MEDITATION AND LEVEL INCREASES IN RBRB

In Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades, the dark wuxia RPG I co-wrote and co-designed with Jeremy Bai, in order to level, characters must make a number of successful Meditation Rolls equal to the level they are advancing into. These rolls reflect full undisturbed sessions that last an entire day (and in the case of shorter campaigns, an entire hour). If a character fails three in a row, they take a fire deviation. If they succeed on them, they go up by one level. 

This is meant to reflect the sort of thing you see in Jin Yong's Return of Condor Heroes and in stories that deal with cultivation. But it can be more than that simple abstraction. At its core it is about characters achieving a breakthrough that enables them to further develop their martial arts and take their skills to new heights. What this looks like in practice might vary from group to group and character to character. Here I will attempt to answer questions people have asked about it. In writing this post I spoke with Jeremy to make sure we were both on the same page. So this is a blend of both of our thoughts on the subject. 

SOME EXAMPLES 

The question is how do you take the Meditation rolls needed for leveling but do so in dramatically satisfying ways, and how do you describe them. Ultimately it is up to the GM and the players, but I think both Jeremy and I agree it should be flexible and need not necessarily reflect strictly meditative growth. The meditation is the crowning event, the culmination of training, study, physical discipline, and wisdom. The meditation itself can literally be about internal cultivation of Qi energy, attaining spiritual awakening or it can be more about insight into martial arts principles. 

To take an example most people will be familiar with, in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the character Li Bu Mai (Chow Yun-Fat) talks with Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) and explains that he has left secluded meditation to enter the world because of a challenge he encountered during his efforts. This is the dialogue from the film and I think it provides an interesting way a failed Meditation roll might be described. I don't speak Mandarin but according to Jeremy the language might be speaking more of entering the Dao than of Enlightenment, so just understand these are English subs from the film, and they might be oversimplified or misleading. Also in the Mandarin, it may not mention Wudang but be a line about the importance of this particular act of meditative seclusion: 

Li Mu Bai: I left the training early

Shu Lien: Why? You are a Wudang Fighter. Training....is everything

Li Mu Bai: During my meditation training...I came to a place of deep silence. I was surrounded by light. Time and space disappeared. I had come to a place my master had never told me about. 

Shu Lien: You were enlightened? 

Li Mu Bai: No. I didn't feel the bliss of enlightenment. Instead, I was surrounded by an endless sorrow. I couldn't bear it. I broke off my meditation. I couldn't go on. There was something pulling me back. 

Shu Lien: What was it? 

Li Mu Bai: Something I can't let go of. 

What is wonderful about this is it illustrates how a failed Meditation roll for leveling could lead to more drama, even a whole adventure if it is something the players and GM want to explore. And it is deeply ominous. I don't want to spoil the film but he spends the rest of the story dealing with this very problem and it comes to a close when he meditates in the final act after his battle with Jade Fox. 

In terms of bringing drama to the situation. I think there can be internal drama, like Li Mu Bai faced, and external drama. If you look at the Return of Condor Heroes example we mentioned, this is set during a battle where the Quanzhen Masters seclude in a cave to meditate and reach a higher level of mastery, while dramatic events unfold around them during the Mongolian invasion. Here is a passage from a fan translation by Noodles: 

Yin Zhiping knew he had summoned reinforcements and knew that danger was near. He was suddenly jolted into attention and commanded, “Brother Qi Zhicheng, watch this Mongolian official. Brother Yu Daoxian, Brother Wang Zhijin, take three brothers to help Brother Sun guard the Jade Cave at the back of the mountain to prevent any Mongol soldiers from distracting the Five Elder Masters from their meditation. Brother Chen Zhiyi, take six people to guard the front of the mountain. Fang Zhiqi, take six people to guard the left side of the mountain. Liu Daoning, take six people and guard the right side of the mountain.”

Such an event can easily arise in a RBRB campaign. And other characters, besides the PCs, going into seclusion to meditate can be an interesting challenge. Having a master in seclusion who might be able to help with a difficult problem is a staple of the genre. If that character achieving a breakthrough (i.e. advancing in level) could turn the tide of a battle unfolding around them, then that raises the stakes even more. 

