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Characters*:
Xue Lingsu (Purple Cavern Sect)
Xi Kang(Affiliated with Mr. Red Claw)
Baku (Kushen Tribesmen)
Zhi Zhu (No Sect)
Long Shu (Purple Cavern Sect)
Min (Purple Cavern Sect)
Rong (Tree-Dwelling Nun Sect)
Nuan (Xi Kang's Disciple and a former Flying Phantom)
Ku: Kang's Wife
The party had split into three groups after last session, in an effort to get to the bottom of the Flying Guillotine situation. Following a number of strange beheadings the party had been lured into a trap at the Fragrant Petal and attacked by soldiers with a new weapon (the Flying Guillotine). They uncovered a conspiracy of revenge against them that lead to Master Ta and Bronze Master. Kang and Zhi Zhu returned to the Bone Breaker encampment to get reinforcements; Rong, Min and Lingsu went to Zun Forest to speak with Ferocious Flower (the head Abbess of Tree Dwelling Nun Sect); and Baku had gone in search of Bronze Master.
At the Encampment Zhi Zhu and Kang rejoined with Bing (a Nun of Hen-Shi) and Ku (Kang's wife). Last session Kang became the new leader of Bone Breaking Sect after the party defeated Fearless Cat (the former leader). He assembled his new men, nearly 400 in all, and prepared them to march South to Master Ta's Villa .Kang then ordered ten scouts to go to Bone Fortress to makes sure the Face of Vaagu was safe.
As they marched south they passed through a small village and a statue of Hen-Shi collapsed near Kang, its arms pointing North and South. Bing attempted to read the portent and concluded that it had to do with Kang's fate, that he may be at a crossroads. She asked him what was significant about the North and South. Doing his own reading by spraying wine on the statue, Kang concluded that the arms possibly referred to Bone Kingdom in the North and to Kwam Metta (or Master Ta) in the south. Still unsure what it meant, Bing suggested that he may have read to face the crucial moment. They decided to continue on to Master Ta's.
In Zun Forest, Lingsu and Rong found Tree Dwelling Nuns (Rong's Sect) and were granted an audience with Ferocious Flower. Lingsu explained that they learned who had been beheading Tree Dwelling Nuns: Master Ta. He promised to bring Master Ta to her so she could deal with him herself, but asked for some assistance in the matter. She gave them ten disciples to take with them, but declined to go herself.
They went to the base of the mountain on which Master Ta's Villa was found and waited for their allies to join them. When Kang and Zhi Zhu arrived with their army of 400, they approached the Villa.
At the door they demanded to speak to Master Ta. A woman in a yellow dress named Little Frog came out and asked who they were. They insisted on speaking with Master Ta. Initially she offered to grant them an audience inside, but they made clear that he was to come out and speak. When Master Ta left the grounds he was escorted by four men in colorful robes. Kang and Lingsu convinced him to go with them peacefully so that there would be no bloodshed. Then they told Little Frog and her men to leave, that they had no quarrel with her. She agreed and left.
In the villa itself they found nearly 15,000,000 spades worth of goods and artifacts. They also found Su Long (the engineer they had saved the previous year in Chen). Integrating him they learned that he helped Master Ta construct the Flying Guillotines by consulting a manual that Bronze Master had stolen from Bone Kingdom. He didn't seem to recognize them at first and they reprimanded him for colluding with Master Ta. Kang threatened to take Su Long's hands, but Lingsu suggested he make amends by devising a defense against the Flying Guilotines. Su Long agreed and they offered to pay him a stipend for his efforts. He was sent back to Chen with one of Lingsu's Purple Cavern Disciples.
Before they left Lingsu released Cui, telling her to spread word that he was kind to her. Cui was one of the leaders of the conspiracy who had attacked them at the Fragrant Petal. She assented and fled quickly on foot.
They searched the rest of the villa but found no sign of Bronze Master (only information that he had left). After they looted Master Ta's residence,the party went in search of Baku (who had been sent to scout for Bronze Master and prevent his escape).
They were able to pick up a trail that led to Zun City. There Zhi Zhu went in and went to Hen-Shi Tea House, where there were known to be many Golden Dragons. She didn't find Baku or Bronze Master but someone handed her a note. Unable to read, she brought it to the party. It said "Bronze Master went to Golden Roc Peak to get protection from Wind Bone. I went with him.".
