World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 by Blizzard Entertainment Page B

mogu maintained their vigil over the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, bravely fighting off each successivemantid swarm. Their faith that the highkeeper would one day return endured through century after century of hardships.
    Yet that faith vanished once thecurse of flesh manifested within the mogu ranks.
    For the first time, the mogu faced mortality. Fear and uncertainty took root in their hearts. Small disagreements spiraled into conflict, violence, and bloodshed. Packs of mogu banded together. Clans and warlords emerged by the score and engaged in brutal power struggles. Those who triumphed were quickly toppled by rivals. Through it all, their culture and language—even their sense of purpose and identity—began to change. This period of turmoil and conflict became known as theAge of a Hundred Kings, and the mogu edged perilously close to destroying themselves from within.
    Only their basest instincts prevented annihilation. At the beginning of each new mantid swarm, the mogu’s petty conflicts would die down. The various clans would reluctantly band together to stand against the mantid. But once the swarm had retreated, internal hostilities would surface once again.
    As the mogu battled the mantid, a number of other races arose in the region. Many of these creatures were drawn to the latent powers emanating from the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Among these wondrous new races were thejinyu, fish-like mystics who dwelled in the rivers and lakes. A bold and mischievous race of monkeys, known as thehozen, also came to inhabit the dense jungles that encircled much of the vale. But by far, the most intelligent of these newcomers were the wisepandaren.
    The emergence of so much life around the vale piqued the interest of fourWild Gods. Their names wereXuen, the White Tiger;Yu’lon, the Jade Serpent;Chi-Ji, the Red Crane; andNiuzao, the Black Ox.
    Xuen and his fellow Wild Gods gathered at the vale to watch over and guide the myriad life-forms that dwelled in the area. Though the warlike activities of the mogu often troubled them, the Wild Gods delighted in watching the other races flourish. In particular, Xuen and the other demigods developed close ties with the pandaren, in large part due to their penchant for peace.
    The pandaren considered the Wild Gods, whom they called the “August Celestials,” to be benevolent deities. They formed a system of worship devoted to the extraordinary beings. In return, the Wild Gods bestowed knowledge on the pandaren, nurturing their ties to philosophy and the natural world. At the behest of the August Celestials, the pandaren formed a culture that sought peace and harmony with the surrounding environment.
    Yet soon a new mogu leader would arise to challenge these philosophies. His name wasLei Shen, and his rule would threaten not only the mortal races of the vale, but the August Celestials as well.

MOGU DEFENDING THEIR LANDS FROM THE MANTID

A s thepandaren and other races prospered around the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, the mogu continued their endless squabbling. It was during this cycle of violence that a warrior named Lei Shen came to power.
    A descendant of a minor warlord, young Lei Shen was thoroughly accustomed to the brutality of clan warfare. Despite his skill and success in battle, he saw the incessant conflicts and political maneuvering as a betrayal of the mogu’s potential. Nevertheless, he remained stalwart as a vassal for his father.
    A close advisor eventually betrayed and murdered Lei Shen’s father. Almost all of the fallen warlord’s clansmen sought refuge in the ranks of other clans, abandoning Lei Shen. Only a few loyal armsmen refused to leave his side. Rather than seek retribution and perpetuate the violence, Lei Shen chose to go into exile. He wandered the land, meditating on what he saw as the failures of his kind.
    Soon Lei Shen desired answers his intellect and reason could no longer provide. He set off in search of the mogu’s long-absent master, HighkeeperRa.
    In