Monday, January 30, 2017

STORMS OF THE MARTIAL WORLD SESSION ELEVEN: THE POISONED AND THE DEAD

This was the Eleventh session of a new Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate campaign. See the TENTH SESSION LOG to read about the previous session. 

Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate is our wuxia RPG. It is available HERE in PDF. It should be out in print in about a month. 


Characters
Peng Ke-Yen: Eccentric daughter of a merchant who goes against conventions and is notable for her white and black streaked hair. From Dashen village. 

Peng Pei: Daughter of two low Yen-Li priests. Also from Dashen village. 


Zhendao: A former slave of a man named Zhao. 


Shin Du: A performer and actor who is a perfect shot with the bow. 


Song Pei: A one-armed physician.


Sister Fox: Brother Wolf's Sister who is ailing from Life Ebbing Venom. 

Feiyan: A yen-li priestess who is acquainted with Sister Fox. 


The party continued speaking with Sister Fox and also met her acquaintance, Feiyan (who decided to go and help them). They traveled south, through the Yellow Forest and found a giant Yellow Snake in the trees. Song Pei had been gathering different venomous creatures to help concoct a cure for Sister Fox's affliction, and Yellow Snake was on his list. They attacked the and killed the snake without incident and continued on toward Yao Gong Palace to find Stone Spiders. As they traveled, Biyu, Peng Pei's mother, became increasingly nervous. They passed through the badlands and along the way saw a woman dressed in white staring at them from a nearby cliff. 

"Peng Biyu and Peng Pei, come here and face me," The woman said. 

Biyu clutched Peng Pei's shoulder, holding her back. Zhendao shouted that they would all face her. With that the woman raced toward them from the cliffs and hurled her spear toward the group as Zhendao charged to meet her. 

The spear twirled through the air and struck Zhendao with its shaft, knocking him completely senseless. Shin Du sent a hail of arrows at her, which penetrated her skin. In the confusion, Song Pei hid behind Feiyan, sensing she was brave and potentially powerful. Sister Fox followed suit, hiding behind Song Pei. Ke-Yen stepped up to meet the battle, and soon Feiyan did as well. 

The fight went on for some length, but eventually their sheer numbers proved difficult for the woman to overcome, and she vanished in a flash (probably using a technique like Great Stride or Swift Stride). 

Shin Du gave aid to Zhendao, and Song Pei approached Biyu. 

"Care to explain what that was all about?" He asked. 

"I'd rather not get into it," she said. 

"Well, in case this woman decides to show up again, I'd like some information on why she attacked us and called you and your daughter out," Song Pei continued. 

Biyu looked at Peng Pei and said "Your father recently went to fight a duel with this woman at Chrysanthemum Lake, her name is Gentle Ghost, her real name is Gui Nuan. 

"If my father went to face her, and she is here, then..." Peng Pei began to reason. 

Biyu nodded and continued "Your father and I killed her daughter about fifteen years ago. Her daughter was just 14 at the time"

"Why did you do that?" Song Pei demanded. 

"We had our reasons. She killed our master and we needed to get revenge."

"Some master," Said Feiyan. "He couldn't fend off a fourteen year old."

"Our master was no martial hero, he was just a Yen-Li priest, as were we. We attacked her from behind in the streets before we realized her age. Then her parents, Gui Nuan and Gui Ba came after us. We found someone to teach us Kung Fu and laid a trap for them both. We killed the Gui Ba but the wife was too powerful and poisoned my husband. We fled and went into hiding in Dashen."

Satisfied with the explanation, and deciding the best bet was to avoid the woman for the rest of their journey, the group set out again. They reached Yao Gong Palace finding it sealed. This was no surprise to Feiyan who had been here before and new there was a great evil trapped inside. 

They breached the seal, setting off a moon blade trap, which sliced the flesh of a couple of party members. They ventured further inside, into a hall, and Zhendao quickly found a Stone Spider. As the group gathered them, Sister Fox heard a sound emanating from deep below the complex, beyond a steep set of stairs. She told the party and Zhendao announced himself as Shin Du to it by name. 

