STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION XIII

This is the thirteenth session of our Star-Crossed Blades of the Green Peony campaign for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate (session I can be found HERE, session II can be found HERE, session III can be found HERE, session IV can be found HERE, Session V can be found HERE, session VI can be found HERE, Session VII can be found HERE, Session VIII can be found HERE, Session IX can be found HERE, Session X can be found HERE, Session XI can be found HERE). It is set in Zhang Chang prefecture (which I hope to release a blog entry for). In this campaign, every player rolled randomly to determine who their family are, how many siblings they have and whether individual family members are still alive. The players also gave very rough sketches of their background (no more than a few sentences) and I secretly added a "20-year" backstory to each one. I have implemented a special rule in this campaign that every encounter has a 3 in 10 chance of being connected to their secret backstory in some way. Note in this session I was play testing a specific scenario and the players were made aware prior to play.

CHARACTERS

QI YUN (MASTER POET QIN YUN): A roaming martial expert who has secretly learned his martial arts from two different masters (and the masters have no knowledge of one another). 

XING GE: A traveling pipa player and the son of Lu Guiying the Iron Flower. His father died when he was five, and his mother married Gongsun Yuan, the chief of Black Parrot Society. Gongsun Yuan despises Xing Ge. 

TU JIN SHI (THUNDER LEGS): A wandering fighter seeking to be the strongest and most upright hero in the region. His father, Tu Haitao sent his mother away when he was young, after being consumed by grief over the passing of Jin Shi's brother, Tian. Shortly after his father died consuming a lethal concoction in a misguided effort to become immortal. 

LU LI (THE UNFILIAL ARCHER): A traveling physician who comes from a family of successful fishermen. 

THE CURIOSITIES OF PREFECT DIAO YUE 

The party arrived in Shenzhou, and went immediately to the Chi Song River Gambling Hall. Tu Jin Shi played a game of "Three Dice Wagering". Not understanding how the game was played, and believing the most righteous won, he annoyed the gamblers with questions about betting. He placed a bet on number eight and won a silver tael, then gave it to another player at the table before joining the rest of the party to get rooms. 

That night, Qi Yun wrote another huaben story based on Tu Jin Shi's experience gambling, called Fortune Favors the Bold, the point of which was 'you don't need to be the luckiest person, you just need to be luckier than the unluckiest." This was in part preparation for his audience with the prefect, as he had given the only copy of his other masterpiece to a man in Naiojing to copy. When the new work was done, he knew it was almost on par with his other great work*. 

The next day they presented the Red Talisman from the Prefect's wife at the city gates and were brought to a private audience with the Prefect in his Hall of Curiosities (where he kept a collection of unusual artifacts). 

Qi Yun presented the story to the Prefect, who called in a woman to read it out loud. When she was done, he was visibly moved and impressed**. 

"My wife spoke highly of you, and you are clearly a storyteller of considerable genius! I will have a plaque commissioned in your honor to pace above the entrance to your home."

The party explained they didn't have regular living quarters and the prefect promised to have a house ready for Qi Yun by the end of the day. He also spoke with the rest of the party, saying he had heard they were all men of great capabilities. 

He then explained that he wanted their help securing a special object: the Huo Long Pearl. It was the prized relic of Huo Long Cavern Sect and people believed it enabled safe travel through bitter cold. 

Tu Jin Shi expressed some reservation and the prefect said "Their leader, Lady Yi Huang, is a bitter, vicious old woman, removing the pearl from her possession would be a service to the world."

He also clarified that he wasn't seeking to harm Lady Yi Huang, he simply wanted her pearl, and needed men who could take it without her knowing it had been stolen. 

Tu Jin Shi was still concerned if stealing the pearl was righteous. And the prefect kindly told him one of the chief virtues of the world is loyalty. "Is there anything under heaven as prized as loyalty? He asked, and this woman has broken the bonds of loyalty many times over. Whereas I, a loyal to my servants and they loyal to me. He guided Tu Jin Shi through the curiosity collection with a friendly arm extolling the virtues of loyalty and reciprocity. 

