Fantasy Core RPG
© Jerry Harris 2013
(This link will take you to the
Fantasy Core Index.)
The Villages of Shang-tu
Province
Were there no villages, how could the cityfolk think
themselves superior?
A panoply a minor villages surround Shang-tu outside its
walls and around its province. Usually
they have a particular industry present around which the town has been
established. This isn’t meant to be a
comprehensive list. Add new villages
whenever you desire them.
A typical village will have a lord or mayor in charge (with
little authority), a small force of constables (ineffectual and corrupt), and
will be serviced on a regular basis by a travelling magistrate (to adjudicate
legal cases). Army units typically only
show up to escort tax collectors and other officials (unless the village
services an army post). With little
organized authority running them, many villages turn to the Brotherhood to
keep the peace.
Governor Yu distrusts the rural community, as he has
little control over it. Almost
regardless of any act of rebellion, the villages can’t be destroyed, because
they provide food for the city, and such an act would embarrass the Governor to
the Emperor.
Welcome to the very end of the civilized world.
Shinju-Mata
The starting village in the sample adventure. If Shang-tu is considered the end of
civilization, Shinju-Mata is the very end of it. It is a hardscrabble prairie town near the desert,
mainly focused on herding (there are several Mongols in town who work on the
ranches) and some subsistence level farming.
A regular army patrol comes by once a month to make sure the village is
still there. They are not terribly
welcome as they also come with a tax collector and a travelling magistrate. The village ruler is the honorable Lord
Hanso. Should the characters make an
ally of Hanso, they will always have a place of refuge with him.
Just take a deep whiff anywhere around the lake. You can’t miss it.
Kan-Chou
One of the many fishing villages around Lake So. This is probably the preeminent one, being
closest to the city. It is a hustling,
bustling port for transporting goods. It
is better known for its large fish market, or should I say, the smell from said
fish market (DC 12 Fort Sv or sickened 1 turn, the first time a character
encounters it). The town merchants are
all in the hands of the Water Rats, the nautical division of the Tongs. The other fishing villages actively fight to
keep them out and occasionally suffer for it.
However, the Kan-Chou fishermen do little better for serving them.
We break the mountain as the mountain breaks us. Who falls first? (A miners’ song)
Chinju
One of the many mining villages that dot the mountains
around Mount Tien . (No mining or logging is permitted upon the
holy mountain itself. The dragon, Gemma,
doesn’t appreciate the disturbance.)
This particular mine works at an iron vein and is one of the most
prosperous. Deeper and deeper they
dig. What will they find at the
bottom? Like most mining towns, these
are company towns, hostile to secret societies, bandits, and the
government. Chinju
maintains its own private security force (made up of mercenaries) to keep the
mine safe and the workers in line. This
mine also attracts many Tibetan workers, ill trusted and badly treated.
Let the devil come!
We’ll chop him down too!
Lin-Ju
Around the mountains is the large, thick Soon Forest . It is the supply of wood for the area. Ken No Sen owns the only logging
consortium, and Lin-Ju village is its headquarters. His rule is absolute and unchallenged there, backed
up by a powerful force of mercenaries.
Again, there is little outside influence pressuring this village.
There are a multitude of logging camps dotting the mountain
range, only held together by the iron-discipline of the supervisors. Frankly, these woods are a scary place. In spite of the loggers’ bravado, the deep
woods are generally avoided. That is the
domain of demons and kami, usually plotting mischief and destruction against
men. There is a hidden evil temple in
the heart of the forest, ruled by Dai the Vampire Lord, which draws
them. (Vampire Lord stats will be in the
Monsters section.)
It is a village of a few notable vices.
Chang-li
This village services the needs of the frontier fort of the
same name. It borders Mongol lands and
is subject to the occasional raid (and inevitable retaliation). While the main business of the village is
herding and farming to sustain the garrison, it is more infamous for its other
services. As an analogy, this is your
typical Wild West town, filled with bars, gambling dens, brothels, and a
thriving black market. Neither the Brotherhood
nor the Tongs rule here, that would the Chang Gang, a hegemony of
local crime lords, but they often butt heads here over influence and the sale
of illicit goods.
The soldiers here are all hard-bitten veterans. If they party hard, it’s because death is
potentially just over the horizon if the Mongols ever unite. (Perhaps ironically, there are many Mongol
scouts employed by the garrison.) There
is no talk of rebellion or insurrection here and anti-government sentiments are
not welcome. Troops (MP’s) are
everywhere in town, keeping rowdiness from getting out of hand. The garrison is always on alert and patrols
are constantly going in and out of the fort.
Also of note is the master blacksmith there, Uncle Sho. He is the finest in the province and can
reputedly forge magic weapons, if provided with the right material.
An ill omen, like hearing news from Ebisu.
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