It was clearly from Baku, so they decided to go to Golden Roc Peak. First however Kang sent his 400 men North (taking only a small group of them to go with them). They traveled through dense forest on their way to the peak and encountered a group of Majestic Lion Cultists. They passed each other uneasily. Words were exchanged and Kang demanded wine from them. When they threw him a gourd, he poured the contents on the ground. A man in the group approached Kang aggressively, and Kang licked his face. This prompted a quick exchange of blows but Lingsu was able to tone things down. The Majestic Lion Cultist was brought into line by a woman in their group, and they departed.
Reaching the mountain they climbed up, leaving behind Bing, Rong and Ku. When they reached the base of the peak they saw massive birds encircling it. One descended and attacked. It clawed at Kang but he took to the air with it and made his own attack. The party was able to wound it enough that, after a while, it fled. They then resumed their ascent and came to the cave where Wind Bone was said to reside. They called but he did not answer.
Zhi Zhu climbed up the cliffs above the cave and came face to face with an old man who asked her name. As she fled back down, he floated to land behind the party and asked who they were. Guessing he was Wind Bone, they told him they had come to kill Bronze Master for his many crimes.
Wind Bone told them that Bronze Master was under his protection. They tried to persuade him that Bronze Master's crimes were so serious that it voided any such agreement between them. However when they explained his crimes, Wind Bone stated they were merely worldly offenses and of no concern to him. Taking another approach they told him they could give him a Phoenix Talisman in exchange. He was open to this, but ultimately the party decided it was best to leave Bronze Master for the time being and go tend to the Face of Vaagu. They figured it was too much of a risk to give Wind Bone a Phoenix Talisman.
Returning back to the base of the mountain, Kang consulted with Bing about the Jade Turtle he recovered from Kwam Metta. She believed it needed to be brought to Iron Sky Maiden. The question was how to get there. Normally the Face of Vaagu would serve as a gate but it had been cut by Bone Breaking Sect. Emptying his pockets, Kang went through the items he acquired: The Heart of Yao Feng, the Talisman of the Demon Emperor, the Medallion of Xian Nu Shen, etc. He was aware that the Talisman of the Demon Emperor could be used to teleport between realms, but had been told that this would incur the wrath of Supreme Judge Yu. However when she saw the Medallion of Xian Nu Shen, Bing said that they could travel freely so long as they possessed it (the Medallion was a kind of divine order, granting permission to transgress the realms).
With this knowledge, Kang activated the Talisman and transported the entire party to Infinite Sky realm. They found themselves in a dense jungle and traveled north, where they found a seaside village. Beyond the village was a sea that poured into an infinite expanse of sky and cloud. Beyond the rim of the sea were floating mountain islands. The villagers informed them that to speak with Iron Sky Maiden they would need to go to one of those mountains and first get permission from Sixth Brother, head of Superior Wisdom Temple. A fisherman offered to take them across the sea to the mountain where they could speak with Sixth Brother.
They crossed the sea and reached a beach. There the fisherman said he would await them. They then followed a trail through forest toward the temple. On their way they were attacked by a tree demon. Lingsu tried to use his Willow technique to drain the tree's energy, but it caused his own skin to turn white and his veins to blacken as the tree infected him with its demon essence. Everyone fled, but Kang was struck by the tree's lashing roots and suffered a similar effect to what Lingsu experienced (as well as losing some of his Qi energy). They managed to outrun the creature and made it to the temple, where a monk gave them pills to suppress the demon essence and help restore them. They were informed that Infinite Sky Realm was dangerous to mortals. Demons captured by deities, immortals and others were brought here to undergo cultivation under their guidance. However not all demons were responsive, so many could be found roaming freely and doing harm.
They secured a meeting with Sixth Brother. Kang showed him the Jade Turtle and Sixth Brother said he had a floating ship that could take them to meet Iron Sky Maiden. First however, he would need a favor. He had a minor conflict with First Brother of Northern Twin Mountain. He wanted them to sneak into the temple on Northern Twin Mountain and take the Starlit Inkstone so he could use its powers briefly. Kang agreed.
This is where the session ended.
Majestic Lion Cult
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