Character Creation

This is where we will work together on character creation. We'll try to work in as much as possible of what you wrote in the interest check thread but don't get too attached to the particulars of your individual backstories yet, as those may change in the process of fleshing out your connections to the world and the other party members.

Some helpful links:
• Dungeon World SRD
• Dungeon World Gazetteer
• The Monk playbook
• Here is a sample character sheet you can use as a formatting template.

Getting a character sheet together might take a bit of time due to my vacation, but the example character sheet should help. Is there anything we need to discuss regarding characters or backstories?

Yes, there's plenty to discuss. I'll pose specific questions for each of you. After which, we'll go into the character Bonds.

Some questions to get us started:

• BedzoneII:
1. What are your monastery's tenets or philosophy? Apart from these, what is the greatest lesson taught you by your shifu?
2. Describe your relationship with your shifu's murderer.

• Somebox:
1. When fire flows through your body, does your own consciousness & identity remain, or are you completely taken over by the ghost? How is the experience strange or beautiful?
2. Depending on your chosen Alignment, what or who was the sacrifice, or what is the dangerous idea?

• DarkReaver1998:
1. What joys and good fortune came to the village of Gwaju when they embraced the wisdom you shared with them?
2. What sort of hardship and despair fell upon the town of Liaoqiu after they turned you away?

• Vorn369:
1. Tell us about the place where you grew up poor. Was it in the slums of Opal City? A hovel in the country? A fishing village? Somewhere else?
2. Describe your happiest memory. What did it cost you (or someone else)?

• Squadfather44:
This one is for everyone to discuss, but naturally I will give Squad's input more weight.

Nobles in Qing'lai are 100% slug-men. None of them are warriors - all are scholars of some sort. Are you perhaps from somewhere else, like Yatpun, where it's rumored (if you'll believe those who claim to have been to that mysterious and barbaric land) that warlords rule the land under a warrior noble overlord called a Shōgun? Or perhaps the Opal City grants feudal fiefdoms to petty warlords in the frontier lands, to guard against orc incursions from the Barrior Mountains, or marauders on the fringes of the Haunted Desert? Perhaps you have other ideas? Let's hear them!

After we have established the nature of your nobility I'd like you to tell us: What caused your family's downfall? What do you believe it would take to restore your family's honor?

Gwaju was a nice village. They had faced many hardships when I first arrived there, and it did not take much for me to convince them to embrace each other. The will of a community can overcome almost anything. I very rarely stay in one place for long, so what I do know is told to me by messengers of Dai'Shan or from people who have passed through. I want to believe that they are happy and healthy, and knowing Dai'Shan, he has shielded them from the worst the world has to offer.

Liaoqiu. I had the misfortune of seeing the wrath of Dai'Shan first hand. When the wisdom of my Lord is rebuked, I am often sent on my way, and I travel to the next place, to spread Dai'Shan's gift to those who are willing to receive it. I was not so lucky here. The merchant lords who ruled the town of Liaoqiu did not appreciate my message, and decided that my place was in a prison, where I could no longer spread my harmful messages. I did not resist. I sat, patient in my cell, knowing that my freedom would come at the cost of theirs.
Emotions are a powerful thing in the realm of spirits, where my Lord reigns. Rage. Jealousy. Malice. There, they are manifested weapons wielded by those with the power to control them. Dai'Shan wields anguish and despair like a pair of ornate blades, and those blades carved through the hearts of the greedy merchant lords, and their families. And while they felt the brunt of the attack, the aftershock of his wrath rang out through the entire town. It is a truly terrible thing to see a man truly wracked with despair. After a time, they cannot feel anything else. I was freed from my cell by guards who couldn't be bothered to keep me contained. And, while no one chased me or even bothered to look in my direction as I left, I ran from the town and never looked back.
I do not know if this is the fate of all those of rebuke His gifts... but I will never again stay to find out.

Intriguing! So depending on how they received you, they either get good vibes or bad vibes? Not good harvest on one hand and then plagues or financial ruin on the other?

