Liao Bluecrowne

****L******iao Owen Bluecrowne** was a Chinese boy who lived in Nagspeake. He was a conflagrationeer and loved fireworks. Liao always seemed to find a reason to be cheerful.

## Biography

### Early life

Liao lived in China with his mother for a long time. Xiaoming taught Liao about fireworks and about who she was. He moved to Nagspeake to be with his father and half sister when he was seven, but did not stay long, living on the *Left-Handed Fate* after Xiaoming's death.

### *Bluecrowne*

Liao ran into Bluecrowne House, where he was to live, commented on its beauty, and Lucy agreed for his sake, even though she hated it for not being a ship. Liao extolled the stained-glass windows, then noticed a red stone outbuilding and was delighted to hear it would be his workshops for fireworks, which he loved. Liao spoke to Lucy, seeming to understand that she missed the *Left-Handed Fate*, and eventually declared that she should have a boat. Lucy agreed, and Liao set off a firework, even though it was daylight, to celebrate.

In the morning, Liao greeted Lucy enthusiastically. After breakfast, Kendrick took them to the Quayside Harbors to try to find a boat for Lucy. They met Jianming Cerrajero, a Chinese man whom Liao spoke to in Mandarin. Liao mentioned his mother, and Jianming commented that Xiaoming was a boy's name, after which Lucy had to drag Liao away because of how angry he was. They went to see Mr. Yarrow's boat on Jianming's recommendation, but Lucy left before Liao saw it, wanting to see other boats. Lucy later led Kendrick back to the boat, and asked Liao to name different kinds of fireworks, deciding to call it the *Driven Star*. They took the cutter to the *Left-Handed Fate* and back.

When they returned to the Quayside Harbors, Liao spotted two men, one of whom was holding a flame in his hand. They met the men, Trigemine and Blister, and Blister showed the excited Liao how to hold cald-fire in his hand too. Liao then was allowed to enter Blister's wagon, and the two men worked with fireworks for a long time, seeming very happy, and eventually set some off. Liao, fascinated, explained things in a mix of different languages when he didn't have the words in English. Blister was then sure that Liao was a conflagrationeer. It was decided that Blister would come to Liao's house in two days, to teach him a particular blue firework.

Lucy and Liao retuned to the house, and Lucy realized that her father had built it to resemble houses they had stayed in, and told Liao about the different parts of the house. They decided on a name for the house. The next day, Liao brought lunch to Lucy, who was working on the *Driven Star,* and they sailed the boat down the Skidwrack River. Liao set off a magnificent blue firework, but was troubled after, because he didn't think the firework should have worked. He mentioned Blister having hinted at him being different, and Lucy assured him that they were both special.

Liao woke Lucy as one would on a ship, threatening to cut down her hammock and seeming to have intention of doing it. He pretended innocence, and mentioned his excitement of the peddlers' coming. Liao helped Lucy when she burned herself, then enjoyed Nell's visit, asking Lucy not to tell about the matter of his odd fireworks. After learning that the Left-Handed Fate would not stay nearby, Liao tried to convince Lucy to change her plans and stay on the ship, but Lucy did not, letting him continue the plans he was so excited about instead.

The peddlers arrived, and Liao excitedly showed Blister to his workshop and they got to work on the firework. Suddenly there was an explosion, and Blister and Liao were gone. Lucy, Kendrick, and Garvett searched but could not find a trace of Liao. Trigemine informed Lucy that Blister had taken Liao, and that if she got the knife Albatross from the Ironmonger, he would help her get Liao back. Lucy went for the knife, then after realizing that Trigemine would not keep his word, returned to Bluecrowne House. She found Xiaoming, and after some preparation, the two set off in the *Driven Star* to the place where Trigemine had told her Liao was.

They arrived, and they found Liao is a prison of lyke-fire, seeming unhurt, but angry. Xiaoming and Blister fought, at the end of which Blister managed to tie Xiaoming up, and Lucy walked through the fire using an elixir Xiaoming had given her. She found Liao and stopped Trigemine from taking him away, then managed to untie Xiaoming through the fire with Liao's desperate help. The three escaped the garden. Liao was delighted when he saw that his mother was fine, and expressed how Blister, though bad, had said something to him that felt good, that he would set the world on fire. Xiaoming directed him to instead light the world, then told him and Lucy that she loved them. Blister then hit her with belluine, she disintegrated, and Lucy realized she'd been saying goodbye. Liao screamed and wailed.