Later in the Return of Condor Heroes there is also a good example of how leveling itself might be handled. Here is a passage from the same fan translation by Noodles, Bee Dreamer, Xuelian and Xiao_long_nu (note I haven't changed the transliterations of character names here). It describes what a martial break through might look like in practical terms in some wuxia media: 

For the past decade, Fawang had been training his “Dragon/Elephant Moving Skill” (Long Xiang Ban Lao Gong) and he had reached an unprecedented level in this fearsome skill. The “Dragon/Elephant Moving Skill” has thirteen levels; the first being very easy and even an idiot could master it within two years with some guidance. The second is more difficult than the first and requires about three to four years. The third level is even more difficult than the second and needs seven to eight years. So the difficulty level increases exponentially for each new level. For the fifth level alone, it usually requires more than thirty years to master. This profound skill was created by some obscure monk but no one has actually passed the tenth level. This skill is so profound that it is nearly impossible to complete all thirteen levels unless one could live to a thousand years old. The creator himself only mastered it to the eighth level and could make no more progress as he had reached a dangerous obstacle which he could not overcome. During the Northern Song Dynasty, a monk who mastered the ninth level trained without rest and managed to reach the tenth level, but in his excitement he lost control (what some might call a ‘fire deviation’) and became insane, dancing crazily for seven days and nights before severing his arteries and dying.

This Golden Wheel Monk, however, is a prodigy and through his hard work and intelligence, he managed to break through the obstacle at the ninth level and reached the tenth level.

One thing I like about this scene is how explicitly and clearly it talks about levels of power. Obviously they are describing tiers of ability in a particular martial arts skill, but it is the kind of language one can easily bring into an RPG with levels. 

There is something else I like about the Golden Wheel Monk reaching the tenth level of his kung fu. Throughout the book he is a ferocious and terrifying antagonist. There is a moment where he makes an alliance of convenience with Yang Guo but for the most part he is one of the central villains of the tale. However his disciples have all left or otherwise proven unworthy, and when he reaches this great height, he has no one to transmit it to. And this leads to an interesting story development: 

Jinlun Fawang had three disciples. His first disciple was well versed in martial arts and literature. He was very talented and Fawang had intended to make him his successor. It's a pity he died very young. His second disciple, Da’erba, was naïve and simple; his talent was just average. His third disciple was Prince Hou Dou; he had an ill character and moreover, he betrayed his master and martial brother. Fawang was disappointed. He had reached the pinnacle of martial arts. He was a monk, therefore, no children. The only way he could pass on his skill was by taking on disciples. If not, in a hundred years, wouldn’t his exquisite martial arts vanish? Therefore, seeing Guo Xiang was talented and kind hearted, he immediately made a decision to take her as his successor. He did not care if Guo Xiang was his enemy’s daughter.

This humanizes him a bit. It makes him a touch more sympathetic. He is still a bad guy but it pays off later in the story and rounds out the character*. It also is a useful example on what leveling can mean for characters. If you want to see a visual representation of Golden Wheel Monk's breakthrough check out the 2006 version of Return of Condor Heroes, episode 38 (about 13-14 minutes in). You should be able to find it with English Subs. 

TAKING IT TO THE TABLE 

What follows is simply advice and some additional suggestions for rulings to bring this to life. This isn't a list of official procedures. All the core rules require is you make the necessary Meditation rolls. How those occur and what they mean are up to you. 

The classic approach to this would be some form of secluded mediation as in the above example. And if you want to up the stakes you can take a page out of Condor Heroes and not hesitate to have action occurring around or even imperiling the process. Exactly what is going on should largely be a matter of the type of style the player has. But the situation might require other players to protect the meditating character, or for the meditating character to occasionally step out of meditation to deal with the problem. 

That is an external approach to dramatization. But there is also the question of the internal drama, like in the Li Mu Bai case, which gets more into what the characters are actually experiencing and what they do when they meditate. 

You can treat this as an extended meditation where the character is visualizing themselves cultivate energy through their meridians, perhaps struggling to channel and retain it, as a process of meditating on principles relevant to the style, perhaps even playing out imaginary battles in their mind, or simply struggling to understand a philosophical or religious idea related to their style (a kind of Touch of Zen awakening). You could even play out a small adventure of the character visualizing and exploring the 'inner landscape' of their internal alchemy. This can also be long sessions of physical training and reading that end with meditation. 

Something you should be mindful of is the efforts players are making to improve their meditation sessions. For example, if a player character has learned a needle based signature ability and spends a whole month reading manuals on needle techniques, that might warrant a +1d10 bonus on their Meditation rolls to advance. If they seek out Sun Lan the Yama Queen and receive direct advice or training from her, then that might warrant a +2d10 or even +3d10 bonus to the Meditation Rolls for the next level. 

It should be pointed out that more is assumed to be going on in the background here. A martial character would be training daily. They would likely be contemplating key ideas all the time related to their style. So it isn't meditation alone that brings them to the next level, it is meditation on a foundation of their daily discipline. Generally this is assumed to occur without being stated. But you can take a more active approach and reward players who focus on their training with bonuses to their Meditation rolls. 

