"Nothing endures without harmony. And harmony only endures...through us. We are unmoving like the mountain. We will not be drowned by the raging river! Behold the wonders of the Celestial Dragon Empire! The might of our warriors... The secrets of our alchemists... The sorcery of the Dragon-blooded! Vanquish Chaos with the sheer power of the Dragon! Let them face the majesty of Grand Cathay!"
- —Zhao Ming's battle speech[9]
Zhao Ming, the Iron Dragon and the Lord of Shang-Yang, is the Cathayan Dragon who is ruler of the Western Provinces of Grand Cathay. A son of the Cathayan imperial family, he rules from the mighty city of Shang-Yang, seen by many as a gateway connecting the west and east, and is responsible both for maintaining the western edge of the Celestial Empire and keeping the desert clans of Cathay in order. His territory, while less chaotic (and Chaotic) than his elder sister Miao Ying's in the Northern Provinces, is also less well-defended.[2][4][9]
Zhao Ming is an accomplished alchemist and blacksmith, his talent and fascination towards such things fostered by the strange elements and countless alchemical treasures to be found in the Warpstone Desert west of his domain. However, he is known for his eccentricities or erratic behaviour, his life-long station so close to the Warpstone Desert and Great Maw leading many to fear his mind is permanently damaged from the exposure.[4][6][9]
But though madness seems to tug at Zhao Ming's mind, the Iron Dragon's mysterious crafts are nonetheless effective, relentlessly harrying Cathay's foes, and he remains a capable wielder of the Lore of Yang and master of the Lore of Metal. Whether by Celestial gifts or alchemical means, the Western Provinces stand strong, an iron bulwark against all those who would threaten the harmony of Grand Cathay.[4][6][9]
Quick Answers
What province does Zhao Ming rule in the empire of Grand Cathay?
What is Zhao Ming's nickname in the family of immortal Cathayan Dragons?
Who is the Empress and mother of Zhao Ming?
What has affected Zhao Ming due to his province's proximity to the Ogre's mouth?
What is the Sky-fire Order of Alchemists' view on Zhao Ming?
History
Origins
Zhao Ming in his true Cathayan Dragon form as the Iron Dragon.[4]
Zhao Ming has ruled over the Western Provinces of Grand Cathay for many centuries. Like his Cathayan Dragon siblings he was born to the Dragon Emperor Xen Yang and the Moon Empress Quai Yin, and like them he was taught the art of shape-shifting and mastery of the Winds of Magic, his primal fury tempered so that he too could walk amongst Men, after which he would aid the betterment of the mortal subjects of the Cathayan Dragons' burgeoning empire. Eventually this period came to an end with the Great Catastrophe, when Chaos first entered the world of Mallus with the unexpected destruction of the Old Ones' Polar Gates.[10a]
Through the long and tumultuous centuries that followed the Great Catastrophe, the Dragons of Grand Cathay battled the myriad Daemonic legions that assailed their lands, but Xen Yang knew that he and his kin could not resist the evils arrayed against them alone. Thus, the Celestial Dragon turned his attention towards the unification of the fractured tribes of Men that dwelt within his realm.[10a]
To aid his plans, the Dragon Emperor dispatched several of his children to the far corners of his realm, tasking each with earning the loyalty and respect of the Human tribes that dwelt in their given lands and unifying them into a single nation under his rule. Thus did Zhao Ming go west, tasked with sharing the Cathayan Dragons' wisdom with the early alchemists of the great city of Shang-Yang.[10a]
Chaos Banished
The banner of Zhao Ming and the Western Provinces army of Grand Cathay as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.
