San Francisco is a big place with a lot going on—probably far more than you realize or could even accept. But here’s the thing. You know all those action movies where people zip through the air, smashing swords and flinging lightning at each other? Where some poor schmuck, minding his own business, is suddenly dragged into a fight between assassins, warring gangs, and evil spirits of the ancient world? You know the ones I mean? Well, they’re all true. You just gotta open your eyes. Once you do, you’ll never see the world the same way again.
Wuxia City is a San-Francisco-sized recursion with many of the actual neighborhoods, businesses, and establishments of the city it was seeded from. However, it also contains a host of secret societies, sorcerous colleges, and martial arts dojos where mystical power is real and the most respected (and feared) teachers are beings who first came into their strength centuries ago in ancient China. Regular citizens don’t know or believe in any of it, but that doesn’t stop the constant power struggles, dramas, and intrigues from playing out in the back streets and hidden places.
Residents of the recursion call their city San Francisco. Only recursors who understand its nature refer to the place as Wuxia City.
Wuxia City was created through fictional leakage.
Wuxia (pronounced woo.ZSH-ya) generally refers to the exploits of martial arts heroes and related stories from Chinese fiction.
The foci that player characters can choose in Wuxia City—as well as any foci that are dragged into the recursion—are modified by the recursion’s context, as appropriate. The foci that are shared with Earth are almost exactly the same. But if someone selects or drags Wields Two Weapons at Once (for example), the weapons are likely to be nunchaku, sais, or similar martial weapons appropriate to the recursion.
Wuxia City also offers the foci Haunts the Rooftops and Masters Foot and Fist.
A war has raged beneath the surface for thousands of years between powerful forces referred to—as a group—as the Hidden Schools. Each Hidden School is different, and though some are secret academies where those of like mind train warriors or sorcerers to promulgate their philosophies and spy on their rivals, some are groups of demons in service to ancient Chinese entities whose once-godlike power is now in decline. Thus, they’re always seeking ways to reawaken their ancient strength in the modern age.
The demons of Wuxia City are not the same kind of demons as normally understood in western literature or recursions born from those myths. Chinese demons (sometimes called yaoguai) are often spirits of vicious animals, the lost pets of deities, or other supernatural beings. Not all are evil, but most people don’t take the time to assess the distinction. Most demons seem to have the goal of achieving immortality through deification, no matter how mean their circumstances.
The Storm is a college of sorcerers and affiliated dojos made up primarily of mortals. The Storm believes that humans are the rightful inheritors of existence, and they are pledged to defend humans from the curses and entities of the ancient world, even if they must use the same tools to do so. Members of the Storm often go further and take it as their solemn duty to hunt ancient creatures and destroy ancient artifacts, no matter their provenance or likelihood to be a threat to humans. Needless to say, in their eyes, that makes them perpetual hunters of the Darkness, the Hidden School of ghouls and eaters of flesh.
The Storm has a secret campus beneath a warehouse in the middle of the city, but it also keeps a couple of affiliate “traveling” dojos around town, which never meet in the same location twice. The Storm is ruled by a triumvirate: the twin sorcerers Lei and Mei, who never seem to agree on anything, and the monk Shan, who casts the deciding vote when the sorcerers are deadlocked.
Lei broods, certain that the time of the Storm, and perhaps of all mortals, will soon draw to a close if the demons of the ancient world are not finally bottled up before the coming of an auspicious celestial event hinted at but never named in certain old scrolls. He searches constantly for something called the Ten Demon Bag, which he believes will offer final salvation before it’s too late. He’ll sacrifice anything and anyone to get what he seeks, because he believes that otherwise, the world will be consumed. Lei has power over the booming thunder.
Lei Who Thunders: level 6; Armor 2; long-range thunder attack inflicts 5 points of damage on targets within immediate range of each other
Where Lei is silent and retreating, Mei is talkative and quick. Like a hummingbird, she flits between schemes, deals, and assassination attempts on members of rival Hidden Schools. She worries about the demons but sees them as dusty, out of touch, and something to be cleaned up rather than openly feared. Even when she discovers a magical entity that isn’t malicious, she arranges to have it put down with prejudice. Mei can project red lightning from a pair of red ruby spectacles that have fused to her face.
