Aegis (Ey-giss)

The organisation follows a strict hierarchy. New recruits undergo intense training and bodily modification and are assigned a rank and a master. This masters orders are to be obeyed without question.  

Cherubim

  The lowest ranking members of the organisation, fresh off of their training course, typically around the ages of 12-17. Cherubim are assigned a master in the form of a Throne, who treats them as both employees and as a twisted version of parent and child. A throne lives under the same roof as their disciples, training and living together.   In addition to bringing them along on missions, a throne in grains in the Cherubim's minds that they are set apart, they are better than everyone else around them and that they are the Company's shield against the heretics of the world. In direct opposition to this statement, a Throne will abuse their charges, refusing to give them food and locking them in solitary confinement if a Cherub makes even the smallest mistake, or in more cruel instances, punishing other cherubim for another's mistake or making a favoured Cherub carry out the punishments. This twists the psyche of each Cherub, making them desperate to achieve the affection of the Throne as well as the organisation at large, and pits the cherubim against one another.   This is of course, all a deliberate test by Aegis, to see which of their young recruits have the knack for espionage. Such extreme emotional torture usually has an inevitable conclusion - the death of a Throne. As the Cherubim endure the emotional abuse, some may snap and murder their tutor in a blind rage. Others are more calculating and poison or assassinate their mentor. Others still convince their fellow cherubim to conspire against and disgrace their Throne.   Such Cherubim that take such drastic measures soon find that this is in fact how one is promoted in the organisation. The skill required to kill a Throne is enough proof that they can handle tougher missions, but the method that a Cherub chooses to deal with their Throne dictates the role they will be given upon promotion.   Cherubim that fail to pass this test before they are 18 are considered failures with no future. Aegis needs not just loyal soldiers, but soldiers with drive and ambition. Soldiers that will stop at nothing to achieve their goals and prove that they are useful to their masters. Failures are disposed of.  

Thrones

  The rank and file of Aegis, Thrones are agents that have surpassed the mindless obedience of the Cherubim and can make moves on their own. They infiltrate and assassinate in small groups, usually one or two, or with their clutch of Cherubim if they've been assigned any. In dire circumstances, a team of 5 or 6 Thrones may be used. Such a thing is a rarity, as the cutthroat nature of the organisation leads to distrust between Thrones. If organised well, Thrones have been known to destabilise entire regions.   Each Throne reports to a Seraph, whom they almost never meet in person, but are informed that their Seraph sees everything they do and judges them accordingly. Thrones are kept in a constant state of test conditions, constantly aware that any treacherous thoughts or sloppy work could result in them becoming a target of Aegis as well. Due to the young age of recruitment and the constant state of observation, Thrones almost never communicate with the outside world when not undercover, and so have to rely on Aegis for everything, making leaving nigh impossible.    

Seraphim

At the top of the organisation lie the Seraphim. They are they cream of the crop, the deadliest assassins in the known world. Almost all information about them is kept a mystery to the other agents of the organisation. It is said that as little as 5 exist in this world.   Thrones ascend to the heights of Seraph when their supervising Seraph deems them worthy and recommends them to the other Seraphim as well as the Demiurges. The Throne is brought before a council of Seraph, Demiurges and other interested NWTC parties to demonstrate their skills in a number of written and practical examinations. After that, the final test begins. The Throne is brought before someone that was important to them before they were brought into Aegis. A parent, a childhood friend, the population of their home village, etc. Then to ensure that the prospective has no outside ties and is only loyal to the NWTC, they are instructed to kill that person, ending the thrones personhood and reaching their full potential. The Throne is not aware of thks stage of the test, and if they fail, they are terminated on the spot less they turn traitor.   Seraphim are even more independent than Thrones, with each controlling the Thrones beneath them, but barring a few direct orders from the Demiurges, they are largely left to their own devices, to root out the NWTCs enemies and destroy them as they see fit. Any casualties incurred along the way are excused. Most Seraphim are more managerial, preferring to have their underlings tackle most targets, but should a Seraph deign to take matters into their own hands, there are few places in the world one can hide from them for long.   Seraph in general don't trust each other and avoid each other at all costs, save for occasional communications were 2 different Seraphim's forces may overlap. Only once in recorded history have multiple Seraphim been deployed to work together on the same mission, and they did their job so well that none but the Demiurges even remember what that target once was. It vanished from the annals of history all together.  

Demiurges

A unique rank. Demiurges are not abducted as children to become assassins but are instead members of the NWTC's founding families appointed by the Board to oversee Aegis. There are 3 in total. Each one could be considered the head of the organisation and as such all Seraphim report to them. This makes destroying Aegis nearly impossible, as in the unlikely event of one Demiurge being killed, the other two can run things entirely without them.   Demiurges mostly leave the Seraphim to their own devices, instead pursuing their own dark agendas from behind the curtain. Some plot to aquire yet more power, others pour their resources into better brainwashing and physical augmentations. When the Demiurges speak with the Seraphim directly, it is with the express purpose of removing a person from history.

Early on, new recruits, usually in early puberty, are taught they not only are they special, but that the rest of the world won't understand them and shun them. From there, they are indoctrinated into the ideals of the Company.  Due to the nature of the tests to rise in ranks, Aegis agents are actually rather individualistic, often being allowed to act independently as they see fit (so long as those actions aren't deemed treacherous). In addition, most agents are hell bent on attaining as much status within the organisation as possible. It isn't uncommon for one agent on a paired mission to go mysteriously MIA or to have their deepest secrets leaked to their superiors.   This backstabbing amongst agents is not only allowed but encouraged by the Demiurges, as they believe it weeds out the weak elements of the organisation. If you were foolish enough to be undone by your own ally, then they were a detriment to the organisation as a whole. Very much a quality of agents over quantity of agents mindset. The occasional agent death matters little to the higher ups, as there are always more promising recruits among the young employees of the Company...