"Those in the Central Provinces always look to the north; to the grandstanding of my sister at the Great Bastion. Meanwhile, I must marshall the Burning Winds, defend our borders against the Naga and serpents of Khuresh, keep peace with the tigers of Ind, and war with the Monkey King's legions that come down from the Mountains of Heaven."
- —Li Dao, the Fire Dragon, Master of the Burning Winds[3a]
Li Dao, the Fire Dragon, called the "Master of the Burning Winds" and the "Lord of the Phoenix," is one member of the family of Cathayan Dragons who collectively rule over Grand Cathay. The Fire Dragon is the lord of the Southern Provinces and the Mountains of Heaven.[1][2]
As ruler of the Southern Provinces of Cathay, Li Dao has the thankless task of defending Southern Cathay from foreign assaults by Ind and the Nagas of Khuresh.[1][2][5a]
Li Dao is known for having a fiery temper, and he is somewhat jealous of his sister Miao Ying, the ruler of the Northern Provinces, and the glory she gains across the empire from defending the Great Bastion, as the Fire Dragon considers defending the south to be an equally difficult task and just as important to the security of the realm.[1][2]
Despite Li Dao's disdain for the Monkey King who dwells in the Mountains of Heaven, the Fire Dragon has often been forced to ally with him and use his Monkey Warriors to help defend Cathay, which is a source of endless amusement for the Monkey King.[1][2][5a]
Trivia[]
In Mandarin Chinese, the Fire Dragon's name, Li Dao (离祷) is written with the characters 离 (lí - "distinction; the element of fire") and 祷 (dǎo - "prayer"), which can be translated as "Fire Prayer."[4]
Sources[]
- 1: Full Interview With Warhammer 3's Lead Writer Andy Hall - Total War Warhammer 3 - Lorebeards Podcast, Oct 12, 2021
- 2: The Secrets of Grand Cathay - A Roundtable With Andy Hall - Total War Blog - Ben Barrett, Oct 14, 2021
- 3: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game)
- 4: Reddit - Chinese name translations for all confirmed Cathayan Dragons
- 5: Warhammer: The Old World Rulebook (Specialist Game)
- 5a: pp. 86-87