Dragon - the Eastern Harmonies

Written by: Rasmus Hansson

The Storyteller-system was created by Mark Rein·Hagen

Inspirational source: Li-Rong in the Store, Krister Sundelin of Dragonkin, and Magnus
Kroon with Balance. I also wish to thank Darryl Adams for "Dragon - the Redemption",
another way of looking at Dragons in the Storyteller-system.

Dedication: This work is dedicated to all the players of Dragon - the Waking Wrath, and
all the Martial artists of the world.

Notes: This work is based on the assumption that there is magic in the world. Without
magic, dragons are noting. Without myths and powers we can not see, we have no
dreams, and there can be no dragons.

Cover: by Rowena Morrill

Disclaimer
This document is contains the full text of Dragon: the Eastern Harmonies originally
published online as a free download by Rasmus Hasson in 1995. No words have been
changed or omitted with the exception of correcting typos, reorganizing tables for clarity
and adding page numbers to the Contents.

You are encouraged to make copies and print-outs as needed. This PDF has been
published as a free download – if you are asked to pay for it you have been a victim of
fraud.

Illustrations
The art used in this book was formatted by Laura “Tamara” Henson in 2009. Most of the
illustrations, with the exception of the cover, come from traditional copyright expired
sources or from Simply Software’s Sci-Fi & Fantasy Clipart 3 and Witches and Wizards
Clipart both edited by Jon Gustafson and © 1997-2008, No Hassle Home. The Borders
and Dividers are from Microsoft Word 2003 and the Dragon Chapter heads are © Dee
Dreslough 1996-2008 www.dreslough.com.

Printing Instructions: Print the front page and this page single sided, print the remainder
of the document double sided. The last page should printed single sided and used as the
back cover.

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 Table of Contents
Book One: The Dragons of Asia 4
Book Two: Molding the Dragon 17
Book Three: By Jade Lights 24
Book Four: The Voice of the Dragon 43

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The Beginning...
They were walking down a steep hill as the sun was slowly rising in the east, right into
their view. It was indeed a magnificent sight, but for the peasants, who had seen it so
many times, it was just another sunrise, another morning. This would prove to be
something else then any other morning.

Loo-Chang was the first to see it, but as soon as he started moving toward it, the others
saw it as well. It was a plate of gold, and it was stuck in the dirt on the side of the hill,
just like that. It looked heavy, and in the sunlight from the rising sun, it glistened. It was
gold all-right, real gold. Loo-Chang started pulling the plate, trying to free it from the
dirt, while Shao-Bailam tried to dig it free at the base. The others just stood by, looking a
bit like sheep. Loo-Chang swore and threw himself on his back as his grip failed.

"By my ancestors! Bie-bai-makk! It won't budge!"

And then the earth moved.

The peasants had felt earthquakes before, but was surprised by the strength and the
precision of this one. Only the ground around their feet and a bit up the hill was shaking,
not the ground at the foot of the hill.

"Yes" a voice answered "I am Bie-bai-makk. Who awakens me?" An eye opened in the
side of the hill. A huge, jade-green eye. The gold plate disappeared into the hill's side,
and the dragon rose from the mass of dirt and pants. It stood there, on two legs, rising a
good twenty feet over the ground, and looked at the peasants. They earthquake stopped.
The peasants knew only one thing to do. They ran. Loo-Chang fell to his knees and said a
prayer to his protective spirits. The dragon shot forward it's head, with fangs visible, and
mouth fully opened. Loo-Chang prepared for the afterlife. But the dragon didn't bite.
Loo-Chang looked up, disbelieving. The dragon had its head so close he could smell its
breath.

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"You are a relative of Loo-Hwing-Tzu, are you not?" The dragon spoke with a voice like
thunder.
"Ye...Yes. He is my great-grandfather." Loo-Chang was glad he was sitting down, as he
felt all weak. Had he been standing, he would have fallen right now, and looked like a
fool. "I remember him. So, great-grandchild of Loo-Hwing-Tzu, what do you wish of
Bie-bai-makk, you family's dragon?"

"My family's dragon?"

"Indeed. You great-grandfather was a man of courage, and he helped me. In return, I was
to watch over his family the next twelve generations, granting any favors they would
want." The dragon now made a clicking sound, and Loo-Chang thought of this as a
chuckle.

"Well, I am but a simple framer, I have nothing to ask for. Nothing you could help me
with."

"In that case, I will go back to sleep until you do. But first, you must sacrifice something
to me, or I will forced to kill you because you disturbed my slumber."

"What?"

"That which is most precious to you, but also that which you take for granted."

"What?!"

"Too slow". The dragon's head shot forward again, and this time it cut Loo-Chang in half,
the legs slowly falling apart. The dragon chewed the upper body, and swallowed. "Not at
all as fast as his great-grandfather" it said to itself, and stretched up its head. It looked
around. "I wonder what year this might be. It feels like the year of the rabbit. In that case
there will be plenty of food to eat." The dragon chuckled again, and began slithering
down the hill.

The Children of Gods

There was a peasant who was cursed, and he tuned into a dragon. A god who lost a bet
and turned into a great dragon, and a fish that drank fire and turned into a dragon. All
where part of a living system of beings. They were the children of gods, doing what they
did best; killing, preying on the good, being slain by heroes, and giving cryptic wisdom to
questing wanderers.

Then all that changed. There was a great drowsiness, and the Dragons fell asleep. Now,
they are starting to wake up, and all is not as it was. They do not have to follow the orders
of gods or spirits anymore, but can follow their own mind, find their own quest. Then

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there was a war, when dragon turned on dragon, brother killed brother, and the heavens
shook, and the ground trembled. A treaty was called, and the dragon parted their ways.
Some, the greater ones, went back to sleep, while others, the smaller dragons, remained
awake, exploring the world. This is the type of character available to the players through
this supplement of Dragon - The Waking Wrath called Dragon - The Eastern Harmonies.

The Sleep
In the ancient days, where gods and mortals roamed the earth as equals, all the dragons
were awake, and doing the business of gods and spirits. Then a change came, and the
dragons fell asleep. Why or how this happened is not known, but the dragons slept for a
long time. The more powerful the dragon was, the longer and harder did he sleep. Now,
as time passed, some woke up, and found that the gods and demons had left the world,
and that they were free. The newly-awakened dragons roamed the earth, and spread terror
to the humans in it. And so there were conflicts, and some of the more powerful dragons
woke up, called by ancient powers and curses.

There was a war, called the War of Progeniture, and dragon fought dragon, and dragon
fought man, and man fought man. It was a horrible time. In all this violence, something
changed, and went all wrong. Something made the waring parties fall asleep again, and
no spell or curse could bring them from their slumber this time. Some dragons did not fall
asleep, those who had not been involved in the war all that much. They stayed awake,
and discovered why. There is a balance to all things, and if you break that balance, you
will lose, and fall asleep. You can not live one life, you must live a thousand different
ones to be able to stay awake. Some of the lesser dragons of the war woke up as well, and
they were taught this lesson, or when back to sleep after just a short while. The secret of
balance keeps the dragons awake.

The dragons who are now awake are generally aware of this game of balance. If a dragon
is not aware of this, and still awake, it is called an "Unaware Awakened". There are also
rumors of powers that can keep a dragon awake, even if it ignores the balance of things.

Like the dragons in the West, the dragons of the Eastern Court are not at their full power.
The powerful ones are asleep, and they will not wake up for several millennia yet. Those
who are awake, however, have organized themselves so that they can survive, and a
treaty has been called, and a truce of arms signed. The words of a dragon is binding, and
so is this truce.

Unlike the dragons in the West, the dragons in Asia are not divided into different camps;
they are divided in families. There are two mayor families, and several smaller ones, and
they try to stick together, even though this is not an easy task.

The Families

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There are certain inherited differences between dragons. These make them what they are,
and they control certain aspects of their life. They also tell them where they belong.
There are two mayor families in Asia; the Tatsu, and the Long.

Tatsu

The Japanese dragon, in it's full strength, is an impressive sight. It is huge and all-
powerful, and inspired awe and fear in all those who see it. They are well-balanced, and
they never participated all that much in the War of Progeniture. They stay quiet most of
the time, but when they speak, the earth moves according to their wishes. They are the
diplomats and the leaders of the formal Eastern Court, an assembly of dragons, called by
the Treaty to keep in touch with the western Dragons. Of all dragons it is the calmest,
most balanced, and the true ruler of Eastern Dragonkin.

Long

The Chinese dragon is a creature of drives, ambitions, and lusts. It is sometimes hard to
see the reason it it's actions, but believe me when I tell you that there is a Grand Plan, and
a Quest, and each dragon follows this Plan, always. The Long is a creature of many faces,
and it sometimes goes a little overboard when trying to be everything at one time. The
Long has always liked humans, and have taught this to the Tatsu, up to a point. The Tatsu
is a bit stubborn, and not really willing to learn. The Long, however, is intuitive,
intelligent, impulsive, and caring. It tries it's best at all times, and sometimes overextends
it's boundaries.

