WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE: GOLDEN DRAGON CAMPAIGN I

This is the report for our first new campaign of Ogre Gate. This was also a two character session, which provided some more insight into managing an adventure with just two PCs. The villain in the adventure (Mr. Red Claw) was inspired by Black Demon from Lady Hermit, and the number two, Strange Phoenix, was an evil meld of the characters Golden Swallow and Lady Hermit (in the films both these characters are good). 

Characters Present:
Pan Hu
Yao Min

Both Min and Hu are members of Golden Dragon sect and were instructed by their Sifu to investigate the town of Bei and find their contact Li Chaosun, who has been silent for four months. The only information they had was that Chaosun owned the Duck House, a notorious restaurant and gambling hall. 

They set out for Bei but got lost along the way (a product of some bad Survival Rolls). While lost they were attacked by bandits, but managed to deter them by handing over 20 taels. After the encounter with the bandits, they made it to the small village of Lin where they found the price of rice exceedingly high. There they stayed with an elderly couple and lost more money gambling with the old man. The next morning they set out for Bei and made it without incident. 

In Bei they secured rooms at an inn and went immediately to the Duck House. There they witnessed cricket fights and a bare-chested man who was winning huge sums. They spoke with the meek proprietor of the establishment and asked about Chaosun. At first he seemed to know something but when he went over to speak with the bare-chested man about the matter, he received a severe beating and returned to the party saying he knew nothing about Mr. Chaosun and was sorry for any confusion he created. The players let this slide but continued watching. They learned that the bare-chested man worked for a Mr. Red Claw and was one of two siblings known as the Firelance Brothers. 

Later a scholarly swordsman came and found a seat in the back of The Duck House. Yao Min noticed him observing everyone so went over to speak. During the course of the conversation she discerned that the scholar was a woman, dressed as a man and called herself Mr. Yu. As Mr. Yu she placed a large bet against the FIrelance Brother's cricket and seemed open to conversation provided Min bet against her. Not wanting to lose more money, Min suggested they bet on something else. Mr. Yu proposed a bet of servitude with the loser serving the other for a week. Min disliked this idea so suggested a bet for information. If Min lost she promised to tell Mr. Yu why she was there, and if Mr. Yu lost, then Min could ask anything she wanted. Mr. Yu agreed. 

The whole thing was rigged of course and Mr. Yu won, so Min told her they were there as members of Golden Dragon Sect looking into the disappearance of Chaosun, owner of the Duck House. Mr. Yu wished her luck in her search and left. That night, after Min and Hu went to their inn room, they were attacked by men with sleeping smoke powder. They failed both their Detect rolls for the smoke powder and it overcame their Hardiness scores, causing them to sleep very deeply. In the morning they awoke suspended upside down over a pit of scorpions with one of the Firelance Brothers commanding a nearby crank and demanding information. 

They managed to convince the Firelance Brother they were willing to talk if someone higher up was willing to hear them. He left and they worked their escape by cutting the rope. They managed to get to the edge of the pit at the bottom of a great pagoda just as the Firelance Brother returned with Mr. Red Claw. 

Combat ensued. This was a tough battle for the party. The first three rounds Mr. Red Claw spent channeling his Red Claw technique (a power that enhances his arms and enables him to do tremendous damage) while the Firelance Brother dealt with the two prisoners. The three combatants traded blows and finally Mr. Red Claw waded in. Firelance Brother was thrown into the pit of Scorpions by one of Hu's spear techniques and they eventually managed to knock out Mr. Red Claw (but only after sustaining serious injury themselves). They still had to escape so took Red Claw as a hostage and fled from the pagoda. On the surface they encountered Mr. Yu, no longer dressed as a man and revealing herself to be Strange Phoenix, a well known swordsman widely feared in the south. She chased the PCs but they managed to force her to keep distance by threatening to kill Mr. Red Claw. When they achieved enough space between themselves and their enemies, they killed him and ran to Rong Yao to find the nearest Golden Dragon outpost. 

This is where the session ended.