irst Shield Beom-Seok
The Head Guardian of Seonhwa, a hardened veteran who would exile or execute anyone exposed to heavy Maggi before they can turn.
Character
Beom-Seok is a veteran who has seen many recruits die. He holds that anyone exposed to heavy Maggi (막기) must be exiled or executed immediately, before they turn, and he views Maggi-corrupted creatures as pure evil. He was once idealistic. His belief in the need to protect has since driven him to embody the meaning of his name.
Keep in sync. This leader’s reading of the corrupted is restated here. Canonical version: The Council of Seonhwa. Also in Maggi. Update all copies together.
Where he works
He leads the Guardian path, the path patroned by Cheolbyeok (철벽, Iron Wall), whose discipline is to endure and hold the line. He is often found not in the designated room for the Guardian leader, but in the council chambers of the Council of Seonhwa, the council of the five paths. Beom-Seok is always working toward a safer future.
Standing on the council
The Council of Seonhwa is made of the five path leaders, each with their own motives, which makes for usable internal conflict even in a world that is ending. Beom-Seok’s hard line sets him against the more compassion-first leaders.
High Cleric Eun-Ae believes every Maggi-corrupted creature is suffering and seeks to “cure” them. Her warm, soothing voice occasionally breaks through Beom-Seok’s walls.
Toward the sanctioned Necromancy of the Danja (단자), Beom-Seok is wary. He tolerates Mediator Yun-Seo because her warnings about Maggi surges have saved lives, but he considers the entire discipline one bad day away from something dangerous.
Relationship to the subpaths
The shared subpaths of the Circle of Balance touch Beom-Seok’s Guardians in two places.
The Songhondan (송혼단, “Order of Soul Sending”), or Song, recover the bodies of the fallen and perform funeral rites. Beom-Seok values their practical necessity but is uncomfortable with how close their work brings them to the dead, which places them nearer to Eun-Ae’s compassion-first approach despite being half Guardian in their training.
The Hwarang (화랑), or Hwa, understand Beom-Seok’s devotion to duty, but they would argue duty without culture becomes hollow. They sometimes nearly come to blows with the Guardians because of the enforcement role the Hwa naturally fall into.
Echoes among his followers
Vanguard Dae-Hyun, the Guardian tutor, idolizes Beom-Seok and tries to emulate his cold, unyielding nature, though Dae-Hyun fits the tutor role well and encourages new Guardians.
See also
- The Council of Seonhwa
- The Suhodan
- Guardian
- Maggi
- Seonhwa
- High Cleric Eun-Ae
- Mediator Yun-Seo
- Vanguard Dae-Hyun
- Songhondan (Song)
- Hwarang (Hwa)
- Headmaster Yul-Ho
- Danja (Jeopsindanja)
Source: ETK Lore Bible (Path Leaders: First Shield Beom-Seok; General Lore Considerations: The Council, Maggi; Circle of Balance: Songhondan, Hwarang; Key NPCs: Mediator Yun-Seo); World of Haneul foundation doc (Guardian path and Cheolbyeok patron).