qilin Dēnglong Xiu

[Zeig]

 

 

Roleplay Type: WoE

 

Name: Dēnglong Xiu (SHEE-oo), which loosely translates into "Charmed Lanterns".

 

Sex: Female

 

Age: Young Mare

 

Species: Qilin

 

Eye colour: Sky blue

 

Coat/Scales: Very pale pink. Her scales are a darker peach color, while her horns and hooves are a deep red.

 

Mane/Tail: Light pink, with sections that that move darker pinks to reds, and small splashes of sky blue. 

 

Physique: Lithe and svelte, with a willowy frame that belies lean muscles and sharp fitness.

 

Residence: Imperial Palace of Huangjing

 

Occupation: Imperial Wood Synergist 

 

Cutie Mark: Three lanterns, reminiscent of New Year's lanterns.

 

Unlike many of the fillies and colts in her town, Xiu did not receive her cutie mark until she was verging on adulthood, a fact that caused a bit of grief and worry within her family. However, it was during a New Year's festival that Spring Blossom Town was celebrating when Xiu, exploring the festivities on her own for the first time, stumbled across a small group of foals running about as foals are want to do. They were playing along a set of stairs, running up and down to examine all the lanterns laid out, and Xiu was just about to move along until one of the colts slipped and tumbled down the bottom set of stairs.

 

Xiu hesitated, but not seeing any adults in the nearby area, went to check up on the crying colt and his worried friends. He'd scraped his legs quite badly, and was inconsolable over the injury. Xiu wasted no more time in breathing a Healing Breath on the colt, and to his and his friends' amazement, they watched as the wounds vanished as if they'd never been there in the first place. The small crowd was quick to burst out in exclamations and thanks for the young mare, who couldn't help but be bashfully pleased by all the attention placed on a what she'd always considered a mundane skill. She mentioned how she rarely used her breath magic to heal others, to which the colt confusedly asked why not, as she was very good at it and had made him feel much better.

 

A figurative light bulb went off in the mare's head, then, as Xiu silently studied the intense feeling of pleasure and pride she'd gotten from the colt's thanks. She loved the feeling, she loved seeing the relieved smile on the colt's face after his injury had been healed - and most of all, she felt useful for the first time in her life. Xiu's cutie mark appeared then, causing the Qilin to hastily yet eagerly reevaluate the life she had been content to simple mold to her parent's wishes without stopping to consider what might make her happy. The ability to soothe the pain of others brought a smile to Xiu's face like nothing else, and she was determined to follow her destiny. 

 

Unique Traits:

 

Xiu is a master user of the Wood school of breath magic, having studied the art ever from a very early age. She specializes in using the school to heal and mend the physical body of another, and is very effective at it. Xiu is capable of mending torn flesh and broken bones, and can even heal what would normally be a mortal wound, just enough to prevent instant fatality. Aside from physical wounds, Xiu is skilled in healing the body from unseen agents - such as poisons and toxins - though such agents are more difficult to heal than a simple flesh wound. 

 

The Qilin is also something of a botanist, her innate talent with Wood Breath allowing her natural mastery over the growth of plants and flowers. However, Xiu isn't very knowledgable on any specifics, only really knowing how to grow plants and keep them alive and flourishing. She has a small garden within the Imperial Palace that she tends to on a regular basis, more to have some flowers available for plucking to attune herself to her School of choice rather than any active interest in botany. 

 

Thanks to her traditional upbringing, Xiu is a natural homemaker. She can mend clothing, clean, and can cook up a feast fit for a king. Despite having the benefit of living inside the Imperial Palace and being surrounded by those whose jobs are to take care of such 'mundane' tasks, Xiu still likes to look after all her own housework - and even that of others, on occasion. 

 

History:

 

Born on the last day of the Long Guo New Year's celebrations, Xiu's parents held high hopes for their daughter from the moment of her birth. Right from the start, Xiu was raised with the expectation of being married off into the neighboring Xilan family, who owned a large portion of the shimmersilk business based in Spring Blossom Town. Hoping that a match between Xiu and the Xilan colt would bring their entire family into the lucrative business, Xiu was raised to imitate the perfect housewife. Academic education was bare, if that, although her parents invested in a tutor to enhance her Wood Breath magic, so that the young filly could cultivate her own herb garden - a skill that her parents assured her that stallions loved, as it would complement her cooking. Raised to be mild-mannered, polite, and submissive, Xiu went through her foalhood following her parents wishes, believing as her parents did that if she could catch the eye of the Xilan colt, her own life would improve.

