Calamity Effigy
Nightmare: Feilian Beringal
Story & Voice
Lore beats, character story moments, and voice lines to learn more about Qingxiao.
Character Story
1A Paragon's Work
When Qingxiao stepped down from her flying sword, everyone in the Ministry stopped what they were doing and turned to watch her.
A Rafter Kite had carried word to her from Commander Qiuhong, sending her to a certain
"It's handled," said Qingxiao.
The Commander nodded her thanks, but his brow stayed furrowed. The Censure Court rotations had been going wrong for years now. Either something slipped out while the guard was changing, or a mechanism failed and did something it wasn't supposed to. The current Xuan Triad were brave and fought as one, but one of the three had taken a bad wound and stepped down, and the gap in the formation was being filled, for the moment, by a young Xuanfang Warden. She was new, and there was only so much she could do. They would need a proper third, and soon.
None of this, however, was Qingxiao's concern. She was about to step back onto her sword when a hesitant voice called her back.
"Lady Transcendent! No, wait, Paragon Qingxiao. I'd like... to learn the sword from you. If you'd have me?"
Qingxiao turned to find a girl with a brisk ponytail standing, holding a spear as though not quite sure she was allowed to.
"I've been fighting alongside Qingzhi and Duzhong for a while now. I think they're still more used to working with a sword, and I use a spear, so..."
"I am not good at teaching," said Qingxiao. "And you have no need to learn the sword." Her voice was as distant as ever.
"I see. Of course..." The light drained out of Liangyu's eyes. "Thank you. I'll think of something."
"But I could try teaching you the spear."
"...Huh?"
The woman before her seemed hardly to touch the ground, light as a startled swan. The silver spear went with her, quick and easy, laying pale moon-coloured lines across the air. In her grip, it did not look like a weapon at all. It looked more like a calligrapher's brush. One movement flowed into the next and let go at exactly the right instant.
Liangyu's mouth hung open. "Paragon Qingxiao... you know the spear too?"
"I watched someone use one, a long time ago. Every martial art in the world shares its roots with the others. Make the spearpoint arrive the instant the thought does, and your spear will stand beside another's blade as well as any sword." Qingxiao held the spear out to her. "Now you."
Liangyu steeled herself and worked through the forms Qingxiao had shown her. It came out shapeless, flaws everywhere.
"Again," said Qingxiao.
They were at it when the light went gold, and still Liangyu hadn't gotten it. Qingxiao offered no gentle progression. The spearwork she demonstrated was simply too far beyond her, every motion bearing ideas she couldn't yet see. But the girl would not give up. She kept reaching for the way the force shifted under her hands. And then, in a moment she wasn't thinking about it at all, the point of her spear tore the air open on a rush of wind, with a power she had never managed before.
Still dazed, Liangyu heard soft applause. It was Qingxiao.
"You have it."
"But I couldn't follow your demonstration at all..."
"If you had followed it exactly, you would not have your own understanding." Qingxiao's face was, unusually, almost gentle. "The thought is already there. What's missing is only time."
Liangyu gazed at her, and at last nodded, as though something had quietly dropped into place.
Some time later the Ministry of War welcomed a new
From a distance Qingxiao watched Liangyu in her silver armor, bright and unbowed, and for a moment saw the shape of someone she had known two hundred years before.
Again you meddle in mortal affairs for no reason, and gather karma to no purpose.
The voice at her ear was almost exactly her own.
One day she will likely fall on some battlefield against the Tacet Discords. As Lingfang did. As... Ruoyun did.
How long do you mean to protect them this time? How long can you?
Qingxiao said nothing.
2After the War
The brighter of the two was a full moon bathed in violet glow, swallowing the better part of the sky. It was Ovathrax, watching the Gorges of Spirits with cold eyes. Watching her. However many Tacet Discords her flying swords cut down, more poured in to fill the gaps. She had to find the source of the
Faster. She had to be faster.
Snow slid off a branch and onto her shoulder. Qingxiao, sitting in meditation, opened her eyes, and the memory let go of her.
