Name: Meihua Yang
Nickname: Meihua to family, Yang to everyone else.
Species: Undead (Yaoguai)
Gender: Male
Age: Died in his 40s, aprox. 20 years ago.
Lineage: Vishnu (Father was a mortal Avatar of The Preserver and therefore, fully mortal in life)

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Height: 7’ (6’5” in life)
Weight: 300 lbs
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black

Distinguishing Features:

Yang greatly resembles a Yaoguai, particularly the ones created in the belly of the underworld, inspired by the Buddhist and Hindu Rakshasa. This gives him great size, blue skin, tusks and horns that only a glamour can conceal. It’s possible his linage and spiritual affiliation altered his form when he became a prisoner of the underworld. Perhaps the New Gods were inspired by the monsters of old for their horrible army.

Physical Description:

Few stand against the New Gods and go unpunished. Yang’s soul was given to Nykthos to twist as he pleased. Not devoid of humor, Nykthos used his magic give the heroic figure the body of a hellish demon. Two twisted horns sprout from his forehead, sharp claws from his fingers. Two pairs of tusks have grown past his lips, making a menacing parody of his once kind smile. His form is even more imposing now, Nykthos having thrown in a couple inches for good measure. Once a golden brown, Yang’s skin is now blue, like his father’s.

Magic users can cast glamours on him to appear human, and he’s picked up enough knowledge of magic from Shiori to perform a ritual (if he can get his hands on it). While human, Yang returns to his handsome, if not battle-scared physique. His hair and eyes are jet black, his hair straight and always styled in a slightly dorky way.  His smile is as bright as the sun. While his body is in peak shape from a lifetime of martial arts, he possesses an almost hour glass figure with long, lean legs, broad shoulders and strong arms. Yang has rather bad fashion sense, and loves bright colors.  He is far-sighted and wears his glasses when he gets serious, even though he thinks they make him look goofy. They do.

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Personality:

Cheerful and warm like the sun, Meihua Yang is a larger than life man, in more ways than one. He is the sort who aches to surround himself in friends and family, but hasn’t always been afforded the opportunity. Much of his childhood was isolated and lonely, making him crave attention and affection. He becomes anxious about how others think about him, something Shiori tried to steer him from. While his emotions run hot and passionate, he is more inclined to forgive others before he forgives himself. He can come off as a little ditsy and naive, though he tends to play it up to throw off others. For all his strength of character, Yang has no ability to control his tears, be they happy or sad.

Strengths:

Yang is kind and doting, the sort of person who wants to please and thrives on making others smile.  He is the sort who can’t stand by and allow others to be in pain, and he becomes deeply distressed if there are forces beyond his control. He is loving and affectionate, which he is sometimes reluctant to give – considering his strength – but that doesn’t always stop him. It just makes it harder to escape him.

Weaknesses:

Above all else, Yang is a man ruled by his passions. Although he is friendly and kind, his temper can escalate quickly. When it does, it burns hot and fast, and usually followed by deep guilt. Yang preserves a sunny exterior for the sake of others and allows his anxiety to spiral into self-deprecation. His willingness to push himself past his limits, even to his own detriment, is what broke his body and cost him his life all those years ago.

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Mundane Skills:

Martial Artist -

Yang has dedicated his life to the study of martial arts. At first, it was out of survival. He and his mother were alone in a cruel world, and she made sure he carried on the Yang family tradition. Most of all, his incredible strength, even as a child, meant he had to learn how to control himself, before he hurt himself or others. His fighting style resembles Meihuaquan with large sweeping motions, utilizing his size and strength to destabilize and restrain others with the least amount of force. He is most proficient with pole arms, spears and nun-chucks, which increase his already fearsome range. He likes to train and work out, even while undead.

Cooking & Baking -

Yang learned how to cook as a child in part to keep him out of trouble. His mother worked long hours as the body guard of various establishments in the wastes of what was once China. Cooking allowed Yang to channel his energy, as well as learn to control his strength. He became especially fond of baking, which is his specialty. He usually has at least one of his cookies on him, in case of an emergency.  Yang, of course, can no longer eat his own cooking.

Lord of the Dance -

Yang really likes to dance. A lot. It’s clear his physique and training gives him an edge on the dancefloor, but his strength also tends to get the best of him in the heat of the moment...

