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Faekat Adoption Agency Crew
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 Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 9:58 pm
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 9:59 pm
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Temple GuardiansTemple Guardians are Kuei-Jin who have given up their Dharma, their path to enlightenment, family and love to dedicate their entire lives in service to protecting the Scarlet Queen and her temple. They do not mate and very rarely ever have children, even less likely to have six tailed children. The tails are gifts not meant to be passed on as are their weapons. To be distracted from their duties by love or family leaves weak spots that put the Scarlet Queen at risk. They have sworn to lay down their lives for their Goddess and do so proudly. All Guardians are gifted a Shadow Weapon powered by Chi that is unique to the individual as she is among her sisters. Temple Guardians are not bred they are uplifted from their former stations to be forged a new. Active Members: DharmaThe main Dharma of the Kuei-jin  Clan: Thrashing Dragon Ancestor: Meilian YangMandarin: None Jina: None Virtues YangThe breathing cage set one bird free. It nestled in the bars and shat in the straw. The bird's wings were mountains And forests covered them. -- The Blood Sutras
Active Members:
Shizun: Amrita
Hin: Bellona and Hu Die
Chin-mei: Hanayo and Yuze
Rank Unknown:
Inactive Members:
Like trees, the Laughing Rainbows of the Thrashing Dragon Dharma rise out of fertile ground and unite it with the raging sky. These vampires are as alive as the undead can be. Bursting with life-energy, the followers of the Green Way resemble forces of nature -- too powerful to be silenced, too vivid to be real.
Those forces inspired Xue to put down his staff and meditate. While a thunderstorm fed the rivers and the grass, the Arhat put aside his misery and took comfort in the rain. Around his feet, ants crept; at his back, insects scurried. Shrouded by ten thousand leaves, birds called to one another. Try as he might, Xue could not shut out the overwhelming pulse of life. At last, the rains subsided and a rainbow curled across the sky. Xue laughed as birds crossed through the colors, and that moment he awakened.
Moved by a life-force too potent to be caged, these Dragons thrast around like restless serpents. Their insights come through flesh-vigils and forest musing. As far as they're concerned, creation is a rainbow -- illusory, but too colorful to ignore. In its colors, they see the unity and symmetry of Heaven. The idea, as the Dragons see it, is to experience each of those colors as vividly as possible. As lovers of the Scarlet Queen, they embody her life-force; as cousins of the Ebon Dragon, they beat him into submission or perish trying.
As a rule, Laughing Rainbows are messy and vulgar, indulging themselves with wild feasts and drunken orgies -- celebrations that usually feature living "entertainment," too. Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia hide Rainbow temples so infamous that even vampires avoid them. The Thrashing Dragon path isn't evil per se, but the Way's aggressive approach to life usually includes ******** it from every conceivable angle, willingly or otherwise.
Naturally, those Kuei-jin do more than just copulate. Shunning society's restrictions, they explore life's lush infinities through martial arts and Tantrik practices. Since life assumes ten thousand forms, most Thrashing Dragons master shapeshifting arts. To run with the animals, you must become one first.
Study requires suitable subjects. While the remote Bone Flower drifts across her graveyard, the Thrashing Dragon capers in the cities, forests and seas. His ferocity draws other creatures to his side, and many willingly join his dance. Charismatic as tigers, this vampire reveres his victims even as he drains their living blood. The vessel is divine to the Rainbow path -- more divine than the Demons who consumes it. When the feast is over, he performs a thanksgiving rite. It's important to honor the keepers of Yang, even as you escort them to the other side.
The Thrashing Dragon Way is highly animistic. Looking deep into nature, each Rainbow sees the spirits beneath life's skin, and he honors them with thanks, gifts and rites. Truly skilled Dragons can move beyond the Wall and speak to the spirits in their own tongue; a younger one simply recognizes the kami and grants them respect. In his calmer moments, a Thrashing Dragon can be gentle and compassionate. Like wood, he grows tall and strong, yet bends before snapping. He nurtures life, yet feeds on it without remorse. His Way is to keep the Cycle fresh.
Training: Before their deaths, many Thrashing Dragons denied the flesh. All their repressions blow sky-high when the karmic debt comes due. Some ferociously carnal people do return to finish what they started in life, but most Laughing Rainbows learned to laugh only after they died. Tantrik postures feature prominently in Dragon rites. By coupling with a living partner; the vampire shifts her energy to his own, then refines it into potent Chi -- the life-force many once denied,
Weakness: As could be expected, Thrashing Dragons are shameless, impulsive, lusty and violent. Most go naked, or nearly so, and delight in smashing social customs. Confrontation is enlightenment to these vampires, and the go out of their way to enlighten everyone in the vicinity.
This voraciousness doesn't end with sex; the hunger takes a literal turn in the Thrashing Dragon philosophy. Greedy for Yang, these creatures often eat their prey raw (and usually alive). Although it has been said that Laughing Rainbows are cannibalistic, they stop short of eating vampires. The average Dragon would find diablerie as repulsive as eating a bloated dead cat.
Beneath the revelry, however, many Dragons hate themselves. In a way, their hunger is a denial of what they have become. By consuming life-force, they secretly hope to undo their curse; it doesn't work, but they keep trying. Needless to say, these appetites have not made the sect any friends; Buddhist vampires find the Thrashing Dragons especially repulsive and often bar Laughing Rainbows from their courts.
Auspicious Omens and Symbols: Rainbows, thunderstorms, blooming flowers, blood, yoni and lingam symbols.
Affiliations: Wood, the number 3, the color green and the east direction.
Concepts: Artist, prostitute, doctor, therapist, Tantrika, farmer, entertainer, forester, ecoterrorist, daredevil, activist, cannibal.
Tenets
1. Attune yourself to life in all its forms.
2. Meditate upon passion; do not shut them out, but experience them, learn from them and encourage them in others.
3. Use your power as a farmer employs his threshing-tools; break the stalks, gather the rice, scatter the seeds, help them grow.
4. Help all living things thrive. When something appears to be dying, consume it and send it back to the Cycle.
5. Half-life is an abominable state. Be as alive as you can be.
6. Guide the sun up each morning. Sleep when it is risen.
7. Laugh often and help others to see the humorous shadows.
8. Protect the spirits. Without them, the life-dance stops.
Rival Paths
- Devil-Tiger: Pain-poetry disguises their ignorance. The only color they see is blood-red.
- Resplendent Crane: I answer to an older law than yours. Cross me and the sword will be in my hands.
- Song of the Shadows: Sweet sister, please stop weeping. Take my hand and laugh!
- Thousand Whispers: The centipede is not immune to his own poison.
- Kindred: You drank the blood of a dead thing? (sound of a vampire's head being torn off and tossed into a dumpster) Then that's where you belong!
