Ancient Origins:
The quaintly named Golden Bananas – known to pandaren historians as the Jin Xiangjiao – are relics that preceded the first Sundering of the globe. Crafted in a time few could comprehend today, the Bananas carry with them the associated myths of all such timeless artifacts, obscured by mortal shortcoming and endless years of conjecture.
The exact manner of their making was once a popular topic of discussion during scholarly downtime. Various theories claimed that they were wrought from a master smith using an alloy of pure Living Steel, Trillium, and Ghost Iron Ore. Others state that it was made using a mixture of native Pandaria techniques; the mysticism of the Hozen, the wisdom of the Jinyu, the mastery of the Pandaren, and the dark power of the Mogu.
However they were brought into being, or why, one thing is agreed upon for certain: they contain an unfathomable amount of power and potential. One which has lead many to pursue them in the past.
Legends through the Mists:
Alas, the popularity of the legend has since faded in recent centuries and few now recite the tale. Those who do often know only fractions of the whole epic; splinters broken off, isolated, and adapted into their own local histories.
That tale which yet remains most well-known states that, after millennia of strife and misfortune following in the wake of the pursuit of the Golden Bananas, they were sealed away in the ancient Imperial Treasury Tomb of Emperor Rikktik with the combined knowledge and strength of the Shado-pan, Lorewalkers, and Hozen tribes.
In the great mountains of Kun-Lai, the Jin Xiangjiao were dedicated to the earth, thus setting the memory of the ancient Emperor to rest. The doors were locked with words of power and magic seals, only able to be opened by the specific pass-phrase whose prose is long since forgotten. Those who shut it told no soul, taking the secret to their graves. Now the doors are nothing more than another obscure snow-covered marker on the Kun-Lai cliffs, a goliath reminder of an ancient glory lost to time and stagnant pride.
The Pursuit of Truth:
The bloody history of the Golden Bananas has not stopped treasure seekers from venturing to claim them. In recent times, however, and the great changes that have come to Pandaria, few have thought to muster the resources or energy to invest in a hunt which has traditionally ended in vain.
That is to say until the Ronin came to Pandaria.
What started out as a humble cleaning operation in the pools near Serenity Falls lead to a revelation far grander than any could yet then appreciate.
Hyarin Rainheart, Xiou Lei, and the orc soldier-turned-mercenary Korokk came across a bizarre sight there in the western Jade Forest, no doubt the source of the corrupted pools they had been sent to purify – an imp trapped inside a magical orb!
In exchange for his freedom, he told the Ronin about the mythical Golden Bananas and passed unto the warriors a nugget of wisdom lost to the ages and all living minds: The passphrase to Emperor Rikktik's Imperial Treasury, without which the doors would never budge.
They've since taken to the trail like a hound on a hare. This has, unfortunately, drawn unwanted attention from the darker elements of the former Empire, who long to claim more of Pandaria's forbidden power for themselves.
Distrust, Greed, and Nature itself have tested them each step of the way. Through these trials they have persevered, coming as close to the truth as any have in this forgotten chapter of history.
Chapter One: The Hozen Inquiry
The Ronin began with what was perhaps the most logical of first steps to mark the start of their quest: Beseeching the hozen to learn what they know of the legend.
Making use of Orgrimmar's new Pathfinder's Den, they traveled via portal to Honeydew Village and on to the Horde-aligned hozen fort of Grookin Hill. It stood to reason that the Forest Hozen would know just as much, if not more, about the legend of the Golden Bananas than any other.
The reigning chief was still (amazingly) the same as when Warchief Garrosh's forces first established contact with the tribe; Chief Kah-Kah. He told them to seek out the head storyteller of their region in the Cave of Words, north of Camp Nookah Nookah, where he was lazing away the hours.
A clear trail leads not only to the Cave but, ultimately, to the Ring of Scales nearby. There the Ronin had an encounter with the legendary crocolisk, Baron B. Hemoth, a terror of the Jade Forest's rivers who had been evading hunters for decades. He almost made a snack out of Hyarin Rainheart, who sustained dire injuries, but they beat the beast back into the water. Unfortunately, the storyteller had fallen victim to the monster already.