Not long after the
A tall woman with black hair came across the snow and stood behind her, hands folded demurely before her.
"You're... Hsin," Qingxiao said quietly.
"Aw, how did you know, Lady Qingxiao? Was it the smell?"
Hsin seemed genuinely to wonder, and lifted an arm to sniff at herself, here and there. As she did, the black of her hair ran white, and a pair of fox ears that could no longer be hidden pushed up through it, and Her robes and Her face shifted to match. Qingxiao rose and regarded calmly the "divinity" standing before her.
"When the Threnodian came," she said, coldly, "where were you?"
A cold Sword Intent gathered at the edges of the air around them both, sharp and invisible.
"I was inside the Sanctum, Qingxiao. Everyone... did all they could." Hsin's fox ears drooped a little.
The two of them held each other's gaze, until more snow slid from the branches.
"...I spoke in haste," Qingxiao said, lowering her eyes.
"The truth is, I came to ask you something." Hsin took a step closer. "The Land of Xuanfang has everything to rebuild and no shortage of dangers still in it. I'd like to propose a new post to the Ministry of War, one meant for you. The Xuan Paragon. An official standing would smooth a great many roads, I should think."
"Xuan Paragon..."
"No dull duties. Just lend Xuanfang your hand when it truly matters. And if you take it and wish one day to be done, you can leave whenever you please. What do you think?"
Qingxiao said nothing, and Hsin smiled.
"You needn't answer now. Xuanfang Hold is built and standing, after all. You could move down, and think it over."
Qingxiao shook her head. "...No. This place is quiet. Remote. Free from worldly disturbance. It suits cultivation."
"That reason again." Hsin didn't seem to mind. "It's all right. Xuanfang Hold will welcome you whenever."
With that, Hsin turned and started off, as if to leave. A few steps on She stopped, and put Her head to one side.
"In a few more months... it'll be the Waking Moon Festival again. Everyone wants it. Come and celebrate with us, Qingxiao."
Qingxiao watched Hsin thin into the shadow of a fox and go. She walked to the cliff's edge and looked out over the Land of Xuanfang, still smoking from the war. Where Yuan Fortress once stood was nothing now but a deep and silent abyss. A long wind went past her ear, and it sounded like someone weeping.
3Slaying the Inner Demon
Long ago, when Qingxiao had only begun her cultivation in the mountain, her master set her an important task.
"Qing. My cultivation has met a wall, and I mean to cut down the demon in my heart and break through it. For that, I need you to hold the sword."
"Hold the sword?"
"If it goes wrong and the Inner Demon takes me, cut me down."
Jingwei the Perfected said it with a calm face and a level voice, as though it were no more than a remark about what to have for supper.
"I can't do that," Qingxiao said, shaking her head.
"New to cultivation as you are, your swordcraft is exceptional. You are equal to the task."
"No. How could I do such a thing to my own master. It's... unthinkable."
Jingwei smiled, which she rarely did. "The Way is without feeling. Cultivation is like a game of weiqi. Once you set a piece down, you do not take it back. Or would you sooner see me fall into
Qingxiao was silent a long while, and in the end she agreed.
Late the following night, guided by a wisp of frequency her master had given her, Qingxiao entered Jingwei's inner landscape.
It was a mountain that rose into the clouds, cloaked in snow. Now a heavy fog lay over the whole of it, and nothing could be seen a few paces off. Qingxiao sat at the summit with the sword laid across her knees, ill at ease, waiting for her master and the demon to settle it between them.
If her master lost, could she truly raise a blade against her? Qingxiao did not know.
An incense stick's time later, a shape came up out of the fog ahead of her. She was on her feet at once, sword in one hand, held level across her chest in an opening stance. The fog thinned, and the shape sharpened, until it stood fully revealed.
"Qing. It is done," Jingwei said mildly.
By then the fog at the summit had burned away entirely. The sun rose in the east, and the dawn ran red for miles.
"Master, that bowl of braised pork at my initiation feast... Was it any good?" Qingxiao asked.
"I never ordered braised pork," Jingwei answered.
