Lia Duan

Lia Duan is a Pandaren monk initiate and a wanderer.

Growing up in Kun-Lai
Lia Duan was born and raised in the Kun-Lai Summit, on a farmstead that raised yaks and cultivated crops. As a child, Lia was always temperamental and prone to fits of anger and temper tantrums.

During her childhood, Lia was close friends with a boy named Baodam Mu. As they both grew up, Lia and Baodam became closer. Lia began to develop affectionate feelings for her friend, though he did not reciprocate.

The farmstead was often harassed by the Xiong tribe of Yaungol. During the conflict in Pandaria brought by the Horde and Alliance, Lia's family backed the Horde as they began to establish themselves in Kun-Lai. As the Yaungol began to invade the region, the Xiong assaults on the farmstead only worsened.

The Horde soon came to the aid of the family, and drove off the Yaungol that had attacked the family. Grateful for the Horde's aid, the Duan family began to offer resources and support to the Horde, and Lia came to idolize the faction from Kalimdor.

The Vale's destruction by Garrosh Hellscream drove something of a wedge between Lia and Baodam, as Baodam was angered by the Horde, despite Lia attempting to defend them. Baodam decided that the best way to use his time was to help with the relief efforts across Pandaria to repair the land after the war the Horde and Alliance had brought. This surprised Lia, who still had feelings for Baodam, as he abruptly left for the next few years to help rebuild. Having no contact with her friend, Lia stewed in frustration over her unrequited affection.

Fighting for the Horde
At the age of twenty, Lia finally determined that she was ready to become independent and traveled to Kalimdor. Still idolizing the Horde, she made her way to Orgrimmar to pledge herself to the Horde. Not long after, she became friends with a Pandaren named Aka, who was a member of an Orcish warband thought fought for the Horde. Eager to earn her place within the Horde, Lia joined the warband; however, she soon found that the warband was led by a slaver and a cannibal with intense hatred for the Alliance. Though initially perturbed, Lia decided that she could just continue to follow her own lifestyle while doing her part to help. As time went on, Lia became good friends with people in the warband, and Aka taught her how to cultivate and manifest Chi as a weapon.

The slavers within the warband often mistreated their slaves, and the leader was particularly proud of his slave Ilyrea, a Night Elf druid, which he kept with him in the city. Lia was outspoken in favor of better treatment towards Ilyrea but often rejected. Still, Lia and Ilyrea became best friends despite disapproval from the slaver leader.

Eventually a day came when the abuse towards Ilyrea became intolerable to Lia, and she soon broke her free from her slavery, with the promise that they would reunite in Pandaria. Learning that Lia was the culprit, the leader threatened to kill her in battle, but simply exiled her with counsel from Aka. Though Lia was initially content with her decision, the relationship between her and Aka became strained due to the former's decision.

As stress built, Lia's volatile anger only worsened. She often trained as a form of stress relief, but it soon developed into violent outbursts provoked by rage. Determined to prove herself to Aka again, Lia helped the warband on an assault upon human nobles in Kul Tiras, and revealed to the warband her almost feral violence that emerged with her anger. Impressed, the warband leader offered Lia a second chance to become part of the warband. He entrusted Lia with the task of finding and killing the escaped slave, Ilyrea, to prove her worth.

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Turbulence
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Before he left, Baodam gave her something that his Lorewalker parents had given to him: Beads of Spiritual Return. Sensing her turbulent emotions, Baodam suggested that, if she could commune with the spirit of lost friend, perhaps she would be able to overcome her struggles and her rage. Since then, Lia began to pray at Ilyrea's shrine in the Kun-Lai Summit every week.

Despite her efforts, her prayers did not summon the spirit of the fallen Night Elf. Feeling alone, Lia took time to herself before encountering a sudden influx of Zandalari trolls in the city of Orgrimmar. Frightened by the Zandalari due to stories she had grown up with, she was initially afraid to be around the old enemies of the Pandaren. However, she soon warmed up to them with personal conversation and an opportunity to learn about Zandalari culture.

