DISPOSABLE DISCIPLES OF BONE KINGDOM SESSION 22: STONES IN THE RIVER

This is a log for my ongoing Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom campaign. You can see the previous session HERE. 

Player Characters: 
Shen Chun
Little Bai
Silent Dagger
Chao Feng
Min

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. 

Members:
Bao Yang (Chief)
Shen Chun (Second Chief)
Weeping Lotus (Right Vanguard)
Feng (Accountant)
Gu (Head Chef)
Little Bai
Min

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 Battle of Stone Throne Bridge

The party was surrounded by Nature Loving Monks. They had travelled south into Southern Hill Territory and killed Southern Hill Disciples at the Singing Pavilion. On their way back, when they got to the Stone Throne Bridge, they saw a horde of men to the north of the river and more men to their south in the trees. The party led a charge across the bridge, while Bao Yang and Chao fell back and held off the southern section to give the sect a chance of escaping. As they lead the charge, a man in shiny silver robes and a woman in floral robes appeared leading the Nature Loving Monks. The party looked for other leaders but they all appeared to be blended in among the beggars so conceal their ranks. 

Everyone heard Flower-Handed Snake gasp as he ran with the others into the charge. He shouted "get me out of here" and ran south, then flew into the air over the heads of the forces to the south and fled. The sensed his reaction was to either the man in silver robes or the woman in floral robes. 

The woman gestured with her hand, causing a wave of frost to freeze many of the player's disciples on the bridge. Shen Chun and Dim-Witted Chen were almost hit by the blast but deflected it with a canopy. 

Little Bai used Blasting Blade to cut down a swath of beggars then led the charge and attacked the woman. Shen Chun used strike of the raging tiger on the man in Silver Robes, causing him to strike a row of ten of his own men and crush their chests. Min leapt into a blaze of sword strikes, seriously wounding the woman in robes. 

On the southern section of the bridge, Bao Yang smashed in the heads of approaching beggars as Chao unleashed a hail of arrows, dropping large numbers of men. A sound vibrated through the air and the leaves from the trees took flight, swarming the player's forces. They cut down many of their disciples and wounded most of the party. 

In the confusion of battle they sensed their forces diminishing. Their numbers dropped to roughly 100 and the enemy still counted in the hundreds. Bao Yang told everyone to flee while he and Chao held the bridge. The party made its way to the north as their remaining forces helped protect their retreat. Everyone but Min managed to get away. Min was attacked several times but eventually got away with the rest of the group. 

Bao Yang continued to hold the bridge as Nature Loving Monks Swarmed from both sides. He pushed south with Chao. As the Nature Loving Monks flooded over the bridge, Chao used Storm of Arrows to wipe a vast section of men. As the men fell, one figure remained standing wearing a Golden Raksha mask. Bao Yang ran to engage him. 

The man used Skull Breaking Stick and missed. Bao Yang retorted with a strike from his mace. He was then cracked in the head and hit with such force he bled from his ears. 

The men put their hands on Chao's shoulder and told him they meant no harm to him.

With that knowledge, Chao sat and began to paint the battle on the bridge. 

Seeing that he was surrounded, Bao Yang struck the bridge with his mace and caused it to collapse around him. He was killed from the fall and bricks landing on his body. The man in the Raksha mask smashed what remained of Bao Yang's skull and walked over to Chao. 

The man in the Raksha mask said "You may go free. Hidden Arrows sends his regards."

Chao asked "So you know Hidden Arrow?"

The man nodded. 

"Can you send him a message."

The man spoke saying he would contact Chao in a matter of days on the matter. Chao then fled north to join the rest of the group as the man in the silver robes continued to slaughter Nature Loving Monks. 

Southern Hai'an

They had only fifteen disciples left, Dim-Witted Chen, Smiling Abbot, Abbes Bao-Yu and Yu Zhen remaining (in addition to Shen Chun, Chao, Min, and Little Bai). Shen Chun left with Dim-Witted Chen the to get to Dee and take a ship back to Stone Palace in Li Fan. The rest of the group traveled two days to get to the Bai Chuan Inn because Min still wanted to acquire Flower Handed Snake's conch shell. 

When they entered the inn's first floor they saw scholars at every table. They took a seat and Little Bai ordered "The best tea and best food" telling the server to charge it to "Stone Palace Sect, the richest and most powerful sect" in the world. He then announced to the room that he wanted to buy some books from scholars, but only the best books. 

A sole scholar approached him and said he might sell a book for the right price, but they could not agree on an amount. The scholar wished him well and went back to his table. 

Min noticed that while they were talking the Scholar had dropped something into Little Baa's cup of tea. She grabbed the cup and walked over to the scholar's table where he had some kind of bet going on the table (there were numerous golden taels). 

