The Vidyadhara, also known as Long's Scions, are a humanoid long-life species with draconic features descended from Long, the deceased Aeon of Permanence. They are primarily found within the Xianzhou Alliance.
Description[]
Biology[]
Vidyadhara Egg
A Vidyadhara's most telling and distinctive feature is their pointed, sharp ears. A long-life species, Vidyadhara molt after living for six or seven hundred years, repairing their bodies, then hatching anew from pearl-like eggs with their past memories gone. Powdered hatching rebirth eggshells can be used for medicinal purposes.[1] Injuries may also prematurely trigger the process of hatching rebirth. Vidyadhara typically go to Scalegorge Waterscape for the self-reincarnating process.[2][3] There, Vidyadhara Pearlkeepers will assist and protect their newly-reborn kin.[4] Pearlkeeper teams may have members that specialize in combat, cloudhymn, and egg-nurturing. The Xianzhou Fanghu occasionally sends inspectors to check on the condition of Scalegorge Waterscape.[5] Once born, a teacher is assigned to instruct young Vidyadhara in the art of cloudhymn and various life skills.[6]
There may be certain disorders or diseases that affect the hatching rebirth cycle, such as Jinyu's condition, which causes her growth to be a hundred times faster than a normal Vidyadhara and undergoes her cycle of hatching rebirth every few months. Bailu states that this is an extremely rare, one-in-a-million condition that she is unfortunately unable to treat.[7] Another such condition is Everdream Syndrome, which is caused by inefficient energy conversion during the hatching rebirth period. This syndrome once caused a female Vidyadhara patient to enter a comatose state for 100 to 150 years after her hatching rebirth, requiring her to take lifelong qi-supplementing medication. Only upon her next hatching rebirth could the results of the treatment be observed.[8] The actor Shiyun mentions being unable to grow past a child form, possibly meaning he possesses a similar, though inverted, condition to Jinyu.
It is possible that Vidyadhara may be born any sex regardless of whether their previous incarnation was male or female.[5] Vidyadhara are unable to have offspring, and therefore any Vidyadhara deaths lead to a permanent decrease in their overall population, which they take very seriously.[9] However, this also means the Sky-Faring Commission's travel reviewers are fairly lenient on them, which allows Vidyadhara many opportunities to travel to other worlds compared to the other two long-life races, as they cannot uncontrollably propagate like Xianzhou Natives and Foxians might.[10] Their life cycle relies upon continuous cellular transdifferentiation. This is the reason why Vidyadharas do not face the ailments of immortality, namely mara, that many other long-life species have to contend with.[11]
Some Vidyadhara like Ling Jie or the Sad Woman leave diaries, information, or heirlooms for their next incarnations to inherit, while others like Jinyu prefer not to. Vidyadhara who wish to leave personal belongings for their next incarnation can do so with hatching rebirth managers like Lingling. However, many newly reborn Vidyadhara are unable to identify sentimental items belonging to their past selves, and any discarded items are often resold as trinkets.[12]
Abilities[]
Dan Feng using cloudhymn.
