Ling Yao is a young (and quirky) traveling monk of the Xing Monastery. His grandfather Fu Yao received a letter saying that great secrets and even greater wisdom were to be found in a small town called Shanksville. His grandfather believed this to be a great opportunity to further my training and sent me to discover these secrets.
 
For centuries, the Xing Wise Monks have been seekers and keepers of knowledge. They value the wisdom in the lesson of history and science, and seek to preserve all the knowledge they gain in their vast archives. The Xing Collective is composed of 3 different monasteries (one location in the main continent, one amount the islands near Io, and another in Berenike), each employing their own unique combination of might and magic to protect their archievs from natural and unnatural disasters. Additionally, they share their knowledge with each other in such a way that if a monastery does become compromised, their legacy is not lost.
 
Despite their protectiveness, they do welcome scholars and visitors seeking knowledge into their halls, along with quarter for their stay. Reaching the monastery is another matter, however, as each monastery is surrounded by a naturally treacherous landscape. The exact location of each monastery is also never shared explicitly; visitors are only given a general location and must find their own path to the monastery from there. The Monks believe that true wisdom is gained through the hardship and experience in seeking knowledge--not in the knowledge itself.
 
While referred to as "Monks", the Xing Collective is comprised of monks, clerics, wizards, and paladins. Monks were primarily seekers and travel out of the monastery the most, once they complete their training. Wizards handled mostly keeper duties. Clerics and Paladins deal with defensive, offensive, and administrative roles in the monasteries.