Gifts

The shapeshifter gains the ability to commune with his kganmadi’s totem, temporarily lending it a small portion of his spirit, which it may then lend to the rest of the pack as a form of additional strength. A lion-spirit and a raven-spirit teach this Gift.

System: The player may elect one of her Gifts to become a ‘bonus Gift’ offered by the kganmadi’s totem. Only one member of the kganmadi may use this bonus Gift at a time, not including the character to whom the Gift truly belongs — she can use it at any time. In order to change which Gift is offered to the totem, the player must spend one point of Gnosis.

A game where the players portray members of the same sentai provides an excellent opportunity for players to play a diverse group of shapeshifters working towards a common goal. The hengeyokai are far more than just an excuse for a mixed-Breed story. The Beast Courts are part of a culture that is very different from that of the Western Changing Breeds.

Playing in Asia offers a diverse range of settings. In developed nations like Japan or South Korea, the Changing Breeds face many of the same issues as their

counterparts in the United States — but must also contend with denser population and less wilderness. Shapeshifters in rapidly industrializing nations like China or Malaysia, or in relatively impoverished and oppressive nations like Indonesia or Myanmar, encounter very different problems. Here, the forces of the Wyrm are easily visible in overcrowded slums and the unsafe factories. In these nations, millions live and work in dire poverty while nobody pays so much as lip service to limiting pollution and efforts at resistance meet with brutal government oppression.

Players and Storytellers who are interested in a more familiar setting might create a Beast Court in one of the large Asian immigrant communities in the United States and Canada. A few hengeyokai accompanied their human kinfolk when they immigrated to these nations, and today many nations have a small but growing number of Beast Courts. A story set in one of these communities offers a chance for the players and characters to experience the difficulties members of a Beast Court face when making contact with the local Changing Breeds.

Unlike the western Changing Breeds, an individual’s role in her sentai determines her Auspices within the Beast Courts. Traditionalists believe that a sentai should ideally contain a member of each Auspice, but tradition and reality often don’t agree. All members of the Beast Courts earn Renown based on their Auspice, regardless of which Changing Breed they belong to. Even the rare Kumo or western Garou who join the Beast Courts gain Renown in this fashion.

Regardless of Auspice, all of the members of the Beast Courts earn three types of Renown — Glory, Virtue and Wisdom. Every member of the hengeyokai understands that all three types of Renown are facets of a greater whole. One who pursues Glory is certain to also accrue at least some degree of Virtue and Wisdom, since none of the three Virtues can ever exist without the other two. Although most individuals focus on a particular type of Renown, members of all Auspices recognize the importance of gaining all three types to maintaining their personal balance and harmony.

Hengeyokai gain Renown by fulfilling the duties of their Auspice and by earning the respect of their peers, elders and ancestors. The Asian Changing Breeds usually award Renown in formal ceremonies held in the Beast Court, but individuals who perform truly exceptional actions can immediately earn Renown from the acclaim of their comrades and any nearby spirits.

Losing Renown is a rare and shameful event. Mem­ bers of the Beast Courts only lose Renown by ignoring or acting against the duties of their Auspice or by commit­ ting shameful acts, like betraying their sentai or Court. Hengeyokai consider deliberate actions to be the worst offenses, but they also severely punish serious mistakes made through careless or foolish behavior, or displays of cowardice or greed in the course of important duties. In the troubled Fifth Age, the Beast Courts have no place for liars or incompetents.

Glory

Bravely defending a Dragon Nest, standing in battle against deadly Bakemono, or defeating a seemingly over­ whelming foe are all actions that earn Glory Renown for a shapeshifter. Hengeyokai can also gain Glory through less obviously impressive but equally important actions, like steadfast determination, or fierce and unwavering loyalty in the face of danger. Even in its purest form,

Glory requires a modicum of wisdom. Those who find death by throwing themselves needlessly into battle earn no Glory. The members of the Beast Courts understand that their numbers are far too few for any to risk their lives in pointless deeds of bravery.

