IN the mountains of Tibet, Siberia and China, these werecats learned subtle magicks and even martial arts; many a mountain tiger can quote Taoist philosophy at length. To shapeshifters as passionate as the Khan, the idea of harmony through nonaction is an appealing one (that, for them, works better in theorythan in practice). Technology is a wonder Khan strive to understand, and some become quite good at computer programming and heavy equipment operation. Still, the majority of the surviving weretigers prefer an archaic existence, and favor clothing, weapons and behavior from a more romantic time.
In ages past, the tiger tribe wandered though emperor' courts and hermits' caves. They walked moutain roads with Buddhist monks and peasant girls, and chased the ghosts from temple ruins. Most preferred to remain in their powerful cat forms, but spoke with the tongues of sages. The powers of the elements burned in their paws, and they kept the hated werewolves at bay. The Silver Fangs and Shadow Lords struck pacts with the sultans, but no such bargains kept the tigers and vampirs apart. That hatred, which simmered for 5,000 years, proved the Khan's undoing
Once, the Khan enforced the Impergium with glee. Time, however, showed what wonders the people offered. Khan left the jungles, entered the cities, and were ensnared by their own curiosity. The glories of India, China, Tibet and Korea called the tigers out of hiding, and Khan were amazed. Sonn Bright Kings studied pjilosophy, learned wu shu, guarded wizards and knelt before monks. Some traveled with the mongols and brought back stories of the West. In time, the West came to them, and the tribe's decline began.
A warrior's rage is his curse. That curse has nearly undone the Khan four times, and the most recent was nearly the last. Four great wars between Khan kings have decimated the race: The Maru-Dikleh War of Prehistory, the Tag War between Mongol and Hindu tigers, the bloody Clouster's Purge of the 1800s, and the neat-fatal Nagda-Rackbur Feud of the 1950s,. This last conflict, between an English lord and the former Sultan Amir Nagda, turned into a bloodbath whren sides fell to darkness. Lord Rackbur enlisted Kindred allies while the Sultamn courted evil spirits. Both sides rallied the Khan and Bagheera, then slaughtered their opponents through battles and assassinations. The end come when the treacherous sultan took advantage of the Sun Sleep Yava. While Khan slumbered, Nagda's agents hunted them down. By the time a massive Bagheera was band killed both rivals, less than 20 Khan Remained. Their numbers have not grown much since then, and the Sultanate has been dissolved forever.
The slaughter of the true tigers has not helped mers. Human hunters killed them in such numbers that the great cats themselves court extinction. Between the loss of their Kinfolk and the wars with vampires, Asura and their own kind, the Khan are endangered breed. To avoid further risks, most weretigers have scattered across the world. Moving targets are harder to kill. After the fall of the ancient sultanate, the Khan have no true leaders, so each one fends for herself. It's a whole new world for an ancient tribe, and tigers seem to be peacefully enjoying the view. For now.
Although the caliah places the tribe's beginnings in India, they ragne as far north as Siberia and as far east as Japan. In the last two centuries, many of them have gone west, or have sired European children. The latter bunch of the family has fared better in recent years than the Asian tigers. The decimation of their tribe has hit Khan hard, and they've fled the hunting grounds for safer quarters.
Culture and Kinfolk
Since their genesis, the Khan have enjoyed the best, bravest and most beautiful Kinfolk in their regions. They've bred into noble lines throughout Asia and sired kittens in the healthiest tiger bloodlines. Many of these noble families have fallen to poachers, vampires, and other enemies over the last hundred years, and the Khan's fortunes are not what they were. Still, each weretiger has an impressive pedigree and a savage noble heart.
The tribe's traditional cultures stress honor and obedience. The treachery of Nagda was worsened by the stain it put on the tigers' pride. While solitary in nature, most Khan establish protectorates where they defend a given family or land against corruption. The fact that "defense" occasionally includeskilling certain people doesn't detract from the tribal purpose. The Khan were created ta war against demons. Those who court the darkness must DIE!!.
Organization
For nearly a thousand years, the Khan enjoyed a sultanate, with one Rank Six Bon Bhat, a court of advisors (Khan and Kinfolk), and a small army of spirits, tigers and humans to enforce his will. This system tottered during the English occupation and fell to peices when the last sultan betrayed his kind. They currently have no organization; each Khan declares his territory and makes rules within.
Secrets Sought
An honorable race, weretigers pefer secrets from lost cities, remote monasteries and bustling metropoli.
Yava
*The Khan belong to the tribe of the sun; when he sleeps, they sleep also. Durning an eclipse, all Khan slumber for one day, then awaken hungry.
*Khan cannot resist the meat of an innocent child, though it violates their laws to eat it.
. *A tiger cannot resist a direct challenge. To turn away costs him his rage for a fortnight.