I want to use real world martial arts training to give greater clarity. When I trained in martial arts, at first you learned basic strikes, basic stances, basic blocks. When you first learn how to do a round house kick, you don't understand the full depth of its mechanics. Your kick will probably lack precision, speed, power and timing. As you train longer and longer, through hard physical work, through observation of others, through having the principles explained to you, and through meditation, you improve your understanding. A key part of advancement is gaining insight into the concepts that have been explained to you and that you are practicing. So you may start to understand what people mean when they say to put your hip into a kick. You may also begin to generate power from the foot. Eventually you gain enough understanding, and enough physical mastery, that you can use all of the elements of motion and posture to deliver more power into a kick. This is also one of the things I envision the meditation roll representing. In my own sessions I also often treat meditation quite loosely, as both literal meditation and the ability to meditate and reflect on what you are learning so you understanding (even if you aren't bodily mediating while you observe another fighter, your mind might be, and you might be stitching together key pieces of understanding). 

Another dramatic aspect to meditation for levels is the potential for fire deviation. Sometimes cultivation goes wrong and the players injure their meridians, leading to rolls on the Fire Deviation table. When this happens, it should be a dramatic change. Characters undergo physical and mental changes which can alarm them and those around them. This can also serve as a good backstory for an antagonist. 

Something you want to do as a GM is build up a genre vocabulary. You can do this by reading wuxia, watching movies, watching wuxia drama series, and reading about real world martial arts.  When you watch wuxia pay attention to how meditation is used, how characters speak about their increases in power. Not every movie or book handles this the same way. Some take more of a training montage approach, others emphasize finding a manual with key insights that helps the hero overcome a challenge in their growth, while others simply focus on the daily grind of improving. This is all assumed to be part of a character in RBRB getting better. 

You may also want to read about things like Qigong Meditation, Taoist Cultivation, Buddhist Meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, as well as take a look at how real martial artists train and improve. Meditation is a practice that exists in many traditions and comes in a variety for forms. You can find useful videos covering these topics on youtube (including some that will demonstrate daily practices). I would also encourage Gamemasters to try meditation for themselves so they know what it is like. 

In the end, it is up to you what all this means. When we made RBRB, this was our vision of dark wuxia. It was what we wanted at the table when we watched Chor Yuen movies or read Gu Long. However everyone has a different eye for the genre and will key on on different aspects. Again the rolls are abstractions and RBRB is a game based on rulings and making the interpretations of the rules your own. While the default rules for meditation reflect the character going into deep or even secluded meditation in order to achieve a breakthrough, those meditation rolls can represent other things if it makes more sense for the character or situation. And you can always swap out Meditation for something else if you think it makes more sense in the moment. Just keep two questions in your mind if you choose to do this: 1) does it make sense and 2) what impact does this have on the game as a whole. 

I hope this is helpful to anyone with questions on the topic. I may explore it further in later blog entries. 

*I am going by the third edition here as the 1st and 2nd are different in key details around this plot development. Note that the translations themselves also impact character names. 

HEAVENLY FRAGRANCE CAMPAIGN SESSION 16-17

These were the sixteenth and seventeenth sessions 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.

Fu Yao: The newest member of the party. Not much is known about his past but he specializes in Qinggong. 

Campaign Note: Due to learning an evil technique, Bao Long's eyes changed, so that his whites became black and his pupils white. And due to the acquisition of another evil technique he has gained the Lust for Divinity Flaw. 

DREAMS OF IMMORTALITY

The party decided that Dancing Corpse Wan Mei must become an immortal if she were to face the Ladies of the Dawn. They initially hired a teacher to help instruct the group and then learned of the powerful Iron Heart Sect on Ro-Fish Island. They chose to go there in hopes of learning the secrets of Immortality. 

The journey to the island was 35 days by sea. It had dense forest and an active town, which they bypassed in favor of reaching a vast pagoda mountain. They were given an audience inside with Abbot Zhizun Xie. Hearing their plight, he agreed to take them in as students and explained they were a dual sect, a union of Hen-Shi followers and Dehuans. 

He stared into each of their eyes and narrated their crimes from previous lives. Then he sent them to Ro-Fish Hall, where they were given black and red robes and introduced to Master Qixia. 

SANDSTONE ABBOT 

On Ro-Fish Island the party trained under the guidance of Master Yao Qixia. She instructed them in Tremoring Step and helped improve their overall technique then informed them that they would be placed under the care of Sandstone Abbot Liang for an extended period of time. 

Sandstone Abbot Liang greeted the party upon the training platform the next morning and said "I heard there is a demon terrorizing the northern shores of the island. I want you to go and defeat it."

