Shang-Ti

Shang-Ti is the name of a figure, in Xsian belief, who is known as the Celestial Emperor. Shang-Ti is supposed to have been one of the first Emperors of Hai-Xsia -- historical accounts place him likely as either the Second of Third Sovereign Emperor of Hai-Xsia -- and since leaving the mortal world he rules the Empire of Heaven. As part of his duties as Celestial Emperor, Shang-Ti hands down his mandates (in typically bureaucratic fashion) to the current Hai-Xsian Emperor -- sometimes explicitly, but often in the form of omens which must be read by the Court Diviners. A Dynasty is legitimate so long as it retains Shang-Ti's mandate; when this is lost, a new Dynasty will rise.

Philosophy

There are several significant beliefs that typify the Xsian religious outlook: a critical component is the concept of filial piety and, by extension, ancestor worship. A family's ancestors (especially if the family in question is powerful or respected) are believed to hold places of esteem within the Celestial Bureaucracy, so prayers and offerings made to departed ancestors are thought to help secure a family's good fortune. By extension, a Xsian is also expected to display piety toward the state, represented by the Emperor and his appointed magistrates and officials, and the state's "ancestors" (the most powerful of whom is Shang-Ti himself).

An oft-forgotten part of this philosophical heritage is the government's obligation to rule well and in the interest of general peace and prosperity. The loss of this component several centuries ago roughly corresponds with the rise of the Samurai warrior class and the wars of expansion in the Great Desert and the Southeastern Continent.

Representation

Shang-Ti has a number of associated forms, depicted in both Xsian literature and in classical Xsian art. His earliest known representation is a portrait from around the time of his actual reign as Emperor, where he is shown mounted on a horse that is flying through the clouds (artistic embellishment). His actual figure is represented as being a man of average height, wearing yellow robes and a scholar's hat atop his head. A close-cut beard clings to his jawline, but he wears no mustache. In the Xsian classic novel "The Romance of the Celestial Empire," Shang-Ti is described as having the eyebrows of a caterpillar, the flashing eyes and alert ears of a fox and the regal posture of a crane. His demeanor is described as tiger-like, and while he is more often described as a scholar than a soldier, his battle cry is said to have been more fierce and terrible than a walrus'.

As later depictions of him crop up in successive Dynasties, his image changes. He is often shown wearing fearsome armor and carrying large, elaborate weapons (Shang-Ti, in the "Celestial Empire" novel or in his early portraiture, was never known to wear anything but his robes of state, nor carry any weapon other than a horse-bow). His face also changes over the course of Dynasties, with each Emperor commissioning images of Shang-Ti shown to bear a familial resemblance to the current line. The only way to know for certain that a figure in a painting is Shang-Ti is that he is usually the only one wearing yellow, and he usually wears a yellow banner on his back that has his name written on it in red or purple ink.

Consistently, Shang-Ti and the line of Emperors are closely associated with Dragons. Dragons supposedly allied with Shang-Ti in the Great Lunar War, and (in human form) filled out many positions in the bureaucracy. Sometimes Shang-Ti himself is depicted as an enormous serpentine gold dragon; a Shang-Ti dragon is always distinguishable from others in Xsian painting by the number of talons on its hands and feet (the Imperial Dragon always has six fingers and toes on each hand/foot).

Tales of Shang-Ti

Throughout his mortal reign as Emperor, and then later as Patron Deity of Xsia, Shang-Ti is widely known to have embarked upon a number of super-human exploits.

Shang-Ti's Birth

According to one legend, a Kirin descended from heaven to witness the moment of Shang-Ti's birth, and the gasp of awe that the Kirin uttered upon seeing the child born filled Shang-Ti's infant ears with great learning, such that he always thereafter succeeded in his schooling.

Shang-Ti's Succession to the Throne

Shang-Ti was the son of a low concubine of the Emperor, and competed against the twin sons -- Fang and Guo -- who were born of the Emperor's first wife for the succession of the throne. He bested them each in separate trials of Wisdom, Compassion and Strength, and was thereafter named successor to the Imperial Throne. Fang and Guo -- whose mother was a Lunarian priestess -- were angered by this insult, and left Hai-Xsia to join with the evil Eldrakyn in Lo-Xsia.

The Great Lunar War

A central part of the Shang-Ti mythos, the Lunar War involved Shang-Ti leading the Xsian empire into battle against the Eldrakyn and the Oni for control of what would become the Lo-Xsia province. The end result of this war would be Shang-Ti's aquisition of the Elemental Crystals, which he would then leave in Lo-Xsian at the top of the Tower of Babil.

Ascension to Godhood

As an old man, it is said that Shang-Ti never met a mortal death. Rather, the same Kirin who had witnessed his birth came down from the Heavens and offered him, in effect, a "promotion" of sorts: from mortal Emperor of Hai-Xsia, to Celestial Emperor. When Shang-Ti rose, he brought many of his Dragon allies with him to assume important posts in the Celestial Bureaucracy. To this day, the Xsian believe that any Dragons sighted within their realm are off on some task for Shang-Ti and his Bureaucracy, and that many places in nature (rivers, mountains, forests) have a Dragon protector who represents the Empire of Heaven.

Sung Chiang

Not long after Shang-Ti rose to become Celestial Emperor, a mortal thief from Fa-Bul, named Sung Chiang, had risen to such prominence and skill that he was able to "steal" immortality for himself. Shang-Ti is described as being variously impressed or angered at this, but in the end decided that rather than opposing Sung Chiang, he ought to employ him, and so Shang-Ti made him the patron of policemen in the Celestial Bureaucracy. Despite this placement, Sung Chiang in many of the tales serves as Shang-Ti's foil; rather than respecting, abiding or enforcing the law, Sung Chiang bends, twists and circumvents it when he can get away with it. The Sung Chiang tales serve as a parable among the Xsian for corruption within the bureaucracy; Shang-Ti is powerless to be entirely rid of Sung Chiang, but displays his worthiness and nobility as an administrator by dealing with, controlling and confronting Sung Chiang when he strays from the path of order.