The Fú Family

[Cloudnine]

The Fú Family (福家)

"福无重至,祸不单行."

-"Fortune never comes in twos; misfortune never comes alone."

Origin: Lóng Xiāngcūn (龙乡村) (Dragon Country), an often uncharted far-east island country in the Eastern Ocean.

Village: Villageless, but a majority of their exodus washed ashore on Mizu no Kuni due to the two island countries’ location in the Eastern Ocean. Others continued sailing in pursuit of their Xiao imperial masters that formed a pact with Hi no Kuni. 

Allegiance: The Xiāo Imperial Family (霄帝国遗迹). Since the downfall, the family has fragmented and separated from their traditional roles and obligations. Some households chose to reunite with their fated masters and continue interpreting the will of heaven for the Xiāo in exile. Other households chose to follow their own luck, staking out a living telling fortunes to laymen and teaching the family’s ancient arts to those worthy.

Current Head: None, the most recent matriarch Fú Wúliàng (福无亮) was imprisoned by the new ruling body of Dragon Country. Whether she still lives is unknown. 

Age: Ancient. Records of the Fú have existed for thousands of years.

Status: Revered when the Xiāo family was in power, now detested in their country of origin. The Fú are unknown within the shinobi nations.

 

Population: Fú heritage can be hard to define. Centuries of lineages are readily found on records, but the question is what defines a Fú- how many generations removed is this person from the emperor's side? Countless descendants have married into all facets of Dragon Country's nobility. The number of houses still loyally gazing to the stars numbers few. 

Bloodline: None

Emblem:

Traditional

 

Stylized

Role and History:
The Fú family served the Xiāo family since the dragon-born warriors began their heaven-mandated rule. Where the Xiāo enforced their cosmic decree, the Fú were at their sides interpreting it. Harbingers, the Fú are traditionally retained as court advisers for their divinations and readings. On a lesser note, many Fú become noteworthy poets, philosophers, and artists. 

 

The mystical family is intertwined with the longstanding culture and traditions of Dragon Country. It is considered that wedding a Fú woman brings imperial families good luck and many sons. Fú descendants have married in and out of the Xiāo line and other noble families over generations to maintain a high status in the imperial court. Superstitious and scrutinizing, the Fú determine fate and fortune from weather patterns, charts of celestial and planetary alignments, and even the dregs of withered tea leaves at the bottom of a drained cup. Matchmakers, the unions of noble houses are destined by heaven's hand. They attend all noble births, as the Fú are believed to predict the destiny of great future warriors and venerable emperors by the knots of the newborn’s umbilical cord. Likewise, the Fú also attend deaths among nobility, so that the deceased can continue to enjoy wealth, fortune, and exalted status in the afterlife. On the battlefield, traditional roles of the Fú mystics included offering rites to their warrior ancestors, blessing blades, and determining auspicious signs that dictate the passage of war.

 

The Fú are supernaturally lucky. Fate seems to smile on them in uncanny ways. Perhaps it lends truth to the tale that the heavens gifted foresight onto this line of mystics, or they are merely harvesting the carefully-grown fruits of their superstitions. Regardless, there are many eyewitness records of a Fú dodging the grasp of death's door by nary a hair, a Fú turning a fortune over a night of loss-less gambling, or even a Fú stumbling into the bakery at closing time to find the last of their favorite pastries for sale. 

 

The traditional 'throne' for the Fú houses is the seat of High Diviner in the Xiāo Imperial Court. The title is a lifetime appointment for the mystic until death. The High Diviner serves the Emperor and his court, reading Dragon Country's future from the cues left by heaven's will. The High Diviner lives a enigmatic and cloistered existence, scarcely visible to the public eye as they exit the darkness of their temple only to study the stars from the palace pavilion. Narrow paths of marble laid out across the palace complex dictate the very steps the High Diviner can walk. 

 

After years of bloody civil war that left the imperial Xiāo family exiled across the seas to the west, the Fú remained in attempt to maintain their high positions in ruling courts. Common men succeeded in the power vacuum, and although they strived for democratic policies, they still looked to traditional oracles for advice. Ultimately, the Mandate of Heaven that answered the Fú’s divinations demanded the Dragon’s sons return to their righteous rule, and the false emperor deposed once more. This caused the new leaders of Dragon Country to shun the words of cosmic order as false, and countless Fú were slaughtered as heretics or imprisoned on charges of practicing witchcraft and stirring rebellion. In the end, what remained of the proud Fú households fled to their ships, scattering to westward waves as they landed on shores of unknown lands. 

 

Characteristics: 
The Fú are often thin and frail, especially compared to the full-bodied martial arts their Xiāo masters hone. Rather, members of the family favor scholarly pursuits and care not for dirtying their hands. Born into nobility, the Fú do not see themselves as the common man, believing the family continues to be blessed with guiding mankind according to cosmic decrees. However, the Fú also do not see themselves as fit to rule. Heaven mandated them as interpreters, not rulers. Historically, all Fú declined the throne if inheritance fell to them. After their exodus, the Fú readily live among the laypeople but observe them as curious subjects. They seek royalty and noble clans in their journey, hoping to continue serving ruling ‘kings’ and maintaining their high-born lineage. 

 

The Fú are often seen donning white ceremonial robes with gold embellishments. Descendants born with exceptional divination talent take on star-shaped pupils. It is said to symbolize the intersection of heaven and earth, that an earthly being is born with eyes already peering into the heavens. 

 

Much like their family name, the Fú are known to have uncannily good luck and enjoy both longevity and good health. However, their first names are meant to convey a sense of melancholy or emptiness. This is done according to the belief that since their family name carries great luck, they must balance their legacy with earthly burdens so that the heavens do not become envious of beings on earth. An example is that of their imprisoned matriarch- Fú Wúliàng (福无亮), whose first name roughly translates to mean "Lightless, or without shine."

 

While all Fú can become talented diviners, council within the family falls mostly on matriarchal lines. The youth are expected to always defer to the wishes of their elders, and one’s parents are to be venerated above all… except maybe the righteous Xiāo emperor. 

 

Edited March 2, 2019 by Cloudnine

[Cloudnine]

Clan Skills

Fú Family Core Skills

Edited March 2, 2019 by Cloudnine

[Cloudnine]

Clan Techniques

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Edited March 2, 2019 by Cloudnine

[Cloudnine]

Clan Equipment:

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Edited March 2, 2019 by Cloudnine

[Cloudnine]

Notable Fú Non-Player Characters:

- Fú Wúliàng (福无亮): Family matriarch and appointed High Diviner, imprisoned by the new rulers of Dragon Country. Other members of the family continue to defer to her for guidance, and await hopefully for her release.

 

 

 

 

Fú Player Characters:

-Fú Shǎizi

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Edited February 21, 2021 by Cloudnine

[Cloudnine]

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[Princess]

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