Mei Who Flashes: level 7; long-range lightning attack (from red ruby spectacles) blinds struck target for one round
Shan's wondrous clothes seem to be sewn from flower petals, though they obviously have the strength of sturdy fabric, else they would be shredded when she unleashes her martial arts beatdowns on enemies of the Storm. When she isn't fighting, Shan is mild, kind to strangers, and generous to enemies who are beaten. Her politics within the Storm are somewhat mysterious—some would say undisciplined. But it's probably her influence that keeps the Storm's reputation as untarnished as it is. So far, her implacable will has derailed the worst of the atrocities planned by the twins Lei and Mei. Shan's calm demeanor tends to bamboozle foes who don't know her reputation and doubt that such a slip of a woman—with her ready smile and helping hand—could also be so deadly with hand, foot, and elbow.
Shan Who Strikes: level 6; health 30; Armor 2; melee attack inflicts 5 points of damage that ignore Armor
The Darkness is more of a Hidden School than the Sun Chasers, in the sense that they instruct hose who wish to walk the lightless paths beneath the earth. However, it's more induction than instruction, as those who fully commit to the Darkness are transformed into flesh-eating ghouls without the chance of ever going back. The Darkness keeps miles of warrens beneath Wuxia City, some of which open into basements, cellars, and sewers of the city above. Each night, hand-picked ghoul celebrants practice a ritual called the Gathering where they accept the “Offerings of the Night.” This ntails that they creep out and feed on dead human bodies they find buried under heaped garbage in alleys, sunk in the bay, or stashed in dumpsters. If sufficient offerings are not found, a champion is designated among the ghouls,
The Darkness doesn’t believe they are secondary to those who live in the light—quite the contrary. The warrens and lightless tunnels are the true world, and the thin skin of light and habitation on the surface is secondary, a place where cattle roam and, sometimes, dangerous threats arise (and must be put down). Those from above who wish to join this Hidden School can petition for entry, but many become a meal instead of a member, and it’s hard to know ahead of time what a petitioner’s fate will be.
The Hungry Emperor (also called the Emperor of the Ghouls) leads the Darkness. He rarely stirs from his throne chamber in the deepest warrens. The closest that most people, ghouls, or other demons get to him is through his many intermediaries, called the Ninety-Seven Counselors.
The Emperor is so ancient that he may predate the demon-god Kua Fu of the Sun Chasers. But like so many other supernatural beings from across the ocean, the Emperor now claims that his empire is America, and his capital city is San Francisco, even if most living people there have never heard of the Darkness or the Emperor of the Ghouls, except in nightmares.
Hungry Emperor: level 7; health 37; Armor 2; bite inflicts 10 points of damage and moves victim one step down the damage track on a failed Might defense roll; regains 3 points of health per round unless remains are exposed to sunlight
As a group, the Ninety-Seven Counselors are powerful ghouls who can, in a pinch, speak for the Emperor in many situations. Individuals from the surface world who seek to join the Hidden School of the Darkness usually do so in the hopes of becoming one of the Ninety-Seven, given the turnover rate of several per year. A few of the Ninety-Seven are also recursors, accorded special privileges for the treasures and wonderments they bring from places beyond the warrens. If one of them could bring an artifact capable of quickening the Emperor to the status of a recursor, the Emperor promises to make that one his consort.
In Wuxia City, a ghoul is a person who sought the sacrament of the Darkness and willingly became a supernatural entity of endless hunger. Ghouls can see in the dark, are immortal unless killed through violence, and are among the few to understand the transcendent pleasure of gnawing human flesh.
Ghoul:level 3; Armor 1; bite inflicts 4 points of damage, and the difficulty of the victim’s Speed defense rolls against further bite attacks is increased by one step
Ghoul Counselor: level 5; Armor 1; bite inflicts 6 points of damage, restores 1 point of health to Counselor, and restricts victim’s movement to an immediate distance each round for one minute; carries one random cypher
LIGHT-DRAINING ATTACKThe victim of a Sun Chaser light-draining attack feels icy cold. The attack deals 1 additional point of damage. The light drained from the victim burns like miniature suns in the attacker’s palms or eyes, and it can be stored and unleashed as additional damage in another attack within the hour. For example, if a Sun Chaser adept who normally deals 4 points of damage on a strike hits a target twice with light-draining attacks, she deals a total of 10 points of damage and also stores that amount. She could unleash all the stored light in another attack that deals 10 additional points of damage. |
Most people wouldn’t classify the Sun Chasers as a Hidden School. The well-lighted dojos around the city, which operate thanks to generous grants by the Illumiway Corporation, are open and welcoming. But the dojos are a facade for the actual Hidden School. At its core, the Sun Chasers (mostly unknowingly) shelter the living embodiment of a figure out of Chinese mythology: the giant who wished to capture the sun. According to that story, the giant Kua Fu died before he could accomplish his goal because he lacked adequate support and protection from extreme heat.
