Nian-zu Jianjun

First Pillar of Conquered Hells
Shengzhang of the Court of Blood
Magistrate of the Way of the Resplendent Crane
Demon-Slaying General of the Court of the Prismatic Storm

Description


~Noble and arrogant, handsome and refined, even princely – these words describe Nian-zu Jianjun well. A measure of self-entitlement hovers over the smooth-faced 30ish Chinese man. But his comportment suggests those expectations exist because he is an anchor of responsibility, not a patient of pop culture therapy. Though willowy and sleight of build as most Asian men, Jianjun nonetheless commands a powerful imposition, not unlike a dynastic king, or perhaps better described as the CP premier. He is almost always borne in simple Brooks Brothers suits tailored to fit, generally black but he is not limited to monochromatic hues. He favors few adornments, but a jeweled yin-yang medallion is a constant companion about his neck. His dark hair is styled attractively but not wildly: he remains as conservative in fashion as demeanor. His advance contains a fluid and languid grace that barely restrains its swiftness. This gait accompanies an intensely focused, compelling, and glittering gaze. It’s as if Jianjun was filled with a power he aches to unleash yet remains inscrutably calm. Ageless wisdom empowers those starry brown eyes, even while a gentle and condescending smile drifts into view at the antics of his lesser neighbors.~

OOC: Appearance 4 (noble)

"There are the righteous and there are the unrighteous. I was sent to separate the two."

History


Minister of Irrigation (Song Dynasty)

Few born in the height of the Fourth Age now existed, but Nian-zu Jianjun shrewdly membered that honored roster still. In 964 CE, Jianjun took his first breath. The Nian-zus were a wealthy Han family of minor nobility living in the ancient city of Kaifeng, the capital of China during the Song Dynasty. Jianjun’s father and mother, Han and Lanfen, sired three other children: his brother Rong and little sisters Jie and Li. A responsible youth, Jianjun looked after his younger siblings. Of course, the Nian-zus dwelled in an affluent district of gentry, where several courtiers were given small lands in the capital.

His father was the Minister of Irrigation and his mother was a seamstress by hobby. Rong would join the army and one day die in battle against the Jin, while Jie and Li married off to unaccountable ends. Jianjun, however, was groomed to follow in his father’s footsteps. His education focused on engineering. The family, like most others in those days, was strict moralists of the Neo-Confucian discipline. That did not stop Jianjun from at least maintaining a couple friends, though they were rather snobby noble youths.

When Jianjun grew into a man, he was more than able to take on his father’s duties. He began with the oversight of new dam projects at the local rivers. Within a few short years, he was highly regarded within the imperial dynasty. Yet his career was rather uneventful in its advance, and he earned prestige appropriate only to one who did not fail, not one that was highly successfully. Perhaps his only real failure was his refusal of a bride.

Jing Niiying was a pretty girl and the Jings a respectable family. But she was not intellectually stimulating enough for the well-educated engineer who was focused on his career above all. The dowry expected for her hand in marriage seemed quite inequitable for what he was to gain. The fact that his refusal was an insult to the Jings bothered Jianjun not at all, which only compacted his social offense. It seemed almost inevitable that Jianjun’s aloof disregard would result in his murder. Once a friend, Jing Wei turned against Jianjun in defense of his sister’s honor and ended the engineer’s life in 986 by poisoning the young man’s tea.

Absentee Landlady

Strange then that such an uneventful life and ignominious end would cause Jianjun’s soul to be torn down to Yomi Wan. In the Hell of Being Skinned Alive, he suffered for twelve long years. Spirit-shredding agonies were visited upon Jianjun, courtesy of Tou Mu’s demons and servitors. Yet despite that torment, he clung to his upbringing and quoted righteous scripture and analects. Frustrated, the demons tossed the defiant soul aside. Thinking Jianjun’s spirit was almost broken, they turned their backs on him just long enough for him to scramble away. He ran like hell and was one of the lucky few refugees to find a hole out of the hell and clawed his way back to the Middle Kingdom.

And when his darker spirit re-inhabited his interred corpse, Jianjun took his Second Breath. He burst from the earth, ravenous and mind scattered in every direction. Luckily, his return was foretold with implications that his immortal life would by far outshine his mortal one. A “reaper” was there to greet and subdue the chih-mei. He brought no shame to himself in those fateful first moments because he was restored so immediately.

