Xov'rik

**Xov'rik,**courtesy name **Zekneer**, is a Mantid politician, military strategist, writer, engineer and inventor. He served as the chancellor and regent of the state of Verlinhall during the Grand Chaos period of that location. He is recognised as one of the most accomplished strategist of his swarm, and is often compared with Zuoliang Jinrei, the author of *Shadows.* His reputation as an intelligent and learned strategist grew even while he was living in seclusion after the defeat of the corrupted empress, earning him the nickname "Sleeping Mantis.''Xov'rik is often depicted wearing jeweled Mantid robes and holding a scepter made of bones.

Xov'rik was an Old Gods loyalist. He liked to compare himself to sage spawns and generals of the past, developing Mantid Empire's agriculture and industry to become a regional power, years before the fall of Shek'zara and attached great importance to the works of the Pandaren, refusing to indulge local elites and adopting strict, but fair and clear laws.

## Early life

Xov'rik was born in an unknown date in the Heart of Fear, Dread Wastes. As most of his swarm died when he was still young, he was raised by the Zan'thik swarm.

Xov'rik grew to be a tall man (≈2.10 cm). He enjoyed reciting several mantid songs, popular in his birthplace. He had a habit of comparing himself to the sage ministers and strategist of old, incluiding the pandaren ones. Although few people took him seriously, Xov'rik developed close friendships with influential members of the local literati and feudal lords. Xov'rik also maintained close relations with other well-known intellectuals of his era.

## Service under Herrigan Schütelmayor

When Herrigan Schütelmayor was taking shelter under Yingdaonze's (present day, Verlinhall) governor, Zuoliang Jinrei, he visited Kort'lik, who told him, *"Pandaren academics and mundane scholars, how much do they know about current affairs? Those who analyse the current troubles well are elites. The Sleeping Mantis is the only one in this region.''* Yun Ni later recommended Xov'rik to Herrigan again, and he wanted to ask Yun to invite Xov'rik to meet him. However, he replied*, "You must visit this beast in person. He cannot be invited to meet you."*Herrigan succeeded in recruiting Xov'rik after paying more than seven personal visits. Xov'rik presented the Plan of Disolution, that consisted in causing several civil wars across the province, to Herrigan which he later followed once he departed. Afterwards, Herrigan became very close to Xov'rik and often had discussions with him.

### ***As a diplomat***

When Zuoliang died he was succeeded by his younger son, who surrendered the commandery of Southern Yunia to the local warlord Hei Bao. When Herrigan heard of this, he led his followers on an exodus southward engaging Hei Bao's forces in a brief skirmish at the Battle of the Passage along the way. While in the Passage, Herrigan sent Xov'rik to follow Su Lu to Dongjian to discuss the formation of an alliance between him and another warlord, Liu Ning.

Xov'rik met Liu Ning in Angdan and proposed two solutions to him, "If you can use your forcer to resist the central government, why not break ties (with Hei Bao) in advance? If you cannot oppose, why not demobilise the troops, discard your armour and surrender to the north?" After Liu Ning's viceroy, Yuangfang, analysed the situation and pointed out weaknesses in Hei Bao's army, Liu finally agreed to ally with Herrigan in resisting Hei Bao. Xov'rik returned to Herrigan's camp with Liu Ning's envoy, to make preparation for the upcoming war.

### ***As a logistics officer***

The allied armies of Herrigan Schütelmayor and Liu Ning scored a decisive victory over Hei Bao's forces at the Battle of the Black Canyon. Hei Bao retreated to his capital, while Herrigan proceeded to conquer territories in the South. Xov'rik was appointed Military Advisor and General of the Heavens. He was put in charge of governing most of the commanderies conquered and to collect taxes to fund the military efforts of Herrigan.

A month later, the governor of North Jingyi requested aid from Herrigan in attacking Hei Bao's son commandery. Herrigan left Xov'rik, his two brothers and others in charge of the capital while he led an army into the commandery. Herrigan promptly agreed to the governor's proposal, but secretly planned to take over the commandery later. The following year, the governor discovered Herrigan's intention, and the two turned hostile and waged war on each other. Xov'rik and the two brothers of Herrigan led separate forces to reinforce him in the attack on the commandery's capital, while they left some forces behind to guard their capital. In the following year, the governor surrendered and his territory was captured. Once he surrendered, Herrigan executed him in the square in front of everyone.

Herrigan appointed Xov'rik as Military Advisor General and let him administer affairs of his personal office. Whenever Herrigan embarked on military campaigns, Xov'rik remained to defend the capital and ensured a steady flow of supply of troops and provisions. In responde to Hei Bao's son usurping of the Grand Governor's throne, Herrigan subordinates advised him to declare himself Grand Governor. After initially refusing, Herrigan was eventually persuaded by Xov'rik to do so and became ruler of South Yingdaonze. Herrigan named Xov'rik his chancellor and put him in charge of the imperial agency where the mantid assumed the functions of the head of the provincial secretariat. Xov'rik was appointed Colonel-Director of Retainers after the demise of Herrigan's younger brother.