Sun Chaser martial artist: level 4; health 20; two unarmed attacks inflict 4 points of damage each as a single action, or one light-draining melee attack
Kua Fu still exists. “He” now usually wears the guise of Xia Chen, a successful businesswoman in Wuxia City. Xia owns a controlling share of the Illumiway Corporation and sits on the boards of many others. She also covertly runs the Hidden School of the Sun Chasers, an organization that on the surface provides lessons to help practitioners unlock their inner potential, but which is secretly designed to reflect worship and life force toward Xia’s true aspect, Kua Fu. One day, Xia hopes to take up her ancient goal once more, this time so swollen with energy that plucking the sun from the sky will be child’s play.
Few know that Xia Chen is the secret headmistress of the Sun Chasers, nor do they realize that she’s a mythological being several thousand years old who can become a giant in moments of fury or need. Those who stumble upon these secrets are drained of their light by Xia herself or by the martial artists trained in her dojos.
Xia Chen (Kua Fu): level 8; unarmed light-draining melee attack; can grow to 60 feet (18 m) in height, making short-range melee attacks that inflict 12 points of damage on all creatures within immediate range of each other
Somewhere under the Bay Bridge lies a flooded complex colloquially known as the Tomb of the Nine Dragons. The Nine Dragons were powerful criminals (both mortal and supernatural) who ruled Wuxia City with fear and terror so extreme that all the Hidden Schools came together for the first and last time in an alliance to deliver the city. The defeated Nine were locked away in a magical prison filled with their demons, spirits, warlocks, and other servitors. If anyone from the surface finds the entrance to the Tomb, the magical defenses do not keep intruders out; instead, the spells suck intruders inside and deliver them to the mercies of the inmates. Despite the supposed inviolate nature of the Tomb, rumors periodically circulate that one or more of the Dragons has found a way out and is rebuilding their old empire in secret, under the noses of the Hidden Schools who, in their pride, refuse to believe such tall tales.
Need traditional Chinese herbal remedies to help with your pain, disease, or disability? Go see Doctor Kang at his apothecary, which carries only the highest quality remedies in Wuxia City. The shop is large and high ceilinged, but a forest of dark wood cabinets with hundreds of drawers keep space at a premium. Various types of incense and the smells of brewing teas haze the air, but in combination, it all creates a welcoming and cozy atmosphere.
Kang’s is a popular destination for regular people who know little and suspect less about the mystical underbelly of the world. They appreciate how Dr. Kang is often available in his shop to provide top-notch advice to those seeking to cure an ailment.
However, most of Dr. Kang’s clientele lives on the other side of the veil, so to speak. They come to him for mystical components, rings, mirrors, magic potions, and powders that confer or create sorceries both ancient and contemporary. One of his most requested items is demon powder, able to banish demons or ghouls. Patrons also come to Dr. Kang when conflicts between the Hidden Schools threaten to boil over and spill into the public arena. Kang has brokered peace deals between the bitter rivals on several occasions. When his wisdom proves insufficient, Kang falls back on his own repertoire of sorcery, potions, and artifacts to accomplish his goals.
Doctor Kang: level 7; Armor 2 (spell); long-range mystic blast inflicts 9 points of damage; carries several doses of demon powder at all times and a Seven Demon Bag
Down With the Police: Rumors are rife that the head of the San Francisco police department, Daniel Skagen, has crossed the wrong Hidden School, and his days are numbered. Whether or not that’s true, several protests with Skagen’s picture on posters have raged through the streets, and most have turned into riots that brought out the police. Events seem likely to continue to spiral out of control.
An apartment building has been discovered abandoned, with no trace of any living thing inside. It’s as if all the people and their pets simply walked out in the middle of their daily morning activities. An odd blue shine glimmers on certain walls and ceilings, but so far, no one knows anything more.