------
 Clan: Shadow SongAncestor: None Mandarin: None Jina: None Virtues YinWith a nose-ring, I guided the wind. With a whip, I made it smile. The dust it stirred smelled of lotus-flowers. I wept and made it burn. - The Midnight Jewel
Active Members:
Shizun: None
Hin: Ming Na
Chin-mei: Chaoxiang
Rank Unknown: None
Inactive Members:
There is life, there id death and there is the bridge between the two. Xue recognized this truth when he romanced a ghost from the forests of Hing Fan. To be with her, he entered the Yin World. He was not welcome there, however; at length the Ebon Dragon breathed on him, and Xue turned into dust.
"Would you swirl in my air forever and a day?" asked the Dragon.
"If doing so would bring me closer to my love," Xue replied.
"We have no use for love," the Ebon One sneered. His snort whisked the dust into the air. Xue scattered to the five directions and settled like fine ash. Behind the Dragon, Xue's lover waited, her eyes cold as stone. Yet the ghost was not unmoved. Xue sprang full-formed from the spot of mud and the Dragon was enlightened.
The Midnight Jewel (an important Dharmic sutra, from which the name "Bone Flowers" comes) compares the spirit realm to a glittering web and the living world to the dew upon its strands. Drifting across the web like spiders, the followers of the Shadow Song Dharma taste the dew, pluck the strands and occasionally feed on unwary flies. Like the Dragon, the so-called "Bone Flowers" learn from the song of mortality. Wreathed in the dust of death and the wind of life, they dance slowly to the rhythms of both. Like autumn leaves, these Kuei-jin glide between the Jade Kingdom and the living world. Along the way, they comfort the grieving, shepherd the ghosts and punish disrespectful mortals. In the Middle Kingdom, there are plenty of all three.
Aware of their immortality, these Kuei-jin share a thirst for discovery. From libraries and mass media, they gather stories about the living world; from the spirits, they collect memories and news. To bind the two together, the vampires record their insights in works of art or scholarship. The Second Breath stimulates their curiosity, and the hunger to learn rivals the hunger to consume.
Learning seems to be the only passion these creatures have. In all other matters, Bone Flowers seem distant and precise. Every fact must be dissected for significance, and each even becomes a symbol for a much grander thing. This curiosity brings them into the company of other shen; there, the act as ambassadors, mystics and lore-keepers. With their talen fro enigmas, such vampires understand the spirit paths as well; an elder makes an excellent guide to Yin and Yomi Worlds alike. During her instruction, the average Bone Flower visits both.
In life, these vampires tended to be melancholy. Not surprisingly, most committed suicide, neglected their families or never married. Art or academia took the place of love, and these souls often died unfulfilled. When they return these Kuei-jin feel both longing and a void. The Scarlet Queen calls from across death's mists; the wind steals her words, but the feeling remains. Perhaps the Bone Flowers find their Hundred Clouds in the Queen's embrace -- in discovering the love they avoided for so long.
Training: Following Xue's legacy demands a certain detachment. To stand at the doorway between life and death, one must grow immune to the torments of both. Still, to rise from dust, one must feel the tears of living things. Some vampires take that literally, while others try to overcome the cold void.
Mandarins of the Shadow Song Dharma stress learning and meditation. All lessons come in symbolic terms, leaving the disciple to figure out the meanings. Most Bone Flowers prefer to be left alone, but gather into troupes to create grand music and stylized dancing. Through these plays, they vampires try to capture insights and pass them on. Not surprisingly, few patrons understand, but the Bone Flowers keep trying.
Weakness: Bone Flowers are cold and dispassionate, flowing through the darkness like silent kites. White as corpses, skin stretched across their bones, they seem fragile, almost girlish. The winds of death whisk their voices away, and they speak in eunuchs' whispers.There's something both abhorrent and beautiful in a Bone Flower's face and faraway gaze, and she never seems to care about anything that happens. The shadows' song drown out mortal concerns.
While many vampires (and some mortals) find the bone-song bewitching, others are appalled. Most hengeyokai bristle when a Bone Flower draws near. Mortals run in one of two directions; either they fly away screaming or fall hopelessly in love. The Bone Flower never seems to care one way or the other.
As romantic as they might seem, Bone Flowers are known for their cold cruelty. Familiarity with the Hells and the fleeting nature of creation makes them callous to suffering of any kind. Where the Devil-Tigers teach through pain, the Flowers dismiss it. Like all things, agony is short-lived and therefor irrelevant.
Auspicious Omens and Symbols: Bones, cool springs of water, autumn leaves, theatre masks, chill breezes, withering plants, dead flowers, funerals.
Affiliations: Metal, the color black, the number 4 and the west direction.
Concepts: Priest, artist, archivist, detective, wandering sage, necrophiliac, weirdo in the graveyard, ambassador to other shen.
Tenets
1. Bathe in the breath of the Ebon Dragon, but hold fast to the Scarlet Queen's teardrop.
2. Behold the pillar of the family and safeguard it against vandals and thieves.
3. Kiss the spirits in their houses and the ghosts in their shrouds. Both are lonely and adore the healing touch.
4. Gather what you can from the falling leaves of knowledge.
5. Press the truth like fine paper and ink it with the visions you have seen.
6. Give freely of your knowledge, but wrap it up like a precious gift.
7. Look beyond the obvious and discern a deeper meaning.
8. Console the grieving and remind them to respect the dead.
Rival Paths
- Devil-Tiger: Choking on blood will not answer your questions.
- Resplendent Crane: Cold as ice, hard as iron and brittle as glass.
- Thousand Whispers - Deafened by all voices, you cannot hear the one which leads you.
- Thrashing Dragon: Dance with me, little brother, but beware the edge of that pit.
- Kindred: You speak of death? By all means, let me show it to you...
------
 Clan: Thousand WhispersAncestor: Noboru ShishidoMandarin: None Jina: None Virtues BalanceTen men came forth from the hills; Ten men were one, yet ten were ten. One man left, the others fell, Was this the fault of any? -- The Hollow Reed
Active Members:
Shizun: Lotus Blossom
Hin: Meng Yao
Chin-mei: Vaike
Rank Unknown:
Ian Moone
Inactive Members:
Observe the humble centipede. Unlike the cricket, he does not jump; unlike the wasp, he cannot fly. Instead, he trundles along on 100 legs, each connected to a segment of his body. Each segment moves harmoniously, yet contains its own set of legs, its own shell and, some say, its own heart. Xue noted the harmony of the centipede; by its example, he was enlightened.
