Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus

Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus
File:Tao Feng - Fist of the Lotus Coverart.jpg
Developer(s)	Studio Gigante
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios
Designer	John Tobias, Joshua Tsui, David Michicich (creators) Chris Granner, Daniel Myer (music / sounds)
Engine
status	Status Missing
Release date	March 18, 2003
Genre	Fighting
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Age rating(s)	ESRB: Mature (M)
Platform(s)	Xbox
Arcade system	Arcade System Missing
Media
Input
Requirements
Credits | Soundtrack | Codes | Walkthrough

Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus is a video game for Xbox, created after John Tobias, Joshua Tsui and David Michicich left the Mortal Kombat series with Midway. It was released in 2003. As of 2008 it holds a 69% on Gamerankings.

The game's creator, John Tobias, praises the game as one of the most "brutal" and "realistic" fighting games ever created. The game incorporates realistic damage effects, including cuts, bruises, and ripped clothing. Additionally, Tao Feng is notable for its interactivity within the environments, such as destruction and using the surroundings to achieve special attacks.

Plot

Tao Feng takes place in Metro China, the largest population center in New China, a fictional country occupying the Pacific coast of North America. With Mexico to the south, Canada to the north, and the United States to the east, New China is a sovereign nation, independent from the People's Republic of China. The story is based upon years of conflict between two ancient Chinese sects: the Pale Lotus and the Black Mantis. The leader of the Pale Lotus has been known through the generations as the Master Sage, and for as long as there have been a Black Mantis sect, their leader has been called Wulong Goth.

The members of these sects have battled for centuries and now the fight has intensified over two tablets that contain riddles revealing the hiding places of the long lost treasures of the Pale Lotus temple. According to legend, these treasures may be used to bargain with the gods of immortality. One tablet, the Yang tablet, is rightfully still in the possession of the Pale Lotus. However, the Yin tablet was stolen by force and has fallen into the hands of the Black Mantis. Through use of the tablets, both sects hope to recover the lost treasures and achieve immortality. The Pale Lotus hope to defend truth and harmony, while the Black Mantis serve a much darker purpose.

Characters

Pale Lotus

• Master Sage -

Real Name: Lo Shu Height  : 5'6" Weight  : 145 lbs. Age  : 90

Master Sage incorporates Tai Chi in his fighting style, especially for his Chi Attacks. He is able to create a sphere of pure chi energy which can be launched toward his opponent. Lo Shu is unique among his generations of Master Sages who have come before him. He is the first to grow up in a new country and never experience living in Old China. He is the only Master Sage not to study and train in the company of other Pale Lotus members at Tai He Gong (the supreme Harmony Temple). Finally, at age 90 years old, he is the first Master Sage who has lived nearly his entire life without facing the Black Mantis sect. However, Lo Shu has decades ahead of him to carry on the fight. Despite his advanced age, his mastery of chi gives him the endurance, agility, and reflexes of a man one-third his age. Lo Shu is wise, patients, gentle in peace, strong in battle, and a grandfather figure to those who have joined his cause. Once his mind is set, the Master Sage doesn't falter or doubt. His role as protector of the new Pale Lotus is the most important thing in his life, and he would gladly sacrifice himself for any one of his comrades. Lo Shu's one fear, which he strives to hide from the others, is that he might fail them due to either lack of experience facing the Black Mantis or his lack of knowledge of the past. After all, everything that Lo Shu knows he learned from one mentor: Shihao. And though Shihao did his best to pass along all his wisdom, some Pale Lotus lore has inevitably been lost. Though he was born in old China, Lo Shu was an infant when the lack Mantis raided the Perfect Harmony Temple. Thus, he has no recollection of his father, his family, or his naive land. His earliest memories are of the fields, orchids and rice fields in New China where Shihao worked. Shihao never openly stated that they were in danger, but Lo Shu saw and mimicked the secretive habits of his foster father, learning to view every stranger with caution. When Lo Shu was eight, Shihao moved them to Metro-China where Lo Shu attended school during the day. But at night, he began an even more intense education. From Shihao, Lo Shu learned legends, myths, history, The Tao, and the martial arts of the Pale Lotus. As one of the last survivors of a hunted sect, Lo Shu understood that what he must never reveal what he was learning. Yet he felt the weight of a destiny that eluded him. When he heard the story of his parents' death, or Shihao's battle with Iron Monk, he felt as though he should rise up and take action. As he grew older and raised his family, he tried to set aside these feelings. He was respected for his knowledge of Feng Shui, he had five children, and his life seemed quiet and settled. But with each passing year, Lo Shu found himself questioning more and more whether he had followed the right path. Finally, he decided that he could remain silent no longer. In facing the Black Mantis, Lo Shu has found his true path and he will never veer from it. He has trained a new generation and returned the Pale Lotus to life. He is dedicated to winning the battle.

