Since I'm waiting to go pick up my paycheck...
Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 4:52 pm
I dug something up out of Ye Olde Black Binder of Chaos. It was the original writeup I did on the Chuken.
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CHUKEN
The Chuken are an ancient sect of mystical warriors, reclusive and secretive. They believe in achieving inner peace and enlightenment through the practice of martial arts and the exploration of mystical psychic powers. Based upon the Buddist monks of Asia and the Shao Lin temple monks, they are highly trained warriors with nearly magical abilities because of their psychic powers.
The core goal of the Chuken is to achieve true enlightenment and come to a total understanding of self, and they pursue this goal on two fronts, which form the core of the Chuken ability. They are both warriors and Psionicists, but their psionic powers are only used to enhance their physical abilities. Their powers are basicly metaphysical in nature, the use of psionic power to boost speed, increase strength, quicken reflexes, and so on, but old and experienced Chuken develop powers and abilities that expand beyond this base, as their wisdom increases and their understanding of themselves and their abilities grow.
Only those with the spark to use psychic powers can be a Chuken, since their powers form the backbone of their entire existence. The Chuken can teach non-psychics some of their fighting arts, but they are very simple forms that don't rely on their powers.
There are ten levels of mastery of Chuken, each level called a ki, as well as the Neophytes, those still in the basic training before they are accepted into the order. Each level of mastery indicates that the Chuken has mastered various powers and abilities, and has proved mastery of his fighting art acceptable to the Council of Masters of that rank. Only Masters of the Council can advance to the next level, when they again become pupils of the Masters of their new rank. At any time, there are only nine Masters of the Council of any rank. When one Master graduates to the next level, a replacement is appointed by means of trials and competitions among those in the rank. The victor earns a spot on the Council and may then test to graduate to the next rank. There is an exception to this, however, which is the seventh rank. The Council of Masters of the seventh rank can only hold that position for ten years, and if they do not pass to the eighth rank, they relinquish their seats and cannot compete to hold a seat on the Council for five years.
Neophytes train for a minimum of five years before they are allowed to test to enter the first rank. Each Neophyte is permitted five attempts to pass the test to enter the order, and can only test once a year. Those who fail are expelled from the order.
Chuken testing to gain the next rank may only do so once a year, but have unlimited attempts to do so.
The core of Chuken is the understanding that there must be balance in all things. As Chuken gain power, they also sacrifice, maintaining balance. For every rank a Chuken attains, they sacrifice something of themselves in return. This sacrifice is chosen by the Chuken, but must be something of importance, be it their hair, or their favorite food, and so on. However, three ranks have sacrifices that are mandatory.
The first rank of Chuken sacrifice their liberty and devote themselves to the order. Being a Chuken is a life-long commitment.
The fifth rank of Chuken sacrifice their voices, representing the loss of communication with the outside world in return for developing powers outside of the physical role. All Chuken of the fifth rank or higher are mute, though many develop psionic abilities that allow them to communicate with their brethren.
The eighth rank of Chuken sacrifice something more esoteric than other ranks, for they are entering the upper echelons of the order, becoming true Masters. These Chuken sacrifice self, giving themselves to the order, becoming the guides that help those below them attain true enlightment. It is a commitment to be a mentor, teacher, guide, and spiritual leader, for the remainder of their lives. Because of this tremendous commitment, very few Chuken manage to pass the test of the seventh ki and become a Master. Most Chuken aspire to the tenth rank but only achieve the seventh rank, which is considered the level of enlightenment and inner peace. Among the Chuken, it's no crime or sin to reach the seventh rank and fail to go any further. Those beyond the seventh rank are the true masters, the sensei that help guide and nurture those seeking true enlightenment, pure inner peace, and absolute mastery of self.
Though there is no limit on how many Chuken can be in the eighth or ninth ranks, there is rarely more than ten. There is usually only one or two Chuken of the tenth rank, and they are usually very, very old.
There are no Councils and tests once once reaches the eighth rank. From there, progress is entirely personal and internal, and the next rank is achieved through self-discovery and meditation. When one of the eighth rank achieves the ninth rank, the marking scar of success simply appears on his body.
Ranks of Chuken are easily identifiable, for every Chuken has a gold-filled scar somewhere on his or her body for each level of rank attained. These scars will be similar to each other and symmetrical, but where they are and how they appear is solely the desire of the Chuken who wears it.
Starting at the fifth rank, Chuken begin to expand their psionic powers outside the scope of physical enhancement. These tertiary abilities are dependent on the mind and personality of the Chuken, and are wildly varied. Very rarely, some fifth rank Chuken develop multiple extra abilities, while most others develop only one or two. Chuken can continue to expand their abilities as they train, or they may not.
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Since I'll probably be starting on The Shattered Rainbow after I finish Demon's Bane, figured you might like to know a little more about the Chuken.
