ZhiZhi Qiu

ZhiZhi stands about 5' (or whatever passes as relatively short but not tiny) and looks to weigh about 100lbs. She wears an assortment of sashes and scarves over a motley assortment of beautiful and brightly colored silk garments (a shirt and a pair of pants, not a dress). She has a finely tooled leather harness in which she carries a drum about 2' in diameter on her back. The drum is beautifully carved with ancient characters and appears to be made out of very rare and expensive wood. Her hair is black, falling to the small of her back in a series of small and well maintained braids that she keeps tied back. When resting, she will usually prop the drum on its stand, sit astride it, and play it lightly with a pair of drum strikers. When walking, she will either keep the drum on her back or swing it around under one arm and play it with the other. She wears no armor and carries no visible weapons of any kind. Her mixed ethnicity, dress, and her unique Grundle dialect make it clear that she is a gypsy: traveling performers, thieves, and ne'er-do-goods that move from town to town across the six kingdoms, scraping by on whatever they can find, beg, or steal.

ZhiZhi Qiu

Prologue

Once, the land called Grundle was rich and prosperous. The sun shone warm, the winters were mild, and the harvests plentiful. All was well in the land, and the people were happy.

But like the tide, fortune may leave as quickly as it came. Thus did the tide rush from Grundle, and in less time than it takes a man to be born, grow old, and die, Grundle's prosperity was but a bitter memory, salting the wound of the people's despair.

In this time of crisis, the sage and elder Fu-Tzu, went home to Shin to speak to the great Emperor, amongst the first of the great Jin rulers. Fu-Tzu had gone of his own accord to Grundle, forsaking power and wealth in Shin to lend his wisdom to saving Grundle. With his whole family left behind in Grundle, he now returned, but a beggar next to his former self in wealth, though nearly a king in wisdom and goodness.

“Great Emperor” Fu-Tzu said at his audience. “Raise up the land of Grundle: save it, for before buddha we are all measured by our deeds.” Then he went away.

The next day the emperor called him back, saying “It is true, sage, that men are judged by their deeds, and my deeds will make Shin great: let Grundle become a vassal of Shin, and I will save them.

To this Fu-Tzu replied “Great emperor, you are generous, but only as generous as a merchant, who seeks always to increase his wealth. So that your fame may be most greatly enhanced by your goodness, I may not carry this message to Grundle.” Then he went away.

The next day the emperor called him back, saying “I have thought upon your words, but while Grundle is poor, Shin is rich. Is it not better for the poor and the rich both if the former serve the latter? Therefore, let Grundle become a vassal to Shin, and I will save them.”

To this Fu-Tzu replied “Great emperor, you are generous, but only as generous as a general, who seeks always to make men bend the knee. Lest the people not see you as the wisest and kindest of men, I will not carry this message to Grundle.” Then he went away.

Now the Emperor was not used to hearing rebukes, even from a sage, so he brooded that night how the old man could be so foolish. His advisors whispered poisons in his ear, and the next day, when the sage appeared for audience, the emperor said. “Sage, whether they will it or not, the people of Grundle will be my subjects if they wish to live! Carry this message forth or I will have your head!” Fu-Tzu smiled and replied “Only the one who rules could think that slavery should be preferable to death.”

At this the Emperor became angry and with one look at his guards, they struck off the sage's head. The head was packaged in honey and sent to the rulers of Grundle, saying “become our vassals if you wish to live!” Yet although they be poor, the men of Grundle still live in their own land, by their own laws.

ZhiZhi Qiu

Thus is the first story told to all the Harlequins, the Night Dancers. They claim that they are all of the Qiu family, which was Fu-Tzu's family: that at the moment of his death, they all cried one tear from each eye, and, realizing that what home they had was no longer a home, they gathered all their worldly possessions and traveled out to seek their fortune, each son of Fu-Tzu in a different direction. For all that family believed that freedom, above all else, was the measure of a man, and knowing in their hearts the desire of the Jin emperor, they would not suffer to be bound by law or fealty.

Thus poor in money but rich in wisdom and goodness, the Harlequins wandered the land, enjoying the flowers in spring, the cool mountain streams in summer, the fiery leaves in autumn, and the falling snow in winter. And because of their joy at being free to see all these things, they began to dance. The East Brother and his family danced light and quick, shuffling their feet because of the hot sands and brick of the desert lands, whirling to keep the breeze on their skin. The West Brother and his family danced slow and smooth, rising and falling to the sound of the ocean waves. The North Sister and her family leapt and bounded like the mountain goat, always perched on an edge but never falling from the precipice. And the South Sister and her family put on regal costumes and danced complex patterns on the rich marble of the palaces of shin.

