Sunday, November 15, 2015

[Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen] The Red Lanterns - Los Angeles, CA

((Out of Character (OOC):
Chronicle: Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen
Venue: Mage: The Awakening
Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler))
((What follows is some Out of Character knowledge about the Red Lanterns... Iky would know the most about it from being in the city and in the Kindred community for a better part of a decade.))




The Red Lanterns

Without a doubt, the Red Lanterns are the most mysterious faction that operates within Los Angeles, partly because it is connected to no major covenant and partly because the leaders of this faction are old and powerful Asian vampires whose true aspirations and goals remain unknown. Historians have pointed out that the term “Red Lantern” refers to the more mystical branch of the Chinese Boxer Movement responsible for the infamous Boxer Rebellion at the turn of the last century. Reputedly these priestesses, the Red Lanterns (who dressed all in red down to their foot bindings) worked the magics that the Boxers believed could make them invincible. Most dismiss such tales (as such “magic” was certainly unable to save the Boxers), but enough stories of strange events and powers surround the uprising to make some wonder if creatures other than the kine were involved.

There is, of course, no actual evidence tying this historical organization to the vampires who operate the Red Lanterns in L.A., but the timing is just too coincidental to be a coincidence. Based out of Chinatown and Little Tokyo, the Red Lanterns answer to a powerful Nosferatu known as Zhuo Huifeng. The Lord of Chinatown is thought to have ties to the local Tongs and Yakuza, and perhaps even more homegrown crime organizations. It is known that he was heavily involved in the smuggling of opium and Chinese laborers in the 1900s. A business that, perhaps, he never left. Beyond this, little is known of the man and his goals. For now his organization stays within its boundaries, protecting its own and keeping the covenants at bay. But it is widely thought that a vast web of spies and informants has been woven throughout Los Angeles for purposes unknown.

Known Red Lanterns:


Lord Zhuo Huifeng

Lord/Regent of Chinatown



Clan: Nosferatu (Nightmare, Obfuscate, Vigor, Getsumei)
Bloodline: Burakumin – from the VtR 1st Ed Corebook – he looks old and almost mummified… sun dried monk look. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Getsumei)
Embrace: 1879
Covenant: Unbound

The mysterious Lord of Chinatown, Zhuo Huifeng is something of a dark horse in the political race of Los Angeles. He is, as the title suggests, the Regent of Chinatown, but over the years he has expanded this territory to include some of the neighboring districts. In addition to this he has gathered a collection of other foreign Kindred and some of the unbound into an organization known as the Red Lanterns. Beyond this, however, little is known. Lord Zhuo attends Court on a semi-regular basis (often sending his majordomo or other representatives when he is unable to attend in person), and has been offered a seat among the Primogen, but he refused that honor. In many ways both he and his Red Lanterns stand aloof from L.A. politics, a situation that leaves many locals ill at ease. Most are convinced that the Lord of Chinatown must have plans, but what they may be none can guess.

Around the turn of the century, Zhuo Huifeng arrived in Los Angeles with a small handful of ghouls and two other Kindred. Almost immediately they established themselves in Chinatown and began to forge ties to local criminal networks. Within a few months they had begun smuggling Chinese laborers into the country for vast profits. This network was apparently built at the behest of Zhuo’s sire, who sought to make use of the demand for labor overseas to his advantage. The coterie also began to involve themselves in smuggling of other types, breaking into the opium trade by 1902 and the vastly profitable “Triangle of Trade” that American opium clippers utilized. The money rolled in. But it would seem that Zhuo’s sire (as the name of the organization created at his behest suggests) did indeed involve himself in the Boxer Rebellion, and backed the wrong horse. His childe could never be certain, but it seemed the elder had likely met Final Death.

However, Zhuo and his coterie continued on as if things had never changed. Only now, the wealth was flowing entirely into their own pockets. Rather than accept a place among any of the local covenants, and abandoning their cultural roots, these vampires chose to form their own faction by drawing upon the handful of other foreign Kindred who called the City of Angels their home. This group succeeded in claiming Chinatown as their own domain, gaining formal recognition from Prince Hunt in 1927. And when the times changed, the Red Lanterns changed with them, shifting their operations and changing their focus as new trends rose to replace old ones. Primarily they seem to be concerned with protecting their “people” from assimilation by any of the American covenants and preserving their culture and traditions. Many suspect that Zhuo has larger plans to increase his own power, but enough divisions exist in his own domain to capture and hold the elder’s attention for now.

Zhuo Huifeng is a member of the Burakumin bloodline native to the Orient. Most of the time he hides his visage behind the cloak of Obfuscate, presenting the image of a healthy young man of unremarkable features, but beneath this cloak he resembles a shriveled and desiccated corpse, a gruesome sight to say the least. He is also a practitioner of the bloodline’s grim necromantic Discipline, and much of the information he seems to possess doubtlessly comes from the bodies of his victims and enemies. As such, Zhuo prefers to let others deal with outsiders and visitors when he needs to make a good first impression. He has a seneschal to serve this purpose, and some of his followers (particularly mortal ones) might never even see the man who they serve. But when he must put in an appearance, Zhuo prefers to dress in regal finery in stark contrast to his withered frame. When possible, he wears the silks of a Mandarin with the peacock feather of a civil servant; at other times, hand-tailored suits suffice.. 


