Pecking Order — by Scott Beattie

An apprentice undertaker
A three foot high dinosaur moneylender
A wayward Jesuit
A Tibetan astronaut
A musclebound poet
A tale of foul demons and affordable tailoring.

Premise: 19th Century PCs go on a quest to save a beautiful maiden from a monster…
The Twist: …but end up saving the monster from the beautiful maiden.
The Climax: A big fight in modern day San Francisco while a rampaging chicken destroys half the city.

Introduction

The old man surveyed the unruly group of children through his good eye. “If you are all good monkeys, Master Li will tell you a story.”

“Not the one about the Lotus Sorcerer, the young noodlemaker and the thousand year egg.”

Twisting his gnarled cane in his (no less gnarled) hand, he grunted, remembering the child's face for future reference. “How about the terrible tale of the hopping vampire who can only be defeated by the strange alchemy of chicken blood?”

“Heard it before.”

“Then what about the tale of the kidnapping of the beautiful Jade Star and her rescue by the young men of this very village?”

“Master Li, even the weasel who is making off with one of your much praised chickens is tired of that old story!”

“Perhaps, perhaps. But no one has head the true story. Until now, my little dung beetles…”

Of Tigers and Geomancers

The little village of Treasured Cub, sits nestled in the hills outside of Wuhan. It is a small, farming community that relies heavily on silk production for its livelihood. Each year, farmers make the trip to Wuhan to sell their fine silk. There is an encampment of Barbarians calling themselves “The British” who are keen on silk. The trip takes a day with a wagon, yet the farmers allow it to stretch into two so that they can sample the fine foods of Mistress Fo's house, half way along the route.

The village earned its name at a time of great turmoil. The village (then called “Heaven's Meadow”) was beset by troubles — fires, accidents, brigands of the worst sort. A geomancer was brought in and he quickly located the source of the problem. The mountain range which abuts the village looks like a crouching tiger, with the village held between its paws like some succulent prey. The geomancer suggested a few changes including altering the name to Treasured Cub — the village was not the prey of the angry tiger, but the cub which it was protecting. Prosperity followed.

Backstory

This story concerns Li Zeng and Kai Lee, sorcerers of ancient China and bitter rivals. Once they were lovers, when both apprenticed to Master Fo but things did not work out. Some couples break up amicably, some throw plates, some become involved in opposite sides of wars and cause violent escalation.

This couple have long since abandoned any active part in the Secret War and have gone their own ways in different times. They are about to get re-acquainted by a series of coincidences. A group of drunken British soldiers from Wuhan have stumbled upon the village of Treasured Cub where Li Zeng has lived to ripe old age in the guise of a chicken farmer. The soldiers are supposed to be on manoeuvres but are using this as an opportunity to do some looting. They grab one of Master Li's demons, thinking it to be an ordinary chicken. Kai Lee now lives in present day San Francisco making a crust as a cosmetics entrepreneur and black market alchemy supplier. She still has her contacts through her old allies in the Eaters of the Lotus. They capture the demon and bring it to her through the Netherworld. Once she discovers whose demon it is, she has quite a reunion (well, trap) planned for Li Zeng and his companions.

Notable Folk in Treasured Cub

Ugly Deng

The wealthiest man in Treasured Cub and notionally the town leader. He controls all of the silk production in the village. He is notable for two things, his remarkably unappealing face (someone once remarked that his features have not so much been arranged, but had a bucket of face thrown at them) and his beautiful daughter, Jade Star. She is the prize of the village, adored by most of the young men (and many of the old). She has not chosen a husband.

Li Zeng

A chicken farmer and notorious windbag. Master Li is also a master of Kung Fu although these days he uses his art mainly to punish foxes and impudent children.

Plucky Tor Chek

The apprentice to an undertaker in Wuhan. It is surprising that Tor Chek would take to this kind of work as he is very timid (the nickname is ironic) and liable to take fright. He was born in Treasured Cub and often visits his family.

Ho the Ox

A very large and strong fellow who can pull a plough better than any of the aged Oxen of the village. He fancies himself a poet but everyone urges him not to fight his ordained role in life and to apply his great strength to tending the earth.

Po Ri

The moneylender. He inherited the business several generations ago from the previous owner, a dishonest and disreputable fellow whom Po Ri ran out of town. He is notable because of his kindly nature and because he is an immortal, three foot tall tyrannosaurus rex.

Brother Xavier

A barbarian Jesuit priest who came to convert the villagers, but ended up adapting to the Chinese lifestyle. The Chinese respect all paths toward spirituality as equal, if different, approaches. The good brother has been learning Eastern philosophy and Kung Fu.

Mileng

An astronaut from Tibet who crash-landed in the village several years ago. He is a very strange fellow who can speak to his earlier incarnations as well as command the weather and fly the heavens.

Player Characters

Plucky Tor Chek — Nervous Apprentice Undertaker

Tor Chek is an apprentice to the undertaker in Wuhan, where he has learnt some alchemy, sorcery and rites for the care of the dead. He grew up in Treasured Cub and spends his free time there, helping on his family's farm. There is not so much demand for undertakers these days.

In the past, they were called upon by families who had gained fortune, to move the bodies of their ancestors to cemeteries with better Feng Shui. This is done by animating the dead and taking them on journeys across the country. Their legs are bound together to stop them escaping, so they have to hop wherever they go. The undertaker controls them with bells, feeds them incense and attends to their needs.

Plucky Tor Chek Has in his custody several hopping dead with incense to feed them. If anything happens to them, he will be in big trouble. Tor Chek is a nervous, rodent-like fellow who is fearful of almost everything. He loves Jade Star but is too scared to tell her.

