Xiao, Tianpàn
You understand power, but you have no purpose, no passion. Feel what I feel, see as I see, and you will finally be free.
Among the Kindred, the passion of the Daeva is legendary. The lurid tales of the Harpies often include warnings about the dangers of allowing one’s Vices to take control, using the Daeva as an object lesson. Young neonates content themselves with the thought that such loss of control could never happen to them.
They have never met the Xiao. This Daeva bloodline draws in those around them into excesses of emotion, setting a standard for self-indulgent behavior that few can match. Those who try soon fall prey to the Xiao’s own manipulations.
Xiao Tianpàn was a Daeva Embraced during the height of the Qing dynasty, as corruption and greed began to spread through the nation. In life, he was a bureaucrat of the nation, employed as a ghoul by an elder Daeva of The Ordo Dracul for the purpose of increasing influence within the structured court of the Emperor. Serving as a long-term ghoul to a vice-ridden vampire, Tianpàn was well acquainted with the difficulty that the Daeva had holding on to their emotions, and when his sire chose to Embrace him, Tianpàn felt equally gifted and cursed.
While Tianpàn appreciated the immortality that the Embrace granted, he had no wish to become a slave to his passions, and spent the early years of his Requiem trying to restrain his urges and desires. Despite his best efforts, he found that his pride led him to rash actions that he would never have taken in life. As the 19th century dawned, and the dynasty waned, amidst the increasingly rampant corruption and violence of the land, Tianpàn took action. Taking the legendary passion of the Daeva and twisting it, he remade himself, hoping to escape his curse.
By Tianpàn’s standards, the attempt was a terrible failure. He discovered that he had forged a newfound connection to the passions of others instead of his own; as a result, his emotions ran rampant, and restraining them became thoroughly impossible. Bitter and vengeful, he began to use his newfound capabilities to manipulate the others, using their passions to bring them down to his level. In the process, he discovered that he took real pleasure in toying with his victims — almost as much as feeding from them, and the endgame, the complete self-destruction of a person as a result of his maneuvering, was a difficult and intriguing achievement that drew Tianpàn into further study. With each exploration of his newfound power, with each mortal who was ruined or destroyed, Tianpàn pushed his own failures further to the side. Eventually, he could almost pretend that he had always meant for this to happen.
Years passed, temptation grew and Tianpàn sired three childer, drawing them from the ranks of those whom he had preyed upon. Each of the three had been a person ruined by passion in life, whose ill-considered actions had brought failure upon his head. All chose to follow him down the path of the Blood that he had created, and his bloodline began in earnest. They took Tianpàn’s family name as their own in tribute to him, enshrining his failure for all eternity. Each sired in turn, and within a century, there was a small but thriving population of Xiao throughout China. Xiao Shan, one of Tianpàn’s childer, undertook the dangerous journey across the Pacific to the United States in the late 1800s, his curiosity at this young land overcoming his familial loyalty. There, he slowly began to spread the curse of the Xiao as well, working through the corrupt politicians of the day. Now, the Xiao range throughout China and the United States, encouraging their prey to destroy themselves through their own selfish desires.
Xiao Tianpàn himself fell into Torpor early in the 20th century, and has not yet emerged. Without him, the Xiao have fractured and scattered. Those who are most traditional follow in the footsteps of their clan founder, hoping to awaken him and aid him in his quest. Others simply enjoy manipulative play, working to unleash their hidden desires and watch the disastrous outcome. Most of the Xiao who bother to rationalize their behavior perversely consider themselves agents of justice. After all, they argue, a true innocent would face no danger from his or her own passion, and, therefore, any harm that comes to the Xiao’s prey is entirely his or her own fault. A few of the Xiao, especially those in North America, combine this misplaced sense of judgment with a desire for justification; by seeing how passions bring others down, the Xiao hope that they can somehow prove that they are no worse than their victims.
While the power of the Xiao is rarely overtly supernatural, their presence seems to sow chaos and uncertainty in the domains that host them. As they rarely bother to concern themselves with the long-term impact of their actions, they can easily upend social orders and sunder alliances simply by encouraging the wrong emotions at the wrong times. Indeed, some Xiao have been known to cause the fall of Princes without taking any overt actions, and a cautious ruler does not suffer the Xiao’s presence gladly.
They have never met the Xiao. This Daeva bloodline draws in those around them into excesses of emotion, setting a standard for self-indulgent behavior that few can match. Those who try soon fall prey to the Xiao’s own manipulations.
