North Winds Fall (Xianxia - Survive the Protagonist)

North Winds Fall (Xianxia - Survive the Protagonist)

Premise

You are a Xianxia Young Master or Young Mistress in the Empire of North Winds.

You are powerful, and you have reasons to pursue your own goals and protect your family interests. No matter what path you choose, you will face an Incident. A person swept up by the Heavens into their great schemes, but not before they cause ruin on everyone they come across. You will face a Protagonist, and you will find yourself ashamed and defeated, face slapped and reputation shattered.

You don't know who the protagonist will be, only the Heavens know, so the next insignificant person you pass may be the one who Rises to the Clouds.

In the aftermath of the Incident you will be able to pick up the pieces and try to recover. Will you Reform and Repent, trying to do things right this time, or will you Rage and vow Revenge?

(( Inspired by a fusion of the Space Cultivation inspired Forty Millenniums of Cultivation and World Apocalypse Online, as well as a the Empire / Face-Slap focussed Heavenly Librarian's Path and Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, as well as others I don't remember right now. ))

Empire

The Empire of North Winds is one of four powers on the only world you've ever known. While others may live in and appreciate the Democratic Republic of South Winds, or appreciate the Federation of West Winds, the North Winds is your home.

Those who live in the Empire would agree that Honor is most precious, for your family and yourself. Second most important is power, the power to cultivate and become more, to have access to more awareness, more capacity paper shuffling in the bureaucracy, or more martial might with sword or fist or bow or card or Heaven's Lightning.

Wealth is power, but even the Wealthiest merchant would balk before talking to one of the First Families in a disrespectful way.

In the Empire of North Winds, the Imperial Family has Honor, Power and Wealth. It's not a cozy close-knit family however. In their teen years and after, the Princes and Princesses each have their own manor with servants and guards, and they interact as separate agents on the imperial family chessboard, where the First Families were involved.

First Families were either exceedingly powerful in their own right, having done great favors for the Emperor, or they were essentially servant clans of the Imperial family, sacrificing their own reputation to get what the Imperial family needed done.

Beyond the five First Families are a few hundred Registered Families. The feeder system of talent and every good quality, these families are respectable, if rather modest. Their actions above and beyond the expected do sometimes get mentioned in the conversations of the First Families and Princes.

Beyond the Empire and the other sovereigns of the world are rumors of a Port in the skies, a city on the clouds, a nexus connecting many strange and far off lands with this world.

It is well known that those who excel in whatever they may do find many strange advantages. Exceedingly great administrators find they can do the impossible. Excellent soldiers find an uncanny manner of attack and defense, and the Empire and other powers have begun to study and classify these supernatural situations, so that they become more than just well-worn stories of mythologies past.

The Crown Prince is said to be a 4th Grade Administrative Card user. The 4th Princess is a 3nd Grade Blade wielder, and the Grand General of North Winds Army is a 3rd Grade Bow master.


Choose who to Follow:
(All of these characters will exist, regardless of choice)

[ ] 2nd Prince Xue Son <Cheating Prince>

You are the 2nd Prince, Xue Son, 23 years old and Administrator of the Imperial Family Estates.

Your Eldest brother, Crown Prince Xue Lee, is a Fourth level Card-Type Cultivator focusing on Administration and Taxation. He is at the Emperor's side through much of the Emperor's travels, leaving you to be the Eldest maintaining the honor and accounts of the Imperial family itself.

Your financial reach is only as far as funding yourself and your younger brothers and sisters, and their cultivation, but you hold the power of maintaining the honor of the Imperial family. You decide if that extravagant jade fountain that your younger sister desires is worth spending the coin or not.

You admire your older brother, and follow a similar path of administrative cultivation, but in your pursuit of power and desire to catch the Emperor and your eldest brother, you have been known to cheat. Arrange the deck of cards so that each facecard says Xue Son, and you cannot lose the deal.

You must show your older brother, and the Emperor, that you are worthy of belonging to their club, of being part of what is special. The Imperial family estates are a nice playground, but you want to know what Xue Lee is up to, what the Emperor is up to. To take tea with the Emperor as a matter of course, rather than by monthly visit and review of your actions as the Crown Estates Administrator.

