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The Prodigal Cainite


Ex Libris Nocturnis - http://www.nocturnis.net By: Dave Turner (email: limepcs@hotmail.com) Summary: An idea for basing crossover games in Asia. Crossover is a touchy subject with most World of Darkness fans. Some love the idea and some cant stand it. Kindred of the East and Vampire are possibly the only two settings that are ideally suited for crossover. There are differing systems and mythologies, but the underlying themes and moods of the games are virtually identical. The protagonists of each also share the same weaknesses, so there are no concerns about splitting the group during daylight hours. White Wolf has also made a point of linking the two games in the metaplot. So this pairing seems to be a great choice for a crossover. The difficulty lies in trying to find an original concept for a Kindred of the East/Vampire crossover. The most commonly suggested setting or concept for this crossover is based around the Chinatown of a given American city. The PCs are usually cast as either stalwart Cainites protecting their city or nefarious Kuei-jin intent on conquering new lands. If the PCs are to be a mixed group, then vast cultural gaps are tentatively bridged in the interests of confronting a greater menace. There are other concepts (a pack of Sabbat in Tokyo or corporate raiders in Hong Kong) that try to get away from the Chinatown stereotype, but they always breakdown on one crucial point: the Cainites are almost always Western, meaning of European or African descent. There is an interesting cultural and historical phenomenon in China that presents an often over-looked, but exciting, new concept for a Kindred of the East/Vampire crossover game. For a couple of hundred years, and increasingly so in the past fifty, millions of Chinese have left their homeland to make their fortunes abroad. These Overseas Chinese are the single largest group of foreign investors in modern China and a vital link in Chinas current economic boom. Many Overseas Chinese still feel very strong ties to China and many long to improve conditions for the families they left behind. The presence and importance of Overseas Chinese in modern Chinese culture is vast. This presents an ST with a fantastic opportunity to make Eastern culture, rather than Western, the focus of a crossover chronicle. The stories of Overseas Chinese can be taken from any page in the book of the American Dream. Even the most modest success stories always sent money back to China, to help the family members left behind in tiny villages. 90% of Chinas population is rural, living in small villages and working the land. To call them peasants is only slightly incorrect. Modern Chinese life (rural life) is very much like any European feudal peasant of the Dark and Middle Ages, without the attached political system. Families work small plots of land, selling what little extra crops dont go to their families needs. Life is simple, with a noticeable minority of houses still using mud in the construction. There are common anecdotes of rural Chinese who are fascinated by seeing a plastic bag for the first time. With the tide of economic prosperity that is washing over China, this picture is changing. Many modern conveniences, such as cars or washing machines, are starting to appear in Chinese villages. Overseas Chinese, used to the conveniences of modern Western living, are eager to help their families achieve the same levels of comfort in China. It is natural to suspect that Overseas Chinese who have been Embraced might be inclined to use their new powers in the same cause. Chinese immigrants were most successful in the United States and Southeast Asia. Europeans were both disinterested in Chinese immigration and perhaps slightly prejudiced. Early Chinese immigrants in Europe didnt fare nearly as well as those who traveled to the United States. The US was starved for cheap labor and offered any man the opportunity to earn a fortune if he persevered (and was lucky). America was also a melting pot, more willing to accommodate different cultures. This allowed Chinese immigrants to establish themselves and excel in many cases. In the World of Darkness, success or misfortune brought some Chinese immigrants into contact with the Cainites of the New World. The idea of making the Cainites of a crossover chronicle Chinese may not be revolutionary, but it becomes very appealing when combined with the near-mythic reputation of Overseas Chinese in modern Chinese culture. Some families never hear from their Overseas relatives, but the ones that do return to connect with their homeland always bring tremendous wealth in their wake. Some Overseas Chinese make seemingly minor, but crucial, gestures. Buying their home village a new water pump or paying for a road to be paved is an incredible contribution to the lives of most Chinese citizens. Other small gestures include sending televisions, electronics, or other modern conveniences for the individual families. Overseas Chinese who are now the owners of successful companies often build new industrial plants in regions, replacing rice paddies with factories which transform a regions economy overnight. The most prosperous region of modern China, in the southern

