Kuufukuji
You root at your prey like a hyena. You have no control; you are nothing better than an animal.
The Nameless Man walked the roads. He saw the greed in the world, and gave his possessions away. He saw the hunger in the world, and gave his food away. He saw that the only thing he could control in the world was the Man. Penniless and hungry, he became the Master. Then he was Embraced. And very little changed.
So go the legends of the Kuufukuji. They claim to be an ancient bloodline, thousands of years old, originating during the ancient nights of East Asia. As the tales say, a man known only as the Nameless Master founded the line. He was a monk, the head of a monastery dedicated to poverty and service to a local village. After the Nameless Master was Embraced, he continued to preach the concept of poverty and fasting to his childer. This extreme rule forced the Hungry to control their Wassail, and even gain power from the loss of Vitae.
Kuufukuji dwell in remote communal havens, usually on the outskirts of a town or city, much like the monks of nights long past. The Kuufukuji’s havens are nigh-inaccessible, and the Kuufukuji have a reputation for being strong warriors and hermits. Still, some Kindred seek them in modern times, since rumors of the Kuufukuji’s existence have stretched to claim that their diminished need for blood and their supreme control of the Beast has helped the Hungry reach Golconda — or at least bring them closer to it.
Mekhet factions in some cities deny the Kuufukuji’s existence entirely. In other domains, where a monastery or temple of Kuufukuji is known to exist, the Mekhet downplay the Hungry’s power, claiming that their nearreligious desire to avoid feeding will cause the Kuufukuji to die out. While their numbers are not what they once were, the Kuufukuji are still very much active. They do not argue with others of their parent clan, however, as their mastery of the Man leaves them needing no affirmations from outsiders.
The Kindred who have managed to convince a Kuufukuji to train them have nearly always fallen prey to their own Wassail, and met their merciful ends at the hands of the Hungry monks overseeing their training.
The Hungry follow The Traditions the same as any other Kindred. Few substantiated acts of Kuufukuji Diablerie exist, even when they are forced to slay a childe who threatens the temple with Wassail. Although their temples, libraries and martial arts schools are commonly run by mortal agents or Ghouls (or open only at night), the Kuufukuji take great pains not to violate the Masquerade. As for childer, well, no Kindred wants her bloodline to die out, regardless of the rules. Neonates are hard to come by, as the Hungry must find fl edglings worthy and possessing of enough willpower to be able to handle the constant burden of fasting.
Many vampires who have encountered one of the Hungry have assumed they are mad, stoned or otherwise disconnected from reality. This impression stems from the near-constant state of Meditation that a Kuufukuji must maintain in order to survive the constant hunger. Kuufukuji of tonight can be seen as anything from powerful wise women to haughty charlatans.
Childer who do not bend to their sires’ will and undergo the training necessary to attain Shihai — the “Discipline of Control” — often try to flee the monastery. If they manage to escape without their superiors or sires finding them and correcting the childer’s errors of judgment, they find themselves tied to a feeding pendulum. If they grow too hungry, they lack their bloodline’s strength to control the Wassail. If they frenzy and feed too ravenously, their bloodline’s weakness incapacitates them. These miserable childer may be hunted by either their own bloodline or a Prince’s forces before they can spiral out of control.
So go the legends of the Kuufukuji. They claim to be an ancient bloodline, thousands of years old, originating during the ancient nights of East Asia. As the tales say, a man known only as the Nameless Master founded the line. He was a monk, the head of a monastery dedicated to poverty and service to a local village. After the Nameless Master was Embraced, he continued to preach the concept of poverty and fasting to his childer. This extreme rule forced the Hungry to control their Wassail, and even gain power from the loss of Vitae.
Kuufukuji dwell in remote communal havens, usually on the outskirts of a town or city, much like the monks of nights long past. The Kuufukuji’s havens are nigh-inaccessible, and the Kuufukuji have a reputation for being strong warriors and hermits. Still, some Kindred seek them in modern times, since rumors of the Kuufukuji’s existence have stretched to claim that their diminished need for blood and their supreme control of the Beast has helped the Hungry reach Golconda — or at least bring them closer to it.
Mekhet factions in some cities deny the Kuufukuji’s existence entirely. In other domains, where a monastery or temple of Kuufukuji is known to exist, the Mekhet downplay the Hungry’s power, claiming that their nearreligious desire to avoid feeding will cause the Kuufukuji to die out. While their numbers are not what they once were, the Kuufukuji are still very much active. They do not argue with others of their parent clan, however, as their mastery of the Man leaves them needing no affirmations from outsiders.
The Kindred who have managed to convince a Kuufukuji to train them have nearly always fallen prey to their own Wassail, and met their merciful ends at the hands of the Hungry monks overseeing their training.
The Hungry follow The Traditions the same as any other Kindred. Few substantiated acts of Kuufukuji Diablerie exist, even when they are forced to slay a childe who threatens the temple with Wassail. Although their temples, libraries and martial arts schools are commonly run by mortal agents or Ghouls (or open only at night), the Kuufukuji take great pains not to violate the Masquerade. As for childer, well, no Kindred wants her bloodline to die out, regardless of the rules. Neonates are hard to come by, as the Hungry must find fl edglings worthy and possessing of enough willpower to be able to handle the constant burden of fasting.
Many vampires who have encountered one of the Hungry have assumed they are mad, stoned or otherwise disconnected from reality. This impression stems from the near-constant state of Meditation that a Kuufukuji must maintain in order to survive the constant hunger. Kuufukuji of tonight can be seen as anything from powerful wise women to haughty charlatans.
Childer who do not bend to their sires’ will and undergo the training necessary to attain Shihai — the “Discipline of Control” — often try to flee the monastery. If they manage to escape without their superiors or sires finding them and correcting the childer’s errors of judgment, they find themselves tied to a feeding pendulum. If they grow too hungry, they lack their bloodline’s strength to control the Wassail. If they frenzy and feed too ravenously, their bloodline’s weakness incapacitates them. These miserable childer may be hunted by either their own bloodline or a Prince’s forces before they can spiral out of control.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
Background: A thousand years ago, Kuufukuji Embraced only monks. The Nameless Master gradually Embraced the monks of his monastery, and the bloodline spread from there. Tonight, in the best-case scenario, the childer chosen by most older Kuufukuji come from acolytes in a monastery or students in a martial arts school.
If a Hungry sire is not presiding in a temple or martial arts school, she commonly searches for possible childer with personalities that refl ect a strong will and powerful mental acumen. A star student who spends a great deal of time alone fi ts the bill. An avid follower of Eastern thinking is also a prime target for Embrace. Some sires search for people who remain calm in the face of great stress. Some Hungry even test the boundaries of the Masquerade and purposefully create crises for potential childer in order to watch how they react. Those who panic or hide their eyes fail to make the cut, but those who act in a calm and precise manner are often cultivated further.
Although most Kindred history cannot be verified, many of the original writings of the Nameless Master remain. However, instead of having chronicled the history of the time, he seems to have been more concerned with meditations on his own Damnation and abilities than on the world around him. Most of his writings are parables along the lines of Aesop or Lao Tzu.
Many of the parables are still told tonight, but have been altered through the years by Sokes who wished to put their own stamp on their bloodline’s history. As for the history of the bloodline itself, much is lost beyond the first story of the Nameless Master.
The Master was asleep, and the ravenous acolyte leapt on him immediately, Embracing him afterward in acknowledgement of his guilt. When the Master discovered what had happened, he picked up his underling, now his sire, and hurled the acolyte into thedawn’s light.
The Master meditated on his new Damnation for three nights, and summoned his most trusted Sempai. The Sempai, horrifi ed at his Master’s transformation, was still pushed by obedience to offer his blood to the Master. After feeding for only a small amount of Vitae, the Master went back to his meditation.
The monastery continued to function, the human monks serving as a Herd for the Kindred and occasional go-betweens for the mortal world and Ghouls. The Nameless Master took many years to Embrace all of his monks, when they proved themselves worthy. He demanded all continue to fast, feeding only from the Herd of mortal monks and occasionally from the town.
During this time, the Master drilled his underlings in martial arts and Meditation beyond what they had studied in life. Their vigilance evolved into a Discipline by which they could control the Beast, useful for those who stay so close to Wassail.
The Nameless Master sent his Sempai into the city to inform the Kindred that the new Prince would receive all Kindred at his temple to discuss the city’s new monastic rule, which would supersede that of the extant social structure. The existing Prince, whose clan varies according to the teller of the tale, reacted to the insult predictably. The Nameless Master met the Prince in a rice fi eld — the Master the paragon of composure, the Prince in a rage. The story of this battle was placed in a parable for the future, and became the pillar that illustrates the Kuufukuji mantra of control of the Man. The Nameless Master pushed the Prince into frenzy, and took advantage of the blind rage to easily defeat him. Never one to do things halfway, the Master placed heavy stones upon the Prince’s body to secure him to the earth to await the sun.
The usurpation had its stumbling blocks, as the Master at first tried to force all Kindred in the city to follow the ways of his monks and fast. The chaos and destruction that followed in the wake of those frenzies showed the Nameless Master that the ways of the Kuufukuji were not the ways of all Kindred. Assured of his bloodline’s unique power, he lifted the ban on feeding, and the city’s Kindred society (and the horrific violence that had plagued the mortals) returned to normal.
