CLASSIC WEREWOLVES

This is a small variant for the werewolf entry in Strange Tales of New England, meant to capture the feel of classic werewolves from movies like Curse of the Werewolf (1961) and The Wolf Man (1941). The best werewolf movies in my opinion are the original Wolf Man, and the Howling. But most werewolf movies tend to follow the template laid down in films like the latter rather than the former. In the original Wolf Man, Larry Talbot played by Lon Chaney Jr. (the son of the great Lon Chaney), is tormented by his condition. The character appears in a number of Universal films, with Chaney reprising the role, and it seems he is perennially searching for an end to his existence. One major difference between him and more modern werewolves, is while he can bite, he tends to simply strange people to death with brute strength. Some of this was due to production codes at the time. There is a similar tendency in Curse of the Werewolf. It creates a much different style of werewolf, something much more human-like. 

CURSED WEREWOLVES

These are werewolves cursed through a bite, the nature of their birth or conception or through some great evil act of their own, to transform during the light of the full moon. During the full moon, they transform into a human-wolf hybrid (their 'werewolf' form). In werewolf form, they possess enormous strength and stealth. They turn bestial, with sharp canine teeth, and claws at the ends of their fingers, but are human-like enough to be mistaken for men at a distance. When they transform they are completely overcome by a desire to kill, and always target those they care for the most. Note that this stat block is for a creature's werewolf form. In human form they would have normal Wits and all their regular skills and defenses. 

Defenses: Hardiness 7, Evade 8, Wits 2

Key Skills: Bite: 2d10 (4d10 Damage plus infection), Arm Strike:  1d10 (2d10 Damage with claws), Speed: 4d10, Muscle: 4d10 (see Strangulation), Detect: 6d10

Max Wounds: 7

POWERS

Regeneration: In human form they heal all injuries in one day. In werewolf form, they heel 1 wound a round. 

Strangulation: Each round they succeed in making a Muscle roll against Evade, they strangle the target. Targets pass out after two rounds and die in a number of rounds equal to their Hardiness if the werewolf continues strangling. 

Super Strength: They can easily lift heavy objects (up to 600 pounds without rolling Muscle), can break open doors or bend iron bars on a Muscle Roll TN 7, and can roll their Muscle to Strangle or Grapple with foes. 

Contagion: Anyone bitten (not scratched) by a cursed werewolf, becomes a werewolf on the next full moon. 

Stealth: Werewolves blend with the night and it requires two consecutive Detect TN 7 rolls to see them before they attack. 

Immunities: They can only be permanently harmed by silver weapons. Other weapons harm him but are subject to his regeneration ability. In his human form However even if killed, this is not necessarily a permanent state, as they are cursed to rise if full moonlight touches their grave.

Variations: Some cursed werewolves can suppress their transformation in the presence of a true love. Some are also only harmed by silver forged into a weapon from a melted crucifix. Others transform into werewolf form during intense emotional states in addition to transforming during the full moon. 

STRANGE TALES INSPIRATION: WIDOW'S BAY

Widow's Bay is a wonderful new show set in a small New England island. It is unclear in the series whether this is in Maine or Massachusetts, but it is a bit of a throw back to classic horror and classic shows. It is rare I come upon a new show I enjoy so I was skeptical going into this one. Created by Kate Dippold, Widow's Bay is a seamless blend of comedy and horror, with pitch perfect atmosphere for a small New England town. It is also a perfect fit for Strange Tales of New England. 

After my first viewing of the show, I posted by initial thoughts on the podcast (HERE).  I was very impressed, but had fallen asleep in sections because I watched it late at night. Since then I have finished the series and rewatched most of the episodes where I missed things. Going back and rewatching just strengthens my impression of the writing and direction, as well as the performances. I also have to amend my criticism of the accents. When I first watched it, I was a little disappointed at the lack of New England accents in the show. I understand one of the reasons they gave for not including them as much (that the Boston accent is so associated with humor and parody it would affect the tone), but the other explanation (that the accent is basically going away) didn't seem justified (it is a fading accent but still quite prevalent, especially in old isolated towns like this one). But I n
oticed that there are more accents than I caught at first, primarily among the local townies (the show refers to them as hicks, but townies is more the word you would hear in this region I think). 