I guess that's a way to put it. Dai'Shan's power comes through emotion. The priest is essentially a messenger, telling them how to find harmony, and they can either accept or reject the message. I also see Dai'Shan as a powerful spirit, but his power is over humanity and their souls (the afterlife), instead of natural power like I imagine most spirits have. While I'm sure he could cause plagues, his powers tend to be much more subtle.
If he were to cause financial ruin, it would be because he has made the merchant seem hideous or undesirable within the minds of his patrons, or because he has made the merchant feel like there just isn't a point anymore.

I like it! Quite unique! Have you ever brought the word of Dai'shan to the Opal City or will this be your first time?

First time! Not looking forward to it

Bedzone mentioned on the discord server that he is considering the Path of Charity for his monk, which involves a vow of poverty. We both agree that would tie in well with your cleric. Of course common ground makes for group harmony! On the other hand, a little conflict creates drama.

I could see that working well. And I already see enough drama forming through Vorn's character's goal being to acquire as much wealth as possible.

No doubt! I'm looking forward to it!

My character's family had loyally served the Opal City for several generstions. My character's ancester was awarded the fiefdom for showing loyalty and bravery during a particular savage incursion by the various Orc tribes of the Barrier Mountains.

As time went on it was shown that the family were just and honorable leaders. They were even shrewd businessmen who handled the local imports and exports in a manner that allowed the family's coffers to overflow with wealth.

It was during the time of my character's grandfather that a charge of treason was laid against the noble family. As they fought to prove their innocence, it turns out that those they thought of as allies were in fact plotting to gain the wealth of the family.

Even with those allies they did have, they were no match for the power of their enemies. So it was decreed that the family were found guilty and stripped of title, lands, wealth, and honor.

As my character was growing up he was told stories of how great his family had been. Yet, he thought they were just that..stories. It was on the death bed of his father that he was told the truth.

So now with armed with the truth and a sword that's been in his family for generations, he sets out to regain what was lost.

With the fire the ghosts thoughts become much louder, sometimes even voicing them. Control is split between the two during this "rage" with Xian still primarily in physical control, but every slash and movement originates from the ghost since she doesn't have any actual combat experience. One other odd sensation: Xian's body contorts in ways she didn't think was possible, moving like something is tugging at her forcefully.

Xian sacrifices unwilling people to appease the vengeful ghost, who has some mysterious reasoning for demanding the death of murderers of all kinds, likely relating to the ghost's own death. This technically makes her evil, although I don't have plans for anything evil beyond the sacrifices (I make it sound so nonchalant).

Side question: can I pick the salamander racial bonus despite being human (immunity to non-magic fire), or should I stick with default human (full health when resting next to a fire)?

@Squadfather: Great stuff! What saved your grandfather from a sentence of death for his supposed treason? How do you feel about those who wronged your family? How do you plan to restore your family's honor?

@Somebox/Xian: Creepy! I love it! Does the ghost ever speak to you? You can be a human who is immune to non-magical fire only while you wield your Burning Brand.

@DarkReaver/Iko:
We've talked a bit about how you preach Charity. How do you preach Suffering? Describe how you might make a petition to Dai'shan.

Just a couple of notes on your character sheet:
1. Everyone's starting XP is 0/8. Sorry about the sample I gave you - that guy is in play and has already earned 1 XP.
2. Your HP should be what your class says plus your CON score. As the Cleric that is 8+CON=23.

Of the 8 masters of the Eightfold Way, shifu Gen was Master of the Mountain; each master himself had 8 disciples, and Wu Meng was the eighth and youngest. Their monastery was a temple atop Guangming Peak, (or ‘Bright’ Mountain).

Wu Meng only found out, after the heinous crime had been committed, that eldest disciple Li Xiong had found a way to spy on their shifu’s inner sanctum. Gen, together with visiting masters Qian and Zhen, had cloistered themselves in preparation of a sacred sutra, both a holy scripture and enlightened martial arts form. Gen remained sequestered in his chamber after the completion of the sutra and their departure, meditating on its contents.