Xiao Tianpàn was a Daeva Embraced during the height of the Qing dynasty, as corruption and greed began to spread through the nation. In life, he was a bureaucrat of the nation, employed as a ghoul by an elder Daeva of The Ordo Dracul for the purpose of increasing influence within the structured court of the Emperor. Serving as a long-term ghoul to a vice-ridden vampire, Tianpàn was well acquainted with the difficulty that the Daeva had holding on to their emotions, and when his sire chose to Embrace him, Tianpàn felt equally gifted and cursed.
While Tianpàn appreciated the immortality that the Embrace granted, he had no wish to become a slave to his passions, and spent the early years of his Requiem trying to restrain his urges and desires. Despite his best efforts, he found that his pride led him to rash actions that he would never have taken in life. As the 19th century dawned, and the dynasty waned, amidst the increasingly rampant corruption and violence of the land, Tianpàn took action. Taking the legendary passion of the Daeva and twisting it, he remade himself, hoping to escape his curse.
By Tianpàn’s standards, the attempt was a terrible failure. He discovered that he had forged a newfound connection to the passions of others instead of his own; as a result, his emotions ran rampant, and restraining them became thoroughly impossible. Bitter and vengeful, he began to use his newfound capabilities to manipulate the others, using their passions to bring them down to his level. In the process, he discovered that he took real pleasure in toying with his victims — almost as much as feeding from them, and the endgame, the complete self-destruction of a person as a result of his maneuvering, was a difficult and intriguing achievement that drew Tianpàn into further study. With each exploration of his newfound power, with each mortal who was ruined or destroyed, Tianpàn pushed his own failures further to the side. Eventually, he could almost pretend that he had always meant for this to happen.
Years passed, temptation grew and Tianpàn sired three childer, drawing them from the ranks of those whom he had preyed upon. Each of the three had been a person ruined by passion in life, whose ill-considered actions had brought failure upon his head. All chose to follow him down the path of the Blood that he had created, and his bloodline began in earnest. They took Tianpàn’s family name as their own in tribute to him, enshrining his failure for all eternity. Each sired in turn, and within a century, there was a small but thriving population of Xiao throughout China. Xiao Shan, one of Tianpàn’s childer, undertook the dangerous journey across the Pacific to the United States in the late 1800s, his curiosity at this young land overcoming his familial loyalty. There, he slowly began to spread the curse of the Xiao as well, working through the corrupt politicians of the day. Now, the Xiao range throughout China and the United States, encouraging their prey to destroy themselves through their own selfish desires.
Xiao Tianpàn himself fell into Torpor early in the 20th century, and has not yet emerged. Without him, the Xiao have fractured and scattered. Those who are most traditional follow in the footsteps of their clan founder, hoping to awaken him and aid him in his quest. Others simply enjoy manipulative play, working to unleash their hidden desires and watch the disastrous outcome. Most of the Xiao who bother to rationalize their behavior perversely consider themselves agents of justice. After all, they argue, a true innocent would face no danger from his or her own passion, and, therefore, any harm that comes to the Xiao’s prey is entirely his or her own fault. A few of the Xiao, especially those in North America, combine this misplaced sense of judgment with a desire for justification; by seeing how passions bring others down, the Xiao hope that they can somehow prove that they are no worse than their victims.
While the power of the Xiao is rarely overtly supernatural, their presence seems to sow chaos and uncertainty in the domains that host them. As they rarely bother to concern themselves with the long-term impact of their actions, they can easily upend social orders and sunder alliances simply by encouraging the wrong emotions at the wrong times. Indeed, some Xiao have been known to cause the fall of Princes without taking any overt actions, and a cautious ruler does not suffer the Xiao’s presence gladly.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
Background: Xiao have a strong tendency to recruit from those whose lives have been ruined by their passions, regardless of their social positions and histories — especially if the Xiao themselves were responsible for that ruination. They also prefer those who take pride in themselves, finding them more interesting comrades.
Some of the newer groups that the Xiao are beginning to target more frequently are those who begin life humbly but rise to greatness. Actors, musicians, businessmen who were born into the working classes and the like are becoming increasingly common prey. The Xiao may even create such icons, before tearing them down again, exposing their faults and then offering the Embrace as a second chance.
The Xiao remain a relatively small bloodline. Xiao Tianpàn had only three childer, and they themselves have not Embraced frequently, or have most of their childer in turn. The eldest of the bloodline have seen less than two centuries, and there are not more than a few dozen members of the line scattered around the world.
Searching for a proper apprentice, Tianpàn found Min, a poor street urchin who stood up for herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was beaten halfway to death. Then, he found a middle-class baker named Shan, who had converted to Christianity and lost the support of his family, and who turned to thievery rather than reconcile with them. Tianpàn spirited both away just before they would have died. He trained both as he had trained Hong Li, and noted that the raw emotions of his bloodline caused the same reactions when they gathered. Soon, he sent them away as well, darkly promising that he would be checking up on them, but allowing them to forge their own paths. In doing so, he set the stage for their own relationships with their childer to come.