Jiang Xiumei

Bearer of Red Lights



Clan: Daeva (Vigor, Celerity, Majesty)
Embrace: 1900
Covenant: Unbound

To those who have ever been forced to deal with him, none can doubt that Zhuo Huifeng is a powerful elder, but personal power is not always enough. Given his Burakumin blood, social graces are not one of the Lord of Chinatown’s strong points. The Red Lanterns deal with a great number of mortals by necessity and the weakness of his bloodline makes any contact between himself and the kine a potential Masquerade breach. Therefore, to deal with his mortal contacts and herds, Lord Zhuo has acquired a skilled, dedicated, and extremely loyal seneschal known as Jiang Xiumei, the Bearer of Red Lights.

If Lord Zhuo is the head of the Red Lanterns, Jiang is its mouthpiece. Should they even require contact with the Kindred, any mortals that are part of the Red Lanterns report to her. Indeed many mortal contacts, retainers, smugglers, and gang leaders believe that Jiang is the head of the Red Lanterns and in the community at large she is widely respected and feared as the head of the local Tongs. Among other vampires she serves as Zhou’s herald, dealing with Court and covenants when he cannot or will not and relaying orders to the lower ranking members of the Red Lanterns. Indeed, meeting with Zhou himself is considered a sign of favor and a great honor, though typically only the oldest and most powerful Lanterns are given this chance. Yukiko Nakamura is an important exception to that rule, however.

In truth, Jiang is in many ways Lord Zhou’s revenge. The details are sketchy, and known to few beyond Zhou himself and perhaps his childer. When Zhou and his sire began to create the Red Lanterns in Southern China they were forced to battle other local Kindred in Canton and Macao in order to take control of smuggling operations there. Jiang Xiumei was the darling childe of the Lord of Canton. The Red Lanterns captured her in hopes of using her as a bargaining chip, but her sire was apparently less attached to his progeny than he claimed. But rather than destroy her, Zhou realized that a pretty face could be useful in his dealings with mortals and other Kindred. Jiang remembers none of this, though. She has been heavily conditioned and quite thoroughly blood bound, ensuring almost total loyalty to the Lord of Chinatown.

It’s all probably for the best, though. Although he understands courtly manners and courtesy, Zhuo Huifeng operates better as a hidden hand crushing his rivals and extracting information. Jiang, on the other hand, was trained to operate in social circles as well as the halls of power. Her understanding of social manipulation is probably on par with Zhuo’s own knowledge of information management and political control. It would be unfair to claim that the Red Lanterns couldn’t exist without her, but Zhuo would need a mouthpiece in any case. Of course, if Zhuo ever suspects that his chains of blood are not enough to ensure her loyalty... the Red Lanterns will quickly find themselves with a new Bearer of Red Lights. 


Yukiko Nakamura

the Fox’s Tail



Clan: Ventrue (Dominate, Animalism, Resilience, Protean, and Kamen)
Embrace: 1953
Covenant: Unbound
Bloodline: Unknown (Sotoha)

In truth, only a handful of the Kindred who dwell in Chinatown and Little Tokyo were sired overseas, but each vampire that was represents a deep mystery. And if the Kindred hate anything, it is a mystery. Mysteries represent danger, and one thing every vampire wants to avoid is danger. Yukiko Nakamura is something else entirely, a mystery within the mystery. Currently she makes her lair in Little Tokyo and is, ostensibly, a member of the Red Lanterns, but those who have investigated have discovered a number of strange anomalies. While this “Snow Child” seems to enjoy the protection of Lord Zhuo, she also appears to be an outsider among the outsiders.

When they speak of her at all, the other Red Lanterns refer to Yukiko as the “Fox’s Tail,” but what this means is unknown. Some also spit upon the ground and refer to her as “nogitsune.” This literally means “wild fox” and is the name of a creature in Japan’s mythological canon, but in truth this raises more questions than answers. A member of Clan Ventrue was able to taste her blood, confirming that she is a member of that clan; not too surprising given the Disciplines she has been seen wielding. However, there is some evidence that she might also be part of some obscure Asian bloodline, most notably the references to her as a “wild fox” and reports of a unique Discipline she is said to wield.

The truth of the matter is that Yukiko is a nomad from a line of nomads, though she has traveled far further than most. Embraced in the dark nights following World War II, as Japan was recovering from its crushing defeat, she was selected by her sire for her paradoxical traits: a deep sense of tradition and a mischievous personality she was both willing and able to set loose. Despite her position as a childe of Lords, she chose a nomadic Requiem, wandering the country at will, unbound by duty or responsibility. In all likelihood this was an escape of sorts from the grim reality into which she was born. Why she choose to risk travel across the Pacific before the turn of the millennium is likewise unknown. But Yukiko does seem to be something of a thrill-seeker, perhaps as a way to reconnect with her lost emotions and stave off the ennui of undeath. Or maybe it is just a holdover from mortal days. In any case, she now calls Los Angeles her home, though this could change at any time.

In person, Yukiko does not stand out. She looks young, almost a stereotypical schoolgirl, with pleasantly pale skin and slightly crooked teeth. She speaks English well, though has not been able to completely shed her accent, and other than slightly wild eyes seems most ordinary. Those who have had dealings with her warn that she is an apple with a rotten core. Yukiko is a deceiver of the highest order, reveling in dark deals and taking almost obscene joy in fooling her victims, both Kindred and kine. And yet she has a talent for getting things that a person wants or needs, ensuring that more marks will always drift into her orbit.



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