Kànbujiàn (Chinese: 看不見; lit.: 'invisible'; 'unable to be seen') are Kuei-jin that have taken the Second Breath outside the Middle Kingdom and somehow managed to transcend their chih-mei phase out of sheer force of will.
Overview[]
Kànbujiàn typically arise like any other Kuei-jin, souls that flee Yomi's torments and reinhabit their bodies. After transcending the chih-mei state, most lack a mentor or someone else that explains their new state to them. While most commit suicide by stepping into the sun, others decide to cling to their new existence.
As they lack a Dharma, the kànbujiàn instead rely on makeshift "Paths". These Paths are wildly diverse, lacking any overarching structure. Their common focus is on one specific Virtue (like the Hun or the P'o) on which they cling. The Cathayan accepts and follows tenets supporting that virtue, deepening their understanding of it and eventually leading toward greater enlightenment. Essentially, each kànbujiàn creates his own Dharma through painstaking trial-and-error, similar to the ancient Wan Kuei before Xue. Some kànbujiàn become victims of their own blindness. Some find the path too hard and fall to the temptations of the Yama Kings, becoming akuma. A kànbujiàn who tries and fails at all five Virtues meets Final Death and is torn from the Great Cycle.
Kànbujiàn can only learn those Disciplines that rely not on instruction. Shintai and Demon Arts are the most common, while most Soul Disciplines and Chi Arts are out of the question, since they need an instructor.
The Wan Kuei pity the Kànbujiàn for their ignorance and usually kill them out of mercy. Others are taken captive and brought to the Middle Kingdom to receive proper instruction. Since the rise of the New Promise Mandarinate, some seek to instruct them in the new Court, instead of shipping them overseas and even offering them positions of influence. While the Ancestors of the Quincunx frown upon this, the Bamboo Princes find themselves interested in Kuei-jin uncorrupted by the Quincunx and its propaganda. The Kindred have not yet seen the potential of the kànbujiàn, regarding them as Caitiff with exotic weaknesses.
References[]
- KOTE: Kindred of the East Companion
, p.116-117 - KOTE: San Francisco by Night , p.22, 126, 131-132