Floating Blade
36
The famous Floating Blade of Shin Lu is one of a
matched pair of swords, forged on the day of the two
half-brothers, (Shin Lu and Shin Ginsen) birth. The
second sword is known as the Shimmering Blade of
Shin Ginsen. Both weapons are longswords +3 in the
butterfly-tipped Shou style, and have the following
powers: vorpal blade, luck blade, illusion and charm
3x per day. However, in the presence of the matching
blade, the swords become mere +3 blades, unable to
tap into their greater powers. The two blades are currently
on display in the respective capitols of Shou
and T?u Lung. The Floating Blade?s alignment is G/L,
the Shimmering Blade?s is E/L.

The Book of Heaven
This massive four volume work, written by the sage

Lao Chin-Mao, is a collection of rituals, customs, and
edicts on how to live. It is the single most influential
work in the voluminous literature of Shou Lung. The
Book of Heaven postulates the concept of li, or the correct
way of doing things. Chin Mao believed that in all
things, the proper man should attempt to achieve lin,
following a pattern of complex rituals which defined
this state. Things which do not achieve lin are things
which should not be done. Acts which encompass
honor, truthfulness, nobility and sacrifice in the name
of the ancestors are considered to have great li. A passage
from the Book illustrates this well:

    The wise man knows that Heaven smiles upon
    that which is li. As Heaven is the source of all
    right, if you are with li, you will have the favor
    of heaven.

The principle of li is best illustrated by the following
tale: The great general Po Wan once refused to attack
his enemies while they struggled to prepare for battle.
Instead, he allowed the opposing army to form itself
into readiness before starting his own attack. He was,
of course, soundly defeated. When his aides berated
him for his foolishness, he replied, ?The strong does
not unfairly crush the weak, nor attack his enemy
when he is unprepared.? General Po Wan?s enemy was
so impressed by this show of li, that he summarily
released the old general and had him escorted back to
his home city.

The Histories
The Histories (or Shichi Hsi) are one of the classics
which must be read by any scholar hoping to pass his
examinations. They are a compendium of events and
legends compiled by Wei Tsao Te, the Court Historian
of the Kao Dynasty.
(Within the Histories, you will find an adequate
enough record of Shou Lung. But you should be
aware that the Histories suffer from constant rewriting
as successive dynasties sought to hide or change
facts to put themselves in a more favorable light.
Much of the Histories is either vague, untrue, or sheer
fantasy, such as the accounts of my home, the Impossible
Palace. ? Mei Lung)
(The Official accounts of the Histories are based on
the historical timeline published in OA3, Ochimo, the
Spirit Warrior. DMs should be aware that the Histories
are flawed, and that there are numerous events
and background stories not commonly known to most
Shou.)

The Ivory Chain of Pao
Known as the Demon Binder, the chain is a three
meter length of finely linked ivory, each link a carved
image of a man holding hands with the next man in
line. The chain has the ability to bind any spirit to its
service until one of the links is broken. When the spirit
is freed, the chain magically reforges itself into a single
length again.
The Demon Binder has been lost since the time of
the Hai Dynasty, when it was carried by the Sixth
Emperor in his conquest of Wa. It is assumed to have
gone to the bottom of the sea, but rumor has it that
the gajin pilot Rourke brought it back to Shou Lung
with the authorities.

Shan Tien (Lightning)
Shan Tien (Lightning) is the name of the famous
spear of the hero Chung Hsin Te, who later passed it to
the hands of the hero-emperor Tan Chin. (Lightning is
considered to be a +4 artifact-level weapon, with the
following powers; teleportation 3x per day, break any
weapon 3x per day, heal 1x per day. The spear?s alignment
is G/L.) When Tan Chin became ensorcelled by
the charms of Meilan, he was unable to use the spear.
During the destruction of the First Kingdom, it was
stolen from the Library of Kuo Meilan and has been
missing ever since.

Stone Knights of Shih
Under the great dead city of Kuo Meilan, there lies a
marvelous cavern. Within this vast space stand 10,000
men and horses, armored in the livery and weapons
of the great Li Dynasty, frozen in stone. Legend has it
that upon the destruction of Kuo Meilan, 10,000 of the
Emperor Tan Chin?s finest knights came to him, begging
a way to serve him in the Empire?s hour of need.
Using the Mirror of Shih, which turns life to stone and
stone to life, he turned them to statues, telling them;
?Remember! When the Empire has greatest need of
you, you will be ready to serve it well. For in this way,
you will be eternally vigilant, eternally ready!?
(If revived each of the fabled Knights of Shih is a
10th level samurai, armored in full banded mail and
carrying longsword and pike. Each knight is riding a
fully barded warhorse. The knights can be brought to
life only with the magic Jade Mirror of Shih, which
has been missing since the fall of the Li Dynasty.)

Shen Shou (1572-1832)
Founder of the ?sky to ground? pen school, the
work of this famous painter is the model for most other
styles in the Empire. There are 20 well-known pieces
of his work, most in the Imperial Palace Galleries;
however, there are at least seven missing works
which collectors have sought for many years. The
most famous of these is Lady Mei Ling Contemplates
the Stream, worth an estimated 10,000 ch?ien.