TIAN

Tian is a Huojin Pandaren who stands much shorter than her peers. Impulsive, brash, and quick to take action, she is definitely not afraid to get into a fight or face the general consequences of doing what feels right at the time. Many who encounter Tian may get the sense that she can be foolhardy, idiotic, and arrogant.. and for the most part they are right. Tian, however, is content with the way she is and the life she leads, on her own terms.

Below is a loose description of where she came from and what she has done. It is kept intentionally vague should other players wish to insert themselves into her past. To some people she would be recognized as a missing child, now fully grown, while others might have known her from their time in the military, or fighting her directly on the opposing side. I am always eager to collaborate, so if you see me in game and are interested, give me a whisper!

Early life, before the World of Warcraft

Tian was born the only child to a family of monks on the Wandering Isle. Her mother mysteriously vanished when she was young, leaving her to be raised by her father and paternal grandparents. All of them were Huojin and instilled in her the ideals and attitudes of their philosophy. Actions spoke loudly and she was encouraged to try to do the right thing in whatever way seemed right at the time.

When she was able to walk and speak she was enrolled in the Shang Xi academy children's’ classes where she learned some very basic martial arts abilities. As she got a little older she was taught to be in tune with and control her chi, and took to the serpent style as her first specialization.

World of Warcraft & Burning Crusade

She became a well-rounded student, but the more abilities she gained as a monk, the more discontent and constrained she felt by her environment. She spent days watching the ocean by the edge of the turtle, thinking of how she could go out and explore. Her father heavily discouraged the idea, and actively tried to undermine her for the sake of her safety. Most of the time this involved reminding her that they had never seen land, but the most direct action he took was dismantling the craft she was secretly building to leave. It was at this point she became fed up and ran away, grabbing one of the dragon turtles and steering it into the sea.

She remained on the water for days, sustaining herself on fish she caught, and any rainwater that fell over her. All seemed alright until a dark storm separated her from her beast, and then she washed up on Kalimdor. There she was taken in by the denizens there, and while they were not familiar with Pandaren, the tales of Chen Stormstout meant that people like her weren’t entirely unheard of.

While she was still a cub she had by this time reached the majority of her growth and was about twelve years old. Instead of going to the orphanage she opted to join the Horde’s military. She was already a capable healer which allowed her to be both a fighter and a medic. Due to the unfamiliarity with Pandaren most did not question her being potentially too young to fight (especially since many orcs became fighters around this time as well).

Wrath of the Lich King

As the Scourge posed a massive threat to Azeroth, Tian decided to travel to Northrend with other members of the Horde’s military to help in the war effort. She aided the Argent Crusade, but kept them at an arm’s length due to their neutrality and opted to spend the majority of her time Warsong Hold, aiding the injured. Since she was a medic and a new soldier she was kept out of Icecrown.

Cataclysm

During the Cataclysm Tian continued to serve the army of the Horde. Since she was still of a relatively low rank she was sent to be stationed in Stonetalon and Ashenvale. The ranks she gained during this time were stripped of her when Garrosh ‘dismissed’ her superior officer. She was still intent on proving her loyalty to the Horde, however, and decided to move to the Barrens after to help with the patrols.

Mists of Pandaria

For the first time in her life Tian got to visit the ancestral lands of her people. By this time she was zealously fighting for the Horde’s interests, which lead her into the occasional conflict with the people there. They might have looked like her but their behavior was much more pragmatic and kind. She did manage to befriend some of the locals, but held a general attitude that caused them to bristle. She was also intolerant towards any Pandaren that were affiliated with the Alliance, trying to initiate combat with them until the Shado-pan arrested and released her after a stern talking.

She fought in Zouchin and in the Isle of Thunder with a crew of Horde soldiers and fought a number of Zul’s forces and took various trophies from them including gear, tusks, and even the occasional body part. One encounter left her incredibly ill and out of combat for several months.

While she was loyal to the Horde, she didn’t let her loyalty blind her to the tensions and keep her from joining the rebellion at hand (it also didn’t help how severely mistreated her faction leader was by Garrosh). She aided in the siege of Orgrimmar, treating the injured and fighting the Kor’kron. While the Alliance showed mercy to the Horde after that, she was not interested in showing any sympathy to them.

Warlords of Draenor

While the first waves of soldiers were making their way to Blasted Lands, Tian decided to take a short break to explore Pandaria and satisfy her curiosities about the ancestral lands she came from. By the time she went to join the rest of the Horde, various forces had been established in Draenor and she was able to make it to a Garrison in Frostfire Ridge. Most of what she did was scouting, treating the wounded, and having the occasional skirmish with the Iron Horde.

Tian visited all the major zones with the exception of Tanaan Jungle. She also had been utilizing the portal network at the central base of operations to go between Azeroth and Draenor. When she needed a break from fighting, she was exploring more places in Kalimdor. By this time she had visited every major continent at least once, as well as the capital cities of the Horde, and some of the cartel cities. Eventually she returned from one of her travels in Kalimdor to learn that the portals to Draenor had been closed off, and the impending threat of the Legion made it back to Azeroth.

Legion

Fighting demons had proven to be far more difficult than any enemy Tian had faced in the past. It pushed her to spend more of her time on the Broken Isles aiding the Nightborne and Highmountain Tauren, and fighting to hold objectives such as Warden Towers, than anywhere else. She entirely skipped going to Argus, and just like in Draenor she did take occasional leaves from the war effort to explore more of Azeroth.

Battle for Azeroth

Even though Tian was still zealously loyal to the Horde, the War of Thorns and the Battle for Undercity had been the first time she pulled entirely out of any of the Horde’s war efforts. The rampant use of plague was making her ill, even in spite of her youthful energy, chi, and healing powers. She was given a medical leave after suffering a respiratory infection and chose not to return.

Tian took to mercenary work when she finally recovered, and devoted more time to exploration. Recently she managed to return to her place of birth; the first time in an entire decade, but much had changed in her absence. She had seen the presence of many outsiders, all monks, and her family had been gone. Hearing from some old neighbors her maternal grandparents both went to rest together in the Wood of Staves, while her father left the Wandering Isle, having no one left to support. She has no ideas of his whereabouts, but with a sudden interest in finding him again, it has given her all the more reason to explore Azeroth and even delve into lands dangerous to the Horde.