I decided to do a Widow's Bay inspired one-shot for Strange Tales of New England. I know the basic background, and that the adventure will be a mystery with ticking stakes. I am going to employ an approach to mysteries I have been calling the sediment layer model. This is just an easier way for me to wrap my head around the backstory and clues, where instead of doing a trail of clues chart, I am going to draw a diagram that is a cross-section of sediment layers with the bedrock at the foundation (this is where the backstory and history go). Each layer builds on further history and clues. For example if the bedrock backstory is the spirit of a woman who drowned at sea, perhaps in one of the layer layers, a local writer penned a poem about her (this would serve as a potential clue). This will help me track clues over time as well. It is basically just a visual guide I intend to use for the timeline of strangeness in town over the years. If that doesn't work, I may just use a literal timeline, but this seems like it will give me more space to provide a sense of geography to things. 

Something else I want to incorporate, which was directly inspired by the show, is rumors about the PCs themselves. The adventure is a mystery and so investigation and finding rumors in town are key. The players will be able to go to a local pub and gather gossip. But people will also gossip about them, because this is a provincial Massachusetts town (I am going to use Marblehead as my location). This is what I have so far for handling rumors about the party: 

RUMORS ABOUT THE PCS

Not much has changed since the witch trials in the region. Rumors are silent forces that can bring harm, even death, to the characters. The more they interact with the community, the more they displease locals, the greater the chance people whisper about them. You should use your judgement in deciding what rumors spread and their effects, but you can roll on the following table, sliding results up the more positive an interaction is (so a very positive interaction might be +5). Below are descriptions of different levels of rumor, with an example of what it might mean 

1               Terrible Rumor: The players have committed crimes while in town, perhaps even murder 

2

3               Very Bad rumor: The players are outsiders come to cause problems or dig up dirt to sew discontent 

4

5               Bad rumor: Players are untrustworthy outsiders 

6               Good rumor: The players are reputable and not here to cause problems  

7

8               Very Good rumor: The players are here to help the town

9

10            Great rumor: The players have been making life better for the town since their arrival 

I decided to have my central evil be based on real events. This has opened up a number of interesting possibility for handouts. For example there is a history book about Marblehead written in 1880 that directly mentions the events, and so I will use a portion of this as a handout, but the players can also have access to the book and inspect it for themselves because it is available online. And there was a poem written about the events in the 20th century, which can also serve as a clue that helps create atmosphere. I am going to be playing around with history here, leaning into darker readings of the events to make them more fitting for a horror adventure. 

After the session I should be able to post the adventure itself here. 

STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION XVII

This is the seventeenth 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). Session XII can be found HERE. Session XIII can be found HERE. It is set in Zhang Chang prefecture (which I hope to release a blog entry for). Session XIV can be found HERE. You can find session XV HERE. You can see session XVI HERE. 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 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. 

A DUEL AND A RESCUE 

The party traveled by boat to the Yaoguai Forest to make their way to Black Leopard Villa. When they were about five miles from their destination, the trees and foliage turned dense and maze like, making it a two hour trek through the perimeter of the villa. In the first hour, they were attacked by two leopards. Lin Li, Lu Li's younger brother, killed one with a hail of arrows. The other Xing Ge dazed with a potent fist technique as it leapt in to attack. Tu Jin Shi took the creature and tied it to a post so they could bring it to Black Leopard Villa.

The next hour was also no uneventful. As they made their way, a strange lady appeared before them, leaping into view from the surrounding woods. Her robes were a scintillating golden hue, but her features looked wretched and rotting. With hair flaring like lightning and a bizarre blue glow about her, she hissed. 

Xing Ge noticed something familiar about her features, which reminded me of his Jade Master Tu Yu, he and Qi Yun's new sifu. 

Approaching with a bow he said "My apologies Ma'am. I am Xing Ge. We are from Jade Moon Sabre sect and simply seeking passage here."

"I won't harm anyone from there," She said a strange expression on her face. 

