Khan Tribe

The Simba may rage and roar about how the other tribes owe them respect, but in the minds of most Bastet, it is the Khan who actually earn the respect the lions merely demand. Khan are a curious mix - honorable warriors who turn up their noses at the unsavory spying activities of their fellow cats one moment and lick the blood of a dozen enemies off their claws in the next. Legend holds that they were put on the earth to fight demons, and regardless of the actual truth, the Khan are certainly among the most accomplished devil-fighters and Asura hunters in the world. In fact, the current perilous state of their breed might well be because the Khan are too good at their appointed mission- they made too many of the wrong type of enemies, and now they’re paying the price for such dedication. To their credit, it is a price the Khan gladly pay, and their fury against the minions of Cahlash has not abated one bit, though it endangers their lives and souls -if such is the cost of serving the will of Heaven, the tigers claim, then so shall it be served!
Of course, things were not always thus. In earlier times, the Khan wandered throughout Asia, learning the wisdom of the sages even as they studied the arts of war and weeded out the corruption they found. Indeed, the greatest heroes of tribal legend are noble-scholar-warriors who could quote Buddhist philosophy as they turned back the forces of darkness, and modern Khan strive to uphold such ideals, balancing the strength of the body with the agility of the mind. Not all is fighting and reading, however: while they can seldom stand each other's company for very long, the Khan love t have guests and devote themselves to their friends with the same intensity they use to hunt demons. (After all, if a tiger invited you over for dinner, would you say no?) The tigers learned command the very elements themselves, and for centuries they served as the first line of defense for countless villages against all manner of night creatures, from Asura and Banes to corrupt rulers and even Western Garou. Often outnumbered, the Khan learned to make themselves more then capable of dealing with most threats on their own; those opponents whose powers or crimes warranted additional support quickly found themselves facing a group of vengeful tigers. While such war parties were often shot-lived alliances, they almost always outlived their intended target!
In modern times, the Khan have been reduced to but a handful, with little more then 20 of their kind left; a series of disastrous conflicts with minions of Cahlash, depraved Kindred foes and even fellow tigers have left their ranks in tatters. During the last conflict, knowledge of the Sun Sleep Yava was employed to wreck havoc on them, and the Khan will go to extreme lengths to ensure that such a massacre is never repeated. The loss of their feline Kinfolk, threatened by extinction themselves, greatly saddens the tribe, and they are leading efforts to protect their cousins - those who harm the wild tigers or threaten their lands are dealt with as swiftly as possible. While they do not enjoy the same unified tribal structure they once did, the Khan are determined to uphold their original mission regardless.

Tribal Home: Although they originated in India, the Khan have since spread all over Asia and even beyond; the decimation of their own ranks and those of their wild Kin has led them to abandon their ancestral hunting grounds for a time in search of safer lands. This pains the brave tigers deeply, and they eagerly look forward to the day when they can reclaim their old lands again.

Culture and KinfolkKhan have lived and bred with the noblest and strongest families of the lands they inhabit. While the recent losses among the tribe have put a strain on some of these relations, most Khan still boast impressive pedigrees. Naturally, their Kinfolk still tend to be well connected and politically important, and so are able to enjoy the best physical training and educational resources during youth. Raised in cultures that value honor and obedience, the Khan place great importance in those qualities - they are what makes them the true Swords of Heaven instead of more mindless monsters raging at the dark. Younger Khan tend to wander, driving out corruption where they find it, but older Khan often set up a protectorate where they can defend a family or land they find important.

Organization: Once the Khan enjoyed a complex hierarchy of rulers, but the betrayal of their last sultan toppled what was already a weakening structure at the time. Now each Khan declares his own territory and makes the rules within.

Secrets Sought: An honorable folk, the Khan prefer to gather lore about forgotten cities, remote enclaves and the day-to-day life of the places they live in.

Appearance: Most Khan are of the familiar Bengal tiger breed and carry its distinctive coloration and markings; few other patterns in the animal kingdom are as familiar (or as fearsome). Natural white tigers are exceedingly rare, so they are accorded great respect, although they must live up to equally great expectations.

Initial Willpower: One
Initial Rage: Three

Yava

A tiger cannot resist a direct challenge. To turn away costs him his rage for a fortnight.

Tribe Gifts: Rhino’s Favor, Ricepaper Walk, Skin of Jade

Outlook: The Khan are the embodiment of an ancient contradiction: noble warriors, possessed of great rage and savagery but tempered by equal amounts of discipline and learning. They respect those tribes that seem to understand their honest ways; the Pumonca in particular have won their admiration, as have the Balam, whose struggles seem all too familiar to the tigers. They dislike but tolerate the clever wordplay of the Qualmi and the Bagheera, but the Bubasti go too far with their quest for hidden lore, and the Khan would dearly love an excuse to smash the shadowcats. They are fairly indifferent to the other tribes, except for the Simba, who seem to bum with jealousy over the respect the Khan get from their fellow Bastet. For their part, the Khan want no part of the feud - they have no desire to claim the throne of catkind, empty prize that it is - but if the Simba want a fight, then the Khan will certainly give it to them.