Once each year, on the anniversary of Fu-Tzu's death, the four families would meet and celebrate their freedom with a great dance that lasted three days. And year by year, the four dances became more and more one dance, and the many instruments two instruments, the fife and the drum: for the families saw that though one leapt while the other twirled or one stepped while another slid, in truth they all danced the same dance, and this made them rejoice: for thus could they always be together in unity in the dance, as a family, but at the same time free each to move as he or she pleased.

Thus was born the Night Dance, or the performance of the Harlequins, which has bewitched all that manage to glimpse it in its true form. Of course, many imposters travel the land, lurching about, but at this the Harlequins only smile, for once they too moved as such.

The Night Dance is a circle, sometimes of one part, sometimes of four, and in each of the four parts sit four dancers, who dance the most beautiful dances, to speak for their people. In her Eighteenth year, ZhiZhi Qiu was asked to dance in the inner circle. Wandering with her band, many of whom were Harlequins, she had learned the night dance, picking the true moves from the false (but learning both kinds, for the joy), and she could dance it fast or slow, kind or cruel. She learned the drum so that she might play her own rhythm, for to be bound by another's beat made her chafe, and seeing this her elders smiled and nodded, and asked her to dance in the circle. For though she was young, her mind wove as fast as her dance, and she saw that in many words often there was in truth only one. So ZhiZhi's youth. That same year, dancing next to the great fire at the Great Festival, a very old sage approached her, and danced three steps beside her. Though he was old he was spry, and his dance had beauty, and she deferred to him, giving him the space by the fire.

“You know all the steps, ZhiZhi Qiu.” He said “except one” and with a whoop he leapt to a drum and snatched up the strikers, and raising them high, he struck such a blow on the face that the back of the drum ruptured and all other noise was for a moment eclipsed. At this ZhiZhi laughed, even as others marvelled, and she leapt clear over the great fire. And seeing her joy and her skill, the old man offered to teach her that step, which was really just the same step as all the others before, and so she learned it quickly but mastered it slowly. When she walked from city to city with her troupe, she played the drum, and when she stopped she danced, and when she walked again she picked up the drum again and played some more. Thus she began to feel those rhythms the old man had taught her, and see them along with the others in each dance. At the next year's great festival, back in Grundle, The old man approached her again. With a whoop, she grabbed the strikers and struck a great blow on the drums, so that all the drums reverberated for a moment with that sound. And the old man laughed with joy, for she had already learned much.

And so each year they danced, so that by her twenty first year she could strike the drum and burst it near to splinters. And in that year the old man gave her an ancient drum, wrought in ironwood and bound with stout bronze, saying “play your rhythms on this drum, it shall not fail you.” And written upon that drum was the story of Fu-Tzu and the Emperor, and ZhiZhi rejoiced.

It was in that next year that the madness of the Emperor became truly reknowned, and seeing in it the old story repeated, ZhiZhi began to think that the emperor should hear this drum sing it's ancient song, for he might learn from the example of his forefather. So thinking, she broke from her troupe and wandered the land, looking for the old man to ask his guidance. Finding him at last in a mountain cave, surrounded by his grandchildren, she asked, “Fu-Tzu (for so all Harlequin sages are called by them), shall I play this drum for the Jin emperor?”

To which the sage responded. “You should, ZhiZhi, you should. But what if the emperor will not listen?”

At which ZhiZhi laughed and with a whoop shouted “He will listen, I promise you!” Thus the sage gave ZhiZhi his blessing, and, thinking it best to seek the emperor with a troupe (for thus the best performance might be had), she began to seek those harlequins best suited for this job. So it was that ZhiZhi heard of a secret gathering in Buech, where there were others who wished to make the emperor listen. And this made her glad, for the harlequins always teach that it is better to join a troupe than to start one's own, for thus one will always be in better company.

Exodus

795 ND. 14 years ago. Your gypsy tribe was traveling, as usual. This year they were passing through the cities of Shin. Having recently performed the 4 winds drum dance to large and enthusiastic audiences in the capitol city, Shin Jin, they had moved east and set up camp on the plains on the far side of Xi An. Camp was set as usual and curious locals were investigating the sounds of drums. A warm welcome seemed to be brewing, as you would expect from the people of Shin. There were 50 members of the tribe present in this entourage, families and children. It was a lively encampment on a beautiful spring morning.

