the Fallen City

The General of Monsoon

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Having restored a sense of purpose and honour to his people, the General of Monsoon has positioned himself as the saviour of the One Land… whether the people want it or not.

by Ali May Sang (the Librarian)
featuring passages from the High Plains Samurai Core Rulebook

Before we begin, I must be clear and open about my connection with General Hoth Kap Sing in both our professional and personal relationship. My research has lead me to Monsoon on many occasions and I would go so far as to call him my friend and ally. That said, what I am going to reveal to you will place both connections at risk for the General is a secretive man suspicious of spies and saboteurs at every turn. Any information about the inner workings of the heart of Monsoon are kept under strict lock and key with the General’s samurai enforcers willing to kill to protect their way of life.

There is no other City in all the One Land that transports me back to the past like Monsoon. My work takes me places from long ago in word only, leaving the rest to my imagination filling in the pieces of debris and detritus. Yet here I can observe it with my own eyes. Monsoon is a city steeped in traditions of the life that was before Chaos’ Wrath. Ancient beliefs and a sense of honour are reflected in Monsoon’s architecture, fashion, and customs as the General has brought his people back from the brink of self-destruction. Underneath it all lies a highly structured military code with soldiers posted at the ready to defend the people from the insurmountable dangers surrounding them. All those within a particular caste – from servants to soldiers to samurai – are equal, regardless of race or gender. In a war against the forces of Chaos, one cannot risk casting aside a single sword.

The General has ruled Monsoon for nearly two decades and gained the people’s loyalty with his devotion to honour and tradition, traits that brought them back from near extinction. No one is safe from this rule of honour as the General staged a coup against the previous warlord of this City, had him arrested and brought to justice before a court on charges of treason. All this after learning she had turned to black magic to gain immortality. While he rules this hidden city as its warlord, the General maintains his commitment as guardian of Monsoon to this day, but has expanded his resources to seek absolution in the teachings of the Elemental Spirits. Including the All-Father, whom the monks of this City regard as a separate entity from Chaos. More than anything, this is what causes great discomfort with the rest of the One Land.

The General believes he is the one who will bring back the One Land to its former glory, even if it means declaring war and conquering it in the name of Monsoon. And it goes so much further. An elaborate network of spies has weaved its way into nearly every other City, even the very xenophobic clans of Khar’tep. While the specifics of their intent remains unknown, the General has taken great pains to dispatch his samurai, engineers, and historians across the One Land on a quest to find the Fallen City deep in the heart of the Wastes. This has lead to the discovery of several watchtowers now buried beneath the earth. The General believes they can unlock to key to restoring this ruined beacon of prosperity back from ruin. And he will not let anyone stand in his way.

It is not his mission that makes him dangerous, though he not one to be taken lightly when armed with a legion of elite samurai warriors and a population willing to die for his cause. It is this madness slowing revealing itself; my time with the General has shown me a man who randomly passes in and out of rage, awareness, and clarity without warning. This madness and the possibility that his exposure to the words of the All-Father has induced it means there is a severe danger of something else driving this quest forward and many warlords believe the General is a man possessed rather than a man driven.

Leviathans

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Where else but the Wastes would you find giant burrowing monsters that can fly?

by Ali May Sang (the Librarian)

There are two main theories behind the appearance of the leviathan. Either they are a physical manifestation and the result of Chaos’ Wrath or they are the very creatures that consumed the Fallen City within minutes. Without any access or evidence to the remains of this lost empire, there can be no way to tell. What can be certain is that leviathans are very real.

Giant creatures almost 50′ long with a gaping mouth capable of opening as wide as 20′, these burrowing creatures look very much like dust brown earthworms of enormous proportions. Their long bodies are covered with spikes and frills capable of slicing through the earth while a massive rock-hard plate adorned with a single thin curved horn. As the leviathan spins counter-clockwise, this horn drills a tunnel for the beast to move about as easily underground as it can in the air. Oh yes, it can fly too.

