Through A Mirror Darkly [A:tLA Quest, with a few other influences]

[Bill The Galactic Hero]

It is a time of tumult. The armies of the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation clash over the city-states and petty principalities of the western lands. Bandits and deserters prey on the refugees fleeing from the war's devastation. Worse, outraged divinities and corrupt ghosts plague those that manage to avoid merely mortal dangers.

It is also a time of potential. It has been nearly a hundred years of war and the old powers cannot long endure. The previous way of things is breaking under the strain, and opportunity beckons for those with the will and the skill to seize it. Brave wu xia travel the breadth of the land, opposing injustice and protecting the innocent. Priests and shamans disdain the temples of the cities to better defend the common people from forces beyond mortal ken. Learned scholars and skilled poets debate with word and sword in tea houses and taverns across the land.

This is the world you have been born into. The invisible forces of destiny have brushed across your soul, and your fate may shape the fate of the world.

What legends shall they tell of your deeds?

------------

Please keep in mind that I am not cleaving to canon. There will be familiar faces, but not necessarily in familiar places, if you get my meaning.

Some important questions to answer, with example choices:

What is your name and gender?

[ ] ???

What is your origin?

[ ] Earth Kingdom nobility.

[ ] Fire Nation military family.

[ ] Water Tribe trading-fleet.

[ ] A secret society of assassins.

[ ] ???

Who raised you?

[ ] A grouchy doctor, traveling the world and healing all who ask, without fear or favour.

[ ] A shamaness and her spearwoman bodyguard, purifying the taint of war and death.

[ ] A little, smiling old man, seeking enlightenment.

[ ] ???

 

[Bill The Galactic Hero]

Dice Pool: 6
Chi: 8
Chi Threshold: 8 Trivial, 16 Minor, 24 Major
River: 1

Virtues:

Compassion: 1
Temperance: 2
Conviction: 1
Valor: 1

Combat Stats (Unarmed):

Speed: +5
Footwork: +5
Strike: +0
Damage: +0
Block: +0
Toughness: +0

Skills (Asterisks designated skills requiring a specific specialty):

Awareness - +5
Confidence -
*Crafting -
Finesse -
Hardiness - +5
Inspire -
Learning -
Medicine -
Might -
*Perform -
Politics -
Ride -
Stealth -
Survival - +5
Tactics -
Wu Wei - +5

Advantages and Disadvantages:

Gear:
Nothing of note.

------

Table of contents:
Outset!
Forest Fun!
Gosh, you're swamped!

 

[Jiven]

Druid ho!

[X] Fen-li, Female

[X] Earth Kingdom nobility.

[X] A shamaness and her spearwoman bodyguard, purifying the taint of war and death.

 

[R.A.G.]

[X] Brus-Li Male

[X] Earth Kingdom nobility.

[X] A little, smiling old man, seeking enlightenment. (because Rule One)

 

[Pipeman]

[X] Brus-Li Male

[X] Earth Kingdom nobility.

[X] A little, smiling old man, seeking enlightenment.

 

[Scia]

Koki -
[x] A Village hidden in the great Desert

Note not a vote in for ninjas but instead dessert riders or a Neutral village, maybe even hidden Nomad survivors.

[x] A shamaness and her spearwoman bodyguard, purifying the taint of war and death.

 

[Guile]

[X] Sie Gan-Lan

[X] Earth kingdom merchant (speciality: cabbages)

[X] Your honorable father; a farmer, earthbender and family man.

 

[leap]

[X] Brus-Li Male

[X] Earth Kingdom nobility.

[X] A little, smiling old man, seeking enlightenment.

 

[Wingthesword]

[X] Xae-Male
[X] A secret society of assassins.
[X] A shamaness and her spearwoman bodyguard, purifying the taint of war and death.

 

[crazyfoxdemon]

[X] Lee (There are a million Lees) Male

[X] A secret society of assassins.

[X] A little, smiling old man, seeking enlightenment.

