Xianyun/Lore

==Personality==
As an adeptus, Xianyun is devoted to protecting Liyue from external threats and sees Morax in high regard; when she learned of his apparent demise, she flew into a fury and threatened to destroy Liyue Harbor for their crimes, only for the Traveler to placate her by reminding her of her duties. She also has a habit of speaking formally, often addressing herself as "one". In the past, she was revered as a decisive and bold figure, while she was also known by her fellow adepti as solemn and taciturn, rarely speaking outside of activating sigils during battle.
Having lived for thousands of years, Xianyun was good friends with Guizhong and shared a similar like of mechanics; following her death in the Archon War, she modified the Guizhong Ballista to honor her memory. She is competitive and prideful, generally starting competitions over fairly trivial matters, such as cooking and racing. She also shows a caring side to her disciples; she made a special pinwheel device for Ganyu after noticing she was interested in some being sold at a stall, and was pleased to see her enjoy it. When she is with Ganyu, she generally has a habit of reminiscing about her past, much to Ganyu's embarrassment. Likewise, she was curious about how Shenhe was doing in human society and was pleased to see she had no issues.
==Appearance==
Xianyun uses the tall female model. She has fair skin and navy hair that has light blue undertones. Her hair is tied in a high ponytail secured with a hairpin that resembles the sharpness of a crane. She has shorter eyebrows and wears red glasses. Although Xianyun seems to take the form of a human, she has taloned fingers, like the claws of a crane.
In her crane form, she is taller than many humans and is white with blue, gold, and black plumage. Under her eyes are red markings.
==Official Introduction==
Everyone has something to say about Xianyun: "That tall woman with the updone hair," "that bespectacled artisan," or perhaps "that talkative new neighbor." They all say different things, but together they paint a picture of the impression she leaves — of someone who's witty, chatty, warm-hearted, and easy to get along with.
But that's not how Xianyun sees herself. In her own eyes, she's inarticulate, reserved, and unyieldingly proud. Aside from her mastery of mechanics and knack for making all kinds of little trinkets, it's an entirely different image from how others would describe her.
Some curious individuals, seeing how her mannerisms and bearing set her apart from ordinary folk, are convinced that she's a heroine — so they go around trying to uncover her heroic backstory and whether she goes by any other names.
Ask the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's consultant, and with a wave of his hand, he'd say: "Xianyun? We're not well acquainted, but going by her name, she sounds like a good person."
Ask Madame Ping from Yujing Terrace, and she'd nod and reply: "Xian... Oh, Xianyun? We've crossed paths, yes... She's a good person, you know. Once you've met, you'll find that your days seem to go by much more smoothly."
Ask Ganyu, and she'd nod too: "She is a heroine, but a very discreet one — hence why she's living incognito in Liyue Harbor."
Ask Shenhe, and she'd respond pensively: "Xianyun... Of course, she's a master. Whatever you do, you must not offend her."
As it turns out, such speculations are not wrong. There's far more to Xianyun than meets the eye, but those who know the full story are few indeed. If someone was to address her as "Cloud Retainer"... Well, people would know her instantly, and you'd hear a torrent of praise flow her way: "Who doesn't know Cloud Retainer? Noble, brave, loyal, and wise... A most worthy friend if ever there was one!"
So try asking Xianyun herself then: "Are you a heroine? Surely you're not... an adeptus?"
You catch the new resident just as she's working on her latest invention, her pride and joy — what she calls an "Exquisite Mini Broth Pot." She's too absorbed to take the question seriously, so she simply waves it off as a load of old nonsense and tells you not to bother her while she's busy.
As for what exactly an Exquisite Mini Broth Pot is... No one really knows, other than having been told that it brings out flavors much better than a regular soup pot. Likewise, none would know how profoundly it might impact Liyue Harbor's future gastronomic development. Suffice to say — if Xianyun says it'll be impressive, it'll be impressive alright.
==Character Stories==
==Namecard==
==Constellation==
==Quests and Events==
==Character Mentions==
==Trivia==
* Xianyun is the third character to be able to perform an Elemental Skill mid-air, after Xiao and Kaedehara Kazuha.