The Hollow Reed praises moderation; while the other paths describe themselves as storms or fires, the Reed speaks of emptiness given form. The sutra's title comes from the Dharmis ideal: to be like the reed, fed by water but filled with nothing, rooted in the ground but reaching to the sky. The Way's name comes from its practice of living multiple lives to gain multiple insights. To maintain balance, the so-called "Rootless Trees" walk a thousand roads, each under a different name. It's a long path to enlightenment, but then, the vampires have nothing but time.
The Whispers do not believe that the Sixth Age is the end of creation. To them, it's a ritual death, one of many. Like the reeds rising from the riverbed, the Rootless Ones trust that when the storm ends, their flexibility will carry them through. Other Dharma will not survive. The cricket is drowned. The wasp is blown away. The centipede remains unharmed. The hollow reed still stands.
The path's disciples love riddles and couch everything in symbolism. Some vampires claim that the Thousand Whispers write sutras for each blade of grass, and, while that's an overstatement, it captures the Way's perspective. These Kuei-jin love to look at old things through new eyes, and do so literally at every opportunity. Talented shapechangers, the Rootless Trees shift gender, alliance, lifestyle and temperament with bewildering speed. Each change, claim the sages, teaches a Whisper a little more.
The Whispering Way is the rarest of Dharmas, and with good reason. It's the hardest to maintain. Kuei-jin are neither balanced nor temperate. To offset their destructive natures, Whispers cultivate the Broken Mask technique -- a multiple-personality path to enlightenment. While most people cling to their identities, the Rootless Tress take on different personas, then kill them off when all lessons appear to have been learned. Since most lives tend to be full-time affairs, many vampires take on one or two personas at once, then stage tragic deaths and enter new roles. Immortal as they are, the Whispers can experience the full range of human perspective and thus rise above any single view.
Naturally, such insight takes time. In the early stages of the path, a Whisper is pretty much like any other Running Monkey. Her elders scold her and offer koans that demand a wider view. As she moves through many lives, the vampire's vision broadens. In time, she becomes like a find jade carving -- previous in the rough, but smoothed into exquisite form by the sculptor's steady hands. The key to the path is to be both sculptor and jade, to craft yourself into a work of art.
Training: To follow the Whispering Way, a Kuei-jin must continually die and be reborn. Every few years, she suffers a ritual "death," is buried and returns as a new person. During her burial, the vampire enters a long trance, during which she meditates on the lessons of her past life. Certain powerful Whispers project their soul into the spirit worlds while the body sleeps. The Kuei-jin's body remains in stasis, guarded by mortal friends or other Whispers. The former are usually devoured when the vampire returns from her travels; the latter salute her and walk away as she emerges the tomb. Each time she "dies," the Kuei-jin severs all ties to her past life; in time, she walks away from her wu and court as well.
In their breathing days, most Whispers were either fanatics for one cause or scattered among many. Neither path allowed them to learn their karmic lessons. When the training begins, sifus asks impossible questions, then send their pupils out to seek the answers. Disciples are given three new identities by their masters, and these identities are as different as possible. All the necessary skills are passed on through early training, along with funds, sutras, meditations and Kuei-jin manners. When those three lives end, the disciple is on her own.
Weakness: Moderation is hellishly hard to practice, especially if you're a vampire. Despite the meditations and Broken Mask technique, the four-way pull between Yin, Yang, Hun and P'o yanks many Rootless Trees from their paths. To hold true to their Way, many Whispers look to the earth. That earth appears solid, yet it melts away as mud, swirls into sandstorms and hardens into rock. Sometimes it splits open and swallows its surroundings. It never simply lies still.
To be truly balanced, one must occasionally go to extremes. To avoid attachments, Whispers destroy things and people they love too much. Their betrayals gave rise to the Dharma's other name -- the Way of the Wise Centipede, a sarcastic comment on the Arhat's inspiration. Other vampires distrust the followers of Balance; who knows when your friend might suddenly turn on you.
Auspicious Omens and Symbols: Jade masks, caves, centipedes, tunnel complexes, boulders carved into human shapes.
Affiliations: Earth, the color white, the number 0 and the center point direction.
Concepts: Lunatic, spy, teacher, martial artist, wanderer, mercenary, enigmatic stranger.
Tenets
1. Live 1,000 lifetimes, each one different from the last.
2. Learn what you can from each life.
3. Change as much as possible between breaths.
4. If you grow too close to something, kill it. It will only hinder you.
5. Turn your back on each life as you leave it.
6. Give when generosity is needed; take when theft is required.
7. Pry open the eyes of the sightless and make the mute defend their wordless state. All beings must confront their choices, so question them as you pass.
8. When something appears to be out of balance, correct it.If you cannot, destroy it.
Rival Paths
- Devil-Tiger: What an ugly mask! Take it off before you scare yourself.
- Resplendent Crane: The Monkey King put all your kind to shame. It took the Buddha and the elements to teach him to behave.
- Song of the Shadow: I hear the whispers too, but some of mine know how to laugh.
- Thrashing Dragon: Well named -- lots of activity going nowhere.
- Kindred: Ants in the path of the coming flood.
------
 Clan: Devil TigerAncestor: NingMandarin: None Jina: None Virtues P'oWith rods do the farmers drive the bullocks, You are the rod and the farmer and the ax and the fire, Fine skin-lanterns shall be your sunlight And corpse-dust shall be your perfume. - The Songs of Hell
Active Members:
Shizun: Fujin
Hin: Yu Ming
Chin-mei: Noodle
Rank Unknown:
Inactive Members:
Some souls scream when they reach Yomi. Others enjoy the trip and bring the torment back with them when they return. To these souls, the Howl of the Devil-Tiger is a mantra of hope. Pain is a cleansing thing to these vampires; it roots out imperfections and applies the healing torch. In the shriek that follows, a higher Truth appears.
According to The Blood Sutras, Xue discovered the Mantras of Pain after the destruction of Mount Meru. Weeping, he lashed himself with nettles and tore gashes in his sides. As his blood poured to the ground, it burst into flames. Xue ripped off his own face and threw it into the flames. It was then that he became enlightened.
Despite misconceptions, the followers of this path are not demon-worshippers. Oh, the appear to be, to the unenlightened observer: Devil-Tiger temples crawl with atrocities -- from skewered babies to maimed slaves -- and ring with obscene chants and discordant music. Unclean spirits frequent such places, and the Chit that boils in Devil-Tiger dragon nests is corrosive and foul. The outsiders miss the point, however: Devil-Tigers do not worship devils, they want to become devils. And that is a far greater purpose than servitude.
To the Searing Wind (another name for the Devil-Tiger sect), a pain is instructive and purifying. A devil, in the grand scheme of things, is the doctor with a cauter-knife and bone-saw. By cutting off the rotting limbs and burning out infections, a devil makes creation healthy. It is Heaven's wish that Devil-Tigers fulfill this task on Earth -- both on others and upon themselves.