You remember your Eldest Sister receiving the Emperor's praise as well, though you have never got more than a "Good Enough" yourself. She is now married to the most trusted, first of First Families, the Sang family.

The Emperor keeps the Sangs close but expects you and your siblings to maintain contact with the other four First Families.

With your preoccupation on showing up Eldest brother and the Emperor, your desire to maintain the family's honor and protect your younger siblings from the lessors preying on them, and your willingness to cheat and stack the deck, how will you be tripped up by the protagonist, and how will you recover after?

Playing the Cheating Prince will give you opportunities to stack the deck in favor of yourself and your family. Any cheating attempt against or affecting the secret protagonist will fail, and may cause your comeuppance. You can't escape your fate forever, but after the protagonist moves on, you will have a choice to return to cheating or choose another primary characteristic.

The Cheating Prince will rely on write ins to describe how you want to cheat, and any cheating attempt can fail. There are dice rolls when you cheat, but otherwise the story will be largely narrative driven.


[ ] 4th Princess Xue Thu {Autumn} <Two-Faced Princess>

You are 4th Princess Xue Thu, fiercest Princess to face in sport or duel, and equipped with words that will disarm anyone.

With Five Princes and Seven Princesses as of this date, you would seem to be in the middle of the Imperial Family's tree, but with your older sisters all married, and your younger sisters all under 10, you are closer with your brothers, the 3rd and 4th princes. 3rd Prince Xue Chi is your age and 4th Prince Xue Tuan is only 2 years younger.

You are the only Dao blade cultivator of the Imperial family, and widely seen as a dilettante because of it.

Your elder brothers believe you would be a good trophy wife to tie in one of the top Registered families, but you have your own dreams. You'll weave your web: you could have cultivated Speech if not for your desire to master the blade.

The Single-Edged Dao blade reflects your true will and desire, and you will cut down whomever you need to, by whatever means. You are a two-faced liar, and you play the part well. You pretend to your brothers and the Emperor, and you pretend to the men that you are supposed to bring into the Family's orbit.

You pretend to only play at the Dao blade, only unleashing your true skill with those you most trust, which are few. In secret, you practice with a club of Registered family soldiers. If any of the Princes or Princesses found out that you regularly practice in this kind of club, you would be castigated and ashamed. You will lie and lie again to prevent that exposure.

You will play the part, and then go back to what you wanted to do originally.

Playing the Two-Faced Princess will give you opportunities to maneuver your way out of many awkward situations, while maintaining the many spinning plates of your life. The Two-Faced mechanic is largely narrative, but be warned, through some strange paths, the Protagonist will unweave your web of lies and leave you to gather the silk left over.

Deception will have a momentum of its own, and eventually the boulder will crash down. After the protagonist has left, you can decide to stick with Two-Faced or work towards a new approach for the new start.


[ ] Young Master Sang Lou <Tool>

You are Young Master Sang Lou. You are a dedicated sycophant of the Imperial family.

You are the young scion of the Emperor's current most favorite First Family. You have a little sister who is 6.

You chase after the approval of Princes and Princesses alike, and you don't mind helping them with the tasks they can't do themselves.

You are a fighter, but not a nice one. Master of knives and poison, but also well versed in polite and impolite conversation, you try to be friendly and approachable with lesser folk. They don't know what they are getting into when they approach the Imperial family, and you will let them know.

Some First Families have high aspirations, and clash with the Imperial family, but your Sang family stick to the Imperial family like glue. They are very close allies, almost an auxiliary branch, with intermarriages going back generations.

You are a tool, a handy-man of foul deeds. Like the Sangs as a whole, you are an indispensable, and shameless sycophant of the Imperial family. You will gain position and privilege by being available and ready, and without moral blocks.

You chase after the approval of Princes and Princesses alike, and you've received hints that your families may come to agreement so that you'd marry 4th Princess Thu.

As a tool, you can escape blame, by redirecting those challenging you to the Imperial family. This will not work against the protagonist. As a tool, you get very little choice in the tasks you need to pursue.

Your deeds, though ordered by another, will bring you a bad omen. In the aftermath of the incident, you will have medical problems to sort out.

Sang Lou's path is more Action Adventure and less Court maneuvering than the Prince and Princess. After the incident, you can recover your health and find new places to use your skills, in, and out, of the shadows.