Art by Jackie Musto 

As they inquired about the demon they learned that it was an underwater creature that had killed several pearl fishers from the northern coastal villages. As it had only been in the ocean, they would be expected to face it there. But most of the party didn't swim, so Sandstone Abbot Liang took them to the beach and taught them to swim. Dancing Corpse Wan Mei was sent elsewhere to train on her own. 

"Are you related to the Sandstone Nun?" Asked Fu Yao 

"She is a vile woman. I belonged to the same cult as she," Said the Abbot. 

"I defeated her!" Said Bao Long. "In Glorious combat."

"Impressive," Said Sandstone Abbot Liang. "I did not expect you to be such a talent. I will show my admiration by making this exercise easier for you."

He then taught them a technique for breathing underwater. 

The players then went to the pearl fishing villages where they spoke with the locals who claimed many had perished in the sea due to the demon. 

They described the creature as vast and crab-like. Then they agreed to take the party with them for pearl diving where it was likely to strike. 

Out on a small vessel amid men diving for pearls, they saw a large crab, the size of a small mountain, with four claws. 

They dove down to the crab ready to ambush it, but Fu Yao attempted to communicate by writing in the sand. To his surprise the crab understood and responded. 

"We do not wish to harm you," He wrote. "We can come to an arrangement."

"No," Wrote the crab. "I have been ordered by the Abbot to spar with you."

They discovered that he crab was actually a protector of the island and this was simply part of their training. They fought the crab and were able to hurt it enough that it stopped attacking by going after its underbelly. 

Returning to the Abbot he explained that they would need to train in fighting the crab beneath the sea so they could fight underwater whenever it was needed. They spent a month doing so and greatly improved their ability to move and attack in the ocean. 

When it was done, the Abbot gathered them and explained he had a real mission for them. 

"Soon you will be ready to face your fated calamities," He said. "But first you must go to White Jade Island. It was once inhabited by peaceful scholars but was taken over by a witch and the whole place coated in ice. I want you defeat or subdue her. When you return you can face your calamities. 

On the island they found a town with a hundreds of frozen Hechi. They seemed to have been the original inhabitants. They searched a nearby temple and found the statue of a Goddess they did not recognize. Exploring further they saw that a mountain peak in the center of the Island, seemed more like a palace. 

As they made their observation, the frozen Hechi began to turn and move towards them. 

PATHS FROM NOWHERE SESSION 17-19

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. 

THE TIGERS OF HEN-SHI 

XIANG GUIYING/MERCIFUL TIGER: 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/COMPASSIONATE TIGER: 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)/PEARL TIGER: 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.   

SUNAN THE MURDERER 

After the battle they remained in the swamp, as Lady Yang was clearly experiencing a spiritual transformation. They all agreed to erect a temple to on the grounds of the Manor and Lady Yang offered to use her wealth to help fund the temple's construction. Feng Min would be the temples' Abbess. 

They sent word to Jade Swallow to come to the swamp with an evil-doer (any evil doer). 

Zhengbao and Guiying began researching the vision they had when the Boundless Stone was created. They learned that the figure they saw may have been Bua the Towering Mercy. According to esoteric Hen-Shi teachings, Mercies were enlightened spiritual beings who served her on the Isle of Xan. But was associated with bodies of water and for sending omens to send people on a more righteous path. They decided to build a statue in her honor on the temple grounds. 

Ten days later, Jade Swallow arrived with a murderer in chains named Sunan. They asked him how many he had killed but he boasted he'd lost count then said he did it for entertainment. 

Through testing, Zhengbao learned that Sunan, Captain Yi and Pan Ju all saw the stone as a tree stump. 

Zheng Bao placed the stone on Sunan's chest but he continued to declare it was just a tree stump. 

Guiying them forced Sunan to recite countless sutras, for six hours each day. 

Eventually he was able to see the stone and its writing and said "Hen-Shi's compassion is indeed boundless."

"In time," Said Guiying. "You will become an instrument of Hen-Shi."

Sunan laughed at her statement. "I will be forgiven for all my crimes. I can kill and be forgiven! Hen-Shi's mercy frees me to do as I wish! She will even forgive me when I kill you!"

Troubled by his misunderstanding, Zheng Bao left him under the stone overnight and explained that if he truly understood the sutra, he would not wish to kill them.

The party decided to head south to Dee to find an architect to design their temple. They left Sunan in the care of Abbess Feng Min, and Jade Swallow decided to stay behind to protect the temple in their absence (the stains on her hands had been cured by the power of the stone).

