The original founder and first clan leader was Liang-Jun VI, who ruled for over three hundred years. It is customary for only males to rule according to Chinese custom, and the leader is viewed as a sort of emperor. Each leader handpicks a successor to take the throne through a long process of prayer, meditation, and the help of visions. Usually the successor is one of the strongest, bravest, and usually the wisest middle-aged vampire so that their rule will be a long one. Sometimes it takes years for a successor to be chosen. On rare occasions, an unexpected vision comes to the emperor and a second or even third successor is chosen by the leader to follow the first chosen one.
In Wraith�s case, Valor had chosen Amel to be his successor, but a second vision years later spurred him to choose Wraith to rule after Amel should he die, much to several clan members� exasperations since Wraith, though favored by the highly respected Taichi, was viewed as an outsider because of his uniqueness and interest in the modern world. It was forbidden for anyone to bring modern influences into the clan and most eyed Wraith�s piercings and tattoo with contempt. Even Wraith�s hair color stood out from most. However, because he was a youngling, Taichi convinced Valor to not punish or exile Wraith because of his rebellious nature, pointing out that humans had been piercing and tattooing themselves for thousands of years and that Wraith had not brought a modern influence into the clan.
It is a custom of the Shadow Tigers to mark their clan members. Using an iron brand blessed with white magic, they burn the clan symbol into each member. The brand of the cross and v-like s-shape is located on each member�s skin on their lower left abdomen.
Most clan members practice some form of martial arts. The art of Kung Fu and the use of Chinese broad swords are especially popular.
The Shadow Tigers not only have a strict system of discipline and honor, but also when it comes to creating vampire fledglings. A candidate is chosen by an individual vampire if they strongly desire the human to become a vampire and lifelong companion to them as a friend, comrade, and in some instances even as a mate. The vampire who requests to create a fledgling companion must get consent from the emperor of the clan. If the emperor approves, the candidate is kidnapped and taken to the clan lair blindfolded and unconscious and are then held captive, the vampire who desires to transform them into a fledgling usually spending the most time with them. The candidate then has to pass a series of grueling tests known at the Trials of Worth. It is not uncommon for the human to die while carrying out the tasks. If a candidate refuses to take part in the tests and does not want to become a vampire, they are immediately killed. Even if the candidate passes the tests with flying colors, the emperor may still view them as unworthy and kill them. Vampires who create fledglings without permission or disobey the judgement of the emperor are sought out and put on trial where most of the time the offending vampire and fledgling are executed.
Currently there are over three hundred members of the Shadow Tiger Clan. Here I have listed a few:
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~* AMEL *~
AGE: Unknown (appears 22)
HAIR: Chestnut brown
EYES: Right eye black; Left eye aqua green
HEIGHT: 6� 5��
GENDER: Male
BIOGRAPHY: His father was a human from Saudi Arabia (he traveled in a trading caravan), and his mother was a Chinese Patina vampire, one of the rare cases where a vampire could actually give birth. The two had a son together, Amel. Huns attacked their village and burned it to the ground. The father commanded Amel and his mother to run, but they did not get far. A group of Hun invaders pursued them and cornered them. Amel's mother fought ferociously to defend her son, who was only five at the time (even though a vampire can sometimes give birth, even if both parents are pure vampires, the child still matures at the rate of a human until it drinks another vampire's blood. Amel was considered a half-vampire until he was completely turned and therefore still aged). Amel's father came to the aide of his wife and son, but a Hun recognized the woman for what she was and drove a silver stake through her heart, killing her before Amel's father could save her. Enraged, the dead vampire woman's husband slaughtered every enemy he could before he was struck down a short while later. Amel cowered against a few barrels of rice in fear, horrified as his parents were murdered right before his eyes. The Huns overlooked him and he escaped. Amel, being the son of a Patina vampire, sported the glittering eyes that was the race's trademark, his eyes being aqua green.
