Jiang was a student at one of the numerous monasteries riddled about the landscape of Faerun. Roughly translated the schools name was "Clan of the Shadow's Sigh". By 16 Jiang had been raised and schooled in the ways of stealth, combat, martial arts and defenses. He was an intuitive, an athelete and his dedication was strong. This brought his family pride and so Jiang committed himself to the tenants of the school: family, duty, commitment, history. Jiang's final test was a pilgrimage. It was a test he would fail.
At 17 Jianh had met Beyece. She was foreign to him, a wanderer and Jiang met her in passing at a small roadside inn. Her smile caught him as he played his flute, a practice which his school demanded he cultivate for it was believed that in seeking perfection in music and art a member of the school sustained the living soul of the school's spirit. Pilgrims were to earn money with their cultivated talents and so Jiang played.
Beyece was alluring and Jiang came to find in the woman a new sense of home and affection he had never known. He gave up his pilgrimage and moved west landing within a years time with a wife in Waterdeep and a small pine box that held the last vestiges of his life as a member of the "Clan of the Shadow's Sigh"; a clan made short sword and his pilgrim's clothing. Beyece told him of the Sun Souls and taught him about a brighter truth.
Jiang was stern, quiet and to no one but Beyece tender and dedicated. For twenty years they made Waterdeep their home entertainers by day and explorers of the soul at night. The always changing city appealed to Beyece'sneed for change. The stability of a city, a home, centered Jiang's need for structure. Tradition was honored in its own way, Jiang convinced himself, for he continued to play the music of his school and his family and though he might never go home for the shame of his abandonment he stayed true to his people and spread their music and cultivated his skill. But really, life was for Beyece, and then it was over.
Jiang found his wife murdered. The necklace of jade and gold that served as their wedding bond, gone from her body. There were whispers of course. Nothing fruitful. But a name came up occasionally, too powerful to approach, but knowing of what had happened, Gaedren.
After days of searching, a proper funeral, and too many sleepless nights, Jiang returned home overcome with emotion that threatened to spill from every seam of his person and all he could think of was the elven arrowhead his wife had given him, a small dull thing "as rigid and strong as you are my love, may you look this good when you are this old", his haru wood flute, "your true beauty my love, I know what depths you hide when you play that beautiful music" and a pine box tucked away with the past.
Opening the box Jiang felt a sort of cool assurance fill the void of his anger. Slipping the sword from its sheath the forms and motions came to him like a soft song playing somewhere in the night. Moving with the weapon, feeling the energy of his old life the code of his clan flooded him. She was his family. She was his history her death must be answered for..
Awash in vow making and giving in to old habits Jiang almost missed the card. Bearing a note it looked as though the card had been packed away when the sword was freshly stowed but the message was certainly new, "I know what has been done to you. He has wronged me as well. He must face his fate and justice must be done. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there."
Grabbing his sword and his possession Jiang set out eager to see if the card spoke truth a mist filled alley stood between him but as he stepped through the coiling water dense air something wrong washed over him...
