Prologue: The Qin League

Opening Cinematic

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Long ago in Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum, the seal on the demon dragon broke. Evil spirits were let loose on the world, and cultivators banded together to fight against the rampaging evil. In the battle against the demon dragon, many cultivators lost their lives, including the masters of three of the legendary swords.

Once the dragon was defeated and sealed once more in the Qin Mausoleum, the successors of these masters vowed to protect the seal. This group became known as the Qin League, and the place of the seal they guarded was a floating island which became known as Cloudrise.

Thirty years later, the students of the members of the Qin League received a call: come to Blade Peak on Taihua Mountain to awaken one of the legendary swords. By awakening a sword and receiving the sword's Bladeheart, or sword spirit, the disciples would attain enormous power.

You are one of many students journeying to Blade Peak. You meet up with disciples from every sect of the Qin League, and watch as the others fly into a portal that takes them to Taihua Mountain. Hesitantly, you step on air in front of the portal and cross into the boundary.

Climbing Taihua Mountain

Blade Peak is a beautiful snowy mountaintop with lanterns floating in the air and geese flying through the sky. When you regain your footing, you see in front of you the Elder of the Banner on Taihua Mountain chatting with Lilane. The Elder thanks her and Kunwuzi for visiting. Lilane tells her she is just here for fun, and that it is Kunwuzi who will be overseeing the placement of the Bladeheart fragments. Once you greet the Elder, she remarks on your potential and encourages you to continue onwards to meet Haocang.

As you climb Taihua Mountain, ice breaks beneath your feet. You nearly plummet, but with the use of your qigong, or light footwork, you manage to climb your way up to the next area. As you do this, you watch overhead as a mechanical bird flies above you. Once you clamber your way to the ledge, you find that the owner of this bird is Haocang, Mohist of the Valley of a Hundred Grasses.

Haocang is the disciple of the Grandmaster of the sect, and is said to be the sect's successor. You are stunned to meet him--he is a disciple very high in rank--but Haocang laughs and asks you to just refer to him by name rather than with any respectful title. He then briefs you on the reason why you're here, saying, "The Qin League has gathered today for one reason only: the swords in the Sword Sanctum. It is possible that one of the new students among you will succeed in awakening a Bladeheart. However, only one who is in harmony with one of the legendary swords can enter the Sword Sanctum."

 He tells you to check your Sword Intent using the Lamp of Revelation. If your spirit is pure, the lamp will reveal the floating bridge which will lead you to the Red Dawn Podium.

As you cross the bridge to the podium, you overhear some of the elders of the schools chatting with each other. Zhenren Nanxun, a teacher at Taihua Temple with long white hair and an eyepatch, converses with Ying Mofeng, the Grandmaster of the Valley of a Hundred Grasses. They talk about how the last they all gathered was thiry years ago, in the Sword Sanctum. Ying Mofeng asks about how Zhenren Chixia is doing. Zhenren Nanxun tells him, "She's doing fine, she went off on a long journey... that's why it's now my responsibility to find a place for the Sunsword Bladeheart."

Ying Mofeng replies, "Zhenren, we're counting on you. This alliance meeting brings together all of the outstanding students from our three schools. I hope we can find a new owner for the Moonsword that belonged to the previous Shadow Elder of Combat." He then directs a question to Ming Yuechen, the Grand Summoner of Heavenly Ridge, "Grand Summoner, where is Patriarch Jing Shuangye from the Heavenly Ridge? I still have some questions about this engineer from the south."

"Thank you for your concern. She is very old, and travels to the temple every day to pray to Goddess Nuwa. That's why she made me responsible for the heart of the Flowerfall Sword."

As you approach the elders, Zhenren Nanxun tells Kunwuzi that after the last battle in the Qin Mausoleum thirty years ago, the legendary swords have remained in the Sword Sanctum, a place still littered with the weapons of the fallen. Kunwuzi remarks that he hopes this will serve as a reminder to the students trying their luck today.

You greet elder Zhenren Nanxun, who cuts to the chase and tells you you're obviously qualified to enter, so do it. Once you go in, she says, look for the Bladeheart Fragments and try to join your spirit with them. If it is meant to be, one of the legendary Bladehearts will find you. 

The Sword Sanctum

After touching the portal, you enter the Sword Sanctum--an old battleground shattered to ruin. You encounter the fragments of the Bladeheart and use your Soul Bond to try and connect with it. As you take in each piece, you hear the voice of the Bladeheart calling for its master.

(tbc)