PATHS FROM NOWHERE SESSION FOURTEEN

This is a sandbox campaign for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, operating in "Condor Heroes Mode". I used a lot of the procedures described in the wuxia sandbox posts. It is a campaign with three players. Before the campaign started we spent time establishing their family connections, rolling randomly for both their mothers and fathers (normally only one parent is randomly rolled, but in this case we wanted characters with potentially scandalous backgrounds). These characters each started play with just one Kung Fu Technique. 

CHARACTERS

XIANG GUIYING: The daughter of Jade Fist of Twin Fisted Eagle sect and Pale Fox, a notorious bandit. She is seeking pelts from Pearl Tigers. She is beautiful but wears a disguise to hide this from others. 

ZHENG BAO: Short and burly, he is the son of Zhang San of Bone Breaking Sect and of Reckless Storm. However San is married to Chen and has maintained the presence that Bao is Chen's son. Unfortunately due to crucial background information, Chen knows that Bao cannot be his son so is distant. Zheng Bao's uncle, Bone Breaker, is fond of him. He is seeking the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower to please his uncle. 

PAN JU (MOGHA): The son of the Witch of Zhaoze Zhou and Nergui Mogha, Pan Ju grew up in the Kushen Basin but has returned to the Banyan and Hai'an, where he knows his mother resides.   

ABBESS BING 

The party bid farewell to Jade Maiden sect and traveled to Hen-Shi Temple. There they were greeted by the abbess who brought them inside the temple. The abbess and her nuns kneeled on a dais and motioned for the party do kneel in the area before them. She also beckoned Feng Min to join them on the dais and she did so. 

Zheng Bao and Guiying both made substantial donations, placing a total of 53,422 spades worth of taels on fabric and passing it to the abbess. 

Lady White Blade by Jackie Musto

"This is an enormous donation, are you sure you can afford it?" Asked Abbess Bing. 

Zheng Bao explained that they had no need of it, and wanted to help the temple. 

"This will go towards food, necessary repairs and, given the sum, I will use it to make copies of our teachings to disseminate."

She then spent the next two hours offering them lessons about Hen-Shi and the temples teachings. They were especially focused on compassion and non-killing, and she encouraged them to become vegetarians. She said that every death they caused would weigh against them. 

The party expressed some reluctance on the last point in the teachings, so told them to refrain from eating meat that came from larger animals. 

VILLAGE OF AN 

After they left the temple, the party headed towards mystic sword sect, but on the second day their path was obstructed by an avalanche. Initially they considered blasting the rocks and boulders to clear a path, but when they inspected the nearby forest they saw a village and were concerned it could have unintended consequences. 

Heading to the village they spoke with headman Shan, who gave them hospitality, including a meal of fried fish. It was a farming village that also exported fabrics. When Zheng Bao offered any help to repay them for food and shelter, the headman asked if they would assist the villagers in clearing the avalanche. 

They spent the next three days moving boulders and ensuring nothing endangered the trail or village. Guiying, who knew something of mountains and hills, was able to provide guidance that likely saved several lives. 

When they were finished, Headman Shan gave them fresh clothes as gifts, which they accepted. Guiying put on a show for the villagers, having her monkey, Peach, perform and put on a martial arts demonstration*. 

The villagers were so astounded**, that the headman offered to give them an ancient clay tablet, saying it was an important artifact. 

"This is too valuable an item for me to accept," Said Guiying. So the headman gave them wine instead. 

THE CELESTIAL KILLER 

Making their way to Mystic Sword Temple, they saw a figure on the trail. She stood there still, in purple robes, with an aura of menace. 

"Guiying, Bao and Ju," She said. "There are many demanding your blood."

"You," Shouted Zheng Bao, "Were you sent by Lady Yang to kill us? Who are you?" 

"I cannot disclose the details of my contract, but I have been hired to kill you. My name is Fa Si. I have been forthright, you can see this is no ambush, no deceptive tactics, I ask for a straight forward fight."

"This seems true," Said Zheng Bao. "Would you like us to go first, or would you prefer to go first?"

"Are you offering me the first strike?"

"I suppose I am."

"Very well," She said. "Approach me and allow me to have my first strike."

The party walked over to her and once they were within arms reach, she punched the ground and it opened up, as if suddenly a sink hole. Zheng Bao and Feng Min fell inside and were injured. But Pan Ju and Guiying leapt away from the disaster. 

Zheng Bao crawled from the hole she created and stabbed her with his spear, causing her to spit blood all over him and laugh. 

Her face was not pleasing up close and she had a rigid grin that never wavered. 

"Who's next?" she yelled.

Pan Ju then threw a hail of daggers towards her, but she resisted them with her Iron Body defense. 

