Yi (羿) is the protagonist and only playable character of Nine Sols. He was a former member of the Ten Sols of the Tiandao Council, who carries the Sol Seal of Innovation.
Purpose[]
Yi, a Tao Alchemist called Fangshi(方士) is vengeful hero exploring the land once home to an ancient alien called New Kunlun race. Yi's quest is to slay the nine members of the Tiandao Council, called the Nine Sols, the formidable rulers of a forsaken known as the New Kunlun and the ones who rule over all Solarians, as a form of revenge for the way they betrayed and deceived him.
When this is over, Yi wants to take control of the New Kunlun by taking their Sol Seals, seize all of New Kunlun's authority, expose the ugly reality of Tiandao Council to the Solarians, and return to Penglai, his and all other Solarians' home planet.
Appearance[]
Yi has a cat-like appearance, a common feature of Solarians. He has cream-colored fur, a round head, pointed ears and two fur tufts on each side of his face, along with a small, triangular nose. He has big, almond-shaped eyes with large, black pupils and no visible iris highlights. His mouth or eyebrows are invisible, but he mainly expresses his feelings in a way that opens his eyes or frowns. His hands look like human, the fingers of which are tipped with claws instead of nails.
Yi dons an outfit that consists of a black bodysuit, black shoes on white socks, and a long, oversized yellow hanfu robe bearing his Sol symbol and Fangshi symbol. Yi has a smaller stature compared to other characters, and a jade ring-shaped device on his body that stabilizes the heart. These features are related to the accident that almost cost him his life when he was younger.
As a child, he dressed in a teal colored Changshan (Chinese-Manchurian traditional clothing), and the fur tufts on his face were noticeably smaller as well. After he became a pupil of Eigong and joined the Tiandao Council, he started wearing deep teal-grey Changsan and teal Magu decorated with a Norigae bearing the symbol ofcouncil, although his Hanfu robe was deep teal during his time as a council member.
Story[]
Become one with the Tao…
New Kunlun, the Solarians' last sanctuary, has remained quiet for centuries. Inside this vast realm, the ancient gods bequeathed mortals with a promised land that is forever protected by a set of sacred rituals. Yet the truth of this world remains unknown to most. Everything changes when Yi, a long forgotten hero from the past, is awoken by a human child.
Past[]
In Xia Kingdom on the planet Penglai, Yi was born to two unnamed parents, and later had a his younger sister Heng. In his childhood, Yi had always been a science-driven person, focusing on his dream to benefit the other Solarians with his scientific knowledge. However, since the Xia kingdom was also home to Lear, the great Fangshi who founded the Fangshi Guild and unified Penglai's 9 Kingdom, under his influence, there was a widespread atmosphere of rejecting science and worshipping Taoism, and so did Yi's parents. As a result, Yi grew up and was estranged from his parents.
But nevertheless Yi wasn't lonely because he was remained close to his young sister Heng, who liked him the most and followed him. However, Yi ignored Heng's ability to communicate with nature and explain the Fusang tree's rut, thinking she was delusional because she had no friends and was good at making up stories. So he would hang out with Heng and tell her many several science-related stories to enlighten her on its merits.
One day, Yi heard that Eigong, the famous and great scientist who had been touring Penglai's all kingdoms to hold science conferences, would schedule a visit to the Xia kingdom. So Yi planned to let Eigong know by presenting the results to her on the day she came to the Xia kingdom by realizing Eigong's theory on his own. And, Yi began inventing the Azure Flyer, which would later be called Mystic Nymph, in his secret lab with Heng as an assistant without their parents' knowledge, But On the day of the Mystic Nymph's completion, Yi ignored Heng's dissuasion and extracted energy from the Primordial Roots of the Fusang Tree to conduct a manoeuvring experiment. As a result, the Primordial Roots' rampage disrupted the experiment, Yi protected Heng from the dangerous explosion, but he was caught up in the explosion, lost half his body, and died in a horrific form that revealed his heart. However, through Heng's ability to resonate with the pusang tree, Yi was revived by fusion with the Primordial root, and this news caught the Eigong's Attention. So Eigong treated Yi by inserting a stablization device in the form of a jade ring on his heart, and then kept him as a her pupil yo keep an eye on him that Yi could bring innovation to the Penglai with science together. because Yi is now being connected to the Fusang tree, as Eigong has been working on theories about eternity life.
