The Heavenly Dragon Sect Formed in Ancient China, the Heavenly Dragon Sect is a martial arts society dedicated

to maintaining the Mandates of Heaven. This usually means that they end up fighting supernatural creatures that prey on mankind, especially Ghosts and Vampires (remaining on Earth after Death is a major violation of Heavens Mandate). To this end, theyve developed special powers by tapping into their Chi, or spiritual energy. Channeling their Chi allows them to manifest various powers, which allows them to exceed human limitations. Even today, they disdain the use of firearms, instead focusing on the martial arts and training with ancient weapons (Bows, swords, etc). They are a small yet formidable force of warriors on the side of the light. A brief History of the Sect Legend has is that the August Personage in Jade, ruler of Heaven, created a set of laws for every being in existence to follow. These laws became known as the Mandates of Heaven. To disobey these mandates was to disobey the most powerful being in all of Heaven. While those who broke the mandates inadvertently would receive minor punishment (or none at all), those who willfully disobeyed them would face harsh consequences. To enforce the mandates, the Jade Emperor created a special group of magistrates to act as enforcers for his laws. These magistrates became known as The Heavenly Dragons of the August Personage in Jade, or simply, the Dragons of Heaven. These beings were entrusted with enforcing the Mandates of Heaven. If one was broken, they would investigate, determine if the perpetrator was guilty of willful violation, and mete out punishment as needed. (Modern scholars of the Supernatural believe that the August Personage in Jade was a member of beings known as The Old Ones, immensely powerful demons far beyond those that exist on earth today. Others speculate that he was (and possibly still is), one of the Powers that Be. All that is known is that before the recorded history of China as we know it, this being ruled over the land, commanding demon and human alike. It created the Mandates of Heaven as a set of laws to govern all its people, and created a special force of magistrates to enforce those laws.) The Dragons of Heaven were not actual dragons (well, some may have been); some texts have hinted that even humans were allowed to serve in this group. In those ancient times, the Dragons mainly dealt with rogue demons, ghosts, and the occasional vampire brood that was feeding too much on the human population (technically, a vampires very existence was a violation of the mandates, but this was not strictly enforced, as some vampires supposedly served in the Celestial Bureaucracy).

(Most of the Dragons in those days were Demons, but there is evidence that worthy humans also served as members of this elite group of magistrates) As the Celestial Bureaucracy moved to Heaven, many of the Heavenly Dragons went with them, merging into the Emperors personal guard. Those that remained behind continued to enforce the Mandates of Heaven, and set about recruiting new Dragons to serve the Jade Emperor. (Scholars speculate that the August Personage in Jade moved his court to another dimension, as our dimension was becoming less hospitable for its existence. When it did so, most of its demon servants went with it, thus removing most of the old demons that lived in the region of China at that time.) As humans became the predominant race in China (as they did around the world), the remaining Dragons chose to act in secret. They concealed themselves as a martial arts sect. They found humans worthy of serving the Jade Emperor, and taught them the necessary skills to enforce the Mandates of Heaven. Those that proved capable were taught special powers they could use to punish those who broke Heavens mandate. (It is possible that the early instances of martial artists using their Chi to do incredible things are tied to genetics. Since Demons can interbreed with humans, it is believed that many martial artists exhibiting special abilities have some demon genetics in them, allowing them to tap into some of the powers of those distant relatives) As time went by, the sect embraced Taoism, becoming one of the many Taoist martial arts sects, alongside the Wudang, Wah Shan, and other famous martial arts societies of the time. Some members of the sect began to study Taoist magic, to further enable them to enforce Heavens Mandate. (Taoist magic has many ritual spells tied to exorcising the undead, so it was only natural that the sect would be attracted to this religion. As it also fits with their philosophy, it was a natural addition to the sects growth during that time period). Over time, the sect grew, but publicly appeared to be much smaller in size. This was to prevent them from being considered a threat to the other martial arts sects. When the Mongols invaded China, they were overlooked, while larger sects were targeted. This allowed the sect to work behind the scenes against the Mongols, especially when many rebels thought they were working with other groups, such as the Shaolin. They did the same after the Manchu conquered China, and also during World War II against the Japanese. (It is believed that the sect began to become more human-centric over time, and thus saw its loyalty slowly tilt towards the ruling dynasties of China. When foreigners invaded and conquered, the sect saw this is as a violation of the