The monastery grew, despite the fearsome rumors that circulated in town about monsters that dwelled in the hills around the temple. Young men would come to study under the Nameless Master, or desperate parents would abandon orphans at the doorstep, and the population grew. The practice of fasting allowed the Herd to fl ourish, maintaining the illusion of a functional monastery.
The Nameless Master continued his study and Meditation, looking for new ways to contain the Beast. The Nameless Master would sometimes travel to neighboring cities, asking to meet with the Princes to interview them regarding the Beast and whispers of Golconda. All members of the Princes’ retinues who challenged the Nameless Master met with tightly controlled violence that easily bested them, and the Nameless Master always received his interview. He discovered that vampires with many years’ experience on him did not have even an inkling of the knowledge that he had discovered, and he returned home, frustrated but gratified.
The Kamigami met with considerable resistance in the Nameless Master’s village, the Kindred having prepared themselves and the Kuufukuji having terrorized the ranks and slaked their thirst on the commanders. After several nights of battle, the Nameless Master and the leader of the Kamigami, a mysteriously potent individual, declared a sudden death fi ght with their troops watching. The two commanders met in the same rice fi eld in which the Nameless Master had beaten the former Prince, and the Master stood on the spot where the Prince had burned.
The leader of the Kamigami was stronger than any Kindred the Master had encountered. The Kamigami leader seemed immune to the Master’s subtle attacks to upset his balance; then, suddenly, the Master felt a noise — that is how he described it to his Sempai later. The noise touched the outside of his consciousness, and the Beast within him stirred.
In an instant, the Master knew his opponent was coaxing the Master’s Beast from him; an outside force disrupted his balance. The Master could not accept this, but, the more he fought, the more insistent the noise became. He remembered his own teachings that stated that sometimes to make someone stop pulling you, you must push. He allowed the Beast to come voluntarily for the fi rst time in his unlife.
The carnage that followed shamed him. The loss of control, not the destruction, gave him disgrace. His own existence nearly ended, but his feral nature managed to overcome the Kamigami leader, who had apparently asked for more than he could handle. The Nameless Master drank deeply from his rival, committing Diablerie and falling into the Final Balance.
When he awoke weeks later, the Nameless Master discovered that his town had been ravaged by the Kamigami. The Master’s own Kuufukuji had been at a loss with his unexplained Torpor, and the Kamigami took advantage of the Kuufukuji’s disruption. The Kamigami destroyed the town and burned the Nameless Master’s temple. Only the Kuufukuji’s secret basement havens had saved them.
The Nameless Master is said to have wept blood at the destruction of his Herd and the town he had ruled. He chose his three most trusted Sempai, those who had stood watch over him in Torpor, and commanded them to travel to one of the surrounding villages that still survived and capture a temple. They were to take over the temple slowly, Embracing the monks and keeping the rest as Ghouls or a Herd. The Kuufukuji could no longer afford to keep their bloodline confi ned to one ruined temple.
The Nameless Master ordered his remaining monks to rebuild the temple and gather a new Herd from the surviving kine in the ravaged town. The Master himself meditated for the same amount of time he had been in the Final Balance, without food, and then he fed lightly and left the temple. He followed the trail of the Kamigami, looking not for revenge but for knowledge. The Kuufukuji were mastering the art of balance and control, but the Kamigami leader had powers that the Nameless Master coveted.
Information about the Nameless Master is spotty following the reports of the fi ght with the Kamigami. The Sempai began expanding the bloodline, always carefully capturing monasteries and Embracing the leaders. The Nameless Master’s disciples rebuilt the temple, making it a massive stone and wood structure with many underground areas to house the Kindred. The Nameless Master never returned.
Differing temples claim that they have the Nameless Master in their histories, who returns to the temple and teaches them further powers of the Shihai, but no one existing tonight has personal memory of his return. Some Kindred believe the Kamigami destroyed the Nameless Master; other Kindred say they welcomed him as the new warleader. Most Kuufukuji believe that he was indestructible, and he slumbers in torpor in a temple in the East.
In the East, Kuufukuji are more likely to be honored. Many Kindred societies have heard the parables of the Nameless Master, and, even if these Kindred do not necessarily follow these teachings, the Kindred respect the wisdom of an elder. The Kuufukuji temples are more numerous here, and have spread from Japan to China, Korea, India, Tibet and Thailand.
In the West, the Hungry are less numerous, and, therefore, less respected by Princes. Other Kindred are frankly baffl ed and incredulous when they hear about the practice of fasting. Indeed, many assume the Kuufukuji are simply eccentric.
The Hungry often comprise insular coteries, with one Soke, a few Sempai and handful of Gakusei. Some Sempai travel, searching for a temple of worthies to take over and teach how to balance the Man and Beast within, but these temples are not as common as they were centuries ago. It is more difficult to find a remote temple, monastery or even simply a martial arts school that doesn’t have modern technological hurdles or other threats to the Masquerade.
Thus, tonight’s traveling Sempai is more likely to claim an abandoned building on the outskirts of a city as a Haven and petition for the right to Embrace Gakusei (or, in some cases, Embrace now and ask forgiveness later). The Sempai gather a Herd, usually one of prostitutes, and use them as food and funding. These Kuufukuji ignore the kine who don’t cross their paths, or occasionally cultivate them as potential childer for the future.
Non-Kuufukuji who wish to study under the Hungry are often welcome in Kuufukuji temples. Non-Kuufukuji are expected to conduct themselves in the calm manner of the Hungry, though these non-Hungry need not fast (indeed, only the most zealous Kuufukuji Soke would require it). Although a vampire not of the bloodline cannot learn the control that comes with Shihai, most Kindred leave the temple with a stronger senseof the Man within.
Dealing with others of the clan is often difficult, as many Mekhet either consider the Kuufukuji dangerous ideological zealots or deride the quest for a Golconda that they consider mythical. Some Mekhet may attempt to ingratiate themselves with or interrogate the Kuufukuji, wishing to wrest the secret of their control out of them, but the Hungry may well meditate through the interrogation or answer each question with parables. The Kuufukuji teach only those who come to them humbly to learn.
Cases do sometimes arise in which a Gakusei turns on a Sempai, or even his Sensei, and either fi ghts him or commits Diablerie. The Hungry do not like to acknowledge such dissention, and deal with these wayward Kindred in the quietest way possible. Such transgressors have been known to disappear during the light of day or are required to voluntarily take on the Final Balance. Some strict temples retain traditional outdoor gardens for the sole purpose of conducting executions within the security of their own havens, where the Kuufukuji can watch and see what disobedience and rebellion delivers.
The Kiss makes this mindset obsolete. No matter how bland they’d like it to be, the passion that comes with the Kiss affects the Hungry the same way it affects every other vampire. Thus, the Sokes have created a ritual that surrounds feeding that forces Kindred — or the Gakusei, anyway — to avoid the Kiss.
Those of the Hungry who have determined that their Vitae is too low let a superior know. The Hungry reports this notifi cation with his eyes on the fl oor, as the vampire is admitting that he must indulge his Beast. Only one feeding occurs per night. If another Kuufukuji decides she needs something after the Sesshoku, she must wait until the following night.
The Soke holds the Sesshoku at midnight, the hour of the Beast. The Kuufukuji meet where the bloodline’s Herd lives. Each Hungry who must feed wears the traditional all-black robe of the monastery, with a dark hood added: the Man has a face, the Beast does not. They gather in the most hidden or remote section of the home and extinguish all light but one candle. This solitary light represents the spark of Humanity that the Kindred must return to after succumbing to his Hunger. With several Sempai, and often the Soke, watching, the vampire steps forward and chooses a member of the Herd. A Sempai bleeds the kine, catching the blood in a carved wooden bowl, which he then hands to the supplicant. The Gakusei feeds in silence, and only as much as he dares. If the elders believe he’s had too much, they strike the cup from his lips and may even punish him.
The Sempai do keep track, however, of which Gakusei request frequent feedings. On some occasions, the Sempai deny their neonates feeding and observe them. In the same vein as the Salem Witch Trials, the neonate is then Damned either way: if he was truthful in his need, he either frenzies or succumbs to a starved Torpor; if he was deceitful, he is punished. Both ways are unlucky for the Hungry, and the test does make all Hungry adhere to fasting until absolutely necessary.
Prostitutes, Ghouls and candidates for the Embrace make up the Herd. A Soke keeps a mortal in the Herd for years sometimes, watching her closely to fi nd her proper role within the temple (either remaining a Lick, serving as an aide or ghoul, becoming one of the Hungry or simply dying from the strain).
If a Sempai has found a candidate for the Embrace, he must always have another Kuufukuji with him during the act. Apart from Toshi’s Chouka, described below, this is the only time a Hungry is allowed to drain a mortal of all blood. Thus, the Hungry risks the Final Balance when doing so, and instead of giving the bloodline a new member, the Hungry could likely rob it of himself.
Even the bloodline’s exiles often choose not to Embrace alone, unless they have completely forsaken their previous philosophies.
While cleaning up the carnage, the surviving Sempai came up with the rules for Toshi’s Chouka, the night of excess.