By the end of the conversation he had taken the party into his circle as 'advisers' with a 3,000 spade per month stipend. They were told to visit his manor once a day to see if he needed anything, unless they were out on another assignment. And he cheerfully told them, he would only require daily help on rare occasions. 

They retired to Qi Yun's new home, and the next day a plaque arrived that read "The Master Storyteller of Zhang Chang. whose wit and insight is unrivaled". 

The party then recalled that Tu Jin Shi possessed a butterfly sword from the son of Lady Yi Huang, that denoted him as a friend of the sect. When the issue was brought to everyone's attention, they thought to use this without Tu Jin Shi's knowledge to steal the pearl. But after Qi Yun spoke again in private with the prefect, the prefect said:

"Your companion, Xing Ge, he has a quarrel with Black Parrot society, true?"

Qi Yun confirmed this was the case. 

"I am fond of Tu Jin Shi, and would not ask him to violate a friendship. There is another pearl I covet, this one possessed by Gongsun Yuan of Black Parrot Society: The Shui Long Pearl, said to enable breathing under water. If you procure this for me instead, I think that would be just as ideal as the Huo Long Pearl."

This is where we ended the session. 

*The player rolled a 10 on his Talent Skill roll. 

**The woman also rolled 10

THE INVINCIBLE EIGHT

Lo Wei has an impressive catalog as a director, and he is someone I find reliably entertaining. He is often criticized because of his notorious failing out with Bruce Lee, and clashes with Jackie Chan's whose talents people feel he misused (though I must admit to enjoying movies like The Magnificent Bodyguards). And this concern over this drama frequently spills into points about his direction. But I think he is one of the more competent directors from that era of martial arts film making, and he was always good at keeping the action grounded in good storytelling. And while he did have conflict with stars like Chan and Lee, he also had a talent for building movies around stars (there is a strong case for him missing Jackie Chan's talent, but he succeeded i my opinion when it came to stars like Bruce Lee, Cheng Pei Pei, Lisa Chiao Chiao, Li Ching, and Jimmy Wang Yu). Films like Shadow Whip (1970), Dragon Swamp (1969), Fist of Fury (1972), Death Valley (1968), Black Butterfly (1968), The Big Boss (1971), Vengeance of a Snowgirl (1970), are all really good films, and all made within a period of about five years. Even his later movies following the Bruce Lee kerfuffle, the ones starring Jimmy Wang Yu in particular, like A Man Called Tiger (1973) and The Tattooed Dragon (1973), are still wildly entertaining.

In The Invincible Eight, he takes this skill for storytelling and utilizing talent, to craft a memorable tale of revenge, with an impressive ensemble cast. One of Golden Harvest's first films, it is filled with sharp action, memorable characters and has a clever twist that heightens the stakes. I have reviewed it before there, but I have reworked that review based on a dual viewing of the Eureka and 88 Films releases of it. 

You can see my review at easternKicks HERE to find out my thoughts. 

GAMING FRANKENSTEIN UNBOUND IN NETWORK

Raul Julia as Doctor Frankenstein

One might watch the film, Frankenstein Unbound, perhaps for free on youtube or maybe on an old worn out DVD, and say to oneself "This movie is unbelievable, but how on earth can I make a Frankenstein Unbound campaign using the network system?" Well, the parts are all there if one can stitch them together. Today I am going to explain what steps might be needed if one were to attempt such a reckless feat with the Network System. 

For those who have not seen the film, Frankenstein Unbound is a cult classic, largely forgotten today, but remembered by those of us who saw it at blockbuster when it came out on VHS, and by a luckier few who caught its scant theatrical release. Based on a novel Brian Aldiss, it is about a scientist from the year 2031 who creates a super weapon for the military that rips a hole in the sky and creates 'time slips', eventually sending him to Lake Geneva in 1816, where Mary Shelley formulated the ideas of Frankenstein. 

