(Copied from the game manual)
HISTORY: It has been many long years since the Great Struggle when the Dragon Master ravaged the world of ancient China. This mythical land of bamboo and lotus had for generations known secrets of spirit and energy. It was populated by many Clans, extended families living with one another. The Clans lived in harmony, each valued by the others for its wisdom, respected for its strenght and forgiven for its weaknesses. Many of the Clans had developed styles of Kung-Fu, an ancient martial art of mental skill and physical dexterity used for defence and to promote agility. Each style of Kung-Fu established by the Clans had its own unique strenghts and weaknesses, but to combine and master each of these different styles is to create unmatched strenght, with no limit to the master´s spiritual growth and physical power. It was required that each master prove himself by conquering a test of skills known only as the Shadow Gauntlet.
CLANS: Dragon Clan: The Dragons were once proud and mighty, feared for their power and magic, but infighting caused their destruction and left the Dragon Master its sole survivor. An old and shrewd creature, his thirst for power fuelled his ambition to destroy the other Clans and assume power over them all. With the help of his army of Snake warriors, the Dragon Master is attempting to build a new Dragon Clan using the Chi Power of the defeated foes. His evil plans rely on the secrets of Kung-Fu locked within the Forbidden Palace he now calls his home.
Snake Clan: Despised for their guile and deception, the Snakes were themselves seduced by the offer of newfound power at the Dragon Master´s side. They have assumed the role of his serpent army, using their stealth and lethal fighting skills to keep the other Clans under the Dragon´s heel. The Snakes aspire one day to be elevated to the level of Dragon by the Master´s evil magic.
Mantis Clan: From the Praying Mantis came patience and discipline, and this mystical Clan of warriors perished in the fight against the Dragons and the Snakes. Only SiFu, their wise master, remains to watch over the next generation of Mantis deep within their cavern home. Ghosts of the Dragon´s victims are rumoured to haunt the underground waterways of the Mantis Caves.
Leopard Clan: The Leopards are fierce warriors of the jungle known for their speed and incredible leaping abilities. They view a battle as an opportunity to prove their courage. Leopards prefer high perches that enable them to pounce down on enemies. The Leopards fought so hard against the Dragon Master and his minions that their clan has been nearly wiped out.
Monkey Clan: With their acrobatics and mischievous anticsm the Monjeys make everyone laugh. The Monkey´s humour allowed them never to be taken seriously enought to be considered a threat, and they were spared for the Dragon´s further amusement. Being social animals, Monekys love to drink and have parties. Their strength lies in their speed and flexibility which allows them to travel very quickly through the trees.
Crane Clan: In the Crane´s Clan there was beauty and spirit. Freedom was price of their vanity as their Master was captured by the Dragon and given as a prize to the Rat Pirate. The Cranes´ wisdom lies in accomplishments in the arts and their physical grace and agility.
Panda Clan: The Pandas are highly regarded teachers and scolars and the most peaceful of the Clans. Unselfish and gentle, the Pandas live a very simple lige aspiring only to attain wisdom and knowledge. Their Kung-Fu is purely defensive in nature, using the attacker´s own energy against him.
Boar Clan: The Boars have a history of being bullies, often working as bounty hunters or hired soldiers. They have formed an allience with the Dragon Master to terrorise the remaining clans. Boars revel in fighting, eating and getting rich. Their unabashed greed and crudeness is empowered by their brute strenght and strong armour.
Rat Clan: Rats are dirty scoundrels, thieves, and pirates. They horde anything that is valuable and live in filth. They attack mainly in packs due to their minimal size and strenght. They almost seem to resent the nobility of other creatures and therefore are willing subordinates in the Dragon Master´s quest for domination, for a price, of course.
Tiger Clan: The other Clans rallied to the strength and wisdom of the Tiger, whose prestige and influence spurred the Dragon´s demand for their extinction. Feared by the Dragon as his greatest enemy, they were all hunted down and destroyed.
CHARACTERS: T´ai Fu: Orphaned as an infant with no recollection of his family or Clan, T´ai Fu was raised by the gentle, spiritual Panda Clan. He grew up learning the physical arts of defence as well as a strong connection and responsibility to others. But he is still a teenager. He´s got a full-grown tiger´s body and the attitude of a rebel. He is a "bad-ass" with a fierce attutude, a guy who can fight his way out of any situation, and like most tigers, T´ai is solitary, stealthy, majestic, and completely deadly. He is a talented but undisiplined student of Kung-Fu, wanting to cut cornors to get to his goals rather than learn the lessons that a Master will provide. He usually trusts his physical power and his tiger strength to get him out of bad situations. He´s got a smart mouth that sometimes brings the wrath of his superiors down on his head, but deep down, T´ai is a good kid. He embodies resourcefulness, tireless endurance, and the unyielding will to win. He fights for what is right and has a tendency to help out the used and abused. T´ai swells with pride of his Clan heritage and intends on revenge for their losses.
Lo Ping, the Panda Monk: Lo Ping has been T´ai´s mentor while growing up in the Panda Temple. He has been responsible for T´ai´s training, both mental and physical. He is a gentle instructor, quick to laugh both with you and at you. The Panda Monk has encouraged T´ai to find his place in the world and fulfill his destiny.
