Yuan Yi "Gongjian"

## Overview

Yuan Yi (courtesy name Gongjian, previously known as Gongjian "the Poacher") was the leader of Fairwind, a now abandoned island in the Southeastern Sea. Yi was previously a member of the notorious mercenary guild Tal Ferran, where he went by Gongjian "the Poacher". Yi was also previously a vassal lord and Master of Diplomacy in the old High Kingdom of Valkaria. Yi died a tragic death by a skeleton brute, after which a part of his soul remained in Kamorra for a short period in the form of The Poacher, a slowly decaying half-ghoul.

Yuan Yi referred to himself as a prestigious noble of the Yuan Clan, a clan from his homeland - the same lands which the now extinct Jin Dynasty originated from. Due to his entire clan being wiped out by a combination of Zhao Hu's militia and a rogue barbarian army, Yi was the last surviving member of the Yuan Clan during his time on Kamorra, and hence the head of the clan.

## History

(These notes are based on Yi's personal record of his time spent on Kamorra)

When Yuan Yi first arrived on Kamorra, he was able to sustain himself from hunting and sleeping in the wild. Eventually, he met Cole "The Collector" and Salazar "Scar" in the old castle ruins of Tal Ferran, and was invited to join their guild in the Skagden Mountains, together with the rest of Tal Ferran. In his time in Tal Ferran, Yi explored the continent of Kamorra, went on diplomatic and trade missions, and also engaged in bandit activities.

Yi was present at the skirmish at the gates of Thalenthyr during the War of the Lantern, where he from a vantage point in the mountains hit someone with an arrow. Yi, however, was never officially a part of Alliance of the Poppy, aside from his affiliation with Tal Ferran. At one point during the conflict between Thalendor and the Alliance, Yi was taken prisoner by King Thales and Yehudah, where he witnessed the first signs of "Dusk" starting to control the mind of Thales, almost leading to Yi's death, before Thales snapped back out of his possessed state.

Yuan Yi was one of main instigators behind the Siege of Thalenthyr. After a visit to Leontius regarding the danger of Dusk and the potential doom associated with the corruption in Thalendor, Yi played a crucial role in managing to convince the forces of Leontius, Vulpania and the Jin Dynasty to join in a mission to Thalendor to "scout it out and assess the situation". Eventually, the forces gathered at Tal Ferran, where they got drunk and riled up, creating the mood for war and pillaging. Tal Ferran used this situation to bring all of the forces on a hill overlooking Thalenthyr, where they proceeded to construct siege towers and siege the city under the protection of the western continent's forces. The siege continued until Dusk abandoned the city, after which Yuan Yi helped secure the area and pillaged everything valuable, together with many other looters, both from the army and opportunistic brigands.

After these events, Yuan Yi was struck by sudden illness, and remained bedridden for a long period in the newly founded city of Tal Impera, built on the ruins of Thalenthyr. Here, he served Cole, who at this point had become Emperor Cole of the Skagden Empire. Due to his illness, Yi did not participate in the war between the Skagden Empire and Silvalin. However, this war was a great disaster to him, as it would eventually lead to the death of many of his Tal Ferran compatriots. After the battle, Emperor Cole decided to go in hiding, and therefore abdicated the title of Emperor to Salazar "Scar", who in turn abdicated to Yi. Therefore, Yuan Yi was for a very brief period Emperor Gongjian of the Skagden Empire. This did not last long though, as soon after Cole committed suicide after being discovered by Silvalin, causing chaos to break out in Tal Impera, which as a result was abandoned.

After the fall of the Skagden Empire and the death of Cole "the Collector" and Salazar "Scar", Yuan Yi returned to Tal Ferran to await the return of the other remaining members of Tal Ferran, Kento "Jackdaw" and Edmont "the Black". However they did not return, and for a while, Yi lived alone in the ruins, causing him to descend into a period of relative madness. Yi was haunted by a voice in his head, telling him to commit violent acts. All of this culminated in Yi almost being sacrificed by blood magic cultists, one of which being his old friend Edmont. However, due to the dark voice warning him of the cultists, Yi managed to escape and seek the protection of Silvalin, especially Castien Meliscient, who guided and protected Yi in his search for the truth and to stop the cultists. Eventually, with the help of Castien and the good memories of his compatriots and his homeland, Yi gathered up the strength to confront the dark voice that had been tormenting him. The shadow figure showed itself to him, after which Yi rejected it and banished it from his mind, freeing himself from the corruption of blood magic.