Virtue

Hengeyokai gain Virtue by adhering to the Mandates of Heaven (p. 37), and from their dedication to honesty, integrity, compassion and civility in all facets of life. The path to virtue is somewhat different for each Breed and even for each Auspice. An important part of gaining Virtue is adhering to the different duties that the Emerald Mother gave to each separate Breed. Hakken earn Virtue by living up to their fierce warriors' code, but Nagah earn Virtue by acting as secret and cunning judges. In many ways, Virtue is similar to what most Western Fera call Honor, but for the hengeyokai, the definition of Honor differs from one Breed to another. Often, members of a sentai earn Virtue by working together particularly well, as each member of the sentai performs the duties of their breed and Auspice in ways that aids the others.

Wisdom

Members of the Beast Courts earn Wisdom Renown by learning and using the teachings of the spirits of the Mirror Lands and the Court of the Ancestors, and by seeking to understand their own nature and their indi­ vidual weaknesses and strengths. Hengeyokai also gain

COURTIERS: THE SIXTH AUSPICE

The members of wave and mountain sentai travel outside of their Dragon Nest to fight the Bakemono and solve the various problems that present themselves in ways that aide their Court or the whole of the Beast Courts.

Other hengeyokai aid their Court without joining a sentai. Instead, they protect and care for the Dragon Nest and any kinfolk or young shapeshifters living there. Although many hengeyokai consider their duties to be less heroic than those of the sentai, the presence of these courtiers is vital to the court’s safety and well-being. In large courts, some courtiers serve as assistants and apprentices to one of the four major officers, while others are guards and caretakers. Courtiers earn Renown exactly like the members of the other five Auspices.

Wisdom by performing their duties well, obeying their elders, and attempting to live in accordance with the precepts of the First Age.

Hengeyokai possess five levels of Rank, just like Western shapechangers. They name their Ranks after significant materials: wood, iron, steel, gold and silver, in that order. All hengeyokai use these titles, regardless of their Breed. When introducing themselves formally, they combine rank and Auspice into a single title, naming themselves as Iron Courtier, Steel Leaf, etc.

Most hengeyokai wear badges or some other marker to allow spirits and other shapeshifters to easily identify their rank. They usually combine this symbol with the badge or colors of their court. A Steel rank Tengu of the Bright Feather Court might wear a steel feather on his person or else wear robes embroidered with dark blue feathers. The Beast Courts typically represent Silver rank with the color white, since most of the Changing Breeds have trouble with the actual metal. Likewise, those Breeds that are vulnerable to gold use yellow badges instead of a gold medallion.

Hengeyokai refer to any of their number that have not yet gone through their Rite of Passage as Stone, their

CHANGING AUSPICES

Although no member of the Beast Courts is born into an Auspice, once chosen, they usually remain in a particular Auspice for life. Were a shapeshifter to feel the need to change her Auspice, she can do so by means of the Second Face, though only a handful of hengeyokai go through this rite more than once.

Hengeyokai who turn their back on the Beast Courts to work solely with their Breed, or another group of Changing Breeds, leave both the Beast Courts and their Auspice by undergoing the Rite of the Great Burden.

Most members of the Beast Courts feel that the Emerald Mother gave them their chosen Auspice. They believe that changing Auspice without some significant reason is both wrong and unlucky, and that turning one’s back on the Beast Courts is to disrespect the Emerald Mother. As a result, both rites are relatively rare.

color is gray. From lowest to highest, the Ranks and their associated colors are Wood (brown), Iron (red), Steel (blue), Gold (yellow) and Silver (white). Silver holds the highest rank due to its association with the Moon. A few hengeyokai attain the rare Sixth rank, called Jade and associated with the color green. As with the sixth-rank shapeshifters elsewhere in the world, those inside the Beast Courts and among their own kind accord anyone with Jade rank the greatest possible reverence.

A dishonorable shapeshifter could pretend that she is of a rank she has not attained by wearing the badge and color of that rank. While she could fool those individuals who do not know her, most spirits can detect more subtle signs of rank and strongly disapprove of these deceptive hengeyokai. Since spirits witness the Rites of Renown, they will certainly reveal any deceptions that they dis­ cover. On a rare occasion, a skilled trickster might even fool the spirits. Those few who do so in the defense of their Court can earn respect for doing so. When most hengeyokai need to disguise their true status, they pretend to be of a lower rank. Doing so is not necessarily honest, but it brings no dishonor.

