User:Hawki/Li-Ming

"A magical prodigy from an early age, Li-Ming was once a standing-out pupil of Caldeum's prestigious Yshari Sanctum. Fully convinced she was a hero prophesied to defeat the Legions of Hell, she left behind her teachers and traveled the world as a renegade wizard &mdash; a master of limitless arcane power."

Li-Ming is a female Wizard.

Early Life
Li-Ming was born in Xiansai c. 1266. Her prodigenous magical ability was recognised at an early age, In her youth, she managed to solve the drought of the Heron River Valley. Months after the last rains, the Heron River had slowed to a trickle. The people prayed to the gods, but taking a more active approach, Li-Ming drew water from below the ground, and cast it into the wind in an effort to create a storm. The people called her foolish, but hours later, a downpour occurred, causing the river to flow again.

After the rain came and went, the months that followed saw the drought return, and worse than before. The people blamed Li-Ming for their misfortune, and demanded that she be sent away. Her parents acquiesed to the people's demands.

X
Li-Ming was taken in by the Zann Esu Clan. However, she was a rude and uncooperative student from the very beginning. She was handed over to the Vizjerei Clan in the hopes that their strict and unbending discipline would break her anarchic spirit.

One day, Li-Ming got into a duel with her fellow students. She ended up sending two of them to the infirmary, and wounding the pride of the third. The Sorceress Isendra brought her before Archmage Valthek, where she demonstrated her powers, and declared her intention to be known as a Wizard, despite the negative connotations of such a title. He was unimpressed with her magical abilities, but when she told him of her actions in the Heron River Valley, his demeanor changed, conceding that few Mages could have attempted what she had. However, he was not sure if it was wise to train her, stating that she had much to learn, much to unlearn, and wasn't sure if she had the discipline to see such training through.

Valthek's reluctance to train Li-Ming became moot, as Isendra volunteered to train her, noting Li-Ming's potential, and that perhaps she saw a bit of herself in the young girl. Li-Ming wasn't impressed, demanding that Valthek train her instead. Valthek stepped in and told Li-Ming that Isendra would teach her, and that his decision was final.

At some point, Li-Ming read tomes written by Zoltun Kulle.

A few years passed as Isendra tutored Li-Ming. Li-Ming gained a deep respect for the Sorceress, and Valthek noted that the pair were more alike than he had suspected. At some point, Isendra told her of her experiences in fighting against the Prime Evils, and of the invasion that had never come after the destruction of the Worldstone. However, Li-Ming quickly exhausted the extent of Isendra's knowledge, and began treating her as an equal rather than as a mentor. Furthermore, Isendra was permissive of Li-Ming's behaviour. With nothing left to learn, Li-Ming explored the Sanctum's library, specifically the sections containing forbidden texts. In one of the tomes, she read of a prophecy that fortold the return of the Great Evils. Li-Ming became convinced that she was destined to save the world.

Valthek stepped in, taking over Li-Ming's training (despite Isendra's protests), and tried to introduce structure to Li-Ming's life and present a course of study that would turn her interests "toward more acceptable pursuits."

Several years later, early in the reign of Hakan II, drought struck Kehjistan. Despite being forbidden to leave the Yshari Sanctum, Li-Ming studied Caldeum's archives, examining the records of the weather. She could find no prior record of such heat.

A year passed, and the drought showed no sign of ending. Valthek and Li-Ming set out from Caldeum, hoping to find a cause for the drought. But several months after they began their journey, they found themselves heading back to Caldeum with more questions than answers, though Li-Ming was certain that the drought was not natural. She discussed her beliefs with Valthek as they rode back to Caldeum, but he was skeptical.

The pair arrived at Lut Bahadur, where Valthek informed her that they would be meeting Isendra. Li-Ming tethered the camels near a well, and used her magic to cause the water to rise. She explained that she had found an underground water source and diverted it. Valthek was aghast, but Li-Ming pressed on, listing ways they could help the town, or even use their magic to end the drought. Valthek, however, reminded Li-Ming of her earlier failure in the Heron Valley, and pointed out that by diverting the water here, she could have created problems elsewhere. Isendra, who'd arrived, took Li-Ming's side, but Valthek went with Isendra to discuss matters alone.

