GURPS Fantasy: Zhuang
Zhuang is set in an indeterminate time in an alternate history of what we know of as southern China (they have no calendar). Zhuang society is simple, consisting of small villages arranged throughout the hills and mountains of the area. Village life is based around rice farming and other forms of agriculture. Social structure consists of patrilineal familes, the heads of whom serve as the village elders. Some villages have one elder among the group who serves as a sort of chief, and most villages also have a spiritual leader who can be thought of as a witch doctor or shaman.
In the Zhuang setting, the spirituality of the Zhuang peoples is a combination of animism and a local variant of Taoist mysticism. All Zhuang pay homage to their ancestors through offering and ritual, and all Zhuang believe in the essential forces of the five elements: air, earth, water, wood, and metal (a variant of the more commonly held elemental Taoism that comprises fire, earth, water, wood, and metal). All Zhuang witch doctors are students of one of the five elements and can tap into the mystical energies provided by those elements. Additionally, they are able to commune with ancestral spirits for guidance and knowledge, and to negotiate with or remove harmful spiritual influences on the living. All Zhuang men are given rudimentary instruction in the Five Elements Style of kung-fu. Those who wish and who have the blessings of the village's elders and resident Five Elements master may pursue it further, to become warriors and protectors of the Zhuang people, though any man's eldest son must be present to take over his father's rice paddies and, as such, may not become a career warrior.
The Zhuang people live in the fertile hills along the banks of the Zuo river. The hills give rise to high mountains to the north, west, and south, through which tributaries flowing from the highlands cut more valleys filled with hills. The Zuo itself flows to the east and the north, leading eventually into Imperial territory, to the Imperial outpost city of Jinxing. Lush, tropical foliage covers the mountains and hills wherever people have not yet terraced the earth into paddies and built their villages. Rain is frequent, and temperatures are typically hot and humid. Beyond the mountains to the north are said to be lands full of raiders and warlords. To the west, the mountains seem to rise forever. To the south, beyond the mountains, lie the wild jungles and swamps filled with uncivilized and strange people who have forgotten the five elements and lost the way of their ancestors. In the vicinity of the Zhuang people, in other areas along the Zuo, and in other regions associated with the Zuo and its tributaries are peoples of other hill tribes, some of whom are friendly with the Zhuang and some of whom are not.
Most Zhuang people are rice farmers. Some specialize in other areas associated with rice farming and agriculture, such as forestry or animal husbandry. A given village may have one animal doctor, and perhaps one tree specialist. A scant few Zhuang are messengers, traders, or warriors. It is said that one in every thousand Zhuang girls is born with an innate connection to the five elements. Some of these become sorceresses, who have historically traveled among the villages to assist the local witch-doctors and farmers as they are able. All men are given at least a rudimentary amount of training in the Five Elements Style of kung-fu, and some women are as well.
Campaign Information
Zhuang is set at TL 2. Some peoples possess technological levels in excess of this (most notably the Imperials) and some less. The world has a normal mana level. Zhuang witch doctors can use spells from one of the following colleges of spells: Air, Earth, Water, Plant. Additionally, they may use spirit-oriented spells from the Necromancy school, subject to GM's approval. Witch doctors may obtain a magery level no higher than 1. Sorceresses may use spells from all the schools of Air, Earth, Water, and Plant, and may attain a magery level of 3. The setting for the Zhuang game is in the southwestern portion of the Guangxi region in modern China.
Zhuang Links
PCs
Toad: Strong Oaf.
Shung Li: Southern Mountain and Five Elements xia.
Shung Lo: Five Elements warrior.
Shung Jiao Zhang: Five Elements witch doctor.
Xhiang Lua: Five Elements swordsman.
Wenshan Ren Jing: Miao bowman of ill repute
NPCs
- Shung Hsu: Qinglu Village's eldest witch doctor, known affectionately has Old Hsu.
- Pao Long: From the Hongye village, his new wife was abducted.
- Pao Cao : Originally from Qinglu village, now married to Pao Long in Hongye Village. Abducted from the Hongye village. Was taken north to Old Imperial Road, where the trail of her abductors was lost. Found and recovered alive at Lo Pan's fortress.
