Minister Of Tumult

Jiang-shi are terrifying hopping vampires from Tian Xia. Though similar to other vampires—they are undead, drain vital energy from the living, and can be slain only in specific ways—jiang-shi feast upon the breath of the living, also known as qi or ki, instead of blood. While they possess unique powers, including their magic-deflecting paper fulus, extraordinary jumping ability, and immunity to sunlight, jiang-shi also possess unique vulnerabilities, such as the inability to see living creatures save through breathsense, a revulsion to bells and mirrors, and near-stupefying melancholia. Thankfully, most jiang-shi can't create vampiric spawn.

Ministers of tumult are grandmasters of killing, having cultivated their prowess to supernatural levels through the qi reaved from countless mortals. Many such jiang-shi ministers rule over settlements or even entire city-states, cowing their subjects into unerring obedience.

A settlement or city-state under the control of a minister of tumult typically seems, on the outside, like everything is running smoothly and with clockwork precision. Guard patrols, street cleanings, carriages, and more always arrive precisely at the designated time, neither early nor late. To a visitor who doesn't pay any heed to the unease behind the smiles on the inhabitants' faces, the minister of tumult's fiefdom might appear to be a marvelous place to live. But the truth is much more dire. Ministers of tumult keep control and engorge themselves with qi by draining qi from criminals. If the minister of tumult is hungry and there haven't been any serious crimes, they simply dole out this punishment for petty crimes, minor infractions, or simple failures to perform adequately. This keeps the people in check, as there always seems to be a way to avoid the penalty by acting perfectly.