2 ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED

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Written, Developed, and Edited By: Hsienfan

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CHAPTER 3

CONTENTS

PRELUDE 4
CHAPTER ONE: THE HUNGRY DEAD 6
CHAPTER TWO: JIAN REN/YUAN HUN (CHINA) 16
CHAPTER THREE: YORUNOKE (JAPAN) 20
CHAPTER FOUR: YACHA (SOUTH KOREA) 26
4 ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED
PRELUDE 5
6 ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED
CHAPTER ONE: THE HUNGRY DEAD
There is great disorder under heaven, and the situation is excellent.
— Mao Zedong
THE DEMON PEOPLE: AN INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS AN “ASIAN
VAMPIRE”?
Primarily, it is a term that begs for clarity.
Some living in North America and Western Europe will
use “Asian vampire,” or sometimes the archaic term
“Cathayan,” to refer to a type of supernatural creature that
is comparatively rare in their part of the world, but which
is endemic to China and the rest of East Asia. Among
scholars of the supernatural in the western hemisphere,
these creatures are to be treated as a curiosity, a mere
exception.
For their part, the “Asian vampires” themselves prefer to
be called by local names, which are many and varied. But if
they possess anything like a universal
epithet, one that carries across countries and languages, it
is the Hungry Dead.
7
We can confirm that these beings are no mere curiosity.
In China and surrounding regions, the Hungry Dead are
the rule, not the exception. They enjoy a complex, long-
established society, and they occupy a niche in the
supernatural world that is unlike any other. Above all
else, it is quite clear that they are accustomed to ruling
the night.
WHAT ARE THE HUNGRY
DEAD?
To enemies and allies alike, they are the demon people.
The wicked immortals.
To simply call the Hungry Dead “vampires” is, to many of
them, doing their kind a disservice. For they are not mere
blood-drinking monsters from a horror novel, they claim.
Rather, they are beings who were once human, who died
and were transformed, and who now exist in a liminal state
between living ghost, demon, and classical immortal.
8 ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED
Like ghosts, the Hungry Dead are at home in darkness,
and most cannot stand the sun. Many, with the proper
knowledge and practice, can even enter the invisible world
like a spirit themselves. And like the great immortals of
Chinese legend, the Hungry Dead sustain undying bodies
and wondrous, supernatural powers through a regimen of
spiritual exercises and elixirs-- the fact that these elixirs rely
principally on human blood and breath, consumed
directly, is immaterial to them. While their wickedness in
life may have once earned them a place among demons,
their excellence after death was what gave them a path to
escape their fate, to become something much more.
Now, as they have for centuries, the Hungry Dead wander
the night. They remain hidden among the human flock,
and the lingering question of whether they are shepherds
or wolves depends on which side you ask.
WHY ARE THE HUNGRY DEAD
UNIQUE TO ASIA?
The simple answer is that they are not. The world, from
east to west, is more like a spectrum of supernatural
creatures.
The Hungry Dead are predominant and well-established in
China, where they have enjoyed greater numbers and time
to entrench their power within the institutions of Chinese
society. For similar reasons, the Korean Peninsula and
Japan are two other regions where the Hungry Dead have
been questioningly at the top. While other supernaturals
exist, they have not had the resources or wherewithal to
unseat the dominance of the demon people until very
recently (see “Cainites native to East Asia,” below).
Elsewhere, in places like India and Southeast Asia, the
Hungry Dead are not always the major power, which
means that the institutions that exist to rescue and train
new Hungry Dead are weaker and less self-sustaining. Once
one reaches the western extremes of the Silk Road, into
Anatolia and Eastern Europe, the lack of a strong
supporting society, along with the growing presence of
western vampires and their institutions, makes the Hungry
Dead a much rarer sight.
Meanwhile, North America is in many ways a different
matter, which will be discussed in the pages to come.
CHAPTER ONE: THE HUNGRY DEAD
A WICKED IMMORTALITY
WHERE DO THE HUNGRY DEAD
COME FROM?
To put it plainly, the Hungry Dead are from hell. From the
Thousand Hells, as they are called.
The process is thus: A human-- afflicted either by deep
wickedness or an exceptionally ill fate-- dies. That person is
condemned, their spirit pulled into one of the Thousand
Hells: a nightmarish afterlife, which the Hungry Dead
describe as a never-ending spiritual prison. Each hell is
presided over by one or more autocrats called the Yama
Kings, who are effectively gods of their realm.
In the normal order of things, the soul in hell is meant to
be cleansed through pain and suffering, and thus made
ready for the next stage of existence. However, according to
the Hungry Dead, this is not how the Thousand Hells
presently operate. The Yama Kings have become power-
hungry over millennia, claiming every soul they can and
pushing their influence into the world of the living. The
Thousand Hells are now corrupt and dysfunctional,
glutted upon an extreme of suffering.
At this point, individual stories of escape differ. Some
Hungry Dead claim that they broke their own chains and
ascended from hell when they realized that things were not
as they should be-- a self-aggrandizing origin, to be sure.
Others explain that they exploited the corruption of hell to
their benefit, evading or bribing their jailers. At least one
Hungry Dead has expressed regret and sorrow,
remembering the souls they betrayed or left behind to get
their chance at freedom.
But regardless of the tale, the soul leaves hell and returns
to the living world. Then, in a fantastic act of alchemy, the
soul renews its physical body. Many of them reform from
decayed remains, while some return from crematory dust,
or even ex nihilo. From that moment on-- which they call
the Second Breath-- a new Hungry Dead is born, ready to
shake the world and walk the long, arduous road to
enlightenment.
9
WHAT IS THE “ROAD TO
ENLIGHTENMENT”?
Across countries and cultures, there are two things that
generally unite Hungry Dead society: a burning hatred of
the Yama Kings, and a desire to understand their
condition and rise to a greater state of being. The first is
perhaps self-explanatory, while the second points to an
unpleasant truth-- that despite how they mythologize
themselves, the Hungry Dead condition leaves a great deal
to be desired.
To understand what this means, first consider a normal
human being:
She is alive. Her internal energies well up from within,
constantly replenishing and shifting in a state of
equilibrium. She has a seamless, holistic mind, in which
clear thought and darker impulses intermingle as a single
being. All of these elements combine, moment by moment,
into the actions of a person fully integrated with the world.
Now turn her into one of the Hungry Dead, and she has
shattered:
She is undying. She has no energy of her own, and she
must steal it to survive. Her dark impulses have become
engorged on the suffering of hell, evolving into an
intelligent, independent “demon” that wrestles with her
rational mind. Every moment she exists is a reminder that
she’s been ripped out of the world once, and that she is
now a foreigner in the country of the living.
To rise above this state, to take control of one’s broken
pieces and achieve a second miracle, which they call the
Hundred Clouds-- to walk in the sun, to bring the inner
demon to peace, to rekindle the fire of life and become a
true immortal-- is the work of centuries, and it requires
exceptional effort and discipline. It requires, in other
words, what the Hungry Dead call dharma.
10
WHAT IS DHARMA?
A Sanskrit word that has no perfect translation, but
which refers variously to concepts of virtue, right
conduct, and cosmic law. In the world of the Hungry
Dead, there are several Great Dharmas and many lesser
ones, which have as their purpose the quest for
enlightenment. Each dharma is further split into a
number of different societies, each with a specific
cultural makeup and set of political goals.
But, much like the word “vampire” doesn’t begin to
describe what the Hungry Dead are, calling the dharmas
simply “paths of enlightenment” or “philosophical
groups” is wholly inadequate to their reality. Once a
Hungry Dead returns from hell and regains some
semblance of sanity, they choose or are pushed by their
elders into following a dharmic society. From that
society comes mentors, friends, knowledge, and the first
steps toward transcendence… but also rivals, enemies,
responsibilities, and grave risks.
While their exact makeup and rules change across
countries and cultures, it is no exaggeration to say that
the dharmas and their societies are the foundation of the
Hungry Dead world.
ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED
WHERE DO THE DHARMAS
COME FROM?
The most common tale of the Great Dharmas is an old
origin story, hailing from China:
Long ago, heaven gifted the paragons of humanity, the strongest
and most virtuous, with immortality. Those chosen lived
forever, with no need for food or drink, as well as possessing
wondrous strength and skills. But rather than upholding the
virtue of heaven, as was intended, these immortals eventually
became corrupt and decadent, fighting amongst themselves and
using their power to rule the world. When the corruption
reached a point where even the children of the immortals tried
to take a stand, their parents reacted by hunting them down in
a murderous purge.
Once the final child of the immortals was killed, heaven not
only withdrew its favor, but reversed it into a punishment:
Where they once had everlasting life, now the wicked immortals
would have unending death. Where they once needed neither
food nor drink, now they would be the lowliest of parasites,
subsisting on raw flesh and blood. And where they were once
heaven-blessed, now their ranks would only be replenished by
the greatest sinners from the Thousand Hells.
So they became the Hungry Dead.
Thereafter, for many centuries, the once-great immortals were
like beasts, doomed to scavenge and hide from the sun forever…
Until one of the Hungry Dead, a lowly criminal in life,
discovered the secret to rise above their cursed state and achieve
enlightenment. She ascended to the Hundred Clouds and
became known as the First Arhat, the Red Empress, the first
true immortal since Heaven turned its back on their kind.
More Hungry Dead followed her teachings, and so the Great
Dharmas were born.
It’s a tidy myth, with many variations. The Great
Dharmas are said to have originated in ancient China,
and from there they have spread to Asia as a whole,
blending or coexisting with local beliefs and lesser
dharmas.
CHAPTER ONE: THE HUNGRY DEAD 11