Attributes: Body 5, Chi 4 (Magic 8), Mind 5, Reflexes 7 (Speed 9).
Skills: Info/Undertaking 11, Medicine 11, Sorcery 12, Martial Arts 10.
Sorcery Schticks: Animate & Control Dead; Blast: Explosive Tapers (damage 10); Heal: Cure Disease, Heal Wounds, Poison Antidotes.
Fu Schticks: The Fox's Retreat, Fire Strike.
Weapons: Fists (6), Kick (7)
Wealth Level: Rich.
Gear: Tapers, scrolls, incense, bells.
Languages: Cantonese, a few European phrases.
Melodramatic Hook: Tor Chek's nickname is ironic, earned because of his exceptional timidity. He is not cowardly, but he is flighty and easily frightened. He is constantly torn between his fear and doing the right, brave thing.

Tor Chek also controls six Hopping Dead:

6 Hopping Dead

Attributes: Body 6, Chi 0 (Magic 5), Mind 0, Reflexes 5.
Skills: Martial Arts 8.
Weapons: Claws (8).

Po Ri — Miniature Dinosaur Moneylender

Po Ri was born many many years ago. He was the runt of the nest, and never grew more than about three feet tall. He was also exceptionally intelligent and strangely immortal. He saw the end of his species and the rise of the warm-bloods. He has never understood why he should be different from his kin and no wise men in all the ages through which he has lived have offered any solution.

For a while Po Ri lived in Medieval Europe until some stroppy fellow called George send him packing. He came to China where he found the villagers of Heaven's Meadow (as it then was) to be much more hospitable. They were beset by bandits and an unscrupulous moneylender Cheng. Po Ri drove the villainous man out and kept the bandits at bay, helped by the martial arts he had learnt at a Shaolin temple.

The villagers insisted that Po Ri take over the moneylender's business. He is known as “uncle” by them because of his generosity. He is the godfather of beautiful Jade Star.

Attributes: Body 8, Chi 0 (Magic 8), Mind 8, Reflexes 6.
Skills: Creature Powers 15, Martial Arts 10, History 11.
Creature Schticks: Armour (4 points), Rancid Breath (Damage 10), Bite (+4 damage).
Weapons: Bite (12), Kick (10), Tail (11).
Wealth Level: Rich.
Limitation: Heals at half the rate of humans.
Gear: Various odds and ends from various times.
Languages: Cantonese, some Medieval European and Middle Eastern tongues.
Melodramatic Hook: Po Ri is very sensitive and really feels for the little things of this world. He acts like a kindly grandfather and will do anything to protect the weak from the strong. He thinks of the villagers as his little hatchlings.

Brother Xavier — Wayward Kung-Fu Jesuit

Xavier is the youngest son of a decadently wealthy French merchant family. He was enrolled in the Jesuit academy when he was very young and it became clear that he did not have his brothers' business acumen or ruthless streak. The Church sent Xavier to China to convert the heathen Chinese. He went native to learn more about Chinese culture and has not come back. He has incorporated Taoism, Buddhism, magic and alchemy into his personal philosophy (a very Chinese approach to theology). Having grown to know and love the culture, his motivation is now to right the wrongs of Europeans who seek to exploit China. He is very protective of Treasured Cub and its folk.

Attributes: Body 8, Chi 0 (Fu 8), Mind 5, Reflexes 8.
Skills: Eastern Philosophy 11, Catholic Theology 8, Leadership 7, Martial Arts 15.
Fu Schticks: Friend of Darkness, Prodigious Leap, Flying Windmill Kick
Weapons: Staff (11), Punch (9), Kick (10).
Wealth Level: Poor.
Gear: Bible, Crucifix & Rosary with Eastern icons attached.
Languages: French, Cantonese, rough English.
Melodramatic Hook: Xavier has never really felt like he fit in anywhere. His own family never really wanted him and he was sent to the seminary. He feels more at home in China but still feels like something of an outsider. He feels that he has to prove his loyalty to the villagers.

Mileng — Tibetan Astronaut

Three years ago, Mileng crashed to earth in rural China. He was rudely awakened while navigating the heavens and found himself in the Treasured Cub duck pond. Ugly Deng's wife tended Mileng's wounds and nursed him back to health. He sees Jade Star as his adoptive sister.

As a mystically attuned person he is in contact with many of his previous incarnations. At any one time he can talk to three of his previous selves; which ones depend on astrological conjunctions. He can let these personas take control of his body and thereby use their skills. At present he can converse with Saleem (a swordsman of Saladin's court), Djulba (an Aboriginal shaman), and Silas P. Rigby (a Western gunfighter).

Attributes

Body 5, Chi 4 (Magic 7), Mind 8, Reflexes 7.

Skills

Base: Tibetan Theology 12, Mystic Powers 14, Sorcery 13.
As Saleem: Martial Arts 11, Islamic Theology 12.
As Djulba: Medicine (herbal-based) 12, Detective (tracking) 12.
As Silas: Guns 12, Intimidation 12.

Sorcery Schticks

Weather: Cold, Heat & Humidity, Fog, Lightning (damage 9), Rain, Snow, Thunder, Wind; Influence: Emotion Potions, Enchantment (impose will), Illusions, Inspiration (implant thought).

Mystic Schticks

Flight; RecallSprevious lives (Saleem, Djulba, or Silas at this time); Immune to damage from suffocation or drowning.

Weapons

Fist (6).

Wealth Level

Poor.

Gear

Prayer wheel, mystic bits & pieces.

Limitation

Mileng can only use his Mystic Schticks while asleep. He is lucid, if somewhat vague in this state. He may be awoken if repeatedly slapped or damaged, or doused in cold water.

Languages

Tibetan, Cantonese, other languages depending on incarnations.

Melodramatic Hook

Mileng is a real space case who savours new experiences. He is like a keen child is his delight when he finds something he likes. Sometimes embarrassingly so.

