History Main / AncientOrderOfProtectors

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* The US Department of Energy has considered different methods to protect nuclear waste repositories from trespassing in the far future, including an "[http://mentalfloss.com/article/27476/ray-cats-artificial-moons-and-atomic-priesthood-how-government-plans-protect-our atomic priesthood]".

[[Folder: Real Life]]

->''The secret of the [[HolyGrail Grail]] has been safe for a thousand years. And for all that time the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword has been prepared to do anything to keep it safe.''
-->--'''Kazim''', ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade''

* In ''Film/TheFifthElement'', the Mondoshawan followers have hints of this; the first one seen was willing to kill an archaeologist who was getting close to finding the elemental weapon.

* Literature/TheDresdenFiles has the Venatori. They fight to defend the world from ancient demonic gods called Old Ones ... by forgetting about them. By erasing every instance of the Old One's name and identity from mortal knowledge and then so forget themselves. With this done the Old One is banished to Oblivion, unable to return.

* The Sensei in older editions of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' were the (normally born, not lab-grown) sons of the Emperor, and the Illuminati a secret society devoted to protecting them from the Inquisition's attention.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' the Order of the Guardians are a monastic sect which keeps cursed artifacts sealed away in hidden locations, keeping them out of the hands of innocent bystanders and villains alike.

* The order known as the Blades in ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' universe serves as the protectors of the Dragonborn, who are essentially person-shaped [[MacGuffin Mac Guffins]], sometimes [[PersonOfMassDestruction Persons of Mass Destruction]] and sometimes [[BarrierMaiden Barrier Maidens]]. They also moonlighted as an intelligence service, and were apparently about killing dragons at first (''Skyrim'' brought in some -- somewhat problematic, in light of what had earlier been established -- retcons to their origins and original purpose).

* The Guardians were native warriors who inhabited the jungles of Long Bay, Jamaica, in ''AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' to prevent outsiders from accessing "the Observatory." [[spoiler: Bartholomew Roberts]] mentions that they were apparently bred specifically to defend the site. Naturally, the player character has to fight his way through them to get to the Observatory.
* In a sacred temple on a forgotten planet, "high priests of a timeless religion" guard the hibernating ''VideoGame/BattleGirl''. A universe-threatening crisis is the only reason serious enough to wake her up. In this case, the ''protagonist'' is the one being protected.

* ''Film/TheMummy1999'' has the Medjai, the descendants of the royal guards of Egypt who attempt to drive off any who might awaken Imhotep.

* The Sensei in older editions of ''Warhammer40K ''were the (normally born, not lab-grown) sons of the Emperor, and the Illuminati a secret society devoted to protecting them from the Inquisition's attention.

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A frequent plotline in fiction is to have the characters go and retrieve a MacGuffin or AncientArtifact, or locate a hidden valley, or something else that might have wealth or power or both. In the course of their travels, particularly if they’re dealing with something that dates back to antiquity, they will run into, and most likely run afoul, of an organization dedicated to protecting whatever it is they’re looking for, by any means necessary.

->''The secret of the [[HolyGrail Grail]] has been safe for a thousand years. And for all that time the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword has been prepared to do anything to keep it safe.''
-->-'''Kazim''', ''IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade''

* In ''Series/MythQuest'', there is an unnamed chinese secret society that exists to prevent anyone from accidently releasing Gorgos, a trickster god, from his stone and wreaking havoc on the mythology of the world.

* In ''{{Ravenloft}}'' the Order of the Guardians are a monastic sect which keeps cursed artifacts sealed away in hidden locations, keeping them out of the hands of innocent bystanders and villains alike.

* In [[http://clichequest.com/index.php?pos=12 this]] TheNoob, Ohforf joins a guild. Upon learning their name, "The Righteous Protectors of the Crimson Star", he imagines them as this trope, but it turns out they're just a roleplaying guild with a NonIndicativeName.

* The original {{Thief}} trilogy has [[TheOrder The Keepers]], a mostly-benevolent, secret society of scholars and observers who pull strings behind the scenes to keep the City from destroying itself.

->''The secret of the [[HolyGrail Grail]] has been safe for a thousand years. And for all that time the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword has been prepared to do anything to keep it safe.''

A frequent plotline in fiction is to have the characters go and retrieve a MacGuffin or AncientArtifact, or locate a hidden valley, or something else that might have wealth or power or both. In the course of their travels, particularly if they’re dealing with something that dates back to antiquity, they will run into, and most likely run afoul, of an organization dedicated to protecting whatever it is they’re looking for, by any means necessary.

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* An order of Greek priests established by the titular ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' guards his son Orpheus' immortal head. Not that anyone seems to be going out of their way to seek it these days, but they still take their job very seriously and are armed to the teeth, just in case.

[[AC: {{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'', Indy encounters the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword an ancient order dedicated to protecting the location of the HolyGrail. Later they unsuccessfully attempt to prevent Donovan’s party from reaching the Grail’s hiding place.
* ''Film/TheMummy1999'' has the Medjai, the descendants of the royal guards of Egypt who attempt to drive off any who might awaken Imhotep.
* In ''Film/TheFifthElement'', the Mondoshawan followers have hints of this; the first one seen was willing to kill an archaeologist who was getting close to finding the elemental weapon.

