The Gracious Widow

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"The Widow: half London's contraband bears her mark. Call her the Gracious Widow. She likes that."

The Grcious Widow, as she is commonly called, is one of the most infamous crimelords in London and the mastermind behind an expansive smuggling ring stretching across the Neath.

The Business

The Gracious Widow is known for her ruthlessness and her readiness to enforce her will through violence. She rarely meets with others in person, and when she does, she is often cloaked in shadow or veiled in silk, concealing her face. Though she has access to a brandy that grants youthful immortality, she appears quite aged: her hands are wrinkled and withered, her frame little more than skin and bones. Portraits in her residence depict her as eternally youthful, but perhaps the brandy has lost its effectiveness after so many years. Regardless, the Widow must still consume it regularly. Her hair is always tied in a tight bun.

Immortality has left the Widow lonely. In her yearning for companionship, she has taken to adopting urchins, raising them as her own, and integrating them into her vast operations. These children work in her winery, serve as messengers, and even act as enforcers.

Officially, the Khanate denies any connection to the Widow. Unofficially, their dealings with her are extensive and her smuggling network extends to their shores. During the era of the Fourth City, she forged a pact with the Leopard Khan to create a superior immortality elixir—one even more potent than her peach brandy. The process would take centuries, but once complete, the Widow would receive a share of this brew.

She operates a smuggling network along the river near Spite, trafficking in jewels, tea, Clay Men, and dilluted peach brandy in and out of London. She is the founder and secret owner of the Greyfields Winery.Her fireworks, too, are popular—sold at prices far below those offered by Mr Fires. Naturally, her brandy operation has attracted dangerous attention from those seeking the secrets of immortality: the Duchess, the Bazaar's Exisemen, Khanate elite, ambitious octogenarians, etc. Though the Duchess is her longtime rival, the Widow respects her deeply—despite the Duchess’s frequent attempts to sabotage her vital brandy shipments.

In the days of the Fourth City, the Widow stood against the Rosers, blaming them for the city’s tragic downfall. Her son, or at least a friend of hers, is Yesterday's King, the city’s final ruler. She persuaded him to rise against the Masters, a rebellion that ended in bitter failure.

The Khan's Daughter

"'The Princess. A Favoured Daughter, a Troubled Soul...'"

The Gracious Widow is a survivor of the fall of the Fourth City, also known as Karakorum, the former Mongol capital. Cheren was far more than a passive royal. She was an accomplished hunter, often seen riding with her beloved sparrowhawk: Bayar. She would continually feed the bird her brandy to keep him alive and healthy for centuries to come.

She was the favourite daughter of Mongke Khan (and if it's accurate to history, his adoptive daughter), Princess Cheren (or Shirin). The Princess was a notable beauty and many people desired a portrait of her. The Khan was protective of his daughter and perhaps overconcerned for her safety, but showered her with gifts; he took pride in her beauty and often presented her to visiting traders (much to her annoyance). He kept a close eye on her personal life, and deeply disapproved of her growing bond with William of Paris. Though his extended family posed threats of rebellion, it was the Princess's strong personality that caused him more anguish, and they frequently argued over her autonomy. Though they had an affectionate relationship, neither of them truly understood each other.

She and a captive European artist named William of Paris (Guillaume Boucher) had a love affair, one that would have grave consequence for William were they to be found out. As such, they kept the affair secret, unfortunately, they didn't do this well enough as everyone: servants, interpreters, foreign ambassadors, Cheren's father... all had suspicions. The couple taught each other their people's customs and languages. The Khan would never allow them to marry. It was William and Cheren's love that brought Mr Wines to Karakorum, and thus brought its fall to the Neath as the Fourth City.

She was a metallurgist and visionary, the true mind behind the famed Silver Tree that now stands in the Forgotten Quarter and not William. She stole from her father's treasury and secretly bought metal from passing merchants to maintain the Silver Tree. She designed the Silver Tree to show her father that their empire didn't need to expand anymore and to make peace with the rest of the family, but it unfortunately had the opposite effect. She gave credit for the Silver Tree to William to ingratiate him to the Khan in hopes that he would become ameniable to their relationship.

Bound by the expectations of her station, Cheren sought freedom where she could. She turned to a traditional role for noble Mongol women: alcohol brewing. But she did not brew for feasts. She brewed for time. She began experimenting with fruits from the East and peaches from Cathay smuggled by a web of smuggler-merchants. Cheren, under the tutelage of a wise shaman, pursued the secrets of immortality. Her orchard, imported in full from distant Cathay, was her sanctuary, guarded and secret. The Silver Tree also funtioned as her concealed distillery. Anyone that looks into her criminal connections were silenced with bribes or death.

When Karakorum was invaded, her father sold the city to the Bazaar in order to both save it and her, sacrificing himself in the process. After Karakorum became the Fourth City, she lost not only her father but her lover as well, as William too passed away.

Historical and Cultural Inspirations

Peaches are a Chinese symbol of longevity; birthday desserts are commonly decorated with or designed to look like peaches. In many of the folkloric and religious traditions that comprise Chinese mythology, the xian (humans who have ascended to godly status) consume Peaches of Immortality to extend their lives. The peach trees that bear this fruit are said to only do so every several thousand years (the exact number depends on the source).

The Gracious Widow is inspired by Shirin, the daughter of Möngke Khan—the fourth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire—and his wife, Oghul Qaimish. Oghul Qaimish, a noblewoman of the Oirat tribe, became Möngke's consort following the death of her husband, Tolui, who was Möngke’s father. This made Shirin biologically the daughter of Tolui, though she was raised under Möngke’s household. Möngke held deep affection for Oghul Qaimish, an affection that extended to her daughter, Shirin. She held the title of Grand Princess of Chang State (失邻昌国大长公主) and was married to Chochimtai Küregen, the son of Taiju Küregen of the Olkhunut tribe. Shirin had a younger sister named Bichige (also known as Bichqa or Kö'ünen), who also married Chochimtai Küregen.

Little is known about the specific details of Shirin’s life, including her personal undertakings and the date of her death, as historical records remain limited. The affair depicted in fiction between Shirin and the French artisan Guillaume Boucher is purely artistic license as no historical evidence supports such a relationship, and Boucher is known to have had a wife and children in his homeland.