Ho the Ox — Sensitive Muscleman

Ho, son of Wang the rice farmer, is a large brawny fellow who can pull a plough better than an ox. Everyone tells him that his role in life is menial, yet he dreams of being a poet. He hides in the field and jots down beautiful verse, certain that no one else would wish to read it. Jade Star loves him but his love is reserved for his muse, the Morning Mist.

Attributes: Body 11 (Toughness 12), Chi 0, Mind 7, Reflexes 5.
Skills: Poetry 12, Farming 10, Intimidation 11, Martial Arts 12, Seduction 10 (this is usually not deliberate).
Schticks: You make Death Checks only when you reach 50 Wound Points; −1 Impairment at 40 Wound Points and −2 Impairment at 45 Wound Points.
Weapons: Farm Implement (15), Club (14), Dagger (14), Thrown Dagger (6), Punch (12), Kick (13).
Wealth Level: Poor.
Gear: A little book of poems, writing gear.
Languages: Cantonese.
Melodramatic Hook: Ho is quite clever yet many treat him as an imbecile because of his size. This is the weak point in his psychic armour: he hates being called stupid and is driven to (often stupid) rages when this happens.

The Bad Guys

Drunken British Soldiers — Unwitting Pawns

“Cor Blimey, luvaduck guv! Them chongs don't know when to quit!” (In English, of course.)

Attributes: Body 5, Chi 0, Mind 4, Reflexes 5.
Skills: Guns 8, Intimidation 8, Martial Arts 6.
Weapons: Musket (8/5/1), Punch (6).

Speak English and a handful of Cantonese phrases (such as “which way to the brothel?” and “are these pigs diseased?”)

Wuhan Thorns of the Lotus — Expendable Thugs

“Die Barbarian fool!”

Attributes: Body 6, Chi 1, Mind 4, Reflexes 6.
Skills: Intimidation 8, Martial Arts 8.
Weapons: Sword (10), punch (7).

Kai Lee — Spiteful Sorceress and Corporate Entrepreneur

“Please do not be upset. This is just business.”

Attributes: Body 5, Chi 2 (Magic 12), Mind 7 (Charisma 11), Reflexes 7.
Skills: Sorcery 19, History 11, Business 13, Cosmetics 9.
Weapons: none
Sorcery: Blast (Acid or Steam, damage 14), Heal, Movement, Summoning, Fertility.

Kai Lee was a sorceress in ancient China who trained under the honourable Fo. She was in love with Li Zeng, another of Master Fo's students. Li Zeng wanted to consummate their passion, but Kai Lee knew that her powers of magic depended on her virginity and wanted a relationship which preserved her virtue. Li Zeng (not a virtuous fellow) insisted that if she really loved him, she would submit to him regardless. Their love turned to a bitter feud which has lasted to this day.

Her heart turned to stone, Kai Lee sold her magic to unscrupulous clients, occasionally performing tasks for the Eaters of the Lotus. When she discovered the secret war, Li Zeng was there — on the other side. Their bitter hatred escalated the conflict between the Lotus and the Children of Fury, a group to which Li Zeng belonged. With the fall of the Children, Li Zeng retired from the Secret War — to parts and times unknown.

Kai Lee has made a fine art of cruelty. In an alchemic manual, she chanced upon a formula for a skin cream which provides eternal youth. The only catch is that the cream must be distilled from suffering — human or animal. As time passed, and authorities became more wary of missing people, Kai Lee has had to use animal suffering on a massive scale to distil her skin cream. Today she heads Prettypink Inc, a multinational cosmetics corporation that uses extensive animal testing. The real purpose of this is not the advancement of science, but the creation of raw pain for the corporation's diabolical CEO.

Prettypink Inc. is also used as a front to obtain rare alchemical ingredients which Kai Lee sells to sorcerers throughout the Secret War, particularly the Eaters of the Lotus. A lot of Chinese magic requires rare animal parts, often from endangered species. Some of these ingredients were difficult to obtain at the height of Lotus power, today they are an extremely valuable commodity. Sizeable donations to zoos give Kai Lee access to animals to breed from in her farms. Whaling ships disguised as fishing trawlers hunt the great mammals to extinction. Drift net fishing trawlers are designed specifically to catch dolphins and throw the tuna away. Prettypink Inc's subsidiaries in the third world are able to provide human test subjects when its mistress requires more substantial suffering.

Kai Lee adores the colour pink. She wears nothing but pink, and all her decor is this garish, nightmarish colour. Her evil truly knows no bounds.

The Four Treasures

These four demons have tended to Kai Lee for many years. They normally appear to be well-dressed Chinese men — four brothers, identical except for the colours of their suits. Once they are threatened, they transform into strange and wonderful forms. They are powerful, but each has a weakness which may be exploited by a wily foe.

Pearl — One of Kai Lee's Four Treasures

“Prepare to be overwhelmed!”

Attributes: Body 8, Chi 0 (Magic 8), Mind 4, Reflexes 10.
Skills: Martial Arts 12.
Weapons: Punch (9).
Unique Schtick: Pearl has a smaller Siamese twin, growing out of his abdomen. When he is sufficiently damaged, his twin can separate from his and appears to be an identical copy of Pearl, complete with a smaller Siamese twin. This can also separate and so on until there are 6 smaller Pearls (like a Russian doll) who fight as one. For ever 10 wounds taken in a single blow, a smaller Pearl splits off of the smallest body.

He gets body and damage bonuses for each split:

Pearls	Body	Damage
2 Pearls	+1	+4
3 Pearls	+2	+7
4 Pearls	+3	+9
5 Pearls	+4	+10
6 Pearls	+5	+10

Weakness: The bodies share wound points; it should be easy to grab a small pearl, put it in a sack or cage and subject it to a lot of damage, such as chucking it in a furnace. All the other Pearls share the effects of this damage.
Clue: When smacked in the face, all of the Pearls rub their stinging noses furiously.

