Post by Horsie on Jan 2, 2015 23:29:37 GMT
The term Tang-Dao has two different, but related meanings.
The first is as the original name of the two races (at the time one race) known as the Brorg-Dao and the Tsung-Dao. This was at a time of great instability, where their violent and destructive society was threatening to crumble around them. The Brorg-Dao broke away and formed their own society, while those that remained eventually changed their course and became the Tsung-dao.
The details of Tang-Dao society are some what sketchy, obscured through the passage of time, but both the Brorg-Dao and Tsung-Dao record them as barbaric, backward, and ignorant. They are said to have become increasingly obsessed with the worship of bloodthirsty gods through extremely violent religions. The most significant of these gods was Tang-Roth (now considered a demon by the Brorg and Tsung-Dao). Their culture is believed to have become self destructive, with rituals and sacrifices valued more than practicalities. Fortunately, they abandoned this life style before it was too late.
The modern definition of the Tang-Dao refers to the followers of Lon-Pa, the Heretic. They use this title because they consider themselves a revival of their people's former glory.
Their movement is based on the idea that their people used to be strong and respected, but weak leaders and compromise with foreigners has left them weak and disgraced. The historical accuracy of a lot of their claims are extremely questionable, as are the perceived slights they feel their nation has suffered.
They have various cells hidden through out the Tsung-Dao lands, waging a guerilla war against the authorities, working mostly as bandits, raiding and robbing travellers. This allows them to hit at Tsung-Dao society and also fund their activities.
Their organisation is based on encouraging a sense that they are victims and that they need to reclaim some sort of past golden age. The way to do this is to remove their corrupt and weak leaders and ineffectual rules of conduct that only hold them back from their true power. In troubled and uncertain times, this sort of simple message can be quite powerful and many young and impressionable Tsung-Dao have been won over to this cause.
The Heretic's world view rejects a lot of aspects of Tsung-Dao culture, which he considers signs of weakness and symptoms of a lack of pride in their culture. The restrained, reserved nature of the Tsung-Dao and their ordered way of life is entirely discarded by his disciples, and instead the Heretic encourages his followers to take what they want, through strength of will, threats, and if necessary violence.
Tsung-Dao thrive on order, direction and rules, so when these concepts are turned on their heads it leads them to becoming dangerously violent and aggressive.
The Tang-Dao laugh at the Tsung-Dao as repressed and timid, but they lack the insight to see how unharmonious their own existence has become.
They struggle to restrain their emotions, lashing out both verbally and physically at each other. They are always eager for battle, as it gives them something external to focus their inner turmoil on.
The one thing about their beliefs that is fairly authentic to the original Tang-Dao is their frightening war masks. With pale faces and bright manes of hair, these help strike fear into their enemies hearts. They dress in a different style of armour to Tsung-Dao, though this is based on the preference of the Heretic's second in command Reng-Lo to model her troops after her own armour, rather than anything historical.
Interestingly they also relax the Tsung-Dao modesty rules, often bearing their arms or legs. This is seen as a sign of their deviancy by mainstream Tsung-Dao society; the violent excesses and torture they have committed against travellers only reinforce this view of them as wild, immoral savages in the minds of the Tsung-Dao.
The irony of their organisation is that, for all their xenophobic rhetoric and talk of national pride, due to its relatively low numbers they receive a great deal of foreign help. Mercenary Junlocks are their most common helper (kept in line with loot captured by their raiding parties or The Speaker's powers of persuasion), though they have also been know to get direct help from the Nameless. Though this hypocracy may seem obvious to outsiders, the Heretics followers are so engrossed in his cult that they over look such clear inconsistencies between it's doctrine and it's reality.
For his part, The Speaker considers the movement useful pawns, but nothing more. Any concept of a Tsung-Dao revival that they wish to bring about is meaningless to him, and would actually go against his ultimate goal of the West's total domination of Harkovast. The Tang-Dao are just another method through which he hopes to spread discord and dissent, further weakening his enemies, for the West has no allies, only enemies and slaves.