She accused him of trying to poison Little Bai. The scholar protested that the accusation was false. Little Bai came over, said he didn't like deceitful people, and tried to stab the scholar. 

Min pushed the scholar out of the way, and the scholar sent poisoned needles flying at Little Bai from a fan. The needles hit and he started to feel sick. 

Little Bai used sword whipping strike to drop all of the scholars on the first floor. Then Min grabbed the scholar and demanded the antidote, which he gave. They found a physician on one of the upper floors to confirm it was an antidote and that the poison was Zhen Bird venom. Little Bai used the opportunity to grab some books from the scholars, getting some gazetteers and the classics. 

After the chaos, they got a room and went upstairs. On their way they passed an old lady who was selling roasted water chestnuts for 10 spades. They bought some but didn't eat them. She then offered to sell information and rumors of the martial world. 

Chao held out a golden tael and she told them that the Nature Loving Monks had an encampment in the Pale Hills. Unimpressed Chao began to pocket the tael. 

The woman then told them that she heard that a geomancer in Lu Hai named Ju, knew the location of the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower. She also said the geomancer told her that the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower was protected by a powerful spirit who slaughtered the nuns of a temple. 

Chao paid her the tael and she smiled, saying she could also poison anyone if he needed her services. 

Little Bai broke in and called her "old lady". She reprimanded him for being rude to an elder, but he quoted a passage from the classics saying that truth was all that mattered (he had just learned to read). The woman said she couldn't read, so couldn't compete with him, but that he should be respectful. 

Chao tried to hire the woman for 300 spades a month, but she demanded 2,000. He said if she poisoned Yellow Mantis, he would hire her. She smiled and said it would be done, then left the inn. 

Releasing the woman could give their whereabouts to the Nature Loving Monks or Yellow Mantis, they left the inn and went to He Dong. There they found a guide who took them to Flower Snake Villa on Mount Bao (this was Flower-Handed Snake's residence). 

When they arrived everyone was dressed in white and they were brought into a hall where Flower-Handed Snake, in white robes, ushered them in. The servants revealed that Flower Handed Widow was dead. There was an altar dedicated to the memory of his wife, Flower-Handed Widow. 

They asked Flower-Handed Snake how he was, and he smiled, saying he was free now. 

Emboldened by Flower-Handed Snakes pleasure at the death of his wife, Chao claimed responsibility for the kill. 

Flower-Handed Snake stood up and said he would kill them for the act, that he was obligated to settle the grudge. 

Yun Hu

Back in Yun Hu, Shen Chun arrived and went to Stone Palace. He announced the loss to his men and told them of Bao Yang's death. 

Weeping Lotus

Weeping Lotus, who had been left in charge, asked how they were going to get revenge. Shen Chun said he was going to form new alliances and recruit, as they lost a lot of men. All of Twisted Eagle sect was basically destroyed, Silken Robe Society was gone and they had lost 55 of their own disciples plus martial heroes. 

A disciple of the sect approached and handed Shen Chun a piece of paper saying he wanted to be his personal disciple. He determined the man was unable to speak and they communicated by writing. The man said he had no name. He agreed to take the man on as his disciple and they went together to go speak with Master Zhao. On the way, the man revealed he could speak. 

At Master Zhao's they informed him of Bao Yang's death and asked for his help. He agreed, saying he had contact with the Ninjas of the Fire Pearl from the Eastern Archipelagos. He would be able to use them to kill elites from the Southern Hill Sect. 

Shen Chun also introduced his new disciple, but Master Zhao was irritated that he had no name, so started calling him Silent Dagger. 

Silent Dagger asked if they could get a meeting with some of Zhao's criminal contacts. He told them to go tot he Sword and Wine Tavern to speak with Five Dagger Cheng of the Tiger Clan. 

After meeting with Zhao, Shen Chun and Silent Dagger went to speak with the tavern and arranged a meeting in a private dining area with Five Dagger Cheng. 

Five Dagger Cheng expressed his concern that he had an agreement with their companion Chao to attack a Jade Shipment. He had not seen Chao in some time and the shipment would be passing through in days. 

They talked about the plan, and Shen Chun was immediately impressed with the fact that Five Dagger Cheng had not thought it through at all. He wanted to blow up the ship with Divine Fire, which would probably work but also sink the jade. Given how big this particular piece of jade was, they would be unlikely to pull it from the floor of the river. 

Silent Dagger, still writing everything on paper, said he would take the job instead, but he wanted a bigger percentage. When Five Dagger Cheng asked what that percentage was, Silent Dagger said he would announce it at the time of the attack. 

Five Dagger Cheng refused and so Silent Dagger attacked. 

This is where the session ended.