First, a bit about me: 47 year old male, married, two kids. Retired Navy now working for DoD. Played EQ, EQII, Warhammer, Aion, and now AOC. Playing time, weeknights 7-9 PM EST. Weekends, anytime. Why do I play a female toon? Because, if I am going to stare at a butt for hours on end, I would at least like it to be an attractive butt.
My story:
Shanwei took another sip of tea, admiring the cup. It was a small cup, blue and white with the distinctive sea shell pattern of Luhaung. Her husband had sent it to her after a visit to the city, one of hundreds of blue and white china pieces he had sent over the years. It had started as a gentle tease when Shanwei had refused to part with a tea set after several cups had been broken. Now, the cupboards were filled with unwanted blue and white orphan cups and plates from across the land. They were one of her greatest treasures. She stirred in her chair and glanced across the den to the suit of armor and the Viceroy Rod of Haisan. Her husband’s belongings, remaining as they had for eight years since his death by an assassin’s bolt. The portraits of her four children lined the walls on either side of the small shrine to her husband. Lui Wei, now a captain in the Imperial Marines, Jin Wei a scholar at the Ulatin Monastery, Jing Wei, in his third year at the Paiking military academy, and Chiang Wei, who had left the house only a month ago to start her studies in the imperial diplomatic corp. The house was now far too quiet.
Shanwei sipped her tea again and glanced at the open letter on the table with the imperial seal.
“Baroness, the 3rd Minister requests your immediate assistance. Hyrkanian raids on our traders to Aquilonia have steadily increased over the past year to the point where many merchants have appealed directly to the God Emperor for relief. It is our wish for you to travel to the borderlands and resume your duties as an Envoy and put a stop to these raids.”
Envoy was probably a poor choice of title. Shanwei had never been very good with words. She looked out the window where her household retainers and guards were already forming for the coming trip. She frowned momentarily as she noticed a small floor rug in the hallway, slightly turned, and almost called for a servant to straighten the rug before she dismissed the thought with a small shake of the head. Her husband had always called her a perfectionist. The smallest inconsistencies would bother her. Her husband. She struggled to maintain the cold face as the old memories returned. His agonizing painful death by the poison coating the crossbow bolt. The long hunt for his assassins and their patron which had led to the siege of the mountain fortress of Sigaria, the death of Ulin Jiang, the man behind the assassination and the slaughter of his entire line. But there could be no peace. The Jiang family was powerful and the clan war between Jiang and Wei raged on. And now, a summons. Shanwei could not refuse it, and she wondered if this might be a Jiang trick to lure her into a trap. She did not worry about her own safety, the trip promised adventure and a chance to start a second life, but she did worry about her children being left behind. She finished her tea and put the cup down. It was time to go. Picking up the letter, she stood for a moment before her husband’s shrine and then walked quickly out of the room to her waiting carriage. It was time to have a talk with the Hyrkanians, and if a Jiang or two showed up, well, that would be just fine with Shanwei.
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Subject: Shanwei Bio 
Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:52 pm