Acclaim writer and novelist Steve Altman joins Ken Johnson of Persistent Worlds to reveal the first of six starter clans here on MMORPG.com. Each week, we'll bring you an article that explains one. This week, we learn of the Shaolin Clan. Included are nine exclusive screenshots.

Hello and welcome to this, the first of six articles specially written for MMORPG on the starter clans in 9Dragons. The six clans we are going to cover are Shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan, the League of Beggars, Heavenly Demon, Sacred Flower and the Brotherhood of Thieves. All six of these clans are based upon Chinese history and mythology and we’ve researched them to give you as authentic an experience as possible. In ancient China, the clans were labelled as either white or black, as delineated by their allegiance to The Imperial Emperor. The white clans were, on the whole, loyal and noble, while the black clans were rogues with intent that violated Imperial decree. Of course, there are many famous legends in which disciples of these clans have acted out of order with their clan’s traditions! I am going to start with perhaps the most famous of the clans ? The noble monks of Shaolin Temple.

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