Jade — One of Kai Lee's Four Treasures

“Submit. We surround you.”

Attributes: Body 6, Chi 0 (Magic 8), Mind 6, Reflexes 10.
Skills: Martial Arts 12.
Weapons: Punch (7, 15 if Unique Schtick is activated).
Unique Schtick: Leaves a glowing green trail of images whenever he moves. The trail is solid and swings behind as he moves like a tail, following through on each attack with another volley of hits. This does +8 damage.
Weakness: The trail can also be targeted which gives attackers +4 to hit if they specifically target Jade and his extra images.
Clue: When a chemical vat spills, Jade is careful to swing his trail out of the toxic sludge.

Gold — One of Kai Lee's Four Treasures

“You cannot escape me!”

Attributes: Body 7, Chi 3 (Magic 8), Mind 4, Reflexes 8.
Skills: Martial Arts 12.
Weapons: Punch (8).
Unique Schtick: Transforms into molten gold, a scalding hot tar baby that stretches and sticks. Anyone who attacks him with a fist or kick has to make a Strength check (difficulty 10) to break free. Every sequence you are stuck to him carries a damage of 10 from scalding.
Weakness: Cooling Gold down by immersion in water or use of fire extinguishers will solidify him in whatever shape he has been stretched into. If he is too stretched out, he will have difficulty walking, let alone attacking.
Clue: The players have probably seen Terminator 2, poor things.

Amber — One of Kai Lee's Four Treasures

“None can touch me!”

Attributes: Body 10, Chi 1 (Magic 8), Mind 3, Reflexes 8.
Skills: Martial Arts 12.
Weapons: Punch (11).
Unique Schtick: He rapidly secretes a sticky resin which dries into a hard, impenetrable armour (+8). It remains stretchy at the joints which enables him to move. This is quite a gross thing to see. Good thing this isn't a Call of Cthulhu adventure.
Weakness: The joints are not really a weak spot (armour is still +6), but Amber still has to breath. Characters will notice this if they are looking for weak spots to attack. They can either attack from above and ignore the armour rating (but with a −4 to hit) or they can be clever and do something like pouring boiling water into the hole which he will not be able to extract, boiling him like a lobster, or attaching a hose (an industrial vacuum!) to him.
Clue: As he transforms, Amber pulls a bamboo stave out of his coat pocket and puts it into his mouth like a snorkel.

Prettypink Inc. Mooks — Bums with Guns

“Just kill them.”

Attributes: Body 5, Chi 0, Mind 4, Reflexes 5.
Skills: Guns 8, Intimidation 8, Martial Arts 6.
Weapons: Frachi Spas 12 Shotgun (13/5/7), Fist (6).

Various unsavoury types of different races. About half are Chinese. These guys get well paid to wear those pink overalls. The Western mooks are particularly unimpressed.

Allies

Li Zeng — Chicken Farmer and Sorcerer in Hiding

“Idiot! You watch for the egg, not the hen.”

Attributes: Body 7, Chi 5 (Magic 11, Fu 7), Mind 5, Reflexes 7.
Skills: Sorcery 18, Martial Arts 12, History 9, Chicken Farming 9, Philosophy 7.
Weapons: Staff (10), Fist (8), Kick (9).
Sorcery Schticks: Blast (Fire or Conjured Weapons, damage 13), Summoning, Movement, Healing, Fertility.
Fu Schticks: Fox's Retreat, Eyes of the Fox, Laughter of the Fox, Vengeance of the Fox, Luck of the Fox.

Li Zeng was a sorcerer in ancient China who trained under the honourable Fo. He was in love with Kai Lee, another of Master Fo's students. Li Zeng wanted to consummate their passion, but Kai Lee knew that her powers of magic depended on her virginity and wanted a relationship which preserved her virtue. Li Zeng (not a virtuous fellow) insisted that if she really loved him, she would submit to him regardless. Their love turned to a bitter feud which has lasted to this day.

Her heart turned to stone, Kai Lee sold her magic to unscrupulous clients, occasionally performing tasks for the Eaters of the Lotus. Li Zeng found work where he could (he was never a terribly dedicated worker) and eventually stumbled onto the Secret War. A group called the Children of Fury enlisted Li Zeng's help against Kai Lee's new friends and their hatred escalated the conflict between the Lotus and the Children. With the fall of the Children due to a temporal shift, Li Zeng retired from the Secret War to Seventeenth Century China.

He hid his sorcerous powers and claimed to be an itinerant chicken farmer. His five key demons (based on the five elements), he bound into chickens. On the rare occasion that he was confronted by danger (by brigands, foxes, or impudent children) he used his Kung Fu, rather than disclose his magical talents. Frankly he would rather let someone else do the hard work, than reveal his Kung Fu ability but he will use this in preference to magic. He does not want Kai Lee finding out where he is.

His fertility sorcery makes him immortal, but without Kai Lee's skin cream formula he still ages, he just doesn't die from old age. He is an ancient and weathered — his skin looks like worn leather, his joints are creaky and arthritic (when he's not beating the bejesus out of someone). This does little for his temper.

Frankly, he has become a little obsessed by chickens (OK, he was always mad about chickens — think of Gonzo the Great on the Muppet Show). The centuries have made Li Zeng a little peculiar and he loves to frame everything in terms of chicken-related metaphors. If you can bug out one eye while you act out his role, all the better.

