Hey folks,
Apologies for not replying to comments today - I have to step away to deal with something urgent. That said, I wanted to at least get this part of the CL posted, especially since quite a few people have been asking for it.
As you'll see, it's still very much a work in progress, but it now covers all of the major characters we've met so far (with some spoilers, so please read with caution). I'll keep updating it as new characters appear on screen and as time permits, so consider this a living document rather than a finished one.
Hope it proves useful!
Xu Chuanli: Overseer of Dragon Gate Number Two Hundred and Thirty-Eight in the Imperial Capital. He first met, and promptly "befriended," Mo Jian and Bai Ning when they arrived in the capital. Ever eager to stay ahead of the latest fashions and social trends, he has cultivated a wide network of like-minded gate overseers who share information and gossip. One of Madam Jinjing's many persistent admirers.
Madam Jinjing: Overseer of Dragon Gate Number Three Hundred and Four, and a proud temptress. As a child, she met the late Crown Prince Xiang Mingyuan during one of his tours of the capital. Recognizing her talent, he arranged for a local sect to accept her as a disciple. She dreamed of one day entering the Palace to serve him, but by the time she possessed both the age and the cultivation to pursue that ambition, the Crown Prince had been murdered and his daughter had fallen into disgrace. Unable to repay the kindness he showed her in life, she believes she owes that debt to Muxue instead.
Xiao Hua: Disciple of the Flower Valley Sect. Once an orphan surviving on the streets, she entered the sect through the recommendation and financial support of Mo Jian and Bai Ning. She has remained close to them ever since and regards them with deep gratitude. She will celebrate her eleventh birthday in four months.
Duan Cai: Son of Duan Cheng and young master of the Golden Dice Gambling Hall. Spoiled, gluttonous, and thoroughly self-indulgent, he has grown into an arrogant young man with a cruel streak and an insatiable need to flaunt his family's wealth. His father has long since abandoned any hope of reforming him.
Duan Cheng: Proprietor of the Golden Dice Gambling Hall. An adventurer in his youth, he travelled extensively throughout the Empire before volunteering to serve at the Great Wall. During his travels, he uncovered an Imperial Assassin's mission, only to fall in love with her and ultimately aid her in assassinating the corrupt governor he had originally been hired to protect. Years later, his habit of rigging gambling tables attracted Wei Shentong's attention. To preserve his gambling hall, he struck a bargain with the local magistrate, enriching them both by luring debtors into indentured servitude.
Su Lianhua: Current Overseer of the Jade Hall of Newfound Prosperity. Once an indentured servant herself after her son lost an enormous sum at the Golden Dice Gambling Hall. Before that, she endured years of hardship due to the Kanchi mine, where her husband perished and her own health was permanently damaged before eventually being restored. She remains deeply grateful to Mo Jian and Bai Ning, believing she can never fully repay the debt she owes them for giving her family a second chance.
Su Chen: Disciple of the Flower Valley Sect. Once an indentured servant after being captured by the Golden Dice Gambling Hall while trying to obtain money for his mother's medicine. He joined the Flower Valley Sect through the recommendation and financial support of Mo Jian and Bai Ning. Although three years older, he maintains a fierce and often childish rivalry with Xiao Hua.
Wei Shentong: Former magistrate of the Kanchi mine and the surrounding district. A Nascent Soul cultivator who has remained stranded at the initial stage for years. Intensely ambitious, he seeks a position within the Imperial Palace to repay a long-standing debt to his benefactor. After being defeated by Mo Jian, he became bound by oath to serve him for ten years.
He Jianyu: One of the current overseers of the Kanchi Jade Mine. Having only recently advanced to the Core Formation realm, he took the mine's miraculous restoration at the very moment of his breakthrough as a sign of Heaven's favor. Dutiful, conscientious, and deeply proud of his work, he approaches every responsibility with quiet sincerity. As a youth, he dreamed of becoming a renowned architect, but poverty forced him onto a different path. He harbors a quiet affection for Su Lianhua and hopes that, one day, those feelings might be returned.
Zhao Wenhai: One of the current overseers of the Kanchi Jade Mine. A veteran of several mining operations, he narrowly survived a catastrophic shaft collapse during his previous posting, an ordeal that unexpectedly pushed him into the Core Formation realm. Compared to He Jianyu, he is far more relaxed and prefers to adapt to circumstances rather than fight them. Despite his easygoing nature, he is meticulous in managing his personal affairs and has a refined appreciation for life's comforts. He once confessed his feelings to Bai Ning, only to be politely rejected.
The Lord of the Lonely Roads: A Nascent Soul cultivator from the Thousand Shattered Islands. After years spent wandering the Empire, his exceptional talent for portraiture earned him entry into the Imperial Palace, where he fell in love with the then Crown Princess Xiang Guxin. Their forbidden relationship produced a daughter, an act punishable by death. Before the truth could be exposed, Guxin sacrificed her own freedom to help her lover and child escape execution. He fled to the Thousand Shattered Islands, disappearing from the world while raising their daughter in secret. He now devotes himself to reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, determined to return to the capital, free Guxin from imprisonment, and exact vengeance upon the Imperial Family.