The voice responded by repeating "Shin Du". Soon something walked up the stairs and the party began to flee. Zhendao remained behind and saw a desiccated figure reached the top of the stairs. He looked like a mummified monk, and he held out his hands causing a spinning vortex of debris to fly down the hall. The wind struck Zhendao throwing him against the wall. Shin Du took out one of his Divine Fire coconuts, and threw it at a support frame. However his hand slipped and the coconut landed in the middle of the party, blasting those who hadn't fled the area yet. 
Creatures like the one they faced
Art by Jackie Musto


The group continued to charge out, and collapsed the entryway as they did so. Their effort was imperfect, and there was still a gap at the top, but they managed to get out and run away. 

They spend quite some time debating what to do next. Ke-Yen and Sister Fox wanted to go to Qinwen Master of the Seven Talismans to resurrect Brother Wolf. Most of the rest of the party was against this plan, and instead wanted to create the rest of the cure, starting with going to Hu Qin to get the Gu vessel from the Temple of Jade Mercies. Even Song Pei, who was Brother Wolf's disciple, opposed the idea of resurrection. 

They decided to split the group, Ke-Yen, Sister Fox and Peng Biyu would go to Heaven Canon and find Qinwen, the rest would go through the desert and mountains toward Hu Qin. They would travel together until they reached the canyon. 

On the way they were attacked by a hungry ghost. They had some difficulty facing it, as it was not affected by most of their attacks. But they managed to destroy it with the help of Feiyan's blazing hands of Hen-Shi. Soon they split and went their separate ways. 

When Ke-Yen and company reached Heaven Palace Sect they were brought before an old woman who didn't announce herself. On the wall, they saw the torso of a man in chains, his eyes rolling in the back of his head. 

"Why have you come," she asked. 

"We want you to save Brother Wolf," Ke-Yen said. 

"How old are you?" She asked. 

"I am 19," Ke-Yen replied. 

"Very well. I can restore him with the power of the talismans. But there is always a price. My price is steep. You must bare a child and give it to me, let's say within three years time, and you must go to the House of Paper Shadows and rescue Hero Feng for me."

Ke-Yen agreed and the woman began to tap the power of a circular golden talisman. Energy flowed from the talisman and into Brother Wolf's body, causing him to breath. 

"He will be asleep for a full month, he needs the rest. Do not wake him or it could disrupt his phoenix spirits."

They thanked her and left heading for Yun Hu. On the way they passed a village near the remains of Ogre Gate Inn and left brother wolf at a small temple. Soon they reached Yun Hu and stayed at the Sword and Vine. 

The journey of the rest of the party through the mountains was not so uneventful. As they climbed into the crags of the mountainside, they noticed beasts roaming around in the cliffs, resembling tigers or leopards. The creatures leapt down and opened their mouths, unleashing sprays of fire. Feiyan, Shin Du and Song Pei all found themselves ablaze. The rest of the part was able, slowly to fend off the creatures, but the three were badly burned. 

They continued on, and happened upon a group of strange priests. The men demanded to know why they were passing through. 

"We are on our way to Hu Qin in search of a temple," Song Pei said. 

"The only temple you need seek is up on that peak," They said. Scoffing they headed away. 

"Yes," Said Song Pei, "We hope to pass there on our journey."

"Who said you could join our temple?" they shouted back and continued on. 

Furious, Zhendao began to raise a challenge, but Song Pei sensed his intent, and used Sealing the Winds of Gushan, a technique where he tapped the throat, to silence Zhendao. 

They continued on, and their luck only grew worse, as three more hungry ghosts came out to attack them from the cliffs. One ghost was fair enough to face, but three proved very difficult. The creatures unleashed plumes of terrible smelling wind. Shin Du and Song Pei were both afflicted. They caught the creatures on fire, continued to attack, but it proved quite a challenge to bring them down. In the end they fled. When they had a moment, Song Pei determined they had Malignant Wind Disease. There was a difference of opinion on the matter but they deduced they either had ten days to live or just under five. They decided to change course and go the temple with the jade deposit near Yun Hu. They reached it, and the abbess was able to help cure them of the illness by brewing a foul tasting concoction. 

She informed them that she had staved off Smiling Abbot, by telling them it was the party who killed the nuns (this was true). She explained he already had information on the group, so she was limited in her ability to convey their deception to him. She warned them that the Temple of Jade Mercies was working with the Glorious Death cult to find them. 

This is where the session ended. 


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