Tianpàn’s hands-off approach, however, ultimately led to problems for his line. Without rule or instruction, the three childer made the same mistake he did — Embracing Kindred who quickly became intolerable to them, and then cutting them loose. These neonates, though, did not take to rejection as easily as Tianpàn’s own childer had. The grandchilder turned on their sires, attacking their bases of power and seeking to destroy them. Conflict flared, and blood was spilled.
When Tianpàn discovered what was happening, he was livid. His grandchilder, he felt, should not be directing their efforts at their elders or one another. He issued a proclamation, requiring all Xiao who remained within the domain of Shanghai to attend a central meeting at his home. At this meeting, he laid down simple rules: no Xiao would do battle with another, and none would enter another’s territory without permission. His power was great enough that no childer felt confidant enough to override him, although some of his line were too incensed to obey for long. The bloodline was still small, and emotional ties among all the members were too strong to be ignored.
Soon enough, the edicts were broken. Xiao turned upon one another again, simply unable to restrain their ire and unable to resist provoking their blood relations. Two Kindred died early in the battles, causing an outward growing spiral of anger and retribution that Tianpàn could not bring to a halt.
Dogged by recriminations and violence, Tianpàn’s three childer left the domain of Shanghai, each hoping to find a new home elsewhere, away from the sickening behavior of their kin. Hong Li is assumed to have perished on the road somewhere to the west of Shanghai. Shan found his way to Hong Kong, then moved on to San Francisco, and finally settled in Chicago. Min, heading away from her brothers, moved north, to Beijing. All who remained in or near Tianpàn’s domain became sullen neighbors, carefully avoiding contact in an attempt to ensure a lasting peace.
This state of affairs continued until the mid-1930s, when Tianpàn finally sank into disappointed Torpor. Min established a home and swore to forsake the Embrace. She slipped quietly into Torpor herself, sometime in the 1960s, and none have seen her since.
In the early 1940s, The Ordo Dracul Academy in Chicago suffered a sudden and unexplained insurrection, resulting in the destruction of several valuable tomes and the Final Deaths of two prominent members (one of whom had gone irrefutably insane). Shan and his childer were unceremoniously ejected from the covenant soon after, although both claimed innocence and still maintain that they were scapegoats sacrificed so that none of the younger members of the Academy would lose faith in their superiors. Shan himself was slain by a nervous Prince after publicly decrying the practices of The Ordo Dracul in Elysium, and his two childer quietly threw their lot in with The Circle of the Crone.
Meanwhile, his childer in Hong Kong, left to their own devices because of a dispute with Shan, embarked on a quest to locate their grandsire and revive his dream of conquering the Daeva curse. They introduced themselves to the Kindred of Shanghai and were accepted into the Elysium Court, searching all the while for evidence of their lost kin. Eventually, they sired childer of their own as well, and, following a trail that led back out of the city, those neonates were sent outwards to try and locate their founder’s final resting place.
In recent nights, peculiar outbursts in the Kindred Courts of Mumbai, India, and Yangon, Myanmar, suggest that one or more of the Xiao have been active in each country for at least a few years. Whether Hong Li actually survived his trek and made it to one of these cities (and, presumably, Embraced) or Min awoke and migrated west with one of her childer is unknown. It’s entirely possible that both theories are true — or neither. If these events are the cause of Xiao machinations, they would mark the furthest west the bloodline is known to have traveled on the continent.
These traditional Xiao engage in a number of ritualistic observances meant to tamp down their emotional energies and prevent outburst. Complex, structured dances and martial arts are taught and practiced, astrological charts are learned and frequently consulted, music is mastered and performed and each month is marked by an elaborate ceremony of dress and display. Those domains that host the Xiao know well their powerful, emotional pageantry, and many Kindred are known to seek permission to witness the Xiao’s practice at Elysium. The Xiao are often eager to engage in these displays, taking the opportunity to make use of their signature Discipline among masses of the vampire elite and interweave its power with their performance.
In fact, the gathering of a stimulated audience necessary for most of the Xiao’s Discipline-fuelled attempts at self-control create the illusion that these Kindred are great lovers of performance. While many are happy to play to spectators (and benefit from their manipulation), at least the same number would prefer to take part in the viewing of entertainments instead of their execution.
