Prepare for Spam - Backstory Character Profiles

*"Pohu, 'Smash the Tiger,'" Jack read the name of the tiny Northern village on the map and translated it for himself. "Do you get a lot of tigers this far north?"

"They used a different character when the wall was built," Bai-Ling said without emotion. "It's still read as 'smash the foreigners.'"*

So this is my perpetual NaNo project. Every year I tell myself I'm going to finally write it, and every year I pick something different by a week in. Seriously. This year will be attempt number 4.

It's been retitled a couple of times. You've probably heard me refer to it as Chinoiserie. It's Jian's origin story! Among other things.

Name: Yung Jian-Tzu (icon by

asti_chan)
Age: 16
Race/ethnicity: Han Chinese
DOB/Sign: Water dragon - April, 1892
Birth
Hair: Black and straight, worn long and usually plaited back out of the way
Eyes: Dark brown
Height/Weight: 5 foot 2 inches, 130 pounds
Alignment: Lawful good, I suppose? He believes in the idea of the Imperial throne much more than he believes in any individual emperor or empress.
Weapon(s) used commonly: He favors hand to hand combat, but not so much that he would not use a sword if that gave him better odds of winning the fight and getting the job done.
Personality: Jian is serious about virtually everything - his training, his duty, his relationships, and even his free time. Because of his seriousness, other people sometimes have trouble taking him seriously. The only thing he really enjoys is practicing his fighting.
History: Jian was born on a farm, the youngest son to parents who were not well-off. When the temple located him and asked to have him sent for training, the consented easily. He grew up in the temple and was just recently given over to civil service, where he was partnered with Xiu-He.
Appearance: Unless he's intentionally dressing up - perhaps to accompany the emperor, or to travel to a certain place without drawing attention - Jian does his best to look like any middle-class man on the streets might. He is sometimes mistaken for someone studying for the civil service exams, and takes advantage of this when it suits him.
Abilities: Jian can read and write - he was trained in it in the temple - and is also a superb fighter. He speaks English with only a hint of an accent.
Miscellaneous Talents: His foremost talent is in fighting, but he also has a gift for impersonation and fitting in - he would tell you it's due to his water nature.
Strengths: He's smart and good at strategic planning. He's also very fond of Emperor Guangxu even if he doesn't necessarily think he's good for the Empire.
Weaknesses: Jian tends to be too easy to believe those in power have peoples' best interests at heart, even if he doesn't believe they're capable of actually serving the people well. He can also be arrogant when dealing with people he feels are unworthy of his attention - generally people who are lazy and don't want to improve their situation.
Likes: Simple food. Intelligent conversation. A challenging sparring match. Sunrise in the country. Clear, starry skies.
Dislikes: Fancy things, especially things that are overdone for no good reason. In particular, he finds it almost impossible to sleep in beds that are too soft.

Name: Song Xiu-He (icon by

hilohello)
Age: 22
Race/ethnicity: Mongol/Manchu Chinese
DOB/Sign: Fire dog - December, 1886
Hair: Red and wavy, her distinctive hair is what caused the temple to investigate her as a possible elemental affinity and convince her parents to let her study there.
Eyes: Brown
Height/Weight: 5 foot 3 inches, 150 pounds
Alignment: Chaotic good; she wants to do the right thing, but is increasingly finding that the right thing and the thing that her job requires her to do are different.
Weapon(s) used commonly: Xiu-He favors magic over physical fighting.
Personality: True to her element, Xiu-He is impulsive and willful, passionate and often joyful. Though she seems not to be concerned with anything beyond the current goal, she can and does nurse grudges with surprising vehemence, and when she feels wronged, she will not shy away from looking for opportunities for payback.
History: Xiu-He was born into a once-great aristocratic family that had fallen out of favor and on hard times. Her mother raised her and her siblings on stories of corrupt emperors, courtesans and eunuchs. When she was discovered by the temple, she was already older than most of their new recruits, but she was talented and quickly rose through the ranks. She was honored when she was sent to the Imperial palace as a guard and the junior representative of the temple, thinking that perhaps there she would find the means to restore her family's honor, but the longer she knows the Emperor, the more she doubts he can help. He seems to her like a lonely man who's too fond of his clockwork toys and not enough of his duty; she cares for him and protects him, but can't say she sees him as an authority, let alone as a Son of Heaven. Sometimes she wonders if he doesn't need saving as well. After her partner died defending the palace, she became even less sure this was the path she wanted to walk.
Appearance: Among the delicate, cultured, and pale women of the court, Xiu-He's dark skin and red hair stands out. Remembering her mother's scathing words about the people at court, Xiu-He cultivated her reputation as a wild woman, walking barefoot to flaunt her unbound feet and leaving her hair loose.
Abilities: She grew up speaking both Mongolian and Manchu at home, and learned Mandarin at the temple and has picked up several languages at court, including bits of Cantonese, English, Latin and French. She is a trained fighter, as well, but she's not excited about physical fighting the way Jian is.
Miscellaneous Talents: Xiu-He is particularly good at fire magic, but she also has a talent for seeing through magic used by others.
Strengths: Xiu-He is a strong, independent young woman with an ear for language and an eye for magic. She's not worried about what others think, only about doing her job and helping her family. (She sends most of her stipend home to her mother.)
Weaknesses: She is inclined to do things herself to prove that she can. Her reputation preceeds her, and sometimes that can work against her as well.
Likes: Freedom. Striking jewelry. Her family. Cool weather. The clockwork toys the Emperor gives her.
Dislikes: Those who curry favor with the emperor. Fish. The Dowager Empress.

