[A/H] The Shado-Pan (Now with player-index!)

by **Thelos** Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:54 pm

Original Post:

Spoiler:

I know what you're thinking - another of these "Gauging interest" threads? About pandaren? From the same guy that gave us the Seven Burdens?

I don't blame you. I'm kind of cooky like that, but very passionate about promoting pandaren roleplay and getting to the juicy centres of its depths. I ask you to hear me out, regardless of any skepticism over my fanaticism.

With more and more guilds and characters arriving on Pandaria and the promise of all-out war in the oncoming patch, there is often one key player I feel gets neglected in our speculations about the coming role-play: the Shado-pan. To me, the prospect of playing a Shado-pan agent while the bulk of players is fighting the other faction is one of endless opportunites and fascinating conflict. But what do the Shado-pan have to do with the war, you might ask? Aren't they supposed to be neutral? Let me explain.

The Shado-pan are not neutral, for they fight their own war, a war inside of a war: the neverending struggle to suppress the Sha. With the bulk of the Shado-pan soldiers being needed on and beyond the wall to push the Mantid and Yaungol incursions back, there is no one to watch the threat that has been slowly building up behind the wall on the inside.

Though as players we have trough quests won many victory against the Sha, logic dictates that, if the war picks up, the Sha will return in force. All of the animosity of the Horde and the Alliance, all the violence, the hatred, the despair: it will make itself manifest in an invasion of darkness the likes of which Pandaria has never seen.

Nobody but the Shado-pan understand this thread. The average pandaren citizen is left blissfully in the dark to enjoy his peaceful life and the Horde and the Alliance are too busy fighting themselves. It is up to what little forces the Shado-pan can spare to try to desperately prevent a surge of Sha, and to suppress anything that might be arising.

What will their strategy be?

Will they try to reason with the Horde and the Alliance and educate them in ways to keep the Sha in check?

Or will they try to bring the conflict to an end by force, by sabotaging the war effort trough infiltration, or by supporting one faction and thus tipping the scales?

Whichever strategy they pick will be up to the players.

This is just one of the many angles that are open to Shado-pan characters and roleplayers to explore. Pandaria is a land of mysteries, and the Shado-pan like no others hold the key to unlocking said mysteries: yet, some mysteries are best left hidden in the dark. The Shado-pan have been attempting to hide any threats to Pandaria, including the Sha, from the average citizen for generations: how will they react to the reality that the Sha have or will become an undeniable truth to all? Will they, in desperation, turn to the Alliance and the Horde to man the wall when their numbers run thin? The Shado-pan are reclusive, hidden away on and beyond the wall and in their monestary. Will they be forced to step into the light and expose the secrets they have been guarding for so many years?

What I am proposing is not a guild. In fact, I am not actually proposing much of anything. I just want you to consider the potential of role-playing a Shado-pan agent; and, I guess, announce that I am planning on playing one myself, to explore the conflicts and potential stories I just presented in this thread.

I hope this thread has caused you to consider some things you might not have thought of yet!

[A/H] The Shado-Pan (Now with player-index!) WoWScrnShot_121312_001806

Shado-Pan Characters

[A] Blooming Lotus

Paozi (Monk)
Linzu (Monk)
Jusiin (Monk)
Talzu (Hunter)
Xienlai (Hunter)
Zahaorin (Rogue)
Kwu (Warrior)

by **Ixirar** Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:27 pm

Paozi wrote:
The Shado-pan are not neutral, for they fight their own war, a war inside of a war:

[A/H] The Shado-Pan (Now with player-index!) Xzibit

by **Krogon Devilstep** Wed Oct 31, 2012 11:48 pm

by **siegmund** Thu Nov 01, 2012 3:00 am

The dungeons you do and the questline kinda say itself. They hate our guts. Thought not sure what after you free the shadow-pan monestary from the sha. Probably reason? *shrug*

by **Vaell** Thu Nov 01, 2012 5:41 am

They are the watchers on the wall...

by **Thelos** Thu Nov 01, 2012 7:19 am

siegmund wrote:The dungeons you do and the questline kinda say itself. They hate our guts. Thought not sure what after you free the shadow-pan monestary from the sha. Probably reason? *shrug*

If they hated the Alliance and the Horde that would make them very poor at their jobs indeed.

Seriously though if you try to divine what the Shado-pan's attitude towards the Horde and the Alliance would be from Taran Zhu's actions and dialogue untill the Shado-pan monestary dungeon, you're missing something important.