The scientist, Joe Buchanan (John Hurt), meets Victor Frankenstein discovering that the events of Mary Shelley's novel are inspired by the real life court cases of his creature's murder. The film is campy as one might expect from a Corman movie but well-made, with a great cast and gorgeous cinematography and sets. Raul Julia, one of the great character actors of the era, is Victor Frankenstein. He and John Hurt are solid together. Both men are adept at playing villains, and while Hurt is more of a hero here, he still has an edge. Some people call Hurt's performance hammy, but I think it is essential for getting the viewer to buy into the odd plot. You kind of need him to accept each unusual thing that happens and move forward. His ready adaptability to the strange events, also helps suggest he too is a mad scientist. Ultimately though, the bigger performance is Julia's. If you have not seen Frankenstein Unbound, I highly recommend it (thought it is hard to find these days as it isn't streaming anywhere). 

In order to game Frankenstein Unbound using the Network System, the GM is going to have to do some work. First you have to establish the network games that are fully compatible, and the games that are loosely compatible. Terror Network, Servants of Gaius, Crime Network, Horror Show, Sertorius and Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate all use the same core system. It should be noted though that skills and skill groupings can vary, and in the latter two, the games are built around specific types of characters who break the mold, advancing with levels. In Sertorius for example, characters are assumed to be Sertori, so they have more health and they have access to magic. But mundane characters exist in those settings too, and it is quite easy to run a counter terrorist agent from modern times, in ancient Rome using Servants of Gaius or in Gamandria using Sertorius. A character in Crime Network or Servants of Gaius can function in Gamandria or Qi Xien, they just won't be Sertori or Martial Heroes. 

Strange Tales of Songling and Strange Tales of New England are compatible with each other but loosely compatible with the rest of the line. So they can be used here as well but will require a greater level of modification. And then of course there is Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades, which is loosely compatible with all network games. 

That provides a baseline, and should broadly cover, ancient, medieval and modern time travel eras. But the weapons and equipment don't translate 100 percent across each line. For example weapons in Terror Network are scaled for Terror Network, not Ogre Gate. So what you will need next is to put together a master list of weapons picking and choosing 

One of the biggest issues trying to make this work is Network doesn't have any settings that are close to the Georgian Era, and most of the plot of Frankenstein Unbound takes place in 1816 Lake Geneva Switzerland, when Mary Shelley conceived of the novel. Some elements of Terror Network and Crime Network, may be useful here, and some elements of Strange Tales of Songling or Strange Tales of New England may be as well, but there most of our settings are Ancient, Modern or Medieval. Qi Xien, for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, is inspired by Song Dynasty China, and that is often regarded as Early Modern by many historians (but that is an imperfect analogy to the European Early Modern period). I think the closest thing to something like a flint-lock, is a firelance. But the firelance rules gloss over important details in favor of genre. Frankenstein Unbound is somewhat ridiculous in its plotting, but the physics of the setting are quite grounded. So for a flintlock, they probably need to require 1 to 2 full skill actions to reload, and they would need a chance of misfiring. I would not tie these to the attack roll, as the dice pools can throw this off, but instead just have the player roll an additional d10 and on a result of 1-2 the gun misfires (which can be handled by simply having the player take the damage, or half the damage, but you could more realistically approach it by having a misfire table). For damage dice, that depends on what overall list of weapons you bring in from the other books, because the amount of damage it does should be relative to those (you don't want flintlocks being better than grenade launchers in terms of damage output for example). 

For the car, which has a Knight Rider Quality to it, I suggest using the vehicle rules, and a baseline vehicle from Terror Network, but giving it Mental and Knowledge Skills. In theory it could also have specialist Skills, but these appear to take time in the movie (though I suspect the time frame is more about what is convenient for the plot than anything else). 

