Tsien Chiang

Tsien Chiang is the darklord of I'Cath. She can transform into an Evil Treant. She is the mother of Hate, Spite, Scream and Nightingale. Above all, she seeks esoteric truth behind the number four, for its seeming power over death.

History

Originally from the continent of Kara-Tur on the world of Toril, Tsien Chiang was a wizard of great power and a woman of great beauty. Her father's sexist dismissal of her abilities and ambitions as a child inculcated in her a bitter hatred of him and of all men. After she poisoned him and mentally enfeebling her relatives, Tsien Chiang became the ruler of her family's lands. She attracted many suitors with her charm and influence, taking on a total of four husbands from the uppermost echelons of society. Each one bore her a child, but she ultimately killed each one before moving on to finding the next. Three of the daughters so produced were evil, with the fourth, Nightingale, being truly good-hearted and adored by the gods. Though Tsien Chiang thought Nightingale to be a disgrace, Tsien Chiang used her fourth daughter most effectively to achieve her evil ends in the world.

Time passed, Tsien Chiang's beauty began to wane. Her power over men lessened, a fact that only caused her loathing for men to grow. However, her hatred and waning looks were always secondary concerns to her preoccupation with the number four, for which she thought held the power over life and death. She consulted with many philsophers and sages on the esoteric mysteries of the number, but she murdered the vast majority whom failed to provide the insight she desired.

Tsian Chiang's growing evil brought nearby nobles to attempt to usurp her lands, but she turned the tables and assembled their lands into her own. Tsien Chiang's powers that the rulers of neighboring lands and even the emperor she swore an oath to protect were forced to bring her tribute. Only the Emperor was free from threat of death, for the oath was so strong he even kept her wrath in check.

As part of the tribute given, many trees were brought from southern lands. She destroyed most of these but kept four and enchanted them with vile magic, creating the Tree of the Ravenous, the Tree of Venom, the Tree of Malice, and the Tree of Unending Lamentations. Tsien Chiang also forced the emperor to provide her with four bells taken from nearby holy temples. Although such were acts of sacrilege and blasphemy, Tsien Chiang won out, and she desecreted the bells with dark magic, binding the souls of her daughters to the

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

		Domains of Dread Islands of Terror
		Domains of Dread - p89
		Domains of Dread - p89 Islands of Terror - p37
		Domains of Dread - p89 Islands of Terror - pp32-34