HEAVENLY FRAGRANCE SESSION TWO

This was the second session of my Heavenly Fragrance Campaign, a living adventure prepared using tools and procedures discussed in the Wuxia Sandbox blog posts. This campaign is intended to play as a sandbox but with more dramatic elements. It is a two player campaign where run in what I call "Condor Heroes Mode", where characters begin with only one Kung Fu technique, their family background established and connected to the setting, and using a level advancement system based on encounters with higher level masters who train them. It also makes use of a campaign Shake-Up table, rolled once each session, to manage an unfolding background situation (see STATE OF THE MARTIAL WORLD). I will include footnotes to explain what procedures were invoked during play. The campaign is set in Fan Xu, largely using the Sons of Lady 87 book. 

CHARACTERS

Bao Long: An orphaned street urchin who was adopted by Lady Eighty-Seven's son, Guan Shisu after he came to the aid of Guan Shisu's daughter, Little Guan Hua. All he knows about his background is that his mother died when he was young. Bao Long has been taught some martial arts by Lady Eighty-Four, Yuhuan. Bao Long is a bit dim-witted but tough. 

Little Guan Hua: The daughter of Guan Shisu and the disciple of Guan Nuan. Little Guan Hua is cowardly and feeble, but intelligent. 

A PLUM BLOSSOM SINKS IN THE RIVER 

The party finished training with their new teacher, Dancing Corpse Wan Mei, who instructed them to go and seek information on Fan Batu, then meet her in Tung-on in one month. Little Guan Hua had heard from a contact in the martial world that Fan Batu was staying at the Swallow's Nest Inn in Gao Cun, so they decided to head there. They departed and found passage on a merchant vessel called the Wild Cricket. They secured passage in exchange for Bao Long performing labor (his first task was to clean the deck of the ship). 

Onboard they spotted a woman in purple robes with three disciples. She sat in a chair staring at the water and her disciples stood at attention. 

Little Guan Hua tried to get their attention and approached, offering them complimentary bath beans. Her conversation irked the woman who said "You are not worthy to converse with me."

Just as the lady was about to turn to go below deck, Little Guan Hua placated her with some sweet language and secured a smile. She then followed in secret to give them a gift but overheard the woman talking about Dancing Corpse Queen. She used words like 'malicious' 'cruel' and a 'menace'*. Not thinking much of it, Little Guan Hua returned to the deck, but later came back, again overhearing conversation, but this time it appeared the lady was plotting to kill Dancing Corpse Wan Mei. 

Talking with Bao Long they decided to do something about it. Little Guan Hua went into the deck and searched, discovering that the real cargo was secreted celestial plume. Understanding the principles of ship building, she sabotaged the keel when the ship was briefly docked in a small town to unload some crates. Then they snuck off the ship and followed on foot to see what would happen. 

Within thirty minutes the ship sank, collapsing violently into the river. Some of the crew drowned but a number escaped. The woman and one of her disciples dragged two bodies from the river. It seemed that her two other disciples had drowned. They followed as the woman and her disciple walked on foot to Fan carrying the bodies with them. 

From there they went to Gao Cun and arrived at the gates of the city. 

*I discussed this in my post the State of the Party. This session they rolled a fated encounter with Lady Plum Blossom on the shake up table so I drew on my own example.