Little Asia NPCs
The Court of Emerald Eyes
Kun Shanhong
Status: Regent
Hui T’ung: none
Rank: 17
Kwannon-jin: Komuko
Kun Shou: Hsien-jin
Court: Yu
Legacies: Sage/Ringleader
Apparent Age: 65 Real Age: 125 Kun Shou: 1898
Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 5 (unmoving), Charisma 4 (amiable), Manipulation 3, Appearance 2, Perception 5 (motives), Intelligence 5 (wise), Wits 3
Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Dodge 3, Empathy 4 (personalities), Instruction 2, Intimidation 2, Intuition 3, Leadership 3, Oral Expression 1, Shentao 4 (hsien), Subterfuge 2; Animal Ken 1, Blind-Fighting 2, Etiquette 2, Firearms 2, Martial Arts 5 (pressure points), Meditation 4 (prolonged), Melee 2, Stealth 1, Stonemasonry 4 (sculpting), Survival 2; Academics 1, Classics 4 (tao te hsien), Culture 1, Divination 3, Enigmas 4 (visions), Hsien Lore 4 (history), Law 1, Linguistics (cantonese, putonghua, wu) 3, Medicine 3, Metaphysics 1, Occult 3, Politics 1, Science 1, Spirit Lore 2, Stone Lore 2
Wu Tan: Di Tan 5, Hou Tan 1, Lin Tan 2, Nei Tan 4, Shui Tan 5, Tieh Tan 1
Backgrounds: Contacts 2, Dragon Nest 2, Jade Talismans 5 (black, yellow), Pakua 3, Remembrance 5, Resources 2, Retinue 3, Title 3
Yin/Yang Chi: 8/9
TAO: 7
Willpower: 9
Merits/Flaws: Absent-Minded, Reputation
Image: Shanhong remains to be a sturdy Chinese gentleman despite his apparent age of mid-60s. His gray hair is cut traditionally and his eyes are deep and black. An affable if vague smile lingers on his features, and he sports either old-fashioned Chinamen suits in black with white trim, or a yellow Chinese magisterial robe in red trim. All of his garments are predominantly silk. Shanhong seems slow and detached, but when aroused to duty or just tea with a good friend, he is sharp and lively. In his Wani form, Shanhong seems like the granite golems of ancient myth: stout yet massive, except with highly-keen ruby eyes. Even in this thick form, he is clad in the yellow robes of his noble office.
Roleplaying Hints: You admit that you’re starting to become a little senile in spite of the longevity benefits of Nei Tan. That’s probably why you agreed to move to America of all places. This came at the Yu’s behest after Lao Di (a friend of yours) returned to Heaven and the acting Regent refused to participate in the Coalition and left the city. Well, now that you’re here, you’ll do your best to help your Court realize its potential and keep the other shen in their place. Kansas City is in Tornado Alley and those storms can become a lot more common if you’re perturbed enough…
Background: Shanhong was in life a stonemason who followed his father’s trade til one day, when he failed to heed his father’s advice about safety measures, the apprentice mason plummeted into a well. The mason that managed to climb his way back out was changed forever due to the Gift of Chien. A Komuko who had long specialized in the connections between the earth and sky, he returned to work for the Yu Courts of China as an adviser of magic and earth “science”. He reacquired much of his former skills and admittedly, he tended to retreat within them. Years ticked by and his knowledge and talent grew. But the Yu wanted more of such a renowned kamuii, and suggested he take Lao Di’s place in Little Asia. The Komuko agreed, seeing an opportunity to help the Shinma and other shen grow more aware of one another in a positive fashion.
