas. A war between the clans would no doubt be even worse and more widespread. For that reason they took on the goal that the modern organization now has, to protect areas of great spirituality and mysticism. As history can tell you they weren’t always successful but they did manage to protect many locations from becoming casualties to the war, whether through words or through the sword.

In 1590, Hideyoshi Toyotomi had managed to unite the country. Tenmitsu-ji was at first glad to see the country unified, thinking they could lay down their blades and return to their spiritual duties. However, they soon realized that his ambitions did not stop with his own country, he wished to conquer more to show that he had truly earned his position at the top through military prowess in spite of his lower lineage. After much discussion they agreed that if it came to it they would not leave the kami of other places to suffer invasion by their country. So it was that in 1592, when Hideyoshi began his invasions of Korea, many sohei of Tenmitsu-ji also traveled to Korea.

When they arrived they realized quickly how different Korea was in regard to its military. While both Japan and Korea appointed aristocracy as generals, Korean aristocrats were more interested in matters of scholarship as opposed to the Japanese who train to be warriors and generals from youth and had a century of civil war to hone their skill through real experience. Combined with Korean officer’s assumption that Japan’s civil war had left it weak and an inefficient/untested command system, the official Korean military suffered many losses on land. Some of the sohei wondered if perhaps this was a lost cause but fortunately even if their superiors had failed to hold the south the Korean people were not planning to submit. The sohei of Tenmitsu-ji met an irregular force, a phenomenon known as the righteous armies. These righteous armies consisted not of professional soldiers but of peasants, scholars, and some of Korea’s own warrior monks.

The righteous armies were understandably suspicious of the Japanese monks at first but did accept the help offered to them. So while the professional armies had been driven north the righteous army of common people were able to wage guerilla warfare that kept any lasting Japanese control out of Jeolla province, the most southwestern area of the peninsula. Eventually peace talks began in 1596, although a more permanent peace was not to be for a few more years there was hope amongst the people and the sohei. With hope in peace they began to wonder what to do next, many of Tenmitsu-ji’s sohei had their eyes opened to the possibility of protecting harmony with the kami in all places by their intervention in this invasion. While many of the righteous army of course planned to just return to their lives, to some the idea of journeying with the warrior monks to protect all that is sacred appealed to them.

When war resumed in 1597 the monks of Tenmitsu-ji returned to repelling the invasion. Hideyoshi, having learned that some of his own countrymen stand against him, ordered Tenmitsu-ji to be eradicated. With many of their sohei abroad Tenmitsu-ji itself was burned and its inhabitants killed. Although Tenmitsu-ji was destroyed some of their affiliated and subordinate temples were able to survive. Fortunately for the survivors, Hideyoshi’s death in 1598 and the power vacuum it caused removed much of the pressure from those who followed Tenmitsu-ji. With their namesake temple burned and their new alliance with some of Korea’s people, the sohei of Tenmitsu-ji took on their new name of Shinpika no Shugosha. The newly formed Guardians first extended to China where they were somewhat welcome due to their efforts against the Japanese invasion on their Korean tributary.

Since then Shinpika no Shugosha has continued to spread around the world. A little surprised by the advancement of places like Europe, or more specifically the advancement of decay that accompanies it, they realized even what little remains of the mythic is quickly disappearing. This realization is what cause them to begin seeking out and protecting border realms so that at least these areas where things are like they were in the age of gods and beast can be preserved. The Guardians continue to do their duty of protecting the sacred and spiritual, doing what they can to prevent others from exploiting and/or ruining these locations.

## Organizational Structure

Shinpika no Shugosha is not at all a hierarchical organization in comparison to most other mystic groups. Each country is a branch and most branches have multiple chapters. Each chapter has a leader, the specific title doesn’t matter too much and can differ by region but abbot is a common one due to the group’s origin as monks. Branches do not have a permanent leader but can elect a temporary one when unity is needed or when the Shinpika no Shugosha as a whole is making an important decision and needs a representative from each branch to discuss it. Most of the time, chapters will largely make decisions independently and cooperate with rather than command other chapters.
Becoming a member of the Guardians isn’t a complicated process but chapters that have powerful enemies tend to be secretive, so it can be difficult for an interested individual to find them in the first place. How exactly chapters choose their recruits varies but respect for tradition, nature, and mystics tends to help with any chapter. They recruit both magi and open minded non-magi so long as they have the character the organization is looking for. Aside from seeking them out or being sought out, many members are also born into it.

## Culture/Beliefs

Shinpika no Shugosha is a multinational group and as such does not have one single faith or culture. If one were to choose then the most common due to their origins is Japanese Shintoism and Buddhism. It can also be defined by an overall spirituality and reverence of tradition.

Although it isn’t strictly enforced, they generally do not use any technology that is too advanced as such things are what caused the decay and they do not want to bring them into the last remaining areas untouched by decay. There are also many members who have a personal distaste for them. Similarly, almost all of their weapons and armor are traditional: swords, glaives, bows, etc. members who choose to use guns are very rare.

## Relationship with Other Organizations:

### Bam Agma

The Bam Agma and Sinbijuuijaui Suhoja (Korean name/branch) generally have a tense relationship where they stay out of each other’s way. However, they do occasionally clash when the Bam Agma is charged with retrieving resources from a protected area or some such thing. In such cases, the Sinbijuuijaui Suhoja will defend the area and occasionally ask for support from the Chinese or Japanese branches.

### Grand Order of Magi

The relationship with the Grand Order of Magi tends to vary by country. Overall the Guardians will generally attempt to take a subtler approach in Europe due to the Order’s abundance of and monopoly on power. They can not stand their ground and confront the Order openly without consequences so they generally try to influence the Order with spies, sabotage relevant operations, etc. Although some groups do still resort to open defiance when it comes to it.

### Kindred of Akasha

While the more isolationist Akashics would rarely interact with the Guardians, shared practices such as religion like Buddhism allows the Guardians and the Akashics who are more receptive to the outside world cooperate, especially if it meant opposing other groups that would otherwise put sacred and preserved places in danger. They might not totally see eye to eye, but their relationship is more amicable compared to other groups.

### Mythic Beings

Though meetings are still rare even for them, Shinpika no Shugosha has been able to foster some amount of goodwill towards themselves. At least more than most mythic beings would show towards most humans. Those who carry the symbol of Shinpika no Shugosha are recognized as trying to protect what remains of the old world from exploitation and are always respectful if they do end up in a mythic realm or meeting a mythic being.

## Goal

The individual chapters of the Shinpika no Shugosha sometimes have their own goals but as a whole, the organization is dedicated to preserving and protecting border realms as well as areas that are sacred or a gathering point for non-hostile spirits. Maintaining and harmonizing with the mystic and spiritual nature of these places while keeping out those with ill intent.

Although it is a common misconception, most chapters do not actually mind the mere act of humans interacting with border realms. In fact, many will form small villages in the realm under their protection and welcome respectful visitors. Even an individual who needs something from a border realm may be allowed to fulfill their goal, depending on why they need it and the specific chapter’s beliefs. Their enemy is only those who would exploit, ruin, and/or try to use these realms for reasons they find unacceptable.