Xiahou Dun (Yuanrang)

[Xiahou Dun]

"Essence of my father, blood of my mother, I cannot throw this away. OMNOMNOM."
- Xiahou Dun, tasting an eyeball

Name: Xiahou Dun (Yuanrang)
Age: 59
Gender: Male
Style: Canon

Current Location: Wang Ji Xiang

Personality:

The most significant quality that defines Xiahou Dun is loyalty. Unwavering in his dutiful following of his lord, Dun has sworn to protect and serve Cao Cao until the day of his death. Although oftentimes colliding in personal view with what his lord may command, Dun never openly questions his master's orders and attempts to understand the reasoning. A serious character, lacking in humor and even a capability to suitably mingle with his colleagues in celebration, he even holds the rarely dormant tendency to be enraged in fury and hot temper. However, he holds himself honorable as one of the closest retainers to his lord, as well as a royal kinsman.

Dun holds a lifelong rivalry against Guan Yu, whether or not the latter perceives it. Derived from the days of Guan Yu's residing under Cao Cao, Dun had believed that the man was unworthy of the many gifts and praises bestowed upon him. This sentiment of jealousy was further developed into a frustrating hate as Dun failed to slay Guan Yu during his escape, only so narrowly.

Appearance:

Xiahou Dun

Xiahou Dun stands at a height of 6'1", ranking among the taller men of Wei. He has more of an agile build, certainly not a heavily weighted or muscular figure. His complexion is generally unscathed in appearance, though his clothed body is littered with scars from the battlefield. Of course, the major flaw would be his missing eye, covered by a large eyepatch strapped over and around his head. His long sloping hair has, over the past score years, gradually lost its once dark color, fading into a general shade of a deep grey. Dun prefers to keep his beard short, revealing the uncovered face worn down by age and mileage.

Apparel/Armour:

Xiahou Dun's general attire consists of a light commander's armor, made of a set of cloth undergarments and a sash underlain by an iron-shouldered and collared tabard. Through his sleeveless sides he wears long dark gauntlets matching his black undershirt, protected only by two-pieced iron armguards. High field boots are his footwear, into which he tucks his relatively unguarded leg garments. On the whole, Dun wears colors of dark and light blue, weaved in luxuriously fabricated patterns, shades that represent Wei.

Weapon(s):

- Rock Crusher

A long, spiked wolf-teeth mace variant designed as a polearm, Xiahou Dun utilizes this devastating weapon as a weapon on the general battlefield. Sacrificing much of his speed, Dun replaces it with a long range and massive strength. Its spiked and heavy steel end serves to bash a foe to his demise, and it may be used to overlook what was only a bone-breaking injury, as no fatal blow is certain against heavily-cladded armor. The rear end of the polearm is more suitable to a stabbing kill, a miniaturized shape of a spearhead.

- Kirin Fang

Xiahou Dun's dueling weapon. The Kirin represents himself, a divine beast that is gentle in nature, yet the most violent and destructive of all when in its state of rage. A liuyedao, it has a single-sided cutting edge, with a sharp spiked tip for the purpose of stabbing. An extremely light weapon, it can be used to be wielded with one hand with efficiency, which Dun can utilize with the advantageous agility against his foe.

History:

Xiahou Dun, styled Yuanrang, was born in the year 160 in the county of Qiao, in the fief of Pei. A hot-tempered and fierce character, the adolescent warrior-in-training killed a man who had insulted his teacher. Thus his prowess and personality were well-known throughout the area. He was only fourteen years of age at the time. In 190, Xiahou Dun, along with his cousin Xiahou Yuan, collected a thousand warriors and joined their kinsman Cao Cao in his calling for a coalition against the tyrant Dong Zhuo.

When Cao Cao's army alone faced Dong Zhuo at Yingyang, Cao fell into Xu Rong's ambush during pursuit of the enemy and was cornered. In a situation of inevitable doom, Xiahou Dun charged into Xu Rong's ranks and personally slew the enemy general, saving Cao. Soon after, the coalition against Dong Zhuo crumbled and was dispersed, and Dun followed his lord back to their common hometown.

