Tales of Perpetual Peace/JianghuLoresheets

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The Wulin in the Age of the Xin

The Wulin Registry

The Most Wanted List

Even at the height of the Xin Dynasty, when the Imperial Constabulary kept a firm and constant peace in the city, it was unwritten policy to allow the Wulin to police their own, for the wise Ministers realized that no good would come of involving the Empire in the bloody feuds and long-standing rivalries of the Jianghu. Yet some baneful Wulin could not be ignored, and it fell to the Liquid Metal Delegates to track and, if possible, to pacify these criminals by any means necessary. The List currently features: Sword Bitch, the leader of the Blade Dogs in Perpetual Peace (if such a group can be said to have a leader!); Abyssal Ink, a notorious criminal famous for the incendiary anti-Xin calligraphy he leaves at the scenes of his crimes; and White Star Mask, a seemingly recent arrival who is all too willing to sell his murderous services to the highest bidder.

The Top Ten

In a city such as Perpetual Peace, where the Wulin are drawn like moths to a flame, it is inevitable that they should rank one another, and compete to stand preeminent in the Imperial Capital. Though the rankings are known to change, several Wulin are mainstays. They include: Red Sky Raptor, the sly and deadly Eagle Talon Executive whose special variation on the traditional Eagle Talon technique makes her a deadly opponent; Captain Hsi Jing-guo, the chief of the Brocade Guards, the elite unit of the Liquid Metal Delegates, and bearer of the Legendary Weapon Numberless Blades; Brazen Fist, five-time champion of the Illustrious August Tournament; it is said his skin is pure metal, and that no weapon can harm him; and the Sword Bitch, currently the only Wulin to figure on both the Most Wanted and Top Ten Lists.

Wulin Factions

Factions from the Corebook

The following Factions are taken from the Legends of the Wulin corebook, and their loresheets are merely updated to reflect the setting. Unless otherwise noted, the 'Secrets of Destiny' options in the corebook remain the same; other lores may be purchased with Sage permission.

Little Forest Sect

• The Great Proscription
• Lotus against Diamond
• The Wayward Sangha

Eagle Talon Syndicate

• Red Sky Raptor
• The Unwritten Contracts

Yun Clan

• The Legacy of Winter
• The Tsubo Threat
• Ebon Stag

Heaven Sword Alliance

• The Ambition of Five-Metal Spirit
• Unconquered Gentlemen, Disciples of the Blade-Dao, and Sword Devils

Beggar Fraternity

• The Eternal Carnival
• The Beggar's Tunnels
• The Postal War

Resplendent Phoenix Society

• The Willow Wars
• Fiery Masked Phoenix
• Maidens at the Bridal Palace

Fallen Leaves Society

• Blossoming Peony Declaration
• College Life
• The White Crane Club

Liquid Metal Delegates

• The Brocade Guard
• Informed by a Thousand Eyes

Hundred Ghost Faction

• The Barrow Guards
• The Yama King's Gate

Yue Clan

(Formerly the Southern Dragon Pirate Clan)

• The Southern Dragon Heritage
• Shipping Magnates

Blade Dogs

• Legacy of the Sword Bastard
• The Duelists
• Sword Bitch

Black Lotus Society

The old Black Lotus Society is no more. The Xin armies razed the Black Sand Pagoda in the reign of the Second Xin Emperor, and Black Storm Buddha met his end at the hands of the Abbot of the Little Orphan Monastery. But like the noxious weed that gives them their name, they have grown up anew, taking advantage of the growing weakness in Xin power. A mysterious figure known as the Bodhisattva of Black Mist, bearing a panoply of potent intoxicants made from a strange western flower, has reformed the baneful society. Now they begin to ply their foul trade once more.

