Xiongshou

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Xiongshou, pronounced as Xiōngshǒu are the government sanctioned assassin's guild operating on (Grethion's Homeworld).

History[edit | edit source]

The Xiongshou was founded in the dynastic pre-industrial era as a polite way for the Grethion Nobility to assassinate political rivals or anyone who has caused, or potentially could cause a loss of face. The foundation of this guild occurred shortly after the downfall of the Zheng Dynasty, whose emperor and his concubine Daji created such animosity that a full on revolution occurred. What little remained of the Shang's noble house, in exchange for their lives, were bound to become a house of shadows, having no prestige or political power of their own. Instead, they were to serve the greater good of the Grethion people, by taking contracts of assassination and performing them cleanly and professionally, to prevent unnecessary bloodshed, chaos and loss of face.

The Xiongshou have operated non stop since those times until the modern era. The house wars, once a violent and chaotic affair, now became mostly invisible to the public and what were once tense and complicated issues were now swiftly resolved by the removal of the people involved.

Process[edit | edit source]

Any Grethion member of any Grethion noble house, either major or minor, may commission an assassination. Upon receiving the application, Xiongshou experts will assess the situation based on numerous factors such as:

  • The requesting party
  • The motivation for the assassination
  • The Target
  • The consequences of the assassination
  • The greater good of the Grethion people

And if it is found that the assassination can be carried out without harming the Grethion interest, the guild will sanction it and an assassin will be dispatched. The guild masters are considered a valid legal entity and the guild contracts are considered court orders, so long as the assassin is not stopped before he is able to carry out the assassination.

Once an assassin is dispatched, their actions only become legal and valid if they succeed in the assassination. If the assassin is stopped, or arrested before they are able to dispatch their target, their orders become void and they are no longer associated with the guild. They are considered a simple criminal and will be tried as such.

If a target has survived an assassination by the Xiongshou, the guild will then re-assess the contract and may decide to dispatch another assassin, or reject the contract in the interests of the guild and the Grethion interest.

Spread[edit | edit source]

The Xiongshou themselves operate strictly on (Grethion Homeworld), however, as the Grethions have multiple planets as well as presence in other mixed plantes, the Xiongshou operates branches called "Tongs" on planets with high presence of Grethions, in particular those of the Triads. The Tongs are usually named after the planet they're located in, for example the Morag Tong, the Donbu Tong. There, they can also accept and execute contracts.