This is ironic because myself and a player were discussing the lack of Oriental mythology in the Ravenloft setting last night (he decided to play an oriental monk) and that some of these ideas would have been good to see.
I have to confess I didn't actually know about this project before I read it on this board, but the Ravenloft sourcebook did mention about there being several masques (not just the Masque of the Red Death) so I assumed that they would either be looking at different time periods in history or different mythology origins (guessing the later might be the ticket!)
Could the Masque of the Jade Dragon refer to an entity? My reasoning is that one way to view the title "Masque of the Red Death" is that it details the manipulations, plots, and intrigues of the Red Death. Perhaps this next book deals with a separate, equally unknowable being called the Jade Dragon?
...my...god...
That is so simple and obvious! How come no one thought of that before.
If it is a different entity, say an Oritental dragon or similar elemental spirit, it would change everything. The oriental areas of the Gothic Earth with a rival force.
If MotJD is intended to be set in the same Gothic Earth as MotRD, a clue might be the following from page 218 of the new book; "In fact, some sources claim that at least one qabal is even now searching for a way to re-create the original ritual or spell in the hopes of drawing to Gothic Earth another being powerful enough to drive out the Red Death forever."
All this sounds really interesting. The Red Death has been around for a long time though, so I wonder how another being of such immense power would fare against the Red Death. Anyway, if this product truly is based on MotRD, it will definetely be a gem, and I will fully support it. I look forward to having the book in my palm of my hands.
"I am Frukathka, emissary of the Rakastan pantheon and defender of the Rakastan people and felines everywhere."
As for Masque of the Jade Dragon, it is not the "oriental version" of western gothic (at least I hope it doesn't come across that way) .
It is set in a different time period and focuses on Asia. Look for interesting takes on magic.