One network game I would recommend using is Horror Show. This is the Bedrock Games RPG I am famously least satisfied with. The development period was broken up into two halves because I had to have some emergency surgeries, and I felt like something got lost in that process. But it has good rules for monsters and it has a feature called Universal Laws and Universal Restrictions. Both would be very helpful for emulating Frankenstein Unbound. The GM could use this to define how Time Slips work. I think there is also a solid argument that in Frankenstein Unbound, characters are drawn to relevant historical figures, and that fictional figures often have a reality that is unexpected in the real history. Here are are the universal laws and restrictions as they appear in the book: 

And for time travel, I've actually made a time travel system. It was meant as a joke, but the system does function if you take it seriously. The game is called Time Fighters, and I once considered expanding it into a full 100 page game. You can read it HERE. The movie doesn't really get into the time travel beyond using it as a device to send him to where the plot is; you may find this useful if you want a longer campaign that isn't just a one-off. The tone of Time Fighters is light and humorous, but I think for a Roger Corman movie, it will work just fine. 

I may have more thoughts on this in the future. 

ROLLING DICE IN WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE

DO YOU COUNT SUCCESSES IN OGRE GATE?

This post is more of a small point of clarification about Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate and the Network system. Something that comes up in a lot of online posts and reviews, is describing the game as 'counting successes'. I don't think this is intentional, more people being efficient in their description. But I think it is important for me to clarify just in case there is any misunderstanding about how to play. 

While it is true if you count Total Successes on Damage Rolls, and you do count successes on Open Damage Rolls. In all other instances of play you do not. It is built around the core Network system design of roll a pool of d10 and take the single highest result. So if you roll 3d10, getting 4, 2, and 7, you just take the seven. Things like Open Damage only start to emerge in Sertorius. And that is meant as an exception to the general rule. Counting Successes was something we considered a problem to avoid when designing the system. This is a minor point but I wanted to raise it in case anyone out there is playing Ogre Gate and counting successes on normal rolls. If it is a normal skill or attack roll, you just take the single highest result. Most damage rolls that is also true, unless you get a 10 or an ability turns it into an Open Damage roll. 

STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION XII

This is the twelfth session of our Star-Crossed Blades of the Green Peony campaign for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate (session I can be found HERE, session II can be found HERE, session III can be found HERE, session IV can be found HERE, Session V can be found HERE, session VI can be found HERE, Session VII can be found HERE, Session VIII can be found HERE, Session IX can be found HERE, Session X can be found HERE, Session XI can be found HERE). It is set in Zhang Chang prefecture (which I hope to release a blog entry for). In this campaign, every player rolled randomly to determine who their family are, how many siblings they have and whether individual family members are still alive. The players also gave very rough sketches of their background (no more than a few sentences) and I secretly added a "20-year" backstory to each one. I have implemented a special rule in this campaign that every encounter has a 3 in 10 chance of being connected to their secret backstory in some way. Note in this session I was play testing a specific scenario and the players were made aware prior to play.

CHARACTERS

QI YUN: A roaming martial expert who has secretly learned his martial arts from two different masters (and the masters have no knowledge of one another). 

XING GE: A traveling pipa player and the son of Lu Guiying the Iron Flower. His father died when he was five, and his mother married Gongsun Yuan, the chief of Black Parrot Society. Gongsun Yuan despises Xing Ge. 

TU JIN SHI (THUNDER LEGS): A wandering fighter seeking to be the strongest and most upright hero in the region. His father, Tu Haitao sent his mother away when he was young, after being consumed by grief over the passing of Jin Shi's brother, Tian. Shortly after his father died consuming a lethal concoction in a misguided effort to become immortal. 

LU LI (THE UNFILIAL ARCHER): A traveling physician who comes from a family of successful fishermen. 

