When Inkstep's mentor leaves the mountain, all that remains is a sword and a manual with no words. Convinced it is a test, Inkstep follows an old mark on its cover. He meets Cogwood, who wants to repair bridges, Brew, who starts disputes with tea, and Rust, who will not abandon a box of old letters. Inkstep searches for the correct move in every situation, only to find that drawing a sword sometimes makes matters worse. After obeying an instruction at the expense of a person needing help, he writes his first line: why did I stop? At the ferry crossing, his mentor asks not about technique, but about the people he has met.
Character connections
A contrasting approach: XIA-006 Brew. Technical partner: XIA-004 Cogwood. A fellow keeper of promises: XIA-007 Rust.
Character arc
From looking for a correct instruction, through seeing the cost of unquestioning obedience, to making responsible choices of his own.
First-episode idea
Before Drawing: Inkstep sees a crowd around a shopkeeper and prepares to intervene. Brew asks one question: everyone is waiting to taste the new tea. Inkstep puts away his sword and joins the queue.
XIA-001 / LEAD
Inkstep
DZ100-XIA-001 · Original board no. 061
“Before you stand for others, find your footing.”
Role
Wandering swordsman; collection lead
Visual identity
Ivory travelling robes, dark belt and sheathed straight sword.
Personality & blind spot
Reserved and true to his word; bound too tightly by rules.
Current goal
Return his mentor's blank sword manual to its place of origin.
Likes & habits
Loves unsweetened tea; checks his footing before drawing.
Background
Inkstep leaves to find a missing mentor and discovers that his own choices must fill the blank manual.
Story potential
Learns to choose what to protect rather than merely complete someone else's instructions.
XIA-002
Still
DZ100-XIA-002 · Original board no. 062
“A steady mind finds a clear path.”
Role
Travelling monk
Visual identity
Ochre monk's robes, wooden staff and cloth shoes.
Personality & blind spot
Kind and disciplined; easily distracted by good food.
Current goal
Find missing fellow disciples and reconnect the old post road.
Likes & habits
Loves vegetable buns; sweeps a courtyard on arrival.
Background
Still follows a disused road after learning that companions from the monastery may have travelled along it.
Story potential
Can meditate through a crowd, but opens his eyes the instant a steamer lid lifts.
XIA-003
Reed
DZ100-XIA-003 · Original board no. 063
“Wait for the wind. Wait for the moment.”
Role
Bamboo archer
Visual identity
Jade cloak, bamboo bow and quiver.
Personality & blind spot
Watchful and perceptive; uneasy in busy crowds.
Current goal
Protect the mountain's messenger birds from poachers.
Likes & habits
Loves bamboo flutes; tests the bowstring while waiting for wind.
Background
Reading bird movements reveals safe mountain routes and leads Reed to investigate missing messenger birds.
Story potential
Notices a distant falling leaf, then hides when someone nearby offers a compliment.
XIA-004
Cogwood
DZ100-XIA-004 · Original board no. 064
“Don't force it. Find another mechanism.”
Role
Wooden-mechanism craftsperson
Visual identity
Brown craftsperson's clothes, wooden mechanism pack and brass tools.
Personality & blind spot
Dexterous and talkative; assumes inventions are easy to operate.
Current goal
Restore the old lift to a mountain town.
Likes & habits
Loves joinery; turns a small gear while thinking.
Background
Trained among weapon-makers, Cogwood leaves to build machines for carrying supplies and helping people.
Story potential
The machine saves effort; the instructions take longer than carrying the load by hand.
XIA-005
Parasol
DZ100-XIA-005 · Original board no. 065
“Tea first. The rain can wait.”
Role
Umbrella duellist
Visual identity
Blue robes, closed oil-paper umbrella and tassels.
Personality & blind spot
Courteous and quick-witted; gives only half an answer.
Current goal
Investigate unusual rain across the region.
Likes & habits
Loves rain sounds; shakes an umbrella three times before entering.
Background
Old writing appears on an inherited umbrella at certain places, guiding Parasol towards a lost friend.
Story potential
Always predicts the weather, then gets wet while holding the umbrella for everyone else.
XIA-006
Brew
DZ100-XIA-006 · Original board no. 066
“Sit down. The water's nearly ready.”
Role
Travelling tea master
Visual identity
Moss-green layers, kettle, bamboo basket and old tea tins.
Personality & blind spot
Calm and perceptive; avoids confronting disputes directly.
Current goal
Bring travellers back to disconnected post stations.
Likes & habits
Loves testing water; warms cups before serious conversation.
Background
Years of carrying tea through remote places teach Brew how much trouble begins when nobody listens.
Story potential
Asked to settle a disagreement, Brew first asks exactly how long the tea has steeped.
XIA-007
Rust
DZ100-XIA-007 · Original board no. 067
“I said I'd deliver it.”
Role
Desert escort
Visual identity
Rust scarf, desert layers and broad sheathed blade.
Personality & blind spot
Open-hearted and loyal; too quick to act on impulse.
Current goal
Deliver a chest of old letters with missing addresses.
Likes & habits
Loves sunsets; tightens a sword sheath before travelling.
Background
The final cargo of an old commission is a box of letters; Rust decides each deserves a willing recipient.
Story potential
Can handle trouble on the road, but not a recipient insisting he stay for dinner.
XIA-008
Herb
DZ100-XIA-008 · Original board no. 068
“Leave the roots. Leave a next time.”
Role
Mountain herbalist
Visual identity
Lavender sash, herb basket and flowering stems.
Personality & blind spot
Careful and stubborn; thinks everyone else gathers plants carelessly.
Current goal
Preserve local knowledge of plants.
Likes & habits
Loves drawing leaves; counts remaining plants before harvesting.
Background
Travelling with village elders reveals how the same plant carries different knowledge in different places.
Story potential
Can explain one leaf for so long that the party starts wondering about lunch.
XIA-009
Brush
DZ100-XIA-009 · Original board no. 069
“Think before the first stroke.”
Role
Calligrapher and martial artist
Visual identity
Ink-grey robes, oversized brush and scroll.
Personality & blind spot
Free-spirited but sensitive; cannot leave a spelling mistake alone.
Current goal
Recover the lost character form that stabilises a gate's protective seal.
Likes & habits
Loves old stone inscriptions; checks shop signs on arrival.
Background
Writing letters for others leads Brush to discover words that briefly light a damaged stone gate.
Story potential
An opponent takes a dramatic stance; Brush first corrects the challenge letter.
XIA-010
Ferry
DZ100-XIA-010 · Original board no. 070
“Come aboard. We'll take our time.”
Role
River guardian and ferryman
Visual identity
Teal rain cape, long boat pole and woven hat.
Personality & blind spot
Composed and sentimental; unwilling to abandon the old crossing.
Current goal
Reconnect communities on both riverbanks.
Likes & habits
Loves morning mist; checks the mooring rope before departure.
Background
A new bridge sidelines the ferry until a flood reminds residents why the old boat matters.
Story potential
Waits for just one more passenger and ends up carrying half the street.
Original character concepts and stories by DONGZE. A new collection, with more stories to come.