Held during the shortest night of the year to give the Beast the least amount of freedom, Toshi’s Chouka is a grand hunt for all Kuufukuji. The Soke goes through the Herd and selects those she deems frail, ill, unfi t or otherwise unlikely to last much longer.
The Hungry release these unfortunates with a head start, after which the Kuufukuji are free to hunt them. Some Sempai who appear to be on the hunt are secretly serving as chaperones, watching for Overbalance, violations of the Masquerade or any other indecencies. Toshi’s Chouka is also another subtle test, seeing who lets go completely and who still exhibits control while allowing himself to experience the freedom. Very little eludes the eyes of those watching.
A sensible Soke informs the Prince of Toshi’s Chouka, even though it falls the same time every year and the Prince should expect it and be ready. The Soke respectfully asks the Prince that no one hunt the prey of the Kuufukuji, with a not-so-subtle hint that during this one night, the Soke cannot be responsible for his Kindred if they see the insult of another vampire stealing their yearly banquet. Most Princes spread the word, especially if they value the Kuufukuji’s counsel. If a Prince sees this hunt as breaking whatever laws he has set up in his city, Toshi’s Chouka has the possibility of igniting a factional confl ict between the bloodline and the powers-that-be in a given domain. On the other hand, a Prince is free to decree that the Hungry conduct Toshi’s Chouka within the borders of their own tenurial domains or other conditions of acceptance.
They fit into a chronicle as foils to the characters if the characters react emotionally to the Hungry or as wise mentors if the characters show an openness to the ideas behind Shihai. A savvy Prince might take a local Kuufukuji into his service. An even savvier Kuufukuji might be Prince herself.
The Storyteller can easily fit a Kuufukuji into a chronicle built around the search for Golconda, as the Hungry do represent a step along the way to deliverance. They could also represent the wrong path, as they clearly have not yet reached it — they must still feed regularly and they can frenzy.
Kuufukuji characters can fi t within most chronicles; they usually join with other, non-Hungry vampires to serve the purpose of a spiritual journey in which they may test themselves. The Hungry may be aiding the group out of orders from their Soke, or Sensei or even the Prince. The spiritual journey within is the core motivation for a Kuufukuji, but this doesn’t mean she is not driven by the baser emotions of revenge, fear, hatred and love. This merely means that she places these things as a different priority than most vampires, and does her best to stifl e some of the stronger emotions. There is no guarantee that she will succeed in this.
The Kuufukuji weakness is directly connected to their strength — the hungrier they are, the stronger they are, and the more they feed, the closer they step towards the abyss of Final Balance. A Storyteller can modify this weakness, giving the Hungry a check to make sure he isn’t feeding too much, for example. Another option would be to focus the character so much on controlling the hunger frenzy that he ignores the other manifestations of the Beast entirely, making it all together too easy to frenzy from fear or anger. However the Storyteller tweaks the weakness, it still must be connected to the fasting that is intrinsic to this bloodline.
Dude looked like he hadn’t fed in days, and there was this kid, see, she had fallen or something, hit her head. I mean, blood was everywhere. I saw it happen and saw him and figured well shit, I just missed out on a meal, cause this fucker is gonna take it for sure.
But he just sat there and watched her bleed. I saw him lick his lips once or twice, but he didn’t move to do anything. Hell, the gulls were moving in on her faster than he was.
I told him, ‘Buddy, if you’re not going to take a bite, let someone else have a go.’
He looked at me, and I swear I saw pity in his eyes. Pity! For me! Well that kinda got me pissed, let me tell you.
He stepped aside and sorta held his hand out at her, like he was a fuckin mater-dee showing me to a table. So I took him up on it.
I don’t know, maybe I was having a harder time of it than I thought, maybe it was cause he pissed me off, but once I started feeding, there was no stopping me. Guess I hit frenzy, I don’t really know. Next thing I know, I’m on the ground with his foot on my head, grinding my face into the pavement. And he was talking to me.
He said, ‘I know you cannot control the Beast within you, but you must beat it. Think of your Beast as lying down on the ground, much like you are now, and the Man restraining it, much like I am now,’ or some such bullshit.
‘What the hell are you talking about?’ I said. I mean, I’d just fed, I was mad as hell, and this guy still took me out. How the hell?
Then he said he was, like, this vampire who didn’t need to feed, and how he had conquered the Beast inside him. He didn’t offer me any ideas on why he was Mr. Perfect Vampire la-de-da, but just said he pitied me again.
So what do you think? Asshole, or should we bring him in for questioning? I’m thinking that either he had fed before and just wanted to fuck with me, but there might be a truth to what he says. And if he’s found Golconda, then it’s only right that he should tell you. Think of the power you could have . . . .
Right. I’ll see if I can bring him in. Better let me take Wednesday and Thumper with me, though. Can’t be too careful around this one.”
Along the road, he met a kine. He was an old man, closer to death than birth. He pulled behind him a cart of rice. The Nameless Master stopped and greeted him, and asked to sit and share a rest alongside the road.
The man was frightened of the monsters that the night commonly held, but he joined the Nameless Master, eager for company in the dark and wild woods.
“I am called Hou,” said the man.
“I have no name,” said the Nameless Master.
“How can you have no name?” Hou replied. “You had a mother, didn’t you? What did she called you?”
The Nameless Master thought back to the many decades it had been since his mother had named him. Then he shook his head.
“I am only two things: I am a Man, and I am a Beast. They constantly war with one another, and I can focus on nothing as trivial as names,” he finally said.
Hou did not know what to say to this, and so he said nothing. They stared into the fire for a bit, and the Nameless Master broke the silence.
“Is that to feed yourself and your family?” he asked, pointing at the cart.
“Yes, I spent too long in the fi eld today and was forced to travel after dark. I’m taking the food to them,” Hou replied.
The Nameless Master nodded. “Then we are somewhat alike,” he said. He reached out with a long finger and stroked the hair of the kine, a young man not much older than a boy. “I, too, am carrying my food with me.
“I spend much of my time meditating on how the Man is separate from the Beast,” he continued as Hou scrambled to his feet. “I often forget that the Man must also be compared to man. Our spirits are reflected in a warped mirror, different yet undeniably the same.”
Hou began running down the road, leaving his family’s bounty behind, but it was too late. The Nameless Master was on him, breaking his neck.
Out of deference for the lesson Hou had taught him, the Nameless Master fed from the dying man, enough to sustain him for the rest of the night’s journey.
“I also must remember that the Beast does have a place. It is the Beast that makes our Man stronger. Thank you for the lesson, Hou. I regret that you will not live to learn yours.”
If a Hungry sire is not presiding in a temple or martial arts school, she commonly searches for possible childer with personalities that refl ect a strong will and powerful mental acumen. A star student who spends a great deal of time alone fi ts the bill. An avid follower of Eastern thinking is also a prime target for Embrace. Some sires search for people who remain calm in the face of great stress. Some Hungry even test the boundaries of the Masquerade and purposefully create crises for potential childer in order to watch how they react. Those who panic or hide their eyes fail to make the cut, but those who act in a calm and precise manner are often cultivated further.
History
Several different Kuufukuji factions that currently reside in Asia each claim that their country held the birth of the bloodline. Chinese Kindred claim the Nameless Master was a Taoist who rivaled the wisdom of Lao Tzu, Japanese Kindred claim he was Shintoist, and Indian Kuufukuji claim he was a Zen Buddhist. A remote faction in Korea claims that he was not a he after all, but a woman. The Japanese have the strongest claim, simply because the terminology that defines the bloodline is of their language.Although most Kindred history cannot be verified, many of the original writings of the Nameless Master remain. However, instead of having chronicled the history of the time, he seems to have been more concerned with meditations on his own Damnation and abilities than on the world around him. Most of his writings are parables along the lines of Aesop or Lao Tzu.
Many of the parables are still told tonight, but have been altered through the years by Sokes who wished to put their own stamp on their bloodline’s history. As for the history of the bloodline itself, much is lost beyond the first story of the Nameless Master.
The Nameless Master
Regardless of the various discrepancies about the birthplace of the bloodline, the histories all agree about the beginning of the story, if not the setting. A thousand thousand nights ago, a monastery sat high in the hills above a small town. The monks would enter the town from time to time on errands and to purchase what little the monastery needed. During a journey to the town, one of the acolytes encountered a prostitute who happened to be one of the Damned. In a cruel gesture, she Embraced the monk, desiring to corrupt him with the irony of her vocation and Damnation. Horrifi ed and disoriented with what he had become, the monk escaped his sire and stumbled back to the monastery,seeking guidance from his Master.The Master was asleep, and the ravenous acolyte leapt on him immediately, Embracing him afterward in acknowledgement of his guilt. When the Master discovered what had happened, he picked up his underling, now his sire, and hurled the acolyte into thedawn’s light.
The Master meditated on his new Damnation for three nights, and summoned his most trusted Sempai. The Sempai, horrifi ed at his Master’s transformation, was still pushed by obedience to offer his blood to the Master. After feeding for only a small amount of Vitae, the Master went back to his meditation.
The monastery continued to function, the human monks serving as a Herd for the Kindred and occasional go-betweens for the mortal world and Ghouls. The Nameless Master took many years to Embrace all of his monks, when they proved themselves worthy. He demanded all continue to fast, feeding only from the Herd of mortal monks and occasionally from the town.