The Vidyadhara are capable of an art known as cloudhymn magic or cloudcry magic, which takes painstaking practice to use, though High Elders have a notable talent for it, with the Imbibitor Lunae being able to create tidal waves, water spouts, rain, water spears, and even parting the seas at Scalegorge Waterscape on several occasions.[13][14] It appears to be hydrokinetic in nature on the Luofu and Fanghu and has multiple applications. Cloudhymn can be used in acrobatic performance art, but has little astonishing effect on crowds, as these tricks are known to be endemic to the Vidyadhara.[15] It also has practical combat applications, and a number of Vidyadhara are trained in it, especially Pearlkeepers and Cloudhymn Magi.[16] It is implied that cloudhymn magi from the Fanghu's Ebonpearl Fleet would have been sufficient to stop Thalassa's Devil Tide.[17]
Cloudhymn magic can be used to create illusions through optical refraction, and make the user and their surroundings practically invisible.[5] Counter to this, mirage echolocation can be used to detect such illusions by centering and transmitting mirage echoes. Mirage echoes are memories of past lives and echoes of the past that Vidyadhara shed during their rebirth. They can be conversed with, though they tend to only talk to people they recognize. It is said that the water on their bodies can be used as medicine. Cloudhymn can also be used to heal, as demonstrated by Dan Feng and Bailu.[6] Other applications of cloudhymn also include the ability to float and project holographic images.[18] Cloudhymn magic can also be applied industrially to mechanisms such as the elixir crucibles.[19]
On the Xianzhou Yaoqing, Vidyadhara Windsayers have laid a "Feather Path" in the Caelorum Venti Pavilion that links 16 floating islands together to allow people to walk freely in the air without any flying or floating equipment.[18] The Wind Mantle technique used by the Vidyadhara serving Caelorum Venti also allow the user to turn invisible.[20]
The power to turn into dragons was a rare inheritance passed down only to those who could successfully complete numerous rites and challenges. Those that do develop more draconic features such as horns and a tail, and are generally referred to as High Elders.[2] Young High Elders are guided, advised, and educated by Preceptors.[21] At some point in their lives, High Elders will receive the "Orb of Abysm" and the "Transmutation Arcanum," which should enable them to re-experience the events of their dragon ancestors' lives in dreams. The Office of Deep Sources is charged with transcribing, retelling, and annotating these dreams, and their files run to an enormous number of volumes. Although such dreams tend to be fragmentary and difficult to understand or interpret, it is the only way the Vidyadhara believe they have of coming close to the Permanence.[21] To take the throne, the High Elder of the Vidyadhara needs to pass a series of trials during which their physical features slowly transform to resemble that of their predecessors.[22]
The Transmutation Arcanum is said to contain a secret that allows the Vidyadhara to escape the cycle of reincarnation and return to normal reproduction, but the mechanism to this is unknown. The secret of Vidyadhara reproduction may entail the incorporation of other races into their species.[6]
It was once believed that all Vidyadhara had the power of transmutation gifted to them by Long to change the form of any creature as easily as children playing with modeling clay; for example, if a sea beast was too small to be eaten, they'd fatten it up and make it proliferate. However, they eventually lost this ability, and the other species in their homeworld turned hostile against them and they were forced to flee.[23] The Vidyadhara are also said to have always observed the law of natural flow. They believe all creatures are connected to one another, and that life is everlasting in its cycle.[10]
Culture[]
Politics[]
The individual Vidyadhara population on each Xianzhou ship is lead by a respective High Elder who is responsible for the wellbeing of their people.[9][24] In the case where the High Elder cannot lead, the Council of Preceptors assumes governance in their place.[25] The High Elder has the power to affect Preceptor assignments. Likewise, the Preceptors have the power to strip the current High Elder of their name and power and elect a new one in their place should the circumstances deem fit to do so.[26][5] The High Elder selection tradition had already existed before the Vidyadhara migrated to the Xianzhou.[27]
The Xianzhou Fanghu is an autonomous dominion of the Vidyadhara, and thusly has different customs, culture, and social structures from other Xianzhou ships.[2] Glaciator Marum, High Elder of the Fanghu, governs over all citizens, and the Six Charioteers and Six Commissions support the High Elder. It is because of their influence that the Pearlkeepers aboard the Fanghu formed an elite force that have basically replaced the role of the Cloud Knights there. Pearlkeepers are trained in cloudhymn and combat, their signature weapons being tidal tridents.[28] Vidyadhara on the Fanghu enjoy a number of welfare benefits compared to other Xianzhou ships. For example, on the Fanghu, upon completing their hatching rebirth, the newborn Vidyadhara is immediately assigned a new residence without having to go through the standard real estate paperwork, which is an inconvenience to Vidyadhara who cannot keep track of their past lives. Additionally, it is said the water quality on the Fanghu is better than other Xianzhou ships.[29]
Industry[]
Healer's Market
The Vidyadhara have made great advancements in medicine. Liu Hua, a Vidyadhara Pearlkeeper that supported Glaciator Marum for the first three hundred years of his life and became the head healer that closely served him for the last four hundred, wrote a book that is widely recognized as the foundation of the Xianzhou Alliance's modern medicine. Through his long years of clinical practice and research, Liu Hua had acutely realized the Xianzhou medical science's problem at that time: the Xianzhou's tradition of preserving the past meant significant amounts of medical practice relied on experience instead of science. Liu Hua therefore authored Liu Hua's Medical Compendium in the hopes of re-organizing and better explaining the principles of Xianzhou medical science using more scientific methods of inquiry.[30] Specially-made Vidyadhara medicine or medicinal herbs can be found in Scalegorge Waterscape or the Alchemy Commissions, which include Draconic Tears, Tian Dong, Dragon Scale Coral, and cyan poria. The Alchemy Commissions of the Luofu and Fanghu have a Dragon Tree and Dragon Scale Coral Statue respectively, symbolizing the Vidyadhara's deep connection with Xianzhou medical practices.
