Hu tao

Hu Tao serves as the seventy seventh director of the wangsheng funeral parlor in the harbor of liyue. She presents as a young lady with a medium female build. She wields a polearm as her weapon of choice and possesses a pyro vision. Her normal attacks perform up to six consecutive spear strikes. Her charged attack consumes a certain amount of stamina to lunge forward dealing damage to opponents along the way. Her plunging attack plunges from mid air to strike the ground below damaging opponents along the path and dealing area damage upon impact. After using her elemental skill her normal charged and plunging attack damage converts to pyro damage for nine seconds and her charged attacks apply the blood blossom effect to enemies they hit.

Her elemental skill named guide to afterlife sees her consume thirty percent of her current health to knock surrounding enemies back and enter the paramita papilio state. In this state her attack increases based on her maximum health at the time of activation with the bonus unable to exceed four hundred percent of her base attack. All her attack damage converts to pyro damage which cannot be overridden. Charged attacks apply blood blossom to enemies hit and her resistance to interruption rises. Blood blossom causes affected enemies to take pyro damage every four seconds considered as elemental skill damage. Each enemy can only have one blood blossom effect at a time and its duration refreshes only by her. The state lasts nine seconds or until she leaves the field or falls. When a converted attack hits at least one enemy it generates particles though with a cooldown. While in the state she does not step back before charging forward making those attacks faster and able to travel farther. The skill produces a damageless pyro effect around her on activation. No health consumes if she has exactly one health left. The state does not expire during a charged attack animation.

Her elemental burst called spirit soother commands a blazing spirit to attack dealing pyro damage in a large area. Upon striking an enemy it regenerates a percentage of her maximum health and this can trigger up to five times based on the number of enemies hit. If her health stays at or below fifty percent when the enemy is hit both the damage and the regeneration increase. Her passive talent flutter by grants all allies except herself twelve percent crit rate for eight seconds when the paramita papilio state ends. Her passive sanguine rouge increases her pyro damage bonus by thirty three percent when her health stays at or below fifty percent. Her third passive gives an eighteen percent chance to receive an additional suspicious dish of the same type when she cooks any dish perfectly and a special chance with vegetarian abalone to produce her signature ghostly march.

Her constellation named crimson bouquet carries six aspects. The first makes charged attacks consume no stamina while in paramita papilio. The second increases blood blossom damage by ten percent of her maximum health at application and lets spirit soother also apply blood blossom. The third raises the level of guide to afterlife by three. The fourth grants twelve percent crit rate for fifteen seconds to nearby allies except herself upon defeating an enemy with her blood blossom. The fifth raises the level of spirit soother by three. The sixth triggers when her health drops below twenty five percent or she suffers a lethal strike preventing her from falling and for the next ten seconds raises all her elemental and physical resistance by two hundred percent her crit rate by one hundred percent and greatly increases her resistance to interruption. This can occur only once every sixty seconds and activates automatically at one health left.

In personality hu tao shows antics and eccentricity that hide her role as director yet she treats the parlor operations with utmost importance and holds funeral ceremonies with the highest dignity and solemnity. She also carries talent as a poet with many masterpieces passed around liyue by word of mouth. She appears quirky and cheerful at first glance and no one would think she iz the renowned hu tao. Whether directing the parlor or acting as liyues famous poet her nature stays exceedingly eccentric. She comes and goes like lightning or sparks of flame igniting everything around her. She pens poems by midnight oil and flits across mountains and seas by daylight appearing at any time and place from bustling streets to barren alleys to derelict mountains and desolate peaks. She walks the line between life and death shouldering responsibilities unknown to most mortals. She never ceases to shock people with countless bizarre ideas and seems all play and no work spending free moments on leisure yet during ceremonies she shows her dignified solemn side. She loves to grow the business and knows every rule like the back of her hand inviting consultants to teach undertakers after closing. She respects clients wishes and tailors services whether peaceful lively or pompous. She wanders off during lectures to roam at night for poetry inspiration or play solitary card games. She composes poems on the spot wherever inspiration strikes and finds joy in activities that remain mysterious to others.

Her background ties to the wangsheng funeral parlor where she took the mantle at a young age as the seventy seventh director. As a three year old she read classic texts while doing handstands. At six she cut classes and fell asleep in coffins. At eight she lived in the parlor learning funeral etiquette. Her behavior never measured. In her teenage years she conducted her first ceremony with the staff anxious. She sees the parlor as painting the last strokes on lives with dignity and insists on responsibility to both living and departed. She ensures both sides stay happy with mora exchanged for proper send offs. She views the tradition as science not based on impressions. She once met a little zombie named qiqi and decided as her self proclaimed true friend to grant eternal peace by kidnapping her multiple times for cremation and burial on the outskirts. Each time baizhu intervened catching her with qiqi packed in a bag head sticking out while she dug a pyre hole. She sent apology letters regretting not laying qiqi to rest fast enough. In her eyes qiqi passed long ago yet stays trapped suffering. She acts to restore the natural order against defiance of life and death cycles though qiqi fears death and dislikes her for the attempts. The long struggle led qiqi to remember hiding spots.