• Fiery Phoenix-

Real Name: Jiao Feng Height  : 5'11" Weight  : 180 lbs. Age  : 22

Fiery Phoenix is able to produce fire in wave that travel towards his opponents. When he runs and jumps he takes a phoenix-like pose. Jiao is a fierce and competent fighter, but has a tendency towards reckless behavior that he needs to overcome. He takes chances that he shouldn't, mainly to prove that he can handle everything. He has a big heart, a generous nature, a sly sense of humor, and he laughs easily. Jiao Feng still yearns for vengeance on the one who killed his parents: Exile. For generations, Jiao's family ran the Feng Packing Company from one of Metro-China's main piers. Long before the Fengs gave Shihao both a job and their friendship when he and Lo Shu first arrived in Metro-China. Lo Shu remained a close friend of the Feng family over the years and eventually Jin Feng (Jiao's father) consulted with Lo Shu to design a new headquarters along Feng Shui principles. The Feng's expansion did not sit well with Wulong Goth. He had been using the triads to drive out honest businesspeople along the pier so that his front company, Yan-Lo Corporation could acquire their properties cheaply. When Jin Feng refused to sellout, the Black Mantis torched his packing plant, and Exile murdered both Jin and his wife. He was about to kill Jiao when Lo Shu appeared, fought off Exile, and rescued the boy from the burning building. Jiao was only 14, an orphan with no inheritance. But during his many visits to the Fengs, Lo Shu had seen the potential in the boy who would follow him around like a shadow. And so, even though Jiao had relatives who would have cared for him, Lo Shu took Jiao in. He financed Jiao's education and secretly began training him in the ways of the Pale Lotus thinking that Jiao could very well be the one to become the next Master Sage. Jiao didn't understand why the training had to be done in such secrecy, but he never once thought of betraying Lo Shu's confidence in him. He was also delighted when first Aria, then Isis came to train with them. Jiao often visited and dined with the Chen family, and came to know Aria even more closely. He developed a hopeless crush on her and was disappointed when she didn't return the interest. The most he's been able to get from her so far is her sympathy and understanding for losing his parents. Thanks to Lo Shu's patronage, Jiao entered college, where he is studying for a business degree. He dreams of one day rebuilding his father's business.

• Fierce Tiger-

Real Name: Isis Williams Height  : 5'7" Weight  : 135 lbs. Age  : 23

Fierce Tiger generates her Chi Attacks from the claws on her hands and feet. When she swipes them toward her opponents, they emit streaks of energy that act as extensions of the blades. Isis is an independent, vivacious woman with a wicked sense of humor. Her mood can change quickly from aggressive to playful or vice versa. She is fiercely protective of those she cares about, but she also has a strong competitive streak, born of a lack of confidence in herself and her abilities. She likes to have the last word in an argument. Her movements are catlike: smooth and sinuous. She is fastidious about her appearance, perhaps even a touch vain. She grew up with a strange mother, three brothers and two sisters in a rough neighborhood. Isis is the "baby" of the family, something that annoys her no end. In her part of town, there are many gangs, both male and female, and it's hard to avoid being forced to join one of them. When she was young, she felt trapped by the cycle of violence around her. She developed an aggressive, challenging attitude, and became one of the leaders of a girl gang. Desperate to keep Isis from continuing down a troublesome path, Isis' mother decided to send her to a different high school. At the new high school, Isis continued to be a troublemaker. One day, Isis made the mistake of trying to shake down Aria. Aria's effortless ability to turn aside Isis' attacks both infuriated and fascinated the budding, but still impressionable, young gangster. Isis began to stalk Aria, trying to take her by surprise, but was never successful. Tiring of the game, Aria proposed they settle their differences with a single fight, with the loser required to submit to the winner's every whim. After Aria won easily, Isis gritted her teeth, wondering what sort of humiliating things Aria would make her do. Instead, to Isis's amazement, Aria demanded that the girl improve her grades, and train with Aria in secret. From that point on, Aria was dedicated to helping Isis. They did all their schoolwork together, and then spent hours training. With Aria's help, Isis became a good student and learned the methods of the Pale Lotus that Aria was learning from Lo Shu. The change in Isis was dramatic. Her entire outlook on life was forever changed. She was learning the Tao. Eventually, though, Lo Shu discovered Aria's clandestine arrangement. Aria broke the news to Isis, explaining that she had violated a vow of secrecy by sharing the knowledge, and that the training would have to stop. Isis refused to give up easily, insisting on meeting Lo Shu and having a chance to prove herself. Isis was a bundle of nerves during her first session with Lo Shu, and when they were done, she steeled herself for the worst. Instead, Lo Shu said that she was strong in the yin force, that she was perfectly suited to learning a tiger style of martial arts, and that he would take her on as a student. Isis was overjoyed, and happily joined Aria and Jiao in training under Lo Shu. With help from Lo Shu and Aria, Isis won a scholarship to Dai Fou University and plans to work toward the preservation of endangered big cats.