During this time, the Master drilled his underlings in martial arts and Meditation beyond what they had studied in life. Their vigilance evolved into a Discipline by which they could control the Beast, useful for those who stay so close to Wassail.
The Nameless Master sent his Sempai into the city to inform the Kindred that the new Prince would receive all Kindred at his temple to discuss the city’s new monastic rule, which would supersede that of the extant social structure. The existing Prince, whose clan varies according to the teller of the tale, reacted to the insult predictably. The Nameless Master met the Prince in a rice fi eld — the Master the paragon of composure, the Prince in a rage. The story of this battle was placed in a parable for the future, and became the pillar that illustrates the Kuufukuji mantra of control of the Man. The Nameless Master pushed the Prince into frenzy, and took advantage of the blind rage to easily defeat him. Never one to do things halfway, the Master placed heavy stones upon the Prince’s body to secure him to the earth to await the sun.
The usurpation had its stumbling blocks, as the Master at first tried to force all Kindred in the city to follow the ways of his monks and fast. The chaos and destruction that followed in the wake of those frenzies showed the Nameless Master that the ways of the Kuufukuji were not the ways of all Kindred. Assured of his bloodline’s unique power, he lifted the ban on feeding, and the city’s Kindred society (and the horrific violence that had plagued the mortals) returned to normal.
The monastery grew, despite the fearsome rumors that circulated in town about monsters that dwelled in the hills around the temple. Young men would come to study under the Nameless Master, or desperate parents would abandon orphans at the doorstep, and the population grew. The practice of fasting allowed the Herd to fl ourish, maintaining the illusion of a functional monastery.
The Nameless Master continued his study and Meditation, looking for new ways to contain the Beast. The Nameless Master would sometimes travel to neighboring cities, asking to meet with the Princes to interview them regarding the Beast and whispers of Golconda. All members of the Princes’ retinues who challenged the Nameless Master met with tightly controlled violence that easily bested them, and the Nameless Master always received his interview. He discovered that vampires with many years’ experience on him did not have even an inkling of the knowledge that he had discovered, and he returned home, frustrated but gratified.
The Master’s Final Balance
After many years passed, messengers, both kine and Kindred, reported that a plague of demons threatened neighboring villages. The kine locked themselves behind closed doors. The “demons,” raiding brigands calling themselves the Kamigami, swept through the towns, slaughtering peasants, burning down homes (and more than a few Kindred havens) and looting whatever was left. The Kindred in the Nameless Master’s village readied for the Kamigami’s assault.The Kamigami met with considerable resistance in the Nameless Master’s village, the Kindred having prepared themselves and the Kuufukuji having terrorized the ranks and slaked their thirst on the commanders. After several nights of battle, the Nameless Master and the leader of the Kamigami, a mysteriously potent individual, declared a sudden death fi ght with their troops watching. The two commanders met in the same rice fi eld in which the Nameless Master had beaten the former Prince, and the Master stood on the spot where the Prince had burned.
The leader of the Kamigami was stronger than any Kindred the Master had encountered. The Kamigami leader seemed immune to the Master’s subtle attacks to upset his balance; then, suddenly, the Master felt a noise — that is how he described it to his Sempai later. The noise touched the outside of his consciousness, and the Beast within him stirred.
In an instant, the Master knew his opponent was coaxing the Master’s Beast from him; an outside force disrupted his balance. The Master could not accept this, but, the more he fought, the more insistent the noise became. He remembered his own teachings that stated that sometimes to make someone stop pulling you, you must push. He allowed the Beast to come voluntarily for the fi rst time in his unlife.
The carnage that followed shamed him. The loss of control, not the destruction, gave him disgrace. His own existence nearly ended, but his feral nature managed to overcome the Kamigami leader, who had apparently asked for more than he could handle. The Nameless Master drank deeply from his rival, committing Diablerie and falling into the Final Balance.
When he awoke weeks later, the Nameless Master discovered that his town had been ravaged by the Kamigami. The Master’s own Kuufukuji had been at a loss with his unexplained Torpor, and the Kamigami took advantage of the Kuufukuji’s disruption. The Kamigami destroyed the town and burned the Nameless Master’s temple. Only the Kuufukuji’s secret basement havens had saved them.
The Nameless Master is said to have wept blood at the destruction of his Herd and the town he had ruled. He chose his three most trusted Sempai, those who had stood watch over him in Torpor, and commanded them to travel to one of the surrounding villages that still survived and capture a temple. They were to take over the temple slowly, Embracing the monks and keeping the rest as Ghouls or a Herd. The Kuufukuji could no longer afford to keep their bloodline confi ned to one ruined temple.
The Nameless Master ordered his remaining monks to rebuild the temple and gather a new Herd from the surviving kine in the ravaged town. The Master himself meditated for the same amount of time he had been in the Final Balance, without food, and then he fed lightly and left the temple. He followed the trail of the Kamigami, looking not for revenge but for knowledge. The Kuufukuji were mastering the art of balance and control, but the Kamigami leader had powers that the Nameless Master coveted.
Information about the Nameless Master is spotty following the reports of the fi ght with the Kamigami. The Sempai began expanding the bloodline, always carefully capturing monasteries and Embracing the leaders. The Nameless Master’s disciples rebuilt the temple, making it a massive stone and wood structure with many underground areas to house the Kindred. The Nameless Master never returned.
Differing temples claim that they have the Nameless Master in their histories, who returns to the temple and teaches them further powers of the Shihai, but no one existing tonight has personal memory of his return. Some Kindred believe the Kamigami destroyed the Nameless Master; other Kindred say they welcomed him as the new warleader. Most Kuufukuji believe that he was indestructible, and he slumbers in torpor in a temple in the East.
Society and Culture
The Kuufukuji tonight remain stoic Kindred, dedicated to the service of their Soke and their private meditations on the Beast and the Man. Spurred on by the tales of the Nameless One, they often fi nd a place among city hierarchies, and many Sokes claim monasteries or other tenurial domains as Regents. Other Kindred often seek the Kuufukuji out for their even-tempered, rational advice in many domains, but, at other times, the Kuufukuji fall out of favor with Kindred who consider the Hungry haughty, arrogant or aloof, lording their lesser dependence on the Vitae over the rest of the “gluttonous” Kindred.In the East, Kuufukuji are more likely to be honored. Many Kindred societies have heard the parables of the Nameless Master, and, even if these Kindred do not necessarily follow these teachings, the Kindred respect the wisdom of an elder. The Kuufukuji temples are more numerous here, and have spread from Japan to China, Korea, India, Tibet and Thailand.
In the West, the Hungry are less numerous, and, therefore, less respected by Princes. Other Kindred are frankly baffl ed and incredulous when they hear about the practice of fasting. Indeed, many assume the Kuufukuji are simply eccentric.
The Hungry often comprise insular coteries, with one Soke, a few Sempai and handful of Gakusei. Some Sempai travel, searching for a temple of worthies to take over and teach how to balance the Man and Beast within, but these temples are not as common as they were centuries ago. It is more difficult to find a remote temple, monastery or even simply a martial arts school that doesn’t have modern technological hurdles or other threats to the Masquerade.
Thus, tonight’s traveling Sempai is more likely to claim an abandoned building on the outskirts of a city as a Haven and petition for the right to Embrace Gakusei (or, in some cases, Embrace now and ask forgiveness later). The Sempai gather a Herd, usually one of prostitutes, and use them as food and funding. These Kuufukuji ignore the kine who don’t cross their paths, or occasionally cultivate them as potential childer for the future.
Non-Kuufukuji who wish to study under the Hungry are often welcome in Kuufukuji temples. Non-Kuufukuji are expected to conduct themselves in the calm manner of the Hungry, though these non-Hungry need not fast (indeed, only the most zealous Kuufukuji Soke would require it). Although a vampire not of the bloodline cannot learn the control that comes with Shihai, most Kindred leave the temple with a stronger senseof the Man within.
Dealing with others of the clan is often difficult, as many Mekhet either consider the Kuufukuji dangerous ideological zealots or deride the quest for a Golconda that they consider mythical. Some Mekhet may attempt to ingratiate themselves with or interrogate the Kuufukuji, wishing to wrest the secret of their control out of them, but the Hungry may well meditate through the interrogation or answer each question with parables. The Kuufukuji teach only those who come to them humbly to learn.
Cases do sometimes arise in which a Gakusei turns on a Sempai, or even his Sensei, and either fi ghts him or commits Diablerie. The Hungry do not like to acknowledge such dissention, and deal with these wayward Kindred in the quietest way possible. Such transgressors have been known to disappear during the light of day or are required to voluntarily take on the Final Balance. Some strict temples retain traditional outdoor gardens for the sole purpose of conducting executions within the security of their own havens, where the Kuufukuji can watch and see what disobedience and rebellion delivers.
Feeding Rituals
Because the mindset of the Kuufukuji is centered on fasting, when they have to feed, they feed in a solemn and ritualized way. The Hungry do not simply grab a quick bite from the Herd when they feel frenzy or torpor threaten. Every drop of blood imbibed is done so with formal ceremony.Sesshoku
Although the Kuufukuji are utterly dedicated to fasting and self-control, they must feed, of course. They consider feeding to be a somber, ritualized affair. During life, they would limit themselves to bland rice and broth, the premise being that even if they had to eat, they could make it bland enough to not enjoy it.The Kiss makes this mindset obsolete. No matter how bland they’d like it to be, the passion that comes with the Kiss affects the Hungry the same way it affects every other vampire. Thus, the Sokes have created a ritual that surrounds feeding that forces Kindred — or the Gakusei, anyway — to avoid the Kiss.
