DISPOSABLE DISCIPLES SESSION 52: THE BATTLE OF DEE

This is a log for my ongoing Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom campaign. You can see the previous session HERE.  Note that I began recording sessions, so this has allowed me to do more detailed session logs.

Player Characters: 
Shen Chun/Crazed Raksha
Little Bai
Qui
Ong Lao
Min (Feiyan)

Disciples of the Sect: 
Red Eagle (Little Bai)
Mount Dao/Biggest Sister (Little Bai)
Filial Cricket (Little Bai)
Dim-Witted Chen (Shen Chun)

Sects: 

The Righteous Outlaws
Calamity Star
Ou Jinghzhu
Tea Master Houzhou

Stone Palace Sect (Also called Golden Way)
A gambling hall and criminal network in Yun Hu. Currently under control of party, with Weeping Lotus managing it. They've absorbed many other sects into this organization including Crocodile Sect, Blades of the Weeping Lotus, Temple of the Jade Mercies, Relentless Corpse Sect and more. Recently they joined with Relentless Corpse again when Shen Chun arranged a marriage with their leader Da Mei Mei. 

Members:
Shen Chun (King)
Da Mei Mei (Queen)
Weeping Lotus (Right Vanguard)
Silent Dagger
Feng (Accountant)
Gu (Head Chef)
Little Bai
Min
Scholar Shen (a scholar who has been writing a story about Little Bai's life)

Dancing Scorpions
Criminal network in Yun Hu

Relentless Corpse Sect
Da Mei Mei

Temple of the Jade Mercies (see Stone Palace)
Abbot Wei Zhao
Abbess Bao-Yu
Yao Tu-On
Yao Chun
Yao Ba

Southern Hill Sect
Yellow Mantis
White Chysanthemum
Green Mantis (Dead but important)

Twin-Fisted Eagle Sect
Twin Fisted Eagle
Jade Fist

Bone Breaking Sect
Destroyed and taken over by Drunken Hero Kang

Glorious Death Cult
Led by Supreme Master Tung, who says he is a god of death

The Party went to Dee with a vast retinue of heroes, including the likes of the Autumn Killers, Iron King Kang, the Four Demon Pagoda Masters, Notorious Fox and many more. In all they brought over thirty heroes with them and camped outside the city. They also had over two hundred disciples, bandits, etc. Then they met with their allies: the Five Ghost Society and the Vermillion Sword Sect. They also spoke with the Holy Killers, who were angered over a recent transgression (the party had sent Dim-Witted Chen to spy on them and they found out). The Holy Killers were originally part of the alliance, but acted now as if they were not and stated that becoming involved directly in the battle would violate their purpose. They offered instead to overlook the spying and to not interfere should the players seek to establish a new order in Dee, provided they betrayed and killed Zhendao of Vermillion Sword Sect. 

Meeting with the Five Ghost Society, Murder suggested they request a formal engagement with Thundering Guan and her forces outside the city in as flat an area as possible (he believed any tactical advantages would be gained by her and not them if the terrain was sufficiently complex). 

The party made other arrangements the evening before the battle and prepared to meet Thundering Guan the next day. 

Arriving at the battle they found Thundering Guan standing behind a force of 400 bandits, 140 killers (all rabble), 30 Poet Immortals, 10 Scholars and beside her right hand man, Physician Chamber. 

Da Mei Mei, Shen Chun, Min and Qui strode forward as the Five Ghost Society took the lead position. Thundering Guan unleashed a terrible scream that sent them all flying back, wounding all except for Qui (who leapt out of the way). Physician Chamber then caused the heavens to crash upon their disciples, wiping out all their minor ranks in a moment. Shen Chun sent a burst of energy through the ranks of the Poet Immortals and Min made a similar attack that wiped out the bandits. 

Physcian Chanba hurled a metal thread that lopped off the heads of the Five Ghost Society, killing them and all their disciples. 

This went on for some time, but soon there were a dozen Poet Immortals, Thundering Guan and Physician Chamba remaining. It was at this point that Shen Chun decided to betray Vermillion Sword Sect and sent his men to slaughter them. They succeeded in cutting him down. 

Qui sent his forces to deal with Thundering Guan and Physician Chamber. This was a much more intense engagement. Ai Nu fell but was not killed. As they descended upon Thundering Guan, Swordsman Lao, Weeping Lotus (who Qui had concealed amid his ranks), Pale Fox, Smart-Minded Fool, Jagged Blade, Xu Kang, and Master Liu died. The rest killed Thundering Guan and Physician Chamber. 

The Vermillion Sword Sect and Five Ghost Society were completely eliminated in the fight. 

