Yuandai

Yuandai (Chinese: 远黛 Yuǎndài) is a quest-exclusive NPC that appears in Xianyun's Story Quest, Grus Serena Chapter: Act I - A Thousand Moonlit Miles. After completing the quest, she can be found in the daytime at Mt. Aocang, Minlin, Liyue and at Qingyun Peak, Minlin, Liyue during nighttime as "A Special-Looking Crane."

Location

Yuandai's location (Nighttime)

Additional context (Nighttime)

Yuandai's location (Daytime)

Additional context (Daytime)

Profile

Yuandai is a wild crane from Mt. Aocang who is several centuries old, gained sentience and became the disciple of the adeptus Cloud Retainer. Fifty years prior to the start of the game, she transformed into a human with the help of a potion created by her master and descended to the human world to help combat a drought. She fell in love with an exorcist from Mt. Tianheng and had a son, and later a granddaughter named Shuyu.

Appearance

In her crane form, she resembles a white crane that doesn't have any colorful features. In her human form, she is an elderly lady. People compliment her saying she looks younger than her age.

Story

Yuandai is a wild crane that lived on Mt. Aocang who one day gained sentience, catching the attention of the adeptus Cloud Retainer. Though not formally a disciple, Cloud Retainer told her stories and taught her about many topics. Fifty years prior to when Yuandai met the Traveler, a drought occurred in Liyue, and Yuandai, inspired by stories of Cloud Retainer's heroism in an ancient drought, sought to help the people like her master once did. Cloud Retainer prepared a special dose of Human Mimicry Potion for her, allowing her to change into human form, but warned her that the potion's effects would only last ten years, and that if she failed to revert to her original form by the end of that time that she would forget her past as a crane and transform into something monstrous that was neither human, beast, nor adeptus.^[2]

In the human world, Yuandai met an exorcist from Mt. Tianheng who, similarly to her, had spent his entire life training on the mountain away from humanity. The two fell in love and became a formidable duo for several years. As the end of the potion's potency was about to wear off, Yuandai did not want to abandon her lover, and chose instead to remain in human form. Not having the courage to face her master, she had a letter explaining her decision delivered to the outside of her abode. Although initially furious about her decision, Cloud Retainer observed the couple while Yuandai was convalescing at Wangshu Inn due to the effects of not reverting form, and soon came to appreciate the love and devotion that Yuandai's lover bestowed upon her disciple (which made up for, in her opinion, his lackluster skill in thaumaturgy). Unbeknownst to Yuandai, Cloud Retainer would concoct pills using her own blood as an ingredient that could suppress the effects of the potion and would give them to her while wearing a disguise. Xiao would particularly recall that incident 30 years later, as it was the first time Cloud Retainer had used her human form since the Archon War.^[2]

On the night that she was to give birth, Yuandai and her lover were chased by a fog composed of god remains, attracted to Cloud Retainer's blood inside of the pills, and monsters who were in turn attracted to the god remains. The two ran into an abandoned house and her lover erected a barrier around it. Secretly, Cloud Retainer also fought the monsters outside.^[2] Yuandai would pray inside for forgiveness of her "sin", although she herself no longer remembered what this sin was.^[3] By the morning she gave birth to a baby boy, whose first cries put both her and her master at ease.^[2] Years later her son and his wife would give birth to her granddaughter, Shuyu.^[1]

In the present day, Yuandai and Shuyu would run into Cloud Retainer, going by the name Xianyun while in human form, the Traveler, and Paimon at Wanmin Restaurant. After learning of Yuandai's "dementia", the trio decided to help her.^[1] After the Traveler learned of the legends of the nameless heroine from Xingqiu, the group rendezvoused at Yujing Terrace so Cloud Retainer could get an item from Madame Ping. Afterwards, the group traveled to locations that the nameless heroine was said to frequent in order to jog Yuandai's memories, finally returning to Mt. Aocang.^[3] There, Cloud Retainer would use her Suspensus Somnium Mechanism along with the adeptal tune she acquired from Madame Ping to calm Yuandai and retrieve her memories. After remembering her past, Cloud Retainer revealed that helping Yuandai was the true reason for her excursion that day, and told Yuandai her side of the story of the last 50 years. Informed that she would soon transform back into a non-sentient crane, Yuandai promised her master and granddaughter that she would train on Mt. Aocang until she regained sentience and would one day become an adeptus. No longer having any regrets, she transformed back into a crane and parted with her granddaughter.^[2]

Quests and Events

Story Quests

• Grus Serena Chapter (Xianyun)
  • Act I: A Thousand Moonlit Miles
    • Leisurely Chatter
    • A Search for Secrets
    • Lovely Dreams

Dialogue

Gallery

Yuandai's back view

Other Languages

Change History

References