WHAT ARE THE GREAT

DHARMAS?
Among the Hungry Dead, there are four broadly
recognized “Great Dharmas,” and two other paths that
are sometimes numbered among them.

The Great Dharmas claim legendary origins, coming

from the teachings of the First Arhat herself. They have
ancient sutras, records of other enlightened arhats
throughout history, and long-lived societies to support
their claims. But arguably, all four dharmas have reached
their preeminent state primarily by tackling the most
fundamental problems of Hungry Dead existence:

 The Devil-Tigers concern themselves with the

purpose of the Thousand Hells, the unique
enlightenment that comes from suffering, and
with the true nature of the wickedness that
damned them. They often claim to be demon
princes in their own right, aiming to dismantle
and supplant the mechanisms of a corrupt and
failing hell.
 The Resplendent Cranes are concerned with
order, purity of the soul, and with the ability of
individuals and societies to bring themselves in
alignment with divine virtues. The world has
long lost the favor of heaven, they claim, but
that does not mean that it cannot be reclaimed.
 The Bone Flowers study death, and they tend
to the invisible world of ghosts and ancestor
spirits. They often try to repair instances of
what they see as a cosmically broken and unjust
cycle of life and death, and in doing so explore
the tension between life and death that is their
own state.
 The Thrashing Dragons study life in all its
forms, from humans and animals to the
invisible “little gods” of the spirit world. By
understanding and mastering the principle of
life, the Dragons aim to protect the living
cosmos from hell’s corruption, and so cultivate
the life within themselves.