The Way

Despite the oracular predictions, Jianjun seemed quiet and average as he was brought before the Quincux of the Wan Kuei and welcomed as the newest immortal. His Ré began under the guidance of his savior, Ye Yuan, who he would later learn considered the rearing an honor. He found Yuan to be strict yet wise and thoughtful as he learned the Way of the Resplendent Crane. The jina nurtured Jianjun’s disciplined ardor for his study of the Road Back. Under his sifu’s instruction, he learned Dharmic tenets as well as undead physiology and mystical Arts. There was much more legalism and less benevolence involved in his tuition. Emphasis lingered on upholding the Fivefold Way and correcting injustice and corruption wherever found. The Eight Lotus Path was certainly not ignored, but the Fourth Lotus (purgation of the wicked) was studied the most.

He was constantly tested and severely punished when he failed those tests. One test he never failed, however, was humility. He was purposely told from the start that he was special to see if that would go to his head. Jianjun always remained modest, quiet, and attentive. However, in 1000 CE his Ré drew to an official close with a final initiation test. Because he was so special, the test was rendered especially difficult. First, he passed rigid examinations of his new knowledge, judgment, and skills. Then came the “bonus” test: he was sequestered and forced to outwit a Bane spirit summoned to haunt his meditation. This vile and deceitful demon tried to lead Jianjun astray and confuse the young vampire. When Jianjun riposted shrewdly and calmly instead of with frustration, the demon withdrew with respect. That respectful parting stayed with Jianjun forever: proof of the difference between the Fourth and Fifth Ages, when respect was still universal.

Balancing Acts

Once released, Jianjun decided that the first thing he ought to do was settle an old score. He spied on his murderer, Jing Wei, from the shadows and incognito. He learned Wei’s new habits and routine. Gradually, the nobleman became paranoid and aware of the surveillance and kept his bodyguard close. After months of nerve-wracking observation, Jianjun finally confronted Wei. The bodyguard was easily dispatched with his newfound powers. He demanded compensation from the terrified man, and forced Jing Wei to will away all his wealth to the people – specifically, to the commoners that dwelled on and worked the Nian-zu estate. They suffered much since Jianjun’s death. Then he made Wei drink his own poison and wished him well on his way to Hell.

Later, the Kôa checked in on his living family as well. He remained aloof, and just wanted to discover the state of their health. His retired parents were surviving and finally past the loss of their sons. Yes, Rong died ten years earlier in war. Though he tried to remain unnoticed, they caught wind of his presence. Luckily, they thought he was just a passing ghost. To date, this oversight was Jianjun’s greatest Dharmic violation, and it was merely a close call.

Political Activist (Northern Song Dynasty)

In short time, Jianjun put his mortal life behind him and turned back to his new reality and doing what he did best. With Obligation, he began to network and build Scarlet Screens among the nobles, craftsmen, and merchants of Kaifeng. He manipulated with moral blackmail, outright extortion, and sheer wit. And eventually, raw Obligation was enough to sway mortal hearts and minds. When not calculating his machinations, Jianjun humbly dwelled among the other Hungry Dead. In 1008 at a courtly gathering, he viewed a calm, placid pond that struck a deep chord in his heart. He saw the vital relation of patience in all virtues.

With Ye Yuan’s blessing, Jianjun was even permitted to begin making connections in the royal house. This demanded a much lighter touch (no Arts or blunt coercion) and thus much more time and effort. Jianjun did not doubt Yuan was testing his patience and skill, and he did not mean to disappoint. Of course, reciprocity between he and Yuan was also expected, and Jianjun offered his aid whenever called. While tinkering with the lowest tiers of the Song imperials, Jianjun encountered no serious problems with other Gui Ren or shen. A couple of times, police caught and cornered him while he was manipulating or bullying various officials. But he was always able to subvert them to his cause with what he called “spiritual bribes” via Obligation. This seemed proof of his own “imperial destiny”.

Perhaps that was why Ye Yuan kept close tabs on his star pupil for so many years. Jianjun was often asked to accompany the jina on special missions in the region. His mentor was very much interested in uncovering the past to understand the course of the future. He collected antiquities, and often dug around ancient Han ruins for more relics. (And the occasional mystical artifact was a nice bonus.) With Yuan, Jianjun did run afoul of other supernatural creatures while out in the wilderness: hengeyokai, specifically Garou. These too were close calls, and the Resplendent Cranes wisely withdrew and fled the Xiong Ren’s wrath.

