HOUSE OF SINANJU

By Mark Kinney (alberich@iglou.com) (12 Nov 93)

Based off Remo Williams

Description

The origins of this Tradition reach back to ancient Korea. In ages long past, even before the Akashic Brotherhood came to be according to the members of this Tradition, a small fishing village on West Korea Bay became renowned as the home of a great house of assassins. Sinanju's Night Tigers hired out to the empires of the world, never failing to complete a contract. Eventually, the Greater Master Wang ended the tradition of the Night Tigers, and reduced the legions of Sinanju to just a Master and his student.

The Masters continued to hire themselves out as assassins over the years, with imitators (according to those Masters) starting the various known martial arts. The Ninja are especially reviled, as a Japanese leader hired the Master of the time specifically so one of his men could watch him in action and learn the moves, and according to those in the know, the Master proclaimed that if any Ninja ever works with their face uncovered, then all Ninja would be slain.

As the years went by, and belief in magick of all sorts waned, the world called on Sinanju less and less, and by the time of the Second Idiocy of the Barbarian Nations, were practically forgotten. It is believed that the United States has the current Master on retainer, but whether this is true or not is unknown. The current master, Chiun, is known to be training an American, so this may in fact be the case.

The fact that there are only two official practitioners does not mean that it is impossible for others to learn. A former student of Chiun, Nuihc, rebelled and is known to have trained several others, and a family that were banished from Sinanju, the Wa, may train outsiders, but these would not be recognized by the Masters as members of the House of Sinanju.

The members of these groups who know the background often argue with members of the Akashic Brotherhood, as both believe their martial art is the original one. Practitioners of Sinanju disdain bladed weapons, and will not use guns at all.

Philosophy

Assassination, for the good of all, is a public service. We provide that service.

Organization

One Master and one student. Other groups will vary.

Meetings

Whenever the student is being taught.

Initiation

The initiate is either the Master's son or one from his Village. Others, obviously, vary. The act of learning the basics of Sinanju triggers the Avatar, which manifests in dreams of a dragon, which the student must defeat. Those that prevail go on to learn the greater secrets of Sinanju; those that fail die. This Awakening happens to all students of Sinanju.

Chantry

The House of Sinanju is based from a village near the North Korean city of Sinanju, which shares the name of the village. The villiage is an independent entity, as most local leaders have heard of Sinanju. The Wa family is believed to be based somewhere on Hokkaido island.

Acolytes

Villagers.

Sphere

Mind

Foci

All is dependant upon their martial art, Sinanju.

Concept

Assassin.

Quote

"Sinanju is the sun source, all the other fighting arts are as matches. This is what you will learn. Now, demonstrate the move I taught you this morning... No, No, No! Your wrist was bent. And you call yourself a student... it's like casting pearls before swine!"

Stereotypes

Akashic Brotherhood: Their Do may be strong, but they are still pretenders to the sun source.

Celestial Chorus: Occasionally, they are good clients.

Cult of Ecstacy: It is no wonder they smell so bad, reeking of their red meat and drugs. It will be the death of them.

Discordians: Sinanju was here when Eris was first worshiped. These are mere pretenders, destroying in her name.

Dreamspeakers: They must balance the outside with the inside.

Euthanatos: A good assassination is a public service. Mindless killing in the name of magick is murder.

Hollow Ones: They are nothing.

Order of Hermes: This was a popular target several hundred years ago.

Sons of Ether: They may mean well, but their toys, when not dangerous, are useless.

Trenchcoaters: A sad result of the First Idiocy of the Barbarian Nations. If they had remembered the value of a quality assassination, these need never have existed.

Verbena: Another favored client, although we abhor their practices.

Virtual Adepts: More toys? A true Master has no need for such things.

Wika: No blood, and they never hired us, but otherwise like the Verbena.