Embrace Simplicity
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Name: Xianfeng
Name Meaning: Herald
Age: Unknown Centuries
Gender: Male
Species: Eastern Dragon
Subtype: Panlong
Subtype Meaning: River dragon who has not ascended to heaven. After ascension, he would be a Tianlong, or "Heavenly Dragon."
Height: 9' tall at the top of the head/6' along back
Length: 18'
Weight: Unknown
Horn Type: Reindeer Antlers
Wing Type: None, Wingless
Legs: Four
Toes: Four
Occupation: Hermit
Interests: Taoism, Buddhism, Shen, Music (Especially flute,) Painting, Sleeping, Eating
Addictions: Lust for women
Fears: None, currently
Afflictions: Music truly does soothe this savage beast. Flutes work especially well. Anger. Lust.
Languages Known: Taigorian, Draconic, & Sylvan
(Does not speak common well. Possibly a few words.)
Diet: Cattle, Fish, Deer, Humans
Origin Species: Koi: Japanese Carp
Evolutions: One. Koi to Panlong
Ascensions: Zero. Has not Ascended
Alternate Forms: Tibetan Mastiff, Malleable Air & Water forms.
Energy Manipulation: Internal Alchemy: Chi
Draconic Powers: Water Breathing, Flight, Frost Breath, Healing, summon Wind and Rain, Shapeshift
Element: Ice: Water & Air
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The Dragon's Appearance
Young Eastern dragon, only a few centuries old, still towers over the tallest of humans, with a length three times that measure. Scales run the length and breadth of his form, aside from thick mane and tufted sprouts growing from knees, tail and the ridge of his spine. Frosted and muted, running one side of the color wheel, scales, fur, and mane are a blend of hues in welkin blue, wisteria lavender, and jade green. Strong of form on four muscled limbs, and noble of bearing, crowned with reindeer antlers and boasting a single, thick whisker floating to either side of furred muzzle and lupine face.
The Legend of Xianfeng & Yinghua: An Origin Story
Scribed by Li Fei-Wang
Many centuries ago, before the Guardian Dragon came and brought Peace and Prosperity with it, the Forbidden Kingdom and its villages were under constant attack from outside forces. Bandits waylaid both travelers and merchants along the Jade Road. Neighboring empires, and their peoples, fought for territory, wealth, food, or disgraced honor. Animal spirits swindled or murdered the populace, while disguised in their human forms. The Emperor of this realm was a kind man, and as often happens with kind men, was taken for granted by his own people. He had a Serenity Garden, made up of stones, sands, minimal floral arrangements, and a Koi pond, where he would seek Tranquility, peace among the chaos. In addition, he had a black kitten, whom he loved.
Inside the Koi pond, there lived a fish who boasted unusual colors, rather than the orange and white. The advisor to the Emperor stated that such an exotic carp, not just rare, but unheard of, was a sign of good fortunes to come, and so was named Xianfeng, or 'Herald.' The Emperor spent most nights in the Serenity Garden in meditation, alone, but for his kitten. As he moved through his forms, sat Lotus, or tended his rock garden, the kitten would sit on the edge of the pond and look into its still waters at the welkin, wisteria, and jade-hued Koi. They became friends, though separated by the pond's placid surface, and found Tranquility in each other's company.
After many days of such blissful existence, the Koi began to develop an awareness of itself, as animals often do when befriended by other species. After many moons, he saw the Kitten, who was now grown into a cat, as a mate of sorts. This was internalized, of course, cats often being fickle and capricious beings, and though she was fond of Xianfeng, she saw herself as mated to the Emperor himself. Unable to communicate this, they continued through the evenings as such. He grew much too large for the pond, dwarfing the other Koi, and she grew into quite an attractive Queen.
In the Serenity Garden, there was a single tree. It's cherry blossoms bloomed year round and it's branches offered shade to both waters and stone. The Queen, whose name was Yinghua, after those same very blossoms, would often sit among its branches where she could look down on both Xianfeng and the Emperor from her perch. On the fateful night when everything changed, the full moon's light was bearing down on the garden. A weakened branch, a sudden crack, and Yinghua's claws snagging in the bark, brought her down heavily onto a rock beneath, the branch across her as she'd tried to free her paws. The Emperor wept beside her form, carefully pulling those sharp claws free of the damnable wood.
Xianfeng was at the edge of the pond, the front of his being lifted up out of the water and arching forward to see the scene. He could hear the moon telling him to leap up, out of the pond, out of the Serenity Garden, and into the sky, where he would have room to become something greater than he already was. He could feel it, inside himself, that energy building, moving and preparing to make him into something new. Xianfeng was too smart to miss the insinuation that the energy would heal him during that change, and if manipulated, could be redirected to another. He leaped from the pond, but arched over the rocks to crash down beside the Emperor. The Cat was presented to the Koi as if in mourning, but closing his eyes, the fish touched his forehead to the Queen.
He gave up his transformation for her, his life for her. She became a Nekomimi, black tail and ears to match her raven-hued locks. The Emperor was so happy, he clutched her close and returned with her to his bed, leaving Xianfeng to suffocate on the stone. A woman appeared in the Serenity Garden, stepping down the moonbeams that brought her to his side. She was chewing on a white peach, taking small bites, and removed the pulpy mess to feed it to the gasping carp. "Silly little fish," she said fondly, her words like tinkling wind chimes. "You will be small, for a while, but you will grow. In time." She stroked his side as he suffered, masticating more Heavenly peach to feed him.
The next morning, a young dragon was discovered in the Serenity Garden, agitated and unknowing how to fly yet. The size of two horses, standing nose to tail in a line, he would have been easily able to tear through the guards or residents, but when Yinghua was the one who entered, intending to eat the Koi and take him into herself, he was calmed. She refused to give up being the Empress, "just to be a cock-sleeve for a dragon." Xianfeng was heartbroken, but remained in the region, building his home in the mountains and assisting the sitting Emperor and his people, for generations to come, because of the Neko Empress who held his heart.
Scribe's Note: While there are many versions of this tale, this is the one that holds most true to what I have seen. It has been many years since Xianfeng has blessed us with his protection, and many more since Yinghua was last seen. While the Dragon is rumored to still reside in the Misty Mountains, the Neko Empress turned Demon Witch's current wherabouts are unknown, though I feel she is the one more likely responsible for the missing villagers and children.