There are also two popular but controversial dharmas,

both centered around humanity. They are celebrated,
tolerated, or seen as outright heresy, depending on the
region:
12 ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED

 The Rising Phoenixes see their current state as

an evolution of their previous mortal lives,
protecting their living families and maintaining
a connection to humans. They underwent
political persecution in China until recent
decades, but the Phoenixes enjoy a huge
presence in Japan and popularity in the Indian
subcontinent.
 The Thousand Whispers reject their personal
human identities and instead live "within"
humanity through multiple lives, ritualistically
dying and being reborn again and again to
obtain insight into existence itself. This
dharma’s adherents are rare, to the point where
some localities have no idea what to make of
them at all.
Many other, less recognized dharmas exist, often
centered around particular tribal or fringe beliefs. Some
of these lesser dharmas and cults will be described later.

DO THE HUNGRY DEAD LEAD

MONASTIC LIVES?
Generally, no. Former monks certainly number among
the Hungry Dead, and retreats of years or even decades
can be part of one’s journey to the Hundred Clouds. But
to be clear, quiet penitents the demon people are not.

It seems to be a common saying among the Hungry

Dead that no one leaves hell without a sense of purpose.
The Great Dharmas especially, it must be said, are not
philosophies of the navel-gazing variety-- they demand a
type of mysticism that functions best, for lack of a better
description, by being out in the world and making
trouble. Hence, it is not unusual to find a cell of Bone
Flowers who plan to jailbreak the dungeons of the ghost-
emperor Yu Huang, or a Resplendent Crane who plots
to change the flow of qi in her city to facilitate the
summoning of a divine oracle, all in the service of
enlightenment. A Devil-Tiger who directly experiences
the sins of organized crime is far more likely to do
something-- whether to snap the monster’s neck, or to
plot to take control from within-- than nothing at all.

In addition, the Hungry Dead are traditionally the

arteries of diplomacy in many places, negotiating contact
between shapeshifters, spirit courts, magicians, and other
vampires. To be clear, diplomacy is not friendship.
Diplomacy means digging into each other’s business,
protecting your own interests, and it leaves open the
CHAPTER ONE: THE HUNGRY DEAD 13

option of violence if things break down, as things often
do. But the supernaturals of Asia have a shared interest
in protecting their sacred places, and in safely navigating
the human world from the shadows—and for that, at
least, they have a long and established tradition of
talking with the wicked immortals.
Above all, night after night, the Hungry Dead go out in
search of the vitality they need to sustain themselves. The
“elixir of immortality,” human life, comes before
everything else.

WHAT POWERS DO THE HUNGRY DEAD HAVE AT

THEIR DISPOSAL?
The greatest powers of the Hungry Dead come from their miraculous bodies: Unless they are
killed, the Hungry Dead do not die. They can heal from any injury short of decapitation, and they
have access to incredible strength and speed. They can even shapeshift for brief, violent periods,
growing lethal claws and manifesting other demonic traits.

The Hungry Dead also have a myriad of learned skills. These are similar to martial or yogic
practices, and they are tied deeply to their quest for enlightenment. For example, being part-spirit,
many Hungry Dead learn to see the spirit worlds and enter them. Some have learned to manipulate
their bodies in subtle and graceful ways, changing appearance or becoming as light as a feather. Others
can force humans to obey even the most outlandish commands, while still others have developed a
physical “third eye,” which they open to receive visions of the past and future.

The demon people are not invincible, of course; fire, sunlight, or the claws and enchanted steel of
the enemy can leave them terminally wounded. Failing to maintain their stores of vitality can also
leave them vulnerable. But between the innate and learned abilities of the Hungry Dead, taking one
down is not a task for the foolhardy or unprepared.

