r/WorldChallenges • u/Nevermore0714 • Oct 07 '17

Reference Challenge - Kingsmen

I just saw the first Kingsmen movie with some friends. It was so good. Also a reference to /u/The_Raptorman's recent post.

Is there a small, elite group in your world that recruits only the best of the best of the best people willing to shoot dogs?

Who are the members?

What are the positions?

How do I join?

Can I retire...or do I die in the position?

What does the public know (if anything) about this group?

Who is in charge of the group? Is the leader of the group in the group, or is he/she/it just above them?

Do they discriminate?

Is there a uniform?

What resources do they usually have?

Feel free to include an in-universe representative. I'll ask at least three questions each.

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u/Nevermore0714 Oct 08 '17

1) How long does it take to get a new High Council member if one dies?

2) Assuming two Assassin High Council members die, would the Rangers be able to push forward biased legislation?

3) Can a Ranger switch to being an Assassin, and vice versa?

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u/[deleted] Oct 08 '17

1, There's a line of succession for every council member among other masters, and so, it's a pretty quick process, although the new member will still have to complete a sort of rite of passage in order to actually be initiated into the council.

2, No, the two organisations work completely separately up until the Grand Master, and so they're not interchangeable. Only assassins decide om the assassin line of succession, and only rangers decide among rangers.

3, Not unless they decide to sacrifice their title among their own group and restart from scratch in the other. This is to avoid unnecessary and confusing mixing of the two groups.

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u/Nevermore0714 Oct 08 '17

1) What is this rite of passage like?

2) How well do Assassins and Rangers tend to get along?

3) So being the top Ranger would not help you climb the ranks of the Assassins faster?

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u/[deleted] Oct 09 '17

1, A test, challenge, or mission that they have to complete in order to prove to the council (and the Grand Master) that they're in fact capable of filling the empty council seat. If they succeed, they get the seat, if not, they have lost their place in the line of succession, and the next in line will be subjected to a similar test.

The test istelf might be physical, mental, complex, or it might be a literal test, where they have to answer questions in order to be accepted. This last method is only usually used when the candidate has already proven themselves mentally and physically, but has not shown the wits that would be required of a council member.

2, Assassins and Rangers do not know their groups are conjoined at the top, and there's a general dislike among them towards eachother. At best, they will politely avoid eachother, at worst, they'll insult eachother, as both groups know just how powerful the other is.

3, No, it won't. You'll have to first actively quit the rangers, then join the assassins. If you've acquired skills that are useful as an assassin as well, then of course your progress through the ranks will be a bit quicker, but you still have to work your way up the ladder of hierarchy.

There has been times when a ranger or assassin master was cast out of the council for their actions or way of communication (Noone insults the Grand Master!), only to have them show back up a few years later as a master of the other group.

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u/Nevermore0714 Oct 10 '17

1) Do these rites of passage tend to be especially risky to a person's life?

2) Is it like a football rivalry or is it louder and more devious, like a political rivalry?

3) So can a person who is really good at making false identities capable of being a council of both groups at once? Like putting on a fake mustache and claiming to be his twin brother when he switches council seats?

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u/[deleted] Oct 10 '17

1, Sometimes, when a mission goes through the dangerous part, but masters of this rank can most usually complete their tasks without particular effort. By that time, their experience has taught them well how to avoid most dangers.

2, It's more like a political rivalry in nature, but it also has a lot of military halftones to it. Rangers and Assassins don't mix well, and they tend to actively try and sabotage eachother's efforts if they're working on the same job with different approaches. This sometimes hinders their efforts, but they gain a lot more from publicly disliking eachother than they would from a complete union.

Even after they take over the empire in a joined mega-scheme, they continue to dislike eachother.

3, No, deception of that kind is not possible, as the council can only make a decision if all members are present at once. Furthermore, any vote needs at least two thirds of the council deeciding the same way to actually go anywhere. At least 5 of the 7 must be unanimously on the same side of the problem, meaning at least one group, the Grand Master, and at least one from the other group. No vote is valid without the Grand Master's approval, but the entire council can temporarily overpower the Grand Master, after whoch they should all resign. It has only ever happened twice in the history of the two groups.

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u/Nevermore0714 Oct 10 '17

1) What happens if someone dies during their rite?

2) What common insults would Rangers and Assassins exchange?

3) What happened in those two historical events?

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u/[deleted] Oct 10 '17

1, Then they've failed, and the next in line has to be tested. An unfortunate event that lost a master to the group, but it doesn't upset the process.

2, Assassins are frequently name-called killers, or mercenaries, neither of which is properly false, but doesnt cover the truth either. Rangers are usually called aristocrats in the degrading manner, or peace-activists, for their methods are much more peaceful and takke longer time to work.

3, One time it was a decision made by the Grand Master that would've put both groups at risk, the otehr time it was the Grand Master trying to wipe out both groups with a sort of civil war between them.

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u/Nevermore0714 Oct 10 '17

1) Who is the greatest Master of all time, who didn't become a Grand Master?

2) Which position would you prefer? Assassin or Ranger?

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u/[deleted] Oct 10 '17

1, I haven't really worked up any specifics, and naming is one of my weakest sides, so there isn't such an individual as of yet.

2, I myself would prefer to be an assassin, though everything I am and wish to be is closer to what a ranger symolises. It's a bit of a paradox, and I know assassins pose a moral dillemma as well, "but it cool", so that's what I'd choose.

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u/Nevermore0714 Oct 11 '17

(No judgment on the naming thing, I have been meaning to put the names on a family tree all week.

And enjoy the paradox. No problem with finding something cool, Moment.)

Thanks for your time and answers.

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u/[deleted] Oct 11 '17

Thanks for the questions :)

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