• Iron Monk-

Real Name: Damon Li Height  : 5'11" Weight  : 190 lbs. Age  : 22

Iron Monk uses his bladed ponytail to deliver Chi Attacks. During an attack, the blade surges with energy. Damon is a introvert, accustomed to keeping his month shut and his secrets hidden. He has lived his life under the constant threat of violence, and it has made him slow to trust others. He is wary, intensely aware of his environment, and never able to relax. Don't walk behind him when he isn't expecting you, as he will strike first and ask questions later. In spite of all of this, he is fundamentally good. He is deeply driven to prove himself, to overcome both his ancestry and the circumstances of his childhood. He is solemn, not given to smiling or laughing. He craves a sense of belonging, but has always felt like an outsider. To Damon, the acceptance offered by his fellow Pale Lotus members is like water to a man dying of thirst. Like so many other children, Damon was "sold" to a Black Mantis-controlled triad and forced into a life of petty crime. He learned to pickpockets, run drugs, and steal small items that could easily be sold. His life was a nightmare, but he didn't know any way out, as the Black Mantis are merciless toward those they consider their property. A boy who tries to break free ends up flowing face down off the pier, or with his neck broken by Exile. Damon's natural talents kept him alive in this brutal environment, and by age 17 he was an accomplished burglar. One night, he impulsively decided to see if an innocuous sanctuary had anything worth taking. Of course, it was Lo Shu's Neidan Sanctuary, where Damon received the shock of his young life: a seemingly ancient grandfather who tossed off his attacks with one hand as though they were nothing. Time and time again, Damon attacked hoping to discover the old man's trick, only to end up flat on his back. Lo Shu, sensing no evil in Damon, was careful not to really hurt the boy, but simply to teach him a lesson. But during the conflict, Damon's shirt was torn open, revealing the only thing he retained from his forgotten family: an ancient amulet which he ordinarily kept hidden. Lo Shu was stunned. He immediately recognized it as the amulet of Iron Monk, which Shihao had drawn for him to memorize. It could only mean the boy was a direct descendant of Shihao's Black Mantis foe. Damon decided he'd had enough and tried to escape, but Lo Shu flipped him flat on his back and demanded to know who the boy was, who he served and why he had come there. After some persuasion, Damon grudgingly told Lo Shu about his life. As he spoke, he could see the old man genuinely cared about his plight. It was the first time anyone had shown him that sort of kindness, and it touched something in Damon that he didn't know was there. Lo Shu made a bargain with Damon. In return for a vow of complete secrecy, Lo Shu offered to train him and teach him the truth of the Tao. Damon agreed without hesitation. He had found something he never had before: hope. With Lo Shu's help, Damon was able to turn away from the dark path that he had been forced down. Lo Shu introduced Damon to Metro-China detective Shen Zhen, and Damon embarked on a life even more dangerous than before. He remained inside the Black Mantis triad, feeding vital information to Zhen and Lo Shu, never suspecting Lo Shu was acting upon some of this information himself. About three years into his training, there came a night when Damon was given a new exercise that drew upon a particular aspect of his Chi. Student and teacher were equally astonished when this exercise triggered a dramatic change in Damon, transforming him into the Iron Monk. Startled by Damon's forbidding new visage, Lo Shu was reassured to find the inner Damon was unchanged. But the teacher had no choice but to tell Damon about his ancestry, a secret which Lo Shu had kept until that moment. Lo Shu worked with Damon until that boy could control the transformation, and warned him never to let the Black Mantis to see the change occur. Damon continued his role as a double-agent until the night Lo Shu revealed everything to them and established the new order of Pale Lotus. Damon now lives in the Neidan Sanctuary, totally dedicated to the honor the Master Sage has bestowed upon him. He is especially committed to ending the Black Mantis slave trade in children. The sight of a child being abused can send the otherwise tightly-controlled Iron Monk into a berserk rage.