MIDNIGHT WARS
“Cathayans” despise and are at war with the vampires of
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP the United States. This so-called Great Leap Outward is an
BETWEEN THE HUNGRY DEAD urban legend that continues to be propagated, despite
AND OTHER VAMPIRES? some obvious inconsistencies. (Why, for example, have
these vengeful Cathayans not mounted an assault on
London or Paris, if the insults of western imperialism are
There exists a persistent myth, particularly in the wake of so dearly to be repaid?)
the “Kindred of the East” memoranda, that the
14
However, it is true that there are now more Hungry
Dead active in California and New York, especially
from China, than there have ever been. The truth of
the matter, as one might expect, is complicated.
Historically, the Hungry Dead have had little interest in
foreign conquest. After all, on a scale of centuries,
Imperial China has nearly always been the center of the
civilized world, whereas Europe was viewed as the
hinterlands-- why, indeed, would anyone bother, save
for the most curious explorers? Hence, while the
Hungry Dead of China and its tributary states (Korea,
Japan, Vietnam, et al) focused time and effort on
building their robust societies, the same effort was
never mounted for lands beyond.
Hence, if the western hemisphere was inhabited by a
strange lineage of sorcerous blood-drinkers, who knew
nothing of the Thousand Hells-- well, that was certainly
intriguing, worth some study and diplomatic gestures,
but it was not of serious interest. The notion that new
Hungry Dead could be rising outside of Asia all along,
isolated and doomed with no society to support them,
was equally not worth considering.
Twentieth-century globalization and the Asian diaspora
have changed this outlook significantly. For the first
time, the Hungry Dead have had to seriously face the
so-called Children of Caine, not as rumors or the
subject of
scholarly conversation, but as powerful rivals on their
very doorstep. At the same time, reports have reached
interested ears, telling of Hungry Dead who have taken
the Second Breath in Chinatowns, Little Saigons, and
other ethnic enclaves all over the world.
The idea that the Hungry Dead are truly a global
society, and that the “West” has too long been left
alone to their detriment, is finally taking root among
the dharmic societies of East Asia. Hence, a handful of
missions have been established on the US coasts, trying
to collect long-overdue information and to rescue new
Hungry Dead.
ARE THERE CAINITES NATIVE
TO EAST ASIA?
The answer to this question is “yes, but.”
ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED
While they do exist, the bloodlines of Asia have long
been a despised minority. They do not experience the
Thousand Hells, and there is no miraculous alchemy
of the body when they are born-- they are merely alive
one moment, and then drained of blood and undead
the next. According to the Hungry Dead, such
creatures are little better than walking corpses, and
they ultimately have little to stop them from turning
into mindless monsters.
These bloodlines are treated by the Hungry Dead to
varying degrees as second-class citizens (as in Korea),
diseased pests and vermin (as in Japan), or simply as
untrustworthy thieves (as in much of western China
and Nepal). A dark history of population control and
“cleansing” runs through this relationship, with only
the most unusual and secretive bloodlines, such as the
three-eyed Wu Zao, not suffering the heavy hand of
Hungry Dead rule.
With the arrival of European and American vampires
in force, perspectives have begun to change. No longer
contained to obscure scholarly interest, Hungry Dead
society has begun to recognize the unsettling
commonalities between the foreign Children of Caine
and the lowly corpse-leeches who have always inhabited
their lands… So, too, have the once-despised natives
begun to see themselves reflected in the wealthy,
powerful westerners, who seem more than happy to
preach their own virtues.
The fate of the native bloodlines is an active question,
another unanticipated wrinkle in the modern history of
the Hungry Dead. In places like Japan, the status of
bloodline vampires, combined with other problems,
poses a real threat of war between the demon people
and Europe’s lords of the night.
CHAPTER ONE: THE HUNGRY DEAD 15

FINALLY: A NOTE OF CAUTION

Based on what has been said, you may be forgiven for
imagining the Hungry Dead as perhaps situationally
dangerous, and obviously flawed in their appetites, but
concluding that they are fundamentally good beings with
noble intentions. But you would be very wrong. Depending
on how far you took this assumption, you would pay for
this mistake with your life and the lives of everyone close to
you.

This bears emphatic repeating: No, the demon people are

not mere blood-drinking monsters from a horror novel--
They also eat flesh, gladly sup on the final breath from a
child’s lungs, and they will torture and torment humans
without a single compunction, if it brings them closer to
whatever goals they have. Enlightenment is not the same as
kindness, and behind every Hungry Dead’s smile, no matter
how charming or sympathetic, is a river of blood that would
stagger the worst killer.

The Hungry Dead are real, they have seen hell, and they are
no longer human. Do not forget this.
16 ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED
CHAPTER TWO: JIAN REN/YUAN HUN (CHINA)
BROKEN GLORY
WHY IS CHINA IMPORTANT TO
THE HUNGRY DEAD?
China has always been the center of the world for the
Hungry Dead. It is the birthplace of the Great Dharmas, a
treasure trove of the history of their kind, once home to an
advanced courtly society that went unrivaled for centuries.
For the longest time, regardless of where you took the
Second Breath, China was where you went to reach the
pinnacle of your potential.
Now, the world has become corrupt-- some among the
Hungry Dead, with apocalypse on their minds, say that the
world is unsalvageable. And China, unfortunately, is still at
its center, an example of what has gone so terribly wrong.
The old courts are broken, swaths of precious knowledge
are lost and destroyed, and new Hungry Dead are being led
to ruin by dangerous ideas and cults. Meanwhile, the Yama
Kings continue to be more than happy to take their
portion of suffering.
Modern China is a place where the Hungry Dead are
fighting to reclaim what they’ve lost, fighting to win back
the mandate of heaven, and for every scrap of power and
knowledge they can manage along the way.
17
WHAT DO YOU CALL THE
CHINESE HUNGRY DEAD?
There are two options in the Mandarin-speaking world:
 Jian Ren (“middle people”—which, especially in its
written form, has connotations of hell and
suffering) is the most popular term on the
mainland. It’s especially popular with Hungry
Dead who arose during or after the 1970s.
 Yuan Hun (“wronged/framed ghost”) was the
formal term favored by courtly vampires of the
mainland, back when China was ruled by the
August Courts of the Quincunx. This term is still
predominant among older Hungry Dead and the
vampires of Taiwan.
Some exceptions: As one gets closer to Korea, variations of
the word yacha appear. The youngest vampires of Taiwan,
in the fashion of their peers in Japan, will sometimes use
yorunoke or kyuu-ketsuki as slang terms.
18 ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED

WHAT ARE THE AUGUST COURTS

OF THE QUINCUNX?
A dream of power and a cautionary tale. For five hundred
years (longer, if one believes the courtly elders), the August
Courts of the Quincunx claimed dominion over all of
China and its Hungry Dead. For the first few centuries,
this was indisputable—the Quincunx was in the shadows of
several dynasties, with exclusive access to the levers of
imperial power and influence.