A fair number of Xiao have discarded the structured teachings of the line and abandoned their Kindred families. Even as their traditional brethren struggle to reunite the line and awaken its founder, these self-declared exiles work to distance themselves from the bloodline’s origins and its obsession with conquering passion. Instead, they revel in the power granted by the Blood, and make no effort to take responsibility for the actions of their childer. If they encounter their traditionalist brethren, these Xiao often work to undermine and humiliate them — a practice that inevitably leads to outright conflict.
This philosophical split creates problems for vampires who choose to join the bloodline. An unfortunate inductee may discover that his Avus is not the type he’d heard about, and may find himself subject to traditions and imperatives that he wasn’t counting on (or, conversely, may find a defiance of the tradition he was hoping for).
Some of the newer groups that the Xiao are beginning to target more frequently are those who begin life humbly but rise to greatness. Actors, musicians, businessmen who were born into the working classes and the like are becoming increasingly common prey. The Xiao may even create such icons, before tearing them down again, exposing their faults and then offering the Embrace as a second chance.
The Xiao remain a relatively small bloodline. Xiao Tianpàn had only three childer, and they themselves have not Embraced frequently, or have most of their childer in turn. The eldest of the bloodline have seen less than two centuries, and there are not more than a few dozen members of the line scattered around the world.
History
The Multitude of Errors
Tianpàn began the line with three childer. He chose each one for very different reasons, as part of his continued studies of the bloodline. First was Xiao Hong Li, who was most like Tianpàn himself in his eyes — a government aide who had gambled away his fortune and ruined his career, and who was now considering suicide rather than revealing his shame. After studying him, Tianpàn Embraced the man, laid out his teachings and sought to gain an aide for his Research. However, Tianpàn soon found that prolonged contact with his pupil led to violent fights and dangerous feuds, and the two decided that further Research would best be done at a distance. Tianpàn was intrigued by the ways that he had related to his pupil, and begin to seek to expand his bloodline further.Searching for a proper apprentice, Tianpàn found Min, a poor street urchin who stood up for herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was beaten halfway to death. Then, he found a middle-class baker named Shan, who had converted to Christianity and lost the support of his family, and who turned to thievery rather than reconcile with them. Tianpàn spirited both away just before they would have died. He trained both as he had trained Hong Li, and noted that the raw emotions of his bloodline caused the same reactions when they gathered. Soon, he sent them away as well, darkly promising that he would be checking up on them, but allowing them to forge their own paths. In doing so, he set the stage for their own relationships with their childer to come.
Tianpàn’s hands-off approach, however, ultimately led to problems for his line. Without rule or instruction, the three childer made the same mistake he did — Embracing Kindred who quickly became intolerable to them, and then cutting them loose. These neonates, though, did not take to rejection as easily as Tianpàn’s own childer had. The grandchilder turned on their sires, attacking their bases of power and seeking to destroy them. Conflict flared, and blood was spilled.
When Tianpàn discovered what was happening, he was livid. His grandchilder, he felt, should not be directing their efforts at their elders or one another. He issued a proclamation, requiring all Xiao who remained within the domain of Shanghai to attend a central meeting at his home. At this meeting, he laid down simple rules: no Xiao would do battle with another, and none would enter another’s territory without permission. His power was great enough that no childer felt confidant enough to override him, although some of his line were too incensed to obey for long. The bloodline was still small, and emotional ties among all the members were too strong to be ignored.
Soon enough, the edicts were broken. Xiao turned upon one another again, simply unable to restrain their ire and unable to resist provoking their blood relations. Two Kindred died early in the battles, causing an outward growing spiral of anger and retribution that Tianpàn could not bring to a halt.
Dogged by recriminations and violence, Tianpàn’s three childer left the domain of Shanghai, each hoping to find a new home elsewhere, away from the sickening behavior of their kin. Hong Li is assumed to have perished on the road somewhere to the west of Shanghai. Shan found his way to Hong Kong, then moved on to San Francisco, and finally settled in Chicago. Min, heading away from her brothers, moved north, to Beijing. All who remained in or near Tianpàn’s domain became sullen neighbors, carefully avoiding contact in an attempt to ensure a lasting peace.
This state of affairs continued until the mid-1930s, when Tianpàn finally sank into disappointed Torpor. Min established a home and swore to forsake the Embrace. She slipped quietly into Torpor herself, sometime in the 1960s, and none have seen her since.