• Jade Dragon-

Real Name: Aria Chen Height  : 5'7" Weight  : 130 lbs. Age  : 23

Jade Dragon harnesses her Yang energy to invoke a Dragon Spirit, which takes form and strikes at her opponents. Aria Chen is a remarkable young woman. She has always been single-minded, determined and fearless, and years of training with Lo Shu have made her a formidable fighter. But beyond that, she is the direct descendant of a line of Master Sages, and their power is alive in her; it makes her wise beyond years and Lo Shu is considering that maybe she should be the next Master Sage, even though she is female and traditionally it was forbidden for anyone other than a male blood relative to earn the title. She is more serious than most women her age, less concerned with the trivial matters of life, and more focused on what is essential. If anything, she is too serious, and that is the weakness that Lo Shu sees in Aria. She is so obsessed with being worthy of her role in the Pale Lotus, she doesn't let herself relax and enjoy life. Aria was about 11 when she realized there was something unusual about her great-grandfather. She loved visiting the Neidan Sanctuary where she intuitively picked up the principles of Feng Shui. Aria sensed there were secrets to learn, and she was deeply hurt when she discovered Lo Shu was teaching martial arts to Jiao without offering that same training to her. She made a fuss about it until she was allowed to train along with Jiao. From the moment she began learning the movements, she knew that she had found what she was born to do. Even before she began learning the way of the Pale Lotus, Aria was aware that there was danger all around. She knew that Shen Zhen, who she knew as Uncle Shen, stopped by more often than was necessary, and she sensed her father's constant fear. She became cautious and protective, especially after the events that brought Jiao Feng into their family as an orphan. Aria has always had a strong sense of right and wrong. It drove her to help Williams and, for a while, Aria toyed with the idea of joining the police force after high school. Instead she decided to take up the practice of Feng Shui and eventually carry on Lo Shu's consultation business. To that end, she attends Dai Fou University, where she studies architecture and engineering. Lo Shu tried to shield Aria from danger, but she is far too observant to be easily fooled. When her great-grandfather began disappearing at odd hours, she wondered what he was up to, once going so far as to follow him to a dangerous section of town before losing track of him. The more she heard from her Uncle Shen about a mysterious sorcerer who battle crime, the more she began to suspect Lo Shu. Torn between her loyalty to Lo Shu and her need to know more, she gave in to her burning curiosity. One night, she searched the Neidan Sanctuary and found the Book of the Pale Lotus. As she devoured its pages, everything she ever wondered about Lo Shu, and herself, became clear. Her path was revealed; she was the blood of the Pale Lotus. It is her destiny to be the protector of the helpless, and bringer of justice.