-----
CHUKEN
The Chuken are an ancient sect of mystical warriors, reclusive and secretive. They believe in achieving inner peace and enlightenment through the practice of martial arts and the exploration of mystical psychic powers. Based upon the Buddist monks of Asia and the Shao Lin temple monks, they are highly trained warriors with nearly magical abilities because of their psychic powers.
The core goal of the Chuken is to achieve true enlightenment and come to a total understanding of self, and they pursue this goal on two fronts, which form the core of the Chuken ability. They are both warriors and Psionicists, but their psionic powers are only used to enhance their physical abilities. Their powers are basicly metaphysical in nature, the use of psionic power to boost speed, increase strength, quicken reflexes, and so on, but old and experienced Chuken develop powers and abilities that expand beyond this base, as their wisdom increases and their understanding of themselves and their abilities grow.
Only those with the spark to use psychic powers can be a Chuken, since their powers form the backbone of their entire existence. The Chuken can teach non-psychics some of their fighting arts, but they are very simple forms that don't rely on their powers.
There are ten levels of mastery of Chuken, each level called a ki, as well as the Neophytes, those still in the basic training before they are accepted into the order. Each level of mastery indicates that the Chuken has mastered various powers and abilities, and has proved mastery of his fighting art acceptable to the Council of Masters of that rank. Only Masters of the Council can advance to the next level, when they again become pupils of the Masters of their new rank. At any time, there are only nine Masters of the Council of any rank. When one Master graduates to the next level, a replacement is appointed by means of trials and competitions among those in the rank. The victor earns a spot on the Council and may then test to graduate to the next rank. There is an exception to this, however, which is the seventh rank. The Council of Masters of the seventh rank can only hold that position for ten years, and if they do not pass to the eighth rank, they relinquish their seats and cannot compete to hold a seat on the Council for five years.
Neophytes train for a minimum of five years before they are allowed to test to enter the first rank. Each Neophyte is permitted five attempts to pass the test to enter the order, and can only test once a year. Those who fail are expelled from the order.
Chuken testing to gain the next rank may only do so once a year, but have unlimited attempts to do so.
The core of Chuken is the understanding that there must be balance in all things. As Chuken gain power, they also sacrifice, maintaining balance. For every rank a Chuken attains, they sacrifice something of themselves in return. This sacrifice is chosen by the Chuken, but must be something of importance, be it their hair, or their favorite food, and so on. However, three ranks have sacrifices that are mandatory.
The first rank of Chuken sacrifice their liberty and devote themselves to the order. Being a Chuken is a life-long commitment.
The fifth rank of Chuken sacrifice their voices, representing the loss of communication with the outside world in return for developing powers outside of the physical role. All Chuken of the fifth rank or higher are mute, though many develop psionic abilities that allow them to communicate with their brethren.
The eighth rank of Chuken sacrifice something more esoteric than other ranks, for they are entering the upper echelons of the order, becoming true Masters. These Chuken sacrifice self, giving themselves to the order, becoming the guides that help those below them attain true enlightment. It is a commitment to be a mentor, teacher, guide, and spiritual leader, for the remainder of their lives. Because of this tremendous commitment, very few Chuken manage to pass the test of the seventh ki and become a Master. Most Chuken aspire to the tenth rank but only achieve the seventh rank, which is considered the level of enlightenment and inner peace. Among the Chuken, it's no crime or sin to reach the seventh rank and fail to go any further. Those beyond the seventh rank are the true masters, the sensei that help guide and nurture those seeking true enlightenment, pure inner peace, and absolute mastery of self.
Though there is no limit on how many Chuken can be in the eighth or ninth ranks, there is rarely more than ten. There is usually only one or two Chuken of the tenth rank, and they are usually very, very old.
There are no Councils and tests once once reaches the eighth rank. From there, progress is entirely personal and internal, and the next rank is achieved through self-discovery and meditation. When one of the eighth rank achieves the ninth rank, the marking scar of success simply appears on his body.
Ranks of Chuken are easily identifiable, for every Chuken has a gold-filled scar somewhere on his or her body for each level of rank attained. These scars will be similar to each other and symmetrical, but where they are and how they appear is solely the desire of the Chuken who wears it.
Starting at the fifth rank, Chuken begin to expand their psionic powers outside the scope of physical enhancement. These tertiary abilities are dependent on the mind and personality of the Chuken, and are wildly varied. Very rarely, some fifth rank Chuken develop multiple extra abilities, while most others develop only one or two. Chuken can continue to expand their abilities as they train, or they may not.
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Since I'll probably be starting on The Shattered Rainbow after I finish Demon's Bane, figured you might like to know a little more about the Chuken.
become a god or something...(guessing about a story that hasn't even started yet, god how much of an addict to fel's writings are we?)
