Shaolin
Overview
Group/Faction Affiliations: Black Paw, Rangers Chernarus
Status: Deceased
Jordan “Shaolin” Chen was a founding member of Rangers Chernarus and an infamous bandit, trader and cut-throat. As a formerly distinguished member of the Black Paw who was lucky to escape the pack with his life, he was always on the move; utilizing the skills he learned in his time out west to form the Rangers Chernarus alongside Jason Dive. He was responsible for the formation of the criminal pact known as the Syndicate, and led the charge against the Coalition in the first post-infection civil war; eventually capturing and holding its leader, Joseph “Tex Rockwolf” Kirche, hostage.
Appearance
Shaolin was rarely seen out of traditional Ranger garb - donning the green beret, purple mask and armband of his faction alongside military fatigues. However, he also occasionally wore a black ski mask and leather moccasins - relics of his prior tenure in the Black Paw.
Origins
Shaolin hailed from New York City. His father owned a major speaker company called “Global Incentives”, which Shaolin would later inherit; eventually traveling to Chernogorsk on their behalf to oversee a major audio installation for the hotel in the city. Jordan, his friend Dan, and Dan’s girlfriend Ashley tried to escape the infection via car, but the latter two were killed in a deadly road accident near Balota. Stumbling from the wreckage, Jordan quickly fled the town - eventually learning to survive and thrive in the wilderness of South Zagoria.
Demeanor
Shaolin was a cunning, yet often hot-headed leader. He was never afraid to call someone out directly, and considered betrayal of the group to be unacceptable. He valued loyalty before everything else, and fiercely protected his members at all cost. In contrast, he would often show his friendlier side during his time away from the battlefield, and enjoyed hosting Friday night cookouts at Kaer Morhen - the name given to Zub Castle by the Rangers - with his crew. Shaolin was also an avid reader, and could often be found smoking cigarettes with his head buried in a book.
Actions
A month after his near-fatal car crash, Shaolin met a man called Jay Gatsby whilst looting a supermarket, with the duo quickly becoming close friends. Jay told him about the groups in the area, and with his family probably dead Shaolin started to take an interest in the Black Paw. The two started a group called the Fraternity before Jay disappeared, with Shaolin eventually moving on to join the pack through Felix le Loup. He spent most of his time in the Pack fighting against DUTY and the Brotherhood in the war known best as the Time of Straws. At the height of the war he distinguished himself in combat, earning Charlie’s approval to attain the rank of Wolf. However, despite this recognition, Shaolin made several mistakes during his time in Black Paw, including when helping Krieger of the Forsaken Motorcycle Club hunt the Cult of Papa.
After several months spent in the pack, Shaolin tried to ascend to the rank of Beta when the position opened up, ultimately leading to hostilities between him and another Pack member, Recluse. This would culminate in an infamous rivalry, ending with a standoff between the two. Recluse attempted to execute Shaolin at the nearby hunting lodge of The Estate in the Black Forest, but Shaolin was ultimately spared from the void. Following this near-death experience, he moved on from the pack and began laying the groundwork for his own group.
The Rangers Chernarus were founded in early 2017 by its original five members: Dive, Rudy Rose, Ice, Ragnar and Shaolin. They set out trying to establish positive relations with other groups, creating a false image of being “good guys' whilst covertly plotting against their new allies for their own benefit. They robbed lone travellers and survivors quietly for a month until ending up in a scuffle with the Firekeepers, who shot and downed two Rangers amid worsening relations between the two groups. In the aftermath of this insult, and in response to growing tension with the northern Coalition, Shaolin and Jason Dive sowed the soil for the first great Civil War of the infection; using northern aggression as a pretext to form the Syndicate with Hex the Immortal of Dark as Midnight, Bozo of the Carnival, and Bastier of the Green Mountain Nomads. The Syndicate aimed to preserve anarchy in Chernarus for their own benefit and amusement, countering the society-building efforts of the Coalition. During the course of this war, the Syndicate would earn key strategic victories against the Coalition in Novaya Petrovka; culminating with the capture of Joseph “Tex Rockwolf'' Kirche, leader of the Firekeepers. However, the Coalition would eventually rescue Tex from the Syndicate at Prison Island, marking the dawn of a shaky truce between the two sides that held until their dissolution.
The New Era, as Shaolin referred to it, would be marked by the aggressive expansion of Ranger territory alongside fresh recruitment and training under his watchful eye. Using his reputation as a feared bandit to command respect, he forged beneficial relations with groups such as Jack’s Trading Post, the Pavlovo Trade Union, and most notably the Dusty Cowboys. Shaolin’s older brother Jack joined the Rangers later in the year, learning the internal affairs of RC and eventually being included in Shaolin’s will and inheritance alongside Jason Dive and Sam Gibbs.
Where are they now?
In the final days of his life, Shaolin was involved in a souring of relations that led to the outbreak of a major war between Rangers Chernarus, the Dusty Cowboys and Gino - a traitor to the Rangers who sided with his girlfriend, Abbigale “Mad Abbie” Arlet and declared Shaolin unfit to be chief. During an ambush in Mogilevka, Shaolin would be taken by surprise at the town’s water pump, rushing at Gino in a last resort with his knife in hand only to be swiftly cut down by the traitor. He passed away at the scene from two gunshot wounds to the abdomen, leaving a troubled life and legacy behind him. His final resting place is unknown to all except the Rangers that remain to this day.
Relationships
Jason Dive
Jason was a co-founder of the Rangers, Shaolin’s most trusted commander, and also his best friend. Their comradeship would lead the Rangers into its most powerful era, with the duo frequently working together in ghillie teams to take their enemies and victims by surprise. There was never a move that Shaolin made without speaking to Jason first, and vice versa.
Tex Rockwolf
Though both Jordan and Tex were equally possessed of an iron will, their ideologies were diametrically opposed. Tex was one of few people in Chernarus willing to stand up to Shaolin, and as such would eventually become one of his greatest foes; preaching justice and hope where the Rangers sowed strife and chaos. They fought fiercely in the civil war, with blood shed on both sides. Shaolin eventually tortured Tex during what would be referred to as the Prison Island Incident, mutilating his body during a intense 3 day interrogation after his capture near Berezino. Tex would be spared death by the actions of the Coalition and Black Paw, but his injuries hung over him until his death years later.
Hex the Immortal
As instrumental leaders in the formation of the Syndicate, Hex and Shaolin’s fates were intertwined as a result of mutual self-interest. Though relations always hung on a knife edge in the cut-throat ranks of the Syndicate, the two had a begrudging respect for each other; leading joint operations against The Coalition in Novaya Petrovka at the heads of their respective factions and winning several key battles that led to an overwhelming victory over the Coalition.
Ender
As the leader of the mysterious paramilitary unit known as DUTY, Ender was one of Shaolin’s most hated foes since his time as a pup. Shaolin served with the Black Paw as they battled with DUTY for years, although they always fell just short of capturing or killing Ender. After his disappearance and DUTY’s subsequent withdrawal from the country, Shaolin would eventually learn to respect Ender’s intellect - but never forgave the harm he had done to his former brothers.
Wodae
Shaolin and Rangers Chernarus enjoyed a successful partnership with the Pavlovo Trade Union during Wodae’s tenure as commander, using them to fence stolen goods and as a supplier for guns and ammunition to feed their war machine. However, after the PTU ceased all trade to insulate themselves from a proxy war between Rangers Chernarus and the Black Paw, Wodae eventually turned from a close friend into a notable enemy. Shaolin was eventually indirectly responsible for Wodae’s assassination - ordering his older brother, Jack to carry out the killing in his last will and testament.