## Service under Darlyna

In the spring, Herrigan retreated to the capital and became seriously ill. He summoned Xov'rik from the southern commanderies and said to him, "You're ten times more talented than Hei Bao's son, and capable of both securing the province and accomplishing our great mission. If my daughter can be assisted, then assist her. If she proves incompetent, then you may take over the throne." Xov'rik replied, "I'll do my utmost and serve with unwavering loyalty until death." Herrigan then ordered her daughter Darlyna, to administer state affairs together with Xov'rik and regard Xov'rik as his elder.

### ***As a regent***

After Herrigan's apparent death, Darlyna ascended to the throne of South Yingdaonze. He granted Xov'rik the title "Marquis of the Capital" and created an office for him. Not long later, Xov'rik was appointed governor of almost every single commandery and put in charge of all state affairs. At the same time, the commanderies in the southern jungles rebelled against Southern Yingdaonze, but Xov'rik did not send troops to suppress the revolt as Herrigan's death was still recent.

#### *Southern Campaign*

During his reign as regent, Xov'rik set Southern Yingdaonze's objective as the restoration of the Tarx'rik swarm, his secret plan all along. He felt that in order to attack Hei Bao's son a complete unification of the territories of Southern Yingdaonze was first needed. Xov'rik was worried that the local swarms would work with the revolting tribes in the South to stage a revolt. Fearing the possibility that the peasants might rebel and press into areas surrounding the capital while he was attacking Hei Bao's son territories in the north, Xov'rik decided to pacify the southern territories first.

In the summer, regional clans, including had taken control of some cities in the south, so Xov'rik led an expedition force there. One of his advisors proposed that they should attempt to win the hearts of the people and rally their support instead of using military force to subdue them. Xov'rik disregarded his advice and rallied his forces into battlefield, making use of the few amberweavers he gathered from the local swarms to develop artillery and bombard the villages day and night, without giving them time to rest or prepare properly. It is said that Xov'rik rallied his forces into a full scale assault while the amber cannons were still firing, showing a complete disregard for his own forces.

Realising he had no chance to win, the local warlords pledged allegiance to Xov'rik, and were appointed by him as governors of the region to keep the populace content and secure the southern border. This would ensure that the future expeditions to the North would proceed without internal disruptions. Rich and abundant resources acquired from there were used to fund the miliotary and the state became more prosperous.

#### *Northern Expeditions and preservation.*

After pacifying the south, Xov'rik ordered the military to make preparations for a large scale offensive on the North. In the followign winter, he wrote a memorial to Darlyna stating his rationale for the campaign and giving advice to the Grand Governor on good governance. Six years later until his preservation, Xov'rik launched a total of five Northern Expeditions against Hei Bao's son territory, all except one of which failed. During the first expedition, he persuaded several military officers, to surrender and defect to his side. They became prominent generals of Southern Yingdaonze later and continued Xov'rik's legacy of an aggressive foreign policy against the North. The other permanent gains by were the conquests of the impoverished border commanderies, as well as the relocation of northern citizens to Xov'rik's territories on occasions.

In the winter of the sixth year, Xov'rik finally met his nemesis, the newly appointed Northern Commander, at the Battle of the Flower's Cross, the deadliest campaign of the five expeditions in terms of death toll. At the end of the year, they reached a stalemate at the Battle of the Toxic Wastes. Straining his energy on military matters big and small, Xov'rik fell seriously ill and was sent to the Mainland for recovery. There, he was preserved in amber and was awakened during the events of the Campaign of Pandaria. There, he helped the Klaxxi to replace the empress and was later appointed as Imperial Vizier thanks to his efforts in helping the Empire to grow again. When he was awakened from his sleep, he tried to get information about the current situation of Yingdaonze, which was answered only with confused looks, stating that such province was only a myth, which name was only mentioned in tales and legends of the past.

## Service under Shek'zara and the Oblivion Crusaders

During the war in Pandaria, Shek'zara was too young and weak to depose the sha-corrupted empress Shek'zeer in the traditional fashion, forcing the Klaxxi and the adventurers to kill Shek'zeer themselves.
By the time of Blood War, Shek'zara has ascended to empress. she was described as being "hotheaded and impulsive as mantid queens usually are", and she has mobilized most of her forces to search for Azerite.

Following the awakening of N'Zoth, Shek'zara pledged her swarm to the Old God and assaulted the Vale of Eternal Blossoms in an attempt to claim Pandaria for her master, a call that Xov'rik answered with great zeal, given that he was eager to see war again, ready to command his forces against the Pandaren.
However, Xov'rik had been preparating his forces for too long and when the time to strike for him came, the empress was already defeated and the forces of the N'Zoth destroyed, with the adventurers probably taking the Old God's life too. Despite his brief moments of grief, Xov'rik gathered his forces and led them in a quest to restore the might of the Black Empire, which was later brought to fruition once he found Kath'ruulon and his forces, to which he remains loyal to this day, eager to conquer the world in the name of the Old Gods.