The Catchword Guard monitors, surveys and preserves Bavel’s grip on ‘Ir Risshum and sometimes beyond. Many station themselves at guard booths dotted throughout the city.
Many of the Catchword Guards used to be linguistic conservatives in the Descriptivist-Prescriptivist War, as they wanted to preserve the memories of the old tongues. Now their job is to quietly stalk and persecute Bavel’s dissenters, as well as systematically destroy documents and records of the past. Despite this, most of the ‘Ir Risshum public tolerates the guards due to their reputations as good Samaritans.
The guards are based on the שמר shoresh root and family, having to do with guarding and protecting. Their standard uniform consists of a surveillance camera and a colander-style helmet decorated with a fennel emblem. Their weapon is a pencil-shaped rapier with an abrasive emery tip. Many guards carry documents and lists to track down their targets, and some also tote a vacuum flask and preserved rations for long shifts.