"Injection of Past Life in Dreams" is a Vidyadhara prescription that, when ingested after their hatching rebirth, allows Vidyadhara to remember their past life. Clinical evidence shows this prescription should be used within the first five years after hatching rebirth. Administered via golden needle injection, the patient will be able to regain memories of their previous life via dreams. However, the quantity and level of clarity of these memories are unable to be controlled. According to Vidyadhara legends, this prescription was made by the alchemist Qinglu for their lover. Qinglu did not want their relationship to be over and wanted to continue it in their next reincarnation. This prescription goes against the cultural traditions and laws of the Vidyadhara, and was deemed not be used except when the very survival of the Vidyadhara race is at risk. It is an offense against the laws of the Vidyadhara to use the injection of past life in dreams on a Vidyadhara against their will, through coercion, or by force. Any offenders would suffer the punishment of forced rebirth.
"The General's Di Huang Drink" is a medicinal pellet for Vidyadhara that do not grow past their infantile stage and suffer from delayed development. This medication is still under clinical trial. If no results emerge after a year, the prescription is to be considered invalid and abandoned. One of the ingredients, Bigger-Faster, is a combination medication from various different plants. Though there are no toxic side effects, it is strictly forbidden to widely apply this medication before Lady Bailu confirms its efficacy.[31] Longevity Hall is an apothecary owned by Little Tian that sells medicines licensed by the Alchemy Commission.[32]
Coral gold and the leather bracer of Vidyadhara make.
While the Vidyadhara are known for their unique medical treatment that can only be provided by their race,[33] they also appear to have very capable craftsmen. Cloud Knight Lieutenant Yanqing once asked the Trailblazer to help him decide between purchasing two swords from the Artisanship Commission, one of them of Vidyadhara make, forged with the exotic corallium metal of Scalegorge Waterscape and tempered with thaumaspring water.[34] The Passerby's Roaming Dragon Bracers were made from flowing coral gold and the leather of unknown beasts, and it was said that only master artisans from the Vidyadhara dragon race could create this kind of superior armor.[35]
Yunyou, attendant to the young High Elder, Bailu, commissioned some of the finest craftsmen to create the Dragonhorn Pilory to shackle the latter's tail in order to prevent a loss of control over her powers.[21] Dracocatena Nails being staked into his body and chains of corallium were used to contain Dan Feng, Imbibitor Lunae of the Luofu, inside the Shackling Prison.[36] Ardens Regia, the High Elder of the Xianzhou Zhuming, once sent a Vidyadhara craftsman to the Luofu to teach the masters of the Luofu Artisanship Commission about craftsmanship. The craftsman then started their hatching rebirth with the intent to pass back their improved knowledge back to the Zhuming after their rebirth.[5]
Prime examples of Vidyadhara architecture include Scalegorge Waterscape and the Luofu Shackling Prison, which saw Vidyadhara Ichor Line craftsmen introduce the ingenuity of delve enchantment into the prison's design.[37] It took the Artisanship Commission of the Yaoqing and 3,000 Vidyadhara craftsmen more than 20 years to build the Caelorum Venti Pavilion with large slabs of jade and moonstone. It is hailed as the epitome of the Yaoqing Vidyadhara architectural style.[18]
Entertainment[]