Under the Quincunx, the four Great Dharmas expanded

their various societies and suppressed the so-called “family
worship” and “heretical cults” (the Rising Phoenixes, as
well as lesser dharmas) that defined the prior world.
China’s enormous population of Hungry Dead was
transformed from a society largely ruled by the strong into
a refined and world-envied civilization of the night. With
all of its accomplishments, it was expected that the
Quincunx would survive for centuries more to come.

And it has. Technically.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE

QUINCUNX?
What happens to states all over the world? Resentment
simmered, until it exploded.

The Quincunx, by all accounts, had two missions: to

control and cultivate Hungry Dead society, and to cut off
the influence of the Yama Kings in China. While they
were successful for a time, their first mission meant that
the Quincunx eventually grew a long trail of casualties,
creating enemies of Yuan Hun who were only temporarily,
circumstantially powerless. And the second mission meant
that the Quincunx gained the attention of the Yama Kings,
who were more than happy to gift some power to anyone
who asked.

The so-called Century Rebellion began with the fall of the

Qing, as cults and secret societies rose up to assassinate
officials and claim territory from the Quincunx. Under the
backdrop of the World Wars and the fragmentation of the
Chinese state, the Hungry Dead of China experienced
their own civil war, fueled by ancient grudges and a large
dose of demonic power. The Quincunx, which had grown
used to a position of unquestioned supremacy, was now
fighting for its life.
Ironically, the event that finally broke the Quincunx’s back
was not from rival Hungry Dead or the Yama Kings, but
CHAPTER TWO: JIAN REN/YUAN HUN (CHINA)
from mortal society: the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s
and 70s. Zealous mortal Maoists, with varying degrees of
true understanding, burned down “decadent, bourgeois”
libraries and sanctums, leaving even Quincunx elders as
vulnerable as lambs. Humans, whom the Quincunx had
long dismissed as merely a means to an end, were
ultimately the ones who landed the mortal blow to the
August Courts.
In the decades following, China has become a patchwork
of powers, picking up the pieces of its former glory and
existing in a tense state of detente.
WHAT DOES CHINA LOOK LIKE
NOW?
The Quincunx still exists in the mainland, in the cities of
Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Changan— But these
are skeletal courts, isolated social clubs with empty titles
and little power beyond their territories. The surviving
Quincunx courtiers of substance have mostly fled to the
former Flame Court of Hong Kong, as well as to Taipei,
where they maintain a tense rule-in-exile alongside the
island's natives.
The vacuum of power left by the August Courts on the
mainland has been filled by the societies of the Great
Dharmas, which have had centuries of Quincunx
protectionism to grow into powerful entities in their own
right. In this world, which dharmic master you hold
allegiance to can determine everything, from the spiritual
sites you can access in your city to who you claim as your
sworn enemy. (While comparisons to the clannish martial
arts world of wuxia are usually frowned upon, young Jian
Ren tend to quietly draw their own conclusions.)
Rumors of dharmic masters who made deals with the
Yama Kings during the Century Rebellion, and who are
still secretly in thrall to the Thousand Hells, are whispered
with great care. And finally, a new power has arisen which
is causing concern: the Scorpion Eaters.
WHAT IS A SCORPION EATER?
A member of one of the “banned societies.” Formerly
suppressed by the old Quincunx and reviled by the Great
Dharmas, the groups defined as Scorpion Eaters are
spiritually or politically anti-dharmic-- That is, they outright
reject the notion of seeking enlightenment, and they
especially criticize its place in Hungry Dead society.
19
According to rumor and propaganda, Scorpion Eater
territories are hellish, anarchic places where the Hungry
Dead indulge in their inhuman appetites with abandon,
leaving behind them societal chaos and piles of bodies.
The Scorpion Eaters supposedly enslave mortals, spirits
and new Hungry Dead alike, acting little better than
servants of the Yama Kings. Indeed, some say that the
Scorpion Eaters are servants of the Yama Kings, and that
the powers of hell have simply grown more sophisticated to
match the times.
The truth is less flattering to the powers that be. Many
avowed Scorpion Eaters are indeed mere thugs and agents
of chaos, but just as many have intelligence, cunning, and a
sense of honor. Self-aware Scorpion Eaters claim that they
are spiritually liberated and free to make their own destiny,
while the First Arhat and the Great Dharmas represent a
yoke of oppression disguised as enlightenment and the will
of heaven. Hence, the most ideological and organized
Scorpion Eaters actively seek to dismantle institutional
power through assassinations, destabilization, and stealing
of dharmic secrets.
Other banned societies are dubbed “Scorpion Eaters,”
when they are in fact the resurgent survivors of dharmas
once proscribed by the Quincunx. The groups making a
comeback include:
 The Rising Phoenixes, described earlier.
 The Celestial Tribe or Face of the Gods, a heresy
from India that believes its members are either
humans who have turned into gods, or that they
are eternal gods being tested with human life,
death, and the cursed state of the Hungry Dead.
They focus on building cults of mortal worship,
which has seen a surprising amount of success in
both the wealthiest parts of Mainland China and
some of the poorest.
20 ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED
CHAPTER THREE: YORUNOKE (JAPAN)
THE OUTSIDERS’ REVENGE
WHAT DO YOU CALL A
JAPANESE HUNGRY DEAD?
A few things, depending on who it is.
The term Gaki (“Hungry Ghost”) is the most traditional
and has deep roots in Buddhist folklore, such that the
oldest generations will insist on using it. But it is
admittedly odd sounding to a modern ear, as “gaki” also
happens to be a slang word meaning “brat.” Outside of
formal settings or among elders, you are unlikely to find it
in common use.
The term that has the most universal currency is Yorunoke
(loosely, “mystery/specter of the night”), which has roots in
the promotion of Shinto and native traditions during the
late 19th and early 20th century. The name also suggests a
certain kinship with other supernaturals of the archipelago,
which is more political ideal than reality.
Finally, the youngest Hungry Dead are taking to terms that
refer explicitly to popular ideas of vampirism, such as Kyuu-
ketsuki. This is especially on the rise in cities where
foreigners are more common (more on that below).
21
WHAT DO THE DHARMAS LOOK
LIKE IN JAPAN?
A little different. Societal organization in Japan is very
different from its neighbor to the west.
One institution is familiar, but changed: the dharmic
societies, which have the collective title of Hourin (“Wheel
of the Law”). Taking on the trappings of Shinto and
Buddhist priesthood, there are night-temples of the
Hourin all over Japan, each with its set of masters and
students, much like societies in China. Devil-Tigers,
Resplendent Cranes, Bone Flowers, Thrashing Dragons
and even Thousand Whispers have representation in the
Hourin, and they are so closely associated with each other
that non-devotees often see them as sects rather than as
separate and distinct doctrines. (Followers, obviously, will
disagree quite strongly.)
The Hourin accepts any and all Yorunoke who are willing
to devote themselves to dharmic study. This gives them an
indispensable social function, essentially “mopping up”
those without the backing of an Uji.
22 ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED

