Hengeyokai Renown
Contents
- 1 The Mandates
- 1.1 Shirk Not the Tasks Which Have Been Given You
- 1.2 Guard the Wheel That It May Turn in Fullness
- 1.3 Presume Not to Instruct Your Cousin in His Task
- 1.4 Honor Your Territory in All Things
- 1.5 Let Mercy Guide You in Our August Mother's Court
- 1.6 Honor Your Ancestors and Your Elders
- 1.7 Honor the Pacts with the Spirit World
- 1.8 War Not Upon Human nor Beast
- 1.9 Let No One or Nothing Violate the Sacred Places
- 2 Categories
- 3 Sample Renown Awards
- 4 Renown Awards/Penalties by Changing Breed
The Mandates
Shirk Not the Tasks Which Have Been Given You
In essence, the First Mandate requires each Changing Breed of the Courts to serve the Mother in the manner in which She intended. No Garou of the courts may turn from the path of battling the Wyrm; no Tengu may neglect his duty to uncover the secrets of the enemy; no Zhong Lung may forget even the most painful of memories. In Her sagacity, Gaia granted each shapechanger with a duty; to insult Her wisdom by choosing another path is a dreadful offense. In particular,this mandate forbids hengeyokai from abandoning the Courts to live "a normal life" as a human or animal - the Mother's gifts were not meant to be ignored or squandered.
Those who violate this fundamental mandate, whether through sloth, cowardice or other failings of virtue, are punished by the Rite of Quiet Burial. As creatures literally born into a life's purpose, hengeyokai have no patience for dilettantes.
Guard the Wheel That It May Turn in Fullness
The Wheel of Ages' turning is certain, but it is not invulnerable to sabotage. Many shen, particularly the hell-born Kuei-jin, would be happy to see the Wheel stop in the age of their choice.The hengeyokai, creatures of balance, were created in part so that they might ensure that each age would rule in turn, and then be succeeded by the next. The hengeyokai have been promised that if they are successful in this, the Wheel will eventually turn to the Twelfth Age, when Heaven and Earth will again be made one. Gaia will be healed of all Her ills, and Her faithful servants' bodies and spirits will be made one with All. Such a perfection of the universe seems very far away - in fact, nothing more than a pipe dream in the bloody, stinking Fifth Age. Yet it is the one true hope of the Courts that this may yet come to pass, and thousands of hengeyokai have given their lives for just that purpose.
Presume Not to Instruct Your Cousin in His Task
Each must be trusted to perform his duties fittingly, or the Courts would devolve into a swirling mass of chaos where progress would be impossible. This mandate forbids hengeyokai from ignoring their own work to criticize their fellows'; on general principle, a warrior should not instruct a sorcerer in how best to work a ritual, and a spy should not correct a diplomat in his manners. Of course, this mandate doesn't prevent a spy from warning a general of forces that would make a given plan of attack suicide, or any similar hengeyokai from sharing wisdom relevant to a given field. It mainly reminds the hengeyokai that superior expertise should be heeded, and that each Breed is presumed to possess such expertise in the task for which they were create
Honor Your Territory in All Things
There are numerous ways to interpret this mandate, but a few things are consistent from court to court. Hengeyokai are expected to keep their lands in a proper state, the best to honor the spirits, maintain a healthy flow of energy and ensure that Gaia's skin remains pure and unsullied. The Courts also tend to classify treatment of Kinfolk and even local humans under this mandate, ruling that a territory is the sum of all things within its boundaries. Naturally, each of the hengeyokai interpret "proper and honorable treatment" of humans as suits them best- the Hakken school their Kin in the lower affairs of the Courts, whereas the Nezumi act as gardeners to their human charges in a slightly different fashion.
Let Mercy Guide You in Our August Mother's Court
More than anything, this mandate was decreed to prevent bloodshed between hengeyokai. Although logic dictates that all are equal servants of the Mother, logic and enlightenment are all too easily overridden by the power of Rage. There are enemies aplenty thirsting for hengeyokai blood; there is no point to losing it to an ally's blade.