The party returned to the city and spoke with the Holy Killers. Then they went to the government quarter to speak with the City Lord, Yan Buwei. Buwei seemed nervous as they looted Thundering Guan's villa. He explained that he was more than willing to abide by their directions as new masters of the city, but they didn't seemed as concerned with government affairs as he had hoped. He did manage to prevent them from looting the treasury though, explaining the money was needed to ensure stability in the city. 

Then they looted The Five Ghost Society and Vermillion Sword Sect. After that they met again with the Holy Killers who informed them that City Lord Yan Buwei was distressed about some matter. 

They met with him formally and he told them that he'd received a letter from the Yan, demanding that the city capitulate to their rule or face an overwhelming invasion. He wanted to know how the party would like him to proceed. They basically told him to ignore the Yan for now. 

Speaking with the Ritual Master of the Holy Killers, Shen Chun was troubled to learn that he was considering working with the Yan if they invaded the city. The ritual master told him that what mattered was containing the powers they had sealed beneath the city and that he was willing to work with whoever he needed to toward that end. 

The party spoke about the matter and debated what to do. 

This is where the session ended. 

SCOUNDRELS OF DAOLU SESSIONS 1-2: BITING THE VIPER THAT FEEDS

I started a campaign set in the city of Daolu. It is an every-other-week campaign with a competitive bent and evil characters (or at least characters who are bandits, assassins and thieves). I structured the XP a bit differently to reflect the competition and darker focus. All the players in this campaign understand that killing another PC is entirely fine. I may get into that in future blog posts but here I am just going to break down the events of the last two sessions. Because there is a two-week gap, my memory on the first session may be hazy. 

There are four player characters in this campaign: 

Limb Taker
Pan Fu
Li Xun
Feng Yao

Pan Fu died early on and was replaced by Xaio Li.  

The party assembled in the slums just outside Daolu at Pan Fu's house. Pan Fu wanted to make some extra money and brought them together to thieve in the city. 

They spoke about the possibilities and decided that they probably needed to deal with the local gangs and make sure they weren't stepping on anyone's toes. They learned about a group of bandits called the Red Capes, who were needling into the Divine Viper Territory. The Divine Vipers controlled the Pleasure Quarter and slums so they went to the Tea Palace Brothel and asked for an audience with their leader, Bamboo Viper. 

He spoke with them and agreed to an arrangement where they paid 25% of what they made. He said he would even front them some money if they eliminated the Red Capes. 

They investigated and split into two groups. Li Xun and Feng Yao went to ride on a timber ship destined for a lumber yard under Divine Viper control (they felt this was a likely target of the Red Capes). Limb Taker and Pan Fu recruited five beggars (Pu Wang, Chao, Sun, Wan and Qin), paying them 20 spades a day to help them get around the city and acquire information. 

They asked Pu Wang to help them hire some muscle and he put them in touch with Long Armed Liu (a martial hero who wielded two chain whips) and the Twin Beauties (martial hero twins conjoined at the spine). Their rates were high, but they agreed to go with the party and handle the Red Capes at their cave. 

They went to the cave and found it empty (getting the location was a bit of a chore as well). They went inside and stole all the spades, furniture and jewelry they could. They came out with about 6,000 spades worth of goods.

On the timber ship Feng Yao and Li Xun waited on deck. The ship was stopped by a group of women wearing Red Capes. They boarded, paid the captain and gave Li Xun and Feng Yao 2,000 spades to keep quiet. Then they took all the timber. Li Xun and Feng Yao decided to go along with things and keep the money. 

When the party met up later they took their wealth to Bamboo Viper and tried to reduce their payment to him by accounting for expenses. He explained that expenses were not a consideration and said they owed him, what they owed him, regardless of how many servants they hired. 

In the end they paid and he suggested they sell some of the furniture at the morning market. The party left and instead of going to the morning market they headed to the Pearl Dragon, a restaurant and gambling hall under the control of the rival gang The Killing Bixies. There they went to the backroom where illegal goods were sold and made more money than they would have otherwise at the morning market. 

They spoke with the Killing Bixie's leader, a woman with one-eye and rough features named Sun Leng. She took a liking to Limb Taker and he offered to work as a spy for her, selling information about the Divine Viper Gang. 

When they left, they decided to make a name for themselves in the city, so that they would have more weight when extorting local businesses. They asked Pu Wang about notable members of the Green Tiger Gang who might be tough but beatable. He suggested Silver Immortal, a spearman with metallic robes who sang during matches at the Lei Tai fighting platform. They sent Pu Wang to go find him, and he came back saying Silver Immortal was at the Silk Peony Book Shop. 

They went there and cornered him. They attacked him viciously, with Feng Yao strumming a harmonizing strike on his Pipa sending a wave of crippling energy through Silver Immortal's meridians. Silver Immortal leaned forward and launched the spear on his back at them. Pan Fu came in and attacked with tremendous kicking force. He drove Silver Immortal into a book pile and Silver Immortal responded with a one-handed spear thrust that went through Pan Fu's neck, killing him instantly. 