Name: Hsu Bai-Ling (icon by

hikky)
Age: 27
Race/ethnicity: Han Chinese
DOB/Sign: Metal snake - July, 1881
Hair: White
Eyes: Pink-grey
Height/Weight: 5 foot even, 100 pounds
Alignment: Lawful good, insofar as she believes in following the rules. However, "the rules" do not always translate to "the law".
Weapon(s) used commonly: Bai-Ling favors a pair of twin daggers, but she likes to keep her skill with them under wraps when possible.
Personality: Bai-Ling is, to all appearances, a well mannered and intelligent young woman. She is all these things, as well as many more she was trained to hide. Very few people see her true personality, which is much more icy and formal than the genial one she wears in public.
History: Bai-Ling was born to a merchant family in southern China. Her parents were initially wary of her appearance but found that many of their European business partners were fascinated by her appearance. They taught her to entertain them and made sure she learned the art of charm as well as giving her lessons in singing and playing music. Her multi-talented status and family connections brought her to the attention of her boss, who offered her a way out from under her parents' thumbs- training and service as a diplomatic consul whose job was to entertain diplomats' wives. Somewhere along the way the focus shifted, and she was pushed aside when a scandalous affair with a young French woman was discovered, but her new boss is happy to turn that bitterness to the revolution's advantage.
Appearance: Bai-Ling's most obvious trait is her albinism. She's come to embrace her distinctive appearance and usually dresses in either very dark or white clothing to emphasize her looks.
Abilities: She was raised speaking Cantonese, Mandarin, both pidgin and proper English as well as French. She reads, recites poetry, sings and plays instruments.
Miscellaneous Talents: Bai-Ling is actually very skilled at glamour and charming people, but for obvious reasons does not advertise this. She also has an excellent voice.
Strengths: She is good at hiding her true feelings and reactions, ferreting out information, and making friends and allies.
Weaknesses: Because of her condition, her eyes are sensitive to bright light and her skin is easily sunburned.
Likes: Beauty. The opera. Traveling.
Dislikes: Air travel. Uncomfortable accommodations. Rumor mongers and gossips.

