Tuesday, March 22, 2016

BLOOD OF THE DEMON MOON CULT SESSION 26: LORD DEMON HORN AND MONKEY'S HEAVENLY PILLS

This is the campaign log for the Twenty Sixth session of a google+run Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate campaign. The previous session is described HERE

I am running two campaigns in the same setting and treating them as occurring in different realities with some vague similarities. Characters in one may appear in the other, but there are no direct causal effects from one campaign to the next. Partly this is to playtest, but this is also partly due to the multi-dimensional aspect of the universe I run all my games in. It would theoretically be possible for the party from the Blood of the Demon Moon cult campaign to dimension travel to the Secret of Je Valley Campaign, in which case direct interactions could occur (and they could even meet their counterparts in the alternate dimension).  

CHARACTERS

Player Characters
Zhang Wan (Bone Breaker): An unpredictable and violent martial expert who is the brother of Zhang San. First chief of Qui Pan Bandits. Married to Huo Ju (Little Venom)
Zhang San: A wandering hero and sister of Zhang Wan, more calm than her brother
Chen: A poisoner and healer known for his lazy ways.

The part had just been ambushed by Abbot Song, a heavenly demon who wanted his magic chalice back (which the player characters had stolen from him). He threatened to eat them if they didn't return the object immediately. 

Bone Breaker spoke at length with Abbot Song, convincing him that if he killed them, the whereabouts of the chalice would never be known. However if he was willing to wait one or two months, he promised to return it. 

Initially Abbot Song still wanted to eat the group, but was worried he would never find his chalice again so he agreed to the terms, saying he would track them down and kill them at the end of the two month period. 

The group continued on, and made their way deeper into the jungles of southern lands. They eventually came to the Flower Fruit Cavern (Compassionate Monkey's homeland) and moved into the heavily forested valley. There they encountered two giant flying crocodiles. Jade Priestess was wounded in the battle but they managed to destroy them with the Thunder Kick of the Zhang Twins. 

During the night, Bone Breaker sent a message to One Armed Fiery Demon in her dreams, instructing her to bring everyone south to meet him in Dhamma. She seemed to understand and suggested in might take 6 days. 

Continuing on they spotted monkeys peaking at them through the trees. Bone Breaker said he came on behalf of Compassionate Monkey and had a seal to prove it. A monkey peered through the leaves, then stepped forward and asked for details. 

Bone Breaker showed his seal and said that he was to retrieve Compassionate Monkey's Heavenly Pills. The monkey lead them to a spot in the forest where the pills were buried and they dug them up. They found sixteen pills in a lacquered case and everyone (Lady Plum Blossom, Jade Priestess, Bone Breaker, San and Chen) all had two. Everything went black and Bone Breaker woke up alone in the same spot in the forest. 

He felt more powerful than before. His body surged with strength and his mind felt unbounded (this was the effect of the pills which increased his Qi by 2 ranks). 

He walked around and eventually found a monkey who told him that the group had been kidnapped by Lord Demon Horn and hit men while they slept. They had intended to take everyone but a group of Flying Crocodiles attacked them and they retreated. According to the monkey, at least five days had passed since he took the pill. 

The Monkey Explained that Lord Demon Horn was a massive spirited beast who took over the valley after Compassionate Monkey had left. He enslaved the monkeys and forced them to look for the Heavenly Pills. They knew where they were but feigned ignorance out of loyalty to Compassionate Monkey. Bone Breaker told the monkey to come with him to find his other allies, then help show him the way to Lord Demon Horn. 

They ventures back out of the Flower Fruit Cavern Valley and found One-Armed Fiery Demon. She had all his men, and they went with the monkey to face Lord Demon Horn. 

At the entrance of his palace, which was really just a cave opening in the side of the valley guarded by two Buffalo Demons, Bone Breaker demanded that Lord Demon Horn Show himself. Eventually a 30 foot tall creature with the head of a bird and nose of a Rhino stepped out. He was dressed in bulky black robes, wore a gold crown and held a golden cudgel in his hand. 

He laughed when Bone Breaker demanded the release of his friends. Then let out a roar that hurled all of Bone Breaker's men into the air, causing them to crash thirty feet from where they had stood. 

Lord Demon Horn boasted that he'd already eaten one of Bone Breaker's companions. But said he would release them if he could defeat him in single combat. Bone Breaker said he'd agree if Lord Demon Horn released his sister so they could face him together (given the size difference this was only fair). 

Lord Demon Horn released San, who informed Bone Breaker that no one had actually been eaten. Then they advanced to face Lord Demon Horn. 

This is where the session ended. 

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