Li Lung Fat

The Tattoo Artist

By Ouroboros

WARNING: For GMs' Eyes Only

Living in his tiny hovel on the edge of little Cathay, Li Lung Fat has earned a quiet reputation as a master of Inking flesh. Tattooing was an ancient form of art when the empire was still a squabbling mass of tribesmen. Li Lung has studied from many of the aged scrolls on the replication of the Anima Spirits.

Brought to Marienburg in the retinue of Hong Fu Chu (M:SdtR, pg. 123) they soon had a falling out and Li Lung Fat was stranded here, banished from the Embassy into Little Cathay. Reportedly to the Ambassador's chagrin, the master tattoo artist and physician opened a shop, joined the relevant guilds and became locally famous for his life-like works. The rich and affluent flock to his tiny workshop (he lives beneath in one of the many sub-basements) to turn a patch of their skin into the canvas for this master of the needle as well as for pain-killers, fever reducers and such. The use of pain killers (giant-leech spittle) while working has made him a favorite of the nobility who can't stand pain. It is a status symbol amongst warrior types to get a tattoo without the pain-killers.

Each session lasts 3 hours and he can do little else but run his shop and do one tattoo at a time, though offers from westerners to act as apprentices are rife. As yet he has accepted no one. Large tattoos take many, many sessions to complete and can be paid on an installment nature.

His shop is open from noon to midnight 6 days a week.

Costs are as follows:

Tattoo	Cost (Gu)	Time (Hours)
Simple symbol	2	.5
Simple line drawing	4	1
Complex Line drawing	10	2
Colored line drawing	20	5
Colored and shaded line drawing	30	10
Life like drawing	50	30
Modifiers
Size	Cost	Time
Small (coin-sized)	x1	x1
Medium (palm-sized) tattoo	x1.5	x1.5
Large (spread-hand-sized) tattoo	x2	x1.75
X-Large (dinner-plate-sized) tattoo	x3	x2
Skin Tapestry (entire back or chest) tattoo	x4	x5
Anesthetic
Add 1 Gu to each session if Fat applies anesthetic. The anesthetic lasts about 3 hours.

He specializes in the following tattoo symbols, which are supposed to confer special powers upon those who bear them. These tattoos are done in half the normal time and half cost because of his increase proficiency. Some people swear by them, bringing him under the scrutiny of the magic guild (which he has not joined). However, rather than any real spell-casting it has been found he practices an extremely 'primitive' Spirit mysticism, and the guild can not be bothered with it (it's not 'real' magic, after all...)

(Taken from the original Chinese calendar, these symbols have been Warhammer-ized for your protection)

Fat's Specialized Tattoos
Tattoo	Meaning
	Quick witted and intelligent, the Rat realizes strength often fails where cunning succeeds. Why fight when talking is so much more effective? Not popular amongst most Marienburgers, a tattoo of the Rat has become a favorite amongst cat-burglers and foot-pads.
	Steadfast and true, nothing can cause an Ox to break an oath. Slow to start, hard to stop once going, an Ox is not something to get in the way of.
	Courage, valor, warrior spirit, a Tiger tattoo shows the world the person's gallantry. Popular amongst Warriors and Marines.
	The rabbit is wise, lucky and fast. He knows teeth hurt, but escapes into the brush to find another opportunity to feast upon heather and grass. Popular amongst tradesmen, who get a small tattoo of a rabbit on their arm.
	The sign of mystery and magic, the dragon is a symbol of pure and unadulterated power. Popular amongst Wizard's apprentices and students.
	Snake is a bastion of knowledge, a finder of dark places and holder of their secrets. Silent and purposeful, Smugglers often identify their richest numbers by the sign of the snake.
	Obedient, cheerful, yet full of inner fire, the Horse is a symbol in vogue with the Lamplighters and Guardsmen of Marienburg.
	Sheep are peaceful, resourceful and calm, and yet the men of the western world can not bring themselves to tattoo one on themselves. Only two people, both Sheep-merchants, have gotten this tattoo.
	Life is too short to worry! Monkey embodies the supreme need to adventure, explore, and get a really good one tied on. Many bar-owners, performers and party-goers receive a Monkey.
	A sign of virility, fertility, duty and courage, Many of the aged in Marienburg have gotten small roosters placed in key locations to increase lifespan and... ahem... performance.
	Dog is a follower, but a loyal and trusted one. Unwavering and loved by all, Dog is a cure for a broken heart. Dog is a guardian and one of the other symbols chosen by the watch.
	Another warrior symbol, Norsemen are fond of the boar. Utterly fearless and prone to charging up spears to kill their murderers, Boars are respected, even by those that hunt them.