ALLIGATOR IN THE WATER, ZHEN BIRD IN THE SKY

Qi Yun and the party went to the Lively Luan Sect, and found them all in mourning before an alt dedicated to one of their senior leaders: Gu Yijun. They observed to rituals and niceties, and the sect, true to its ways, did not allow mourning to interfere with their attention to fashion, as their mourning robes were glittered with crystalline element in the fabrics. 

Tu Jin Shi struggled to maintain the dignity of the moment and a stray expression attracted Lady Luan's ire, who left the chamber and summoned Qi Yun and his party to an audience hall. 

There Qi Yun reported what he had achieved and showed her his book, The Heroic Deeds of Tu Jin Shi, an exaggerated account of their exploits, rendered in the vernacular style of storytellers found in teahouses throughout the region*. 

Lady Luan declared it a masterpiece**, and insisted Qi Yun spread the story through the teahouses and wine houses, encouraging him to have copies made. 

She then explained that Gu Yigun had been found dead ten miles south along the river. According to a passing merchant who claimed to witness everything, he had been attacked by an alligator, which was odd as they were quite rare, and usually not so deadly to a skilled master like Gu Yigun. 

"I pressed the merchant for further details as this attracted my suspicions," Said Lady Luan. "And he did recall seeing a Zhen Bird that matches the description of the bird that follows Jade Priestess of the Demon Moon sect. We had the body examined and also found evidence of butterfly sword wounds and claw techniques."

Lady Luan allowed the information to settle in then continued "It is known that Jade Priestess can assume the form of an alligator. And further she prefers butterfly swords and is a master of the Blue Claw Technique. So I have issued an order: all members of our sect are to kill the nefarious Demon Moon Cultists and Jade Priestess on sight!"

The party asked who the merchant was so they could get more information from him, and she said a man named Gu Lieh, who likely was on his way to Black Parrot Hall. After further niceties, they left and headed to the river bank where the murder happened. 

At the site, they saw that it seemed like a high traffic area, perhaps for fishing. So they followed a trail and found a small village of about 120 people. At a nearby wineshop they asked about for rumors and sat for a drink when they noticed a Zhen Bird in a nearby tree. 

Qi Yun left to look for Jade Priestess, knowing the Zhen Bird was probably her companion. While he was dealing with that matter, the rest of the party talked to a fisherman who witnessed everything. He saw a woman fighting a man, and said her robes were black. He tried to approach but when he got closer, he only saw the man fending off an alligator and no woman to be seen. He also confirmed that he had seen the woman use a terrifying claw attack, describing her hand as horrible and clawed. He also confirmed the man fought with a parasol. 

When Qi Yun reached the woods, he saw the silhouette of Jade Priestess. As he came into the moonlight, she looked disheveled. 

"Someone has killed my disciples!" She said. 

Qi Yun asked for clarity and she explained that her two disciples, Xuan and Gao went missing recently. She followed the trail and learned from the Nature Loving Monk chief at Immortal Bat Cavern that his men had talked to the disciples and gathered they were heading to Niaojing to meet someone from Lively Luan sect named Qin An. It was uncharacteristic for them not to communicate with her regularly and she feared they were dead or captured. Jade Priestess explained they were likely gathering information about the Prefect. Then she instructed Qi Yun to kill any members of the Lively Luan sect who crossed his path. 

They were able to get free rooms and food and wine, after Qi Yun did a recital of his great work and got an enthusiastic reception. That evening as they slept, all but Tu Jin Shi were awakened by a cawing at the window. There, its talons clutching the sill, was an enormous black parrot, with a wingspan of at least ten feet. 

It stared at Xing Ge and began to chant in a very human voice "Return the Sword of the Parrot King to lift the curse". The words rose in volume, causing their ear drums to vibrate and the parrot repeated the phrase over and over. It began to hurt their bodies. 

