OA's wang-liang? What's up with them?

[Cyronax]

I'm trying to mix some of the elements, mostly non-Rokugani, from the OA. I was intrigued by the wang-liangs (the semi-feline giant shapechangers). I thought they'd make a good starting point in consolidating all the oni into one conceptual race.

Since the wang-liang's are shapechangers they can represent all the oni (non-Rokugani) races and also create a viable villian race for my campaign world.

Anyway, the long and short of this post is what the hell are the wang-liang based off of? I've looked through many websites and some other sources, but I was wondering what background they've had in older 2e OA modules; what culture they originated from (my gut tells me Chinese); and also what does "wang-liang" literally translate too...(i.e. what Chinese character is used for each).

That last point interests me since I've studied a bit of Chinese in the past. My first instinct is that "wang" is the Chinese word for king or lord, but i haven't the foggiest about "liang."

Any help is greatly appreciated,
C.I.D.

 

[Fenrir]

I think they were based off of Whoopi Goldberg.

 

[Wuxia]

chi1mei4-wang3liang3 => "demons and monsters"

In that case, it is not the wang2 for "king" or "sovereign."

But then, who knows what it is in OA.

 

[Cyronax]

Thanks Wu Xia! My knowledge of tones and the scope of my vocabulary are still somewhat limited, so I'm unsure about two of the words. If it is chi1 mei4 wang3 liang3, which "chi1" and "liang3" are used?

I take it mei4 is evil spirit/demon jand wang3 is maybe deceive? My dictionary isn't that comprehensive for naming traditional chinese (if it is chinese) spirits.

Also, how were wang-liangs used in past OA products? I've only been able to acess the Kara-Tur modules that TSR has on the free downloads, and wang-liangs (unless i missed something) aren't there.

Again thanks,
C.I.D.

 

[Wuxia]

I cannot tell you about OA senior, but:

 

[Cyronax]

Thanks!

Perfect! Thanks Wuxia, I had the characters mostly right.....except I didn't know "gui" was a particle of liang and chi.

Well that's that, and I guess the true breadth of my anal attention to details and background "flavour" is revealed.....

C.I.D.

 

[Mindcrime]

Old form for ghosts in general. Ci is the classical word for a dragon without horns. The word Mèi by itself means a beautiful and terrible spirit that cannot exist without stripping mortals of their soul or life-force, usually through sexual intercourse or by taking of the blood. The words Wâng Liâng separately mean a demon or spirit that resides in mountains or rivers

Chris
Edited to add: I got this definition from a Chinese friend of mine when I lived in Taiwan, a friend who is exceptionally knowledgeable in chinese myth. Ci mei wang liang is a really old word.

 

[Wuxia]

Re: Thanks!

Perfect! Thanks Wuxia, I had the characters mostly right.....except I didn't know "gui" was a particle of liang and chi.

Well that's that, and I guess the true breadth of my anal attention to details and background "flavour" is revealed.....

C.I.D.

I'm sure your players won't complain.

 

[Wuxia]

Old form for ghosts in general. Ci is the classical word for a dragon without horns. The word Mèi by itself means a beautiful and terrible spirit that cannot exist without stripping mortals of their soul or life-force, usually through sexual intercourse or by taking of the blood. The words Wâng Liâng separately mean a demon or spirit that resides in mountains or rivers

Chris
Edited to add: I got this definition from a Chinese friend of mine when I lived in Taiwan, a friend who is exceptionally knowledgeable in chinese myth. Ci mei wang liang is a really old word.

Interesting... It is indeed an old word, and the only one I know of displaying any of those four characters. They are not used on their own and I cannot find them in any other word. But I am not, to my shame, so very knowledgeable in Chinese myth!

On the other hand, I'm positive the pronunciation would be "chi" (+ flat/first tone) for the first character, not "ci." Now, that's indeed an old word, and the difference is only some more breathing in the first case.

 

[hellbender]

The book of Chinese myths and legends I have says that these are creatures that basically are dying out, resent humanity, and are taking out as many humans (through clever means), as they can. They use their abilities to shapechange to infiltrate society and often leave nasty (and terminal) suprises for their victims.

hellbender