The Raven Watch

[Doji Dojihime]

The Raven Watch

From the Archives of Doji Jigutsuji, Lorekeeper of the Crane, circa Year 26

Established after the disastrous winter of Year 25 at the Emperor’s palace, a high ranking Crane was revealed to be a demon in disguise and another Crane courtier revealed herself to be an entity called the Harbinger and spoke of a coming war with the powers of Jigoku. Lady Dojihime of the Crane, heir to the Clan presented the nascent idea of what would become the Raven Watch to Emperor Shiba.

He thus charged her with the creation and organization of the group, and so she poured the resources of the Crane and the knowledge of Hisomu Kuni to form a task force that would serve the Empire and fight the forces of Jigoku in roles similar to the newfound Magistrates they focus on protecting the Clans from incursion, find and educate the potential Thunders, and be the first line of defense against the turning of the Wheel to destruction.

The Empire wide effort was spearheaded by the Crane but to alleviate any issues of impropriety the majority of field agents were drawn from the Spider, Scorpion, Stag, and Dragon; their headquarters was once known as the Camellia House in the capitol but is now known as the Ministry of the Raven Watch and a garden sits outside known as Kakita’s Repose.

While technically of the rank of Magistrates, they are known as Watchers and are trained to detect for signs of Jigoku incursion or subversion; they are also taught to watch for signs of body swapping and also a repository of knowledge on the ultimate enemy. Lady Dojihime is the First Watcher, but when time comes for her successor she has worked with the Imperial Families to devise a test for the worthy, testing their knowledge of the Empire, moral compass, and their commitment to fighting Jigoku.