W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

Tengu society is as egalitarian as that of the Coraxworldwide, with no Auspices or particular deference basedon rank. Those who serve the Beast Courts adhere tothe rank system of the Way of Emerald Virtue and mostoften take on the Leaf Auspice when they join a sentai.Among their own kind, Tengu settle disputes usinggames rather than physical combat. Often, these gamesuse unknowing human pawns. The competing wereravensmanipulate two or more humans into taking part in somecompetition, where each wereraven bets on and perhapssecretly aids a particular human contestant. Even oncethe contest is over, the humans rarely have any idea thattheir contest was anything more than a drunken rivalryor a series of unfortunate coincidences.Tengu Traits and GiftsThough the Tengu of the Beast Courts werethe original innovators of most of the wereravenbattle-Gifts, such as Bloody Feather Storm,these ‘secrets’ have long since been disseminatedamong the greater body of the Corax.Zhong-LungThe reverence for dragons presentin many Asian cultures extends to theChanging Breeds, and while the Zhong-Lung are neither particularly numerousnor significantly wiser than the otherstreams, they are easily the most respected.Unlike other Mokolé, these ancient reptileshave archid forms that appear as the dragonsof legend. Also, while some Zhong-Lung arekin to monitor lizards or freshwater crocodiles,many are related to the large ocean-going saltwatercrocodiles. These beasts are found all acrosscoastal Asia, from Myanmar to China, as well as theshores of Indonesia and Australia. The sea-going Zhong-Lung have close ties both with others of theirkind who live in rivers and swamps, and with theSame-Bito with whom they share the same seas.Although they can be fierce warriors whensomething threatens them or their allies, when notfacing and immediate threat, most Zhong-Lung remainlost in the dreams of Mnesis. Even homid Zhong-Lungtake little interest in the activities of humans or in eventsbeyond the scope of their families and local Beast Court.OrganizationThe lives of male and female Zhong-Lung are verydifferent. Male Zhong Lung (or k’iulung) usually livealone, coming together only to mate, confer, defendtheir homes or attend to court matters. Female ZhongLung (or chi’lung) are far more social, living in groups ofthree or four called ching-tu, to protecttheir young and any pregnantfemales. A female elder knownas an “aunt” (aiyi)rules each ching-tu.Male Zhong Lungtypically spendseveral monthswith theirAPPENDIX TWO: HENGEYOKAI 279