Name: John Nathan Fitzsimmons "Jack" Rose (icon by

texmas)
Age: 42
Race/ethnicity: English
DOB/Sign: Fire tiger - March, 1866
Hair: Red
Eyes: Blue
Height/Weight: 5 foot 6 inches, 180 pounds
Alignment: Chaotic neutral; Jack fancies the idea of himself as a modern Robin Hood, helping people in distress and ripping off those who deserve it, but in practice he is easily distracted by whatever promises to please or amuse him.
Weapon(s) used commonly: Jack is more than happy to use whatever comes to hand; on his ship, that could be almost anything. Guns, knives, and shuriken are all likely to be found on his person at any given time.
Personality: He's wild, careless and immature, but he means well and even manages to do the right thing in the end. Usually. Sometimes he thinks he'd like to settle down, but not enough to actually do it - he suspects he would be miserable in about six months.
History: Jack was born in Calcutta. His father was a British officer there and a friend of Prince Albert and Jack had the best upbringing his parents could arrange -until he decided he was tired of England, dropped out of Cambridge, and got on the first ship he could find back to Asia, where he's been getting into trouble ever since. He apprenticed to an airship pirate, battled clockwork vikings, almost eloped with a Japanese princess, and played both sides for fools in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. The British consulate considers him a loose canon and general opinion is that he went either native or crazy, possibly both, as a young man, and he is actually used as a bogeyman figure to scare new arrivals into leaving their wise and children in England.
Appearance: Jack is in his early forties but can pass for younger if he needs to.
Abilities: An accomplished airship captain (or sky ninja, as he called himself as a young man), Jack is trained in navigation and minor ship repairs. He speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Russian and Hindi, all of them with terrible accents, and can hold his own in most fights.
Miscellaneous Talents: Jack's main talent is his luck- he regularly stumbles across magical artifacts by accident, stumbles drunkenly into important meetings, and just happens to arrive at a club the same time as the man he's looking for.
Strengths: Jack can be charming in a laid-back way, and won't hesitate to talk Brits in circles to get what he's after. Lots of people owe him favors for things they'd rather forget, as well.
Weaknesses: Pretty ladies, especially pretty ladies in distress. Gets sick from spicy food. Probably has a death warrant on his head in Japan.
Likes: Winning. Getting away with it. Pretty ladies. ;)
Dislikes: People trying to kill him. People doing things for his own good or in his best interests. Being shot at.

01

When Jian and Xiu He arrived at the Emperor's chambers that morning, the doors were still closed and the palanquin was not waiting. This was not unheard of, but they waited only a moment before Xiu He went over to the eunuches at the door.

"Are we needed this morning?"

The eunuch nodded. "Please wait." Xiu He heard the sneer in his voice, but she only smiled and thanked him.

Xiu He returned to her apprentice and they waited a quarter hour before the door to the Emperor's chamber opened and another eunuch beckoned them inside. They stepped forward, Jian falling into step behind his master.

Once inside, they prostrated themselves before the Emperor, touching their heads to the floor as was expected. They stood, Xiu He a little faster than Jian, and caught sight of the Empress Dowager, Cixi, seated in the corner of the room.

"I will not need your service here today," the Emperor spoke. "However, your service is necessary elsewhere."

"We will do as you command, of course," Xiu He said. She'd become used to speaking freely in front of the Emperor when they were behind closed doors, but the Empress Dowager's presence made her nervous. Cixi rarely left her vacation palace since it had been rebuilt.

As if in answer to Xiu He's curiousity, Cixi spoke. "There is a mission of utmost importance, and my nephew believes you are the most suited to undertake it. It is key to the security of the empire that you succeed."

"What do you ask of your servants?" She turned to face the Empress Dowager, careful not to raise her eyes high enough to offend.

"The British have become too comfortable here," Cixi continued, "and they are encouraging certain rebellious elements amongst the lower classes. Everyone needs to be reminded of the power of the Son of Heaven."

Jian looked at the Emperor out of the corner of his eye. He was seated at his favorite desk, tooling with yet another clockwork even as Cixi spoke. If anyone was entitled to ignore the Empress Dowager, it would be him, Jian supposed.

"How may we remind the people?" Xiu He asked. There was the hint of a laugh in her voice, but Cixi did not seem to hear it.

"There are certain items, fa liang cao, that can be used for this purpose. During the ascension of the Qing dynasty they were hidden, to keep them out of the hands of enemies such as the Manchu-" Xiu He flinched at this- "but it is time to retrieve them."

"We are just monks and guardians," Xiu He spoke and her voice was tight. "How can we retrieve such objects?"

Cixi frowned. "Do you think the Imperial Household is unaware of what it is your order was created to protect, young lady? Your peculiarities are tolerated because His Highness has taken a liking to you, but do not play ignorant with me."

"I meant no offense," Xiu He answered quickly, bowing low. Jian mechanically followed her motions.

"Your temple guards and studies magical items. I'm told by my nephew that you have some skill with magic yourself. And you will not be alone in this journey. A diplomat is being assigned to accompany you and transportation will be arranged."

"Then of course we will do as we are ordered, Your Majesty," Xiu He said, making a show of bowing low again. The Dowager Empress dismissed them, and she left, Jian following close behind.

