The Xianzhou Zhuming (Chinese: 朱明) is one of the six Flagships owned by the Hexafleet of the Xianzhou Alliance. It is led by the the Arbiter-General Huaiyan, known as the "Flaming Heart," who is also the Furnace Master of the Artisanship Commission, like all past Zhuming Generals. It is also known as the "Starforge".[1] The Zhuming's specialty export is porcelain.[2]
While the Heliobi were wiped out toward the end of the Flaming Catastrophe, a small number of them could still be found on the Zhuming.[3] According to Qingzu, Zhuming residents love to play with fire, and it is said the Xianzhou Zhuming will continue to ally with fire, journey with fire, and share its destiny with that of the fire.[4][5]
Overview[]
The Xianzhou Zhuming is one of the six flagships of the Xianzhou Alliance. It sails in the endless ocean of stars like a tempered hammer, creating many marvels of weaponry for the Cloud Knights to use in battle.
The Xianzhou Zhuming has been known for its exquisite craftsmanship and alchemy techniques since it first set sail during the Primeval Imperium era. In the course of its voyage over the past eight thousand years, modifications have been constantly carried out on the Xianzhou Zhuming, such that it no longer resembles how it originally looked. Regardless, the fire of innovation and knowledge burning in the hearts of the craftsmen on board has never been extinguished.
After the Flaming Catastrophe War, the Flint Emperor, predecessor of all heliobi, was imprisoned within the Zhuming. While in captivity, it fell into a deep slumber. Craftsmen of the Zhuming then constructed the ring-shaped Flamewheel Forge around this creature of celestial levels of pure energy, drawing upon this source of infinite energy for their use.
By now, the Xianzhou Zhuming has become the holy land of artisanship renowned throughout the stars. Its production engineering technology rivaling that of Planet Screwllum and Pier Point has attracted countless people seeking to learn, and who have all returned home with an abundance of knowledge.
Description[]
Appearance[]
The Zhuming is described to look different than a typical Xianzhou ship, like an intricately-carved filigree golden lotus, gradually unfolding its lustrous leaves around the cone-headed central hull. The giant glowing "lotus leaves" gradually spread out around the "light poles" and are bathed in a soft blue glow. At its center is a spherical cage encasing a blue sun. This structure is known as the Flamewheel Forge.[6] It was said that the craftsmen here were liberal in form and definition, and that the residents have completely transformed the ship beyond recognition since their departure several millennia ago.[7]
Technology[]
Xianzhou artifex technology is on the bleeding edge, with the Zhuming being among the most advanced of all. Just as Elixir Seekers rush to the Luofu in a neverending stream, so too is the Zhuming on par with Pier Point and Planet Screwllum for craft apprentices and production engineering technology. Countless Outworlders come to the Zhuming from all over the cosmos to study skills, and most return to their homelands afterward to disseminate those learnings, and countless craftsmen are busy melting metals and forging their masterpieces.
Apprentices from different worlds come together before the Forge and become fellow students, then compete and share their skills. Outworlders who come in search of marvelous tools also pay a hefty sum to commission artisans to craft otherworldly items — however, the countless apprentices over the millennia have rarely been favored by General Huaiyan, the "Artisan of Artisans." Whenever he tutors students himself and personally passes on his skills both as a craftsman and a soldier, these students would either become grandmasters who leave a mark in the annals as Furnace Masters, or Cloud Knights with names that thunder through the Alliance such as the Flamewheel Octet.[6] The ship's blast furnaces are smoldering with flames, and various ingenia are constantly being transported on its deck.[8]
Weapons[]
Some sixty or seventy percent of all the Xianzhou's armory comes from the artisans of the Zhuming, and they don't lack for arms. As such, General Huaiyan was willing to allocate three hundred fighter jets, twenty thousand thunder crossbows, and twenty thousand devastator glaives to reinforce the Heroncrest Fleet, but only a dozen or so personnel.[7] They are known for their use of artillery in combat, and have weapons of mass destruction such as Zhuming Flames and Alchemical Arrows.[9][10] The Zhuming itself also possesses enormous cannons that are forged by the Disatta.[5]
Heliobus[]
According to Hanya, the Zhuming is under the influence of the Reignbow Arbiter, and the people there are able to coexist with the heliobi while being free from their manipulation.[11] The Zhuming houses the Flint Emperor, the progenitor of the heliobi, within the Flamewheel Forge. Due to the Flint Emperor's power, the Zhuming is accompanied by multicolored light bands in space.