The Revival of the Xiao
Xiao Shan, alone in America, was not as restrained as his sister or as heartbroken as his sire. He Embraced two mortals and left them behind in Hong Kong, sired a childe in San Francisco who accompanied him to Chicago and then Embraced one more after settling down. Working to establish rules of engagement early on, Shan made sure to focus the capricious attentions of his childer on mortals instead of one another. He encouraged them to develop their power, schooling them and paying careful attention to its growth — something that Tianpàn never did.In the early 1940s, The Ordo Dracul Academy in Chicago suffered a sudden and unexplained insurrection, resulting in the destruction of several valuable tomes and the Final Deaths of two prominent members (one of whom had gone irrefutably insane). Shan and his childer were unceremoniously ejected from the covenant soon after, although both claimed innocence and still maintain that they were scapegoats sacrificed so that none of the younger members of the Academy would lose faith in their superiors. Shan himself was slain by a nervous Prince after publicly decrying the practices of The Ordo Dracul in Elysium, and his two childer quietly threw their lot in with The Circle of the Crone.
Meanwhile, his childer in Hong Kong, left to their own devices because of a dispute with Shan, embarked on a quest to locate their grandsire and revive his dream of conquering the Daeva curse. They introduced themselves to the Kindred of Shanghai and were accepted into the Elysium Court, searching all the while for evidence of their lost kin. Eventually, they sired childer of their own as well, and, following a trail that led back out of the city, those neonates were sent outwards to try and locate their founder’s final resting place.
The Great Search
In modern nights, the Tianpànn Xiao are an aimless, fractured line. Individual Kindred still hope to find the founder himself and reunite him with his surviving kin so that he can finish his work and release them all from their maddening curse. Others, believing that all hope is lost or distracted by personal passions, integrate themselves into Kindred society and pass the Blood on to selected childer, teaching their power without bothering to explain it or offer up direction. Some Tianpànn Xiao continue to move further and further from their kin, spreading the line slowly throughout North America and East Asia.In recent nights, peculiar outbursts in the Kindred Courts of Mumbai, India, and Yangon, Myanmar, suggest that one or more of the Xiao have been active in each country for at least a few years. Whether Hong Li actually survived his trek and made it to one of these cities (and, presumably, Embraced) or Min awoke and migrated west with one of her childer is unknown. It’s entirely possible that both theories are true — or neither. If these events are the cause of Xiao machinations, they would mark the furthest west the bloodline is known to have traveled on the continent.
Society and Culture
There are fewer than 50 of the Tianpànn Xiao active in modern nights, and most have never met more than one or two of their kin. Those who still consider themselves part of the original family are fiercely traditional in their teachings. They hold on to the limited guidance of Tianpàn, repeating his plea for co-operation and tolerance, seeking to overcome their passions. These Kindred look upon their childer with parental concern, believing that the sire is responsible for teaching the childe the dangers and joy of overwhelming passion, and this is a debt that can never be fully repaid. A new sire must teach her childe not just the ways of the Masquerade but the ways of the Requiem as a whole, showing the childe how to diminish his dangerous passions by sharing them. Any Xiao who grants the Embrace without carefully choosing and grooming her new ward is considered to be a disgrace to the line, and any childe who does not show his master the respect that she deserves is considered to be nothing; this tradition, alone, is sacrosanct.These traditional Xiao engage in a number of ritualistic observances meant to tamp down their emotional energies and prevent outburst. Complex, structured dances and martial arts are taught and practiced, astrological charts are learned and frequently consulted, music is mastered and performed and each month is marked by an elaborate ceremony of dress and display. Those domains that host the Xiao know well their powerful, emotional pageantry, and many Kindred are known to seek permission to witness the Xiao’s practice at Elysium. The Xiao are often eager to engage in these displays, taking the opportunity to make use of their signature Discipline among masses of the vampire elite and interweave its power with their performance.
In fact, the gathering of a stimulated audience necessary for most of the Xiao’s Discipline-fuelled attempts at self-control create the illusion that these Kindred are great lovers of performance. While many are happy to play to spectators (and benefit from their manipulation), at least the same number would prefer to take part in the viewing of entertainments instead of their execution.
A fair number of Xiao have discarded the structured teachings of the line and abandoned their Kindred families. Even as their traditional brethren struggle to reunite the line and awaken its founder, these self-declared exiles work to distance themselves from the bloodline’s origins and its obsession with conquering passion. Instead, they revel in the power granted by the Blood, and make no effort to take responsibility for the actions of their childer. If they encounter their traditionalist brethren, these Xiao often work to undermine and humiliate them — a practice that inevitably leads to outright conflict.
This philosophical split creates problems for vampires who choose to join the bloodline. An unfortunate inductee may discover that his Avus is not the type he’d heard about, and may find himself subject to traditions and imperatives that he wasn’t counting on (or, conversely, may find a defiance of the tradition he was hoping for).
