Kindred of the East

Kindred of the East is a campaign supplement to Vampire: The Masquerade, focusing on the supernatural denizens of the Exotic East, particularly the native blood drinkers of that land, the Kuei-Jin. Superficially similar to the Get of Caine, the Kuei-jin are a very different kind of supernatural indeed, and one who is more in tune with the world of the Spirits.

Not-so Exalted Anymore

In ages past, what would become the Kuei-jin started out as the Wan Xian, the Ten Thousand Immortals. Chosen by the August Personage in Jade (God essentially), these were mortals who passed various tests of worthiness, and were granted the ability to absorb and use ambient Chi (the energy that infuses all things). They were then tasked with safeguarding the Middle Kingdom (a term used to refer to BOTH the territory of Imperial China at its historical height AND the Mortal Realms in its entirety) against the forces of the Yama Kings and other supernatural threats. In their service many amassed great power, reached enlightenment, and eventually gained passage into Heaven.

Due to the threats they faced, its inevitable that Wan Xian would fall in the line of duty. As such it was tasked to the Ebon Dragon and the Scarlet Empress to seak out worthy replacements.

Some of this, particularly the personalities involved, sounds suspiciously familiar, doesn't it? Don't worry, it's not your imagination.

Eventually all good things come to an end. The Wan Xian eventually became corrupt, partly due to the influence of the Yama Kings (creating the first akuma), partly due usurping the Dragon Nests (nodes where lines of Chi converged) from their Xiong Ren (Eastern Shapeshifters) owners, and partly due to simple hubris that led to them slaughtering their half-vampire children (the Jin Hai) when the latter politely asked them to stop being such assholes. The August Personage cursed them for their perfidy, and only four Wan Xian were spared.

Left with the inability to breathe, the rest were forced to feed on the Chi of others to survive. With even their rituals of Rebirth corrupted by the tortures of the Hell realm, it more or less ensured that only those with the blackest of hearts would be return to Unlife.

And so it was that the Ten Thousand Heroes would become the Ten Thousand Demons, and the Wan Xian became the Wan Kuei, the first of the Kuei-Jin.

Before we begin: About Chi and the Duality of the Soul

A lot of the design choices behind Kindred of the East rely on being familiar with the concepts of Chi and the Hun and P'o parts of the soul, which are all grounded in real-world classical Chinese philosphy, so it's better we get that out of the way before discussing the Kuei-Jin proper.

The Chi Virtues

Chi is the energy that infuses everything. Being unliving beings, Kuei-jin don't have Chi naturally, and have to gain it from the living, initially via feeding on the flesh, then blood. There are a myriad variety of Chi, but Kuei-jin mainly deal with the Yin and Yang chi. Yin chi is usually cold and stagnant-seeming, while Yang chi is warm and vibrant. Having too much of the former makes one look like a shambling corpse; too much of the latter and the Kuei-jin will seem a little too alive, to the point where they can sire (or bear, for the ladies) mortal children.

The Yin Virtue represents attunement to darker, more negative energies. Kuei-jin who willingly take in Yin Chi more aloof, calm, and cynical, and they're generally more creepy to mortals (unless said mortal is into the morbid, which in case, they're attractive instead). Yin-attuned Kuei-jin are more resistant to the Fire soul status (aka Frenzy), plus gain Ghostsight, which allows them to see Spirits from the Ying World, and the structural weakness of anything. Ghostsight can also be used to detect any illness or injury suffered by another person, though the Kuei-jin needs to be medically-trained to recognize and treat such damage.

On the flipside, the Yang Virtue shows attunement to the active spark that makes things live, even mostly unliving beings like the Kuei-jin. Vampires attuned to Yang seem more human, being vibrant and vivacious, and love walking among the Middle Kingdom's mortals. Yang-attuned vampires can resist Wave soul (Panic) status better, and Heal injuries of others via expending blood and Chi, and gain Lifesight, which lets them detect living things in the area. Lifesight also allows a Kuei-jin to read the feelings of people around him, and home in to those who have strong passions. Finally it allows the Kuei-jin to detect beings that pass or make their home in the Yang World (or Middle Umbra), like the Garou.

Preferring one type of Chi over the other influeces a Kuei-jin's vulnerability, by the way. Yin-leaning Kuei-jin are vulnerable to the traditional wooden staking (as they are more "dead"), while Yan-leaning Kuei-jin are more vulnerable to getting shanked by anything made of Metal (because they are more "alive").

