The frontier's eyes and ears
In the official profile, Xiao Yan remembers the habits of every relay horse and the temper of every courier, reading changes on the border from small details.
Portrait·Character assets
Character profile
Xiao Yan · Frontier Postmaster
More fantasy character cards →Reusable comic characterHistorical FantasyFrontierPostmasterVigilant
At a glance
- Role
- Frontier Postmaster
- Genre
- Fantasy
- Gender
- Male
- Form
- Human
- Art style
- Japanese-style illustration
- Main colours
- Ochre, navy, brown
- Home scene
- A frontier gate tower above the dunes
Appearance
Long black hair loosely tied back with a few strands whipped by the wind, thick brows, a short beard and skin darkened by sun and sand. He holds a brass spyglass to one eye, scanning the distance.
Signature outfit
An ochre cross-collared robe under a long navy cloak billowing in the wind, a brown leather pauldron on one shoulder and leather bracers, a wide leather belt with a bronze token and a short blade, black trousers and tall leather boots.
Where you will find them
A wooden platform atop the frontier gate tower, with a bronze lantern beside him and a brass horn and bundled goods at his feet. Banners snap behind him, and in the distance lie rolling dunes, a beacon tower and a line of mounted couriers riding hard.
Personality and what makes them interesting
Steady and perceptive
He guards the flow of information day after day without fuss, yet he is always the first to notice when something is wrong.
A barometer of peace and crisis
When the rhythm of the relay station changes, so does the situation on the border, making him an ideal ordinary-person viewpoint in a sweeping story.
Characters that pair well
Suggested pairing: a young courier on a first frontier run
The courier thinks the job is just riding fast, but Xiao Yan teaches him to read the horse, the sky and the tracks on the road first.
Suggested pairing: an inspector sent from the capital
The inspector looks down on the little station, until Xiao Yan reads an enemy movement from one horse's gait.
Story hooks
The courier who was half a day late
A possible opening: a courier who is never late arrives half a day behind, and Xiao Yan sees at once that his horse has been swapped.
The beacon that stayed dark
Dust rises from distant cavalry, but the agreed beacon fire never lights.
The horse that knew the way
A riderless relay horse returns to the station alone, and Xiao Yan follows its trail back.
Character card FAQ
What kind of story suits Xiao Yan?
Frontier historical drama, stories about intelligence and courier networks, and tales of ordinary people holding their posts in turbulent times.
Which details matter when drawing Xiao Yan?
Loosely tied black hair and a short beard, the ochre robe with a navy cloak, the single leather pauldron, the bronze token at his belt and the brass spyglass.
Does his story need lots of battle scenes?
Not necessarily. A postmaster's viewpoint suits the information and emotions before and after a battle, leaving the fighting in the background.