Powers:

The Preserver -

Yang was born with inhuman strength and durability that he found difficult to control for most of his childhood. Yang is strong enough to go toe-to-toe with demons and monsters far larger than him, but just barely.  While he is capable of performing great physical feats, every day tasks have been made more difficult. Yang can take the knobs off doors if he’s not careful, break dishes, tools and even people by accident. He’s grown more comfortable with his powers in his old age, but is prone to letting his emotions get the better of him. Due to his strength, rumors have always circulated that his father was either a demon spawned from the New Gods, or an Old God. Xuanfeng has her own speculations, but other than his father’s blue skin, there was nothing remarkable (or immortal) about him.

Yaoguai -

In Yang’s homeland of China, demons, ghosts and devils were known as the Yaoguai, some said to be the spirits of the damned, forced to wander the earth as man-eating ogres, seeking a way to become immortal and transcend their damnation. Due to being brought back by the New Gods to serve them, a fitting punishment for his years of resistance, Yang has become one of these undead beings. As an undead, he does not require food, sleep, water or air to continue functioning. If he tries to eat food, his body will reject it. It’s likely his body thrives off necrotic energy to sustain itself in the mortal realm. Because he is undead, he is susceptible to both necrotic and holy magic. Yang can not die, and his body can be healed (or put back together) with necrotic magic, but he must be “re-awoken” with a ritual, meaning killing him will at least keep him down… for now.

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Length Of Time In Asphodel: 1 Week

Occupation: Bodyguard & Assistant

Organizations/Factions: Formally the Jund Resistance, now the New Gods.

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Backstory:

Meihua Yang was born to a warrior in the wastes of China and a mysterious wanderer from the south. Yang’s father was said to be a tall, blue man, who was always smiling and not particularly suited for the way of the warrior. Maybe it was his docile and kind nature that seduced the fiery Xuanfang in the first place, for she was determined to make him her husband, even in the face of her family’s ill-ease. Their fear was not unwarranted, as soon the stranger’s presence tainted what clout the family had in their community. In the night, the family grounds was invaded, though it’s unknown if it was the doing of the New Gods, or the fear of their mortal neighbors. Xuanfeng, who was pregnant, was forced to flee on horseback, leaving her husband and their home burning behind them.

Grief ridden and with child, the great warrior was forced to face the new world alone. Soon, she gave birth to her son in the demon infested wastes, and already, the world around them could taste the untapped power inside the babe. The infant attracted all manor of man-hungry beasts, and Xuanfeng bestowed upon him the name, Meihua, (plum blossom), a soft, girl’s name that she hoped would protect him. Yang’s childhood was spent traveling with caravans, or working in run down towns with his mother. Yang’s abilities did not make things easier, and the boy couldn’t help but feel he was the reason they couldn't stay in one place for long. The older Yang became, the more he acted out, feeling both empowered and ashamed of his strength. With Xuanfeng’s guidance, the boy instructed in more constructive hobbies, such as structured martial arts and cooking. By the time Yang was in his twenties, his mother and him had finally settled in a remote town, Xuanfeng serving as the body guard, and Yang as the baker of an inn.

It was in this small town that he met Shiori, the gloomy wanderer. Immediately, he suspected this woman was no mere mortal, and he was determined for her to train him, and take him from his mundane life. The two traveled together for many years, becoming partners in all things. Eventually, they gathered a sizable resistance to stand against the New God of magic, Vennic, and the demons that ravished the land. It was in battle with Vennic and his agents, that Yang’s body was broken beyond repair. He fell into a deep despair, one that, in his mind, cost him his love. When Shiori left, Yang devoted himself to recuperating. He was ready to turn his back on the life of glory and adventure, when Vennic's agents returned to make the killing blow.

Relic:

Upon rising from the dead, the New Goddess, Breya, bestowed Yang with a magic ring, crafted by the great sorcerer Vennic himself. The ring is flawless in all ways, and cloaks Yang in an equally perfect glamor that accounts for all the senses, including touch. It activates once Yang puts the ring on. For some cruel joke beyond Yang's understanding, Vennic has crafted the ring to exclusively fit Yang's ring finger, which now replaces the wedding band  he once wore, now lost to time.