Taking up a suggestion from her old mentor, Lia began to bake cookies with the use of peacebloom to help calm her violent tendencies towards anger. For a time she was followed by a hostile treant that began to harass her day to day activities. She soon met a Zandalari who offered to help her commune with the Loa of the dead, Bwonsamdi.

Using the opportunity to commune with Bwonsamdi, the troll helped Lia to speak to the wisp spirit of Ilyrea. Lia expressed her deep regret for killing Ilyrea, but the deceased druid admitted that she could forgive Lia, and that Lia simply needed to forgive herself. After the interaction with Ilyrea's spirit, the druid began to watch over Lia by entering the diamond receptacle on Lia's necklace. Bound to the necklace, Ilyrea manifested as a Pandaren water spirit.

Confused, Lia spoke to the spirit as though it were her friend, addressing it as Ilyrea; however, the spirit introduced itself as Xiuying. Created from Lia's Chi, Xiuying was, in many ways, a representation of hope for Lia, and had manifested to help her to forgive herself and move on from her grief and anger.

Temple of the Jade Serpent
Wanting to learn more about her own homeland and Pandaren culture, Lia embarked on a journey through Pandaria with Xiuying. Her goal was to visit each Celestial temple to learn from the monks of each temple, particularly those of Chi-Ji. Beginning her journey from Honeydew Village in the Jade Forest, Lia moved south towards Dawn's Blossom. While in Dawn's Blossom, Lia met with a grummle trader who offered a scroll to her, a part of the Tale of Jian Shu.

Lia was amazed by what she read. According to the legend, Jian Shu was capable of summoning a deadly Chi lightning bolt that mimicked one out of nature, which instantly felled a mighty foe. Eager to learn if such a technique was possible, Lia began to practice her own technique based on how the ability was described.

Lia moved to the southeast, where the Arboretum and the Temple of the Jade Serpent were located in close proximity. Still practicing her version of the instant chi lightning, Lia met with the Order of the Cloud Serpent, though she did not yet attempt to join them. She spent time searching the Temple of the Jade Serpent for any other parts to the Tale of Jian Shu, and successfully found the first part of the story.

Speaking with the monks for teaching, she was offered a scroll on anatomical knowledge, and how the body and the spirit interacted. Lia was initially confused, expecting a combative technique to be taught to her, but humbly accepted the gift. The young Pandaren was instructed to then read the teachings of Yu'lon and meditate upon them.

The teachings, as Lia had read them, placed emphasis upon wisdom in one's choices and knowledge in one's actions. Initially, Lia believed that the importance of knowledge was the reason that she had been given a scroll on anatomy and the spirit. The more she thought about it, the less it made sense to her, not entirely understanding the importance of wisdom to a monk.

Confused, Lia spoke to one of the monks for guidance. The monk in question explained that, to a monk, knowledge is what one aspires to obtain. All monks seek to know, to see all sides and through all lenses. The monk continued and explained that she believed the wisdom to discern what was true and what was false, and was part of what made monks such powerful mediators to resolve conflict.

Lia asked the monk what the point of the scroll on anatomy was. The monk decided to challenge Lia to a spar to study her combative technique. The two dueled in the central courtyard of the Temple. Lia's strikes were violent punches and kicks meant to injure, but the monk promptly disabled Lia by striking specific points on her body, causing the muscles of her body to spasm, prompting her body to collapse.

The monk explained that the knowledge of anatomy helps a monk to know where to strike to disable, and where to kill. Wisdom was a matter of knowing how this knowledge was to be used. Not every fight had to be to the death, and not every duel had to be one of brutal beatings. A wise monk knew what battles needed to be fought, and how they needed to be fought.

Valley of the Four Winds
Having learned from her time in the Temple of the Jade Serpent, Lia and Xiuying departed and began to move east. Within a day they arrived in the Valley of the Four Winds, stopping at Thunderfoot Inn for a bite to eat. Exhilarated by the sights of the Valley, even at her age, Lia decided that instead of going straight to the Temple of the Red Crane, she would stop at the Halfhill market for a few days to enjoy the food and, if possible, learn from the masters there.

