Yanlin Chow

Yanlin Chow
Biographical Information
Birth Name	Ling Chow
Guardian	Nymeia, the Spinner, Halone, the Fury
Birthplace	Yanxia, Doma
Born	1547
Nameday	32nd Sun of the 5th Umbral Moon
Race	Hyur, Elezen
Clan	Midlander, Wildwood
Physical Attributes
Hair	Brown-black
Eyes	Chestnut brown
Height	5'2"
Equipment
Primary Weapon	A guandao called "Zhèngyì Jiùchū" (Justice's Deliverance)
Career Information
Occupation	Former third commander of Order of the Knights Dragoon
Out-of-Character Information
Time Zone	GMT-5
Server	Adamantoise
Profession	Lancer
Job	Dragoon
Footnotes
Known languages include Yanxian Doman, Common, and some Dragonspeak.

Biography

Several epochs ago, Doma was reknowned for its grace and serenity, overlooking the vast fields of Yanxia. It attracted many from humble and prestigious backgrounds alike, including that of Chow Szeyuen, a well-educated Midlander physician of whom often studied alchemy abroad. From Gridania, he returned to his beloved city-state once again, but this time with his new bride in tow; a Wildwood alchemist, Tatienne, initially a ward from House Fortemps in Ishgard as she provided them with her medical prowess. Unfortunately, their plans raise a family in the Fury's land had proved futile. Not only did Ala Mhigo remain an unpredictable threat, even after the Autumn War with Gridania, it wasn't like much of the latter's populace would tolerate their presence either. The fierce air of supremacy felt by a majority of Elezen plastered Tatienne a traitor to her kind, though she had managed to find empathy with fellow clan members who had married interracially.

Thus, they returned to Doctor Chow's native city-state where they would have two daughters; Yuli and Ling. Yuli inherited a proficiency for wielding aetheric energy into magic for healing and martial purposes alike. Ling, on the other hand, had no such talent, yet it never bothered her. Her interests lie in the art of the lance, especially as she spent evenings indulging in old tomes from Ishgard that her father brought back to Doma; before the Garlean Empire abandoned Eorzea for Othard after the summoning of the first Primal. Their parents encouraged the ambitions of both their daughters, even advising Ling not to feel intimidated by her larger male counterparts as she had inherited her father's short stature. However, Ling never felt alienated because of her size, regardless of her mixed race. Though she was a youth typically racked with self-criticisms and doubt, she was certain that while she didn't mind a dominantly Hyur-like form, she never felt her mind matched a female body. Where Yuli was indifferent to this revelation, their parents spent a while coping with confusion. Nonetheless, for fear that their family would be ostracized once again (though for different reasons), it was at home that Ling was accepted as 'Yanlin' by relatives and close friends henceforth. Even though Doma was a vassal of Garlemald since Yanlin was young, the time spent sparring and studying with friends made from all over Othard remains one of his fondest memories of Yanxia's emerald pastures, rippling in the breeze.

Still, Doctor Chow and Tatienne could not shelter their children from the prospect of war forever. They saw that the Garlean Empire had halted their advances in Aldenard since the Battle of Silvertear Skies, believing the irony that Gridania could take them in to spare their children's futures from Doma's imminent collapse. However, Doctor Chow remained behind to ensure he didn't sully his family's reputation with the Garleans, as they had used Doma as a major export for medical supplies in the Far East. Reluctantly, Tatienne trudged onward by ferry, airship, and foot alike for several moons, knowing Gridania could at least offer them shelter as the Grand companies reunited there. There they would stay for five years before Tatienne and Yuli found themselves recalled to Ishgard to provide aid for the soldiers there combatting in the Dragonsong War. A twenty year-old Yanlin followed suit, beginning his training as a Dragoon since as a lancer, although he was formerly encouraged to join the Twin Adders as a lancer.

Granted, Yanlin had little interest in the endeavors of the Twin Adders. Their focus on defending their culture as opposed to their allies failed to procure him, especially after he was exposed to Ishgard's scientific developments, many of which being scorned by the Gridanian populace. Meanwhile, it was also in Ishgard where Yanlin was trained with composition; to give a more orderly side to his disposition. These lessons made it enivitable that his relations with Doma would contract the attention of the Eorzean Alliance. Viewing solidarity as a gateway to the liberation of Othard, he decided to remain in Ishgard to train under the Order of the Knights Dragoon, eventually achieving status as a third commander for his work in dragonology.

Since the death of Solus zos Galvus, the following succession crisis lead many to the belief that the Garlean Empire would be left in shambles, particularly with his grandson Varis feuding with his own uncle. It was during this time Doma attempted an uprising, though they were swiftly crushed by the XIIth Legion, lead by Varis' heir himself; Zenos yae Galvus. Once he returned to Ala Mhigo, he left a new Imperial Viceroy in place for the city-state, one whose deep loathing of the Doman people would strip them of even their most basic freedoms.

Obviously, the Alliance would not stand for this. Three years prior, Yanlin was appointed as a delegate of Doma for the Temple Knights for his thesis on dragons of the Far East, though he struggled with the concept of his nation being neglected. While he publicly followed his mother's guardian of Halone, he personally observed his father's patronage to Nymeia in privacy. Despite this, he hoped Her blessings would help him take fate into his own hands as a tactician and a voice for the voiceless.

Personality

Attitude

As much as he seeks battle with tyrannical forces across Hydaelyn, he remains aware that the ultimate goal is peace for the innocents of the realm. With a stern focus on protecting the serenity as it scarcely appears, he frequently lends an ear to whatever ails his allies, whether they are close friends or mere citizens under his watch. Albeit, he is prepared to take any measure necessary to ensure they are safe, including making seemingly erratic decisions to confuse the enemy.

Sociability

Emerging from a warily self-conscious shell, he believes it is better to have spoken and been turned down then to never have spoken at all. Besides, he could never see himself where he was now if he remained a distant secret-keeper. Above all else, honesty is the best policy...unless it involves politics. Blatant honesty never sits well with politics.

Expressiveness

Though it was a gradual and even painful realization that forceful protectiveness did more harm than good, he couldn't allow the depressing state of the Sixth Umbral Era to overwhelm him. Originally a chaotic thinker with perhaps naive views, overtime he managed to balance this with an orderly disposition, maintaining his ultimate goal of ending war across the realm.

Notes & Trivia

• His personal steed is a chestnut mare named Nau-Ming. He acquired her as a filly when he was 18 and had been riding her since he was 20.
• He is right-handed.
• He trained under the Fanzi subgroup of Long Fist kung fu (a Doman martial art originating in Yanxia) since he was 12.