Li Zeng's Wacky Chicken Sayings

You tally the hen count before the eggs have even cracked.
The honourable chicken did not cross the street merely on whim, it sought enlightenment and travel.
Too many cooks in cookhouse break too many eggs.
You can take a chicken to honey, but don't expect her not to eat the worm.
Eggs in the sky mean a mess to clean in the morning.
A chicken has small wings, yet do not try to tell her that she is no eagle.
The hen is patient, the is earth is more patient, the worm is not.
The egg is not round or box shaped, nor should it be. The chicken thanks the gods each day for small mercies.
If the chicken sees a cock, she croons approvingly. The soldier will, in the contrary, throw you in jail.
To know an egg, is to know the whole universe.
Some enjoy cock fighting, others would prefer turtle fray.
A chicken master is like a husband, the fox like a hat man and the mud of the earth is never more or less than what it is.
Chicken feet make good eating, but not for the chicken.
A dozen feathers may float on the spring breeze, but a single chicken may not.
The egg does not question the wise man. The egg also does not avoid the omelette maker.
The fox is cunning. So to is the man with false chickens.
The cock's crest is bold, yet he still ends up in the pot.
Feathers make a soft pillow, but not while the chicken is still attached to them.
There are three things which matter — justice, eggs, and affordable tailoring.
That man is as mad as a thousand year egg!

The Ramses Gang

The Ramses Gang is a cell of eco-terrorists. It was named after one of Estelle's spirit guides, Egyptian king Ramses II. The rest of the group are yet to discover what ancient Egypt and ecology have in common, but agree that it is a cool name. They have yet to enter the Secret War, but if they do so it will be on the side of the Earth.

Troy (formerly MC Badmuthafucka) — Vodoun Gangsta

“Papa Legba, guide my hand. Marie Laveau, keep my heart and purpose pure. Simbi La Flambeau — Lock and load!”

Attributes: Body 7, Chi 0, Mind 5, Reflexes 8 (Dexterity 9).
Skills: Deceit 9, Driving 12, Guns 15, Gangland 7, Voodoo 9, Breakdancing 13.
Gun Schticks: Fast Draw +3, Carnival of Carnage, Hair-Trigger Neck Hairs.
Weapons: Browning Hi Power Automatic Pistol (10/2/13+1), Glock 17 Automatic Pistol (10/1/17+1), H&K MP5 SMG (10/5/30), Beretta 1201 Riot Shotgun (13/5/6), AK-47 Assault Rifle (13**/5/30, KOs mooks on ≥3)

This man is serious about his guns.

Troy Gladstone was one of the original rappers and breakdancers in the early 80's. He called himself MC Badmuthafucka and wore all kinds of garish tracksuits and gold chains. During a particularly vicious gang war he met a strange Chinese man, Master Li, who demonstrated that other forces were behind the conflict. They teamed up and fought against weird creatures and sorcerers. When the gang war was over, Master Li disappeared.

Without the protection of Master Li, Troy was targeted by a hit squad and was gunned down in the street. He was saved by Estelle, a psychic with healing powers and connections in the spirit world. She put Troy in contact with his ancestors and introduced him to the world of voodoo. The spirits cried out for the Earth and made him their servant in the war against environmental exploitation. With Estelle, he formed the Ramses Gang.

Today Troy is quite embarrassed about his rap days, the commercialisation of the late eighties took all the power of the words. He uses his just first name now, and dresses in priestly black. He wears his dreads long and has voodoo veve (symbols) tattooed along his arms and engraved on his guns.

Speaks English and Cantonese.

Estelle — Graffiti Medium

“Hold them back, I've almost finished this wall.”

Attributes: Body 5, Chi 0 (Magic 7), Mind 8, Reflexes 8.
Skills: Powers 14, Graffiti Art 12, Occult 13, Sorcery 13.
Psychic Schticks: Divination, Healing, Immune to Blast, Immune to Sorcery (except weather), Death Resistance.
Weapons: Can of Mace, Cans of Spray Paint.

Estelle is a slight Hispanic woman with big dark eyes that stare through to your soul. She is very beautiful in a creepy kind of way. A quiet and serious woman, she sees the spirits all around us and is in constant communication with the spirit world. Her schticks all function because of the intervention of the spirits. King Ramses II is one of her regular spirit guides and it was he that suggested she become an ecoterrorist. She and Troy founded the cell and have been recruiting like-minded individuals in the San Francisco area.

Estelle is a compulsive graffiti artist who is guided in her art by spirit artists. Her unique paintings are a combination of cave painting, voodoo veve, occult symbolism and the art of dead artists who want to stick their oar in.

Speaks Spanish, English, and Cantonese.

FezzDezz — Schizophrenic Mechanical Genius

“Click Click, make the angels sing.”

Attributes: Body 5, Chi 1 (For 2), Mind 7, Reflexes 8.
Skills: Driving 15, Fixit 15, Guns 13, Science 11, Intrusion 11.
Weapons: Sawnoff shotgun of uncertain ancestry (13/4/7).

No one knows FezzDezz's true identity. He is a strange street person who wears a fez and is completely bald except for three remarkable tufts of hair which stick straight up in the air. Strangely enough, they seem to be a different length each time you look, a bit like those Barbie dolls you used to be able to get.

Estelle found FezzDezz on the street and gave him a place to stay and something to eat. She was surprised when he was able to fix her toaster oven, as well as turn it into a perimeter security device. He has been invaluable to the Ramses Gang in defeating electronic surveillance and security systems.

FezzDezz is a genius, has a visual memory and is a storehouse of irrelevant information. He is also painful shy and a social cripple, often foaming at the mouth and rolling his eyes, rather than speak to a stranger.

Speaks English and some Cantonese which he has picked up from restaurant menus.

Snap, Crackle, Pop — Mutated Chinese Circus Midgets

“Just like a chocolate milkshake, only crunchy.” (Said after crushing a motorbike cop's helmet.)

Attributes

Monster: Body 10 (Strength 13), Chi 0 (Magic 8), Mind 4, Reflexes 8.
Midgets: Body 3, Chi 0 (Magic 2), Mind 4, Reflexes 8.

