THE ANGRY RIVER REVIEW

Released in 1971 The Angry River is directed by Huang Feng and stars Angela Mao. It is about a woman whose father is poisoned by the Moon Cult's Seven Deadly Thorn. To save him she must travel far across the Angry River, into a dangerous valley where the only remedy, Ganoderma Atrum, is protected. She faces the temple's guardians and discovers to leave the temple to bring her father the cure she must let the guardians disable her Kung Fu. What unfolds is a story of a martial hero, stripped of her powers, braving a long journey home, while in possession of a highly prized herb that not only cures the Seven Deadly Thorn poison, but increases a person's martial abilities. By making the hero so vulnerable for such a long duration of the film, we see how strong her will and character truly are. It also reveals the virtue and vice of everyone else around her. 

Huang Feng made several Angela Mao films, including Lady Whirlwind (1972), Hapkido (1972), The Tournament (1974) and When Taekwondo Strikes (just to name a few). And he directed The Crimson Charm (1971), which I reviewed HERE. The others I have covered on the podcast, and I recommend all but would single out Hapkido as my favorite. 

Angela Mao is known to all I am sure, but for those who haven't seen her movies, she brings real martial arts to the screen and is well known for her kicks. Her movies don't always get the level of quality her talents deserve but as a former Taekwondo practitioner myself, I adore her kicking and the overall explosiveness of her martial arts. The Angry River isn't a kung fu movie though, so this is not the kind of performance we see from her in When Taekwondo Strikes or Hapkido. It is closer to a movie like Broken Oath (1977) or The Invincible Eight (1971). 

There is some confusion over whether this is the first Golden Harvest movie or not, as the title also seems to be taken by The Invincible Eight. Similarly there is confusion over whether this is Angela Mao's first role. It seems The Angry River was the first Golden Harvest production, but The Invincible Eight was released first. Also Angela Mao was in the The Eight Bandits in 1968, so it appears her first role was actually years earlier. 

The Angry River is an impressive film. It is a bit sharper than many other early Golden Harvest Movies, both in terms of visual presentation and in style (some of this could be due to the transfer being clear). It has one-foot firmly planted in that late 60s Shaw Brothers wuxia era, but still feels like a refreshing change. I think it is one of the their best efforts and sure to please anyone who loves the classic wuxia style, but is open to more fantasy elements. 

The music is great, it freely samples from On Her Majesty's Secret Service for wonderful effect for example. And the incidental music all adds to the mood. 

There are plenty of practical effects and some work great, others not so much. I rather enjoyed the giant lizard man in a rubber suit scene. It is what it is, but fun and surprising. But the rope crossing, which is essential because it takes place over the Angry River itself, was something of a disappointment. It looked like very shoddy blue screen (or something similar). 

The Angry River was an interesting threat. It wasn't entirely clear what its full nature was, but anything that fell into it, caught on fire. So that felt suitably dangerous. However it is less central to the plot than one might think from the title. More of an important threshold for the hero to cross. 

As mentioned this is a movie where the heroine loses her kung fu. That is a genre staple, though it is more typical for side characters to be the recipients of this fate. Here it works, and reminded me of a later film, Superman II. I loved it for many of the same reasons I enjoyed that movie as a kid. I won't spoil anything, but I will say when she loses her powers she is told if things get too disastrous, she can restore her Kung Fu and regain her powers by eating the Ganoderma Atrum. This would mean there would not be any left for her father, but it puts the possibility on the table of her regaining her abilities at some point. 

What is interesting is just how much loss of martial ability affects her. It does not only impacting her fighting. It affects her ability to endure the long journey itself, to ward off illness, etc. The film makes the point that Kung Fu is about more than just swords and fists, these characters are exceptional in all kinds of other ways, which explains why they can stand so easily outside of normal social convention sometimes. But here, she is suddenly vulnerable and often reliant on the good will of other heroes. We see this clearly in the contrast between her journey to the Angry River, which is fairly effortless, and the long, painful trek home. 

We also don't know who she can trust, because once it is known she is powerless and carrying this valuable and coveted herb, characters who once seemed righteous, suddenly behave differently. I found myself on the edge of my seat from set-ups as simple as her recovering at an inn after nearly dying from a long journey. Righteous heroes turn into vultures and any time she is resting, or weak from travel, I was worried someone would steal the herb from her. There is even a hero who almost rises to the level of love interest, and becomes her protector, but in the back of my mind, I wondered if he could be trusted. 

