Saturday, March 4, 2017

DISPOSABLE DISCIPLES SESSION 37: THE SHAMEFUL LOVE OF GRANNY OX TAIL

This is a log for my ongoing Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom campaign. You can see the previous session HERE.  Note that I began recording sessions, so this has allowed me to do more detailed session logs.

Player Characters: 

Shen Chun/Crazed Raksha
Little Bai
Qui
Ong Lao
Min (Feiyan)

Disciples of the Sect: 

Red Eagle (Little Bai)
Mount Dao/Biggest Sister (Little Bai)
Filial Cricket (Little Bai)
Dim-Witted Chen (Shen Chun)


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. Recently they joined with Relentless Corpse again when Shen Chun arranged a marriage with their leader Da Mei Mei. 

Members:

Shen Chun (King)
Da Mei Mei (Queen)
Weeping Lotus (Right Vanguard)
Silent Dagger
Feng (Accountant)
Gu (Head Chef)
Little Bai
Min
Scholar Shen (a scholar who has been writing a story about Little Bai's life)

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 party was discussing what to do inside the Golden Hall when someone banged the gong outside their door. 

Shen Chun went outside and saw a man with a mask carrying a square wooden box. 

He asked the man to present himself, and he merely stood, bowing slightly. 

"What is in the box?" Shen Chun asked. 

The man said nothing. And motioned to his mouth, as if he could not speak. 

"Get this man some writing implements," said Shen Chun. 

The man wrote "This is a gift from Thundering Guan."

Shen Chun opened up the box and saw Silent Dagger's head inside. 

"Do you work for Thundering Guan?" Shen Chun asked. 

The man leapt forward to attack. 

Shen Chun intercepted him using Fists of Unbridled fury. The man staggered backwards. 

A battle unfolded and it became clear over the course of it that the man was attacking using techniques known to Silent Dagger. 

Ong used his chain whip lacerating the the flesh of the man. Min leapt in with Phantom Phoenix Sword technique and impaled him, dropping his body to the ground. As she did so his mask fell off revealing headless shoulders. 

Shen Chun, in a raging fury, ripped the body of Silent Dagger to shreds. Then returned to his headquarters.

As this unfolded, a man named Qui and an old guide walked by and began paying attention to the scene. 

The old guide asked Min and Ong what happened. 

"Our ally's beheaded body attacked us," Said Min. 

The old guide turned to Qui and said "This looks like a very personal issue, I think we should leave them in peace."

"Who did this?" Qui said. 

"Thundering Guan," said Ong. 

"Where is this person?"

Min pointed in the direction of the Pleasure Quarter. 

"Sorry about your friend," Said Qui. Then he left with his guide. 

The party decided to lay Silent Dagger's body to rest. Jade Priestess informed Shen Chun that the body, being torn to shreds as it was and the product of strange Dianxue, no longer housed Silent Dagger's dragon or phoenix spirit. She was concerned he would return as a ghost, but she vowed to use black magic to get retribution against Thundering Guan. 

After they settled some matters within the sect and discussed the best course of action, they headed over to The Holy Killers at The Temple of A'Zhu. They found that Qui continued to trail them. But he had a man with him who looked like a martial hero (Jagged Blade). 

In the Temple, Shen Chun was given an audience the Pavilion of Mind to speak with the Right Vanguard. Inside he saw hundreds of heads suspended from the ceiling and a man approached them from a set of stairs. 

Shen Chun asked to form an alliance so they could unite the gangs in the city to show Thundering Guan that she isn't as supreme as she believes. 

"What would we gain if we join your alliance?"

Shen Chun tried to explain the benefits but in the end was forced to ask Right Vanguard what he wanted. 

"I want you to pledge loyalty to the Holy Killers, where Thundering Guan was once supreme, we will take her place."

Shen Chun and Min were reluctant and explained that they had no intention of remaining in the city after things were settled. Shen Chun said he was merely clearing territory for a tribe he was bringing into Hai'an. 

"Then it should be effortless for you to pledge your loyalties...."

Shen Chun said he could not agree to this arrangement. 

"Very well, I think your time in Dee is done," said Right Vanguard. "When did you last offer a sacrifice to the temple?"

"Of what?"

"A person, for A'Zhu."

Ong said "A'Zhu can't sustain itself, it needs people to make sacrifices"

"Who are you to question A'Zhu!"

They debated religion and Right Vanguard accused Ong of worshipping a weak god. It ended with Ong leaving the Temple. 

"Your friend has no manners," said Right Vanguard. "My apologies for losing my temper."

"We will provide you with a sacrifice shortly," Said Shen Chun. "What exactly is A'Zhu?"

"She is a great being who lives beneath the city," Said Right Vanguard. 

"How did she get there," Asked Min. 