Dark Reflections (Northern Song Dynasty)

Ironically, in 1042 Jing Wei also took the Second Breath. He was excruciated in the Hell of Boiling Oil for decades and returned to take the Road Back also as a Shining Ice Guardian. The acrimony between Jianjun and his old rival was obvious and amusing to the court’s Mandarins and jina. At first, Jianjun was outraged that he would have to call Wei a brother. Eventually, he came to enjoy the competition even (or especially) though Wei did not become so magnanimous. Wei tried to sabotage Jianjun’s carefully constructed connections and imperial network, putting the slightly older Crane on the political defensive. By the end of the century, Jianjun was having serious difficulty expanding and improving his political influence. Instead of growing frustrated, Jianjun refused to give up and only grew more intense and focused.

However, Jianjun was not always so illustrious. In 1052, he was so tied up with outdoing his rival that he repaid Wei’s dishonest ploys with one of his own. It was a deliberate sabotage of Wei’s status. He wrote a false book on courtly ritualism and planted it in the library for Wei to find and read when researching a specific social rite. He took the book as truth and humiliated himself. But the Mandarins were also upset at the insult to the court itself, and chastised Jianjun for dragging the august court into the feud. The castigation fell as diao on the young Crane.

Through numerous “Auspicious Occasions”, such as these prominent events herein described, Jianjun made steady if average progress on the Road Back. (Jing Wei could barely say the same, probably because of how petty was his behavior and schemes.) In 1068, Jianjun recovered from his early mistake. During one of the many lively Song festivals that summer, he saw a flock of cranes take flight during the bright and beautiful detonation of fireworks. Their quiet splendor was obvious even in the midst of ruckus, noise, and conflict.

Bones of Meru (Jin Dynasty)

Unfortunately, even as Jianjun matured into the jina age himself, China underwent upheaval. The Jurchens (ancestors of the Manchus) were starting to invade from the north, threatening the Song Dynasty. Although the Quincux occupied the capital, it frustrated Jianjun that the Mandarins and Ancestors cared little if Han or Jurchen ruled. Since all of his carefully laid plans were about to be scrambled anyway, Jianjun embraced flexibility and welcomed the conquest. Ye Yuan did not, and this division of opinion led to a slight falling out between Jianjun and his former mentor.

Not only did Jianjun side with the Jurchen as did other Kuei-jin in Kaifeng, he sought a new home away from Ye Yuan and Jing Wei. He was given authority to transfer to the Blood Court in Beijing. There he had the good fortune and timing to find a vacancy in a Wu especially for both his Dharmic path and Direction (North). The Wu’s focus was likewise up his alley, as an administrative branch of the Blood Court’s influence over mortals and Scarlet Screens. With Jianjun’s joining, it would become a “perfect” Wu by its members’ traditional ways – one of each Direction and Dharma. Thus, this Wu – the Bones of Meru – was welcomed into the official roster of the 1,000 Corpse Families. In 1108, he enjoyed one of his more prominent Auspicious Occasions when the pride of joining a great Wu and finding his path beyond the guidance of his mentor overshadowed his years as a Running Monkey. He felt inspired to his true purpose of guiding the masses of mankind. It wasn’t for the authority gained or even the progress of humanity itself, but simply doing good was good enough for the soul.

The Bones of Meru included Shou Dong of the Dance of the Thrashing Dragon, Shihong Nan of the Howl of the Devil Tiger, Zhaohui Zhong of the Path of 1,000 Whispers, and Ehuang Xi of the Song of Shadow. In kind with his Wu-mates, Jianjun changed his surname from Nian-zu to Bei (“North”). The Wu was blessed with the Nushi (guardian spirit), Jinwei, who expressed her intent that the Wu would help her “fill the sea” proverbially for all time. This meant she would aid them in bringing the chaos of the uncivilized world to heel. Jianjun impressed Dong with his social skills despite his severe attitude and behavior. Jianjun always resisted Dong’s come-ons; he was never a homosexual. On the other hand, he and Xi grew naturally closer and enjoyed a cool, calm romance with the beauty. He dedicated the entire second century of his unlife to the Wu. Jing Wei was easily forgotten, while he and Xi never put their love above guanxi and the needs of the Wu. The joy of love struck Jianjun most forcefully in 1146, for its beauty was measured in worth and divinity to the Resplendent Crane.