WHAT IS AN UJI?
The Uji are another institution of Hungry Dead society,
and they are by far the most exclusive. For those who care
to draw such distinctions, they are arguably East Asia’s
most successful followers of the Rising Phoenix dharma,
though a serious academic might note that the Uji system
appears to be home-grown, not imported-- Indeed, Japan
may have exported the concept westward to China.

Simply put, the Uji are familial “clans,” extensions of

mortal bloodlines into the world of the Hungry Dead. A
freshly risen Hungry Dead will often be surprised at the
graveyard by one of their great-grandparents, or by a distant
cousin who can trace their kinship through multiple
centuries. There are a number of different Uji throughout
Japan, each with the goal of serving their family’s interests—
Mortal family members, when they are aware at all, have
varying levels of understanding.

Some of the most long-lived and pedigreed Uji, able to

trace their lineage back to ancient Japan, are bound
together in a political entity called the Bishamon-shi. Their
main opposition is a rival alliance, made up of Uji with
more recent, ignominious, or foreign roots, who call
themselves the Genji-shi. (The irony of “Bishamon” being
the name of an imported foreign god is not lost on the
Genji.)

As stated earlier, Yorunoke who are either unclaimed, or

who reject being tied to their Uji, are usually expected to
be taken in by a temple of the Hourin.

WHAT OTHER OPTIONS ARE

THERE FOR A NEW HUNGRY
DEAD?
Not many. In rural areas or places with a powerful spirit
court, one or more Yorunoke can be claimed as a god’s
personal steward. Serving a greater spirit and its children is
a lonely calling, which is often maligned and mocked
behind closed doors, but in public it’s respected as a “third
pillar” and a necessary function.

Unfortunately for traditionalists, there has also been a

growing trend for young Hungry Dead to reject the system
entirely and embark on paths that are seen as shameful.
CHAPTER THREE: YORUNOKE (JAPAN)
WHAT IS CONSIDERED A
“SHAMEFUL PATH”?
Frankly, it appears to be a matter of perspective.
One way is by rejecting both family and Dharma and
becoming Tsuchigumo, a kind of outsider. A second
"shameful path," at least among the most hardcore
nativists, is trucking with foreign banpaia. Joining the Cult
of Izanami (or any cult that operates outside of traditional
authority) is a third way, though its members are inclined
to disagree.
WHAT IS A TSUCHIGUMO?
A ritually shunned group-- formerly two groups who shared
the same disreputable title, but this is in the process of
changing.
23
Historically, “Tsuchigumo” refers to the other native dead
of Japan. Outsiders would call them a bloodline in the style
of the Children of Caine, but this has only been
commonly understood within the past century. The
Tsuchigumo have long been disenfranchised and forced to
reside in the outskirts of major towns and cities, which is
why they are also referred to in polite conversation as soto-
no-mono, “the ones outside.” Even now, they are generally
distrusted by Yorunoke society as liars and parasites.
More recently, “Tsuchigumo” is also the title for those
Yorunoke who would be called Scorpion Eaters in China.
With no interest in seeking enlightenment, serving a god,
or serving the interests of a mortal family, these are Hungry
Dead who effectively stand outside society, and they are
treated accordingly. With no rights, not even the right to
existence, theirs is often a hard-scrabble, night-to-night
fight for survival.
The second type of Tsuchigumo, the political outsiders,
have been growing in number over recent decades. Most
notably, they have been found networking with members
of the Tsuchigumo bloodline, seeing a common cause in
resisting the status quo. These close relations have reached
the point where the “Tsuchigumo” are now becoming a
united political entity, with no difference between their
members. Together, with perhaps a nudge or two from the
banpaia, they might truly begin to shake things up for
Japan’s night world.
WHAT IS A BANPAIA?
A vampire, a “Dracula.” The western Children of Caine.
Japanese Hungry Dead, like their Chinese cousins, do not
typically see themselves as “vampires” in the popular sense,
but rather as a cousin to ghosts and spirits. It is only
recently, with the youngest Hungry Dead raised on movies
and comics, that this idea has started to become a sticking
point.
To be clear, Japan has been a world-class destination for
over half a century. Tokyo is arguably the most populous
city in the world, host to businesses and foreign
delegations from all over the globe. Hence, the urban
centers of Japan are positively teeming with western
Cainites. Young Yorunoke have encountered the banpaia
regularly, and in an increasing number of cases, they have
been receptive to their ideas.
This is especially true of those who feel shut out of
Japanese night society, like the Tsuchigumo. They strike
alliances with entities called “Ventrue” and “Sombra” with
24 ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED

