Jiang Ziya

**Jiang Ziya** is the Lore Master at Sinegard Academy and Fang Runin's primary mentor figure. It is revealed later that he is also the Gatekeeper of Nikara legend, one of the Trifecta.

## Biography

### Early life

Little is known about his early life, other than that he was a war orphan from the First Poppy War. At some point during the Second Poppy War he joined Yin Riga and Su Daji and together they learned to call the gods from the shamans of the Hinterlands. They also became anchors of each other, binding their souls.

Together they overthrew the Federation of Mugen and established themselves as the new rulers of the Nikara Empire. He had a Speerly lover, a general by the name of Hanelai, but Riga forced her to betray the Empire and then destroyed her island. When Ziya discovered this, he confronted Riga and a fight started. Then Su Daji intervened, poisoning them both and Sealing their powers away.

### Sinegard Academy

After that, Jiang Ziya forgot his past and started a new life as the ridiculed Lore Master at Sinegard Academy. During his time there he acted insane and took on few students. It is known that he trained a few (at least four) students to be shamans, with poor results. He sent Baji to Baghra, and Suni was there too, so we can assume he was also trained by Jiang. They were both taken from there by Tyr, who trained them. He warned all of them against calling down the gods, but each of them persisted. Fang Runin was his last student.

### Third Poppy War

When the third Poppy War started he participated in the battle of Sinegard, saving Fang Runin and Yin Nezha from a Mugenese general, who identified him as The Gatekeeper, part of the Trifecta and right hand of the Dragon Emperor. He fought the Federation off, and then he unleashed several beasts from the Jade Emperor's menagerie in the city, causing havoc and bringing down the wall. Afterwards he immured himself in the Chuluu Korikh to prevent the possibility of his losing his mind and destroying Nikan.

### Awakened

He was freed from the Chuluu Korikh by Su Daji and Fang Runin, who were trying to reunite the Trifecta to fight the Republic of Nikan. He slowly recovers his memory, and by the time they find and awaken Yin Riga he has remembered nearly everything, including his fear of the Dragon Emperor. When Riga orders him to kill Fang Runin, he chose to defy him one last time, and buys Rin enough time to draw the Republic fleet towards them.

He was ultimately killed by the Republic Fleet along with the rest of the Trifecta.

## Personality

At Sinegard Academy he is presented as childish and outright crazy, uninterested in the matters of the academy and its students. He is disliked and thought of as a disgrace by the rest of the teachers, especially Jun Loran, who often advocates to get him fired. Rin views him as a coward, for his fears concerning the gods and their access. It is later revealed that this Jiang Ziya is just a shadow of the man he was.

After his Seal is broken he becomes more serious, used to giving orders that are instantly obeyed and spinning together strategies like an experienced general. During the Second Poppy War, he was considered a monster, getting rid of anyone who stood against or in the way of the Trifecta. He carried out public executions for Riga, and had seemingly no qualms about killing anyone who stands in the way of his cause.

## Physical Description

He is described as ageless, looking both old and young at the same time. He has white hair and blue eyes.

## Powers & Abilities

He is a shaman of the Jade Emperor, and can summon a great variety of beasts from the Emperor's Menagerie to fight by his side. He can summon them either as intangible specters or fully corporeal.

He is also an extremely capable martial artist, capable of dealing and deflecting blows that shatter rock. He has been taught Animal Frolics by Wudang monks, and later teaches this style of martial arts to Fang Runin, who proves its effectiveness by winning the Tournament of her year.

## Relationships

### Su Daji

Ziya and Daji met as war orphans in the occupied North, and travelled together with Yin Riga, later overthrowing the Federation together. The two of them were very close, and later anchored in a three-way soul bond with Riga. Later Daji was the one to stop Ziya and Riga's fight after Speer's destruction by Sealing them all. Daji is also the one to convince Ziya to leave immurement in the Stone Mountain where Rin could not.

## Trivia

* The name Jiang Ziya is taken from the debatably real figure in Chinese history, a great military strategist and sage of the Zhou dynasty. He is written about in the novel *Fengshi Yanyi*, or *Investiture of the Gods*.