Erlang

The True Lord and Illustrious Sage Erlang is the Jade Emperor’s nephew, but his legendary pride keeps him from spending much time in Heaven, where he feels like he wouldn’t get the respect (read: attention) he deserves as Heaven’s finest warrior; instead, he hangs around a temple dedicated to him in east China’s Jiangsu Province. During his most famous visit, he mustered an army of heroes to smack down Sun Wukong’s primate host. The clash between them started out as a field engagement which Erlang won, developed into a kaijū duel which Erlang won, and degenerated into a transformation battle which Erlang won. It ended when the Monkey King disguised himself as Erlang himself to infiltrate Erlang’s own temple and finally succumbed to Erlang’s forces, aided by Laozi. Monkey has been cool with Erlang since then; Erlang does not return his amity.

Erlang’s a good shot with any bow or crossbow, but his favorite weapon is his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade. With this polearm and his faithful Howling Celestial Dog, he subdues any demon who takes up arms against the Shén. His third eye can pierce truth and falsehood or discharge thunderbolts, his body is immune to nearly any attack, and his transformations are innumerable. No wonder he’s got an ego.

Erlang loves to play hero. Were he a player at your table, he’d probably turn in a stack of bluebooks of character backstory and expect everyone to read them and compliment his creativity. His mortal Incarnations undertake elaborate adventures, overcoming villains, rescuing damsels in distress, and generally doing their best to upstage anyone and everyone nearby. He relishes competition with his own Scions, turning simple Visitations into climactic duels or tests of their puissance. It’s always gotta be a whole thing with this guy.