• Cluttered Soil: As Black Storm Buddha had before, the Bodhisattva encourages rivalries among his followers. He will often go so far as to set two agents in the same region at odds in order to see which of them is more devious and capable.
  • 0 Bonus: You have a -2D Discount to the increase Involvement from Rivals Loresheet (p. 155)
  • 2 Fortune: Once per story, you can declare that two members of the Society have been set in competition by a superior (other than you!).
• Grains of Black Sand: Although the old Black Lotus Society was destroyed, not every member of that wide-ranging organization was successfully hunted down. These survivors laid low during the height of Xin power, but have flocked to the New Lotus Saint's call to form the Society anew.
  • 3 Destiny: You descend by birth or martial tradition from an original Black Lotus Society member; this will be important to your story.
  • 2+ Involvement: There are some among these holdovers who think the so-called Black Mist Bodhisattva is a fraud and usurper; they search for the reincarnation of Black Storm Buddha to take rightful possession of the faction.
  • 3+ Treasure: You are in possession of some artifact of the original Black Lotus Society; perhaps it was passed down from master to disciple since the time of Black Storm Buddha, or perhaps you took it 'the old fashioned way'. Work with your Sage to determine the details.
    • 0 Bonus: As long as you own this item, your effective Status is one higher than normal among the Society.
• The Five Petal Lotus: It is said that this strange flower, remarkable for its many-colored petals, was discovered on a distant peak in the Kunlun Mountains. Manipulated by strange alchemies, it has produced a variety of powerful intoxicants, each based on a different petal of the flower. Those who distribute the drug promise a kind of euphoria that would make the Buddha himself spurn enlightenment.
  • The Five Petal Lotus is so called because of its multi-colored petals, each of which, when manipulated, creates a different class of drugs.
    • The Bloody Petal: The hallucinogens produced by the deep crimson petal are much favored by shamans and seers, who swear that they gain unparalleled access to the spirit world thereby. They apparently find the bouts of terror and paranoia to be worth it.
    • The Void Petal: Those who have sampled the drugs crafted from the inky black Void Petal maintain that their minds have never been sharper, but rumors circulate about the unfortunates who have sought too much insight.
    • The Weeping Petal: There are poor souls in Shen Zhou who are haunted by something that they cannot forget; drugs from the blue-white petal of the lotus are their only solace.
    • The Thorn Petal: The drugs produced from the nettled, deep green petal are much favored by mercenaries, tournament fighters, and athletes. They grant unparalleled strength and physical endurance -- but at a heavy price.
    • The Sallow Petal: No opium or wine in Shen Zhou can induce the kind of euphoric stupor that the powders of the pale yellow petal. No pain can pierce the veil these drugs produce, but no pleasure can rival it, either.
  • 3 Fortune: You have taken one of the drugs created from the Five Petal Lotus. Work with your sage to create the specifics of the effect, but it will be a Minor Paired Condition that grants a Hyperactivity when under the effects of the drug, and a Weakness otherwise. In a time frame determined by the Sage, the Condition will inflame to Major intensity, requiring more frequent uses or more potent doses to avoid the Weakness.
  • 2+ Treasure: You have either a cache of drugs created from the Five Petal Lotus, or a reliable supply of them from your allies in the faction.

• Bodhisattva of the Black Mist
  • 4+ Fortune: You have discovered a secret about the identity of the Black Mist Bodhisattva; perhaps you have been to his fortress in the Kunlun Mountains, or are privy to his plans.
    • -2: This information has come at a heavy price; in learning about him, he has seen into your heart of hearts. You have a Major Weakness giving you an action penalty whenever you disobey or attempt to keep secrets from Bodhisattva of the Black Mist.
  • 3+ Involvement: The Bodhisattva is seeking five lieutenants to aid in his rebuilding efforts; he is calling them the Serpent Generals. You are intimately involved in this process.
  • 5 Technique: You have learned the Five Petal Mastery Method, the potent Formless technique based on the flower that grants the Society its power and wealth. How did you come by this knowledge?
    • +3: You have been named one of the Serpent Generals! What have you done to earn this accolade? What honors and responsibilities accompany this role? (You must have at least Status 4: Black Lotus Society to select this option.)

Vile Rain Cult

• See the Vile Rain Cult Legend

Revised Factions from the Corebook

The following factions are taken from the Legends of the Wulin corebook, but have been reimagined.

The Small Schools

(3 Destiny)
(Based on the Dragon Well Sect)

The Destruction of the Raven Scholars

While a number of smaller Daoist schools have managed to survive the hegemony of -- and persecution from -- the Eight Mountain Sect, the Raven Scholars did not. Never loved by the 'orthodox' (the Scholars would've said: "power-besotted") Eight Mountain Daoists, whom they never tired of accusing of betraying the Dao; nor by the Confucians, who saw them as outright anarchists; nor by the Imperial bureaucracy, who saw them as a source of insurrection; they met their end during the waning days of the Great Proscription.