Long-Feong

The Chinese Dragon has a more female side to it. This is the Long-Feong. They are much
like the Long, but they are a bit more passive, more planning, more willing to discuss and
dream rather than take action, and make wars.

The Forms
The Eastern Dragon, like the Western Dragon, may change shape. However, there are
certain differences. For instance: The Western dragon must learn how to change shape,
while this is natural for the Eastern dragon. The Western dragon can change shape at any
time, while the Eastern dragon must plan, and make an effort to shape-shift.

Dragon

There is always a natural state for the dragon, and this state it can always revert to. It is a
bit like the breed-form of the Garou, and in this form, the dragon normally feels most
comfortable. The dragon, no matter what form it has, is a magical being. You can clearly

7
see this in the dragon form. A dragon doesn't have to eat, or drink, or breath, or sleep like
mortals do. They are powered by magical currents that flow through the universe.

The appearance of the dragon

It is hard to truly say what a dragon looks like, because the Eastern dragon is a magical
creature, and appears differently to all those who see it. It is normally not as bulky as the
Western dragon, and has no wings. One could say that most Eastern dragons look like
great snakes who stand on their hind-legs and have a over-sized head. The dragon has
two horns, and scaly skin. The color of the scales may be any given one, ranging from
gold to oil, from white to black, from red to green of blue. The eyes of the dragon are
hard to look into, because of their magical nature. They have the color of broken jade, a
light-green tone, with a red undertone. Mortals can't even force themselves to look into
the eyes of a dragon, unless it permits them to.

Human

In human form, the dragon can look like anything.

Asian, Caucasian, Afro-American, Hispanic, it is
all the same to the dragon. Age, physical
dimensions such as height and weight are just
attributes to the dragon. Sex, however, is rather
important to it. The dragon is in itself sexless, but
the game of balance it plays dictates certain things
are best meant for women, and others for men. It is
by these criteria that the dragon chooses its gender,
in human form. It is chose according to the task at
hand, and how the dragon plans to resolve the
problem it is faced with. Clothes are part of the
form, and are very much real, connected to the
body itself, unless the dragon wants otherwise.
This means that there can be trouble in taking
clothes off. However, the dragon can change
clothing while in human form as a minor change of
appearance.

Others

The dragon can also choose the physical appearance of any other creature it desires. A
vampire, Garou, Western dragon, snake, pig, horse, or bird, it is all the same. However,
the form must be a living thing, like an animal, not a rock, and it can only be of the same
sort of creature as the dragon. This means that the dragon can not turn into a plant, but
any animal, and not into a rock, but a human. Yes, vampires are not alive, but they look
alive, and that is the main point.

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The Breeding
Dragons do not breed by physical interaction, since they are gender-less. They can,
however, breed new dragons. This can be done by one dragon, by a pair, or more. The
dragon uses the power of it's pearl to create a new pearl, and then let that power consume
another living being.

The normal procedure is that a dragon, or several dragons combining their powers, create
a new pearl, and feed it to a human, a rabbit, a fish, or a bird, depending on what is at
hand. The power of the pearl then takes over the "host", and turns it to a dragon. There
are no attributes, memories, or other things retained by the new form from the old one.
The change is irreversible, and almost divine in nature. It is unheard of that a dragon
could revert back to the creature that it once was, and no dragon ever desires such a thing.

The Origin of the Dragons

These creatures of magic and myth has been around for a long time, a long time indeed.
They are rumored to have existed even before the start of time, but none of the dragons
awake today are old enough to say. The oldest dragon awake in Asia at this time has been
awake for twelve hundred years, and has seen gods walk the earth before it entered it's
first sleep. It states that it was four hundred years old when it fell asleep, and that it was
asleep for a total of one millennia, give or take a few decades. This would make it very
old indeed, and it still remembers beings, dragons and others, who were a lot older,
beings it talked to, "in it's youth". No one really knows where they came from, and why
the gods decided the world needed dragons, and since the gods that created them are long
gone, it will probably remain a mystery for all time to come, as well.

The Spoken Word

"It is said. It is the law." This is probably the only line that has ever been translated from
Dragonspeak into any other language. It is the sum of a long sentence called Truthlaw.
This sentence takes over two minutes to say in Dragonspeak, if you talk fast. It expresses
the true part of the dragons' way of communicating; without lies.

A dragon of the Eastern Court never lies. It may leave out part of the truth, and may twist
the words so that they will seem to have another meaning then they do, but they always
speak the truth, essentially. This is very confusing for the dragons when they are in
another form then the dragon-form. There are numerous ways to tell the truth in
Dragonspeak, making this kind of thing a rather simple procedure, but in human or other
speaking form, there is only one truth, and it is hard to bend it. Dragons study this for
long periods of time and often learn many languages to find which one is the best suited
for telling a "non-truth".

9
The word of a dragon is binding, and all oaths must be honored, up to a point. A good
way to bend this rule is by stating a time. Time is relative, and so are events and
functions. A dragon could say that "you will have to wait until I am finished" if you
asked it for a favor or called in a debt, so that it could not refuse. "Finished" means in this
case with life, and the dragon merely states that once it is dead, it will help you. You may
be in for a long wait indeed.

The Written Word

Dragonspeak does not have a formal written language, but the dragons have managed to
write Dragonspeak using a combination of symbols from the Chinese alphabet,
containing one sign for every-thing, house, car, drive, walk, live, and so on, and a heavy
modification of the Japanese Katakan, a soundbased language. This is a very clumsy way
of communicating, as the Dragonspeak is a very subjective language, rather than
objective, like ours. This means that all it is good for is writing letters, and signs for other
dragons. The Dragonspeak is the same wherever you go; East of West, Tatsu or Long, all
the same.

A dragon can't lie in writing, either.

The Treaty
After the War of Progeniture, there was a great meeting between all the dragons that were
awake and alive. During this meeting there was a treaty called, and it has been honored
ever since. The Treaty in itself is a rather simple piece of praxis, with only two mayor
rules to it. Number One is that no dragon shall by action or by influence harm another
dragon. The Second one is that if the first rule is broken, then the Assembly has the right
to take the life of the dragon who broke it.

The Assembly

The Treaty speaks of an Assembly. This is

a council of sorts, a way for dragons to
resolve any and all problems without using
violence, since lying is never really an
option. The Assembly consists of a
number of dragons who wish to be in it.
Only the Assembly can choose if a dragon
is worthy to be part of it. Right now, and
since over two centuries, there are nine
dragons in the Assembly. They are not
representatives for interests or families,
but simply interested in the affairs of their
kin. There are six Tatsu, two Long, and

10
one other dragon in the Assembly. The last one is from a lesser family, called Umi-
Waraigoe . This family is from the Japanese sea. The Assembly is wise and powerful, and
has many different jobs. To enforce the rules of the Treaty is one. Another is to hold a
Court.

The Eastern Court

When the dragons of the lands in West started waking up a few years ago, they sought
out the dragons in the East, and found it difficult to communicate with them. There were
no organization like the Court, and there was nowhere to send an Ambassador. So, the
Assembly formed a formal Court, the Eastern Court, with a Tatsu as high ruler, so that
the cousins from West should feel more comfortable. The dragons of Asia, however, does
not understand the point of a Court at all, and the thought of a single ruler of all
Dragonkin is simple comedy to their ears. It is convenient to have a central organ to
communicate West to East and vice versa, but the Court is merely a arrangement for
show.

Relations
It is hard to deal with all the things of the world. Unlike the dragons in the West, the
Eastern dragons have been awake for a long time, and have gotten a fairly good view of
the other things inhabiting the earth.

Vampires
These creatures of the night, who prey on the blood of the living, are no threat to the
dragons, as they have no blood to give. In their veins flows magical power, not some
liquid. All the same, there are different vampires, and they should be treated differently.

Camarilla
The Camarilla is represented in Asia, and it is not unheard of that a Camarilla-vampire
tries to attack a dragon of the Eastern families. They are no threat though, and are
regarded as more than mortals, less than dragons.

"I have heard of dragons in the East and the West, but frankly, I can't see any point in a
alliance at this time."
Saiman Plantegnet, Primogen of Calcutta

Sabbat
These troublemakers are few and far apart in Asia, and they are a relatively new
phenomenon to the Assembly. They should be studied for a while longer, and then a
policy should be made on how to treat them.

"I have seen dragons, but they are simply a pawn in the game of the Antedeluvians. Once
they show their true color, we will strike, and destroy them all."

11
 Malcolm Strife, Paladin

Inconnu
The Inconnu has actually sought the Assembly out and made a presentation of
themselves. This was nice. If they ask favors, we will grant them, and in return, they will
grant ours. An alliance is forming.

