Greyhawk Rebooted - 576CY
a whole. This pantheon consists of the
Celestial Emperor, Nine “Immortals” and
hundreds of minor entities and spirits.
Although there were rarely famines
or other causes of strife, all aspects of
life were very regulated and regimented.
One’s position in life is decided at birth
and most Suh go on to work in the same
profession as their parents. The only exit
from this fate is success in the mandarin
exams.
Engrained with these strict laws and
rules for generations, most accepted them
without question. However, humans being
humans, there were bound to be some
who questioned the status quo.
By -2,002 CY some began to chafe at the
benevolent yet strict laws that governed
their lives. In that year a woman named
Xan-Yae communed alone for 40 days
with the Mist Dragon, Xinapheranak, who
disclosed to her a new way forward for the
Suhfeng people; one in which they were
the architects of their own fate and not
merely wards or playthings for outsiders
be they demon or celestial. Xan-Yae
preached a doctrine of self-reliance and
self-exploration for a release of power
from within.
Followers of The Way believe that reality
depends upon three metaphysical ideals:
the Universal Mind (the universe and all
things in it exist because the mind created
them and maintain them), the Perpetual
Harmony (life is balanced, symmetry is in
all things, achieving a similar state puts
one in harmony with nature), and Internal
Peace (martial and mental activities must
be mastered to attain a higher level of
existence). Flamboyance and wasted
energy have no place in the The Way.
The extremes of evil and good must be
sought out and tempered with harmony
to maintain balance.
60 Greyhawk Rebooted 576CY is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan WotC Content Policy.
Clerics of the Way are agents of
harmony and discipline. They seek out
radical factions, alignments, and politics
and bend them toward balance. They
train others in the simple arts of war,
hone the minds of those open to mental
challenges, scour the world to find
evidence of the Universal Mind, and seek
gurus of advanced physical and mental
abilities for knowledge of self-elevation.
They are not passive beings, but actively
seek change to ensure the stability of the
universe. Seeing the Celestial Empire
as being out of balance, Wayists began
preaching secession and rebellion within
the Empire.
Xan-Yae herself travelled deep into the
Tyurzi Mountains where she established
a monastery in the land of Be’how and
there in -1,986 CY, after 364 days of
uninterrupted meditation, she penned
the 36 scrolls that make up the tenets
of The Way and faded away in front of
her disciples; Xan-Yae had achieved
apotheosis. The people of Be’how, under
the leadership of the High Speaker of
the Way immediately seceded from the
Celestial Empire and declared neutrality
to all other nations, in all conflicts, in
all times. The native Goliath population
quickly took to the new faith and are
today among its most devout followers.
(The current High Speaker in 576 CY is a
Goliath)
Within a few centuries, The Way had
spread across the entirety of the Celestial
Empire. It took root most firmly on
the edges of the Empire where several
local lords began establishing their own
demesnes outside the control of the
Empire. Today the faith has not been
outlawed within the Empire but its
followers are generally looked down upon
and often discriminated against by the
Celestial bureaucracy.