02

_dawn breaks, sets the key to turning
the dance begins, every movement flawless

a precious stone, fine and flawless jade
emerald eyes, shining silver skin

gears turn smoothly as cold streams
springs coil tightly as human frailty

gold or brass, clockwork spins in place
king or peasant, moving in the patterns of heaven_

(translated by Jack Rose, 1910)

Chapter Two: In which we meet the diplomat Bai-Ling and it is made clear just how unorthodox a manner of travel they will be using

"Wei-Fong, I don't think this sort of distraction is really the best use of my skills." Wei-Fong was an officer in the diplomatic corps, marshalling a small army of those who had mastered the art of small talk with Westerners, those who seemed to luck into jobs working for the most interesting of subjects, and those who brought somewhat more unusual skills to bear than simply diplomacy. They were known to be troubleshooters, and the Empress Dowager had spoken to him personally about this mission.

"Nonsense, Bai-Ling. I would not be sending you if I did not think you were the best one for the job. You were especially chosen out of my entire corps."

"But why?" Bai-Ling was hurt. She had thought she was doing well in Shanghai - several British businessmen and one minor aristocrat had taken her into their confidence, and she was happily turning everything they offered over to Wei-Fong. She'd been allowed to enter the men's club only recently on the arm of the minor lord, and had been well-positioned to be introduced to even higher British figures.

She was quite lucky. Her skills in diplomacy had kept her the job, but she had originally been offered it because of a simple quirk of fate - she was born an albino, with pale skin and hair, which seemed to fascinate Westerners. Some couldn't stop staring at her light skin and Chinese features. It attracted the attentions of a certain kind of businessman, and she was happy to oblige, as long as the man was happy to sit and chat with her about this and that, sweet nothings and business plans.

"This is a very delicate mission, and the emperor's men are not people I trust to maintain decorum or a… proper understanding of the importance of events."

"Anyone could keep an eye on them."

"But not just anyone could retrieve what is being sought." Wei-Fong sighed and took her hand. "Bai-Like, please, have faith in me. I do not make this decision lightly. I hated recalling you from Shanghai in the first place - you do so well with the foreigners there. But beieve me when I say that I don't know who else I could send."

Before Bai-Ling could argue any further, the door to the chamber was opened. A page entered, followed by two… well, it took Bai-Ling a moment to be sure. A young woman and a younger man, dressed in simple clothing. It looked like monk's clothing, though Bai-Ling did not know of any temples where women and men trained side by side.

"You are?" the woman asked without preamble, surprising Bai-Ling. She was too talk and too dark by the current trends, but Bai-Ling suspected she wasn't the type to care much.

"I am Hsu Bai-Ling, of the diplomatic service," she introduced herself with her warmest smile and thought glamours over herself of friendliness. No need to get off on the wrong foot here. She was wearing a western-style gown, as she had just arrived from Shanghai, and so she curtseyed in the Western fashion.

"I am Xiu-He and this is my apprentice, Jian," the woman said, bowing formally but shallowly in return. Bai-Ling decided not to take it as an insult, as there was nothing to gain by getting off on the wrong foot this early anyway. Or at least she told herself that, regardless of how she felt deeper down.

She looked at Wei-Fong. "This is my company, then?"

"There will be one more," her boss demured, "but you will meet him outside the City's walls."

"Your expenses," the page said, handing one small purse to Bai-Ling and one to Xiu-He. They were set up to be equals, then. Bai-Ling wasn't sure what to make of that - it would make decision-making difficult, if there was no final arbiter.

"Whose mission is this?" she asked Wei-Fong.

He took her by the shoulder and gently walked her away from the other two. The monks stared after, which made Bai-Ling uncomfortable.

"Officially, it is your mission," Wei-Fong said. "The emperor, may he rule a thousand years, is said to have complete trust in her, but few others feel that way. However, she is willful. She will not bend to you simply because your name is first on the commission."

Bai-Ling nodded.

"You also have a second mission they won't know about. The items that you are to seek for the Empress Dowager - I don't know that we can trust them in her hands. She has been too conciliatory to the foreigners."

She couldn't quite believe she was hearing him criticize the Empress Dowager. Wei-Fong had never spoken this way in front of her before.

"I can only hope that I am correct in trusting you with this, Bai-Ling. It is not an easy decision for me to make, and you have always been like a daughter to me. I know that I make you a party to treason, but I think when it is explained to you, you will understand."

This seemed to be happening so fast. Wei-Fong had been like a father to her as well, and she thought that if he had reason to believe she should keep her own private counsel on this mission, well, she would do it.

