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Player Characters:
Shen Chun
Hidden Arrow
Bao Yang
Chao Feng
Min
Sects:
The Righteous Outlaws
Calamity Star
Ou Jinghzhu
Tea Master Houzhou
Crocodile Sect*
Player Characters (See above)
Dancing Scorpions
Criminal network in Yun Hu
Relentless Corpse Sect
Relentless Corpse Queen
Da Mei Mei
Temple of the Jade Mercies
Abbot Wei Zhao
Abbess Bao-Yu
Weeping Lotus
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
Stone Palace Sect
A gambling hall and criminal network in Yun Hu
Currently under control of party, with Weeping Lotus managing it
Feng is an important member (the accountant)
YUN HU
The party was in Yun Hu at Stone Palace, awaiting the return of Hidden Arrow. Chao, who is a peripheral member of the party, with his own aims and goals, went to the Singing Reed and secured a room. From there he went to Master Xiao to find out if he knew anything about the theft of his Immortal Killing Sword. Xiao said he did not but suggested he speak with Five Dagger Chang of Tiger Clan.
The party had put out a call for heroes to help them destroy Southern Hill Sect. The first to arrive was Min (a new player character). Skilled in Yen-Li magic, she offered her services to the group and was accepted. Next to arrive was a man in eccentric red clothing called the Red Killer of Hu Qin.
Red Killer of Hu Qin was granted an audience with Shen Chun (who had Dim-Witted Chen with him and some disciples). Red Killer of Hu Qin said he wanted to help him kill Yellow Mantis, who had made his sister a widow. Shen Chun asked how he would be of service to them, and Red Killer of Hu Qin leapt forward to attack shouting "By killing you!"
Shen Chun countered and tapped Red Killer's meridian points, causing him to freeze in place. He demanded to know what the attack was for as his men bound the man. Red Killer of Hu Qin said it was revenge for Green Mantis.
Shen Chun tried to reason, saying it didn't need to be an endless conflict between them. That they could work something out. But Red Killer of Hu Qin rejected any efforts to negotiate, even saying he would rather die than continue talking, so Shen Chun decapitated him.
As this was going on, Chao went to the Sword and Wine Tavern where he heard Five Dagger Chang stayed. There he saw Five Dagger Chang dining with his men in a private hall. He called over the server and paid for their bill (which amounted to 8,000 spades). Then he sent a message to Five Dagger Chang requesting a meeting.
Chao received word that he was granted meeting with Chang and went to the Sword and Wine to speak with him. There he found Chang and his men wearing clothes made from tiger skin. He also noted a claw scar on Chang's face (who boasted he had been mauled by a tiger that he killed).
Chao said he didn't know anything about the immortal killing sword but would inform him if he heard anything. Chao asked if there were any matters he wanted help with, any lucrative jobs. Chang said he knew of a shipment of jade that would be passing through for a large works project (heading from Hu Qin to the capital). He could bring Chao on the venture and give him 10%. Chao wanted in and demonstrated his skills by painting a mask of Chang's face that was a perfect likeness. Impressed, Chang offered him 20%. They agreed and Chao was told the shipment would pass by in the second lunar month.
Hidden Arrow reached Yun Hu (he had been north at Plum Tree Temple). He had his Golden Raksha disciples and sub chiefs with him. He first sent them to the Singing Reed (and Chao witnessed the group in the common area). Then he took them south to a cave on the canal. He took two disciples with him to Stone Palace and prepared some concealed poisoned needles then went inside.
The reason for his caution was that Bao Yang (the leader of the group) had grown increasingly paranoid. Hidden Arrow had received a secret order from Fearless Cat to kill Bao Yang, and his information network informed him of Stone Palace's heightened state of security.
When he arrived, Bao Yang was resting so Shen Chun had the men take Hidden Arrow to a reception hall where fifteen disciples waited for him with chains and rope. They encircled him when he entered and he demanded they cease their attack. The disciples said they were under orders and it was a security precaution. Eventually Hidden Arrow relented and allowed them to bind him rather than kill the disciples.
Shen Chun began interrogating Hidden Arrow. He used the stick he'd taken from Green Mantis and looked into its orb, where he saw an image of Hidden Arrow killing the servant of Silken Robe Society in an alley.
Bao Yang awoke and entered the room. He told Hidden Arrow that he knew he was working for Fearless Cat and he should just confess. Hidden Arrow denied the accusation, saying he was working for her in the same way the rest of the party was. For a moment it seemed Bao Yang might be persuaded but he continued to press and demanded more information, threatening to kill him if he didn't.
Hidden Arrow said he was not afraid of death, that he had already made preparations for the next life and would come back for revenge with ease if he were killed. Bao Yang brought the mace down upon Hidden Arrow's head, nearly killing him. Hidden Arrow desperately flicked his concealed needles at Bao Yang (which struck his robes uselessly). Then Bao Yang brought down the final killing blow on Hidden Arrow and instructed the men to chop his body into bits. As they did so, his body dissipated*. All that remained was a Golden Raksha Medallion (and they had their Yen-Li priest, Yusheng, bury it). Bao Yang then told everyone to go searching for any agents Hidden Arrow had in the city.
Chao arrived as they were leaving and informed Bao Yang that he had seen a number of men at arrive at the Singing Reed recently. They followed the trail of Hidden Arrow's men. They learned they had gone south of the city. Before following the trail, Bao Yang went to Master Xiao and asked him about the medallion.
Master Xiao said it belonged to the Golden Rakshas, a terrible organization. He also told him that the medallion was cursed.
Bao Yang changed his mind and told his people to return to Stone Palace sect. There they locked up Yusheng, knowing he was cursed (the medallion kept returning to his body no matter how much he buried it).
Later that day, another hero arrived, this one called himself Little Bai**. He told Bao Yang he had just come to the martial world after living on the mountain with his master. He seemed incredibly naive, not knowing that there was more mountains in the world than the one he had lived on. But he expressed interest in fighting and being the best swordsman in the world. Bao Yang and the others decided to take him on.
Wanting to test Little Bai and Min's skills, he took them with him to kill the incorruptible Treasury Inspector, Qu. They went to Qu's courtyard residence, with Min and Chao sneaking in first. In the courtyard they saw Qu instructing a boy in martial arts. There were also two guards and clerk.
The party knocked on the gate and were allowed in. Min leapt to attack, but Qu pulled out a huge sword and knocked her hook swords toward Bao Yang. The battle went on for considerable time. Every attack they landed he seemed to block with the strength of a pillar, often doing considerable damage to the attackers. Shen Chun managed to hit him with Strike of the Raging Tiger and this caused him to deflect their incoming weapons at both his clerk and the boy (the clerk died instantly, but the boy fell unconscious from the blow).
The guards fled. Little Bai stabbed Qu in the belly. Min and Bao Yang finished him off but many in the group were wounded.
Bao Yang then grabbed Qu's big sword and killed the boy. The party went into Qu's studio and started collecting his records. A group of city soldiers arrived at the gate.
This is where the session ended.
*Hidden Arrow very much died, but he had formed an agreement with the Ghostly Emperor that his spirit would be rescued from the eight magistrates and he would be made an elder of the Golden Raksha Clan. His character may come back as a ghost or painted death down the road (but as an NPC).
**This was the new character of the Hidden Arrow's player.
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