The party dropped Silver Immortal soon after. Limb Taker ripped off his arm and made sure he was dead. He then looked at the book shop proprietor and said "Make sure everyone knows this was the work of Limb Taker.....unless the constables ask, then you tell them it was someone else; got it?"

The proprietor nodded. Limb Taker started to extort him as well but opted not to when he learned that the book shop was already being extorted by two rival gangs (The Zhen Bird Society and the Killing Bixies). 

The party returned to Pan Fu's residence after buying him outside the city. Pu Wang learned that Bamboo Viper wanted to speak with Limb Taker, and the rumor was he intended to hack off one of his hands and give it to the Green Tigers to avoid a war. 

Limb Taker snuck around the slums, and they made a plan to go ally with the Killing Bixies to get away from Bamboo Viper. On the way they were stopped by one of Bamboo Viper's Butterfly Men. The man told them to come with him. When they refused he drew two butterfly swords and attacked. He charged forward slicing outward at Limb Taker's belly but was knocked to the ground. Limb Taker snapped his neck and they ran to the Pearl Dragon. 

There they got an audience with Sun Leng. She agreed to take them in, but said she wanted special attention each night from Limb Taker. In exchange she would help train them to be assassins and possibly teach them other skills as well. She would also give them freedom to extort local businesses in her area. 

They agreed and were given quarters with Xiao Li, a member of the gang. In the morning they were awakened to a ringing gong. A man stood there, and said he was to teach them broad strokes with the dagger. He trained them in the courtyard for a while, then they left to make money on their own. 

They went to a restaurant called the Silk Thread Wine Shop. They ordered Blue Prawn and Wine, then demanded 1,000 spades a month from the owner. He said it was too much, but they looked at his books and decided otherwise. He cobbled together the money and paid them, then they went to go register at the fighting platform. 

At the platform Xiao Li (who was already registered) had two fights before getting knocked out. She made 200 spades or so. Limb Taker found a broker, and the broker convinced him to fall in his first match for 1,000 spades. 

They returned to the Pearl Dragon when some Green Tiger men came snooping around. There Sun Leng told them she had a mission for them. She wanted them to go to the Temple of Supreme Judge Yu. She had heard rumors that Bamboo Viper's personal physician was being held there against his will by the Zhen Bird Society. She figured they could rescue him, maybe get into the good graces of Bamboo Viper to smooth things over with Limb Taker and possibly learn some of his weaknesses as well. 

Because the Killing Bixies specialize in forged documents, the part concocted a scheme where they dressed as constables and had a forged order from the City Lord saying they were to arrest the Physician (Wei Lingsu). 

They went to the temple and presented the order dressed as constables, and found they were let inside. There they saw the temple had an illegal silk manufacturing facility (and the priests promised to send the Sheriff a bonus with his usual cut). The priests seemed disappointed that the constables wanted to arrest him but they bought the story and were more than happy to accommodate, only asking that he could be sent back to them at a later point. 

This is where the session ended. 

MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE DISCUSSIONS

Here are the latest movie discussions. 

Talked with Adam about the great Lady Snowblood: 



Kenny and I discussed the Angela Mao film, Swift Shaolin Boxer: 



I spoke with Lady Cao Feng about Police Story. She wasn't as impressed as I am with the film: 



We also discussed Magnificent Bodyguards: 

DISPOSABLE DISCIPLES SESSION 51: DUEL AT THE FOUR DEMON PAGODA

This is a log for my ongoing Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom campaign. You can see the previous session HERE.  Note that I began recording sessions, so this has allowed me to do more detailed session logs.

Player Characters: 
Shen Chun/Crazed Raksha
Little Bai
Qui
Ong Lao
Min (Feiyan)

Disciples of the Sect: 
Red Eagle (Little Bai)
Mount Dao/Biggest Sister (Little Bai)
Filial Cricket (Little Bai)
Dim-Witted Chen (Shen Chun)

Sects: 

The Righteous Outlaws
Calamity Star
Ou Jinghzhu
Tea Master Houzhou

Stone Palace Sect (Also called Golden Way)
A gambling hall and criminal network in Yun Hu. Currently under control of party, with Weeping Lotus managing it. They've absorbed many other sects into this organization including Crocodile Sect, Blades of the Weeping Lotus, Temple of the Jade Mercies, Relentless Corpse Sect and more. Recently they joined with Relentless Corpse again when Shen Chun arranged a marriage with their leader Da Mei Mei. 

