Xian Lung

Xian Lung
Nicknames	Immortal Dragons, Dragon Children
Hekau	Lung Tan

The Xian Lung are one of the two Wu T'ian Incarnations of the Middle Kingdom. They are Yin-aspected and servants to the Ebon Dragon. Their counterpart are the Wu Feng.

Overview

The Xian Lung are tasked by the Eight Immortals to preserve all that is good and worthy within the Fifth Age and protect it during the Sixth Age. Furthermore, they are appointed guardians of destiny, fighting those who would dare to change it. When a boy has to grow up to become a martyr against Yomi's forces, he will do so under the stewardship of an Immortal Dragon, who will not hinder him to turn down from his destiny by making decisions. Fate's inscrutable passing means that apparent defeat can sometimes be the gateway to victory, so the Xian Lung believe.

Like their brethren, the Xian Lung shun violence except as a last resort. In calm repose, tranquility, and passive meditation, they are. They endure. And following this principle of being (tempered with necessary balance), Xian Lung endure and meditate and guide their actions with a foresight born of meticulous planning. They find clarity through detachment and understanding through clarity. Using their calm, many Xian Lung become dedicated scholars, learning all what they can learn in order to teach it to those that will be born in the Ages to come.

The Xian Lung are furthermore tasked with protecting the ancestors and the Underworld. As the Sixth Maelstrom surges through it, many Xian Lung have come to believe that the first wave of Yomi's conquest won't strike against the living, but the dead. Reaping the souls of the departed will give hell an unshakable foothold from which the forces of wickedness can expand their power to conquer the rest of the Ten Thousand Things. Many Dragon Children have turned their entire attention to the Yin World, trying to ease the storms and combating the spectres that ride on its foul winds.

Existence

Xian Lung usually come from two types: Mortals who lived yin-heavy lives and men whose appetites and passions are sated from a yang-heavy life. Many Dragon Children choose to distance themselves from humanity, living a reserved and ascetic lifestyle. What outsiders don't recognize is the difficulty and emotional strain such a lifestyle causes. Wu T'ian are still human (more or less), and they still create the pleasures of flesh and companionship. Many try to gain Balance, in order to compensate their conflicting natures, by enduring their inner turmoils.

The Xian Lung, while largely unconcerned about mundane events in the Middle Kingdom, often have good relations with Shen, particular with Wraiths.

Organization

While all Wu T'ian are equal under the judgement of the Eight Immortals, the Xian Lung have set up a loose hierarchy based on age and wisdom, although many of these sages are content with giving advice to their younger fellows.

The Xian Lung have three sects that are dedicated to different approaches to their duty under Heaven while maintaining their attunement to Yin.

• The White Lotus Society act as Heaven's emissaries in the Yin World, bringing succor and hope to the Dead. They have become increasingly busy since the Great Typhoon of 1999.
• The Twilight Scholars refrain from violence altogether, instead focusing on learning everything that can be learned to preserve it during the Sixth Age and later pass it on to those born once the Wheel turns again.
• The Jade Sentinels are dedicated to protect those (people as well as objects) with a great destiny before them, least the Yama Kings twist the mandates of the August Personage to their own ends.

References

• MTR: Mummy Players Guide, p. 88-89, 96-97