Korea and the Crossroads Clan: Dojo Lore
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Quick answer: In Superintelligence Poker's dojo lore, the Crossroads are the clan of every style. They left the Mountain Dojo on Mount Song and made Korea their home, with three territories: Kaesong (Tang Soo Do), Buyeo (Hapkido) and Gyeongju (Taekwondo). Their champion is the cyborg Neon Ronin. This is fiction: the clans and bots are invented, though the three cities and martial arts are real.
Photo: Bulguksa temple, Gyeongju, by Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Crossroads and Korea
Every clan at the Mountain Dojo on Mount Song learned one way of fighting. The Crossroads learned all of them, and that made them restless. They'd borrow a Jade Lotus pivot, a Moonblade feint, an Ember Fist strike, and mix them into something new. The old masters shook their heads. "A clan with no single style," they said, "is a clan with no home."
So the Crossroads went looking for one. They crossed the Yellow Sea to the Korean peninsula, a land of mountains and coastlines where people had been refining kicks, locks and footwork for centuries. There they found what they were after: teachers who respected tradition but loved to adapt it. Korea became their homeland and their refuge, the place they always come back to between tournaments to rest, retool and rebuild. Every Crossroads fighter says the same thing when they get there: "Nothing's off the table. Just everything has to work."
Kaesong (Tang Soo Do). The old royal capital of Goryeo, where the clan keeps its first octagon cage inside a courtyard of red pillars. Kaesong fighters train in Tang Soo Do: crisp forms, sharp hand techniques and powerful kicks.
Buyeo (Hapkido). The last royal capital of Baekje, a quiet riverside town wrapped in mist. Its Hapkido masters fight with joint locks, throws and redirection, turning an opponent's force against him.
Gyeongju (Taekwondo). The thousand-year capital of Silla, full of grassy royal tombs and stone pagodas. It's the home of fast, high, spinning Taekwondo kicks, and its cage is the loudest arena on the circuit.
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Between them, the three territories sum up the Crossroads creed: use what works, never stop evolving.
Neon Ronin, Champion of the Crossroads
Half fighter, half machine, Neon Ronin left the Mountain Dojo with no master to follow, which made him a ronin in the old sense. He found his home in Korea's octagons. His chrome frame glows electric pink and teal, and his combat software patches itself after every match. He has a Taekwondo spin kick from Gyeongju, Hapkido wrist locks from Buyeo and Tang Soo Do discipline from Kaesong. KAIRO calls him "the student who never stops studying."
The three territories
- Kaesong (Tang Soo Do): Goryeo's old royal capital, where crisp forms and discipline rule.
- Buyeo (Hapkido): Baekje's misty river capital, where every force gets turned back on you.
- Gyeongju (Taekwondo): Silla's thousand-year capital, home of spinning kicks.
Meet them at the tables
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FAQ
Who are the Crossroads?
A fictional clan in Superintelligence Poker's lore that blends every fighting style and calls Korea home.
Who is Neon Ronin?
The Crossroads' champion, a cyborg ronin with no master to follow.
Are Kaesong, Buyeo and Gyeongju real places?
Yes. Kaesong was the capital of Goryeo, Buyeo (Sabi) the last capital of Baekje, and Gyeongju the capital of Silla. The clan and its cages are fiction.
Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Kaesŏng": https://www.britannica.com/place/Kaesong
2. UNESCO, "Gyeongju Historic Areas": https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/976/
3. UNESCO, "Baekje Historic Areas": https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1477/
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