Fantasy Core RPG
© Jerry Harris 2013
(This link will take you to the
Fantasy Core Index.)
Lop Nar and the Empire
Directly west of the city is the vast desert of Lop Nar ,
a former salt lake. An ancient merchant
route, the Silk Road, once skirted its edge on the way to Far West . The
desert has since covered the road and its settlements. There are buried cities here, haunted by
mummies (at tombs of the rich or holy) and ghosts (at graveyards) and other
spirits (at oasis and fake oasis), but with generally of little value within.
However, there are also lost temples, such as Bezeklik and
the Mogao Caves .
They were constructed by monks seeking isolation, who later
hid their sacred texts and artifacts as marauding raiders and desert
encroachment came upon them. Often
scrolls and other artifacts are sealed up in the walls. There are rumors of a savage religious cult
at the end of the Silk Road, who are responsible for its closure and who dream of one
day conquering the Empire.
But for the Heavens, there is no worthy comparison.
To the East is the mighty Empire itself and far away
is the magnificent capital, The Forbidden City and the palace of the Emperor
and his court. This is the seat of
Manchu rule with their eunuch sorcerers.
They have held the Han people in their iron grip for over a
century. In spite of their rigid
caste-like system, the Manchu are slowly are being absorbed by the native
population, but for now they are clearly in charge. While Shang-tu has a fairly minimal Manchu
presence and a near egalitarian society (by comparison), the rest of the Empire
is far more oppressive.
The Emperor is an entirely unseen, mysterious
figure. It is known that he holds the
ensigns of Divine power held in several ancient artifacts.
The Jeweled Spear of Creation (can bring the dead
back to life)
The Divine Sword Kusanagi (can instantly kill anyone
stuck)
The Divine Mirror (can see anyplace within the
Empire)
The Divine Crown (telepathy, immunity to mind reading
and control, and +4 to Int and Wis )
The Yellow Book of Divination (can always determine
the culprit by turning to the dated page when the crime was committed)
Very interesting!
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