Outsiders consider them demonic remnants of Chaos’ fury but that could not be further from the truth. They are content to live as part of this wild ecosystem and avoid confrontation if at all possible. Solitary beasts, they do get into territorial battles or contests for mating rites. This last one is what makes them dangerous to anyone and anything that may be nearby. Little is known about their diet or their biology as capturing one has always been impossible. Not that it has stopped some rather ambitious entrepreneurs from sending out expedition parties to kill a leviathan and harvest its organs to the big spenders in Yung Zhi and Rust. To date, they have had no success.

Leviathans

Extras (Special)
Life in the Wastes is a constant struggle to survive, let alone doing so without getting your hands bloody. Gnash is a firm believer in the big picture and sees the opportunities provided at Port Royale as the means for his people to become useful members of society. For that, he would give his life to defend this way station.

Homeland: The Wastes
Qi Power: N/A
Unique Features: Giant earthworms covered in spikes with a sharp horn on their head that can fly through the air and burrow underground definitely stand out in a crowd.

These Things Are Huge (d6/3/2)

Resource Slots: Horn (+1 steps or +3 damage)
Vitality: 15 (see the As Big As A Group perk)

As Big As A Group: Because of their immense size, leviathans are treated as a group of 5 extras. This requires all characters placing complications on a leviathan to spend Vitality to affect a group – the strain of affecting a creature so large is draining.
Thick Layer of Armour: To survive the intense pressure of a life underground, leviathans have incredibly thick and tough skin. Only an absolute can cause damage.

Titan

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A massive earth elemental wanders the Wastes crushing those who would stir the chaotic energies of its homeland.

by Ali May Sang (the Librarian)

An artist’s rendition of Titan facing the Lost Samurai of Qin before only the warrior’s crushed helmet was found on a pile of boulders. Artwork by Kieron O’Gorman.

When I first spotted the gargantuan elemental known only as Titan, it was tending to a rolling field of screaming violets over a mile wide. With soothing motions and its deep grumbling tones humming a relaxing tune, it was able to sooth the terrifying flowers until it was nothing more than a soft breeze fading into the distance. What a gentle soul, I thought. Until the earth trembled and I watched as Titan erupted into a rage. A fissure suddenly opened into the middle of the valley and spewed hot gases killing the flowers it cared for. Before there was time to mourn, Titan had moved on and I never saw it again.

Titan is a legend and a mystery in the Wastes, commonly found in a mountainous expanse known as Titan’s Valley. One moment it is a wise sage offering guidance and aid to those seeking shelter from the anarchy of this dangerous hellscape, the next finds it bringing the full force of those house-sized fists to the ground against those who would incite the Wastes’ love of violence. Many Outcasts look to Titan as their protector, some even view it as a guardian of the Fallen City and the lost temple of Heaven’s Peak. Unable to speak, it uses sign language to communicate with those who have bonded with the elemental. So long as you are willing to wait a few minutes as its massive arms and fingers maneuver into forming the words.

Invoking the Wrath of Titan

Crossing Titan is quite simple. The Wastes feeds off violence within its borders and elevates it with sandstorms, acid rain, and other insane responses. Should Titan be nearby when such violence erupts, it will squash the instigators (and anyone else caught in the middle) to bring the violence to a quick and sudden end. Numerous accounts of Titan spotted battling with other gigantic beasts native to the Wastes have become the stuff of legends. To date, it has never interfered with the Salvation and often comes to its aid in times of crisis.

Titan’s Rage: Due to its immense size and power, there is no plausible means of facing Titan in combat. Whenever it strikes, the result is swift and explosive but final. By spending 3 challenges, the Director can bring Titan into any scene taking place in the Wastes. At the end of a round, one major or supporting character or group of extras is swiftly eliminated from the scene and treated as if they were reduced to 0 Vitality. The Director can spend additional challenge as normal to cause enduring complications and other calamities as normal with Titan as the focus or an additional challenge can be spent once per round to reduce a lead character to 1 Vitality.
Titan cannot be brought into the scene by spending challenges unless it has already been introduced earlier in the story.