__________________QUICK STATS
Name Yang Lihua
Age 27
Gender Female
Species Shiji-ren
Ethnicity Songtu-ren
Height 5'8"
Occupation Lady of Grace, Judge Candidate, "Weaver"
Residence The Shijie Empire

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description She stands close to the average 'tallest' among Shiji-ren, with somewhat larger than average antlers compared to most of her kin making up the difference in season. Yang's face is soft, somewhat round, with a sharp chin and jawline that accentuate her high cheekbones and equally sharp, emerald eyes. Her eyebrows are threaded, with a high arch to them that almost makes her look as if she's perpetually looking down at you, no matter your height or status. Her hair is waist-long, and typically worn pulled back into a ponytail, which she then wraps loosely around her neck like a scarf or shawl.

She wears traditional Songtu robes of a bright, crimson red primary color with highlights of earthy green along the seams of her sleeves and legs, and above her robes rests an added layer of translucent-red threads which sit over her shoulders, hangs from her antlers across the back of her head, and covers her waist like a bride's veil. She can pull from the threads of this veil when employing her 'art of weaving'.


Personality

Complex—  like flawed, yet beautifully-crafted jade, or spider's web too intricate to be considered perfect. Yang Lihua embodies much of the best and worst of a person with a position of influence in how she carries herself and her beliefs. As an individual, she is kind and considerate of those she surrounds herself with, but not 'nice'. She believes ardently in the concept that sparing the rod means to spoil the child— a life lesson enforced upon her growing up by her mother following the tragedy of her father, and equally enforced upon the young and elderly alike in her care. This seems driven less through genuine strictness and disdain for a lack of discipline, and moreso from an old wound of self-inflicted guilt that she lives with every waking moment of her life. She is a devout believer of order—  of rules existing for a reason, though she is willing— if pressed enough—  to at least investigate the nature of those reasons for the sake of order. Indeed, she has a very inquisitive mind, and her innermost instincts drive her to question and learn as much and more about the world around her as she possibly can—  primarily to be of use to the empire.

Lihua has a somewhat classist outlook on the Empire, as well as its enemies and allies. She believes that nobility is nobility for a reason—  that reason, in her mind, being demonstrated usefulness to the emperor, and loyalty through action and study to the empire. As such, those who have not achieved such status still have much to prove, and those who have no intention of doing all that they can within reason to elevate themselves as such, are simply of lesser worth to the empire. To some degree, this—  alongside trauma of past experiences—  spills into her views on the empire's allies, and unknown elements—  a somewhat xenophobic perspective in which she believes that there are simply too many variables not yet known or accounted for in the non-Shijie-ren peoples of the continent to consider them well and truly 'equal' allies that should be fraternized with. Thankfully, she keeps this mostly to herself, and does not allow it to interfere with her role. She despises criminals, particularly those condemned by the empire itself, but is more than capable of putting her personal feelings aside when acting as an arbiter in such circumstances.

You might think she has a chip of a sort on her shoulder, and she does; She is quite prideful of herself and her kin, and has been known to chastise others for 'putting on a shameful display' in the presence of others. Despite this pride, however, it's clear in conversation that Lihua does not value the strength, skill or contribution of any single person—  not herself, not even the emperor—  over the collective prowess of the empire and its many achievements. To her, the empire is a foundation upon which Panzhong itself is able to thrive, and not vice versa—  and advancements of the empire only serve to advance and better Panzhong.

If that's enough red flags for you, then consider that in spite of all of that, she is in no way a confrontational or abrasive person. She sees needless aggression, flaunted arrogance and purposeless grandstanding to be disgraceful, and constantly implores and attempts to inspire those around her to rise above such notions to seek 'true beauty'-- which comes not from the individual and their personal desires, but from what everyone—  noble or otherwise—  can achieve and provide to the collective that is the empire. She also has a sense of humor buried somewhere beneath all of that stuffiness—  as well as a fondness for woven dolls, and tea herbs—  14 unique types of which she personally grows in her garden during her spare time.


Magic/Abilities

Relationships

History

Lihua was not born noble; As a child, she lived an austere lifestyle with little to nothing of her own, a beautiful seamstress of a mother, and a father who worked as a judge within their home of Jinshen. An inquisitive mind from a young age, Lihua often went on walks with her father through the woods, observing the flora, fauna, and the spirit beasts alike. One day, during one of those walks, she and her father were attacked—  a band of exiled criminals with intentions not of killing, but selling them into slavery and bondage to the bordering country-states. Her father resisted on behalf of his daughter—  creating enough chaos to alert nearby guards in the city, but costing him his life in the struggle. The assailants fled, and Lihua was saved, but the trauma of losing her father forever impacted her—  having to balance the rationality of accepting that her father protected her of his own will to save her with the emotional grief of feeling responsible for his death.