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]

* In the ''Literature/NightshadeTrilogy'' by Andrea Cremer, the Guardians (a group of [[VoluntaryShapeshifting wolf shapeshifters]]) have served their masters, the Keepers, for hundreds of years, and one of their most important duties is protecting some mysterious artifacts from their enemies, the Seekers. [[spoiler:Turns out that the Keepers are really the bad guys and deal with dark magic, and the artifacts are actually pieces of a weapon that TheChosenOne can wield to defeat them. The main character, a Guardian named Calla, eventually helps the Seekers steal them.]]

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[[AC: VideoGames]]

** A splinter sect of Protoss called the Tal'darim have appointed themselves guardians of the xel'naga artifact fragments Raynor is collecting during the main storyline, and violently try to keep them out of his hands. [[spoiler: They turn out to be a subversion as they are actually working for the BigBad Amon.]]

[[AC: WebComic]]
* In [[http://clichequest.com/index.php?pos=12 this]] TheNoob, Ohforf joins a guild. Upon learning their name, "The Righteous Protectors of the Crimson Star", he imagines them as this trope, but it turns out they're just a roleplaying guild with a NonIndicativeName.

A frequent plotline in fiction is to have the characters go and retrieve a MacGuffin, or locate a hidden valley, or something else that might have wealth or power or both. In the course of their travels, particularly if they’re dealing with something that dates back to antiquity, they will run into, and most likely run afoul, of an organization dedicated to protecting whatever it is they’re looking for, by any means necessary.

* ''Film/TheMummy'' has the Medjai, the descendants of the royal guards of Egypt who attempt to drive off any who might awaken Imhotep.

* ''Film/TheMummy'' has the Magi, the descendants of the royal guards of Egypt who attempt to drive off any who might awaken Imhotep.

* In the ''Literature/NightshadeTrilogy'' by Andrea Cremer, the Guardians (a group of [[VoluntaryShapeshifting wolf shapeshifters]]) have served their masters, the Keepers, for hundreds of years, and one of their most important duties is protecting some mysterious artifacts from their enemies, the Seekers. [[spoiler:Turns out that the Keepers are really the bad guys and deal with dark magic, and the artifacts are actually pieces of a weapon that TheChosenOne can wield to defeat them. The main character, a Guardian named Calla, eventually helps the Seekers steal them.]]

* The order known as the Blades in ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' universe serves as the protectors of the Dragonborn, who are essentially person-shaped [[MacGuffin Mac Guffins]], sometimes [[PersonOfMassDestruction Persons of Mass Destruction]] and sometimes [[BarrierMaiden Barrier Maidens]].

* The order known as the Blades in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrolls'' universe serves as the protectors of the Dragonborn, who are essentially person-shaped [[MacGuffin Mac Guffins]], sometimes [[PersonOfMassDestruction Persons of Mass Destruction]] and sometimes [[BarrierMaiden Barrier Maidens]].

The Protectors as a group are virtually unknown to the rest of the world, though they may form a secret society who lives among the average citizenry. They are not usually an AncientConspiracy, though it’s not impossible that they are either, especially if they're trying to actively suppress all knowledge of whatever they're guarding. They do, however, usually have their own AncientTradition. They may or may not be an OrganizationWithUnlimitedFunding. There is some overlap with SecretKeeper, though instead of just not telling anyone, they actively try to prevent people from finding out about it. They may not even know where it is themselves and think it's better that way.

The Protectors as a group are virtually unknown to the rest of the world, though they may form a secret society who lives among the average citizenry. They are not usually an AncientConspiracy, though it’s not impossible that they are either. They do, however, usually have their own AncientTradition. They may or may not be an OrganizationWithUnlimitedFunding. There is some overlap with SecretKeeper, though instead of just not telling anyone, they actively try to prevent people from finding out about it. They may not even know where it is themselves and think it's better that way.

This is the Ancient Order of Protectors, an organization whose purpose can be defined as “keep this knowledge out of everyone else’s hands by any means necessary”. This usually means that the heroes will be forced to fight them one or more times along the way, since PoorCommunicationKills, but this does not necessarily mean they are evil. Quite often, after misunderstandings have been cleared up, the heroes will [[EnemyMine team up]] with the Protectors to fight the BigBad or work with them to prevent a global catastrophe.

The Protectors as a group are virtually unknown to the rest of the world, though they may form a secret society who lives among the average citizenry. They are not usually an AncientConspiracy, though it’s not impossible that they are either. They do, however, usually have their own AncientTradition. They may or may not be an OrganizationWithUnlimitedFunding. There is some overlap with SecretKeeper, though instead of just not telling anyone, they actively try to prevent people from finding out about it. They may not even know where it is themselves and think it's better that way.

* ''Franchise/{{Yugioh}}'', the Tombkeepers have been charged with guarding the secrets of the Pharaoh until his return, and guard some of the Millennium Items as well. Shadi is a much stronger embodiment of the trope, guarding the Pharaoh's Tomb for millennia and protecting it from robbers. He also tests people to see if they are worthy of possessing Millennium Items, and the tests are fatal if failed.

* In ''VideoGame/StarcraftIIWingsOfLiberty'', a splinter sect of Protoss called the Tal'darim have appointed themselves guardians of the xel'naga artifact fragments Raynor is collecting during the main storyline, and violently try to keep them out of his hands. [[spoiler: They turn out to be a subversion as they are actually working for the BigBad Amon.]] Normal Protoss also have shades of this, they travel the cosmos studying and gathering relics of the xel'naga, and will keep them out of humans hands, but it's usually for a good reason (TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow, etc) and on other occasions they don't interfere with human archaeology.