The fights are solid. This is an early Angela Mao film, and she only gets sharper with time, but here the performances work and the fight choreography, by Han Ying-Chieh and Sammo Hung work great. It is worth mentioning I discussed them in my review of The Invincible Eight as they served as martial arts directors for that movie too. And the fight with Pai Ying's King of Hell is awesome (in some ways it reminds me of his performance in Dragon Inn). The fight scene are are a little more old-fashioned than the later Golden Harvest movies, particularly post Bruce Lee films, but anyone familiar with late 60s Shaw Brothers action should enjoy this. 

This film looks great too. Not just in the filming itself, but the sets, the costumes. With the exception of the aforementioned rubber lizard man suit, everything looks stellar. I strongly recommend The Angry River. Not only is it notable as the first Golden Harvest Production, it is an important Angela Mao film and has a unique take on the protagonist losing their martial arts, which allows it to tell a much different story. 

THE INVINCIBLE EIGHT REVIEW

The Invincible Eight is a 1971 Golden Harvest  wuxia film directed by Lo Wei. It stars Nora Miao, Tang Ching, Angela Mao, Paul Chang Chung, Lee Kwan, James Tin Chuen, Lydia Shum, Pai Ying, Patrick Tse Yin, and Han Ying-Chieh. It is about a group of eight revenge-seeking heroes whose fathers were killed by the corrupt and cruel General Hsiao. 

The movie was recently released in Blu-ray by 88 Films, which is the version I am using for this review. This appears to be Lo Wei's first Golden Harvest film, and possibly the first Golden Harvest release as well: there is some confusion over this which I will get into in my review of The Angry River (1971). But it seems The Angry River was the first to go into production and this was the first to see release. 

The Invincible Eight is built around a large ensemble cast. That can often go either way for me in wuxia. If things get too big and become more about events than the characters, that go south. But films like The Brave Archer trilogy (1977-1981) and The 14 Amazons (1972) are examples where I think it is handled well. Here the large cast works. It is never confusing, each person is clearly drawn and they function together like a proper troupe. And while there is a political element to the story, the movie doesn't get bogged down in court politics or larger events. The focus is on the characters and swordplay. The result is a solidly entertaining movie with great performances from an ensemble cast, thrilling action and memorable characters. 

Lo Wei is a great story teller in my opinion. And I like the way the film sinks into its location, and allows the story to emerge largely through pieces of backstory revealed in dialogue. Most of the movie is set at General Hsiao's fortress where the would be assassins are taken prisoner. There we also find two other people, Miss Chiang, the adopted daughter of the general, played by Nora Miao, and Hai Tao, played by Patrick Tse Yin. The latter is an adopted son of the general, and his number two, but as the story progresses we learn things are more complicated for both of them. 

Another element of Lo Wei films that stands out here is telling the story through action and alongside the action. The movie effectively begins with a sword fight, and from that point on, we get sword fight after sword fight, with rests in between where characters are introduced and developed. 

And the swordplay is all well choreographed by Han Ying-Chieh and Sammo Hung. Sammo Hung probably needs little introduction here as his name is widely known, but he often did martial arts direction while also serving as an actor in these early Golden Harvest films, including a number featuring Angela Mao. Han Ying-Chieh is not only a veteran actor whose face you have surely seen, but he is responsible for the fight choreography in films like Come Drink With Me (1966), Dragon Inn (1967), A Touch of Zen (1970), The Big Boss (1971), and Fist of Fury (1972). 

Both marital arts directors appear in this movie. Sammo Hung is one of the whip masters, but Han Ying-Chieh plays General Hsiao. The latter is a very smart choice as the General serves as the final boss and needs to sell a fight against eight heroes. Not only is Han Ying-Chieh a great fight choreographer, he looks dangerous and believable on screen. 

The secondary villain, Wan Shun, played by Pai Ying, is rather interesting. And here I am going to get into spoilers in order to talk about him, so I recommend viewing the film before reading this paragraph. While he is initially presented as one of a number of subordinates who the general trusts, it is revealed he is the mastermind behind the general's rise, and in private he speaks down to the general like he is the one truly in charge. It is not unlike Samuel L. Jackson's character in Django Unchained (2012). The shift in perception of his power is even handled in a somewhat similar way and feels like a dangerous shift, because this mere lackey is suddenly shown to be so much more powerful than anticipated. 