SiFu, the Mantis Master: A lengendary figure rumoured to have mystical powers, SiFu offers his many years of experience and wisdom to the young Tiger. Not only does he give the gift of a personal background to T´ai, but the Mantis Master also provides a context of Clan history so that T´ai can understand all theat has gone on before. SiFu is so wise and learned with such strong Chi, that T´ai is well served by following his advice. The ancient Kung-Fu master teaches T´ai to use the powerful strength of Chi to augment his fighting skills.
Leopard Master: The Leopard Master is a warrior king. He has seen his share of battles, but shows a willingness to think before fighting which sets him apart from most Leopards. The Leopard Master is willing to give T´ai a chance to prove himself due to T´ai´s resemblance to his father, the Tiger Master.
Lotus, the Leopard Princess: Initially the Princess has little respect for T´ai. She considers him to be an insolent tresspasser who should be quickly ejected. Being the very feisty and arrogant daughter of the Master of the Leopard Clan, she´s used to having her wishes obeyed.
Monkey Master: Often mistaken for a fool, the Monkey Master is actually a very wise and discerning leader. Monkeys are simply fun-loving and gregarious, as is the Monkey Master. He is able to trick those who don´t see beyond his antics into underestimating him.
Rat Pirate: Well fed and warm on his pirate shio, the Rat Pirate lazes about demanding food, drinks and entertainment. He has no scruples and is happy serving the Dragon Master. His powerful allience has given the Rat Clan prestige that they never would have achived on their own.
Fei Lu, the Crane Master: A simple and pure creature, the Crane Master is known for her artistic achievement and beauty. She stands on slender legs and is adorned only by the majestic beauty of her grand wings. Her looks have become a curse, however, because she has been caged for the pleasure of the Rat Pirate.
Lau Fu, the Tiger Spirit: An ethereal creature that appears almost as though in a dream. The Tiger Spirit knows the whole truth about the Tiger Clan.
Dragon Master: The last of the Dragons, the Dragon Master has begun rebuilding his clan by turning Snakes into Dragon warriors. He has conquered many of the Clans and the others he has enslaved. It is in his nature to be ambitious and seek power, and these drives have turned evil. The Dragon Master has ancient knowledge of the workings of Chi and migic forces. He has become an even more powerful wizard by conquering the other Clans, having stolen their knowledge of Kung-Fu and their Chi, their very life force.
ENEMIES: Striker Python: The Striker can often be foundresting lazily in a warm sunbeam, but once awakened, he relies on a lightning fast head-strike and a tail-swipe as his weapons. A quiet passerby can avoid a sleeping Striker.
Bruiser Python: The muscle-bound cousin to the speedy Striker, the slower-movin Bruiser uses brute force to send his opponents flying. Watch out for his Haymaker Combo as it usually ends in a nasty Knockdown Headbutt.
Leopard Guard: The Leopard Guards will defend their jungle fortress at all costs. Opponents who get within range of the Guards risk a takedown by the bone-crushing Leopard Pounce. If a Guard is forced into close combat, he will adopt an in-and-out boxing strategy punctuated with Leopard Style pressure strikes.
Leopard Captain: Elite watchmen of the upper areas of the Fortress, the Leopard Captains safeguard their Master and Princess Lotus. Faster and stronger than the Guards, a Leopard Captain devastates his enemies with the deadly Leaping Slam Fist.
Cobra Archer: Only an agile opponent can dodge the rain of arrows fired by the Cobra Archer, who cannot wait to pummel his prey with his Crossbow Combo.
Cobra Guard: The Cobra Guards form the Dragon Master´s personal quard detail. Armed with a long blade staff and a short temper, these snakes can make short work of any opponent who does not dodge the Spinning Staff Combo.
Shock Viper: Lurking in the waters of the underground caves, the Shock Vipes appear at first to be deadlu water hazard, but even an opponent on solid ground is not safe from this amphibious force. These aquatic snakes can do serious damage with their high voltage Tongue Lash attack and Head Fin stomp.
Mantis Warrior: With the Mantis Mater´s power of Chi at their disposal, these frozen statue warriors come to life to defend their lair from any intruder.
Stealth Viper: Hidden in the darkness of long shadows, the Stealth Viper surprises his opponents with the Shadow Dance and Venom Blast attacks.
Monkey Guard: These mischief-making monkeys welcome any visitor to their treetops with a barrage of spiked fruit and then they roll in for the Monkey Bounce attack.
Monkey Captain: The Monkey Captains pack quite a punch. After spinning in with a Clothesline Combo, the big apes then land the Monkey Flip Stomp and thump their chest with pride.
Crane Scout: The Crane Scouts are the first line of defence at the stilted harbor town. Hovering in from across the pier, the Scouts can cut any opponent open with their Slicing Wing combo.
Crane Captain: From afar or in close, the Crane Captain is both desirable and deadly. She can nail you with her Wing Blades from any distance. In Close combat, she can block repeated attacks before countering with the Sweeping Wing Combo.
Boar Grunt: Protected by plated armour and thick skin, the Boar Grunts wield their huge axes with lethal precision. When on a ledge above their opponents, their explosives also come in quite handy.
Boar Beast: Like a mad bull, the Boar Beast stampedes relentlessly at his target, aiming to skewer a fresh tiger on his sharp tusks and toss it overhead.
Cobra Captain: One of the Dragon Master´s failed attempts to transform the snakes into Dragons, the Cobra Captain is a terrble mutation. Powered by the element of lightning, these Snakes can appear out of thin air and unleash a furious Pressure Point Combo. |