Jade Empire: All We Know

GameSpy has released a new three-page feature that details everything that is known about BioWare's Jade Empire up to this point. There isn't a whole lot of new information, but they do cover the storyline and character creation quite extensively. A snippet:
The basic plot of Jade Empire is familiar to just about anyone who spent their formative years watching kung-fu movies: you play as a young martial arts student who is tasked with saving the world. OK, it's actually quite a bit deeper than that. The Jade Empire itself is based on the myths and legends of ancient China, made up of regions with names like "The Hills of the Six Holy Scrolls" and "Land of Howling Spirits", each one teeming with a variety of heroic warriors, evil sorcerers, and plenty of demonic creatures.

Many millenia ago, Sagacious Tien brought together the warring tribes that were battling over land and was able to get them to lay down their swords and join together to create the most powerful empire the world had ever seen. For the next few thousand years, everything was hunky-dory, save for the occasional battle or attempted invasion by one of the Empire's neighbors. However, a few years ago, the Empire almost came crumbling down thanks to a large drought that killed livestock and ruined crops, driving normally peaceful farmers to fight over whatever water remained.