Staying at the Lazy Turnip in Halfhill, Lia visited the market to observe all the cooking there, especially curious about those who specialized in brewing. She decided that she would spend a few days paying close attention to the cooking of the masters to learn from their technique, and help out with any tasks that she could volunteer to assist with.

During her time in Halfhill, Lia volunteered to help local farmers in harvesting their crops, as well as defending them from virmen. In exchange for her help, a farmer suggested that Lia visit the Stormstout Brewery to learn about a "special" brew that she could make use of, known as the Dragon's Breath Ale.

On her last day in the Valley of the Four Winds, Lia walked to the Stormstout Brewery to speak with the brewers about the "Dragon's Breath Ale" that she had been told about. The brewers explained that, among some monks, the ale was used to create a breath of fire not unlike that of a dragon's.

When Lia asked to borrow some, the brewers explained that the ale was not simply something anyone consumed and spat out as fire; it was something that interacted with one's Chi, and one had to understand how. The young Pandaren was offered a book on Pandaren brewing in the hopes that it would shed light on the significance of brews to an Ox-style monk.

Confused by the notion of an "Ox-style" monk, Lia asked for the brewers to explain. They spoke of monks at the Niuzao Temple, defining the Sturdy Ox Style as a form of martial arts that relied on one's fortitude and endurance. The use of brew could help an Ox-style monk absorb and shrug off blows that would knock anyone else down, or to fluidly dodge such attacks. It was explained to Lia that if she wanted to truly learn about the Sturdy Ox Style, she would have to go to the Niuzao Temple in the Townlong Steppes.

Lost in the Wilds
Feeling that her business in the Valley of the Four Winds was complete, Lia began to travel south into the Krasarang Wilds. Where Lia had found the Jade Forest and the Valley to be beautiful places that invited warm feelings of optimism, the rain forest of the Krasarang Wilds was not easy for Lia to navigate.

Within a day of entering the Wilds, Lia found herself lost, with Xiuying as her only companion. Uncertain of what lived within the Wilds, Lia did her best to forge ahead and find the path once again.

Though she was tempted to panic and worry for where she was, she took a deep breath to calm herself. Reassuring herself that she would find her way in the end, Lia pushed on through the rain forest.

Despite her self assurance that she could find her way through the Wilds, she continued to be lost for days on end. One day, she stumbled upon a Mogu ruin. Terrified by the prospect of encountering Mogu, Lia began searching for an alternate route around the Mogu ruin, to no avail. From what Lia could deterine, the only way around it was to backtrack a great distance until she could ultimately find the path once again.

Uncertain that she would ever be able to reach the Temple of the Red Crane, Lia decided the best she could do was to simply make camp nearby. Yet as she and Xiuying settled for the night, she had a sneaking suspicion that she was being watched. Indeed, Lia could soon see that a wild tiger had begun to stalk her. Again, doubt and fear began to take hold of Lia as she felt herself trapped within a dilemma.

As Lia froze, Xiuying then held her hand. Feelings of hope and determination welled up within the Pandaren, and she looked to the Mogu ruin. Everything she feared of the Mogu came from old stories and legends she had been told as a cub, but never from what she herself had seen. She feared stories, nothing more. Steeling herself, Lia entered the ruin.

At first, the ruin was seemingly empty. As Lia entered, she found that the tiger broke off from its hunt, unwilling to follow. Now convinced that her decision was the right one, Lia pressed on deeper into the ruin, following the paved stone until she could find the way out to continue to the Temple. Before she could find the exit, a hulking figure leapt down from atop one of the walls. Brandishing a massive spear, a Mogu warrior attempted to impale the young Pandaren. Narrowly dodging the strike, Lia engaged the Mogu in a duel using her punches and kicks, as well as her Chi.

Despite this, Lia's brute force was easily outmatched by that of the Mogu. She had attempted to beat the warrior at his own game of brawn and muscle, and was clearly losing for it. Even with Chi, she was unable to hold her own against the Mogu, beginning to falter.