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Guangdong region, is fueled entirely by Overseas Chinese investment. The per capita income of people in this region exceeds the same figure in the United States. These actions by Overseas Chinese give them a golden reputation in China. There are many hotels and businesses who deal exclusively with servicing Overseas Chinese. Local people believe that all Overseas Chinese live like emperors and pray that they will return to their villages with gold. More urban and sophisticated Chinese, who largely live in cities, understand that Overseas Chinese are not demigods, but still recognize their vital importance to Chinas continued economic success. This attitude towards Overseas Chinese eliminates the largest barrier facing a Western vampire in the Middle Kingdom: cultural prejudice. The Cainite is an alien being, but is still Chinese. Native Chinese understand that Overseas Chinese might be rusty when it comes to their culture or language, but they are quick to accommodate their long-lost cousins. If a gweilo (foreign devil or barbarian) were to display the same ignorance, he would be politely shunned. This changes two key elements of a Kindred of the East/Vampire crossover. It removes any cultural advantage that the Kuei-jin might have over the Cainites and it serves as a source of common ground for a mixed group of characters. A crossover chronicle featuring Overseas Chinese suggests two fundamental foundations for the stories that will be told. Both concepts are built around the idea of the return of Overseas Chinese to a town or region in China. One possibility for their return is that they are looking to invest in the region, bringing the wealth and prosperity so often associated with them. The other possibility is that they have returned to unearth their past, to reconnect with their homeland and their families. Conflict inevitably arises when the Cainites come into contact with the local Kuei-jin. If the goal of the Overseas Chinese is to revitalize the economy and lives of the region, then traditional Vampire themes and conflicts might emerge. The local Kuei-jin Court is probably quite comfortable with their hold on the area and has no desire to see that power usurped by impure Kin-jin. The sudden influx of money will offer plenty of opportunity for the Cainites to exploit when gathering influence. The Kuei-jins greatest strength is their home field advantage in the region. If, on the other hand, the Overseas Chinese are interested in reestablishing ties with their homeland, a different set of conflicts arises. The Kuei-jin would likely be disgusted by seeing their brethren transformed into Kin-jin and would probably pursue a strong campaign of destruction. The Cainites could return to a land dominated by cruel and inhuman vampiric masters who grind the common man under their undead heel. They could seek to liberate their communities from Kuei-jin influence, replace it with something more democratic or benevolent (under their own hand, of course). Perhaps the Cainites slowly begin to learn the true nature of the Kuei-jin, as they dodge assassination attempts, and search for links between the two species. In both of these cases, the chronicle might call for a group of mixed vampires, Kuei-jin or Cainite. The fact that almost all Kuei-jin are bound into wu makes this problematic. One option is to run two separate groups of vampires, allowing each player to have a Kuei-jin and a Cainite character. The other option is to use the common Chinese heritage as the glue that holds the coterie together. The obvious choice would be to have the characters all be related, albeit remotely. Chinese place a tremendous importance on family and might consider the murder of a prodigal Cainite to be an unforgivable sin, despite the Cainites cursed state. Modern Chinese Kuei-jin (Reborn within the last two decades) have an entirely different view of the West than their Elders and might have difficulty swallowing the inflammatory rhetoric of the jina and mandarins regarding Westerners. Like most modern Chinese, these new Kuei-jin might maintain some remnants of the awe for Overseas Chinese. Yes, these newcomers are Kin-jin, the young Running Monkeys might argue, but they are Overseas Chinese and might bring prosperity. The local Kuei-jin Ancestor might also decide that the reflexive slaying of the Kin-jin would be a wasted opportunity to learn about a new enemy. Traditionally, only the Ancestor of the Court is authorized to speak or interact with Kin-jin, but he could extend these privileges to trusted Kuei-jin if he wished to both learn about the Kin-jin as well as spy on them. The rabid Kuei-jin campaign