Shado-pan representing all of Pandaria?

[Narwhalosh Whalescream]

They seem to be the only properly organized and centralized organization in Pandaria to represent the pandaren as a race, and also the only ones capable of handling diplomatic things and such. There's no emperor, Pandaria seems so decentralized, everyone minding their own town but not much more besides for trade and travel.

[Venziir]

Yes, it seems the Shado-Pan are, indeed, the ones "in control" of Pandaria along with, obviously, the August Celestials (both the actual beings and their supporters). Which kinda makes Pandaria a theocratic police state I suppose....

[Devonitar]

I'd call Pandaria a loose feudal state with a large amount of largely independant entities, like villages and cities, that provide supplies and manpower to the military and the priesthood.

[Eucep]

They are their prime militairy force, but militairy force in how spec-ops are a specialized militairy force. Their lack of a leader is kinda odd, in that I do not know why after Shaohao that there were no new Pandaren Emperors.

[Skildar]

from what I gathered, the pandaren are not ruled by a central system all over pandaria. They form small villages directed by mayors.
from that they do have a temples in which they form warriors to defend the continent. They have may foes and a mantid raid every 100 years, so the need for this special force to exist is here. Though it is never made clear how they are funded

[Narwhalosh Whalescream]

from what I gathered, the pandaren are not ruled by a central system all over pandaria. They form small villages directed by mayors.
from that they do have a temples in which they form warriors to defend the continent. They have may foes and a mantid raid every 100 years, so the need for this special force to exist is here. Though it is never made clear how they are funded

Probably taxes, but who collects these taxes? Where is it stored?

[Sevryn]

You guys need to get out more.

Infracted.

[Raugnaut]

Probably taxes, but who collects these taxes? Where is it stored?

Nah, it's a donation system - The various villages, and towns give the Shado-Pan what all they can spare, considering that the Shado-Pan are holding back all manners of nasty.

[Soon-TM]

They are their prime militairy force, but militairy force in how spec-ops are a specialized militairy force. Their lack of a leader is kinda odd, in that I do not know why after Shaohao that there were no new Pandaren Emperors.

Actually, Pandaren's way of life is the closest in Warcraft to a truly communist/anarcho-syndicalist society imo.

[Powerogue]

They got a ghost emperor. :I

But yeah they seem the closest thing the island has to a formal military and government without the emperor. It helps that the vast majority of them are so chill. Not many uprisings to quell when most people just want to fish, drink, and patch up the disaster the Alliance and Horde left behind.

[shadowmatrix]

You guys need to get out more.

Infracted.

Between Covid 19, Trump, and riots we are just fine staying home at the moment.

[Saltysquidoon]

They seem to be the only properly organized and centralized organization in Pandaria to represent the pandaren as a race, and also the only ones capable of handling diplomatic things and such.

I think that's just our human showing. Humans are hierarchical and tribal we see a need to have a tiered centralised government with a designated leader/spokesperson, that entirely disparate fantasy races all seem to share that trait is just a consequence of them being written by humans.

The Pandaren's seem to have gotten along just fine without a centralised government for 10,000 years, I'm not sure why there needs to be a change in that now. Personally I think the shadow-pan's political and military power is overblown because of Taran Zhu. I mean it's not like the golden lotus and the august celestials and their temples do nothing.

[ravenmoon]

They seem to be the only properly organized and centralized organization in Pandaria to represent the pandaren as a race, and also the only ones capable of handling diplomatic things and such. There's no emperor, Pandaria seems so decentralized, everyone minding their own town but not much more besides for trade and travel.

The Shado'pan are more like a shadow military, the ones that keep watch fromt he shadows and step in when things threaten Pandaria as a whole.

they don't control or rule anyone, they are followt heir monk precepts.

[Arrashi]

The Shado'pan are more like a shadow military, the ones that keep watch fromt he shadows and step in when things threaten Pandaria as a whole.

they don't control or rule anyone, they are followt heir monk precepts.