[ ] Young Mistress Hao Chun <Part of the System>

You are Young Mistress Hao Chun. You are the eldest of three daughters of an important family of the Registered Families.

You are the dutiful child, you want what your parents want, to be a good reflection on them, to be a good example and a good wife, to place your family in a higher better position in society. And hopefully, your own new family would be higher and better than the Hao family started as.

You spend a lot of time on your appearance, though you are already striking. Still you can't match up to the beauty of the Imperial Princesses, but you are a stunning beauty by the standards of the Registered families.

You didn't do anything wrong in the incident, at least nothing much. You come into conflict with the protagonist only because you don't rock the boat, you follow the rules, and follow the direction of those higher placed than you. It is by not rocking the boat that you will be incidentally affected.

Afterwards, your family's master move: your marriage will be wiped away, annulled somehow. Otherwise you will be unaffected, and there won't be any shame accruing to your family.

You are Part of the System, which means you can blend in during social activities, and avoid unwanted attention. You are unnoticeable, just one of the ladies of the Registered families.

Hao Chun's path is more Social / Courtship driven. Hao Chun has the lowest starting cultivation of the four options, but will be least affected by the incident.

In Brief:

Choose one of the following characters:
[ ] 2nd Prince Xue Son ([Cheat]), Administrative Cultivation (Mid 2nd Grade)
[ ] 4th Princess Xue Thu {Autumn} ([Two-Faced]), Blade Cultivation (Early 3rd Grade)
[ ] First Families Young Master Sang Lou ([Tool]), Dark Influences Cultivation (Late 2nd Grade)
[ ] Registered Families Young Mistress Hau Chun ([Part of the System]), ??? Cultivation (Early 1st Grade)

Cultivation may start specialized, but eventually becomes general & multi-faceted, and you will be able to modify the Cultivation focus as desired. The setting is big and layered like Forty Millenniums or World Apocalypse Online, but the first dozen or so posts will be leading up to the Incident and the Incident itself.

You may end up becoming a Protagonist yourself at the end of the path.

Asides & Notes
The rites & etiquette of dinner at the Imperial Palace

1st table - Divinity (always empty)
2nd table - Emperor & revered guests
3rd table - Imperial Family: Princes & Princesses in number order & honored guests
4th table - First Families & respected guests
5th table - Registered Families & guests : [only Feasts of the Realm include this table/group]

Responsibilities of a Prince:

Watch out for inappropriate petitioners and loiterers of younger sisters.
Resolve problems in a quiet way which does not bring press or infamy upon the Family.
Work together with First Families to deal with problems that won't go quiet.

Acquire and organize cultivation resources.
Guide young siblings' cultivation, and provide resources and training materials from your supply.

Represent the Imperial family in events and festivals.
Respect and follow the dictates of your older brother(s).
Preserve the honor of your older sister. Remember her advice.


Responsibilities of a First Families Young Master

Do not waste the time of the Imperial Family.
Be generous in giving favors, and cautious in asking for one.
Don't ask unneeded questions.
Protect the Imperial family first, your own family second, all else can be last.

Humor the youngest princes and princesses. Don't consider yourself too good to spend time with them.

Respect and befriend your fellow First Families masters and mistresses.

Recognize and share the accounts of exceptional Registered Families members. Tie their rising star to your family mast.

Stages of Cultivation

Grade 1
Existence - Minor signs of an advantage in the Cultivator's area of expertise mark the beginning of cultivation.

Grade 2
Significance - The warping of normal notions of possible and impossible, the minor disruption of the local order of reality marks a grade 2 stage of cultivation.

Grade 3
Generalization - The initial specialist finds more general power as they tap into the veins of the multiverse. The Bureaucrat can suddenly fly in this stage, and the master of blades suddenly finds all kinds of impromptu fighting more effective.

Grade 4
Heaven's Blessing - The actinic color of Heavenly Lightning begins to play over the cultivator's powers, manifesting their blessing in a divine journey, which grants them surpassing power in an ever widening sphere, centered on their initial specialty but very broad now.

Grade 5
Expulsion / ??? - Those few who reach this stage, have found themselves suddenly removed from the presence of the Empire and all Four Winds. Signs of this stage's imminent arrival are the hearing of voices, increasing in number, when near to the almost-grade 5 cultivator.

