WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE: THE FRONTIER

Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate is set in the world of Qi Xien, and here there is a great empire with a vast bureaucracy as one might expect from a wuxia-style setting. However the focus of the game, where we anticipate most people will set their campaigns, is a place called the Banyan Region, a frontier inhabited by native peoples, with pockets of land under the control of local magnates. 

A frontier setting is quite conducive to adventure and a good fit for the wuxia genre. The Banyan is a locale where many of the major martial sects have their headquarters and are safely away from the reach of the emperor. Bandits, warlords and powerful martial arts masters terrify the locals but there are also heroes here who protect the weak from the strong. 

The Banyan is densely forested land, cut through by jagged mountains and plunging ravines. Native tribes live in defensible cliff-side villages accessible only by narrow trails and farmers work the land for local magnates. Travelers face many threats from thieves to mountain tribes led by shape-shifting Demon Shamans. While local magnates provide oasis of safety, the martial sects help establish a kind of balance by preventing any one magnate from amassing too much power. 

The frontier is also a world of martial heroes and warring sects. Away from the emperor's grip, the different martial organizations have free reign in the Banyan and their experts often find work in the service of magnates. Some simply choose to roam, searching for worthy opponents to defeat. 

The martial sects were once united against the emperor, but now they've turned inward in the Banyan. Their bloody feuds spill across the rivers and grottoes of the frontier, as they settle ancient grudges. 

For me, this is a perfect setting for a wuxia campaign. So we've devoted a good chunk of the book to describing the Banyan. We do describe other places in the setting too, this just gets a lot more focus and attention. If Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate does well, we will follow up with PDFs describing places like the Empire and Hai'an.