Liu Rushi: Daughter of Xiang Guxin and the Lord of the Lonely Roads. She spent her childhood unaware of her true parentage until her father revealed the truth after she reached the Foundation Establishment realm. She later joined the Grand Ice Tower as both an entertainer and historian, eventually taking on a disciple who reminded her strongly of her younger self. She is now travelling to the Imperial Capital in the hope of meeting the mother she has never known and seeing the city she has imagined for half her life. To conceal her identity, she wears the face of a legendary courtesan through an extraordinary living portrait painted by her father after a single glimpse of the woman many years ago.
Yue Shuangyi: Disciple of Liu Rushi and one of Bai Ning's closest friends from the Grand Tournament of the Thousand Shattered Islands. She wields ice and frost techniques as her primary means of combat, with the Everfrozen Silkworm Lotus now serving as her natal artifact, the same magic tool she carried during Foundation Establishment, still remaining at the heart of her fighting style. She is in love with Li Kang and is convinced she has hidden her feelings from everyone.
Li Kang: Former disciple of the Seven Light Enclosure, one of the Thousand Shattered Islands' orthodox sects. Now a rising star of the Noble Alliance and a trusted friend of Bai Ning, he is a skilled swordsman and sworn brother to Chen Zhuhe. He harbors deep feelings for Yue Shuangyi and, much like her, believes his affection is a closely guarded secret.
Chen Zhuhe: A rogue cultivator from the Thousand Shattered Islands and one of Bai Ning's closest companions. He formally joined the Noble Alliance only to resign before the day was over. Fascinated by formations and artifact crafting, he wields a string of spirit beads that he personally refined after reaching the Core Formation realm. Constantly exasperated by Li Kang and Yue Shuangyi's painfully obvious romance, he has no interest in such matters himself. Bald, overweight, and entirely content with both facts, he is never without a hidden cache of spirit stones somewhere on his person.
Chao Qinzi: A demonic cultivator from the Thousand Shattered Islands whose assault on Bai Ning's sect set the events of the story in motion. He inherited one of the three shattered fragments of the Ruyi Lotus Scepter, the divine treasure wielded by the Immortal of Wisdom to defeat and seal the Immortal of Slaughter. After his defeat at Mo Jian's hands, he vanished into hiding, where he is relentlessly tormented by increasingly vivid visions of possible futures.
Gu Daisheng: Former Overseer of the Second Floor of the Imperial Palace. A mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, he long aspired to join the Palace's Inner Court, a goal he ultimately achieved. High sociable and remarkably well connected, he has cultivated an extensive network of contacts and informants throughout the Palace, as well as befriending a lot of the Palace artwork that often serve as sources of information in their own right. In years past, he knew the man now called the Lord of the Lonely Roads, though under a different name.
Nei Pan: Former Overseer of the Scripture Library and current Overseer of the Palace's Second Floor. After consuming a Youth Preserving Pill at the age of eight, his appearance has remained that of a child ever since. Honest and refreshingly straightforward, he nevertheless possesses an occasionally childish temperament that matches his youthful appearance. He is currently working in secret to undermine Meng Zhihai, the Lord of Dreams.
Gwei Ruan: Overseer of the Exchange Platform on the Second Floor of the Imperial Palace. Few people possess a greater understanding of the value and utility of cultivation resources than he does, whether they be herbs, ores, artifacts, or spirit materials. Hidden from all but himself, he possesses an incomplete inheritance left behind by a pre-Shattering Immortal of Trade, a secret that has shaped much of his knowledge and expertise.
Miao Bu: Hundred Thousand Man Commander of the Tiger Army despite having reached only the peak of the Core Formation realm. The personal protégé of the Tiger General, he has earned widespread respect through both martial ability and unwavering integrity. A master spearman, he is widely expected to ascend to the Nascent Soul realm and become one of the Empire's foremost military leaders. His loyalty to the Tiger General naturally extends to Mo Jian and Bai Ning, whom he now serves with equal dedication.
Shen Jinglan: Personal attendant to Princess Xiang Muxue and the only servant who remained at her side after the former Crown Prince's death and Muxue's fall from power. Fiercely loyal and protective, she has served the princess since Muxue was a young child and is one of the few people Muxue trusts without reservation. Though now a friend of Bai Ning and still somewhat intimidated by Mo Jian, Shen Jinglan knows when to stand her ground. Xiang Chengxuan has attempted to buy her loyalty on three separate occasions, only for her to throw each bribe back in his agents' faces.
