Shadow Warrior: The Endurant

[MerelysSoul]

[Mock Splat] WIP
A Storytelling game of Enduring the Light and Darkness

"Self-Sacrifice... A nameless shinobi who protect piece within its shadows. That is a true shinobi!" ~ Uchiha Itachi, Naruto

"People cannot win against their loneliness because loneliness is this world's worst kind of pain." ~ Gaara, Naruto

"Someone once asked me what a ninja was. My sensei told me that a ninja is one that endures." ~ Uzumaki Naruto, Naruto

"Innocent Proves Nothing." Inquisition, Warhammer 40k

"We work in the dark, to serve the light." Niccolò Machiavelli, Assassin's Creed

Themes: Paranoia, Extremism, Self-Sacrifice/Pain, Loneliness
Mood: Enduring
Inspirational sources: Naruto, Warhammer 40k, Assassin's Creed

Shadow Warriors' mission is to protect the Light (Humanity) from the Dark (Monsters), by any means necessary. By standing between the Light and Darkness, they condemn themselves to the Shadows. If they did their job correctly, the peace was never disturbed and the local population is none the wiser. However, in order to complete their mission, they have an ancient power. This power can indeed make things easier but at the same time, risk being exposed. There has been incidents where Shadow Warriors have been revealed.

Chakra is this power and is the energy of Life itself. A Shadow Warrior usually harnesses their own Life but can use another's Life. Each have a certain level of Control, those with greater Control are more powerful.

Techniques are how Shadow Warriors weave Chakra into mystical effects. These are magic taken through the lens of science. Creating a weird hybridization between the two. Knowledge of the human body can greatly affect the Medical Techniques. Thus many a Shadow Warrior seek out teachers or books on what need to learn. Different Branches and Styles form groups of these Techniques.

Important fact is there are two sides to the Shadow Warrior's life. Day and Night Shifts. Most are part of one or the other, for each have a particular goal. Night Shift deals with Monsters borne from Humanity and those created them. They learn to fight fire with fire. This can result in many of them going to extremes and causing atrocities to defeat their foes. Most often lose themselves and must be eliminated. Not that the other side is calmer. Day Shift deals with the Light by protecting Humanity from itself. That includes the worst humanity has offer. From Slashers, Ghouls, Heroes and other groups of Humans who fallen under the sway of the Dark. Worst of all are fellow Shadow Warriors who gone Rouge. All this tends to wear down many Shadow Warriors down, knowing that their own kind would commit such acts. Resulting snapping and like those in the Night Shift, going to extremes.

No matter what job they may take, the constant threat of succumbing to extremism. After all, they are still human and can only do so much against the Darkness. However, they must keep a constant eye out for everything. The Darkness could hide anywhere. These aren't the only threats, Rogue Shadow Warriors lurk in the Shadows with them. Creating Rogue Teams and Villages. Thus Shadow Warrior have lonely lives and keep a distance from people, making the need worse. Even with their own Team and Village. After all, how can they tell if their teammate's haven't gone Rogue. Another are the Knights, fellow users of Chakra who seek to destroy any Shadow Warrior they find.

 

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Factions of the Shadow Warriors

Roles are areas in which the Shadow Warrior is trained in. Most are trained in two areas to help round out the Endurant. However, there are some that focus on one area and are masters in it.

Close Combat Specialist "Silent Hand" - Trained to get up close and personal with their foes. They are the heavy hitters and tanks of the Endurant. They favor Strength, Endurance and Martial Arts. Their chosen Branch are Body Branch Techniques.

Ranged Specialist "Shadow Blade" - Trained to fight at a distance with their forces and keep them there. They are the snipers and archers of the Endurant. They favor Strength, Cunning and Throwing. Their chosen Branch is Elemental Branch Techniques.

Support Generalist "Distant Whisper" - Trained to help their fellow Endurants in way possible, trying to keep themselves and their allies alive. They are the diversion-makers and healers of the Endurant. They favor Intelligence, Appearance and Survival. Their chosen Branch is Illusion Branch Techniques.

Special Resource "Forgotten Gift" - Have a special gift like a Bloodline or a Special Ability, Trained to properly uses these gifts to help the Endurant. They are special assets of the Endurant. They favor Charisma and Intuition. Their chosen branch is Bloodline Branch or Special Branch.

