Cult Of The Red Banner

[OzMike]

Hi all,

 

After much perusing of old 4th and new 5th ed Champions material, I discovered that apart from a few references, a couple of characters, a role within Watchers of The Dragon (4th ed and that I won't expand upon for spoiler reasons. Needless to say I liked the vibe of it) and a martial arts style that there is very little resource material for this organisation.

 

So here's a thread for you to post your ideas, information, characters, plot threads, and direct links (please... I've searched the forums and there are no threads specifically about this organisation, so if you've posted or seen something, link directly to the post/s).

 

And if Steve or Darren reads this thread - how about it guys? Some 'official' material for this organisation would be cool. I think many others would agree.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

I believe that the Cult of the Red Banner is slated to be dealt with in the upcoming Crews, Cops, and Cabals sourcebook, currently scheduled for publication this fall (although that's subject to change as always).

 

I fleshed out my own version of the Cult of the Red Banner for a past CU-based campaign, and posted it to these boards a few years back. I wanted to use the Red Banner as the "super-ninjas" of this campaign, sort of like The Hand from Marvel Comics, but to expand on their role as the premier cult of the Dragon in the Orient. Here is a summary of what I worked out; note that I'm putting these ideas in the public domain for any interested parties to use, including Hero Games:

 

The current public face of the Red Banner cult is not that of worshippers of a malevolent deity, but of devotees of a mystic philosophical movement reminiscent of the real-world Falun Gong. The characters on the eponymous red banner spell out not only the name of the Cult's patron deity, Lung Wang the "Dragon King," but also represent a series of movement forms which are used as physical exercise rituals. By performing these exercises while meditating upon the Dragon King's pictographic name, the practitioner is supposed to achieve greater harmony and clarity by attuning himself to the spirit of the Dragon King. In this form the Red Banner cult has gathered tens of thousands of members in China and elsewhere in the world with large Chinese communities, and is beginning to attract the attention of Westerners as well. The Chinese government considers the practice seditious and has banned it, but it remains popular as an underground movement.

 

The rituals attuning people to the Dragon King actually work, although not quite as advertised. Each session of meditation and exercise allows the Dragon to siphon off and absorb a tiny spark of the cultist's chi. With thousands performing the rituals every day, the Dragon is building up an ever-growing reserve of chi which adds to its power, until the day comes when it will have the strength to burst the chains which restrain it.

 

The cultists' connection with the Dragon is not necessarily one-way only, however. A small percentage of the Red Banner members, the most dedicated practitioners, can eventually achieve greater communion with the mind and spirit of the Dragon within themselves. Unfortunately, that mind and spirit are the primordial source of all evil among mankind, and communion with the Dragon promotes a person's basest, most destructive instincts. Among a very few those instincts are expressed as uncontrollable bursts of rape, murder and similar atrocities; but the discipline of meditation and exercise allows most of these people to control and channel their instincts.

 

When those who have achieved this "higher consciousness" are discovered by the higher-ups in the Cult, they are taught the true nature and purpose of the Red Banner and inducted into its largest rank of real membership, the Scales of the Dragon King. Members of the Scales have infiltrated all levels and institutions of Chinese society, and the Chinese diaspora worldwide. They have a particularly strong (though secret) influence over Chinese organized crime, the Triads, and the Tongs of North America.

 

Some of the Scales display such a strong attunement to the Dragon that they are able to reverse the direction of chi transfer, and draw upon small amounts of the Dragon's vast "dark chi" to enhance their physical abilities and wield other minor chi powers. Some of these individuals are rewarded with promotion to positions of authority over the Cult's many activities, and are commonly referred to as the "Resplendent Scales." However, those who are most physically capable are intensively trained in the unique "dragon style" martial art of the Cult, and equipped to become part of the Red Banner's combat and assassination arm, the Claws of the Dragon King. The arms and equipment of the Claws are styled after traditional archaic Oriental weaponry, but are actually made of space-age materials and use cutting-edge technology, through contracts with criminal arms manufacturers such as ARGENT. (This gives them something of a "techno-ninja" style.)

 

Even more formidable than the Claws are the Fangs of the Dragon King, the cult's "supervillain" cadre. Some of the Fangs wield fearsome mystic weapons and artifacts that they have been chosen to bear by the leaders of the Cult. A few of the Fangs have drawn so close to the Dragon that they can use its chi to boost their own physical abilities to truly superhuman levels, and/or project chi in various powerful and deadly ways.

 

Both the Claws and the Fangs are used by the Red Banner to protect its leaders, possessions and plans, and to destroy its enemies. They may also be "hired" to assist the Triads and Tongs which unknowingly serve the Cult. In some cases they may be contracted out to other master villains and villainous agencies. This is so that the Red Banner can make alliances with useful groups such as ARGENT, or spy on other villains who may be turned to the service of the Dragon, or who will likely oppose the freeing of the Dragon and have to be neutralized. It also helps to raise the overall level of suffering and chaos in the world, which pleases the Cult's dark god.