Common Dress code
Appearance: Members of the bloodline tend to take meticulous care of themselves, making sure their hair is perfectly brushed and their clothing immaculately cleaned every night, presenting a tightly controlled faÁade as a counterpoint to their raging emotions. Extravagant hairstyles that take excessive effort to maintain are not uncommon, and elaborate, intricately detailed and layered costumes are almost a requirement. While the Xiao are not always beautiful, they work diligently to make sure that they are always striking.
In contrast to the perfection that most aspire to in dress, the auras of the Xiao are whirling maelstroms of color, and a skilled aura-reader who has encountered them before will instantly recognize the mark of the line, although some mistake the reading for full-blown psychosis.
While the elders of the Xiao are exclusively Chinese, younger vampires of other races are now joining the line with greater and greater frequency, especially in North America.
In contrast to the perfection that most aspire to in dress, the auras of the Xiao are whirling maelstroms of color, and a skilled aura-reader who has encountered them before will instantly recognize the mark of the line, although some mistake the reading for full-blown psychosis.
While the elders of the Xiao are exclusively Chinese, younger vampires of other races are now joining the line with greater and greater frequency, especially in North America.
Art & Architecture
Haven: Most of the Xiao prefer well-placed havens to secure ones; proximity to potential targets and comfort for personal living are the main issues that the Xiao usually consider. Common choices are simple, but (if they can afford it) luxurious, lofts, or even large houses near major areas. Havens in areas frequented by current victims of the Xiao’s manipulations are given precedence over the local nightlife, and those members of the line who have enough money frequently set up a number of well-appointed havens around a city to ensure that they can always be close to interesting subjects.
The havens of the modernist Xiao often give insight into their natures, if only obliquely. Just as everything else that the bloodline’s members keep, their havens are carefully focused affairs, designed to draw the eye of those few who visit them. Each room often has its own motif, and some Xiao go so far as to have one for each mood, carefully designed to support and foster a specific ambience. Others simply allow their entire Haven to become a paean to excess, with the most expensive furnishings and art decorating a lavish abode.
Traditionalist Xiao, especially elders of the line, almost always go the opposite route, and their havens are all but empty of furnishings, conveying the feeling that their Haven is not so much a place to live as it is a place to sleep away the days.
The havens of the modernist Xiao often give insight into their natures, if only obliquely. Just as everything else that the bloodline’s members keep, their havens are carefully focused affairs, designed to draw the eye of those few who visit them. Each room often has its own motif, and some Xiao go so far as to have one for each mood, carefully designed to support and foster a specific ambience. Others simply allow their entire Haven to become a paean to excess, with the most expensive furnishings and art decorating a lavish abode.
Traditionalist Xiao, especially elders of the line, almost always go the opposite route, and their havens are all but empty of furnishings, conveying the feeling that their Haven is not so much a place to live as it is a place to sleep away the days.
Major organizations
Covenants: Xiao in Asia find themselves frequently drawn to The Ordo Dracul, whose emphasis on Research and understanding appeals to those who think as their founder did. In The Ordo Dracul, the Xiao can continue to explore their condition, further mastering their natures in an effort to overcome their weaknesses — because of this, the Order remains the most popular of the covenants to join. Xiao within The Ordo Dracul often lend their passion to driving discovery forwards, and their mastery of passion lends itself to greater understanding of the connection between passion and the Beast. However, Xiao rarely rise high in The Ordo Dracul, as their uncontrolled emotions make it difficult to have the clinical restraint that many members of the covenant respect most. A number of Xiao (most famously Shan, childe of Tianpàn) have been ejected from The Ordo Dracul because of inappropriate behavior.
It is traditional for Xiao Dragons to undertake the quest to join the Sworn of the Dying Light and pledge themselves to the relentless study of the emotional weaknesses of Kindred — specifically, the tendency to vice and frenzy. Many pursue The Coil of the Beast in their studies, hoping that by mastering the understanding of its unconscious power, they can learn to direct their own passionate outbursts.
Other Xiao, however, gravitate to The Circle of the Crone, intrigued by its forbidden rites, ancient mysteries, blood magics and practice of unleashing the primal Beast. By joining the Circle, those Xiao who have chosen it seek to free themselves from restraint, often becoming more depraved and more violent than most of their kin. These vampires feel that they are holding more true to the spirit of their founder with their abandon, but they are, in fact, abiding instead by the warped rationale of his later waking years. Xiao Acolytes are extremely dangerous, blithely justifying their indulgences as they carry out the meticulous destruction of mortal hopes and aspirations. Many fall into a rapid decline of Humanity, becoming indefensibly cruel in their manipulative play. Acolytes of the Circle often believe that Xiao are talented channelers of discord and primal rage, affording them a measure of respect as a result.