After becoming Eigong's pupil, Yi spent 7 years working researching about on scientific innovation. Soon he became a Sol, an executive member of the Tiandao Council, as Eigong's most trusted pupil. During this time, he also met his best friend Kuafu. But in the meantime, many Solarians were dying from the Tianhuo virus that had spread across Penglai. So, Yi offered the Eternal Cauldron Project, he devised as a solution for a council that promised society that it would find a cure to save Solarians who are still safe from the Tianhuo virus. And as Eigong persuaded and adopted the plan he had drawn up, Yi made arrangements with Tiandao Council to proceed with the plan, and finally the completion of the project was just around the corner.
However due to the project, Yi's parents refused to be associated with their son, saying they should follow Taoism's course. Both parents also opposed Yi's request to allow Heng to be associated with him, referring to previous incidents, asking her not to do any more damage. Eventually, Yi's parents died after contracting the Tianhuo virus, and Yi wanted to protect Heng, who was now the only family member. But Heng hesitated about his brother's will - Because as both Yi and Heng grew up, their philosophies began to differ. While Heng believed that all Solarians should respect the nature's cycle and accept returning to earth once their lives were over, Yi disagreed and declared that scientific advancements were more important on benefiting the Solarian society.
Eventually, the siblings broke off when Heng did not join Yi's plan and declared that she would stay at Penglai, despite Yi's persuasion. Yi, caught up in despair and betrayal that even his precious sister abandoned him while he was not recognized by his parents, left Heng with harsh words that he would no longer consider her as his family if she did not go with him, but this was not his real intention.
Unfortunately, before New Kunlun's departure from Penglai, Yi was caught in a sense of betrayal upon discovering Eigong was the main culprit for spreading the virus of Tianhuo and causing his family to die. Yi tried to expose Eigong's sins and shut down the Eternal Cauldron Project for all Solarians. But Yi became isolated because Eigong discouraged anyone to support him, cajoling the rest of the council to deceive or side with her. Eventually, Yi was threatened by mysterious madam wearing a bamboo hat covering her face with a black veil, fatally wounded by a sword she wielded and hung on to the cliff moribundly, but soon fell off the cliff and died.
After falling off a cliff, Primordial Roots wrapped around the bleeding hero's body. Yi was saved by the roots of the Fusang tree, sleeping for 500 years before awakening. Due to his slumber, he was unable to return to Heng in time, as New Kunlun had already been launched into space.
Present[]
500 years later, the image of Yi's sister flowed into the image of a human child just as Yi was waking up. Yi builds a tent where he wakes up and secludes himself in and out of the cave while he recovers, while becoming siblings-like with the human child, Shuanshan, who wakes Yi up. Sometimes Yi follows Shuanshuan to the Peach Blossom Village, where Shuanshuan and other Apemen live. However, Yi had to hide himself by wearing a bamboo hat covering his face with a black veil when entering the village, because he was aware that Apemen were serving him and other Solarians as Divine one. But for after a year of recovery, he has been able to earn the trust of the villagers and be accepted by them by helping them with things that put them in trouble. Only one person, a brawny man named Shennong, who is ostracized as a conspiracy theorist in the village, suspected Yi and got into a fight.
2 years later, on the day of the good harvest festival in the village, Shuanshuan is chosen to "live with the gods". Yi knows things are not what it seems, but he planned to infiltrate the underground facility as soon as this sacrifice ceremony is over. However, Yi breaks protocol by saving Shuanshuan and disrupting the ceremony, which reveals his real identity during so. Soon Yi says goodbye to Shuanshuan he's been with for 2 years, and infiltrates New Kunlun through a body-carrying elevator.