 

The Claws and the Fangs have no known connection to the practitioners of the Red Banner philosophical movement, and no one outside of the Cult knows that they are connected to each other or part of a larger organization.

 

Supervising the entire Cult are the elders of the organization, known as the Eyes of the Dragon King. Long-standing members of the Red Banner, the Eyes have retained vitality belying their years through the tremendous chi power they draw from the Dragon. They are steeped in the lore and mysteries of the Dragon, and each Eye wields great personal power including the ability to assume dragon form. The Eyes are so deeply one with their master's will that they are practically extensions of its consciousness, its literal eyes and ears in the physical world. As corollary to that, they are also among the cruelest, most corrupt human beings on the face of the Earth.

 

The primary goal of the Cult of the Red Banner is, of course, the freeing of their master to wreak havoc on the Earth and beyond. The lower ranks do not fully comprehend what this would do to the collective psyches of humanity, while the leaders of the Cult are so debased and enslaved to the Dragon's will that they actually relish the prospect.

 

The Cult's secondary goals are to promote chaos and destruction, decadence and corruption, according to their master's desire. Wherever the Red Banner has influence it will attempt to foment conflict between different nations, religions, ethnic groups, social classes or political parties. It particularly promotes organized crime and the entertainment media, viewing them as the most effective mass purveyors of vice. The Cult is also very interested in capitalism and the financial world, seeking to elevate greed as an ideal to aspire to. Ironically, the Red Banner in China supports the pro-democracy movement and liberalisation of Chinese society, reasoning that loosening traditional morality while allowing people greater freedom of choice will increase the odds that they will choose evil.

 

The Cult of the Red Banner does not normally cooperate with other servants of the Dragon, such as the Silvestri clan or the Ouroboros cult, although they don't oppose the activities of those groups as long as they keep out of the Red Banner's territory. Their relationship is not unlike that of the major splinter groups within the world's great religions: while they recognize that they essentially serve the same deity and hold many of the same beliefs, each group has a "one true way" mentality which promotes rivalry between them. In the case of the Red Banner, they are also influenced by the ancient traditional Chinese belief in China's cultural superiority.

[FenrisUlf]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

I believe that the Cult of the Red Banner is slated to be dealt with in the upcoming Crews' date=' Cops, and Cabals[/i'] sourcebook, currently scheduled for publication this fall (although that's subject to change as always).

 

 

I hope so! I like the CRB and want to read more of how they serve the Dragon.

 

And thanks to you, LL, for yet another amazing entry on these boards.

[pinecone]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

You might check out my "Trust me , I'm an Expert " thread...I have some of my take on the Red Banner there...along with lots of other stuff....

[Kirby]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

You might check out my "Trust me ' date=' I'm an Expert " thread...I have some of my take on the Red Banner there...along with lots of other stuff....[/quote']Per the OP, would you provide a link?

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

You might check out my "Trust me ' date=' I'm an Expert " thread...I have some of my take on the Red Banner there...along with lots of other stuff....[/quote']

 

The Red Banner stuff appears to start with this post, and continues sporadically to the end of the thread. Pretty interesting; I'm afraid I hadn't realized there were Cult-related items on that thread.

 

pinecone also developed Lady Yomi no hanna and the Japanese branch of the Red Banner a little further on this thread.

[Markdoc]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

I used them as one of the major bad guys in my Sengoku game (a hero system game set in the medieval Japanese Sengoku era)

 

http://www.geocities.com/markdoc.geo/Gaming_stuff/Sengoku/sengoku_front_page.html

 

I must confess, though, that I never developed the cult much, since the cult organization stayed mostly in the background and the players encountered its minions, allies and dupes. I mostly used them as a source of unusual martial artists.

 

The only "expansion" on canon was that I altered the idea that the dragon was a singular being: in my "real world" game continuity, positive and negative emotions and actions feed a sort of pan-human pool that manifests in different areas in different forms depending on local cultural assumptions - and that those forms then affect the way people affected by them behave. So the Dragon was the "asian" and more specifically chinese form taken by these negative aspects, emphasising Cruelty and Fear (its counterpart being the Sage, emphasising Order and Calm). The Western equivalent was the Serpent (also sometimes confusingly sometimes called the Dragon) emphasising lust for power and brutality - and countered by the Maiden emphasising self-sacrifice and mercy. All evil cults tapped into their particular aspect of the "evil force" and good cults either tapped into their version of the "good force" or attempted to neutralise the evil force. Particularly powerful/influential people could actually become living avatars for one or other of these aspects - and natural targets for their opposites.