The first is as the original name of the two races (at the time one race) known as the Brorg-Dao and the Tsung-Dao. This was at a time of great instability, where their violent and destructive society was threatening to crumble around them. The Brorg-Dao broke away and formed their own society, while those that remained eventually changed their course and became the Tsung-dao.
The details of Tang-Dao society are some what sketchy, obscured through the passage of time, but both the Brorg-Dao and Tsung-Dao record them as barbaric, backward, and ignorant. They are said to have become increasingly obsessed with the worship of bloodthirsty gods through extremely violent religions. The most significant of these gods was Tang-Roth (now considered a demon by the Brorg and Tsung-Dao). Their culture is believed to have become self destructive, with rituals and sacrifices valued more than practicalities. Fortunately, they abandoned this life style before it was too late.
The modern definition of the Tang-Dao refers to the followers of Lon-Pa, the Heretic. They use this title because they consider themselves a revival of their people's former glory.
Their movement is based on the idea that their people used to be strong and respected, but weak leaders and compromise with foreigners has left them weak and disgraced. The historical accuracy of a lot of their claims are extremely questionable, as are the perceived slights they feel their nation has suffered.
They have various cells hidden through out the Tsung-Dao lands, waging a guerilla war against the authorities, working mostly as bandits, raiding and robbing travellers. This allows them to hit at Tsung-Dao society and also fund their activities.
Their organisation is based on encouraging a sense that they are victims and that they need to reclaim some sort of past golden age. The way to do this is to remove their corrupt and weak leaders and ineffectual rules of conduct that only hold them back from their true power. In troubled and uncertain times, this sort of simple message can be quite powerful and many young and impressionable Tsung-Dao have been won over to this cause.
The Heretic's world view rejects a lot of aspects of Tsung-Dao culture, which he considers signs of weakness and symptoms of a lack of pride in their culture. The restrained, reserved nature of the Tsung-Dao and their ordered way of life is entirely discarded by his disciples, and instead the Heretic encourages his followers to take what they want, through strength of will, threats, and if necessary violence.
Tsung-Dao thrive on order, direction and rules, so when these concepts are turned on their heads it leads them to becoming dangerously violent and aggressive.
The Tang-Dao laugh at the Tsung-Dao as repressed and timid, but they lack the insight to see how unharmonious their own existence has become.
They struggle to restrain their emotions, lashing out both verbally and physically at each other. They are always eager for battle, as it gives them something external to focus their inner turmoil on.
The one thing about their beliefs that is fairly authentic to the original Tang-Dao is their frightening war masks. With pale faces and bright manes of hair, these help strike fear into their enemies hearts. They dress in a different style of armour to Tsung-Dao, though this is based on the preference of the Heretic's second in command Reng-Lo to model her troops after her own armour, rather than anything historical.
Interestingly they also relax the Tsung-Dao modesty rules, often bearing their arms or legs. This is seen as a sign of their deviancy by mainstream Tsung-Dao society; the violent excesses and torture they have committed against travellers only reinforce this view of them as wild, immoral savages in the minds of the Tsung-Dao.
The irony of their organisation is that, for all their xenophobic rhetoric and talk of national pride, due to its relatively low numbers they receive a great deal of foreign help. Mercenary Junlocks are their most common helper (kept in line with loot captured by their raiding parties or The Speaker's powers of persuasion), though they have also been know to get direct help from the Nameless. Though this hypocracy may seem obvious to outsiders, the Heretics followers are so engrossed in his cult that they over look such clear inconsistencies between it's doctrine and it's reality.
For his part, The Speaker considers the movement useful pawns, but nothing more. Any concept of a Tsung-Dao revival that they wish to bring about is meaningless to him, and would actually go against his ultimate goal of the West's total domination of Harkovast. The Tang-Dao are just another method through which he hopes to spread discord and dissent, further weakening his enemies, for the West has no allies, only enemies and slaves.