There are supposedly other Roles. However, there has been no real confirmation on that.

Hidden Villages are the factions of the Shadow Warrior. Each it rather complex entity within the world, being not even a village. Based in an country, a Hidden Village sprawls across all of it. Safe Houses, Fronts, Black Site and the Black H.Q are connected by special doorways called Gates, allowing an Endurant to move to any part of the country. Five of these Hidden Villages stand above all others and are based off the Five Elements. Each one has a Philosophy, a way of Enduring the Madness of the world.

Leaf- Hidden Village of Fire -

Sand- Hidden Village of Wind -

Mist- Hidden Village of Water -

Stone- Hidden Village of Earth -

Root- Hidden Village of Wood -

Other Hidden Villages are minor in the state of Endurant Society. However, they do help keep Humanity safe. They can either be classified as most Day Shift or Night Shift, some are Dual-Shifts like the Major Villages.

Rogue Villages are the the dark version of Hidden Villages. They are instead are made of Rogue of all types to complete a common Goal. These Goals usually help the Rogues to focus and don't lose themselves. Usually they are to wipe out the Darkness or enforce a form of control on the Light. Unlike the normal versions, a Rogue Village is spread across the world. Making it harder to destroy them completely.

Echo- Hidden Village of Sound -

Cloud- Hidden Village of Rain -

Other Rogue Villages are minor compared to these two. Same with their minor counterparts, they two are usually Day Shift or Night Shift.

Clans are families of Endurant either tied together by a Bloodline or a Special Technique.
*to be created*

Departments are part of a Hidden Village and help preform a needed job. These comes with special perks.
*to be created*

Allegiances are which part of the world the Endurant has to deal with.

Day Shift- Deals with Humanity - Groups like the Hunters, people who are under the thrall of the Dark or somehow effected by it, and other parts of Humanity fall under the Day Shift. They constantly having to fight against humans who have fallen. Seeing the worst side of their own people. Their view on the Night Shift is overall is "They need more restraint or else they will hurt Humanity."

Night Shift- Deals with Monsters - Beings like the human-borne monsters, what created those monsters and what those monsters have to fight against fall under the Night Shift. They learn that even with their Chakra, they have to resort to more radical means of winning. Seeing the worst side of the world that they live. Their view on the Day Shift is overall is "They are naive and won't take the actions that will ensure Humanity's survival."

Dual Shift- Deals with Both. - Only a very few become part of this Allegiance. Most if not all its members risk becoming Rogues. However, they are best at dealing with dire situations involving both. Usually because the situation has gone beyond just both Shifts.

Shiftless- Rejects the concept - There are some remain without a official Allegiance.

 

[MerelysSoul]

Powers of the Shadow Warrior
Chakra Techniques are separated in Branches and from there, a particular Style.

Basic Branches are simple and easy Techniques. Any Endurant can learn these without problem.

General Branch Techniques
Body Branch Techniques
Illusion Branch Techniques
Elemental Branch Techniques

Advanced Branches are more complex Techniques, requiring enough skill in Basic and subsequent knowledge.

Medical Branch Techniques
Weapon Branch Techniques
Summing Branch Techniques
Time-Space Branch Techniques
Seal Branch Techniques

Bloodline Branches are Techniques tied to Clans via blood.
*To be created*

Special Branches are Techniques that are very hard to learn and require special gifts.

Sage Branch Techniques
Demon Branch Techniques
Forbidden Branch Techniques

 

[MerelysSoul]

Shadow Warrior Society

At the very top are the Major Hidden Villages. Five with the greatest influence and Endurant power. Each is lead by a Shadow General, a military-like dictator. Others have a Village General. Under them are the Colonels of various Department. They reside at the Black H.Q, which is the center of the Hidden Village. From there, the village is spread out across long distances via Gate Rooms.

These Gates interconnect the Black H.Q to various Black Sites around the country.

Black Sites are anywhere that Hidden Village deems important. Towns, Cities, Places far from civilization. Inside these Black Sites are usually Fronts, which serve as both a legitimate business and a staging base, and Safe House, the homes of particular Endurant. These places are controlled by a Major if really important and the Lieutenants of various Departments. Most Teams reside in one Black Site or another.