Those of the Hungry who have determined that their Vitae is too low let a superior know. The Hungry reports this notifi cation with his eyes on the fl oor, as the vampire is admitting that he must indulge his Beast. Only one feeding occurs per night. If another Kuufukuji decides she needs something after the Sesshoku, she must wait until the following night.
The Soke holds the Sesshoku at midnight, the hour of the Beast. The Kuufukuji meet where the bloodline’s Herd lives. Each Hungry who must feed wears the traditional all-black robe of the monastery, with a dark hood added: the Man has a face, the Beast does not. They gather in the most hidden or remote section of the home and extinguish all light but one candle. This solitary light represents the spark of Humanity that the Kindred must return to after succumbing to his Hunger. With several Sempai, and often the Soke, watching, the vampire steps forward and chooses a member of the Herd. A Sempai bleeds the kine, catching the blood in a carved wooden bowl, which he then hands to the supplicant. The Gakusei feeds in silence, and only as much as he dares. If the elders believe he’s had too much, they strike the cup from his lips and may even punish him.
The Sempai do keep track, however, of which Gakusei request frequent feedings. On some occasions, the Sempai deny their neonates feeding and observe them. In the same vein as the Salem Witch Trials, the neonate is then Damned either way: if he was truthful in his need, he either frenzies or succumbs to a starved Torpor; if he was deceitful, he is punished. Both ways are unlucky for the Hungry, and the test does make all Hungry adhere to fasting until absolutely necessary.
Prostitutes, Ghouls and candidates for the Embrace make up the Herd. A Soke keeps a mortal in the Herd for years sometimes, watching her closely to fi nd her proper role within the temple (either remaining a Lick, serving as an aide or ghoul, becoming one of the Hungry or simply dying from the strain).
Hanto
Higher-ranking Kuufukuji are permitted to hunt. Their ranking indicates that they have exhibited suffi cient self-control to withstand the overwhelming passion of the Kiss. They also are permitted to look for prospective Herd or ghoul candidates, as well as possible inductees into the bloodline. Sometimes a Sempai allows a Gakusei to accompany her to test his self-control during a hunt. This serves as an informal preliminary test to see if he is Sempai material.If a Sempai has found a candidate for the Embrace, he must always have another Kuufukuji with him during the act. Apart from Toshi’s Chouka, described below, this is the only time a Hungry is allowed to drain a mortal of all blood. Thus, the Hungry risks the Final Balance when doing so, and instead of giving the bloodline a new member, the Hungry could likely rob it of himself.
Even the bloodline’s exiles often choose not to Embrace alone, unless they have completely forsaken their previous philosophies.
Toshi’s Chouka
Once a year, the Soke allows the Kuufukuji to indulge their Beasts. This is a relatively new ritual, brought about quite by accident, and no Kuufukuji can adequately pinpoint exactly when or where the practice began. According to a common legend, one temple’s Soke, Toshi, had enforced the fasting so strictly that too many Kuufukuji frenzied, others went into Torpor and half of the temple destroyed the other half through rampage or Diablerie. The frenzying Kindred destroyed Toshi in the coup.While cleaning up the carnage, the surviving Sempai came up with the rules for Toshi’s Chouka, the night of excess.
Held during the shortest night of the year to give the Beast the least amount of freedom, Toshi’s Chouka is a grand hunt for all Kuufukuji. The Soke goes through the Herd and selects those she deems frail, ill, unfi t or otherwise unlikely to last much longer.
The Hungry release these unfortunates with a head start, after which the Kuufukuji are free to hunt them. Some Sempai who appear to be on the hunt are secretly serving as chaperones, watching for Overbalance, violations of the Masquerade or any other indecencies. Toshi’s Chouka is also another subtle test, seeing who lets go completely and who still exhibits control while allowing himself to experience the freedom. Very little eludes the eyes of those watching.
A sensible Soke informs the Prince of Toshi’s Chouka, even though it falls the same time every year and the Prince should expect it and be ready. The Soke respectfully asks the Prince that no one hunt the prey of the Kuufukuji, with a not-so-subtle hint that during this one night, the Soke cannot be responsible for his Kindred if they see the insult of another vampire stealing their yearly banquet. Most Princes spread the word, especially if they value the Kuufukuji’s counsel. If a Prince sees this hunt as breaking whatever laws he has set up in his city, Toshi’s Chouka has the possibility of igniting a factional confl ict between the bloodline and the powers-that-be in a given domain. On the other hand, a Prince is free to decree that the Hungry conduct Toshi’s Chouka within the borders of their own tenurial domains or other conditions of acceptance.
Legends
Kuufukuji might appear conceited to Kindred who have never met nor heard of the Hungry. Even though they would consider themselves humble, they do come across as the withdrawn keepers of a secret that others could not even begin to understand. Other Kindred are occasionally annoyed bythe Kuufukuji’s calm exterior, or intrigued by their near-constant meditative state or outright threatened by their perceived aloofness. The Hungry do not have many close acquaintances, but this does not trouble them.They fit into a chronicle as foils to the characters if the characters react emotionally to the Hungry or as wise mentors if the characters show an openness to the ideas behind Shihai. A savvy Prince might take a local Kuufukuji into his service. An even savvier Kuufukuji might be Prince herself.
The Storyteller can easily fit a Kuufukuji into a chronicle built around the search for Golconda, as the Hungry do represent a step along the way to deliverance. They could also represent the wrong path, as they clearly have not yet reached it — they must still feed regularly and they can frenzy.
Kuufukuji characters can fi t within most chronicles; they usually join with other, non-Hungry vampires to serve the purpose of a spiritual journey in which they may test themselves. The Hungry may be aiding the group out of orders from their Soke, or Sensei or even the Prince. The spiritual journey within is the core motivation for a Kuufukuji, but this doesn’t mean she is not driven by the baser emotions of revenge, fear, hatred and love. This merely means that she places these things as a different priority than most vampires, and does her best to stifl e some of the stronger emotions. There is no guarantee that she will succeed in this.
The Kuufukuji weakness is directly connected to their strength — the hungrier they are, the stronger they are, and the more they feed, the closer they step towards the abyss of Final Balance. A Storyteller can modify this weakness, giving the Hungry a check to make sure he isn’t feeding too much, for example. Another option would be to focus the character so much on controlling the hunger frenzy that he ignores the other manifestations of the Beast entirely, making it all together too easy to frenzy from fear or anger. However the Storyteller tweaks the weakness, it still must be connected to the fasting that is intrinsic to this bloodline.
Report of Bean, Gangrel Harpy to Prince Brady Dunn
“Damndest thing I ever saw. I couldn’t get my mind around it.Dude looked like he hadn’t fed in days, and there was this kid, see, she had fallen or something, hit her head. I mean, blood was everywhere. I saw it happen and saw him and figured well shit, I just missed out on a meal, cause this fucker is gonna take it for sure.
But he just sat there and watched her bleed. I saw him lick his lips once or twice, but he didn’t move to do anything. Hell, the gulls were moving in on her faster than he was.
I told him, ‘Buddy, if you’re not going to take a bite, let someone else have a go.’
He looked at me, and I swear I saw pity in his eyes. Pity! For me! Well that kinda got me pissed, let me tell you.
He stepped aside and sorta held his hand out at her, like he was a fuckin mater-dee showing me to a table. So I took him up on it.
I don’t know, maybe I was having a harder time of it than I thought, maybe it was cause he pissed me off, but once I started feeding, there was no stopping me. Guess I hit frenzy, I don’t really know. Next thing I know, I’m on the ground with his foot on my head, grinding my face into the pavement. And he was talking to me.
He said, ‘I know you cannot control the Beast within you, but you must beat it. Think of your Beast as lying down on the ground, much like you are now, and the Man restraining it, much like I am now,’ or some such bullshit.
‘What the hell are you talking about?’ I said. I mean, I’d just fed, I was mad as hell, and this guy still took me out. How the hell?
Then he said he was, like, this vampire who didn’t need to feed, and how he had conquered the Beast inside him. He didn’t offer me any ideas on why he was Mr. Perfect Vampire la-de-da, but just said he pitied me again.
So what do you think? Asshole, or should we bring him in for questioning? I’m thinking that either he had fed before and just wanted to fuck with me, but there might be a truth to what he says. And if he’s found Golconda, then it’s only right that he should tell you. Think of the power you could have . . . .
Right. I’ll see if I can bring him in. Better let me take Wednesday and Thumper with me, though. Can’t be too careful around this one.”
A Parable From the Master’s Lips
One night the Nameless Master walked the roads between the cities. He held his head down, contemplating the nature of Man and Beast. A ghoul accompanied him, as much for conversation as sustenance, for the Nameless Master liked to think aloud.Along the road, he met a kine. He was an old man, closer to death than birth. He pulled behind him a cart of rice. The Nameless Master stopped and greeted him, and asked to sit and share a rest alongside the road.
The man was frightened of the monsters that the night commonly held, but he joined the Nameless Master, eager for company in the dark and wild woods.