"Who are you Ma'am?"

"My name is Golden Leopard," She said, then leapt like an animal into the dense forest and disappeared. 

Soon a rising hill with a small stream and waterfall revealed itself. Upon the hill was a sprawling courtyard villa, terraced wheat and millet  fields and a mine at the base of the hill's cliffs. Near the mine were stairs leading up the steep hillside. They saw men working the mines under threat of a whip, as the clan of amazons forced them to extract some kind of black substance. The fields were worked by women, but they too were working under the threat of whip.

Qi Yun, XIng Ge, Lu Li and Lin Li, along with their servants, went towards the fields to stage a plan, while Tu Jin Shi approached the gates to create a distraction. 

*

"I am here to put an end to this wickedness!" Said Tu Jin Shi as he approached the villa gates, throwing down the leopard he had bound to a post. 

The female guard looked at him strangely. "You should not be here!"

"I have come to return your leopard and demand you free these enslaved people, for it is not righteous that you make them toil against their will!"

"I must detain you," Said the guard.

"I demand a challenge, a duel!"

The woman laughed heartily. Then whistled and called to someone at the stairs. A woman in white robes and a leopard skin cape walked down. 

"I challenge you!" Said Tu Jin Shi. "This whole place is unrighteous. You must free these people! One person for every one of you I beat!"

The woman bowed and struck at him with her palm, but he slipped to the side and used his Guiding the Crashing Wave technique* to hurl her to the ground with a thud. The woman seemed confused and concerned. 

"No further need," She stood and put her hand up. "I will take you to our master."

"Oh, you will? Good then, take me to your Master now."

The woman gestured for him to go up the stairs. As soon as he did she struck him in the back with both of her palms. Tu Jin Shi could sense a lethal and unusual energy emanating from her hands as she did so, however, while the attack struck, it didn't do him any harm**. 

*

Back at the hillside, the party launched a series of arrow volleys at the guards in the fields, bringing down three of them and injuring four others. Xing Ge then launched a Harmonizing Strike by playing his pipa that enervated their bodies. 

*

As this was going on, the Tu Jin Shi was lead into the rear courtyard and brought before a woman wearing black robes and a black leopard cape. 

This was Jade Leopard. 

"You dare enter Black Leopard Villa and ask me for a duel?" Tu Jin Shi could see her eyes held no mercy, and her body radiated a power he had never seen before***. "It is forbidden for you to be here. We should send you to the mines!"

"I challenge you to a fair fight!"

"I will not show restraint!"

"Very well, I shall show you restraint, should I win, but you will free all your slaves if I defeat you."

There was a murmur in the chamber and she scoffed. "Agreed! But you will only die!"

*

In the fields, Xing Ge sent sent ribbons of blue energy with his cascading phoenix attack at the fleeing guards. Qi Yun ushered the workers from the fields, guiding them to their retinue stationed at the bottom of the hill. 

Lu Li and Lin Li spotted their mother int he fields and went to her to ask where their father was. 

"Son," she said. "We must flee at once, forget your father. They are too powerful!"

*

In the hall of Jade Leopard, Tu Jin Shi received one of her lethal palm attacks, but was able to redirect it as he had her senior disciple, with his guiding the crashing wave technique. She kept attacking with her palms, at one point using a furious attack that felt like it contained the power of the heavens, but he relied steadily upon this tactic, always redirecting her towards the ground. These counters were only enough to harm her slightly, but over time they wore her down. 

However, with every counter against the more powerful master, Tu Jin Shi's meridians became less and less stable. The flow of Qi was taxing his body and mind, and he felt a spirit intruding upon him. 

Tu Jin Shi taunted her to spark her rage, and with each failed attack, the women in the courtyard shifted uneasily. 

"I am Tu Jin Shi!" He screamed. "I will not stop, I will not yield." 

This continued for several exchanges until he threw her on the ground one last time, but was engulfed in a terrifying power from outside his body. 

*

The party waited at the base of the hill, in the distant woods where the sect could not see them. They saw a flash of blue light from the villa, then everything stilled with a dreadful silence. 

