Design Case: Educational Philosophy of Danzuishan

Nirrum believes the school of Purity of thought to be a pale echo of Manaharamu's university

I, on the other hand, believe that Manaharamu's university is ultimately incomplete.

This post will be a bit different from usual. This is what many would consider "way too much fluff" and "lots of effort for nothing." but it is representative of what I consider when building my civilizations. The following text is written without  many design notes, or without much in the way of formulae. It is simply a post for content that can be taken and used in your campaigns, should you choose.

Danzuishan has always been "the other city" in my campaigns. Where Skalmirthon and Kholira are "the dwarves" and "the bad guys" respectively in the eyes of newcomers and Manaharamu stands out as "The only magic CostCo" Danzuishan hasn't ever been... Anything. In Preparing for my most recent campaign, I wanted to set Danzuishan Apart from Manaharamu on a fundamental level. I wanted to make this river kingdom an analog to my idea of places that are foreign to me, Places where people think differently. In Doing so, I came up with the Nine Schools of Thought. These fictional establishments are more than their walls, unlike the university of manaharamu. They are houses of a philosophy and places where people go to adopt an aspect of that philosophy to improve who they are. The danzuishanese are largely dragonborn and I wanted the subtle difference between them and the more human races to show. Every Dragonborn has a breath weapon that does 2d6 damage of a type that that dragonborn is resistant to. A mean of 7 damage. When taking into account that the average commoner has 3.5hp, you can get a feel for some of what I meant in my post on Context in Leveling. I wanted the fact that every single dragonborn was armed with the ability to kill as a natural consequence of their heritage, to be visible in their culture. To be Danzuishanese was to resist the desire to kill, to be capable and skilled enough to avoid war.  Their ability to kill so easily and their desire to bond with each other in spite of that ability not only lead to a war that lasted 2663 years, but a military that has gone undefeated since. At the end of this section I will have the Leader of the Danzsuishanese army's Character block so one can imagine how their society views itself.

The Danzuishanese Education System

To understand the Danzuishanese, you must understand that the Dragonborn of this region only just stopped their civil war. To say that every citizen is a soldier is false. To think that they would not kill for their home is also false. The hereditary warfare of the tribes gave rise to their own specialty schools, which eventually blended and separated, combined and refined, and underwent their own independent metamorphoses until they gave root to the Nine schools of Danzuishanese martial arts and life philosophy. Over the past millennia, the specialization of these schools has changed to be more distinct individually. Each of these schools has something to teach about fighting and warfare to anyone who attends them, as well as a skill they specialize in. Unlike the schools of the Manahararahi, or even the apprenticeships of the Lelumadil, the Danzuishanese schools specialize in a style of thinking rather than a specific skill or abstraction. As a result, students of each one of these schools will have vastly different ways of answering problems, even if they have the same solution in the end. Even over their extensive history of internal bloodshed, the Danzuishanese have managed to maintain the idea that the best ideas are born of a chaos, not a void.

Nirrum's note: A philosophy that only a few in the university seem to understand. Those Instructors who follow Danzuishanese teachings are those who are able to ensure their message is understood.

The Danzuishanese military therefore, is made not of these schools, divided and thus conquerable, but instead of the natural flow of their organizational ideology. While there is a formal and concrete hierarchy, the approach of this hierarchy to the organization and positioning of their forces is fluid and thus not to be underestimated. The schools are not disparate and indeed, their students frequently move from one to the other to improve an aspect of their training in the one they respect the most.

The school of Purity of Thought

This school is built on the idea of formal abstraction. They teach that in practicing anything, you must see what it is not. This leads their students to become capitious pedants of many sorts, but by extension it creates a mastery of lateral thinking and repurposing resources. Frequently the school produces tricky casters, Dazzling warriors, or more frequently, Transfers to Manaharamu. Apt to solve puzzles and investigations, The denizens here are always hard to impede. Their Quick-thinking has saved Gausui multiple times.

When faced with an adventuring party, the school of purity of thought will almost always be unpredictable, and will very seldom actually fight. Almost everything this school does has multiple uses or purposes, so at least expect spells like heat metal and prestidigitation to be used it confounding ways

The school of Presence of Mind

This school is built on the idea of the acknowledgement of sensory experience and perception. They teach their students to see, remember and observe. Aside from archival work, they often tend to focus on knowing what your resources and impediments are. A student of this school is seldom one to forget a name. They often see their students become Tacticians, quick-workers and saboteurs. More than one thief caught by the Brekoli Guard of Manaharmu has been of this school. Samurai, Warlords, Rangers, The sorts that need to pay attention all do well to heed this school's lessons. People often stop here on their way to the maze as they pass through Vehi.

When faced with an adventuring party, the school of presence of mind will ensure that their enemies are positioned such that they are in each other's way or that their resources are minimized.