After this, Yi went to find his old friend Edmont to attempt to free him from the grip of blood magic, the same way he had done himself. After extensive searching, Yi discovered that Edmont had set up his base on an island in the southwestern part of the continent known as Poppy Isle. Here, he found Edmont in a pensive state, already having decided to escape from blood magic forever, and together the two old friends in unison banished the shadow figure from their minds and went on an expedition to find a new home for themselves. At this point in time, Edmont decided to go by his last name, Beaulfyrd, and Yi decided to go by his full name, Yuan Yi, leaving Edmont and Gongjian in the past.

From this point on, Yuan Yi decided to embrace his noble heritage. His previous enemy Zhao Hu had died in the catastrophic fire that had occured in the Jin Dynasty, and therefore none remained who would hunt him down with the knowledge of his true identity. Together with embracing his heritage, he and Beaulfyrd founded the Fairwind League - a new peaceful chapter in both of their lives. Fairwind prospered, and several people joined them, including their old friend Kento "Jackdaw" and a newcomer, Henry Wood. However, Yuan Yi would quickly find the remainder of his friends perish, the same as Salazar "Scar" and Cole "the Collector" had previously. Edmont Beaulfyrd was captured and executed for his time in Tal Ferran and as a blood magician, while Kento perished from long lasting illness that had troubled him since the death of Cole and Salazar. Even Wood breathed his last breath.

After these tragic events, Yi was visited by Lattius, who lived with him in Fairwind for a short period before he went on to found the Isle of Lunaris nearby. Yi was thus no longer alone on the islands, and shortly after Lattius' arrival, he too met with King Aurion I Aretheon. After long talks and negotiations with Aurion, Yi decided to swear him fealty, deciding that the Southeastern Sea, which he had come to call his home, would do better as a strong unified kingdom. Thus, for a long period Yuan Yi served King Aurion as a vassal lord and advisor in the High Kingdom of Valkaria. However, disaster would eventually strike, as Lattius died under mysterious circumstances (responsibility for the death claimed by a group known as Noctem Corvum), and soon after, the capital of Valkaria, Windfall, was hit by a disastrous flood which forced them to migrate far away from the Southeastern Sea and thus Fairwind. Eventually, Aurion decided to embark on a voyage to return to his homeland, leaving Fairwind without a liege lord and thus fully independent.

For a time, Yi ruled alone in Fairwind, where he lived in relative isolation. During this time, Yi built up Fairwind heavily, most notably constructing tall walls around the entire island, protecting it from possible dangers. Yi also accumulated a sizable fortune and became a masterful fletcher during this time. Politically, Fairwind mostly remained isolated, apart from a few friendly meetings and a tributary agreement to the now destroyed White Horse Legion.

After this period of peace and prosperity, Yuan Yi began to explore across Kamorra. He established connections with many different people, such as Joramun Highwind, Aubrey and many more. However, this would also be the final weeks of his life. During a conversation with Aubrey at the Highwayman's Junction, he was hit by a surprise attack from a massive skeleton brute. The blow hit Yuan Yi and his horse Yun Zhong Ma (Cloud Stallion), causing the horse to die and Yi to get severely wounded. As a result, Aubrey dragged Yi to the nearby town of Cape Oolong and screamed for help. Yi was brought to the town's hospital - however, he was rapidly losing blood and bleeding from internal organs. Just before Yi died, he made a prayer to the fox spirits (Xian and Qian) in which he consumed a flower and begged them for more time to finish the things he needed to do. This caused Yi to stop bleeding. However, what he had become was some kind of abomination - theorized by Dr. Marius to be a "half-ghoul". The fox spirits had granted Yi more time, but not in his original form. A part of his soul was immediately taken to heaven, leaving only a part of it in his original body, which had also become undead. Thus, "The Poacher" was born, a being somehow seperate yet also the same as Yi. However, Yi had in fact died in the hospital that day, and what was left was simply his body being allowed to exist in an unnatural state (causing immense pain and discomfort for The Poacher for most of it's existence) for some time before it would also wither away.

