Miao Ying is the Storm Dragon, the eldest surviving daughter of the Celestial Dragon Emperor and one of the most powerful figures in the entire World of Legend. She is the ruler of the Northern Provinces, the sentinel of Great Bastion, and the Matriarch of the forge city of Nan-Gau.
Her focus over the millennia has been largely in defence of the empire. There are many marauder tribes – such as the Kurgan and the Hung – who make their homes north of the Great Bastion, a huge and ancient fortification that has guarded the northern border of Grand Cathay for around 4,000 years. These Marauder tribes – sometimes accompanied by darker forces yet – periodically assault the Bastion, which is in turn garrisoned by tens of thousands of seasoned Jade Warriors. Miao Ying, whose stronghold is Nan-Gau at the western end of the wall, has rarely stepped away from her station, taking her defensive duties with the seriousness they demand.
This is what makes her military expedition to the Old World so remarkable. Unlike her sister Yin-Yin, the Sea Dragon, who roams far and wide across the oceans of the world, Miao Ying is honour-bound to stay at her post. Indeed, in the months and years before she eventually decides to set off for the Old World at the head of the Jade Fleet and an army of Great Bastion veterans, she has noticed a considerable increase in Marauder attacks.
Yin-Yin’s navies report a similar increase in activity from Norscan Maruader tribes across the world. Their wolfships are raiding in numbers not seen for centuries – and the High Elves, whose naval strength is considerable, have done little to thin the numbers.
Through his extensive network of spies across the Old World, meanwhile, their brother Yuan Bo has been building a grave picture of creeping corruption – dark forces mustering largely unchecked by western powers.
The Jade Dragon, ruler of the Central Provinces and regent of Grand Cathay in his parents’ long absence, finds himself increasingly troubled by the anarchy that reigns across the Empire of Man – a great nation beset by political intrigue and disunity, and blind to the enemy practically at its gates.
Likewise, he has noted the woes of the Kingdom of Bretonnia against resurgent Orcs and Goblins, and the all-round indifference of the Elves and Dwarfs in response. He sees clearly that action must be taken to defeat the inexorable growth of Chaos in the west – and he petitions his sister to intervene.
Upon receiving her brother’s summons, Miao Ying races to Wei-jin, the seat of the Emperor’s power – it is rare for the Jade Dragon to be troubled by events far beyond the borders of Grand Cathay, and rarer still that he feels compelled to act upon them. Though Wei-jin stands many hundreds of miles away from Nan-Gau, she soars across the skies at impossible speeds and arrives in the capital with little delay. Quickly ushered to Yuan Bo’s chambers, she finds her brother surrounded by charts, maps, and ledgers.
The Jade Dragon is of the opinion that the Elves of Ulthuan – self-appointed leaders amongst the civilised nations of the west – have, either through arrogance or ignorance, allowed Chaos to take root in the Old World. If Sigmar’s Empire were to fall while portents warn of a far greater evil gathering in the Chaos Wastes, then even the lands of Grand Cathay could be at risk
Miao Ying is reluctant to leave the post appointed to her by her father. After lengthy debate, she agrees to lead the warriors of Nan-Gau to the Old World if her brother promises to keep a weather eye on the Marauder tribes that dwell in the frozen lands to the north of the Great Bastion, and upon the Magistrates she leaves in charge of Nan-Gau.
Upon return to her home city, she orders the noble families from the surrounding lands to raise fresh regiments of Jade Warriors and dispatch them to the Great Bastion. This fresh crop of recruits frees veterans from the northern border, battle hardened in the endless war against the Marauder tribes, to accompany Miao Ying in her journey to the Old World. By the end of the summer, the army of the Storm Dragon is ready to sail.
Their first triumph is upon the Sea of Claws, where her fleet wins a crushing victory against a tide of Norscan raiding ships who are totally unprepared for the aerial fusillade from massed Sky Lanterns. The situation in Westerland is dire, however, and the Jade Fleet is met with signs of destruction all along the coast – abandoned villages, ruined forts, and wrecked ships abound. The raiders are clearly winning.
The Jade Fleet arrives in Marienburg in grand fashion. Before the stunned crowds gathered upon the great docks, whole regiments of Jade Warriors disembark. Behind them, the towering forms of Terracotta Sentinels stir to life, whilst Sky Lanterns descend from the skies.
The peoples of Grand Cathay are not unknown in the Old World, though few people understand the true might and extent of the Celestial Dragon’s Empire. The major port cities – Marienburg among them – welcome their fair share of Cathayan merchants and diplomats, but these foreigners are a rare enough sight to inspire wonder and suspicion. At times, the Celestial Dragon’s children have ventured west to strike friendships with kings, queens, and emperors.
But a full expeditionary force? That’s unheard of.
Miao Ying will be on pre-order this weekend, alongside the new Arcane Journal: Dawn of the Storm Dragon.