These vampires epitomize sadomasochism; they enjoy tormenting other creatures mentally, emotionally and physically, but revel in the same treatment, too.Each tear is a new lesson, each cry a vision of truth. Just as a sudden flash of light leaves a deeper darkness, so the lash of pain creatures a greater calm. Restraint comes from the fear of pain; hence, welcome pain and banish restraint. Agony should be savored for the insights that is brings -- insights that turn to higher joys, if you understand their meaning.
The Searing Wind tries to help others find those joys; paradoxically, it also seeks to destroy people who understand the truth too well. These devils are surgeons too, after all, and destined by Heaven to cauterize disease. Like the goddess Tien Mu, Devil-Tigers are the lightning that illuminates the wicked; like the Le Kung, they are the thunderbolt, which strikes down sinners. The Sixth Age, so they say, will be the brightest strike, the flash that will burn a wicked creation to ashes. Like the lightning, the Devil-Tigers will fade when their task is done, and a new, wiser creation will rise from the embers of the old.
It will be a grand game! And it has already begun...
Training: Like tigers, the vampires of the Searing Wind prefer magnificence to brutality. Such evil has a grace and power that simple carnage cannot match. Their lessons cut like razors -- literally! -- and their mantras flay one's ears. Skill is virtue, brutishness as waste. A Master abducts her future disciples, imposes horrific lessons on them, then has them meditate on the essence of their pain.
The students themselves come from violent backgrounds. in their lives, they learned to live with pain. In time, they drew strength from it and often died gruesome deaths. During their stay in Yomi, these souls had their weaknesses sliced away. Now, with the Second Breath in their lungs, they strive to continue their training and to pass on the lesson to individuals who might appreciate it.
Modern Devil-Tigers find the world a fascinating playground. Never before has pain been so acceptable, so mass-produced. At the same time, many people seem numb to exquisite anguish. The challenge of the modern world is to make it feel again -- to apply the hot iron until creation's eyes fly open and behold the sight of Heaven.
Weakness: Even the wisest Devil-Tigers seem impulsive, a bit too quick to provoke a scream. The younger ones are clumsy tempters or raging killers, and their elders aren't much better. Subtlety is not this Dharma's strong point. In the dawning of the Sixth Age, Devil-Tigers stand ready to claim the world and are none to humble about that privilege. they cultivate Bane-spirits in their gardens, but cannot quit hide the hunger in their eyes.
Auspicious Omens and Symbols: Tigers, thunderstorms, lightning strikes, huge fires, burning lotuses (often represented by floating flower-candles)
Affiliations: Fire, the number 2, the color red and the south direction.
Concepts: Rebelsub kid, assassin, entertainer, prostitute, smuggler, hired gun, torturer, enforcer, philosopher, bureaucrat, wandering stranger.
Tenets
1. Ride the Demon, do not let it ride you.
2. Glory in the fires of the flesh and the passions of the soul.
3. Teach others to live joyfully through pain.
4. Throw fear into the flames and encourage others to do likewise.
5. Do not hesitate -- act!
6. Seek out the brightest embers and feed them until they become bonfires.
7. Meditate upon the flash of passion, the dazzle of its afterglow and the darkness that follows.
8. Be cultured in your passions and magnificent in your evil. Any imbecile can act like a madman; it takes true wisdom to become a devil.
Rival Paths
- Resplendent Cranes: Law is a bandage. I will rip it off and make you bleed.
- Song of the Shadows: Cold as marble. Strike it hard and it shatters.
- Thousand Whispers: To shift between lives is an admirable but cowardly way to learn Dharma. Are you studying creation or running from it?
- Thrashing Dragon: In the white furnace of passion, the line between life and death is turned to ashes.
- Kindred: Oh, quit bitching! You enjoy what you are. Now admit it and get on with your existence!
------
 Clan: Resplendent CraneAncestor: Lihua DaiyuMandarin: None Jina: None Virtues HunLike arrows from the forest The bowman strips you, boils you and straightens you, Bowman and arrow and target are one, The rain watches, but does not answer. -- The Empty Gate
Active Members:
Shizun: Lady Allatu
Hin: Arisu Shoma, Sohalia
Chin-mei: Hanami
Rank Unknown:
Inactive Members:
Tancho Kuro
The earth is a chaotic shadowshow of unruly imperfections. Heave, by contrast, is ordered, secure and settled.
Shouldn't earth be more like Heaven?
When imperfect souls are returned to earth, Heaven must have some task for them. Some Kuei-jin recognize that they died wreathed in sin; Yomi was not enough penance -- they must make bent things straight.
Xue recognize this need. Pride has slapped the face of Heaven, and Heaven has responded. The unworty, he noted, had not been destroyed, but were left to ponder their curse. Perhaps, he reasoned, if they could return to their former glory, Heaven would forgive them and the hunger would be eased. Xue meditated for a thousand nights beneath the Falls of Tong. His arms bloated and his skin turned green, but no enlightenment would come. At last, hunger drove him from the water and he wandered naked in the snow. Nothing could be found and Xue despaired. At the edge of a frozen pond, he saw a white crane pluck a frog from the ice. The bird set the frog aside and the frog became a butterfly. At once, Xue understood.
Like Legalists and Confucianists, Resplendent Cranes see suffering flow from imperfection. If enlightened rulers can set examples -- and laws -- for their people, those people should prosper. The key lies in the purity of the lawmakers; if the leaders are enlightened, their laws carry Heaven's blessings. The Wan Xian disgraced their posts; their heris, the flawed souls returning as Kuei-jin, are likewise shameful. To alleviate their shame, the vampires must serve as the Correctors of Heaven, as enforcers and exemplars of the Harmonious Way. The path is not easy -- the Demon chews at one's honor and the hunger gnaws at one's resolve. Resisting these distractions, however, provides salvation: salvation for the lost souls of the vampires and for the continuation of the mortal world.
The Sixth Age is not set in stone. It can be averted by virtuous behavior and right action. With a powerful effort, the Great Cycle can be turned back and a new Age of Heave can begin. The Shining Ice Guardians - as the Resplendent Cranes call themselves -- want literally to save the Middle Kingdom from itself. It's a mighty task; never before has the world seemed so corrupt. Still, Chi, the power of Heaven, flows through all Kuei-jin. They have one last chance to redeem themselves, and the Cranes are resolved to do just that.
The Eight Lotus Path (a collection of analects and koans) gives a formula for salvation. The First Lotus offers the recognition of hope. The Second Lotus demands virtuous existence. The Third Lotus involves nurture -- reward for virtue, correction for recklessness -- the Fourth calls for the purgation of the wicked. The Fifth Lotus encourages instruction, while the Sixth demands law. With the Seventh Lotus, mortal law gives way to harmony; the Eighth Lotus transcends the living world and unites it with the spirit. By meditating upon the Eight Lotus Path, a Crane discerns what must be done.