Li Xiong, under the direction of and abetted by powerful agents yet unknown, attacked the monastery and set fire to it, coveting the text for himself and his accomplices. That night, Wu Meng, ignorant of the impending treachery, had returned to his quarters, to find a scroll tube on the table and a letter, with a note which simply said, ‘Escape now.’ Wu Meng did not hesitate as the first wave of attackers appeared.

Later, when he had a moment to catch his breath in the valley below, Wu Meng unfolded the letter, written in shifu Gen’s script. "One-eighth of the Bound Movement Force sutra. Yours by right. Protect it from those who want it for the wrong reasons. Seek to understand it when you have the right reasons. You may open it when you have learnt the four lessons I have taught you:
Duty before desire,
Wisdom before worth,
Faith before flesh,
Calm before chaos."

Bedzone/Wu Meng: I love it! All of it! Do you seek vengeance for your shifu? How do you think this conforms to or contradicts with the four lessons?

Somebox/Xian:
I played an Immolator before and I love the flavor of the class but I had issues with the way it's built: You use CON to conjure your Burning Brand,  INT to attack with it, WIS to use another starting move, and four advanced moves use CHA. It didn't make sense to me. So I want to tweak it, and I'd like you to collaborate with me.

I say fuck WIS & INT. I think this class would make better sense just sticking with a mix of CON and CHA, and I don't mean from a mechanical standpoint. The way I see it from a roleplaying standpoint, it's your CON and the ghost's CHA.

I propose keying the Immolator's moves like so:
Burning Brand: still CON to conjure. But for attacking, choice of CHA or standard attack stat (STR for H&S, DEX for Volley).
Zuko Style: I think WIS for this is dumb. CHA instead
Lore of Flame: WIS makes sense here. As is.
All other moves: As is.

Thoughts?

I don't think Wu Meng's mind is on vengenace yet. At this point he's concerned with the following, in this order: protecting the scroll at all cost, finding out the truth about Xiong's treachery (who was involved, why, etc), finding out about the other disciples (their whereabouts, were they all killed, any of them colluded with Xiong, etc), if so, recovering the other scroll parts (an extension of protect the scroll), reading the scroll (he currently has no idea whether he's worthy to do so).

On a different note, reviewing the monk's class features, I have one quibble. It probably stems from my preconceived notion that monks are Dex-based (With Wis being the most important stat because of ki). Using Dex for Hack and Slash isn't a starting move, but has to be taken as an advanced move, Mantis Strike, and that's only for unarmed attacks. That confuses the build, because Str is needed for weapons, Dex for unarmed. (A fighter doesn't have this problem, he picks Str or Dex for close or range). I think a fair fix is to simply grant the option of Dex use for unarmed attacks from the start (ie. "Choose whether you want your unarmed strikes to have the precise tag."). That way a Str-based monk won't pick it, a Dex-based monk will, and it won't cost a move selection. Don't think this changes the power level of the class at all. It does make Mantis Strike redundant, but that's not a big deal. What do you think?

Seems to me like I Know Kung Fu already takes care of that. It basically gives you access to one advanced move right out the gate AND increases the range of your unarmed strikes!

I saw that, although I think I Know Kung Fu seems to 'force' a player to have to choose Mantis Strike right from the start if he's intending to use unarmed attacks in order to keep him Dex-based. But like I said, it's a minor quibble. I shall continue building! :)

Alright, I made the changes to my character sheet.