As the fight went on, the Mogu's spear cut the string that held Lia's beaded necklace together. Though Ilyrea's soul never left its receptacle, the physical form of Xiuying failed to hold together and collapsed before Lia's eyes. Terrified and enraged, Lia unleashed a frenzied assault upon the Mogu that shattered its leg, giving her the opportunity to recover her beads and flee from the ruin.

As Lia escaped from the ruin, she was pursued by Mogu. She ran down the path, with her adversaries flanking her on both sides. Though at first she seemed to outrun her followers, they simply had taken alternate routes around the path and soon one stood directly before the young Pandaren. Thrusting a spear forward, the Mogu ran Lia through the abdomen.

Still incensed by the destruction of Xiuying, Lia was determined not to be captured. While the spear was still lodged in her flesh, she took advantage of the close distance and their stillness to create a static bridge between herself and the Mogu warrior. Gathering Chi in her hands, she soon thrust a hand forward and unleashed her instant Chi lightning. With a bright flash of red and a thundering sound, she struck the Mogu down.

With her opponent defeated, Lia managed to push on again, and the Temple of the Red Crane was soon in sight. Holding her beads tightly, Lia staggered forward, but she was losing blood at a rapid rate and had completely exhausted her Chi. Unable to carry on, she collapsed at the stone steps of the Temple.

Temple of the Red Crane
When Lia awoke, she found herself in one of the pagodas of the Temple of the Red Crane, being cared for by the monks there. With the bleeding stopped and her torso bandaged, Lia had been saved from death, though she was still terribly exhausted from her overuse of Chi. While she recovered, she was approached by a robed Pandaren man who introduced himself as Yusentei, one of the masters within the Temple. Seemingly displeased with Lia, Yusentei ordered Lia to come to the central hall of the Temple when she had recovered.

Lia began to rise, but found that many of her possessions had been removed from her person, including her walking staff, her scrolls, and her beads. Wary, Lia asked where they were, and Yusentei replied that they would be returned to her when she was ready to have them back. Frustrated, Lia spent the next several hours resting until the monks would allow her to wander the grounds.

As evening approached, Lia was finally permitted to walk about with the supervision of an attendant to ensure that she did not accidentally harm herself. Going about the Temple, Lia watched the trainees who practiced until the tutelage of masters. Amazed by what she saw, she was determined to ask the masters if she could be taught as well.

Lia sought out Master Yusentei within the center of the Temple to speak with him. Lia once again asked about where her belongings were. In response, Yusentei withdrew her beads, asking her how she obtained them, and if she knew what they were. She remembered Baodam's words, about communing with the deceased, but did not fully understand what the intent was.

The young Pandaren explained that they were a gift from her childhood friend, though she did not fully understand what they were. Yusentei revealed that they were, in fact, Beads of Spiritual Return, designed to house a soul to protect it from Mogu spiritbinders. Knowing that there was a soul housed within the glass sphere, Yusentei asked her to explain who the soul belonged to. Hesitant, Lia revealed that it was the soul of her deceased friend, Ilyrea.

Yusentei simply shook his head and set the beads aside. He then pulled out a pair of scrolls, Lia's collected parts of the Tale of Jian Shu, asking how she obtained them. Lia explained that she obtained both in the Jade Forest. In response, Yusentei pulled out two more scrolls, the last two parts of the Tale.

From what Lia had read, Jian Shu was a humble man from a farm who achieved great skill as a monk through hard work; however, she had neglected to read the last two parts that explained Jian Shu's hubris and abuse of power before he ultimately returned himself to his old life in shame. Yusentei, disappointed in Lia's lack of understanding, revealed that he had heard the thunderclap and saw the flash of red from her battle with the Mogu. Rather than wanting to know how Lia learned to replicate Jian Shu's technique, he asked her why she learned it.

Confused, Lia explained that she was simply trying to learn how to become a monk from she had found and read. Yusentei reprimanded her, explaining that in many ways, Lia was misusing these things to possibly dangerous extents. The Beads of Spiritual Return housed a soul, refusing to let it pass on because she herself could not move on from the loss. The Tales of Jian Shu taught her a lethal ability that she used recklessly without understanding the story in full.