Members:
Shen Chun (King)
Da Mei Mei (Queen)
Weeping Lotus (Right Vanguard)
Silent Dagger
Feng (Accountant)
Gu (Head Chef)
Little Bai
Min
Scholar Shen (a scholar who has been writing a story about Little Bai's life)

Dancing Scorpions
Criminal network in Yun Hu

Relentless Corpse Sect
Da Mei Mei

Temple of the Jade Mercies (see Stone Palace)
Abbot Wei Zhao
Abbess Bao-Yu
Yao Tu-On
Yao Chun
Yao Ba

Southern Hill Sect
Yellow Mantis
White Chysanthemum
Green Mantis (Dead but important)

Twin-Fisted Eagle Sect
Twin Fisted Eagle
Jade Fist

Bone Breaking Sect
Destroyed and taken over by Drunken Hero Kang

Glorious Death Cult
Led by Supreme Master Tung, who says he is a god of death

Shen Chun retrieved the Chariot of Du Qian from the tomb in the south and made his way to Lebdek, where he purchased some horses and headed north back to his sect headquarters. There he managed matters pertaining to the sect and learned from Da Mei Mei that the Yan had taken Li Fan and Hu Qin. He spoke with his astrologer and diviner to decide on potential courses of action. Lingsu, asked permission to head north for his duel with Qui and departed. 

Min and Ong set out for the mainland and searched for Qui. Their travels lead them through He Dong where Ong recruited a one-armed farmer named Li as his disciple. He began training Li, who took well and mastered one of his techniques. They went to Xuilan Meadows and learned that Qui was destined for a duel at Chrysanthemum Lake. 

Qui arrived at Chrysanthemum Lake for his duel with Iron Clawed Lion. It was clear from the beginning that Iron Clawed Lion was not his match, as he was quite old and weary. Within moments, Qui had him in his clutches and drained his Qi energy, forcing Iron Clawed Lion to submit. 

Iron Clawed Lion nodded respectful and told him he admired his kung fu. As he departed, Min and Ong arrived. They discussed what to do. Ong was interested in recruiting Ogre Demons to raise an army. He had acquired an Ogre Demon follower (The Bone General) when they were in the south. The Bone General had recommended he consider raising an army to spread Gushan, as he had experience with the people of Qi Xien and felt they were resistant to new religions with strident points of view. In further discussion, Ong and the Bone General talked about the possibility of releasing the ogres trapped in places like the Four Demon Pagoda. 

Therefore, he suggested going to Four Demon Pagoda. Qui had a duel scheduled there with Lingsu. 

At the Four Demon Pagoda, they found Lingsu. He and Qui faced one another. Qui attacked, trying to clutch Lingsu with his life draining finger tips, but found Lingsu's Qi energy exploded inside his meridians*. It was a fairly good match, and they traded blows for a time before Lingsu was forced to acknowledge defeat. Lingsu politely conceded and agreed to go with them to into the Four Demon Pagodas. 

FOUR DEMON PAGODAS
Art by Jackie Musto

The four Demon Pagodas are rising hoodoos in the badlands of Yao, with sects living on their peaks. Stairs wind down to the surface. As they approached the stairs of one of the pagodas, a group of disciples blocked their path. This lead to combat, but Ong shoved most of them aside quite easily. 

The party went up the stairs and found a venerable master seated in his hall. He was tired and clearly had no desire to fight the party. He at heaping bowls of food as he spoke and said his name was Long Beard. 

Ong asked him to release the demon in his pagoda. Long Beard informed him that the the demon Wuzhi was an ignorant force of deception and would surely contribute to the world's destruction if unleashed. He reminded Ong of the history of the Demon Emperor. 

They negotiated and he agreed to join forces with them in their quest for revenge against Thundering Guan (Qui was bent on killing her and brought this up in the discussion). But he asked them to forget about the Ogre Demons in exchange. 

Ong was reluctant but asked to meet the other masters and see if an arrangement could be worked out. 

One by one they met the others. First they met Master Liu, who berated Long Beard for letting the party push him around. Then they met Master Tunan who belittled Master Liu for striking a terrible deal with the party and accused him of being a fool. Finally they met Master Yuwei, who had lost interest in the world and was on the cusp of releasing the demon himself. 

They agreed to join the party, but Master Tunan demanded the party give them more in return than simply refusing to attack their pagodas. He wanted more disciples to help them fend off the Yan. Qui agreed to help them recruit 150 men and they agreed to go to Dee and face Thundering Guan (Master Tunan was so confident he offered to have the masters of the Four Demon Pagoda go alone to take care of her). 

They returned to the new headquarters of the Golden Way in Hai'an. There Qui asked Shen Chun to send Da Mei Mei with them. Shen Chun agreed to send her, but left Xiaomin and several others to guard the Chariot and the sect. 

This is where the session ended. 

DISPOSABLE DISCIPLES SESSION 50: THE CHARIOT OF DU QIAN

This is a log for my ongoing Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom campaign. You can see the previous session HERE.  Note that I began recording sessions, so this has allowed me to do more detailed session logs.