Everything in this world has a price. This has always been true, even before the time of mortals. It is the mistake of mortals that this price is monetary. Our world lives in a balance. To achieve the things we wish out of life, we must give or experience something in return. To experience prosperity, you must pay with hard work and hardship. To experience happiness, you must pay with sadness and pain. To experience peace, you must pay with chaos and blood. And once you experience these things, you will be able to truly appreciate what you have earned.
Suffering is a guide for the Sorrowsworn. Those of us who make it through our training are given a gift. A special crystal, that forms only in the spirit world, is gifted to our master by a messenger of the Lord of Sorrow. This crystal, the tear of Dai'Shan, is carved and formed into a special instrument, a kila knife, that symbolizes our devotion to our Lord. The knife may only drink of the blood of Sorrowsworn, to all others, it is as dull as a brick. This knife, we string on a leather band and wear around our neck at all times.To petition to the Lord of Sorrows, we use the knife to pierce or cut our flesh, exchanging our pain for His wisdom. The crystal aids us in feeling agony in its purest form, so that we may gain wisdom in its purest form. We wear our scars proudly.

Damn, that's pretty intense! So when you ask Dai'shan for Divine Guidance you deal your damage (1d6, ignores armor)!
I have approved your character sheet. Start thinking about Bonds. You can just assign them yourself, but a great way is to share them with the group, and people can volunteer for them. That way, it's a collaborative effort. Also, remember that you can make up your own bonds.

_____ has insulted my deity; I do not trust them.
_____ is a good and faithful person; I trust them implicitly.
_____ is in constant danger, I will keep them safe.
I am working on converting _____ to my faith.

Here are Iko's bonds. I am also going to consider the Kila Knife as my holy symbol.

Iko: If you already have somebody in mind based on people's backgrounds, go ahead and nominate them. Maybe explain the choice. A bond needs to be mutually agreed upon.

How about this (taken from the Paladin bonds): Rong Hua’s misguided behavior endangers their very soul!

Through flame, smoke, and ash Xian hears the hatred of the spirit, or notices strange sights from within any of the three materials.

I'm actually quite intrigued by your changes. I thought the class was a bit MAD and don't mind the focus on Cha and Con, makes more sense to me.

I concur with Darkreaver's pick for the bond. These sheets are easy peasy to upload so I'll get mine in and post some bond suggestions.

Iko has felt the hellish touch of fire, now they know my strength. (this choice seems logical to me)

I will teach Squadfather's character the true meaning of sacrifice. (Might have to tool this one around a bit, but I see it as both characters losing their way of life due to unfortunate circumstances)

I cast something into the fire for Wu Meng and still owe them their due. (Open to suggestions regarding whether the sacrifice was relevant to your backstory or not)

Holy crap, I accidentally overwrote DarkReaver's post! I'm so sorry! I meant to quote it, not edit it! :-(

It's no big deal, Let me see if I can type it back out again.

Rong Hua’s misguided behavior endangers their very soul!Wu Meng is a good and faithful person; I trust them implicitly.Xian is in constant danger, I will keep them safe.I am working on converting [Squadfather44] to my faith.

Here's mine. Tried to make one for each character.

Though Iko's ways are different than mine, I can still learn much from him.Squadfather's character is troubled, and needs my help to find inner peace.Xian has an ulterior motive for coming with me.My master would not approve of me traveling with Rong Hua.

Somebox: I have approved your character sheet. Just one correction: currently, your gear weighs nothing, so your Load should be 0/8.

DM, I've done up my character sheet. Definitely going for a Path of Charity monk, but that presents some interesting challenges in terms of gear, so I made a note on the sheet for you to consider.

Sounds like Jackie Chan! And on a trip to Hongkong I saw a guy puncture a wooden board with chopsticks thrown from 10ft away! Okay, sure, but you can only carry 3 such improvised weapons on your person. Wu Meng approved.

Great thanks! The idea was definitely inspired by a whole bunch of kung-fu movies. Yup the 3 item or 3 use count is a DW thing, so that makes logical sense.

Copy that Jabes.

@Bedzonell Very cool. I can see the ghost being one of the ambushed students left to their cruel fate.

Sounds good @somebox! You can pick whichever elder disciple you think fits, and I'll tweak my backstory accordingly. His scroll would've been stolen by the betrayer, so he's out for vengeance. (Or alternatively, he was killed by the betrayer, but stashed his scroll somewhere and it hasn't been found yet.)