The door opened and another page entered, this one carrying a scroll that looked to have some age and dust on it. He laid it on the table and unrolled it, then waited for the others to gather around. Bai-Ling could see quite readily that it was a map, roughly mapping the space of China and nearby lands, with various locations marked in indigo ink. She recognized some of the names from the folk tales her mother used to tell her - Kun Lun, Fu Sang, Peng Lai.

"You are about to embark on a quest not unlike the journeys of old." Wei-Fong swept his hand over the scroll. "There exist a number of stones with the powers of the gods inside them. They were last seen as the Qing dynasy rose, and they were then hidden away for the good of the empire. The marks on this scroll show the last known locations of those stones."

"Magic stones?" Bai-Ling asked, a bit dismayed. This was what they had called her from Shanghai for? There were people more familiar with magic than her, and those closer to the gods. Why bother sending her?

She worried for a moment that she was being set up to fail.

Still, there was nothing she could do about it now without looking weak in front of Wei-Fong. She steeled herself. "If they are to be found, we will find them," she told him.

"Good." He nodded to the page, who re-rolled the scroll. "Take this with you, then, and you'll be off. ny other questions?"

Bai-Ling looked at the monks.

"And what happens when we find them?" Xiu-He asked.

"They will be used for the good of China, of course," Wei-Fong answered. Something in the way she had asked made Bai-Ling uncomfortable, but she couldn't put her finger on what.

"And you will find the captain waiting outside the border of the city itself." That seemed terribly inefficient to Bai-Ling, but she had little choice in the matter.

After bowing to Wei-Fong, she turned to the monks. "Is there anything you need to see to before we take our leave?"

Xiu-He shook her head. "We've already prepared."

Bai-Ling gestured to the page, who quickly picked up her cases and followed. Outside the palace, a carriage had been provided. Bai-Ling climbed in first, followed by Xiu-He. Jian helped load the luggage and then hung onto the back, and the runner took off toward the south gate.

Watching the city go by in a rush for the second time that day, Bai-Ling wished she had more time to appreciate it. She had never before been to the capital, having been raised and taught in the port cities. Hopefully when this mission was over, she would have some time here to see the greatest city in the greatest empire. She'd heard that all sorts of wonders existed in Beijing, particularly in the Forbidden City, things that even the Westerners with their clockworks did not dream of.

Once they exited the gate of the city, Bai-Ling looked around alertly for this special transport that had been arranged. In the distance she saw what appeared to be a ship, though there was no water beneath it.

The carriage stopped next to the unusual ship.

"I must admit, though I wasn't expecting much, this is not what I was expecting," Bai-Ling frowned. She'd heard that a few of the Westerners had flying ships like those that existed in the old stories, but had never seen one in Shanghai. Those that didn't deny their existance were very cagey about where she might see one.

Jian glanced around as he strapped his bag over his shoulder and picked up Bai-Ling's cases. "Are we supposed to push it to the river?"

"Ah! You're here!" a voice shouted down from the deck. Bai-Ling looked up in confusion. The voice had shouted in English, but why would Wei-Fong trust them with an Englishman?

A ladder unfolded down the side of the ship and a man quickly climbed down. Bai-Ling could see that he was definitely English, though his clothing was poorer than she was used to seeing and appeared somewhat eccentric. He had red hair and blue eyes and she guessed him to have somewhat more than forty years, though it was hard for her to tell with Westerners.

"Nice to meet you, I'm- Oh! Sorry!" He switched abruptly to Mandarin. "Apologies, I forgot myself. I am pleased to make your acquaintence. I am Jack Rose, captain of this vessel."

Bai-Ling was surprised - most Englishmen didn't bother trying to learn the language, complaining that they found it barbaric. His accent was atrocious, however. She greeted him in English. "I have been trained to speak English, but I appreciate your gesture."

"No, it's fine, I don't mind," he persisted in his terrible Mandarin.

"By all means, don't trouble yourself," Bai-Ling said, again in English.

"No trouble at all, ma'am," Jack said.

"I, for one, would rather put up with his pronounciation than have to listen to English constantly," Xiu-He spoke as she came up to them. Jian was behind her with the luggage.

"I suppose I'm outvoted," Bai-Ling answered in Mandarin. She was suddenly conscious of her southern accent and wondered how noticable it was to the others. Neither of the monks said anything about it, however.

"Excellent," Jack answered. "In that case, climb aboard."