In 194, during Cao Cao's new recruiting for his army, Xiahou Dun introduced Dian Wei to him, whom he had found in the mountains pursuing a beast alone. Xiahou Dun was then selected to personally lead the invasion of Xuzhou, a campaign against Tao Qian under the accusation of murdering Cao's father. Bian Rang, governor of Jiujiang, attempted to reinforce Xuzhou with his army of five thousand, but was routed and slain by Dun.

At Xuzhou City, Xiahou Dun met up with Tao Qian's own army and rode forth to duel Cao Bao. Only a few blows were exchanged, however, before a violent storm forced both armies to fall back and retreat. Later, during the campaign against Lu Bu at Puyang, Dun saved Cao Cao's life once more, who was on the verge of being routed, and commanded the left flank in the second attempt to take Puyang.

In the third attack on Puyang, Xiahou Dun participated in a six-on-one duel against the lone Lu Bu, who eventually fled back toward his city only to find Cao Cao already occupying it. Lu Bu fled again to Dingtao, and Dun led an ambush at the city, forcing Lu Bu to ride to Xuzhou. Only a short time after, Cao got word of Emperor Xian's escape from Li Jue and Guo Si toward his territory, and sent Xiahou Dun to receive and protect the son of heaven. In the process, Dun completely crushed the pursuing Li and Guo, and proceeded to occupy Luoyang with the emperor.

During Cao Cao's flight at Yu River, Xiahou Dun's undisciplined soldiers framed Yu Jin into a traitor, and Dun himself was sent to settle the matter. After the misunderstanding had been cleared, Dun was chastised for his army's lack of discipline. However, Dun soon after was appointed to lead the vanguard against the self-proclaimed emperor Yuan Shu, personally killing Shu's general Qiao Rui.

In 196, Xiahou Dun was once again given the authority of leading the vanguard ahead of the main army to rescue Liu Bei from the traitor Lu Bu. He dueled Gao Shun along the way, but, during his pursuit of the suddenly retreating enemy general, fell victim to Cao Xing's arrow and sacrificed his left eye. The enraged Dun ripped the eye from its socket, and, refusing to throw away a bodily gift from his parents, swallowed the detached eye. He then rushed forth and ran Cao Xing through before retreating. Dun was sent back to Xuchang to recover from his wounds.

When Liu Bei seized Xuzhou, Xiahou Dun immediately led an army to the field and defeated him, forcing Bei to flee to Yuan Shao. Dun then also pushed the unrelenting Guan Yu out of Xiapi and cornered him on a hilltop until Zhang Liao was deployed to persuade him into Cao Cao's army. When Guan Yu left Cao and passed through the five gates to his own lord, Xiahou Dun attempted to stop and kill him for slaying his subordinate Qin Qi. However, he reluctantly fell back due to Cao's orders.

Xiahou Dun was appointed to spearhead the attack on Liu Bei's Xinye, which Liu Biao had assigned to Bei. However, Zhuge Liang lured him into an ambush and executed a fire attack on the army, causing heavy casualties and defeat for Dun. Dun participated in the horrendous battle of Chibi, but from the point after Xinye his position in the field gradually declined into a rearguard and oftentimes a remaining officer to defend the home. During, the revolt led by Geng Ji and Wei Huang, Dun proved his still-remaining prowess by seizing and executing the two, thus ending the rebellion.

Statistics:

Strength - 10
Perception - 9
Endurance - 3
Charisma - 9
Intelligence - 6
Agility - 7
Luck - 1

Gold: 1220

Alignment: 0 - Neutral

Reputation: 50

Entourage Units: None

Personal Army:

200 Light Swordsmen
200 Levy Spearmen
200 Light Cavalry

[Storyteller]

Approved.

[Xiahou Dun]

NPC 1:

"...I like turtles."

- Xiahou Mao, reporting a situation of battle[/blockquote]


Name: Xiahou Mao (Zilin)
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Style: Canon

Current Location: Wang Ji Xiang

Personality:

Xiahou Mao's positive look on things lightens his otherwise potentially horrible world up. Ignorance is bliss, they say, and it applies perfectly to Zilin. The unknowingness of the affairs of the state as he delves into the luxury that his life is made of restrains him from worrying about the troubles that rage on in the land. Of course, Xiahou Mao acts like a dog to his superiors, earning their favor by doing their every bidding. However, what else contributes to Zilin's character is his incompetence in many matters. Lazy and lacking the developing of much critical thinking, it is not an uncommon circumstance for him to make a horribly wrong decision on the battlefield. But the certainty that he works with his conclusions, the unwavering mind that he holds upon his deciding make it far too dangerous for him to handle a military task alone.