Player Characters: 
Shen Chun/Crazed Raksha
Little Bai
Qui
Ong Lao
Min (Feiyan)

Disciples of the Sect: 
Red Eagle (Little Bai)
Mount Dao/Biggest Sister (Little Bai)
Filial Cricket (Little Bai)
Dim-Witted Chen (Shen Chun)

Sects: 

The Righteous Outlaws
Calamity Star
Ou Jinghzhu
Tea Master Houzhou

Stone Palace Sect (Also called Golden Way)
A gambling hall and criminal network in Yun Hu. Currently under control of party, with Weeping Lotus managing it. They've absorbed many other sects into this organization including Crocodile Sect, Blades of the Weeping Lotus, Temple of the Jade Mercies, Relentless Corpse Sect and more. Recently they joined with Relentless Corpse again when Shen Chun arranged a marriage with their leader Da Mei Mei. 

Members:
Shen Chun (King)
Da Mei Mei (Queen)
Weeping Lotus (Right Vanguard)
Silent Dagger
Feng (Accountant)
Gu (Head Chef)
Little Bai
Min
Scholar Shen (a scholar who has been writing a story about Little Bai's life)

Dancing Scorpions
Criminal network in Yun Hu

Relentless Corpse Sect
Da Mei Mei

Temple of the Jade Mercies (see Stone Palace)
Abbot Wei Zhao
Abbess Bao-Yu
Yao Tu-On
Yao Chun
Yao Ba

Southern Hill Sect
Yellow Mantis
White Chysanthemum
Green Mantis (Dead but important)

Twin-Fisted Eagle Sect
Twin Fisted Eagle
Jade Fist

Bone Breaking Sect
Destroyed and taken over by Drunken Hero Kang

Glorious Death Cult
Led by Supreme Master Tung, who says he is a god of death

THE COURT OF SHEN CHUN 

The group re-organized in the south. Shen Chun and Da Mei Mei gave birth to a baby girl named Ying, and invited their allies in the martial world to announce the birth. A woman calling herself Duo Bai arrived. She claimed to be the daughter of Lady White Blade, and requested to become Sing's instructor 'so she can defeat the Yan one day'*. Ong politely requested to test her skills and they had a friendly duel in the reception hall. She charged and impaled him with her sword, and he told Shen Chun that her skills were acceptable. 

Shen Chun used the Righteous Staff of the Mantis to see Lady Duo Bai's past misdeeds. Within its swirling orb he saw her being tutored by Strange Phoenix, an argument ensued and she slashed her teacher's leg. 

He asked her about her relationship with Strange Phoenix and she said that Strange Phoenix was her aunt. After discussion with Da Mei Mei, Shen Chun agreed to take her as his child's martial arts instructor. 

Lady Duo Bai asked to be called Green Blade, and was taken into the sect as the instructor of Ying and all the sect children. 

Later a man named Qima Sao arrived and was granted an audience in the reception hall. He said he was the former head of the Astronomical Office in the Empire and hoped to be accepted into the sect in a similar capacity. He fled during the invasion and wanted to help protect the south. 

He too was accepted. 

Shen Chun decided to depart for the Chamber of the Ageless Guardian to retrieve the Chariot of Du Qian once again (they tried once before). Ong and Min went east by ship to find their new island. 

QUI IN THE BANYAN 

Meanwhile Qui had a number of engagements in the Banyan. He had arranged three duels, one with Iron Clawed Lion King at Chrysanthemum Lake, another with Gentle Demon of Zhe Valley and a third with Laughing Fox at Sun Mai Temple. 

First he went to The Valley and was greeted by men in fine robes who took him to their master's reception hall. Gentle Demon asked why he wanted the duel and Qui said it was to grow his reputation. 

Gentle Demon nodded and walked to face his opponent. Qui unleashed a terrifying attack, digging his hands into Gentle Demon's flesh and draining his life. Gentle Demon was hurled back and threw his guan dao, slicing Qui's leg. 

Gentle Demon then called him a bastard and said Qui had days to live. Qui dragged him out of the reception hall and to the edge of the canyon in the valley. Gentle Demon told him he was the only person who knew where the antidote was, that he had been poisoned by Black Naga Venom. Without the antidote he would die, so he wanted Qui to return to him to discuss business (and also agree never to reveal the outcome of their duel to anyone). 

Qui snapped Gentle Demon's neck before his men. He then demanded to know where the antidote was and brought his entire retinue of people into Zhe Valley hall. 

The senior disciple of Zhe Valley warned him that they had over 400 men in the valley, and while he surely had plenty of powerful masters among him, they were simply outnumbered. 

Qui calmed and asked to search Gentle Demon's chambers for an antidote. The head disciple allowed this. He found no antidote, merely a note addressed to him saying that Gentle Demon would see him in hell and that there was no antidote inside Zhe Valley.