The more enlightened a Kuei-jin becomes, the more proficient they become in drawing chi from other sources, with many eventually able to get chi from breath or ambiently from the environment itself.

The Soul Virtues

Kuei-jin are somewhat aware that the soul is made up of two parts: Hun, which is the "higher" soul, and P'o, the "lower" soul. Vampires who have high Hun are honorable and people of temperance; conversely, those with high P'o are wild, unruly, and savage.

Hun measures a Kuei-jin's rational side, her use of abstract thinking and aesthetics, as well as their empathy for mortals and overall resolve. It's like Conscience, but not quite, more related instead to one's honor and devotion to duty. Those who have high Hun are seen more as thoughtful and spiritual, and can better harness the power of their P'o when evoking Demon Arts, keeping control instead of being consumed by their Demon. They have sharp senses, and can even speak to Spirits, if they can detect them to begin with.

P'o on the other hand represents the animalistic side of the Kuei-jin. It is what influences a vampire's hunger, as well as sometimes turns something trivial into causing mindless rage. Many seek to tame their P'o; others, like the Devil Tigers, cultivate their Demons, seeing it as crucial to their kharmic duties as Heaven's Devils. The greatest sages say that enlightment can only be fully reached once the P'o is accepted and assimilated as a part of one's being.

Compared to Hun, there's a lot to be said about P'o. Most obviously, it's partly the cause of the Kuei-jin "condition", as during their mortal lives, more often than not, a Kuei-jin had been in thrall of their baser emotions. When they finally died (likely suddenly, violently, or both), the p'o part of the mortal's soul dropped straight into Hell... Then clawed its way back out to its body, usually around two months after death.

Mastering channeling one's P'o obviously has its uses. The Kuei-jin may willingly unleash a [[Rip and Tear|Berserk rage in themself], which means they no longer suffer wound penalties, and gain access to potent Demon Chi. Demon Chi is not "true" chi, but nonetheless used to fuel the Demon Shintai techniques, as well as temporarily move faster, increase Strength, or do more damage. And because Kuei-jin have no "natural" fangs, they need to expend Demon chi to grow fangs, and even more to create a fully-fanged maw.

Finally a Kuei-jin may draw from their P'o to break free of magical mind control, but on a success might instead force their Shadow Nature to the forefront. Unlike the mindless Beast of the Cainites, the Shadow of a Kuei-jin is a distinct personality embodying their repressed weaknesses and self-destructive urges.

Out of Hell, and the Road Back

Unlike Cainites, Kuei-jin are "born" when a strong-willed soul manages to fight its way back from what is (in essence) Hell, and crawl back into its body. In this regard, they are similar to the traditional "Revenant" of folklore. Having died denying one facet or another of their lives before falling into despair, depravity, or sudden violence, these damned souls now find themselves in the living world once more. Now they seek to find meaning to their new Unlives, repay their Kharmic debt, and either enter Heaven or exit the Great Cycle.

In the turbulence of the Modern age not many succeed, and as the Sixth Age approaches, there might not even be time to do so anymore.

We All Start Somewhere

All Kuei-jin start out as a chih-mei, a feral thing in thrall of its P'o and with a bad case of munchies for human flesh (as this is the most readily-available source of Chi). Many Kuei-jin never get past this state, and their eventual fate is to either be used as undead guard dogs by the local Court, or destroyed by by Witch Hunters after they've eaten one villager too many, shapeshifting Hengeyokai, or other shen.

In rare instances, a Kuei-jin breaks free of their animalistic state of their own accord, but most of the time a Court will seek out and collect chih-mei, to test and see if any would return to sapience (meaning their rational Hun manages to subdue the bestial P'o). Those that do proceed to the next step in their unlife's journey.

New Meat for the Courts

The newly self-aware Kuei-jin are not immediately absorbed into the Court that found them. Instead they are considered as hin, or non-persons, and will remain so for the duration of their initial training (called re). As hin have no rights, they can be arbitrarily cut down if they even annoy more established Kuei-jin, so it's no wonder that many learn to be mindful of social etiquette and be very civil.