Skills

Creature Powers 15, Martial Arts 12, Acrobatics 14.

Weapons

Monster: Fists(14).
Midgets: Fists (4).

Creature Powers

Armour (+4), Immune to Bullets, Extra Arms (+3 bonus when wrestling), Transform (midgets to monster and back again).

These three fellows were kept in slavery by a cruel freak-show owner since they were sold to the American as children. Because of a family curse, these triplets have the power to transform into a hulking, six armed monster. When the Ramses gang attacked Christie Brothers Circus to free the tormented animals SCP saw their opportunity to escape. They killed the freak show owner and joined up with the ecoterrorists. They have simple, monastic needs and are still experiencing the joys of freedom and regular food.

Speak Cantonese and some English (learned from TV).

4 Unnamed Eco Terrorists — Just There for the Bangs

“Take him down. For the Earth!”

Attributes: Body 5, Chi 0, Mind 4, Reflexes 5.
Skills: Guns 8, Intimidation 8, Martial Arts 6.
Weapons: Fist (6), Silenced Desert Eagle .357 Magnum (damage 12, capacity 10+1), The Ubiquitous Uzi (10, capacity 40).

Plot

The Storm and the Chase

The story begins in the village of Treasured Cub, a rural community in 1850 China. It is the middle of the night, terrible storm and players roused from their beds by the Li Zeng, the chicken farmer pounding on their doors.

“Wake up lazy head. The demons have taken her. The demons have taken poor little Jade Star.”

Li Zeng, the wizened old chicken farmer reveals that beautiful Jade Star has been kidnapped by barbarian demons. He insists that the group must go to rescue her. Jade Star is the daughter of Ugly Deng the silk farmer and is the pride of the village.

The village is in an uproar, people are running everywhere. If they look, they cannot find Jade Star, Ugly Deng or any member of their family. They are safe in bed and have yet to be woken by the chaos.

However there are 10 British soldiers in the square, looting and terrifying the villagers. Fear, stirred up by Li Zeng's anguished wailing has created hysteria, everyone is crying out for Jade Star. Some villagers even claim to have seen the demons take her (well, it was a pig but it is the middle of the night in the midst of a storm…)

The fight should be kept fairly simple, to introduce players to the system.

Things which may happen in the fight

Players may not realise that the soldiers are men, not demons, until they get close.
A soldier, having the drop on a character, may try to fire his musket, but it is soaked through.
A fallen soldier lands with a squelch in a deep mud puddle.
Panicking village folk, blinding rain and wandering livestock make keeping your footing very tricky.
An old widow springs into kung fu pose to beat the shit out of the soldier who has tried to steal her exquisite cushion
Dogs run around madly. It's raining and this is a great game. They chase the fleeing soldiers, jumping up on them with muddy paws.

The group will have to fight the soldiers in the village, who will try to flee once the first few are incapacitated. During the fight the characters will realise that they are not fighting demons, but barbarians. They will try to flee in the direction of the road to Wuhan and it was this way that some villagers claim they saw Jade Star taken.

Master Li will worry about his chickens but will hope they are safe with the abbot of the temple. He has one particularly scrawny hen tucked under his arm which he will give to Tor Chek (the meekest and the easiest to bully) to carry for him. Tor Chek should do this, but if he does decide to ditch the chicken, it will prove impossible to be rid of. It will follow him everywhere and create trouble. It is Iron Lady, the chicken demon of the element of metal. It eats metal and can magnetise it at touch. She can get into all sorts of mischief.

As they follow the trail of the soldiers, they will find the corpse of a solider, buried headfirst in earth. It looks as though the earth has tried to swallow him and crush the life out of him. Beside him lies a butchering knife. In truth he had tried to chop off the chicken's head for dinner but the demon (an Earthshaker) had other plans. When the earth swallowed up the erstwhile butcher, the others fled thinking that “chink sorcery” was responsible. They pause only to scoop up their loot, including Jade Star the demon.

The characters have no trouble following the trail. By the early hours of the next morning they find another soldier, buried up to his waste in solid rock. He cannot speak Chinese and has gone mad with panic after his comrades abandoned him. He wanted to ditch the loot in the river to hurry their escape (by this time Jade Star was in a bag and did not like that suggestion one bit). He reeks of cheap alcohol, is mostly incoherent and will not answer direct questions about a girl. He will be confused at best and may suspect that others in the unit have indeed abducted a Chinese girl. He knows that they are returning to their base in Wuhan.

The Barbarian's Stronghold

As the drunken soldiers arrive in Wuhan, a Lotus apprentice is up to greet the dawn and get water for his master's bath. He sees the soldiers, and senses the demon (he has visions). He hurries back to the secret Lotus base with this news and they prepare to attack the barbarian encampment to grab the demon. Kai Lee has told her Lotus allies that she wishes to know when any demon chickens turn up, and will provide a huge reward.

The characters arrive just before a big fight between Thorns and soldiers. If they observe the base, they will see furtive Thorns sneaking about. One group of thorns will attack while those disguised as peasants will quietly abduct the camp's livestock.

Things which may happen in the fortress

This time the muskets work. This should be a rude awakening for the characters.
The soldiers stand in nice straight lines to fight; they should be able to be bowled over with a barrel or something similar.
There is a flagpole in the centre of the compound. The ropes may be swung from, or used for other stunts. Any manoeuvre like this should end with the Union Jack dumped in the mud and much anger from the British.
The peasants stealing livestock can be played up for laughs; that way they should be “hiding in plain sight.” One could be dragged behind a rampaging pig. Another may be carried through the carnage on the horns of an uncooperative cow. The British will be quite indignant and will be torn between chasing “those bally Chinee thieves” and stopping themselves being hacked to pieces by the guys with the swords.
The characters can join in the fray, but arrive too late. The Lotus have taken the chickens back to their gateway to the Netherworld, and on to present day San Francisco. A captured Lotus Thorn will not know of the objective of the mission but will know that they are abducting someone of value to take to Kai Lee, a sorceress from the future. Master Li will know where she is.