The Po Jen
Status: Delegate of the Hirayanu
Hui T’ung: none
Rank: 15
Kwannon-jin: Fu Hsi
Kun Shou: Hsien-tsu
Court: Tu Shen
Legacies: Savage/Panderer
Apparent Age: 30 Real Age: 55 Kun Shou: 1960
Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 3, Manipulation 5 (clever), Appearance 4 (exotic), Perception 4 (empathic), Intelligence 4 (discerning), Wits 4 (clever)
Abilities: Alertness 2, Athletics 1, Dodge 3, Empathy 4 (emotions), Fortune-Telling 1, Instruction 1, Intimidation 2, Intuition 1, Leadership 2, Oral Expression 2, Poetic Expression 2, Shentao 4 (chimera), Streetwise 1, Style 3, Subterfuge 3; Acting 3, Animal Ken 1, Dancing 2, Etiquette 3, Martial Arts 2, Meditation 2, Melee 2, Stealth 1, Survival 1; Academics 1, Classics 3, Cosmology 3, Divination 4 (riddles), Enigmas 4 (puzzles), Faerie Lore 1, Hsien Lore 3, Linguistics (cantonese, hindi, putonghua, tibetan, wu) 3, Medicine 1, Metaphysics 1, Occult 3, Spirit Lore 1
Wu Tan: Hou Tan 2, Lin Tan 5, Meng Tan 4, Shui Tan 2
Backgrounds: Allies 4, Contacts 4, Jade Talisman 4 (green), Pakua 4, Remembrance 4, Resources 4, Title 2
Yin/Yang Chi: 8/7
TAO: 0
Willpower: 8
Merits/Flaws: Nightclub
Image: A gorgeous, shapely Chinese woman apparently in her early 30s, the Po Jen is a pinnacle of suave style. She is clad in beautiful silk gowns most often, most of them in a shade of rich green. Her long hair is kept braided, and bright brown eyes sweep the area with a noble curiosity, as if she were a prisoner just recently let out of jail. In her Wani form, her legs join in one sinuous (sensual?) serpentine tail and glittering golden scales cover her whole body. Her head remains fairly human (and beautiful), besides the slitted eyes and fanged mouth.
Roleplaying Hints: As the Po Jen, your former identity is no longer important. All that matters now is helping your hsien with your advice and…guidance. In the West, you realize a po jen may become very helpful in dealing with the local Waigoren. You remain a happy (if sometimes risque) member of the Court, helping lovers come together and enjoying life’s passions quietly while you’re at it.
Background: Forty some-odd years ago, the Po Jen was an attractive daughter named Yut Jyu of a well-to-do family in Shanghai. Her family called her a useless girl, because she refused to learn any crafts and spurned every suitor. The twelve year old just preferred to daydream and play silly games alone. She just wouldn’t grow up. That’s why her family did not much mourn her loss when she was caught in the home while they were out to dinner and the house caught fire. She avoided the actual flames, but collapsed from smoke inhalation in the gardens. A snake slithered into the life of Jyu and reclaimed her life. The reborn Fu Hsi had the benefit of almost total recall. She sought out her fellow Tu Shen and (re-)apprenticed herself to a po jen. She abandoned her mortal name and family (who would have been disturbed to find her alive, having assumed she was burnt to ashes). Soon this Po Jen was exploring Xi Wang Chi, offering her divination services to the Yu and Li Shen, and otherwise earning a decent reputation. She was invited to accompany the Shinma to Little Asia, Kansas City, to help them deal with the Waigoren changelings and advise the Court in this foreign setting. She agreed, figuring that many of the hsien attracted to this setting would be dogmatic vampire hunters or conservative courtiers…and would be in desperate need of her advice indeed!