Jina Duties (Jin Dynasty)

Over decades, Jianjun was able to sharpen and regain much of his influence over the people even during the Jurchen takeover and the start of the Jin Dynasty. He won prestige and trust within the Blood Court, even as he modestly attested his success to at least in part assistance from his Wu-mates. To reward the young jina with a courtier role, he first had to pass a test. This test focused on his wisdom by presenting a moral dilemma involving real people. Two merchant families argued over rights to a small piece of arable land, and both had valid claims. But the land was too small to adequately split, in which lay the conundrum. If no resolution could be right, how was the problem fixed? Jianjun answered with sweeping righteousness and a cold-hearted “scorched earth” response. There, problem solved. Nobody gets the damn farm, because nobody deserved it. Jianjun was thereafter promoted to Warden of the Great Principle, a role tantamount to Assistant Magistrate.

The Bones of Meru gradually tightened their taloned grasp on Scarlet Screens in Beijing. Eventually, they found their influence over the imperial court waning and were advised to contact the Wu Lung. These mortal “Dragon Wizards” controlled the Ministry of Works, and thus had a direct influence over the Mandate of Heaven. To maximize their political control, the Kuei-jin would first have to get through these sorcerers. The Wu met with the wizards. Jianjun found them to be insufferably arrogant but immeasurably powerful. “Stay away from the Lightning People” became his personal motto thereafter. In exchange for their aid in reinforcing the official imperial paradigm in the Blood Court’s favor, the Bones of Meru were directed to suppress certain local spirits causing problems. This wasn’t the Wu’s specialty, but Jianjun saw it as an opportunity to develop other Arts, lore, and rituals.

War of Shattered Oaths (Yuan Dynasty)

An in-flux of foreigners began to plague the Jin Dynasty and Blood Court alike. Jianjun was present when Kin-jin – children of Caine – first visited with the Wan Kuei, in accompaniment to Marco Polo. He did not meet the gweilo, and was unable to form any real opinions about them at that time. They seemed rough around the edges but were courteous and deferential enough. They weren’t the foreigners that concerned Jianjun at this time.

The Mongols were on the rise with the Great Khans at the helm. As the Jin Dynasty was gradually crushed under the weight of the invaders, the shen like the Blood Court struggled to adapt. A so-called court of Mongolian Wan Kuei flooded Beijing, the Court of the Eternal Promise. A Midnight War (later known as the War of Shattered Oaths) was well underway, and it did not end even after the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty. Because the Scarlet Screens were threatened – heck, all of China was threatened – the Bones of Meru were directly involved in the defense of the Quincux.

War, intrigue, and treachery were constant for a long century of conflict. The Mongolian occupation never sat well with the Han and Manchu Chinese either. In 1317, Shou Dong fell in a particularly pitched battle in the city’s rural outskirts. Decades later, the Thrashing Dragon’s spot remained unfilled; the Wu would accept only a perfect substitute, and none came. The Bones of Meru, and Jianjun especially, were struck with another tragedy in 1359. As the Yuan Dynasty weakened, it became clear to the “Khan Kuei” that they could never defeat the Quincux. Negotiations for peace were underway, and Ehuang Xi was chosen as a mouthpiece for the Blood Court. But the talks were a trap, and in this great betrayal Xi was assassinated. The assassins were beaten back, but Jianjun saw only bloody tears that night. She gave him a parting gift of love, and then was lost to oblivion.

Secret Masters (Ming Dynasty)

Though Jianjun and Xi long kept their romance reserved and quiet, her loss hit him profoundly. Not only did he suffer diao as he came to question the real value of love and compassion on any level, but his personality was effaced with growing bitterness and cruelty. Furthermore, the great betrayal that still wrought the Mongolians’ loss became proof that surrendering one’s integrity was never worth a final push for victory, and that it was better to perish with honor.

With the Court of the Eternal Promise beaten, any lingering survivors were assimilated peacefully into the Quincux. All others were banished as heimin. The Blood Court and the Wu took stock of their losses. Jianjun, Nan, and Zhong were all that remained, and were in no hurry to imprudently replace Xi and Dong. Instead, they spent the next several decades re-asserting their influence over their Scarlet Screens. The Yuan Dynasty gave way to the Ming, with the Wan Kuei aiding the peasant revolt against the ruling Mongols. Jianjun personally helped birth the creation of the Jinyi Wei – the Ming’s imperial secret police – in order to clamp a swifter and firmer control of the empire.