The school of the Growing One

This school is built on the idea of the perfection of self. Their students are ruthlessly reminded of their mistakes and criticized harshly in all aspects of form. Through this, experienced instructors teach students to continually improve. The first test of this school it is worth noting is to talk back and defend ones self to an instructor. This school is not for the weak of heart of those who are not bold. Those who eventually leave this school are frequently those who only need to hit once, or who cannot be blocked, or whose actions are otherwise extremely decisive in achieving a goal. Those who intend to be archers might have it the easiest here, but Sorcerers and warlocks flourish in this school, their control of their powers often exceeding their wildest dreams. "Was it perfect? Why was it not perfect? What must you practice to fix the imperfection". The solitary Disconnect of buildings in Asulaka means that many people find a place to be themselves away from prying eyes, thus, the school of the Growing one is stationed here

Oft suited to producing adventurers itself, the school of the growing will ask for their opponent's blessing in battle. They frequently desire only to improve themselves and thus, their goals seldom coincide with the goals of others, but also seldom conflict.

The school of Two Hundred Hearts

This school is a bizarre duality unto itself. It posits that the greatest tool that one can wield is another person. Psychology is really the focus of this school some would argue. Students are taught how to interpret power economy, emotional investment, and how to understand the plight of others. The name and idea of thinking of others might label this school as a soft, caring place. It is in fact a school of manipulation, navigation, and achievement. Even Dal Trussari Tenkitagan of Manaharamu studied here. This school produces powerful enchanters, devious politicians, and effective doctors. Intimidation, Persuasion, Deception, and Insight. It is only the student who decides how this knowledge is used. The Government in Gassa makes use of their sages. 

When faced with an adventuring party, the school of two hundred hearts will almost never actually be facing the adventuring party. The more of a threat a party is, the more they wish to use them. The school of two hundred hearts when it does have to fight, fights in unison with its own and in discord of the opponent. Two hundred hearts are better than One hundred and Ninety-Nine. 

The school of Endurance of Spirit

This school focuses almost exclusively on discipline. It has simultaneously the oldest and youngest students. Those put their by their parents to stop being shits and those who recognize their imperfections at older ages. This school makes use of prudence and drive to teach its pupils that they can do more than they expect they can and that they should do more than they think they can. Rather, the school teaches that the limits the mind sets on itself are mostly in the mind itself and not of ones own constitution. The limits of reality are still to be respected or one will face dangerous forms of overexertion. They thus produce some of the most damaging evocators and the most patient assassins and spies. They produce the most stalwart of defenders, while also producing those who can go without food the longest. This school is particularly dangerous to fight against and is guaranteed one of the reasons Danzuishan has not only been at war with itself for so long but also why they have never lost a war to an external force since the schools conception. Sieges against these people are historically "a tax on militaries for poor education, rather than any form of victory". They lend well to the Defence of Keina against the Pirates of Grand Tortuga and Kriegcove.

When faced with an adventuring party, adherents of the school of Endurance of Spirit will always attempt to make it a slog and an uphill battle for their opponents. They do not go down easily.

The school of Echoing Immortality

Danzuishanese philosophy concerning their dead is often seen as strange in the eyes of foreigners, namely, they seldom believe in their dead. This is not to say that they lack an understanding of Mortality, that the concept of cessation of function is beyond them, or that they are not able to acknowledge a body on the road as lacking a soul. It is instead that the Danzuishanese do not see much of a difference between an object and its replacement in clerical terms or in terms of legacy. This method of thinking makes their lines of succession remarkably clean. The school of echoing immortality functions much like the library of the college of lore. It is a collection (The second largest on the plane) of the history, actions and thoughts of individuals. Through the guided study and contextual analysis of these documents, students endeavour to become the people they study about or under. For this reason, the Danzuishanese hero, Corryn of Shan, has over two hundred volumes written of his selfless and tireless adventures despite having died well over three hundred times. A blacksmith in Danzuishan might carry the name of a blacksmith from a hundred years ago, or a bakery might have been signed under the same name for twenty generations. The twist of this school is when the people of Danzuishan truly decide to let something die, it is as simple as not recognizing it, thus it fades into history. Through this method, the most belligerent fighters of the old war were those who were laid to rest the most reverently, the last of them immolated in dragonfire on their funeral pyre only 187 years ago. The instructors of this school have of course, developed many tricks for this custom, and often transitory students will use these tricks to their own ends, such as learning how to perfectly assume ones identity or to read another's thoughts, or perhaps intuit the steps of one long passed. This sits well with the death-fearing commoners of Turunga

When faced with an adventuring party, someone of the school of echoing immortality might fight them hundreds of times. Different colors, different weapons, same style, same anger, same reason, and in rare cases, the same memories.

The school of Irrevocable Death

A school built, probably by a member of the school of purity of thought, to counter the school of echoing immortality. Attendants of this school are those who challenge those who believe in the way of echoing immortality to follow their deeds. The cross-talk between this school and the school of the growing one is staggering, as members of this one are rarely not also in the other, though the reverse is not always true. There is one key difference between the growing one and the irrevocable death. The irrevocable death students will work towards a single irreplicable goal, frequently of monumental significance or such particular nuance that none that follow them will be able to truly capture their spirit. The truest culmination of this school is the Danzuishanese maze, which not even the most studious members of the University of Manaharamu have been able to begin to unravel the mysteries of. They make great use of the library of Echoing Immortality but also of the trade that comes in through Gossogi in the markets.

