The GM should separate each paragraph (a separate vision) and give one to each player.
| Vision 1 | Vision 2 | Vision 3 | Vision 4 | Vision 5 | Vision 6 |
|---|
You have a vision of related scenes but hear no words spoken. First, European men, possibly French, dressed in Roman Catholic attire are standing in an elaborate Chinese court and are talking to the Chinese Emperor. All are smiling and there is an exchange of gifts. Now a Catholic priest (a Jesuit) holds a Bible in his hands as he talks with Chinese peasants in a village. Then somewhere else, a sober man wearing the white miter hat and gown of the Catholic Pope is angry and he gestures at men wearing red versions of the clothing. Lastly, the Chinese Emperor from before, now he appears angry and gestures at a lone European man.
You have a vision of related scenes; the faces are not clear but you hear a few words from the conversations. You see British gentlemen inspecting bales of tea leaves, bolts of silk, and crates of porcelain; they looked pleased and hand bars of silver to Chinese businessmen. Next the British gentlemen are displaying bolts of heavy wool, boxes of spices, furs, clocks, tin and lead but the would-be Chinese buyer is not interested. You hear words “express to the British East India Company that they must find a solution to the balance of trade” and you hear in reply “we can grow opium in India and once the Chinese try it, the demand will grow without limit.” The last scene is that of a poorly dressed, thin Chinese man, probably a laborer, lying on a bed, smoking an opium pipe, and in the background, you hear English voices chuckling.
You have a vision of related scenes but only hear the shouts of angry men and the boom of cannon. First, Chinese men are emptying the contents of small chests into the sea while British merchants look on in dismay. Then you see British warships firing on Chinese ships and shores. Lastly you see several British men standing in front of red-faced, dismayed Chinese men, pointing at a map with five ports circled in ink, and stacks of silver bars lying at their feet.
You have a vision of a sequence of scenes. In the first, you see two Armies fighting each other. One army is Chinese and the other is Japanese. The Japanese troops are victorious in battle. Then you see a Japanese warship firing salvos at a Chinese troopship, sinking it. More Japanese armies are marching. A great naval battle occurs in which Japanese warships fire their massive guns and shoot torpedoes, sinking Chinese warships. In the last scene, a patrol of Chinese soldiers march into view of a Japanese patrol. The Chinese soldiers are a uniform, dusty gray color. They wear strange, old armor and clothing of the same color. Three columns of soldiers are armed with long spears of wood (metal tipped) and short swords hang at their waists. The front soldier of the first column has a banner with a yellow hare on his long spear. These soldiers are impassive in expression, but their facial features do vary. They march in perfect lock step. No talking in the ranks, no sweating, no shivering in the cold breeze, no eyes are blinking, like animated statues they march forward in perfect unison. The Japanese achieve surprise; a double volley of carbine fire is made at the Chinese soldiers pulling even along the road. Yet, no Chinese soldier flinches, much less falls down. The scene fades.
You have a vision of related scenes. Armies are marching over Chinese lands, burning villages, killing men, raping women and taking children as slaves. One Army is Japanese, the other is Russian. In separate scenes, you witness Japanese and Russian army officers bowing before a hulking knight, typically taller than six feet and weighing more than 300 pounds, standing in front a large, elegant black coach with a team of six black horses. The knight’s face is a blackened skull covered with shards of shriveled, rotting flesh. He has two tiny, glowing orange-red pinpoints for eyes. His uniform is scorched black as if it had been in a fire. The knight seems to shift position and turns his skull to look directly at you. The scene fades but the horror remains.
You have a vision of related scenes. Red brick factories cover the landscape, spewing black smoke into a sunless sky. Chinese workers have dull, glazed expressions and they are watched by floating skulls with red eyes. Outside the factory an ornate sedan chair holding a fat, richly dressed Chinese man is carried by four zombies. Elsewhere a young Chinese man, dressed in yellow robes, gestures with a gem-encrusted scepter and Japanese women are mauled by tigers for the amusement of a stadium filled with richly dressed Chinese men and women. Lastly you see a Northern village of Manchu peasants dying of a disease as an impassive Chinese official is carried past in a sedan chair by four gray colored soldier golems.