Character Profile

Li Lung Fat
Human (mutant) Artisan (ex-artisan apprentice, ex-demonologist 1, ex-alchemist 1, ex-achemist's apprentice, ex-physician, ex-physician's student)

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
3	25	26	2	2	8	40	1	70	52	65	49	59	51

Age: 39

Alignment: Chaotic (Tsin Tsien)

Magic Points: 10

Spells: Summon Corrupted Spirit (4 MP), Bind Corrupted Spirit (3 MP)

Skills: Art (Tattoo), Brewing, Cast Spells (Petty Magic, Daemonologist Level 1), Charm, Chemistry, Cure Disease, Etiquette, Evaluate, Heal Wounds, Magic Sense, Manufacture Drugs, Metallurgy, Prepare Poison, Read/Write (Cathayan, Classical, Magick), Scroll Lore, Speak Additional Language* (Classical, Old Worlder, Cathayan Magick) Surgery, Wit

Trappings: Alchemy/herbal medicine shop, Cathayan furniture and artwork, Daishi (a straight Cathayan sword with a small guard with a tassel [see picture below]), Dirk, Tattoo equipment, 1 small piece of warpstone (refined & powdered, hidden deep in a sub-sub-sub basement), Hidden Cathayan Corrupted Spirit scrolls, 2d100 Gu and sundry change

Mutations: Extremely Thin (-1 S, -1 T), Living Hair (+1 A at S0 when hair is 2' or longer, poison attack, currently shaved)

*Fat's native language is Cathayan

Charming in the extreme, this aged cathayan is rail thin and clean shaven. Even his head is religiously cut so that no hair is ever seen. Avuncular and sharp tongued, he can impress anyone who comes into his shop with his ability to put them at ease with a free cup of imported Ind tea.

Brought here, then distanced from his liege purposefully, he is the 'fall guy' for Chu. It is Fat who makes the contacts with the cities cults and should they be tortured, his is the name they will give up. He reports to Chu clandestinely and will die rather than betray him. He has been secretly experimenting with the Twisted Totems... instilling a piece of corrupted spirits into people through his work. Only those who get life-like tattoos of one of the totems are infected in this way.

Fat's Daishi

Warpdust is mixed in minute quantities to the ink (like 1 pinch per quart) to make it a conduit for his enchanting, the tattoo is both the summoning and the binding circle for the demon. He summons the spirit into the tattoo and binds it there where it corrupts the soul of the wearer (specific effects below) over time. The Magic is hidden by the wearer's own life force and can not be spotted easily (-40 to relevant tests).

After a year and a day, the Spirit can be brought forth to possess the person at Fat's call, turning them into a daemon resembling a were-creature of the spirit-type. The demon can then change into it's true form at will, but will retain the knowledge and memories of it's host. It can portray the personality of the person it mimics and take their form as well.

Fat has yet to summon forth a demon-spirit, but may to fill out a chaos cult for a special mission, or to take control of an important figure. I leave stats up to you, but they should conform to the standard rules for demons except instability (their body is their domain), and they can be hit by normal weapons (their domain mortal, after all).

The Corrupted Tattoos
Rat	Quick witted and greedy, the Corrupted Rat realizes strength often fails where cunning succeeds. Why fight when lying is so much more effective? +5 I, +5 Fel and +5 dex, The bearers of this taint become more and more greedy, manipulative and cruel over time.
Ox	Steadfast and true, nothing can cause an Ox to break an oath. The bearer will become stubborn, refusing to see what he/she does not want to as their oaths take precedent over all things. No oath will be broken for any reason, a good man will become a fanatic to his cause over time. Justice means nothing, only the letter of the law/oath. +5 WP, +1 T.
Tiger	Hunger and bloodshed will take over the bearer of this mark. Meat will be ordered less and less cooked. Quick to anger and fearsome when riled, the man-eater lives for the screams of the dying. +5 Ws +1 M.
Rabbit	The rabbit is prolific, mating with anything and full of insatiable hungers. The bearer of this mark begins a slow spiral into a world of sex, greed and opportunism. +10 to all risk tests or games of chance.
Dragon	The need for knowledge, no matter how forbidden or dangerous feeds this Taint. The symbol of mysticism most often creates the most powerful Spirit-demons for the mages that get them +1d4 MP, +1MP extra per level thereafter.
Snake	Snake is the darkness beneath marienburg, a spy and eater of young, the snake Tainted swallow their enemies whole without remorse. They become conniving planners, paranoid neurotics that constantly plan to bring down everything in their way. +5 WP, +5 Int, +5 Cl.
Horse	A wild colt that tramples children in the street, this symbol is vanity and willful. Unheeding of the advice of it's elders, the one's who bear this mark become more and more enamored with the wild spirit that beats inside them. They will become unmindful of their actions of others, absorbed in the power of their own primal essence. +5 Ws, +1 M.
Sheep	Sheep eat, and eat, laying waste to entire regions if they go unchecked. Sheep is the great consumer, needing to acquire everything in sight at any price. +5 Int, +1 W.
Monkey	Life is too short to worry about anything! Corrupted Monkey embodies the supreme need to avoid work, responsibility and care. The tainted become free-loaders and lay-abouts, concerned only with where the next party comes from. +5 Dex, +5 I, +5 Fel.
Rooster	Corrupted rooster needs to rule all he sees, and becomes enraged if denied. Roosters become very possessive of mates and material possessions and is the greediest symbol of all. +5 cl, +5 WP, cancels impotency or lack of self confidence.
Dog	Dog is a follower, only a follower. It does not matter if the orders are just, moral or ethical... only that they have been given and must be obeyed. Evil men may make much suffering with a few corrupted dogs. +10 WS when fighting in groups, +10 cl when fighting in groups, +10 WP when in groups.
Boar	Utterly fearless and prone to frenzy, only battle satisfies Boar. Highly territorial, no one touches anything that belongs to boar. +1 W, picks up Frenzied attack.

Claycle's Comments This is an excellent NPC write-up with some original, Lovecraftian, nuances. If you need some ideas for how to run spirits, check out my article on Familiars, which has some rules for spirits

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