“I am called Hou,” said the man.
“I have no name,” said the Nameless Master.
“How can you have no name?” Hou replied. “You had a mother, didn’t you? What did she called you?”
The Nameless Master thought back to the many decades it had been since his mother had named him. Then he shook his head.
“I am only two things: I am a Man, and I am a Beast. They constantly war with one another, and I can focus on nothing as trivial as names,” he finally said.
Hou did not know what to say to this, and so he said nothing. They stared into the fire for a bit, and the Nameless Master broke the silence.
“Is that to feed yourself and your family?” he asked, pointing at the cart.
“Yes, I spent too long in the fi eld today and was forced to travel after dark. I’m taking the food to them,” Hou replied.
The Nameless Master nodded. “Then we are somewhat alike,” he said. He reached out with a long finger and stroked the hair of the kine, a young man not much older than a boy. “I, too, am carrying my food with me.
“I spend much of my time meditating on how the Man is separate from the Beast,” he continued as Hou scrambled to his feet. “I often forget that the Man must also be compared to man. Our spirits are reflected in a warped mirror, different yet undeniably the same.”
Hou began running down the road, leaving his family’s bounty behind, but it was too late. The Nameless Master was on him, breaking his neck.
Out of deference for the lesson Hou had taught him, the Nameless Master fed from the dying man, enough to sustain him for the rest of the night’s journey.
“I also must remember that the Beast does have a place. It is the Beast that makes our Man stronger. Thank you for the lesson, Hou. I regret that you will not live to learn yours.”
Common Dress code
Appearance: Until the last couple of hundred years, the Hungry consisted only of East Asian Kindred. As European and later American infl uence reached East, the culture of the East also affected the West. Although the bloodline still sees relatively few white, black or Middle Eastern Kuufukuji, Asians don’t make up one hundred percent of the population anymore.
The Hungry tend to look regally undead. Refusing to spend Vitae to force their bodies to have the appearance of living humans, they suffer the consequences of skin color that ranges from palest white to a nearly blue tint.
As numerous Kuufukuji hail from a monastic background, many tend to dress in monk’s robes. They favor the stereotypical favorite color of the Mekhet: black. Hungry who have taken the bloodline West commonly adopt the local dress to blend in, but continue to favor understated colors and simple clothes. Some Hungry have built temples under the guise of martial arts schools or museums that allow them to retain their preferred method of dress. The bloodline emphasizes the exclusion of worldly things, including personal vanity and belongings — rare is the Hungry with more than a few changes of clothes, if that. They also tend to either shave their heads or wear their hair tightly braided.
The Hungry tend to look regally undead. Refusing to spend Vitae to force their bodies to have the appearance of living humans, they suffer the consequences of skin color that ranges from palest white to a nearly blue tint.
As numerous Kuufukuji hail from a monastic background, many tend to dress in monk’s robes. They favor the stereotypical favorite color of the Mekhet: black. Hungry who have taken the bloodline West commonly adopt the local dress to blend in, but continue to favor understated colors and simple clothes. Some Hungry have built temples under the guise of martial arts schools or museums that allow them to retain their preferred method of dress. The bloodline emphasizes the exclusion of worldly things, including personal vanity and belongings — rare is the Hungry with more than a few changes of clothes, if that. They also tend to either shave their heads or wear their hair tightly braided.
Art & Architecture
Haven: The Hungry prefer havens that are somewhat remote. They do need access to Vitae, of course, but, ideally, they occupy temples on the outskirts of villages, retaining the image of the roles they held in life: that of monks of the solitary monastery who must send acolytes into town from time to time to acquire food.
The handful of Kuufukuji who have trickled into large Western cities such as San Francisco and Vancouver, aim for discreet apartments that they turn into sparse temple-like domiciles. These Kindred fi nd themselves leaving their Requiems of poverty behind, preferring to do more than merely survive. Their funds, taken from either victims or Allies persuaded to do business for them, are spent only on the Kuufukuji’s safe havens and on nothing else. These Kuufukuji still exist in the simplest way possible.
Still others have taken refuge in existing temples or martial arts schools, slowly and covertly killing or Embracing the owners and assuming new ownership.
The handful of Kuufukuji who have trickled into large Western cities such as San Francisco and Vancouver, aim for discreet apartments that they turn into sparse temple-like domiciles. These Kindred fi nd themselves leaving their Requiems of poverty behind, preferring to do more than merely survive. Their funds, taken from either victims or Allies persuaded to do business for them, are spent only on the Kuufukuji’s safe havens and on nothing else. These Kuufukuji still exist in the simplest way possible.
Still others have taken refuge in existing temples or martial arts schools, slowly and covertly killing or Embracing the owners and assuming new ownership.
Major organizations
Covenant: While many Kuufukuji prefer only the companionship of others of their bloodline, some Kuufukuji do ally themselves with covenants. The organized obedience that permeates The Invictus appeals to many Kuufukuji. From the time of their Embrace, the Hungry must know obedience, or they are forced to exist in a tormented state until they are exterminated. One must show deference and respect to one’s sire: the clear hierarchy of The Invictus fi ts the dojo mentality quite well.
The Lancea Sanctum considers the Kuufukuji to have great potential for heresy, as the Hungry rely only on their own powers of self-control to personify the Beast, rather than acknowledging the power of God. The Lancea Sanctum follows God faithfully, but its members are shackled with the need for blood — but the Kuufukuji are not burdened by this need. Do they still need God? The Hungry do not seek guidance to the realm of spirituality. They’re already at their destination. This makes them dangerous to the Priests of some parishes.
Although vampires of The Circle of the Crone and The Ordo Dracul also acknowledge religious infl uences, the Hungry are drawn toward these covenants more often than The Lancea Sanctum. Those who follow the Crone often relate to the Acolytes’ philosophy of challenges paving the way to enlightenment. One of the Kuufukuji’s core philosophies, after all, involves constant struggle for command of the Man and control over the part of the Kindred that is the Beast. Those who follow The Ordo Dracul appreciate that covenant’s emphasis on learning, mastery of the Man and the Beast and respect for elders, all of which are frequently taught by sires of the bloodline as well. The Hungry sometimes become philosophical siblings with those who learn The Coils of the Dragon, finding solidarity in their small victories over the blood hunger.
Some neonates find themselves drawn to The Carthian Movement, thinking that with their fledgling powers they can help bring about the changes that local chapters of that covenant desire. These Hungry sometimes try to teach their meditative powers to their fellow Carthians, often with disastrous results. Many elder Hungry look down on The Carthian Movement, mainly because one of its most basic rituals involves the exchange of possessions, and the Kuufukuji do not allow their neonates to own anything but the clothes on their backs.
Organization: The organization within the Kuufukuji is formal, following the hierarchy of Japanese dojos. The Soke leads the local chapter, the inheritor of the Nameless Master’s mantle. Each city has a Soke, and on the rare chance that one Soke should meet another, they are considered equals in rank, regardless of age. Sokes are ostensibly responsible for all the Kuufukuji in the domain; a Soke inherits much of the role of Primogen as it is observed on the bloodline’s level. The punishment the Soke metes out to those who cross her is usually more terrible than a Prince’s sentence.
Below the Soke will be any number of Sempai, Kindred of enough age and experience to be considered teachers and masters themselves. They must also be obeyed by any of the Hungry. The Sempai, and the Soke, are the only Kuufukuji allowed to sire childer (within the Prince’s decree, of course). Any lower-ranking Kindred who breaks this Tradition will see his childe destroyed and suffer punishment himself. Although still leading an unlife of poverty, the Sempai have greater freedom within the domain to hunt, perform services for the Soke or other Kindred and interact with mortals, as long as the vampires do not violate the Masquerade.
The majority of the Kindred in a dojo or temple refer to themselves and each other as Gakusei. This emphasizes that everyone is a student, and may remain so for years. The unlife of a Gakusei largely involves strict adherence to the rules of the bloodline, obedience to the Soke and devotion to the Disciplines and Meditation. Some Gakusei who can be trusted to control their Beast suffi ciently serve as Kuufukuji liaisons and messengers in the domain. If a Gakusei is invited to hunt with a Sempai, this invitation is considered a great honor, and likely a hint that a promotion is imminent. Most Gakusei feed on animals, captive mortals or Ghouls in elaborate rituals designed to quash the predator’s desire. Obedience is the best stepping stone to the honors of Sempai.
Having only three levels of bloodline hierarchy both limits infi ghting and adequately serves the small number of Kuufukuji in a given domain. Playing politics to graduate from Gakusei to Sempai is considered the lowest form of disrespect for both one’s Kindred siblings and the Soke. If a Gakusei disrespects the Soke, the Gakusei is likely to fi nd himself out of the temple — and likely out of the domain, if Princely edict reinforces the bloodline’s ostracism.
Every Kuufukuji, from Gakusei to Soke, calls his sire Sensei as a term of respect and honor. Even the Nameless Master had a sire, and all sires must be honored.
Solitary Kuufukuji call themselves Ronin, but the local Soke probably refers to them as trouble at best and prey at the worse. A Kuufukuji without a master is a dangerous thing indeed.
