Shangguan

Shangguan is a Mage/Assassin hero in Honor of Kings.

Background[]

Once a lowly servant girl sequestered in the palace due to her grandfather's involvement in a prince's attempted rebellion against the throne long ago, suffered for years from nightmares filled with murderous flowers and endless. She has since become the at the palace painter's suggestion and has gained permission to roam the streets of Chang'an. She is a lady bent on vengeance and uncovering the truth of her grandfather's suspect coup. Now that the peonies have bloomed once again, and the sinister figure has surfaced once again, the truth is almost within reach.

Lore[]

Buds bloom in an instant, blossoming into charming peonies. Curious, the little girl stretches out her fingertips, but as soon as she touches them, their petals wither and transform into a black mist that envelops her, attempting to pull her into the endless abyss. The girl screams and struggles to break free, until...

She suddenly jolted awake. The girl's heart continued to beat rapidly. It was the same horrible nightmare again. She had been tortured by this recurring nightmare since she was three years old. She had always had a hunch that there was a secret hidden in the nightmare, closely related to a distant memory long buried and forgotten.

The Royal Library not only houses precious books from all over the world but also stores numerous calligraphy and painted scrolls by famous artists. The ones who looked after the library are maidservants who has been condemned for crimes in court. Among them was a girl named Shangguan.

Shangguan's grandfather was originally an official who the previous emperor had assigned to the deposed prince as a tutor. Unexpectedly, the old man ended up being swept up in the prince's attempted rebellion, which caused his family to be punished. The men were sent to join the army, and the women were sent to the palace as servants. Shangguan was only four years old when she entered the palace. Now, many years later, her relatives had gradually departed, leaving her to grow up alone. Despite her burdensome work in the library, she managed to practice calligraphy every day. This was the only thing she had left of her grandfather, a famous calligrapher.

When the Empress' birthday arrived, someone recommended a great painter to capture her likeness. As she was busy with her affairs, she ordered the painter to live in the palace library, to facilitate his work. The great painter thus spent half of his time following the empress to capture sketches, and the other half buried in the library, creating his painting. The library official assigned the clever Shangguan to assist the painter.

The great painter was a knowledgeable, humorous, and interesting individual who had traveled to many places. Not only were his portraits lifelike, he could also beautifully capture landscapes and scenes he had encountered with just a few strokes. Shangguan was very envious; she had not once left the palace since the age of four. How fascinating it was to see the outside world through his masterful brush.

"If you haven't seen the world, if you haven't witnessed human joy, anger, sorrow, and desire, then your brush will only ever depict the surface of things. The same is true for painting and writing alike. And yes, I am talking about your writing."

Shangguan was not entirely satisfied with the great painter's evaluation, but the painter was immersed in his own world and kept chattering away to himself. "You must have learned the Shangguan style. In the past, Master Shangguan's calligraphy was indeed stellar. It was said that the master was kind and honest, and so his calligraphy was round and full—an extension of the master himself. It exuded prosperity. You have learned it, but not well. Look, you can see hesitation and sloppiness here. Although I'm a painter, I can see clearly that the characters lack strength. Whoa... don't cry! It's normal for a young girl to be lacking in knowledge... No, come on, I didn't mean it like that..."

Shangguan stood up suddenly. Shocked, the painter stepped back, but she merely bowed respectfully and said: "Thank you, Master, for your advice. There is something in my heart that makes me hesitate every time I write."

She told the painter about her nightmare.

He thought for a moment. "What are you doing when the peonies appear in your dream?"

Shangguan was puzzled.

The painter continued: "What we think of during the day, we dream of at night. There are no peonies in the library, yet you often dream about them. So maybe there's something you want to do, and peonies appear when you think about this thing."

Shangguan said: "I'm copying someone's calligraphy."

"Copying whose calligraphy?"