Teams are usually made of a Captain, an experienced older Endurant, and five to eight Privates, younger Endurants. One of these Privates will become First Private, a secondary leader. Until the Privates are ready to become Corporals, experienced Endurant, then the Captian leaves. First Private becomes Lance Corporal, leading the team. Teams tend to change when members die or fall and new members are filled in.

Many Endurant and Teams have Retinue. These are people they have contact with, are with them as honorary members or can use to help them out. Depending on the Allegiance, this can range from Hunters and the like to Vampires and Mages.

Rogues and Mercenaries are considered bad. Former have become extremists and the later because they aren't connected to any village.

Worse then those two are Knight Orders and Monk Temples, who are enemies of the Endurant. Same goes for the Chakra-Enities known as the Forged.

However the worse of all are Assassins, which all but the Forged hate.

 

[MerelysSoul]

Antagonists of the Shadow Warriors

Foes personal to the Endurant

First and foremost, the greatest foes that an Endurant would face is another Shadow Warrior. Yes, another Endurant from another village, a merc or perhaps someone from same village. They will try to stop you, kill you or both and have the same type of training you have. Most of the times is because they are doing something counter to you, believe you must be stopped or they think you are a Rogue.

Rogues are Endurant who have gone to extreme actions to complete the mission. If they have to make deals with the devil then so be it. Most are part of a Rogue Village that aligns with them. Others make their own path to ensuring Humanity's survival.

However, Endurant aren't the only ones with Chakra. Two other factions wield this power. Knight Orders are the first and foremost of the two. They believe deeply that Shadow Warriors are dangerous to Humanity. To this, they try to destroy any the come across and most of the time they succeed. The Orders train their Knights to kill any Endurant. Such training has proven to be very successful. Each Order is lead by a Knight General.

The other are the Monk Temples. They seek enlighten Humanity from the Shadows so one day the race would be able to harness Chakra. With the power of Chakra at their command would strike down the darkness. Shadow Monks are just as dangerous as Knights and can use a special type of Chakra. Their belief is that the Endurant are holding back humanity and thus must be destroyed. While a sometimes ally of the Knights, they believe the same thing about them. Each Temple is lead by a Head Monk.

Another great threat are the Forged, Entities made of raw Chakra. These beings appear randomly and cause great ruin and carnage in their wake. Each time they have been destroyed, they reform in a century or more. In their death, unleash even greater devastation The only way to stop that is to seal it away. Mostly in the form of an Endurant, creating a Sacrificial Host. This method however has a flaw, mortality. The Forged would have to be resealed again and again, creating a cycle of hosts. Don't underestimate the Forged for they are smarter, stronger and overall greater then Human and even Endurant.

Last of the foe is also the worst, Assassins. While the word means paid killer, that is not what Assassins do. They are Endurant who completely lost themselves. Like the Slashers that Hunters have to deal with. Only death and great amount of it seems to novitiate them. It is the only personal foe that Endurant and their other personal enemies will team up against to stop.

Rest of the World

Due to the mission of 'Protecting the Light from the Dark', they are at odds with all the Monsters. This means that the other races are considered enemies. This also extend to protecting Humanity from itself, putting them at odds with the Hunters. An Endurant has to watch out since the whole world is poised to strike him down because of this. Increasing their already great and justified paranoia. Doesn't help that most forces are big and powerful. Maybe because of this, the popular Endurant method of killing a target is following the legend of Rasputin. Overkill.

Opinions on the Various Races

Vampire: The dead should stay just that... dead. I can help with that.
Werewolf: Those few that aren't complete assholes can stay, the rest can eat silver from my machine gun.
Mage: Your Magic won't stop me. I already killed you about... 25 minutes ago.
Sin-Eater: As long as you don't try to use the dead to hurt Humanity, we won't bother you.
Changeling: I know you were taken and change into something that hurts Humanity. That is why I am giving you the mercy of death.
Promethean: Your presence is a threat to Humanity and it's not even your fault. That is why I am giving you the mercy of death.
Mummy: Your time has come and gone. I will help you return to slumber.
Demon: It's not heaven you should be worrying about. Time to be deleted, faker.
Beast: You don't scare me. I have seen thing just as scary and killed them. Time to join the rest of your family.
Hunters: Most of you, especially the higher ups, are a threat to your own people. The rest can help us.

 

[MerelysSoul]

History of the Shadow Warriors
*to be created*

 

[MerelysSoul]

Storytelling of the Shadow Warriors
*to be created*