On the outermost skirts of these Flint Emperor's breaths, newborn heliobi slowly come into being. The Flamehunt Judges of the Zhuming Ten-Lords Commission then capture these heliobi before they come into contact with emotions and tame them with gentle dreams. These harmless heliobi are passed to the Artisanship Commission's Temperaflame Office where they are matched with various objects in the Zhuming, such as lamps and vehicles.[5]
The Zhuming is less conservative when it comes to heliobi compared to the Luofu. If a heliobus on the Zhuming is encountered that was capable and had no harmful intentions, it would definitely not be sealed up.[12]
Zhuming flower-drum opera is a type of performance art that is traditionally sung by two singers to produce that eeriness of being possessed by heliobi. "Wedding Wine" is the most famous of all the Zhuming flower-drum opera.[13]
Flora and Fauna[]
Tuskpirs originate from the Xianzhou Zhuming and are often kept as pets due to their ability to feed on dreams and treat psychological concerns such as anxiety. A migratory beast, it lives in hot springs, valleys, and other places with geothermal heat.[14] Berrypheasants can also be found in the wilds of the Zhuming. Berrypheasants live in symbiosis with plants, with a lot of fruit hanging from their tails. During the Fire Taboo Festival, every household in the Xianzhou Alliance will pre-cook berrypheasant eggs, each shell intricately engraved with gorgeous patterning that symbolizes auspice. The Xianzhou people may have engraved these eggshells themselves in the past, but over the generations, people gradually began to buy up machine-engraved eggs instead. The Zhuming also has a species of wolfberries and pepper.[15][16]
Areas[]
Flamewheel Forge[]
Flamewheel Forge
The Flamewheel Forge is the foundational base of the Xianzhou Zhuming's Artisanship Commission and the most important location for the Zhuming's manufacturing industry. An unknown emperor of the Primeval Imperium was said to have once gifted the master craftsman of the Zhuming, Grand Artisan Yang Di, with a weapons-casting mold in honor of its maiden voyage. To this day it remains, passed down through the ages to be the pride of place in the palace. "Smelt for a thousand stars; quicken with steel of heroes. The forge's light boosts power and might; and armaments guard both hearth and meal." These verses hang in adornment in the main hall of the Flamewheel Forge.
Inside the palace also contains the Flint Emperor, also known as the Primordial Flame or Pseudo Sun.[7] It is said that it is a living flame that slumbers in the engine of the Zhuming. It is a creature the Xianzhou regarded as a great enemy in the old days, also called the Primordial Flame. The craftsmen of the Zhuming used every means available to imprison it in the furnace and used its power to forge various divine weapons.[17] Therefore, the Flamewheel Forge came to be regarded as the holy pilgrimage site for such technologies in the entire Cosmos. The Zhuming uses the Flint Emperor as an inexhaustible power source.[5]
The Flamewheel Forge appears as a spherical cage the size of a celestial object containing a blue sun at the center of the Zhuming. The Flamewheel Forge has intricate branch-like track systems that cover the star as much as possible, and the delicate boughs and leaves are choked with receptors and transmitters that guide the Primordial Flame "Flint Emperor" to provide energy for all technological developments. [6]
Deeper past the Forge is the hypergravity field created by the Pseudo Sun. Regular folk struggle to endure a stellar density of this degree. It is an inwardly collapsing disorder that only Disatta artisans can traverse with ease. The scorching stellar surges and abnormal celestial phenomena prevent the curious from continuing to approach the Pseudo Sun. All fundamental physical laws of the universe have been augmented to a terrifying degree in this space.
