Blackwing Agent - FF7

In practically every tribe presently known on Gaia, the chieftain has an appointed human shadow. Roles that would be performed by many individuals on the mainland are taken up by one person whom has proven a profound loyalty. Mainland terms for this duty would be numerous and fall short of adequately explaining the dedication required, but those studying the tribal ways of life have settled upon 'agent'.

Agents are quite similar to the president's secret service: fiercely protecting the chieftain at any cost, acting as the chieftain's voice when they are unavailable, and inspecting everything from shelter to food and water for dangers. There are many more aspects to the position of agent, however. Agents are trusted messengers, as well as responsible for their tribe's written histories of accords and alliances. They are often the only ones trusted with the chieftain's headdresses and clothing.

Agents do not hold special status among the tribe as shaman do, but they are almost always held in high esteem by the chieftain, and are apt to earn luxuries through direct gifts and permissions. It is common for agents to be of relation to the chieftain, but blood does not guarantee the necessary devotion to the tasks at hand. There is little tolerance for error before a new agent will be groomed to take over; punishment is only considered if the errors involve theft or injury to chieftain.

Most mainlanders who have traveled to tribal lands have spent their entire visit conversing with the tribe's agent and never personally speaking to the chieftain. Combined with the constant, if peripheral presence of the guards, tribal security is impressively tight for peoples that do not rely on technology nor specially build refuges.