He was turned into a fledgling by a Chinese Black Eye vampire when he was in his twenties. Because of his Patina blood, only one of his eyes turned completely black, but both eyes sported no luster or sparkle of light whatsoever afterwards. After being turned, Amel sought out the vampire who had blooded him and fought ferociously, but did not win. However, the vampire who had turned him, named Lei-Long, admired the young blood�s strength and kept close watch on him before given permission to bring him into the Shadow Tiger Clan, where the stern and cold-hearted Amel remained for the rest of his days, awaiting the day when he would take control of the throne after Valor (though usually the clan emperor's visions of picking out an heir are never questioned, many of the Shadow Tigers did not like the fact that a half Black Eye, half Patina vampire of impure Chinese descent should lead, but they never spoke out against the predicament out loud not only to avoid dishonoring Valor, but also in fear of the conniving Amel). When Amel finally did come to power, he told the clan that Valor had died from a silver stake being driven through his heart and that a human had infiltrated the clan's hide out. As proof, he displayed the body of a middle-aged Chinese male on a pike, the human's hands smeared with Valor's blood. After assuming the role as clan leader, Amel gathered a close circle of friends to do his dirty work when needed and wasted no time in accusing Wraith of murdering Taichi. Unlike Valor, Amel scoffs at the belief of helping others in need. He believes that anyone who gets into trouble and cannot get themselves out are weaklings and that they deserve to die, thus leaving the strong to survive. His name means "evil" in Arabic.
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~* CHYOU *~
AGE: 1, 500 (appears 35)
HAIR: Black
EYES: Black
HEIGHT: 5� 6��
GENDER: Female
BIOGRAPHY: Orphaned as a teenager, she struggled to make a living by herself. She was close friends with Taichi (even rumored to be his lover), and helped him and Guan-Yin raise Wraith. When Taichi died and Amel claimed that it was Wraith�s fault, she believed Amel and turned against the one whom she had helped raise despite the fact that Wraith was like a son to her. She is a big haughty and snappish in manner and comes off as being sly, controlling, and a bit spoiled, but deep down she has a good heart. Her named means �autumn� in Chinese.
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~* GUAN-YIN *~
AGE: 1, 111 (appears 27)
HAIR: Black
EYES: Black
HEIGHT: 5� 3��
GENDER: Female
BIOGRAPHY: A gentle and tranquil beauty, she cannot remember her past. She is one of the few to be turned into a fledgling by Valor. When she began living within the Shadow Tiger Clan, she eventually created her own fledgling: Xiao. She was close friends with Taichi and helped him and Chyou raise Wraith. Unlike Chyou, she remains on Wraith�s side and thinks that he is innocent of killing Taichi. Her named is the name of the Chinese goddess of mercy.
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~* LEI-LONG *~
AGE: 3,000 (appears 28)
HAIR: Black
EYES: Black
HEIGHT: 6� 2��
GENDER: Male
BIOGRAPHY: He was the vampire who had turned Amel into a Black Eye fledgling. He had been watching Amel for some time but didn't realize that he was half Patina vampire. Stalking Amel only for food, when Lei-Long attacked him, Amel stabbed the Black Eye vampire with a knife as the vampire had Amel pinned to the ground, Lei-Long's blood spilling all over Amel's face. After tasting Lei-Long's blood, Amel managed to feed on him for a moment. It was then that Lei-Long realized his mistake and that Amel was a half-vampire. Freeing himself as Amel began to slowly transform into a full vampire, Lei-Long fled to the clan hideout and told Valor what had happened. Valor was understanding and ordered Lei-Long to keep an eye on Amel, which in turned cause Lei-Long to become more and more impressed with Amel's strength and cunning. During this time Amel attacked Lei-Long and fought him and lost. Eventually Valor decided to have Lei-Long bring Amel to the clan. After forcing Amel to listen to him, Lei-Long brought Amel to the clan where he was somewhat reluctant to join. Lei-Long remained loyal to Valor until the day of his death. He is somewhat speculative of Amel�s views, but he is wise enough to hold his tongue in the presence of the clan leader. His past is a mystery. His name means"thunder dragon" in Chinese.