Journey Through the Netherworld

Master Li will take them to the old waterfall ruins outside of Wuhan, a gateway to the Netherworld, paying the guardian in beautiful glass marbles. As they journey through the endless tunnels of the inner kingdom, Li Zeng explains some basic facts about the secret war. He will tell them that Kai Lee is an evil sorceress who lives in a city in the future, a place with the strange name of San Francisco. Fortunately, Master Li has a friend in this city who lives in a district called “Mission” at the “Old Chrysler Warehouse.” His name is MC Badmuthafucka; Master Li will show the characters an old photo of himself and a scary-looking black man weaning sunglasses, gold chains and a brightly coloured tracksuit.

Master Li will also tell his version of the story of Kai Lee. He will say that they came from the same town and that she was apprenticed to a sorcerer. A humble chicken boy, he had no chance to win her heart back from the dark powers in which she meddled. She went mad with lust for power and threw her lot in with The Eaters of the Lotus, an evil bunch of Eunuchs.

The journey takes two days and need not be described in detail, save that it is a strange underground world full of very peculiar folk.

Swinging San Francisco

The characters arrive in modern San Francisco. They emerge in the basement of a disused roller skating rink, which will be the largest building that any of them have seen. Feel free to describe any of San Francisco in terms that the players understand — it is up to them to react as though they were new experiences. That is a car is a car, don't waste time describing a strange horseless carriage…

Li Zeng will be introducing the characters the the wonder called a tram when he is kidnapped by mooks in pink overalls, riding moped scooters. The characters may fight some mooks and then give chase, over the top of the traffic. Ultimately, however, the mooks have the advantage of speed and will escape.

Things which may happen on the streets of San Francisco

A character may take a moped from a fallen mook and figure out how to use it. This can lead to a highly amusing chase with the hero on a barely controlled scooter. They are doomed to have a spectacular accident.
A chase on those rolling hills is obligatory. Lots of jolts at the tops and bottoms.
The cops cold try to get involved, but these will be just more cars to pile up in big accidents.
The characters are stuck in a strange city which they cannot understand. There will be language difficulties as only a few characters speak an outdated form of English. There are enough Chinese people in San Francisco that they will eventually be able to find a Cantonese speaker for help.

Encounters with potential for humour or contacts

Players could see a photo of MC Badmuthafucka in a retro shop window. They will probably go in and ask for him. They will, of course, not know what a record is and will be puzzled by the round bit of vinyl the shopkeeper offers them.
The hopping dead will love the Hari Krishnas — they eat incense and are controlled by bells. A group of Haris go gambolling up the other side of the street and the dead bound off in hot pursuit (man those buggers can jump fast!). What the Haris make of their new friends is anyone's guess. The characters may have some new friends, or may be forced to beat the bejesus out the them in order to get their dead back.
Small children love Po Ri. “Look, it's Barney!” they all cry and ask why he isn't purple. Others may think he is a complicated special effect for a new Spielberg pic.
People think that the characters are some form of street theatre (the weird costumes, the floating guy, the dinosaur) and throw money at them. The characters may throw the money back in retaliation or figure out how to busk.
Xavier may find the church less helpful than he would like.
Some people may be offended if a stranger accosts them and asks them if they know MC Badmuthafucka. Little old ladies, cops, etc.
If stopped by a policeman, the policeman may realise that his gun has gone missing. When he sees the chicken pecking at the dismantled mechanism, he is not likely to be impressed.
Anyone seen Night on Earth? Remember Helmut, the German taxi driver who can barely drive? Guess who the characters get saddled with if they figure out how to call a cab?

If worst comes to worst, some young Chinese people may appear out of the blue to help the players out. They give them a lift to the Mission District. They will inform Tor Chek that they are his great great grandchildren and that this story has been in the family for generations, particularly how they got into trouble. “Remember to tell it to your kids, just the way it happened.” They do not know who their great, great grandmother is, however.

The only link they really have is MC Badmuthafucka. Once the players find their way to the gutted remains of the Chrysler Warehouse in Mission District they will find themselves in bad territory indeed. The area is controlled by Hispanic gangs who don't like the idea of the Chinese gangs invading their territory. They will menace the characters with guns, but will flee as the Ramses Gang arrive to save the day and drive them off.

Estelle was led here by a spirit who told her that there would be friends in need. They don't know where Master Li is or who Kai Lee is, but Troy knows that Master Li's chickens are special. He will suggest that they let the chicken track him down. A stupid suggestion, but it works.

If the players think of this (god knows how) then they will encounter the Ramses Gang at the warehouse where they are staking it out. They may then recognise Troy from the photo.

Prettypink Inc.

“Pink looks good on other people — that's what they're for.”
— The Sisters of Mercy (misheard)

Once they find the warehouse (actually a connected series of WWII warehouses) Estelle will recognise the company name. She knows some of the terrible environmental crimes that Prettypink are guilty of, and will explain to the characters that they have a common enemy.

Basically the warehouses are a lot of empty space, filled with gantries, walkways, ladders, etc… Good stuff for a big fight. The place is crawling with surly mooks in pink overalls. Various sections house different parts of the operation including:

Huge chemical vats where cosmetics are made.
A zoo where endangered animals are kept, bred and chopped up for reagents.
Various labs.
An animal testing facility where suffering is extracted for Kai Lee's cream.
A central office (pink decor) where Kai Lee and her four treasures are and where Master Li is tied up and gagged. Jade Star is in a cage on the desk.

The Ramses Gang will be kept busy with their own share of the Mooks, as well as freeing the animals from the pens. This leaves the characters to rescue Master Li.