With Xi’s loss, Jianjun grew closer to Shihong Nan. He needed a friend to lean on with his great love gone, and Zhong offered little respite in his detached Rootless Tree fashion. So the Crane and Tiger spent unusual amounts of time together. Jianjun learned where their Dharmic paths met, and how those paths then parted so widely. He ignored Nan’s claims that he was too stodgy and pent-up, repressing his sorrow and outrage over the loss of his Wu-mates. Jianjun instead channeled that angst into self-focus, mastering Internalize. After such reflection, by 1376 he realized the loss was not quite so terrible and he learned much about himself from the events. Most importantly, he realized the heart was far more resilient than hell wanted everyone to think.

Metapolitics (Ming Dynasty)

Forty years into the Ming Dynasty, Jianjun experienced another great epiphany while meditating. He came to understand the preciousness of his second chance in life, this Road Back. He respected life more – not the act of living, but the need to survive in order to transcend earthly existence. While he would gain little more significant wisdom in the next few centuries due to distraction by the 10,000 Clouds (common affairs), this boost propelled him to the next tier of Wan Kuei society. He demonstrated his newfound wisdom and approach to Dâh (Golconda) with a special ritual test before the Blood Court. He was able to gain Chi from breath.

This enlightenment was viewed as perfectly in sync and auspiciously timed with the retirement of the current Magistrate. He also gained wisdom and rose to the status of Ancestor, vacating that Mandarin position. Jianjun was awarded with that prominent role. The Bones of Meru remained only 3-strong as his Wu-mates likewise grew enlightened and took on greater responsibility.

So empowered, Jianjun put into play what would become centuries of political maneuvers and machinations that would influence and shape all of China. He helped to push for a re-focus on Confucian-styled class systems: legalism to resist rising mercantilism. Knowing desperate merchants would turn to the black market and spur pirates, it all became an excuse for him to crack down harder on crime and solidify his authority over the mortal realm. Jianjun also encouraged an agrarian focus even as he expanded the bureaucracy. Therefore, he pressed for more urbanization, including the building of more temples in Beijing, as well as the cloistering “divinity” of the imperial Forbidden City.

War of Forgotten Promises (Ming Dynasty)

And all of this was part and parcel of his ultimate authoritarian plan. From 1420 to 1440, Jianjun personally oversaw a project with which he was quite familiar. To aid the new drive for farming, he inspired the construction of new dams and irrigation. However, to affect such building he had to bargain with other shen – specifically the hsien of the Sui-Fu (Ministry of Water). Steep bribes in jade were required (the hsien’s bid to regain much of their treasures long ago stolen or lost). Jianjun also had to sign a spiritual contract that bound him to ensuring the rivers’ environments were not damaged with careless construction of these specific projects.

When the Mongols and “Khan Kuei” reared their heads again for strife, Jianjun assigned younger Wu to stem their trespass. It was Jianjun’s cold and detached advice to the Ming court that resolved the Tumu Crisis in 1449 – when the feeble emperor of the time was captured and ransomed, the demands were ignored. “The divine mandate of China was bigger than one man.”

Still, that was not enough to dissuade the Mongolian Wan Kuei from mounting a Shadow War against the Quincux (this later became known as the War of Forgotten Promises). Turncoats within the Blood Court sabotaged defenses and strategies. For fifty years, it fell to Jianjun and other elders to oversee the defeat of this enemy again. With a mixture of subtle manipulation and bold challenges, Jianjun helped the Quincux’s victory. “Little white lies” directed the Mongols’ attention to foolishly focus on attacking the Ancestors, playing on their hatred of the Han culture. When so aggravated, Jianjun then teased and coerced them into battles and duels of skill in combat they could not easily win. He even fought one duel against the famous Mongol jina, Sukhbataar Naran, whom the Crane trounced with condescending ease.

War of Gathered Clouds (Ming Dynasty)

Unfortunately, as urbanization of the Ming era grew, so did the anger of the Xiong Ren. They felt their habitat was being encroached. Their retaliation was hinted at with the spread of new and deadlier plagues. Despite strong efforts from the government to contain those diseases (even underwriting the costs of mass treatment), the plagues began wholesale death of people in the 16th and 17th centuries. Great investigation into the problems revealed the signature work of the Nezumi wererats. To spur greater contemporary opposition among the Quincux to the hengeyokai, Jianjun encouraged the spread of false rumors that the wererats were actually of the so-called Horde plague – i.e., Mongolian wererats.