"Yes, a stimulating partnership of mutual interest is forming. Funny you should mention
it. I was in Japan just the other week and discussed this with the Assembly. They are
great beings, and will aid us in many things."
Pah Eniotatt, 4:th generation Toreador

Anarchs
There are too few Anarchs in Asia at this time, and the Assembly has not yet formed a
firm opinion about them.

"Yeah, I've seen a dragon, right here in LA. It was huge and had great wings. Chinese?
How the hell should I know? I didn't talk to he lizard much, I just got my gun, and ran."
Boomer, Brujah or Los Angeles

Drukpa
These monks live in Tibet, and they have controlled the Tibetian dragons for centuries.
The Assembly has decided that they are no threat, but should be avoided, just in case.
The last thing the Dragonkin needs is a conflict between a controlled dragon and a free
one right now.

"The Assembly? If we need them, we can control the. But right now, there is no need.
Our own dragons are stronger and closer than them."
Chiema Leio, 7:th generation Drukpa.

Garou
The few Garou left in Asia usually stays far away from all of Dragonkin. They fear the
wrath they remember since the War. The dragons, however, and intrigued by this dying
breed, and the Assembly is seeking a representative to discuss a possible alliance.

"Of all the stories I have heard, my Sept has told me to never repeat this one. It is about
dragons who live in the Eastern land, where the Caerns burned in a terrible war. They are
dangerous, and I wish I never see one."
Severed Fang, Children of Gaia

Mortals
They are tricky, since they don't live all that long. They change so rapidly, and there is no
real organization to cling to. Well, mortals as a whole are regarded as the lowest form of

12
intelligent life, a lot better than pigs and birds, but very much inferior to dragons and
others. There are, of course exceptions. New Agers, Mages, and so on, non-Sleepers, are
rated a lot higher than a normal Chang.

"Dragons? Good joke, buddy! Get yourself another beer!"

Lao Cang, shopkeeper, Hong Kong

Immortals
Shadow war
We must try not to interfere in their games, as they are trying to stay out of our affairs.

"I have only seen one or two, and they are better left alone."
Alar Kibble, Celestial Game

Mummies
They are very few in Asia, and the Assembly has only gathered that there is no need to
fear them, and that no conflict is immediately at hand.

"A source of wisdom I have not yet sipped. Maybe I will, next time out of death. Yes, I
heard that China is good this time in the century."
Caiban Er-ke-takk, Egyptian Priestess of Thot

Fair folk
They play their games, and never sit down for a real conversation. They are afraid, and
try to run. We leave them alone, as they leave us alone.
"(No comment available)"

The Dead
The dead are important to us, almost as important as the living. We must remember that
without them, we would have to seek our heritage in the stars, and that would be bad. We
must always care for them, and help them, when they are in need.

"Yes, once or twice I have met them, and they try their best to help us. I hope I can repay
the favor someday."
Loo-Chang, dead farmer

Mages
These mortals know much more about the world the others. We must try to get together
with them and discuss the universe someday. They are smart, even though they are but
mortals, and young in their wisdom. Cherish them.

13
 "Ah, a real source of intellect. Not like the books of old. These have the knowledge and
the power of the old, because they have seen it first-hand! They are important to us."
Soong, Akashic Brotherhood

Western Court
Well, we treat them with respect, and they will hopefully do the same. They were our
allies once, and we hope we can become that again.

"Our cousins of the Eastern Court has a lot to offer. They are not struck by the same loss
as we are."
Rathcaar, Pride Sinye

Conflicts
Of course, all the rules of the Assembly are just for the Dragonkin, and sometimes, there
are conflicts. Below a few of them are described.

Vampire vs. Dragon

Since the creation of the First City, the vampires have tried to control the world. Now,
with more and more beings waking up to power, this job is getting more and more
difficult. The vampires are resorting to violence to a larger extent than before, and there
are wars. The dragons rarely start these actions, but they defend themselves, and retaliate,
if given the opportunity. There are no mayor conflicts as of yet, but the situation is a bit
tense.

Mortals vs. Dragon

Humans think they rule the world, and it doesn't matter how you try to show them
differently, they still do. The dragons could destroy all of mankind within a decade of
war, but they chose not to. The few times that humans see a dragon, and realize what they
are, the normal response is either fear or aggression. Numerous attacks have been
launched by military organizations and police, trying to destroy what they think is a
monster. The air, where the dragons have roamed for millennia, is now full of armed
aircrafts, satellites, and passenger-planes, something that makes life difficult for the
dragons. In short you can say that fear drives the mortals towards an open war, if they
knew what they were fighting, and gentleness drives the dragons away from such a
conflict. A dragon would rather retreat from a winning position than kill for no reason. A
dilemma is at hand.

14
Mages vs. Dragon
Some Mages find that they are the only ones who should enjoy the powers of the
Awakening, as of yet. Therefore, there are conflicts between dragons and Mages.
Especially the Technocracy have clashed with the dragons on several occasions, but the
dragons have always gotten away, or bested their opponents. The dragons are trying to
stay away from conflicts as a whole, and with Mages in particular. They do not want a
war.

Dragon vs. Dragon

Even though the Assembly forbids it, there are dragons who wants more power, and are
willing to kill or hurt another dragon to get it. Conflicts between Eastern dragons are not
unheard of, but they are fortunately rare, and often rather quickly resolved. There are
better things to worry about than fighting another dragon for power, reasons most
dragons of the East.

Unaware awakened

Then there are those who wake up and think that they can still fight wars, those who
disregard the balance, and go up against the Assembly, and the Treaty. These are very
powerful and dangerous opponents, and it often takes an alliance between dragons to
defeat them. They can do a lot of damage for a short period of time, but since they don't
know the game of balance, they fall asleep after a short period of time. They are truly
dangerous, and you should be aware of the threat they pose.

15
East vs. West

Dragons of the West are known to be more craving for power than the dragons of the
East. Sometimes there are battles between dragons from East and West when they are in
the wrong territory, or someone feels threatened by the other's presence. The dragons of
the Prides Vermithrax, Rekhem, and Khuril have ventured into Asia and sought conflict
over land and power there. They often regard the Eastern dragons as not of the "true"
Dragonkin, and that they have a right to eliminate these charlatans.

The Eastern dragons respond by staying away, and closing their own ranks, planning for
a war they hope will never come. A conflict between the Western Court and the
Assembly's dragons is the last thing the world, and the Dragonkin, needs.

Interaction
Since Dragon - the Eastern Harmonies is written for the Storyteller-system, it is easy to
intergrate in the other parts of this system.

Interaction between parts of this system is quite easy to imagine, as the Eastern Court is
seeking alliances, and such can be temporarily formed to battle a common enemy.
Vampires of both Camarilla and Inconnu can join forces with dragons of the East, as can
Mages and Garou, and some mortals, to solve a mutual problem, or battle a mutual foe.
The options are unlimited as of ways to form this "partnership".

Storytelling

Dragons of Asia are best suited for experienced players who will not go to arms over
every problem in their way. This would lead to a rather short career as a dragon, and a
long nap to follow. For starters a player should try to play the Tatsu, as it is the most
balanced dragon and them maybe, if they like the concept, they could try another family,
or developed the use of the Tatsu. Whoever decides to play a dragon of the Eastern Court
is about to have many good hours of constructive role-playing ahead. Enjoy!

16
Character Creation Outline
1. Choose Concept
Who are you?
What is your Quest?

2. Choose Attributes
What are your basic capabilities?
Prioritize Physical, Social, and Mental Traits

3. Choose Abilities
What do you know?
Prioritize Talents, Skills, and Knowledge abilities

4. Choose Advantages
What makes you unique?
Allocate points for Backgrounds, Magic, and Balance

5. Last touches
Make the finishing shine to you character.
Calculate Yin and Yang, Magic power pools, and spend Freebie Points

1. Choose Concept
A character is not merely numbers on a sheets of paper. If that is so, then there is no fun
in role-playing. You night as well be playing poker. No, a character has to have a goal, a
drive, a personality, a history, in short, it has to become alive in your mind. To help you
with this, you choose a concept; you in a nutshell, as it was.

Once this is done, you can proceed to determine how you are. How you act and behave,
and such things. This is done by selecting your Nature and Demeanor, you true self, and
how you act it.

17
You also belong to a family, and you select which family you belong to at this point;
Tatsu, Long, or Long-Feong.

A dragon also has a goal for its existence. This is called a Quest and is the driving goal
for the character. It might be to bring peace to the world, or to help those in need, but
there are an unlimited number of different options.

Finally, you write down the name of the dragon, a few usable aliases, your name, and the
name of the chronicle you start playing.

2. Choose Attributes
You prioritize Physical, Social, and Mental attributes for your human form. Any may be
primary, or secondary, or tertiary. You allocate 7/5/3 on this human form, making you a
bit better than a normal human. After all, you are not a human.