 

[Bill The Galactic Hero]

Votes as I sees 'em!

5 Female
6 Male
1 Neuter

2 Fen-li
1 Lee
4 Li Xiaolong (come on, was it really hard to look up Bruce Lee's names guys)
1 Koki
1 Sie Gan-Lan
1 Xae
1 Xue-Lin
1 Sourna
1 Xi

7 Earth Kingdom Nobility
1 Earth Kingdom merchant (specialty: cabbages)
1 Water Tribe trader.
3 A secret society of assassins
1 A village hidden in the Si Wongi Desert

5 A little, smiling old man, seeking enlightenment.
6 A shamaness and her spearwoman bodyguard, purifying the taint of war and death.
1 A grouchy doctor, traveling the world and healing all who ask, without fear or favour.
1 Your honorable father; a farmer, earthbender and family man.

 

[mc2rpg]

[X] Fen-li, Female

[X] Earth Kingdom nobility.

[X] A shamaness and her spearwoman bodyguard, purifying the taint of war and death.

 

[R.A.G.]

:-[...I thought his name actually was Bruce.

 

[Vindictus]

It's not.

Mr. Chan's given name isn't Jackie, either.

[X] Xue-Lin
[X] Female
[X] A secret society of assassins.
[X] A shamaness and her spearwoman bodyguard, purifying the taint of war and death.

 

[Guile]

It's not.

Mr. Chan's given name isn't Jackie, either.

Click to shrink...

NO. Still your wretched tongue!

 

[Larekko12]

[x]Sourna.
[x]Female.
[x]Water Tribe Trader
[x]Doctor.

 

[Scia]

[x]Female was missing from my vote

 

[Bill The Galactic Hero]

Updated the votes. Things are looking pretty evenly split! (If you decide to adjust your vote, please let me know so I don't end up counting you twice, or not noticing your change at all.)

 

[Jiven]

Hu. I really want to create the first druid in A:TLA.

 

[Bill The Galactic Hero]

With the proper suite of skills and techniques, plantbending can totally be a thing.

 

[GoC]

[X] Xi. Neuter.
[X] Earth Kingdom nobility.
[X] A shamaness and her spearwoman bodyguard, purifying the taint of war and death.

 

[Bill The Galactic Hero]

I'll call the voting probably sometime around 9 or 10 EST (god's chosen time zone). As a heads-up, background choices that are voted for more than twice but do not win will still figure into the game itself; even if your hoped-for results do not win they will still appear in the game in some fashion.

Also as a clarification, this is definitely wuxia inspired, so regardless as to the background choices selected, some manner of amazing kung-fu will be available; it is a veritable constitutional requirement.

 

[Fallenblades643]

[X] Brus-Li Male

[X] Earth Kingdom nobility.

[X] A little, smiling old man, seeking enlightenment.

Shi-Shi-Shi~

 

[Bill The Galactic Hero]

Nobility, in the lands of the Earth Kingdom, do not raise their children themselves. Childrearing is far beneath the dignity of a noble - babies are disgusting, noisy creatures, and they only get worse as they age. Entire companies of tutors, brigades of governors and governesses, a veritable legion of servants - this is what the Princes of the Earth think of, when they think on their children at all.

Duke Li Meng-Huo took that idea and, like he took so many others, warped it into a caricature of itself. Oh, for the first few years his childrens' teaching was the same as any other, with tutors lecturing on history, calligraphy, and the many other arts of civilization - but by the time they turned six, Meng-Huo would have contacted some friend or compatriot from his past, or negotiate with some competitor or rival from the present, and the child would be bundled off to be raised in another's household for the next eight years.

At first, of course, the rest of the court was amused by the eccentric old duke - but as the years passed, the amusement was replaced by confusion, and eventually (a very dignified) panic. The duke's children would return to his household as they reached their age of majority, and they almost always brought gifts with them. Renewed ties of friendship, exotic treasures, favorable trade agreements, even oaths of fealty or alliance. By this point, with dozens of children by no less than six wives, your predecessors have left some very high standards to meet.