When his firstborn daughter Shiyama, the Spirit Dragon, was slain by the foul machinations and sorcerous illusions of Chaos, the Dragon Emperor Xen Yang, having always secretly known the futility of his efforts to protect his family and subjects from Chaos while the Ruinous Powers were growing in strength each year, set in motion plans to slay the great beasts of the Aethyr that rallied the Daemonic legions. His preparations made, Xen Yang led the massed armies of Grand Cathay northwards.[10b]
Battling hordes of Daemons that coalesced from the magic-infused air about them, the host advanced slowly through the hinterlands between reality and the Aethyr until, eventually, the Realm of Chaos lay before them. Suddenly, a host of towering Daemon lords descended from the tortured heavens to challenge the Cathayan Dragons. Unperturbed, the Celestial Dragon Emperor and his children rose into the storm-wracked skies to meet the threat, revealing their true Draconic forms to the enemies arrayed against them.[10b]
One by one the greatest and most powerful Daemonic servants of the Dark Gods were laid low, torn asunder by the fury of the Cathayan Dragons. The ferocity of the Dragons and their mastery of the Winds of Magic proved too much for the Daemons arrayed against them, and the Dark Gods were forced to commit ever more of their legions to the battle. This fortunately coincided with the efforts of heroes from distant lands like the Elves of Ulthuan in the creation of the Great Vortex, and with their forces spread thin, Chaos was finally cast out from the mortal world, and the terrible wars of the Great Catastrophe brought to an end.[10b]
Outreach to the Old World
Zhao Ming, here standing among the armies of Grand Cathay alongside Balthasar Gelt, a Gold Wizard and Supreme Patriarch of the Imperial Colleges of Magic, is a commanding presence, like all the Cathayan Dragons.
When the Dragon Emperor had his astromancers call down a warpstone meteor on the Ogres in response to their depredations on Cathayan lands, he turned thousands of miles of rolling tundra beyond Grand Cathay's western border into an inhospitable wasteland, but the westernmost reaches of Cathay were preserved. Although the creation of this so-called "Warpstone Desert" had seemingly cut Cathay off from the lands to the west, the people of Grand Cathay were still eager to travel and explore. Among them was Zhao Ming, who decided to explore the barren lands beyond his borders.[10c]
Within the twisted and warped landscape of the Warpstone Desert, Zhao Ming's agents discovered unlimited alchemical treasures, treasures that were enthusiastically mined by the people of his capital at Shang-Yang. To facilitate such industry in such unfavourable climes, the Cathayans sought safe routes through the desert and crafted armoured wagons to which they bound protective charms.[10c]
Through these endeavors the agents of the Iron Dragon forged a permanent route through the narrowest part of the Warpstone Desert. The Ivory Road, as this trade route is known, followed a twisting path through the desert. Marked by great carven stones, each ensorcelled by the wizards of the Iron Dragon with powerful wards, the Ivory Road offered a route to the west which Zhao Ming explored eagerly.[10c]
Later on however, Cathay risked becoming insular and isolationist. The great Human empire of Nehekhara, once an ally of Cathay, had been subjected to the brutal reign of Nagash, the shockingly evil necromantic magics he unleashed leading the Dragon Emperor to reject the fickleness of outsiders and seek to make his own realm self-sufficient.[10d]
To this end Xen Yang raised up the Great Bastion to protect the northern borders of Cathay from the incursions of the Chaos Wastes' inhabitants, but even that could not stop his melancholy at Nehekhara's ultimate fall. Furthermore, even the Celestial Dragon knew a moment of fear at the thought of having to face the Great Necromancer in battle, and devoted more of his time to studying the mortal world and mastering magic, retreating from the day-to-day administration of the Celestial Empire and leaving more aspects of rule to his children.[10d]
Ultimately, however, despite the Dragon Emperor's desire to focus only upon the needs of his empire, Grand Cathay's thirst for travel and trade proved unquenchable. For Zhao Ming's part, he continued his explorations of the hostile lands beyond his borders, making use of ever larger Sky-junks to cross the heavens and visit distant lands. Such explorations brought him into contact with the Dwarfs of the Worlds Edge Mountains, and both he and his sister, the Storm Dragon Miao Ying, eagerly traded technological and alchemical knowledge with the Dawi.[10d]
Darkness and Disharmony
The "Time of Darkness and Disharmony" was a period between 1999 IC and 2380 IC when the Dragon Emperor and Moon Empress had been completely absent from Cathay, leaving the running of the empire to their children. Not even the Dragon siblings knew where they went, or if they would ever return. Throughout the empire, rebel lords and ambitious Lord Magistrates schemed to take power, while the countryside had become infested with criminals and bandit kings. 200 years into this period, Zhao Ming simply indulged himself, consumed as he was by his alchemical research. Only by year 2377 did all the siblings settle their differences and unite to depose the Monkey King who had seized power.[7][13]
Dealings with the Ogres
"Ha! Yes, that is true. Our fathers are indeed difficult to please, but I have yet to eat mine, Ogre. I fear that I'd end with a gut even more swollen than yours should I try!"
