DECLARACIONES DE PROPIEDADES DE REDUCCIÓN DE RIESGO DE ENFERMEDAD

Kindred of the East Companion

110

China

Perhaps the most impenetrable stronghold of Cathayan culture, the Ki

Camarilla and in the courts o

t succeeded, leaving both sects none the wiser. S p m d e o f a

defilers." Only by staying in the countryside, away from any o

u

Politically and financially, China remains a nightmare for many Kindred. The looming state socialist government heavily restricts free enterprise and commerce. The usual t

i

weapons. The political hostility of China, vis-a-vis much of er undermines attempts at reading influence. Kin-jin would gladly cut each other's roats to have access to the millions of people and the

of the Camarilla generally assume that some sort of mystical secret lies in

that city reverted to Chinese government. Remember, though, that the free

perfect haven for Kin-jin in search of spreading influence. The international businesses are a lucrative front for financial control, and western customs and practices permeate much of the popular culture. It should be a simple matter for Kin-jin to blend in and take control.

Unfortunately for the Children of Caine, Japan is as hostile to Cainites as China, The defiling of much of Japan's Chi (due to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) left many gold d with the , and with d much of e in the "Westernized economy." As a result, those Kin-jin who try to

ses find their ventures stymied overed, and Cainites edging stiffer competition from the

ve failed dismally. Even the spirit binding magic and nsinuate themselves into the local supernatural community. Politically, the Camarilla is well ne, up until the Kuei-jin decide to oppose them, at which point all of their carefully nish. Sabbat fare just as poorly: Packs of neonates lack the coordination and power to fight against the well-organized and trained Kuei-jin; the Vaulderie has no effect on the gaki; even the rare Disciplines

y against an enemy that does r the typical manifestations of the Cainite curse. Only a small contingent of Sabbat have made any progress at all, and only then with the youngest and most rebellious of Kuei-jin; the Running Monkeys of Japan seem to consider Vicissitude a magnificent and

About the only real connections between Kin-jin and Kuei-jin ional killing fields) exist in nd the Sabbat. The modern, culturally independent youth of Japan's unliving monsters find

kyo for more information about

Japan.

trade in True Jade, the area remains hotly contested. Kuei-jin families fight one another for control of lucrative jade artifacts, while Kin-jin try to discover what's so important about some pieces of rock artwork. Of course, n-jin in China are few and hunted. Both the

the Sabbat would give much to gain a foothold f China - but neither diplomacy nor force has

with decidedly anti-Western sentiments. Combine natural distaste that Kuei-jin possess for Kindred the recent financial reversals that have cripple Japan's economy, Cainites find little solac ye

teeped in ancient traditions, the Kuei-jin of China are, erhaps, the most hateful to the Kin-jin. Cainites in the ainland can expect immediate hostility once they are iscovered. With the network of spirit guardians and spies mployed by the ancestors of the courts, there is little chance f evading notice. Thus, Kin-jin really have only one option or surviving in China: Hide. Drawing notice is invariably fatal s the conservative mandarins work to eliminate the "Chi ther vampiric contact, can a Kin-jin hope to remain nnoticed.

break into Japanese busines once their true natures are disc into organized crime have even Yakuza and the bosozoku. Camarilla projects in Japan ha Tremere, with the knowledge of blood rituals, cannot seem to i able to manipulate the local sce hoarded connections seem to va

ools of finance are limited or barred from China, so nfluential Kindred cannot exercise some of their greatest

of the sect are of limited utilit not focus on the power of blood o th

spe democratic world, furth th

associated economies of China, but for now, the Kindred have no way of taking them.

Most recently, the Tremere clan has taken a renewed interest in southeast China. Here, they send neonate after neonate, following rumors unearthed from their recent purge of the clan's antitribu. Since the Tremere, in typical fashion, are not forthcoming with their plans, the vampires

wait within the small country, something that drives the Tremere to expend their best and brightest in pursuit. Elders in the halls of Elysium mutter imprecations about the path of Saulot in the east, and of his childer... but know nothing more.

See World of Darkness: Hong Kong for more setting material about Chinese culture, as

enterprise of Hong Kong - indeed, of much of the Western world - is vastly weaker and different in China.

Japan

More "Westernized" than China, Japan would seem to be a

wondrous power, yet even this advantage does not bring the Cainites into the counsel of the Japanese courts.

in Japan (other than the occas tenuous ties between the Genji a

the organized, violent and uninhibited vampires of the Sabbat refreshing when compared to the stale ancients of the Bishamon and the courts. From time to time, individuals of the Genji may strike such bargains as are convenient with Sabbat vampires - though such deals tend to explode rather spectacularly at their conclusions.