The Lancea Sanctum considers the Kuufukuji to have great potential for heresy, as the Hungry rely only on their own powers of self-control to personify the Beast, rather than acknowledging the power of God. The Lancea Sanctum follows God faithfully, but its members are shackled with the need for blood — but the Kuufukuji are not burdened by this need. Do they still need God? The Hungry do not seek guidance to the realm of spirituality. They’re already at their destination. This makes them dangerous to the Priests of some parishes.
Although vampires of The Circle of the Crone and The Ordo Dracul also acknowledge religious infl uences, the Hungry are drawn toward these covenants more often than The Lancea Sanctum. Those who follow the Crone often relate to the Acolytes’ philosophy of challenges paving the way to enlightenment. One of the Kuufukuji’s core philosophies, after all, involves constant struggle for command of the Man and control over the part of the Kindred that is the Beast. Those who follow The Ordo Dracul appreciate that covenant’s emphasis on learning, mastery of the Man and the Beast and respect for elders, all of which are frequently taught by sires of the bloodline as well. The Hungry sometimes become philosophical siblings with those who learn The Coils of the Dragon, finding solidarity in their small victories over the blood hunger.
Some neonates find themselves drawn to The Carthian Movement, thinking that with their fledgling powers they can help bring about the changes that local chapters of that covenant desire. These Hungry sometimes try to teach their meditative powers to their fellow Carthians, often with disastrous results. Many elder Hungry look down on The Carthian Movement, mainly because one of its most basic rituals involves the exchange of possessions, and the Kuufukuji do not allow their neonates to own anything but the clothes on their backs.
Organization: The organization within the Kuufukuji is formal, following the hierarchy of Japanese dojos. The Soke leads the local chapter, the inheritor of the Nameless Master’s mantle. Each city has a Soke, and on the rare chance that one Soke should meet another, they are considered equals in rank, regardless of age. Sokes are ostensibly responsible for all the Kuufukuji in the domain; a Soke inherits much of the role of Primogen as it is observed on the bloodline’s level. The punishment the Soke metes out to those who cross her is usually more terrible than a Prince’s sentence.
Below the Soke will be any number of Sempai, Kindred of enough age and experience to be considered teachers and masters themselves. They must also be obeyed by any of the Hungry. The Sempai, and the Soke, are the only Kuufukuji allowed to sire childer (within the Prince’s decree, of course). Any lower-ranking Kindred who breaks this Tradition will see his childe destroyed and suffer punishment himself. Although still leading an unlife of poverty, the Sempai have greater freedom within the domain to hunt, perform services for the Soke or other Kindred and interact with mortals, as long as the vampires do not violate the Masquerade.
The majority of the Kindred in a dojo or temple refer to themselves and each other as Gakusei. This emphasizes that everyone is a student, and may remain so for years. The unlife of a Gakusei largely involves strict adherence to the rules of the bloodline, obedience to the Soke and devotion to the Disciplines and Meditation. Some Gakusei who can be trusted to control their Beast suffi ciently serve as Kuufukuji liaisons and messengers in the domain. If a Gakusei is invited to hunt with a Sempai, this invitation is considered a great honor, and likely a hint that a promotion is imminent. Most Gakusei feed on animals, captive mortals or Ghouls in elaborate rituals designed to quash the predator’s desire. Obedience is the best stepping stone to the honors of Sempai.
Having only three levels of bloodline hierarchy both limits infi ghting and adequately serves the small number of Kuufukuji in a given domain. Playing politics to graduate from Gakusei to Sempai is considered the lowest form of disrespect for both one’s Kindred siblings and the Soke. If a Gakusei disrespects the Soke, the Gakusei is likely to fi nd himself out of the temple — and likely out of the domain, if Princely edict reinforces the bloodline’s ostracism.
Every Kuufukuji, from Gakusei to Soke, calls his sire Sensei as a term of respect and honor. Even the Nameless Master had a sire, and all sires must be honored.
Solitary Kuufukuji call themselves Ronin, but the local Soke probably refers to them as trouble at best and prey at the worse. A Kuufukuji without a master is a dangerous thing indeed.
Nickname: The Hungry
Character Creation: Only those with strong presences can join the fellow Hungry in a journey to the perfection of the Man. Weaker-willed characters crumble under the weight of the balance that the journey seeks to maintain. Members of this bloodline have strong Composure and Presence. Manipulation comes in handy for high-ranking Kuufukuji. In addition, most Kuufukuji favor Physical Attributes and Skills, as martial arts come to play an important role. Kuufukuji never hide themselves behind a high-tech safety net of surveillance cameras, electric locking mechanisms and guns. The body is the most reliable weapon a Kindred has; it is always available and cannot be confi scated or corrupted. Although some players treasure Mental Skills for Kuufukuji, most players place these Skills third, knowing their characters will meditate and study ancient texts later in unlife.
Social Skills that are vital to the Hungry are Empathy, Expression, Intimidation and Subterfuge, allowing a Kuufukuji to present the balance within while testing the balance of others.
As martial artists, the Kuufukuji fi nd that Brawl, Athletics, Stealth and Weaponry come in handy the most. In nights gone past, the elders did not allow their childer to learn Firearms, but even the oldest Kuufukuji admits these nights that such knowledge can be useful, so the elders neither condemn nor condone learning such Skills.
Even those who fast need sustenance at some point, and many Kuufukuji keep a Herd for their own use and that of their childer. Fighting Merits such as Fighting Style: Boxing and Fighting Style: Kung Fu fit well with this bloodline, and the strongest Hungry have Meditative Mind.
Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Obfuscate, Shihai
Weakness: The Kuufukuji have regrettably left behind the open and beautiful gardens commonly found at temples and monasteries, as they cannot appreciate them in the dark as they once did in life. Therefore, they retain the weakness of their parent clan, the Mekhet. The Kuufukuji are even more sensitive to sunlight than other Kindred and take great pains to protect themselves by choosing heavy black clothing and old, established temples that have elaborate labyrinthine basements. Their gardens are still sophisticated, but are decorated with fl owers that, like the Kuufukuji themselves, come out at night.
Control is paramount for a bloodline that is dedicated entirely to the mastery of the Man. The Hungry were, from the beginning, beings devoted to a simple existence, and even as darkness and Damnation became their lot, they remained devoted to the simple Requiem. Although they lost much of the human compassion held by monks, the Hungry still devoted their time to Meditation upon the nature of Damnation and the mastery of the Beast. Part of their existence included fi nding a way to continue dwelling in poverty as they had in life. The elder Hungry would command their childer to feed only when necessary, and never to excess. As their physiology became accustomed to functioning with much less Vitae than other Kindred, their weakness became rooted in the utter satiation of the hunger.
Although the obvious weakness of the bloodline lies in the danger of surviving on the edge of Wassail, a greater danger to this bloodline comes when they drink. Drinking to excess reduces the Kuufukuji’s power, making them unable to use their Disciplines. Unfortunately, “excess” to a Kuufukuji means drinking to maximum Vitae. The Hungry must always be at least a little famished: a Kuufukuji cannot have more Vitae than her maximum Vitae (as determined by her Blood Potency) minus her Blood Potency. Thus, a vampire with a Blood Potency of 1 and a maximum Vitae of 10 cannot use his Disciplines if he has more than 9 Vitae. A vampire with Blood Potency of 7 and a maximum Vitae of 20 cannot use her Disciplines if she has more than 13 Vitae. This weakness is worst for the neonates, as they are the least likely to be able to withstand Wassail. In frenzy, they seek to satiate themselves and end up feeding to their maximum Vitae, crippling themselves. Kuufukuji call this state “the Overbalance,” as their hunger is satiated, but they are powerless to call upon their Kindred powers. This reality makes the desire to rein in the Beast doubly important for the Kuufukuji.
There are, of course, easy ways to eliminate minor quantities of Vitae, but wasting Vitae after feeding to excess is considered more shameful than the feeding itself. If the Kuufukuji is to glut himself, then he damn well better use the Vitae for a better purpose than simply making himself look more human for a short time.
Concepts: Eastern mystic, martial arts student, monk, nomad, prostitute, sage priest, sin-eating martyr, street urchin, understanding Primogen, wandering Confessor
A few factions of Kuufukuji around the world claim that their parent clan is Daeva, insisting that a prostitute Embraced the Nameless Master, making her an arguable predecessor of the bloodline, if not its progenitor.
Whether this is true or not, Kindred of these factions do seem markedly different from members of the bloodline in other cities, often having a better fl air for congress with mortals than the secretive Mekhet. In addition to acting more overtly than most of the Kuufukuji, these Daeva Kindred also learn the Majesty and Vigor Disciplines instead of the Mekhet Disciplines of Auspex and Obfuscate.
The Kuufukuji of other domains say only that if one meditates and searches the soul enough, anything is possible, but no matter what one learns, the past is unchangeable.
Regardless of this internal schism, many Kuufukuji keep herds of prostitutes and use them to bring in some of the money that keeps the temples and monasteries solvent. Not very monastic, true, but being Damned is not very monastic either, and changes happen in unlife.
Although few among in Kindred society know it, the Kuufukuji who do not acknowledge the prostitute as the Daeva mother of the bloodline have been surreptitiously hunting those who do. The “Hungry Whores,” as the Mekhet Kuufukuji call them, exist only in a few cities in the East, though at least one faction has surfaced in North America. This grudge is subtle and roils beneath the radar of even these Kindred, consisting mostly of character assassination and quiet vendetta rather than street brawls.
