Xianyun

Xianyun is an adeptus better known as Cloud Retainer. She lived at Mt. Aocang for thousands of years and fought beside Morax and the other adepti during the conflicts that shaped Liyue. She shared a close friendship and mechanical rivalry with Guizhong. After Guizhong fell during the Archon War she completed further work on the Guizhong Ballista in her memory.

Cloud Retainer became the mentor of Ganyu and Shenhe. She raised them at Mt. Aocang and trained them in adeptal arts. After the reported death of Rex Lapis she joined the adepti during their confrontation with Liyue Harbor. She later helped defend the city from Osial through an enhanced group of Guizhong Ballistae operated by the adepti and the Liyue Qixing.

Cloud Retainer eventually assumed a human form and began living in Liyue Harbor under the name Xianyun. She made this decision after becoming interested in the mortal world that had drawn Ganyu and Shenhe away from the mountains. Xianyun later helped an elderly crane named Yuandai recover her lost memories and return to her original form. She then accepted Yuandai’s granddaughter Shuyu as her first disciple within the human world.

Appearance: Xianyun is tall. She has fair skin and navy hair that has light blue undertones. Her hair is tied in a high ponytail secured with a hairpin that resembles the sharpness of a crane. She has shorter eyebrows and wears red glasses. Although Xianyun seems to take the form of a human, she has taloned fingers, like the claws of a crane.

Xianyun's dress is black, holding a flowy and tight-fitting style. Her dress has golden engravings and cloud-like shapes while also showing details in different shades of blue. She also wears sheer black tights underneath the dress. Her heels are black, however they are embellished with golden wings and tips. Her Anemo Vision is set upon her right shoulder on an orange knot.

Some of Xianyun's accessories include red glasses, an orange tassel earring on her right ear, a black and blue feather pinning her hair up in a high ponytail, and sheer black sleeves extending all the way to her fingertips akin to gloves. Her sleeves also include a deep blue layer of fabric over the top along with golden bands. She also wears a sort of pale, sea-green coat or cape which resembles a texture similar to the feathers of a bird that covers her neck and drapes down her back. A long tassel drops from her throat to her upper abdomen in gold and yellow.

In her crane form, she is taller than many humans and is white with blue, gold, and black plumage. Under her eyes are red markings.

Personality: Xianyun speaks with the formal confidence of an adeptus and takes great pride in her inventions. She considers herself reserved even though people in Liyue Harbor find her talkative and approachable. Her competitive streak appears during contests involving mechanics or cooking. She can become overbearing when convinced that her solution is correct. Yet she remains dependable during danger and often shows affection by solving problems or making useful devices for others.

Ganyu and Shenhe are her longtime disciples. Xianyun cares for both with a parental devotion that continues after they begin living independently. She embarrasses Ganyu by recounting stories from her childhood and regularly checks whether Shenhe is adjusting to human society. Guizhong was her close friend and mechanical rival. Madame Ping remains an old companion from her years among the adepti. Xianyun holds Morax in profound respect and remains loyal to the duty that he entrusted to the adepti. She later accepts Shuyu as a disciple and becomes fond of Gaming after witnessing his devotion to Wushou Dance.

Xianyun channels Anemo through her catalyst to release successive waves of wind. She can fire a concentrated breeze through enemies in a straight path or descend from above in a forceful aerial strike. White Clouds at Dawn lets her step through the air without suffering harm from a fall. Each aerial step carries her forward through nearby enemies and strengthens her next descent. After building enough height she crashes down as a Driftcloud Wave that releases a broad burst of Anemo across the ground.

Stars Gather at Dusk creates a sacred breeze that strikes nearby enemies and restores the health of her companions. The technique also summons her Starwicker mechanism. Starwicker follows the current fighter and continues healing the group over time. Its adeptal power raises their jumping height so they can perform powerful plunging attacks more easily. Each completed plunge consumes part of that power and causes Starwicker to release another Anemo blast around the impact point.