 

So in the medieval era (the Sengoku game) the Red Banner cult attempted to take down the Ming Dynasty by sabotaging the competition held by the Watchers of the Dragon - thereby releasing the Dragon, and causing political disintegration, so that they could act as they like.

 

In my short-lived pulp game, the plot included a group of Russian cultists who planned to bind the Maiden, in order to strengthen and extend the authority of the Tsar and allow him to extend his domination in central asia.

 

And in a planned (but never run) age of enlightenment game, an English cult planned to kill the living enbodiment of the Lion (the African "positive" force) so as to throw Africa into chaos and render it an easy target for colonisation.

 

cheers, Mark

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

Way to make Thoughtful Philosophy = Cool Gaming!

 

Unfortunately I have to spread more Rep around before I can hit you again.

[FenrisUlf]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

OT, but I always thought that Golden Demon Kung Fu from Ultimate Martial Artist would be perfect for members of the Red Banner. Especially if it's kept rare, so that when you describe it to the Aged Master, he can turn pale and start in on the properly enigmatic warnings...

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

For those who have or are thinking of picking up The Kandris Seal (more about that book here), the Order of the Serpent from TKS is very close in motivation, style and structure to what's been described for the Red Banner cult, and the given characters would be very easy to incorporate into it.

 

IMO The Kandris Seal doesn't have enough such material for people just interested in fleshing out the Red Banner; but it is a very good sourcebook for a focussed "mystic supers" campaign, with lots of characters, spells and gadgets one can lift for other campaigns.

[pinecone]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

OT' date=' but I always thought that Golden Demon Kung Fu from [i']Ultimate Martial Artist[/i] would be perfect for members of the Red Banner. Especially if it's kept rare, so that when you describe it to the Aged Master, he can turn pale and start in on the properly enigmatic warnings...

 

I agree...though I made the Temple of the golden demon and the Red Banner friends and allies (who later turn on each other, though unknown to the Red Banner the Temple continues as the "Golden Dragon society" who suply super martial artists (and several senior leaders) to several Triad gangs.....

[pinecone]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

The Red Banner stuff appears to start with this post, and continues sporadically to the end of the thread. Pretty interesting; I'm afraid I hadn't realized there were Cult-related items on that thread.

 

pinecone also developed Lady Yomi no hanna and the Japanese branch of the Red Banner a little further on this thread.

 

Thanx LL, I owe ya...

[FenrisUlf]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

Rise, thread, rise!

 

Say, has anyone else been doing anything with the Cult of the Red Banner? And are there any plans in the works to do anything 'official' with the group?

 

If not, I might just break out some of my 'Year of the Lotus' material from old school World of Pretension Darkness and crib something from that -- though their 'Dragon Wizards' were good guys.

 

If nothing else, the stuff on the hengeyokai might help with the Chinese weretigers, the Chunhu.

[bubba smith]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

how come the cult of the red dragon wasn't mentioned in ninja HERO?

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

I noticed that one of the screen shots for Champions Online is a picture of Millennium City's Chinatown, with the caption, "Danger: Cult of the Red Banner territory." Sounds like they may be making an appearance in the MMO.

 

In the write-up for Black Mist, the ninja member of the supevillain group the Brain Trust from Villains, Vandals, And Vermin, it mentions that Black Mist is a rebel scion of the Sekihara clan of Japan, who serve the Cult of the Red Banner. Since the Takara-Shinja ninjas serving VIPER are also said to be "offshoot of an order of dragon worshippers" in China (VIPER: Coils Of The Serpent p. 64), the Cult would seem to have branches outside of China proper, which would definitely expand their potential uses.

 

how come the cult of the red dragon wasn't mentioned in ninja HERO?

 

Probably because the Cult is too CU-specific. NH provided more "generic" characters and campaign concepts not tied to a particular setting.

[pinecone]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

I don't think I ever got to "The Evil plan" for the Red Banner.

 

For me, the Red Banner is a mystic org. so they operate in an entirely differant way.

 

They want to rig the tournament of the Dragon. They beleive they can harness the Death Dragon...They as expert mystics are aware they live in a heroic universe where the Universe it'self favors heros.

 

They intend to rewrite the laws of reality to favor the Red Banner. The very top does not beleive they can truely enslave the Dragon, but they do think they can hold it for aproximately 7 seconds, and they only need 5 seconds to make the nessisary changes...

 

This is why they hunt Chi masters, and try to corrupt the world, they want the Dragon to win the tourney, but only when they are ready. Having rewritten the laws of reality to favor the Cult, they expect to survive the Dragon's wrath...

[Ninja-Bear]

Re: Cult Of The Red Banner

 

The only thing I was going to do recently was to introduce Iron from WotD to my street champion player. I was going to have him fight the gang called the yellow devils (they are a secular gang-which inadventaly helps the Red Banner Cult by raising money and other activites.) Then when the player becomes a nuissance, the mystical conncetions were going to be felt.