Lotus of Rebellion

**Leader** | Unknown

> Rise, my brothers and sisters! We have nothing to lose but our chains! Rise and establish a new future free of tyranny!
>
> The battle cry of the Lotus.

The Lotus of Rebellion is a decentralized guerilla movement that rose in response to the politics and suffering caused by a fragmented China, made up by people disillusioned with the power hierarchy where suits reign on top.

Inspired by the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the Three Kingdoms era, the Lotus of Rebellion seeks to wrest power from the suit-based factions in favour of returning the power to the people, which they believe will lower the amount of suffering caused by the political games the factions tend to engage in, allowing China to finally reunite and be restored.

As the Warlords fell one by one, the Lotus continually grew in size, but this lead to differences in ideology and purpose. Now, the Lotus is trying to organize itself in response to the escalation of tensions in China, but this is proving difficult as the fragmented and decentralized nature of the movement meant that no clear consensus can be made.

## Sects of the Lotus

The Lotus of Rebellion loosely organise themselves based on Taoist teachings. While loyalties and brotherhood usually emerge in geographical clusters, ideologically the Lotus has three main sects: Heaven, Earth, People.bWhile the three sects are not outwardly hostile to one another, tensions often rise as they take drastically different approaches to different problems.

### Heaven

Followers of the Heaven sect believe that China can only prosper under a righteous dynasty that received the Mandate of Heaven, and thus the right to rule. They place heavy value on cultural symbology and significance, and believe in strong leadership and governance, they believe, not yet seen since the Vannai War.

### Earth

Followers of the Earth sect believe that the reason China fell to chaos and ruin due to foreign elements such as the Vannai, the use of suits, and the derivation of technology from them. Recently, the movement has also grown to view foreign powers as alien, and as such work against them.

### People

Followers of the People sect believe that the continued chaos in China is a result of the Warlords forgetting the will of the people, and the goal of peace. They advocate for the complete dismantling of the current power structure that dominates China, in order to turn it into something that would benefit everyone.

## History and Status

Originally, the start of the Lotus could be traced to people suffering under the Beng rule. Their philosophy and teachings started to spread as the Beng joined the Survivalist Coalition, eventually reaching all around the Coalition, but not the Neo Liberation Army or the Iron Army due to their isolationism.

The Lotus started revealing themselves during the Great Hibernation, disatisfied that the Warlords chose to maintain their own power and sovereignty instead of uniting China once more to take advantage of the Vannai Puppet's weakness.

Things came to a heating point during the Che Wedding Massacre, when the Axe Gang Bandits successfully sowed chaos and anarchy all over China. However, the Lotus almost immediately denounces the Bandits due to their focus on savagery and cruelty, fully establishing themselves as an independent faction only interested in the reunification of China and the redistribution of power to the masses.

Currently, due to the destruction of the Chang and the Beng, the Lotus has swelled in numbers, becoming the stabilizing force in regions formerly ruled by the Warlords. In the Che territory, the Lotus seeks to push back against the Bandits through guerilla tactics, believing that the Bandits represent a great threat against the unification and prosperity of China if left unchecked.

Without the tyrant Beng to serve as a major enemy for the followers of the Lotus in the eastern parts of China, efforts to centralize and organize have been started, although ideological differences between groups is making the process slow.

## Significant Members

### Wang Xiao Ling (王肖灵)

 File:Wang Xiao Ling.png  A former suit pilot under the Chang, Wang Xiao Ling joined the Lotus after the Chang were absorbed into the Beng, disillusioned and dissatisfied at the tyranny displayed by Warlord Beng. He is better known as "The Saboteur"

His veterancy and knowledge of combat has seen him quickly rise to a leadership position in his warband. Focusing mostly in sabotage operations, Wang became a persistent problem for the Beng until they met their end in nuclear fire.

As a follower of the Heaven sect, Wang believes that a new leadership not stemming from the Warlords is the only way China could be reunited. Unlike most of his peers, he is looking towards the foreign powers, such as the ACC, EuF, and Japan, wondering if throwing his weight behind them would result in a better future for China.

### Shang Yao Bi (尚姚毕)

 File:Shang Yao Bi.png  A peasant girl under the Beng, Shang was always dissatisfied with the near-constant rationing of the Beng, believing that the higher-ups were just hoarding supplies for themselves at the expense of the people. She is widely known as "The Provider".

It was this line of thinking that caused her to join the Lotus of Rebellion, eventually making a name for herself in logistics and supply for her fellow rebels under the Beng rule. A warband eventually formed around her, with their focus being on supplying other warbands with consumables and equipment.

With the Beng gone, Shang decides to follow the teachings of the Heaven sect, believing that one day, a good leader will emerge from the constant conflict. This has led her to ally her warband with Wang's, as they head south to try and spread the word of the Lotus.

### Gui Jiao Jie (桂矫杰)

 File:Gui Jiao Jie.png  A mysterious figure with a past unknown, Gui Jiao Jie, or "JJ" is a charismatic, eccentric leader that represents the extremes of the Earth Sect. He is also known by the title of "The Shepherd".

JJ suddenly appeared in the lands of the Chang three years ago, and using his oratory skills, was able to quickly gain a following of loyal students who view him as both a great leader and a wise teacher.

It was Gui who started the spreading of the Lotus' teachings, eventually becoming the top priority target of almost every warlord in China. However, he managed to elude capture all the way up until the Nuking of the Beijing, where he reappeared in the anarchical northeast of China. Quickly regaining a large follower base, he seeks to spread his word about the evils of Vannai technology, and the pilots who continued to use them to inflict tyranny upon the masses.

### Kara See (卡拉，施)

 File:Kara See.png  A half-scandinavian woman who was raised in China, she joined the PLA at the outbreak of the Human-Vannai War but vanished without a trace soon after. Reappearing as "The Gunsmith", she now leads a warband of her own which specializes in the smuggling and transportation of weapons and military equipment.

A follow of the People Sect, Kara has been a long fan of the social democratic nature of her maternal homeland and was rather opposed to both the CPC and the subsequent warlords that rose after their fall. Finding her opportunity in the chaos, she quickly gathered like-minded former soldiers of the PLA and started smuggling weapons to local resistance movements.

Now that the Lotus has emerged into the public eye, Kara continues to fight based on her beliefs that a China under the tyranny of a few is never a true home for the many.