For those not familiar with Pai Ying, he often plays antagonists, and was notably the Eunuch in Dragon Inn. He also played Hell King in The Angry River and folks might also recognize him from Royal Warriors (1986). He is genuinely frightening here. The man has a presence and an ability to radiate menace and power. While General Hsiao is the ultimate foe in the end, as he is the one the eight finally face off with, it is Pai Ying's Wan Shun who creates the greater sense of threat and unease through most of the movie. 

The Eight are all well cast. Everyone is good in their own way. Angela Mao really stood out with her Kuei Chien Chin, who dresses as a man to infiltrate the fortress. Something interesting here is everyone around her realizes she is a woman, and it is discussed behind her back, which adds a little twist to the trope. Nora Miao is also wonderful. She plays one of the more formidable characters as the general's adopted daughter, and I thought they captured her lightness martial arts nicely. She also just had the right look for the character. Tang Ching is always a solid performer and he works well here as Feng I Fei. He is skilled at portraying heroes with an emotional depth, often characters who seem haunted by their past or a burden of duty. Here he helps ground the film. And the man can brood while remaining stoic. For great examples see The Jade Raksha (1968) or The Black Enforcer (1972). Lee Kwan as a kind of hapless chef, who ultimately proves to have more grit than we first think, helped balance out the movie with light comedy. Lydia Shum, who plays the loud-mouthed Chiao Hsiu Hu, was memorable and also helped give the movie a more comedic tone from time to time. But her volatility and unpredictability also injects a sense of risk. None of the comedy overwhelms the seriousness of the story, it just added some contrast. James Tin Chuen plays a hot-tempered axe wielder whose fury pairs nicely with Lydia Shum's sharp tongue and temper. Paul Chang Chung brought level-headed gravitas to the movie as Swordsman Ho. 

Something gamers might appreciate about The Invincible Eight is the way the heroes deal with the whip masters at the general's fortress. The whips prove to be a formidable weapon and in order to counter it, they create special shears with a pair of duel-wielded swords. But because there are eight of them, they need 16 blades in total, which they have to take time to forge. This felt like something that would arise organically in a wuxia campaign. 

I give this movie an enthusiastic recommendation. I think it has something for everyone. One element that is missing is a love story, but with such a big cast it would have been hard to give attention to that. This is very much about characters on a clear mission. Lo Wei is a highly consistent director who never disappoints me. I might recommend people first check out Vengeance of a Snowgirl (1971) or Fist of Fury (1972), but I think this is also a perfectly worthy point of entry, and a notable film in the Golden Harvest timeline. 

ESCORT MISSION TABLES

This is a concept that came up in my Thursday game session this week. The players decided to work as escorts*. These appear all the time in wuxia novels and movies, often serving as important plot elements or as an excuse for a big fight scene with a group of bandits. In this case the players were closely aligned with the Tu Association, as one of the members was of Tu Lineage, and they asked the chief, the PCs brother, if they could take some escort missions (the brother has been giving them association resources and in exchange he simply wanted occasional help from the party using their martial expertise). It became clear I needed a way to help me determine what types of escorts would be requested. I could just decide this myself, but I wanted the core components to be decided by a table. As GM I would still try to work these elements into something interesting. 

Bandit Encounters for Escorts: Before getting to the table, it also occurred to me that characters serving as escorts face greater risks, as thieves and bandits, or rival sects, may learn of what they are transporting. So I came up with three approaches to handle this: 1) Have there be a 20 percent chance each day of such an encounter. 2) Have there be a 50 percent flat chance of a bandit encounter at some point along the way. 3) Roll an additional Survival Roll each day to check for a bandit encounter. I opted for 2, though I think in future I will use 3. The math of all of these options is very different and produces very different results.

THE ESCORT MISSION TABLES

These are just the quick tables I put together in my notes as the session was starting and it was becoming clear the players were to go on escort missions. I put these in my campaign notes but they are exactly as they appeared in my written notepad (except the text of the complication section, which was just a note about percentage):

*In wuxia escorts guard and transport people, goods, etc traveling or being shipped from one location to another. 

THE STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION V

This is the fifth 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). 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.