Shining Ice Guardians recognize that the entire world cannot be saved. Things have gone too far out of balance; dead wood will have to be cut away. Most sages set their hopes on the redemption of the Golden Fields -- of the Eastern lands and their peoples. The misery in the Orient has been caused by foreign invaders, from the Mongols to the Americans. These invaders carry disease like plague-dogs, and their sickness must be purged. If that required a blood-cleansing, so be it. Heaven will deal with the dogs in its own way; the Kuei-jin have been sent back to make the Golden Fields pure again.
Training: Resplendent Cranes recognize their impurity and strive to overcome it. While they lived, these vampires shamed (or believed they shamed) their families through careless, immoral behavior. In Yomi, their sins were boiled to the surface; now, they wear their residue as punishment for their disgrace.
Still, there is hope. Rigorous discipline, generosity and benevolence are like Hell-money paid for the vampires' souls. A Shining Ice Guardian is counseled to be wise, honorable, prudent and refined. Asceticism is encouraged, but mortification is considered bad form. Masters present their pupils with complex riddles and reward attentiveness with great gifts.
Weakness: Resplendent Cranes have no tolerance for rebellion, and their rage is like the north wind. In theory, they follow the Fivefold Way religiously, punishing anyone who deviates from it. In practice, the Shining Ice Guardians are regal monsters, interpreting the laws as they see fit and enforcing it when it suits them. Some Cranes follow Devil-Tigers around like carrion-crows and fall on sinners like icicles plummeting. It is said that Resplendent Cranes are as honest, cold and merciless as their winters they enjoy. In that purity, they hope to find forgiveness, even if they have none to grant themselves.
Auspicious Omens and Symbols: Eight-petaled lotus flowers, cranes, butterflies, cold wind, ice and snow.
Affiliations: Water, the number 1, the color yellow and the north direction.
Concepts: Policeman, priest, monk, soldier, lawyer, teacher, martial artist, paramedic, technician, Mr. Fixir.
Tenets
1. Follow the Eight Lotus Path.
2. Follow the Fivefold way.
3. When you lose control, make amends. The Demon guides you but does not own you.
4. When injustice or corruption appears, correct it to the best of your ability.
5. Be generous to the worthy, defend the weak and instruct the young and errant.
6. When the wicked will not listen to reason, straighten them as you were once straightened.
7. Defend the ghosts of your family and protect your living relations. Do not let them see you, however -- you have become a disgrace to their honor.
8. Maintain your dignity, honor and composure. You are an example of what the Damned can become.
Rival Paths
- Devil- Tiger: Like oxen, they pull a heavy load, trample the unwise and must be slaughtered to feed the family when the journey ends.
- Song of the Shadow: Leave them to tend their ghosts. We will tend the living.
- Thousand Whispers: Does one who gouges out his own eyes see clearer for it?
- Thrashing Dragon: Like naked children, they run to the spiders' den and get stung. Soon they'll learn better.
- Kindred: Rabid dogs in the gutter biting their own balls.
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Faekat Adoption Agency Crew
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Faekat Adoption Agency Crew
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 9:34 pm
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Heretical DharmaThe Dharma shunned and despised by the main five.  Clan: Spirit of the Living Earth Ancestor: ManasMandarin: None Jina: None
Active Members:
Shizun: None
Hin: None
Chin-mei: None
Rank Unknown: None
Inactive Members:
The Spirit of the Living Earth holds that creation itself is a spiritual entity compromised of various other smaller spirits that exist everywhere around in the Material World within their own realms. The material world itself is a vaporous illusion, one that parts to reveal the true power of spirit beyond. Only by propitiating these spirits can one expect their aid and compliance, and eventually, enlightenment and salvation by turning into a spirit themselves. Yin and Yang drawn together from the basis of all energy and all life, and so the Veils use these energies to develop their spirituality in hopes of moving beyond the pathetic thiefly existence of the Kuei-jin.
Culturally, the Cerulean Veil draws on shintoistic and various animistic traditions. Introspective and insightful, the Cerulean Veils hold that all actions have consequences within the realms of spirit and that each deed can insult or please a certain kind of spirit. Each action has a proper form and every of the myriads of rules the spirits adhere to has a reason. For that reason, they seem odd to the ceremonial court of the Quincunx, their words and actions dictated by the strange inhabitants of the Mirror Lands. Among mortals, the Cerulean Veils are careful and dignified. They do not indulge in food, drink or sex; indeed, as most mortals lack the capacity to deal with spirits at all, most Veils consider them transitory and of limited importance. Only when the spirits direct do the Veils break from their ordered routine to interact with the evanescent world. Since each soul is unique, reason the Veils, every individuals must have a similarly unique road to enlightenment. Thus, each Cerulean Veil discovers the proper way to expand her own spirit, whether alike or different from her mentor’s.
The Spirit of the Living Earth has been labelled heretic because they have no qualms about trafficking with demons and other tainted spirits- as they are still spirits. The Cerulean Veils believe that, as any spirit can be coerced, charmed or forced to do what a practitioner wants, if the right preparations are taken, they can command Yomi Wan's servants without being harmed. Their anachronistic ways and disdain of the pompous Courts of the Kuei-jin do the rest and most Cerulean Veils have been declared Akuma by the Ancestors.
Training
Elaborate ritual and ceremony accompanies induction into this Dharma. Each initiate undergoes a special rebirth before taking on the smallest of duties. Daily chants, mantras and purifications must be learned, and executed with precision. As a result, there are few Kuei-jin out there that actually practice the Dharma - the complex forms that please the spirits are taxing to learn and execute. Many of the rituals involve trips into the Yin and Yang worlds for direct audiences with their patrons.
Weakness
Steeped in tradition and bound to rituals and prayers for seemingly trivial occurrences, the path of the Spirit of the Living Earth is difficult and easy to fall from, as the Veils are often severely limited about what they can and can’t do. If they dare to neglect the rituals, the wrath of their spirit patrons can be assured. Furthermore, by studying the habits of a particular Veil, it is often possible to see how the particular Kuei-jin conducts her unlife, and to find a means of using or destroying it.
Omens and Symbols
This lists the most important symbols and omens of the Dharma that are sometimes integrated into their homes and temples. Bodhisattvas frequently manifest such signs whenever they appear. The symbols are: Shrines and statuettes, tea ceremonies, torii arches, sacred groves and ponds, parades
Affiliations
The elements connected to the Way. Most followers style their dress, behavior and practices after the elements they revere, and they employ samples of these materials in their meditations and rites. The affiliations of the Spirit of the Living Earth are as follows: the Mirror Lands, the colour blue and the west direction.
