Shang Lai

**Shang Lai** is a Stargazer.

## Biography

You were born and raised in a small village in rural China, near a vast wilderness where it was said a great Taoist monastery was hidden. It seemed to you that the elders of the village had visited this secret holy site and purposefully kept it hidden from others, telling everyone to never speak of it to outsiders. When you were 10, you followed your uncle into the woods to give rice cakes to the spirits. He instead led you to the monastery. It was inside a deep cave with pictograms painted upon the walls. Within the cave sat a meditating woman, who opened her eyes when you entered, clinging to your uncle's robe. The old man set down the rice cakes and pushed you forward, presenting you to the monk. She nodded and your uncle left, telling you to stay and learn all that you could. At first, you were scared, but eventually you realized the great honor being accorded you. The monk took you to the rear of the cave, where steps led downward into a large grotto with an underground waterfall. You screamed when you saw the huge wolf lumbering toward you, but it changed into a smiling old man, and you knew you were dreaming. You have never awoken from the dream. As the weeks passed, you learned that these monks were special, for they could shapeshift and converse freely with spirits. They guarded the woods from outsiders and evil. They had asked or you, a member of their human family, to come train as an acolyte. But three years later you became one of them. Your First Change seemed the most natural  thing, a progression of the chi kung you had already learned. The monks were surprised and overjoyed, and then began teaching you their true arts. For the next five years you learned the ways of Kailindo and human martial arts, mastering them all. Secluded from the modern world, you lived in a paradise of learning and pursued perfection. Then, the hell-beings came to destroy the monastery. Your elders summoned a Lune which sent you away while they combated the creatures. When you finally found the correct Moon Path and found your way back, you discovered an empty cave, no sign of the monks or the creatures. Alone among your kind, you bid farewell to your family in the village and set out to either find your mentors or achieve perfection, whichever comes first.

A cloistered martial arts expert with much theoretical wisdom but little practical experience. While your athletic skills assure you of a number of money-making jobs, you seek only spiritual answers. You will need some friends to help you adjust to the world.

Be utterly guileless. Always honest and with little bullshit tolerance, you have little art to your words but possess a deep, forceful presence.

**Equipment:** Chinese sword, sash, jeans and t-shirt

## Stats

**Breed:** Homid

**Auspice:** Ahroun

**Physical:** Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3

**Social:** Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3

**Mental:** Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 2

**Talents:** Alertness 2, Athletics 2, Dodge 2, Empathy 1, Expression 1, Primal Urge 2

**Skills:** Animal Ken 1, Drive 1, Firearms 2, Melee 1, Stealth 2, Survival 2

**Knowledges:** Enigmas 3, Investigation 1, Linguistics 2, Medicine 2, Occult 1, Rituals 1

**Backgrounds:** Contacts 1, Pure Breed 2, Mentor 2

**Gifts:** Smell of Man, The Falling Touch, Balance

**Other Traits:** Kailindo 3

**Rage:** 5

**Gnosis:** 2

**Willpower:** 7

**Weakness:** OBSESSIVE MIND GAMES: FAILED ENIGMAS ROLL CAUSES OBSESSION W/ MYSTERY