After Isendra's death, Li-Ming (now age 20) ventured to New Tristram, pursuing a sighting of a fallen star. Valthek dispatched an Assassin to eliminate her, despite his misgivings. As she left, Li-Ming sensed that strange things were afoot in Caldeum.

Diablo III
Li-Ming can be considered to be the canonical version of the Wizard character class for Diablo III. In her dialogue, she often exclaims disrespect and annoyance of her former mentors (except Isendra), stating that perhaps they will change their mind about her when they learn of her deeds as The Nephalem.

Valthek's Rebuke staff is stated to have disappeared shortly after "an incident" with the "rebellious student" (i.e. Li-Ming). However, it is unlikely that she stole it. Enchantments on The Twisted Sword are stated to be made by Li-Ming.

Heroes of the Storm

 * For more information, see the respective article on Heroes of the Storm Wikia

"It’s a generally agreed upon fact of life among the denizens of Sanctuary that wizards and magical mayhem are never far apart. Although she understands people’s concerns, Li-Ming is entirely unapologetic for the destruction in her wake. She delights in unleashing devastating spells on her foes from afar, then teleporting away to frustrate her enemies’ attempts at striking back. Small minds may fear this kind of power, but Li-Ming wields the arcane forces of the universe with confidence and unmatched skill."

- Heroes of the Storm

Li-Ming appears in Heroes of the Storm as a Wizard class representative.

She retains Archon, Disintegrate,, Arcane Orb, Wave of Force, and Magic Missile skills, and her passive trait, Critical Mass, allows her to reset cooldowns on kills. Nearly all of her talents are named after, and work like, various items, skills and skill runes in Diablo III.

She is encased into full Balor Armor with respective tier components. For Archon skin, she wears Archon Armor. Her source is pre-2.0, and wand is a recolored version of Chantodo's Will.

Personality and Traits
"You gained quite a reputation from your youth in Caldeum! You don't seem half as bad as they say."

- Abd al-Hazir

Li-Ming is extremely sure of herself and frequently boasts of her superior power and skill when in battle. The term "Wizard" is often given to Mages with rebellious attitudes or an obsession with power. Li-Ming displays a little of both and she's hardly ashamed of it.

During her time as a student, she often showed disobedience, studying the arcane arts much for herself, without guidance (or permission) from her superiors, being particularly interested in magic of time and space distortion. Many teachers told her that she was full of herself. Despite this, Valthek noted that Li-Ming was "pure of heart," and simply wanted to do good, but her abilities had left her arrogant. Although she understands people’s concerns, Li-Ming is entirely unapologetic for the destruction in her wake.

Many other students were fascinated by Li-Ming. Delsere even swore that she would one day wear his masterpieces. She was fond of Deckard Cain.

Li-Ming has long black hair. Due to exposure to Kehjistan's sun, her skin was browned. In her later years, she often wore a serious expression that gave way to a well-practiced smirk every so often.

Abilities
Magic has always come easily to Li-Ming. She is incredibly perceptive with it, being able to "smell, taste, and feel magic." The structures of spells come easily to her, and is able to see the after-image of spells cast.

She was prone to experimentation with magic and even Valthek agreed that she was a genius (though he denied ever admitting it). He further noted that Li-Ming might be the "greatest mage of our time." By the end of her training, she was able to single-handedly beat the magisters in combat. She delights in unleashing devastating spells on her foes from afar, then teleporting away to frustrate her enemies’ attempts at striking back.

Trivia

 * Li-Ming is the only named nephalem hero whose full name cannot be used by the player on the PC version (as special characters, specifically short dash '-', cannot be used in characters' names on PC; all console versions allow special characters in a character's name).
 * Chromie in Heroes of the Storm has a special color scheme called "Lil-Ming".
 * At some point, she visited Alcarnus.