They leafed through the Gazetteer of the Yiaoguai they'd acquired and found information on the Parrot King. According to the book he was once a powerful general of Chezou during there Era of the Five Kingdoms, who was known for being fond of parrots and was ultimately assassinated by the Hai'anese and Golden Dragons on the even of a major battle. They also read that his tomb was sank beneath black parrot lake after thieves stole his sword and that the Black Parrot Society possessed a pearl believed to allow people to breathe underwater.

As they gained this knowledge, the parrot grew louder and louder till Tu Jin Shi was awakened and it was clear this was becoming a danger to them all. 

"Alright! Xing Ge will deal with the matter in time! Now go off!" He returned to sleep when the parrot flew away. 

THE JAWS OF NIAOJING

On their way to Niaojing they passed at tall man with gray hair and a load of steamed buns. He offered to sell the party some and Tu Jin Shi accepted. The man said his name was Wan Lu and he was on his way to the Black Parrot Society to hire an escort company to help him transport goods. They suggested he look into the Tu Association and he promised to do so. 

In Niaojing, Qi Yun hired a master storyteller to recite his story. It was such a success the man asked to borrow it to find a way to print copies. The next morning he asked to keep the book for at least a week so the copies could be made and Qi Yun agreed. 

In town they found out that Jade Priestess' disciples bodies were pulled from the river 15 days or so ago. They reportedly had been fighting with men using umbrellas. However when the party asked if the men with parasols were well dressed, they were told that they were not, but had dressed in normal looking robes, nothing truly special (this was odd as members of Lively Luan Sect always dress in the latest fashions, and to not do so is a violation of their rules). 

They found the official responsible for the inquest and he informed them that the bodies had been eaten by something. 

"Was there any evidence they were attacked by parasols?" Lu Li asked. 

"Who knows," Said the official. "There were just parts of limbs left really. It looks like they were eaten by something."

"An alligator?" Asked Qi Yun.

"No, I've seen plenty of alligator attacks. They have to work to get the flesh and bone. The bone was cut clean in two. Whatever did it had much sharper and more powerful jaws than an alligator."

They asked if it could have been an unusual Kung Fu technique.

"Perhaps," Said the official. 

They asked if it could have been a Raksha and he said that seemed more probable than an alligator. 

"Has there been anything in recent years that has left this kind of body in its wake?" asked Lu Li. 

"There was a painted maiden about ten years ago maybe. Similar kinds of wounds."

They asked what a painted maiden was and he explained they were demons who painted human skin over their bodies, often quite beautiful and intelligent. But they could devour people with large jaws. 

This is where the session ended. 

*This is loosely modeled after the Huaben form  

**The player rolled a 10 for this portion of the book 

THE BOWDEN CLAUSE (AND OTHER UPDATES)

I realized that while I have a post here that alludes to the Bowden Clause for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, there is not a post dedicated to it. This is a crucial very encouraged optional rule that we use in all of our sessions. I have added it to the Bedrock Games website as well. Below you will find some other minor corrections (I will be adding to these as time goes on).

THE BOWDEN CLAUSE 

When a counter has lists a Target Number of 6 or 7 (rather than simply has you roll against the attack roll), you the TN should be treated as 8. This means if you are using Turn of the Zhen Bird, which lists a simple TN 7 for your roll, you would instead roll against TN 8. 

OTHER UPDATES 

Page 179: there should not be a Muscle requirement for Rope Dart. It says “3” in the table. This is an error. 

Page 108: Reclining Stick Stance. Skill should include “Light Melee” 

Page 108: Lurking Spider Stance, skill should be Athletics, not Stealth.

Page 112: Deep Biting Blade. Math wrong in example for Cathartic effect. Hardiness 2 should be Hardiness 1. 