*This will become pivotal through this exchange

**The attack landed on the attack roll but not the damage roll, and he made an Endurance roll for a 10 result that warded off any other ill-effects.

***She was Qi Rank 8

THE TOURNAMENT REVIEW

I have a review of The Tournament, a 1974 Golden Harvest film starring Angela Mao. It was directed by Huang Feng, who worked with Mao alongside Sammo Hung and Carter Wong in other films like Hapkido (1972). I think it is an interesting film, that sometimes has a lower reputation than it deserves because of how the story is told. At times it may seem like it meanders a bit, but I enjoy spending time with these characters, and the whole film is built on a very powerful introduction in my opinion. The plot is fairly straight forward, after her father is disgraced because on of his Kung Fu students loses and died in a Muay Thai match in Thailand, Angela Mao and her brother compete in Thai Boxing to restore dignity to their family. Along the way we get plenty of martial arts club politics, and even a karate master who tries to take over her gym. It has a nice blend of fighting styles, with fight choreography from Sammo Hung. A great martial arts flick, staring two of the best physical performers from the 70s era. You can see my full review at easternKicks HERE. 

STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION XVI

This is the sixteenth 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). Session XII can be found HERE. Session XIII can be found HERE. It is set in Zhang Chang prefecture (which I hope to release a blog entry for). Session XIV can be found HERE. You can find session XV HERE. 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 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. 

A CACOPHONY OF PARROTS 

Xing Ge met with Han Changsi at Black Parrot lake to receive word on his messages. He gave the steward a tea brick gift. Steward Han told him that the whereabouts of the Black Leopard Villa may be known to Master Tu Yu of the Jade Moon Sabre sect. 

Then Xing Ge went to his mother and presented her with the evidence against Gongsun Yuan given to him by the magistrate.

".....'killed Dao Zheng and took his wife'....". A puzzled look crossed her face as she recited the words on the page. "What do you intend to do?"

Xing Ge explained his plan to take over Black Parrot Society then get revenge against Gongsun Yuan. He also said he intended to break the curse of Black Parrot Lake. His mother paced back and forth, seemingly very concerned, then a sudden look of resolve settled on her face."

"Very well, proceed," She thought for a moment. "I will keep your Stepfather distracted and take appropriate measures so he doesn't suspect anything in the meantime."

After, he left with the party to find Master Tu Yu in Henxian District. 

THE BEAUTY AND DEATH OF JADE MOON PALM 

The party traveled by boat to th Town of Laoshi, where they departed into the foothills and searched for Jade Moon Sabre sect*. Soon they happened upon a beggar cooking in a small camp on a hill. 

They approached and greeted him, and his response was enthusiastic. He informed them his name was Chan.  "We are seeking Master Tu Yu of Jade Moon Sabre Sect. Do you know where we can find them."

"Yes, yes," he said. "I know where The Jade Moon Sabre people are." He began pointed wildly o the south west and announced "They are that way!"

Something in his demeanor raised their suspicions. 

"Are you telling us the truth?" Tu Jin Shi asked. 

"Well not exactly," He paused and thought. "They are that way!" and he pointed to the south. Lu Li thanked him for his troubles, gave him a persimmon and partook of his mysterious meat soup**

Chan thanked them and then said "It is no trouble, but do not tell Master Tu Yu I was here. In fact, don't mention me at all when you see him."

"Well I can't lie," Said Tu Jin Shi. "That wouldn't be righteous."

"Tell you what," Said Chan. "If you keep quiet about me, I will take you to the Blind Bat."

"Is this your leader?" Asked Lu Li.

"Yes, the Chief of Immortal Bat cavern."

They agreed, and Tu Jin Shi promised to simply say nothing in order to avoid lying but also avoid revealing anything about Chan. 

They continued to travel in the hills, and on the second day failed to find Jade Moon Sabre Sect, but they did happen upon a group of Yen-Li Nuns led by an abbess. They were dressed in black robes and their faces appeared white and painted like death. 

