How to roleplay a Cleric of Fumieyoshi?

[Kyoko Hitomu]

Hey all,

Starting a Cleric of Fumeiyoshi but I'm having a hard time getting into character as a worshiper of this deity. There's not much more than a paragraph on this deity and a few key words under his "portfolio". Anyone have suggestions on how they'd play this character in a PFS setting? Trying to make him not seem entirely evil as I'm trying to convert people over to my deity.

Pathfinder Wiki - Fumeiyoshi

[lemeres]

Well, given the fact his worshippers are primarily oni, his holy symbol is a red oni like face, and that he general attitude and actions are generally oni like- you can probably use oni philosophy as a good spring board for you religious practices (whether this is actually part of your god's religious doctrines, or whether is is merely tradition passed from oni leaders hardly matters).

The Brinewall Legacy wrote:

Oni believe that mortals do not sufficiently appreciate the pleasures of the physical world and so "punish" them for this failure. Oni "philosophy" is built on three pillars: maekaga (dominance), kaedakaga (punishing the undeserving), and tezukaga (hedonism); these are the guiding principles of all oni, with tezukaga taking precedence.

You can definitely build something off of that, no?

[FLite]

Um... He is the diety of Envy and Dishonor. His domains are death, destruction, evil, repose, war.

I think you are going to have a hard time making him *seem* not entirely evil. Because he pretty much is.

[FLite]

My wife maintains that you can present him as a misunderstood victim, who strives only to unbind people from the constraints of society that prevent them from achieving their full potential.

And then find a good reason to kill anyone who doesn't buy that line.

[Kyoko Hitomu]

lemeres wrote:

Well, given the fact his worshippers are primarily oni, his holy symbol is a red oni like face, and that he general attitude and actions are generally oni like- you can probably use oni philosophy as a good spring board for you religious practices (whether this is actually part of your god's religious doctrines, or whether is is merely tradition passed from oni leaders hardly matters).

The Brinewall Legacy wrote:

Oni believe that mortals do not sufficiently appreciate the pleasures of the physical world and so "punish" them for this failure. Oni "philosophy" is built on three pillars: maekaga (dominance), kaedakaga (punishing the undeserving), and tezukaga (hedonism); these are the guiding principles of all oni, with tezukaga taking precedence.

You can definitely build something off of that, no?

Thanks, this was really insightful. I'm definitely looking forward to incorporating oni principles as they seem fitting.

The Dragon Empires Gazetteer expands just a tad on Fumeiyoshi by saying "Fumeiyoshi is considered the patron of oni and the undead, and of those paladins and samurai who have been dishonored or have fallen from grace. In lands where the dead are buried, people often make sacrifices to Fumeiyoshi as the god of graves to placate him into leaving deceased loved ones where they are laid to rest, lest they rise again as undead horrors."

I'm a bit confused on his portfolio though. His portfolio is "the god of dishonor, envy, graves, and undead." but it seems that he's the patron of those that have been dishonored? Guess that doesn't making him the god of dishonoring others?

Even though Fumeiyoshi is Neutral Evil, and his domains and portfolio aren't exactly "nice", I do believe that a True Neutral Cleric could portray him in a more accepting light. It mentions that everday people make sacrifices to placate him from raising their loved ones as undead.

I'm not sure how envy fits into this either but I understand how graves and undead do since he was banished to his brother's grave and has the power to raise people as undead horrors. Any other thoughts / philosophies on how to play a Cleric of Fumeiyoshi?

[lemeres]

Kyoko Hitomu wrote:

I'm a bit confused on his portfolio though. His portfolio is "the god of dishonor, envy, graves, and undead." but it seems that he's the patron of those that have been dishonored? Guess that doesn't making him the god of dishonoring others?

I'm not sure how envy fits into this either but I understand how graves and undead do since he was banished to his brother's grave and has the power to raise people as undead horrors. Any other thoughts / philosophies on how to play a Cleric of Fumeiyoshi would be great.

Even though Fumeiyoshi is Neutral Evil, and his domains and portfolio aren't exactly "nice", I do believe that a True Neutral Cleric could portray him in a more accepting light. It mentions that everday people make sacrifices to placate him from raising their loved ones as undead.

Those that have been dishonored envy those that are still in the light, and as such wish to drag them down into the darkness with them, or to force the innocent to take their place.

A merchant had two sons- a diligent younger scholar and a scheming older accountant. The accountant embezzled money from his father's business to fund the grand ideas he had to make his father choose him as the heir. His younger brother saw these deeds, however, and told the father of them. The accountant was rebuked and disinherited, and forced to leave the house.

The older saw how the younger was now the one to inherit the family fortune. Being a schemer, he believed people were either schemers themselves, or fools to be taken advantage of. So he believed the younger brother had told the father in order to rid himself of the 'more talented' older brother.

So older brother hatched a plot- he would frame the younger brother for a plot to kill the father and gain the inheritance immediately. If he succeeded, the younger brother would be cast out of the house... and perhaps the older brother would be taken back in as a 'faithful son' for saving the father. And if the plan should fail... he would still have a full plot and hired assassins at hand to take revenge.

Sorry for the story, but it seemed appropriate for framing how the 'dishonored' might fit into the porfolio.

For a non evil character though- VENGEANCE! Plain and simple. Perhaps he came from a fallen noble house, and those that pushed his family out are mismanaging the domain. While the oni philosophy supports indulgence, complacency is a punishable sin- the new nobles are allowing trade to falter, allowing bandits to attack the farmers that provides their domain with wealth, and allowing their military might to grow fat and slow.

Ergo- PUNISH THE UNDESERVING!GAIN REVENGE ON THOSE THAT DARE THINK THEY CAN RULE THIS LAND BETTER THAN THEE! SHOW THEM THE COST OF ALLOWING THEIR BLADES TO DULL AND THEIR EYES TO GLAZE BY USING ONLY YOUR OWN BLADE TO TAKE ALL THEIR HEADS!

It is funny- even when you side with evil, you will be surprised how often ethics and morals align with smart management. As a general motto for Asmodeus and Cheliax-"Who cares if we are evil? The trains arrive on time, the guards stop troublemakers, and our investments provide jobs that keep the people fed. Everyone is better off with us in charge."

[Renegadeshepherd]

I've done such a character before in a few different ways but I chose to always be neutral alignment for the sake of roleplay and unit cohesion.

The first was a dhamphir who hated his undead nature but embraced this deity so he could use the tools to destroy those he was angry at. Vampires and those who picked on him in his youth mostly.

The second was a human noble bastard, literal sense not cursing, who did not inherit and was essentially a no one. In his twisted envy he began to explore necromancy to see if he could then take the power. As he slowly began to kill one he found that made it easier for the next kill and so on. He use his position in court to encourage wars and conflict only to use it in secret to create an undead army. Ultimately he became a plague on the land and though his army fell he was never found.

Third guy was much like Espada #2 from bleach, Barrigan. Simply believed that all things die and it doesn't matter how or when. Wouldn't actively try to kill all folks but had no qualms about killing whoever or whatever for whatever.