Once this is done, you spend another 4/2/0 points on your dragon-form. The priority of
the groups for the dragon-form does not have to be the same as for the human form. In
fact, you may decide to put you human primary as dragon tertiary, to even out the
distribution of the points.

3. Choose Abilities
Once you have established you attributes, you leap straight into the abilities of the
character. You prioritize Talents, Skills, and Knowledges and spend 13/9/5. You must be
careful with some abilities, as they have changed a lot over time. Always consult your
Storyteller when you are going to get abilities such as Drive, Etiquette, Firearms, Repair,
Security, Computer, Finance, Law, and Science. It is fairly obvious which abilities have
changed the most over the years you have been asleep.

There is a new skill added to the options of the Eastern dragons: Skyrunning. This is the
skill a dragon uses when it wants to fly somewhere. It is described a bit later.

4. Choose Advantages
A dragon has five points to allocate among the four available backgrounds: Sleep, Status,
Pearl, and Master. No other backgrounds are available. At the Storyteller's discretion
other Backgrounds such as Allies, Contacts, Influence, Resources, and Retainers may be
bought for Freebie Points later on.

There is also magical skills among the dragons. For the purpose of gaining magical skill,
the dragon gets to allocate five points on the different magical arts described later, and
four points on the different magical paths, also described later.

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Finally, a dragon my increase its balance by allocating four points on Yin or Yang, or
divide the points between the two. The effects of this is described later.

5. Last touches
The last thing you have to do is finish all the details. First, you have to look at you Yin
and Yang, and modify this according to what family you belong to.

You also have pools of magical energy. These are called the Static pool, and the Dynamic
pool. You have (Yin x 2) points in you Static pool, and (Yang x 2) points in you Dynamic
pool.

Finally, you spend 15 Freebie Points wherever you like.

The costs are detailed below.

Magical Paths: 7 points/dot

Magical Arts: 5 points/dot
Attributes: 5 points/dot
Abilities: 2 points/dot
Backgrounds: 2 points/dot
Magical Pools: 1/3 point/dot
Yin: 1 point/dot
Yang: 1 points/dot

Traits
There are several new traits introduced in this part of the Storyteller-system. They ones
concerning the Eastern dragons are explained in more detail here or in the next part of the
text; By Jade Lights.

Family
The first trait is that of family. There are three mayor families from which the player can
choose for his/her dragon-character. These are Tatsu, Long, and Long-Feong. The only
difference is truly the starting rating in Yin and Yang.

A Tatsu begins with the Yin and Yang according to the number of points the player has
decided to use on Yin and Yang under the step Advantages. A Long has two points more
Yang than the starting rating. The Long-Feong starts the game with two more points Yin
than the starting rating. That is, essentially, the only difference between these families.

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Flight
Then, there is the dragon ability to fly. All Eastern dragons can fly, even though none of
the greater families has wings. The dragons of Asia fly by "running on clouds", or in the
air. This is a very swift mean of transportation, as there are rarely any obstacles in the sky
as there are on the ground. The maneuverability of a Skyrunning dragon is also far
superior to that of a dragon with wings. First, there will be a description of the ability
Skyrunning, then an update on how to use the aerial combat rules in Dragon - the Waking
Wrath for a dragon from the Eastern Court.

Skyrunning

This is the ability to fly by running in the air. It is not compatible with the skill Flight
explained in Dragon - the Waking Wrath. This skill merely demonstrates that a dragon
has practiced flying, since all dragons of the Eastern Court can fly, as easily as a human
breathes. A dragon can only fly using this skill in dragon-form. A dragon can fly using
the Flight-skill in any form that allows flight, such as a bird, or a Western dragon.

 Novice: You can start and land without looking like a fool climbing a staircase.
 Practiced: You can turn and stop without difficulty, and also pinpoint your landings.
 Competent: You can play tag with any bird, even extremely small ones.
 Expert: You can follow a storm, and move at its pace
 Master: Other dragons turn to you for flying-lessons.
Possessed by: Dragon, some Magicians

Specialities: Twists and turns, landings, cloud chasing, sneaking

An Eastern dragon is as quick in the air as a Western dragon, but has greater
maneuverability. For initiative, class it as a 1980's fighter aircraft, and in all other
instances as a Western dragon. Also remember that an Eastern dragon can not breath fire.

Yin and Yang

There is a balance to this world, and not even the dragons can deny its importance. In
fact, this balance is more important to them than for other beings, at least in this life-time.
It is all explained a bit better in the next part; By Jade Lights, but a few things can be
said. First of all, there is a duality to life. One dynamic and masculine side called Yang,
and one passive, feminine called Yin. Whatever a dragon does, it is done in either of

20
these principles. This effects the balance of the dragon. If the balance is shifted too much
in the favor of either one principle, the dragon will fall asleep, and be asleep for a long
time, a long time indeed. As previously stated, this is explained in greater detail in the
next part of the text.

Magic

The dragons are creatures of magic, and the know how to use these forces of magic. They
can learn any form of magic; Thaumaturgy, Telergi, The Mages' magic, Egyptian
Mummy magic, Andean Real magic, New Agers Mana-based magic, or the magic of the
Dragons of the Western Court. They also have their own magic. This is composed out of
four different Paths, and four different Arts. The Paths dictate in what manner the magic
should influence the target, and the Arts what the target can be. This is explained in
greater detail in the next part of the text. Magic is powered by two pools of power; a
static pool, and one dynamic pool. These pools draw their power from the balance of Yin
and Yang, and it might be dangerous to attempt certain forms of magic, as this may shift
the balance greatly. This is also explained in By Jade Lights later.

Backgrounds
Dragons of the Eastern Court may only choose from four different backgrounds at the
beginning of the game. The Storyteller may then allow the player to use Freebie-points to
gain other Backgrounds, listed above. The four backgrounds that the dragon can chose
are explained below.

Sleep

Your Sleep-rating tells you if you have slept well, in your last sleep, or if you have slept
at all. The period of Sleep is very important to the dragons, as it tells them what they did
before they went to sleep. The longer the sleep, the more wrong they did back then. It is
sometimes hard to remember things done before the Sleep.

0 You have slept for a long time in a lake or a mountain somewhere, and you remember
nothing about the time before

 You have slept for a few centuries in a hidden cave, and remember some of the things
you did wrong back before the Sleep

 You have slept for a century, give or take a decade or two, and remember the war, and
how you were part of it.

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 You have slept for a few decades, and remembers a lot about the time before the last
Sleep.

 You haven't Slept at all in over a millennia, but have spent a lot of time balancing
out your shifted Yin and Yang.

 You haven't Slept at all in over a millennia, and have always been careful with
your balance.

Status

This is purely your status among other Eastern dragons. It tells you how known you are,
and what you are considered to be.

0 You are totally unknown

 Someone has heard you name spoken about in a good way

 When brought up, some recognize your name
 You are known, and respected
 You are considered noble, and other may even look up at you
 If you were to try to get into the assembly, you'd probably get excepted.
Pearl

The Pearl is the source from which the dragon draws its power. If you have your Pearl or
not is crucial for the dragon, for without it, there is no way to breed, unless heavy magic
is used.

0 You have lost your Pearl eons ago. Face it; it's gone.

 You lost your Pearl a millennia ago. If you went looking, you might find it, with a bit
of hard work.

 You lost your Pearl a century or so ago, and you have a pretty fair idea where it might
be.

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 You have lost you Pearl, but know where to find it, maybe.
 You have your Pearl well hidden at your normal resting-place.
 You have your Pearl with you, carrying it in your stomach, where it is safe.
Master

The master you served under before the War is also important to the dragon. It tells them
what they have done to the world, and what sins they have committed. Not knowing who
your master was is really bad, because then you can't defend yourself against any
accusations put forth by anyone old enough to remember.

0 You don't know who you master was, or what you did during your service.

 You don't know what you did, but know that your master was some power-hungry,
greedy demon from one of the Hells.

 You master was an active semi-god who sent you everywhere, to do all kinds of
things, most of them bad.

 You master was a rather passive god, and you only did occasional monstrosities in
his service.

 Your master was a kind goddess, and you never did anything wrong while in her
service.

 You never had a master. You were always free.

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Experience
If you play a while, you may get experience, and with experience you can improve you
powers. Here are the costs for raising different traits for a dragon of the Eastern Court.

Magical Paths: current x 5

Magical Arts: current x 4
New Path: 10 points
New Art: 7 points
Attributes: current x 4
Abilities: current x 2
New Ability: 3 points
Yin, Yang, and Magical Pools can not be improved with experience.

The Balance, the Tao

All dragons are depending on keeping the balance between Yin and Yang, between active
and passive. If the balance is shifted too far either way, the dragon will fall asleep and
during this sleep the balance will set itself straight, slowly.

