Curr Sx: Bansansans ano Suc CHAPTER SI KAKEARTANS AND SHE ‘The flow of the river fs Geaseless and id water i never the same. — Kamo no Choméi, Hokoliy Tue Suen The Wan Kueillare far frombbcing_thefMiddle Kingdoms only supernatural inhabitants! Beyond the many sisits of the land, they share the ‘ight with shapethangers, displaced demigods and tireless hunters. A Blood) Silk chronicle need never include these, various shen, but ey can adda whole other dimension to play. The following’ Sections provide brief overviews of the shapechangersyhsien, mages, ghosts and demon hun ers of the late FourthiAlpe. Xiong Ren ‘The Xiong Ren — the Ferocious People, the shapeshifters of the East — spend their days in the Middle Kingdom with an innatesbalance that other she’ can only envy. Whiléthe WampKuei struggle between the demands off¥in and Yang, Hun and P’o, the Ferogious People tie togétherwital energies, hu- manity and beast, with seemingly little effort. It is the gift of.dhe Bitiérald Mother to her people. Their shen peers have mot always held the Feros cious, People th, such esteem. In the days of the late Third)Age, thelfen. Thousand Immortals, fullof overweening pride, looked down. frontl|theingaudy Tre Meanyng or “Xjong Ren” Throughout this book, the shapeshifters who willby the modem day becalledhengeyokai, “Chang- 4 {) ing Phantoms,” are referred to by the Chinese name Xiong Ren. The phrase translates quite literally to “Ferocious People,” emphasizing their dual natures as man and beast. The majority of the Beast Courts ofthe 12th century use the Chinese languageastheir common tongue, as geography dictates. Because the j Beast Courts include many different types of | shapechangers, using breed-specific languages is imprecise at best; thus, the name Xiong Ren is considered the most appropriate and the least likely to offend. j palaces and)bloody temples and decided that the werectéatures were too crude and too dangerous. The ‘Wan Xianicame down to walk among those who wet once alliéstand spfead rumors of corruption and dis sent. They fanned the flames of the skirmishes that followed and returned to their strongholds as all-out ‘war enveloped the Beast Courts of the Emerald Mother. This bloody ¢onflict is remembered as the War of Shame.Though fooled once, and at extraordinary cost, the Ferocious People would prove the Wan Xian the greater fools. The Xiong Ren looked up from their internecine avenged imagined slights. Their rage they tured on the Wan Xian, their be battle by the noble Hakken general descent from the August Personage is Wan Xian to a standstill; the nd Gaia delivered her judgment jot escape judgment, however. pirit world from the physical angers lost their ability to step tirely. Chi You, the Hakken laws of Heaven and accepted require peace and coop On the other hand, handed down for generatio of the past not be forgotte Beast Courts of the Emeral main among their own bre litanies and paths — this is with the breach opened so long strength of purpose and an unsw: Beast Courts are slowly regaining their lo Xiong Ren gather under their banners to form se honor of Gaia and Luna. While the return to power and prominence seem slow to the hot-blooded Xiong Ren, it has hap pened with disquieting speed in the eyes of the Wan Kuei. The Ferocious People somehow remember, in alarming detail, events.that no beingstill living wit- nessed. The vast majority of the tales fromtithe turning of the Age speakof betrayal and corruption, but some very few tell ofacts of valor and sacrifiééiby the Wan Xian. In the few places where those’stories arestill told with reverencestbe Wan Kuei and the Xiong Ren « exist side byside. Where\suchitineasy peace exists, thi wise ancestor keeps Running Monkeyson a short leash and limits their contact with thé Beast Gourts. Th Vi Tie tcncteMe Mc toate fhe northwest 1 mountains and jungles of the south, the fof thenorth— provide vast areas where the Xiong the Wim Kei ain coexist relatively peacefully. fi ests are comparatively/plentiful, and Wan Kuei to live rustically ahd simply are seen (correctly or incorrectly) by the Ferocious People as wiser than their urban counterparts. In the central and eastern areas, the risinghuman populationhhashemmed the XiongRen into small afeasaround their sacred sites. The Wan Kuei grow inpower and number with the swelling tide of humanity, ingthe Ferocious People wary and angry —and often for a fight. Harcen Wenewouves Pe Other breeds may lay! first laine” ogi “of arrior, but the Hakken ar@without question the sol the Ferocious People. They are suited to serve i asked of them in the Beast Courtsjand do so esitation. The Way of Emerald y cely with theirnative Litany, andso, they lonor and Glory in their chosen ¢ourts. And yet, so many Hakken choose not to. Were for the démands gf duty, most Hakken would it wast always this waysethe