- Hu Xiao : Woman abducted from nearby village in the mountains north of the Zuo river from Hongye. Found and recovered alive, along with many other Zhuang women, at Lo Pan's fortress.
- Captain Dong: Captain in the Imperial Scouts. Last seen in pursuit of bandits who slew Imperial soldiers, posed as them, and abducted Pao Cao from Hongye Village. More recently seen again at the Imperial Outpost near Qinglu.
- Master Kan (deceased): Master of the Southern Mountain Temple.
- Vue Po and Vue Pe: "The Twins." Twin brothers and Five Elements warriors who traveled with Toad, Shung Li, and Shung Lo when they met along the trail to Southern Mountain. Helped defeat some mentally-possessed bandits at a bridge crossing the Zuo.
- Vue Xian: Swordsman from Yanxiao village who traveled with The Twins and the party after they escaped the remains of the Southern Mountain Monastery.
- Taisu: Top student at the Southern Mountain monastery. Has stated his intention to find survivors from the attack and rebuild the monastery, so as to carry on his teacher's legacy.
- Master Bao: Five Elements Master in Tianpo village in the northwestern reaches of Zhuang lands.
- Vang: Red Miao wanderer who served as a guide and interpreter for the party at Master Bao's request while traveling through Miao lands.
- Master Chin: Master of the Red Tiger Temple.
- Ling Ju: Five Elements Sorceress. One of the last survivors of the attack by the Red Sashes on Lo-Kuan village.
- Shung Ku: Five Elements Warrior from Qinglu village. Toad's younger half-brother.
- Shung Hua : Five Elements Swordswoman from Qinglu village. Pao Cao's younger sister.
Villains
- She-Zu the Black (Demon at the Bridge) (deceased): Tall, black-skinned demon who ambushed Toad, Shung Li, and Shung Lo at a bridge on the trail to the Imperial Highway. The demon had glowing blue eyes, hard, scaly skin, and was able to hurl electrical bolts from his clawed hands. Defeated by Toad and Shung Li after a hard-fought battle, after which he slowly disintegrated into a pool of black sludge.
- Shu-Sui (Mountain Road Demon) (deceased): Lanky, gray-skinned demon with cat-like eyes who ambushed Toad, Shung Li, Shung Lo, and Shung Jiao on the trail to Southern Mountain. Tremendously fast with quick reflexes and an uncanny ability to defend against attacks. Jumped into some underbrush and seemingly vanished after he was hit with an electrical explosion from Shung Jiao.
- Kong-Tai (Demon at the Monastery) (deceased): Li, Lo, Jiao and Toad encountered this demon at the Southern Mountain monastery, lying in wait in the wake of its destruction. He had gray skin, blazing red eyes, and wielded a large, heavy sword. He seemed stronger than any man could possibly be (except maybe Toad), and had skin as hard as solid stone. He fought with a style that indicated overconfidence and utter contempt for his foes. The party was able to rescue a monk from the burning monastery before they were forced to flee from this lumbering menace. Did not appear to understand the Zhuang language, and taunted Shung Jiao in an unknown language.
- Fire Sorceress (deceased): Alleged sorceress who participated in the attack on the monastery. All information thus far about her is second-hand, from Taisu. She is said to quite striking, with smooth, porcelain-like skin and short hair, falling just to her shoulders. She had command over elemental fire, and is said to have thrown bolts and balls of fire across the monastery grounds, burning some structures to the ground and damaging others.
- Daiyu: One of the Six Fangs. Alleged to be the guardian of the leader of the Six Fangs.
- Leader of the Six Fangs: Unknown and enigmatic leader of the Six Fangs
- Lo Pan: Ancient sorcerer defeated in battle by the First Sovereign Emperor Qin Shi Huang. His followers wear red sashes and are known to fight to the death.
- Tiger Lu: Lu Ping, a former student at Red Tiger Temple. Exiled when he challenged his master to battle 25 years ago and lost. Has since traveled the countryside, challenging martial artists and engaging in criminal acts. Killed Shung Li's older brother 22 years ago.
Adventures
Oral histories, as told by the Xia, Shung Li