Like trees, the Laughing Rainbows of the Thrashing Dragons Dharma rise out of the fertile ground and unite it with the raging sky. These Kuei-jin are as alive as the undead can be. Bursting with life-energy, the followers of the Green Way resemble the forces of nature – too powerful to be silenced, too vivid to be real. As far as they're concerned, creation is a rainbow – illusory, but too colourful to ignore. In its colours, they see the unity and symmetry of Heaven. The idea, as the Dragons see it, is to experience each of those colours as vividly as possible. As a result, Laughing Rainbows are in general messy and vulgar, indulging themselves with wild feasts and drunken orgies - celebrations that usually feature living "entertainment," too. The lands of the Golden Courts hide Rainbow temples so infamous that even vampires avoid them. In their calmer moments, a Thrashing Dragon can be gentle and compassionate. Like wood, they grow tall and strong, yet bend before snapping. They nurture life, yet feed on it without remorse.
Shunning society's restrictions, they explore life's lush infinities through martial arts and Tantric practices. Since life assumes ten thousand forms, most Thrashing Dragons master shapeshifting arts. The Thrashing Dragon way is highly animistic. Looking deep into nature, each Rainbow sees the spirits beneath life's skin, and they honor them with thanks, gifts, and rites. Truly skilled Dragons can move beyond the Wall and speak to the spirits in their own tongue; a younger one simply recognises the kami and grants them respect. Thrashing Dragons are also known for their willingness to involve others in their lives. Life is not a solitary game - it requires lovers and rivals and romance and danger, if it is to keep the Thrashing Dragon on edge and awake. Such an exciting life requires a strong cast of supporting characters, and Thrashing Dragons as a group are perfectly willing to entangle others in their affairs. Among Kuei-jin and other shen, they typically observe decorum, since giving offense might lead to a duel or hard feelings.
Internal divisions and sects[]
The Thrashing Dragon Dharma is divided into several sects that originated with the teachings of a prominent bodhisattva. Most of these bodhisattvas are still active and advise committed Dragons in the ways of their Dharma. It is, however, not unusual for younger Kuei-jin to spend a long time without any sect affiliation, instead trying to find their own path.
Known divisions[]
The Laughing Rainbows, one of the oldest sects of the Dharma. It is centered on the direct experience of life. Members of the sect seek to learn to love what one truly is, not simply certain things about oneself. This leads to a very unapologetic approach of life that can be taxing on others.
The Thousand-Faced Thunders, a sect dedicated to the Yang World, particularly the new urban spirits that inhabit the great cities.
The Ten Seasons Sect, a sect dedicated to the veneration of the natural cycles and careful cultivation of oneself.
The Passion Bloodflowers, the most prominent sect of the Golden Courts, many Penangallan are adherents to this sect. It exists in a strong alliance with a similar sect of the Devil-Tigers. Bloodflowers take an even more extreme stance on the enjoyment of life than the Laughing Rainbows, sometimes bordering on animalistic.
The Dance of the Thrashing Dragon Training[]
Before their deaths, many Thrashing Dragons denied the flesh. All their repressions blow sky-high when the karmic debt comes due. Some ferociously carnal people do return to finish what they started in life, but most Laughing Rainbows learned to laugh only after they died. By coupling with a living partner, the vampire shifts her energy to his own, then refines it into potent Chi — the life force many once denied.
The Dance of the Thrashing Dragon Weakness[]
Confrontation is enlightenment to these vampires, and they go out of their way to enlighten everyone in the vicinity. As could be expected, Thrashing Dragons are shameless, impulsive, lusty and violent. Most go naked, or nearly so, and delight in smashing social customs. Their voraciousness doesn't end with sex; the hunger takes a literal turn in the Thrashing Dragon philosophy. Greedy for Yang, these creatures often eat their prey raw (and usually alive).
Beneath the revelry, however, many Dragons hate themselves. In a way, their hunger is a denial of what they have become. By consuming life-force, they secretly hope to undo their curse; it doesn't work, but they keep trying.
Auspicious omens and symbols for the Dance of the Thrashing Dragon[]
This lists the most important symbols and omens of the Dharma that are sometimes integrated into their homes and temples. Bodhisattvas frequently manifest such signs whenever they appear. The symbols are: Rainbows, thunderstorms, blooming flowers, blood, yoni, and lingam symbols
Affiliations of the Dance of the Thrashing Dragon[]
Wood, the number 3, the color green, and the east direction.
Tenets[]
Tenet
Explanation
Attune yourself to life in all its forms.
Life is an illusion. Unless you understand every part of the illusion, you cannot penetrate it.
Meditate upon passions; don't shut them out, but experience them, learn from them and encourage them in others.
Life's vibrancy in the external world is reflected in the ongoing process of existence. Life's vibrancy in the internal world is reflected in our passions. Cultivate and learn from your passions as you would with nature
Use your powers as a farmer employs his threshing tools: Break the stalks, gather the rice, scatter the seeds, help them grow.
The world is your garden. Tend it carefully, keep it free of pests and , as your wage, eat whatever fruit you wish to eat.
Help all living things thrive. When something appears to be dying, consume it and send it back to the Cycle.
Foster growth in that which is healthy, and cut down that which is unhealthy
Half-life is an abominable state. Be as alive as you can be.
Your condition is abominable. There is nothing to be learned from it, other than how to leave it more quickly. Partake of death as little as possible and bathe in life at every opportunity.
Guide the sun up each morning. Sleep when it's risen.
Embrace the sun when it rises in the morning and kiss it goodbye when it sets in the evening.
Laugh often and help others to see the humorous shadows.
Remember that this is nothing more than an illusion, and that the greatest enemy of darkness and friend of life is laughter. Laugh often and easily, lest you cry.
Protect the spirits. Without them, the life-dance stops.
Protect the spirits for they are the heart of the Cycle. Give them due respect and guard them from harm.
Background Information[]
Crocodile Tears
The cosmetics store in VTM: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt includes a Brujah jacket, "Crocodile Tears," with the Dance of the Thrashing Dragon name and symbol on the back.
