Cinero: Created page with "Faction
Area of Operations: Earth
Allies: R3M
Rivals: no data
Enemies: Brotherhood of the Shroud; Swarmkin The Order of the Four Dragon Paths..."

2019-07-24T03:33:05Z

Created page with "Faction Area of Operations: Earth Allies: R3M Rivals: no data Enemies: Brotherhood of the Shroud; Swarmkin The Order of the Four Dragon Paths..."

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Faction 
Area of Operations: Earth 
Allies: [[R3M]] 
Rivals: no data 
Enemies: [[Brotherhood of the Shroud]]; [[Swarmkin]]

The Order of the Four Dragon Paths is a militant monastic order. The order was started in Japan and spent centuries protecting Japan from [[Marauders|marauders]] and other paranormal threats. Since 1945, the order has branched out more across Earth.

== Organization ==

When someone becomes a full Monk of the Four Dragon Paths, they give up their name and only go by Ryu. There are four Masters, one each for the four elements of Fire, Wind, Water and Earth. They are the leaders and teachers of the temple, as well as its public face. Above them is the Grand Master of the order, an actual dragon who founded the temple in ancient Japan. The Grand Master is only ever interacted with by the four Ryukage, and on rare actions where a Ryu has proven themselves. The dragon's existence is a closely guarded secret of the order.

Hierarchy
* The dragon
* '''The four Ryukage:'''
** Kaen Ryukage Sensei (Master Flame Shadow Dragon) (Female)
** Nami Ryukage Sensei (Master Wave Shadow Dragon) (Male)
** Kaze Ryukage Sensei (Master Wind Shadow Dragon) (Male)
** Ishi Ryukage Sensei (Master Stone Shadow Dragon) (Male)

The Masters of the temple that teach one of the four paths first taught by the Dragon. Each one a complete master in the art of their element. Each master has ten Ryu rank students.

'''The Twelve Senkensha''' (Seers)

* San Kaen Senkensha (Three Seers of Flame)
* San Nami Senkensha (Three Seers of Wave)
* San Kaze Senkensha (Three Seers of Wind)
* San Ishi Senkensha (Three Seers of Stone)

Ryu who have mastered their element and are able to transcend the bounds of the world and see "the truth of things" both future, past and present. It is a dangerous thing to do, and seers have been lost to what is known as "being devoured by the dragon" as the seer is lost in their vision and their soul burns out.

'''The Shrine Guard'''

There are about twenty or so. The numbers go up and down over the years.

The Shrine Guard are former Ryu who could not advance to a master or become a Senkensha. They protect the temple at all times, patrolling the temple and surrounding area. On request, they can also be sent out into the world to provide support on missions.

'''The Ryu'''

There are only ever 40 ryu at any one time.

Those who show still and strength of character picked from the young students of the temple. This happens at around the age of 12 or 13. The picked student is taken into the inner temple closed off from those below the Ryu rank, and go through the trail known as "Shisen Ryu, or The dragon’s gaze." One seer from each path come together and using their techniques, infuse the student with the essence of the Dragon. This both bonds the students ki to that of the Dragons, it is also what forms the dragon tattoo all over the students body that helps channel their ki powers. It is also why the tattoo is only visible while using large amounts of ki.

If the student manages to survive the Dragon’s Gaze, they give up their name and precious identity and take up the name of Ryu. The old student is said to have died and a new Ryu born. Once they are now a Ryu, they will spend two years training with each master to find which element they best imbue.

== Some History ==

The order has been around for most of Japanese written history. Only being a small handful of wandering monks who serve their dragon Master. Sometime in the year 1100, during the Kamakura period of Japanese history, the dragon settled in Mount Oji on Sodo Island, just off the coast of Japan. They have since built up their order, expanding the amount of student and vowing to protect japan from supernatural threats.

They continued this right up until the end of World War 2. Seeing the destruction that modern war can bring and how isolated they had become over the hundreds of years, the order decided to jump head first into the modern world, and to gain allies around the world to help better protect Japan and now the world.

== Chicago Temple ==

The name of the Chicago Temple of the Four Dragon Paths translates as the Gateway Waters Temple. It takes up a whole block on the west side of the upscale neighborhood of Old Town. The Temple is visibly undergoing major, long-term renovation. Five buildings, each 4-7 stories, surround an inner quad. The buildings show their roots as early 1900s factory spaces, warehouses, and worker dormitories. However, they've been renovated multiple times over decades. The most recent pre-Temple vision included a mix of street-level commercial spaces, professional offices in the lower floors, condominiums on the upper floors, and an underground parking garage. Much of that facade is still present. However, the Four Dragon Paths now control the whole block and has secured all access points. They are systematically converting the property to their needs.

A few of the outer commercial spaces are publicly accessible, including a trendy Ramen shop, a travel bookstore, two martial arts studios, and an expensive art gallery. The upper floors of one building are a private PK12 school called The Kotaro Academy of Chicago. The Temple proper has clear signage and a small lobby with two staff who look polite yet boring. There is further signage indicating that the Temple is part of a cultural exchange program under the auspices of the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago. Visitors are advised that the compound is territory of Japan and within its jurisdiction.

One central building was razed to create the inner quad. The quad now contains a private, traditional Japanese garden with extensive water features.

The compound was built up between 1903-1951 as the headquarters of the Brass Leaf Hardware and Sundries Company. Brass Leaf originally specialized in carving and casting sewing notions (e.g., buttons, snaps, zippers, rivets, etc.). The company particularly flourished during World War 1 and 2, as a major supplier to Department of War uniform providers. In the post-war economy, Brass Leaf and its partners lost several key government contracts in a row. It struggled to diversify back into the commercial sector where it originally prospered. As the company shrunk, it sold off parts of its headquarters to real estate speculators. By the time the company was formally dissolved in 1978, a patchwork of real estate companies controlled the whole block. Various urban renewal projects tried to repurpose the buildings from 1957-2002, with mixed success. The recession of 2002-2003 saw much of the property in perpetual "for lease" purgatory or simply mothballed.

The presence of the Four Dragon Paths started as a small martial arts studio with some back offices in 1993. The presence grew through leasing or buying more space. The first proper Temple sanctum was consecrated in 1999. The Temple leadership took advantage of the recession to buy much of the remaining space, and took complete control of the block by 2011.

The Lazy Steps themselves was a path through a garden, slowly twisting one way to another almost like a slow river flowing in reverse up a gentle incline before disappearing into a bamboo forest. Just before the stair disappear out of sight, a small flat area had been located, with swirling patterns made of tiles to look like a whirlpool.

((The idea and many of the details of the Four Dragon Paths were developed by ShadowRyuu.))

[[Category:Faction]]

Four Dragon Paths - Revision history

Cinero: Created page with "Faction Area of Operations: Earth Allies: R3M Rivals: no data Enemies: Brotherhood of the Shroud; Swarmkin The Order of the Four Dragon Paths..."

Cinero: Created page with "Faction
Area of Operations: Earth
Allies: R3M
Rivals: no data
Enemies: Brotherhood of the Shroud; Swarmkin The Order of the Four Dragon Paths..."