Righteous Path
Osheau was old...
when the Western Realms were still discovering fire and the wheel. A vast land, stretching for thousands of miles in all directions, and spanning rainforests, deserts, grasslands and mountain ranges, Oscheau was home to a multitude of peoples. For thousands of years, Oscheau was ruled by the Feron Dynasty; a line of noble emperors dedicated to the mastery of compassion, diplomacy and scholarly arts. The nation’s peoples, though divided along an impossible amount of cultural lines, flourished in this time, and their power grew with each passing generation.
All kinds of technological feats that we have only just grasped today, had been theirs for centuries. Fields were bountiful, fishing ports booming, and trade hubs were rapidly transforming into beautiful and magnificent metropolises of the kind the world had never seen before, and has never seen since.
But all that has lived, must die; this is the truth of our being, and is the truth of all things else.
An ambitious warlord from the north, emerged from the dark and uncharted northlands. His name was Fok Howin, and his power was absolute in a barren land that knew no love, no compassion and no mercy. With a million savage warriors at his back, he led an invasion against Oscheau. The Feron Dynasty had placed little emphasis on military advancements, and was ill prepared to face such a brutal enemy.
A decade of death and fire ensued, and eventually, the last Emperor of the Feron Dynasty was slain as the Capital was put to the torch. What followed was to be four centuries of darkness, cruelty, destruction, injustice and oppression…
431 Howin Dynasty, Of First Summer.
Emperor Pau Howin is merely a boy, and yet so cruel. The Great Food Riots of the previous year were put down with an iron fist; millions of peasants have been killed on his personal orders, and thousands of villages have been wiped from the map. From his Gold Throne in the Capital, he rules with bloody absolution – as did his father, and his grandfather.
Though he has steadily come to realise that his countrymen can only be brutalised so much before they start disregarding their lives in favour of open rebellion. This problem has been aggravated by the Righteous Path, a self-proclaimed religious organisation consisting of warrior monks and nuns. The Righteous Path has been spreading its deep-seated and historical influence amongst the common folk, and they have repeatedly called for the Howin Dynasty to be disbanded.
As much as Emperor Howin would love to put them all in shackles and execute them, he fears that such a display of wanton disregard for rural customs, religions and cultures might only make them martyrs. With so many peasants dead already, and more threatening to revolt, a second rebellion may prove fatal to Oscheau’s already frail agriculture.
So instead, he organises a martial arts championship in honour of the Righteous Path. He states his goals are pure, and that he merely wishes to see these legendary fighters and sages in action, so that he may meet them in person, and heed their council directly.
And so here they are; the main members of the Righteous Path. Each of them is a famed martial artist, and the top of their respective fighting schools. They sit cross-legged, deep in meditation, as a crowd of thousands cheer their names from interlocking circles of benches and balconies. The Master of Ceremonies, an old man with a bent back and dressed in traditional Howin robes, blesses the sand of the fighting square, in which the members of the Righteous Path will do battle.
Directly above them, encased in a golden balcony and guarded by scores of silver-clad warriors, sits emperor Howin. Drunk on wine, and stroking the exposed flesh of his concubines, he gives a silent command.
Screams ring out suddenly from the crowds, as streams of black-clad warriors descend from the arena’s domed ceiling. Thrown knives and crossbow bolts precede their descent, slamming into the mass of bystanders. The Emperor’s guards make no attempt to intercept these blatant assassins, and to the members of the Righteous Path, all becomes perfectly clear.
The Emperor did not want to kill them in the countryside, where things were out of his total control. In the Capital, he can do as he pleases, and make the history for himself. Only fools would go against him, and they would not live long – their stories condemned as lies.
But the Righteous Path suspected this all along, and now their chance at killing an Emperor and bringing about the collapse of a brutal 431 year old regime is within their reach. They emerge from their meditation, just as the first wave of black-clad attackers land onto the sand of the fighting square. The crowds are quickly dispersing, their screams and sobbing blocking out all other sound.
Meanwhile the Emperor leans forwards, forgetting for a moment his wine and his women, and looks on with glee.
Lore
Characters can be skilled in unarmed combat, and specialise in weapons, such as the katana, spear or bow.
Members of the Righteous Path are legendary warriors, and would have achieved their status by throwing down their rivals in combat (usually a civil, non-fatal affair).
The Righteous Path encompasses many religions, but these usually represent a pseudo form of Buddhism.
The Howin Dynasty is a mixture of Western Medieval and Chinese Medieval politics, culture and technology. The feudal system is employed, but culturally, many pseudo-Chinese norms are observed.
Howin Dynasty soldiers vary in types, but are typically well armoured and well trained. However, they usually go up against peasants as opposed to other warriors. This gives them a weak bully-boy attitude.
The Capital City is gigantic, and takes a full day to traverse on foot from north to south, west to east. It is crossed by a single river that divides the city into northern and eastern halves.
Oscheau is made up from an almost unlimited number of ethnic minorities. Therefore, not all characters must be Eastern in appearance.
The Emperor is a spoilt, evil brat. Fourteen years old, he is fiercely intelligent and very cruel. He has long black hair down to his shoulders, dark beady eyes, a hooked nose and a cleft lip. His fighting skills, as may be expected, leave much to be desired and he relies on his bodyguards to defend him.
Rules
This is a mainly PVE based RP, with the heroes fighting through the Capital to reach the Emperor. Their journey may be completed in a single day, or may involve weeks of hiding and tracking. They have many sympathisers in the city, who will hide and help them.
Do not control other characters without their owner’s permission.
Though your character is a legendary warrior, it might become boring if they start wiping out a hundred Howin soldiers with the single flick of their finger.
Do not harass or provoke other players.
Introduce your own lore as and when needed.
Do not contradict player-invented lore with your own.
Have fun!
Character Sheet
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Physical Description:
It's probably best to actually describe the character if you are going to rely on a picture, or you can do without the picture if you like, but definitely describe.
Skillset:
Talents one has either naturally or through education or training of some sort.
History:
Explain how your character got there. Feel free to work up names and places and so forth.
Psychological Profile:
An idea of how the character thinks and so forth; should be linked to the history.
Equipment:
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