Vang Bo prepared to swing the overly heavy greatsword like a hammer, pulling the blade back, leaving himself exposed along the entire left side of his body. Even pretending to be right handed, she could have defeated him.

Autumn held her blunted training blade in a straight guard, as the Registered Families Young Master prepared to strike. She moved to brush away her hair with her right (pommel) hand, but no, she had her hair up, today. Ila had spent three hours on the braids and the rest of her look.

What would Vang Bo say if she used that hair blade attack that surprised her opponent at the club last week?

Vang Bo was strong, though untrained and using the wrong kind of weapon. Maybe there was a reason for this overweighted greatsword to exist, but the balance of it was all wrong, and even she didn't know how to handle such a weapon.

The momentum of his swing was like a flock of birds slowly migrating through the air. If you are a peahen, it's time to move. Trying to meet the strong blow, even with the training blade, was foolish. Vang Bo's strike was sweeping across to her left side, cutting downwards with its edge.

She stepped away and to her right, then waited for the momentum of the giant sword to make Vang Bo off balance, and then proceeded to do nothing about it while the man got his defenses back together.

This was more than her capacity for quick perception as a cultivator, he really was that dim.

She constructed her own blade strike, well placed, but very slow and dainty. Vang Bo stumbled backwards, barely deflecting the lighter blade which was about to strike just below his neck. Center strike, easy to defend in front guard.

"Sneaky," he said. "Well Done, Beloved Princess."

She returned her blade to rest position. "A powerful strike of your own," she responded. "You may call me Autumn, if you wish."

He let his greatsword clatter to the mat. It seemed he'd had enough of the "testing her defenses", he said he was doing before. The man liked red, with his red tanned overcoat and black and red shoes. Those were not training shoes, she noted.

She kicked off her own white training shoes. They were light yet snug. She barely noticed as Ho Junko took them away. She put on her casual indoor pair.

The dojo at the Imperial Parade Ground was a collection of rooms for practice and demonstration with both weapon and non-weapon styles. Other than 3rd Prince and 4th Prince, she was the only one to come here at all.

Eldest Prince might have had the Imperial Card Archive for his refuge, but she had the dojo -- and the club.

"I've heard you brought your grandfather's sword," she said as they walked through the hallway of the dojo.

"It's very light and easy to swing," he answered. "Grandfather was small, he had to do what he could. No offense."

If she could grow another foot, she would. "None Taken."

The dojo's social room was her responsibility, Second Prince had said so. There were two long tables, rustic wood, unlike the nicely polished stuff at home or in the Palace.

There was a small area set aside with a lamp and two puffed-up chairs, and she went to sit down there.

Ho Junko had her two sheaths. She always paid attention to their whereabouts. After the theft, she never trusted them to anyone but her.

Ho Junko was her first assistant and companion wherever she went, so the name first just fit. The Registered Young Mistress was like an extra leg, or hand, helping her in many situations.

Vong Bo took his grandfather's sheath from the table, and pulled out the longsword.

She spoke abruptly, "Make sure to oil it regularly."

"I usually oil and wipe down mine after use, but every six months is good if you are merely displaying it," she continued.

She resisted handing over that job to anyone, but her first seemed to like doing it, so she had relented.

Vong Bo asked, "Do you think it needs some care right now?"

Autumn caught her words, "No it's quite well maintained."

He had kept it in the sheath for too long. Locking in moisture. But she said nothing.

"I like to look about the stores for anything interesting," he said. "I tend to try a new style and see how it goes."

"I'm impressed. It takes a lot of dedication to represent one style well, but you've represented many."

He was too easy to butter up, she concluded, the true dilettante. In the Club, she had to use her cultivation just to keep up, but in the dojo, there was no true test.

"I'm mostly a fan of more forceful styles, but I still look into the artful ones."

She smiled, distracted by a conversation between her first and Po, her security.

"Thank you for a wonderful morning, Devoted Princess -- uhm, Autumn."

Ho Junko was at her side before she could smile, nod and respond. "There's an --- admirer -- outside."

"One moment," she apologized to Vong Bo. "There's something trying to break into the dojo."

"Should I come to help?"

"It's just my Soux Chef's brother, don't worry. I'll have a quick talk with him, and I've got Po. If I need your help Ho Junko will get you."

