Murim is held together by custom, oath, and fear — and at the center of this web are the Eight Great Sects. Each commands disciples, territories, alliances, and secrets. They are the dynasties within dynasties, shaping the fates of kingdoms and the paths of wanderers alike. To understand Murim is to understand these sects, for they are the pillars upon which the martial world rests.
History: Rooted in Buddhist tradition, the Shaolin Sect claims to be the oldest martial order in Murim. Its monks rose during ages of war, blending meditation with martial arts to defend their temple and preserve their faith. Kings and emperors alike have called on Shaolin to bless their reigns.
Territory: Shaolin Temple, a sprawling mountain monastery, surrounded by forests and stone pagodas filled with sutras and training halls.
Culture: Discipline, brotherhood, and humility. The monks shave their heads, wear simple robes, and live by strict vows of poverty and restraint. Their training is grueling, emphasizing both spiritual enlightenment and physical mastery.
Influence: Respected as the moral compass of Murim, though often accused of hypocrisy by rivals. When Shaolin declares someone righteous or heretical, the rest of Murim listens.
History: Founded by the Taoist sage Zhang Sanfeng, Wudang rose as a counterbalance to Shaolin’s discipline. Where Shaolin taught strength and endurance, Wudang taught flow and balance. Their influence spread rapidly during the Ming Dynasty, becoming known as a sanctuary for scholars and warriors alike.
Territory: Wudang Mountain, a mist-shrouded range of sacred peaks with Taoist temples perched on ridges. Disciples train in secluded courtyards, practicing Taiji forms beneath ancient pines.
Culture: Wudang emphasizes stillness, meditation, and the balance of Yin and Yang. Their martial forms flow like water, turning force against itself. They cultivate both inner Qi and outer serenity, living as ascetics and philosophers.
Influence: Wudang is revered for its wisdom and respected as a mediator in Murim disputes. When blood feuds spiral, Wudang elders are often summoned to arbitrate.
History: The Emei Sect began as a Taoist-Buddhist fusion order on Mount Emei, but over time became exclusively female. Legends tell of women who fled war and oppression, finding sanctuary in the mountains, where they honed their blades to defend themselves and their sisters.
Territory: Mount Emei, a peak of clouds and waterfalls, where graceful temples cling to the cliffs.
Culture: Emei disciples combine spiritual cultivation with martial grace. They practice elegance in every strike, their swordplay as fluid as dance, their meditation steeped in compassion. Yet beneath their serenity lies steel; they are merciless against oppressors.
Influence: Respected for their purity and feared for their blades. Many noble families send daughters to Emei for protection or training, giving the sect vast networks of influence.
History: The Tangmen trace their lineage to a clan exiled from imperial favor. Denied status, they turned to shadows, mastering poisons, hidden weapons, and assassination arts. Over centuries, they became unrivaled in secrecy and inevitability.
Territory: Deep valleys of Sichuan, where Tangmen estates hide in misty bamboo forests. Their compounds are filled with hidden traps, venom labs, and silent training halls.
Culture: Secrecy, loyalty, and ruthlessness. Tangmen disciples are raised to value silence over words, poisons over brute force. Their honor is survival; their word is death.
Influence: Feared above all. No sect dares insult Tangmen lightly, for even sect leaders have fallen to their needles. In politics, their neutrality is bought with blood or gold.
History: Born from outcasts, heretics, and those rejected by the great sects, the Wanderer’s Valley thrives on chaos. Its founder, a diviner, foresaw his death and vowed to create a sect that rejected heaven itself. Since then, it has been the haven of criminals, demonic cultivators, and rebels.
Territory: Hidden valleys where no maps reach, shrouded by mist and guarded by beasts.
Culture: Amoral, individualistic, yet bound by shared exile. Disciples cultivate forbidden Qi, often trading health and sanity for power. Loyalty is fleeting, but within their valley, even the outcast finds belonging.
Influence: Feared and reviled, yet strangely alluring. When wars rage, ambitious warlords often seek Wanderer’s Valley mercenaries. Their presence poisons Murim like a shadow no one can banish.
History: Founded by poets and philosophers disillusioned with the corruption of officials, the Scholar’s Academy blended art with cultivation. They proved that beauty itself could be a weapon, and intellect as sharp as any blade.
Territory: Vast academies with libraries, calligraphy halls, and gardens where disciples practice music, painting, and weiqi under flowing pavilions.
Culture: Art, refinement, and philosophy. Disciples treat martial practice as an extension of culture — calligraphy strokes become sword strikes, music notes become waves of Qi. They view themselves as enlightened guardians of civilization.
Influence: Admired by nobles and scholars, dismissed as “frivolous” by warriors, but feared nonetheless — for their cultural influence often sways kings.
History: Formed as an elite corps to enforce the Emperor’s will, the Royal Guards blend martial might with intelligence gathering. Feared more than loved, they root out corruption — but also silence dissent, often crushing sects that oppose imperial authority.
Territory: Secretive compounds within the capital, and shadow networks stretching across the empire.
Culture: Ruthless efficiency, loyalty to the throne above all. Disciples are trained in obedience, secrecy, and the art of swift execution. They wear plain armor but carry imperial seals that command obedience.
Influence: Both respected and hated. They are the empire’s hand in Murim, reminding sects that no one is above imperial will. Yet many whisper that the Guards themselves are corrupt.
History: The largest and most unorthodox of the sects, the Beggar’s Sect unites wanderers, outcasts, and common folk under loyalty and justice. Though mocked for their ragged clothes and drunken ways, they have toppled armies with sheer numbers and unmatched martial arts.
Territory: No central mountain. Their strength lies in numbers — beggars in every city, inn, and marketplace serve as their eyes and ears.
Culture: Brotherhood, loyalty, and defiance of arrogance. Disciples wield staves and drunken fist styles, blending chaos with genius. Though poor in wealth, they are rich in spirit.
Influence: They are Murim’s network. No secret stays hidden from their eyes, no plot can move without their whispers. Many fear their power, for an enemy of the Beggars has no place to hide.
The Eight Sects are not equal, nor are they at peace. Rivalries, alliances, and grudges define Murim politics:
Shaolin and Wudang vie for moral leadership.
Emei and Tangmen clash — serenity versus poison.
The Royal Guards and Beggars’ Sect are eternal enemies, one enforcing imperial authority, the other defending the people.
Scholar’s Academy is courted by all, feared for its influence.
Wanderer’s Valley wages its silent war against heaven itself, reviled yet always present.
Together, these sects form the backbone of Murim. Without them, the martial world would collapse into chaos; with them, it is a chessboard where every move shifts the fate of kingdoms.