Bone Flower Mandarin of the New Promise

Near the turn of the century, Lili Zhou worked as an interpreter at Hong Kong’ s British Consulate. When an assistant to the consul raped and murdered her, it caused a spot of tension between the British and Chinese governments before they quietly swept the entire matter under the rug and forgot about it. Lili, however, would never forget. Her soul suffered for months in Yomi until she escaped and took the Second Breath. She then set about avenging herself. The Kuei-jin followed the trail of murdered and half-eaten Britons and quickly found her. It was another matter handled quietly and soon forgotten — again, by everyone except Lili. After training to master her Demon, Lili followed the Howl of the Devil-Tiger Dharma. She satisfied her thirst for vengeance on the gweilo as part of the Victorious Whirlwind wu and their fight to reclaim Hong Kong for the Flame Court. Eventually, however, her temper cooled, and she found no meaning in the ways of the Heavenly Devils. She sought to hide her confusion in blood, almost single-handedly rooting out several of Hong Kong’s Kinjin and savagely sending them to their Final Deaths. Afterward, though, she felt no triumph — only a gnawing emptiness. Finally, epiphany opened her eyes and she realized her true path. She left the Devil-Tiger Dharma behind and listened to the Song of the Shadow. Lili faced prejudice from both former and new associates over her change of heart, but she eventually joined the Metal Dragon Talon wu, made up of Bone Flowers. The wu’s other members were less than pleased with the notion, but had little choice but accept the mandarin’s decision. Lili quickly proved her worth with her dedication and skill, winning the admiration and respect of her wu . The Metal Dragon Talon became an effective weapon in the battle for Hong Kong, but the ancestors decided they would be even more effective in gaining control over San Francisco. Lili and her corpse family were among the first Kuei-jin to touch the shores of San Francisco as part of the silent invasion. Before the Kin-jin understood the unfolding danger, two of the city’ s primogen met Final Death and the city all but belonged to the Quincunx. As a reward for her work, Lili became a New Promise Mandarin; the August Courts, however, promoted her with an eye on keeping her in San Francisco and away from the Middle Kingdom. Lili knows full well there are still those who view her change in Dharma with suspicion, and her rapid rise with envy and fear. She accepts the accolades of the August Courts and her “exile” to San Francisco because she sees potential in the New Promise Mandarinate, and intends to surprise those who think to “honor” her into obscurity. Currently, Lili is Jiejie Li’s favored choice as San Francisco’s Ancestor. While Lili admires the Bone Flower Ancestor and respects her work, she’ s not a devotee of the Harmonious Menders of Broken Fences or their ideals. In truth, this serves the Elder Sister Plum well. This way nobody can accuse her of appointing a sycophant in Lili, who is more of a traditionalist — though not necessarily enough of one to satisfy the August Courts.