With her guest appeased, she took one step out of the room, and took a blade step, and she was standing beside Po, in front of the intruder.

She didn't have any other need of essence then, so why not be extravagant.

Calling it Le Ardith's brother was just a joke, but there he was. He was a past guest and 'friend'. It wasn't like the Registered families weren't happy to have the attention of the Imperials, but Second brother and the Crown Prince, and she guessed the Emperor, had this theory that they had to draw in these important Registered families, to "keep them in the loop".

"Le Sang?" she said, questioningly.

"You scared me, Devoted Princess." he said, and he did seem taken aback.

"Forgive me, Young Master Le Sang."

He looked like something out of the wild, not even wearing a suit or slacks, but breeches, flecked with dirt and an unrecognizable mud-caked coat.

"Did you go through the gully?" she asked. The Outer Guards were pretty good at watching the Parade Grounds, but there were ways.

"I just wanted to speak with you, quickly. My father passed on, and I remembered my days here with you." Le Sang said.

Autumn pondered how to handle this. He wasn't interesting to her, on either layer, at this point. But she had her reputation to protect.

"Of course, it was good getting to know you, Le Sang. Remember me as Autumn, if you wish," she said.

"Thank you Autumn. Is there any way I can be of help?" he said, plaintively.

"Look after your mother, and I will keep in touch through your sister." Autumn said.

With a slightest of nods, she turned away, looking to see her first standing there.

"Look into the Le family, will you. I'll talk to Le Ardith as well, but the outside view is best," she told Ho Junko.

Along the way, they ran into Vong Bo, as well. Who was getting curious, he said.

"I'm hosting a luncheon for the Family. You are surely welcome to attend, if you wish," she said to him.


-|>--~


Her Manor home was small, only six bedrooms, two living rooms, a dining room and a professional kitchen. Even Fourth brother's place was bigger.

She had departed from Vong Bo in the most casual of the social spaces in her home. Home to straight-backed chairs, a small granite countertop bar and a baby piano in the corner.

She met Yang Du, her butler, in the formal dining room.

"We had the extra help come in at four this morning. Chef's been cooking since six."
He wore white slacks and suit coat and an Orange bow-tie. Chef, being the amazing master of food he was, was the only man of her household who didn't dress in a suit and bow tie. He would wear a simple white outfit with a clean chef's hat

It was a special occasion when the group of Princes and Princesses gathered at her house. Customarily, she sent an invite to the Emperor and Crown Prince, even though they were rarely in town, and never came to these luncheons.

Yang Du informed her of the regret that the two had about not being able to attend.

Third brother Xue Chi showed up first. "Sister, you've actually dressed up for luncheon?" he said jovially. He wore a bright orange sportcoat.

"And you've dove headfirst into an Orange Grove," Autumn said, truly smiling for the first time that day.

"South Winds is quite the trip," Xue Chi followed up. "I'll just make myself at home."

Fourth brother arrived with the delegation of kid siblings in tow. Fifth Prince Xue Tai, and Fifth through Seventh Princesses Xue Wei, Xue Siu and Xue Suk entered, followed by a wave of nannies and servants to keep them in check before dinner.

"Of course Second Prince gave me the Baby-sitter job," Xue Tuan said.

"These are our siblings, after all," Autumn said.

"When's the last time you've been responsible for your six year old Princess sister?"

"When's the last time you picked up your shotel?" she responded.

"How did today's customer handle a blade?" Xue Tuan asked.

Autumn pantomimed a tomahawk chop.

"That bad huh? Maybe I should propose a little practice duel with Young Master Vang Bo."

With that Xue Tuan left for the lounge room.

She waited at the front door for the most fancy prince Xue Son to arrive. She spent the time waiting, pondering why she didn't hear the noise of her younger sisters and brothers. She guessed the walls really did cut down on the noise.

Eventually, Second brother showed up.

She opened up the door to see him with another 'friend'.

"Second Prince, thank you for visiting!" she said.

"Sister, this is First Families Snow Chau," he said.

He wore a pinned medal which said Administrator of Imperial Estates, just to remind everyone. His blazer added black to the traditional colors of white and orange.

"Very pleased to meet you, Young Mistress."

"Thank you for the invitation, Devoted Princess," said the 'friend'.