Looking good, guys! It's great to have things established to guide your roleplay, but it's also okay to have some details remain a mystery for now.

How are we doing with the bonds? Remember, those need to be mutually agreed upon. So please go over everyone's submissions and comment, accept, reject, or expand on any mention of your character.

Vorn, how's Rong Hua coming along? Is there anything I can help you with?

It's been a few days since we last heard from @Squadfather, so I sent him a PM. I'm aiming to get into the story this weekend, so hoping to get all the character sheets in and character connections established soon.

Thanks, all!

I agree with both Bedzone and somebox's bonds for Iko.

Posted this on discord, but bears repeating:

You're not required to have a bond with everyone. But if you do, then great! Try to phrase your bonds in such a way that they can be "resolved." That means that in the course of RP, the bond evolves in some way: a promise is kept or broken; a debt repaid; a bond deepens; closure is found; a mystery solved. Click here to see how bonds work mechanically.

Sorry for the late reply everyone. My job slammed me and kept me busy. I'm back and working on completing my character. I like all of the links for my character to everyone else.

Zhang Wei (fighter) my character's name

Xian owes me their life, wether they admit it or not.

I have sworn to protect Rong Huao

I worry about the ability of Wu Meng to survive.

Iko is soft, but I will make them hard like me.

@Jabes-
Zhang's grandfather took a forced exile of his entire family and left the area. The alternative was death for pretty much the entire male line.

Zhang is definitely looking for vengeance and wants to prove his family's innocence. While he knows he will find some with the tip of a sword, he's smart enough to know patience and investigating will bring him the rest.

Was grandfather given self-exile as a choice or did they basically flee for their lives? The latter would make Zhang Wei a fugitive.

Point of order: we need to agree on naming conventions. Does the family name precede the given name, or the reverse? I have no preference either way, but we need to be consistent to maintain verisimilitude. Most of the others have not stated their family names, but Vorn's character's name is given as Zhuang Rong Hua, Zhuang being the family name.

We can go with Zhang as the family name. Wei would be his given name.

I like a challenge, so if you don't think it'd be impossible to play, let's go with the fugitive angle.

Wu would be the family name, and Meng his given name. That would be Chinese convention, since all our names thus far are Chinese inspired, as opposed to say Japanese based.

I have just submitted my character!

Zhang Wei is approved! Only one correction: Your armor should be 2 thanks to your scale armor.

I specifically went Chinese for this game to switch things up for myself.

Besides bonds I probably won't get much in the way of backstory completed till I'm on my desktop next week, but just know that Xian Feng was fairly average before the possesion: worked as a shopkeeper, normal parents, nothing extravagent about her lifestyle.

I'll leave the Zhang clan's level of notoriety up to you. Have you had a chance to go over the World Almanac? Can you name the rival clan that betrayed yours?

Your characters all know each other in varying degrees. We can work that out during gameplay. You will not all be together in the opening scene. I will split you into two groups - who ends up with whom is a surprise. :-D

As soon as we have Vorn's character sheet we can begin.

Great! I have updated the World Almanac. I see your Signature Weapon is an ancient family heirloom. Wanna give it a cool name? You don't have to, but you can if you wish.

@squadfather the Wu Meng bond works for me. It is certain that there are enemies looking for him to acquire the scroll in his possession.

Life debt sounds sweet, got any details regarding it atm or does it relate to my bond?

I have no solid ideas, but I do like the idea of it relating to your bond. Perhaps it could deal with how we met?

I see two potential ways: Wei had the opportunity to kill Feng and instead spared her. There was a disagreement over what sacrifice truly meant -Wei lost his position and Feng lost her normal life- which resorted to blows.

The nicer option is the two have fought together and Wei saved her life. I wouldn't be surprised if there are people who wish Feng's death for multiple reasons linked to her current occupation.

What IS her current occupation? For that matter, what is Zhang Wei's? Do you guys have "day jobs" or is adventuring it?