Very early and rough map of prefecture 

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: 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: A traveling physician who comes from a family of successful fishermen. 

THE ECORT MISSION 

The party took an escort mission for the Tu Association, hoping to grow their skills and reputation. They agreed to escort Madame Wang Peng to Yue Manor in Yue Town. Because they did not have someone with knowledge of the plains, they asked Chief Tu Wan for a guide. he assigned Tu Li to travel with them. 

They set out early and met Madame Wang Peng at the Fair Weather Inn in Lanyin, where she had a sedan chair and bearers waiting. She carried herself like a noble, with plum blossom makeup, expensive green robes and a valuable looking turquoise necklace. 

From there they made their way to Li An and stayed at the Jade Gourd. To protect their charge, they took watches in the street beneath the window to Madame Wang's room and had her bearers guard the doors. During Xing Ge's watch, he failed to see an intruder sneak Madame Wang Peng's room. But he soon heard a scream and saw a man crawling from her window. 

Without hesitation he used Blast of the Dragon to send the intruder into the air so he crashed down with a great splat on the pavement below. Xing Ge noticed a metal staff clutched in the man's hand, from which a hooded snake slithered into the shadows. He grabbed the snake and stabbed it through the brain. 

QI Yun and Tu Jin Shi awakened from the scream. Qi Yun rushed down to the street and inspected the body of the intruder, finding Madame Wang Peng's turquoise necklace clutched in his hand. Tu Jin Shi checked on Madame Wang, finding her ashen faced and poisoned by the snake. 

They sent a message to Lanyin asking Lu Li to join them (Lu Li had stayed behind). Then they summoned a physician. An old man named Gui Daniang came to the inn and examined Madame Wang, then looked at the snake. 

"This is a corpse snake...a very complicated case. The antidote is only known by the leader of Relentless Corpse Sect." He then explained to them that so long as she did not resist the venom, it would not be lethal, that it just made the person zombie-like and compliant.

Tu Jin Shi and Xing Ge searched the city for someone who was familiar with the sect. They found a vagrant name Chang Lei, a very serious man who claimed to have fought with the sect. 

He explained that the leader of the sect, Relentless Corpse Queen was very powerful and used the venom to create corpse disciples. He also told them that the sect headquarters was a place called The Palace of Divine Sabre. They asked if he would join them but the man refused, but handed them a pair of emei daggers and said "Use these to slit the queen's throat should the need arise". 

The party then deliberated on the best course of action. They decided that it would be wise to send a message to Relentless Corpse Sect offering to trade the staff and body of the intruder for the antidote (they had inspected the body of the man and noticed a section of skin flayed off, so assumed he was a member of the sect who had simply removed evidence of his membership). 

In Li An they found a place called Guan Chu's Messenger Services. Inside was an eccentric man, painting, surrounded by cages of pigeons. He explained that for his birds were fast, and would travel 600 miles a day, for a fee of 1,000 spades a day. They agreed and sent the following message: 

We were attacked by a person who identified as previously having identifying  markers of the Relentless Corpse Sect, which had been removed. He perished in this attempt, and we recovered a golden scepter, hollowed interior which contained a corpse snake. Someone important to us has been afflicted with this poison and we require an antidote. We hoped we could exchange the corpse of this person and his staff to yourselves for assistance with the antidote. We should meet halfway. 

A couple of days later, they received the following reply:

On behalf of Relentless Corpse Queen: We accept your offer with the caveat that the Queen's new corpse slave be replaced with someone suitable. We shall meet you at Beishang Manor. Be sure to bring the staff, the body, the snake, and the replacement. 

This is where the session ended. 

STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION IV

This is the fourth 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). 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.

Very early and rough map of prefecture 

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: 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: A traveling physician who comes from a family of successful fishermen. 

ATTACK OF THE TURTLE DEITY 

Just as the party were finishing off the bandits, they felt a rumble beneath their feet. The shaking of the earth came in waves and Tu Jin Shi put his ear to the ground hoping to detect its source.

"He Shen..." the villagers began to mutter. "He Shen is angry."

Lu Li asked who He Shen was and Guan Mo, the village elder, replied.

"He is the river deity, and is angry because the bandits forbade us from making regular persimmon offerings." 

