The Howl of the Devil-Tiger - It can be vary difficult to portray evil effectively. When playing a Devil-Tiger, remember that there is much more to it than making things scream and bleed. Devil-Tigers may spill immense quantities of blood, but they do it according to the forms of court. Devil-Tigers do see themselves as evil creatures who perform a very useful and necessary function in the universe. The Devils of Heaven don't sew the seeds of corruption, but the punish those who prove unable to restrain their own base urges.
The Way of the Resplendent Crane - This Darma aims toward justice on every level, from individual to the universal. Cranes are dedicated to mastering the rules of the world and seeing that everyone else sticks to them as well. This all consuming passion drives Cranes out of death and back into the world. Resplendent Cranes want to improve the world so as to keep people from sin in the first place. The Song of the Shadow - Bone Flowers have perfected the emotionless state of the Cold Mind. Cold Mind is a state of preternatural calm and lack of emotion. Some Bone Flowers centre on learning and influence. Others value their closeness with the dead and are famed necromancers.
The Path of a Thousand
Whispers - The Kuei-jin following the Path of the Thousand Whispers
are the most inscrutable of their kind. The Broken Mask Technique is at the
heart of this Darma. It is the art of adopting new mortal lives following
the second breath, living among mortals as one of them. The lives of a "Rootless
Tree" are ideally as many and varied as possible.
The Dance of the Thrashing Dragon - The Darma of the Thrashing
Dragons is a twisting path which believes that the natural way to enlightenment
is observation and union with nature. Dragons strive to reach spiritual perfection
through the study of life. Dragons are hungry and passionate creatures, given
to battle, scandal and bearing children. The Thrashing Dragon faith is a religion
that may focus on sex, drugs, and violence; yet strives to better it's members
spiritually. The dance provides those who follow it with access to true wisdom
and a road back to the graces of Heaven.
The Flame of the Rising Phoenix - Phoenixes believe that they have been sent back to merely finish their unresolved lives. Phoenixes suffer persecution due to their lack of political authority just as much from philosophical divergence. Most develop their insight and mysticism, in order to get in touch with their needs and drives to find out where they went wrong in life.
The Tempest of Inward Focus - Tempests exert moderation and learning. All things are worth study, but only in forbearance. To follow the straitened path completely is to fail in the pursuit of diversity. Tempests dabble in many things seeking to find the contradictions and paradoxes of existence.
The Face of the Gods - Godlings believe themselves to be gods returned to earth. Most all have a faithful cult followers. Devine faces favour philosophical and occult knowledge, mastering the energies of their transient bodies. Courtly graces and etiquette are also taught, as the Godlings must properly attend mortal followers.
The Spirit of the Living Earth - Drawing heavily on Animistic religions and Shinto teachings, the Spirits of the Living Earth asserts that Kuei-jin must awaken to the spirits around them. By listening to the spirits and performing the proper rituals, a Kuei-jin can escape the trap of duel souls in dead flesh. Honour the spirits and pay them homage; later, learn from them the ways to overcome the material in favour of the eternal.
Akuma - The true demons of Kuei-jin society. Akuma are those so corrupt that salvation is denied them. Kuei-jin who have chosen damnation over enlightenment, and forsaken dharma for the wispered promises of the Yama Kings. Akuma can become very powerful, but ultimately, the will of an Akuma is not his own , but that of the Yama King which he serves.
Yulan-jin - At first glance, it is impossible to tell a Yulan-jin from a Kuei-jin. Once a Yulan-jin dies, though, her true nature becomes apparent. Instead of hovering near the body (in the spirit realm) to return from the Little Death, the Yukan-jin's spirit wanders until it finds a new host. Yulan-jin are not well loved by the Kuei-jin because one cannot have respectable and responsible duties if one dosen't have a stable body.
Dhampyers -Much like their Western counterparts, the revenants and ghouls, dhampyres are outsiders, servitors and occasional foes to the Kuei-jin. Unlike ghouls, dhampires do not require the grace or sustenance of their Kuei-jin progenitors. Once he comes of age, a dhampire is as free as any mortal to do as he wishes. Many dhampires don’t "fit in" with society, and are loners and wanders by choice.
The Way of Origin
- Remember whence you came, for it is the unchanging whole of your purpose.
The Way of Lineage - Heed well those who have come before,
and respect those who come after, for they are all part of the truth.
The Way of Integrity - Maintain you honour and trust in all
thought, word, and deed, for the behaviour of one affects the entire community.
The Way of Obligation - Understand your duties to your brethren,
to the forces of the universe, and to yourself, and do all to fulfil them.