In Dee they went tot the Red Mist Inn and wine and food. There they learned that a man named Dongfeng resided nearby in the gambling quarter and was called The Supreme Architect. They went to Dongfeng Manor and asked for an audience. 

Dongfeng was a burly man and greeted them enthusiastically. 

They asked if he would design their temple. 

"I am retired," Said Dongfeng. 

Zheng Bao explained the temples importance. Impressed, Dongfeng agreed to come out of retirement if they could obtain an artifact for him. He had no desire for money. 

"I want the Belt of Mercy," Said Dongfeng. "It can be found at the Hanging Temple of Bao."

HANGING TEMPLE OF BAO 

The party traveled to Mount Bao and to the Hanging Temple of Bao, where they were greeted by Abbess Gu Wei in a cavern hall with a running water fountain.

"Greetings Abbess Gu Wei," Said Zheng Bao. "We have heard you keep the Belt of Mercy. I am Zheng Bao, a disciple of Jade Swallow and protector of the Boundless Heart Stone," Zheng Bao gestured to the stone strapped to his back."

"You are most welcome here Zheng Bao," Said the Abbess. "And it is true we are the keepers of the Belt of Mercy."

"I am reluctant to ask, but we have an arrangement with Supreme Architect Dongfeng of De, that he will design the temple provided we give him the Belt of Mercy. Is it possible for us to request this belt so we may build our temple?"

"We are willing to give you the belt, provided you make a point of asking the Supreme Architect to donate it to your temple where it can be housed in a pagoda."

Zheng Bao promised to do so.  

"Please follow me," Said the Abbess and they began to follow. "I would love to gift the belt to your temple, and would do so, but I am affraid it was stolen two years ago."

She brought them to a terrace and pointed to a mountain peak. 

"A powerful master came here two years ago and took the belt into that peak," She said. "When he arrived that mountain peak was not there, it formed in his wake as he fled. I sent five nuns after him but only one returned, the other four, Jingzi, Ruo, Yu and Ke, never came back."

Abbess Gu Wei led them back into the temple complex, in what looked like a prison. A woman was rotting in a cell, wearing the robes of a nun. 

"This is Shuxin," Said the Abbess. "She returned, her flesh eaten away, and attempted to eat the flesh of her sisters. We locked her here and she has been raving about monks, a jade pagoda, strange birds and an endless hunger."

Zheng Bao approached the cell and tried speaking with the nun, but she cackled and spoke incoherently about the monetary upon the peak of the mountain. 

"May I try something that could possibly heal her Abbess?" He asked. "It could be dangerous but it might work."

She nodded and he attempted to use his Fires of the Merciful Heart ability. Meditating he caused a swell of fire to burn in the nun's heart, but it soon consumed her with violence. The process caused her to die for which he apologized but the Abbess seemed pleased with the outcome. 

THE JADE PAGODA 

The party agreed to go into the new peak in search of the nuns and the belt. They found narrow stone steps leading up the slope and took them. Along the way the branches of surrounding trees moved and gripped the party. As the branches began to tighten and squeeze the breath from their bodies, they realized that the trees in the area were all sprouting branches that looked like living constrictor snakes. 

Once again, Zheng Bao meditated and brought a fire upon the trees, causing them to burst into flames. This allowed them to escape and proceed up the mountain. 

As they got closer to the peak, they saw a temple complex, and monks moving like ants, carrying barrels filled with jade from a nearby cave. All the monks seemed to have the same face. The entrance to the temple was guarded by a woman in blue robes with a familiar countenance and wielding a kushen saber. In the distance they saw a structure being erected, like a tall tower or pagoda, that appeared to be made from jade. 

Guiying used her great stride and appeared behind the women, attacking immediately. However she twisted and used Guiying's momentum to pull her into a choke hold. Leaping from a nearby precipice, Pan Ju delivered a litany of stabs that rendered the woman unconscious. 

From the temple gates, strode a man, with wild hair but the robes and prayer beads of an abbot. He looked at the party. 

"Why have you brought violence to our temple, this is a place of peace," He said. "Please put your weapons down so we can discuss the situation with clarity and calm." 

"Very well," Said Zheng Bao holding forth the Boundless Boulder upon which the Boundless Sutra was written. "What is this I am holding?"

"A delusion," He said. "Nothing more."

The group signaled each other to attack but the Abbot unleashed a cascade of threads from his robes towards Guiying, but she was able to twirl out of the way. 

The fight continued for some time before it was ended with Pan Ju unleashing another onslaught of blades that brought the abbot to the ground. Pan Ju chose not to deliver lethal blows, merely to incapacitate. 

The party spoke with the monks carrying the barrels and found one named Lu who was moved by the Boundless Stone and asked to follow Zheng Bao. They bound the abbot and gathered all the other monks into the courtyard, while Lu showed them around the temple grounds. 

