Peek #12 into the lore with Ken Johnston and Steve Altman

Day 4 - The League of Beggars

Welcome back, my young student. So, you returned to hear the story of the beggars, did you? I am glad.

So far this week, I have told you about three of the six clans, Shaolin, Heavenly Demon and Sacred Flower. I hope that I have impressed on you how much we care about this game and how much love that has gone into getting all the details right. Today's focus should be a good example of our attention to detail because we have replicated as best as we can the methods in which people were recruited into the clan.

Since they know that they are not equal to men in terms of sheer strength and power, the Sacred Flowers' fighting style is very fluid and fast, relying on seduction, deception and misdirection to overcome their enemies.

In ancient China, The League of Beggars was the largest clan by a wide margin. That was because a) there were a lot of beggars, and b) they had very easy entry criteria! Keeping to our desire for authenticity, we have made this clan easy to join, but only once you have found the right people to ask. With every clan in the game, you need to do a lot of exploring and talking to people to find out who knows what. There are no shops with "join here" signs hanging up outside them. You need to find the person or people that recruit members for the clan, then win them over so that they will invite you to join. In the case of The League, there are many people who recruit because there are so many beggars.

So, now that you know that they are not too fussy about who joins them, that leaves the question - "Why would I want to?" Well, as their recruiting people would say, The Leagues of Beggars is a truly worthy clan. Although the members are poor, dirty and shabby, they are rich in spirit. They support those who cannot support themselves. And if there is a little of the "robbing from the rich" mentality, well what's wrong with that?

It is an organization of vagabonds. The fact that its disciples wear the same ragged clothes as common beggars allows them to camouflage themselves perfectly by not standing out. And their large numbers makes them the eyes and ears of the White Clan alliance. If you want to know what is going on, ask a beggar. Not only do they listen, but they have the time to talk too.

Legend has it that the origin of The League goes back to a wandering hermit named Yi Metal Staff. He was a follower of Confucius, and earned his living by spreading the word while banging two boxes together. He developed his own style of kung fu as a monk, and as a beggar, this fighting style suited his lifestyle. It is called Drunken Monkey, and you can guess how it originated. Alcohol has a major part to play in the correct execution of the moves, and this is incorporated into the game.

Yi Metal Staff gathered many beggars and taught them his kung fu. He also instilled a strong code of ethics into them, the most famous bits of which are never beg from someone who has less than you, never wear new clothes, and do not be envious of other people's wealth. Oh, and by the way, you have to give up all your personal wealth when you join the clan.

But the main reason to join is to learn Drunken Monkey kung fu and how to fight with the staff. These two abilities alone put the beggars in a league of their own. When you add that to their huge network of spies and informers plus their vast resources, you get a clan that demands serious respect.

So, young fighter, did that help you in deciding where your future lies? Still, before your final decision, await the morning. There you may see something you like better as I tell you of the masters of swords and the brothers of thieves.