 

Page 159: Celestial Mind Technique. The body Text should explain that it is TN 10 to become an immortal but TN 6 to use the ability to heal 

STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION XI

This is the eleventh session of our Star-Crossed Blades of the Green Peony campaign for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate (session I can be found HERE, session II can be found HERE, session III can be found HERE, session IV can be found HERE, Session V can be found HERE, session VI can be found HERE, Session VII can be found HERE, Session VIII can be found HERE, Session IX can be found HERE, Session X can be found HERE). It is set in Zhang Chang prefecture (which I hope to release a blog entry for). In this campaign, every player rolled randomly to determine who their family are, how many siblings they have and whether individual family members are still alive. The players also gave very rough sketches of their background (no more than a few sentences) and I secretly added a "20-year" backstory to each one. I have implemented a special rule in this campaign that every encounter has a 3 in 10 chance of being connected to their secret backstory in some way. Note in this session I was play testing a specific scenario and the players were made aware prior to play.

CHARACTERS

QI YUN: A roaming martial expert who has secretly learned his martial arts from two different masters (and the masters have no knowledge of one another). 

XING GE: A traveling pipa player and the son of Lu Guiying the Iron Flower. His father died when he was five, and his mother married Gongsun Yuan, the chief of Black Parrot Society. Gongsun Yuan despises Xing Ge. 

TU JIN SHI (THUNDER LEGS): A wandering fighter seeking to be the strongest and most upright hero in the region. His father, Tu Haitao sent his mother away when he was young, after being consumed by grief over the passing of Jin Shi's brother, Tian. Shortly after his father died consuming a lethal concoction in a misguided effort to become immortal. 

LU LI (THE UNFILIAL ARCHER): A traveling physician who comes from a family of successful fishermen. 

THE RAKSHA AND THE SCORPION 

The party dragged the body of the creature to Li An, and found a scholar who was writing a Gazetteer of the region for the emperor to give it to named Master Situ Hai. They sent their men in to notify Situ Hai they were holding the body just outside town. 

"We killed this in the Yaoguai Forest," Lu Li told him when he arrived. 

"You didn't kill this," He said skeptically as he inspected it. 

"We used a special poisoned arrow," Said Qi Yun.

"This gentlemen, is a Raksha Demon of the Yaoguai Forest," He continued to examine it. "Had this been a normal Yaksha, your arrows would have been completely useless against it. Consider yourselves fortunate. How much do you want for it?"

The party agreed to exchange it for copies of the draft of his Gazetteer, with the understanding that they would inform him if they discovered any errors in their travels through the forest. 

The party stayed at the Golden Swallow for three nights, hoping Thundering Scorpion would arrive to clear his name. They sent Xing Ge and his men to collect their persimmon shipment from Lanyin. 

On the second day, a man resembling the poster and flanked by disciples whose attire they recognized, arrived and approached the party while they sat at a table. 

"Thunder Legs! I have a quarrel with you!"

He pointed at Tu Jin Shi, and demanded to know why they were ruining his reputation. 

A heated argument followed where they accused his men of behaving recklessly and attacking them at the Jade Gourd (killing an innocent person in the process).  He dismissed their accusation and countered that they had been transporting a stolen necklace and his men were merely trying to achieve it. He kept trying to bring the conversation back to them ruining his reputation. When they brought up stories they had heard that he and White Scorpion were one and the same, he scoffed, saying he was a righteous hero. Thundering Scorpion kept retuning to the matter of the posters.  

"But your methods are reckless and endanger innocent people," Tu Jin Shi said. 

"Justice is messy," Thundering Scorpion said. "My methods are effective. Our thunderbolts get the job done.....I want these posters taken down and my reputation restored!" 

Tu Jin Shi tried to explain the posters were from their companion Xing Ge, who was away. 

There was further argument with lots of accusation, when Thundering Scorpion insisted on a duel with Xing Ge. Tu Jin Shi became furious and flatly refused. Finally Tu Jin Shi and Thundering Scorpion agreed to duel each other. The terms were: If Thundering Scorpion Lost, he would stop using his thunderbolts inside city limits, if Tu Jin Shi lost, he would call Thundering Scorpion "Father". 