On the character-sheet there is a double circle for noting Yin and Yang. Yin is noted
clockwise from the middle of the right track, and Yang is noted counter-clockwise from
the same spot. These should be kept track of very closely, and every player playing a
dragon of the Eastern Court should keep the balance in mind at all times. All actions the
dragon preform effect this balance. It works like this;

All the things that the dragons does that are aggressive, dynamic, or over-active gives it
Yang, and all passive, mediative things it does gains it Yin. Below is a table with

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example-action for gaining Yin and Yang. Note that some actions gives a dragon more
than one point of Yin or Yang.

Actions that gives the dragon Yin:

Meditating for a month/Healing the wounds of another/Giving up a goal for the good of
another being (1 point)

Not resorting to violence where it is a simple option/Putting personal ambition aside to

help another (2 points)

Mediating a conflict/Willingly Sleeping for one month/Helping another where there is no

hope of repayment (3 points)

Actions that gives the dragon Yang:

Being in a fist-fight/Willful destruction of material goods/Prioritizing your own goal

before another's safety (1 point)

Inflicting physical harm on another living being/Failing to aid another when

asked/Willful destruction of natural assets (2 points)

Using torture/Abusing another's psyche (stalking, abusing, raping)/Falling in love (3

points)

Killing another living being/Committing suicide (4 points)

So, once you decide what you are going to do, think again, and take into consideration
what the effects may be on your balance.

The balance may be shifted five points either way without there being any ill-effects.
Once this line is crossed, the dragon has (the rating of the minor principle) hours to
correct it, or fall asleep. The minor principle is the one that is not dominant, that is called
the mayor principle.

Example:

Soong has 14 Yin, and 9 Yang, it then spends a month meditating, and gains a point of
Yin. This puts it over the limit, and it has 9 (the rating in Yang) hours to correct the
balance by loosing Yin, or gaining Yang.

The dragon will also fall asleep if the circles come full, and the principles "touch". This
will result in that the dragon will fall asleep, no matter how many points it has in either
principle.

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What happens if you fall asleep? Well, you start loosing Yin and Yang at the rate of one
point per century. Once they both have reached zero, the dragon wakes up again.

No sweat, you think, the only thing you have to do is balance you actions so that none of
the principles becomes to dominant. That's where you're wrong. You see, you can only
have a maximum of 20 Yin and 20 Yang at any given time, and once this maximum is
reached, you will fall asleep. Simple as that.

How to avoid this, seemingly unavoidable thing, then? Well, the only thing you can do to
lose Yin or Yang is using magic, or serving. There are ways of using magic so that you
remove Yin and Yang, and this is hard. If you can use this method, it is the most reliable.
If you can not, then the only thing that can help you is divine influence. You must once
again serve under a god, a demon, or a spirit, and as a payment lose points of Yin or
Yang. This is humiliating for a dragon, but sometimes it is the only alternative. This can
be compared to the services a mummy preforms to gain Ba (see WoD: Mummy).

You also use this trait when there is a test for Willpower required. Then you simply use
the mayor principle instead of Willpower. The dragons of the Eastern Court do not get to
use Yin or Yang as Willpower-points, but their magic normally compensates for that
small inconvenience. They do not gain Yin or Yang from Nature or Demeanor, and
things that normally break the will of others (Axes of Light, from Telergi) will simply not
effect a dragon.

The religion that teaches us all this about balance in all things speak of the Way, the Tao,
or Do in Japanese. If one follows the Do, and does only what he/she/it has to, then the
balance will take care of itself. Not engaging in an action can never result in a shift of
balance.

That is all about balance. If there is still a specific problem, ask the Storyteller for a
ruling. Otherwise, suggested reading is any Buddhist writing, as it tells you a lot about
the balance of all things, and how to use it.

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Magic
The dragons are creatures of magic. The magic is what powers them, compels them to
act, and keeps them alive, and powerful. The dragons not only use magic to stay alive,
but also actively. This is done by using magical Paths, and Arts.

One can say that the Arts are different glasses of liquids, and the Paths are different ways
of dealing with these glasses. A dragon uses combinations of Paths and Arts to
accomplish the task it wants done. Below, the different Paths and Arts are described in
more detail.

Magical Paths
Riddle - Tricks and pranks you play with this Path. Luring, tricking, throwing off
balance. Once this is successful, the dragon can control the actions or non-actions of the
target. The spells are mostly harmless in themselves, but a clever dragon can do a lot of
damage with this Path.

Compose - Modify and join is what you can do with this Path. Creating one thing out of
another, or several others, is what this Path does. The spells can be used to do a lot of
good, but with an evil mind, it can also cause a lot of pain.

Create - To make something out of noting it was this Path does. This is a very unbalanced
thing to do, and it effects dragons' balance a lot, but it is so powerful it is hard to resist.

Limit - Destroy, wipe from physical existence, or limit in function, that is what this Path
does. This is also a very unbalanced thing to do, but not as much as creating from
nothingness.

Magical Arts
Body - This is the Art of the living flesh. With it, a dragon can influence the matter of a
living being, no matter what sort of being it is. With it, the dragon can effect its own
body, the body of another, or the bodies of the dead. Plants and animals are also included,
but not dead plants (wood, oil, plastic), and not other materials (rocks).

Spirit - The Art of Spirit effects the living spirit of things. All living things is powered
and controlled by a spirit. This is the medium the dragon can affect with this Art.

Matter - All material that is not alive can be influenced with this Art just as living matter
is influenced by the Body-Art. Rocks, wood, plastic, metal, water, air, earth, and so on,
all are influenced by this Art.

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Essence - The finals Art is the one that influences the core of all things, dead or alive. It
effects such things as fire, time, space, and other abstracts through manipulating its
forming principles. It is a very potent form of magic, if used intelligently.

Effects on Yin and Yang

Using magic may effect the balance between Yin and Yang of a dragon. Not only may
the use of magic be an action that effects the balance (see above) but there are also spells
that automatically shifts the balance in favor for one principle. If this is so, then it is
noted by the spell, and the player must be aware of this.

Magic pools
From here is where a dragon drawn the primary power needed to use the magic. There
are two pools; one Dynamic and one Static. The Dynamic is used for active magic, Yang-
based magic, while the Static pool is used for passive, Yin-based magic. It says by every
spell whether it draws power from the Dynamic or the Static pool. If the pools should
become empty, they can be refreshed by shifting the balance. One point added to Yin
adds (dragon-form's Charisma + Perception + Stamina) points to the Static pools, as a
gained point in Yang adds (dragon-form's Manipulation + Wits + Strength) points to the
Dynamic pool.

Example: Soong has depleted its Static magic-pool. It decided to refresh it by taking on
an extra point of Yin. This adds (Charisma (5) + Perception (4) + Stamina (6) = 15 points
to it's Static pool, and it is once again in business.

Using Magic
Using these vast powers are relatively easy, technically speaking. All the dragon has to
do is think of an effect, find it among the spells (all dragons know all spells), and roll the
combination of Path and Art against the difficulty of the spell. Each spell has an effect-
level. All dice on the roll that was over the difficulty-number are added, and if the total
exceeds the effect level required, the spell takes effect. If the total is not high enough,
then the spell fails. If you rolled a botch, then the dragon is in for some tough times.

If you should fail the roll, there is no need to give up hope for you can still succeed. You
can simply use points from your pools to even out the effect-level. It says by each spell
which pool you can take points from, depending on the nature of the spell.

Example: Soong is trying for a difficulty 5, effect-level 40 spell. It rolls three dice,
resulting in a 9 a 6, and a 4. The 9 and the 6 are added, resulting in a 15, a lot lower than

28
40. Soong now has the opportunity to spend (40 - 15) 25 points from the magic pool the
spell requires to make it succeed. Soong may be better off practicing a bit before trying to
use this spell again.

Spells
Below are examples of spells a dragon can use for each Path and Art. They are listed with
difficulty-number, required effect-level, pool from where to draw power, and an effect.
There are also some example-spells that all dragons should know. They are described like
this:

Name: the name of the spell

Path: the Path used for the spell
Art: the Art used for the spell
Difficulty: the difficulty-number
Effect level: the required effect-level
Pool: the pool from which to draw power
Balance-shift: the shift in Yin or Yang, if any
Effect: the effect of the spell.