Only one stout and powerful stellar race, the Disatta, can survive in spaces with such gravitational abnormalities. The Disatta are natural-born elite artisans. They pass between the Forge and the Pseudo Sun, and their perception of time has long strayed from that of normal beings. They keep their promise and continue to improve their artisanship, keeping watch over the Pseudo Sun's slumber. The Xianzhou Zhuming regards Disatta as loyal allies, respecting their tenacity and strength, while being grateful for their selfless sacrifice.[5]
Firmamend Temple[]
The Firmamend Temple was built by the IPC on the Zhuming during the Crisis of Belief, a 600 year time period between the Year 3400 to 4000 Star Calendar where Qlipoth was once the pillar of the Xianzhou Alliance's beliefs. The temple is now an affiliated academy of the Zhuming Artisanship Commission.[18] Achievements in Alchemy is an alchemy textbook used in the academy. The book compiled by the Zhuming Alchemy Commission is a comprehensive summary of alchemical prescriptions and their smelting and refinement techniques.[19]
Alchemy Commission[]
The Zhuming's Alchemy Commission compiled the book Achievements in Alchemy [sic], a comprehensive summary of alchemical prescriptions and their smelting and refinement techniques. The book is used as a textbook in the academy.[19] Piercing Gaze sect of the Zhuming's Alchemy Commission uses specialist medical treatments such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, and pyropathy. Ardens Regia is a practitioner of this healing art.[20] It can be used to purge evil from the soldiers of the Dawn Army when the connection between a person and a heliobus becomes unstable.[21]
Radiant Zenith[]
The vast starskiff platform was described as seemingly chiseled out of a single block of moonstone, so big that it disappears over the horizon with a comfortable, soothing honey-yellow color and the seamless integration of the structure's frame into the port — as if it's an array of metals sprouting from the minerals below. It is described as a proud and blatant display of craftsmanship sulpted deliberately to debunk any biased ideas Outworlders might have formed before they arrived on the Zhuming.[7]
Dragon Palace's Kitchen[]
The Zhuming is also home to the Dragon Palace's Kitchen, the only Interastral Gourmet Association-rated five star restaurant among all the Xianzhou ships.[22]
History[]
During the Heliobi Wars, the Heliobi formed a red micro-star in an attempt to capture the Xianzhou fleet. A suicide squad, led by the Reignbow, disassembled and weaponized the ship's auxiliary engines to fight the Heliobi. The Xianzhou's suicide squad sent the weaponized auxiliary engine straight into the red star formed by the Heliobi, causing it to undergo early decay and implode into a black hole. The defeated Heliobi leader, the Flint Emperor, was imprisoned and sentenced to serve as the power source for the Xianzhou Zhuming for the rest of their eternal life.[23]
In the Theophany Era, in December, Year 2607 Star Calendar, the Xianzhou Zhuming, alongside the Yaoqing and Fanghu, introduced its own Yellowjacket Census and Almanacs, advising of all death revitalizations on Xianzhou for that year.[24] On February, Year 3198 Star Calendar, the Xianzhou fleet was embroiled in chaos due to coarse revolts on several ships. The coarse master messaged each ship and they launched an assault on the Xianzhou Zhuming, holing up in a delve with an expeditionary force to fight against the nobles. Both sides eventually reached a ceasefire and join forces to defeat the rebelling aurumatons, dispatching envoys to negotiate peace with each other. A peace agreement is reached and military affairs are curtailed. Troops are reorganized to defeat the aurumatons, putting an end to the aurumaton rebellion.[25]
During the Era of Bloodshed, the Xianzhou Alliance encountered the Dyson tree Muldrasil, homeland of the Wingweavers, feeding off nearby stars, and war broke out between them. Due to lack of manpower from earlier conflicts, the Xianzhou Alliance released their prisoners from cryo-hibernation to counter the invasion, including the previously imprisoned Reignbow. The Reignbow went into the prison deep within the Xianzhou Zhuming to persuade the the Flint Emperor to help them fight off the Denizens of Abundance. The two of them made a deal, and the Reignbow allowed the Flint Emperor to possess their physical body, in exchange for the power of the Heliobi. Inspired by the Reignbow's sacrifice, other Xianzhou residents made the same deal, forming suicide squads and marching alongside the Heliobi. During the battle, the Reignbow shot their Sky-Shattering Lux Arrow from the bow of the Yaoqing, using their famed bow "Xuanyuan", causing great casualties among even the furthest ships, the Xuling and Fanghu. After the battle, the Reignbow disappeared.[23] Between the Year 3400 to 4000 Star Calendar during the Crisis of Belief, the IPC built the Firmamend Temple on the Zhuming.[18]