He eventually learned that Gentle Demon had left the valley before their duel and place the antidote somewhere in the Banyan. Qui knew he had no more than ten days to live, possibly a lot less. So he used a meditation technique to slow the poison and buy himself time. He then decided to go to Xuilan Meadows and see if Timeless Perennial could help him. 

Without his meditation technique, he surely would have died on the journey, but he bought himself time and made it to Xuilan meadows. Timeless Perennial said she could help him but that he would have to perform a task for her at some point in the future (and he must agree to it, no matter what it was). He accepted provided the task did not violate the rules of proprietor set by his master. She agreed and gave him a pill. She then told him to return every few months for another dose. 

He left and went to Sun Mai Temple and faced Laughing Fox, who was in a placid mood. Within moments he did the same to Laughing Fox as he had to Gentle Demon, draining his life by digging his fingers into the flesh. Laughing Fox acknowledged defeat but asked to learn the technique. Qui agreed to teach him, if he lent his hands to getting revenge against Thundering Guan. Laughing Fox was delighted by this and began training in the new technique. 

ONG AND MIN AND THE ISLAND OF GUSHAN

Before leaving, Ong found a farmer and paid him to come with them to the island. Arriving at the new island, Ong and Min found a temple of Gushan with a towering Gushan Head and a vast swath of bells. The temple was surrounded by jungle. At the beach a group of Hechi award them. 

The Hechi claimed to have come into existence when the island was created. They said there was a book with a history of their people in the temple when they arrived, but they knew it to be a lie (Hechi are goat men with horns on their head capable of discerning falsehoods). 

They explained that the jungle was inhabited by spirited beasts. Ong, Min and Bone General (Ong's Ogre Demon servant) went into the jungle and searched. They encountered a monkey demon, which they fought and Min sucked into one of her orbs. 

As they walked back to the temple, Bone Demon asked Ong what his intentions were. Ong explained that he wanted to spread Gushan in Qi Xien. 

"I have some experience with this sir, the people of Qi Xien are quite resistant to these sorts of deities; if I might suggest possible courses of action?"

"Yes, of course."

"I believe only two approaches can work: deception or force. If we use force, I think we should create an army." 

Ong nodded. "Your people, are there more of you we can bring into our cause?"

"Yes, but many are sealed in powerful chambers like the Four Demon Pagodas and Yao Gong Palace. My people still feel the humiliation of our defeat and long to reclaim our standing. I think if we restored some of them, they would join you."

Ong nodded. 

He left Bone General in charge of the island, while he and Min left back for the mainland. 

SHEN CHUN ACQUIRES THE CHARIOT OF DU QIAN

Shen Chun and his men reached the Chamber of the Ageless Guardian and acquired the Chariot of Du Qian**.

This is where the session ended. 



*The Yan had just invaded the empire and taken over the palace, which was why the group fled south. 

**The Chamber of the Ageless Guardian will appear in an upcoming PDF called The Tournament of Daolu, so to avoid spoilers, I have not mentioned anything that occurred while he was in the chamber. 

CITY OF DEE CAMPAIGN SESSION 10: CLEAVING DEVIL YAO FU

The adventure of Flying Dagger and Red Mantis continues as they make their way to Stone Cutter Fortress to rescue Yu Guanyin in order to perform a righteous deed*. Last session they had come upon a boy riddled with arrows, and then found his family slaughtered in a nearby homestead. They followed the trail and were attacked by axe wielding bandits and archers. They learned that the bandits had taken the mother of the boy, Yu Guanyin, to Stone Cutter Fortress. 

As they made their way through the forest the party found itself surrounded by archers in the trees. The archers fired, striking Red Mantis, and missing most of the others. As the battle unfolded, Flying Dagger was able to deflect most of the incoming arrows with strands of cloth. They killed the archers fairly quickly and Flying Dagger scouted the area to see what was ahead of them. 

He found a long stone stairway leading up the hill to the fortress. At the top of the stairs were two axe men and two archers. He managed to pick off two and lured one of the axe men to chase him. Running back toward the rest of the party, Long Stinger fired a shot at the axe man and killed him. 

Then they heard the ringing sound of a gong emanating from the Fortress. Red Mantis strode up to the stairway and screamed a challenge to all inside. Around 35 men poured from the fortress gate and lined up at the top of the stairs. This provided a perfect opportunity for Long Stinger to launch a Rain of Arrows upon them, dropping most of them to the ground. 

As a mass melee unfolded, Flying Dagger made his way past the gate to inspect the area and positioned himself beyond its wall. 

A man strode out from the fortress (really just an elaborate courtyard house). He wore green robes with sleeves of golden thread and carried a long axe in his hand. 

"What is the meaning of this?" He shouted.

"Come down and fight me!" Red Mantis replied. "Just you and me."

