I wrote up a setting summary for Legends of the Wulin (plus some content from the Half-Burnt Manual), to help my players gain a better sense for the game world.It is a long one, so I am breaking this up into several posts below.
A Brief Introduction to the Powder Keg of Shénzhōu's PoliticsThe Hàn dynasty is no more. What followed was the Time of Heroes that was the Three Kingdoms era, and then the Age of Chaos.The Wǔlín observed that a certain alliance of barbarians was gaining power, and was poised to end the Age of Chaos. The master of the Falling Leaves Society at the time, Immortal Crane, pointed out that the Hàn dynasty technically never officially ended, as the Imperial Seals, the physical embodiment of the Mandate of Heaven, were still missing and unaccounted for.Immortal Crane sought to become the Wǔlín Méngzhǔ, and unite all of the factions into preventing the aforementioned barbarians from attaining power. Doing so would have been a trivial task for a hypothetically united Wǔlín. Unfortunately, Immortal Crane failed to balance the factions' wildly disparate preferences and clashing egos, and was never recognized as Wǔlín Supreme; even today, it has been ages since there was a Wǔlín Méngzhǔ.Immortal Crane left the Wǔlín and attempted an assassination on the barbarian chieftain who would become the first Jìn emperor. He failed. The Falling Leaves Society has been regarded as somewhat tarnished by the rest of the Wǔlín ever since, though this animosity has (mostly) faded by the present.The alliance of barbarians became the Jìn dynasty. They have never been considered particularly legitimate due to lacking the Imperial Seals. The Jìn are intimately aware of their tenuous position, and have searched far and wide for the Imperial Seals, still to no avail.Regardless, the Jìn dynasty (just barely) does its job of actually defending Shénzhōu. For one, it successfully drove back the invasion of an entirely different horde of barbarians, led by the Beast of the North. Today, the Jìn reign from the city of Jiànkāng. The last emperor, Jin Fei Long, was a principled man with many ties to the Wǔlín. The current emperor is 16-year-old Jin Tian Long.
The WǔlínToday, sixteen factions make up the Wǔlín. Eight are "Orthodox," and eight are "Unorthodox." The Orthodox factions are the powerful Four Pillars, and the somewhat less influential Four Great Societies; but the latter's methods have a more concrete and immediate impact on the world. The Unorthodox factions are the morally grey Heterodox Four, and the "totally evil and irredeemable" Four Banes of the Wǔlín.>Though the Four Banes are considered individually powerful and dangerous by other factions of the Wulin, as long as they don’t ally amongst themselves or grow so powerful as to challenge the Wulin, they don’t really present a true danger to the Jiang Hu and Shen Zhou. Perhaps this is the arrogance of the current age.Once, long ago, the Banes came together under an Infernal Alliance, led by a great-armored figure known as the Demon God. The armor is still out there, waiting to be donned by a new Demon God.The Four Pillars• Those of the Little Forest Sect are the eminent Buddhist warrior-monks of the Wǔlín. The Little Forest Library is well-regarded as one of the most significant repositories of lore, particularly as it relates to the martial world, in all the land.• The Heaven Sword Alliance consists of wandering swordsmen and blade collectors. Their immense vaults of blessed and cursed blades are known as Sword Heaven and Sword Hell.• The Eagle Talons are the foremost security and escort (i.e. paramilitary) company in the nation. Its leader, Gallant Eagle, shocked the martial brotherhood when he announced his retirement in a year's time, and a competition to find a successor.• The Yun Clan, descended from Xiōngnú heritage, autonomously rule much of western Shénzhōu and the Tea Horse Road. The clan is entwined with the mysterious Glacier Maiden, said to be a spirit ever in search of warmth; the chief is particularly obsessed, and perversely, wants to turn the world into a cold, dark place to woo her.
The Four Great Societies• The Resplendent Phoenix Society represents and protects the interests of women across Shénzhōu, prizing femininity rather than suppressing it.• The Beggar Fraternity, "by far both the largest organization in the martial world and the most widespread," keep an eye on everything going on in the nation. They are masters of information and disinformation. While many are indeed beggars, some are wealthy nobles.• The Falling Leaves Society consists of well-educated and wealthy folk. Following the example of Huángdì, they speak of a glorious past, decry the decadent and decaying present, and seek an overthrow of the status quo. While many are conservative, those of the Blue Flame Branch are more liberal-minded scholars.• The Dragon Well Sect are the greatest Daoists of the Wǔlín, promoting harmony with the unseen world and yet troubleshooting supernatural dangers that arise from it.