• Divine Fist-

Real Name: Shen Zhen Height : 6'0" Weight : 185 lbs Age : 34

Shen Zhen uses the Divine Fist Technique to strike opponents. Energy is taken in and then released as a pulse with the strike of a fist. Thanks to a strict upbringing within the secretive Eastern Sun sect, Shen Zhen is something very rare in Metro-China: a dedicated, honest, and utterly incorruptible police detective. He has a deep sense of honor and an even deeper sense of duty. Shen's awareness of duty and honor is heightened by the pain of betrayal he suffered at the hands of Divinity. Traditionally, Eastern Sun members marry within their own group and that is where Shen met Divinity at an early age. The two were naturally drawn to each other and their families thought a match was inevitable. But Divinity could not accept it when Shen entered the police force and once he began his training, she began to drift away due to Wulong Goth's tempting seductions. Realizing she still loved Shen, she gave him the ultimatum to give up his career or lose her. When he rejected her offer she was so spurned that she joined the Black Mantis and gave herself over totally to her new lover, Wulong Goth. It was the most painful betrayal Shen had ever experienced and one that he can never forget. Shen is a Buddhist, but instead of seeking enlightenment by denying the physical world, he chooses instead to remain a part of the world in order to combat evil and restore justice. He is idealistic, but his idealism is tempered by a sharp pragmatism. He is disturbed by the corruption he sees around him in the police force, as more and more of his fellow officers fall under the sway of Black Mantis. He has learned to watch his back and trust no one. But is spite of all the danger, he refuses to quit; he will fight corruption until his final breath. From the day he was born, Shen Zhen was inculcated with the beliefs and practices of the Eastern Sun, including the need for absolute secrecy outside the sect. He was also taught his family's history in detail, including the one blot upon the honor of their line: the loss of Shihao's Yin Tablet. From the Eastern Sun teaching, Shen had heard of both Shihao and Lo Shu, including the fact that Lo Shu was the son of the last known Master Sage of Pale Lotus. A brilliant student, Shen Zhen entered the police academy after high school. He went against his parents' wishes to do this, and they are still disappointed with the chosen path, despite his accomplishments. He was promoted to detective in record time, and has continued to advance rapidly within the department. Shen's troubles with family haven't improved. He has avoided starting a family of his own, partly because they would be in constant danger and partly because he has never fully recovered from being betrayed by the one woman who he did allow to love, Divinity. Shen's one bright spot has been the Chens. During the years Shen spent working undercover with Charles, he became very close to the whole family and their foster son, Jiao Feng. They took the place of the family he did not seem destined to have himself. In truth, Shen was surprised when Lo Shu asked him to help Charles Chen. Taken in by Lo Shu's mild demeanor, Shen wrote him off as a harmless old man, dismissing any thought that Lo Shu could be a powerful Master Sage, even when Shen began to hear rumors of an old sorcerer making life difficult for the Black Mantis. All became clear on one night, when Shen was drawn into an ambush laid by the Black Mantis. He was forced to use Eastern Sun training to survive, and was astonished to find himself fighting side by side with none other than Lo Shu! He wondered how he could have failed to realize that Lo Shu was the old sorcerer who was giving the Black Mantis such trouble. During the revelations that followed that night, Zhen broke his lifelong vow of secrecy, telling Lo Shu's pupils that he belonged to the Eastern Sun sect. Though he could not become a Pale Lotus himself, he found bound by honor to give his full allegiance to the new Pale Lotus, and his fate in now entwined with theirs. His greatest worry is not for Lo Shu, but for the four students who have taken on this deadly responsibility. They are young, inexperienced, and untested. But their first battles will quickly prove their worthiness.

Black Mantis

• Wulong Goth -

Real Name: Wulong Goth Height  : 6'8" Weight  : 235 lbs. Age  : 79

Wulong Goth releases black energies from his eyes, mouth, or both. These energies rush at and strike his opponent. He can also release of a swarm of bugs from his mouth, which is fitting, given his deadly adaptation of the Praying Mantis WuShu style. Both a name and a title, Wulong Goth is how the masters of the Black Mantis have always been known. When the previous Wulong Goth dies, the successor inherits not only the title, but also certain characteristics and powers, which are mystically transferred. The new master also receives the ancestral memories of generations of Wulong Goth warlords that preceded him. He cannot remember every single moment of every previous life, but he can call upon key moments and powerful incidents from those live. In this fashion, the current Wulong Goth remembers the battle in which Lo Shu's father and the rest of the Pale Lotus were slain. He remembers the face of the slain Master Sage, and instantly recognizes Lo Shu as a branch of a tree he had thought destroyed. He has already inherited the hatred of every Wulong Goth who ever lived for every Master Sage who ever contended with him. But beyond that, Wulong Goth has his own reasons for hating Lo Shu. Wulong Goth is fiercely determined to stave off old age and defy death. He will stop at nothing in his quest for immortality, and he has the vitality and appearance of a twenty year old man, even though he is 79 years old. But he has used black alchemies and the arcane sorceries of the Black Mantis sect to extend his life, and he envies Lo Shu for achieving longevity simply through internal mastery of chi. Wulong Goth is enormously cunning, aggressive, bold, supremely confident, and patient. He is the spider weaving a web, taking action when he needs to while bringing numerous illegal operations together into a cohesive whole under his control. His ambitions are monumental: nothing less than the overthrow the government of New China, which would replace as dictator. Little is known of Wulong Goth's origins, and he's careful to keep it that way. He joined the Black Mantis sect at a young age and quickly became a favorite of the reigning Wulong Goth. He was merciless and effective in carrying out his missions, and before long the young warrior had been officially named as the warlord's successor. Like his master and the rest of the sect, he thought the Pale Lotus had been eradicated in 1951 when Shihao returned to challenge them. The young warrior arrived at the battle too late to keep Shihao from killing the current Wulong Goth. But in that same moment, he was reborn as the new Wulong Goth, and easily killed the worn-out Shihao. As the new leader of the Black Mantis, Wulong Goth modernized the ancient sect, paying more attention to the changes in the outside world than his old master had. He moved the sect beyond traditional thuggery into more sophisticated forms of crime. Seeking ever more power, he began bribing government officials, and eventually crossed paths with a shadowy circle of individuals dedicated to destroying the state of New China. When they asked him to lead their efforts, Goth accepted, intrigued by the challenge. He sent three of his most powerful and trusted companions- Exile, Vapor, and The Fatalist- to Dai Fou/Metro China. They established the Yan-Lo Corporation, a front company that hid everything from smuggling to money laundering. In lavish surroundings, they catered to the dubious tastes of corrupt officials, leading to a profitable sideline in blackmail. Things seemed to be going according to plan until his trio of enforcers reported that their operations were being disrupted by an ancient sorcerer. The more Wulong Goth heard about this sorcerer the more frustrated he became until finally, in 1996, he moved to Metro- China himself to take charge. Wulong Goth has all but finished off the remaining triads: absorbing them if they cooperated, or wiping them out if they didn't. However, he allows very few into the inner circle of the Black Mantis sect. His most trusted comrades are Exile, Divinity, The Fatalist, Vapor, and Geist. Wulong Goth believes completely in the existence of the Immortal of the South Pole, and he burns to gain enough of the lost treasures of the Perfect Harmony Temple to wrest immortality from Shou-Hsing.