Firstly, keep in mind that said interaction of Zhu with your character is the interaction of the leader of the Shado-pan with a supposed paragon or chosen hero of their faction. I'd hardly call that an average relationship between any one Shado-pan and a soldier of the Alliance or Horde.

Secondly, for the most time you interact with him before Townlong, Zhu is being affected by the Sha of Hatred -- to what extend is (thankfully) unclear, but there's a definate change when you purge him of the Sha. He goes from "Your kind if not welcome here," to "Our fellowship is our greatest strength".

So I think simply thinking that "They hate our guts" is a gross oversimplification. That's not to say that you can't play a character that does, oh no, the material for hate is in there, but that's far from the only point of view you can adopt on your character.

by **siegmund** Thu Nov 01, 2012 10:19 am

True, i wonder what affected him, well or started affecting, could have been that it started to develop when the alliance and horde brought their war here and it clouded his judgement, or it was before/after.

But yeah thanks for the explination.

by **Lexgrad** Thu Nov 01, 2012 4:28 pm

"That's not to say that you can't play a character that does, oh no, the material for hate is in there, but that's far from the only point of view you can adopt on your character."

Would feeling hate towards these outsiders not make the Shadow Pan More easy for the sha to corrupt? I thought these guys were stoics and have very good willpower and self awareness.

by **Dréfurion** Thu Nov 01, 2012 4:31 pm

Lexgrad wrote:"That's not to say that you can't play a character that does, oh no, the material for hate is in there, but that's far from the only point of view you can adopt on your character."

Would feeling hate towards these outsiders not make the Shadow Pan More easy for the sha to corrupt? I thought these guys were stoics and have very good willpower and self awareness.

Of course.

And on your second point, you should never ever say "you belong to group x so you MUST be y" it's fucking stupid. I know you don't do it for your characters or Una wouldn't exist, but don't overgeneralise. We also pretty much see it's not true in a couple of occassions.

by **Lexgrad** Thu Nov 01, 2012 4:58 pm

My concern is not that Dref my dear, I do like to RP the outsider in a few of my Chars, Una is not a typical Highborne, Lex was on the Edge of the Ebon hold and now seems to be alone. However when I do this kind of RP I contentiously punish my chars for their actions. I do not expect una to ever be loved and he runs huges risks for being as he is.

The Shado-Pan I take are the prime anti Sha force among other things. These guys know about the Sha. To let themselves then turn to hate could be either handing weapons to the sha or even be the start of corruption by the Sha. These are guys who are brought up to strive against any emotion that would let the Sha grow, it would be cheap for Shado-pan RPers to give into that hate and not punish themselves for it with possession and failure, they turned from their teachings when they do it.

However it is possable we will get Badass Panda who hate all they like, and never suffer for it, worse a simplified version of the lore becomes popularized and we get what we have with Paladins with Shado-pan.

So I do not advocate that just being a Shado-pan makes you obliged to follow their teachings, but just suggest if you do wish to go against them you are aware it makes you "ic a poor example of the order" and RP accordingly.

by **Dréfurion** Thu Nov 01, 2012 5:00 pm

Lexgrad wrote:My concern is not that Dref my dear, I do like to RP the outsider in a few of my Chars, Una is not a typical Highborne, Lex was on the Edge of the Ebon hold and now seems to be alone. However when I do this kind of RP I contentiously punish my chars for their actions. I do not expect una to ever be loved and he runs huges risks for being as he is.

The Shado-Pan I take are the prime anti Sha force among other things. These guys know about the Sha. To let themselves then turn to hate could be either handing weapons to the sha or even be the start of corruption by the Sha. These are guys who are brought up to strive against any emotion that would let the Sha grow, it would be cheap for Shado-pan RPers to give into that hate and not punish themselves for it with possession and failure, they turned from their teachings when they do it.

However it is possable we will get Badass Panda who hate all they like, and never suffer for it, worse a simplified version of the lore becomes popularized and we get what we have with Paladins with Shado-pan.

So I do not advocate that just being a Shado-pan makes you obliged to follow their teachings, but just suggest if you do wish to go against them you are aware it makes you "ic a poor example of the order" and RP accordingly.

I could never get this from you one line of text! I agree with what you say of course.

by **Lexgrad** Thu Nov 01, 2012 5:03 pm

ofc you do Dref, Lexgrad is always right.

