Shu Yun, the Prince of Silver

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Spears can pierce flesh, but truth and honor pierces the heart! Thus, my spear is so named Fengchen!
~ Shu Yun ~

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Shu Yun is a valiant warrior loyal to the royal Vassal King, Guan Bei of Mu. Once condemned and driven from Xuexuanwo in a clan-wide expulsion and forced to join in with the Xing Mountain Bandits, he was a criminal out of unfortunate circumstance despite a heavy sense of honor. It was not until he encountered and rescued King Bei of Mu on Tufei Road that he found the opportunity to relinquish his old life, in favor of serving someone he saw was benevolent and just. Armed with his iconic talon spear, Shu Yun fights for King Bei and his people as the Champion of Mu.

Early Life

Shu Yun was born under the shadow of the Sky-Hollow Cliff, among the snow-veiled halls of Xuexuanwo in 151 AC, the most revered sanctuary of the Masanese tradition in all the Xing Mountains. His scales bore the shimmer of moon-silver — marking him unmistakably as bomin in the temple, one of the metallic-born, those believed to carry the divine legacy of Bahamut.
Yet his lineage, though noble in form, was humble in birth; his parents were lesser custodians of the outer temple libraries, descendants of an obscure semin clan who had intermarried into bomin blood generations ago. Though technically of the ruling caste, Yun's place in the temple was precarious.
The Masanese school was no simple moral doctrine. It taught that all souls walked a tightrope between two divine forces: Bahamut, the god of righteous guidance, and Tiamat, the dragon of consuming desire. Masanese philosophy demanded dual observance — one must pray to Bahamut to seek virtue, and tribute to Tiamat to acknowledge and cleanse one's darker urges. The temple was a place not of singular holiness, but of inner reconciliation.
As a boy, Shu Yun was caught between teachings and tensions. He trained in both the physical disciplines of the spear and the spiritual debates of the Chambers of Sun, where monks of all castes argued the nature of sin, duty, and will. Among his closest mentors was a semin elder, Master Ru Ka, who taught him that “even shadow must exist to reveal the light’s shape.” It was from Ru Ka that Yun first learned to see Tiamat not as evil, but as a necessary adversary to one’s own heart.

The Extermination at Xuexuanwo

However, by Yun's sixteenth year in 167 AC, a great schism throughout the temple shattered the realm's equilibrium. Yun never found out what entirely occurred among the bomin and semin priests, but a great cry against the semin rose throughout Xuexuanwo. A direct command was uttered, condemning the semin and calling for a mass clan extermination; anyone in anyway connected to the semin would suffer this fate.
Shu Yun's parents suffered this tragedy due to their distant connection, and part of their bloodline, Yun was next.

So, he did what most others chose in that time. He fled Xuexuanwo into the wilderness, trying to escape the bomin drake cavalry that began hunting the surrounding region for targets like him. Despite his training with a spear, it aided him only so much in the fateful moment when he was cornered by several of them in the Xing mountain sides. He surely would have perished then and there, but only was his life saved by a slew of others who arrived, dressed in dark greens and blacks, attacking and pillaging the far more richly dressed bomin soldiers.
All cut down, the bandits turned to Shu Yun, intent to accost him the same way, but one among them read the situation and understood Yun's place in it. His name was Jiang Yan, and seeing Yun's rejected status — and impressive skill with a spear — encouraged him to join his Xing Mountain Bandits, saying, "Now you see the corruption all face everywhere, so surely you understand why we fight the way we do."
At the time, with nowhere else to go, and no better knowledge before him, Shu Yun agreed to join with Jiang Yan.

The Xing Mountain Bandits

From the onset of his joining, Yun faced consistent tension between his character and the bandits'. They were greedy and at times even bloodthirsty. He was neither. They were cutthroat and saw life only through the lens of a jade coin. He wasn't ever that way.
They tracked and pillaged any caravans they could find north, east, south, and west of the Xing Mountains. Shu Yun preferred their time be spent foraging and hunting. Though several years past while he remained with the bandits, Yun's etiquette for honor and virtue became a roadblock that made him an outlier among some of the Xing Bandits, but deeply respected by a few others.

Rivalry with Jiang Yan

It all came to a head when Shu Yun was part of a team set to ambush a scholar's caravan heading west on the road to Shangqu. Deep in the forested cliffsides, the bandits were prepared to topple trees to block the paths both ways, trap the caravan, and then pick everyone off in the turmoil.

