Fu Manchu and the Spectre of racism

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nothri
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Re: Fu Manchu and the Spectre of racism

Post by nothri »

The attitude of the Cathese, while not necessarily overtly hostile is certainly problematic. Their philosophy holds that the cosmos formed from a single seed that became a world tree, the Jian Mu. It’s branches formed heaven, the roots crafted hell and the trunk formed a pillar of the Earth that separates these forces. The seeds of the Jian Mu gave birth to daughter Yang and daughter Yin, that in term gave birth to all other things. The Jian Mu was eventually cut down by a villain named Wu Kang (a man like all villains in Tsiens version of mythology) but the first principle embodied by the world tree remains. The Cathese believe that the hill upon which the palace of bone was built is all that remains of the original world tree. They literally consider their homeland the center of the universe and all other lands as lesser and flawed and foreigners by their nature as less enlightened for being further from the Jian Mu wisdom than the Cathese themselves. Therefore they keep to their own traditions and people as a matter of course. Outsiders are barbaric and unreliable even when they mean well.

Ironically, when dealing with outsiders Cathese prefer to speak with Demi humans. They view long life as a sign of greater enlightenment (a sign that one is living in harmony with the Jian Mu’s creation) and the longer lifespans of non humans is a clear sign that these barbarians are nonetheless closer to heaven than the human foreigners.
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nothri
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Re: Fu Manchu and the Spectre of racism

Post by nothri »

What your saying about Fu Manchu is interesting. Consider these plot points in the article:

1. I’Cath as a nation has just come out of centuries of bloody civil war inspired by the warring states and three kingdoms period. (The Four Warring Kingdoms as it were). The famous oath that Tsien broke before entering began as a pledge by the four most powerful kingdoms to serve and protect the once proud dynasty of the imperial family that was now little more than toothless figurehead unable to impose their will on any former vassal who not loyal to them.

2.Tsien was of one of these four nations, the weakest. She married into the other ruling families, each time producing a daughter. Nightingale was born into the house of the Emperor himself. By manipulation and the occasional assassination Tsien ensured each daughter became the defacto ruler of the clan she marrried into. Nightingale was therefore the Emperors beloved grand daughter.

3. The Emperor had a grand mausoleum built in preparation of his death. Fearing Tsiens magic over the dead, he ordered this tomb built in secret, and despite her power was never able to learn the location of the tomb. To her fury, the Emperors men were able to whisk him away to the tomb in the chaos following the entry into Ravenloft. Somewhere in I’Cath he slumbers restlessly among many potent artifacts, an ancient dead of the highest rank.

4. There are rumors that Nightingale had at lest one child before her death and that this true heir to the empire lives a modest life somewhere among the Cathese refugees.
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DustBunny
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Re: Fu Manchu and the Spectre of racism

Post by DustBunny »

tomokaicho wrote:Hate to nickpick, but if a Chinese word is to be used for the non-Cathayans, it should be 鬼佬 (GuiLao) not the friendlier 老外 (LaoWai).
Nitpick away. It's always interesting to learn new things :).

I knew GuiLao was a negative term, but I thought is was on par with using the 'N' word and not used casually even with people you don't like.
nothri wrote: 3. The Emperor had a grand mausoleum built in preparation of his death .... he slumbers restlessly among many potent artifacts, an ancient dead of the highest rank.
Interesting. Prehaps Tsien, Raven Fu, and a ancient dead Emperor are scheming/fighting for control of an army. An army of golems.....
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Re: Fu Manchu and the Spectre of racism

Post by tomokaicho »

DustBunny wrote:I knew GuiLao was a negative term, but I thought is was on par with using the 'N' word and not used casually even with people you don't like.
Its the standard way of saying "foreigner" in Hong Kong, and is otherwise widespread in Southern China.
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Re: Fu Manchu and the Spectre of racism

Post by nothri »

Tsien's background states that she secretly learned the art of war, poison, and magic from Masters of the art against her father's wishes. To tie our Fu Manchu figure into the background of the domain, I think it makes perfect sense that he should be one of these unnamed tutors, possibly the last one still alive (or the equivalent- weighing the pros and cons of making him a vampire, of the type the RLM3 called an Oriental Vampire and what 3rd Edition labeled a Jiangshi). Possibly the only man left under heaven that Tsien actually respects...and therefore tirelessly seeks to destroy as one of the only real threats left to her dominion.
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