• The Fatalist-

Real Name: Unknown Height : 6'3" Weight : 225 lbs. Age : 40

The Fatalist draws his powers for Chi Attacks from the symbol on his chest. He uses the energy to strike at his opponent. This strange Germanic mercenary is known for his ferocity and brutality. He is unmatched as a tenacious tracker of men or beasts. Though he has undergone Black Mantis training, he relies primarily on his European fighting techniques. Their rough, unrefined method style seems to suit him better. However, he will not hesitate to use one of the gifts he's learned from the Black Mantis: a way to channel the energy he draws from a set of supernatural Runes that rule his life. The Fatalist believes that all actions are preordained. He carries a bag of Rune tablets. Before every battle, he tosses the Runes in order to read the message that Fate has for him. Of course, he tends to read the Runes in the way that is most favorable to him. Nevertheless, he firmly believes that an outside force, which he calls "Fate", controls him. Interestingly, the Runes have never told him how to avoid a fight. The Fatalist is emotional, given to flashes of rage and other bursts of passion. His appetites are not far removed from Vapor's, but he is the fire to her ice. He can be loud and boisterous, likes to drink heavily and eats with gusto. He's a tireless womanizer who doesn't understand how any female can resist his manly charms. The Fatalist is also and inveterate liar. He has told a dozen different variations of his life story, all of dubious veracity. He has claimed that he is in the last in the line of Vlad the Impaler; that he's secretly the ruling Prince of Austria, given away to peasants as a baby; that his parents where killed by wolves in the Black Forest who then raised him as one of their pack; and that he's a super-soldier who was engineered and raised in a lab. Take your pick. What is known is that he speaks German, Austrian, and a smattering of other languages. He appears to be roughly 40 years old, knows how to use every weapon ever made, and was an accomplished soldier of fortune who has seen action in the most violent parts of the world. He came to China with a price on his head, looking for a new challenge. He found it in the Black Mantis. With a little help from Wulong Goth, anyone who was stupid enough to offer a price for The Fatalist was quickly eliminated. In return, The Fatalist gave his allegiance to the Black Mantis. Actually, it was the Runes who told him that he should join the Black Mantis. Maybe one day the Runes will tell him something else. That's Fate for you.