Meta: of course, it's easiest to get a quest going if you're currently a jobless drifter or a mercenary of some sort.

@somebox- how about a rough combination of both
They could have fought like in the first option, but while they may not see each others point of view (yet), they do respect each other.

@Jabes- I'm going to have Wei's occupation be a simple wandering mercenary. It's simple enough to explain him moving around and searching.

Feng was a shopkeeper, but now is a mercenary/bounty hunter type, goes after the morally bankrupt.

@Squadfather Excellent, works for me.

Yo, sorry for being so late. Does anyone need any bonds? Im not sure who to put where...

What kind of bonds does your class have Vorn?

You can put the blank bonds here and people can volunteer.

Here are the suggested Thief Bonds:
You don't have to have a Bond with everyone. You just need at least one.

It's also a good idea to look at what others have put down as their Bond with Rong Hua.
Looking at that, Rong Hua has the strongest connection to Zhang Wei. You need to work out with Squadfather how that came about. You can discuss it now, or the two of you can discover it through gameplay. The important thing is you both agree to it.

Sure. Maybe zhang wei and rong hua become lovers?

It's a definite possibility. Sounds good to me.

I'll call that settled.

Okay, the adventure begins!

As I have done here at the very beginning, I will often give you narrative control. Rather than dictate everything, I ask questions and your answers help shape the story.

We play to find out together what happens!

Rolling for Wu Meng's meditation for today.

Edit: 2 ki, plus a complication from the GM.

Also, Vorn, if you'd like more bonds, I can suggest that Rong Hua knows some secret regarding Wu Meng. Perhaps she knows or can find out about one of the assassins who killed his master and fellow disciples.

To chip in, I think Rong Hau and Feng could have a con running. It would be more of Hua's endeavor, but Feng is good with people and Hau keeps stringing her along.

Do your Level ups here. State what new move you've chosen, and which stat you're increasing. Iko also get some new options for spells he can prepare.

If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask! :-)

I just realized that we need to take a closer look at Feng's alignment. Look at the Immolator's alignments here. "Neutral," "Chaotic," and "Evil" aren't defined the same way they usually are in other RPGs. In DW, those words mean different things to different classes to reflect how they mean different things to different people. We can do a blend if you wish, to create something unique for Feng.

I suppose Feng is more on the Evil side of things. Does "Sacrifice an unwilling victim to the flames" require an elaborate ritual to fulfill or would you say it's more akin to the ghost-rider vengeful spirit style of burning and killing criminals who had it coming?

Edit: I think I'll up my CHA by 1 to 17, and grab firebrand

I'll up Wu Meng's WIS from 15 to 16. And add a new monk move.

Leopard's Grace
When you move across dangerous of difficult terrain with the grace of a jungle cat, roll+DEX. *On a 10+, choose 3. *On a 7-9, choose 1.
• Your steps are completely silent.
• You leave no trace of your passage.
• You are not harmed or hindered while you move.
• You move with near superhuman speed and grace.

Solid!

Looking forward to seeing Meng's leopard moves in action!

Feng, it's your character, so whatever your interpretation of the "sacrifice" is what we'll go with. Personally, I have loved the Ghost Rider feels from the very beginning! Maybe we should just call her alignment "Vengeful." What do you think?

Firebrand is an interesting move that quite honestly I haven't seen used very often. Looking forward to your take on it!

That's a great idea, I'll do it.

Everyone but Zhang Wei has accumulated enough XP to level up. Don't worry, Wei, you'll catch up in no time!

Meng, Iko, and Feng's sheet have been updated. How's yours coming along, Rong Hua?

@DarkReaver1998: Upon closer inspection of your character sheet, I see that Iko has not been leveled up.

I have just created individual threads for each of the PCs. While we will retain this shared thread for discussing the characters as a group, I intend the individual threads to serve as a place to talk about character development as the story progresses. In addition to game mechanics progression we can talk about your story arc. Where would you like to see your character go? What will they discover and achieve, and how will they change? That sort of thing.

