9Dragons - The Clans

[Detomah]

The White Clans

The League of Beggars

The clan is an organization of beggars, sometimes referred to as “The Endless Clan,” because, as one clansman once stated, “You could sit beggars one by one across The Land and never see the end of the line! Take faith in our great numbers and be counted among the faithful!”

Through accepting charity, helping those who face hardship, and giving noble purpose to those who find themselves lost or empty, the disciples of The League, although poor and often pitied, display all the noble characteristics of true heroes. They are the clan with the closest relationship to the common people.

“No city is without its beggars.”

The clan’s territory has spread to include all parts of the country. You can find beggars wherever you go, and many of them are members of The League. Disciples of The League still wear beggars’ clothes, rather than specific clan outfits like Shaolin or Wu-Tang. Therefore, one cannot easily conclude whether one is discouraging or assisting a common mendicant or a master of Kung Fu. This autonomy serves The League well, in that its true numbers remain hidden, and it also serves the common beggar in obvious ways.

This relationship is indicative of all the clan’s philosophies, for they give as much as they receive. Since The League is the easiest to join of all the major clans, it is no surprise that they have become the largest clan and serve the White Clan Alliance as “the eyes and the ears of The Land,” for the purpose of gathering information. Beggars are, after all, everywhere… and few lower voices or take notice of their presence.

“A meal shared is far more delicious.”

All of The League’s income comes from begging. However, it is not merely the act of begging for food and goods. It is begging aimed towards healing a world that has grown isolated and less compassionate, while in return offering righteousness and justice to any who find themselves in need. This is the grand ideal of begging.

Shaolin

The clan is a strict discipleship of Buddhist Monks, sometimes referred to as “The Noble Clan,” because their disciples demonstrate righteousness and mercy in all their deeds.

“A disciple of Shaolin must vow to reform evil when he finds it and to bring peace where he can.” They believe that even the worst evil-doers can be reformed through the clan's light. When proven false, the fault lies not in their opponents, but within themselves.

“You should not take life, make others take life, or take delight in death. To become a student of Shaolin, you first need to rid yourself of ego.” Passing Shaolin’s gates, and earning discipleship, means giving up all worldly possessions, vanity, and selfish desire.

Then one must commit to endless meditation upon the Buddha’s merciful teachings. Coinciding with this, one must make a suitable temple of one’s own body where the Buddha’s seed may thrive.

Wu Tang

The clan is a discipleship of Tai Chi practitioners who serve as living instruments of the divine justice inherent in The Tao, or Water Course Way, symbolized by the sacred Yin and Yang. The clan is also referred to as the “Clan of Divine Sword” because their disciples hone their minds, hearts and bodies to become as one with their swords.
“I am a swordsman without peer throughout The Land!”

The siren song in the heart of each Wu-Tang disciple is supreme confidence. Just as the Buddha proclaimed that he alone was most honored in The Land (a claim which requires deep contemplation to comprehend its truth), so does the
Wu-Tang disciple proclaim his superior skill.

Unwavering confidence, based on sound training, ensures success without fear from contemplation and guarantees victory by ignoring any obstacle blocking its achievement.

"The sword kills, not the disciple.”

The disciples believe that, to be a well-honed pupil, one must surrender himself and his steel to the will of The Tao, which brings unbiased justice to the world in the guise of cause and effect. Therefore, a student who has mastered the techniques of his weapon, serves merely as a capable, neutral instrument, standing ready to act against the darker intentions of his opponent. Since the disciple has freed himself of intention and does nothing but calmly react to the destructive urges of an opponent, the opponent’s death causes no bad karma.

Unlike Shaolin disciples, who try to reform evil through the Buddha’s mercy and compassion, those dedicated to the precepts of Wu-Tang believe that a balanced cosmos demands justice through retribution against evil. Therefore, the Black Clans and evildoers throughout The Land are especially wary of Wu-Tang disciples. Heavenly Demon and Sacred Flower in particular have proclaimed open hostility toward Wu-Tang.

“Each disciple embodies Five Elements, Three Treasures, and One Sword.”

A Wu-Tang disciple’s successful path requires meditation on The Tao and the Yin and Yang, as ascribed through an understanding of The Five Elements and Three Treasures that underlie Tai Chi swordsmanship. The ultimate goal is to become an immortal instrument at one with The Tao.

The Black Clans

Sacred Flower

The Sacred Flower Clan was founded by a legendary female warrior, The Mistress of Chaos, when she was denied entrance to the male-dominated Shaolin Temple. It is said that, “From every action comes an opposite reaction,” and from that act of discrimination rose a clan of beautiful, deadly, female masters. Their motto: “If men rule the world, women must rule men!” These women know they are not equally matched with men as far as brute strength is concerned, and so Sacred Flower’s Kung Fu techniques are based on seduction, speed and illusion, reinforced with all manner of poisons and venoms. Their weapons of choice are daggers, whips and throwing stars. Disciples of Sacred Flower train night and day to restore the holy balance of Yin and Yang. If the task requires bloodshed, so be it!

“Do not utter the name of the Holy Mistress in the presence of men. Her name holds power which must not tarnished by their foul thoughts.”The disciples of Sacred Flower despise the male-dominated beliefs of Shaolin, and believe Wu-Tang clan has bastardized the Yin and Yang symbol, to suggest that women (symbolized by Yin) encompass all the darker, negative aspects of the universe. Sacred Flower thereby opposes these White Clans as they strive to raise women’s current status in society with their fervent cult-like beliefs. The disciples' revealing clothing is justified as a means to entreat, allure, and conquer men by enchantment. So what is perceived as feminine weakness becomes part of their strength.