Body
Body + Riddle
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 15 Dynamic Make a being stumble
6 15 Dynamic Make a being fall
8 25 Dynamic Create an itch
10 40 Dynamic Create burning pain

Body + Compose
Difficulty Effect-level
4 15 Static
6 15 Static
8 25 Static
10 50 Static
Pool Effect
Change the color of a being's hair
Change the eye-color of a being
Change the shape of a being
Change the form (exterior and interior) of a being

Name: Create Wyvern

Path: Compose
Art: Body
Difficulty: 9 (*)
Effect level: 60
Pool: Static
Balance-shift: none

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Effect: This spell lets loose the magical energies in a being, transforming it into a
Wyvern. A Wyvern is a creature of myth, a pseudo-dragon, and a magical being. The
direct effect is that a person turns into a huge lizard, with wings and fiery breath, and
4/2/0 added to the attributes just like any dragon. The person tuned into a Wyvern is
aware of what is happening, but can't control the body very well. The dragon creating the
Wyvern can control it for one Dynamic pool-point per (20 - target's Willpower) rounds
(12 rounds/minute). It is easier to transform creatures of greater magical potential into a
wyvern. To transform a person who can use magic in any form, the difficulty is only 7.
Dragons, fairies, the dead (immaterial spirits, ghosts), and divine creatures can not be
transformed. Note: Mummies are alive once they wake up after death. The effect of this
spell lasts (10 - target's original Stamina) + any points spent from the Static pool) in
minutes.

Body + Create
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 15 Dynamic Grow hair on a bald
6 15 Dynamic Increase pace of growth
8 30 Dynamic Create a new limb (ex: third arm)
10 40 Static Create an animal
10 100 Either Create another dragon

Name: Healing
Path: Create
Art: Body
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 20
Pool: Static
Balance-shift: none
Effect: With this spell, the dragon can heal the wounds of itself and any other creature at
the pace of one level/round. Physical contact is required. There is a natural defence
against these kinds of influences against the body, and the duration of the spell is

30
therefore (5 - target's Stamina (current form) rounds + 1 round per Static pool-point spent
by the dragon. The spell will effect Kindred, dragon, Sleepwalker, Garou, and such, but
will not heal aggravated wounds.

Name: Regeneration
Path: Create
Art: Body
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 40
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: This spell regrows lost limbs, and heals aggravated wounds of a dragon or another
creature which the dragon is touching. Once placed, all aggravated wounds will heal at a
pace of 1 wound per (10 + target's Stamina (current form)) rounds. Limbs will regrow if
the target creature rests at a pace of 0.4 inch/(5 - creature Stamina (current form)) days,
minimum of one day. Note that this spell can only regrow lost limb, not grow limb that
are unnatural to the being.

Body + Limit
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 15 Static Cause hair to fall off
6 35 Static Cause rapid aging
8 35 Dynamic Cause disease
10 50 Static Kill with a word

Name: Injure from afar

Path: Limit
Art: Body
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 40
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: This spell inflicts physical damage to a target. The range is line of sight, and the
effect is immediate. The target sustains rip-like wounds, as if hit by huge claws. The
dragon rolls Strength + Brawl against a difficulty of (target Stamina (current form) + 3
(maximum: 10). The number of successes equals the number of wounds the target
sustains. These wounds are not aggravated to any creature.

Name: Place a curse

Path: Limit
Art: Body or Spirit
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 60

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Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell starts a horrible deterioration of the mind and body of a target. The
spell may be placed as either a Limit Body-spell, or a Limit Spirit-spell, the effects are
the same. The curse will remove one point from each Virtue of the victim per (6 -
victim's Stamina) days. Once they all have reached zero, the Willpower, Humanity, Faith,
and other such traits will be removed in the same manner. Once they have reached zero,
the Social attributes are removed the same way, then the mental, and finally the physical.
Once Stamina drops zero, the victim dies. There are amulets, herbal teas and such that
might stop this curse, but the only a Healing-spell (Create + Body) will remove the curse
completely.

Spirit
Spirit + Riddle
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 15 Dynamic Make a person mispronounce a word
6 30 Static Make a person hesitate in thought for 1 Round
8 35 Static Put a normal person to sleep for a few minutes
10 50 Dynamic Make a person forget who he/she is

Name: Cause the Terror

Path: Riddle
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 40
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell turns the dragon into the most horrible thing the victim can possibly
imagine. This is all a hallucination, but the victim will believe it, and suffer from
supernatural terror, be it delirium for a Sleeper, Fox-frenzy for a Garou, or Rötschreck for
a Vampire. The victim may try to resist this spell by rolling at least three successes with
his/her Willpower against a difficulty of 8.

Name: Change emotion

Path: Riddle
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 40
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none

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Effect: The change of emotions caused by this spell will result in a reversed emotion to
that which the target had before the spell was cast. Anger will turn to kindness, despair to
joy, hate to love, and so on, and vice versa. The target may resist the effects of this spell
by rolling two or more successes with the difficulty of (dragon's Manipulation (dragon-
form). The reversion is permanent, but the emotion will fade as he original would have.

Name: Words of Command

Path: Riddle
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 10
Effect level: 50
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none
Effect: Once the Words of command are uttered, containing the order to be fulfilled, the
target will perform the ordered action to the best of his/her/its abilities. It will think that
the order is a desire of its own, and will work hard to fulfill it. The target may try to resist
the effects of this spell by rolling a Willpower-roll and scoring at least two successes
against a difficulty of 10. This may be attempted once per (10 + caster's (dragon-form)
Manipulation) days. The Command may require extended action, and may be an entire
quest for the target to fulfill. The caster must be in physical contact with the target, and
the target must hear the Words of Command for this spell to work.

Name: Casting the Illusion

Path: Riddle
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: *
Effect level: *
Pool: *
Balance-shift: *
Effect: There are really three spells to this spell. The first is called "Casting the minor
illusion", the second "Casting the mayor illusion", and the third "Casting the perfect
illusion" or "Casting the final illusion". The difficulties of the spells are 6 for minor, 8 for
mayor, and 10 for perfect illusions. The effect level required is (victim's current
Willpower * 10). This makes this spell very simple to use on weak-minded persons.

The minor illusions is just a temporary flicker of motion in the corner of an eye, or a
small illusion that can just be perceived with one sense; sight, smell, sound, touch, or
taste. If the spell succeeds, the victim can still resist the effect of the spell by rolling a
number of successes with Wits + Awareness greater than the number of successes the
dragon rolled for the use of this spell. The difficulty for this roll is the mayor principle
(Yin or Yang) of the dragon. If this roll succeeds, the spell has no effect. There is no shift
in balance for using this spell, and the power can be taken from either pool of power.

33
The mayor illusion is a somewhat greater trick to play. It is a larger illusion that can be
perceived with three senses, chosen by the caster, and that can be of any nature. The
illusion is quite real to the victim, and it can cause damage, by attacking, or any other
effect the caster wishes. If the illusion is that of something horrible, like a Crinos-form
Garou, or a dragon, it will cause the delirium to kick in. The victim can not resist this
effect, if the spell succeeds. There is no shift of balance due to this spell, however, the
use might cause a shift. The power for this spell is taken from the Dynamic pool, if
necessary.

Finally, the Perfect illusion is just that; perfect. It can be perceived with all senses, natural
or magical, and the victim will treat the illusion as real. A bridge can be created with this
spell, and the victim will not realize that it is not there before he/she/it hits the ground so
far below. The illusion will also add itself to the subconscious of the victim, making
him/her/it think that it is the most natural thing in the world that the president should
want to visit this day, for example. This illusion can kill a victim with physical violence,
while the major illusion can never damage a person more than to Incapacitated. There is a
+1 Yang shift of balance due to this spell, and its power always comes from the Yin-pool.
This is strange? Well, the power from the Yin is for the subtle manipulation of hopes and
dreams of the victim, while the Yang-shift is for the brutal violation of reality for the
victim.

Spirit + Compose
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 15 Either Wake a normal person from sleep
6 30 Dynamic Implant a suggestion
8 50 Dynamic Implant a memory
10 50 Dynamic Meld minds

Name: Cause the Passion

Path: Compose
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 50
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: With this spell, the dragon may bind a Sleeper to it with the bonds of love. The
Sleeper will fall in love with the dragon, and will act and behave as a person very much
in love. This will work only as long as the dragon is in human form. The Sleeper will not
recognize his/her "loved one" in any form other than that the dragon used when the spell
was cast. The Sleeper will give up much to be with the dragon, and will not question the
emotion it now has. It will accept the Rape (Limit + Spirit) as an act of love, and not as a
rape at all. It will suffer from delirium during the Rape and subconsciously make up an
act of love that was perfect. The spell lasts for as long as the Sleeper lives, and as long as

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he/she does not make a Willpower-roll of three successes against a difficulty of 10. One
of these rolls may be made per (5 + dragon's Charisma (dragon-form) days.

Name: Change the Past Event

Path: Compose
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 50
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: By altering an existing memory, the caster can form the past of a person in any
way it desires. Only existing memories can be altered, and this includes all-ready
implanted memories. The memory may not be of an event more than (caster's current
Yang) days ago. The change may be anything from alteration of small details to altering
the outcome of some particular situation. The memory will still be intact, and may not be
destroyed or created with this spell. Also note that no new things may be added to the
memory, such as new characters participating in a event, and none may be deleted. Only
alterations in the present memory may be accomplished with this spell. The target may
try to resist the a Willpower-roll, scoring more successes than the caster has Yang against
a difficulty of the (caster's (dragon-form) Manipulation + Intelligence (maximum: 10).
The caster must see the target to use this spell.