The man, Cleaving Devil Yao Fu, motioned for his men to step aside and walked down the stairs toward Red Mantis. He crouched low and delivered a fierce, belly slicing attack that Red Mantis narrowly avoided. 

The two traded blows, but Red Mantis  dug his fingers into the Cleaving Devil's body and restrained him in the air. 

As this was occurring, Flying Dagger started picking off men at the wall (who were pre-occupied watching the duel). 

Cleaving Devil slipped from Red Mantis' grasp and crouched low for another belly slicing attack, this time cutting deep. Red Mantis bled profusely and the blood flow showed no sign of abating. He continued his attack and struck Cleaving Devil once again, but Cleaving Devil suggested they discuss the matter. He pointed out that Red Mantis was sure to die soon without medical attention. 

Yellow Mantis pondered and reluctantly agreed. They walked up the stairs. 

When they reached the landing, Flying Dagger stabbed Cleaving Devil with a dagger, killing him instantly. 

The men all backed off, their numbers already greatly depleted. The party ransacked the fortress, taking gold, jewels and and a letter from Dancing Bixie of Bixie Manor, thanking Cleaving Devil for his new bride. They also found a woman hiding in the main hall. She said that the bandits had kidnapped her. They told her they were here on a mission from the Tree Dwelling Nuns and that she was welcome to return with them. She agreed telling them her name was Yu Guanyin. 

As they walked out with the woman she saw the dead body of Cleaving Devil and her eyes filled with tears. 

They walked through the forest for a day and Red Mantis spotted Yu Guanyin reach for her hairpin. She jabbed it at his back, but he easily pulled her aside and restrained her. Flying Dagger demanded to know why she attacked them. She spit in his face and said it was revenge for her father, Cleaving Devil Yao Fu. Flying Dagger slit her throat and they continued on their way after she died. 

Talking about the matter they decided that she was clearly not the real Yu Guanyin (who was most likely at Dancing Bixie Manor). However they felt that they already had met the requirements of performing a righteous deed, so they would return to Tree Dwelling Nun sect. 

This is where the session ended. 






*Flying Dagger must perform a righteous deed so he can marry Ferocious Flower. 

DISPOSABLE DISCIPLES SESSION 49: BORN UNDER THE OWL MOON

This is a log for my ongoing Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom campaign. You can see the previous session HERE.  Note that I began recording sessions, so this has allowed me to do more detailed session logs.

Player Characters: 
Shen Chun/Crazed Raksha
Little Bai
Qui
Ong Lao
Min (Feiyan)

Disciples of the Sect: 
Red Eagle (Little Bai)
Mount Dao/Biggest Sister (Little Bai)
Filial Cricket (Little Bai)
Dim-Witted Chen (Shen Chun)

Sects: 

The Righteous Outlaws
Calamity Star
Ou Jinghzhu
Tea Master Houzhou

Stone Palace Sect (Also called Golden Way)
A gambling hall and criminal network in Yun Hu. Currently under control of party, with Weeping Lotus managing it. They've absorbed many other sects into this organization including Crocodile Sect, Blades of the Weeping Lotus, Temple of the Jade Mercies, Relentless Corpse Sect and more. Recently they joined with Relentless Corpse again when Shen Chun arranged a marriage with their leader Da Mei Mei. 

Members:
Shen Chun (King)
Da Mei Mei (Queen)
Weeping Lotus (Right Vanguard)
Silent Dagger
Feng (Accountant)
Gu (Head Chef)
Little Bai
Min
Scholar Shen (a scholar who has been writing a story about Little Bai's life)

Dancing Scorpions
Criminal network in Yun Hu

Relentless Corpse Sect
Da Mei Mei

Temple of the Jade Mercies (see Stone Palace)
Abbot Wei Zhao
Abbess Bao-Yu
Yao Tu-On
Yao Chun
Yao Ba

Southern Hill Sect
Yellow Mantis
White Chysanthemum
Green Mantis (Dead but important)

Twin-Fisted Eagle Sect
Twin Fisted Eagle
Jade Fist

Bone Breaking Sect
Destroyed and taken over by Drunken Hero Kang

Glorious Death Cult
Led by Supreme Master Tung, who says he is a god of death

Recently the newly restored Empire was invaded and taken over by the Yan and the Chai Yun. The Empress Dowager and the young Emperor were both killed through the machinations of the Senior Grand Councilor. King Yegu of the Yan road into the capital and is to become the new emperor. In the last session, Shen Chun, leader of the martial world, was betrayed by Weeping Lotus (one of his most trusted men) and lead to face a false invasion from the west. It was during this time that the Yan invaded from the North. 

A MESSAGE FROM THE NEW EMPEROR

In cold halls of Stone Palace sect, Da Mei Mei* and Shen Chun discussed the threats they faced from the north. They contemplated moving their sect south to a safer area and also discussed the possibility of strengthening their alliance with Bone Breaking Sect. 