Except for when they organise death festivals for children.

[Powerogue]

Except for when they organise death festivals for children.

I don't remember any death festivals.

Multiple brew and food festivals, but no death festivals.

The brutal and merciless Trial of Red Blossoms doesn't really count as a festival, but does involve plenty of death!

[Arrashi]

I don't remember any death festivals.

Multiple brew and food festivals, but no death festivals.

The brutal and merciless Trial of Red Blossoms doesn't really count as a festival, but does involve plenty of death!

And many pandaren businessmen who are willing to sponsor shado-pan for such entertainment.

[Thage]

Yes, it seems the Shado-Pan are, indeed, the ones "in control" of Pandaria along with, obviously, the August Celestials (both the actual beings and their supporters). Which kinda makes Pandaria a theocratic police state I suppose....

Not quite. Pandaren are closer to a collection of decentralized communes and mayorships. They're not quite anarchists (they don't seem opposed to the notion of a centralized government, just haven't seen the need for one themselves), but they have almost no unified governmental body to speak of, because a centralized governing body isn't necessary for them--culturally, pandaren get along just fine because of their focus on harmony and not being an asshole, a cultural norm partly enforced because otherwise the sha become a problem (prior to our first seriously fucking up, then fixing, the sha problem).

The Shado-Pan don't really exert much authority so far as law enforcement as they do work to address external threats. Even the kid in the short story got in so much deep water not because he was thievin' and being shady, but because he had done so to a high-up in the Shado-Pan. The trial itself is brutal by necessity because you don't want to induct someone who's going to crack in the middle of a mantid swarm or a sha outbreak.

The priesthood of the August Celestials, similarly, show little to no interest in taking positions of authority among their peers. They're content to be spiritual leaders and encourage each pandaren to live in harmony with their brothers and the land.

Now, all that said, the Shado-Pan are the most likely to represent the mainland pandaren externally with the mists lifted, if only because they're the most organized fighting force among their people. I doubt they would have unilateral decision-making prowess, however, any more than Aysa, Ji, and Jojo make unilateral decisions for all the Wandering Isle pandaren (who largely just do their own thing and Aysa and Ji really only serve to provide a voice at the table).

[A Chozo]

The Shado-pan are the only big and official line of defense on the whole of Pandaria, acting constantly to defend it. The Golden Lotus takes care of the center, the Celestials may pop up here and there, but only the Shado-pan are Empire-wide.

Warcraft's nature is that whenever there's problem it's a violence-related problem, so yes, Pandaria will send the Shado-pan to fix it. Until it's a problem related to libraries in disuse, then they'll send the Lorewalker. Or maybe it's a problem with fish imports, then they'll send an Angler.

[Wangming]

It's best not to think of politics, economy and even languages when it comes to WoW. Those things aren't that well developed. Just enjoy the combat and ignore the rest.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

They seem to be the only properly organized and centralized organization in Pandaria to represent the pandaren as a race, and also the only ones capable of handling diplomatic things and such. There's no emperor, Pandaria seems so decentralized, everyone minding their own town but not much more besides for trade and travel.

The Shado-Pan would only represent non-aligned mainland Pandaren. Horde and Alliance aligned Pandaren are represented by the Huojin and Tushui. Non-aligned Wandering Isle Pandaren have no formal organization representing them.

- - - Updated - - -

They are their prime militairy force, but militairy force in how spec-ops are a specialized militairy force. Their lack of a leader is kinda odd, in that I do not know why after Shaohao that there were no new Pandaren Emperors.

We know almost nothing about the Pandaren Emperor system. We seem to know more about Mogu dynasties. What we know is that Pandaria was ruled by various Mogu warlords coming into power, passing their lands to their sons until they are usurped by rival warlords, until the Pandaren rebellion happened. Then we jump straight to Shaohao, with no explanation as to how he came into power. If he was a hereditary Emperor, then did one of his ancestors lead the rebellion? Why isn't the ancestor mentioned in the lore? Just a big gap.