- —The Iron Dragon Zhao Ming to Tradelord Greasus Goldtooth.[9]
The banner of Zhao Ming as lord of the Western Provinces of Grand Cathay as depicted in Warhammer: The Old World.
At some point in the past, Greasus Goldtooth, then the newly crowned tyrant of the Ogre Goldtooth Tribe, arranged a meeting between Zhao Ming and himself in the Cathayan Tower of Ashshair. Greasus' predecessors had grown rich from plundering the trading caravans that crossed the Ivory Road from Grand Cathay westwards to the Old World, but Greasus was far more ambitious than they. At the meeting, the Ogre tyrant made a joke about the fact that he, like Zhao Ming, had a "difficult" relationship with his father, whom Greasus had killed and eaten to ascend to tyranthood.[8]
While Zhao Ming's retinue were outraged at the audacity a mere Ogre had to mock their immortal ruler, the Iron Dragon himself paused, then let out a powerful guffaw, which was quickly joined by Greasus' own belly laugh. That day Zhao Ming and the Ogre tyrant reached an agreement: Grand Cathay's caravans could move through the Goldtooth Tribe's territory, as long as they paid a toll to the Ogres. This allowed Grand Cathay to better trade with the other Human realms of the Old World. Years later, Greasus would unify all of the Ogre Kingdoms of the east under his rule, claiming the new title of "Overtyrant".[8]
Personality
"There's more than iron in Zhao Ming's blood. He rules a province too close to the Ogre's mouth -- a land blighted by fell minerals and overrun by cloaked vermin. It's got to him! His sisters know, his brothers suspect...but his mother, the Empress, will not let anyone besmirch his name."
- —Vivleth Shul, Mistress of the Sky-fire Order of Alchemists[9]
Zhao Ming's interest in alchemy and uncommon acceptance of the alchemists' talents and practices has drawn cabals of Metal and Fire Wizards to his realm, the presence of which he welcomes. These cabals use the Western Provinces' capital city of Shang-Yang as a base for their expeditions into the Warpstone Desert, some of whom never return, but others of which come back loaded with exotic ores that end up in the city's forges.[2][6][9][12]
During such times, the Iron Dragon is as enthusiastic as any of the other alchemists to begin experimenting. He is as skilled an artisan as those drawn to him, since he has had a Dragon's lifespan to perfect such expertise and research the mysteries of arcane metallurgy, and the strange elements found in the Warpstone Desert have only deepened Zhao Ming's fascination and understanding of alchemy.[2][6][9][12]
Yet decades of warpstone experimentation have taken a toll upon the Iron Dragon's mind. Proximity to the Warpstone Desert and the Great Maw, still seeping with the destructive magic that created it, has led some to believe his mind is beginning to unravel. Some among his subjects now fear that his mind has been permanently damaged from exposure to these alien materials. This would certainly explain some of the odd tendencies and decisions he makes.[2][4][9][12]
While the other Cathayan Dragons are usually cold-blooded and emotionally detached from the short-lived mortals they rule, the Iron Dragon will share a jape, or even a drink with his Human followers. Seen as a much more down-to-earth ruler and commander than his sister Miao Ying, Zhao Ming commands loyalty through comradeship, as well as his creation and use of powerful artefacts and magic items. But while such mortal-like behaviour inspires loyalty within his legions, it makes him stand apart from his Draconic kin.[6][12]
Relationship with Siblings
The Iron Dragon's Cathayan Dragon siblings look upon him with suspicion. Historically they have questioned his sanity, perpetuated the rumours that centuries in the Warpstone Desert have affected his mind, and fear that his proximity to the neighbouring lands might have somehow poisoned it.[2][4][6][9]
On one hand, they may be correct; the effects of living so close to the Great Maw alone cannot be fully ruled out. The Iron Dragon is prone to strange moods and unpredictability, the eccentricities and erratic behaviors he displays very worrying to his siblings in the imperial family.[2][4][6][9]
