At a glance
- His identity. Head of a clandestine illusionist order that adopted Soulrend Mountain as its base.
- His goal. Preparations are under way to open the Rift, allowing the Merciful Lady to occupy the Perfect Vessel and go back to the Waking Realm.
- More than a single person. A title rather than a man speaks here, one held jointly with a number of juniors whose minds drift easily between puppets and living bodies.
- Reach. He is served by four Acolytes, and he is the one who bestowed the strings that Yan Qiansui attaches to her zither.
Overview
Illusionists who were barred from living openly in the world formed a group under the High Elder, and Soulrend Mountain became theirs.
Followers address him as the Venerable, whereas he names himself by his seat and not by any personal name. Others carry out his rule: four Acolytes each controlling one element, the Herald, his partner in puppetry, and juniors whose minds reside in puppets.
Players mostly hear of him indirectly. Dusk, who split from his school, and Wei Sanchuan speak his name, and so does the lore around Yan Qiansui, Gu Wanyue and the Blizzard Blademaster, each of whom was molded by his instruction or his plots. His own voiced lines can be heard near the Village of Lu, Meigu Lake and Mount Soulrend.
Relationships
- Acolyte HansuiServant, iceAcolyte HansuiServant, ice
A member of a foursome of sorcerers lurking in the Discordance inside a vessel like a scarecrow or crystal eye, moving solely on the High Elder's command.
View more - Acolyte YanruServant, fire
- Acolyte Lei TingServant, lightning
- Acolyte GuheServant, poison
- The HeraldPartner and maker of puppetsThe HeraldPartner and maker of puppets
Does the work of making puppets and dragon bodies, and the High Elder then locks what comes out into Puppet No.
- Yan QiansuiSheltered by himYan QiansuiSheltered by him
After a massacre she survived, he gave her a different name along with illusory pipa strings; it was the child in her womb that he truly wanted.
View more - Blizzard BlademasterCaptive and protectorBlizzard BlademasterCaptive and protector
Caught in the High Elder's snare and fused into Puppet No.
View more
- DuskFormer studentDuskFormer student
Puppeteer who abandoned his school, snatched the pipa head that the Herald had dispatched, and exposes the elders' ritual to Soul.
View more
Select a portrait to open that entry
Background
Outcasts Seize a Mountain
Soulrend Mountain was claimed by illusionists with no place in the world, and they appointed the High Elder as their leader. Anyone who passes his gate must sever all ties.
No single individual makes up the High Elder. Beside him stand a number of juniors, whose minds shift between puppet and body just as easily as his. Their physical forms wore out long ago; now their minds dwell in puppets and keep the Rift open from a place very distant.
Role in the Story
Unlocking the Rift for the Lady
The High Elder plans to open the Rift for the Merciful Lady, letting her descend into the Perfect Vessel and go back to the Waking Realm. For this task he selected Soulrend Cliff, a stretch of land dense with Sha-Chi, the birthplace of the Eleven and near the place where his people train.
He claims the passage was meant to take another sixty years, but good fortune has cut that to three. An opera-house woman is pregnant by a high lord of the Mandate, and the High Elder desires the unborn child as an offering to hasten the passage.
Lines of dialogue credited to him portray the ruins as closed to all entry, state that Ninety-Nine is safe, and talk of opening the Rift in that spot and admitting the Lady.
Figures Moved Across the Board
After her tragedy he sheltered Yan Qiansui and bestowed her current name, plus the Illusory Pipa strings that she afterwards attaches to her zither. Alongside the Herald he builds puppets and dragon bodies; a head of a pipa was once mailed to him by the Herald as a keepsake, which Dusk eventually stole.
So that nobody could get at Puppet No. 99, he made the Blizzard Blademaster its guardian, joining the man and the puppet in one shattered body. One of his disciples was followed by Gu Wanyue because she admired the illusions, yet the lesson she received was a different form of Sha-Chi Transcension.
Atop the Cliff
Soul scales Soulrend Cliff and wrecks the bodies of the High Elder and his juniors. Since nothing remains to hold it open from a distance, the Rift shuts permanently.
Quotes
Concerning the Rift
“The ruins have been completely sealed. None can enter.”
A spoken line from the High Elder.
“It is all for Her glory. The honor is entirely mine.”
A spoken line from the High Elder.
“We can open the Rift there, let the Lady enter the Perfect Yin Vessel, and return to the Waking Realm.”
A spoken line from the High Elder.
Frequently asked questions
What is the High Elder after?
His plan is to open the Rift, enabling the Merciful Lady to come down into the Perfect Vessel and go back to the Waking Realm. Soulrend Cliff was his pick for this work, and a child is wanted as a sacrifice to cut the passage short.
Does the High Elder consist of one individual?
Partly no. Several juniors, whose minds shift between puppets and flesh, lead alongside him, and he refers to himself through his seat instead of a name.
Which characters make up the Acolytes?
His four sorcerers, each tied to an element (ice, lightning, poison or fire): Yanru, Guhe, Lei Ting and Hansui.