Every now and then new construction turns up massive egglike sacs. Usually, a hibernating demon of the old world is found resting inside, and these are best not disturbed. However, most have fallen so far in power and influence from what they once were that they’ll never wake again. A secret black market exists for such eggs, and for pieces of the creatures that sleep within them.
Level: 1d6+1
Origin: Wuxia City (fictional)
Law: Magic
Form: A leather pouch filled with yellow powder
Effect: A pinch of powder cast at targets in immediate range deals damage equal to the artifact level and causes victims to run in abject terror for up to a minute, or to cower if fleeing is not an option. The powder works on targets whose level is less than or equal to the artifact level and who are supernatural creatures (including ghouls, demons, and other supernatural beings from recursions that operate under the law of Magic).
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+2
Origin: Wuxia City (fictional)
Law: Magic
Form: A pair of silver spectacles
Effect: The wearer can duplicate a special ability that she witnessed an ally or foe perform within the last few rounds. This can be an attack, the creation of a special effect, the application of skilled knowledge to complete a task, and so on. The effect created by the spectacles knows few bounds, though the wearer must make any associated task or attack roll to use the duplicated ability. For example, if the wearer sees a giant asp deliver a venomous bite that shrivels flesh in seconds, she can attempt to do the same, but she must succeed on the attack roll.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6
Form: A compact mirror in a stylish folding case
Effect: For up to one minute, the user can view a location she has previously visited in the recursion and spy on what occurs there, though if she fails a stealth task, targets being spied on may get an odd feeling that they are being watched. The user can choose to move to the viewed location (taking the hand mirror along), which is a difficulty 3 Intellect-based task. On a failure, she might still arrive in the new location, but as if having fallen from a height of at least 30 feet (9 m), which requires an extra depletion roll because the mirror has a chance to break.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+1
Form: A simple metallic ring clasping a pale stone
Effect: The wearer can attempt to key the ring to a target within short range. If successful, the ring remains keyed to that individual until it is keyed to someone else or the target sheds the mystical entanglement. The wearer of a keyed ring always has a low-level sense of the target’s mental state and can faintly feel when the target is angry, surprised, happy, and so on. If the wearer concentrates, she can activate the ring for one minute, during which time she can mentally communicate with the target, use abilities or attacks on the target that normally require the target to be within sight or closer, or attempt to briefly inhabit the target’s body and control it like a puppet. This latter effect requires a depletion roll each round it is used.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6
Origin: Wuxia City (fictional)
Law: Magic
Form: A golden decanter filled with steaming liquid
Effect: When a portion of the liquid in the decanter is consumed, it confers a sense of overweening confidence and well-being for one hour. This effect counters fear effects, psychic attacks that attempt to cripple a victim’s mind, and similar psychological manipulations. The user also immediately gains 3 experience points (XP) that can be used to reroll failed rolls. If these 3 XP are not used by the end of the hour, they fade away.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+3
Form: A pair of spectacles whose eyepieces are opaque ruby crystal
Effect: The wearer can see normally through the spectacles, which correct any vision impairments, including blindness. In addition, the wearer can project scarlet-hued lightning from the crystals at up to three targets within long range, inflicting damage equal to the artifact level. If an attack misses, the ruby spectacles fuse to the wearer’s face on a failed difficulty 2 Might defense roll. Once fused, the spectacles can’t be removed until the artifact is depleted, and even then, they leave the victim’s face scarred.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+2
Origin: Wuxia City (fictional)
Law: Magic
Form: An ebony bag sewn with fangs, claws, tusks, shanks of fur, and similar beast parts
Effect: The owner of the bag can pull forth a small leathery, furry, or slimy lump and cast it down within immediate range. The lump immediately expands and becomes a demon whose level equals the artifact level. Seven distinct demons can be pulled from the bag, but no more than one at any given time, and the choice is mostly random (roll a d6). A demon persists for up to a minute (or until it is killed) before evaporating into vapor.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+3
Origin: Wuxia City (fictional)
Law: Magic
Form: Pair of spectacles whose eyepieces are opaque ruby crystal
Effect: The wearer can see normally through the spectacles, which correct any vision impairments, including blindness. In addition, the wearer can project scarlet-hued lightning from the lenses at up to three targets within long range as one action, inflicting damage equal to the artifact level. If an attack misses, the ruby spectacles fuse to the wearer's face on a failed difficulty 2 Might defense roll. Once fused, the spectacles can't be removed until the artifact is depleted, and even then, they leave the victim's face scarred.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20