2.3.2.- CAPTACIÓN DE FONDOS PARA INVESTIGACIÓN (I+D)
INVESTIGADOR PRINCIPAL : Martínez Patiño, D
Stoic and inhumanly patient (at least in the eyes of outsiders) Xian Lung follow the path of the Ebon Dragon and the mandates of the Eight Immortals. Theirs is the quiet road to enlightenment, the razor’s edge between despair and peace. As scholars and sages, they gather all that can be salvaged of this world or its yin reflection and grimly protect those chosen by fate. Although some say that they are passive — at least compared with the Wu Feng — it is more accurate to say that they are restrained. They do not act until they consider it the correct time to do so, and they try to plan for most contingencies. Many Xian Lung believe they spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning up the messes left behind by their overhasty brethren. Of course, the Phoenix Children counter that they wouldn’t make so many mistakes if the Immortal Dragons (in their infinite wisdom) would quit thinking so much and help out now and again. This is really less a source of conflict and more a running joke between the two dynasties. As alien as their ways sometimes seem to one another, each recognizes the need for the other. Many Xian Lung are a bit too cerebral in their approach and have difficulty responding to fluid situations. On the other hand, their wisdom and restraint provides a constant check against the impatience of their “yang- addled” siblings.
Recruitment
Like the Phoenix Children, Immortal Dragons draw members in equal measure from both yin- and yang- aspected mortals. If their subconscious desires further — or new — service to the precepts and meditation of yin, the Elixir of Eternal Life fills the immortal’s dying body with a cold ache before depositing her soul in the underworld. Despite the wide range of personalities drawn to the path of the Ebon Dragon, most share a measure of patience (even if it is only a spark). Yin is not hasty, and those who cannot relax and be find their enlightenment stifled. At best, frustration drives impa- tient souls to change their dynasty and join the Wu Feng. At worst… well, the Wu Kuei are only rumors, right?
Influence
Owing to the strictures placed on them by the Eight Immortals, Xian Lung have little sway in the Middle King- dom. Their devotion to yin and its path of introspection only further amplifies this lack. Most Dragon Children have difficulty making friends outside their own order and a good number never try. They have other things to do. This is not to say that all Dragon Children are laconic hermits, but they tend toward fewer social contacts, which yields fewer opportunities to build bases of power.
Interestingly enough, Xian Lung have considerably more influence among the shen, particularly with the ghosts of the Yellow Springs. Even outside the deathwalk- ers of the White Lotus Society, many Dragon Children find their paths regularly intersecting the hauntings and machinations of ancestor spirits. Ghosts “in the know” respect (and, in many cases, fear) the Chosen of the Dragon, whose potent Art can command and banish the dead with equal facility.
Organization and Current Activities
Xian Lung serve as the strategists, guardians and historians of the Wu T’ian. While all ultimately answer to the will of the exalted Eight Immortals, the Dragon Children have established a loose hierarchy based on age and wisdom. It’s not that the elders give orders, though. Rather, the eldest preside as sages and counselors to their younger disciples. The three largest sects of Xian Lung (the Jade Sentinels, Twilight Scholars and the White Lotus Society) also have their own systems of rank and training, overseen by the watchful eyes of the Eight.Jade Sentinels can best be described as heaven’s body- guards. Even in the twilight of the Fifth Age, there are still those who have a great destiny to fulfill. Recognizing the potential danger presented by such individuals, the forces of Yomi work diligently to destroy or corrupt their fate. Jade Sentinels are heaven’s response. Part guardian, part guide, their twofold mission is to protect their assigned
The Wu Kuei
In recent months, several Wu T’ian have reported encounters with demons wielding cor- rupt magic disturbingly similar to the righteous Arts of Heaven. Although their elders have dismissed these stories as distorted accounts of Kuei-jin or hell-tainted wizards, younger immor- tals have a different, more unpleasant theory. They believe that the Yama Kings have created their own Undying slaves to oppose the Family of Heaven. Vocal advocates have even gone so far as to give these elusive akuma a name: Wu Kuei — the Family of Demons.