Things which may happen during the fight

The players may figure out how to exploit the weaknesses of various treasures.
Freed exotic animals may cause some havoc. Watch out for that rhino!
A chemical vat, caught in the crossfire bursts, spewing foul smelling cosmetic gunge everywhere. Everyone has to leap up to gantries to escape it. An unfortunate Mook is caught in the flood a killed by scalding pink nastiness, his body floats up stained bright pink. Looks like it won't be an open coffin funeral. Anyone who gets as much as a foot in the stuff will live to regret its indelible smell. As it is, everyone will gag from the stench until it goes down the drains (and straight into the bay where it eventually achieves sentience, but that is another story).
The hopping dead should get shot, blown up, squashed and otherwise mistreated in this fight. They will keep on getting up (give them a couple of sequences to pull themselves together), but they will look mangier and mangier. This should make Tor Chek hysterical with worry about what his master will say.
Someone calls Ho “stupid.” Watch out.
A religious mook won't hit Xavier because he is a priest. Dumb.

The GM should not try to pre-empt the outcome of this story, but a satisfactory conclusion involves Xavier, Po Ri, Ho and Mileng fighting the Four Treasures, while Tor Chek struggles to overcome his fear. Kai Lee may just come for him as he has Master Li's demon in his possession, playing cat and mouse with the poor timid fellow. Kai Lee is quite dangerous, but the demon (Iron Lady — a demon of metal) protects Tor Chek from her blasts. They cannot damage him, and she cannot use them to parry his physical blows (although she can parry his blasts). He can walk up to her and slug her one. She will be so surprised that she will go down after one blow.

Once they have congratulated themselves on a job well done, Kai Lee will recover consciousness long enough to fling Jade Star's cage out of the window. If this is not possible, perhaps there is some other reason for the demon to be unleashed. Perhaps the cage was damaged in the fight and a chemical explosion sends the flaming chicken squawking and flapping out the window. Master Li looks upset — the enraged demon is on the rampage!

At first they hear the rumbling and see collapsing buildings. They expect a giant demon to emerge from the dust. Nothing — it must be invisible! If they look very closely they will see a small and disgruntled white shape stomping across the street, causing fissures to open and structures to crumble.

The characters must stop the chicken before someone is hurt. Master Li will explain that it is an Earthshaker; its power comes from the earth and will be diminished if it is lifted off the ground. This begins a chase through the streets after the little bastard as buildings collapse around them, huge cracks open swallowing cars (and perhaps victims who need to be rescued), water mains spray torrents of water. Mileng has the best chance to stop the demon by flying over and scooping the struggling bundle up.

When the chicken is recovered, Master Li will mutter arcane words, make strange gestures and making soothing noises at the chicken. It will calm down visibly and return to its docile state. This is the first time he displays his magic.

Sooner or later, someone will ask what happened to Jade Star? Master Li holds the chicken, “Why this is she. Such a pretty name, don't you think?” Cue groans of frustration as the title credits roll…

Using Pecking Order in a Campaign

This adventure has been written as a tournament module for a convention, however it is just as suitable for campaign play. The big decision that the GM must face, is whether or not to use these player characters or whether to use the regular campaign characters.

The adventure has been designed around the group from Treasured Cub, and works best with them. Some players will be unwilling to try something different and will insist that they want to play their own characters. If this happens, it should be relatively easy to change the adventure, you just need a reason for the characters to be in 1850 in Treasured Cub at the start. Perhaps they are recuperating from a bout in the Secret War, or chasing some obscure Kung Fu master.

An option with more potential is to use the pregenerated characters as part of a flashback in your current campaign. Perhaps you want to use some of the player characters or background characters in your regular series, this story could serve as a good introduction. Perhaps more cunningly, you could lay the ground work ahead of time, and introduce some characters, then use this adventure to develop background.

For example: The regular campaign involves the characters helping a poor disenfranchised sorceress (Kai Lee) get her power back from her enemies. She tells them that they will make a strike against an evil Lotus sorcerer Li Zeng who has her magic chickens. She's lying , of course and the characters will discover the truth if they speak to Master Li (or even another character, like Ho). He says, “let me tell you a story…” and Pecking Order begins.

If you use this idea, you might like to know what happens to the characters involved in the story. This is what I think will happen but it's your campaign; you know best.

Li Zeng: will come out of retirement and re-enter the Secret War. He was getting bored anyway and it seems that Kai Lee needs her arse kicking.
Kai Lee: has suffered a big setback with the loss of the San Francisco base. She may even fall back to her third world operations and try to build anew. She will be consumed with a lust for revenge on Li Zeng. She needs to replace her major source of suffering or she will start to age rapidly.
The Ramses Gang: will pursue Prettypink Inc and other environmentally destructive corporations remorselessly. They may even get involved with the Secret War if it furthers their agenda. They will probably make enemies with both the Architects and the Jammers pretty damn quick.
Po Ri: will become involved in the Secret War as a member of the Dragons. His desire to protect the innocent will find an outlet once he explores the Netherworld and meets the Prof.
Mileng: will one day take to the skies and not be seen in Treasured Cub again.
Ho the Ox: will settle down and become a farmer. He will continue to write poetry but will be satisfied with his rural life after the complexities of twentieth century living.
Brother Xavier: will seek out the Guiding Hand and become a valuable member. To his dismay, they use his language talents to send him as an operative into the belly of the Western world. Still, who is he to question the wisdom of the perfect one?
Plucky Tor Chek: having overcome his fear, will finally summon up the courage to ask Jade Star to marry him. Unfortunately, while they were away, she agreed to marry Tang, a silk merchant from Wuhan. He will marry Jade Star's plain, but much nicer sister Crooked Branch and they will be every happy together with many children. Until that day Master Li turns up on the doorstep once more…