It really was her master. The sword nearly slipped from her hand, and Qingxiao let out the breath she had been holding.
"On the path of cultivation, does every Cultivator meet an Inner Demon?"
Qingxiao asked the question as they left the inner landscape.
"It is born from the self, yours and mine alike. Live long enough and you will meet yours." Jingwei's face was as remote as ever. Cutting the demon away seemed to have changed nothing in her.
"And when one faces it, is the demise of one side the only ending?" Qingxiao asked, looking down.
"Yes. Drag your feet as long as you like, the day still comes when you have to finish it."
After a moment, Qingxiao lifted her head. "If the Inner Demon is part of the self, then I would like to see whether there is another road to take."
At that, Jingwei stopped walking and narrowed her eyes at the disciple beside her.
"A fine idea. But the day your demon has hold of you, I will not raise a hand to help."
It was the sort of thing her master would say. Jingwei was the perfect Cultivator, and never let a worldly tie or a debt of karma settle on her. Now that she had cut the last stray thoughts from her heart, she was colder than before. Qingxiao was not surprised.
"When that day comes, do as I did. Take yourself a good disciple."
"...What?"
Qingxiao looked at her master's face, and thought that somewhere in all that calm there was, just possibly, the trace of a smile.
4A Heart That Stays True
"Qing! That old swordsman you sent packing, he's back!"
When the village children came running with the news, Qing was sitting in the shade of a tree, leafing through a sword manual and sketching out the moves with a stick. The jade beads on the red cord at her wrist caught the dappled sunlight and shone.
The manual laid out a great deal of difficult sword moves. She had drilled against it more times than she could count and could still only approximate the shapes, let alone catch the spirit of them.
"Cough. Keep an eye on my sheep, would you? I'll go and have another word with him."
The chill she had caught the month before hadn't quite finished with her, and a few coughs got out before she could stop them.
A few days earlier, the old swordsman, an outsider, had drunk some medicine wine at the village's little inn, and then, well warmed up, tried to bully his debt into a tab. He put down every inn hand who came to stop him without ever drawing his sword. In the end it was Qing who, armed with nothing but a stick and the swordcraft she knew by heart, jabbed the webbing of his right hand and knocked the sword clean out of it.
The old swordsman was sitting dead in the middle of the inn's hall again, sword in his arms. Only this time there was a second sword lying on the table.
"Sit. I've waited a good while for you, girl. That was no ordinary swordcraft you used."
"And what's that to you?"
Qing sat herself down across from him without the slightest hesitation.
"Allow me to ask you one thing. Why do you learn the sword?"
"To keep myself strong... And to deal with troublemakers. People like you."
The old swordsman gave a dry laugh. "It won't do. Even if your sword could hold off a thousand men, or ten thousand maybe, it would never be enough. Not in a world like this. The troubles coming for you will always be larger than the blade you carry."
"At the least..." Qing said, "I can keep the people near me safe."
At that, the old swordsman shoved the sword on the table toward her.
"Good. Then don't forget your words today. Practice with this from now on. A stick will never be a real blade."
Qing picked the "sword" up, not quite trusting the old swordsman. It sat heavy in her hands, and she would need time to get the hang of it. And then she noticed something odd.
"This... is more of a
It looked plain and understated, with a single bright stroke of gold at the guard, and yet there seemed to be no small weight of power in it.
"If it's {Male=his;Female=her} sword you wish to learn, this will get you started faster."
Then one day, Tacet Discords came surging in and destroyed the village Qing was born in, and she began her wandering. Her sword, in those days, was barely enough to keep herself alive against the Tacet Discords. For all her effort, she saved a dozen or so of her neighbors. No more. Leading them out, she saw from far off several great columns of Sword Energy tear up into the sky, and soon after, the assault subsided. For some reason, it reminded her of the old swordsman.
5Warmth Beneath the Cold
In the mirror, the blue-haired woman in the moon-white dress had a pair of violet eyes. She was looking straight into her own.
Is that enough for you?
"It is."
No, no. You've kept a great deal in there.
