Kuei-jin: A Different Kind of Vampire
The Kuei-jin of the Faekat world are based on the most part,. but not solely on Kindred of the East.
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Asian "vampires" are not Cainites. They are a species of completely separate from the 13 clans of Caine. They bear some superficial similarities, and certain of their myths parallel the tales of Lilith, the First City and the Second Generation. However, such antiquities are, in practical terms, irrelevant. Whether they were spawned in the Far East or fled there following the climax of some ancestral struggle, the vampires of the Orient have completely adapted themselves to the cosmic fluctuations of the Middle Kingdom.
Unlike Kindred, Asian vampires do not descend from a mythical father -- at least, not to their knowledge. They have no clans -- at least, not of the sort know to Western vampires. In fact, they are not Embraced at all. In some ways, Cathayans resemble the creatures known in the West as "the Risen." Asian vampires are the spirits of dead mortals who, in order to fulfill their karmic responsibilities, resurrect themselves in their old bodies (or, in some cases, in other corpses).
This process, known as the Second Breath, differs from the return of a Rise. Once reanimated, an Asian vampire is truly undead. Her body is not a shambling, zombielike shell (well, not always; vampires with high concentrations of Yin energy in their flesh are nauseating exceptions to this rule). Suspended between the matter and spirit worlds, between life and death, the Cathayan bears features of both states. Cathayans primarily attuned to Yin energies are more aligned to the world of the dead, while Cathayans attuned to Yang display more qualities intrinsic to living beings. Veering too far in either direction, though, leads to dangerous imbalance.
Nor do all Cathayans drink blood - though many do. Cathayans realize that the Kindred's vaunted "vitae" is only one receptacle for the Chi they crave. The lowest Cathayans, the ghoulish chih-meh, distill their Chi from human flesh. As a Cathayan gains understanding of his condition, he learns to siphon Chi from blood, breath, essence and even more rarefied substances.
Of course, these vampires do not use the name the barbarians have given them. They call themselves many things, the most widespread being "Wan Kuei," or "Ten Thousand Demons." Another common term is "Gui Ren," or "Demon People." However, Asian vampires permute the term "Kuei-jin." By grafting a Japanese suffix to a Chinese word, the Kuei-jin hope to foster the illusion of unity between the Middle Kingdom's two most powerful clusters of vampires. The results of this fusion are nearly as awkward as the word itself; nonetheless, It is by this name that the vampires of Asia are commonly known.
The Kuei-jin of the Faekat world are based on the most part,. but not solely on Kindred of the East.
------
Asian "vampires" are not Cainites. They are a species of completely separate from the 13 clans of Caine. They bear some superficial similarities, and certain of their myths parallel the tales of Lilith, the First City and the Second Generation. However, such antiquities are, in practical terms, irrelevant. Whether they were spawned in the Far East or fled there following the climax of some ancestral struggle, the vampires of the Orient have completely adapted themselves to the cosmic fluctuations of the Middle Kingdom.
Unlike Kindred, Asian vampires do not descend from a mythical father -- at least, not to their knowledge. They have no clans -- at least, not of the sort know to Western vampires. In fact, they are not Embraced at all. In some ways, Cathayans resemble the creatures known in the West as "the Risen." Asian vampires are the spirits of dead mortals who, in order to fulfill their karmic responsibilities, resurrect themselves in their old bodies (or, in some cases, in other corpses).
This process, known as the Second Breath, differs from the return of a Rise. Once reanimated, an Asian vampire is truly undead. Her body is not a shambling, zombielike shell (well, not always; vampires with high concentrations of Yin energy in their flesh are nauseating exceptions to this rule). Suspended between the matter and spirit worlds, between life and death, the Cathayan bears features of both states. Cathayans primarily attuned to Yin energies are more aligned to the world of the dead, while Cathayans attuned to Yang display more qualities intrinsic to living beings. Veering too far in either direction, though, leads to dangerous imbalance.
Nor do all Cathayans drink blood - though many do. Cathayans realize that the Kindred's vaunted "vitae" is only one receptacle for the Chi they crave. The lowest Cathayans, the ghoulish chih-meh, distill their Chi from human flesh. As a Cathayan gains understanding of his condition, he learns to siphon Chi from blood, breath, essence and even more rarefied substances.
Of course, these vampires do not use the name the barbarians have given them. They call themselves many things, the most widespread being "Wan Kuei," or "Ten Thousand Demons." Another common term is "Gui Ren," or "Demon People." However, Asian vampires permute the term "Kuei-jin." By grafting a Japanese suffix to a Chinese word, the Kuei-jin hope to foster the illusion of unity between the Middle Kingdom's two most powerful clusters of vampires. The results of this fusion are nearly as awkward as the word itself; nonetheless, It is by this name that the vampires of Asia are commonly known.