Yet, there is no solid evidence of Zhao Ming's insanity, and some of his siblings' accusations are unfair, or even slanderous. It is possible that his siblings smear his behaviour simply because they can't understand it. Certainly some take issue with him, most notably over his choice of preferred magic.[2][4][6][9]
Zhao Ming is one of Cathay's premier alchemists, and he welcomes others to his realm, much to the chagrin of some of his siblings, who find the insidious magics worrying for the Celestial Empire. Most obviously opposed to him in this regard is his older brother Yuan Bo, the Jade Dragon and Administrator of the Realm. Ming pays little mind to edicts from his father the Dragon Emperor and Yuan Bo stating that the alchemists in his domain are not imperially-sanctioned, and even finds it amusing to cause Yuan Bo so much worry.[4][6][7][9][12]
In fact, while the alchemists of Shang Yang are especially well-known, all kinds of outcast elemental wizards often gravitate to the Western Provinces and have formed the House of Secrets, a shadow of the Celestial Court that Yuan Bo rules. This is all much to the Jade Dragon's irritation, for he sees the encouragement of wizardly organisations outside of the direct control of the Celestial Court as dangerous to the empire.[4][6][7][9][12]
Meanwhile, Zhao Ming's older sister Miao Ying is often perceived, perhaps correctly, as the favourite of the Dragon Emperor by her siblings, a perception she does not help alter by lording her position over them. When they meet, she often stands apart, and Zhao Ming, by his nature a more gregarious character, gets especially offended by the Storm Dragon's aloofness.[5]
Relationship with Parents
The Iron Dragon rules by the grace of the Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress over the Western Provinces and the Ivory Road that leads westwards into the Mountains of Mourn. The Western Provinces suffer regular incursions of Skaven from the Warpstone Desert and Ogres from the Mountains of Mourn while the city of Shang-Yang itself has at times come under threat from not only the Ogre Kingdoms, but also the Hobgoblin Empire's raiders of Mourne, although the Iron Dragon's formidable presence has fended them off time and time again. The creation of the Great Maw still hangs heavy on Grand Cathay's Western Provinces, even as an uneasy peace is maintained by their defenders, and Shang-Yang is located in the middle of the Warpstone Desert itself.[2][4][6]
Yet despite all this, the Western Provinces also contain beasts and Men of all sorts coming from further west, and Shang-Yang is the largest city in western Cathay, a bustling metropolis full of traders from the Old World. Over the last few centuries Shang-Yang has become the end of a thread connecting Grand Cathay to the western lands along the Ivory Road, and Estalian, Tilean, and western Imperial travellers and ambassadors all have permanent quarters within the city. Many trade caravans leave Grand Cathay from Zhao Ming's domain, particularly to and from Shang-Yang -- seen as the gateway to the lands of the west -- and should they be successful in their journeys the Iron Dragon reaps immense wealth and prestige.[4][6]
And it is this element of commercial success that is particularly important to the Iron Dragon. The reason for this is because Zhao Ming is not as beloved by his father as his older sister Miao Ying. That said, while less favoured than his sister by the Celestial Dragon and of questionable mental soundness, his oddities are all still far from anything approaching insurrection or danger to the harmony of Grand Cathay. Certainly, the Celestial Dragon has never questioned the devotion of his son or his right to rule the western part of the empire.[6][9][12]
Furthermore, while the Iron Dragon may have his differences with his father, Zhao Ming has the particular favour of his mother, the Moon Empress Quai Yin. As the rumours say, she has a soft spot for him, and so while the alchemists of Shang-Yang are not officially sanctioned by the Dragon Emperor as Cathayan Astromancers are, Zhao Ming's status as a Cathayan Dragon and the Moon Empress' favourite child allow them to continue to practice their art. No matter what his siblings may think of him, the Moon Empress is very fond of her boisterous son, and will shield him from ire when the family assemblies become less than harmonious.[6][7 ][12]
Abilities
"Alchemy holds the true power!"