From beyond the steep banks of the river, they heard a terrible roar, and saw a massive soft shell turtle, the size of a small junk ship (50 meters), rise from the river. 

Tu Jin Shi scrambled for the river, sliding down the bluff towards the enormous creature. Its long neck stretched towards him, and it clamped down with its jaws but missed. Tu Jin Shi countered by climbing up the turtle's head and working his way towards it rear leg, which he grabbed and held onto. 

Lu Li rushed to the edge of the river and fired down a rain of arrows, filling the River Deity with arrows. 

He Shen crawled easily up the bluff and into the village, quickly snapping the heads off three villagers and and biting Lu Li, which left him with a vicious wound. 

Qi Yun began meditating to activate his Jade Rending Claws.

It continued its rampage and as it did so, Tu Jin Shi tried to observe its bite closely. 

Xing Ge Leapt forward and struck the turtle deity in the head with his Fragrant Fist of the Snake Technique. This caused the creature's mind to dull, and it fell into a kind of stupor. 

"Kill it!" Shouted Tu Jin Shi

Guan Mo stepped forward and pleaded "Please to not kill He Shen, he is the deity of this river, and we can quell his anger with an offering."

"But it has killed, and will kill again," Said Tu Jin Shi. The party silently nodded agreement with one another and Qi Yun impaled He Shen's brain with his jade claw. The deity's body trembled, then slumped to the ground. 

"You have committed a grave offense," Said Guan Mo. 

"As far as I am concerned, we acted righteously, against a threat to your village."

"You defy the order of the world," Said Guan Mo. 

Tu Jin Shi argued with the elder, explaining that he believed individuals must decide what is right and wrong in the moment, but Guan Mo disagreed, saying what they did was wrong, and would lead to bad outcomes. 

Lu Li, who had knowledge of the classic texts, cherry picked a quote from The Sayings of Kong Zhi, to justify Tu Jin Shi's position. Guan Mo could not form a response but huffed and turned to the villagers. 

The villagers gathered around in shock. Guan Mo's fury grew and he said "You saved us from the bandits, so we owe you for that, but from here on out, you are our enemies!"

The party tried to reason, but Guan Mo's will could not be moved. He asked them to leave the village and return no more. 

The party dragged the giant turtle carcass down river, realizing its parts would be useful components for medicine. Xing Ge used some meat to make a stew and the party ate it. Soon after eating the stew they each felt a profound hunger for persimmons, which they sated by gathering fruit from the nearby trees.*

Lu Li decided they should use the shell to make a boat, and gather as much meat as they could and preserve it. They realized they would need ship builders and a way of transporting the meat. Xing Ge began gathering the meat and curing it. 

Tu Jin Shi, Qi Yun and The Well-Tempered Arhat headed north to Lanyin to find shipbuilders. There they went to the Tu Association, a lineage society formed by Tu Jin Shi's siblings. They appeared before the chief, Tu Wan (Tu Jin Shi's brother). 

"I have heard rumors brother," said Chief Tu Wan. "That you have taken a new master, a mysterious swords woman."

Tu Jin Shi explained it was true, and added that his companion Xing Ge was studying under the Well-Tempered Arhat. Chief Tu Wan expressed concern about the Arhat's reputation for bursts of violent anger, but they dissuaded him of this notion. 

When Tu Jin Shi told Chief Tu Wan that he had ignored his master's instruction to learn the saber, his brother rebuked him, not understanding why he would do so. However he said the association could use strong martial artists to help with transport and that Tu Jin Shi was always welcome. 

Tu Jin Shi asked for some ship builders, and his brother gave him 6 of the best in town as the Tu Association controlled ship building in Lanyin. They also connected the party with a persimmon merchant named Liao Qiu, who could take them back towards the village as he made regular shipments there. They would return to the carcass by river and haul it back to Lanyin where the shipbuilders would form a hull from the shell. 

On the journey down river, Liao Qiu explained to the party how to cultivate persimmon trees (they realized they would need to do so to satisfy their hunger). He also agreed to sell them cases of persimmons at a good rate (once a month, with enough to last them the entire moon). Once they reached the carcass, they towed it on Liao Qiu's boat back towards Lanyin. 

On the way, they made a deal with Liao Qiu, explaining they had acquired divine turtle meat that imbues eaters with a deep hunger for persimmons. He did not believe them, but tried some of the cured turtle meat himself, and was convinced once he felt the hunger. They pointed out, whoever ate the meat, would be a ready customer for large quantities of his persimmons. 