He brought them to the Hall of Death Transcendence. In the hall was a tapestry depicting Sun Mai teaching Bao one of his hidden sutras. It instantly became clear Lu was identical to the Sun Mai Depiction, as were the other monks, and that the woman who guarded the temple entrance was the spitting image of Bao. 

They also found a nun imprisoned in the hall. They discovered this was Jingzi and that she had the Belt of Mercy around her waist. The Abbot had been torturing her for information about a ritual path to immortality known to the nuns of Bao. She explained that the belt prevented her from escaping by crushing her waist anytime she took a violent action. It also could not be removed by normal means. When they asked Lu about the woman guardian, he told them her name was Bao, that he believed her to be the Bao of legend. 

Though conversation with the nun and Lu, they learned he was building a pagoda of Jade to the sky. 

Zheng Bao was able to remove the belt from the nun by touching the stone to it. 

They spoke with Lu and the other monks, who all believed they had been on the mountain for years. But Lu told the party he noticed discrepancies in their personal histories and he attempted to meditate, taking his mind back second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, in real time, until he came to a wall two years ago where all the memories of his life seemed to flood in at once. 

Lu then showed them to the Master's chambers where they found black ink paintings of everything and everyone at the temple and on the mountain, including the trees they had seen. They were able to reason that he was somehow fabricating them through these drawings. This also explained the appearance of the new peak. 

Zheng Bao found an image of a flock of birds, then looked for similar birds in teh sky and ripped the paper, causing the flock to vanish like running ink.

Guiying suggested they rip up the images to see what happens but Pan Ju cautioned waiting until they reached the base of the peak. 

Asking Lu about the pagoda, he explained they were creating it with the vast jade deposit in the peak. It was only about two hundred feet now but the Abbot, who Lu explained was named Mi Bozhong, intended to make a pagoda that reached the moon.

They awakened Abbot Mi Bozhong and asked him about the tower and the images. He explained that he had an inkstone that made whatever he painted come true, and that he was building the Pagoda to the moon so he could sneak into the City of Perpetual Righteousness and place the Belt of Mercy Supreme Judge Yu, so he would be free to become a god and spread chaos*. 

Guiying searched the abbot. Finding the inkstand she took it and they began experimenting with it on the images. Because they lacked the artistic ability they had Lu, who knew calligraphy and painting, use the inkstone to paint two rabbits. Within seconds two rabbits appeared in the temple grounds. They found all the pictures of the monks, and had Lu draw distinct marks on each of them, watching as the marks they painted appeared on each monks face in reality. 

Zheng Bao gave Lu his illustration, saying he was free to do with it what he wished. 

Then they gathered the remaining images and had Lu paint a tree, which sprouted near the temple entrance. Gathering the monks they implored them to be good and disperse, then ripped the image of the tree causing the tree to dissipate to intimidate them to obey. 

Speaking with the woman named Bao, she explained that she believed herself to be the original Bao, who fought alongside Sunan. They tried to persuade her this was not so but have her the image that had made her, and told her she was free to live her life and do with it as she pleased. 

Pan Ju noticed that the Abbot was becoming pallid and weak, seeming on the cusp of death. Trying to treat his injuries Mi Bozhong explained that he could not live without the inkstone.

"I stole the inkstone in a dream," Said Mi Bozhong. "And the dream has not ended. Without the stone I will awaken, which is death for me. I wanted to be a god, so I could dream endlessly" 

Lu advised against returning the stone to the master, calling him a crazy tyrant who planned mischief in the world of man. 

Zheng Bao chipped the inkstone, and the whole mountain rumbled, one of Mi Bozhong's eyes burst in a bloody mess. Then Zheng Bao put the chipped piece in Mi Bozhong's mouth and asked him to swallow it. His eye grew whole once again. 

Zheng Bao chose to be merciful gave Mi Bozhong the inkstone and put the Belt of Mercy on him, telling him to come with them to their temple and reform his ways. 

They told the monks to leave and live their lives, warning them they would destroy the mountain when they left the peak. 

Walking to the Hanging Temple of Bao, to return Jingzi, they ripped up the image of the peak and it evaporated in a misty blackness. 

WIND BONE OF THE MOUNTAIN 

As they left Mount Bao and walked through the hills to Dee, Guiying sensed two men following them. She called out and asked who they were. 

Two figures sheepishly peered from over a hill but said nothing. 

"Come here," She said. "I won't hurt you."

They came forward but it was clear they couldn't speak, only communicate with hand gestures. 

"Why are you following us?"