Hin will be trained rigorously, not just by an assigned sifu (teacher), but most of the Court members that can spare the time. They are instructed on things that will aid them in navigating Kuei-jin society, from calligraphy, to martial arts, to the etiquette of the Unliving and that of the Spirit World. Here they also learn their Disciplines and supernatural arts, as well as the manipulation of Chi. They also learn to come to grips with their vampiric nature: sating their hunger, mastering their wave and fire natures, and avoiding the sun. As their Shadow finally manifests, they are also trained on how to confront their inner Demon, and use its power, lest they be consumed by their P'o.

This is also the time where a Kuei-jin begins their path along a Dharma, the way to enlightment. Representatives of each Dharma study the hin, then consult with each other to see which student fits which Dharma best.

During this time the hin's every word and action is scrutinized by the community as a whole. They may catch the eye of an established member of the Court, who may take them on as a student or petitioner, and in the process gets introduced to the politics of a Kuei-jin Court.

Eventually every hin will experience a final "exam", essentially a big community party where they will have to prove themselves to the Court. As there are also mortals among the gathered, the hin have to be able to conduct themselves with poise, courtesy, and subtlety. At the same time, hin will also have to show expertise in their selected Disciplines, control over their wave and fire natures (frenzy), or their Chi. One bad screw up, and a sign of displeasure from a Court Ancestor, will see a hin is swiftly escorted out of the proceedings, never to be seen again after.

Those that manage to survive this social gauntlet are formally welcomed by the Ancestor and Mandarins, and join the Court as disciples. They are now considered full members of the community, with all the rights and social expectations that entail. The Kuei-jin at this point will be assigned a "direction" based on the day the vampire arose to Second Breath, and inducted to a wu -- a group with (usually) four other vampires that will become a Kuei-jin's second family.

In previous ages, the period lasted as long as twenty-four years; in the current age, the equivalent training is squeezed into about five. As a result, masters normally don't have the patience to spare, and students who don't show the emotional and spiritual fortitude to survive the time to come are usually dealt with harshly and lethally.

Unlife Debut

Upon joining a wu, the formally-accepted Kuei-jin enter the period normally called Koa. Usually lasting the period of a human lifetime, this is when a Cathayan begins to explore his new nature as well as find his place in the world. For many, the Koa is a time to indulge in sensual pleasures, and settle old scores among the living. For others, it's simply the first step on the long road to enlightenment.

To the shock of many Ancestors, new Kuei-jin usually spend this time making their marks on the society of unliving, putting their own ambition over the good of Kuei-jin society as a whole.

Naturally, this is the point where many a new campaign for Kue-jin start.

Dharma, And You

Each Kuei-jin has a Dharma, a path through the unlife used to determine what their purpose is in the Great Cycle, with the eventual end of reaching Enlightenment. Part philosophy, part code of behavior, part lightning flashes of insight and clarity (called dah), a Kuejin grows in power and understanding the further they journey along the dharmic road.

Incidentally the further along a Kuei-jin is on their Dharmic journey, the more likely it is for a Cathayan to be eligible for a higher position in a given Court's ladder of influence (due to the accumulated wisdom and experience their Dharma implies). Court Mandarins and Ancestors are usually the wisest, most cunning, and deadliest members of their community for good reason.

Futher along the path still are the Bodhisattvas. Even the intrigues of Court unlife have lost their colour to these Kuei-jin, who have long discovered that these are distractions to the attainment of Enlightenment. Many of them retreat from the world almost entirely, to meditate on forlorn mountain hideaways about the vagarities of existence. As they stand on the cusp of attaining heaven, the power these enlightened beings radiate can often be overwhelming, even painful, for younger Kuei-jin, yet at the same time they are examples of what the lowest disciple can eventually attain.

The final step of the Dharmic journey is that of the Arhat. The Kuei-jin finally becomes Enlightened; the process often takes millennia, but when that moment clarity happens, the cares of the Mortal World falls away, and they enter the Thousand Clouds. Their kharmic debt was paid, and they are finally free from the Great Cycle.

While the base Kindred of the East rulebook claims that there are no Arhats left in the waking world, the individual Dharma books that followed contradict this, and say that yes, there are still a few of these super-enlightened beings hanging around. While they're supposed to move on to Heaven (and many indeed do), the few mentioned stay in the Middle Kingdom by choice. This is especially true of the Devil Tigers, whose Arhats are waiting for the Sixth Age to arrive... So that they can gank the Demon King when he even tries to ascend to the vacated throne of the August Personage.

