Geonsa - The Heaven Guard

[Metamancy 1767]

[geonsa | kʌnsa | 乾士]

 

 

OOC:

Spoiler

 

This post is half a recruitment post, half a writing exercise. I thought it would be cool to come up with some lore regarding the current state of Chonwon (Cunyuan) as well as lay the groundwork for a Won-In group that I might start up! If you're interested in playing a Geonsa after reading this post, reach out! This post will consistently be updated as I come up with more and more stuff.

 

 

 

一 | 광종대왕의 붕어와 전하의 특명

[1. The Passing of King Guangjong the Great and His Highness’ Mission]

 

King Guangjong the Great. In Chonwon, the late king’s name is spoken with great and everlasting reverence. Bringing upon what is considered the “golden age” of Won history, he is one of incredibly few kings to receive the title of “the Great,” or “Daewang.” Following a series of Oyashiman attacks and invasions which Guangjong the Great’s father successfully repelled at the cost of his own life, King Guangjo the Great rose to the throne. With the Oyashi successfully driven out of Won lands and morale at an all-time low due to the attacks, Guangjong the Great implemented several policies that drove the economy of Chonwon to an all-time high. Taking money from the rich and giving to the poor as well as offering out jobs in the court to men who otherwise would not have had the opportunity, he was beloved by all the people – except the rich, who were unhappy that taxes had increased for them. 

However, throughout his reign, Chonwon prospered; foreign relations vastly improved, the economy boomed and, for the most part, everyone was happy.

It all came to an abrupt end when Guangjong the Great was assassinated by a court official who was unhappy with the new policies that benefitted the poor.

Following Guangjong the Great’s assassination, His Highness arose to the throne at the age of eleven. Turmoil in the nation sparked like an uncontrollable flame; news of Guangjong the Great’s death spread throughout the nation, and the court officials, selfish as ever, revoked all of the late king’s policies, and famine spread throughout Chonwon as farmers could no longer afford to pay their taxes.

His Highness, needless to say, was given not a second thought, for he was a boy king; and many had forgotten that the king was appointed by Heaven itself, and that he was to be respected at all times.

His Highness, the boy king, fell into a puppet rulership. He had little to no say over the noise of all the bickering of the court, and was told to keep quiet anytime he tried to speak.

But he was a wise boy, that boy, and he refused to let his nation crumble.

In the dead of the night, a single man was summoned. He was the most loyal, however young, personal guard of His Highness’ late father, and was one of the few that still believed in the king’s voice of Heaven. Seeing that hope for Chonwon was fast fading, His Highness ordered the man to form an honorbound order, to leave Aeldin and preserve the culture of the Salamdeul. High Highness gave the man a new name to go by, a ship, and enough texts regarding Salamdeul culture to last a lifetime. 

And thus, the Heaven Guard, or Geonsa, was formed. And though they did not know where they would go at first, they would soon find themselves landing on the shores of Azuras.

 

二 | 건(乾)의 명령

[2. The Cosmic Heaven’s Mandate]

 

Driven by none other than Heaven itself, the Geonsa are inevitably honorbound, perhaps to a fault. They live by no code, other than the simple fact that the will of Heaven drives them to save the culture of their people.

The will of Heaven is interpreted in many ways; often, it will appear through dreams or visions, but just as often it can be interpreted through wind patterns or constellations. Heaven speaks through nature.

For this reason, the Geonsa can be arrogant, or even downright immoral. They believe that they are chosen by Heaven, and it can often show in their behavior, as they view others as below them. If Heaven mandates that they murder an innocent man, then they will do so. However, for the most part, Heaven seems to be quite reasonable; the Geonsa will always fight against the dark, and they will, for the most part, protect innocents. 

The Cosmic Heaven’s Mandate can often seem paradoxical. How can men still choose, if Heaven mandates all? These quizzical thoughts do not seem to cross the minds of the Geonsa; the will of 乾 always precedes the will of man.

It is important here to recognize that 乾 is not a being, not a God. It is a cosmic entity that may be difficult to comprehend for one not raised around the concept. It is the ordering force of Heaven, the origin of all things. Therefore, it cannot command specific instructions in words; it merely reveals the path and the way that already exists. 

A “mandate” can be many things; but, specifically, it is a convergence of different signs. These signs may manifest as unnatural repetition or coincidence, or merely spiritual certainty. Spiritual certainty, however, can often be a dangerous thing, as Geonsa are often seen making impulsive or rash decisions in the face of threat in the name of Heaven. For them, however, it seems to be the only right thing to do.

However, it is also important to understand that Heaven is not a clear thing to be seen. All signs are mere interpretations, and thus disagreements are bound to happen. Open discussions regarding the will of Heaven within the Geonsa are common, as all interpretations are fallible and temporary. It is for this reason that the Geonsa as a collective do not seem to be complete psychopaths; rather, they present themselves as, for the most part, rather honorable people.

It is vital to note that the Geonsa believe the Salamdeul are a chosen people. They believe complete superiority over others, though this does often drive them to selfless acts in the mindset of “we must help those who are not chosen.”

 

三 | 건사의 구조

[3. The Structure of the Heaven Guard]

 

The Geonsa consist of two main groups; the Guard, and the Artisans. The Guard is what comes to mind when mentioning the Geonsa; they are the warriors of the Heaven Guard, and fulfill Heaven’s duty through force. They don armor and wield blades, and are responsible for the safety of the Artisans. They are also the most honorbound and duty-driven, and thus also act as the de-facto priests of the Geonsa. They must be skilled in the bow and the blade, yet also with interpreting the will of Heaven and with the quill. 

The Artisans, meanwhile, are not all that different from common folk. Unlike the Guard, they were brought on the mission not bound by duty, but by practicality; they are the farmers, the builders, the experts that allow the Guard, and each other, to survive. Consequently, the Artisans are often seen to be less outwardly pious towards the mission; and each of them seem to have their own motives for coming to Azuras, although they are all united by their common belief in Heaven. 

Together, these two outwardly quite different groups form a cohesive mission to preserve Won culture. Artisans can, also, enter the Guard through an induction ceremony in which they relinquish their given name in exchange for their Heavenly name, which is chosen by the combination of one character representing a value and one character representing a natural element.

Though the Geonsa miss home, they have a clear goal in sight: to reestablish Won culture on Azuras. With no means of communicating with Chonwon, they are left now to their own devices, with no knowledge of what fate awaits the unstable nation.

 

[Mallow 243]

The Won-Ins rejoice upon your return Metamancy