Tengu

Tengu, also named as Kenku, was one of the Five Ancient Races that once dominated the lands that would be known as Rokugan. Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 8 Rokugani believed they used to live in the clouds, and on the tallest mountaintops Imperial Gifts, by Robert Denton III of the Northern Mountains. Writ of the Wilds, p. 44
== Details ==
=== Tradition ===
Tengu were constantly in search of a deeper understanding of the world and its inhabitants, and of the best way to co-exist peacefully with the din and tumult of nature. Their asceticism had led to strange myths and legends. It was said that tengu were masters of many great arts, including the art of illusion. Small groups of tengu migrated from mountain peak to peak, building unobtrusive homes that blended effortlessly into their surroundings; at a distance, many tengu buildings looked virtually indistinguishable from natural rock formations. 
=== Phisiology ===
All tengu were feathered, tall hominids with great wings, taloned hands, and an avian head. Tengu did not share a unified appearance. Those who lived in the Northern Mountains tended to be large, with muted colors, long bodies, and a wide wingspan. Most tengu dressed in light, modest clothing devoid of markings or bright colors. The tengu could live to be centuries old, but there were few ancient tengu. For the tengu, the body was an outward expression of the inward self: injury and sickness arise from internal imbalance. Meditation and spiritual healing were the first steps one must take toward restoration. Writ of the Wilds, p. 45
=== Abilities ===
Tengu would assum human form, through illusory glamours, often called Masks of Air. They must recite an ancient incantation
while donning a particular piece of human clothing. The illusion faded when the specific piece of clothing was removed. Spiritual Projection allowed tengu to travel far and wide while in a deep state of meditation. During this deep meditation, the body
became still and the pulse slowed, and the projector appeared by all accounts to be dead. Writ of the Wilds, pp. 45-46
=== Tengu Life ===
Tengu were focused on enlightenment, having an ascetic life. They lived in solitude on distant mountain peaks, or in aeries carved into the rock. Tengu society had a strong sense of balance: possessions and knowledge were shared, and a whole community of tengu did not stay rooted to a single place for long. Young tengu were co-raised by singles, pairs, or groups of parents, who took turns nurturing and teaching the young. An elder tengu in the aerie presided over a congress of adults to decide migration, building, and other consequential decisions. When a significant minority–or a large minority backed by the elder–disagreed, the aerie might split. Writ of the Wilds, p. 46
=== Tengu Beliefs ===
The tengu focused to understand the workings of the world around them and to exist in harmony with it. Concepts such as “possessions” or “territory” had no meaning to the tengu. Tengu customs were rarely prescriptive; communities often subsisted on both hunting and gathering. Possessions were communally owned, and they prized skills and self-actualization. Tengu hatchlings were given tasks they were able to fulfill but that might also teach them basic tenets of spiritual living. Meditation and music were two of the foremost expressions of a tengu's pursuit of Enlightenment. Tengu devoted significant time and energy to meditative songs and chants. Rituals of birth and death were a constant for all tengu. When a young tengu was born, the aerie came together to welcome him, to play games, and celebrate their arrival with stories and music. The tengu mourned death even as they welcomed it. Those who sensed death's approach returned to an aerie to be in the company of others. Once a tengu had passed, the aerie gathered around and mourned their loss, then flied the body of the deceased somewhere remote and empty. Writ of the Wilds, pp. 46-47
== Great Tengu ==
Great Tengu was the title given to the tengu in charge of the court of Chikushō-dō‎ and the court of Sakkaku, though that office had sometimes passed to an animal spirit of some other species. Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 136
== Decay ==
After the Five Ancient Races' empires rose and fell, and left no record, another race, the Naga, dwelled in the lands that later became Rokugan. These races resided in disparate corners of Rokugan, shadows of their former selves but as dangerous as ever. The Balance of the Elements: Ancient Creatures
== Sensei ==
This race of bird-like, humanoid creatures with large wings did not age, having centuries to practice the sword. They tended to lead solitary lives, but they would become sensei of those humans worthy of their wisdom and training. Beginner Game: Rulebook, p. 46 Tengu not only mastered swordmanship, but also blacksmithing as well, such as the one who was sensei to Doji Yasurugi. 
== Known Tengu ==
* Airi
* The Danran Priest
* Sōjōbō
== See also ==
* Tengu/Meta
== External Links ==
* Tengu Sensei (Elements Unbound)
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Category:Rokugani Language (TCG)