Honor Your Ancestors and Your Elders
Without the wisdom of those who have gone before, the beast-folk would be no greater than their animal kin. Just as humans in various Asian cultures go to great lengths to propitiate their ancestors, the hengeyokai perform many rituals to properly honor their Ancestor-spirits, whom they refer to collectively as the Courts of the Ancestors.
Similarly, the hengeyokai must be of reverent demeanor when dealing with their elders. With age comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes strength. Just as the Courts encourage one to learn the lessons taught by the Wheel of Ages, it is deemed only proper to listen to the "voice of experience."
Honor the Pacts with the Spirit World
All rites and rituals are to be performed in the proper fashion, and proper obeisance must be made in the presence of the great powers of the Yang World. As creatures partly spirit themselves, the hengeyokai must always be true to their nature by honoring the spirit world, a vital part of their own being.
War Not Upon Human nor Beast
Some might see this mandate as a simple rule of survival, much like the Western vampires' Masquerade - humanity is so numerous, and so destructive, that if they learned of the hengeyokai, they would be able to wipe the shapechangers from the face of the Earth. However, this mandate was composed long before the Chinese had gunpowder, in a time where humanity was hardly a threat. Instead, this edict is meant to remind the hengeyokai that their nature contains that of human and animal, and that neither side must be abandoned.
This mandate does not forbid violence against humanity or other animals - it forbids active campaigns against species, settlements or the like. The Impergium was deemed a failure, and there simply are not enough hengeyokai to reinstate it in this age without dooming themselves to extinction. In performing one's duties, it may transpire that many human deaths are necessary - but those deaths should never be the first object of a hengeyokai's mission.
Let No One or Nothing Violate the Sacred Places
Of all the mandates, the Final Mandate is the most inviolable. The sacred sites of the Earth were entrusted to the hengeyokai in the Second Age, and betraying that trust - thereby abandoning the world to a fate of decay - is unthinkable.
Betrayal of this mandate is punished with nothing less than the Rite of Hell made Flesh, and often by other measures besides.
Categories
GloryGlory speaks for itself- risking one's life on the battlefield against the Centipede's armies, valiantly defending a dragon nest from attack by hostile Namebreakers thirsty for the power contained within it, overcoming overwhelming odds to achieve an important mission for the Emerald Mother. These deeds spring from the lips of Court historians. But Glory also includes less glamorous actions, as long as they embody courage, steadfastness, and loyalty. Useless Deaths or ritual suicide does not earn Glory Renown. The hengeyokai know that their numbers are so few that useless death does not add to the cause of the Emerald Mother. Those who live bravely and fight honorably and fiercely accomplish more than those that die gloriously but to no effort. |
VirtueVirtue Renown includes holding fast to the Mandates, cultivating honesty, integrity, compassion and civility in one's everyday dealings and striving to live in perfect accordance with the Great Cycle of Being and the Wheel of the Ages. Where Western shapechangers might consider these qualities to be contained within their definition of Honor, hengeyokai recognize that honor carries many meanings. To the Hakken, honor requires living up to the code of the warrior; the Nezumi, however, have a different definition of honor. Virtue, however, consists of living up to the standards set out for each particular hengeyokai breed, rather than behaving according to a specific set of morals. Nezumi earn Virtue through adhering to their purpose in Gaia's plan; Hakken by serving as Gaia's warriors. This Renown category encourages cooperation among the hengeyokai and those with little Virtue lose respect within the Beast Courts. |
WisdomWisdom Renown comes from listening to one's inner nature and paying attention to the teachings of the spirits of the Mirror Lands and the Court of the Ancestors. Hengeyokai earn Wisdom by adhering to duty, obeying the elders of the Court, and trying to live the perfection epitomized by the unity of the First Age. Hengeyokai with little Wisdom often fail to achieve anything of lasting import- including the rise in rank that comes with earning Renown. |
(Ref: Player's Guide to the Changing Breeds Rev. 185-186)
Sample Renown Awards
Source: (http://kosaten2003.tripod.com/renown.html) This isn't from the books, and is subject to change by staff.