“Wipe that smile off your face. I am a commander of Sacred Flower. To leer at me is to invite the wrath of hidden women everywhere. They are where you work, where you drink, in your household. The Mistress has no mercy for those who cross her daughters.”Disciples of Sacred Flower are mindful in all things of the spirit and will of The Mistress of Chaos. While they invite you to become entranced by their beauty, bear in mind that this attraction will be used to either dominate, humiliate, or kill you. Since common women in this male-dominated land are given no voice, Sacred Flower disciples act as their champions. Because illusion was a revered practice of The Mistress, many disciples have made grave personal sacrifices over the past ten years to insert themselves into society, as wives, mothers, concubines, going even so far as donning the robes of other clans.

The role of these hidden disciples is to control men from behind closed doors and between silken sheets, and disseminate important information back to the clan. In short, it is Sacred Flower’s mission to control the men who control The Land.

The Brotherhood of Thieves

The clan is an organization of thieves, robbers and brigands unified by a noble purpose: To overthrow corrupt officials and redistribute their wealth to the defenseless poor. Noble indeed, but their methodology has resulted in them being labeled a Black Clan in the eyes of Shaolin and Wu-Tang, and as outlaws wanted dead or alive by the government.

As with any organization comprised of and run by criminals, there are many undercurrents of corruption and violence boiling just beneath the surface. The clan leaders use coercion to ensure loyalty, and punishments levied out against disciples who break the clan’s rules are swift and severe.
The Brotherhood consists of Eighteen Fortresses, as well as hundreds of small dens. Their widespread network rivals that of The League of Beggars. Every three years, a competition is held among all the dens and fortresses, which serves to expel the weak and promote the strong into their eighteen council members.

“The Brotherhood is the hope born of poor people everywhere.”

In the wake of the new dynasty, The Imperial Emperor instituted many new taxes and levies across The Land. Many commoners were drained beyond their means by greedy local officials who abused their power and demanded unjust amounts of money. Peasants who had scraped all their lives to provide for their families suddenly had their lands and meager savings taken from them. As a result, many merchants were forced into bankruptcy, and honest men and women had to become bandits, merely to survive. For a time it seemed there were more criminals than honest men in Zhongyuan Province. But, with the formation of The Brotherhood, a flicker of hope was born. The criminal elements were brought together under one banner and their efforts were directed against the tax collectors, not the common man. Now, at last, the peasants could walk the streets, no longer the targets of thieves, and receive riches back from The Brotherhood…riches that were wrongfully taken from them in the first place.

This Land holds many adventures, many wonders, and many secrets, some horrible and others beyond belief. Acts of heroism, romance, and fierce combat will unfold before you, like lotus petals, to nourish…

The seeds of The Dragon within you.

“What is 9Dragons you ask, my friend?”

9Dragons is the first authentic martial arts massively multiplayer online role-playing game. That means you shall not be alone in The Land — you shall journey alongside many friends, enemies, teachers and fellow disciples. The Land itself will be constantly evolving around you as new cities, quests, and special events are continuously added and updated. To help you immerse yourself in the true spirit of The Land, our design team has paid meticulous attention to the period authenticity of all the available cities, weapons, moves, costumes and locations used in 9Dragons. With this in mind, we invite you to venture forth and…

Heavenly Demon

Affiliation: Black Clan (unaffiliated as far as any know at this time)
Clan Headquarters: Cavernous Lair deep inside Mount Yanmo
Current Leader: Soul Catcher, High Priest of Heavenly Demon

Lost Dragon: Emperor Heavenly Demon
Weapon: Emperor Heavenly Demon uses a saber Kung Fu Style: Heavenly Demon's Kung Fu techniques were stolen and perverted from other disciplines, and also combined with occult rituals. Sabers are preferred over swords, and for hand-to-hand combat, disciples master Bloody Hands technique,the most deadly combat system ever conceived. “A land governed by the depraved must be conquered through depraved justice, only through fire may it be cleansed!” Heavenly Demon Clan was founded by a cruel, ambitious warrior who, in defiance of The Imperial Emperor and his court, proclaimed himself The Emperor Heavenly Demon and waged holy war against all governing factions. It is whispered by

many that Emperor Heavenly Demon truly was possessed by demons as a child, and certainly any who had witnessed his ferocity in battle, would attest that this was true.
factions. It is whispered by many that Emperor Heavenly Demon truly was possessed by demons as a child, and certainly any who had witnessed his ferocity in battle, would attest that this was true.

This world is a will to power, nothing more!”
Disciples of Heavenly Demon have surrendered to their own darker natures and yielded their nobility to his cause. In return for their loyalty and bloodshed, Heavenly Demon’s disciples have been granted tremendous power and martial art skill from a variety of occult sources. Marshalling their dark skills, Heavenly Demon led the clan to victory upon victory against The Imperial Emperor and his troops in many of The Provinces, for a time controlling more than half of the Land. Only The War of Nine Dragons, a private war waged between the nine major clans of the day, stopped Heavenly Demon from complete domination and his seizure of the Imperial capitol.

“I pray to witness the resurrection of Heavenly Demon in this lifetime.”
Following The War, and its mysterious aftermath, word was spread by Soul Catcher, Heavenly Demon’s High Priest, that the master was slain, and by his own decree, signed in blood,

the clan was to release its hold on all seized territories and seal its doors until such time as he returned. With much reluctance, they did so, returning to their stronghold at Mount Yanmo. As they continue to train and practice the dark arts their master passed down to them, some await his prophesized return, while others contend to usurp his power.