She went on to grow up alongside a mother who, despite knowing logically that her daughter was a victim in the events of her husband's passing, still held a slight resentment of her, and a younger sibling who was born out of wedlock. Her mother found solace in the comfort of other partners—  multiple other partners—  following her husband's death, drawing in 'client' after 'client' with her skilled seamstress work and natural beauty alike. Lihua, who grew up with the weight of her father's death on her shoulders, the disdain of her mother, and the gripping responsibility of looking after her youngest sibling, was only further disturbed by the occasional presence of spiritual beasts near to her—  likely drawn by the guilt and disdain she carried with her. It gave her mother another irrational reason to disdain her, and gave the girl more than enough reason to wander away from home whenever she could—  if only to avoid the eyes of judgment on her.

If only to leave the house more and avoid needless arguments with her mother, took on a number of roles in between her modest education—  both to support her home, as well as to bury the idle despair she felt at her lot in life. It was through this young, dedicated exposure to the workings of the world that several changes happened for Lihua, almost all at once. She found herself talented through hard work and dedication—  learning the guzheng without a tutor, using an antique she was only able to afford through working—  and outworking—  her own mother as a seamstress. Her talent with the guzheng became so pronounced through effort that sounds of her song—  the expression of her sorrows— was able to not only lure, but soothe the spirit beasts which previously watched over her from afar. In time, she learned to reconcile these emotions with her own sense of self, developing quite early on the ability to compartmentalize her rational and emotional thoughts as necessary. further her understanding of the world around her—  and more specifically, the empire.

Before long, it was simply the arts of 'weaving'-- be it threads of lotus silk, the chords of an instrument, or even sewing flesh to flesh, that she excelled in—  skill and feats alike that earned her the eye of a noble house, which proposed her adoption under their name in order to cultivate the skills that she had shown. It was hardly a choice—  Lihua neatly parted ways with her mother, thanking her for raising her as well as teaching her dignity, even in the face of relative poverty and sorrow, before leaving her former life behind.

Nobility brought a new series of challenges and learnings for Lihua, who dedicated 3 years of her young life toward adopting and indoctrinating herself with the standards and culture of the upper class that she'd been taken into—  sparing little time for frivolities, though she carried a small hobby or two over from her time with her mother, such as gardening. It was this devotion, in fact, that garnered her the merit of being named a Judge, and later a high judge—  a position which she only held for a year, though she held it with wisdom and temperance. She vacated the role shortly after an incident occurred in which Lihua's past once more confronted her.

She was on a leisure walk through the woods following a morning in court when she was once more accosted by bandits, who bound and kidnapped her, threatening ransom from the noble house she'd been adopted into. Lihua, however, had grown from a helpless child to a clever, resourceful woman—  and while detained, convinced the bandits to allow her to play music for them, as a way of entertaining them through the evening. And so entranced by her charm and grace, they agreed—  with Lihua pouring drink and playing songs, the exiles enjoyed a night of merriment and excess... For a short time. Unbeknownst to their lot, Lihua's fingers wove not mere tunes for celebration, but beckoning songs of the spirit beasts of the gallows woods, which—  drawn first by her song, then by their hearts, descended upon the criminals—  who rather quickly found themselves unable to defend themselves, their arms and legs bound by magically-reinforced thread. It was the first, and most visceral time that Lihua had ever used her 'talents' in self-defense—  and as she gathered herself, and her threads, before the remaining sight of the spirit beasts, she swore it would be her last.

It would not, in fact, be her last. In spite of her own guilt at the events that had occurred, she was not attacked next—  the creatures allowed her to pass, and she thanked them with another soothing song. Though she did resign from her role as judge out of a semblance of guilt— to the dismay of some—  she continued to refine her art of weaving, her tale of daring in the face of danger and unique magical arts inspired a generation of students willing to learn from her, and her contributions toward the empire in regards to her experience as one of the high judges of Jinshen, as well as her unique arts eventually afforded her an invitation to the seat of the Lady of Grace, a role which she currently fulfills while overseeing the continued development of her influences in the weaving arts.



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