• Exile

Real Name: Unknown Height  : 6'8" Weight  : 300 lbs. Age  : 39

Exile attacks his opponents by using his Chi to shake the earth. He will either pound the ground with his fist to cause the tremor, or by clap both hands together, creating a shockwave. Exile is the epitome of brute force. Massively powerful and unblinkingly vicious, he is a born killer without mercy or conscience. The very sight of Exile brings fear to those who know of him, as he is famous as Wulong Goth's enforcer, and infamous for killing without warning. He is not highly intelligent, though it's hard to know for sure because he utters very few words. Speaking is either too difficult for him or a waste of time. Exile would rather reply with his fists. Whatever his mental level, it doesn't interfere with Exile carrying out and order Wulong Goth gives him, without hesitation, and without fail. To Goth, Exile is an invaluable tool, a raw, elemental juggernaut who crushes his victims quickly and completely. Exile was born to poor parents in old China. He was such a terror to those around him that his miserable parents were forced to move constantly, thrown out of one village after another. Eventually, even his parents couldn't endure the boy any longer and abandoned him, hoping to escape to a life without him. Exile rewarded this action by later tracking them down and breaking their necks. Wulong Goth discovered him and took him in. Exile cared for no one, but he responded to the respect Wulong Goth showed him. For the first time, he had found someone who actually valued him for what he was. Exile became Wulong Goth's primary henchman, and the former outcast's loyalty to his patron is beyond question. He went to Metro- China to carry out Wulong Goth's orders, where he killed Jiao Feng's parents. Exile regrets he was too young to be around when the original Pale Lotus were wiped out, and hopes to have a chance to do the same to the new Pale Lotus.

• Vapor

Real Name: Unknown Height : 5'8" Weight : 140 lbs. Age : Unknown

By focusing her Chi energy, Vapor can teleport and make herself intangible at will. Personality: Vapor is an enigma, gifted with strange powers and an abnormally long life. As her name suggests, she seems able to turn into vapor and instantly appear somewhere else. She is cold and detached, and speaks in a sardonic, biting way, as though she regards everyone else as barely competent children. But as her unpleasant as her haughty manner is, her smile is even worse. One sight of it is enough to make anyone do anything to avoid seeing it again. Vapor appears to respect only two people: Wulong Goth and, oddly enough, Master Sage. Lo Shu's prolonged vitality and advanced age fascinate Vapor and. If they weren't sworn enemies, Vapor might come to Lo Shu to learn his longevity secrets (not that he would show her). Vapor is fond of strong, handsome men, and there are dark tales of Vapor using the energies of her partners to enhance her powers. Many an unfortunate suitor has been found raving mad in the aftermath of her attentions. Not even Wulong Goth knows exactly when or where Vapor was born. The most plausible guess is in Russia at the turn of the 20th century. She first surfaced as a Bogoroditsa, a young girl worshipped by a Russian religious sect known as the Khlisti (whippers). The sect was marked by its radenya (joyous gatherings) where the members engaged in ritual dancing (dervishes) and self-flagellation. Most of this is just rumor, of course, since anyone who revealed the sect's secrets was marked for death. The Romanov dynasty tried to eliminate many such sects, and Vapor claims to have taken her revenge on the tsars by engineering the Russian revolution. She is particularly bitter about the death of her favorite pupil, Rasputin. True or not, there is nobody who dares contradict her story. Tiring of Russia, Vapor traveled widely, searching for new methods of extending life to augment those she already knew as a Khlisti. This brought her eventually to China where she discovered kindred spirits in the Black Mantis. Vapor joined the Black Mantis during the time of the current Wulong Goth's master. When the mantle passed, Vapor liked what she saw and remained with the new Wulong Goth.

