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Lin Kuei
The Lin Kuei is a Fiction al Faction from the '' Mortal Kombat '' Fighting Game series. ABOUT THE LIN KUEI They are based loosely on the ancient Chinese clan of the same name, much like the infamous Black Dragon Society (''Kokuryūkai'') of Japan was used for Kano 's Black Dragon clan. They have become one of the most prominent and well-known factions within the Mortal Kombat universe, and they have played a major role throughout the history of the series. Though it has gradually shifted from being a sinister force into a friendly power, it has always remained very reclusive. To gamers, its history has always been intertwined with the adventures of both Sub-Zero brothers. HISTORY The defeat of the Shirai Ryu It is unknown when the Lin Kuei were founded, but their earliest chronological appearance in the Mortal Kombat games begins with '''', which takes place about five centuries BMK , Sub-Zero is also shown to be a subordinate of the Lin Kuei Grandmaster. The elder Sub-Zero was a loyal clansman with a specific mission. In the game bearing his name, the sorcerer Quan Chi hired the Lin Kuei to find an ancient amulet, and Sub-Zero was sent to find the map leading to its location. He did not know that Quan Chi had hired a Japanese Ninja , Hanzo Hasashi , for the same task in case Sub-Zero would fail. Hasashi and Sub-Zero encountered each other in the map room, where Sub-Zero killed him in cold blood. After Sub-Zero delivered the map, Quan Chi made good on a promise to the Lin Kuei Grandmaster; the rival clan, the Shirai Ryu , was wiped out. The Shirai Ryu was a clan founded by a breakaway member of the Lin Kuei years earlier. Shinnok's amulet The Lin Kuei demonstrated their mercenary nature here when they inadvertently placed the Earthrealm in danger for personal gain. After retrieving the map, Sub-Zero is hired again for another mission. This time, he was to follow the directions on the map to a hidden Temple of the Elements, wherein an amulet (supposedly Quan Chi's) was kept. Defeating the four elemental god-guardians in the temple, he found the amulet. Quan Chi took the amulet, revealing that it is actually Shinnok 's amulet, capable of freeing the fallen Elder God from the Netherealm and allowing him to take over all realms. Raiden , who had placed the amulet in the temple in the first place to protect it from the likes of Quan Chi, appeared and ordered Sub-Zero to rectify his mistake. Sub-Zero reluctantly agreed and was transported to the Netherealm. There, he tracked down Quan Chi, and stole the amulet back from Shinnok before he could use it. He then escaped to Earth via Raiden's portal. It is later revealed that Quan Chi had never given the amulet to Shinnok; instead, he had crafted a fake and kept the original for himself. This was crucial to the events of '' Mortal Kombat 4 '' and its sequels. The elder Sub-Zero's last mission Immediately after returning from his mission, Sub-Zero was hired by ''. The younger Sub-Zero and Smoke Despite losing, Shang Tsung survived the first tournament and organised a Second Tournament on Outworld as a trap for the Earthrealm warriors. Once again, Sub-Zero was sent to kill him, but this time, it was actually Sub-Zero's younger brother who was sent as a replacement and assumed the same code-name. Presumably this also explains Smoke 's presence in the tournament. He was a friend and close ally of the younger Sub-Zero. Shang Tsung survived again, and Sub-Zero returned home empty-handed. In '' Mortal Kombat 3 '' and its follow-ups, the Lin Kuei have a much greater role. In the events leading up to Shao Kahn 's invasion of Earthrealm, the Lin Kuei have begun a program of turning their clansmen into Cyborg s. The first to volunteer for this program was Sektor , also referred to as LK-9T9. He is notable for being the only one of the cyborgs to be consistently described as soulless for the rest of the series. Being the prototype, the process actually killed him completely, leaving him as only a body animated by cybernetics and computers. Second was Cyrax , also known as unit LK-4D4. The younger Sub-Zero and Smoke were in-line as well to be converted. Likely considering this a fate worse than death, the two fled their clan, an act equivalent to Treason . Sektor and Cyrax were sent to capture them and return them to headquarters. While Sub-Zero escaped, Smoke was recaptured and transformed into the third (and last) cybernetic warrior: Unit LK-7T2. Rogues Shortly thereafter, ''. Noob Saibot also appears on