Fu Lion

From L5r: Legend of the Five Rings

Fu Lion

Fu Lions are commonly statues that a popular for decoration throughtout Rokugan. They are most commonly placed outside entrances to palaces, other large residences, public buildings and merchant establishments. The Fu Lion is a creation of the Rokugani imagination. It is believed it is a being that embodies the human desire to fight of evil and misfortune, and that they are loyal pets that will guard that which is dear to their owners while the owners rest. Occasionally spirits from the Spirit Realms such as Chikushudo, Tengoku and sometimes even Yomi will spontaneously inhabit Fu Lions and bring them to life. Scholars are unsure as to how this is done, but the inhabited Fu Lions seem sworn to guard Rokugan from things of evil, so no one is complaining. There seems to be no connection between the sculptors of the statues and the possessions, and all in all seems to be just a blessing granted by a guirk in the Celestial Order. The statues are mostly dormant until a trigger, which is commonly a physical threat to the property they were built to guard, or the residents of that property. A threat to an entire city could result in the activation of a pack of Fu Lions from all across the city. Human action cannot compel the statues to activate however, and it is impossible to determine which of the Fu Lion statues contain dormant spirits and which are merely lumps of rock. The Fu Lion, once activated, does not take orders from anyone. Not even those they protect. They perform their duty as they see fit, following their instincts. They are most capable at fighting in pairs, as the statues most often comes in pairs, but it is not unknown for Fu Lions to fight on their own. If a Fu Lion is destroyed the spirit will return to whichever realm it came from. If it is successful in its defense it will return to where it was as a statue and re-enter its dormant state. (CoR3E pp. 102-103)