Jiao-Jie of the Xue Family<br/><br/><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td>(http://www.mardya.com/i/jiao.jpg)<br/></td><td>(http://www.mardya.com/i/p.gif)</td><td>For as long as mankind had kept track of history, on stone tablets, vellium or parchment, mention had been made of Jiao-Jie Xue’s ancestors. Her family name was first mentioned several centuries ago, but her lineage could easily be traced back to what seemed the beginning of time. Honorable warriors, sage advisors and skilled politicians had established the family reputation and later generations had cemented their ancestors’ heritage. Jiao-Jie was the youngest adult of said family line, daughter of Ju-Long Xue, grand advisor of General Wong. She was as beautiful as one could expect of a family that has attracted beauty and style for centuries with their fame and fortune. Intelligence, wit and an inquisitive mind were all part of her inheritance, as well as lands, houses and a regular income that allowed her a very comfortable life style. For all looks and appearances, Jiao-Jie had a perfect life, and truth be told, she had been content. <br/><br/>She might never have looked beyond the bars of her gilded cage if not for the winds of fate. <br/><br/>It had been one of those warm days in May and she had taken her letters to the spacious, walled garden. While reading, Jiao-Jie enjoyed the chatter of birds and admired the play of light over the dark, green leafs of a tall plant that had been recently imported from one of the southern states. She had left her papers to marvel over a detail upon the thick leaves when a sudden gust of wind had taken hold of the papers. And although she hurried to catch them, the pages fluttered capriciously out of reach. Higher and higher, until they reached the wall and danced out of sight. <br/><br/>A minor inconvenience...<br/></td></tr></tbody></table><br/>She could have called one of her servants to play fetch, and for all standards, she should have. But Jiao-Jie had felt her honor at stake, she had been lax and the papers had escaped. As she examined the wall, it seemed to her that handing this affair to a servant equaled admitting defeat, and she was too much a child of her forefathers to yield so easily. Rocks and trees served as handholds for the young lady’s first climb, and she had reached the top of the wall far more easily than she had imagined. The return was more challenging… there were no decorative rocks or well pruned trees to help her, but with the papers clenched between her teeth, her skirts hampering the climb, Jiao-Jie used the smallest handholds in the uneven wall to make her safe return.<br/><br/>Back in the sanctity of the walled garden, Jiao-Jie’s heart beat with an unfamiliar rhythm, excitement coursed through her veins and brought a blush to the woman’s pale cheeks. For the sake of appearances, she settled in to handle her correspondence but she smiled behind her fan and eyed the wall.<br/><br/>It was the start of many secret outings. They were innocent at first, but slowly her boldness increased. She climbed from garden walls to city walls, from houses to rooftops and with each successful climb her enjoyment grew. She learned to love the thrills of the night: the darkness and quiet, the secrecy, the dangers. During the day, her tranquil loveliness and charm increased, empowered by her escapades at night.<br/><br/>Her first break-in brought a delicate smile that returned each time she examined the small memento she had taken from the rich merchant’s house. The small button held no value, but she had faced danger to pry it free from the man’s tunic in the dead of night, and so it was hers to cherish. Over time, many more such memento’s were added to a secret collection. Never anything of value, and rarely an item anyone would miss. It was a sport to visit and leave without rousing as much as a trace of suspicion.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Character Sheet:</strong></span><br/><br/><strong>Aspects</strong><br/>Metal    :  2<br/>Water: 3<br/>Fire    : 4<br/>Wood: 3<br/>Earth    : 2<br/><br/>Balance = 2<br/>Chi = 12<br/><br/><strong>Gifts &amp; Weakness</strong><br/>Agility of the Monkey<br/>Blessed by Chang-E<br/><br/><strong>Skills:</strong><br/><br/><em>Martial Domain (metal)</em>:<br/>Improvisation   : 1<br/>Throwing     : 2<br/>Dashuo    : 2<br/><br/><em>Physical domain (Water)</em><br/>Acrobatics    : 1<br/>Stealth          : 1<br/>Climbing      : 1<br/><br/><em>Social domain (Fire)</em><br/>Diplomacy    : 1<br/>Etiquette       : 1<br/>Heraldry        : 1<br/>Eloquence    : 1<br/>Seduction      : 2<br/><br/><em>Mental domain (Wood)</em><br/>Bureaucracy    : 1<br/>Calligraphy    : 1<br/>Perception      : 1<br/><br/><em>Mystical domain (Earth)</em><br/>Empathy       : 1<br/>Meditation.    : 1<br/>Internal Alch.   : 1<br/>Taoism         : 1<br/>Medicine        : 1<br/><br/><strong>Tao’s </strong><br/>Tao of the Six Directions - ( speed/jump) – 2<br/>Tao of the Light Step – (balance) – 1<br/>Tao of the Sudden Lightning – (reaction speed/danger sense) -2<br/>Tao of the Inner Eye – (Perception) -1<br/>Tao of the Hidden Shadow (stealth) – 1<br/>Tao of the Thousand Bees (find/throw) – 1<br/>Tao of the Serene Presence – Social 1<br/><br/><strong>Combat techniques</strong>:<br/>Throw : Indirect shot<br/>Daggers: two weapons, direct hit<br/><br/><strong>Magic - Internal Alchemy</strong><br/>The Union of Yin and Yang<br/>The Elixer of Healing<br/><br/>