General: Yin Lao is the twelfth crown prince of the eastern nation of Xing and the liege of the Lao clan. Seeking a way to ensure his path to the throne amidst deadly inter-house competition, Yin has ventured from Xing to Godville in order to divine the secret of immortality – the Philosopher’s Stone. (But a temple of gold ain’t a bad idea either)
Personality: On the surface, Yin comes off as a rather silly and lighthearted person, frequently engaging in comical behavior and retaining his oft-present grin even while making threats. He displays a childlike amusement for new situations whether or not they prove adverse or even potentially fatal, has a penchant for wandering off on his own only to collapse in the middle of a street, and is infamous in the Elric brothers’ minds for having a voracious appetite despite never carrying enough cash to feed himself. Even with all these idiosyncrasies, he is extremely personable and his particularly complimentary nature easily gains him the friendship and trust of those around him.
Appearance: Yin is tall and looks mature for his age, despite actually being a few months younger than Edward, and has a lean, muscular frame clearly toned from a lifetime of training in the Xingese martial arts. He wears his black hair long and tied in a ponytail with white ribbon while his long, spiky bangs hang over his face, often obscuring one of his eyes – usually the right, though this varies depending on the direction he’s facing. Yin’s signature outfit, consists of loose white trousers and a goldenrod shirt which bears a white flame pattern at the base and cuffs, small wing decals at the collar and a large bird’s head marking on the back – likely suggesting a phoenix motif – worn open to reveal his bare torso and the sword strap that keeps a Dao sword suspended across his back. The sword, rather than being sheathed, is wrapped in white tape. His forearms and abdomen are also wrapped in strips of white cloth called sarashi.