Left to Right: Yin, Jade Emperor and Yang Twelve or "The Twelve" is an ancient order of assassins that originated in Japan. The name comes from the fact that each team or faction of assassins incorporates the name of an animal from Chinese astrology and the teams all receive their orders from a master known as the Jade Emperor. Whilst the order has hidden in the shadows and its assassins have carried out countless murders, since the arrival of Alpha Heroes which have impeded the order’s work the result of this outcome is that law enforcement agencies around the world including CLEA have become aware of the existence of the Twelve, and some of its players. Though many would consider everyone linked to the Twelve is a cold blooded killer, in truth the assassins follow a strict code of honour. They protect those that pay them by way of eliminating their enemies but they will not kill anyone who is deemed honourable. Likewise they will eliminate any client they deem dishonourable from the point of view of the order. CLEA ORGANISATION DATA FILE Organisation Classification: Global Assassins network Organisation Activities(s): Eradicate enemies of their clients Organisation Weakness(s): Secrecy was their key to go about their work but in recent times they have been exposed Known Assets: Dragon's Claw Silent Tigers Fire Horse ORGANISATION KEY PERSONNEL DATA FILE Key Members: (Real name unknown) Jade Emperor - Organisation head (Real name unknown) Yin - bodyguard to Jade Emperor (Real name unknown) Yang - bodyguard to Jade Emperor CLEA Classification: Assassins (Jade Emperor, Yin, Yang) Special Skills and/or Abilities: In terms of sword handling the Jade Emperor is beleived to have unsurpassed skills. Anyone trying to challenge him in a sword fight is considered to be signing their own death warrant. The Jade Emperor's body armour is made from an as yet unidentified material. It has been seen managing to deflect heave calibre rounds. The Jade Emperor's swords are rumoured to be so sharp they can slice through every type of body armour. Yin and Yang acts as a team. Whilst one attack the other defends and they can switch place in an instant. In terms of individual skills they are considered second only to the Dragon's Claw warriors but as a team they potentially rival the Jade Emperor. Limitation(s)/Weakness(s): Yin and Yang's armour is weak to projectile weapons. However in challenging them an enemy may have to face the Jade Emperor. Rap Sheet/Criminal Traits: Homicide (All) Attempted homicide (All) Notes/History Leadership The Twelve assassin factions all receive their assignments from a person known as the Jade Emperor and though he or she is has always been a formidable warrior, the Jade Emperor has his/her own personal guards in the form of "Yin and Yang". Like the Emperor the names are just titles and the people using them change but almost always Yin and Yang are female warriors. Though the Jade Emperor usually assigns teams to perform assassinations, it is believed he/she (or Yin and Yang) will perform killings if a direct threat is posed to the order.. Twelve Teams Each assassin that is recruited by the Twelve is selected for identified skills. Some times extra training is given by way of the Jade Emperor and once an individual is considered "ready" they are assigned to a team that best suits their particular speciality. As such each team are specialist in one or more disciplines. Though any warrior might be considered worthy to become a member of the Twelve on average the number of assassins in total across all the factions shows a distinct leaning towards female warriors. History Due to the secret nature of the Twelve nobody knows for sure exactly how old the Order is. By piecing together old witness accounts which are often wildly inaccurate, historians estimate the Twelve to be well over five centuries. It is believed the order was established by the rich and wealthy who had no access to protection and so hired mercenary forces to safeguard their legacies. Around four hundred years ago rather than acting as guards the order of mercenaries decided to take more pre-emptive actions and eliminate threats before they became a problem and thus the origins of the Twelve came into being. To maintain their anonymity the assassins took their pseudonyms from Chinese mythology so the leader became known as the Jade Emperor and the assassin groups referred to themselves as animals of the Chinese Zodiac. To maintain their secrecy they decided to limit their numbers hence there has always been twelve teams, no more and no less and whilst the people behind the titles may change the titles remain, thus even today the Twelve is known as the Jade Emperor. Since the Twelve had been established from honourable warriors, certain aspects of that became ingrained in the rules and practices of the order, thus anyone that sought their protection would only receive it if they were honourable. Likewise the Jade Emperor would not authorise a killing if the individual concerned was honourable. Though their service are paid for by their clients anyone that seeks the Twelve is warned that if they perform deliberate dishonourable acts on those weaker and less powerful their contracts will be terminated, permanently. To ensure appropriate justice is handed out anyone marked for death is given the opportunity to prove their honour by facing the Jade Emperor’s bodyguards known as Yin and Yang. Surviving them is the only way to prove they are honourable. Likewise the Jade Emperor can be challenged for leadership by defeating Yin and Yang and then taking on the current leader of the order. Though there is no firm proof of this ever happening historians believe that leadership has only changed hands by the Jade Emperor naming a successor and then taking his (or her) own life. Historical evidence has also revealed that each assassin has to swear an oath to maintain the four rules of the twelve which revolve around their assignments and secrecy of the order. Revealing the secret of the order, failing to carry out a killing or deliberately taking a life that has not been sanction is all punishable by death and the only way to leave the Twelve is the same. Since being established the way the Twelve operate has never changed even if the methods of killing have. With the fall people abandoning Japan following the comet strike, it is believed the Twelve relocated to New Tokyo and since then has been operating ever since. Many people consider if it were not for the interference of Alpha Heroes then the Twelve’s evidence would have solely considered of conspiracy theorist, rumours and vague historical references but now CLEA has managed to establish a good deal of data which includes some of the assassin teams and their operatives. However to date no known member of the Twelve has ever been captured by any law enforcement agency.