Initially, The Poacher believed it's goal to be exacting revenge on the elves, who had caused the deaths of most of Tal Ferran. However, after observing the siege of the White Horse Legion, speaking with various doctors (including Marius and an Owlin) and also coming to terms with Yi having learned kindness from Aubrey, it realized that it's true purpose was to try to redeem Yi for some of the harm he had done during his life, and work to make people understand the suffering Yi had experienced. As a part of this task, The Poacher donated a considerable portion of Yuan Yi's fortune to the town of Cape Oolong, and left the remainder of it to Aubrey, who is thus the inheritor of Yi's fortune and most special belongings. After having completed all of it's tasks, The Poacher sat peacefully and content in the house at the Highwayman's Junction until it's body crumbled away into dust and vanished from existence.

## Lore

(These notes are based on Yi's personal record of his time spent before his arrival on Kamorra)

A disgraced nobleman of the once prominent Yuan Clan, an ancient northern border clan dating all the way back to the Min dynasty and the reign of Emperor Min Shi Huang Di. The Yuan Clan was known for it's ambitious and ruthless rulers, who often allied with barbarian Hordes on the other side of the Grand Wall and helped them plunder surrounding states. The Yuan abused this power to weaken their neighbors and strengthen themselves, all the while praising themselves for "beating back the dirty barbarians". When the Min collapsed, the Yuan initially suffered from the chaos like everyone else. Though their long experience with dealing with barbarians from living on the border for so long made them tough. Eventually, they were able to bully the surrounding states with the help of the barbarians. With no strong Min empire to help though, the barbarians started bleeding into the civilized lands and seizing regions for themselves. The Yuan, wanting supremacy for themselves, devised a plan.

With the backing of several northern barbarian tribes, they formed a massive Barbarian Army. The goal was the old imperial capital. If they could seize the old capital for themselves, the Fox Spirits might grant them The Mandate of Heaven like Min Shi Huang Di once did, allowing them to bring the barbarians under their own iron fist and use them to establish a new powerful dynasty. When they marched to the capital however, they were met by a young aspiring leader, Zhao Hu, who had gained the love and support of the people and formed a powerful militia army. The Yuan fought long and hard, but the barbarians they hired fled the moment the battle turned against them, and the entire army collapsed. The Yuan tried to flee, but almost all of them were chased down and either captured and executed by Zhao Hu's forces or hunted down by their previous barbarian allies for easy pickings. The days of the Yuan Clan seemed to be over. However, in the chaos of battle, one particularly resourceful nobleman was able to escape. His name was Yuan Yi. Yuan Yi was of lower rank in the clan, but often noted for his supreme skills in archery and hunting, earning himself the courtesy name "Gongjian" (Bow and Arrow) when he reached adulthood.

Yuan Yi used his hunting skills to survive in the hostile lands, eventually making his way to the camp of Zhao Hu, eager to avenge his now dead clansmen. However, before he was about to release the string of his bow and let a poisoned arrow reach Zhao Hu's throat, he overheard the mention of a new continent, "Kamorra", as the scouts had named it. Yuan Yi immediately knew this would be his chance to start anew and restore the Yuan Clan to it's former glory, and put the arrow back into his quiver, letting revenge wait for a more auspicious day. From this point on, Yuan Yi would mostly go by "Gongjian", his courtesy name. As he was not famous, few would recognize him by this, and he could keep his identity shrouded for now. However, he had no intention of abandoning his glorious clan, and only with great pain made this decision.

Not before long, he was able to steal some naval charts from Zhao Hu's admirals, and went to kill a fisherman for his boat. When Zhao Hu's expedition left, Gongjian followed from afar with his fishing boat. This would not last long though, as the boat did not have sails of such size and quality as the expeditions ships. Gongjian sailed into a storm, and was thrashed around in the merciless waves, leaving his life in hands of fate. During this he was knocked unconscious - but as he awoke he found himself washed up on the shore of completely new land with no belongings to his name. He had no idea if he had reached the same land the sailors mentioned, "Kamorra", but hoped that fate saving him from the storm also meant that it brought him where his destiny was waiting.

## Trivia

* Yuan Yi owned a white horse named "Yun Zhong Ma", which means "Cloud Stallion". This horse died in an attack by a skeleton brute.
* Yuan Yi also owned an unnamed female dog. This dog is old, and Yi had handed it over to Nao at Vulpania to take care for it while he was involved in the dangerous conflicts such as the War of the Lantern. After founding Fairwind, the dog returned to him, and still lives on Fairwind, guarding Yi's old house faithfully.
* Yuan Yi was involved in several conflicts with the people of Cape Oolong, however The Poacher managed to somewhat heal the relationship at the end of it's life.