As expected, Yi's quest begins more difficult as the unexpected actions he undertakes are delivered to Nine Sols, who governs New Kunlun, and he is considered an intruder. But Yi doesn't care that he's going to have to face it one day, and he quickly exits the Apemen processing facility -which he could have managed with the Apemen farm if he had gone through with the project without knowing the truth of the Council- and arrives at the New Kunlun's central square of New Kunlun. Soon, Yi follows the guidance of his loyal AI secretary, Abacus-Ruyi, completing the charge of Mystic nymphs in a hiding place and reuniting with Ruyi by unlocking the password on the Ruyi's Abacus device. With Ruyi setting up the Four Season Pavilion, which will be Yi's base and hideout camp, Yi is finally ready then embarks on a quest to take over the other Sol Seals in order to regain control over the Eternal Cauldron Project.
However, Yi's journey, blinded by revenge, starts unexpectedly when Shuanshuan, a boy who thought he had left it in the village, even comes to Four Season Pavilion. During the journey, First, Yi has more connections with Shuanshuan by presenting items from Solarians for Shuanshuan who awaits him. Second, Yi is reconciling with his old friend Kuafu, who was almost falling out due to misunderstanding, upgrades the performance of his equipment through kuafu's craftman skills. Third, He gains his trust by helping the Shennong, whose life was in critical condition after chasing him to find out the truth of the world, and boosts stamina with the Shennong's medicine brew. Fourth, Yi trades with Chiyou, an ancient but self-aware itinerant peddler, for assistive gear to help improve his abilities. Last, He learns Fangshi skills from Lear the legendary fangshi through Fusang Tree's Primal Roots.
In the process of defeating the 8 Sols of Tiandao Council and obtains the Sol Seal, Yi gradually looks back on the mistakes and makes many people feel guilty about the eternal caldron project and realize that all apemen who were considered and used as livestock are also human beings. And as he rethinks the blind scientific worship, he gradually walks down the path of Tao that Heng wanted to walk, even though he has been ignoring them.
But towards the end of the game, Yi falls into Eigong's trap and loses all the Sol Seals he has collected so far, and loses Ruyi. Yi Knows that he won't be able to survive, However, even if the fate of the Solarians ended, Yi, who wanted to protect the lives of the Apemen, decides to return them all to their ancestors' hometown, Pale Blue Planet. But when Shuanshan insists on following Big Bro because he doesn't want to lose his family again, Yi confesses that he is the real culprit who caused indelible damage to Shuanshan and all the other Apemen. Nevertheless, let's ask Shuanshan not to dwell on the past and to remain a family, saying the present is important, Yi gives Shuanshuan the Mystic Nymph and makes a promise with a white lie, "I'll finish things and follow you, so let's go see the sea of blue stars together." So, Yi lets go Kuafu with Shuanshuan and Shenong, other Apemen on the evacuation ship. Last, when he's left alone, Heng has sent him to the end of his life in his hometown, but he doesn't read the messages he received until 500 light years later, and he apologizes to Heng belatedly.
Finally, Yi has a final showdown with Eigong in the New Kunlun Central Core Room to prevent Eigong's dangerous ambitions. After 3 phase battles, Yi finally knocks down his old teacher. She "Are you not afraid of destruction?" Yi tries to persuade her again, saying, "I'm afraid of destruction, but now that I've learned to accept failure, it's okay." But, Eigong releases the mutant virus she had inoculated into her body as her final attack, contaminating the core of the Fusang Tree, and the contaminated roots quickly cover all sections of New Kunlun.
In the end, Yi sacrifices himself to end the Solarians' dying misery and ensure the humans' future, after bids farewell to his friends. After everything is done, he is able to relieves and finally able to reunite with Heng in the afterlife.
Personality[]
As a child, Yi had always been prideful. He also had a fascination on studying science, and was very stubborn about pursuing this goal even against the wishes of his parents. He loves his younger sister Heng dearly, but is usually too stoic to express his affection for her. His stubbornness and impulsiveness is also the reason why he cut contact with Heng, a decision that he deeply regrets.
After being awakened from slumber 500 years later, Yi initially still retains a strong sense of pride, but now it brings out an additional petty and vengeful streak in him too. These are what, in part, drove him to seek vengeance on the council of Sols for having deceived him. Yi's pride and desire for revenge also drive him to kill the other Sols in cruel ways at times, such as when he tortured a still-living Goumang with her Jiangshi collar technology. However, after spending more time with Shuanshuan and the other humans, he starts to open up and comes to see that there are more valuable things in life than just revenge.