The other covenants do not hold much in the way of attraction for the Xiao, and often do not make an effort to tolerate them. The passionate Carthian Movement and the fervent Kindred of the line have some commonalities on the surface, but the Sirens are uninterested in social change on a grand scale; they tend to work on the understanding that if someone powerful falls, that person will simply be replaced by an equivalent influence. This lack of belief in the fundamental tenets of the Movement means that while the Xiao may occasionally work with the covenant, they rarely belong to it.
A similar problem holds the Xiao away from The Invictus, who are not, as a whole, amused by the concept of wild cards running about and mucking things up for more proper, upstanding and respectable vampires — the Xiao, in turn, almost always refuse to consider The Invictus and their pawns as off-limits, further straining the likelihood of joining that covenant. As a result, the Xiao seem incapable of hewing to the oaths of The Invictus, and the bloodline’s capricious nature is made most unwelcome.
Finally, while their roles as monsters might find some traction with the concept of the Damned of The Lancea Sanctum, few of the Xiao have the patience for the dogmatic ritualism of the covenant, much less its messages of holiness and restraint. One or two disrupted masses are all most Priests need to ban the Xiao from their gatherings, and more than one incident has led to a violent purge. Though most in the bloodline hold no particular disdain for The Lancea Sanctum, the Xiao generally make an effort (driven mostly by a sense of self-preservation) to avoid the covenant.
Organization: Once, Xiao Tianpàn kept a firm hold on his childer through a mixture of iron resolve and exceptional manipulative technique. In his absence, however, the bloodline has quickly fragmented, losing its sense of singular purpose.
Overall, many of the Xiao tend toward similar goals, but they do not do so with a single, coherent plan. Instead, individual Xiao naturally gravitate toward areas that they find interesting, immersing themselves in the social world of the domain they happen to have settled in. Neonates, once they have been properly trained and introduced to the Danse Macabre, are often encouraged to go and find a domain a decent distance from their sire, taking the difficult step of cutting themselves off from their former lives to prevent them from becoming complacent as well as working to prevent the inevitable emotional clashes with their sires. There is no need for this severing to be complete, but maintaining closeness is often considered too risky to be allowed.
Part of the reason for this loose organization is that the Xiao are far from immune to each others’ abilities. When two Xiao of sufficient power come together, their passions feed off one another, leading to a spiral of dark indulgence that can easily end with the death of one or both of the vampires involved. When more Xiao come together, the effect becomes increasingly pronounced. Because of this, most meetings between members of this bloodline, unless focused on a specific goal, are short and bittersweet.
There are a few Xiao currently attempting to impose some sort of order on the line, leading the charge to reunite the membership and reawaken the founder. Their efforts are relatively recent, though, and have not produced significant results. Those who do gather to them are suffering from one another’s inevitable provocations, and most are beginning to believe (secretly or otherwise) that the effort is doomed to collapse.
It is traditional for Xiao Dragons to undertake the quest to join the Sworn of the Dying Light and pledge themselves to the relentless study of the emotional weaknesses of Kindred — specifically, the tendency to vice and frenzy. Many pursue The Coil of the Beast in their studies, hoping that by mastering the understanding of its unconscious power, they can learn to direct their own passionate outbursts.
Other Xiao, however, gravitate to The Circle of the Crone, intrigued by its forbidden rites, ancient mysteries, blood magics and practice of unleashing the primal Beast. By joining the Circle, those Xiao who have chosen it seek to free themselves from restraint, often becoming more depraved and more violent than most of their kin. These vampires feel that they are holding more true to the spirit of their founder with their abandon, but they are, in fact, abiding instead by the warped rationale of his later waking years. Xiao Acolytes are extremely dangerous, blithely justifying their indulgences as they carry out the meticulous destruction of mortal hopes and aspirations. Many fall into a rapid decline of Humanity, becoming indefensibly cruel in their manipulative play. Acolytes of the Circle often believe that Xiao are talented channelers of discord and primal rage, affording them a measure of respect as a result.
The other covenants do not hold much in the way of attraction for the Xiao, and often do not make an effort to tolerate them. The passionate Carthian Movement and the fervent Kindred of the line have some commonalities on the surface, but the Sirens are uninterested in social change on a grand scale; they tend to work on the understanding that if someone powerful falls, that person will simply be replaced by an equivalent influence. This lack of belief in the fundamental tenets of the Movement means that while the Xiao may occasionally work with the covenant, they rarely belong to it.
