Fu Lion

Fu Lions were statues that are popular decorations throughout Rokugan.
They were most commonly placed outside entrances to palaces, other large residences, public buildings and merchant establishments. The Fu Lion was a creation of the Rokugani imagination. It was believed it was a being that embodied the human desire to fight off evil and misfortune and that they were loyal pets that would guard that which was dear to their owners while they sleep. Occasionally spirits from the Spirit Realms such as Chikushudo, Tengoku and sometimes even Yomi would spontaneously inhabit Fu Lions and bring them to life. Scholars were unsure as to how this is done, but the inhabited Fu Lions seemed to guard Rokugan from evil, so no one was complaining.
There seemed to be no connection between the sculptors of the statues and any subsequent possession of their work, and all in all it seemed to be just a blessing granted by a quirk in the Celestial Order. The statues were mostly dormant until a triggering event, which was commonly a physical threat to the property and or the residents they were built to guard. A threat to an entire city could result in the activation of a pack of Fu Lions from all across that city. Human actions could not compel the statues to activate, and it was impossible to determine which of the Fu Lion statues contained potentially active spirits and which were merely lumps of rock. The Fu Lion, once activated, did not take orders from anyone, not even those they protect.
They performed their duty as they see fit, following their own volition. They were most capable when fighting in pairs, as the statues were most often created as a pair, but it was not unknown for Fu Lions to fight singly. If a Fu Lion was destroyed the spirit was thought to return to whichever realm it came from. Once it had successfully fulfilled its task it would then return to where it was, returning to its original statue form and re-entering its dormant state. Creatures of Rokugan; Third Edition, pp. 102-103
== See also ==
* Kafu
== External Links ==
* Fu Lion (Promotional)
Category:Creatures of Rokugan
Category:Rokugani Language
Category:Articles with Pictures