During the Ming Dynasty the Emperour possessed one weapon greater then all the rest, the imperial guards, and elite force of assassins recruited from street orphans. Trained in clandestine combat from childhood, the Imperial Guards were masters of 14 Blades eight bring for torture, five for killingand the last blade for suicide when a missionfailed. Above the law with a license to iill the Imperial Guards devoted their lives to the Emperour alone.