** However, unlike them, Xianyun can only perform an Elemental Skill mid-air while in the Cloud Transmogrification state, which can only be entered when her Elemental Skill is used on the ground. Thus, she cannot use it freely while gliding.
* As a Trial Character, Xianyun is one of three playable character who wields a Flagship Event weapon in at least one of her Character Trial iterations (Oathsworn Eye), with the other characters with this distinction being Albedo and Chiori.
*Xianyun shares the same Chinese voice actress, Qin Ziyi (),Discord, Official Genshin Impact Server: Xianyun introduction post (Archived post) with Shenhe.
* A stone tablet on Mt. Aocang describes Cloud Retainer as follows: "Tranquility of mind and purity of heart — the Free Adeptus, The Unfettered — performs no action and sets no rule. Their presence is beyond mere mortals."
* Cloud Retainer is one of Morax's old allies and was friends with the God of Dust, Guizhong, while the latter was still alive.
** Cloud Retainer and Guizhong had a shared interest in mechanics and were compatriots and rivals in their research in the subject, though Cloud Retainer privately admitted to herself that Guizhong had superior talent.
* In the past, Cloud Retainer preferred to use her human form and was revered as a bold and decisive figure.
* Mt. Aocang's isolated pool has a fishing point only because Cloud Retainer personally stocked it with fish, making it more likely that the Traveler would visit.
* When convinced enough, Xianyun can be easily swayed into making purchases. No matter small or large the sum is, the final price doesn't seem to be something that Xianyun thinks over first.
* Most likely due to taking pride in her talent, Xianyun evidently looks down on inventions made by humans - calling them "crude pieces of mortal machinery" or even "flagrant displays."
* Unlike her fellow adeptus Mountain Shaper's domain, which is sealed by a large adeptal talisman, the door to Cloud Retainer's abode is identical to other domains found throughout Teyvat.
* Because of her dislike of guests in her abode, the player automatically leaves her home after 120 seconds have passed during the , compared to the 900 from other domains.
* In one of her idle animations, Xianyun can be observed spinning a machine of her own design resembling a , a 20th-century hand cranked device that can create popcorn from pressure generated heat when spun at a high interval.
* Cloud Retainer's inventions and other creations include:
** Dwelling in the Clouds
** Various toys for Ganyu
** Cloud Retainer's Damasked Device
** Final touches on the Guizhong Ballista
** Bi-Cyclical Thunderflash-Mobile
** Suspensus Somnium Mechanism
** Yuegui
** The "Lunastar Artifices" series, intended for human use:Xianyun's Elemental Burst: Stars Gather at Dusk
*** Bloom PrunersEvent Dialogue: Shuyu's Baffling Beetle Battle Bowl
*** Floating Toting Device
*** Snowdrift Mechanism
*** Starwicker
*** Multiple iterations of the Supreme Cuisine Machine
* Despite requesting the Traveler and Paimon to keep her identity as an adeptus a secret as she resides in Liyue Harbor, a good number of people unaffiliated with the adepti are cognizant of her identity, namely Gaming, Ningguang, and Keqing.
* Xianyun is known by these aliases or titles:
** Cloud Retainer
** Clow-Clow (by Kichiboushi)
** Illuminated bird (by Paimon)
** Master (by her disciples)
** Master of Masters (by Grandmaster Hanakado)
* 
* Known disciples:
** Ganyu
** Shenhe
** Shuyu
** She is also particularly fond of Gaming and Yaoyao
===Etymology===
* Xianyun's name, , is a reference to the Chinese phrase used to describe a leisurely person detached from worldly affairs.
**It is also a reference to her full adeptus name, .
*Her title, , is a reference to a Tang Dynasty poem by the poet . The relevant lines of the poem read:
** 
** 
* Her constellation, Grus Serena, means Serene Crane.
* The title at the end of her adeptus name in Chinese is typically ascribed to the (Taoist immortals), whom the adepti are modeled after.
==Other Languages==
===Character Title: Passerine Herald===
==References==
==Navigation==
fr:Xianyun/Histoire
it:Xianyun/Storia
pl:Xianyun/Fabuła
pt-br:Xianyun/Perfil
ru:Сянь Юнь/Лор
th:Xianyun/เนื้อเรื่อง
tr:Xianyun/Hikaye
vi:Xianyun/Cốt Truyện