"You are not qualified to know that," Said Right Vanguard. "Just know that without her, the city and the Demon Moonlands would become a great sinkhole and the boundaries between the realms would collapse, bringing all sorts of terrible creatures into the world."

"What do you get out of this?"

"We gain wisdom and knowledge," Said Right Vanguard. "I can tell you that A'Zhu was not always a god."

"Is there a way to harness the powers of the mists?" Asked Shen Chun. 

"Yes, would you like a demonstration?"

"Yes."

Right Vanguard pointed to a nearby head and said "Please ask the Righteous Emperor any question that you wish."

Shen Chun asked a question of a historical nature from the time of the Righteous Emperor, and the head of the Righteous Emperor spoke a correct answer. 

"How about this, I will not pledge loyalty, but I will not interfere with your supremacy, and I will join you against Thundering Guan," Said Shen Chun. 

Right Vanguard seemed warm to this idea and Shen Chun left with tentative agreement in place. 

They went to visit with Murder and discussed their plans. Murder explained that he wanted to expand by poisoning the Iron Kings (his allies) at a banquet to cement their alliance. His men would attack the Iron King's territory and take it over, then him and Shen Chun would be feared throughout the city. 

Murder and Shen Chun strengthened their bond by becoming true blood brothers. 

Shen Chun convinced Murder to wait for about a month, so he could go back to his headquarters in Li Fan and make some additional arrangements he wanted to procure Corpse Venom and use that to get resistant sects to do their bidding). 

They continued to be followed by Qui, who pestered them. Shen Chun, grabbed a passerby in a fit of rage and twisted his arm until he died to intimidate Qui. 

This persuaded Qui to be more forthcoming, who explained he was looking to hire some muscle. Shen Chun told him that they were an entire sect and it made no sense for him to hire them. However Ong and Min agreed to go with Qui for a time while Shen Chun went north to the headquarters. 

Qui explained to Ong that he wanted Thundering Guan killed so he could move in on her interests. They talked about going south to recruit more heroes and work together. 

It was agreed that Qui, Min and Ong would head south to recruit heroes to help them deal with Dee, while Shen Chun went north to his headquarters. 

As Ong, Min, Jagged Blade and Qui went south, they made a point of looking for information on Gushan. 

They travelled far into the south, passed mount Bao, following Jin Suk tribesmen. They spoke with a woman named P'Duk of the tribe who could not speak. She communicated in Singh by writing on the ground. They asked about Gushan and she pointed to Majestic Peak and wrote "Granny Ox Tail in the Vale of Golden Thoughts" on the ground. 

They headed to the peak and found a nestled cave with human remains strewn about it. The cave entrance was sealed with a door that had Little Wind engravings on it*. Ong opened the door and as he did so, air expelled through the mouths of the Little Winds causing them to say "Your Sifu's shameful love".

He walked deep into the cave and down into a watery caver. High in the back of a long cave, overlooking a pond, towered a giant woman with eight spiny horns forming a crown upon her head, three eyes, four arms and a massive body. 

The woman knelt.

"Why are you here?" she asked. 

"I seek to learn more about Gushan. I seek to make my own temple in the north but am inadequate presently."

She said "Gushan is destruction."

"Yes, I know," he said. 

"The winds have not blown through the north yet," she said. 

"What are you willing to offer?"

"Myself as a vessel. I wish to represent Gushan with my Kung Fu. Let the martial world see his power through me."

"I can teach," She said. 

"I am willing to learn," Said Ong.

"Sleep in the valley tonight, I will instruct you in the morning. You will do my will in the world."

Ong bowed to her and went into the valley to rest. Qui and Min decided to continue to look around for a nearby settlement. They found a small farming village with numerous stilted houses. They approached a villager who brought them to the headman's residence. 

Inside they were given rice porridge which was laced with poison, causing Min and Jagged Blade to pass out. Qui remained standing as the poison blurred his vision but used Breath of Fury to hurl the headman and his wife through the wall. 

Qui stepped outside pulled out a guan dao and stood over the chief. The headman put his hands up and his wife started bowing. He motioned to indicate he wanted his friends to wake up. The wife administered an antidote. 

As they roused, Qui encased his Guan Dao and laid down beside them as if he too had passed out. 

They demanded to know why they were drugged. Like the other Jin Suk they had met, he didn't speak but wrote his answer: "Granny Ox Tail demands food".

As they processed this information, Min pressed Qui for more about himself. She didn't believe he was poisoned, and looking at the hole in the wall suspected that he had caused it. After he evaded her questions, Qui admitted it was him and confessed that he needed help finding something to steal because he didn't have the funds to pay people. Min said she would help. 

This is where the session ended. 

*Little Winds are Gushan heads. They often utter prophecies and divine the future. 












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