Name: Wake the slumbering cousin

Path: Compose
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 10
Effect level: 75
Pool: Static
Balance-shift: none
Effect: With this powerful spell the dragon can wake up another dragon that has entered
Sleep. The awakened dragon will be awake for a period of (10 - the newly-woken
dragon's (Yin + Yang) + points from the caster's Dynamic pool) minutes. The awakened
dragon is free to take any action it pleases, and is not under the control, command, or
influence of the caster. But the caster can use other spells to do that...

Name: Shift the Balance of the Way

Path: Compose
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 10
Effect level: 100
Pool: Opposed*
Balance-shift: +1 Opposed*

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Effect: This spell lets a dragon shift the balance between Yin and Yang of another
dragon. This is a very difficulty, and dangerous task. The pool from which the power
from this spell is taken is always the opposite from that which the dragon wishes to
increase, or decrease. For example: if a shift is to be made on Yin, the pool used is
always Dynamic, and Yang is always powered by the pool of Static magic. There is also
a counter-shift in the balance. The caster will gain a point in the opposite principle it is
trying to shift in the target. For example: if the caster wants to increase a target's Yin, the
caster will gain a point of Yang. The shift in balance must be mutually agreed upon
before this spell can be cast, and the caster must see the target. The balance can be shifted
with an increase of either Yin or Yang, or a decrease of Yin or Yang. The balance may
never be greater than the minor principle of the caster.

Example: Soong, now at a lower level than before, will try to decrease the Yang in Tcha,
a fellow dragon. The power for this spell must be taken from Soong's Static pool, and
Soong will gain a point of Yin for meddling with the balance. Tcha can get its Yang
decreased by a maximum of four, the current Yang of Soong, Soong's major principle is
currently Yin, 7. The Yin of Soong will increase, and unless Soong is very lucky, the
Static pool will have to be refreshed after this spell is cast, resulting in even more Yin.
Soong might be in trouble for getting Tcha out of trouble. It is easier to quest for a
foreign lord than to use this spell to keep the balance, and that is a fact.

Spirit + Create
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 10 Dynamic Talk to a spirit
6 20 Static Cause emotion
8 40 Dynamic Cause change in demeanor
10 40 Dynamic Cause change in nature

Name: Refresh the Pool

Path: Create
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 35
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: With this spell, the dragon can refresh either the Static or the Dynamic magic pool
of another dragon. The dragon refreshes the same pool as it uses to fulfill this spell, or
either, if no points from a pool is used. The refreshment equals the caster's (dragon-form)
Charisma + Perception + Stamina+ the target's (dragon-form) Perception points to the
Static pool, or the caster's (dragon-form) Manipulation + Wits + Strength + the target's
(dragon-form) Wits points to the Dynamic pool. This spell requires that the caster can see
the target, and that the target is willing.

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Name: Refresh the Will
Path: Create
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 40
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell lets the dragon refresh lost Willpower-points to another creature. This
requires that the dragon touches the target and that the target is willing. The amount of
points refreshed is equal to the number of successes the target can roll on a Willpower-
roll with (11 – original Willpower) as the difficulty.

Spirit + Limit
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 15 Static Calm emotion
6 25 Static Cause emotionlessness
8 50 Static Wipe memory
10 60 Dynamic Cause insanity

Name: Deplete the Will

Path: Limit
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 40
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell, in opposite to the Create Spirit-spell Refresh the Will, takes Willpower
away from a target. The target must be seen by the caster of this spell. The amount of
Willpower lost is equal to the (caster's (current form) Manipulation + Strength) if the
dynamic pool is used, (caster's (current form) Charisma + Stamina) if the Static pool is
used, or either, if no pool-points are used to power this spell. The target will be aware that
its Will is being drained, but can not determine who, what, or why this is done.

Name: Place a curse

Path: Limit
Art: Spirit or Body
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 60
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell starts a horrible deterioration of the mind and body of a target. The
spell may be placed as either a Limit Body-spell, or a Limit Spirit-spell, the effects are
the same. The curse will remove one point from each Virtue of the victim per (6 -

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victim's Stamina) days. Once they all have reached zero, the Willpower, Humanity, Faith,
and other such traits will be removed in the same manner. Once they have reached zero,
the Social attributes are removed the same way, then the mental, and finally the physical.
Once Stamina drops zero, the victim dies. There are amulets, herbal teas and such that
might stop this curse, but the only a Healing-spell (Create + Body) will remove the curse
completely.

Name: Rape the Sleeper Path: Limit

Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 9
Effect level: 55
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: This spell allows the dragon, in dragon-
form, to sexually interact with a female human
Sleeper. The interaction is normally perceived by
the target as a rape, and will result in the birth of
monsters. Once raped, the victim will become
pregnant, no matter if this is physically possible at
the time, and will give birth to a monster. If the
victim is all-ready pregnant, the dragon-embryo will
destroy the other embryo or fetus. The dragon-
foetus will be born after a period of 12 months, and
will be a monster. The form of this monster varies
from rape to rape, but the face is always human, and
so is the mind, well, almost. The monster may have
wings, snake-body, tiger-body, or wyvern-like
body. It will almost always live to an extreme age
(200+ years), and is very powerful (attributes:
7/5/3). This is a nasty spell and the dragons who use
it normally does it to inflict punishment on a person
or a family, or out of vengeance. It is not an
accepted way to reproduce among dragons.

Matter
Matter + Riddle
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 15 Static Shut off a machine
6 20 Dynamic Start machine
8 40 Dynamic Control machine
10 40 Static Control objects

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Controlling machines and objects: A machine can only be made to do things it can
normally do. For example: a VCR can not shoot lasers, it can only play, pause, wind, and
record. An object is anything without the proper motivators to perform its task. Examples
are pens, tables, broken machines, powerless lights, and so on. Here are the actions
limited by the design of the object. A pen can not bend or tie a knot on itself under the
influence of this spell, but it can write, or stab someone, if properly placed.

Matter + Compose
Difficulty Effect-level
4 15 Dynamic
6 15 Dynamic
8 30 Dynamic
10 50 Dynamic
Pool Effect
Change color of an object
Change temperature of an object
Change shape of an object
Change material of an object

Matter + Create
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 15 Dynamic Fix malfunction in a machine
6 60 Dynamic Create small object (1 ounce or smaller)
8 60 Dynamic Create object (1 pound or smaller)
10 60 Dynamic Create large object (greater than 1 pound)

Matter + Limit
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 15 Static Cause malfunction in a machine
6 20 Static Age material
8 50 Either Disintergrate small object
10 50 Either Disintergrate object (1 pound or smaller)

Essence
Essence + Riddle
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 15 Either Create waves in water
6 15 Either Change wind-direction
8 35 Either Change weather
10 40 Dynamic Call a spirit from the Umbra

39
Calling spirits from the Umbra: Spirits may be called from anywhere within the
Tellurian, but the Umbra is the simplest thing to reach. The spirit still has to pass the
Gauntlet.

Name: Voice of the Wind

Path: Riddle
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 25
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none
Effect: With this simple spell, the dragon can talk with anyone, anywhere, as long as the
dragon, and the other person, are both outside, and the wind is blowing. Spirits of the
wind will carry the voice of the dragon over vast distances, and will to so very swiftly.
The response will be heard as well. This has been the way the dragons have
communicated for as long as anyone can remember, and it is a lot simpler than using a
telephone. The dragon only has to know the name of the person it wants to call, and the
wind will do the rest, if the person the dragon wishes to call is outside, in the wind. The
voice of the dragon can be heard as a sweet whisper on the breeze, or a mighty roar of the
storm, depending on the caster of the spell.

Essence + Compose
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 10 Either Sense Tass
6 20 Static Alter fire into wind
8 40 Dynamic Halt time for one Round
10 80 Either Alter position of stars

Name: Shadowcasting
Path: Compose
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 5
Effect level: 20
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none
Effect: Dragons of Asia do not cast shadows, in any form, unless they are wearing clothes
that are real, and not part of the form itself. The clothes will then cast shadows, but the
body of the dragon never will. This spell lets the dragon cast a shadow of any shape or
size, and let it follow the movements of the dragon, and altering according the angle and
strength of the light.

This spell is very useful when being indoors, or in close conversation with someone, as
they might note that the dragon does not cast a real shadow. The shadow can also do

40
things the body of the dragon does not, such as dancing around the walls and ceiling as
the dragon is standing still, or placing the shadow on another person, doing funny tricks,
making the target look strange with two shadows with only one source of light available.
The uses are only limited by the imagination. No other magic can be used as long as the
dragon is Shadowcasting. In other words; there is no multitasking with this spell.