She hadn't sent an invitation to the woman specifically, but of course she would send an invitation to Second Prince with an open invite to whomever he thought to bring.

"Remind me, where is your Chef? I wanted to ask him about the menu today."

She directed her Elder brother to Chef. If it was up to her, Second brother would be last of them all.

Wandering back to the others, She got their attention with a simple womp on the keys of the piano.

"Brothers and Sisters, thank you for visiting my home today. You are all invited to a walk about Hightown later. I thought we'd take in the sights and let our appetites recover. Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes, if you would take the traditional seats."

The rule was simple, if Second Prince showed up, they sat in the formal order: the host, followed by Princes in order, then the Princesses in order, followed by Honored Guests. Anytime Second Prince didn't show up, they sat wherever, with whomever they wanted to.

Vang Bo ended up sitting across from Snow Chau at the end of the long table. Autumn would have to explain to him about Second Prince's pickiness later.

The meal was very good for Early spring, up to Chef's high standards. The last of the Ice Fisherman's catch, Chef had said. Winter vegetables, well spiced. With the lake ice broken up now, It wouldn't be long before fishermen would be rowing out again.

At the head of the table, she had to deal with Second brother's direct attention, and her usually casual way with Chi and Tuan was impossible.

"I was thinking of giving Snow Chau a tour of the Palace, so I won't be visiting Hightown with you all," he said, as they were finishing up dinner.

"I'm sure Young Mistress Snow would appreciate not being around Hightown for a bit," said Xue Chi. Not the most elegant of brothers, but the nicest, Autumn thought.

"She's happy there, and she's willing to enjoy whenever she can visit with us," Xue Son said. He then unleashed his real purpose for attending the dinner. "An Ambassador for West Wind Federation is arriving next Tuesday. They will be here already, of course, but their official arrival will be on Tuesday. Fourth Princess, I think you can handle the job of greeting them and providing good company."

She was about to say something, not daring to avoid immediately taking the responsibility. But Xue Tuan spoke up first.

"Another one? How many Ambassadors for West Wind Federation is that now?" he said.

"Fourth Prince, please, remember your place!" said Xue Son.

"Forgive me," Xue Tuan replied.

"Of course, I will be happy to welcome the Ambassador, and give them the tour, whatever is needed," Autumn promptly said.

It was after Second brother left, when she was sitting in the Lounge room with Xue Chi and Xue Tuan, sipping on a glass of wine, that she realized.

That was the day of the Club Tournament! She had vowed to the Club members that she would be there to fight for her ranking, after she had missed the previous year's.

"The last one was 7th District, Reasonable Party," Chi said,"and after two weeks, they were recalled."

"I know it's stupid that they have so many Ambassadors and they change so quickly, but it's not that bad," Tuan said to her.

"I need one of you two to greet the Ambassador. Any favor is on the table, just tell me what you want," she said.

"Why do you want to get out of this one so badly?" Chi said.

"Brother, we just have to think about what favor we can bribe out of her," Tuan said.

"If we know what she's covering up, so much more's the favor."

Autumn stood up, "I can answer that, but what do you want in return for seeing the Ambassador?"

Write In:

Give your excuse of why you can't greet the Ambassador of West Winds Federation. Address your write in to the brother you want to ask. This is a Two-Faced lie you'll have to work around in the future. With picking Xue Thu, there will be more of these write-ins during the story. I will reject any write ins that are majorly inconsistent with the story and setting.

If you ask Xue Chi, he will save up his favor for the future. He's going to lord it over you as long as he has that favor free, but at least you don't have to do anything right away.

Xue Tuan wants to spar with you, a real spar, with all of your Third Grade blade cultivation skill. He's a Second Grade Curved Sword cultivator. It won't be a close fight, but what will your true fighting ability reveal to him?

Example Write Ins:

[] Xue Chi, please meet the Ambassador for me. I already promised Vang Bo I would take him to the Mountain Palace. With two days travel to get there, and two days back, I'll be away on Tuesday.

[] Xue Tuan, will you attend to the Ambassador for me? Second Prince forgot that I was already supposed to take Xue Wei to the fashion show in Hightown. It's not my favorite thing to be doing, but as older sister I need to help all of the Princesses look their best.


Since this is a Write In, I'll wait a few days before counting the votes.