Grandfather Jiang

From Gothpoodle

Bone Shadow Cahalith Alpha (Lodge of the Endless Moon, Lodge of Scars, Lodge of Voices)

K'ruuk (scarred one) Grandfather Jiang is alpha of the Golden Mountain Protectorate.

Description

Hishu

An ancient Chinese man with short white hair, fu manchu moustache, long whispy beard, bushy eyebrows over brown eyes, and wrinkled brown skin. He wears a knee-length yellow silk tunic with golden embroidery of a phoenix amidst flames, loose white cotton pants, and sandles. A clear crystal (Purity Jewel fetish) hangs from a silver chain around his neck. He usually wears a broad-brimmed straw hat and carries a silver-headed walking staff (Memory Clout fetish) while outside. While he appears relatively frail, he has an aura of immense predatory power and authority.

Urhan

A snow white wolf with pale blue eyes.

Storytelling Hints

Jiang is a fiercely intelligence and perceptive person, but tends to play to the image of a doddering old man in his decline. He talks a lot, loving to tell stories and gossip, but is always using the reactions of people to what he says to judge them. He is always interested in people's pasts, long since learning the lesson of the Shadow that the past is closer than you think and never really goes away. Jiang doesn't share Hugh Keegan's bitterness, cynicism, or hatred. He's seen many sad things in his life and been through difficult times, but he knows they all past, that wounds recover, and no slight is so great that it can't be mended. That said, he is wary of the Silver Kings and, of course, Henry's Get and keeps a close eye on any threat in the city as alpha of the Protectorate.

Stats

• Mental Attributes: Intelligence 5, Wits 4, Resolve 6*.
• Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2.
• Social Attributes: Presence 6, Manipulation 4, Composure 7.
• Mental Skills: Academics (Uratha History) 4, Crafts 2, Investigation 3, Medicine 2, Occult (Vampires) 6, Politics (Spirit) 6.
• Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 5, Drive 1, Firearms 1, Larceny 1, Stealth 4, Survival 5, Weaponry (Staff) 4.
• Social Skills: Animal Ken 3, Empathy (Sense Motives) 3, Expression (Poetry) 4, Intimidation 4, Persuasion 6, Socialize 4, Streetwise 5, Subterfuge 7.
• Merits: Allies (Protectorate) 5, Ancestral Vessel 5, Brawling Dodge 1, Contacts (Chinese Uratha, Chinatown Police, San Francisco Politicians, Chinatown Businessmen, Vampires) 5, Danger Sense 2, Encyclopedic Knowledge 4, Fighting Style (Kung Fu) 4, Fighting Style (Staff Fighting) 3 (only usable in Dalu), Inspiring 4, Languages (Cantonese, First Tongue, Hoisanese, Mandarin, Wu) 5, Meditative Mind 1, Resources 5, Retainer (Wolf-Blooded Assistant) 4.
• Primal Urge: 7
• Willpower: 13*
• Harmony: 7
• Virtue: Fortitude
• Vice: Lust
• Health: 7
• Initiative: 9
• Defense: 2
• Speed: 9
• Essence: 20/5
• Renown: Cunning 5, Glory 5, Honor 2, Purity 2, Wisdom 5.
• Gift Lists: Death, Dominance, Dreamer's Moon, Ending, Father Wolf, Gibbous Moon, Insight, Inspiration, Knowledge, Mother Luna, Rage, Warding.
• Gifts: (1) Death Sight, Know Name, Pack Awareness, Sense Malice, The Right Words; (2) Camaraderie, Eyes of the Slain, Ghost Knife, Scent of Taint, Ward Versus Humans; (3) Corpse Witness, Echo Dream, Sagacity, Technology Ward, True Leader; (4) Shadow Ward, Soul Read, Spirit Skin, Unspoken Communication, Word of Quiet; (5) Communion with the Land, Omen Gazing, Vengeance of the Slain, Victor's Song, Ward of Spirit Slumber.
• Rituals: 5; Rites: All non-lodge specific rites plus (?) Honor the Benevolent Spirit; (2) Create Talen; (4) Claws of Ashes; (5) Rite of the Ancestor-Shadow, Rite of the Spirit Clay.
• Fetishes: His staff is a Shakujo Staff (Instant; extended roll to force spirit to Hisil) 2 and a Memory Clout (Reflexive; hit target on the back of head for at least one bashing, +4 to all roles to remember things or relate anecdotes for one minute per success) 1, Death Wolf's Howl (Instant; cause Willpower, Essence, or Health loss to all who hear it, three nights to recharge) 3, Protective Charm (Reflexive; +1 to Social dice pools for dealing with spirits) 1, Shadow Tarot (Instant; predict the future) 2, Spirit Anchor (Reflexive; prevents a spirit from discorporating and halves its Speed) 4, Purity Jewel (Instant; extended roll to force spirit to Hisil) 2.
• Notes: Can buy Persuasion, Intimidation, and Politics for new dots x2. Gets +1 Persuasion and +2 Intimidation on social dealings with spirits.

Background

Jiang Jin was born at the turn of the century and watched his family decimated by plague, earthquake, and fire by the time of his First Change, just after World War I. He dedicated himself heart and soul to the survival of his family through this hard time and those to come. As fewer and fewer Chinese were allowed into the country, no new wolf-blooded arrived to refresh depleted stocks and so Jiang was forced to marry a human woman. Nonetheless, two of his five children and five of his grandchildren Changed, proving the strength of his line. Jiang's own vitality was apparent to those who saw him outlive his wife and all of his children and continue to lead his pack to the present day. The years during the Depression and World War II were mostly spent fighting the MacLellans and Phelans. His last great combat victory was in the early 70s, when he earned his entry into the Lodge of Scars by challenging every member of the Henry's Get to single combat (including their totem) and defeating them all without a single death and without taking a single wound. The peace won by that challenge has lasted to this day. Since then, he has been instrumental in the formation of the Golden Mountain Protectorate and is its uncontested leader. Lately, though, he is hard-pressed to leave Chinatown and generally spends his time in Portsmouth Square playing Chinese chess with other old men and reminiscing on old times. His beta runs the day-to-day affairs of the pack but comes daily to keep his alpha informed and get his advice.

Renown

• Cunning 4: Brokering a joint attack on the MacLellans by his pack, Urban Gardeners, and Silver Kings in the 40s.
• Cunning 5: (Last Mile) Maneuvering the MacLellan Clan into accepting his challenge.
• Glory 4: Decisive victory against the Silver Kings to hold Portsmouth Square in the 1968, killed their beta, Aideen McShane (Hugh's greataunt).
• Glory 5: (Last Mile) Defeating Henry's Get and their pack totem in one-on-one combat.
• Purity 2: (Last Mile) Managing not to kill any of the MacLellans during the challenge.
• Wisdom 4: The successful effort to grow the Portsmouth Square locus to level 4 in the 40s.
• Wisdom 5: Discovering the ban of the Great Fire in the 50s.