With the Nezumi revealed as the culprits (regardless of their true origins), Midnight War was declared. The Wan Kuei came to call this conflict the War of Gathered Clouds, while the hengeyokai wrote it down in the Jade Record as the War of a Million Li (that is, “a million li are not enough”, a reference to the greed of the Hungry Dead for more territory and land). Brutal fighting ensued, and many powerful spirits actually sided with the Wan Kuei. However, as the Nezumi faced inevitable defeat, they called upon their Xiong Ren allies. Soon more rural shapeshifters dove into the war, and dragged their own great Totems into the conflicts. The fighting became bloodier over the decades, with sporadic but vicious fights claiming dozens of lives. Plots on both sides were foiled and exposed. With the threats posed to their Scarlet Screens, even Mandarins such as Jianjun and the Wu were deeply involved in the conflict, and luckily escaped permanent injury.

In 1556 near the onset of this Midnight War, a tremendous earthquake – the most devastating on record in the entire world – shook China. Some saw this is as a sign that the gods were unhappy with the conflict between the shen, others blamed one side or the other. Jianjun interpreted it entirely different and positively. With so much death and spiritual distortion, it shook up the status quo of everyone’s mentality. It made him much more aware of the underlying spirituality in all the world. He was even able to prove to the court that he could literally “taste” the essence of the Chi underlying the universe. Unfortunately, as the war (and his involvement in it) dragged on, diao inevitably dragged him down. In 1636, only a few years before a truce was settled, he felt a profound sense of doubt in the spiritual value of others. Such arrogance and cynicism clouded his vision and was an unsurprising bellwether of the end of the Fourth Age.

Him Again (Qing Dynasty)

As the Fourth Age and the Midnight War with the hengeyokai wound down, the Quincux overall solidified its influence and power in anticipation of the darker times ahead. This coincided with the Manchu conquest and Qing Dynasty, which was merely a screen for a strengthening of authority of the backing Wan Kuei. However, the courts were still shaken up as many old and powerful Gui Ren flocked to the Forbidden City. A reshuffling of the undead bureaucracy threatened many positions, as Ancestors came to claim roles traditionally meant for younger Mandarins.

Undoubtedly, this was due to the diao many frightened elders felt at the turning of the Wheel of Destiny. Jianjun luckily did not lose his position, though his Wu-mates endured demotions. His Wu consequently was sapped of prestige and influence within the court. Moreover, the Crane was bitterly distracted when his old rival, Jing Wei, also moved to Beijing. Wei was granted a ranking role in the Blood Court, putting him nearly on par with Jianjun (though he didn’t have nearly the same amount of respect). Jianjun refrained from anything outright, and instead stooped to general acrimony and barbed pokes to test one another’s patience and wits.

Broken Family (Qing Dynasty)

By the turn of the 18th century, the Fifth Age – the Age of Darkness – was well under way. There was less panic in the Quincux than expected. Instead, cynicism was more pervasive. Jianjun was no exception, and felt compelled to dig in his heels to maintain power. The Quincux soon formed into the bureaucratic state known today, with five elemental courts at the head overseeing the branches of smaller courts and the 1,000 Corpse Families. Jianjun helped push for this dissolution of all dissident courts in China. The agenda of the Qing Dynasty became irrelevant to Jianjun; the Wu Lung refused to restore the Mandate of Heaven for the Manchurians. Jianjun was much more interested in controlling the empire’s infrastructure. This lack of foresight and general cynicism worsened the populace’s unrest, and the security clampdowns Jianjun encouraged didn’t help either.

Still, Jianjun managed to recuperate some of his spent efforts and came to realize in 1709 that the Fifth Age was not a time of terror. It was a time to prepare himself and help prepare the world for the nadir of the Wheel, the Sixth Age. Thus did he reclaim some of his Dharmic wisdom. Shihong Nan did not become so optimistic, however. The Devil Tiger’s irritability and cruelty led him to toying with Banes and other Yomi spirits, letting them wreak limited havoc for his own amusement. The bakemono goblins he ran slaughtered one too many innocents in 1729 and drew the attention of a powerful, famous Shih demon hunter – Tengfei Daolu. Shihong Nan’s minions were summarily destroyed and Nan himself was staked through the heart and left for the sun by a magical arrow that homed in on a corrupt heart. The Shih vanished as quickly as he arrived, leaving only Jianjun and Zhong in the Wu. The Bones of Meru were sorrowfully dissolved; Jinwei vanished back to Heaven, and Heping Zhong (as his original surname turned out to be) wandered west.