Speaking with the Abbess they learned that Master Tu Yu was regarded as a strange man and that she was the leader of Hopping Ghost Temple. She also encouraged them to buy their paper talismans "lest they suffer the fate of others in the forest who failed to do so". They agreed and each bought one. As they were leaving the party recalled that the Sword of the Parrot King, the object needed to end the curse, was housed by Hopping Ghost Temple.***

Another day of travel and the party once again failed to find Master Tu Yu or his disciples.**** However they met a blind monk named Nansheng who seemed lost and hungry. When they found out he had been heading to Town of Laoshi, they decided to take a detour and guide him there. When the town was in sight he walked away from them and said "There is an inventor in the prefecture who devised a method of breathing underwater."

Then he disappeared as did the town itself. The party realized he had led them into Jade Moon Sabre's encampment. All the women of the sect were exceptionally beautiful and some of them carried Guqins, which attracted the attention of Xing Ge. It was explained the regular disciples were called Jade Moon Sabres while the ones with musical instruments were called Jade Harmonies. They were led to Master Tu Yu for an audience. 

After introductions and a recounting of their journey, Master Tu Yu said "You surely had a fortuitous encounter with a Bat Demon!" Expressing concern, he reassured them that Bat Demons were benevolent creatures. 

They then explained their purpose was to find Black Leopard Villa to rescue Lu Li's parents. Master Tu Tu asked for more information about the party which they volunteered. He expressed his utter hatred for the sect and told them he would agree. When Xing Ge and Qi Yun said they had interest in learning his martial arts, he said he would take male disciples, something he normally would not allow, on the condition that they brought back members of Black Leopard Villa for him to torture information out of. 

Master Tu Yu then performed a demonstration of his Jade Moon Sabre technique by slicing through three bound tree trunks with his hand. The party was impressed and asked for more information about the beggars living in Immortal Bat Cavern, if they were good people. 

"They are mostly alright," He said. "But that stupid beggar Chan, so perverted, always trying to catch a glimpse of my beautiful disciples. It makes my heart fume with rage!" And he chopped the air. 

"I must tell you then," Said Xing Ge, "We saw him the other day on a nearby hill."

"What?!" Master Tu Yu pointed at four of his disciples "You come with me!"

He then turned to Xing Ge "Show me the way so I can smash his skull with my Jade Moon Palm!"

Tu Jin Shu refused to participate and would only go halfway with them (he offered to stay behind in the camp but Master Tu Yu did not trust him to remain among his disciples). They continued on and found Chan resting in his camp. 

"You two!" Master Tu Yu pointed at Qi Yun and Xing Ge. "Restrain him for me!" They leapt forward to attack, and Lu Li joined in. 

*

Waiting for the party, Tu Jin Shi spoke to the Bat Demon, not knowing if it could hear his word. He explained what happened and asked it to intervene if Chan is deserving. The ground began to shift and from the earth, emerged a wooden mask, similar to an opera mask, with stylized bat features painted on it. Tu Jin Shi thanked the Bat Demon and promised to protect the mask. 

*

Xing Ge blasted Chan with a flow of blue phoenix energy, then Lu Li slammed his head with a bow. Rushing forward, Master Tu Yu struck Chan with both palms, obliterating a portion of his skull. Chan collapsed in a bloody pile. 

Master Tu Yu laughed and pointed at the remains. "Your first lesson: This is how you use Jade Moon Palm!". He then kicked the body and instructed his disciples to bury it. 

"Excellent!" He said to Xing Ge and Qi Yun. "Your information was good. I will make you full disciples when you return!". 

He then told them where to find Black Leopard Villa. The session ended after the party regrouped. 

*This was a series of Inverted Encounter Rolls

**The meat was quail

***This was a fated encounter

****They were searched a small, four hex area of the map 

STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION XV

This is the fifteenth 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). Session XII can be found HERE. Session XIII can be found HERE. It is set in Zhang Chang prefecture (which I hope to release a blog entry for). Session XIV can be found HERE. 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 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. 

PAINTED DEATHS AND DEMON EMPERORS 

Making their way to Lanyin, the party stayed at the Tu Association Headquarters and discovered that Wan Lu, the man that had sold them steamed buns along the roadside, had in fact come to them to hire escorts to transport goods to the Green Raksha Inn. Tu Jin Shi's brother said he believed it was a black inn*.