While most think of the Buddhists as the victims of the Proscription -- and, as a rule, they were -- the Eight Mountain Sect also took advantage of their access to state power to persecute their rivals. Some say it was the Minders of the Way, the fanatical cadre of Eight Mountain Priests, who petitioned for the elite Brocade Guard to destroy the Raven Scholars; others maintain that the impetus came from within the government, and the Way-Minders were enlisted only to disguise the real reason behind the attack. The truth, if it exists, is known only by a few, none of whom are inclined to tell. Whatever the reason, the destruction came quickly and brutally. The Brocade Guard units used their deadly scorpion crossbows to rain death on the unsuspecting priests, and silent assassins flooded the Raven School to finish off the rest.
Secrets of Destiny: Raven Scholar Survivors

• 3+ Status: You are a (the?) Raven Scholar Survivor. Few remember what the School taught, but even the young hear the stories of their bloody destruction.
  • 0 Bonus: You may purchase the Daoism Loresheet at a -2D discount.
  • 0/5 Disadvantage: You are a well-known Heretic. The Minders of the Way no longer have the assassins of the Xin at their disposal, but they are still around, and they have not forgotten you. Earn one additional Destiny whenever your Heresy gets you into trouble.
• 2+ Involvement: Though you are the only Raven Scholar, you have connections among other eccentric Daoists in Perpetual Peace.

Secrets of Destiny: Raven Scholar Kung Fu

The Revenge of the Raven Scholars

• You bear the weight of the melancholy of losing your friends and mentors, but are driven on by the flame of vengeance that burns in your heart. Work with your Sage to develop a Minor Paired Passion Condition; either element may be the hyperactivity, but one should reflect melancholy, and the other vengefulness.
• 2+ Fortune: You recognize an NPC as one who participated on the assault on the Raven School! The cost of this option depends on the importance of the NPC and their role in the attack.
• 2 Fortune (location): The site of the Raven School in a now run-down ward in Persiatown has never been completely torn down or rebuilt; a ruined shambles still stands there, and those who live nearby give it wide berth. For you, however, it is still home. While on your 'home turf', you always Laugh At the attacks of others.
• 5 Destiny/Victory: As far as you know, you are the sole survivor of the massacre of the Raven Scholars -- but you have found, or will find another!
• 5 Fortune: You have stumbled onto some clue regarding the truth of the destruction of the Raven Scholars. Who was truly behind it, what was their agenda, and what did they gain? Perhaps you will learn that some truths are best left undisturbed ... .

Blood Wind Cult

• The Coming Storm
• Anointed by Blood
• Tengri's Bride

Brilliant Light Path

(Based on the Western Fire Doctrine)

• Secrets of Destiny: Brilliant Light Path Kung Fu
• A Sapling in the Martial Forest
• The Hierophant
• The Shadow Path

New Factions

Eight Mountain Sect

• Secrets of Destiny: Eight Mountain Sect
• Secrets of Destiny: Eight Mountain Sect Kung Fu
  • 0 Bonus: You have a -2 Destiny discount when purchasing one of the following as a secondary External Style: Destiny Cloud Fist, Flowing Universe, or Immortals' Supreme Boxing
  • 0 Bonus: If you are a member of the Eight Mountain Sect, you probably have Breath of the Yellow Emperor as your Internal Style. You may learn all its techniques, rather than one per level.
  • 2 Technique: You have mastered the Entangling Fists technique. The purity of your Chi allows you to make your hands and feet seem to come at your opponents from all directions at once. Fighting Unarmed now also counts as fighting with a Flexible weapon. This allows you to combine the bonuses of both types of weapons and to combine different styles. If you know multiple Techniques that improve your Unarmed fighting, you may only use one at a time; you must choose at the start of each round.

Sect members with Breath of the Yellow Emperor may learn the following Techniques:

• • 5 Technique: Dark Cloud Judgment
    • If you are in Destiny Cloud Fist stance and use Mountain-Leaping Step, you may spend one more Chi for Lightfoot than your Rank would normally allow.
    • If you are in Destiny Cloud Fist stance and use Pure Air Punishment, you attack causes Ripples as normal in addition to the penalties for respiring or using Corrupt Chi.