Mandates of Heaven, and thus worked to restore the rightful rulers to the throne, believing they were favored by the August Personage of Jade). When China was taken over by the Communists, much of the sect fled to Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Some members also went to Malaysia and Singapore, which had large concentrations of Chinese living there. Others even came to the United States, primarily in cities like New York and San Francisco. While these members left the country, many stayed in China, refusing to abandon the land they swore to protect. To this day, the sect still operates secretly in the Peoples Republic. (As the sect spread across the world, its members started to enforce the Mandates of Heaven in those countries as well. To them, if Chinese people lived there, then the Mandates applied to those countries. Many of the oldest members stayed in China. Most of the oldest demons in the sect certainly did. They still operate in China, and it is rumored that the sect made an agreement with the current regime, promising to acknowledge their rule in exchange for being left alone to pursue their duty) After spreading to other countries, the sect started to recruit outside the Chinese population (both demon and human). They first started in other Asian communities, and then spread to other ethnic groups. Todays Dragons are a multicultural group of demons and humans, all enforcing the Mandates of Heaven. In Asian communities, they are an open secret; in others they are unknown protectors of the night. Vampires hate them with a passion, as they are one of the main targets of the sect. Demonic cults and the like also hate them, because they tend to interpret their desire to summon greater demons and such to earth as violating Heavens Mandate (many of the non-Asian sect members tend to make broader interpretations of the Mandates than the Asian sect members do) (As the sect disseminated across the globe, its leadership also disseminated. Each country now has its own leadership, so you can find ruling councils in China, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, the United States, and other countries. These councils do communicate with each other, and if unsure of a decision, will consult with the original council in Mainland China. For the most part though, each council makes its own rules for the country they are protecting) Playing a Dragon of Heaven Ok, so now that the neat background stuff is out of the way, you all must be asking: So how do I play a Heavens Dragon? This section is going to cover that for you.

Before I continue let me note that once Encyclopedia Demonica is available, I will likely update this section to include any new supernatural powers that would work in simulating Kung Fu Chi powers. Almost anyone can be a Dragon of Heaven. Most are human, but the sect does not preclude demons being members. However, Ghosts & Vampires (being creatures that violate the Mandates of Heaven), and Werewolves cannot take this quality. If you are using the Totem Warriors from the Slayers Guide, Id also rule them out. Robots can join, but wont be able to use Chi powers, unless they have a way of simulating them with their robot body. Dragon of Heaven (6[5]-Point Quality) This is the base quality for all members of the sect. When you become an official member of the sect (and pass the initial training), you gain the following benefits: +1 to all physical attributes, +1 to Acrobatics, Getting Medieval, Kung Fu, Notice and Occultism, 2 Levels of Hard to Kill and Nerves of Steel. On the other hand, they also gain the following drawbacks: A 2 point Adversary (to represent their local community), 2 points of Honorable, 1 point of Obligation to the Sect (more dedicated members take this at 2 points), and a 2 point Secret (membership in the Sect isnt public Knowledge, and as they also target evil humans, they can be brought up on murder charges if theyve ever killed humans) Besides the benefits this quality gains, members of the sect tend to have various other abilities. Some suggested ones include: Contacts (any kind can be taken, as long as they are centered on the community the character operates in), Demon/Half-Demon (for nonhuman sect members), Fast Reaction Time, Natural Toughness, Occult Library (for the more mystical oriented members), Resistance (some sect members have learned various resistances, so all can apply, though members tend to focus on just one type), and Situational Awareness. In addition to this quality, members of the sect can learn to tap into their Chi, or spiritual energy, in order to do extraordinary things. Some of the various powers are listed below: Enhanced Attributes: Many sect members have found ways of temporarily increasing their physical attributes, primarily Strength & Dexterity (not usually at the same time) Natural Armor: This Chi technique allows the Dragon to give their skin a steellike quality (Think the Toad from Five Deadly Venoms)

Reduced Damage: Some Dragons have found a way to reduce damage from specific types of attacks. Sect members who use this power can only use the Limited version only (unless theyre a nonhuman who has a better version of this power as part of their racial makeup) Supernatural Attack: The primary offensive power the sect can teach. Both the ranged/non-ranged versions of this power can be taught. Attacks are limited to the Major damage spectrum (though some rumors of older members who can go past this limitation abound). In addition, there are some additional benefits sect members can add to this power. They can be combined, if you can afford the cost of adding the various options to your attack: Affect Incorporeal Beings: As the sect hunts down Ghosts, it is only natural that they would adapt this power to affect such beings. When using this add on, it increases the cost for close combat by four, and ranged by six. Area-Affect: This add-on for Ranged attacks allows the Dragon to strike multiple targets in a six foot radius in front of them. This attack is not subject to multiple attack penalties, but all the targets can dodge the attack. This option increases the cost of the attack by six. Auto-Attack: Rapid fire kicks/punches and multiple chi blasts are what this addon allows. Each additional attack costs 2 points for close combat, and 3 points for ranged, with a limit of 5 additional attacks allowed per turn. These attacks can be used against one target, or multiple ones, and are not subject to multiple attack penalties. Magic Some sect members practice magic. For the most part, they practice ritual magic (ie non-quick casting spells ala Angel), but a few members have learned full blown Sorcery. Those members are rare though, as its hard to practice Sorcery while attempting to also master your Chi. If you want a character who can do both, clear it with your Director first, but I wouldnt really allow it myself.