The Eight Immortals are uncomfortably silent on the matter.
charges from hell and to nurture them toward discovering and accepting their destiny. Of course, most wards have no idea they carry the spark of greatness in them, and any attempts by their protectors to explain the turning of Ages or the nefarious plots of demons risks stares of disbelief at the very least. More likely, the mortal simply avoids the “raving lunatic” thereafter.
Therefore, Sentinels play a curious game. They either have to remain hidden entirely or stand guard under the cover of friendship, while somehow encour- aging the exploration of latent talents. Such problems are only compounded when the wards are children or when the Eight Immortals neglect to explain the details of the charge’s destiny (which actually happens more often than not). Many Jade Sentinels wear a tiny jade stud earring in their left ear, although others eschew any such distinguishing marks.
In contrast to the martial path of the Jade Sentinels, the Twilight Scholars largely avoid warfare and relation- ships altogether. Their mission is to gather the knowledge and culture of the world (particularly the Middle King- dom) and hide that knowledge in hidden caches so that it survives the destruction of the Demon Age. While the mission of these archivists seems pointless or fatalistic to other Reborn, the Scholars understand that the Sixth Age is not the end of the world. When the Seventh Age comes and the universe begins to right itself, the survivors of the dark times will fare better for having the “lost” lore of their ancestors. Most Scholars generally take one of two approaches: learning everything they can to become living libraries, or actually creating physical troves of knowledge in well-hidden caves or spirit realms.
Lastly, the White Lotus Society acts as heaven’s voice and hands in the Yellow Springs. Theirs is perhaps the greatest sacrifice, as they willingly forgo resurrec- tion to accept missions in their spirit form. Ghosts are people, too — or at least they were — and pious Xian Lung revere their ancestors. The Great Typhoon of the underworld rages still, and hordes of malevolent Kuei ride the storm winds. The ghosts need guidance and hope before despair brings them to the jaws of Yomi. The White Lotus Society provides both, wandering the realm of the dead as itinerant monks and sages.
Others?
Until they encountered one another, the mummies of the Andes, Nile and Middle Kingdom each thought they were unique in the world. Yet, for all their differences,
the Reborn are fundamentally more alike than they are dissimilar. Immortals use different names and wield dif- ferent magic to be sure, but in the end, the Chinchorro Spell of Going Westward to the Sunrise is not all that unlike the Egyptian Spell of Life. This uncanny similarity leaves Reborn scholars wondering if there might be other immortals yet undiscovered. Perhaps thinking along these lines, Horus has sent a group of his loyal Shemsu-heru to track down any rumors and legends possibly connected with the Undying. Presumably, elders of the Wu T’ian and Capacocha have done likewise.
If others are found, if one of the Bog Men pre- served in peat or some other desiccated corpse turns out to house an ancient spirit, the ramifications could be dramatic. Who knows what — or who — may be buried in the permafrost of the Siberian tundra? And, for that matter, what if the Iceman isn’t just a corpse? The thought of a truly ancient Reborn who remembers the last Ice Age is a daunting one. Compared with such a creature, even the eldest of the mallki and the Imkhu would be as children.
Hellwalkers
The most devoted — some would say insane — Wu T’ian take assignments in the Thousand Hells in place of resurrection. Hellwalkers are drawn from both the Xian Lung and Wu Feng. In other words, they aren’t really so much a sect as a profession. Though most Wu T’ian look upon Hellwalkers as a sad necessity of the waning Fifth Age, others recall stories of Jizo-Bosatu, the enigmatic wanderer who roams the Hell of Kakuri as a sole beacon of honor in that bleak realm. Whether he is one of the most ancient Celestial Immortals or something else entirely, many Hellwalkers of the Family of Heaven look upon him as their honorary founder.
Of course, working covertly in hell is exceedingly dangerous (even for immortals), as many Yama Kings employ demon overseers with the power to consume souls. Players and Storytellers wishing further information on the Yama Kings and their domains are encouraged to pick up a copy of The Thousand Hells for Kindred of the East.