Fangshi

Fangshi (pronunced fuhng-SHEE) is the second of the three major philosophies to come out of the Wood Elven culture. Though most scholars believe they likely did not influence each other, Fangshi has since become known as something of an antithesis to Wanmei. Though not envisioned initially as a philosophical tradition so much as a series of poems, the works of Rōshi Oi, especially “Scattering Blossoms” or Chirasu Hana, are said to epitomize the ethos of Fangshi. Beloved throughout his life, his death spawned a flurry of exegetics, interpretations, and treatises on how to live one’s life as beautifully as did Rōshi Oi. With sufficient time, Fangshi shed its literary origins and became a philosophical force, formless and constantly re-imagined.

What Fangshi shares with Wanmei is a belief in a perfect way of existence which the philosophy espouses. Where it differs from its sister philosophy is in an emphasis on naturalness, spontaneity, and humility. Central to this is the concept of Wu Wei, or effortless action. Commonly mistranslated as ‘passivity,’ Wu Wei is more accurately described as a theorem that proposes that the path to happiness and success is concord with the natural flow of the universe, and conversely that discord therewith results in unhappiness and failure. Thus, perfect harmony with the universe results in a perfect, immortal state which some masters of the school claim was the ultimate fate of the Celestials.

For the Elven interpretation of Fangshi this satisfies the problem of hedonism by divesting oneself from intentional pleasure-seeking in favor of embracing the natural order of the universe. Of the philosophies that emerged from their culture, the Wood Elves have come to primarily adhere to Fangshi in some way shape or form, probably owing to its reluctance to adopt fixed, rigid rules. In the Empire, Fangshi remains somewhat more marginal compared with Wanmei, mostly catching the attention of those who take more of an interest in what it has to say about immortality. Nonetheless, there are a few genuine practitioners, and there is a saying that sums up Fangshi’s place in the empire:"As a child, worship at the feet of your ancestors. As an adult, follow the teachings of Fūshi. As an elder, enjoy the serenity of Oi."Players who select a Fangshi school of thought are encouraged to embrace an effortless spontaneity to their actions. Not so much an impulsiveness as a respect for adapting to how things are rather than how one would like them to be.

Way of the Wind
Alignment: Chaotic Good

Domains: Luck, Trickery, and Life

The follower of the Way of the Wind sees life as an ever-flowing strand of wind upon which they are permitted to ride provided their heart is light enough. Subsequently, they seek always to lighten their load, physically and mentally, and when problems arise, to solve them through wit, skill, and resourcefulness. They are in their element when their uncontrolled journey brings them the opportunity to help lighten the loads of others as well. Vows of poverty are common, and followers prefer to sink or swim on the good will that their good deeds engender.

Way of the Bent Grass
Alignment: Chaotic Good

Domains: Nature, Virtue, and Night

The follower of the Way of the Bent Grass tends to be a little more sedentary than their wind-loving brethren but similarly disinclined towards forced action and accumulation of wealth. Rather, they enjoy watching life pass before them, unburdened and unhurried, as though an eternally-running movie. Their goal, if one can even call it that, consists of helping others to enjoy life the way they do. They too may take vows of poverty, but are more likely to accept and utilize money on the understanding that they will not hoard it or become covetous of it.

Way of the Alchemist
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Domains: Divine, Arcana, and Knowledge

As a path to immortality, Alchemists regard interpretation of Fangshi as literal. At their core, alchemists seek to find the innate, divine essence in all things both internal and external. Many have as their magnum opus the creation of either a metaphorical elixir of life - by performing “internal” alchemy until they are capable of suffusing into the world - or a literal elixir of life via the combination of certain essential elements. Whatever means they choose, the ultimate goal of the Alchemist is immortality, and they are rarely the only ones with a vested interest in their personal progress. The process of this internal alchemy requires strict dieting, physical exercise, and abstinence from both intoxicants and sexual pleasure - self-induced or otherwise.

Way of the Ocean
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Domains: Death, Grave, and Tempest

Though most paths of Fangshi abound in the joy of freely navigating the inevitable, ineffable whims of fate, there are those for whom the focus of this inevitability is the grave and a return to the body and soul’s constituent elements. Followers of the Way of the Ocean care little for sharing their view of the world, seeing reality as nothing more than a river winding its way down to the dark ocean at the end of our lives. Far from being a solemn and sobering path, however, this interpretation usually manifests as a free and joyous indulgence in all that life has to offer, unbound by the chains of gain and loss. Albeit a self-centered one. Their philosophical concerns tend to lie with the paths Fangshi offers to religious ecstasy.

Way of the Grasping Monkey
Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Domains: City, Order, and Light

Freedom is a difficult phrase to pin down. Though some view the tenets of Fangshi as promoting freedom bestowed on a person by the transformative power of virtue, some others by codified internal and external alchemy, still others believe that these are just a deeper level of binding. Followers of the Way of the Grasping Monkey believe that whatever the monkey of their mind grasps onto, that is where they must go and what they must do. As often as this manifests as genuine kindness and gregariousness, it manifests as vicious cruelty and sadism. The grasping monkey mind being the sole determinant.

Way of the Sleeping Tiger
Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Domains: War, Protection, and Forge

The innate freedom and liberation of Fangshi has many ways of expressing itself. Occasionally this freedom entails an unshackling of the binds of morality. Follows of the Way of the Sleeping Tiger kill not as a means to an end, but as an end itself. The more so when it is the whims of fate or chance that drive its practitioner onwards towards carnage. It is not enough to kill everyone and everything in sight, but to revel in pure random chance as the decider of who lives and who dies, for which the practitioner is just a conduit.