Name: Opening the Gate

Path: Compose
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 10
Effect level: 90
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: With this spell, the dragon can open a gateway to another part of the Realm, or to
another Realm. The Gate will only last for the caster's (dragon-form) Strength +
Charisma + Wits) minutes, and is two-way. If the Gate has a destination on the other side
of the Gauntlet, the dragon must overcome this obstacle with a roll of Riddle + Occult
against the difficulty of the gauntlet in the area. If this succeeds, there will be a great rift
in the fabric of reality, and the gate is open. The gate can not be closed, but will fade
away, and close itself, after the duration runs out. There is no way to "lock" the gate from
either side, and it is clearly visible from both the point of origin, and the destination.

Name: Altering the Ways

Path: Compose
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 10
Effect level: 100*
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: This awesome spell lets the dragon alter the flow of time or space. No matter what
the change is, it gives a +1 Yang-shift, and is very hard to perform. A small change may
have a required effect-level of 100, while great shifts, such as creating a new Realm or
making time alter direction may require over 1000 in effect level. Subtle shifts, such as
bending space around oneself, will allow rapid travel, near-teleportation, or other
dramatic effects. Altering time can be used to heal wounds, use spells, or conduct
business simultaneously, in a dramatically increased pace. This power is not to be used
every day or so, for then there will be trouble with reality after a while. Paradox may
even apply, or the balance will be shifted so dramatically that the dragon will fall asleep
for a thousand years, or so.

Essence + Create
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 10 Dynamic Recharge empty battery

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6 20 Dynamic Start a fire
8 30 Dynamic Create powerful storm
10 60 Dynamic Create a small Node

Name: The Burning Embrace

Path: Create
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 25
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell creates a ball of fire the caster may send towards a target within sight.
The fire is quite real, and will hurt the target rather badly. The effective range is the
Strength of the caster (current form). The damage of the fireball is determined by a roll of
the caster's Strength + Occult against a difficulty equal to the target's Stamina. This is the
amount of dice rolled to determine the damage towards the target. The difficulty of
soaking this damage is (number of dice rolled for damage + 3) against any creature
except vampires, and 10 for vampires. It may be soaked as aggravated damage. The
wounds sustained by this fireball is aggravated to Vampires, Garou, and Sleepwalkers.

Name: Drop the Shroud

Path: Create
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 30
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell destroys all light within an area. The sources of light are still intact, but
the emission of light simply has no effect. The shroud will engulf everything within an
area in all direction from the caster, reaching the caster's (dragon-form) + Perception
meters. No natural light will work, and powers granting night-vision will not help either.
Magical light, and any gift granting magical sight (such as Auspex), will still work. The
Shroud will remain in place for (caster's (dragon-form) Charisma) minutes, and even if
the caster moves or is killed, the Shroud remains. The caster can still see, although no
other dragons can, unless magic is used.

Essence + Limit
Difficulty Effect-level Pool Effect
4 10 Either Deplete power of battery
6 20 Either Put out a fire
8 30 Either Calm a storm
10 60 Either Revert to creation-form

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Reverting to creation-form: this turns all liquid substances into water, all solid materials
into wood or rock, and all gases into air. It is depleting the essence of the non-living
matter, and returning it to the most basic of forms; the form in which it was created.

Actions in the world

Dragon that are active in the world need a few extra rules to help the player and
Storyteller make out what is possible and what is not for these creatures.

Extreme attributes
First of all, with the added bonus to the Attributes of a dragon-character, there is no
longer a limit of five to any single attribute. Attributes may range from 1 to ten, requiring
some special rules. If you do not have WoD: Mummy, where extreme Attributes are
explained in details; here is a list.

Attribute over five Effect

Strength Vampiric discipline Potence of Strength - 5

Dexterity Vampiric discipline Celerity of Dexterity - 5
Stamina Extra health-levels, see Dragon - the Waking Wrath
Charisma Vampiric discipline Dominate of Charisma - 5
Appearance Vampiric discipline Presence of Appearance - 5
Perception Vampiric discipline Auspex of Perception - 5
Manipulation, Wits, and Intelligence have great effects, but they are explained in WoD:
Mummy and will not be summarized here.

Bad breath
Dragons of the Eastern Court can not breath fire, without the use of magic, or changing
into a form that can breath fire. Simple as that. Some say that the breath of the Asian

43
dragons stink, or is a magical cloud of dreams, but this may just be a case of bad oral
hygiene, or the use of magic.

Claws
Dragons of the Eastern Court does, however, have claws. Four on each paw, 16 in all.
These are magical weapons, as the dragon is magical in itself. The claws inflict a damage
equal to the dragon's Strength + 2. The claws can only be used in dragon-form, and inflict
aggravated damage to Vampires, Garou, Sleepwalkers, and so on.

Teeth
Dragons also have teeth. Well, teeth and teeth.
They are fangs, sometimes as great as three feet
long, and sharper than the sharpest sword. They
inflict a monstrous damage of Strength + 4, usable
only in dragon-form, and with an added effect. If
the dragon manages to score a hit with three or
more successes, the dragon has the option to use
its next action to simply chew the target, or
swallow it. No matter what the target may be; this
is normally the end of it, more than it can handle.

There are tales of people being eaten whole by

dragons and living inside its stomach, feeding on
the wisdom of the dragon. But that was a long
time ago, way before the War.

Injuries
No matter how well a dragon uses it's magic, and no matter what allies it may have, there
is never a guarantee that it will never sustain injuries. There are a few basic facts about
injuries to a dragon.

First of all; dragons do not sustain aggravated damage. All wounds are treated the same.
Second; if a dragon is put at Incapacitated, and the last damage was not inflicted by
another dragon (physical damage only, not magic), a holy person, or a weapon made out
of jade, the dragon will fall unconscious, and start to heal, at the rate of one Health-level
per (10 - Stamina (dragon-form) minutes. If this last damage came from the either of the
above mentioned sources, the dragon will fall Asleep, and remain Asleep for as long as it
takes for it's balance to reset itself. It will then awaken, fully healed, and with only a
small scar to remind it of the incident.

44
There is no way to put a dragon of the Eastern Court into Final Death, although if it is
asleep for a few thousand years or so, it is practically the same. It is out of the chronicle,
under any normal circumstances.

If a dragon is wounded, it will heal with a pace of one health-level per (10 - Stamina
(current form) hours. If the dragon is resting or meditating, the pace is two levels per (10
- Stamina (current form) hours.

Aerial combat
If a dragon of the Eastern Court gets involved in an aerial combat, it may be in trouble. It
has no fiery breath that can protect it, but the use of magic normally compensates for this
slight inconvenience. In any case, the Eastern dragon has the same speed as a Western
dragon in the air, but a bit better maneuverability. This is reflected in Initiative during
Aerial combat. A dragon of the Eastern Court has the same initiative as a 1980's fighter
aircraft instead of that of a dragon.

Shape-shifting
Then there is the dragon ability to change shape at will. The dragon is not bound by a
limited number of forms as the Western dragons are, they can chose forms as they please.
There is, however, a slight limitation to this power; balance-shift.

To be able to handle this concept, there must first be a definition of what sort of changes
a dragon can perform.

Minor shift
A minor shift of shape is a shift that is so small that a person would not see it at first
glance. This could be the change of an undertone in skin, eye-color, texture of the hair,
and so on. Any shift that could be assumed to be natural is classed as a minor shift. A
minor shift takes one complete round to perform, and the dragon can perform the shift
while doing other things as well.

Major shift
Any shift that is not minor is mayor. All changes between forms change of appearance
larger than details, and clothing, is a mayor shift. In the case on unclarity; ask the
Storyteller for a ruling. All major changes result in a +1 Yang-shift of balance. All mayor
changes takes one full round of concentration.

This is terrible, isn't it. It won't be more than a few changes to go to this party with the
Garou and then back to normal before you are all asleep, right? Don't worry, there is a
loop-hole to this rule.

The Dragon-form

45
All changes to or from the dragon-form is not classed as a change at all. Unfortunately, it
is a very bad way to change clothes among Sleepers to simply change to dragon-form,
and then back to the human form, with new clothes. You know, delirium, and such.
Police and military will soon get involved, and others as well. Not good. It is better to
find a more private space and then change into dragon. A phone-booth would do nicely,
if not for the fact that a dragon is rather huge, sometimes a snake over twenty feet long.
No phone-booth will contain that sort of creature. Better find an alley, or use magic. The
ladies-room of a hotel can also be used, if the dragon is alone there.

Any change to or from dragon-form will take one round, and the dragon must concentrate
on the task at hand. Going to dragon-form is simple, but altering form from the dragon-
form to another form, no matter what it is, requires a roll of Stamina (dragon-form)
against a difficulty of 5. One of more successes has to be scored. If the change is very
"unnatural" for the dragon (Storyteller's call), the difficulty might be higher.

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