Fantasy Core RPG: Jianghu Setting-The Everlasting Temple

Fantasy Core RPG

© Jerry Harris 2013

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)

Jianghu Setting

The Everlasting Temple

The temple itself was only made of stone.  It was the knowledge within that was everlasting.

The knowledge of martial arts is broken down into many different schools and styles, as well as health and medicinal techniques.  It was not always that way.  Once, all of this knowledge was collected into one style and lifestyle.  It was there at the Everlasting Temple that the Five Elders taught their disciples how to live a long harmonious life and how to defend themselves with the ultimate fighting style. 

As the Manchus took power over the country, the Elders resisted them.  Eventually the Manchus brought the war directly to the temple.  After an inglorious slaughter of their troops, they resorted to hiring dishonorable foreign mercenaries with weapons of cowardly technology, rather than skill and bravery.  As the temple fell at last and all was lost, the Five Elders hastily divided up their knowledge scrolls of martial arts, herbal, alchemy, and medicine amongst themselves and escaped via secret tunnels.  They vowed to spread their knowledge far and wide, in hopes that someday their people would be strong enough to throw off the Manchu rule.  There are, however, persistent rumors that one of the Grandmasters was in fact a traitor and that betrayal was what actually lead to the fall of the temple.

So goes the legend.  It is also supposed to explain all of the myriad number of fighting styles and health techniques.  There is some truth to the story, but it has been greatly enhanced and expanded upon.  The Everlasting Temple, which was obviously not so everlasting physically, was razed to the ground.  Its actual location has been lost, though many imposter sites are claimed.  There were Grandmasters present there, who did escape with scrolls of their knowledge. 

Any genuine written artifact by the Five Elders would be highly sought after, and there are many lost scrolls referred to in various legends.  If it is complete and can be deciphered, incredible Special Techniques or amazing knowledge could be learned.  Some martial artists in a deep state of mediation at certain holy sites (such as Heaven’s Gate on Mount Tien) have said to have visited the temple in spirit and learned directly from the masters there. 

[The Tibet post I made on Friday was an out-of-order accident that I just noticed today.  I've cleaned up the formatting a bit on it.]