DISPOSABLE DISCIPLES SESSION 66: IT CAME FROM ZHE VALLEY

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

Player Characters: 
Shen Chun/Crazed Raksha
Little Bai
Yang Shen
Ong Lao
Min (Feiyan)

Disciples of the Sect: 
Red Eagle (Little Bai)
Dim-Witted Chen (Shen Chun)
Xiaomei 

Sects Alliances: 

GOLDEN WAY ALLIANCE 
An alliance of orthodox sects lead by Shen Chun (Zhao Kang-Green Cat Kang) and his wife Da Mei Mei. They wield the wind saber of Sunan and the Phoenix Crown of Bao. Their alliance includes Temple of the Jade Mercies, remnants of Relentless Corpse Sect, Purple Cavern Sect, Nature Loving Monk Sect, Dehua Sect, Golden Dragon Sect and connections with the House of Paper Shadows. 

THE SOUTH WIND SOCIETY 
Rivals to the Golden Way, they have been absorbing sects in the south and in Hai'an. They are led by Cunning Dragon and have absorbed: Tree Dwelling Nuns, Perfect Heaven Lineage, Southern River Sect, Sun Mai Sect, Glorious Death Cult, Crescent Moon Sect, and a small group lead by Silent Dagger. 

Rulers:

Zhen Dao Empire: Emperor Zhao
Hai'an: Queen Ai Nu
Li Fan: King Yuan


Last session, the party contained the spirit of Shen Guan at the abandoned Crocodile Sect headquarters. Along the way they met a flower-giving man named Yang Shen. He came originally from Canyon Sect, an exterminated group that once held sway in The Valley. He joined the party hoping to reclaim The Valley from the current master. However news had reached him that things had changed for the worse in the region. 

Art by Jackie Musto
for upcoming
House of Paper Shadows
adventure

No one had heard from Zhe Valley in two months. Messengers were sent, emissaries from powerful sects, but any who ventured there, either never came back or returned as a head in a box. Occasionally there was a note that simply said "Hua Yin". People came to believe a woman named Hua Yin had taken over Zhe Valley and closed it off to the world. 

Yang Shen, Min and Ong went south while Shen Chun took care of things at the sect headquarters. Along the way they stopped at Zun City, and Yang Shen met with the head of Zun City Protection Agency to arrange for 75 men to wait for him at Dee. Chief Zhu accepted an offer of 10,000 spades for the deal. 

They then went further south to The Valley. Upon their approach they passed through a region where they encountered a sack of silken web suspended from a tree. Ong attacked it with his chain and it burst to the ground, releasing ten hand-sized spiders that crawled at them aggressively. Min used her Hot Winds technique to destroy them. 

Eventually they encountered a man dressed the scholarly robes of a She Valley senior. He was flanked by five other men. He told them "you are not welcome here, leave at once."

"Who are you?" Yang Shen asked. 

"I am Hua Min," he said then pointed at his disciples, "We are all Hua Yin."

"So that is how this going to be," said Yang Shen, then leapt forward to attack. As the party encircled the group, Yang Shen lashed out with Sword Whipping Strike, felling the disciples and cutting the flesh of the scholar. The scholar then opened his mouth wide and a cluster of spiders poured out to attack the party. One of the spiders bit Ong in the stomach and began burrowing deep in his body. They managed to bring the scholar down and destroy the remaining spiders, then Yang Shen cut out the spider that was burrowing into Ong. 

Inspecting the men, they saw they all had spiders in their skulls, which appeared to have devoured their brains. 

Moving through the cobweb-covered hills they came to Ti Fan. Cutting a path through the webs, Ong and Min witnessed something crawling around the hill, trying to stalk the party. It was the size of a city block, with the body of a spider and the upper body of a great ogress. This was Hua Yin. 

"You should not be here," said Hua Yin. 

"Don't be a fool, let's talk this through, we can work out an arrangement. Clearly you have things under control here, we can work with you."

"You can serve me," said Hua Yin.

"No, we will negotiate an alliance but we will not be your servants," said Yang Shen. 

"You are not my equals, I have ruled the valley since the world was created, who are you to issue demands of me?"

"I see there is no reasoning with you then," said Yang Shen. 

Ong Lao leapt and used stabbed Hua Yin through the eye with his blade. Green slime flowed from the wound. Yang Shen leapt onto her back and began stabbing viciously. Min used her stride ability to appear outside the the immediate area so she could get a wide range for her hot winds. 

Spiders begin to flow from the surrounding webs and converge on Ong and Yang Shen. Hua Yin reached back and delivered a devastating bite on Yang Shen, ripping out huge chucks of flesh. 

The battle went on for some time. Hua Yin's size and power was unlike anything they had encountered. When Yang Shen attempted to attack her by striking meridians and disrupting Qi flow, he felt only absence. There was no Qi. She had no meridians. But her power was immense. 

They coordinated their attacks, with Ong drawing her attention and evading her attempts to bite. With a final strike from a blaze of Blade of the Dancing Fox technique brought her down in a great heap. 

This is where the session ended.