Now, with the fluff out of the way...

Mechanically, levels in Dharma are almost the same as Generation is for Cainite vampires, though you deduct your Dharma level from 13 to figure out what your equivalent "Generation" is. Interestingly enough, the main KoTE rulebook explicitly says Dharma scores should not be used to figure out Power Levels. While a Bodhisattva is the rough equivalent of a Kindred Methuselah, it does not mean that a Bodhisattva can take a Methuselah one on one (though if you munchkin it, it's certainly possible). Not helped by how much expensive everything is points-wise for a Kuei-jin...

It's best to think of it as an Apples and Oranges situation. That said, there are stuff that the more Spiritually-attuned Kuei-jin can do that your run of the mill Methuselah (who are often blind to the Spirit World) can't, like travel thousands of miles in the blink of an eye, step sideways into the Spirit World ala Garou, or summon storms to blot out the sun.

(To see a canonical example of this at work, several Ravnos Methuselah were little more than quick snacks when their Antediluvian woke up during the Week of Nightmares. By comparison, a trio of Bodhisattva managed to pin down Zapathasura in Bangladesh for a night and a day, before the Technocracy decided to ruin everyone's fun by nuking all of them).

The higher your Dharma, the higher your Attributes, Disciplines, and Chi use limit can get. Unlike Cainites, where a player will have to eventually do Diablerie if they want to get anything above five dots, advancement in Dharma is a mostly story-driven affair; you either experience a flash of enlightment over the course of a gaming session (depending on your chosen Dharma), or you don't.

Choose Your Own Dharma

There are five "Traditional" Dharma, universally called the "Fivefold Path" (called that way because these were the ones created by the first Arhat, Xue as he wandered the Middle Kingdom after God cursed the Wan Xian) that a Kuei-jin can follow, each representing one of the Virtues that a Cathayan seeks to embrace, each a different path on the road to Enlightenment. Each Dharma likewise has a number of Sects connected to it, all based on a particular interpretation of its core tenets.

There are also so-called "heretical" Dharmas, which either represent different interpretations of the way to Enlightenment, or spit on the concept on Enlightenment entirely. Because of the fact that few if any of them have yet to ascend even a single Bodhisattva, followers of the Fivefold Path see them painfully deluded fools or, as in the case of the Scorpion Eaters, dangerous traitors that need to be put down for good.

The Dharmas of the Fivefold Path:

• Howl of Devil Tiger: Experts in dealing and enduring pain, these are evil bastards who seek to replace the Devil servants of the Yama Kings because they've lost sight of what they should be doing -- that is, punishing other evildoers. Represents P'o.
• Way of the Resplendent Crane: Those who believe that through virtuous behavior, respect of the rules, and proper action, this rotten World can be saved and renewed. Represents Hun.
• Song of the Shadows (Bone Flowers): Melancholic scholars, who have even closer ties to Ghosts and the Spirit World. Represents Yin.
• Dance of the Thrashing Dragon: Thrillseekers and hedonists, they seek to experience all of life's colors, especially since they missed out on it before their Second Breath. Represents Yang.
• The Path of a Thousand Whispers: The rarest Dharma, where one seeks to find their place in the Great Cycle by living through a countless identities. Represents Balance.

The Heretical Dharmas:

• Spirit of the Living Earth (Cerulian Veils): Shamans and travelers of the Spirit Realms, they're not picky about who they traffic with, which includes evil sprits that typically hunt down Kuei-jin. Represents Yin and Yang.
• Face of the Gods: Believe that they are Gods cast out of Heaven, and that Mortals should make it up to them by worshipping them and let them feed on their prayers, because why not? Represents Hun and P'o.
• Flames of the Rising Phoenix: See their new Unlives as a simple continuation of their old Mortal lives, and a second chance to set the kharmic scales straight. Represents Hun and Yang.
• Tempest of Inward Focus: Introspective isolationists, who feel that they need to focus on their own internal issues, and the problems of the world can wait. Represents Balance.
• Scorpion Eaters: Fatalists that have given up on fighting the coming Sixth Age, and surrendered to the Yama Kings. Universally-considered traitors and akuma. Represents P'o.