Lucy dragged Liao into the *Driven Star*, knowing that there was little time to escape. She directed Liao to help her sail the boat, and prevent Trigemine from boarding, which he was trying to do, and Blister from stopping them with fire. Lucy decided to sink the *Driven Star*, as there was no other way, and Liao realized her plan. He set his powder to light, and jumped out with Lucy. They stayed underwater until after the explosion, whose colors delighted Liao, and were then lifted onto the *Left-Handed Fate*, which had come. Liao explained to his father through tears that his mother had been, he said, unbodied, and was indeed a celestial being. He did not know how long it would be until she would return. In the morning, Liao requested ship's biscuit. They then returned to the house, where they found the present they'd made for Xiaoming, the Bluecrowne key. They left it in the house, so, Liao said, she could have it when she returned.

### *The Raconteur's Commonplace Book*

Captain Frost told a story about Melusine, Lowe, and the *Fate*. Melusine and Lowe, the children of the *Fate*'s captain, often argued about the meanings of omens because of how they'd been brought up differently. However, when Lowe broke the steward's prized storm bottle, having been investigating it out of curiosity, they both knew it was bad. Melusine helped Lowe make a new storm bottle, but they had to use different ingredients, since Lowe was out of camphor. The bottle's contents began to climb up the walls of the bottle, and the two children found that they had left the harbor and were on a foggy red sea.

A ghostly ship was approaching, and Melusine and Lowe found that they were the only ones aboard the ship. After debating for a while, the two agreed that the ship needed to be guided to a harbor. Lowe set up a rocket to contact them, and Melusine steered their own ship to lead the xebec crewed with ghosts. The ship followed them toward where Valletta Harbor had been, and gradually the mist dwindled and the sea turned back to blue. The xebec's crew thanked them, then the ghost ship disappeared and the crew of the *Fate* returned. Melusine, confused, looked around, and found the steward and his company returning from shore in the ship's cutter. She told Lowe that she would not help him admit he'd broken the storm bottle.

### *Greenglass House*

Mrs. Hereward mentioned Liao to Owen. She told him that Liao had lived with his mother in China until he was six or seven years old, then arrived at Greenglass House, built to bring his family together by Richard Bluecrowne. Lucy asked Liao to translate their surname, Bluecrowne, into Mandarin. Liao had translated *blue* and *crown* and Lucy had written it down phonetically, as Lansdegown. Mrs. Hereward presumed that Owen was descended from Liao or someone Chinese married to one of Lucy's descendants.

### *Ghosts of Greenglass House*

Milo tried to tell Mr. Chancelor about the Bluecrowne family who had come to Nagspeake and had a Chinese child, but Mr. Chancelor did not believe Milo.

Owen brought one of Liao's letters to show Milo, explaining how he'd sought information about the Bluecrownes and found a fireworks shop with files including correspondence between Liao and one of the shop's previous owners. In the letter, Liao greeted Mr. Fulgor and requested supplies in a shopping list, noting that he did not want anything from Ignis Blister. Liao signed his name, and after that there were five Chinese characters. Owen said that these represented Liao's name, and the four last symbols meant 'the crown that is blue', or 'Bluecrowne', as Liao had translated his surname into Chinese when he was very young.

## Physical appearance

Liao is described as a small boy, and appears distinctly Chinese. He wears his hair in a long ponytail like the Chinese, but he does not shave the top anymore.

## Personality and traits

Liao is very sweet and down-to-earth. He is often cheerful and happy, especially with anything to do with fireworks, which he loves. Liao can be very sad, however, like when Xiaoming was unbodied. He understands Lucy very well, and will do a lot for her.

## Trivia

* Liao thoroughly enjoys hardtack, not seeming to understand it is just stale biscuit. He enjoys knocking weevils out of ship's biscuit and does not understand why others do not enjoy it as much as he does.
* Liao inherited his powers as a conflagrationeer from his mother, Xiaoming, who is also a conflagrationeer, among other things, such as immortal.
* Liao makes his own matches.

## Gallery

**Take a look at our **gallery for Liao Bluecrowne****.