See World of Darkness: To

Korea

Antiauthoritarian and resentful, the Green Courts have no love for the Westerners who once subjugated them. Kin-jin in Korea are watched closely and hemmed in; once established in a particular field, they are surrounded, cut off from further influence, and trapped within their own small fields of commerce.

Kindred of the East Companion

111

most Kuei-jin assume that the Kin-jin would disrupt and defile any jade that they touched, so a Cainite who stumbles across

th Kuei-jin and Kin-jin. Polite and suitably humble Cainites, who bring

ncid city of Calcutta draws the most successful Kin-jin. Cainites who hide among the

For those Cainites determined to make headway in India, the

sophy receive the opportunity to join the Ravnos in their activities, and even ch visitors never see the ancestral estates of the family? Thus, the process of contacting the Kuei-jin in India is

n well suited.

Cainites in Southeast Asia, then, face a double threat: The a trove of jade treasures generally gives it up with his unlife.

In spite of tension and strife, though, Korea remains an important crossroads to many areas of the Middle Kingdom. The Parallel Path opens the way for travel to bo

valuable information and treasures, may purchase safe passage through Korea to other parts of the Middle Kingdom. After all, if the Kin-jin are going to go bother the courts of China and Japan (frequent enemies of Korea), why should the Kuei-jin of Korea stop them? A Cainite who travels thus is well advised to move quickly and to be on his way out of Korea as soon as possible, though; laggards may find that the "safe houses" are not entirely secure for Kin-jin who look like they have an interest in the native lands.

India

Constant crossroads of East and West, India is home to both Kuei-jin and to Cainite families. The Ravnos' mortal ancestors have lived in the country since time immemorial, coexisting in an uneasy truce with the Kuei-jin due to their mutual search to penetrate the illusions of the material world. Other Cainites (or even other Ravnos Kindred) are not so fortunate; the claustrophobic cities and low-technology countryside are hardly to the liking of the more cosmopolitan Kindred of Europe and North America.

Clearly, the clustered and ra

teeming throngs of diseased and poverty-crushed mortals have none of the handicaps of those who seek to build palatial estates or political ties (and who, thusly, draw attention to their actions). The typical Kuei-jin of India, though, is less antagonistic toward Kin- jin and more arrogant. The Cainites have certainly existed as long as the Kuei-jin, but they exhibit none of the grace or enlightenment of age. As such, the Indian Kuei-jin sneer at the Cainites and ignore them as petty trifles, turning back to their chessboards of human detritus.

Ravnos present the best allies and worst obstacles. With their fitfully waking Methuselahs directing them in the vicious Path of Paradox, the Ravnos have little tolerance for any Cainites from the West, even as they despise the Kuei-jin. Only those who comprehend the Paradox philo

then su

a matter of properly communicating with and bestowing gifts upon the Ravnos, and then placing all trust in them - something that no Cainites do without the burden of desperation. As a result, the Ravnos families of India somehow maintain tenuous ties to the Kuei-jin in a fashion inexplicable to all other Cainites, and only deign to share the fruits of such allegiances whe

Southeast Asia

Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam - crushed by the Cold War economies, bombed in conflicts between Communist East and Capitalist West, the Kuei-jin of southeastern Asia have little to call their own. No wonder, then, that they harbor a screaming ferocity toward outsiders of all sorts. Kin-jin are no exception: Not one Cainite has survived more than a year within the bounds of these countries, excepting perhaps those so ancient that they were natives before the Dark Ages.

Kuei-jin of the area are quite unrelenting in their hostility, but the slumbering ancients of the place also call occasionally for the vitae of other vampires. Without strong economies, exports of magical jade, or lucrative technological and political scenes, these countries have little to offer to Kindred. Thus, the only gweilo who come here are those answering some esoteric call, seeking lost knowledge in the temples of Thailand or reclusive elders among the jungles of Vietnam. As often as not, such seekers enter the jungles and ruins,

Kindred of the East Companion

112

never to be seen again.

Of all the vampires that deal with Southeast Asia, the most successful are the Giovanni of the della Passaglia family.

ometimes even brokering a deal with the Kuei-jin. For the most part, though, lla Passaglia treat family like any other Giovanni: Family comes first, business a close second. As a result, the

Western vampires mean nothing to the Cathayans.

a lack of respect

traditions and cultures of the area. The Kindred must learn the ways of the region and its people, and

ht be able to defeat enough Kuei-jin to carve out a small domain - but eventually, some

expected, or die in the process. Only desperation - deadly enemies abroad, or a complete lack of any other resources or options - can drive a Cainite to immigrate to Asia while knowing of the potential problems.

Nevertheless, they do come....