All that remained of the hozen was a pile of meat and a simian paw.
Not to be dissuaded, the Ronin readjusted their trajectory. Chief Kah-Kah told them of another Story-Teller residing in Unga Ingoo, far away on Pandaria's southern coast. So they set out onto the road, over hill and forest, across bridges, through jungles, rain, and ravines until they reached the shore. Before they could disembark, alas, they did not fail to notice a peculiar gleam on the horizon.
Heaven was surely testing them when they happened upon the infamous Admiral Gangrene and his saurok crew known as the Saltscale Raiders, burying a recent haul of ill-gotten gains. The lizards were caught off-guard by the experienced pandaren, however, who capitalized and quickly overcame them. The Admiral lost an eye and his loot but escaped with his life, and the Ronin recovered the valuables which had been stolen from the people of Krasarang.
With an offering prepared ahead of time, the Ronin departed for Unga Ingoo from the small fishing hamlet of Marista. There they met the Tale-Teller Yo-Yo, who put them through a series of traditional hozen trials, including the ancient custom of 'Dook, Dook, Manker', and a duel against the island's 'Big Shot' Grookalot.
The monk Just Shang was chosen as the Black Silks' representative in the pit, for it was said that he was born with the heart and mind of a hozen. Shang conquered the challenge soundly and with great aplomb; the Big Shot was humbled big time, floored in a display of martial prowess, and Yo-Yo was forced to make good on his promise to reveal the history which they'd traveled so far to learn.
Yo-Yo told them what he knew as the origin of the Jin Xiangjiao, which was passed down orally by the storyteller before him in a chain winding back for countless centuries.
The oldest tales say that the hozen of Pandaria banded together before the Sundering to create the Golden Bananas as a coronation gift for Emperor Rikktik's reign using waters from the sacred Vale, blessings of Chi-Ji, and all their wiseman knowledge.
The magic bananas were sent overland to the Emperor's Palace in the Vale; however, before they could arrive, the terrible flu struck the Valley of the Four Winds, and passage in or out was forbidden to all. The Golden Bananas were held in Zhu's Province while the Empire grappled with its crisis.
Eventually, Yo-Yo claimed, the pandaren learned of the hozen's gift they were transporting. It was the unforgivable crime of the now-forgotten thief of legend, Kai Yi Foo, which earned the ire of the Unga Ingoo hozen for all time. Jealous and full of greed, he craved the Banana's powers, and so stole them for himself from Zhu's Province in the dead of night and spirited them away.
Though the hozen pursued him for many leagues, Kai Yi Foo was as a specter, and he vanished into the mists of the northern mountain ranges with his treasure.
His name was cursed forevermore amongst hozen kind. Not long after the Flu outbreak subsided Emperor Rikktik then perished, and Unga Ingoo never saw the Golden Bananas again.
Chapter Two: Cryptic Summons
After some time passed the Ronin were summoned via vague missives to the Tavern in the Mists. Cao Hao Plunderpaw had reportedly tracked down one who could expand on the tale of the Golden Bananas' passage into the north and requested that they convene.
Their journey was not to be trouble-free, for the wheels of Fate were already in motion, testing their valor and graces at every step. Upon the Valley of the Four Winds they received a warning from an ink-stained trader about a highwayman plaguing the Hundred Steps as of late. Sure enough, their heads butted with an enormous exiled mountain hozen, Krunky, who had been ransacking caravans and traders in an effort to feed himself as he traveled south.
Embracing the virtues of the Celestials and Emperor, the Ronin spared the starving hozen's life rather than exact due vengeance upon him; what more, they directed him to nearby farmers and supplied him with a meager fare so that he might eat and work honestly. Such a merciful act earned them the undying thanks of the gargantuan simpleton, who swore himself to the Ronin's side should they ever be in grave danger.