- —Zhao Ming[9]
As one of the rulers of Grand Cathay, Zhao Ming is an immortal Cathayan Dragon who can take on Human form, making him an incredibly powerful combatant, an amazing wizard, and a natural leader. He is a warrior hardened by the frontier, and a natural born one at that, though less innately skilled than his sister Miao Ying to the north. Indeed, while the sanity of the Iron Dragon might be in doubt, his strength and ferocity, and that of his forces, have never been.[1][2][4][9]
Zhao Ming is ever-resilient to magical attack -- both his scales and will are like the hardest metal known to mortal men when confronted with the Elemental Winds. Furthermore, his armies can harness his mighty strength and near-invulnerability for a time, warding them from magical attack while allowing them to tear through the armour of their enemies.[1][2][4][9]
But Zhao Ming possesses not only the raw Celestial power of all Cathayan Dragons, but pairs it with incomparable elemental wisdom. The Lord of Shang-Yang wields the Lore of Yang, but the Iron Dragon's mastery of the Lore of Metal permits him to easily afflict his enemies with a Plague of Rust, or make them suffer the Final Transmutation into gold.[9]
As a master Cathayan Alchemist, Ming can also transmute and transform base metals in the midst of combat so that they might strike harder and better at the Celestial Dragon Emperor's enemies. His alchemical skills further allow him to use the strange minerals of the Warpstone Desert to create unique weapons for his armies; the weapons crafted in the Western Provinces are always forged from that region's strongest and most unique metals.[9]
So too does Zhao Ming show a great preference for the art of alchemy among his armies, its practitioners having steadily gained power and acceptance over the centuries thanks to his favour. It is because they help him in his experiments that many magical weapons and armours can be forged in his cities. The Cathayan Alchemists of Shang-Yang use the rare elements found in the Warpstone Desert to create powerful potions and metal alloys, and their strange alchemy bolsters the Iron Dragon's fortress city.[4][6][9]
Additionally, a common sight in Shang-Yang are Ogre mercenaries, whose battle prowess benefits Cathay's armies. Indeed, despite the challenges he faces and his questionable mental stability, Zhao Ming is still an immortal and ancient Dragon, possessed of untold authority, in command of an impressive following, and a force to be reckoned with all his own.[4][6][9]
Wargear
- Horns of Shang-Yang - Given to him by his mother the Moon Empress Quai Yin, legend has it this imposing headdress allows Zhao Ming to control the Iron Winds.[9]
- Desert Armour - Crafted from the unusual minerals found in the Warpstone Desert, Zhao Ming's armour protects him from all but the fiercest blows.[9]
- The Burning Vambraces - As a capable blacksmith, these vambraces are thought to be Zhao Ming's own creations, allowing him to channel all the Elemental Winds of Yang.[9]
Videos
Trivia
In Mandarin Chinese, the Iron Dragon's name, Zhao Ming (昭明), is written with the characters 昭 (Zhāo - "Dawn; to make clear/illuminate") and 明 (Míng - "Brightness"), which can be translated as "Dawn's Brightness" or "Illuminating Light".[3]
Sources
- 1: Total War Blog - Total War: Warhammer III - An Introduction to Grand Cathay
- 2: Total War: WARHAMMER III - The Game: Zhao Ming, the Iron Dragon
- 3: Reddit - Chinese names of the new Cathay legendary Lords and Chaos Gods + their meaning
- 4: Total War Blog - The lore, lands, and history of Grand Cathay in Total War: WARHAMMER III
- 5: Total War Blog - Who is Miao Ying, the Storm Dragon?
- 6: Total War Blog - Who is Zhao Ming, the Iron Dragon?
- 7: Full Interview With Warhammer 3's Lead Writer Andy Hall - Total War Warhammer 3 - Lorebeards Podcast Oct 12, 2021
- 8: Total War Blog - Who is Tradelord, Hoardmaster, Tribestealer Greasus Goldtooth, the Shockingly Obese?
- 9: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game}
- 10: Arcane Journal: Armies of Grand Cathay (Warhammer: The Old World)
- 11: Enter the World of Grand Cathay | Total War: WARHAMMER III
- 12: Total War Blog - TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER III GRAND CATHAY ROSTER REVEAL
- 13: Warhammer: The Old World Rulebook (Warhammer: The Old World)
- 13a: pg. 87