little compunction, and in some cases even call themselves
banpaia, seeing more in common with the foreigners they
work with than with the Japanese institutions that rejected
them.
WHAT IS THE CULT OF
IZANAMI?
A growing “new religion” among the Yorunoke that started
in the 1960s, though they claim to have the oldest native
roots of all (as new religions often do). Members of the
Izanami-no-Kazoku (the “Exalted Lineage of Izanami”)
reject the Uji as debased and the Hourin as delusional.
surprising is the degree of success that the cult has achieved
in a very short time, to the point where they are poised to
take an entire provincial city as their territory.
ARE THERE OTHER CULTS LIKE
THIS IN JAPAN?
There are a few, protected from eradication either by
powerful, wealthy followers (like the Cult of Izanami) or by
regional isolation. Rumors of a Christian cult in Amakusa,
led by an ancient three-eyed banpaia who may be the oldest
foreigner in Japan, remain unsubstantiated.

Instead, they claim that the primordial god Izanagi

cleansed himself after visiting the underworld, and that
droplets of his dead wife Izanami’s impurity fell to Japan
and became a new race of gods. Those gods then made
children with humans, the descendants of whom still
retain a seed of godhood. By dying and rising as undead,
the cultists have proof positive that they are the blood
descendants of Izanami, and that they therefore have a
responsibility to claim their divinity.

The Izanami-no-Kazoku are arguably a straightforward

adaptation of the Face of the Gods, coinciding with the
resurgence of the Celestial Tribe in China. What is
CHAPTER THREE: YORUNOKE (JAPAN) 25
CHAPTER FOUR: YACHA (SOUTH KOREA)
SURVIVAL AT ANY COST
WHAT DO YOU CALL A KOREAN
HUNGRY DEAD?
Their word for themselves is Yacha.
If you happen to be a human and you encounter one, you
might call them gwishin (“monster/ghost”) instead—and
sometimes they will refer to themselves that way, if they’re
in a self-deprecating mood. But Yacha is generally the term
of choice.
The original word, “yaksha,” is a type of earth-dwelling
spirit in Hindu mythology. It traveled to Korea through the
trade routes of the ancient Silla Kingdom, where the term
gained currency with Hungry Dead who dealt in finery and
religious texts from the west. A few centuries of
morphological drift later, and you get Yacha.
(Coincidentally, while “yacha” has become an obscure
word in modern Korean, its meaning has transformed
from a relatively benign creature into a vicious killer ghost.
How much the Hungry Dead have to do with that
definition shift is debatable.)
27
WHAT DO THE DHARMAS LOOK
LIKE IN KOREA?
Some say that dharma in Korea is dead. While this is
controversial, what is undeniable is that Korean Hungry
Dead society is not what it was.
There was once a Green Court operating out of Kaesong
(in what is now North Korea), which controlled the
orthodoxy of Korea’s dharmic societies and maintained a
role as de facto vassal to the Chinese Quincunx courts.
This “Old Green Court” still exists, claiming to have an
ongoing mandate over the entire peninsula. But its current
influence is incidental at best, and the Yacha who have not
left North Korea are extremely isolated— whether they’re
“quietly biding their time” or “withdrawn and in denial” is
a matter of opinion.
Meanwhile, in South Korea, the Hungry Dead have
experienced massive change. Since the end of the Korean
War, Seoul and its surroundings have been dominated by
several organizations called the True Bone Clans (jingol-
sahwe). These groups are where you will find the modern
Dharmas, though enlightenment tends to be one of the
least concerns they have. The “New Green Courts” are an
entity fueled first and foremost by business.
28
WHAT ARE THE TRUE BONE
CLANS?
A True Bone Clan is part protectionist guild and part
corporate family, in the style of Korean chaebols. Each clan
also has a nominal function as protectors of dharmic
knowledge.
The title “True Bone” is aspirational, a reference to the lost
ancient nobility of Korea. “True Bone” (jingol) is also a
respectful title that the Yacha use to refer to each other, at
least among fellow clan members.
ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED
WHY DO THE TRUE BONE CLANS
EXIST?
To fiercely protect regional interests. For a relatively small
country, South Korea is rich in supernatural resources,
which hasn’t gone unnoticed.
At various times throughout the first half of the 20th
century, the Quincunx, Japanese Uji, and American
Cainites were poised to take territory, jade and spiritual
sites from the Yacha. In response, the various dharmic and
political institutions of South Korea consolidated into the
True Bone Clans, with the aim of controlling the
peninsula’s resources.
CHAPTER FOUR: YACHA (SOUTH KOREA) 29