They sold several tons of meat to him for 125,000 spades (and he agreed to give them monthly persimmon shipments free). The persimmon creates would be left at the Tu Association on the first of every month. The shipbuilders began work on the hull of the ship, and said it would take them about three months to complete the job. 

This is where the session ended. 

*This meat conferred a permanent hunger for persimmons but also a permanent +1d10 bonus to Survival and Swim in rivers. 

STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION III

Sorry for the delays on these session logs. I have been sick for the past few weeks and was just able to resume the campaign. This is the third 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). 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.

Very early and rough map of prefecture 

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: 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: A traveling physician who comes from a family of successful fishermen. 

ABANDONING LEOPARDS 

After some deliberation, Lu Li decided it was unwise to continue their pursuit of Black Leopard Villa to rescue his parents. They now had some knowledge of the location of Black Leopard Villa and felt confronting them now would be too risky. 

They retraced their steps North to bring the matter of the robbed caravan to the attention of the local magistrate. As they were leaving the Yaoguai Forest, a woman came stumbling toward them and hailed before collapsing. Lu Li treated her and could see she had been subject to violence and exhaustion. 

When she awakened, she told them her name was Guan Ruo, and that she came from Gu Village along Gu Creek. She pleaded with them for help, explaining that she was the daughter of the elder, Guan Mo, and that the village had been taken over by bandits who forced the villagers to extract raw materials and operate a workshop to make counterfeit Xi Pottery*. They agreed to help her but decided to stop in Li An first. 

In Li A the magistrate held court and met with them, but indicated he wanted a bribe, so Lu Li gave him one of the golden taels they recovered from the robbery. He was pleased with this and dismissed the party. They decided not to give him the remainder of stolen goods as he seemed untrustworthy, instead they planned on returning them to the merchant company themselves. 

On their way across the Hongshi Grasslands, they crossed paths with a man eating persimmons (the fruit was abundant in the grasslands)**. He asked where they were headed but the party was reluctant to reveal. Tu Jin Shi tried to explain that he seemed trustworthy but their mission was important. He also pointed out the man was a strange to them. This caused him to take umbrage and he announced he was Long Mengwei of Fragrant Pine Villa***. 

There was a protracted back and forth, first with Long Mengwei taking exception to being untrusted, then Tu Jin Shi taking exception when the man would not tell them where he was going. Eventually he explained he was meeting someone at The Elephant Teahouse to discuss a manual he was seeking, and they explained the circumstances leading them to Gu Creek. Satisfied, Long Mengwei went on his way****.

Guan Ruo explained to the party that the village had been taken over by about 25 bandits, lead by three men: Cai Lieh, Jade Fist Ma and Yan Kun the Ox. They had a regular patrol of five men around the village, two groups of five men enforcing calcite and red clay extraction along the river, and five men assigned to guard the prison pen where the villagers were housed when not laboring. According to Guan Ruo, at night the three leaders feasted in a hall in her grandfather's courtyard house (which they used as an HQ), bandits not on patrol or guard duty would eat in the open courtyard, and the remaining bandits would be on patrol or guarding the pen. 

The party divided a plan to attack in two groups simultaneously in order to gain surprise. They would attack the courtyard of the elder's residence, and Tu Jin Shi would attack the guards at the pen. The Arhat explained to the party that he would let them handle the matter in the village and wait outside in case they needed help. 

They launched their attack and Lu Li took out the 15 bandits in the open courtyard with his Storming Arrows technique. Tu Jin kicked the guards at the pen unconscious and freed the prisoners. Xing Ge formed a stormcloud with his Blast of the Dragon Technique, which Lu Li, Xing Ge and Qi Yun used as cover. However they noticed a similar cloud form inside the hall the leaders were inside of. 

Lu Li decide to leave the cloud cover, and stormed the hall, filling Yan Kun with arrows till he collapsed. Jade Fist Ma, who it seemed had no hands, whistled and two black and red pit vipers leapt towards the cloud and one of them bit Qi Yun on the forehead. Qi Yun understood instantly that he had been envenomated and began feeling systemic effects (he estimated he had minutes to live). 