A similar problem holds the Xiao away from The Invictus, who are not, as a whole, amused by the concept of wild cards running about and mucking things up for more proper, upstanding and respectable vampires — the Xiao, in turn, almost always refuse to consider The Invictus and their pawns as off-limits, further straining the likelihood of joining that covenant. As a result, the Xiao seem incapable of hewing to the oaths of The Invictus, and the bloodline’s capricious nature is made most unwelcome.
Finally, while their roles as monsters might find some traction with the concept of the Damned of The Lancea Sanctum, few of the Xiao have the patience for the dogmatic ritualism of the covenant, much less its messages of holiness and restraint. One or two disrupted masses are all most Priests need to ban the Xiao from their gatherings, and more than one incident has led to a violent purge. Though most in the bloodline hold no particular disdain for The Lancea Sanctum, the Xiao generally make an effort (driven mostly by a sense of self-preservation) to avoid the covenant.
Organization: Once, Xiao Tianpàn kept a firm hold on his childer through a mixture of iron resolve and exceptional manipulative technique. In his absence, however, the bloodline has quickly fragmented, losing its sense of singular purpose.
Overall, many of the Xiao tend toward similar goals, but they do not do so with a single, coherent plan. Instead, individual Xiao naturally gravitate toward areas that they find interesting, immersing themselves in the social world of the domain they happen to have settled in. Neonates, once they have been properly trained and introduced to the Danse Macabre, are often encouraged to go and find a domain a decent distance from their sire, taking the difficult step of cutting themselves off from their former lives to prevent them from becoming complacent as well as working to prevent the inevitable emotional clashes with their sires. There is no need for this severing to be complete, but maintaining closeness is often considered too risky to be allowed.
Part of the reason for this loose organization is that the Xiao are far from immune to each others’ abilities. When two Xiao of sufficient power come together, their passions feed off one another, leading to a spiral of dark indulgence that can easily end with the death of one or both of the vampires involved. When more Xiao come together, the effect becomes increasingly pronounced. Because of this, most meetings between members of this bloodline, unless focused on a specific goal, are short and bittersweet.
There are a few Xiao currently attempting to impose some sort of order on the line, leading the charge to reunite the membership and reawaken the founder. Their efforts are relatively recent, though, and have not produced significant results. Those who do gather to them are suffering from one another’s inevitable provocations, and most are beginning to believe (secretly or otherwise) that the effort is doomed to collapse.
Nickname: Sirens
Character Creation: Much as the Daeva in general, Social Attributes and Skills are favored by the Xiao, especially those related to Presence. Composure tends to either be very low or very high, depending on whether the Xiao in question is trying to suppress or embrace her curse. Social Merits based on mortal connections are uncommon, as the Xiao frequently destroy those mortals with whom the bloodline members interact.
Bloodline Disciplines: Celerity, Majesty, Vigor, Xinyao
Weakness: The Xiao suffer the weakness common to all Daeva.
In addition, members of the line are subject to an ongoing whirlwind of emotion, weakening them in the face of provocation. They flicker uncontrollably from one passion to the next, barely able to contain themselves at any given moment. Tianpànn Xiao often burst out laughing or break down into a fit of weeping at the slightest provocation, to the bemusement and aggravation of onlookers. When making reflexive resistance rolls with their Composure, Xiao do not benefit from the 10 again rule, and any 1s that are rolled subtracted from their successes.
Xiao who degenerate are especially vulnerable to Manic Depression, Phobia and Hysteria because of the emotional nature of these Derangements.
Concepts: Serpent in the garden, backroom whisperer, untrustworthy drug dealer, deadly muse, corrupt politician, frenetic political activist, manipulative groupie, energetic road manager, sinful Priest, fervent pop psychologist.
Parent ethnicities
Bloodline Disciplines: Celerity, Majesty, Vigor, Xinyao
Weakness: The Xiao suffer the weakness common to all Daeva.
In addition, members of the line are subject to an ongoing whirlwind of emotion, weakening them in the face of provocation. They flicker uncontrollably from one passion to the next, barely able to contain themselves at any given moment. Tianpànn Xiao often burst out laughing or break down into a fit of weeping at the slightest provocation, to the bemusement and aggravation of onlookers. When making reflexive resistance rolls with their Composure, Xiao do not benefit from the 10 again rule, and any 1s that are rolled subtracted from their successes.
Xiao who degenerate are especially vulnerable to Manic Depression, Phobia and Hysteria because of the emotional nature of these Derangements.
Concepts: Serpent in the garden, backroom whisperer, untrustworthy drug dealer, deadly muse, corrupt politician, frenetic political activist, manipulative groupie, energetic road manager, sinful Priest, fervent pop psychologist.
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