The Court of the Ebon Flame
Ho Pan, "The Winged"
Status: Ancestor
Wu: none
Rank: Ancestor
Dharma: Way of the Resplendent Crane
Court: Court of Jade
Direction: Center
Balance: Balanced
Nature/Demeanor: Architect/Pedagogue
P’o Nature: The Sage
Apparent Age: 85 Real Age: 854 Second Breath: 1223
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 3, Manipulation 4 (gentle voice), Appearance 2, Perception 5 (visionary), Intelligence 6 (bookworm), Wits 4 (level-headed)
Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Dodge 4 (sidestep), Empathy 3, Intimidation 4 (icy stare), Leadership 3, Subterfuge 3; Etiquette 4 (court protocol), Martial Arts 5 (throws), Meditation 6 (chi deprivation), Performance 2, Portents 1, Stealth 2, Survival 2; Academics 1, Chi’n Ta Lore 1, Classics 3, Enigmas 4 (koans), Hengeyokai Lore 1, Hsien Lore 1, Investigation 2, Kaja 3, Kuei-jin Lore 4 (quincux), Law 4 (shen), Linguistics (cantonese, japanese, korean, putonghua, tibetan, wu) 4 (scholar), Medicine 3, Occult 4 (vampires), Philosophy 4 (confucianism), Politics 3, Rituals 7 (social), Spirit Lore 3
Disciplines: Blood Shintai 4, Equilibrium 4, Jade Shintai 3, Internalize 2, Iron Mountain 3, Mibasham 2, Obligation 8, Yang Prana 2, Yin Prana 2
Rites: 1) Embrace the Spirits’ Change; 2) Unity of the Harmonious Corpse Family; 3) The Mark of Judgment, Rite of the Lonely Transgressor, The Voice Which Compels Truth; 4) Condemning the Enemy of Heaven, Forming the Corpse Family, Restoring the Dharmic Balance; 5) Reception of the Enlightened; 7) Naming the Ancestor
Backgrounds: Allies 4, Contacts 2, Herd 1, Horoscope 3, Jade Talisman 2, Influence 4, Military Force 2, Retainers 3, Resources 6
Chi Virtues: Yang Chi 8, Yin Chi 8
Soul Virtues: Hun 9, P’o 7
Dharmic Rating: 8
Willpower: 10
Merits/Flaws: Concentration, Didatic P’o
Elder Disciplines: Obligation: 6) Discoursing the Soul, Taming the Fire; 7) Corrupt the Will; 8) Voice of the Emperor
Image: Ho Pan appears to his Court in a simple tweed suit, often sporting a wooden cane though he is clearly in better shape than most men his (apparent) age. He is always calm and quiet, speaking only when it’s necessary to do so, and then his words carry the weight of ages.
Roleplaying Hints: Be quiet and observant. The answers come to the patient. Peace comes with this awareness. Those who disturb the observance must be silenced appropriately. But demonstrate humility and responsibility at all times; leaders lead best through example, not command.
Background: Ho Pan was a wise and some say enlightened Buddhist monk in Changan. He was filled with understanding and peace and guided fellow monks to wisdom. But despite this, he felt unfulfilled. He wished he could have aided more of his fellow man. Conscience panged the old man til the day he died from heart failure. Years of it built up twisted in his soul til he slipped out of the Hell of Upside-Down Sinners and returned to his mortal caul. Ho Pan was immediately drawn into the Jade Court, taught the Road Back, and became one of the Court’s most valued members. Centuries passed and Ho Pan became acquainted with all of the Cranes’ methods to enlightenment, and grew wiser and steadier still. However, he felt he lacked something; it itched at his heart. Never the crusader, he nevertheless volunteered to join the Great Step Outward. He hoped his contribution would help temper ambitious Koa lest they abandon the old ways and become Westernized in America. Now the officially named Ancestor of the small Court of the Ebon Flame, Ho Pan watches the city’s destiny unfold with prudence and ancient wisdom.