Appearance:

Xiahou Mao

Xiahou Mao stands at a height of 5'3", an unimpressive meeting of average standard. His pasty white skin barely assists in defining the outline of his scarce supply of eyebrows, laden over two narrow, slanted eyes. His long, greasy dark hair is tied into a hat, as Zilin finds that helmets cloud his beauty, revealing his large ape-like ears. Zilin has a poor build, lacking the development of almost any muscle and instead laden with a light layer of fat. Overall, Xiahou Mao is a sexy man.

Apparel/Armour:

Xiahou Mao's armor displays his authority in the government with a luxurious iron chestplate coated with gold. It weighs down on him terribly, but Zilin manages to keep himself stable to hold on to his glory. His elbows and knees are protected with arm and leg guards formed of similar material, but he leaves the rest of his limbs bare with only an inner garment. A dark orange cape is tied about his shoulders, made of considerably expensive textiles and a significant symbol of his presence.

Weapon(s):

- Spear

A typical and common spear, consisting of a lengthy wooden shaft and a large iron spearhead. It lacks the usual iron tipping at the butt end of the polearm, simply to decrease the weight of the item. Yet it is far from being an easily maneuverable weapon for Xiahou Mao, the choice being one far above his martial capability to handle with skill. Being an awkward and much useless thing to Zilin, he prefers not to carry it personally, but rather by guards, and even then only as a symbol of authority.

History:

Xiahou Mao, styled, Zilin, was born in the year 200 as the second son of the famed Wei general Xiahou Dun. Many portents were recorded at the time of his birth. Witnesses told of a serpentine dragon rising from a well in Luoyang and disappearing through the clouds, while sheaves of corn harvested in Yingchuan held pieces of gold instead of corn kernels. These strange occurrences were considered by astrologers as signs that the child was destined for greatness.

From a young age, Zilin studied the military arts, and was known for excelling at all aspects of his learning, from strategy to martial arts, though later on his life he still was inferior to the abilities of his father. As a child of eight years, Zilin went to bid his father farewell during the initiating of Cao Cao's campaign south. As father and son hugged, Yue Jin, a fellow officer of Wei, made a mocking remark to Xiahou Dun, saying, "Good thing your son was born with both eyes, O Blind Xiahou!" Upon seeing his father blushing with shame, Zilin quickly retorted to Jin, "Tell me, is your son a midget too?" Many onlookers were impressed with the boy's bravery in standing up to the ferocious general.

As Xiahou Mao grew up, he earned Cao Cao's favor. When Cao's favorite son, Cao Chong, died soon after in 208, he looked to Zilin as a replacement to bestow affection on. This close relationship with Cao granted Zilin opportunity to gain more insight into the affairs of state and to offer his own input. An impressed Cao then later arranged a marriage between Zilin and his own daughter, Cao Qinghe. Thus Xiahou Mao became a part of his lord's close family. Zilin also developed a close friendship with Cao Pi, the crown prince.

During Guan Yu's assault on Fan Castle and Cao Ren's dire situation in attempting to hold him off, court minister Sima Yi sought out Xiahou Mao to ask what he would do if he were in Cao Cao's place. Zilin answered, "I would send a trusted minister to Wu to secure their aid. Wu has long sought to acquire Jingzhou, and this is the chance to turn them against Shu. Forcing them to quarrel would benefit our state greatly." Sima Yi gladly took the advice and related it to Cao, receiving a promotion and leaving Zilin without any credit for the following defeat of the God of War.

The luxury that Xiahou Mao enjoyed during his following adolescence restrained his character from ever thinking back on the strategic enthusiasm that he had held as a younger child. Thus the boy that was praised as a potential genius is now rooted as an incompetent royal among the skilled ranks of Wei.

Statistics:

Strength - 1
Perception - 2
Endurance - 2
Charisma - 1
Intelligence - 1
Agility - 4
Luck - 1

[Xiahou Dun]

Game History:

The Kirin Returns - July, 219
Skirmish at Wang Ji Xiang - August, 219