There was another exchange between the groups and Lu Li riddled Jade Fist Ma with arrows till he dropped dead. Cai Lieh dropped to his knees and pleaded "I don't want to die, I can give you anything you want, just don't kill me". 

Tu Jin Shi came flying in and knocked out Cai Lieh with a fire palm. 

This is where the session ended. 

*This is a highly valued ceramic ware from the Banyan Region

**This was a product of a failed Survival Roll 

***Everyone failed their Institutions (sects) roll to see if they knew the group, including The Well-Tempered Arhat. 

****This is something that could have turned into a grudge. Long Mengwei is a shady information broker, and something of a martial bully, despite training under one of the region's most benevolent masters. But the party managed to part of friendly terms, so he took them as friends instead of enemies

STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION II

This is the second session of our Star-Crossed Blades of the Green Peony campaign for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate (session I 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. 

Very early and rough map of prefecture 

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: 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: A traveling physician who comes from a family of successful fishermen.  

CHASING LEOPARDS 

The party decided to head west to Li An after Tu Jin Shi had trained with Lady Jade, so that Xing Ge could search for The Well-Tempered Arhat and learn some of his skills. On their way they passed through Xi An and stayed at "The Fancy Inn", which was packed with low-lifes and served food that made two of their party sick the next morning. 

On the road to Li An the next day, after drinking one of Lu Li's concoctions to cure food poisoning, they were able to track down the Well-Tempered Arhat as he was finishing off some bandits. He agreed to take on Xing Ge as a student and began telling teaching about Hen-Shi. Tu Jin Shi asked him many questions about ethics, but this seemed to cause him some irritation. The Well-Tempered Arhat asked them each about their background and seemed especially interested in Lu Li and his family. 

He then told Xing Ge to address him as Endless Void, and explained that as his student he must not associate with bandits or thieves, and to be compassionate. This prompted further questions from Tu Jin Shi about his own master. He asked whether it was righteous for him to follow his master's instructions to only learn new techniques by stealing them from others. The Well-Tempered Arhat said it was not. 

They also asked him about Thundering Scorpion. He said he could help them find and contend with him, once they had some practice on lesser bandits. 

"Presently I am tracking a wicked duo called The Thousand Handed Gods. We will deal with them first."

The group tracked down the duo as they were assailing a caravan of merchants with clouds of arrows. The arrow volleys seemed to kill everyone, but the party was too far away to interfere. When they reached the caravan the two bandits were pilfering what they could. 

Tu Jin Shi rushed forward and used his Kick of the Chaos Star technique to knock out the bandits*. At closer distance Lu Li recognized the two bandits were his parents. He was not aware they were involved in banditry, and believed they were simply wealthy fishers, but he said nothing about his connection with them to the party. 

Searching the duo, the party found many golden taels, some celestial plume, a bag of powder and some poison. The Well-Tempered Arhat had them bind and blind them, then the group escorted the bandits, along with the stolen goods and caravan goods towards Li An so they could be brought to the magistrate**. 

That night, during his watch, Lu Li untied his parents and helped them escape. When Xing Ge woke for his watch, Lu Li said he had fallen asleep. 

Xing Ge followed through the woods, tracking the bandits. While he initially was misled, he eventually found the trail again. However after several hours of following they came upon the aftermath of a battle at a bridge crossing. Palm prints were all over the wooden bridge beams, and blood stained the wood as well. Imbedded in the rail, was a dart with a leopard figure. 

"This is the calling card of the Black Leopard Villa," Said The Well-Tempered Arhat. "They are a sect entirely of women, who abduct men and use them as labor and to procreate. This group is extremely secretive, more of a legend really."

After some hesitancy, The Well-Tempered Arhat was able to convince Lu Li to tell the truth about his relationship with the duo. It was also revealed that the Arhat had allowed him to let them escape out of compassion (because he knew the penalty for them before the magistrate was death). However he did not foresee that Black Leopard Villa would become involved, so he felt responsible. 

They debated what to do. The Arhat pointed out that going to the Villa was dangerous, that if they were detected, then the Black Leopards would kill them for sure as they kept knowledge of their headquarters protected. He suggested that Lu Li be the one to choose their next course of action. 

This is where the session ended. 

*He surprised them and the open damage was enough to incapacitate. 

**They looked for survivors but determined everyone was dead and decided to have the magistrate send someone to retrieve the bodies.