Warlords of the Mushroom Kingdom: Martial Orders, Part II
2014-Jul-16, Wednesday 19:22![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dorchadas
I wrote a few more. Hopefully, this provides a good cross-section of the kind of thing I'm trying to do with these.
The Heavenly Righteousness Society
Originally rooted in a Chaian peasant rebellion, the Heavenly Righteousness Society's ideals spread like wildfire throughout most of Agarica, mutating to fit local conditions as they went, and now nearly every country has its own version of the Society. While the original focus of the Chaian society was on tax relief and draft protests, most Society branches are now primarily focused on teaching the peasantry self-defense.
In many countries, striking a noble is a terrible crime and the peasantry are forbidden to own weaponry, so the Society trains its members to roll with attacks, misdirect their opponents, retain mobility, and otherwise win--or at least, survive--without having to directly fight back. Even stripped of its political goals, the Society is very unpopular among the nobility, but there are enough dangers in the wilds that it can't be entirely banned. And usually, those portions of the Society who do still have political aspirations use that to try to spread their goals to the apolitical sects, causing a constant back-and-forth over the purpose of the Heavenly Righteousness Society and a low level of simmering unrest.
Requirements: Athletics ••, Dodge ••
Style: The Society practice the Rebellion Demon Style, which was built on the lack of peasant martial training and focuses on avoiding enemies and staying mobile. Its practitioners are highly mobile and able to avoid nearly every blow that comes their way, but it is of little use when taken on the offense. Rebellion Demon does not permit the use of armor and is fought without weapons.
Style Skill: Dodge
Benefit: When the Martial Artist purchases the Seven-Breath Decision Charm, they may buy 2 pts of the Creeper mutation. When they buy the Rebellious Demon Form Charm, they may buy 3 pts of the Jumper mutation. When they master the style, they may buy the 4 pts version of the Wall-Crawler mutation.
[mechanics snipped]
Petals of the Black Rose
The Black Rose is the Muskalan guild of assassins, which has a branch in each of the trade princes' city-states and even some in the other countries of Agarica. The guild is named after the custom of delivering a bouquet of black roses to a target for whom an assassination has been contracted, and the Petals are the most skilled assassins in the guild, sent after those targets that require supreme guile and stealth to kill.
While the guild is legal in the Muskalan Confederacy, where assassination is a part of business and the proper conduct of assassins is strictly regulated, this is not always the case in other countries, and so chuzan fill the guild's upper ranks but the guild is open to anyone from anywhere who is skilled enough to survive the initiation and willing to murder their targets in cold blood. One infamous Petal is even a kong from Pithek, who has never divulged his reason for coming to Agarica or why he became an assassin.
The Petals don't tend to spend their time in the guild houses, but are sent out into the world and take on cover identities and cover jobs as the guild tries to develop as wide a net as possible. When a contract comes on, the archives are consulted and a Petal close to the target receives the contract at the same time as the target receives their black rose signal that their life is now forfeit. As such, most Petals give relatively normal lives for large portions of the year, with little or not sign of their allegiance or loyalty.
Requirements: Backing (Black Rose) •, Melee ••, Stealth ••, Thrown •
Style: The petals practice the Black Rose Style, which relies on stealth to achieve their assassinations. It allows its wielder to become a peerless assassin, but in open battle several of its most potent techniques are useless. Black Rose does not permit the use of armor and is fought with slashing swords, knives, thrown knives, and shuriken.
Style Skill: Melee/Thrown. Either ability may meet the minimum required to purchase Charms in Black Rose Style.
Benefit: When they buy the Form Charm, Petals may puchase the Skulker mutation. When they buy the final Charm, they may buy the 6 pts version of the Invisibility mutation.
[mechanics snipped]
The Temple of the Holy Flame
Originally founded by a merging between followers of Nyahré and those of the Chaian deity Rai, the Temple of the Cleansing Flame is now an organzation with bases all across Agarica and occasional expeditions into Pithek. Part reliigous organization, part knightly order, and part brutal thug, the members are officially called the Knights of the Holy Flame, but are known throughout Agarica as the witchhunters.
The witchhunters travel in small bands throughout Agarica, seeking out necromancy, demonology, cultists of the Darkness beyond the Star Road, the unquiet dead, and other perversions against all that is good and holy and putting it down with fire and sword. And if that was all they were known for, they would have a sterling reputation, but the witchhunters have a very expansive definition of what counts as witchery and are not particularly sad if a few innocents get caught in the fires. Those witchhunters who know the Temple's distinctive form of combat can create fire that distinguishes between the tainted and the pure, but the majority who are unable or incapable of learning Golden Janissary Style often assume that being burned is a better end than being corrupted, leaving smoke and ash in their wake.
Despite that, the witchhunters catch enough actually outbreaks of diabolism--and pay enough in taxes and gifts to the ruling powers--that they're allowed to operate nearly everywhere. The exception is the Dragon Empire, where the Circle of Xhamekh openly consorts with demons from beyond the Star Road with the support of the Dragon Emperor, and in Makai, where the blood-drinking Kurokyura rule from shrouded castles in the mountains and the population lives in fear. The Temple has been forced to slip parties of witchhunters into those two countries by stealth and agitate for rebellion, with only limited success.
Requirements: Lore •, Melee ••, Occult •
Style: The witchhunters practice the Golden Janissary Style, which burns creatures of darkness with purifying flames. Against its intended targets it is supremely potent, but against those who don't bear any taint it is of minimal effect. Golden Janissary permits light armor and is fought with spears or lances.
Style Skill: Melee
Benefit: When they buy the Form Charm, witchhunters may purchase the 4 pts version of the Spirit Sense mutation applied to creatures of darkness. When they master the style, they may purchase the Spirit Walker mutation for 2 pts, with the limitation that it only applies to creatures of darkness.