Tenets
Each Way has eight tenets to guide its lessons and philosophy. To pursue one's purpose, one must follow these precepts as closely as possible. The tenets of the Veils are:
1. Obey the will of the spirits
2. Perform the proper ceremonies to remain pure
3. Shun the defiled
4. Thread across the Earth to absorb its full glory
5. Pass wisdom to others freely
6. Help others to surpass the shortcomings of the flesh
7. Renew your thanks and commitment to enlightenment each day
8. Observe your taboos rigidly, that you may overcome your curse
--
 Clan: Face of the Gods Ancestor: AradhanaMandarin: None Jina: None
Active Members:
Shizun: Shén Guāng
Hin: Xin Yan
Chin-mei: None
Rank Unknown: None
Inactive Members:
The history of this Dharma is actually divided into the much older Indian tradition of the Celestial Tribe, and the heretic visions of the mad poet O. According to both Dharmas, twin souls are more than cleaved demons. Instead, the Hun and the P'o are remembrances of a divine state once achieved. Cast back into human form for a lifetime, the Godlings return from death as blessed immortals, gifted with superlative powers but also with infinite desire. To return to the godhead, one must find the seat of divine power—and this means mediating between the lusts of divine passion and the awareness of incipient omnipotence. Calling upon the universal energies of Yin and Yang, the Godlings shape the universe around themselves, seeking to hone their forms back into the sublime. Both expressions of this Dharma are classified as heresies by the Quincunx and hunted without mercy.
The Celestial Tribe
The Celestial Tribe is far older than the Quincunx, and may even predate the mortal birth of the Grand Arhat Xue—that is, if you believe what these heretics say. Those that side with orthodox teachings often scoff at the latter idea (though they grudgingly admit the heresy existed before the formation of the Five August Courts). The Godlings of India tell a story of Sita, who was exiled by her husband, the solar prince Rama, for rumored perfidy. Despite her innocence, Sita accepted her husband's orders and lived as a hermit for a long time. Each night, she prayed to the gods and eventually, the god Narayan answered her. Asking what he could do to ease her suffering, she asked that her children should become beloved by the gods. In time, Sita's children became a mighty brood and built palaces for her mother. The gods, however, came to see these new beings as a threat to their rule and asked Yama to kill them. But Death wasn't able to locate Sita and her children didn't stay dead, reanimated by their own virtue throughout the shackles of reincarnation. When the first of the Indian Wan Kuei, Shiva-Ohm, became aware of his state as a child of Sita and assembled others like him to avenge his mother and make Heaven see the error of letting Sita suffer by storming it and retaking their rightful place as denied gods, the current practices of the Tribe were formed.
The Celestial Tribe is - in its core structures – very similar to the authorities of the Quincunx. They crave validation from other Dharmas, despite seeing them as pretenders and fools, and before the political upheavals from the Week of Nightmares, a tenuous treaty with the Infinite Thunders Court existed against the Ravnos rakshasas that struggled against the Cathayans. The lack of bodhisattvas within the tribe, however, leads to the unfortunate situation that the Tribe is not taken seriously by other Dharmas that follow the Fivefold Way. The Divine Faces themselves, irritated that these newcomers should dictate their behaviour when they are oblivious to their true nature, are trying to find a way to produce a bodhisattva or similar enlightened spokesman, but, as they tell that the most powerful members of the tribe, like Shiva-Ohm, seclude themselves before their ascension to divinity, no reliable way exists within their structures to actually achieve this state of enlightenment. This has resulted in much discontent among followers of the Dharma, and experimentation on how to reach this state of enlightenment has undergone some dangerous vacillations, with some Kuei-jin trying to mimic the Kin-jin practice of Diablerie.
The Celestial Tribe also has no real eschatology comparable to the Quincunx within the Final Nights. Granted, the Eye of Demon Emperor is surely a bad omen, but not a sign of the end of the world. Nevertheless, the supernatural situation on the subcontinent is stressed and many cults of Godlings take more apocalyptic undertones to draw more followers.
The Celestial Nail
The other variant of this Dharma originates in the writings of O, a mad poet who had great insights into the spirit worlds. In his work, the Celestial Nail, O alleged that the true nature of the Wan Kuei was that of imprisoned gods and that all the trappings of their heaven-mandates society served only the purpose of distracting them from their divine nature.
The followers of the Celestial Nail are more often than not selfish creatures that hunger for attention and admiration. The arts of Prayer-Eating grant them this satisfaction and more than a few have become dangerously close to be coerced by the Yama Kings to join them fully.
Training
Indoctrination of a new follower of the Dharma comes when an existing Godling takes it upon himself to reveal the truth of divinity to another. The Divine Faces favor philosophical and occult knowledge, mastering the energies of their transient bodies. Courtly graces and etiquette are also taught, as the Godlings must properly attend to their mortal followers.
Weakness
Arrogance and whimsy mark the Godlings. Convinced of their superlative destiny, they find the notion of living as cursed beings repugnant. Followers of other Dharmas are seen as deluded mystics who miss the opportunity for true greatness, so no small amount of friction results. When a Divine Face feels generous, bounty flows from his hands; when enraged, though, his godly wrath tumbles down ally and enemy alike. For this reason, few trust or willingly associate with the followers of this Dharma. Other Kuei-jin even secretly fear that the Godlings may be right.
Auspicious Omens and Symbols
This lists the most important symbols and omens of the Dharma that are sometimes integrated into their homes and temples. The symbols are: Temple ceremonies, stands of burning incense and candles, shooting stars.
Affiliations
The Heavenly realms, the color violet, and the south direction.
The Tenets
Develop your divine nature
Expand both godly and demonic consciousness
Accept the venerations of mortals, but answer their prayers in return
Harness Chi to bring back divinity to your divine form.
Act according to the tenets of your Godly Voice, and your Godly Desires shall be fulfilled.
Visit the Heavens to remember what you have lost.
Practice ritual and tradition to empower your own essence
Commune with the spirits; learn of their messages from Heaven
--
 Clan: Flame of the Rising Phoenix Ancestor: JiahaoMandarin: None Jina: None
Active Members:
Shizun: Akari
Hin: None
Chin-mei: None
Rank Unknown: None
Inactive Members:
The followers of the Rising Phoenix trace themselves back to Kataragama, an Indian Kuei-jin who aided in the defeat of the Yama King Ravana. Kataragama had rejected the five orthodox Dharmas of the Kuei-jin, instead choosing to return to his mortal family, aiding them in their turmoil and protecting them from harm. They see the Second Breath as a continuation of their previous existence, no more new than the passage from childhood to adulthood or adulthood to old age. Although they see and experience things most people will never understand, like the great change in body and spirit, they essentially remain the same individual. The typical Rising Phoenix is, for a time, a bastion of hope and compassion; driven to regain mortality, they revel in the feelings and senses of their once-living days. The Flame of the Rising Phoenix believes humanity is the source of all wisdom and Heaven's crowning achievement. Kuei-jin should welcome human virtues and qualities, which is why Phoenixes return to their mortal lives. Their friends and families help them maintain a connection with their own humanity, although the danger of Shadow soul and the urgings of the P'o often lead to tragic endings.