• • 5 Technique: Master of Breath
    • If you are in Flowing Universe stance and use Suffocating Blow, you may 'stack' a second Breath Disrupt condition on the same opponent to lower his normal Chi respiration by 2.
    • If you are in Flowing Universe stance and use Balance Through Excess, you have a +15 rather than +10 bonus to your Minor Action.

• • 5 Technique: Disciple of Huangdi
    • If you are in Immortals' Supreme Boxing stance and use Pure Chi Armor, your bonus on Chi Aura rolls against energy attacks increases to +15.
    • If you are in Immortals' Supreme Boxing stance and use Huangdi's Method, the cost of extending the technique is 1 Chi for the first and second rounds, 2 Chi for the third and fourth, etc.
• The Dragon Well Legacy
• The Minders of the Way
• The Lonely Apostle

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The Diamond Vehicle

• Secrets of Destiny: Diamond Vehicle Kung Fu
• The Shambalan Embassy
• The Western Rites

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Three Harmonies Union

• Secrets of Destiny: Three Harmonies Union Kung Fu
• The Way of Honor and the Way of Silver
• Lords of the Lulin?
• Black Market Fortunes
• The Elder Council

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Guardians of the Bones

Destiny Cost: 3

Concept: The agents and enforcers of the Astral Directorate, sworn to bring about what Fate demands. 'Recruited' from orphans and child captives, these fearsome warriors have been taught since childhood to submit their will to the dictates of fate. They are trained in the arcane kung fu of the Purple Star Sages, and feared by all those who run afoul, knowingly or not, of the Astral Directorate's predictions. The Guardians of the Bones are the stuff of whispers and legends throughout Shen Zhou.
Virtues: Fatalism, Zhong (Loyalty), Ruthlessness (Hen)

Secrets of Destiny: Guardians of the Bones

• 3+ Status: You are one of the Guardians of the Bones. You serve the Astral Directorate, and work to ensure that the predictions of the Purple Star Sages come to pass.
  • 0 Treasure: You may purchase a special weapon with a -2D discount.
  • 0 Bonus: If you are a member of the Guardians of the Bones, you may purchase the Fatalism loresheet at a -2 discount.
  • 0 Bonus: You have a free Inspire specialty: Bad Cop, that applies whenever you make use of your position to intimidate possible offenders or common folk.
• 0/5 Disadvantage: You have been placed on Probation. You have done something to earn the ire of your superiors; you can be sure they are aware of your every move, and further disappointments may result in more severe sanctions. Gain one extra Destiny every time your compromised status causes you difficulty.

Secrets of Destiny: Guardians of the Bones Kung Fu

• 0 Bonus: You have a one-time, -2D discount when buying one of the following as a secondary External Style: Bagua Tower, Murderous Shadows, or Ravenous Wings.
• 0 Bonus: All Guardians of the Bones are taught the Guidance of the Purple Star internal style; you may learn all techniques in that style, rather than one per level.

The following techniques are based on the Guidance of the Purple Star; you must know that style in order to learn them.

• 5 Technique: You learn the In the Shadow of the Tower technique.
  • If you're in the Bagua Tower stance, and use the Heart-Finding Strike technique while acting in accord with a Prediction, you inflict a Rippling roll if your strike lands.
  • If you're in the Bagua Tower stance and use the Gift of Foresight technique while acting in accord with a Prediction, opponents must exceed your initiative by 20 in order to break your waves.

• 5 Technique: You learn the Murderous Savant technique.
  • If you're in Murderous Shadows stance and use Picking Among the Strands, you may choose to keep up to twice the number of your Ranks achieved and reroll the remainder.
  • If you're in Murderous Shadows stance and use Future Holds No Secrets, you Fear no attacks or defenses this round.

• 5 Technique: You learn the End of Days Dance technique.
  • If you are in Ravenous Wings stance and use Falling Star Escape, the bonus to Footwork increases to +20 if you are acting in accord with a Prediction.
  • If you are in Ravenous Wings stance and use Death Comes for All, your attack ignores armor.

The Purple Star Sages
The Thousand Eye Division
The Weight of Destiny
Pan Gu's Bones

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