They squared off outside the city by a river. There were onlookers. 

Thundering Scorpion launched into a pressure point technique, but Tu Jin Shi sent him crashing to the ground with a counter. Then Tu Jin Shi flew into a fury with his saber, but missed, not being well trained in the weapon. 

Stepping back fifteen feet, Thundering Scorpion through his thunderbolt into the air. It flew in a red haze, blasting Tu Jin Shi and setting him aflame. The red energy lingered and settled around his heart, making him feel worn and weary. 

As a precaution, Qi Yun took up a thunderbolt ball and got into his stance, preparing to emulate Thundering Scorpion to counter his attacks if things became dire. "I could be your disciple," He said to Thundering Scorpion. 

Tu Jin Shi used Turtles Snaps its jaws, clapping Thundering Scorpions ears to deafen him. 

Lu Li analyzed Thundering Scorpions Thunderbolt attack, and determined it was not a waijia technique. 

Thundering Scorpion sent another thunderbolt flying, blasting Tu Jin Shi again, knocking him unconscious. He then put out the flame and helped him, telling his friends to administer aid. Lu Li treated his injuries and alleviated some of his symptoms. 

After the match, Tu Jin Shi agreed to call Thundering Scorpion father and the party agreed to take down the posters. Thundering Scorpion promised to beat his men for their behavior at the Jade Gourd. 

Before he left, he asked Qi Yun if he really wanted to be his disciple. Qi Yun threw the thunderbolt at a tree and it exploded against it. He then told Thundering Scorpion he did not wish to be.

Thundering Scorpion handed him a thunderbolt and said "Train more with this, if you change your mind, you can come to me to learn more."

He then told them where in the Yaioguai Forest he could be found and departed. 

They spent the next few days getting new clothes and gifts so Qi Yun could head north to meet with his master, Lively Luan. He made sure to have the rest of the party buy better clothes as his master had demanding taste. They then found passage on a boat and journeyed along the river. 

THE LADY OF SHENZHOU 

In their cabin there was a knock at the door. Answering, they saw a sailor. 

"Sir," The sailor pointed at Qi Yun. "A guest wishes to speak with you."

Qi Yun and the rest of the party followed the sailor who led them to a cabin door. Inside were soldiers, among them, one soldier whose eyes were black and vaporous. A woman, in the finest clothing they ever laid eyes on, sat regal upon a chair.

"Welcome Qi Yun," She said. 

"Thank you Madame," He said. "I was told you wished to speak with me."

"Yes, I am Lady Sun Niao." She said. "What business do you have with the prefect?"

"Business Lady Sun Niao?"

"You do wish to meet the Prefect?" She asked. 

Surprised Qi Yun said "I had intended to do so Lady Sun Niao."

"Why do you want to meet with the prefect?" She asked. 

"When one is rising in this world, it is helpful to make friends in high places."

"Do you have any talents or skills that the prefect would find useful?"

"Skills....." Qi Yun began.

"If I may Lady Sun Niao," Tu Jin Shi spoke. "I am not an educated man, and am regarded as an idiot, but Qi Yun has been traveling with us and in our travels, he has accomplished many great things. Just the other day, he killed a Raksha Demon with us. Together we can be of great use I believe."

"I am a talented writer as well," Said Qi Yun. 

Lady Sun Niao nodded and looked at Qi Yun, "Those are indeed valuable skills. I can arrange a meeting with the prefect if you like." 

"Yes that would be most agreeable Lady Sun Niao."

They agreed to go to the prefect in Shenzhou, and she handed them a red talisman to give to the guards at the city gates when they arrived. 

"Thank you for being so kind Lady Sun Niao" Said Tu Jin Shi. 

"It isn't kindness. I am merely looking after the interests of my husband."

They bid farewell and departed. As they were leaving she said to Qi Yun "Give my regards to your masters."