The Flame of the Rising Phoenix is deemed heretic by the Quincunx because of their rejection of the Heavenly Mandate. Instead of believing they have returned to serve Heaven under a new purpose, the Phoenixes instead propagate that their return is the result of karmic imbalance. It is a second chance to redeem oneself and set the karmic scales right. They see the August courts as prideful and vain, denying their human origins and instead claiming the heritage of long-forgotten half-gods, forsaking those they should protect in the process. Before the rise of the Red Star, the Quincunx had decided that they would live and let live within the Infinite Thunder Courts, as long as they would combat the Kin-jin, but now, as the Demon Emperor seems to ascend, the Ancestors lash out against every potential Akuma before he turns down to Soul commerce.
Training
Rising Phoenixes don’t have a typical training regimen, probably due to the lack of true bodhisattvas on this path. Most develop their insight and mysticism, in order to get in touch with their needs and drives and find out where they went front in life. Ancestor veneration is common as well, as the Rising Phoenixes seek wisdom from old relatives.
Weakness
Few Kuei-jin ever achieve great age or status while following this Dharmic path, vanishing without any trace. Because of this, they lack Bodhisattvas, who could represent them before the more ancient members of the August Courts. Their second lives are also marked with tragedy, as the hunger, the constant whisperings of the P'o and their own Chi imbalance more than often destroys what they cherish, leaving them more alone than ever before.
Symbols and Omens
This lists the most important symbols and omens of the Dharma that are sometimes integrated into their homes and temples. The symbols are: Birds of paradise, clear skies, celebrations of birth, spinning tops and kites
Affiliations
Mankind, the colour gold and the east direction
Tenets
The tenets of the Phoenixes are:
1. Return to the world from which you came
2. Repay your debts of your human life
3. Help others find the unique value of Humanity
4. Fight the demon and deny monstrosity
5. Live not with extremes or balance, but simply well
6. Wake the sleeper who shuns experience.
7. Never deny the joys and sorrows of the living.
8. Return to your mortal ways and seek your human state
--
 Clan: Tempest Of Inward Focus Ancestor: None Mandarin: None Jina: None
Active Members:
Shizun: Feiyu
Hin: None
Chin-mei: None
Rank Unknown: None
Inactive Members:
Knowing the painful tearing of the conflicting natures of their kind all too well, the Seekers search for the calm in the center of the chaos within them. They crystallize enlightenment through the principles of negation. Every carefully placed element becomes part of a circle; the circle holds all of creation. No one truth leads to enlightenment; illumination throws shadows that bring understanding. By watching the synergy of opposing forces, the Tempests learn what lies outside of those forces. Yin flows into Yang and twin souls war, but in the spaces between them, the Tempests find solace within the Tao, the all-encompassing centre. According to Dharmic doctrine, this truth was discovered by Chuang-tzu, a disciple of Lao-tzu who became a Kuei-jin and managed to overcome the fabrications of the five August Courts.
This isn't to say that Tempests are dilettantes without dedication. Spirits and men are opposite sides of the same world. Shadow and wind compete for dominance, but both teach important lessons. Instead of focusing on any of the elemental powers of the Kuei-jin, Seekers turn their attentions to arts that move mind and soul. Finding the center point from which all of creation is visible certainly taxes endurance. Anyone who brings a new perspective or an opposing philosophy, whether human, spirit, or vampire, may be an instructor. Indeed, Tempests strive to master many arts at once, since only the highest excellence brings full knowledge. However, a practitioner of the Inward Focus always moves deliberately, seeking to internalize every component of study completely (along with its complements and opposites) before moving on. Thus, the Seekers manifest skill and knowledge in many fields and endeavors, but only the true ancient ever become adept.
The Seekers are deemed heretics because they regard the hells, the Yama Kings and the Wheel of Ages as illusions to overcome, as pieces cloaking the Tao that they will eventually transcend when they achieve oneness with the Tao. As a result, the Seekers do not share the feelings of superiority the Asian cultures allegedly possess, as many Kuei-jin Ancestors (and Bodhisattvas) believe. The seekers reckognize the growing spiritual problems, but believe them to be part of a self-fulfilling prophecy of the Quincunx, not the result of a natural cycle. If the Quincunx believe in the inevitability of a Sixth Age, it will inevitably come to pass. Their persecution by the August Courts has embittered many Tempests who have begun to fight back, sometimes turning to the Yama Kings for gaining the means to wage their battles, consolidating the picture of the heretic many Kuei-jin have in mind when they think of the Dharmas not part of the August Courts.
Divisions and Sects
The Tempests are divided into two interpretations.
The Danh Tú are the older interpretation, who originate in the Scarlet Phoenix Court of the Fourth Age. They are more scholary, shunning violence except as a last resort. Instead, they choose to educate others about their beliefs and show them the error of the illusions they live.
The Aks (Urdu for Hate), in contrast, are Tempests that have decided to no longer be persecuted and fight back. They are warrior-monks at best and marauding bandits at worst. Open to foreigners, many have dalliances with the Kin-jin, adding further weight to the accusations of being akuma.
Training
Moderation is the watchword of the Tempests: Tightly bound and controlled, they indulge in all experiences, but drink deeply of none. Some outsiders consider such dalliances shallow, but the Seekers know that any excess leads eventually to weakness and, thence, to corruption, as exemplified by the fall of the Wan Xian due to their lust for Chi. Yin and Yang Chi are tried to be balanced against each other, with meditation and physical exertion alike.
Weakness
While this moderation serves its purpose, the Seekers often find themselves indecisive or wanting in conviction. Instead of embracing change and extremes, the Tempests fight for stability and tranquility -- but at the cost of true inspiration. This lack of dynamism is one of the main reasons Tempests seem to be primitive and behind others, because they choose to not get involved. Playing off opposing energies prevents mastery of any one force. Without focus and drive, the Seekers won't evolve.
Omens and Symbols
This lists the most important symbols and omens of the Dharma that are sometimes integrated into their homes and temples. Bodhisattvas frequently manifest such signs whenever they appear. The symbols are: Cyclones, mandalas, spiral helixes, exploding fireworks, ripples in water
Affiliations
The material world, the color gray, and the center point direction.