Xiang Muxue: The eponymous Fallen Princess, a title she earned after her father, Crown Prince Xiang Mingyuan, was murdered and she was stripped of her influence through the schemes of her cousin. She despises Xiang Chengxuan above all others and dreams of the day she can personally take her revenge. She has formed an alliance with Mo Jian and Bai Ning: in exchange for their aid in securing her rightful place as Crown Princess, she will arrange an audience between them and the Immortal Emperor once her position has been restored.
Xiang Chengxuan: The current Crown Prince of the Great Xiang Empire. Cousin to Xiang Muxue, he orchestrated the murder of her father before clawing his way to power through manipulation, bribery, assassination, and whatever other means proved necessary. Beneath his polished and calculating exterior lies a deeply sadistic nature that he takes great care to conceal. He is married to Wang Fuyue and has a crippled son, Xiang Chushu. The last member of his family he truly loved was his mother, who willingly sacrificed her own life to strengthen his political position and permanently cripple Xiang Guxin's influence at court. Unlike his political marriage, his desire to wed Qing Zhanyue stems from genuine admiration for her strength and independence.
Shi Wanjun: The late Lion General of the Great Xiang Empire. Wielding the Black Sulde, an immortal artifact bestowed upon him by Xiang Chengxuan, he crippled the Tiger General and enabled the Crown Prince to dominate the Inner Court for decades. Ambitious to the point of arrogance, he openly proclaimed that he would become the greatest general in Imperial history under Emperor Chengxuan's reign. He made his headquarters on the Twenty-First Floor of the Imperial Palace to further torment Xiang Muxue and was infamous for making his concubines resemble her in bed, a humiliation that became common knowledge throughout the court. Acting on Muxue's orders, Mo Jian assassinated him and claimed the Black Sulde from his corpse.
Tang Huwei: The Tiger General of the Great Xiang Empire. Fifty years ago, he was crippled by Shi Wanjun wielding the Black Sulde and withdrew to the First Floor of the Imperial Palace to live out what he believed would be the remainder of his life in disgrace. Xiang Muxue convinced him to support her bid for the position of Crown Princess by ensuring Shi Wanjun's death and restoring him to full health. Once more at the height of his strength, he now commands the defense of the Inner Court and serves as one of Muxue's staunchest supporters. His hatred for Xiang Chengxuan is absolute.
Yao Yue: Former concubine of Shi Wanjun and one of his favored companions. Following his death, she attempted to elevate Cao Yong as his successor within the Lion Army. Captured by Miao Bu and Bai Ning, she quickly abandoned her former loyalties in exchange for her life, revealing the Lion Army's secrets to Tang Huwei. Her testimony proved instrumental in exposing the Lion Army's crimes, allowing Xiang Muxue's faction to purge their rivals while presenting themselves as the Empire's saviors. She now lives under Tang Huwei's protection.
Xiang Guxin: Former Crown Princess of the Great Xiang Empire and mother of Liu Rushi. Once celebrated by her father, her life was irrevocably changed when she fell in love with the man now known as the Lord of the Lonely Roads. Their forbidden relationship produced a daughter, an act punishable by death under Imperial law. To save the lives of her lover and child, Guxin orchestrated their escape while remaining behind to bear the consequences herself. Stripped of her position and imprisoned within the Imperial Palace, she has spent decades in captivity, becoming a symbol of both tragedy and quiet defiance. Though believed broken by many, her continued survival has become the driving force behind the Lord of the Lonely Roads' relentless pursuit of greater power and one of the central motivations behind the conflicts now unfolding within the Imperial Court.
Shi Pao: Minister of External Affairs and the lowest-ranked of the Thirty-Three Ministers of the Imperial Court. Long frustrated by the declining (or already declined) influence of his ministry, he was persuaded by Xiang Muxue's promise to restore its former prestige and met with her on several occasions to discuss an alliance. Those meetings eventually drew him into her faction, leaving him publicly committed to a cause he now deeply regrets supporting. In a desperate attempt to secure his own safety, he secretly offered to betray Muxue to Xiang Chengxuan, only to discover that the Crown Prince had no interest in either his information or his loyalty. Convinced that the coming struggle within the Imperial Family will claim his life regardless of which side prevails, Shi Pao desperately wishes to resign his office, but finds himself too deeply entangled in court politics to escape.
WIP
Ye Wuhen: The male half of the Twin Love Terrors
Ye Wuying: The female half of the Twin Love Terrors
Qing Zhanyue: The Peacock General
Lou Ma Gong: The Horse General
Tayang Khan: The Khan of the Grey Horde
Batuk Khan: The Khan of the Blue Horde
Chiggis Khan: The Khan of the Orange Horde
Madam Feng: Immortal ruler of the White Wastes
Rahu: Immortal (former demonic beast). Makes his nest within the Sunken Cities
The Mad Monk: Immortal Buddhist Monk; known to split his time between this continent and the western one
The Immortal Emperor: The First Emperor of the Xiang Empire; the Immortal of Listening
Is there anyone I've forgotten who you think deserves to be included?