At some point during his journey of eliminating the council of Sols, Yi goes from being a cold and somewhat heartless Fangshi, who only cares about getting his revenge, to a hero who embraces his softer side and learns the value of companionship, love and compromise. He especially grows very fond of Shuanshuan, who he treats much like a younger brother. He also becomes more tolerant of errors and comes to terms with the fact that not everything can go the way he plans, such as when Eigong asked him "Are you not afraid?" and Yi replied "I am. But I have also learned to accept failure." In the end, he makes the courageous sacrifice of forsaking himself to ensure a brighter future for the humans.
Despite his flaws, Yi does have a degree of justice. He hates the rich and the powerful, and is disgusted with many of the Sols, for example Jiequan and Goumang, for abusing their powers. On the contrary, He is very loyal to his friends, namely Shuanshuan and Kuafu, also kinds to his Supporters, namely Shennong and Chiyou.
Moveset[]
- Deflection - Yi’s most powerful skill. Deflecting an opponent’s attack not only allows you to avoid damage, but also to a—sorb and accumulate energy (Chi) with which to launch a stylish charging attack. Using quick reflexes and precise timing, you can escape numerous life-threatening situations with the simple press of a button.
- Charging Attack and Chi Explosion - Having succeeded in deflecting an enemy's attack, you can reverse or “deflect” the damage onto enemy targets by sticking a Chi-filled talisman known as a “Foo charm” onto an enemy body during a charging attack and blowing them up with a spell.
- Slash Attack, Dash and Double Jump - The classic action platformer controls are included in the game, so feel free to mix them up in combat situations.
- Bows - To enable more variations in the main combat loop, we will add a long-range weapon to the available arsenal. Yi’s Azure Bow offers a powerful solution to any combat situation.
Meridian Skills and Abilities[]
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By defeating enemies you will gain experience, and once leveled up, Yi can receive permanent upgrades and gain new skills. These improvements can be game changers, so choose wisely.
Yi has 3 main upgrade branches with several side branches.
Jade and Passive Abilities[]
When equipped with jade, Yi is further empowered with different passive abilities. These passive skills could come in handy in various situations. Leveraging the power of the jade in your fights may bring you strategic advantages as well as other benefits.
Purchase and Modification[]
Items in the game can be purchased with Jin, a rare metal that’s essential to Solarian technology. Jin is also used in order to gain equipment modifications; for example, to apply enhancement to Yi’s bow and ammunition.
Trivia[]
- Yi is based on the Chinese mythological hero "Hou Yi" (后羿).
- In Chinese myth, ten suns appeared in the sky simultaneously, causing people on Earth to suffer from drought. In response, Yi stood out and shot down nine of the suns. Yi obtained an elixir of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West, but Chang'e stole the elixir, consumed it, and flew to the moon.
- It was during the Han Dynasty that the element of Yi was added to the story of flying to the moon, and written records began to suggest that Chang'e was Yi's wife.
- In the true ending of the game, Yi also shoots down nine sols, including himself.
- It was during the Han Dynasty that the element of Yi was added to the story of flying to the moon, and written records began to suggest that Chang'e was Yi's wife.
- On the other hand, Yi and Chang'e (Heng'e), who are depicted as husband and wife in myth, are portrayed as siblings in the game. Also, in the myth, it is Chang'e who seeks immortality and leaves Earth for the moon, while in the game, it is Yi who seeks the continuation of life and leaves Penglai for the sun.
- A poet once commented on Chang'e: "Chang'e must regret stealing the elixir, alone in the blue sea and clear sky, night after night with a heavy heart." In the game, we indeed see Yi deeply regretting leaving Heng.
- In Chinese myth, ten suns appeared in the sky simultaneously, causing people on Earth to suffer from drought. In response, Yi stood out and shot down nine of the suns. Yi obtained an elixir of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West, but Chang'e stole the elixir, consumed it, and flew to the moon.
- Yi is an alcoholic. He enjoys drinking in his spare time, and had drinking buddies when he was in his hometown. He's also more friendly and talkative when being drunk.
- Yi was going to have a fight with himself inside Eigong's soul sanctum, but this ended up being cut from the final product.