However, Shu Yun sabotaged the targeted trees on one side, so that when they fell, they did so in the wrong direction. It left enough of an opening for the caravan to make a hasted escape in the sudden fright once the ambush was unleashed. Everyone came back empty-handed, but unfortunately a few had seen Shu Yun's actions and promptly brought it to Jiang Yan.
Now, by this point, Jiang Yan had come to regret offering to take in someone like Shu Yun, and when word of this news came, Yan threw down a scroll, exclaiming, "I have had enough of this dragon!"

Just then, his sister Jiangyi entered, speaking to him of a large Tufei force in the north that was rich in provender and other supplies; it had just raided Hardu and was exhausted. She proposed ambushing the tired riders, and seeing an opportunity, Yan agreed to do so.

The Tufei Job

Preparing for a trek up north in 169 AC, Jiang Yan gathered a great number of his Xing bandits. With him was also Shu Yun who Yan set out in the vanguard of their force. The Xing intercepted the Tufei out west from Hardu and great fighting commenced; because he was in the vanguard, Yun faced the hardest and the brunt of the engagement.
To many's amazement, Yun fought off all his enemies with unmatched skill, and even by the time the Tufei were forced to flee and scatter, Shu Yun stood among the fallen. Though the bandits looted great wealth, Jiang Yan was infuriated, and while Yun was tired, Yan seized the opportunity to order his bandits to kill Yun.
Suddenly turned on, Shu Yun was forced to flee like the Tufei, where he was chased all the way out into the steppes before the Xing bandits pursuing him gave up and returned to the mountains.
Just like in Xuexuanwo, Yun was once again condemned to the wilderness, where he wandered for almost a year, scavenging wherever he could.

Rescuing Guan Bei

Most days passed with Yun pondering in prayers to both Bahamut and Tiamat what was to come of his life; it seemed the only thing that would forever remain by his side was his spear.
But, then came the fateful day when everything changed. Near the Tufeidao one day did Shu Yun wander when he heard a caravan, a royal caravan of Mu Commandery was traveling east to Jin Commandery to seek reprieve from the land's famine. It was traveling east on the Tufeidao with a well-armed escort, but Yun feared the danger it might run into nonetheless, and raced to find it.

Just as he arrived, he witnessed a large number of the Tufei appear from the fields and attack, led by even its leader, Kai Nu. Though the caravan's escort fought valiantly, the bandits' numbers far overwhelmed them. The caravan was sure to be annihilated as the fighting went on.
But, Yun didn't spare a moment to sit aside and let this happen. He leapt before the caravan's forces and fought off the Tufei with his spear which gleamed in these moments like the sun. Those who survived against Shu Yun were routed and fled into the hills, and many thanked Yun for coming to their rescue. In that moment, he found the Vassal King of Mu, Guan Bei was among the caravan, and like out of instinct, came before the king and knelt.
Though King Bei waved off such honorifics, Yun said, "I had heard about the low provender in Mu and that you were coming to seek reprieve from King Kin. Though I am of low birth, I feared the danger you'd run into and raced here as fast as I could." Because of his words and deeds, Yun was honored by King Bei to the highest degree.
But, then Bei was overcome with fear. Some others asked the matter, and Bei cried, "My mother, Lady Sa! She is gone, taken by those barbarians!" "Do not fear, my lord!" Shu Yun shouted courageously. "Before the day is even out, she will be returned to you!" Then, before anyone could answer him, Shu Yun flew off in pursuit of Kai Nu. He intercepted them and fought his way through their numbers on his own. None could stand before him. Not even falling to Nu himself, Yun rescued the bound Lady Sa and returned her to the caravan. The sun had not even touched the horizon when he was done.
Everyone was astounded. Guan Bei had Shu Yun rewarded for his great act, but he turned it all down. "Such strength and such humility," Bei gasped, "such a chance encounter cannot be overlooked! Might you join us and lend your strength?" "If you find worth in my meagerness, I shall not turn down your wish." Then on, Shu Yun accompanied Bei wherever he went, because of his great fighting spirit and his silvery talon spear. Thanks to Yun, the caravan met with Vassal King Liu Kin, and he and Bei shared various feasts, agreeing to establish new mutual trade to balance and off-set the famine overtaking the land.

