HEAVENLY FRAGRANCE SESSION THREE

This was the third 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. 

THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS 

The players arrives in Gao Cun and found local beggars who took them to their Chief, Pei Lung. They gifted him some bath beans, which he seemed to like. 

Little Guan Hua told Chief Pei that they were hoping to obtain information about Fan Batu, especially any weaknesses he might have. 

Chief Pei Lung asked them questions about their bath beads facility, and noted they were operating out of Mai Cun. They explained they did so with Lady 87's protection. He continued to try making deductions and confirming with follow-up questions then pressed them for further details about their operation. Eventually they began to negotiate a price and it was settled at 5,000 spades. Chief Pei Lung told them to give his regards to Lady 87 and that they should go to Ouyang Wine Shop where a person would meet them and provide the information they sought. 

They went to the wine shop, which was more of a wine making facility, but were given a room in the back hall of the courtyard. Eventually a short woman using a spear as a cane arrived, dressed in brilliant golden robes. She told them her name was Wei Xiaoping, and she offered to tell them about Fan Batu if they would sell their business to Yu Qing Manor. 

They negotiated and agreed to pay her 19,000 spades and bath beans for the information, with a promise to speak with Yu Qing Manor in the future about the possibility of letting them buy a portion of the business.

Wei Xiaoping told them that Fan Batu had a master called Divine Astrologer who stopped teaching him when he foresaw that his student would bring great bloodshed to the world. 

They asked where Divine Astrologer was presently and she said that he hadn't been seen in many years but that he used to teach Fan Batu near Mount Dao. 

"Does he have any notable weaknesses?" Asked Bao Long.

"His weaknesses are all the sins he has committed. As for his kung fu, if he has a weakness, it is overreliance on variations of his Iron Body technique."

After the meeting, as she was leaving, Wei Xiaoping said "As a token of good will, I must inform you that Chief Pei Lung has sold your information to Lady Plum Blossom and she is presently searching for you."*

PEI LUNG PAYS HIS DEBT

From Gao Cun, the party went to Mai Cun and had an audience with Lady 87. Little Guan Hua told her what they done in their travels. She emphasized their dealings with Lady Plum Blossom, and informed her of Pei Lung's treachery, asking her grandmother to take his tongue as punishment. 

Lady Eighty Seven was pleased with her grandchildren and had them stay at Guan Manor for a month so she could tutor them in her own techniques. She also suggested they remain students of Dancing Corpse. And she cautioned them to be wary of Lady Plum Blossom. 

She also informed Little Guan Hua that she would indeed take Chief Pei Lung's tongue, provided she discover who was behind the celestial plume smuggling operation on the Wild Cricket. 

Little Guan Hua already had this information and told her grandmother that it was the dealings of a man named Iron Crocodile who had set up a martial arts school in Jinsa. Shortly after she was presented with a golden box containing the tongue of Chief Pei Lung. 

While in Mai Cun, Little Guan Hua held a meeting with Wei Xiaoping to negotiate a potential deal with Yu Qing Manor. Wei Xiaoping informed her that Yu Qing was a difficult man and would accept no less than 10 percent of the business, and that he would likely consider this excessively generous on his part. Little Guan Hua told Wei Xiaoping to tell Yu Qing that 5 percent would be ideal, but she could do 10 percent, though it would pain her greatly. 

WU ZHEN

They returned to Wu Zhen and hired staff for their shop: a shop hand named Chang Chun, a servant named Wan Lin and a woman named Lu Ping to oversee the daily activities of the shop. 

They spoke with their father about training with Dancing Corpse and he told them that Lin Ragua's family sought justice. Some amount of blame was spilling onto him because people had heard that Little Guan Hua and Bao Long were training under the woman who murdered him. However Guan Shisu said they were wise to study under such a powerful master and that even if he had to make a show for the sake of justice, he supported their efforts. 

While there it was announced that Iron Crocodile and White Naga were seeking an audience with Little Guan Hua and Bao Long. They spoke with them, but with their father and his men in attendance. 

"I have come to smooth things over between my people and the 87 Killers," Iron Crocodile said. "Please tell your grandmother, the admirable Lady 87 of the Guan Family, that I offer a contest to resolve matters. She can select a champion to send against me. Should I lose, I will swear allegiance to her and she will gain full control of my celestial plume network. Should I win, however, then she will agree to allow me to operate in peace through her territory with the understanding that I view her as an ally, not an enemy"

Little Guan Hua listened carefully and said "I am pleased to hear you speak in this way Iron Crocodile. I will carry this news to my grandmother, who I am sure will share your interest in avoiding conflict between our organizations."

*As a matter of record keeping when this arose in the session, I altered the Grudge table so that Lady Plum Blossom was shifted to both the 8 and 7 slot (giving here a much greater chance of showing up as a grudge encounter)