PANTHEON: Chinese
Lord of Fire
祝融
TYPE: Melee, Physical
CLASS: Warrior
PROGRESSION: 1/1/1.25/1.5x
LORE:
Zhurong is the god of fire and the south, who taught mankind about fire. He commands the heavenly ministry of fire and serves as its Lord of Fire (火正). Having waged a destructive battle, Zhurong defeated the god of water Gonggong. This had caused the destruction of the world pillar (Mount Buzhou), which covered the land with rising floods and raging flames, so Nuwa intervened to restore the balance within the cosmos. As a deity so uncompromising, he once executed lord Gun, who stole xirang (a self-renewing soil belonging to the gods) to save the people from the great flood.
APPEARANCE
- He appears as a stately elder official of the ministry of fire.
- He wears hanfu (漢服, see images below) robes with large sleeves and a y-shaped collar.
- He's often depicted with lamellar body armor (see 2nd and 3rd image below), comprising overlapping rectangular plates attached to a heavy fabric or leather mantle.
- Over the armor, there could be a zhaoshan (罩衫, see 1st and 2nd image below), which is a large open large-sleeved coat.
- His robe is decorated with ancient symbols, such as the bestial-like taotie (饕餮, see 1st image below) and other abstract motifs from Chinese relics (such as Zhou bronzes).
- As headgear, he could wear a yuanyouguan (遠遊冠, see 4th image below). It could be decorated with pheasant feathers (see same image) on each side, so the headgear falls under the broad category heguan (鶡冠). Historically, a headgear with this ornament was only worn by military officials.
- Hanging from the waist sash, he has a stringed jade pei ornament set (組玉佩, see 1st and 5th image below), such as bi discs (璧), huang arcs (璜), and other ritualistic jade accessories.
- At the front below the waist sash, there's a bixi (蔽膝, see 1st image below), which is a long decorated panel of fabric.
- As an executioner, he uses a large flaming jian sword (劍, see sixth image below) for basic attacks. His fighting style modifies to flaming Shaolin kungfu with his ult (see his abilities below).
Reference images for details....
PERSONALITY AND VOICELINES
- Zhurong is merciless, as he executed Gun without compromise while ignoring his intentions. His voice lines could therefore be based on legalism (法家), because legalists believed that human nature is innately driven by selfishness and people do not act morally unless it is in their interest. Herein, legalistic law privileged rationality and does not concern itself with the moral dispositions of people.
- Zhurong is detached, dispassionate, and indifferent in doing, as Zurong is beyond personal desires or pursuits of self-interest. It may be similar to the Daoist concept of wuwei (無為), which is not acting against the order of the cosmos. It matches with the Wu Liang shrine inscriptions, which describes Zhurong as...
- "He did nothing and created nothing; He was addicted to nothing and desired nothing; And punishments were not in [his] practice."
- Zhurong is historically considered the progenitor of the Chu noble lineage, so his voice lines could also be based on the poetry compilation Chuci (Songs of Chu).
PASSIVE - SOUTHERN FIRE Enemy Gods have reduced healing if they are damaged by Zhurong's fire (from his abilities and basic attacks).
- Healing reduction: 20%
- Duration: 3s
If enemies get healed while under this reduced healing effect, the reduced healing is transferred as healing to Zhurong.
Lore: Fire gives both destruction and life, Zhurong brought fire to aid mankind, fire is associated with the south (in the wuxing), and Zhurong is also the god of the south.
Mechanic: Basically a transfer of healing from enemies to Zhurong, which includes hp5, abilities, lifesteal, relics, and item effects. If Zhurong is able to constantly hit all five enemy Gods during a team fight (best case scenario), he basically gains the healing equal to the healing that one enemy God would have received.
ABILITY 1 - THE HEART OF FIRE Zhurong brings forth a powerful wave of fire. This deals damage, slows, and cripples upon impact.
- Ability type: Wide cone
- Range: 30ft
- Damage: Medium-high
- Slow: 30% for 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2s
- Cripple: 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2s
Lore: In the wuxing concept, fire is heat, qi energy, and the function of the heart.
Appearance: The circulating fire accumulates at Zhurong's hands, near his chest, and then the god directs the fire into a violent blaze in front of him.
ABILITY 2 - A LAND IN PERPETUAL FLAMES Zhurong brings down his sword, damaging enemies and make them stagger (i.e. intoxicate) in movement.
- Ability type: Medium-wide line
- Range: 55ft
- Damage: Medium
- Stagger: 4s
If his sword hits enemy Gods, the raging fire will consume those Gods and will stay around those Gods for a duration. This raging fire damages other enemy Gods who come near the affected Gods.
- Ability type: Area
- Radius: 20ft
- Damage per tick: Medium
- Duration: 3/3.5/4/4.5/5s
If the sword hits a wall, the raging fire will consume the surrounding area, dealing damage to those who enter it.
- Ability type: Area
- Radius: 20ft
- Damage per tick: Medium
- Duration: 3/3.5/4/4.5/5s
Lore: A nod to the battle between Gonggong and Zhurong (the gods of water and fire respectively), which covered the world with rising floods and raging fire.
Appearance: Flames burst from the sword upon impact with the terrain.
ABILITY 3 - THE FIRE'S SOURCE Zhurong conjures immense flames around him, propelling himself high through the sky and then crashing straight down, dealing damage at the target location.
- Ability type: Leap
- Target location radius: 15ft
- Leap range: 55ft
- Damage: Medium
Zhurong is also able to grab an enemy God (at the start of the leap), dragging him or her along through the sky and slamming him or her down at the target location.
- Ability type: Cone, grab
- Cone range: 17ft
Lore: The name is a nod to Taoist philosophy, where everything that has ever flourished will also wither and return to its beginnings (Daodejing, verse 16).
Appearance: The leap goes very high and very fast, with heavy smoke and fire like a jet afterburner in its trajectory.
ULTIMATE - PASSAGE OF THE FIRE DRAGONS Zhurong engulfs himself in a raging fire storm, dealing damage and reducing protections. He is immune to displacement crowd control for the duration.
- Ability type: Area
- Radius: 25ft
- Damage per tick: Medium / per 0.25s
- Protection reduction per tick: ??? / per 0.25s / max 4 stacks / lasts for 2s
- Duration: 5s
Empowered by the fire, the dragons are unleashed and collide unto a ground target, dealing damage and stunning.
- Ability type: Ground target
- Range: 70ft
- Radius: 15ft
- Damage: Very high
- Stun: 1.5s
Having unleashed the essence of fire, Zhurong uses fire-imbued Shaolin kungfu as basic attacks (changing his attack progression) for a duration.
- Progression: 1/0.5/0.5/1x speed, 1/1/1/1x damage
- Duration: 7s
Lore: Zhurong is often depicted as riding two dragons (such as in the Shanhaijing).
Mechanic:
- Zhurong can move, use other abilities, and basic attack during the entire ability.
- Immunity is to displacement crowd control, which are pulls, knockups, knockbacks, banishes, and grabs.
Appearance:
- Zhurong surrounded by a raging fire storm.
- The elemental-like dragons will crash straight down from the sky, impacting the ground in a fiery collision. After their attack, the dragons will spiral around Zhurong's fire storm, connected to and driving the storm.
- For his flaming basic attacks, he uses Shaolin kungfu (instead of his large sword).
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