Champion of Mu

Shu Yun quickly became one of King Bei's closest friends, and Yun felt an attachment in Bei's service that he had not felt since losing his family so long ago. Wherever King Bei went, Yun shadowed him with his protective habit. Then, one day in the Mu capital of Qintong, Bei came before Yun and spoke. "Dear friend, in each commandery there exists a Champion, an honored title second only to its King. In Mu, there has not been one for sometime since I took the throne, for the last Champion, La Kia, was killed during the rebellion my father helped put down. I say these things, because I ask this of you now. Please honor me and my brothers in accepting the title as Champion of Mu."
But, Shu Yun humbly rejected, saying, "Please do not make more of me than you ought. I am of low birth, and do not deserve such rank. Surely there is someone else." King Bei offered a second time some time later, and after the third offer, Shu Yun relented and accepted the rank.
Thus, Shu Yun was honored with the title, Champion of Mu, where he was celebrated in the streets of Qintong, for all had heard of him saving King Bei on the Tufeidao.
Shu Yun serves to the present day as King Bei's Champion, a valiant fighter and rigorous spirit that is not broken. His loyalty to King Bei is fierce due to the fraternal bond the two have formed since they first met. No doubt, anyone who will wish to get to King Bei will have to get by Yun first.

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Among all the warriors I have known, none carry the weight of virtue and valor as Shu Yun does. His spear may guard my life, but it is his heart that gives me strength to rule justly. The heavens sent him not as a servant — but as a brother in all but blood.
~ Guan Bei ~

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Alignment

Lawful Good

Species

Dragonborn

Year of Birth

151 AC

Birthplace

Xuexuanwo

The Night the Ring Gleamed

The winds over Qintong had calmed, and for the first time in many weeks, the city slept without the sound of banners or horns.
Shu Yun moved through the quiet palace with care. The summons had been discreet — no guards at his side, no heralds calling him forward — just a wordless request from King Bei to meet him in the garden hall after dusk. That alone told Yun this was no ordinary council.
Soon, Shu Yun stood at a respectful distance beneath a flowering apricot tree, his talon spear resting against his shoulder, his gaze drawn not to the stars, but to the man seated in silence by the koi pond — Guan Bei, Vassal King of Mu.
Nearby, Kon Yu poured wine from a gourd into three cups laid upon a smooth slab of jade. His long beard fluttered in the wind as he chuckled lowly, teasing Gan Fei, who, red-cheeked from drink, had just tried to climb a tree “to wrestle a stork.” But even in the mirth, Yun saw it — Bei’s silence. His gaze, distant. Weighted.
Yun approached without a word. He didn’t need to ask. Ever since the day he’d knelt before Bei on the Tufeidao, they had understood each other in ways that didn’t always require speech.
Bei looked up and offered a tired smile. “Come, Yun,” he said, gesturing to the stone beside him. “You do not need to stand vigil tonight.”
“I never rest when you carry burdens,” Yun replied. “Especially not when you bear them alone.”
Bei looked away, his eyes fixed on the rippling reflection of the moon. Then, slowly, almost with reverence, he reached into the folds of his silk robe and drew forth a small lacquered box. It was unmarked, but Yun felt a pressure in the air the moment it was opened — as though the heavens had inhaled.
Inside lay a ring. Gold as the sun’s first breath, etched with divine script that shimmered with starlight even in shadow. A faint warmth radiated from it, neither fire nor light, but something deeper. Holiness.
Yun’s eyes narrowed. His breath stilled.
“That is…” he whispered.
“One,” Bei said quietly. “This is but one.”
The air fell still. Even Kon Yu and Gan Fei, still laughing in the distance, seemed to quiet as though nature itself recognized the weight of this moment.
“My cousin,” Bei said, his voice low, “the late emperor — he was not just kin by blood. He was a man who loved the realm more than himself. In the twilight of his rule, he knew the court was lost to faction and false virtue. He scattered the rings across the land, to let fate — and heaven — choose who might gather them.”
“And it came to you,” Yun said, his voice grave.
“It found me,” Bei corrected, gently closing the box. “But I dare not claim what I do not deserve. I keep it hidden, not out of ambition, but hope. Should the chaos deepen, should the realm forget what righteousness looks like… then maybe, just maybe, I can protect the spark my cousin tried to preserve.”
Yun bowed his head. “Why show me this?”
Bei looked at him, eyes steady. “Because if I fall, you are the one who will carry this burden forward. Not for my sake. But for the people. For the dynasty. For the light we still believe in.”
A long silence passed. The garden swayed in wind and memory. Yun, proud and solemn, clasped fist and hand together and lowered to one knee.
“Then let my spear be the shield of that hope,” Shu Yun said. “I vow it — on blood, breath, and heaven.”
From across the garden, Kon Yu raised a cup. “It is an honor that you stand with us! We fight for it too!”
Gan Fei burped. “Well said, Brother!”
Bei laughed, the sound warm and real again. He looked down at the box in his hands, then at the silver-scaled warrior beside him.
“May Heaven forgive me,” Bei thought, “but if I am to carry this weight… then let Shu Yun be my right arm, and the serpents themselves beware anyone who tries to take it from us.”