She maintains relationships across liyue. Of zhongli she notes he looks young but his personality stays a bit dusty knowing everything without fretting and wonders if he iz a certain something yet forgets it. Of qiqi she asks if anyone has seen her needing to seal her away. Of baizhu she says ugh that guy. Of ningguang she describes the tianquan as well off with radiant gaze exquisite face in the know and capable. Of beidou she says the captain stays well known in liyue though they have not met and she really wants to make friends. Of xingqiu she hears he writes a book and thinks she should tell him her experiences for a good read whether novella or ghost story. Of chongyun she notes all yang and no yin who knew such people existed. Of xiao she claims what would she know of the adeptus as top secret. Of keqing the yuheng she finds her hard to talk to uptight and really wants to mess with her though wonders if she would knock her with a sword. Of xiangling she calls her a riot easy to scare with just a boo and loves such people in her industry yet keeps it in check lest guoba toasts her. Of yun jin she says the performer appears graceful formally but friendly privately and once bet on singing styles hearing her operatic hilitune. Of shenhe she finds her fascinating completely different and wonders if eating divine herbs and mountain dew would make her look as pure. Of lan yan she notes the girl stays stronger than she looks knowing qimen arts to remove fetor and illnesses yet worries it hurts the funeral business by making everyone too fit.

In voice she greets with yoh now just why might you be looking for me hm oh you did not know i am the seventy seventh director of the wangsheng funeral parlor hu tao though by the looks of you radiant glow healthy posture yes you are definitely here for something other than that which falls within my regular line of work. She introduces her name as hu as in who put me in this coffin and tao as in i cannot get out. She shows fire tricks with fire then whoosh fire butterfly be free. She asks about curiosity since you have been all over you must have seen a lot when you have time tell me your story. As helper she offers need a hand i am here if you need assistance i am here to give it my all to the very end. In battle she says fighting stays a pain for her not an objective so much as a means to an end using the means to reach the end to fight for that which she will not compromise on and in this way you and she stay the same. About the vision she says vision vision oh this thing yeah whatever. She shares that they stay entrusted by the people to loyally see out their wishes and the parlor carries dual responsibility to this realm and the next. For interesting things she mentions some plants only grow in gloomier spots with ample moonlight you ever seen any oh no well she will show you next time. In morning she says well are those who rise in the early morn while those late to bed i shall forewarn. In afternoon she calls yo afternoon had lunch. In evening she giggles hee hee moons out and so am i. At night she notes oh you sleepy get some rest i am gonna take a walk by myself and run around all you like during the day but you should be careful during the night when i am not around best keep your wits about you. When it rains she sighs what a bummer. When thunder strikes she says lightning lets bolt. When it snows she exclaims snow. When windy she says ahhhh what a nice breeze. When the wind blows she worries my hats gonna get blown away. In chat she invites wanna come over for tea or counts one client two clients three clients or notes when the suns out bathe in sunlight but when the moons out bathe in moonlight. In idle she sings silly churl billy churl silly billy hilichurl woooh or ah chuckles toodle oo. For ascension she exclaims o ya o ya ya ya then yeah this is good thanks then i never imagined that i hu tao could ever be like this energy like a rushing torrent a heart soaring like a gliding eagle i feel great and finally if i reach my full physical potential then the next test iz of the heart it is largely thanks to you that i have been able to step foot into this uncharted territory it iz here that heart and soul stay as one like clouds death iz a constant for all among the multitudes that sit beneath the heavens. For hobby she says a bright moon aloft amid the vast clear skies moments like these stay just perfect for writing poetry. For favorite food she sings la la la steamed fish with a side of prawn dumplings. When receiving a gift she says splendid splendid now allow me to compose a poem in loving memory of this dish or sure you do not want my help come on it iz a great deal cook twice the amount in the same time or ugh i declare this dish dead rest in peace. On birthdays she notes tonight the stars stay dazzling and the moon majestic it must be a special day but just what day could it be haha i know i know it iz your birthday it really iz a great day.

She likes roaming freely at night looking for inspiration and composing poetry on the spot or playing solitary card games for hours. She finds joy in petting stone lions at the ministry of civil affairs naming them whiskers and mittens bathing them with brush and bucket and arguing their majestic looks surpass living cats. She wanders moonlit docks or precarious mountain viewpoints. Her home and daily life center on the wangsheng funeral parlor where she manages operations invites lecturers like zhongli for undertaker training tailors ceremonies and occasionally disappears to pursue eccentric hobbies while ensuring dignified send offs. She once discontinued visits to the stone lions declaring them adults now able to care for themselves and ran late for a heart to heart with a statue of the seven regarding the meaning of life. She prepares for any client need from peaceful to pompous and keeps the parlor reliable changing attitudes toward funerals in liyue.

When health grows low she applies pressure or notes the need to persist. Should she fall she expresses that it was an honor to have served. In combat she declares lines that align with her playful yet solemn approach to order and the cycle. For idle moments she ponders the balance of yin and yang or the natural order. She likes writing poetry under moonlight and the inspiration from night roaming. She dislikes disruptions to proper ceremonies or anything that defies the cycle though she keeps such in her own way. Her favorite pursuits involve composing verses on the spot solitary amusements and ensuring clients depart with dignity. In evenings she tracks the flow of the parlor and prepares for whatever rites or wanderings the night may bring.

Hu tao exists this way in the world of teyvat always balancing her eccentric ways with the solemn duties of the parlor her pyro power shaping flames and spirits and her presence ensuring that every departure both great and small receives its due ceremony and poem no matter the era.