• Zhang Wei, the Fighter
• Xian Feng, the Immolator
• Wu Meng, the Monk
• Iko, the Cleric
• Zhuang Rong Hua, the Thief

Got my character up and just finished catching up on the threads.. it's a lot of material lol. Any way hope I got it up in time.

I was considering having the new character(s) be from the Explorer's Guild. Possibly even retcon Sungyeol &/or Dae-Won out of the story to be replaced by the new guys. But I do like the proposed backstory here. Kalam Makhir neither looks nor sounds like he's from Qing'lai. How did he come to be under the tutelage of one of the 8 Masters?

Shifu Qian is Master of Sky, not Air. Shifu Rao is Master of Wind. The Masters named so far are:
• Shifu Gen, Master of the Mountain
• Shifu Qian, Master of Sky
• Shifu Zhen, Master of Thunder
• Shifu Rao, Master of Wind

I'll go ahead and name the remaining 4 now:
• Shifu Lu, Master of Fire
• Shifu Ye, Master of Water
• Shifu Kun, Master of Earth
• Shifu Dui, Master of the Lake

I've updated the World Almanac.
If Qing'lai is this fictional world's China analog, Yatpun is the Japan analog. For the people of Qing'lai, including even the most learned scholars, Yatpun is a mystery because no one who has attemptedt to journey there has ever returned. Therefore, information is unreliable.
It's entirely up to you whether your ranger is truly from Yatpun, or if it's all a lie.

Oooh, a disciple of one of the shifus? That's great! I can help figure out why we know each other, or are able to know each other through some means. As a suggestion to world building, it is possible not all shifus reside within Qing'lai. Maybe one or two have set up somewhere else to master their kungfu, even though their roots are Qing'lai.

Help would be appreciated Bedzonell. I was thinking I would be from either Bimar or Hiptos. I grew up as a son of a merchant family and was brought up at the monastery after trying to pickpocket shifu Qian. He saw I had potential and decided to take me under his wing.
Previous backstory
Shifu Qian Master of Sky style of martial arts schools, was my master. When ever we would visit the other schools, we would hold sparing sessions. I often participated in those, that's how I met Wu Meng. Though not sure if he remembers me.
I have heard about his shifu, and went to pay our respects. My own master then sent me out to find Wu Meng, but neglected to tell me why.

Nice, I love it! I would say Wu Meng definitely remembers Kalam because they met through one of the sparring sessions you mentioned. I would say that your master knows the terrible fate that befell Meng's master and fellow disciples, and has sent Kalam out to look for and possibly assist Meng. That works well as a bond. In return, Meng might trust Kalam enough to reveal some of his secrets, such as the scroll he's been protecting, or his personal quest to seek the truth. These are things he hasn't told anyone yet.
Let's see where our GM takes us from here.

Also thinking that maybe his code is different than yours. The four teachings I mean. Mine could incorporate the sun, moon, stars, and clouds.

Great stuff, guys!

Absolutely! We just have to be wary of the Fire Nation, oops wrong story :P

The Monastery of the Sky is a flying, crystal temple. It never stays in one place. Shifu Qian accepts deserving disciples not only from Qing'lai, but from all over the world. Here is a version of the map showing the Monastery of Sky floating off the continent's west coast.

That's a brilliant solution!

Lol agreed

So teachings of Shifu Qian, I would say are akin to Confucius.
Primary teaching is "Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon or star. Stars are holes in the sky through wich the infinite shine, and the sun and moon shine on all without partiality."
Secondary teachings are "The superior person acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions. The faults of a superior person are like the sun and moon. They have their faults, and everyone sees them; they change and everyone looks up to them."
Words to live by "Only the wisest and stupidest of people never change."
Words to take away "You are the sky, everything else is just the weather."

Evecar_solaris: Looks great! I love how you incorporate the celestial imagery.

Everyone: please have a look at Mimi's thread because some of it involves some of you. Reactions & suggestions are welcome.