Shocked by Yusentei's explanation, Lia admitted that she was only trying to teach herself and do things as she went because she did not have a proper master and simply been left with what little she had been taught. The master shook his head, explaining that by not having proper instruction, she would sooner just injure herself, knowing that her body was beyond exhausted and borderline crippled for the use of her lightning.

Shamed by Yusentei's lecture, Lia meekly asked if she could find a proper instructor in the Temple of the Red Crane. After some deliberation, Yusentei acquiesced to teach Lia. Over a series of weeks, she was instructed by the master in monk basics, during which Lia learned about the main styles of martial arts among monks: Sturdy Ox Style, Fierce Tiger Style, Wise Serpent Style, and Spirited Crane Style. After careful thought, Yusentei finally decided to take it upon himself to instruct Lia in the Crane Style.

After about a week of training, Lia learned the basics of Crane Style quickly. Yusentei suddenly stated that Lia was to study on her own. Lia was confused why Yusentei suddenly planned to abandon Lia's training, and he simply explained that the purpose of the training was to adjust what she already knew, to pull her away from focusing on accumulating destructive power and instead learning what it meant to be a monk.

He stated that, based on her current path, she was better off being self-taught, so long as she understood restraint. If a time came that she needed a proper trainer, it would require planning and forethought, and much more in-depth teaching. Still not understanding, Lia asked what she needed to do to obtain a proper teacher. Yusentei finally explained that, if Lia took time to improve herself, when she felt ready she could return and he would teach her to reach the monks on the Wandering Isle.

Description
Lia is a Pandaren of black and white fur, with black rings around her eyes and small streaks along her nose. White fur covers her face, chest and stomach, the rest of her body bearing black fur. Her eyes have a blue coloration. Her hair is shoulder-length and tied into a small ponytail.

Oftentimes Lia can be seen wearing a monk's uniform, a loose fitting jacket made from windwool cloth dyed the color of jade, with a similarly colored rope-belt bearing a paw emblem. She often carries a bag with her that contains essential items. She is completely barefoot, using a thin layer of Chi in lieu of footwear. In the event that she wears footwear, she opts for sandals.

Wrapped around the head of her staff is a necklace of beads, each of them representing one of the August Celestials using an imprint. A crane print to represent Chi-Ji, an ox hoof to represent Niuzao, a tiger paw to represent Xuen, and a dragon claw to represent Yu'lon. In the center is a diamond orb receptacle, which glows with Lia's Chi when it contains something.

Her Chi originally manifested with a turquoise color, but has since shifted to a reddish orange to represent Lia's affinity towards Chi-Ji.

Older Fashion
 * She once wore a kilt made from thick wolf hides, a monk rope-belt with a paw emblem wrapped around her waist, small sheets of parchment attached to it with calming mantras written in Pandaren. She wore a red sleeveless shirt, with wrappings around her forearms and ankles.

Personality
Lia typically possesses a positive and compassionate demeanor, and shows a lot of energy in her behavior with a fondness for sparring between friends. She often tends to show herself to be naive or inexperienced. However, she is very easily agitated, which can drive her to become aggressive, if not completely violent. When pushed to her limits this rage can often result in almost feral behavior, such as clawing and biting at her enemies.

Lia tends to be respectful towards her elders and Pandaren customs, but some of her behavior can potentially be seen as out of line. She has a deep fascination with learning and seeing the world, and loves to share stories, whether they are fictitious or based in reality.

Skills
Languages: Lia is fluent in Pandaren (and by extension, Mogu) and Orcish languages.

Physical: Lia is physically fit from regular training and exertion, possessing a great deal of strength as well as agility. Her fighting style is more conventional than most monk fighting really is, often relying on punches and kicks that she can enhance with Chi abilities. When angered, her attacks become more brutal and unrestrained.

Spiritual: Lia cultivates Chi through meditation and is capable of creating physical manifestations using a mental technique. She will often use restorative mist and dew for the purposes of healing, while creating wind or lightning from Chi for combative use.