Your name is Li Xiaolong, and you can't help but think that you're in over your head.

The carrying voice of the duke's door-warden shakes you out of your reverie. "My lord, the shamaness Lixue and her companion, Pingyang," he says, and you hardly even breathe. You've never met the women that will be guiding you for the next eight years of your life (that's practically forever!), but you've heard of them.

Your tutors hated it - they said stories about such uncouth ruffians were unsuitable for a noble child such as yourself - but you love stories about the wu xia, the brave heroes who fight injustice and free the oppressed. The shamaness Lixue and Pingyang of the Heavenly Spear featured in more than a few of those stories - two of the Five Martial Blossoms that brought down the mad Fire General Chang and his army when he laid siege to the Azure Dragon Temple!

You had no idea your father knew people in the Jiang Hu! You look at him with newfound respect, while he speaks to the pair in a voice too low for you to hear. After a moment's discussion, Pingyang nods to the shamaness and your father, flashes a grin at you (at you!), and leaves the meeting-hall.

Finally, Lixue turns to you and smiles. She is an older woman, hair bound up in an unmarried woman's topknot, and dressed in the white robes of a shamaness. "So," she says, her voice cool and clear as rainwater. "Li Xiaolong, is it? The duke tells me that you have heard of us."

"Y-yes," you squeak unmanfully, and then, embarrassed, press fist to palm and bow, a proper Wulin salute. (Just like in the stories!)

She returns the bow and the salute. "I see you have," she says, her smile widening. "I do hope you are prepared, little dragon. You have a long journey ahead of you."

------

The first few months are grueling, and far less exciting than you had hoped. There was no rescues of princesses or moonlit duels with vengeful swordsmen, just long days of travel. The constant effort wore at you, but you endured - like the stone! (After the first few nights where Pingyang had to carry you, anyway.)

Lixue was on a pilgrimage, she said, to visit the Five Sacred Mountains. She and Pingyang had already travelled to Mount Tai, the Great Eastern Mountain that anchored the walls of the Impenetrable City. Now, the three of you are heading for Southern Mount Heng, near the kingdom of Omashu.

What have you been focusing on?

[ ] Lixue's stories about the spirits are pretty interesting! Sometimes you imagine you can see the spirit world, too...
[ ] Pingyang makes learning how to fight way cooler than boring old Master Fu! She even let you hold the Heavenly Spear once~
[ ] Watching Pingyang hunt or helping Lixue gather ingredients for her rituals is way more interesting than you let on. Why didn't anyone tell you nature was so full of stuff?
[ ] All this meditation and contemplation they have you doing is tough! Clearing your mind and emptying your thoughts is a lot more difficult than it sounds.
[ ] Write-ins are welcome! Want to angle for bending? Get lessons in social-fu by fleecing booze-hounds at the tavern? Get lessons in philosophy by rolling tea-jockeys at teashops? Be my guest.

 

[Biigoh]

[X] Pingyang makes learning how to fight way cooler than boring old Master Fu! She even let you hold the Heavenly Spear once~

So tempted to try and pull a Return of the Condor Heroes reference... but wont...

 

[Larekko12]

[x]Playing in the frequent winds storms is best though. Sometimes you feel like it could carry you away.

 

[Jiven]

[X] Watching Pingyang hunt or helping Lixue gather ingredients for her rituals is way more interesting than you let on. Why didn't anyone tell you nature was so full of stuff?

 

[Pipeman]

[X] Pingyang makes learning how to fight way cooler than boring old Master Fu! She even let you hold the Heavenly Spear once~

 

[Vindictus]

[ ] Watching Pingyang hunt or helping Lixue gather ingredients for her rituals is way more interesting than you let on. Why didn't anyone tell you nature was so full of stuff?

 

[R.A.G.]

[X] Watching Pingyang hunt or helping Lixue gather ingredients for her rituals is way more interesting than you let on. Why didn't anyone tell you nature was so full of stuff?