In The Year 4800 of the Star Calendar, the five lineages of the Vidyadhara made alliance on the Yuque, putting their sacred vow into writing. "This oath shall remain unbroken, standing stronger than even earth and steel." High Elder Ardens Regia was bound to watch over the Primordial Flame on the Zhuming.[26]
At some point in history, the Zhuming, alongside the Yaoqing and Fanghu, engaged in warfare against Lord Ravager Celenova and her troops.[27] In the Year 5700 Star Calendar, Celenova boarded a Xianzhou ship and requested a ceasefire with the Xianzhou Zhuming, requesting the ship to change course and assist in attacking the homeworld of the wingweavers.[28] In 7032 Star Calendar, 23-year-old Izumitamagawa arrived at the Xianzhou Zhuming as a trade specialist, and resided there as a visitor for the rest of her life. She realized that the galaxy's knowledge of the Xianzhou Alliance at the time was mostly based on incomplete stories or unfounded rumors. Therefore, she resolved to author an epic work that would comprehensively present the Xianzhou civilization to foreigners. That was how, forty years later, the Grand Encyclopedia of Xianzhou was born.[29]
Once, a delegation containing Baiheng and a dozen others were sent to request for arms and reinforcements from the Zhuming for the Yaoqing's Heroncrest Fleet, who were occupied with fighting the Borisin. They were recieved by General Huaiyan's apprentice, Yingxing, at Radiant Zenith and escorted through by the Flamewheel Forge, where they observed the Flint Emperor's light being sealed. There, they met with Huaiyan, who was willing to allocate three hundred fighter jets, twenty thousand thunder crossbows, and twenty thousand devastator glaives in response to Helm-Master Qingying's request for reinforcements, but only a dozen or so personnel.[7]
At some point, Hanguang was recognized as an exceptional swordsmith, described as the greatest master craftsman since Yingxing. Travelers from all over would visit the Flamewheel Forge to get one of his swords. He had an unusual passion for forging, and dreamed of forging a sword with self-awareness that would surpass humans. In order to create this kind of weapon, he infused heliobi into swords and forged swords that could grant their wielders strength and valor, and even make decisions for them.
However, these swords would absorb all the anger, fear, and bloodlust they experienced during countless battles, becoming "cursed swords." The soldiers wielding them were consumed by malice, turning into puppets possessed by their swords. Despite the devastating effects, outworlders encouraged Hanguang to keep forging cursed swords. Obsessed with becoming a famed swordsmith, and spurred on by outworlders claiming they needed his swords for all sorts of reasons, he forged a total of 1,382 heliobus cursed swords.[9]
Sometime in the past, Ardens Regia, the high elder of the Xianzhou Zhuming, sent a Vidyadhara craftsman to the Luofu to teach the masters of the Luofu Artisanship Commission about craftsmanship. The craftsman then started their hatching rebirth with the intent to pass back their improved knowledge back to the Zhuming after their rebirth.[30]
Around the time of the Third War of Abundance, Yunhua, the Luofu's Cauldron Master, and her apprentice, Lingsha were banished to the Zhuming. During her stay, Lingsha studied under Ardens Regia.[31]
One day, the Flamewheel Forge was overrun by visitors from afar. The chaos of the mob eventually broke out into a massacre. Hanguang was fatally stabbed by one of the swords he forged. Though many other people died, including Yunli's mother, Yunli managed to escape and was later adopted by Huaiyan. Yunli grew to resent her father for his sins and made a vow to hunt down all the cursed swords he forged, becoming a sword hunter of the Flamewheel Octet.[9]