Vidyadhara elegies are the traditional music of the Vidyadhara people. The Vidyadhara use only simple castanets for musical instruments, relying on extremely diverse sets of melodies. Originating from their folk songs, the style is generally that of mournful dirges. Vidyadhara elegies can be said to represent all of the most tragic aspects of Xianzhou culture, as Vidyadhara players tend to sing about loves lost and pyrrhic victories.[38] Vidyadhara elegies suit a tragic tone, and they only have a handful of happy endings, as they originate from an era of great unrest and turmoil for them. Most performances leave listeners with a bitter-sweet taste. Several hundred years ago, there was a Vidyadhara player named Ling Jie who sang two operas which went sensationally viral aboard the Xianzhou Luofu: "Dragontooth Tales" and "Fateful Rebirth."[39]
The Vidyadhara also have a presence in the immersia industry. Yong Zheng, a Vidyadhara, was known as one of the greatest directors in the history of Butterfly Immersia with his well-known immersias being: Deep Water, Luofu Monster, Heliobus Ingenia, and Xianzhou Predator. He was said to be one of the pioneers of the evil beast genre. All of Yong Zheng's works in his creative career are from a Vidyadhara's perspective.[4]
As for cuisine, there are a few Vidyadhara-owned restaurants: Dragon Palace's Kitchen on the Xianzhou Zhuming, and Spices Supreme and Delicacy Pavilion on the Xianzhou Luofu. The former is the only Interastral Gourmet Association-rated five star restaurant among the Xianzhou ships, and is known for being expensive while serving small portions. However, Spices Supreme was opened with the opposite dining philosophy in mind, serving big portions with quality food, and at low prices.[10] Delicacy Pavilion is another established Vidyadhara-owned restaurant in Aurum Alley on the Luofu.[40]
Known Vidyadhara Characters[]
Playable Characters[]
4 Characters match the category selection:
| Character | Rarity | Path | Combat Type |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bailu |  |  Abundance |  Lightning |
 Dan Heng |  |  The Hunt |  Wind |
 Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae | |  Destruction |  Imaginary |
 Lingsha | | Abundance |  Fire |
Upcoming Characters[]
Known Vidyadhara NPCs[]
Related NPCs
There are 31 additional Vidyadhara NPCs:
Mentioned Characters
There are 4 Vidyadhara mentioned characters:
Upcoming NPCs
There are no upcoming Vidyadhara NPCs.
High Elders[]
- Imbibitor Lunae — High Elder of The Xianzhou Luofu
- Glaciator Marum — High Elder of The Xianzhou Fanghu
- Caelorum Venti — High Elder of The Xianzhou Yaoqing
- Ardens Regia — High Elder of The Xianzhou Zhuming
- Mons Grandis — High Elder of The Xianzhou Yuque
Other Mentioned Characters[]
- Li Hua — Former Head Healer and Pearlkeeper to the Glaciator Marum
- Ling Jie — Vidyadhara Opera Singer
- Yong Zheng — Butterfly Immersia Director
- Guyu — Vidyadhara Poet, author of Drifting Clouds
- Lady Xuepu — Preceptor and Tutor of High Elder Dan Feng
- Taoran — Preceptor
- Fenghuan — Preceptor
- Sutuan — Preceptor
- Suguang — Preceptor
- Shaoying — Preceptor
- Yunyou — Attendant to High Elder Bailu
- Yuanli — Former Maid to High Elder Bailu
- Linxi — Pearlkeeper, Head of the Xianzhou Fanghu Inspection Team
- Agu — Captain of Serpent Team 7
- Xiaoqian — Deputy of Serpent Team 7
- Bozhi — Member of Serpent Team 7
- Lishu — Member of Serpent Team 7
- Hetian — Leader of Ocean Moon Team 1
- Shuyi — Member of Ocean Moon Team 1
- Hanxin — Member of Ocean Moon Team 1
- Jun — Member of Ocean Moon Team 2
- Congyan — Master Artisan
- Old Chief Alchemist of the Luofu