Shangguan shook her head in distress. She kept writing over and over, but she could never finish the calligraphy, and would have to start over in the next dream. What we dream of at night, we think of during the day. "Now, this dream haunts me even during daylight, so I can't help but hesitate in my brush strokes."

"I too wish to know whose calligraphy I was copying in my dream. I thought if I could find it, I could finish the calligraphy and put an end to the dreams. But I have spent years searching every known artist and piece in this library, as well as my grandfather's collection, and I've found nothing."

The great painter thought for a long time, then said: "I am a painter, and I can paint all kinds of landscapes and portraits at will. These have all come from what I have seen or imagined. It can thus be said that my pieces are my memories. Calligraphy and painting share the same truths. I don't know the meaning of your nightmare, but I know you must carry it with you as you move forward. One day, you will finish that calligraphy."

Once the painter had completed the Empress' portrait, he left the palace. But Shangguan couldn't stop thinking about the master's words. If the calligraphy she was looking for couldn't even be found in the imperial library, where could it be?

"If you haven't seen the world, if you haven't witnessed human joy, anger, sorrow, and desire..." If not in the palace, then it must be hidden somewhere out there in the wide world.

Soon after, the Empress received a sincere letter from one of the palace servants: "Your Majesty, allow me to be your eyes and ears, to see and to listen among the markets and pavilions, someone to see many places at once for you. I will report everything in writing." This letter resonated with the Empress. At a secret summons, Shangguan had her wishes granted. She was to be the Empress' hidden eyes and ears, and could go about the palace and Chang'an as she wished in disguise, allowing her to look for the calligraphy she sought.

That spring, the peonies bloomed throughout Chang'an. Dancers from the hall rehearsed their movements for the performance on the river bank. This grand event attracted almost everyone in Chang'an. The talented Shangguan was ordered to evaluate the peony poems presented by scholars. Only those with the most outstanding poetry were to be received by the Empress.

On that day, she climbed up a tall building and spotted that terrifying figure standing in a sea of peonies. In her dream, it was by his hand that the peonies bloomed, trying to end the lives of her and her loved ones.

But unlike the crying girl in her nightmare, Shangguan tightened her grip on her brush.

"Grandfather, compared to that man, I am just a weak girl. But by the brush and the ink, this weak girl will one day grow into a strong woman."

Some time later, an appeal for an unjust case was received by Magistrate Di Renjie on his first day as the new Dali High Court official. The appeal was from Shangguan.

She had finally completed the calligraphy she had started a thousand times in her dream. Hereafter, she would never again have that nightmare. It was not just a piece of calligraphy, but a memory that had been taken from her, an indictment she had to write in vengeance for her grandfather!

"The emperor was angry at my grandfather for failing to stop the prince's unfilial uprising. The prince cursed my grandfather, believing him to have passed on information that led to his failure. My grandfather was convicted and died in prison as a guilty man."

"But that's not the truth at all, and I can bear witness to this conspiracy."

Skills[]

Piercing Brush

Type: Passive

Enhances every 3rd Basic Attack, causing it to deal pierce damage. Deals damage when brush strokes of different skills come in contact. Touching Brush Power grants enhanced Basic Attack and Health restoration.

Ink Burst

Type: Active skill

Swipes the brush in the target direction, dealing damage to enemies in the path. Extra damage is dealt at max distance.

Seething Script

Type: Active skill

Summons a brush to write at the target location, dealing damage andslowing enemies in the path.

Finishing Stroke

Type: Ultimate

Dashes forward, damaging enemies in the path. Can dash again upon coming into contact with an enemy or brushstroke. Dash 3-5 times to become untargetable and damage nearby enemies multiple times.

Skins[]

Strategies[]

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Shangguan's skill combo is usually 2-Ult-Ult-1-Ult-Ult-Ult. Her Ultimate stops her from being targeted which allows her to slip past towers and kill the enemy. A long range 1-shot combo is 1-2-3 (all dashes) combo with the magic lifesteal item she can heal back to full Health.