Haken wethe hore rare babi’ the Wal rd of the army that battled dain Xian across the Middle Kingdom until fention of Heaven. Tn the last 100) years, cken have fetreaced from the mainland, taking al ppeopleofthe islandsofNihon, thereby peir faces to their new home with the bon hip. Their name itself = Hakken — is ,iewly tired and still fits as uncomfortably as a new sho Perhaps the Hakken are still smarting from bloody wars, or perhas the judgment of Heaven upo their ancestor, Ghi You has caused them deep shame. The Ferocious People of the mainlandprefer to assume that itis the seconds it would be disgraceful to consi the sons and daughters of the wolf cowards. ‘The Hakken have donewellin theirnéw:home. Th have nurtured the wartiors there along a path/6fi and duty, until the best of these human samurai rival theLe edad hence fc ktn a fen characters given in this section are Traits — Rage and Gnosis — rather than the Hun, P'o and Chi traits possessed by the Wan Kuei. If itis nece to convert these Traits, Rage ¢ P'o score, and Willpower the Hun; Gnosis can become a halanced Yin and Yang Chi rating. The Reset ort ene See Set eee Cortes ot Shapeshifters of the East and the Werewolf Play- Merron suet meg mainly because itis incredibly difficult to rep spects of the Ferocious Pec acre pee see Chapter er n become the the life-affirming Sree a Sraertne re ea Decne nats te raat etal sae ay hengeyokai powers. The destructive abilities com Sere Cm Pee Eg ee a shapeshifters have the ability to Rae e nk ran tcen tar per Black Wind and to assume animal or half war forms with characteristics such as th Sen Wren een nT Semon Tha Ferocious People who have taken on the r warriors can be designed with the warlike Disci plines of Iron Mountain and Kiai (from Kindred of the East Companion). Sagacious Ferocious People may have mastered the Yin or Ya Chi Disciplines like Equilibrium or even the Perera ge none neceetan from the abilities granted by Godbody of Earth aes nee a ee rt Sen Pera can b Secret Bieter Pets ses the aon ce ee eee CT ee CLS P’o cannot take will com monly include the ability to heal, to talk with and Nes Cao aes r. Other abilitie pirits, to read or four re See aoe include the Xiong Ren in their chronicle efit greatly from picking up a copy of Hengeyokai Sankaran L ben: werewolves themselves in deyort@Au'TMRey have fought to keep thelslands safe from she incursions afYomi, and for the most part, they have been,sueeessful, The greatest threatto theirlands isthe Kuro, andthe Hakken haveno mercy to spare for their fallen shapéchafiging brethren. Tbe Hakken share auspices, breeds and forms with the Garou werewolves of the West. Those who choose) joinséntai and hice with the Beast Courts of the Emerald Mothehmay also choose XiongRen gifs. 137 Be ey 1s of the SNe ten) frat they ar SM eet ea Beast Court ar Penne aa eae eacer Sere areata) theyare generally treated polit. eee aint cece fice i rs may volunteer for places fers lightly, and the usually seen asian indication that the road ahead is ca S Se places in the Beast Courts have i Certegy ald Mother from their ear if these Garou nea ets, Tate Ceo a Pe enn ack in the name of the en vires Peo ret The Apocalypse and Tribebook: Stargazers. Kuan WeRETIGERs, The Khangateithe warriors of the Ferocious People; ouly diagi@lffer werewolvesuf Nibun and the nord matéhitheir ferocity on the battlefield. The weretiggéis are the only ones of the great cat-shifters to pledge their allegiance to the Beast Courts in any number. The others ane foo solitary or their kinfolk are too rarely geen in China for them to promise theig lives to the Beast Kings of the East; the few Baghcera sowleopardassho grace the 0 la A 2c OE ecard, ‘but. theyseschew even thé fudimentary politics of the Beast Courts. The Khan serve the Courgsiloyallysindeed a few Khanistandiasikings. For the most part, thieyKhan.es¢hew weaponry such as klaives; they prefer to fight with fist, tooth and claw. Butarfew of them wield powerful reli€ weapons, such as the Hamitier of Zhao. No Khan will\wield a fetish weapon that Was,not created for a weretliger’s use; his pride is too great talet him accept hand-me-downs froin, ‘Hakken or Same-Bitod While the Khan of China are loyal first and foremost tg their liege lords, they remain on good terms with the Khan of the distant West, Periodically a great summons. willloccur in one @fith®'kingdoms of India, and all Khan. are expeétédto attend these convocations. They are uusuallan excuse t6 socialize and exchange stories, as well as catch)up with old acquaintances, but the Khan also share battle tati¢sand intelligence on the activities of the Great Centipede, ThejKhan cannot @hter the Yang Realms on their ‘GWAY Only through the Use of powerful Gifts from the Emerald Mother or with the aid of a sentai-mate can they be pulled across the Wall. However, weretigers do