Allies, rivals, and named NPCs you'll meet across the realm.
Innkeeper of Blissful Retreat and adoptive mother of the protagonist. Her hidden jianghu identity is the legendary Water Lady - a master of face-altering surgery. Secretive, sharp-tempered, and pursued by the Aureate Pavilion after taking certain artifacts from them by force.
Abbot of the Shaolin sect - a senior monk whose teachings anchor the joinable Shaolin career path.
Street-smart Kaifeng fixer who throws roosters at guards to create a distraction so the protagonist can sneak into Revelry Hall. A key Chapter 2 ally.
A deceased and unnamed hero whose memories of a critical mission at Jade Gate Pass narrate the Burlap Sack series - slowly revealing his pivotal, forgotten role in the world.
A young lady of the Cao family bound by an arranged marriage she opposes - the central figure of the Paper Moon series in Chang'an.
Kaifeng NPC on Goldwater Street whose request triggers the All Creatures Great and Small wandering tale - the entry point to the Menagerie's hidden chambers.
Recurring Qinghe-area side cast member who reappears across Chapter 1 questlines.
NPC met inside the first Menagerie chamber at Prosperity Haven in Kaifeng during the All Creatures Great and Small chain.
A woman publicly passing as a man under the long-standing 'Yingying' identity. Central to the Chapter 2 mystery - entwined with the stolen Treasure Basin, the Ghost Markets, and Kaifeng's hidden politics.
A campaign-tier antagonist who emerges at Verdant Hill Village in Roaring Sands after the Heavenfall quest is completed.
Elderly tea-stall keeper in Qinghe weeping over a lost bag - the trigger NPC for a starter wandering tale.
Aging, tragic general who guards Whitecrown Fortress with a massive spear. His campaign boss fight is famed for a phase-two time reversal that restores him to his prime.
Qinghe merchant entangled in the Missing Funds wandering tale.
The protagonist's rescuer and foster father from the opening cinematic. Disappears mysteriously, driving one of the game's longest-running mystery threads.
A mythical wandering bandit and parry-combat duelist searching for Han Xiangxun. Intervenes to save the protagonist during the Aureate Pavilion raid on Heaven's Pier, and later returns as a Qinghe world boss.
Young traveler tormented by doubt and past regret. The Liangzhou Melody series follows him from Jade Gate Pass through Liangzhou and on to Chang'an as he finds inner peace.
Mysterious adversary who awaits at the end of Kaifeng's Palace of Annals - named for a number tied to a past tragedy.
The 'Know-It-All' fortune-teller of Kaifeng's Entertainment District - an eccentric information broker and recurring encounter NPC.
The Paper Fox - a small spirit tied to the Painter's mural sequence. Gifts the Koi Key after a full day's wait.
Wanderer found sitting on the ground in an encounter scenario - his backstory unfolds through repeated meetings.
A multi-phase campaign foe waiting in Kaifeng's Jadewood Court.
The player character - infant rescued by Uncle Jiang and raised by Aunt Han at Blissful Retreat. After Heaven's Pier falls, the Young Master becomes a wandering xiake whose true origin remains unknown.
The Aureate Pavilion's most feared enforcer - the Heartseeker witch, a master of disguise who reads the human heart deeply enough to become anyone. Leads the assault on Heaven's Pier and is the Chapter 1 finale boss.
Marsh Plain NPC in Qinchuan whose musical performance unlocks the Snowplum Requiem world boss.
Qinghe artist whose mural sequences weave the Veiled Lady encounter and the Gone with the Wind questline together.
Campaign boss waiting at Halo Peak's Buddha Light Pagoda in Qinghe.
A spectral figure summoned by lighting the lamp under a wooden shed at the Zi hour in Withered Woods. Boss of the Gone with the Wind questline - after her defeat she reveals Qianye's location, bridging Qinghe to the Hexi Azure Glow campaign.
Massive humanoid colossus dwelling in the underground area unlocked by the Gleaming Abyss campaign - a follow-up entity to the Mysterious Colossus in Desolate Woods.
Final-stage Menagerie NPC for the All Creatures Great and Small chain in Kaifeng - pivotal to the chain's branching allegiance choice.
Qinghe child distressed over a missing doll - trigger NPC for an early wandering tale.
Kaifeng wanderer whose request opens the Lone Wanderer's Wish wandering tale.
Frost-styled adversary holding the Granary of Plenty in Kaifeng.
Click a node to open its character page.