One of them drew the character for "Mountain" in the dirt. 

It took quite a while for them to communicate with the men, who rendered their names as Ot and Ong. They worked out that the men were here on behalf of a man named Wind Bone, who was upset that the beautiful mountain peak had been removed and wanted their treasure, the Belt of Mercy, as compensation. They understood him to be a powerful master, and they were aware that the Jin Suk, a tribe these two men presumably belonged to, served him. 

"Very well," Said Guiying. "We have business in the city, but we will personally meet with Wind Bone at the Chang Bridge in two months."

The men nodded and departed. 

As they continued to Dee, they passed by senior disciples of Twin Fisted Eagle Sect, the organization Guiying's true father belonged to. They informed her that her father was doing well and was eager to see her again soon. They asked if she needed any assistance on the road. Guiying said they none was needed and told them to send her greetings to her father. 

THE SUPREME ARCHITECT 

When they arrived in Dee and were on their way to Dongfeng Manor, they spotted Fa Si, the Plume Smoking Assassin. She noticed them and approached with a bow. 

"The contract has been rescinded," She said, referring to the contract that Lady Yang had given her to kill the party. "We are at peace."

Fa Si looked sickly and was clearly inebriated by plume. 

"Do you still wish to have a fair fight, like we spoke of before," Said Guiying. 

"Yes, but not to the death," Fa Si said. 

"You fight one of us in seven days, three strikes each, whoever is most injured loses. If you lose you must walk the path of Hen-Shi, and if we lose?"

"A pound of plume a week," Said Fa Si. "Also no blocks or counters. We must fairly trade blows with full force."

"Very well" said Guiying,"Who do you want to fight?"

"Zheng Bao!"

THE SUPREME ARCHITECT

They returned to Dongfeng Manor and brought Mi Bozhong before the Supreme Architect. Pan Ju explained how the belt was placed on Mi Bozhong to restrain his evil, but made it sound like it was put there by the Nun, Jingzi rather than themselves. 

"So you see we cannot give the belt to you as it can only be removed by killing the person," Pan Ju concluded. 

"And the inkstone is that still with you?"

"Yes," Said Guiying.

"Then would you agree to let me study the inkstone in exchange for designing the temple?" Asked The Supreme Architect. 

 "Yes, but it seems tied Mi Bozhong, he would die if separated from it for too long. We would advise giving you free access to study the inkstone at the temple where he would be staying. It might be unsafe for us to leave Mi Bozhong here with you."

The Supreme Architect agreed and gave them quarters so they could rest until their fight with Fa Si. They spent the week training and Guiying made a point of teaching Grudge Bearing Sword Strike to Zheng Bao, something he found worked well with his spear. 

LADY OF THE PALACE LIBRARY

A servant at the Dongfeng Manor informed the party that there was a woman sent by the Queen to speak with them and that she was waiting in the hall. 

"Greetings to the Three Tigers of Hen-Shi," Said the woman. At her side she was flanked by two rows of women wearing brown caps, blue robes and gripping swords in a militant stance. "I am Ma Ping, The Lady of the Palace Library, and come with greetings from Queen Ai Nu. She congratulates you for erecting a temple to Hen-Shi in the Whispering Swamps."

After they thanked her appropriately she informed them that the queen wished to inspect the temple herself. 

"I am sure this would be fine but I must speak with the Abbess first," Zheng Bao said. 

Ma Ping bowed and smiled, "Please understand, it might confuse things and create difficulty if I return to the queen without news of a firm date for inspection."

"If you like you may come with us to the temple and see it for yourself while we secure a date with the Abbess and then return to Queen Ai Nu."

"This would be most agreeable," Ma Ping said. "We have accommodations outside Dee and will leave with you when you depart."

DUEL ON THE BLUE CLIFFS 

Fa Si and Zheng Bao faced each other on the blue cliffs. They agreed to let fate decide who would make the first strike, and it chose Zheng Bao.

He lunged forward with the Grudge Bearing Sword strike Guiying had taught him, and impaled Fa Si on his spear.

Fa Si bled but remained standing. She inhaled a long draft from her celestial plume pipe and expelled a dark cloud of vapor that enshrouded Zheng Bao with bone crushing force. 

Zheng Bao delivered another Grudge Bearing Sword strike, this time causing Fa Si to stiffen. 

The stoned woman retaliated with a violent palm strike that sent blue energy coursing through Zheng Bao's body. The initial blow hurt him badly but the energy continued to harm his internal organs in its wake. 

Fa Si crumpled onto Zheng Bao's spear as he delivered another Grudge Bearing Sword Strike. He treated her wounds and she stopped the blue energy she had sent into his body. He asked her to vow on the Boundless Stone, promising to follow him on the righteous path. She did so and inhaled deeply on her plume pipe. 