Once the treasure seekers were rested they departed at the behest of Cao Hao's further instruction. Their goal was a secluded mountain village overlooking the Jade Forest where hawk masters lived in secret, and a certain retired pandaren minstrel whittled away the rest of his days.
Before they could reach it, alas, they were waylaid by forces more malevolent than a hungry hozen.
The wicked ringleader of the Saltscale Raiders, Admiral Gangrene, had caught wind of the Ronin's hunt for Emperor's Heavenly Golden Hand after being soundly beaten on the shores of Krasarang. Simmering with the shame of defeat and loss of an eye, he engaged in subterfuge and skullduggery to learn of the old pandaren minstrel's location, and had gathered his Jumping Jackdaw minions to destroy the Ronin when they came to find him.
Veteran and new Black Silks alike combined their strength to drive the saurok into the earth, staining the stones of the Ancient Passage with reptilian blood. Admiral Gangrene himself was cornered at the edge of a perilous waterfall. As he howled and cursed their efforts the valiant Fengluo Mountainpass drove him away with his staff, and he plummetted into the watery abyss.
He has not been seen since. . . however, the Shado-Pan refuse to declare his demise without a recovered corpse.
With the road before them clear the Ronin ascended to the Secret Aerie. There they met up with Cao Hao, who took them to the abode of the grey minstrel, Jiao Lao. Though he proved an ornery sort, Jiao could not refuse the hospitality of the Ronin and capitulated to their requests for enlightenment. Amongst the windy spires of the Jade Forest, they beheld the first retelling of The Thieves and the Golden Bananas in many decades.
Evolving Legends:
Pandaria's Underground bears many tales of cunning heists or daring thefts, yet few reach so far back into history as the deeds of Kai Yi Foo.
The northern rendition naturally contends with the hozen's interpretation of events. Jiao Lao claimed that the Golden Bananas were taken not from Zhu Province, in opportunism, but the Imperial Pantry of Emperor Rikktik, under fraternal obligation. One of those ancient brotherhoods of Thieves set their collective sight upon it, and Kai Yi Foo, the most talented and dependable of the clan, volunteered to retrieve them on the condition that a single Banana would be his alone to keep.
It was said that the only things Kai Yi Foo could not steal were the mountains from the earth and the water from the sea. Thus it was only a matter of time until the Golden Bananas were in his hand and returned to the Brotherhood's compound in Kun-Lai.
The single Banana awarded to Kai was used in the remedying of his ill mother, who was perishing from a rare wasting bone disease. It's remembered that her life was spared. What exactly transpired, however, was never shared beyond the Foo family.
Great fame and renown were showered upon the Brotherhood for the success of their heist. Yet this was not enough for Kai; the Spark of Greed, permeating the heart of all thieves, was in him especially strong.
And so he treacherously stole the Golden Bananas from his own brother's compound in Binan and spirited them away. He'd found a buyer: a Kaldorei wizard from the Night Elf Empire.
However, the three other brothers, Zei, Giang, and Egun, Kai's friends since childhood, learned of this deception. They consulted the Jinyu of Inkgill Mere, who knew all the passages of the rivers, and they revealed to them the route that Kai took away from Kun-Lai.
The Three Brothers tracked Kai high into the mountains of the Jade Forest, where they discovered and foiled the attempted deal with the Kaldorei wizard. Unwilling to hand over secrets of the Pandaren Empire for any amount of wealth, the Three Brothers battled with Kai alone in an attempt to steal the Bananas back. They one and all adhered to the strict codes of their Organization, and none wished to bring death upon the other, however, the malicious elven wizard grew weary and slew Zei in a flash of terrible magic in order to claim the Emperor's Golden Hand for his own.
Incensed, the remaining thieves turned on the wizard and united to force the relics from his hold. However, Kai was mortally wounded, and the elf escaped with teleportation magics to lands beyond Pandaria.
