Kui-Xing

Kui-Xing, "The Minister of Stars" was a Metis Stargazer Theurge and part of the First Jade Sentai.^[1]

Overview

The stars held many secrets - secrets that Kui-Xing the Theurge sought to discover. He was young, but his eager need for knowledge made him a powerful scholar among the Stargazer tribe. He was brilliant on matters both earthly and otherworldly, and he could draw out the answers to nearly any riddle, like sucking poison from a wound. The Heavens above were not just a jumble of white lights on a black velvet background, but instead served as a map to truth and tranquility.

But Kui-Xing was abominably ugly. He was born metis, and his skin was nothing more than blotchy folds of fat flesh that gave him a physically repulsive appearance. Kui-Xing appeared as a strange breed between Garou and amphibian, and his pride suffered for it, regardless of his brilliance. He was afforded respect from the sept of Stargazers he belonged to, and there he lived a quiet, contemplative life, aiding the more active Garou in their quests.

At the time, there was a ruling body of hengeyokai that lorded over much of the Middle Kingdom. This council of elders was called the Ministry of Thunder, and they had been challenged by a trickster spirit called Fu Lan, the Entangling Woman. Fu Lan had given them a simple riddle, and told them that if the Ministry could not solve it, then their authority was void. Unable to solve this most basic of conundrums, the elders called to all the Middle Kingdom - he who could help them unravel this mystery would be afforded much respect and wisdom. At the urgings of his sept, Kui-Xing answered the call and went to see the Ministry of Thunder cloaked in a heavy cowled robe that concealed his horrible form.

The riddle was easy: "Who becomes pregnant without conceiving, who becomes fat without eating?" Kui-Xing didn't even have to consult skyward, for in the sky was already the answer - clouds. He told them the answer, and Fu Lan appeared, hissing and spitting in anger, for that solution was correct. The Ministry applauded Kui-Xing's efforts, but demanded that he lower the hood of his cloak out of consideration.

He did so, and was greeted with howls of disgust and laughter. The Ministry mocked him openly and sent him packing with none of the pride he had sought. Feeling worthless, deep in the pits of Harano, Kui-Xing found the highest cliff-face, and tossed himself off into the white-capped ocean below.

His time was not up, however, and Kui-Xing was saved. Only moments after striking the water, a great dark form rose beneath him, catching him and carrying him back to the surface. He was astounded to see that he was resting upon the back of a massive black tortoise called Genbu. Genbu spoke with the authority of the Jade Emperor and his Ministers - Kui-Xing had been chosen by the highest of high to become part of the first Jade Sentai. Seeing no other way to go (and unwilling to deny the authority of the Bureaucracy of Heaven), he agreed and went to Songgao Mountain to meet the others.

From then on, Kui-Xing was a powerful part of that original Jade Sentai, helping the others find balance in an increasingly disordered world. Toward the end of his life, Kui-Xing was afforded a chance to no longer have a hideous countenance. The Jade Emperor offered him respite from his disfigured flesh, but Kui-Xing didn't take t, believing that his Seld should remain unchanged, for it was the very essence of him. The Emperor was pleased with the answer, and allowed Kui-Xing to place constellations in the sky as a reward.

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