Qingxiao, why is it that you took {Male=him;Female=her} as your disciple and still never said it? That you once thought of being {Male=his;Female=her}... disciple?
"I have a master."
Hah. Master Jingwei never claimed she was the one who taught you the sword.
You told that person the manual was a stroke of fortune. But you never told of the nights you spent as a girl, tracing its pages, wondering who {Male=he;Female=she} might be.
You told {Male=him;Female=her} you once searched
"Mm. That is indeed something Qingxiao... once thought."
"Had the chance come, it would have been a road worth taking."
Then why? If you are keeping these stray thoughts, why not say them?
"It isn't that I dare not. I cannot."
"{Male=He;Female=She} chose to begin again. I won't trouble {Male=him;Female=her} with matters this old."
Very good.
Before long, {Male=he;Female=she} will set out again for the sake of this world. And you, the master, what will you do?
"...Cherish the present. My disciple was always going to travel far, and I have my own work in the Land of Xuanfang."
"The little time we spent walking together is enough to answer for all the years behind me."
I'm tired of your grand justifications. And your careful little postures.
"I will not lie to myself. And besides..."
Qingxiao laid her fingertips on the strings and played. Clear, graceful music filled the house.
The woman in the mirror let out a sigh, then smiled.
Mountains and seas can be crossed. Parting always ends in meeting.
Everything said and unsaid, she had long since entrusted to the once-tangled strings.
Voice Lines
Thoughts: I
Centuries have passed since I last journeyed the land of <te href=850093>Huanglong</te>. Much must have changed. Once matters here are settled, I intend to travel again—perhaps to distant realms, or the places you have been since you awakened. They say a certain Blessed Maiden of <te href=850096>Rinascita</te> learned her swordcraft from the tides. If I could meet her, I imagine I would return with a great deal to reflect upon.
Thoughts: II
I play the qin to temper my Sword Intent, which is one with the mind. Thus, my deepest thoughts are woven into the melody. I never expected anyone to discern them—until you. A true kindred spirit is rare to find. When the skies are clear and the moon shines bright, I shall play for you again.
Thoughts: III
When Xuanfang Hold was besieged, I arrived late, only to find you still fighting upon ravaged land. In that moment, I stood in your position during the Fortress and Gorges War, and you, in mine. I finally understood what you felt back then. From then until now, you have always given everything for a future that was never certain. Even if we only hold back the tide for a single moment... it is never wasted.
Thoughts: IV
Recognize this stance? Yes, it is the one I always used before I sought the path of cultivation, the very reason I first took up the sword. Our next duel will not be a contest of Fortes, but of swordplay and clarity of mind. The loser shall sweep every fallen leaf from the training hall's gates. Now, my disciple... receive this strike.
Thoughts: V
Disciple, I know <te href=270001>Xuanfang</te> is merely a fleeting stop on your long journey, and the day you depart will come. The time we shared here has been precious. Months, years—perhaps a century, as before—may pass before we meet again. Well... I know not when that day will come. Only that it shall. When it does, we need only tell our journeys through our swords. A single clash of our Sword Intent will say more than a thousand words ever could.
Qingxiao's Hobby
Outside of cultivation, I often spend time setting down my memories and reflections. And since mastering the art of Midair Calligraphy, I rarely use paper and ink. Instead, I channel my Sword Energy to carve the past into my <te href=800052>inner landscape</te>. What is etched there endures. Everything fades in time, like morning mist, but as long as someone remembers, they never truly vanish.
Qingxiao's Trouble
These horns emerged alongside my Forte. They have been this way for a century. But lately, they seem to be growing. Another few inches and I may find it... difficult to adapt. Perhaps I could use my sword to trim... No, never mind.
Favorite Food
I have no preference for food. Cultivation demands we suppress such worldly desires, and I often fast for years at a time. Yet, if anything ever left an impression, it was the meal I had at Yuan's Flavors during a Waking Moon Festival in <te href=750052>Yuan Fortress</te>. While the Fortress has long since fallen, those flavors live on.