As Kai's life ebbed away, he repented and reconciled his sins against his brothers. So too did he place his dying curse upon the Golden Bananas, warning Giang and Egun to return them to their rightful owner – the Emperor, for the allure they possessed was both brilliant and horrible. They agreed and put Kai and Zei to rest upon the mountainside, departed.
However, they began to have second thoughts. The Spark of Greed flared, never stagnant for long, and Kai was not there to convince them otherwise. Instead of bringing the Golden Bananas back to the Imperial Pantry, they decided to take them to their Binan compound to sell on for themselves. Thus the Organization ended up locating a wealthy nobleman buyer some months later, and the Jin Xiangjiao were passed on to their middlemen, the Jinyu. The wealth generated from their transaction was said to be an Emperor's ransom and ensured that Giang, Egun, and their families lived comfortably all the days of their lives.
Wealth Beyond Measure:
Jiao Lao's tale ultimately leads Ronin to Inkgill Mere in pursuit of the legend.
There they beseeched the wise jinyu, inquiring as to the nature of the ancient transaction which was said to have taken place there. One of the training Waterspeakers, Smarmy Hetong, was chosen to coax the answer from the waters for the Black Silks.
So they were searched and a favorable response surfaced. A voice lost to the ages came forth to guide them to their destination deep beneath the mere. Smarmy Hetong was drawn to an unfamiliar chasm, but, the voice coaxed them on and the troupe passed unto the long-forgotten Inkgill Depths.
Within the Depths the Ronin were compelled to seek out the source of the mystical voice. Smarmy Hetong claimed that it originated from one of the many giant clams littered throughout the deep, but, none of them proved to bear anything other than pearls or mischief.
Eventually, after outsmarting a guardian eel, they placed an underwater cave within Inkgill Depths; the lair of an ancient bivalve spirit which introduced itself as the 'Kunna Kea Clam'. This was the being which had answered the Waterspeaker's pleas and bore the knowledge the Ronin sought. Before it would surrender this, however, it first issued warnings and demanded demonstrations from the seekers.
Those who obeyed his cryptics command escaped without harm. Those who refused were caught in the crossfire of a cunning sprite ambush. Yet in the end, the Kunna Kea Clam found them one and all worthy. It slowly opened, exposing its long kept treasures to the Ronin.
Within its bivalve innards were the hands of dozens of other treasure hunters – and so to the glimmer of promise. Fengluo Mountainpass, steadfast and brave, dared to plunge his paw inside, and retrieved for all to behold not what they sought, but at the same time, far more than they had bargained for.
The Great Clam Spirit surrendered an ancient proof of sale, kept safe within its guts for millennia. Carved into an untarnished stone was a receipt for the ancient exchange between thieves and nobles, and the first glimpse as to the wealth demanded by the Jin Xiangjiao. It was recorded as follows
Qiang & Egun Yinhui do hereby offer:
Six (6) Magic Golden Bananas, also known as 'Jin Xiangjiao',
to
Mr. Kuangqu Jadeplumb, in exchange for his offer of:
500,000 Imperial Gold Coins
3 Healthy Male Yaks
3 Healthy Female Yaks
100 Pounds of Raw Jade
150 Pounds of Amber
75 Pounds of Ghost Iron
200 Jars of pickled fish
7 Mature Cherry Blossom Trees
17 Kegs of Dreamwild Brew
2 Healthy Adult Mushan
7 Master-crafted daos
12 Kypari Wood Crossbows
5 Jinyu Pearl Necklaces
1 Pristine Bust of Emperor Tsao
and
the Hand of his Second Daughter in marriage, Buxing Jadeplumb, to Qiang Yinhui.
Signed,
Qiang, Egun, and Kuangqu.
The cave was silent once the receipt was read aloud. No more clues nor quips came from the Kunna Kea Clam, and the Ronin were stunned at the value surrendered for the relics they chased. The path to the Jin Xiangjiao looked clearer now than ever: Find the Jadeplumb family.
The only question was, where were they now, after over ten thousand years of history?
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