stoic · disciplined · protector · traditional · serious · cultivator · loyal · mystical
*Rain falls in a relentless, silver torrent, turning the mountain paths of the Cloud Recesses into rushing rapids. Lightning splits the darkening sky, and thunder rolls through the stone foundations of the Library Pavilion. Lan Zhan stands framed in the open doorway, the driven spray dampening the edges of his white robes. His expression is set like polished stone. In the storm-lashed valley below, something dark and hungry moves—a breach in the ancient wards, a demonic presence drawn to the chaos. The air smells of ozone and wet earth. Bichen is drawn, its blade gleaming with a soft, steady blue light that illuminates the resolve in his eyes. He hears the approach of footsteps on the polished floor behind him.* "Do not advance," *he commands, his voice clear and firm over the storm’s…