- Chef of the Dragon Palace's Kitchen
Trivia[]
Etymology[]
- In Indian religions, Vidyadhara (Sanskrit: विद्याधर "knowledge-bearers") are a class of supernatural, semi-divine beings with magical powers.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | Vidyadhara |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 持明族 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 持明族 |
| Japanese | 持明族 |
| Korean | 비디아다라족 |
| Spanish | vidyadhara |
| French | Vidyadharien |
| Russian | видьядхара |
| Thai | Vidyadhara |
| Vietnamese | Vidyadhara |
| German | Vidyadhara |
| Indonesian | Vidyadhara |
| Portuguese | Vidyadhara |
Change History[]
References[]
- ↑ Readable: Jiaoqiu's Consumable Prescription
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Trailblaze Mission, Windswept Wanderlust: Wood Sprouts Anew, Fate Tilts Askew
- ↑ Adventure Mission: Venom Brews, Immortality Looms
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Readable: Butterfly Shadow's Special Issue: The Ten Best Butterfly Immersias of the Millennium, No. 5: Deep Water
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Location, Scalegorge Waterscape: Investigations
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Companion Mission, Vita Infinita: The Dragon Returns Home
- ↑ NPC: Jinyu
- ↑ Readable: Selected Classic Case Studies
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Readable: Records of Yellowbell Resonance
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 NPC: Yancui
- ↑ Readable: Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: Collection of Exhibits
- ↑ NPC: Lingling
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, Topclouded Towerthrust: Oblation Obtained, Order Ordained
- ↑ Honkai: Star Rail (August 29, 2023). Animated Short: Ichor of Two Dragons. YouTube. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ↑ Readable: Echoes of Antiquity: A Grand Overview of Traditional Xianzhou Folk Culture, Acrobatics
- ↑ NPC: Mr. Xiyan
- ↑ Data Bank, Characters, Fu Xuan: Character Story: Part II
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Readable: Xianzhou Alliance Travel Guide
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, Topclouded Towerthrust: Dragon Mislay, Dreams Astray
- ↑ Trailblaze Continuance, Finest Duel Under the Pristine Blue (I): Rogues on the Run
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Data Bank, Characters, Bailu: Character Story: Part IV
- ↑ Jingliu's Voice-Overs.
- ↑ Readable: A Vidyadhara Youth's Notes
- ↑ Companion Mission, Vita Infinita: Evanesce Like the Morning Dew
- ↑ Readable: Preceptor Assembly Chronicle Fragment
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, Topclouded Towerthrust: A Dragon Gallant, Its Ocean Distant
- ↑ Data Bank, Characters, Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae: Character Details
- ↑ NPC: Yueyuan
- ↑ NPC: Hongjin
- ↑ Readable: Overview of Xianzhou's Materia Medica, Liu Hua's Medical Compendium
- ↑ Readable: Compendium of Remedies
- ↑ Adventure Mission, Aurum Alley's Hustle and Bustle: Merchant Event: Longevity Hall
- ↑ Data Bank, Characters, Bailu: Character Details
- ↑ Messages: Yanqing
- ↑ Relic, Passerby of Wandering Cloud: Passerby's Roaming Dragon Bracer
- ↑ Data Bank, Characters, Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae: Character Story: Part IV
- ↑ Trailblaze Continuance, Finest Duel Under the Pristine Blue (I): Inquisition to Rectitude
- ↑ NPC: Chunfen
- ↑ Readable: Echoes of Antiquity: A Grand Overview of Traditional Xianzhou Folk Culture, Vidyadhara Elegies
- ↑ Adventure Mission, Aurum Alley's Hustle and Bustle: Merchant Event: Delicacy Pavilion