The Heterodox Four• The Liquid Metal Delegates are the one and only imperial force considered part of the Wǔlín, due to many complex convolutions. These secret agents are the eyes, ears, and fists of the empire in the martial brotherhood. Some, the Invisible Hell Killers, uphold imperial interests by infiltrating other factions.• The Southern Dragons Pirate Clan rule the seas and waterways of Shénzhōu. "Despite demanding tribute, work, and a safe haven, the pirates usually make good big brothers. They treat their erstwhile subjects with fairness, and protect them from other dangers like bandits or the government."• The Hundred Ghost Faction recruits people who have lost everything, been left for dead, or both. Members cultivate themselves to adopt undeathly appearances: all the better to terrify the villains whom they enact vigilante justice against. While many pursue personal vendettas, others (gruesomely) protect all peoples.• The Blood Wind Cult, protectors of the northeast, are women who consort with the barbarians and nomads found further north. They run with wolves, practice an unusual shamanistic religion, and hire themselves out as assassins and bodyguards across Shénzhōu. (The book never explicitly says this, but the Blood Wind Cult represents the Manchu people: as an all-female faction, for some reason.)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_shamanism#Northeast_shamanismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchu_people
The Banes of the Wǔlín• The Black Lotus Society are the overlords of the criminal underworld. The highly addictive Black Lotus Pills (which are not always pills, contrary to the name) imbue the imbiber with superhuman qualities.• The Fire Doctrine consists primarily of non-Hàn minorities who have been persecuted as "barbarians" and "savages," and made into outcasts. Taking up religious scrolls from the faraway, western land of Bharata, they seek revenge upon society by burning everything down and remaking Shénzhōu anew.• The Blade Dogs are considered outcasts and outsiders even by the standards of the Jiānghú. They are rebellious punks who yearn for nothing more than a good scrap. Due to being "merely" bloodthirsty troublemakers, they are deemed the least villainous of the Four Banes.• The Vile Rain Cult is the absolute worst of the worst: psychopaths and sadists who sow misery and suffering, and ultimately seek to destroy all of Shénzhōu. They are so flagrantly, unbelievably evil that most of the Wǔlín thinks them to be mere myths. Many dress as corrupt parodies of Buddhists or Daoists.The Wǔlín Greats• The Wǔlín has seen a number of legends come and go. Among them are Blue-Eyed Celestial Demon, founder of the Little Forest Sect; Sword Spirit, who brought together the Heaven Sword Alliance; the Three Power Sage, who may still be alive; and Lonely Devil Dugu, whose swordsmanship surpassed even that of Sword Spirit.• In the present day, depending on who is telling the tale, there are either four or five Saint Beasts who stand above the rest of the Wǔlín: the flutist Eastern Azure Dragon Meng Zhang, the noblewoman Southern Vermilion Phoenix Ling Guang, the wandering swordsman Western White Tiger Jian Bing, the hermit Northern Black Tortoise Zhi Cheng, and, apocryphally, the mysterious Central Golden Dragon who wanders the imperial tombs. They presently belong to no faction.
Imperial Forces• The Liquid Metal Delegates, as previously mentioned, are the one and only imperial force considered part of the Wǔlín.• The Imperial Eunuch Ministers of the Forbidden City are the shadow government that runs Shénzhōu. The Liquid Shadow Magistrates of the East Chamber protect the throne and the nation from external threats (the "outsiders" of the Wǔlín included...) via espionage, intelligence, and their command over the Liquid Metal Delegates, including the Invisible Hell Killers. The Spider Judges of the West Chamber protect the emperor and everyone else in the Forbidden City, whether from physical threats or subtle manipulations, such as the Secret Arts. Both chambers are Legalist, but have vastly different views on how to most efficiently protect the empire.• The River Marshals, also known as the Imperial Cormorants, protect the waterways of Shénzhōu. They are the one imperial force most beloved by the common people, for they directly take the fight to bandits and other lowlives across the nation. Among them, the Lone Marshal is a legendary figure who operates independently.• The Eastern Condors, also called the Imperial Navy, is significantly larger and more well-backed than the Cormorants. They, too, frequently clash with the Southern Dragons Pirate Clan.• The Imperial Army is nominally led by the emperor. While often viewed as monolithic, in practice, convoluted manipulations from within and without have splintered the army; none of the generals answer to one another. Rank-and-file troops are unpaid conscripts, but never should the prowess of a professional soldier be underestimated.
Barbarians• "Barbarian" is a very nebulous term.• Many could be considered "barbarians", such as the Xiōngnú-descended Yun Clan, the northeasterners of the Blood Wind Cult, the many other non-Hàn minorities (some of which wind up so dispossessed and radicalized that they join the Fire Doctrine).• Then there are true, out-and-out, 100% unquestionable barbarians. Little is known of them. To the north are steppe nomads and great riders; earlier into the reign of the Jìn dynasty, imperial forces (and the Wǔlín) beat back the Beast of the North. To the south are jungle tribes. To the east are bloodthirsty sailors. To the west are even more barbarians, of which only the Yun Clan knows much about.Forces Beyond• There exist great and mysterious forces beyond all of the above.• The Wǔlín Judges "are said to watch over the progress of important heroes, to reveal secrets here and there whenever they are needed, and to appear to aid in fights against evil warriors and mysteriously disappear afterwards."• The Wǔlín Sage "is a mythical figure that oversees the Wulin on behalf of Heaven. The Sage records all of the history and affairs of the martial world; he decides who is worthy of advancement and reports to the Celestial Order on the advancement and deeds of Chivalrous heroes, and to the Hellish Courts on those of the selfish. He sees that those who seek greater challenges reap greater glory and attain higher power."• Baneful humans are aberrations in the spiritual fabric of the world, "walking outside the graces of Heaven." Some of the Blade Dogs are Baneful humans: even their leader, Sword Bastard. The Three Power Sage was one, too, and he could still be out there. Are they so bad, though? Was it their fault that they are unwholesome, metaphysical anomalies?• The Heaven Hunters are contacted by mysterious, celestial beings. They hunt and slay Baneful humans. Whether or not this is an upright deed is debatable.
And You• Your characters are 4th Rank: even by the standards of full-fledged xiá, they are not new to the martial world, and are highly capable heroes.• Whether they belong to the Wǔlín, to imperial forces (or both, in the case of Liquid Metal Delegates...), to the barbarian tribes, or to no one faction in particular, your characters should have a vested interest in the welfare of Shénzhōu. This can take many forms; a Falling Leaves Society gentleman who detests the Jìn and would like to see the Hàn restored is likely to have a very different outlook from a Blood Wind Cult shamaness who does not particularly care about who is sitting on the throne!• The bare minimum for your characters should be a willingness to protect a major city from utter destruction, and a willingness to work with others who are similarly trying to rescue said city, if only to protect the common people.