If you fight a member of the irrevocable death, you will only ever do so once. Provided they were a good student, you will remember it forever.

The school of Immediate Action

This is the newest, poorest and also most populous of the schools, This school teaches its students to recognize opportunity and recognize weakness. The school by extension teaches efficiency and teaches against overexertion. This school will turn out the most thieves and criminals as the poorest citizens take aim at opportunities without knowing the consequences. It also turns out some of the most efficient soldiers and politicians. It Echoes each of the other schools in what it teaches but also teaches the lowest effort to achieve a goal. Whether that means finding a weakness or exploiting those around you, this school will always produce those who achieve. The followers of the school of Immediate action will frequently try to seize immediate advantages rather than fighting drawn-out affairs. Furi prodigies also frequently attend this school, as it is the most accessible to them out in Gari.

If you fight someone who has attended the school of Immediate action, You'll find sand in your eyes, daggers in your back, and your own legs walking you off of a cliff.

The school of the True Void

This school is the smallest, most esoteric and I would argue, the least helpful. The students of this school are aescetics, Monks who meditate in poverty. It has been argued that the true void is simultaneously all other schools while also being none. They believe ostensibly in reducing suffering. Students of this school will be found with the masters of all other schools in efforts to learn what they need to know to reduce suffering. This is the only results-oriented school of the Nine, but the esotericism of the different-level thinking ends up completing the theme of process-oriented thought. The connection that people make with their own mind, not disimilar from the growing one in many ways, lends itself exceptionally well to warlocks, clerics, and paladins, who need to channel power through them, rather than control it. They tend to also be exceptional at fighting against Illusion or Enchantment. They keep their numbers up by being easily accessible to the large populations in Myri. They also double as a place for people to learn to handle their emotions. In many forms, it was this school that was necessary for ending the long war.

If faced with an adventuring party, the adherents of the true void usually simply accept their fate or get out of the way.

The Beating Heart, Lord General Paj Remorhari (INTP)(Endurance of Spirit)(Paladin 20 Oath Of Ancients)

A Quiet gold dragonborn whose plots keep his people safe

Age: 46
Height: 6'4
Weight: 290

Paj is a quiet man, considering his position, his class, and his methods. Paj spent a lot of time in the schools of Two hundred hearts and Purity of Thought, though he was a natural in the school of Immediate action. He wears Adamantine Armor of Invulnerability, decorated with the symbols of the Vined Trout and Flashpike on each breast and with the words "Follow me Forward, The River's Rush" in Draconic on the back. He wields an Adamantine Holy Avenger, An Oakeshott XI with the hilt inlaid with the symbol of St. Cuthbert, and carries a kite shield with the symbol of Danzuishan upon it. Despite his "Strong arm, Strong Tongue" archetype, Paj is an exceptional Tactician. Any fight against Paj is a war of attrition. There have been no less than nine Attempted assassinations that he has brushed off or ended personally. Outwardly, Paj looks sleepy, his eyes focusing mostly on puzzles in front of him. He is lazy in many personal respects but in manners of state, he is extremely forward-thinking. He is not spectacularly approachable but has a few close friends. Paj was and is a Maze-runner, and will frequently Dash into the maze and come out with new citizens and treasure.

A Retrospective Context

These descriptions are riddled with indecipherable lore, for now, I hope you made it up yourself, because I can almost guarantee you that it's different from what I imagined. Who are these Furi? What is this Mysterious Danzuishanese Maze? What is the real relationship between Manaharamu and Danzuishan? What are these... Districts like Vehi and Gari and what makes them different?

Where Manaharamu teaches like many western schools do, Physics, Chemistry, Language, Culture, Math, Economy, and then later, should one choose, they offer the opportunity to study magic organized and sorted to Match each of the Full-caster archetypes  in D&D 5e, Danzuishan ignores those boundaries and focuses on what the person wants to do, and then guides them in learning how to accomplish it. Their lack of specialization puts them on a lower economic tier than Manaharamu ultimately, but their population is just as happy and reports higher levels of fulfillment than Manaharamu. This makes them more effective as citizens as a whole, despite higher economic disparity, poorer healthcare, and lower literacy rates. The Danzuishanese are not to be thought of as less intelligent, but as more process-oriented than the Manahararahi, the people of Manaharamu. A Danzuishanese worker will always be a good worker, but a Danzuishanese neighbour isn't necessarily as good as having a Manahararahi neighbour. The Danzuishanese expect people to solve their own problems, the Manahararahi expect to help and to get help.

The Ultimate theme here that I'm trying to accomplish is to look at how one might go about differentiating culture in a way that can be expressed to an audience without needing to list superficial preferences. 

If you talk to someone from Danzuishan, it is easy to know they are from Danzuishan. They are driven, an amalgam of how I view the people of my home, Newfoundland, combined with influences from the Japanese, The Indians, and in a smaller way, the Chinese. Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, and smaller parts of many other traditions in the regions have influenced the process that made these schools. 

 Mishlia kotsi'u kaolat kotsi Ra'ti,

- Dal Kaolat Manaharamu, Lyssarvilraha "Dal Kaolok Nirrum"