• Divinity-

Real Name: Savitri Bindra Height : 6'7" Weight : 130 lbs. Age : 27

Divinity transforms her Chi into intense light and heat, which she then directs at her enemies. She can also transform herself into a beam of light that strikes through her opponent. Divinity is beautiful, sensual, and filled with the heat of passion. She has a subtle mind, and is well suited to executing the intricate plots Wulong Goth likes to create. She is as graceful as a dancer, and men cannot resist her silky persuasive voice. Savitri is also self-centered and selfish beyond reason. She firmly believes that she is special, and that the world exists for her pleasure alone. She reveals in the power that her position as Wulong Goth's favorite affords her. Savitri grew up in Metro- China as the darling of the Eastern Sun sect. Her natural beauty, cleverness, and overwhelming skill on the training ground won her endless praise, while her doting parents treated her like a princess. The indulgence turned her into spoiled brat, but she was careful to cloak it beneath a proper social demeanor. As she grew older, she became more demanding. She insisted that people conform to her wishes, and used ploys to get her way whenever possible. The more she succeeded, the more firmly she believed that no one could say no to her. Her mask of false modesty was even clever enough to fool young Shen Zhen, who fell in love with her. For Savitri, Shen was simply a prize that she deserved, the only one within the sect worthy of her. When he became a police officer against her wishes, she was doubly insulted: first for refusing to listen to her and second for choosing such an inferior and demanding job, one which would never suit the lifestyle she wanted to lead. How could he possibly expect her to be the wife of a mere police officer? When Shen was out of touch beginning his police training, Savitri came to know Wulong Goth. Their secret meetings titillated the girl, appealing to the darkness within her. She resisted his careful seduction for a time, thinking that Shen would come to his senses and return to her. Finally, Savitri confronted Shen and gave him an ultimatum: he would change his path or she would leave him. She still could not imagine that his sense of honor and justice would prove stronger than his feelings for her. When Shen refused, it was the greatest rebuke of Savitri's life, and her fury was appalling. Flinging spiteful curses in his face, she abandoned him, the Eastern Suns, her family, and everything she had known. She gave herself heart and soul to Wulong Goth, who renamed her Divinity. In addition to the abilities she gained from her Eastern Sun training, Divinity has the gift of clairvoyance. She uses this gift to feed Wulong Goth valuable information about friends, enemies, or anyone else he wants to know about. Divinity also has obtained the Yin Tablet of Shihao, containing the encoded information about the locations of six of the Treasures of the Perfect Harmony. Though she doesn't have the knowledge of the Tao or Feng Shui that Lo Shu has, she has been using her extrasensory power to divine the locations by tapping into the resident power of the tablet itself. She knows how fiercely Wulong wants this information, so she's been drawing out the process as much as she dares. Divinity has served Wulong Goth for years with no sign of regret, except for the fact that she will give Goth no information about Divine Fist or any of the Pale Lotus. She claims they have the means to cloud her perception. Whether this is true or whether she is secretly protecting Divine Fist is something only Divinity knows. But the longer she remains under the influence of Wulong Goth, the more evil she becomes. It may be too late to save her.

• Geist-

Real Name: Gei-Yi Height : 5'9" Weight : 140 lbs. Age : 30

Geist depends on the bladed weapons that are positioned on her thighs. Using Chi, she is able to control their paths so that they track and strike her opponent. Geist is cunning, ruthless, and a devious manipulator. She has had to fight for every step of her life, so she is as cold as steel, hardened both in body and in spirit. Nobody has ever shown her pity or compassion, and she has never felt either. Her first and only great love, if it could be called love, was for Wulong Goth. She has been obsessed with him since they first met, and while she discards people when they no longer suit her, she cannot bear to have something or someone taken from her. Her pride is as sharp as her blades. Geist's other great passion is for sharp objects, be they swords, knives, spikes...anything with an edge. She regards her new cybernetic blades as her children, her darlings. It's unnerving, most of all to those on the receiving end of Geist's slashing attack. Years ago in Macao, a tough, dirty-faced, street urchin named Gei-Yi caught Wulong Goth's attention. She was already renowned in the slums for her dangerous skill with knives. Under Wulong Goth's tutelage, Gei-Yi flowered into a beautiful and utterly lethal Black Mantis assassin. She rose through the ranks and in his esteem, eventually becoming his lover and his most trusted comrade. It was The Fatalist who gave her the nickname Geist, when he mangled her Chinese name into a German one. She liked the hard sound of it and kept it. Her perfect life was shattered in 1995, when she was seriously injured wile battling to protect Wulong Goth. Her wounds left her paralyzed from the neck down. Both traditional medicine and modern medicine failed to heal her, so Wulong Goth left her in the care of an experimental scientist who was working in the secret Black Mantis laboratory, attempting to unite technology with biology. Goth told the scientist to do whatever he could to cure Geist's paralysis. But as time passed without a cure, Goth thought less and less about Geist, and he left her behind when he went to Metro-China. The scientist, overcome by Geist's beauty, devoted all of his time to curing her and, in 2001, he made a stunning breakthrough, fitting her with cybernetic devise that allowed her to regain complete control over her body. By that time, Geist had manipulated the scientist into believing that she was in love with him. She convinced him how impressed Wulong would be if she had mind-controlled weapons as well, which he invented and installed. Once Geist had everything she wanted, she murdered the man, and destroyed the lab to keep anyone from sharing her advanced technology. Geist showed up unannounced in Metro-China, expecting to simply step in and take her old position at Wulong Goth's side. Discovering that Divinity had taken her place was a mortal insult. She serves Wulong Goth as she did before, but she will never heal the fury in her soul until he belongs to her once more.

Boss

• Zhao Yen - The final boss in the game. He is the only character who uses weapons in the game.

External links

• 'Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus' at MobyGames
• Gamefaqs.com Page featuring Character Bios and Movelists.
• Xbox page featuring user reviews, screenshots, trailers

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