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.
"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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 tim es, and sometimes overextends it's boundaries.
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 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.
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 see this in the dragonform. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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".
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
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 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!"
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."
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."
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 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."
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.
"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."
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."
Of course, all the rules of the Assembly are just for the Dragonkin, and sometimes, there are conflicts. Below are a few of them described.
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.
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 gentelness 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
Dragons of Asia is 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 develope 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!