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~* SHEN-FENG *~
AGE: 1,400 (appears 21)
HAIR: Black with a bit of brown in his bangs
EYES: Black
HEIGHT: 6� 1''
GENDER: Male
BIOGRAPHY: One of the more cheerful vampires, Shen-Feng was the son of a Chinese emperor from the Sui Dynasty, which lasted from 589-617 AD. He had a younger brother named Jin-Lang ("gold wolf" in Chinese). When their father died, Shen-Feng was supposed to assume the throne. However, Jin-Lang challenged him to a duel and whoever won would be the next emperor. Cocky that he would win since he was three years older than Jin-Lang, Shen-Feng accepted, inwardly laughing at his brother and barely taking him seriously. To Shen-Feng's astonishment, Jin-Lang fought ferociously with the Chinese broad sword that he had secretly been training with and gravely wounded Shen-Feng, winning the match and crowned the next emperor (Shen-Feng also received a jagged scar across his eye from the fight and it is still visible even to this day). Disappointed but not one to break promises, Shen-Feng stepped aside and let his little brother take the throne. Shen-Feng never fully forgave himself for underestimating Jin-Lang and made it a point from that day forward to never underestimate anyone ever again. Shen-Feng soon came down with gangrene from the ghastly wound his brother had inflicted in his side. Jin-Lang ordered the best doctors to help his brother, but their treatments did nothing. A mysterious stranger cloaked in black approached Jin-Lang in his court one day and asked him if he wanted his brother to live. When Jin-Lang answered yes, the stranger said that he could save him, but yet Jin-Lang would lose Shen-Feng forever.
Jin-Lang abruptly said that he would agree to anything in order to save his brother's life, even if it meant he would never see him again. The stranger was led to where Shen-Feng lay in his bed, slowly dying as the infection spread. When the stranger lowered his hood, Jin-Lang was unpleasantly surprised to find that the stranger was a vampire. He called the guards, but the stranger took one look at them and they fell to the ground unconscious. The Black Eye vampire introduced himself to Jin-Lang as Tarian and explained to him that he had been watching Shen-Feng and said that the Shadow Tiger Clan leader had an interest in Shen-Feng, valuing his honor and bravery. Due to the circumstances that Shen-Feng was dying and Valor was determined to have the young man as one of his subjects, Shen-Feng would have to become a vampire right then and there to survive, but would still have to go through the trials to prove his courage was true. Tarian stated that the only way to save Jin-Lang's brother's life was to turn him into one of the undead. Jin-Lang reconsidered his decision, saying that if his brother were turned into a vampire, he would be eternally damned and dead anyway. Tarian replied, "Would you rather have him suffer in death or thrive in it?" Jin-Lang hesitated and looked at his dying brother. Shen-Feng was barely aware of what was going on and he was near death. At the last moment, Jin-Lang agreed and Tarian forced Shen-Feng to drink from his wrist. After Shen-Feng drank Tarian's blood, he fell into a death-like slumber. Tarian then told Jin-Lang that he would return in three days once Shen-Feng had fully turned and reawoken as a vampire. Needless to say, when Shen-Feng awoke, he was fully healed and as alive as any vampire could be. Tarian returned and took him back to the Shadow Tiger Clan where the new fledgling skillfully passed the Trials of Worth without hardly a scratch or moment's hesitation. Once Shen-Feng began mastering his new abilities, he was able to Phase in and visit Jin-Lang as often as he could. He did this for years until his brother passed away. He had offered to turn Jin-Lang into a vampire, but his brother refused. Saddened, Shen-Feng stayed away from the Shadow Tiger Clan until his brother's burial. Shen-Feng formed a close friendship with Taichi and naturally took to Wraith fairly quickly and was even curious about him when Wraith was a mere infant. As Wraith matured and eventually became a full-fledged vampire, the two became best friends and Shen-Feng viewed Wraith as the little brother he had lost. Shen-Feng disregards Amel's accusations of Wraith and remains loyal to his friend no matter what. His name means "spiritual wind" in Chinese.
