Fantasy Core RPG: Jianghu Setting-Other City Power Groups

Fantasy Core RPG

© Jerry Harris 2013

Published here as Open Game Content.

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Jianghu Setting

Other City Power Groups

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The Imperial Bureaucracy

There are any number of agencies governing life, taxation, and commerce in the Empire.  While the law and judges may be bought, the Imperial Bureaucracy is virtually unassailable.  Bureaucrats earn their positions via impartial testing.  They are well paid and taken care of in return for absolute incorruptibility.  Bureaucrats will jealously remove anyone of their order suspected of impropriety to maintain their own reputations.  Attempting to accomplish anything through the system brings one into contact and possible conflict with them.  Needless to say, the Bureaucracy is not well loved by the citizens, especially the omnipresent tax collectors. 

Normally the only way to get past them is to bribe an elected official to get a legal waiver.  At the start, the characters are “off the grid” so to speak and will have no legal status to deal with bureaucrats.  They won’t even be able to enter the city itself, lacking identity documents.  Of course, various NPC’s do deal with the bureaucracy and may want the characters’ help to get past them.  If the characters achieve some legitimacy and attempt to establish themselves in business or residence, they will run afoul of them themselves (especially the tax collectors).

[In a game sense, the Bureaucracy is a foe who the characters cannot beat martially, perhaps at all.  Knocking over a tax shipment for the rebellion will make you a wanted man.  Assaulting a tax collector because you disagreed with his tax assessment will accomplish the same.  Use bureaucrats sparingly, as a means of teaching humility.]

If there is money to be made, there will be merchant present.

The Merchant and Tradesman Guilds

Quiet, but powerful influences on the city.  Every worthwhile trade has established their own Guild in the city.  They are the lifeblood to the smooth flow of commerce.  The Governor actively courts them and always makes sure their concerns are heard and dealt with (or at least explained).  However, were it demonstrated to be in their interests, the Guilds could be enticed to turn on him.  Many Guild members are actively oppressed by the Tongs.  Few will openly speak of it, out of shame.  The Guilds and the law seem powerless to end it.  

A little kindness, sir.  The Heavens will repay you someday.

The Beggars’ Society

Yes, even the panhandling bums in Shang-tu have unionized.  They are a tremendous source of news, information, and gossip in the city, though few respectable people will solicit them.  Their informal network is more vast than any other in the city.  They will want payment up front for any information, and probably future favors to get any specific intelligence.  They might take awhile, but are very honorable.  They will return any payment if they cannot get the information, usually it would be because the task is too dangerous (but they will point the characters in the right direction).  They are strangely ambivalent to the machinations of the secret societies and other powerful entities.  The Beggars figure their position will be unchanged regardless of who rules.


The tools of my trade are my sword and my honor. 

Wandering Warriors (Wulin)

Shang-tu is the ends of the earth as far as civilization goes.  While this environment attracts some of the worst of society, it also calls to the most noble.  A small, steady stream of honorable warriors, looking to hone their skills, make a name for themselves, and to fight injustice enters the area on a regular basis.  More to the point, a Wulin can easily find employment here as a warrior.  They can exist completely outside the Imperial system outside of the city, or find intrigue in a large, urban frontier town.  Still, as they say, “Everything is for sale in Shang-tu,” and that includes a Wulin’s honor, if they are not careful.

There are evil Wulin.  They are bullies, mercenaries, and bandits, who work for warlords, corrupt government officials, and greedy merchants.  There are even disgraced eunuch sorcerers wandering the land, searching for more power or trying to establish a rural power base.  There are none of these currently known in Shang-tu province.  Certainly the isolation of the city, the presence of ruins, and brisk foreign trade would attract a sorcerer.  But then, this area also attracts Wulin, who often specialize in killing rouge magic users.  Any such sorcerer would be well hidden.