Song of the Shadow

    There is life, there is 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 to dust.
     "Would y 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 as cold as stones. Yet the ghost was not unmoved. A single tear slid down her cheek and spattered in the dust. 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 that 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 rythms 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 immportality, 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 event becomes a symbol for a much grander thing. This curiosity brings them into the company of other shen; there, they act as ambassadors, mystics and lorekeepers. With their talent for enigmas, such vampires understand the spirit paths as well; an elder makes an excellent guide to Yin and Yomi Worlds alike. During her instructions, the average Bone Flower visits both.
     In life, these vampires tended to be melancholy. Not suprisingly, 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 winds steal 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 dettachment. To stand at the doorway between life and death, one must grow immune to the torments of both. Still, to rise from duft, 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 artworks. These performances feature elaborate rites, haunting music and stylized dancing. Through these plays, the 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 eunuch's whispers. There's something both abhorrent and beautiful in a Bone Flowers face and faraway gaze, and she never seems to care about anything that happens. The shadows' songs 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 romatic 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 kinds. Where the Devil-Tigers teach through pain, the Flowers dismiss it. Like all things, agony is short-lived and therefore irrelevant.

Auspicious Omens and Symbols: Bones, coll springs of water, autumn leaves, theatre music, 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 hols 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.

Quote: Your mother bore you, your father raised you. I speak                                 for them. And they are not happy.