Editing Shadows of Shen Zhou:Wulin Periphery & Fandom

'''Wulin Periphery & Fandom'''

Destiny Cost: 2 

The Wulin has any number of hangers-on, wannabes, groupies, Net sites and Zines dedicated to it.  You are in tune with as well as known to that community.  Every city has gyms and universities where a few Rank 5 types train and study, along with hundreds of people who aren't even Rank 5.  Many of them fancy that under the right circumstances, they could become part of the Wulin proper.  As part of this fascination, they watch Wulin members with careful eyes all the time, looking for any secret or shortcut that will let them elevate themselves (Of course, there are no shortcuts.  The path of kung fu is hard!)

The Periphery of the Wulin consists of both people and places.  It includes Universities (where 5th rank Scholars & Courtiers might be found) as well as many gyms and dojos (where 5th rank Warriors are located.)  In any place where these congregate, there are also many common people who wish to be or believe themselves to be fifth rank.  There are also in any city going to be herb shops (and similar esoterica), weapon and armor dealers, restaurants, boarding houses, and many other common types of businesses that cater specifically to or have been adopted by the Wulin.  For example, in a district given over to drinking establishments, there are probably one or two which are particularly frequented by Wulin members (counterintuitively - this is NOT a place that sees many fights.)  

Also part of the periphery is the fandom.  There are a lot of people who wish to gain a touch of reflected glory by being around their betters, or by cataloging their exploits.  For that reason, there are fanzines tracking events in the Wulin world and its players, sites on the Net, and regularly produced lists of the Great Young Heroes, the World's Top Sinners, etc.  Wulin members who are in the midst of meteoric rises (or falls) are likely to have features done on them.  In-person interviews are rare, though, as the fans often consider their heroes to be more of a dangerous quarry than someone you just call on the phone.

*Free: You are in tune with and known to the Wulin periphery.  You may apply a +5 bonus to any rolls made to obtain small favors from members of the fandom.  Appropriate examples are getting wannabes to buy you dinner and drinks in return for some stories, crash space on a couch in the back of a gym, or perhaps spending some time with a groupie.
*1 - You read the 'zines and talk to people in the periphery.  You can make instant gather information checks to find out news about the Wulin, given access to a phone or a computer, and gain a +5 to the roll.  (Not sure how to mechanic this out - thoughts?)
*2 - You're affiliated with several zines and considered a source of information and expertise.  You may spread disinformation or call attention to particular facts, thus making this a tool for Secret Arts or Great Game tactics.  (I think this would open up making the Wulin Periphery into some stones in the Great Game.  Like, influence stones or something...)
*3 - Someone comes to you with a rumor first.  A rank 5 type has found viable & valuable information on a God Weapon or something of similarly ridiculous value, and felt you were the only one he could trust with it!  Other possibilities might be the movement or location of a Rank 1 or 2 teacher looking for a new student, discovery of a technique manual for a Rare kung fu style, or similar.