THE SECRET OF JE VALLEY PART V

This campaign is set ten years after a previous set of adventures (HERE). This is the fifth full session of the current campaign (Session IV can be found HERE). 


Characters:
Xue Lingsu (Purple Cavern Sect)
Kang Xi (Affiliated with Mr. Red Claw)
Zhi Zhu (No Sect)
Long Shu (Purple Cavern Sect)
Min (Purple Cavern Sect)
Rong (Tree-Dwelling Nun Sect)

The party was still in the Heartless Fortress from the previous session, having stolen the Je Valley Heart from the Fox Demon, Huifing as she lay sleeping in her bed. Because Huifing was a former member of the Tree Dwelling Nun Sect, Rong shouldered the responsibility of dispatching her, unleashing a Storm of Daggers. The daggers struck her in the chest and she awakened. The rest of the party crowded around before the Fox Demon could act and Xue Lingsu stabbed her through the heart. 

Within moments servants were rushing toward the bed chamber, so the party fled out the window. Most made it out in time but Rong and Kang were still present when they opened the door. As they escaped they heard alarm bells but made their way along a hidden path in the forest to safety. 

They decided to travel back to Purple Cavern Sect headquarters, and on the way they noticed markers in the trees indicating Lady Plum Blossom had called a meeting of the sect members days ago. They rushed to get their in time but arrived late. 

At the meeting they were unable to open the Je Valley Heart puzzle box, so they shattered it and as expected it contained the Merciless Sunflower Manual (which Xue Lingsu gave to Lady Plum Blossom). At this point Lady Plum Blossom addressed her disciples, telling them that the sect faced many new threats, including a conflict with both Mystic Sword and the Golden Dragons. She wanted someone to volunteer to learn the Merciless Sunflower Manual techniques, and Lingsu offered to do so. 

Lady then told Lingsu to lead the group to abduct a Scholar named Shun, who was in Chen from Hai'an. Once they had him, they were to force him to help them find the Tomb of the Timeless Master and recover the Three Finger Manual. 

Because of this show of dedication, she gave Lingsu the Phoenix Seal, which could be used as symbol of authority within the sect over all junior disciples. While Lingsu made the necessary preparations to leaner the techniques of the manual, his companions departed briefly to tend to other matters. Kang went to see his master, Mr. Red Claw, and speak about an alliance with Purple Cavern Sect. Zhi Zhu went to Chen and met with One-Armed Fiery Demon. She presented her with the head of Lying Tiger.

One-Armed Fiery Demon accepted the head and asked her to become her disciple. Zhi Zhu said she could not take a master, that she was without one. Eventually they agreed that Zhi Zhu would simply call her Auntie, and she would agree to teach her techniques. 

The party rejoined at Purple Cavern Sect and set out on the road for Chen. In Chen they eventually found Master Shun at the Jade Inn, a brothel. The others remained outside, but Kang went in and spoke with Shun, eventually giving him wine laced with sleeping poison. When Scholar Shun passed out, he carried him from the brothel and the party awakened him in the woods, implying they would do him harm if he didn't lead them to the Tomb of the Timeless Master. 

After Shun agreed they took the road through the Silk Tavern area, so they could investigate a couple of matters. Kang wanted to find Begging Dog after hearing in Chen that he had left with a group of 30 beggars toward Nature Loving Monk Sect territory. Lingsu wanted to confront the innkeeper who sold him human meat. 

On the way they were attacked by a group of four masked women in white robes (seemingly Mystic Sword Sect members). They were tough opponents, but didn't do much harm to the party and were contained by Zhi Zhu's arms of Silk and Kang's aggressive attacks. In an impressive display Kang managed to evade multiple sword strikes leaping horizontally onto nearby trees and countering with heavy kicks. With team work, they killed all the attackers. 

In the forest outside Rong-Yao, Kang found the Nature Loving Monks at a meeting on a hill. Begging Dog appeared to be their leader. He spoke and left on good terms. 

At the Inn Lingsu accused the Inn Keeper of feeding him human meat, then tried to swat him with a menu. A melee ensued and Mr. Li, the Inkeeper, turned into a hideous pig demon. During the fight, Min smashed open the kitchen door and the chef came rushing out with a clever, burying it in her chest. She was greatly wounded but not killed. Long Shu managed to spear the chef, and eventually wore down Mr. Li, with Kang deliver the lethal blow with his Somersault of the Drunken Monkey kick. The chef surrendered but they cut off his head. 

They traveled north toward the western edge of Zun Peak, where Scholar Meng said the entrance to the tomb was. They found a cliff-face that was actually a massive gate leading into a canyon (but it had to be opened from a small compartment in a chamber high in the mountain. Through use of lightness kung fu, they made it to the compartment and pulled the mechanical wheel that opened the entrance. Inside they eventually came to a ruined palace where a man with the upper body of a water buffalo told them to leave his sacred ground. They offered to alleviate his post if he helped them get the Three Finger Manual, but this only seemed to confuse and enrage him, causing the bull-man to charge. 

Though he seemed fierce, he was struck by one of Zhi Zhu's caltrops and pinned in place, where the party was able to cut him down over time. When they killed him, his shape changed into a normal man. 

This is where the session ended.