Xing Ge, after getting word from The Black Parrot Society, explained that Guo Chiang, before he was killed at the River Spirit Inn, had been planning to level a formal accusation of Tea Theft at the Prefect. Such an accusation was serious with a penalty of strangulation. The Black Parrot Society also confirmed rumors that the prefect's wife was a demon or spirit. He had asked about Lady Yi Huang as well, and the message included a note from his mother saying Lady Yi Huang was a terrible person who must be killed. 

Qi Yun went with Xing Ge to find Jade Priestess in the wilderness. When they found her, they explained that it was their belief that Lady Sun Niao was instigating the conflict between Lively Luan Sect and the Demon Moon Cult. 

"Perhaps she suspects my motives for encouraging you to befriend her husband," Jade Priestess mused. "We will have to address that, but in the meantime, I have wonderful news. Lively Luan is wiped out, only Lady Luan survives. She is hiding somewhere in the prefecture, so if you find her, kill her and bring me her head in a box."

"May I ask," Said Qi Yun. "What is our motivation for befriending the prefect?"

"To align ourselves with the empire," Said Jade Priestess. "We venerate the demon emperor, and it is our belief the Glorious Emperor is staging his return. Some even believe he is Yao-Feng himself. And of course, the prefect is known to deal with exotic supernatural things, we may be able to learn powerful rituals if we are connected to him personally."

Xing Ge excused himself from their presence and she then instructed Qi Yun in Illuminating Ice Claw, as well as a ritual of offering to the Demon Emperor that required a human sacrifice. She explained it was a powerful ritual that allowed the caster to receive a gift from the Demon Emperor. 

THE WORD OF RED JADE MANSION 

The party returned to River Village, so Lu Li could join with his brother and take him with them to find their parents who had been abducted by Black Leopard Sect. When they arrived, he was using a firelance and bow, and thanked Tu Jin Shi for the give. 

"I gave you no such thing," Said Tu Jin Shi.

"It was left with a note from 'Your martial uncle' so I assumed it was you Uncle Tu Jin Shi."

They speculated on who could have sent it, concluding there were a number of possibilities. The firelance was of high quality metal, something that could be passed down for generations. 

Xing Ge sent another pigeon to Black Parrot Society asking if the location of Black Leopard Sect were known, and where he could learn the Fists of Yanshi techniques. Before going to Black Parrot Society to get a response to the queries and address some other concerns, they made a detour to Senzhou. Once there they made their daily appearance before the Prefect in his curio hall, where he asked to speak to Qi Yun alone. 

"My wife has recommended a master that aligns well with your natural aptitudes. Do what you want with this information, but she recommends you seek out Master Tu Yu of Jade Moon Sabre Sect."

"Sabre doesn't sound like it would be suitable for my style," Qi Yun said. 

"My understanding is once you meet him, you will understand that his style is a perfect fit."

Qi Yun thanked him and Xing Ge asked for a private audience before they left. After he greeted the prefect Xing Ge asked if any evidence had been obtained regarding Gongsun Yuan. 

"You were right to come to me about this matter as it seems your stepfather is indeed guilty of terrible things. I have in possession this sworn testimony from the Master of Red Jade Mansion. In his words, he witnessed Gongsun Yuan boast the following: "I killed Dao Zheng and took his wife....HA. HA. HA." 

Xing Ge thanked him and took a copy of the testimony. "I must also report something unsavory I am afraid. While conducting our investigation into the killing of Guo Chiang, we found people spreading rumors about your wife."

The prefect quaked visibly and clenched his fists in rage. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Cut out the tongues of anyone spreading these vile rumors, let all know we will not tolerate rumor-mongering in this prefecture!"

"I am afraid some of the people spreading these falsehoods were members of high society," Said Xing Ge. 

"In that case, anyone who doesn't matter, remove their tongue, anyone who does matter, submit their name to me." 

The party left and arrived at The Black Parrot Headquarters on the 2nd of the Dog Moon. This is where the session ended. 

*Black inns serve human meat 

REMEMBERING BILL