Wenunùdzì (weh'NOO'nee'dzee)
The Wenunùdzì (hunters, pron. weh'NOO'nee'dzee, singular-nunùdzì) are the primary spies of Eoion. Founded by the first mad emperor, Timof III, they gathered information from his perceived enemies, but were generally disorganized. His successor, sister, and wife, Empress Natalay I, restructured the group and began the secret training of various operatives, disguising some of them as low level agents of various departments who would work closely with the public. Under Emperor Taras I, they have become more widespread, specifically along the border, the royal court, and into Yzel whereas before they were used more within Eoion in general. They are currently headed by Karna.
Composition
Manpower
Official records of the number of Wenunùdzì are not available to the public. Only the emperor, royal consort, and extremely high ranking court officials know the exact number. Estimates have put the total at close to 30,000 spread across the empire. One thousand are thought to work within the Gandenye and Niuus, while 15,000 are assigned to various areas of the empire and the remaining are spread through Yzel.
These are unofficial numbers and are often thought to be out of date and both the emperor, royal consort, and head of the Wenunùdzì are able to recruit as they see fit. This has caused upper members of the court to conclude that there are far more Wenunùdzì than officially recorded.
Logistics
Recruitment
Most recruits historically came from the Eoin military and were found during the early days of their service, after their initial training was complete. Others were ordinary citizens with access to particular information, connections, etc. that was deemed useful to the empire.
Modern Wenunùdzì follow similar recruitment processes. However, some have been recruited through counterintelligence measures from among Yzelian citizens and from among the Vloibare people for their ability to move easily across the border.
The ability to perform alchemy or essence magic is not important for recruitment, neither are gender or age. Most are younger in order to prolong service, but the middle aged and elderly are also seen among their ranks.
History
Timof III founded the Hunters during the early stages of his madness. His fear that former citizens of Braca were inciting a rebellion led him to gather low level soldiers from the Eoin military for use in a new division. He had them trained in infiltration and then sent them out among the populace of formerly Bracan lands in order to gather information. While they were effective in securing what they were sent for, they had difficulty reporting this intelligence back and none knew who was meant to be in charge, save for the emperor himself.
After Natalay I deposed her brother/husband, she restructured the Wenunùdzì, creating a highly structured hierarchy and giving them more training in covert communication methods. She set them the task of mostly monitoring the rebels, but near the end of her reign expanded the group to watching a wider area.
Over the next 500 years, each monarch expanded the spy network in increments until, under Ilya VIII, they were able to not only monitor the entire empire, but also move into Yzel. Ilya VIII used this network to assist in his campaign during the Fourth Great War and his daughter/successor, Empress Inna, steered them more toward foreign intelligence.
Under Emperor Andriy, the Wenunùdzì were turned toward the border in order to watch the Daji whom he believed were attempting to recreate the family magic. Their information led to the interception of many notes and letters from the Daji, which Andriy used to force the Yzelian government to crack down on the splinter group, arguing that they were planning an invasion.
Taras kept his uncle/predecessor's priorities for a short time, but began using more Ilyannoi spies rather than human. He installed Karna as the head of the Wenunùdzì and used the humans to infiltrate noble houses and territories. He has also brought in more for use within the palace itself to watch his family and the members of the aristocracy who live in the Gandenye. Those he sends to Yzel are used to gather intelligence on the business ventures of powerful merchants, watch the Daji, and relay information regarding the goings on of the Yzelian royal court.
Historical loyalties
The Hunters are loyal to the Shiroko Dynasty, although they are publicly stated to be loyal to Eoion as a whole.
Founding
559
Overall training Level
Professional
Assumed Veterancy
Experienced
Used by
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