Combat and Encounters
| Activity | Glory | Virtue | Wisdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Besting someone (including a spirit) in a riddle contest | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Showing restraint in the face of certain death | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ending a threat without serious harm to any fellow Courtmates | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Surviving an Incapacitating wound | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Surviving any toxic waste attack | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Attacking a minion of the Centipede without regard to personal safety | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Defeating a minor minion of the Centipede (a Kalus, a Yomi-infested animal, a Running Monkey Kuei-jin) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Defeating an average minion of the Centipede (a Blight Child, bakemono, an experienced Kuei-jin) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Defeating a strong minion of the Centipede (a Face Jacket, a Goblin Spider, a Jina Kuei-jin) | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Defeating a very strong minion of the Centipede (a Mukade, a Mandarin Kuei-jin) | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| ...destroying/killing the minion | +1 | 0 | 0 |
| ...without being damaged or hurt in the process | +1 | 0 | 0 |
| ...the minions were armed with silver/gold weapons | +1 | 0 | 0 |
| Attacking a much more powerful force without aid | 0 | -1 | -3 |
| Attacking an opponent who is not truly an enemy | -1 | -2 | -2 |
Detecting the Centipede
| Activity | Glory | Virtue | Wisdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revealing, with certain proof, that a human or Kinfolk is "of the Wyrm" | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Revealing, with certain proof, that an area or object is "of the Wyrm" | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Revealing, with certain proof, that a fellow Courtmate is "of the Wyrm" | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Falsely accusing a Kinfolk of being "of the Wyrm" | 0 | -2 | -5 |
| Falsely accusing a Courtmate of being "of the Wyrm" | 0 | -6 | -6 |
Mystical
| Activity | Glory | Virtue | Wisdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purifying a Wyrm-tainted person, place, or thing | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Summing an Incarna avatar | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Traveling to any of the Umbral Realms and surviving | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Successfully completing a spirit quest in the Umbra | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Having and properly following a prophetic dream | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Giving a prophetic warning that later comes true | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Spending a year in ritualistic seclusion (fasting, meditation, etc.) | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Discovering a talen | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Discovering a fetish | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Discovering ancient hengeyokai or shen lore | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Discovering a Pathstone (as per the Rite of the Opened Bridge) | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Discovering an ancient Dragon Nest that was lost | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Failing to succeed in a spirit quest in the Umbra | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| Giving a prophetic warning that later does not come true | 0 | 0 | -5 |
| Ignoring omens, dreams, and the like for no good reason | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| Binding "inappropriate" items to oneself through the Rite of Talisman Dedication (like firearms, Game Boys, even wristwatches; city-bound shifters like Glass Walkers are exempt) | 0 | 0 | -2 |
Rites and Gifts
| Activity | Glory | Virtue | Wisdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performing the Rite of the Opened Way | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Performing the Rite of the Great Burden (only when inducting a member into the Beast-Courts) | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Receiving a Rite of Wounding | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Performing a Rite of Dragon Nest Building | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Participating in a Rite of Dragon Nest Building | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Performing a Punishment Rite | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Learning a new Rite | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Discovering/creating a new Rite | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Discovering/creating a new Gift | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Missing a Rite of the Emerald Assembly | 0 | -2 | -2 |
| Suffering the Rite of Ostracism | -1 | -7 | -1 |