Disliked Food
Chongzhou cuisine is heavily seasoned and spicy, something I have never quite grown accustomed to. Hsin learned of this one day and secretly added Chongzhou chili sauce to some pastries she had me try. I kept my composure at the time, but I did drink a great deal of tea afterward...
Ideals
To attain the Way and transcend...? That is the peak most Cultivators strive for. I was no different, once. Yet the Way is boundless. Scale one great mountain, and another waits beyond it. We are all but travelers on this path. Some have merely walked a little further than others. Now, I hone my sword and my spirit for one reason alone... inner peace.
Show more voice lines (75 remaining)
Chat: I
When I first studied under my master, I struggled to quiet my mind. Instead of telling her, I began wearing silk ribbons said to possess calming properties. They worked. As my training progressed, I removed them one by one, leaving only the ribbon on my left wrist. Later, I learned Master had known all along. She told me the ribbons held no special power. It was the faith I placed in them that granted me confidence and fewer stray thoughts. I still wear it now as a reminder that cultivation is, above all, about being true.
Chat: II
During these years in <te href=270001>Xuanfang</te>, I would occasionally descend the mountain to aid the locals. Over time, rumors about me spread. Most are wildly exaggerated. Some revere me as a Transcendent, lighting incense as an offering to me in their homes, while others view the Xuan Paragon as all-powerful. I denied them at first, but eventually, I just let them be. After all, the belief that a Transcendent watches over Xuanfang brings people the comfort they need.
About Hsin
Hsin is one to follow Her whims, and carries a wealth of emotions unlike any other <te href=850083>Sentinel</te> of <te href=850093>Huanglong</te>. It was She who first invited me to hold the honorary title of Xuan Paragon in Xuanfang Hold. In those days, She would often come up the mountain, regaling me with anecdotes and trivia, and once She started, She could go on for hours. Only when I played the qin would She fall quiet. Sometimes, as She listened, a flicker of loneliness would cross Her face… She always believed She hid it well from me.
About Changli
The flame she manipulates is indeed a rare and perilous force. My Quietude Art could only ease the burning pain it caused her. To avoid being consumed by it, she had to temper her mind and master the flow of her Forte. The life she had already burned away cannot be restored. But now that she can wield it freely, she should be fine, so long as she respects her limits. That, too, is thanks to you.
About Yangyang
When I first met her, I thought the Xuanling Bird had returned. She sees right through the ways of the world and hears the unspoken voices of others. Her Sword Intent seems gentle, yet it carries a resilience second to none. Something seems to be pressing behind her, urging her ever onward, toward some distant journey. Perhaps it is not that she resembles the Xuanling Bird... but that the Xuanling Bird resembled her.
About Buling
That child is remarkably gifted and sharp. She has already mastered the basics of her Thunder Spells, though she rarely shows them off. At first, I tested her rigorously to see the true depths of her potential. Had she dedicated herself to her cultivation, she might well have reached her master's level within a few years. But that path is clearly not for her. The other day, she sent me a glowing knight's sword, calling it a travel souvenir from <te href=850096>Rinascita</te>. Well... at least she was thinking of me.
About Jingran
Years ago, his master crossed paths with me and casually asked for a divination before venturing into a Mirage Realm. I know only a little of the art, but I obliged regardless... It was an ill omen. Yet he simply grinned and went on. Later, this young man took up his master's mantle, the smile on his face even more defiant. Even if the road ahead is treacherous and life is fleeting, to live unburdened and unbound... I suppose that, too, is a life well lived.
About Ruoyun
Ruoyun was raised by her village, and her every thought was to use Automata Mechanics to give back to them in some way. Even now, much of what you see in the Land of Xuanfang can be traced back to her work. Her late parents named her Ruoyun, hoping she would live as light and free as drifting clouds, but the choice she made in the end carried a weight far from that. And the Sword Transcendent she once sought out... failed to protect her.
About Jingwei
My master has walked far along the path of the Way. Having severed all mortal ties and transcended karma, she is a true Transcendent in every sense. She was the one who taught me the breathing exercises and the Quietude Art of the qin, though I cannot say I always heeded her lessons. Yes, she is still in good health. If you ever happen to meet her, please pass along my regards.