[mechanics snipped]
The Heavenly Righteousness Society
Originally rooted in a Chaian peasant rebellion, the Heavenly Righteousness Society's ideals spread like wildfire throughout most of Agarica, mutating to fit local conditions as they went, and now nearly every country has its own version of the Society. While the original focus of the Chaian society was on tax relief and draft protests, most Society branches are now primarily focused on teaching the peasantry self-defense.
In many countries, striking a noble is a terrible crime and the peasantry are forbidden to own weaponry, so the Society trains its members to roll with attacks, misdirect their opponents, retain mobility, and otherwise win--or at least, survive--without having to directly fight back. Even stripped of its political goals, the Society is very unpopular among the nobility, but there are enough dangers in the wilds that it can't be entirely banned. And usually, those portions of the Society who do still have political aspirations use that to try to spread their goals to the apolitical sects, causing a constant back-and-forth over the purpose of the Heavenly Righteousness Society and a low level of simmering unrest.
Requirements: Athletics ••, Dodge ••
Style: The Society practice the Rebellion Demon Style, which was built on the lack of peasant martial training and focuses on avoiding enemies and staying mobile. Its practitioners are highly mobile and able to avoid nearly every blow that comes their way, but it is of little use when taken on the offense. Rebellion Demon does not permit the use of armor and is fought without weapons.
Style Skill: Dodge
Benefit: When the Martial Artist purchases the Seven-Breath Decision Charm, they may buy 2 pts of the Creeper mutation. When they buy the Rebellious Demon Form Charm, they may buy 3 pts of the Jumper mutation. When they master the style, they may buy the 4 pts version of the Wall-Crawler mutation.
[mechanics snipped]
Petals of the Black Rose
The Black Rose is the Muskalan guild of assassins, which has a branch in each of the trade princes' city-states and even some in the other countries of Agarica. The guild is named after the custom of delivering a bouquet of black roses to a target for whom an assassination has been contracted, and the Petals are the most skilled assassins in the guild, sent after those targets that require supreme guile and stealth to kill.
While the guild is legal in the Muskalan Confederacy, where assassination is a part of business and the proper conduct of assassins is strictly regulated, this is not always the case in other countries, and so chuzan fill the guild's upper ranks but the guild is open to anyone from anywhere who is skilled enough to survive the initiation and willing to murder their targets in cold blood. One infamous Petal is even a kong from Pithek, who has never divulged his reason for coming to Agarica or why he became an assassin.
The Petals don't tend to spend their time in the guild houses, but are sent out into the world and take on cover identities and cover jobs as the guild tries to develop as wide a net as possible. When a contract comes on, the archives are consulted and a Petal close to the target receives the contract at the same time as the target receives their black rose signal that their life is now forfeit. As such, most Petals give relatively normal lives for large portions of the year, with little or not sign of their allegiance or loyalty.
Requirements: Backing (Black Rose) •, Melee ••, Stealth ••, Thrown •
Style: The petals practice the Black Rose Style, which relies on stealth to achieve their assassinations. It allows its wielder to become a peerless assassin, but in open battle several of its most potent techniques are useless. Black Rose does not permit the use of armor and is fought with slashing swords, knives, thrown knives, and shuriken.
Style Skill: Melee/Thrown. Either ability may meet the minimum required to purchase Charms in Black Rose Style.
Benefit: When they buy the Form Charm, Petals may puchase the Skulker mutation. When they buy the final Charm, they may buy the 6 pts version of the Invisibility mutation.
[mechanics snipped]
The Temple of the Holy Flame
Originally founded by a merging between followers of Nyahré and those of the Chaian deity Rai, the Temple of the Cleansing Flame is now an organzation with bases all across Agarica and occasional expeditions into Pithek. Part reliigous organization, part knightly order, and part brutal thug, the members are officially called the Knights of the Holy Flame, but are known throughout Agarica as the witchhunters.
The witchhunters travel in small bands throughout Agarica, seeking out necromancy, demonology, cultists of the Darkness beyond the Star Road, the unquiet dead, and other perversions against all that is good and holy and putting it down with fire and sword. And if that was all they were known for, they would have a sterling reputation, but the witchhunters have a very expansive definition of what counts as witchery and are not particularly sad if a few innocents get caught in the fires. Those witchhunters who know the Temple's distinctive form of combat can create fire that distinguishes between the tainted and the pure, but the majority who are unable or incapable of learning Golden Janissary Style often assume that being burned is a better end than being corrupted, leaving smoke and ash in their wake.
Despite that, the witchhunters catch enough actually outbreaks of diabolism--and pay enough in taxes and gifts to the ruling powers--that they're allowed to operate nearly everywhere. The exception is the Dragon Empire, where the Circle of Xhamekh openly consorts with demons from beyond the Star Road with the support of the Dragon Emperor, and in Makai, where the blood-drinking Kurokyura rule from shrouded castles in the mountains and the population lives in fear. The Temple has been forced to slip parties of witchhunters into those two countries by stealth and agitate for rebellion, with only limited success.
Requirements: Lore •, Melee ••, Occult •
Style: The witchhunters practice the Golden Janissary Style, which burns creatures of darkness with purifying flames. Against its intended targets it is supremely potent, but against those who don't bear any taint it is of minimal effect. Golden Janissary permits light armor and is fought with spears or lances.
Style Skill: Melee
Benefit: When they buy the Form Charm, witchhunters may purchase the 4 pts version of the Spirit Sense mutation applied to creatures of darkness. When they master the style, they may purchase the Spirit Walker mutation for 2 pts, with the limitation that it only applies to creatures of darkness.
[mechanics snipped]