In recent history, Crimson Thorn, one of Huanguang's cursed swords, had fallen into the hands of Thanjar, a member of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Scouts of the Goldencrow Fleet traced Thanjar to the depths of Insumousu, where he was found impersonating a Xianzhou citizen to coerce locals and water dwellers to salvage various sunken Daiyu relics for him. Yunli spent nearly a month hunting him down on Thalassa until she faced him combat, defeating him and retrieving Crimson Thorn.[32]
In November, Year 8098 Star Calendar, the Xianzhou Zhuming reported that it was moored in the Le Roy Ladurie cluster's Stella Yamazaki star system, inside the territory of the Klimt Republic. The Zhuming is set to remain there for 10 Star Calendar years to conduct scientific exchanges. They hoped to deploy advanced forging technology in exchange for some of the rich local mineral deposits.[33]
On August 2, Year 8100 Star Calendar, Lingsha is appointed as the new Cauldron Master of the Alchemy Commission aboard the Xianzhou Luofu.[34]
Characters[]
Playable Characters[]
1 Character matches the category selection:
| Character | Rarity | Path | Combat Type |
|---|---|---|---|
 Yunli |  |  Destruction |  Physical |
Upcoming Characters[]
Known Personnel[]
Leadership[]
- Huaiyan — General of the Cloud Knights and Furnace Master of the Artisanship Commission
- Ardens Regia — High Elder of the Vidyadhara
Artisanship Commission[]
- Huaiyan — Furnace Master of the Artisanship Commission
- Yingxing — Huaiyan's Apprentice and Craftsman (transferred to the Luofu)
- Hanguang — Huaiyan's Apprentice and Craftsman
Cloud Knights[]
- Yunli — Flamewheel Octet Sword Hunter
Cloud Knight Units[]
- Flamewheel Octet
- Goldencrow Fleet
- Dawn Army
Gallery[]
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | The Xianzhou Zhuming |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 仙舟「朱明」 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 仙舟「朱明」 |
| Japanese | 仙舟「朱明」 |
| Korean | 선주 「주명」 |
| Spanish | El Zhuming de Xianzhou |
| French | Zhuming de Xianzhou |
| Russian | Чжумин Сяньчжоу |
| Thai | Xianzhou "Zhuming" |
| Vietnamese | Xianzhou Zhuming |
| German | Die Xianzhou Zhuming |
| Indonesian | Xianzhou "Zhuming" |
| Portuguese | O Zhuming do Xianzhou |
Change History[]
References[]
- ↑ Trailblaze Continuance, Finest Duel Under the Pristine Blue (I): Homecoming Wardance
- ↑ Readable: The Luofu Sky-Faring Commission Guilds List
- ↑ Seat of Divine Foresight File Repository: Nemesis — Abomination: Heliobi
- ↑ Readable: List of Archenemies
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Relic, Forge of the Kalpagni Lantern: Forge's Heavenly Flamewheel Silk
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Relic, Forge of the Kalpagni Lantern: Forge's Lotus Lantern Wick
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Readable: Views of the Universe from a Starskiff: The Xianzhou Zhuming
- ↑ NPC: Ruoyue fortune
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Companion Mission, Vita Infinita: Swords to Plowshares
- ↑ Data Bank, Characters, Jingliu: Character Story: Part II
- ↑ Trailblaze Continuance, A Foxian Tale of the Haunted (Continuance): Fyxestroll Gathering (I)
- ↑ Lingsha's Voice-Over: Tail
- ↑ Fyxestroll Garden Interactable: Ghost actor
- ↑ Pet: Tuskpir
- ↑ Readable: Jiaoqiu's Consumable Prescription
- ↑ Readable: Cold Foods, Heliobi, and Injustice: A Study of the Custom of the Fire Taboo Festival
- ↑ Fu Xuan's Voice-Over: Knowledge 3
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Readable: An Overview of the Faith Crises in the Xianzhou Alliance
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Readable: Overview of Xianzhou's Materia Medica
- ↑ Data Bank, Characters, Lingsha: Character Story: Part III
- ↑ Lingsha's Voice-Over: Knowledge
- ↑ NPC: Yancui
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Readable: Annotations from "Ode to Reignbow Path"
- ↑ Readable: History of the Xianzhou: Errata
- ↑ Readable: History of the Xianzhou: Errata
- ↑ YouTube: Animated Short: Ichor of Two Dragons | Honkai: Star Rail
- ↑ Seat of Divine Foresight File Repository: Nemesis — Ruin: Celenova
- ↑ List of Archenemies: Ruin Scroll: Lord Ravager
- ↑ Readable: Overview of Xianzhou's Materia Medica, The Unorthodox Collection
- ↑ Location: Scalegorge Waterscape: Investigations
- ↑ Trailblaze Continuance, Finest Duel Under the Pristine Blue (I): The Quieting of Quillons
- ↑ Readable: Sword Hunt Journal: Crimson Thorn
- ↑ Readable: Records of Yellowbell Resonance
- ↑ Readable: A Page From the Alchemy Commission's Official Gazette