The Beast Courts recognize nine different Breeds of hengeyokai. Only eight belong to the Beast Courts in any great number—the vast majority of the Kumo are fallen creatures who serve the Wyrm. Physically, each of the Breeds is identical to their Western counterparts, but most differ greatly is their culture and history. The eight breeds listed below all possess Western counterparts and their descriptions reveal how these Breeds differ from the Changing Breeds elsewhere in the world. The Kitsune have no western counterpart, and the vast majority are members of the Beast courts. Two other Tribes of Garou occasionally join the Beast Courts. The Boli Zouhisze are a branch of the Glass Walkers who primarily live in China and who cross paths with the hengeyokai quite frequently; some Stargazers prefer the Beast Courts to the Garou Nation.

Though the Hakken consider Japan to be their homeland, a substantial minority now make their homes in other nations around the Pacific—primarily in China, South Korea, and the West Coast cities of the United States and Canada. Some werewolves believe the Hak­ ken to be nothing more than an Asian branch of the Shadow Lords. Any similarities pale in comparison to the vast differences between the two. Most Hakken con­ sider the Garou Nation to be little more than murderous

barbarians who have spurned their place in the Emerald Mother's great plan by refusing to work with the other Changing Breeds.

The Hakken are the hengeyokai's foremost warriors and protectors, often acting as the first line of defense against the dreaded Bakemono. They get along well with Kitsune and Tengu, but find the Khan to be troublesome rivals and regard the Nezumi as dishonorable and unclean, if also occasionally quite useful.

In the midst of the long ago wars between both dif­ ferent hengeyokai courts and between mortals and the Changing Breeds, werewolves in Japan sought to end both types of wars by strengthening their ties with mortal society. To accomplish this, they infiltrated Japan's class of elite warriors, the samurai. Within a few generations, their descendants felt more of a connection to the culture and customs of Japan than to Garou traditions. This connection to Japanese culture increased as the local wolf population declined, as the tribe found it harder and harder to locate wolf Kin to breed with. Humans believe that wolves died out in Japan in 1905, but the Hakken keep a small number of wolf kinfolk in remote and protected wild areas, hiding them from human sight.

Organization

The secret packs of Japanese wolves help keep Hak­ ken populations from declining, but the vast majority of Hakken are homids who lead extremely human lives. They still follow a warrior code clearly derived from the Samurai code of Bushido, adapted for a werewolf’s thoughts and deeds. The Hakken organize themselves in clans based on family lineages and in battle they adorn themselves

with their clan's crest. The few lupus Hakken are the only members of this breed who retain a traditional pack structure. Without the pressure of a family expecting them to hold to ancient (and, to a Kinfolk, nonsensical) traditions, they’re free to be more spontaneous. Lupus Hakken are also more likely to join the sentai of the Beast Courts than their homid cousins. Within their own clans and packs, Hakken settle disputes in single combat, usually with swords or in some other form of one-on-one competition, like poetry or storytelling contests. Despite all of their differences from other werewolves, in a few ways the Hakken clearly show their connection to the Garou. Their clans and packs regularly hold moots at their caerns that closely resemble the moots of Garou elsewhere in the world.

Hakken Traits and Gifts

Exclusive Gifts of the Hakken can be found on page 189 of W20. The Hakken make use of the same broad array of rites as their Western counterparts, as well as partaking in the rites of the Beast Courts.

A few other werecats live in Asia, but none belong to the Beast Courts in the way that the Khan do. The other tribes of Bastet are far too clannish to waste their time with other Changing Breeds. The Khan, however, believe the Emerald Mother gave them a sacred duty as her protectors, and as the protectors of the Beast Courts.

Because the Hakken are rare outside of Japan, the powerful and deadly Khan are the premier warriors in most Beast Courts. These weretigers are exceedingly proud of

their martial prowess and their importance to the Beast Courts. However, they are also the least numerous of the hengeyokai. Tigers are near extinction, and the feline Breed of Khan is rarer still. Most only exist because dar­ ing Khan sneak into well-guarded tiger reserves to breed with captive tigers. Although almost all Khan are of the Homid Breed, their ties to humanity considerably less close than those of the Hakken.