Around noon, a battalion of 300 Shin warriors on foot and horseback marched over the hill. Never having seen such a procession, and having no reason to fear them, you and several other gypsies went to watch the procession. They marched into the central square of Xi An, escorting a man in official robes who ascended a tower in the middle of the square. He carefully removed a 20 foot tall x 6 foot wide scroll with bold writing from the tower.

You asked a smart looking man next to you, “what does that say, mister?” “It is the last months wisdom from the Emperor. ‘Heed the wisdom of your elders, and strive to become wise for some day you will be the elder of your children’ and also ‘Judge ye not hastily before all evidence is heard; the truth can be found within the heart’, and also…” he went on for several minutes while the official rolled up the banner-scroll. “Emperor Jin is truly wise, he has the insight of his father and the compassion of his grandfather. Truly, Shin enters a golden era ushered by Emperor Jin Mae Tien.”

Then the official stood atop the tower, and raised his hand for silence. “By official decree of Emperor Jin Mae Tien, Jin the twenty sixth descendent of Jin Rai Ming the peacemaker, on this 6th day of April in the seven hundred ninety fifth nian dan (years of peace), I do hereby declare the borders of the eternal motherland of Shin shall be closed to all exit and entrance.

In his eternal wisdom, Emperor Jin says “I foresees threats from without that imperil our lives and our culture. O’ people of Shin, you have heeded my forefathers for hundreds of years and we have brought prosperity. Now is a time that tries our faith and our courage. I humbly request your faith in my wisdom. I humbly seek your sweat for our nation. I humbly entreat your vision for the future of our children.” These are the words of our Emperor Jin.

All foreigners within Shin shall be escorted to the nearest border. All Shin emigrants will be welcomed back to the motherland.”

And he unfurled a new banner-scroll in place of the old one which stated this speech. “What does that all mean?” you asked the man, but he was gone.

Within the hour the soldiers approached the gypsy camp. “Shin is closed to your people. You will break camp within the hour and we will escort you to Generation Bridge.”

One of your elders approached, “What is the meaning of this, we are peaceful and the people if Xi An welcome us! I demand an explanation!” There was a general rumbling of disapproval from the camp as well as from the Xi An locals.

“These are the orders, Shin borders are closed. You may leave or be tried in a military court for resisting official decrees of the emperor.”

Your older brother, sixteen years old and always a hot head, ran up to the soldier, getting right in his face and yelled “We will not suffer this dishonor!”

“____insert name___!” called the elder “Be still!”

“The arrogant Jin shall not throw us out like dogs! The first Jin spit on Fu Tzu and now the 26th Jin spits upon us! I will not allow it!” he yelled and shoved the soldier.

“In the name of the Emperor, Desist!” and he shoved the soldier again harder so that he fell down. Your brother was about to jump upon the soldier. Whoosh, whoosh whoosh. And he fell on the ground with three arrows jutting from his chest. The soldier got up and raised his hand “Enough! You will comply!”

You don’t know what happened next. When you awoke the carts rolled as the tribe moved east, escorted by the battalion. More foreigners were collected at each town. The growing troop arrived at Huang Shan, where you saw the mighty Generation Bridge for the first time, its towers 100 feet tall and its spans half a mile long across the Huang Canyon. You walked across the mighty span, the last people to cross that bridge for more than a decade to come, and arrived in Huang Dong, Uusam. The mood there was somber and fearful. A barricade was raised on the bridge, which connected the two countries for over a hundred years. An ominous sign of things to come.

......It has been eight years since Zhi Zhi's brother was killed and your tribe so rudely ejected from Shin. Since then her tribe's travels continued in Uusam, Grundle, Konn, and Grundle again. Then the war of madness erupted. The elders decided that the tribe should remain in their homeland until things settled down. Zhi Zhi was none too pleased. Headstrong runs in the family, perhaps. She advocated to the elders that they should join the war in Konn. Uusam and Grundle (weak as they were) troops and even Mung were rising to their aid. But the elders decided that the wars of Konn were not the wars of gypsies. When Konn fell, Zhi Zhi continued to advocate for action, but few listened.

Until one day she was approached by a man from Uusam. "I was there in Huang Dong when your tribe was ejected from Shin 8 years ago, and I had seen the Drum dance many years before and been impressed by your peoples speed. Now, I hear you advocating for action. I have a little proposition for you....." He offers as compensation many things. First, revenge for your family name for the murder of Fu Tzu. Second, a choice: permanent citizenship in Uusam for all your tribe and land to settle on within Uusam and assistance in making a town of your own OR money, lots of it. Or make a counter offer, I'm sure he will accept.