of genocide against Cainites depicted in the core Kindred of the East rulebook has softened considerably as the setting has developed. Which Clans would be most likely to harbor Overseas Chinese who might take an interest in their homeland? Putting aside arguments that any sufficiently fleshed-out character could be a candidate, there are certain Clans which seem likely to produce Overseas Chinese benefactors. The Ventrue are the first and obvious choice. China is the worlds largest market and is still only beginning to open up to foreign investment and commerce. There is a saying in some business circles regarding China: If I could just sell one button to every man, woman, and child in China.... Already, the life expectancy of a child born in Shanghai is greater than a

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child born in the United States. Staggering potential exists in China and the Ventrue know it. The Elders who have overcome their ages-old prejudices are the ones who Embraced Overseas Chinese and seek to exploit this unprecedented opportunity. The Giovanni, who already maintain a presence in Beijing, are close on the heels of the Ventrue. Their interest in financial matters matches the Venture and they recognize the same opportunities that the Blue Bloods have discovered. The Giovanni are also starting to realize that the Kuei-jin have an understanding of the Shadowlands that dwarfs their own and they are desperate to tap that knowledge. The Giovanni finally recognized the value of Overseas Chinese a few decades ago and began to cultivate an Asian branch of the family, much like the Scottish one. Only now is their patient work starting to pay off as the first Overseas Giovanni begin their inexorable penetration of modern China. Clan Tremere has a long history of contact with the East. From their stronghold in Hong Kong, the Council of Seven sent ancilla after ancilla into China to steal her mystical secrets, with only a miniscule fraction ever returning. The arrogance of the Clan, born of their Thaumaturgical prowess, blinded them to the use of Overseas Chinese for decades, despite having the most contact with Chinese culture. In fact, only by stumbling across the remnants of early Chinese Giovanni efforts did the Tremere finally recognize this new tactic. By applying the strong powers of concentration and single-mindedness which are hallmarks of the Clans members, the Tremere are rapidly developing several promising candidates to follow in the footsteps of the Ventrue and Giovanni. The Tremere will have to rely on their Thaumaturgy to close the wide lead that the other Clans hold over them. Many of the Overseas Chinese who fled China in the 20th century were fleeing from tremendous political upheaval. Exiled Kuomintang leaders who avoided Taiwan, intellectuals fleeing the purges in the wake of Maos Hundred Flowers initiative, or even pro-democracy activists frightened by Tianamen Square would all be likely candidates for the Brujah. Those who were Embraced by the Rabble would find potent new weapons to bring to bear on the political structure of modern China. Unlike the previous Clans mentioned, Overseas Brujah are more likely to be working without major support or contact with their Clan. Once the Overseas Brujah have their eyes opened to the influence of the Kuei-jin, many change their focus to include the Ten Thousand Demons in their struggles. In the wake of the Great Leap Outward, when the Kuei-jin invaded the West Coast of the United States, many Nosferatu find that any information about the Kuei-jin commands tremendous prices. Although their appearance is useless to them, Overseas Nosferatu begin with an understanding of Chinese culture that their counterparts in the Clan could never achieve. With the help of Obfuscate, Overseas Nosferatu can prowl the cities of China like a native Chinese, gathering valuable secrets of both the Kuei-jin and other Overseas Cainites. A case can be made for Clan Malkavian in virtually any situation and this one is no different. Many Overseas Malkavians who return to China do so as bizarre undead pilgrims, traveling to abandoned temples and shrines and speaking to the ghosts they find there. Some Overseas Malkavians go native and insist that they be called Wan Xian and attempt to mimic the traditions of the Kuei-jin, sometimes to disastrous effect for themselves or the local Kuei-jin Court. This article is intended to help turn the tables on the preconceptions of how a Kindred of the East/Vampire crossover chronicle could be run. The overwhelming emphasis is usually placed on a Western setting and mood and presents the Kuei-jin as the outsiders or fish-out-of-water. Overseas Chinese allow an ST to present the other side of the coin. It allows players to get their feet wet in roleplaying Asian characters in an Asian setting, while still giving them enough Western elements (and Vampire elements) to bridge the gap.
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