The Way of Propriety - Practice correctness in all you do,
for the Great Cycle, in its every aspect, has its own nature, and that nature
must be followed.
1: Recognition of Hope - As we once were, we will someday be, if we recognize the wickedness of our forebears and return to purity without pride. Understanding that the work of the Resplendent Cranes is good and correct, there lives the hope that, one day, we will of our dual nature and return to the unity with Heaven and with ourselves.
2: Virtuous Existence - To live in correctness in all things is no simple way to be. But if a seeker properly cultivates righteousness internally, he can only live virtuously externally. With meditation and focus, the Crane becomes great without expectation because, as the great masters have written, "Virtue is not an isolated instance." No one mistakes the actions of virtuous man for anything other then harmony with Heaven.
3: Nurture - When the Wan Kuei was alive and brought up children, he taught them as soon as they could eat or speak. So it is with the great learning of the Resplendent Crane. A Shining Ice Guardian must prevent corruption before it can take root. He rewards the actions that are full of righteousness and punishes actions full of treachery and recklessness. He teaches the young and gives strength to the weak. In this way, he learns to control the desires of the Demon and heals the pain of the family.
4: Purgation of the Wicked - In every garden, there are weeds. When weeds grow unchecked, they choke every flower and every bush, and the garden falls to ruin. It is also thus among the Damned. There are those that must be pruned lest they bring ruin upon the Middle Kingdom. Destroy the wicked, preserve the righteous, and bring the world back to the beginning.
5: Instruction - When a Wan Kuei is young, he is not the master of knowledge or thought. His mind is still full of images of Hell. Proverbs and doctrines should spread before him every day. He should let their fragrance fill his soul. In time, he learns to master the ways of the living law, and thus, the Demon. In this way, if anyone approaches him with any kind of reckless or evil plan, he is impervious to its wiles and knows right from wrong.
6: Law - The law exists in all things. It governs the growing of the grass. It predicts the changing of the days It controls the flowing of the water. It turns day into night and into day again. Adhering to the law keeps the Hun in control and the P'o subservient. With the application of the law, a Crane can pronounce judgments and discern the integrity of all things.
7: Harmony
- The state before deep feelings are around, such as pleasure, anger or sorrow,
is equilibrium. This is the state of absolute quiet, like the moment before
a fierce storm, a quiet that penetrates all things. That single moment of
enlightenment, when all passions are equal and all great movements have yet
to start, brings about a quiet to the soul. In harmony, the Crane can understand
all things with clarity.
8: Transcend the Living World - The earth-bound, once mortal
mind cannot comprehend Heaven, which is the first among all things and the
progenitor of the entire universe. The only way to reach back toward Heaven
is to break free of the living world and unite, once again, with the spirit.
Only in this way can we return to our place in creation.
The Howl of the Devil-Tiger:
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 after glow 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.
The Way of the Resplendent Crane:
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 honour.
8: Maintain your dignity, honour and composure. You are an example of what
the Damned can become.
The Song of the Shadow:
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 repent the dead.
The Path of a Thousand Whispers:
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 grow to 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.
The Dance of the Thrashing Dragon:
1: Attune yourself to life in all its
forms.
2: Meditate upon passions; 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 a 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.
The Flame of the Rising Phoenix:
1: Return to the world from which you
came.
2: Repay the debts of your human life.
3: Help others to 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. Life is the arising of experience.
7: Never deny the joy and sorrows of life.
8: Return to your mortal ways; seek your human state.
The Tempest of Inward Focus:
1: Pull all things near and make them
part of yourself.
2: Balance the needs and desires on all poles, that they strive against each
other.
3: Never stray from the core of your nature.
4: Realize the potential to learn from other 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 realm.
The Face of the Gods:
1: Develop your divine nature.
2: Expand both godly and demonic consciousness.
3: Accept the veneration of mortals, but answer their prayers in return.
4: Harness Chi to bring divinity back to your dead from.
5: Act according to the tenets of your Godly Voice, and your Godly Desire
shall be fulfilled.
6: Visit the Heavens to remember what you have lost.
7: Practice ritual and tradition to empower your own essence.
8: Commune with the spirits; learn of their messages from Heaven.
The Spirit of the Living Earth:
1: Obey the will of the spirits.
2: Perform the proper ceremonies to remain pure.
3: Shun the defiled.
4: Tread across the Earth to absorb its full glory.
5: Pass wisdom to others freely.
6: Help others surpass the shortcomings of the flesh.
7: Renew your thanks and commitment to enlightenment each day.
8: Observe your taboos rightly, that you may overcome your curse.