Huì is the deuteragonist of The Promise of a Shadow, drawn by the one and only @tiburme!
Huì (he/him) is from a loosely Mongolian- and Inuit-inspired settlement in the mountains. Far from Bhudaarat, not much is known about Huì’s homeland other than the secrecy of their folk-religious traditions. Given its clandestine location in the treacherous Lhośa Mountains, the only information that exists are rumors about a mystical people who can easily commune with the gods given their proximity to the heavens. The few known travelers who have attempted to venture there have turned back, having gotten lost and/or been unable to endure the tundra that awaits -- if they returned at all.
Huì is highly mysterious and enigmatic given his concealed clothing and demeanor. His name is based on the Chinese Kanji: 会 and 惠 (pronounced: h-way), which means "to meet/assemble" and "meeting/conference/gathering,” or “benefit/favor/kindness.” Given his snowy mountainous home, Huì‘s typical wear is meant for travel: multilayered and highly durable. He has seen many climates in many different regions after being exiled from his home for an unspecified reason. There are stories of a stranger from a distant land who descended the Lhośa Mountains to help an industrial town in the deep forest curb a natural disaster. Some say it was due to the gods’ rage that the town is no more, but no one knows the exact truth of these tales. Since these rumors began circulating, Huì has been traveling around the known world to understand the influx of sacred activity in various regions.
In combat, Huì is precise and agile, wielding a bow and arrow and a small, short sword that resembles a Chinese Jian. He is strong despite his somewhat short stature and skilled in hand-to-hand combat, giving rapt attention and quick reactions to his enemies in battle. When in a tough spot, he is determined to win no matter the cost, though in general he avoids conflict whenever possible. Outside of battle, Huì usually dons a neutral expression that can be quite indecipherable. He doesn’t show much outward reaction to events around him, which tends to annoy his adversaries and travel companions -- including Jespar, causing the two’s personalities to clash a lot when they first meet. Overtime, Huì shows the more nostalgic, carefree, and tender sides of himself, but it takes a long time for him to feel comfortable enough to do so.
In the dynamic of protagonist and deuteragonist, Huì is the more level-headed between him and Jespar, and as a result sometimes comes off as stiff. Because of the events of his past, Huì is less apt to showing emotion and avoids becoming attached to the people and places he visits. Eventually, he learns to open up more while traveling with Jespar in The Promise of a Shadow, but whether it’s worth it remains to be seen.
