Keidō
Saishi no Mono | |
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| Active: | 1464 AN - present |
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| Allegiance: | Ciric Confederacy, Union Australis |
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| Type: | Intelligence service |
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| Current Jōnin: | Ashura Hanzō |
The Keidō, sometimes referred to as Saishi no Mono, is the intelligence and espionage service of the Ciric Confederacy, and, together with the Serfești, forms the Intelligentia Officium Australum, which is the intelligence and espionage service of the Union Australis. The Keidō, unlike many intelligence services, is not in any way under the command of the confederate military, but instead reports only to the Suzerain and Speaker of the confederacy. The nickname of the "Saishi no Mono", meaning "Ones from Saishi", is a reference to the village of Saishi in the historic territory of the Tsuki ethnic group in Minh-Cong where the Keidō was formed originally.
Structure
The command structure of the Keidō is organised in a three-tier structure, with one overseeing member at the top, called a Jōnin (meaning "upper-person"), many officials at the middle tier, called Chūnin (meaning "middle-person"), and field agents and many of the operatives who perform tasks at the lowest tier, called Genin (meaning "lower-person"). While this simplistic system has been criticised by modern political officials, especially on the mainland confederacy, the system is ancient and has existed for over one thousand years, and the Keidō have proven extremely unwilling to change their tactics and structure. Nonetheless, they have also shown themselves to be an effective force, and has thus not warranted a complete change in command structure.
Despite the simplistic nature of its main organisational structure, because of its size, the Keidō has, in recent years, loosely and informally divided itself into three main units, each being dedicated to a specific task; these units being:
- Internal Security
- Counter-Intelligence
- Abroad Operations
Roles
Historically, the duties of the Keidō primarily encompassed espionage and sabotage, most often including the use of arson and assassination to disrupt enemies in war. More recent iterations of the Keidō have given more focus to counter-intelligence and internal security, but the role and training of Keidō remains nearly identical to the training practiced in antiquity, and as such the Keidō are not always used as a domestic intelligence service, which has been tolerated by the confederate government due to the confederacy lacking a strong need for internal security agencies until recently, and now the confederate government has opted to, instead of either forming an independent intelligence agency or forcibly reforming the Keidō, employ Serfești agents to perform typical domestic intelligence tasks.
The Keidō's main functions are primarily only used during war time, as they revolve around disruption of enemies and targeted offensive operations. Their roles and capabilities are primarily centered on sabotage, stemming from their origins in local Tsuki lordship wars. Keidō agents are trained to effectively use fire and explosives in their sabotage tactics, relying largely on arson to damage strategic defensive buildings and assets. Keidō are also highly skilled in assassination tactics to eliminate strategic targets.
Equipment
Keidō are traditionally trained in the historical weapons and tools associated with the group since its formation, including the continued use of kunai, which is derived from masonry trowels, and other tools which saw more use in the architecture particular to the ancient Tsuki societies. Keidō are, however, highly skilled in the use of these tools in modern structures for infiltration purposes, often using mechanical drills, saws, and sometimes picks to create minute changes in a building's structure to assist the Keidō in their infiltration. They also use items with a more esoteric or mystical origin, such as the continued use in infiltration of the Sakeido, which is a set of cloth slippers that the founders of the group believed to make one invisible when standing in moonlight.
Keidō are also experts in the use of various kinds of weaponry. Starting in the modern era, Keidō are trained in the use of various firearms, mostly including sniper rifles and concealable pistols. While these weapons are common amongst Keidō, they do not necessarily see universal usage because of their perceived inability to remain subtle. Most Keidō continue the use of a weapon known as the Isanaga, which is a one-edged sword with a slight curve. Keidō do not just use isanaga in combat; isanaga scabbards are commonly used as probing devices in darkness, the isanaga sword guard is often used when placed against a wall as a foothold, and the isanaga can also be used as a stunning device, by putting a stunning agent, which was once made with a combination of peppers, iron filings, and salt, but is now modern pepper spray, into the scabbard so that it flies out and into enemies' eyes when the sword is drawn.
Use among Keidō of Aikisha, which are commonly portrayed as star-shaped disks with spikes, but also include darts and knives, is extremely common. Keidō also make extensive use of poison, and commonly apply poison to their aikisha. Keidō also make infrequent use of bows, most notably the historic Yachi, which is allegedly because of the silence that bows provide compared to their firearm counterparts. An experienced Keidō sharpshooter has been known to be capable of firing an arrow with enough force to penetrate military-grade body armour from two hundred metres. Keidō are also trained in the use of improvised weaponry in order to both make the best use of their environment, but also to make it impossible for them to be discovered for possessing concealed weaponry.
Keidō also make use of explosives such as minor fragmentation grenades and soft-cased bombs designed to release smoke or poisonous gas like chlorine. Other miscellaneous weapons used by Keidō include various poisons, Kyōbi (blowguns with poisoned darts), caltrops, concealed swords (called Goshari), and garrotes.
History
The Keidō are practitioners of a combat style and art that has existed in the region of Tsuki ethnic majority since roughly 800 AN, called Unmei (Fate). It is believed by scholars that the original practitioners of unmei were lower class labourers and workers in the service of a local lord, who hired out their services to anyone who would pay them. Their unique combat style based off of stealth and subterfuge was useful to the lords who believed that if they allowed their personal warriors to use such tactics, they would be seen as crass and inept.
The origins of the Keidō, specifically, are in the Tsuki village of Saishi, which today is in the confederate governorate of Minh-Cong. The Keidō were originally a familial clan that resided in the village, which was founded by the legendary practitioner of the unmei art called Agi Nakara. The Keidō became prominent among the local lordships due to their particular mastery of unmei, owing to their familial structure allowing new Keidō to be trained from birth, a practice which is still observed in the modern Keidō. The Keidō steadily gained renown among the lords of the Tsuki as a force with much expertise. They were a feared entity that most Tsuki lords vied for avidly to place the highest bid for their services. This ended when the reigning monarch of the Minh, named Phoc Tranh, offered the Keidō a sum which was never recorded, but is now believed to be roughly equal to seventy kilograms of gold, to work specifically for him and to stop hiring out their services. The Keidō accepted this offer, and the Minh supplemented their army with the Keidō's expertise in order to conquer the divided Tsuki lordships.
By 1455, when the confederacy was united, Minh-Cong still retained the loyalty of the Keidō clan, and continued to employ their services. The united confederate government offered both the Minh local government and the Keidō a recurring payment to obtain the services of the Keidō for the confederacy as a whole. These payments continue, but the institutionalisation of the Keidō has made these payments more of a formality than a requirement. The Keidō continue to act as a familial clan, though they now occasionally accept initiates from outside the family who show great promise.