Anyway, enough of me. Make Thelos's Panda RP work or I will be sad and Thelos would have died for nothing! I love you

by **Thelos** Thu Nov 01, 2012 11:25 pm

Yes.

You can be bad at what you do.

If what you do is not be mad, you can be bad at it and thus be mad.

by **erwtenpeller** Fri Nov 02, 2012 10:36 am

I would love to see some of those shado-pan cuties wobble about, and if there's ever a dedicated Horde Shado-Pan dude, I'll make sure to involve them in Marauder story lines.

by **Dorik Thunderbelly** Sun Nov 04, 2012 2:21 pm

Shado-Pan are nice an interesting to roleplay...but why did they make it such a chore to farm so much rep for their hat! http://www.wowhead.com/item=89801
(Let's face it, you can't be Shado-Pan without the hat!)

by **erwtenpeller** Sun Nov 04, 2012 2:52 pm

Dorik Thunderbelly wrote:(Let's face it, you can't be Shado-Pan without the hat!)

QFT!

by **Krogon Devilstep** Sun Nov 04, 2012 3:09 pm

erwtenpeller wrote:
Dorik Thunderbelly wrote:(Let's face it, you can't be Shado-Pan without the hat!)
QFT!

...The Onyx cloud serpent is nice too ;o

And excuse my pictorial reply earlier was merely thinking on the idea!

All in all Krogon would be -deeply- interested in meeting them IC, from the point of view as a martial master and from the view that though the scale of numbers and foe's of choice are different, Blademasters and shado pan have alot in common in eothos and ideology.

So yeah, the burning blade proper, agtleast in the shape of Krogon, wants to see some shado-pan.

by **Thelos** Sun Nov 04, 2012 5:00 pm

Sadly I am not going to have the mental fortitude to farm the hat on both an Alliance and a Horde character, so I will sadly have to stick to the Alliance side of the roleplaying world.

It's a long, long, long way from Revered to Exalted.

by **erwtenpeller** Sun Nov 04, 2012 5:04 pm

Faction change. \o/

by **Krogon Devilstep** Sun Nov 04, 2012 6:55 pm

Paozi wrote:Sadly I am not going to have the mental fortitude to farm the hat on both an Alliance and a Horde character, so I will sadly have to stick to the Alliance side of the roleplaying world.

It's a long, long, long way from Revered to Exalted.

[A/H] The Shado-Pan (Now with player-index!) E39

by **Thelos** Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:23 am

Don't give me that look, buster.

I'm sure there will be Shado-pan characters horeside at some point eventually. It is quite inevitable: the concept is simply too cool to ignore.

[A/H] The Shado-Pan (Now with player-index!) 241626

[A/H] The Shado-Pan (Now with player-index!) 241626

Fuck yeah, crimson ninja-scarf.

by **Krogon Devilstep** Tue Nov 06, 2012 9:01 am

Paozi wrote:Don't give me that look, buster.

I'm sure there will be Shado-pan characters horeside at some point eventually. It is quite inevitable: the concept is simply too cool to ignore.

Fuck yeah, crimson ninja-scarf.

Naughty sneaky Wu'kao panda! spying on them marauders!

*shakes fist*

by **Thelos** Tue Nov 06, 2012 9:58 am

Pao made his debut as a Shado-pan yesterday.

So far, he has:

Appeared from the shadows to slit a Saurok's throat before vanishing again, all without saying a single word.
Negotiated with an Alliance naval officer.
Spied on some unsuspecting Marauders.

The Shado-pan are too cool for school; the only question is, why aren't you?

by **Krogon Devilstep** Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:26 am

...With some luck you try said antics on The red blades when Krogon is around.

The impending ninja battle would be Glorious.

[A/H] The Shado-Pan (Now with player-index!) Cutcaster-photo-100371302-Jumping-Ninja

[A/H] The Shado-Pan (Now with player-index!) Cutcaster-photo-100371302-Jumping-Ninja

Good luck with this alliance side all the same!

by **Thelos** Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:30 am

Krogon Devilstep wrote:...With some luck you try said antics on The red blades when Krogon is around.

The impending ninja battle would be Glorious.

Good luck with this alliance side all the same!

I'm a little skeptical about cross-faction role-play, but appearing for a few seconds before vanishing again to spark some conversation is something I'm always up for.

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