Nanashi *
Status: Magistrate
Wu: none
Rank: Mandarin
Dharma: Way of the Resplendent Crane
House: Bishamon-myo
Direction: North
Balance: Balanced
Nature/Demeanor: Traditionalist/Judge
P’o Nature: The Fool
Apparent Age: 22 Real Age: 332 Second Breath: 1691
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 3, Manipulation 4 (persuasive), Appearance 4 (elegant), Perception 4 (insightful), Intelligence 4 (logical), Wits 3
Abilities: Athletics 2, Alertness 3, Diplomacy 3, Intimidation 3, Interrogation 2, Leadership 4 (nobility), Oral Expression 2, Subterfuge 2, Dancing 3, Etiquette 4 (court protocol), Firearms 1, Martial Arts 3, Meditation 3, Melee 3, Performance 3, Sewing 2, Stealth 3, Torture 2; Academics 1, Alchemy 2, Astrology 2, Classics 1, Cosmology 3, Enigmas 3, Herbalism 3, Investigation 2, Kaja 2, Kuei-jin Lore 4 (ancient traditions), Law 4 (kuei-jin), Linguistics (cantonese, french, khmer, putonghua, thai, vietnamese) 4 (diplomatic), Metaphysics 1, Occult 3, Politics 2, Rituals 2, Science 1, Toxicology 2
Disciplines: Blood Shintai 3, Equilibrium 4, Demon Shintai 3, Ghost-Flame Shintai 2, Internalize 4, Obligation 6
Rites: 1) Harmonious Shielding of the Guarded Home, Trace the Dragon’s Blood; 2) The Mark of Judgment
Backgrounds: Horoscope 3, Jade Talisman 3 (black), Magic Artifact 3 (mandarin mask), Influence 3, Mentor 5, Resources 4
Chi Virtues: Yin 6, Yang 6
Soul Virtues: Hun 7, P’o 7
Dharmic Rating: 7
Willpower: 8
Merits/Flaws: Code of Honor (noblesse oblige), Concentration, Higher Purpose (restore traditional order in Kuei-jin society), Nightmares, Perfect Balance
Elder Disciplines: Obligation: 6) Imperial Fealty
Demon Characteristics: Claws, Demon Armor (x2)
Image: Nanashi appears as an elegant yet austere young Japanese woman. The wisdom and strictness of time, however, rests in her ever-calm, glittering eyes. She typically carries a noblewoman’s fan and wears a traditional, beautiful kimono. In her demon form, her flesh becomes like marble and her eyes utterly devoid. Her kimono becomes a suit of black obsidian mail; where chain links might be found for a man’s body armor, silk and lacquer is worn instead, ending in almost an ankle-length skirt. Her fingers appear gauntleted in ebony talons, clenched in the intent of cold fury.
Roleplaying Hints: Nanashi is icy and cold, strangely calm and detached. As a leading mandarin of the Kuei-jin, she keeps everything within her and shows nothing to the outside world. Icy and serene, to her mind law is life and all must obey it. The 6th Age is coming, but does not mean the Hungry Dead should cower from it behind walls of futile, iconoclastic rhetoric.
Background: Come close child and I will tell you a story of an age not long passed and a princess who lived in it. This is her story, a story of many things, but most of all, a story of a chance to redeem honor. Long ago a there was born a noble daughter to a noble family, during the height of the Tokugawa reign of Japan. This noble daughter was the eldest of her family, and while that may not seem like much at the time, when the mother bore no sons it was a very important thing indeed. However, many a thing a woman of the time could not do, and with no male heir, things were not easy for her. Striving to please her family, the noble daughter took a path that lead to dishonor. While her thoughts were noble and pure her actions were not, and despite everything she soon had dishonored herself and to some extent her family, or....so she believed. Turning her back on all she knew and leaving the young noble daughter was never to know her self imposed dishonor was anything but. Leaving to seek atonement for her self imagined dishonor all the young noble daughter met with was rape, theft and soon death at the hands of vagabonds on the roads. Yet all was not lost, as she died her soul traveled Yomi, suffering tortures and miseries unimagined by all who still live. Yet, despite the fact that such a thing may make you think all was lost, as I said, all was not, for the young noble woman ripped through the worlds, entering her body once again and rising to take her second breath. Seeing the chance to redeem her faults in life the young noble woman began her path along the road to redemption. She has lived for many generations, hundreds of years now, growing in power and knowledge, but now her ultimate test awaits her as she travels to America, to bring the truth of the Wheels turn and the impending 6th Age to those barbarians of the Western World. She is here to help establish a Court and to maintain a presence.
* Please note that Nanashi is a NPC that Lyndsey designed and will primarily play. Please request additional information from her.
