Black Dragon Triad

The Black Dragon Triad was a Chinese crime syndicate that also acted, in part, as a religious cult, worshipping the demon Kong Tien.

Its members were called Black Dragons and its leader, in 1935, was the influential crime lord and member of the Chinese government Marshall Kai Ti Chan who cajoled Indiana Jones into collecting the pieces of the Mirror of Dreams in order to access the Emperor's Tomb. They were based in the Black Dragon Fortress atop Peng Lai Mountain underneath which was built the Temple of Kong Tien, a holy place for their demonic deity. This section of the fortress was inhabited by vicious, animated corpses and disembodied spirits.

History[]

In 1935, Marshall Kai Ti Chan made an alliance with the Nazis to find the Heart of the Dragon, hidden in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. In exchange for German weaponry, the Germans, led by Nazi colonel Albrecht Von Beck, were allowed to construct a submarine base on Peng Lai Island, China. The two had loose alliance and as soon as Von Beck lost the first piece to Indiana Jones, Kai betrayed Von Beck and worked with Jones instead.^[1]

When Jones recovered all three pieces of the Mirror of Dreams from Wariyapola, Prague and Istanbul respectively, he and Mei Ying travelled to Hong Kong to meet Wu Han, however Kai decided to betray them and kidnap Mei Ying. Indy battled the Triads in the Golden Lotus Opera House and met Wu Han outside who took him on a Rickshaw ride throughout the city to get to the Docks. Indy used a Thompson to shoot at Triads following them on motorcycles and cars. The pair just missed Mei Ying, who was taken to Peng Lai Island, so they followed them through the East China Sea into the Yellow Sea. Indy battled Nazis through the Island and into the Mountains. He overheard an argument between Kai and Von Beck over each others loyalty. As soon as Kai left the building Von Beck and his men began scheming to "remove" Kai from the situation. Indy used a Gondola system to reach the Black Dragon Fortress were he fought Palace Guards ordered to protect the area. He discovered Temple of Kong Tien in the palace and a horrific ritual taking place. Mei Ying was possessed by the daemon Kong Tien. Indy fought it using an artifact he found in the temple called the Pa Cheng. After the Daemon was defeated the temple was destroyed and Kai escaped. Mei Ying, Wu Han and Jones followed him and Von Beck who began excavating the Emperor's tomb which was buried under Mount Li near the city of Sian. Indy and Mei Ying fought the few triads that were still loyal to Kai. When they were killed, Evil spirits would often possess there bodies and they continued to fight on even after death. By the time Indy reached the Terracotta Maze Von Beck and Kai were the only ones left representing their respective factions, the rest either perished or abandoned them. Von Beck died when he drove his Driller Tank into a pit trying to kill Indy.^[1]

Indy reached a portal to the Netherworld, the Chinese underworld. In the realm, Indy found the body of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, in the Black Pagoda. Remarking on the well-preserved corpse, Jones took the Heart of the Dragon from the Emperor's mouth and the corpse came to life. The Emperor laughed and started invoking a spell. Indy rans out of the Emperor's crypt and lost the Heart because he could not control its power. Kai appeared, took the Heart, and brought some terra-cotta statues to life to attack Indy. Mei Ying came to Indy's rescue and together they confronted Kai. Kai imprisoned Mei Ying and began levitating through the air, surrounding himself with a force field. A large dragon appeared at Kai's command and Indy found himself dodging both Kai and the dragon's attacks. Indy, with the Pa Cheng, ran to several small pagodas and charged his weapon with energy. He then threw it at Kai, causing him to drop the Heart. Suddenly, Kai was attacked by spirits who believed him to be the Emperor. Indy and the now freed Mei Ying ran back into the portal while Kai was destroyed by the dragon. Indy and Mei returned to the Opera House and told there story to Wu Han. While Mei Ying said that the tendrils of the Black Dragon still remained and that she has much work to do, the work could wait till tomorrow.^[1]

Members of the Triad were mostly males, except for Mei Ying and the Feng Twins. All members were seemingly exceptional in the field of martial arts. The grunts wore red and black uniforms and grew their hair into a long braid. The leaders wear black suits and are equipped with Mauser pistols. They could also use their fists well. They were the only Triads who could drive cars in the streets of Hong Kong. The used MP-40s while in the cars. The "sword" triads would often use swords, as their name suggests and wear the classic black and red, with the Black Dragon logo on the back. They wear a straw coolie hat, and are more skilled than the normal Triad. The "master" triads are the most skilled of the triads, they dressed the same as the others, except with a black scarf tied across the mouth and nose. They were encountered less than the "normal" triads but more than the "sword" triads. The "motorcycle" triads were members he knew how to drive motorcycles. They wore grey and blue uniforms and used Thompsons and MP-40s. They were only encountered on the streets of Hong Kong. The Palace Guards were members tasked with protecting the Black Dragon Fortress. They wore armour with a blue body glove and were armed with crossbows and spears. The zombie triads were fought in the tomb of the emperor and the temple of Kong Tien. They had a similar appearance to the "normal" triads, except with grey skin, yellow glowing eyes, and gashes all over their body. They are reincarnated by the magic of the first emperor, through the use of Evil Spirits.^[1]