Lore of Hedge Wizard Xiuying of the Astral Plane

Hedge Wizard Xiuying hails from a distant, exotic land on the other side of the Brine, a kingdom of silk, jade, and gunpowder. But the most valuable export of her country was a substance called dragonweave, a type of enchanted thread derived from a rare plant that did not grow anywhere else in the world. Clothes fashioned from dragonweave have a few particularly desirable properties. Though light and thin as silk, they provide insulation against the elements equal to a heavy parka, defense against blunt and bladed weaponry equal to a suit of plate mail, and imbues the wearer with just the slightest trace of glamor magic that makes them appear exactly 5% more good-looking than their natural state (citations available from studies conducted by top market research firms). As one might imagine, dragonweave thread is highly coveted by the noble class across the lands. It's sought out by those on the bleeding edge of high fashion, to thwart assassination attempts at black-tie events where donning armor would be considered dreadfully tactless, and by those who just want to flaunt their wealth by decking out from head-to-toe in material exceeding 1,000 gold sovereigns per skein.

Xiuying's ancestors co-founded one of the largest clothing retailers to produce dragonweave apparel, and she was sent to the Forgotten Runes mainland to act as a liaison and overseer for her family's business interests in the region. Quick-witted, elegant, and culturally sophisticated, with razor sharp magical talent to boot, she was good at her job, and enjoyed her life amongst the foreigners, or "lao wai." Sure, she felt homesick sometimes, but there were always new adventures to be found in the Runes to keep herself occupied. Her work was more than enough to provide a daily dose of excitement, having to troubleshoot problems such as rooting out agents of corporate espionage (how to tailor a material that's impervious to blades is a closely guarded family secret) and placating angry customers filing a complaint because their spouse/friend/business partner was wearing dragonweave and somehow still got assassinated ("sorry ma'am, donning a dragonweave speedo would not protect him against a dagger to the gut").

But then disaster struck. The heavenly emperor was overthrown by a usurper without warning one night, and the new ruler inexplicably decided to pursue an isolationist policy, shuttering her homeland's borders to outsiders...indefinitely. Nationals were given one week to return, but due to a series of unfortunate mishaps, Xiuying missed her ship and found herself stranded on the mainland. That was months ago, and after the requisite mourning period where she lamented her fate, cursed the gods, and ate mint chocolate chip ice cream for basically every meal, Xiuying finally changed out of her pajamas, put on her makeup, threw away all the frozen dairy desserts, and stepped out to face the world again. She still longed to return to the empire one day, but for now, she will make the most out of a bad situation and forge a life for herself in her new home.

Entered by: 0x3e17…7e9e and preserved on chain (see transaction)