Macguffin: The Nine Tripod Cauldrons

[L. Marcus]

In Ancient China, the tripod cauldron, the ding, was a great mark of status, used to perform rituals and sacrifice to gods and ancestors. The first ones, the Nine, were cast by the first King of the Xia Dynasty (or his son) from bronze claimed as tribute from all the Nine Provinces of the land. These were used through the ages as a mark of divine approval, and holding the Nine Ding was holding China.

 

When the first Emperor, Ch'in Shih Huangdi, finally overthrew the remnants of the Zhou Dynasty, he ordered the cauldrons moved to his own capital, Xianyang. They never reached the destination.

 

Now, skip forward to Pulp Times! China is in disarray -- warlords fight for power, the Republic nothing but an empty shell. In a few years, the problem with Japanese expansionism will bloom into full-on war, as barbaric a conflict as China has ever had to face. What if a Chinese mystic, learned in the ancient religion, wise beyond other mortals, were to lay his well-manicured hands on the Nine Ding ... ?

[bubba smith]

this could be a ninja HERO adventure featuring lin quey [chineese ninja] or kung fu masters vs ninja

[jlv61560]

Or, perhaps, a pseudo-Indiana Jones adventure where the players are confronted by Chinese warlords, a Japanese force intent on grabbing the nine, and a Fu Manchu style mastermind who seeks to play all three of them against each other for his own benefit.  Throw in some quick action in Shang-hai, up along the Yellow River by junk and thence to the Great Wall and into outer Mongolia (Mongolian Death Worms, anyone?) with a climactic battle between good and evil at the villain's lair (probably an ancient Chinese temple, or maybe even the tomb of the last Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty) and you'd have quite the makings of a Far Eastern tour de force!