These warring sides of the same coin may essentially be two different bloodlines. They have an entangled history and a shared mystic property of the blood, but they are not the same thing. The “Hungry Whores” can fit in a chronicle as freedom fighters who wish to free a prostitute Herd of the Hungry, claiming that they deserve to be honored more. Many of the of the Daeva Kuufukuji are former prostitutes themselves, who feel that during their lives they were used and tossed away. To use prostitutes as sustenance is even more degrading than sex, and these former prostitutes do not feel the Kuufukuji honor the sire of the clan by their feeding practices.
In the nights since the Nameless Master spawned the first of his line, some speculate whether there have been some Kindred who resented the Embrace and subsequent forced obedient existence. The Kuufukuji insist that all who disobey either toe the line eventually or face their Requiem away from the support network the Hungry’s monastic culture represents.
Certainly, a more than a few escapees have defected from the bloodline’s ranks, as it were, through the years. Those who evaded capture or their sires’ authority were the wise ones, the ones who discovered that they had to submit for some time while they learned what it was to be a vampire in general, and one of the Hungry in particular.
The successful deserters often learn what they can of the Shihai Discipline, understanding its usefulness but shunning the overall mindset of poverty and Meditation upon the Man and Beast. These Kuufukuji can occasionally be somewhat unstable, preferring to flirt with their Final Balance instead of fasting, and fi nd themselves less successful when trying to use the Discipline, as allowing their Vitae to dwindle is not something they are comfortable with.
The pendulum of balance does not refer only to fasting and gluttony. Escaped Kuufukuji can often be found almost thriving, dwelling extravagantly. Many do what they can to make as much money as possible, and maintain the most modern, beautiful apartments with stylish accoutrements. If they can afford something — and sometimes even if they can’t — they acquire it. Leaving poverty behind makes one more likely to indulge in the greatest of avarices.
The noble sense of wisdom that many Kuufukuji possess comes across only as carefree arrogance in these callow Hungry. They, more often than not, claim to have found Golconda, or at least be closer than most, even though they have barely any control over their temporal wiles. Many of these Hungry honestly believe they are close to Golconda because not only do they have the powers of their bloodline, but they also have given up the poverty that shackles the Kuufukuji. These exiles claim to be bound by nothing.
Parent ethnicities
Social Skills that are vital to the Hungry are Empathy, Expression, Intimidation and Subterfuge, allowing a Kuufukuji to present the balance within while testing the balance of others.
As martial artists, the Kuufukuji fi nd that Brawl, Athletics, Stealth and Weaponry come in handy the most. In nights gone past, the elders did not allow their childer to learn Firearms, but even the oldest Kuufukuji admits these nights that such knowledge can be useful, so the elders neither condemn nor condone learning such Skills.
Even those who fast need sustenance at some point, and many Kuufukuji keep a Herd for their own use and that of their childer. Fighting Merits such as Fighting Style: Boxing and Fighting Style: Kung Fu fit well with this bloodline, and the strongest Hungry have Meditative Mind.
Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Obfuscate, Shihai
Weakness: The Kuufukuji have regrettably left behind the open and beautiful gardens commonly found at temples and monasteries, as they cannot appreciate them in the dark as they once did in life. Therefore, they retain the weakness of their parent clan, the Mekhet. The Kuufukuji are even more sensitive to sunlight than other Kindred and take great pains to protect themselves by choosing heavy black clothing and old, established temples that have elaborate labyrinthine basements. Their gardens are still sophisticated, but are decorated with fl owers that, like the Kuufukuji themselves, come out at night.
Control is paramount for a bloodline that is dedicated entirely to the mastery of the Man. The Hungry were, from the beginning, beings devoted to a simple existence, and even as darkness and Damnation became their lot, they remained devoted to the simple Requiem. Although they lost much of the human compassion held by monks, the Hungry still devoted their time to Meditation upon the nature of Damnation and the mastery of the Beast. Part of their existence included fi nding a way to continue dwelling in poverty as they had in life. The elder Hungry would command their childer to feed only when necessary, and never to excess. As their physiology became accustomed to functioning with much less Vitae than other Kindred, their weakness became rooted in the utter satiation of the hunger.
Although the obvious weakness of the bloodline lies in the danger of surviving on the edge of Wassail, a greater danger to this bloodline comes when they drink. Drinking to excess reduces the Kuufukuji’s power, making them unable to use their Disciplines. Unfortunately, “excess” to a Kuufukuji means drinking to maximum Vitae. The Hungry must always be at least a little famished: a Kuufukuji cannot have more Vitae than her maximum Vitae (as determined by her Blood Potency) minus her Blood Potency. Thus, a vampire with a Blood Potency of 1 and a maximum Vitae of 10 cannot use his Disciplines if he has more than 9 Vitae. A vampire with Blood Potency of 7 and a maximum Vitae of 20 cannot use her Disciplines if she has more than 13 Vitae. This weakness is worst for the neonates, as they are the least likely to be able to withstand Wassail. In frenzy, they seek to satiate themselves and end up feeding to their maximum Vitae, crippling themselves. Kuufukuji call this state “the Overbalance,” as their hunger is satiated, but they are powerless to call upon their Kindred powers. This reality makes the desire to rein in the Beast doubly important for the Kuufukuji.
There are, of course, easy ways to eliminate minor quantities of Vitae, but wasting Vitae after feeding to excess is considered more shameful than the feeding itself. If the Kuufukuji is to glut himself, then he damn well better use the Vitae for a better purpose than simply making himself look more human for a short time.
Concepts: Eastern mystic, martial arts student, monk, nomad, prostitute, sage priest, sin-eating martyr, street urchin, understanding Primogen, wandering Confessor
The Hungry Whores
A few factions of Kuufukuji around the world claim that their parent clan is Daeva, insisting that a prostitute Embraced the Nameless Master, making her an arguable predecessor of the bloodline, if not its progenitor.Whether this is true or not, Kindred of these factions do seem markedly different from members of the bloodline in other cities, often having a better fl air for congress with mortals than the secretive Mekhet. In addition to acting more overtly than most of the Kuufukuji, these Daeva Kindred also learn the Majesty and Vigor Disciplines instead of the Mekhet Disciplines of Auspex and Obfuscate.
The Kuufukuji of other domains say only that if one meditates and searches the soul enough, anything is possible, but no matter what one learns, the past is unchangeable.
Regardless of this internal schism, many Kuufukuji keep herds of prostitutes and use them to bring in some of the money that keeps the temples and monasteries solvent. Not very monastic, true, but being Damned is not very monastic either, and changes happen in unlife.
Although few among in Kindred society know it, the Kuufukuji who do not acknowledge the prostitute as the Daeva mother of the bloodline have been surreptitiously hunting those who do. The “Hungry Whores,” as the Mekhet Kuufukuji call them, exist only in a few cities in the East, though at least one faction has surfaced in North America. This grudge is subtle and roils beneath the radar of even these Kindred, consisting mostly of character assassination and quiet vendetta rather than street brawls.
These warring sides of the same coin may essentially be two different bloodlines. They have an entangled history and a shared mystic property of the blood, but they are not the same thing. The “Hungry Whores” can fit in a chronicle as freedom fighters who wish to free a prostitute Herd of the Hungry, claiming that they deserve to be honored more. Many of the of the Daeva Kuufukuji are former prostitutes themselves, who feel that during their lives they were used and tossed away. To use prostitutes as sustenance is even more degrading than sex, and these former prostitutes do not feel the Kuufukuji honor the sire of the clan by their feeding practices.
Escapees?
In the nights since the Nameless Master spawned the first of his line, some speculate whether there have been some Kindred who resented the Embrace and subsequent forced obedient existence. The Kuufukuji insist that all who disobey either toe the line eventually or face their Requiem away from the support network the Hungry’s monastic culture represents.Certainly, a more than a few escapees have defected from the bloodline’s ranks, as it were, through the years. Those who evaded capture or their sires’ authority were the wise ones, the ones who discovered that they had to submit for some time while they learned what it was to be a vampire in general, and one of the Hungry in particular.
The successful deserters often learn what they can of the Shihai Discipline, understanding its usefulness but shunning the overall mindset of poverty and Meditation upon the Man and Beast. These Kuufukuji can occasionally be somewhat unstable, preferring to flirt with their Final Balance instead of fasting, and fi nd themselves less successful when trying to use the Discipline, as allowing their Vitae to dwindle is not something they are comfortable with.
The pendulum of balance does not refer only to fasting and gluttony. Escaped Kuufukuji can often be found almost thriving, dwelling extravagantly. Many do what they can to make as much money as possible, and maintain the most modern, beautiful apartments with stylish accoutrements. If they can afford something — and sometimes even if they can’t — they acquire it. Leaving poverty behind makes one more likely to indulge in the greatest of avarices.
The noble sense of wisdom that many Kuufukuji possess comes across only as carefree arrogance in these callow Hungry. They, more often than not, claim to have found Golconda, or at least be closer than most, even though they have barely any control over their temporal wiles. Many of these Hungry honestly believe they are close to Golconda because not only do they have the powers of their bloodline, but they also have given up the poverty that shackles the Kuufukuji. These exiles claim to be bound by nothing.