Wars of Flesh & Blood (Qing Dynasty)

Isolated and alone, Jianjun stayed focus on his duties and authority in Beijing. One hundred years after Nan’s death, Jianjun experienced an epiphany that empowered him even as he recognized the valediction: no matter how light a touch he might wield, he would always be in danger of Final Death while meddling in mortal affairs, whether for good or ill. So he had little interest in new faces, and when the Kin-jin began to arrive along with more Europeans he was unmoved. The influx of would-be colonists was just an irritant at first, and Jianjun ignored them for the most part. He found the Kin-jin, and all Westerners, to be obtuse and barbaric. Their inexcusable condescending attitudes only enflamed his own. The few rare times he actually dealt with the Kin-jin ended negatively and unproductively. Of course, as more Kin-jin arrived to take advantage of the “unclaimed land of China”, the threat to his authority and the mortal herd became more obvious. Jianjun helped devise laws that segregated the gweilo in their own little part of the city, known as the Legation Quarter.

The rising tensions between Kin-jin and Kuei-jin worsened in short order. The lack of focused direction of the people pushed popular unrest into full-blown rebellions against the Qing and their secret undead masters. And the Wan Kuei were too caught up fending off rapacious Kin-jin in Midnight Wars, particularly in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and even Beijing. Since those were the seats of three elemental courts of the Quincux, this became known as the Wars of Flesh and Blood.

Coinciding with this strife was the first of the Opium Wars in 1840. The opium epidemic became a serious concern for Jianjun. He strongly opposed doping up the peasants, finding it repulsive and villainous. Indeed, it was quite in line with the will of Yama Kings. And like many Wan Kuei, he laid the blame of the drug trade squarely at the feet of the Westerners and their Kin-jin backers. While China lost to the united Western empires, the undead behind the scenes fought to a brutal draw. Jianjun personally fought in numerous battles; he saw more action this century than he did in all the rest put together. Jianjun touted many advantages against the Cainites: his balanced Chi immunized him to the paralyzing stake to the heart, his strong Hun sharpened his awareness and enabled him to spot would-be assassins, and his mastery of some of the most potent Wan Kuei Arts gave him a distinct edge against the dynamic and powerful clan duo, the Tremere and Ventrue. He helped drive the Kin-jin back in Beijing, keeping them contained in the Legation Quarter.

Severed Feud (Qing Dynasty)

It seemed as if the Wan Kuei would come out ahead with ease. But in 1863, Jianjun experienced a personal hazard like never before. He went to neutral grounds to arrange a peace treaty with the Beijing Kin-jin. Expecting peaceful negotiation with the so-called Ventrue “Prince”, Richard Blythe, he and his party instead walked into an ambush of lesser Kin-jin. The ambush quickly became a bloodbath from which he barely survived and escaped. The talks were set up by Jing Wei, who clearly set the trap for his old rival. This treachery struck an off-chord of diao in Jianjun’s heart, because even as war washed over his unlife again, Wei’s betrayal shattered the last measure of trust Jianjun had in his own kind. Filled with cold fury at this betrayal, Jianjun summoned Heping Zhong back from Chongqing. He needed Zhong’s mastery of mystical rites to help him even the score and punish the traitor that now sided with Kin-jin over his own. Zhong performed a ritual that temporarily altered the very fabric of Jianjun’s internal chi, granting him a manic imbalance of Yang and enabling him to stay awake at dawn and even resist direct sunlight.

Thus modified, Jianjun and Zhong snuck into the Kin-jin’s compound in the Legation Quarter. They slayed numerous guards (ghouls) and seized a wakeful and worried Jing Wei. Knowing he was now branded an akuma, Wei tried to fight to the death to retain his honor. Jianjun and Zhong together overpowered the rogue Crane and dragged him back before the court. He was put on trial to discover why he betrayed his race. Was he coerced or did he volunteer? And it turned out he simply surrendered to greed and despair as he faced the end of times. His disdain for the people and his envy of Jianjun’s methodical success were also reasons. In 1864, Jing Wei was executed by tying him to a stake and burning him to ash by soulflaying him with ghost-flame.

Despite all efforts, the Wars of Flesh and Blood were ultimately lost. The Flame Court was banished from Hong Kong in the Kin-jin’s conquest of that city. Shanghai was compromised by Japanese gaki who filled the vacuum of Kin-jin who were driven back, and they were proving to be just as cruel. Only the Blood Court survived, and not without accepting the collapse of imperial authority. Jianjun and all other Resplendent Cranes were forced to rethink the source of their influence. The old divine mandates were things of the ancient past, relics of the Fourth Age. Jianjun took it as another sign that the spirits could not be relied upon for success in this Age or the next. He began to gradually accept that technology and science could and must be the new primary source of power.

