Hengeyokai LARP Houston

The Mandates encompass the the basic rules governing any Beast Court. While most of the Mandates leave room for interpretation, the First and Final Mandates are absolute and inviolable. Violating a Mandate may result in admonishment, ritual punishment, ostracism from a Beast Court, or (in the case of the First and Final Mandates) ritual execution.

It is up to the individual, based upon his Breed, Auspice, Nature, and Demeanor, how the Mandates govern their everyday lives. However, it is expected for all members of a Beast Court to pay heed to the Mandates' teachings and basic philosophies.

The First Mandate

Shirk not the Tasks which have been given You
Serve the Mother in the manner in which She intended.

This Mandate forbids the Hengeyokai from abandoning the Beast Courts to live "a normal life" as a human or an animal — the Mother's gifts were given for a purpose and are not to be ignored or squandered.

The Second Mandate

Guard the Wheel that it may turn in Fullness
The Wheel of Ages' turning is certain, but it is not invulnerable to sabotage.

This Mandate sets forth that the Hengeyokai, creatures of balance, were created in part so that they might ensure that each age would rule in turn, and then be succeeded by the next. The Hengeyokai have been promised that if they are successful in this, the Wheel will eventually turn to the Twelfth Age, when Heaven and Earth will again be made one, the Mother will be healed of all Her ills, and Her faithful servants' bodies and spirits will be made one with All.

The Third Mandate

Presume not to instruct Your Cousin in his Task
Each must be trusted to perform his duties fittingly, or the Courts will devolve into chaos where no progress will be possible.

This Mandate forbids Hengeyokai from ignoring their own work to criticize their fellows'; however a good General would heed the advice of a scout presenting evidence that opposing forces would make a plan of attack suicide, etc... It mainly reminds the Hengeyokai that superior expertise should be heeded, and that each Breed is presumed to possess such expertise in the task for which they were created.

The Fourth Mandate

Honor Your Territory in all things
Hengeyokai are expected to keep their lands in a proper state.

This Mandate sets forth that Hengeyokai must keep their territory in a proper state to best honor the spirits, maintain a healthy flow of energy, and ensure that the Mother's skin remains pure and unsullied. The Courts also tend to classify treatment of Kinfolk and even local humans under this Mandate, ruling that a territory is the sum of all things within its boundaries.

The Fifth Mandate

Let Mercy guide You in our August Mother's Court
Bloodshed must be prevented between Hengeyokai.

This Mandate sets forth that there enemies aplenty thirsting for Hengeyokai blood; there is no point in losing it to an ally's blade.

The Sixth Mandate

Honor your Ancestors and your Elders
Without the wisdom of those who have gone before, the beast-folk would be no better than their animal kin.

This Mandate sets forth that the Hengeyokai must properly honor their Ancestor-spirits and must be reverent when dealing with their elders. With age and death comes great wisdom and power; wisdom and power lead to great strength for the Hengeyokai.

The Seventh Mandate

Honor the Pacts with the Spirit World
All rites and rituals must be performed in the proper fashion.

Proper obeisance must be made to the great powers of the Yang World. As the Hengeyokai are part spirit themselves, they must always be true to their nature by honoring the spirit worlds.

The Eighth Mandate

War not upon Human nor Beast
Hengeyokai are both Human and Animal and neither should be abandoned.

This Mandate does not forbid violence toward humanity or animals — it forbids active campaigns against species, settlements, and the like. In performing one's duties many human or animal deaths may be necessary — but those deaths should never be the first object of a Hegeyokai's mission.

The Final Mandate

Let no one or nothing Violate the Sacred Places
The Final Mandate is Inviolable.

The Final Mandate sets forth that the sacred sites of the Earth were entrusted to the Hengeyokai, and betraying that trust — and thereby abandoning the world to a fate of decay — is unthinkable.