To that end, each True Bone Clan claims a particular

niche. For example, a group in Gwangju might specialize in DO THE YACHA DEAL WITH
jade artifacts and contracts, while another in Itaewon, FOREIGN VAMPIRES?
Seoul has their hands in human trafficking and smuggling
operations, which may occasionally dip into jade. The
Quite often—but under strictly controlled circumstances, in
fabric of Korean Hungry Dead society is made up of the
political quiet zones.
conflicts and accords among these clans, as they bump up
against each other in the course of doing business.
The Yacha have witnessed the disruptions fomenting in
Japan, and they fully understand the dangers of undue
In truth, some would call South Korea and its Yacha a
Cainite influence in their country. Thus far, the True Bone
nation of Scorpion Eaters. Not to their face, of course-- and
Clans have managed to be unified in their goal of not
dharmic teachings are still propagated, in a functional
losing control of their resources to outsiders. How long
fashion, to new Hungry Dead and those in need. But
that stays the case, with South Korea’s economic boom and
business always comes first.
temptations coming in from all over the world, remains to
be seen.
WHY ARE SOUTH KOREA’S
HUNGRY DEAD NOT CONCERNED DOES KOREA HAVE NATIVE
WITH ENLIGHTENMENT? VAMPIRES LIKE THE
They have had to adapt the best they can. The last hundred
TSUCHIGUMO?
or so years have served as a dire warning to the Yacha:
Yes. They exist, and perhaps the most surprising
“Ignore the world at your peril.”
development is that they are recognized.
When the Green Court of Kaesong was at its prime— so
Before the 20th century, the native bloodlines of Korea
the story goes— the mandarins and ancestors cared very
were treated as perpetual outsiders, not unlike their station
little for what was going on outside their sphere. The
in Japan. But in the modern nights, one of the changes
Ottomans of the west were humiliated and broken apart?
brought on by the True Bone Clans has been the
Japan industrialized and defeated the Russians in battle?
integration of the “vulgar ones” into their ranks, in a bid to
Mere mortal trifles, ripples in the vast sea of history. They
prevent the resentment that simmers among the
were supremely confident that the current order would
Tsuchigumo across the sea.
endure, and that the Yacha had all the time in the world to
maintain their power, as was their right.
This is not a perfect arrangement by any means. The
bloodlines are effectively second-class citizens, occupying
They were, of course, quite wrong.
the lowest ranks of the True Bone Clans. There are strong
controls placed on their feeding and bloodletting, to say
The swift infiltration of the Genji-shi during Japan's
nothing of population control. Naturally, some of the
annexation put cracks in the Green Court’s authority, even
after they were successfully expelled. Having its territory bloodlines outright refuse this arrangement, preferring to
permanently split in half by the DMZ, the most heavily have no status at all rather than become what they call
militarized border on earth, broke the Green Court’s Nobi, or a “serf.” But many young neonates are drawn to
standing even further. Calls for help went ignored, as the the glow of security and hierarchy, believing the Yachas'
August Courts in China were deep in the throes of the promises that they’ll someday be able to work their way up.
Century Rebellion. And finally, when it became clear that
the DMZ had massively disrupted key ley-lines, making There are also those bloodlines who remain unaccounted
cross-peninsular travel difficult even in the spirit worlds for, even in the modern age, deep in the mountains. South
(which some claim to be the master work of a Yama King), Korea is a wonder of modernization, but there yet remain
it was effectively the back being broken on the old order. small, isolated pockets where the most unique
supernaturals are said to survive. Centuries-old rumors of a
Modern Yacha, more than others, have been traumatized bloodline “marked by the fox,” beautiful women who stalk
by the scope of change in their world. The True Bone the night to eat livers and drink blood, remain persistent
Clans have not forgotten their wounds, and the one thing and ongoing to this day.
they can generally agree on is that they need to adapt and
stay savvy, or be prepared to die out.
30 ANALECTS OF THE DAMNED

This brief document is the result of a few weeks of

discussion on RPGnet, in a thread titled “Rehabilitating
Kindred of the East.” Much of the country-centric writing
is the same as what was posted in the thread, while the
introductory section was largely from scratch or heavily
rewritten. Some of the more technical questions and
answers have also been omitted, for the sake of a smoother
and more cohesive reading experience. I am forever
grateful to the posters of RPGnet for encouraging the
creation of this document.

My hope in publishing Analects of the Damned is to give fans

of Kindred of the East a better starting point to share the
setting of the game with other people, who may otherwise
be (rightfully) turned off by the presentation of the original
corebook and companion. I’ve aimed to portray the
Hungry Dead with a greater sense of innate purpose, as
well as an identity that doesn’t rely on Vampire: the
Masquerade to exist. Ultimately, my wish is that I’ve made
the demon people and their world look as cool as I
personally see them, and that this gives people a basis to
begin exploring the published books with an open mind.

Future plans are not set in stone, but may include a

companion with more regions, the workings of the spirit
worlds, and/or an attempt to address some of the more
technical questions and answers. Regardless of what
happens from here, if I’ve managed through this document
to change one mind, or renew one person’s interest where
it once lay fallow, then I will see this as a success.

Thank you and happy gaming,

Hsienfan