 

That all changed the day Xiu received her cutie mark, and the young mare was filled with a fire she had never known existed before. She approached her parents the very next day with her newfound desire to leave Spring Blossom and become a physician somewhere - a desire that was, unsurprisingly, immediately denounced by her parents. Xiu was vexed, but years of training and pliancy towards her parents did not result in an immediate change, and Xiu warred with indecisiveness for almost a year as she slowly became more and more vocal about her wishes towards her parents. In the end, a full-fledged argument - where Xiu spoke back to and decried her parents for the first time in her life - became the tipping point, and Xiu packed up what little belongings she had and left Spring Blossom Town.

 

It wasn't an easy journey. Having been sheltered all her life, Xiu had little knowledge of what to expect when she up and left with no warning and poor preparation. In fact, the journey might have proven fatal when Xiu accidentally ran afoul some marauders who were intent on taking what little she had. Luckily, she was saved by a member of the Imperial Watch, the elite guard of the Empress herself - although this stallion was still in his training period. Full-fledged member or not, however, Xiu was stricken with relief (and no small amount of hero worship) at his timely intervention, and the Longma (who introduced himself as Fēng Yīnhǎitāo) escorted her the rest of the way to Huangjing.

 

Xiu eventually settled down inside the city, working as an assistant to a well known physician for a while. The Qilin was happy where she was, but the sudden retirement of the Physician to the Imperial Court opened up the way for Xiu to move upwards in her choice of career. With the heavy recommendation from the physician guiding her, Xiu eventually found herself as Imperial Wood Synergist, thanks to her affinity for using her Wood breaths to cure ailments rather than traditional medicines. At the present time, Xiu is content with her station in life, and finds herself wanting for naught...at least for the most part.

 

Character Personality:

 

Though she has taken strides towards speaking out for herself, Xiu still carries remnants of the young foal who did everything to please her parents. The young Qilin is mild-mannered and unassuming, the epitome of a "pony pleaser" who struggles to adhere to the whims of others above her own. While not exactly shy, Xiu definitely goes through a state of awkwardness around strangers, most often flitting and hesitating in the background before making herself know. Once she gets to know someone however, Xiu becomes more animated and outgoing, even if she deigns to take charge.

 

There are some exceptions to her willingness to be pulled along, however, correlating to how badly she desires or wants something. After a lifetime of following along with her parents' wishes, Xiu can sometimes lash out if her attempts to do something are met with repeated resistance, feeling thrown back to a controlling lifestyle under her parents' roof. The Qilin can become irate and even irrational if such a situation arises, berating another for attempting to control her or being utterly blind to her life. Luckily, as Xiu is more comfortable conceding to the wishes and demands of others, such moments are very rare, as there are very few things in life the Qilin is willing to fight for. 

 

Growing into the role of a physician has also cultivated Xiu's maternal and caring side. It is only thanks to her upbringing that Xiu does not immediately butt into the business of strangers - acquaintances and friends, not so much. The young mare is liable to pester and needle someone in an effort to care for them, constantly checking up on a healing wound or inquiring after their hunger. Xiu enjoys the feeling of being needed and wanted, and unconsciously seeks out that feeling by providing a nurturing and caring hoof towards others, even if the desire to help others is sincere in its nature. She can sometimes become overbearing in her efforts to tend to others, though those that know her well also understand her good intentions.

 

Xiu is also a rather fussy individual, an offshoot of her caretaker tendencies. The Qilin is almost never sitting still, and instead likes to flit about a room or toy with any stray object in reach. She is the type to straighten out blankets or fluff up pillows when she is standing around, or attempt to clean mud out of her fur at every rest stop, just to have something to do with her hooves. Xiu also tends to get flustered relatively easily, not being very good at keeping her head in an unfamiliar or hopeless looking situation. Despite her fussy nature however, Xiu is not averse to simply getting the job done. While her main job keeps her at the Palace, Xiu's healing magic makes her an invaluable asset to have on hoof, and as such she also performs some necessary service as a field medic from time to time. Though definitely preferring the comforts of indoor work, Xiu is capable of gritting her teeth and baring with the work at hoof, no matter how messy or tiring it may be.

 

Character Summary:

 

The epitome of a "pony pleaser," Xiu is still on the path to becoming her own mare. Despite this, the young Qilin holds a naturally maternal heart that seeks the well-being of near everyone who crosses her path - whether they seek the same thing or not.

 

 

[SteelEagle]