"If that celestial plume habit steers you from the path of Hen-Shi, and leads you to commit unjust acts, I may have to encourage you to quit, by force if necessary." Zheng Bao emphasize his words with a commanding gaze. 

"Does Hen-Shi have a rule against smoking celestial plume?"

"No," Said Zheng Bao. "But if the habit leads you to evil actions, we will need to remedy the problem."

*Supreme Judge Yu is largely in charge of enforcing the laws of the Celestial Bureaucracy and dwells in Lunar Kingdom 

CHENG PEI-PEI

On July 17th, the actress Cheng Pei-Pei passed away. Though she has appeared in a number of different types of films and television series, spanning decades from the 1960s to 2020, it was her martial arts movies that most remember her for and that had the biggest impact on me personally. I want to spend a bit of time talking about her influence and why I think she was such an important performer. 

Before I do that, I just want to say, if you haven't seen her movies or are only familiar with her from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, go back and watch her Shaw Brothers films. There are a lot of places you can start but the three I would recommend first would be Come Drink with Me, Dragon Swamp and Lady Hermit. I think these provide a good overview of that period. 

It isn't an exaggeration to say without Cheng Pei-Pei, there would be no Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. There is a reason that the film suggestion list in the rulebook starts with Come Drink with Me (1966). In the introduction I wrote: 

Our starting point for the wuxia genre is Come Drink With Me and the movies that followed. Other early films starring Cheng Pei-Pei were particularly influential.

So much of the game, the setting, and the energy that went into it, owes a debt to her Shaw Brothers filmography. There were other influences for certain but none more important. So much so that two characters in the rulebook were directly inspired by her. If you look at the first illustration of Lady White Blade by Jackie Musto: 

You can see it is an homage to Lady Hermit: 

Lady White Blade was essentially an evil version of the Cheng Pei-Pei character in that movie. And anyone looking at this image of Cheng Pei-Pei as Lady Hermit, can immediately understand why she is so important. She didn't just have the physicality for the roles, she also had screen presence. 

I am not a film scholar or expert, but for me when I watch her movies, it is that screen presence and the blend of talent she brings that really makes her movies work. When Cheng Pei-Pei smiles, you believe it, when her eyes flare in anger you believe it, when you she laughs, you laugh with her. 

Some actors and actresses, people simply like. Cheng Pei-Pei is an actress who easily carries a movie, and someone you want to see on screen. For me she is like Ti Lung or Bruce Lee in that respect. 

I think she is also incredibly graceful. Her footwork always amazes me and helps create a sense of flowing movement on screen. I often talked about watching the feet of actors in the early Shaw Brothers productions because that of the style of the fight choreography at the time, and she is usually the person I was thinking of here. Cheng Pei-Pei can sink into a stance that is so poised, it enhances the beauty of the scene. Which makes sense because her background was in dancing. She trained for six years in ballet while in school and then trained at the Shaw Brothers performing arts center when joining the company. One of the things I believe sets her apart is this earlier ballet experience, which you can see in her movement in movies like Come Drink with Me. 

Believability in an action star is crucial and one aspect of Cheng Pei-Pei's performance that makes her so believable to me is her physique. Again if you watch her feet while she moves, you get a better appreciation of her grace, but if you pay attention to her build and the power of her stances, it gives you a better appreciation of her strength and athleticism. Even down to the hands, she has hands that you believe a fighter would have. 

There is also the intensity of her acting in action sequences. She sells the danger and the struggle through these intense expressions. These intense looks as swords clash add to the visual ferocity of it all. 

And this is to say nothing of her acting itself. We recently covered Dragon Swamp on the podcast and one of the things that stands out is how well she can carry a film playing two separate roles, often sharing screen time with herself through split screen. 

These are just some intitial thoughts. I have been spending the past week or so rewatching her classic movies and giving my thoughts on the podcast. When that is done I will follow this up with a more in depth tribute. Normally I don't cover celebrity passings like this, but I think Cheng Pei-Pei is a very special performer and someone whose work I would like to draw attention to again on the blog now that she is no longer with us.

About ten years ago I did a number of reviews on this blog (look under the header Wuxia Inspiration on the left column), and you can find a number of her films covered there if you want to know more. I would recommend checking out her filmography at HKMDB and her filmography at IMDB to find her movies. Reviews are also plentiful online and many of her films were recently released by Shout! Factory in their Shaw Brothers Boxed sets (and are also available on the Shout! channel on prime). And Arrow put out a new bluray of Come Drink with Me which I also highly recommend.