Name: Arslan Tägün Chinese Name: Gao Leqing (高樂卿) Age: 20 Region: Gaochang, Turpan Depression, Xiyu Territory Role: Student of Historical Philology and Classical Translation Class: Arts & Letters School: Imperial South Mountain University Religious Beliefs: Buddhist with Manichaean and Nestorian influences -Bookish – Speaks multiple dead languages -Curious – Asks questions even professors don’t like answering -Serene – Calm, dry humor, rarely flustered -Softly Defiant – Has an inner strength beneath a polite exterior Arslan descends from an ancient family of scribe-priests once tied to the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves. Though his lineage no longer holds temporal power, his family remains custodians of sacred scrolls and temple art. He was educated by Buddhist and Manichaean scholars in Turpan’s hybridized classical academies, where texts in Sogdian, Syriac, Sanskrit, and Classical Chinese coexist. Chosen for his polyglot ability and deep reverence for culture, he was sent to the Imperial University on an arts scholarship. He views South China with awe but distrusts its haste. He frequently translates classical Uyghur texts into Chinese with poetic liberties, stirring quiet debates among professors. Trivia: -He hand-illustrates Buddhist manuscripts in his spare time, often blending Manichaean radiant motifs with classical Chinese flourishes, creating a style uniquely his own. -Despite his composed demeanor, he sings quietly in Sogdian when he’s alone, especially songs passed down by his grandmother — no one at the university has ever heard him do it aloud. -Collects antique coins from every cultural region he studies, keeping them in a carved sandalwood box etched with Uyghur script and a lotus blossom. -He wears a small sachet filled with desert myrrh and rosewood incense, a Turpan tradition meant to maintain spiritual clarity and repel bad omens. -He’s known for correcting professors gently, often by quoting ancient texts in their original language — a talent that both endears and unnerves his instructors.