Húdié

TITLE ▲ [Shi Le Prince of Ning 石勒 寧王] NICKNAME ▲ [Húdié 蝴蝶 butterfly] AGE ▲ [Adult but painfully young for his kind] ELEMENTAL MAGIC ▲ [Fire, Stone] SCENT ▲ [Campfire & Plumeria] LANGUAGES ▲ [Best in Mandarin & Common] HOARDS▲ [Snacks, blankets, books, artists & gems] VICES▲ [Tobacco] FAVORITE FOOD▲ [Persimmons, 🔥 spice] ACCOMMODATION ▲ [Suite at the Golden Moon] BODY GUARD▲ [ Nadzieja ]

RACE ▲ [Dragon] SUB-SPECIES ▲ [Volcanic-Mountain] BUILD ▲ [5'1" and delicately framed] ORIENTATION ▲ [Open-minded but inexperienced] RELATIONSHIP▲ [Betrothed] EDUCATION ▲ [Tutored privately] OCCUPATION ▲ [Literary talent: poet, playwright] INSTRUMENTS ▲ [Flute & erhu] LUCKY DAYS▲ [14th and 26th of any month] HOBBIES ▲ [Music, go, calligraphy & geology] RETAINER ▲ [ Nobuo ]

Counting his uncles and nephews, Húdié is seventh in line for succession in a small southerly, mountain kingdom mostly uninhabitable save for dragons and other fire elemantals because of its volcanic activity. He's never going to be king. He's also a runt. That bothers him more. When he's masquerading as a human, he's almost as tall as he should be. But, when he's in feral form, the dragon can curl up comfortably inside a teacup. Most of his brothers and sisters could easily crush him if they weren't watching carefully. Thus he has kept the childhood nickname Húdié -- butterfly.

POSITIVE▲ ▲ Articulate ▲ Kind ▲ Intelligent ▲ Brave ▲ Genuine ▲ Silly ▲ Outgoing

NEGATIVE▲ ▲ Naive ▲ Defiant ▲ Frail ▲ Vain ▲ Impulsive ▲ Proud ▲ Self-absorbed

Húdié has two faces. Among those he trusts, he is an energetic and somewhat temperamental little dragon. An unwavering faith in himself means he hardly ever worries. He believes that things will always turn out right. However, in the public eye, he usually finds that it serves him better to present himself as politic, magnanimous, and cultivated. He is extremely shy of strangers and commoners, restrained in front of them, and rarely shows the full range of his personality in public.

Húdié's names explained. Húdié goes by several names. Here they are presented from most formal to least formal. Note that the honorific most commoners employ in everyday use is diànxià, Your Royal Highness.

1- Monarchical Title
▲ Nìngwáng 寧王
"Prince of Ning"


2- Courtesy Name
▲ Shilong 世龍
name bestowed upon adulthood as a symbol of respect


3- Art Name
▲Qi Shi 奇士
"Strange Scholar" his secret moniker or pen name


2- Personal Name
▲Shi Le 石勒
family name first, given name second and more intimate


5- Nickname
▲ Húdié 蝴蝶
"butterfly" resigned to be called this by his family in private

Dragons hoard things of value, and in Húdié's culture nothing could be more valuable than knowledge. This might seem cliche. But the royal court takes their duties as cultural curators very seriously. Ning is an educational utopia, where leaders are considered literal and philosophical reincarnations of their academic fore-bearers. Artists, teachers, historians, librarians, and writers are held with the same esteem as warriors. Princes who do not go into military service become scholars. Húdié was ritually selected as an artist and trained strictly from a young age. He is an accomplished erhu player and calligrapher. He is considered a literary prodigy. That being said, because he has been treated like a teacup all his life, it sometimes takes him several minutes to tie his own shoe.

GEOMANCY ▲ Húdié can carve or sculpt precious stones through telekinesis to move and appear living or to increase their value. Húdié usually does this for his own amusement and not to sell what he makes. Instead, he hoards the gems. GEOKINESIS ▲ Húdié can locate precious metals or stones through divination. This is another hobby for Húdié. If he cannot unearth what he finds by himself, he keeps secret the location to return later.

FIRE MANIPULATION ▲ Like many dragons, Húdié can breathe fire. He can also manipulate it with his hands. As a rule of thumb, high temperatures don't phase him. He would be happy as a clam bathing in a pool of lava. DEFENSES ▲ As a dragon Húdié is tiny, but that doesn't mean he can't defend himself. He's fast and he can spit acid -- literally. Without proper precautions this is disfiguring at best. Like most dragons he is durable. Treating him like he is harmless because he is small is unwise.