Da Mei Mei was also close to giving birth (she had conceived during the Demon Moon). This complicated matters and would require they be cautious on any journey south. 

ABBESS SHANHU
Illustration by Jackie Musto

As they spoke about these matters, a servant announced that Abbess Shanhu of Hen-Shi sect was at the gate with a message. They allowed her in and she appeared before them wearing her purple veil. 

"I bring a message from the Emperor," she said removing the veil to reveal eyes glowing a bright blue. 

"What is the message?" Shen Chun asked. 

"He asks you to enter his service as he is accepting talented heroes among his ranks," She said. 

"And what does he want in exchange?" 

"Your loyalty."

"We cannot make such a decision at this time," Shen Chun said. 

"So you choose death?"

Shen Chun glanced at Da Mei Mei and saw she was ready to fight. 

"Give your heart to Emperor Yegu and and you will grow more powerful!" Abbess Shanhu screamed her eyes blazing. 

Shen Chun leapt forward and spun a thread of iron, ensnaring the Abbess as Da Mei Mei launched and impaled her with a sword blade. 

The Abbess groaned and lightning burst from her eyes, killing all of Shen Chun's guards and wounding Da Mei Mei. 

He managed to restrain her on the thread while Da Mei Mei struck at her freely, but she proved tough to harm. She was able to strike Shen Chun with her bolts of lightning and escape from the thread. But Da Mei Mei impaled her once again and they captured the abbess. 

A REQUEST HEAVEN PALACE 

Ong travelled south to Heaven Palace and made it in a matter of days. There he was given an audience with Qinwen Master of the Seven of the Talismans. He gave Qinwen the Sword of Bao and the first Spiraled Crown, asking him to make him an island off the coast of the empire where he could erect a temple to Gushan. 

Qinwen accepted his offer and used one of the talismans to create such an island. 

Ong then headed north again and rejoined the party at the Headquarters. 

A NEW TATTOO

At the Headquarters, Min asked white-Browed Tiger to give her a Shadow Tattoo of a monkey, and he agreed. However the process depleted his Qi greatly so he needed time to recover before leaving. The new Tattoo would create a spirited monkey on her body that she could summon to aid in travel and protect against demons. 

THE DISCIPLES AT BONE KINGDOM

Shen Chun, Da Mei Mei, Min, Ong, Xiaomin and a few other heroes in the sect went south to speak with Bone Breaking Sect. They were allowed into Bone Fortress where Shen Chun spoke with Lingsu (who had taken over management of the sect as Kang prepared for his retirement). 

They spoke privately in a garden and Shen Chun asked Lingsu what he thought they should do about the recent invasion; if moving south was a good plan. Lingsu said it was a matter of when they wanted to fight. If they remained, they would fight the new Emperor very soon. If they moved south, they would fight him later. Talking about the matter, Shen Chun felt they should bide their time, move south and join their sects together. 

Lingsu thought about the matter briefly and agreed. He told Shen Chun he had 800 disciples the the could take with him. 

THE TEMPLE OF JADE MERCIES 

Shen Chun summoned everyone at Stone Palace Sect and prepared them for a journey south, where they planned to restore the former Crocodile Sect Headquarters.

On the way south, they passed by the Temple of the Jade Mercies and spoke with the Abbess. They asked her for helpful items (which they stored in their pagoda). She suggested Shen Chun wear one of the Guans of Sustained Recollection. 

They also spoke about the impending conflict with the Yan. He told the Abbess to take their monks and nuns and bring them south with him. She obeyed and prepared everyone for the journey. 

THE SECTS ARE JOINED AND A SHEN YING IS BORN

Da Mei Mei was placed under the care of the sect physician as she went into labor. Shen Chun received Lingsu and his men and they discussed the new sect hierarchy. Lingsu suggested that Shen Chun and Da Mei Mei remain as the heads of the organization, since they were the rightful leaders of the Martial World. Bone Breaking Sect would become a branch of their sect, with Lingsu as the Chief. Temple of the Jade Mercies would be another branch headed by Smiling Abbot. Xiaomin, Shen Chun's disciple, would be the chief of the Stone Palace Branch. 

Da Mei Mei gave birth to a girl and Shen Chun spoke with Smiling Abbot about names. Based on her time of birth, Smiling Abbot suggested a few possibilities and from them, Shen Chun chose Ying. 

Shen Chun observed that Da Mei Mei, who was afflicted with an empty heart, immediately placed the baby into the care of one of her servants. But she said they should make arrangements for the child's training so that they would have the most skilled masters to train her when she was ready to learn. 

Shen Chun announced the birth of his daughter to the newly reformed sect and this is where the session ended. 

*Using this name out of convenience but her name since marriage has become Shen Mei.