Tenets
The tenets of the Seekers are:
1. Pull all things near and make them part of yourself
2. Balance the needs and desires on all poles, that they may strive against each other.
3. Never stray from the core of your nature
4. Realize the potential to learn from all people
5. Remember the lessons of the past; apply them to the future
6. Be consistent in your rewards and punishments
7. Teach others the virtues of peace and moderation
8. Bring harmony to the spirit worlds through balancing the living realms
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Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 5:36 pm
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Scorpion EatersThe Dharma shunned and despised by all. Clan: Scorpion Eater Ancestor: Sasori KoMandarin: None Jina: None Active Members:Shizun: None Hin: None Chin-mei: None Rank Unknown: None Inactive Members:The Scorpion Eater is one of the heretical Dharma of the Kuei-Jin. It was developed by Kuei-jin who had to feed on tainted Chi to survive. Their original founder was a Devil-Tiger named Jade Scorpion, who witnessed the atomic attack on Nagasaki and was bathed in the Tainted Chi that spilled forward. Seeing that the Kuei-jin had failed, he lost all hope and pleaded to the Yama Kings to allow him to survive. The demon lords granted him this request, provided that he would not oppose their reign. They cannot use regular Shintai and instead use the Bile Shintai. The Scorpion Eaters solely rely on their P'o, barely staying above the level of Chih-mei and unable to advance further. The Quincunx considers all of them Akuma, even if they are not wholly slave of the Yama Kings. The Scorpion Eaters are the children of modern developments that are seen as omens of the Sixth Age; rapid industrialization, lacking respect of tradition and growing disillusion with the bleak state of affairs in the world. Most Scorpion Eaters have become disillusioned with the concept of the Wheel of Ages, pointing at the pointlessness of struggling against the turn of ages. Neither the August Personage In Jade nor the Demon Emperor will ultimately last. The answer to this struggle is carving out a niche where they will survive the turning of Ages and can watch as everything collapses around them. To this end, they adapt to the growing chi corruption and even encourage it, seeing it as a way to weed out the orthodox Kuei-jin that hunt and despise them. The philosophy of the Scorpion Eaters is a very strong contrast to other Dharmas. While every other Dharma allows for enlightenment and escape from the state as an undead, the Scorpion Eaters have no such aspirations. All that matters for them is to survive the next moment. Wisdom, virtue and introspection are a waste of time to them. The only thing that matters is surviving and doing whatever they want, often mimicking the lifestyle of gangster movies of Hong Kong. As a result, they are spiritually void, as empty as a mirror-cast reflection. The Scorpion Eater "Dharma" can't support spiritual advancement. It not only doesn't account for enlightenment, it denies the very possibility of it. At the very core of the Scorpion ethos are despair and disillusionment, a resignation to the brutal realities of the coming Sixth Age and the desire to survive it as scavengers. Fear, weakness and selfishness are what ultimately lay beneath the devil-may-care bravado of Scorpion Eaters. Sadly, the Dharma's glamorous lifestyle and superficial attitude seduces many young Kuei-jin, especially those who have taken the Second breath in the last decade. As nihilism and hedonism overtake more young mortals and lead many to early deaths from overindulgence and violence, so too do the ranks of the Scorpion Eaters swell. By embracing the very essence of the modern age and rejecting the "antiquated and foolish traditions" that sustained Kuei-jin society for centuries, the Eaters are a walking affront to all right-thinking, hungry dead. TrainingThe Scorpion Eaters are experiencing a steady growth in numbers, especially over the last few years. Many are Kuei-jin faced with despair or succumbing permanently to the chih-mei state; when their only options are facing the sun or being destroyed, they eagerly choose instead to join the Scorpion Eaters. As a whole, this Dharma isn't big on Ritual. They consider such things childish and a relic of the ancestors' superstitious ways. The only rites are those that create a new Scorpion Eater and those that can taint Dragon nests. Scorpion interaction is primarily based on mutual benefit. Once a Scorpion has exhausted the use of an ally, that "friendship" usually ends right then and there. Sometimes desperate loneliness brings together those unwilling to face the bleak nights by themselves, in codependent and sometimes abusive relationships. Scorpions will gather temporarily to trade knowledge of Disciplines and the rare rite. Qualities such as empathy and affection are in short supply among the Scorpion Eaters, as they can be used against them by their fellows. WeaknessThe Scorpion Eaters willingly blind themselves to their souls' peril. While they aren't actually akuma, their survival depends largely on the goodwill of the Yama Kings. Curiously, despite having turned away from enlightenment, the Scorpion Eaters found stability by embracing their P'o rather than trying to control it. The fact they haven't permanently succumbed to it leads some ancestors to believe the Yama Kings are spreading the Dharma, or perhaps that one or more akuma founded the movement, hoping to ensnare the weak-minded. Regardless, the Kuei-jin increasingly hate this affront to the August Personage and contribute solely to the agendas of the Yama Kings. A side effect of their consumption of Tainted Chi is that many Scorpion Eaters display demonic features even without having their Demon Shintai activated. Some see this as a badge of honor, signs of adaptation to the reality of the Sixth Age, while others fear these marks as exposure towards their enemies. Auspicious Omens and SymbolsScorpion Eaters pay little heed to omens and auspicious signs. Naturally, their symbol is the scorpion, which often finds its way into their tattoos and jewelry. A Scorpion Eaters' Demon Shintai characteristics are often marked by a scorpion-like appearance. Among Scorpion society, these are often worn with a perverse sense of pride; symbols of the Kuei-jin's survival instincts. The Dharma's other great symbol is technology. They favor any high-tech gadget or toy – the smaller, more expensive and sophisticated, the better – and many like leaving "calling cards" in their wake. AffiliationsScorpion Eaters generally congregate in gangs and shun any affiliations with old terms and concepts. They exist like their favorite "gangster", but their idea of what this life entails is a product of Hong Kong and Hollywood movies. The TenetsScorpion Eaters are not fond of rules. Most of the doctrines of their Dharma are self-explanatory and seen as common sense. The only law almost universally followed by the Scorpions is to not interfere with the Yama Kings or their servants; if they can be said to hold anything sacred, this would be it, as this law is the key to their very survival during the Sixth Age. 1. Survive, regardless of the costs 2. Embrace Change, for it is the nature of all things 3. Turn your back on Heaven, for Heaven had turned its back on you 4. Show no one mercy and expect none in return. 5. Forget the past 6. Serve no one, but respect the strong. 7. Defend what's yours; to do otherwise is showing weakness. 8. Spread corruption wherever you can. Force everyone to adapt to your standards. |
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Faekat Adoption Agency Crew
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