| Suffering the Stone of Scorn | 0 | -8 | -2 |
| Suffering the Rite of the Jackal | -2 | -7 | 0 |
| Suffering a Satire Rite | lose one rank and all temp renown | ||
| Suffering a Rite of the Quiet Burial | 0 | -5 | -5 |
| Performing a Punishment Rite unjustly (botching the roll) | 0 | -5 | -4 |
| Refusing to participate in a Rite | 0 | -1 | -2 |
| Giggling, joking, or otherwise being disrespectful during a Rite (depends on the severity) | 0 | 0 | -2 to -6 |
Fetishes
| Activity | Glory | Virtue | Wisdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creating a talen(s) | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Creating a fetish | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Using a fetish for the good of the Court | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sacrificing a fetish for the good of the Court | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Using a fetish for only selfish reasons | 0 | -1 | -3 |
| Accidentally breaking or losing a fetish/talen | 0 | -1 | -1 to -5 |
Dragon Nest Activities
| Activity | Glory | Virtue | Wisdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helping guard a Dragon Nest | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Staying at your post when on Dragon Nest watch, even when tempted not to | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Keeping a Dragon Nest safe from humans through trickery or negotiation | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Helping to prevent a Dragon Nest from being overrun by the Centipede | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Died while defending a Dragon Nest (posthumous) | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Single-handedly preventing a Dragon Nest from being taken by the Centipede | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| Not staying at your post when on Dragon Nest watch | 0 | -4 | 0 |
| Not helping to guard a Dragon Nest, even when asked | 0 | -5 | 0 |
| Not preventing a Dragon Nest from being overrun by the Centipede | -3 | -7 | 0 |
Garou and Shen Relations & Society
| Activity | Glory | Virtue | Wisdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teaching other hengeyokai (depends on the depth of the study) | 0 | 1 to 5 | 1 to 5 |
| Learning the Jade Scrolls (a lifetime's work -- this is the history of the hengeyokai in the Middle Kingdom and the Wheel of Ages) | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| For a homid hengeyokai, surviving to age 75 | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| For a animal-breed hengeyokai, surviving to age 65 | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| Performing regular duties and chores for the Court (not including the duties appointed as Agents of a particular Ministry, though the Ministers may receive this award for their efforts in coordinating their Ministries for the Clan -- this is gained at the monthly Assembly) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Serving in any Court position | 1/year | 3/year | 1/year |
| Loyal service to the Court | 1/year | 2/year | 1/year |
| Loyal service to one's Changing Breed | 1/year | 3/year | 1/year |
| Upholding the Mandates of the Emerald Mother (depends on the lengths to which the character goes) | 0 | 1 to 5 | 1 to 3 |
| Participating in a just challenge | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Mending any bitter relations with the local Sunset People, Chi'n Ta, Hsien, Kuei-jin, wraiths, or Shih | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Establishing new diplomatic relations with any of the groups mentioned above (when under instruction to do so) | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| For a homid, ignoring one's animal nature for too long | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| For an animal breed, ignoring one's human nature for too long | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| For a metis, attempting to hide one's deformity | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| Living alone, without one's sentai, except for ritual reasons | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| Failing to perform regular duties and chores for the Court | 0 | -3 | 0 |
| Refusing any Court position | -1 | -2 | -1 |
| Breaking the Mandates (depending on the severity) | 0 | -5 to -8 | -2 to -4 |
| Participating in an unjust challenge | 0 | -3 | 0 |
| Challenging someone far too above or too far below your Rank | 0 | -3 | 0 |
| Harming diplomatic relations with the local Sunset People, chi'n ta, hsien, Kuei-jin, wraiths, or Shih | 0 | -4 | -4 |
General Behavior