Guiying then leapt at her with her Slicing Blade of the Flying Phantoms, which shed blood but also made Fa Si shed more tears of laughter. 

It was then Feng Min's turn, who brought both fists against either side of Fa Si's head in her Twin Moon Strike. 

Fa Si fell to the ground unconscious. 

"Do you want to kill her?" Asked Feng Min. 

"No," said Guiying. "We can get information out of her. 

"We should give her a chance to go peacefully," Said Zheng Bao. 

Pan Ju felt Fa Si's pulse and recognized she was not in good health. She also looked diseased. Searching her they found money, sketches of the party, Zhaoze Sect's letter to the Jianghu and a large quantity of Celestial Plum one a wooden box. 

Having a more full understanding of her condition, Pan Ju administered some hot herbal drinks as she awakened under their care. 

"We have healed you," Said Zheng Bao. "If we let you go will you end this contract against us?"

"I do not cancel my contracts. Only if the issuer were to die or rescind the contract would I do so. I can promise not to pursue you for another two weeks seeing as you healed me."

The party talked among themselves, then Zheng Bao said. "Two weeks and you will answer questions about Lady Yang."

"I can answer four questions."

"Where can we find Lady Yang?" Asked Guiying. 

"Lady Yang lives in Yang Manor in the Whispering Swamp near Screeching Lake. It is heavily guarded and she travels with a retinue. She is never alone."

"Who is Lady Yang?"

"Her original surname is not Yang. She is a powerful woman in control of a vast network of rice brokers and ship builders. Her wealth and influence were so great the Queen Feared her and bestowed her land in the Screeching Swamp as a 'gift'. This was meant as a punishment but She was able to cultivate the land and increase her prestige by marrying Yang Ren

Zheng Bao asked "What is the greatest tragedy in your life?"

"I was orphaned at a young age. But that was not about Lady Yang so you may ask me two more questions."

"What kind of kung fu does Lady Yang practice?" asked Guiying. 

"She has an unusual style and it led to a deviation that makes her body overheat so she must draw on other peoples phoenix energy to regulate her temperature. However this process is lethal to those she leaches energy from. She does not seek a cure as this is a powerful foundation of her martial abilities. She prefers the company of women and it is rumored she takes a women every night to drain in her bed chambers. 

"We saw a wedding dress that was intended for her from her father, was this for a new husband?" Asked Zheng Bao.

"She killed Yang Ren many years ago, very soon after their marriage. It was simply a matter of securing the name Yang. I do not know why you found the wedding dress, perhaps it was never gifted or she returned it." 

The party offered to help Fa Si with her celestial plume addiction but she told them that at her level of cultivation the substance did not control her, rather she controlled it and used its powers to her advantage. 

After learning that Zheng Bao was Bone Breaker's nephew, she said that she would make a point of paying her respects to him before their next meeting. She departed and the party continued to Mystic Sword Temple. 

TEMPLE OF THE MYSTIC SWORD 

At the temple Pan Ju made the appropriate greeting and they were led into a reception hall to speak with Lady White Blade. 

"Greetings to the disciple of Jade Swallow," She said. "I am pleased to offer you protection and hospitality."

"Thank you for the assistance against our enemies Lady White Blade, we are most appreciative of your help." Said Zheng Bao. 

"Please send my greetings to you Master."

"Do you know anything about my Master's present whereabouts?" Asked Zheng Bao. 

"Last I was told, Lady Yang grew tired of sending assassins after her, and went after her on her own to face her one on one in Dee. Your Master is truly great for she gained the upper hand and sliced off one of Lady Yang's fingers, but the coward fled before Jade Swallow could bring her to an end."

Lady White Blade told them that she would keep Zhaoze Sect at bay while the party went to help Jade Swallow and hopefully content with Lady Yang. She told them that she would not have enough men to deal with Lady Yang's assassins though. 

Guiying offered her thanks as well and requested some instruction if Lady White Blade didn't mind. She told her that her sword play was still quite basic and she felt unsure about some of the fundamentals. 

"Since you are going to help Zheng Bao face Lady Yang, I will certainly teach you what I know. Demonstrate you abilities for me."

Guiying showed off all her techniques including Slicing Blade of the Flying Phantoms. 

"Who taught you this technique?"

"I learned it from someone on the road, I don't recall who it was."

"This is one of mine. I will give you more from my repertoire. Everyone clear the room and led me instruct Guiying Alone!"

Lady White Blade then spent the next several hours teaching Guiying her Bursting Charge and Grudge Bearing Sword Strike techniques. 

*Peach increased from Qi rank 1 to 2 this session.

**Guiying got a 10 on her Monkey Handling roll