Let's Talk Politics: The Kuei-jin Courts

The governing body of Kuei-jin in particular region is called a Court, which oversees all wu in that area. In China there are five August Courts, descended from the Ancestral Courts of old, though there are other Courts located in different parts of Asia. While they are mostly concerned with the goings-on of the unliving, if they see the need to influence the world of mortals the Courts do so through the so-called Scarlet Screens -- secret societies, big corporations, even street gangs -- that act as their intermediaries.

Each court is led by an Ancestor (Dharma 7-8), whose rule was legitimized by the so-called Mandate of Hell after a rigorous screening process by senior Kuei-jin. He is in turn advised by the Court Mandarins (Dharma 6), and served by the Jina (Dharma 4-5). All wu usually defer to the Court's mandates, though in practice most wu see to their own business, though the elder members of the various wu often confer with each other on larger matters. And while politics is unavoidable in any given Court, most of the time it is often genteel, especially when compared to the literal cut-throat rivalries prevalent in the Domain of a Cainite Prince.

The Five August Courts

• Blood: Based in Beijing. Aspected North, the Blood Court has been the seat of authority of the Five August Courts ever since the drafting of the Treaty of the Quincunx. It passes laws and dictates policy for all wu under the Quincunx's authority, which means all Kuei-jin in the Middle Kingdom. It remains a steadfast bastion of tradition, and puts a premium on correctness and harmony with the Great Cycle.
• Bone: Based in Chongquing. Aspected West, the Bone Court busies itself in trying to find a connection back with the past, primarily through recovering potent artifacts and relics from the time of Mount Meru and the Wan Xian. This is a side-quest though, as most Kuei-jin of the court primarily want to find a way back to Mount Meru itself. The Court itself is very insular as a result.
• Flame: Based in Hong Kong. Aspected South. Defunct for the entirety of British rule in Hong Kong, the forces of the Quincux are fevereshly trying to rebuild its strutures in the wake of the territory's return to Chinese control. Loyal wu are trying to root out pockets of Cainites still in the city, and it is said when the situation stabilizes in the Court's favor, the region will then be used as the focal point for striking at their enemies' heartland.
• Flesh: Based in Shanghai. Aspected East, the Flesh Court was originally created as a stopgap against the akuma-infested Court of the Azure Dragon, to purge the eastern reaches against divergent thought and rebellion. The going has not been easy, not helped by the Japanese invasion of 1937, which brought a host of akuma with them. As a result, the "Court" is embroiled in a nightly battle to repel foreign invaders.
• Jade: Based in Changan. Aspected Center, the Jade Court is the spiritual center for the entire Kuei-jin population. Kuei-jin from this Court are considered some of the wisest and intellectual of their kind. Representatives from the Jade court as always welcome in any of the smaller regional Courts as a result.

Regional Courts

• Golden: Aspected South. Descendants of the Scarlet Phoenx Court and based in the countries that make up Indochina and a good chunk of Southeast Asia, the Golden Court is an aberration in that it is mostly a matriarchy, with powerful penangallan-queens ruling the roost. Bombastic, vicous, and cunning, the warrior-women of the Golden Court fight a constant battle against the akuma trying to infiltrate their ranks.
• Golden Lions: Based in Singapore, the so-called Golden Lion Court is made up of expatriate male Kuei-jin from the Golden Court, and other outcasts from the matriarchy. Kuei-jin in the Lion City are an orderly lot, especially when compared to their more chaotic and savage female counterparts in the mainland.
• Green: Based in the Korean peninsula, the Kuei-jin of the Green Courts are known mostly for their necromancy and their trade in Jade. Caught between the Quincunx in China and the Uji in Japan, the Green Court has learned to lie low and play both sides against each other, to its own benefit.
• Uji: Based in Japan, the gaki of Japan are currently experiencing a period of turmoil, with two of its most powerful houses pitted against each other as the country itself rushes headlong into modernity and Western nfluence. Matters are complicated by the deteriorating health of the reservoirs of Chi running through the country, a consequence of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
• Infinite Thunders: Based in Sri Lanka, the Bijali is only given cursory acceptance by the Quincunx. Located at the crossroads of trade and culture, the Court makes its own way philosphically. The court had, for the longest time, had a cold war with the native Ravnos of India, which exploded into the conflict that led to the Week of Nightmares.