| Activity | Glory | Virtue | Wisdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giving good advice to a fellow hengeyokai | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Mediating a dispute fairly and impartially | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Keeping one's promises | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Being truthful | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Being truthful in the face of extreme adversity | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Behaving with proper protocol | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Telling a good story at an Assembly | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Telling a true epic at an Assembly, one that is later retold by others | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Telling an epic that is entered into the Jade Scrolls | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Healing a fellow hengeyokai (non-sentai member) selflessly | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Showing mercy to a wayward hengeyokai | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Protecting a helpless hengeyokai | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Protecting a helpless human | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Protecting a helpless animal (especially of the same Breed) | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Supporting an innocent being accused of a crime (who is later proved innocent) | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Death while defending your sentai | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Death in sacrifice to the Emerald Mother | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Giving bad advice | 0 | -1 | -2 |
| Mediating a dispute unfairly | 0 | -5 | 0 |
| Failing to keep one's promises | 0 | -4 | 0 |
| Being deceptive (depends on Changing Breed) | 0 | -3 | 0 |
| Being deceptive in the face of extreme adversity (depending on Breed) | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Any time trickery backfires | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| Behaving without proper etiquette | 0 | -2 | 0 |
| Attempting to act outside one's Auspice, openly (depending on circumstance) | 0 | -1 to -5 | 0 |
| Speaking dishonorably to one's elders (depending on the severity) | 0 | -2 to -7 | 0 |
| Speaking without permission at an Assembly | 0 | -2 | 0 |
| Speaking poorly of the hengeyokai at whole | 0 | -2 | 0 |
| Speaking poorly of one's Auspice | 0 | -3 | 0 |
| Speaking poorly of one's Changing Breed | 0 | -5 | 0 |
| Speaking poorly of one's own sentai | 0 | -6 | 0 |
| Speaking poorly of another Changing Breed (depending on circumstance) | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| "Crying Wolf" (i.e., summoning the warriors of the Court when there is no real and present danger) | 0 | -5 | 0 |
| Not protecting a helpless hengeyokai | 0 | -5 | 0 |
| Not protecting a helpless human | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Not protecting a helpless animal (especially of the same Breed) | 0 | -6 | 0 |
| Supporting an innocent being accused of a crime (who is later proven guilty) | 0 | -4 | -2 |
| Character suffers a berserk frenzy | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| Character suffers a fox frenzy | -1 | 0 | -2 |
| Character suffers a fox frenzy, abandoning his sentai or Court-mates in time of need | -3 | -3 | -3 |
| Character suffers a frenzy and injures Courtmates | -1 | -3 | -3 |
| The character was in the Thrall of the Wyrm | 0 | -3 | -4 |
| The character performed heinous acts while in the Thrall of the Wyrm | 0 | -6 | -5 |
Human Kinfolk & Relations
| Activity | Glory | Virtue | Wisdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintaining good relations with nearby Kinfolk | 0 | 1/year | 2/year |
| Choosing a mate and breeding properly | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Honorably mated | 0 | 2/year | 0 |
| Protecting the Veil | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Repairing the Veil (covering up an instance that could reveal the hengeyokai to humans) | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Having poor relations with nearby Kinfolk | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| Choosing a mate, but not breeding | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| Harming/rending the Veil | 0 | -4 | -1 |
Renown Awards/Penalties by Changing Breed
The Storyteller should arbitrate his Renown awards and losses depending on the character's Changing Breed. Each Breed holds different activities in higher or lesser esteem and Renown reflects accordingly, even within the multi-Breed Beast-Courts. As a general guide, assume the following bonuses and penalties apply to the Changing Breeds listed under each category. In every event, the difference is only +1/-1 Renown.
- Combat & Encounters: Garou, Nezumi, Same-Bito
- Detecting the Centipede: Bastet, Nagah, Tengu
- Mystical: Kitsune, Tengu, Zhong Lung
- Rites & Gifts: Nagah, Zhong Lung
- Fetishes: none
- Dragon Nest Activities: none
- Hengeyokai and Shen Society & Relations: none
- General Behavior: Kitsune, Nagah
- Human Kinfolk & Relations: none
Note again that these are general guidelines. Storytellers may feel free to alter any Renown awards they want. Often, the Changing Breed supplements offer alternative means for a particular Breed to gain (or lose) Renown, and these sources may be employed as well if appropriate even for the Path of Emerald Virtue. Staying true to one's Breed is expected in the Beast-Courts.