Birthday Wishes
Today is your birthday. Come, sit. Let me play a piece for you. You are always rushing about for the sake of this world, with scarcely a moment to yourself. Now, rest a while. That bowl on the table? Yes, longevity noodles. I kneaded the dough myself and cut the strands with my flying swords... It was my first attempt, so I cannot vouch for the taste. Why don't you try them first? My disciple, there is no spell in this world that can grant blessings. But from the bottom of my heart, I wish that in all your long years, every path opens before you, and every hope finds its home.
Idle: I
(Effort sound)
Idle: II
Mirage into mist, mist into bone... Withdraw.
Idle: III
(Effort sound)
Self-Introduction
Xuan Paragon, Qingxiao, a seeker of the Way. Time's endless flow has brought you back to me. Take up your blade, and let us walk this path together.
Greeting
On the qin strings do eons sing, eternal peace my blade shall bring.
Join Team: I
Let us walk together once more.
Join Team: II
The road ahead is unclear. Stay close.
Join Team: III
How about a melody before we depart?
Ascension: I
Cultivation takes time. Practice daily, and progress will follow.
Ascension: II
This Sword Intent has bound us together. Let this strength stay with you, in return for all you have given me.
Ascension: III
My Heart Lake has grown clearer... With you beside me, I no longer fear the tangled shadows of my own heart.
Ascension: IV
They say a master need not outshine their student. Even so, I've learned far more from you than I ever taught. Tell me, my disciple... how shall I make it up to you?
Ascension: V
I once roamed the world believing my swordcraft was without equal. Divine, even. How shallow I was. The sky has no ceiling, and the way of the sword knows no limit. Swordcraft is only ever divine when it guards what we hold dear, and those we love. My disciple... should anyone dare harm you, they will answer to my sword first.
Basic Attack: I
Glimmer.
Basic Attack: II
Breach.
Basic Attack: III
Sunder.
Basic Attack: IV
I am the blade.
Basic Attack: V
Split into lights.
Basic Attack: VI
Annihilate.
Basic Attack: VII
Evil, purge.
Heavy Attack: I
Focus the mind.
Heavy Attack: II
One with the sword.
Heavy Attack: III
A quick end to you.
Heavy Attack: IV
Shattering tunes, rising steel.
Heavy Attack: V
Pure lights, shake the sky.
Heavy Attack: VI
How many strikes can you survive?
Aerial Attack: I
Windstorm.
Aerial Attack: II
Cloudburst.
Aerial Attack: III
Cleave the fog.
Aerial Attack: IV
Pierce the sky.
Resonance Skill: I
Chase the stars.
Resonance Skill: II
Rule the wind.
Resonance Skill: III
Ride on the blade.
Resonance Skill: IV
Empyreal verdict.
Resonance Skill: V
Heaven descends.
Resonance Skill: VI
Traverse.
Resonance Skill: VII
Disperse.
Resonance Liberation: I
Chords, cleanse the filth.
Resonance Liberation: II
Swords, purge the realm.
Resonance Liberation: III
All my will, in one strike.
Intro Skill: I
Purged by my hand.
Intro Skill: II
Change of mode.
Dodge
Predictable.
Counterattack: I
Neutralize.
Counterattack: II
Negate.
Dodge Counter: I
My turn.
Dodge Counter: II
...Silence.
Hit
My fault.
Injured: I
Adapt and overcome.
Injured: II
Worry not... Just need a moment.
Injured: III
Then I'll strike even faster.
Fallen: I
My blade... bears no regrets...
Fallen: II
Always... too late...
Fallen: III
The strings... have snapped...
Echo Summon
Heed my words.
Echo Transform
Transform at will.
Enemies Near
Beware of the evils.
Glider
...Sword Flight is faster.
Sensor
...I've already sensed it.
Dash: I
Pick up the pace.
Dash: II
Catch the wind.
Dash: III
Outrun the light.
Supply Chest: I
Such is serendipity.
Supply Chest: II
Take it. You will find a use for it.
Supply Chest: III
Mm... a true windfall.