Shao Kahn's side, at least initially. In '' Mortal Kombat Trilogy '' He is mentioned as serving under Shinnok in the Netherealm for the first time. The rest of the Lin Kuei are assumed to have their souls taken by Shao Kahn but later restored along with the rest of the world's souls when Kahn is defeated. Most likely due to Sub-Zero's successful escape from the clan following the events of ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'', the Lin Kuei lost many of its members before '' Mortal Kombat 4 '' and is initially even described as "disbanded". Perhaps it explains their attempts to have Sub-Zero killed, because they blamed him for their troubles. Once again, Cyrax was sent out to hunt down Sub-Zero after being repaired by the Lin Kuei. However, Cyrax had been acting erratically since his recovery, so the Lin Kuei sent Sektor to follow him, and destroy him and/or finish his job if necessary. Cyrax, whose soul had begun to reassert itself, sought out Sonya Blade and Jax of the Outer World Investigation Agency , who helped restore his memories and former self. Sektor was unable to prevent this. Sub-Zero was confronted by Scorpion. Scorpion's ending, confirmed by the background of '''', shows that, after finally defeating Sub-Zero, Quan Chi reveals that he was responsible. This made Quan Chi directly responsible for the death of Scorpion's family and Clan , while also indirectly responsible for Scorpion's own death. Scorpion responded by taking Quan Chi with him to the Netherealm. Reformation The storyline of ''Deadly Alliance'' revealed some huge changes to the Lin Kuei and their history. First of all, somewhere between 5 and 9 AMK Sektor managed to achieve the role of Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. This could mean that he malfunctioned, or was reprogrammed, and killed the Grandmaster. The role of Grandmaster seemed to be based on the possession of the hithereto unmentioned ''Dragon medallion'', which aside from greatly increasing the power of the user, also determines the leader of the Lin Kuei. Sektor's leadership of the Lin Kuei prompted Sub-Zero to return. He defeated the cyborg and assumed the title of Grandmaster himself. Sub-Zero implemented a number of changes to the clan. He moved the Lin Kuei headquarters to an ancient temple he had discovered buried in the ice of Siberia . He also changed the mission of the Lin Kuei, making it a force for the side of good for the first time. He began recruiting new warriors to replenish the Lin Kuei's depleted ranks. Among these efforts was a tournament, the winner of which would be introduced into the clan. The winner was Frost , a brash young woman with powers remarkably similar to Sub-Zero's own ice-controlling abilities. Frost becames Sub-Zero's personal student, another exceptional event. He was able to teach her new ways to use her powers, but failed to quell her sense of arrogance and ambition. Around this time Sonya Blade attempted to contact the Lin Kuei at some point, perhaps in an effort to open relations between the Outer World Investigation Agency and the Lin Kuei. However, she was prevented from doing so by an overzealous Frost. Journey into Outworld Sub-Zero realised he was unpopular with the majority of the Lin Kuei. Therefore he attempted to prove himself by leaving to help Raiden fight the Deadly Alliance . The Earthrealm warriors ultimately lost against the Deadly Alliance. While in Outworld, Frost turned against Sub-Zero and attempted to steal the dragon medallion from him. Though initially successful, she was consumed by her own freezing ability. His troubles with Frost saved him from a worse fate, as the four other Earthrealm warriors and Kitana died at the hands of the Deadly Alliance. After Frost's death, Sub-Zero searched for a place to bury her and found the ruins of an extinct civilisation: the Cryomancers . They were a people who could control the powers of ice and cold. Sub-Zero inferred that he and Frost both were descendants of this race. He also found an ancient armour in the tomb, and donned it. Sub-Zero decided it would be best to head back to Earth after the Deadly Alliance was defeated by the even more sinister Onaga . On his way to a portal, he encountered Kenshi , who was badly wounded. The two decided to travel together. Along his travelling path, Sub-Zero had killed many Tarkatan warriors, drawing attention from Onaga and his zealous enforcer, Hotaru . Once again, the Grandmaster found himself tailed and marked for death. TRIVIA
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