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~* TAICHI *~
AGE: 1,700 (appears 30)
HAIR: Dark Brown
EYES: Black
HEIGHT: 6� 3''
GENDER: Male
BIOGRAPHY: Taichi's mother was a Japanese immigrant who had sailed to China with her family as a young girl. She married when she was sixteen and she and her husband had a single son, Taichi. It is not known when and how Taichi became a vampire and a member of the Shadow Tiger Clan, but it is known that Valor was the one who had turned him (which technically makes Guan-Yin Taichi's sister), and that both of his parents succumbed to a mysterious illness and died when Taichi was only seventeen. Taichi married once and his wife was with child, but she died before giving birth and the fetus died with her. Therefore it is believed that Taichi impulsively took Wraith to the clan and raised him as his own to become the father that he never had the chance to be. Taichi and Valor were like father and son, even when Valor became leader of the Shadow Tigers their bond was still strong. Taichi was the envy of some, but everyone had respect for him because he was one of the strongest, most courageous, and was revered as a hero after a plight having to deal with an attack by Spliced Eye vampires. Some say that if it weren't for Taichi's heroic actions, the Shadow Tiger Clan would not have won and could very well have been wiped out completely. Amel especially looked up to him and became intensely jealous when Taichi took in Wraith and raised him, hating Wraith ever since and also for being different. Taichi helped turn Wraith into a full-blooded vampire, though purely on accident (see Wraith's bio for more details). Taichi also died trying to protect Wraith from a rogue vampire that was trying to kill him. Wraith quickly killed Taichi's murderer to avenge his death. Once Amel got word that Taichi had died, he told the clan that it was Wraith's fault and manipulated all but a few clan members into believing that it was the truth. His name means "Thick One" in Japanese.
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~* TARIAN *~
AGE: 1,600 (appears 24)
HAIR: Black
EYES: Black
HEIGHT: 6' 4''
GENDER: Male
BIOGRAPHY: He was the vampire who turned Shen-Feng into a fledgling, thus saving his life. Nothing is known about his past and he is dark, somewhat creepy, mysterious, and aloof. However, he was fiercely loyal to Valor and the clan leader before him, but has mixed feelings about Amel, so he does not speak of him. Tarian stays out of the controversy on whether Wraith really did kill Taichi or not. Truthfully he does not care who killed who as long as Valor's murder is avenged. He does not spend a lot of time in the mountains within the clan's base and travels all over the globe and is rarely seen. His name means "shield" in Welsh.
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~* VALOR *~
AGE: 2,500 (appears 45)
HAIR: Gray with a few black streaks
EYES: Black
HEIGHT: 5' 11''
GENDER: Male
BIOGRAPHY: Valor was the twelfth ruler of the Shadow Tiger Clan of unknown origins. He was noble, proud, honor-bound, and strong. He was stern when he had to be, but he was kind. He viewed the females as equals and treated them with respect, but underneath the males in standing and would not allow them to hold any important positions. He began his rule in the mid-600s and highly respected the old Chinese ways. He viewed helping other clan members as highly important, a trait that Amel considered weak. Two of Valor's small number of fledglings included Guan-Yin and Taichi. Valor�s rule as leader was abruptly ended when he was unexpectedly murdered.
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~* XIAO *~
AGE: 1,000 (appears 20)
HAIR: Black
EYES: Black
HEIGHT: 6�
GENDER: Male
BIOGRAPHY: The fledgling of Guan-Yin, Xiao has a chip on his shoulder because he is a vampyric descendant of Valor and was not chosen to eventually lead the clan. He is good friends with Amel and they both share a hatred for Wraith. Xiao, however, got along better with Wraith than Amel did, but still held a grudge against him because of his differences and for being next in line to take the throne after Amel. When Amel claimed that Wraith had murdered Taichi, Xiao believed him and thus found another reason to dislike Wraith and his hatred intensified. He is now Amel's main lackey. His name means "cut" in Chinese.