Straightening the Wicked (Mao Dynasty)

As the 20th century began, the Ancestor of the Blood Court gathered all the Mandarins to discuss the future of the entire Quincux (and thus the vast majority of the Wan Kuei). Massive, bloody wars were raged across the globe while the Gui Ren determined that this Western idea of Communism was the key to adapt the Middle Kingdom to a new global theater. With legalistic Confucianism blended into Marxist ideas, it was easier and more tasteful for Jianjun and the other Mandarins to consolidate authority over the puppet government. Despite the advantage that the Chinese nationalists held at first, the Quincux foresaw the inevitable victory of the Communist party and backed it over what would flee to become the Republic of China in Taiwan.

To Jianjun and other Gui Ren, Communism was a tool and nothing more to secure China against colonialism and the Western supernatural influences of the Kin-jin. After World War II, Kin-jin and their Western puppet empires tried to chop China up. Jianjun spearheaded a house cleaning of Beijing, driving out Kin-jin remnants from the new Communist capital. The Kin-jin were clearly a grave threat to the success of the Shining Ice Guardians’ schemes of promoting a new moral world order. The Kin-jin, in their shameful greed and vacuous want, were too dishonorable and vapid to be allowed to even catch a whiff of the Quincux’s plans. In 1958, he actually gleaned wisdom through his disdain of the gweilo: by examining the flaws of the Kin-jin, this critical scrutiny helped underline the greatness of Xue and the Fivefold Way.

Great Leap Outward (Mao Dynasty)

Just like the Communists’ Great Leap Outward proposals, Jianjun helped orchestrate this ambitious goal of the Wan Kuei from its inception. It was he who taught the first infiltrator Wu about groundwork and patience. Despite his prestige and wisdom, the Ancestor asked Jianjun to step up and help this expansionistic goal. The Kin-jin had to be put on the defensive, and only with someone as experienced and powerful as he could it work. So in 1972, Jianjun agreed to move to America. He moved to San Francisco’s Chinatown, joining the new Court of the Prismatic Storm as the Demon-Slaying General. There he began to rebuild his influence and authority slowly but surely. He worked from the dirt up, gathering new forces to strike out at the shriveled heart of the Kin-jin homeland.

Decades later, with the Sixth Age just around the corner, Jianjun did not feel fully prepared to mount a surprise attack. But he knew before long he could help reverse the fortunes of the Wan Kuei with a war far more righteous than the larcenous and iniquitous Opium Wars that marked the last major conflict between Kuei-jin and Kin-jin. The Kin-jin fought for money and blood. He would fight for their very souls, and if he lost…Heaven help them all. The Sixth Age would then surely be the last age.

The P'o


The Demon Within Nian-zu Jianjun is a cruel tyrant indeed. Whereas other Shining Ice Guardians try to yoke a P'o recalcitrant in its own wicked interpretations of the Way, Jianjun's is malevolently simple. No laws or moral codes can restrain its spite and intemperance from lashing out against those who prove themselves weaker and stupider than he. Jianjun is an elitist in the worst sense of the word, and this character flaw expends mightily when the Demon is at the reins by hook or crook.

Jade Talismans


Black
Level: 4
Chi: 4 Yin
Origin: This medallion once belonged to Xi Ehuang, his Shadow-Song lover and Wu-sister from ages ago. It was passed to him in her last dying moments.
Description: A medallion of the classic yin-yang contains this black jade: the Yin section is black jade; the white Yang section is expensive but non-magical elephant ivory.

Weakness

Bloody Feathers



Jianjun's driving ambition propels him forward, but not as far as he could and should go. His desire to enact his temporal goals and to crush all competition holds him back from obtaining true wisdom. Though old enough to have been made Ancestor by now, his malice maintains his Mandarin status instead.

Likelihood of Corruption


Low.

Despite his frustration with his sluggish progress, Jianjun enjoys a sense of relaxation, accepting the fact that he may be biting his own tail until the Sixth Age dawns. As the adage goes, "always content yet never satisfied".

As for external sources, his power and experience alone dissuades the average Yomi from even hanging around his general vicinity. Yama Kings have whispered to him as they whisper to all Wan Kuei, and for 1,000 years he has ignored their siren calls. Even with the possible crowning of the Demon Emperor just around the corner, Jianjun keeps his honor and poise no matter what.

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