Organization

When they are away from their court, most Khan live solitary lives, rarely seeing others of their own kind except when an elder is teaching a cub their ways. They are less social than most of the other hengeyokai, to avoid giving an opportunity for the Wyrm's forces to kill several of them at once. Khan only tend to mingle with the other shapeshifters in their Court and their sentai, where they traditionally take the role of Fist or Pillar. Although the vast majority of weretigers are as skilled and knowledgeable about warfare as the Hakken, their tactics and methods are quite different. The Khan do not care to fight with honor, grace, and discipline; they know that the only thing that matters is how quickly they can kill their enemies. While the Hakken always strive to balance victory and honor, if the battle is important, Khan choose victory over honor. Hakken and Khan are often at odds with one another; many werewolves believe the weretigers are barbarians, and most Khan see the Hakken are far too human.

Khan Traits

Unlike other Bastet, Khan are able to purchase the Ancestors Background, thanks to their long centuries of association with the Beast Courts.

In the aftermath of the War of Shame, the Kumo abandoned their previous ties to the other Changing Breeds and turned their back on the Emerald Mother. Instead, the vast majority of Asian werespiders now serve the Wyrm. To the shapeshifters of the Beast Courts, the Kumo are terrifyingly familiar — both as honorable enemies that they meet in open battles and as silent and deadly killers who leave behind shriveled corpses swad­ dled in foul silk. Kumo live in all portions of Asia. Most prefer to make their lairs in dimly lit regions, especially abandoned buildings, deserted caves or forgotten ruins.

Unlike the Western Black Spiral Dancers, the Kumo have not given themselves to the Wyrm in body and soul. Instead, each Kumo makes the deliberate choice to follow the corruptor. Of course, it's far from a freely made choice. Any Kumo who shows too great an inter­ est in the Beast Courts or the Emerald Mother risks its

parents or fellows devouring her. Beyond their lack of tolerance for traitors in their midst, the Kumo reserve a special level of animosity for any of their kind who leave their ranks to dwell among their enemies.

Despite the formidable risks, a few Kumo throw their lot in with the Beast Courts to serve the Emerald Mother. Some flee their werespider cousins at the first opportunity and petition for entry into one of the local Beast Courts. Since the number of truly devoted Kumo is dwarfed by the liars and double agents who try to infiltrate the Courts, the Beast Courts use every magic at their disposal to make certain that the petitioner is honest in their desire. If the Kumo passes their tests, the Court accepts the individual, but usually regard her with suspicion — and any Nagah in the court will keep the werespider under close observation.

Other Kumo seemingly remain loyal to their own kind, but pass warnings and other useful information to allies among the Beast Courts. At least some Kumo regard these efforts as a complex game where they deliver a mixture of invaluable warnings, half-truths, and dan­ gerous lies. Out of deference to the position they once held, any Kumo can appear at a Beast Court under the tense boundaries of diplomatic immunity when a greater threat looms.

Organization

Most Kumo live solitary lives, but a few dwell in small villages where an elder presides over several younger Kumo and their Kinfolk. These well hidden communi­ ties are eerie places, and the inhabitants often dine on any uninvited or accidental visitors.

When a Kumo elder dies, if there is no obvious re­ placement all who wish to lead engage in a deadly contest known and the Endless Maze. The younger Kumo craft elaborate mazes full of traps. The contenders for elder must navigate the maze while hunting each other. The survivor eats the losers and becomes the new elder.

Kumo Traits and Gifts

Kumo differ from western Ananasi in several note­ worthy ways. First, unlike the Ananasi, Kumo have a supernatural weakness to the sacred wood known as hong mu. This causes them damage and affects their Gnosis in exactly the same manner that silver debilitates the Garou.

Second, Kumo lack factions or Auspices — all are marked by the Destroyer, even those who have chosen to forsake the Wyrm. As such, Kumo choose their Gifts from the general Ananasi list, the Hatar list, and from the Ragabash Garou list. Less disciplined than the Ananasi, Kumo begin with Willpower 2.

Finally, the Kumo are capable of producing metis, and consider doing so a great and rare honor. Kumo metis

are living symbols of absolute dedication to the Wyrm, for they eat their way out of their mother’s womb. Metis begin with Gnosis 5.

The Kumo Gifts below are considered Hatar Gifts, should any western Ananasi gain the opportunity to learn them.