Thursday, November 12, 2015

WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE: SECT PREVIEWS

(From left to right) Temple of the Nine Suns,
Mystic Sword Sect, Sun Mai Sect, Perfect Heaven Lineage Sect


















Martial Sects are an important feature of Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. Here are a few of the sects from the rules with illustration from Jackie Musto. There are 16 major sects in the rulebook so this is just a quick look. 

This is an illustration of four sects in the game. I will describe them below from left to right. 

Temple of the Nine Suns
This is a very old sect that has changed a great deal over time. They believe in Nine Ages, which they call Suns. Each age requires humanity adapt with new ideals and practices. The present era is the seventh so the sect embraces individuality, pleasure and the unorthodox to match it. Some take this to incredible extremes, at best they reject convention, at worst they kill at will and bring chaos wherever they go. The Temple of Nine Suns focuses primarily on Internal Kung Fu and unarmed attacks. 

Mystic Sword Sect
This is a sect so dedicated to righteousness that they've become a danger to the stability of the martial world. Any transgression against the code of the Xia, however slight, warrants immediate punishment. Led by Lady White Blade, the sect is even more cruel toward its own members. Disciples are harshly punished, even killed, for falling short of Lady' White Blade's expectations. One branch of the sect, the Flying Phantoms (pictured above) wear masks to conceal the disfigurements their master has rendered for their failures. Despite their apparent lust for blood, the sect venerates Hen-Shi, a goddess of mercy and compassion. When pressed on this matter, their response is to declare death "a kind of mercy". Mystic Sword Sect is known for its swordplay and lightness kung fu. 

Sun Mai Sect
This is our version of Shaolin. The chief virtues of Sun Mai are Compassion and Mercy, Truthfulness and True Understanding. The aim of which is to experience the perfect realm, or Wan Mei. According to the teachings of Shisan, one who has achieved this understanding can sense the interconnectedness of all things and therefore truly understand why compassion and mercy are at the heart of their religion. They also venerate Hen-Shi, not because they view her as some distant deity who needs placating but because they believe she is an idea that is present in every person and by looking to her as a model one can cultivate compassion and mercy. While they will use violence to defeat foes who pose a threat, Sun Mai monks are not supposed to kill and should only do so when all other options have been exhausted. They would rather work to rehabilitate an evil foe, than kill. Sun Mai is known for its wide ranging techniques that include weapons, palm strikes, internal energy, and lightness kung fu. 

Perfect Heaven Lineage Sect
This is a righteous sect that is devoted to the restoring Hai'an and defeating the Glorious Emperor. They venerate the memory of Perfect Heaven Lineage’s founder Cai Shimei of Yu and venerate all the gods and immortals under Xian Nu Shen’s authority. For them the chief virtue is for man to understand his place within this hierarchy and to behave accordingly.The Perfect Heaven Lineage Sect is well-versed in many Rituals to help them fight evil. They are also knowledgeable about religion and other esoteric beliefs. They have a particular interest in the importance of the Phoenix and Dragon principles, which is why they like to balance their order perfectly with half the members being women and half the members being men. The sect is known for its swordplay and pressure point techniques. 
 

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