PATHS FROM NOWHERE SESSION 20

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.   

THE MONKS WARNING 

The party traveled north back to the temple, with Lady Ma Ping of the Palace Library and her retinue of thirty servants and troupe of royal bodyguards. On the fourth day, a monk blocked their path in a ready stance. 

He looked familiar.

It was the monk who gave them a dowsing rod. 

"Let us speak alone" Zheng Bao said, sensing the monk was prepared for fighting. He noticed on a distant hill a women, dressed like an Abbess. 

Zheng Bao asked Lady Ma Ping of the Palace Library to make camp with her retinue away from the road, and said they would join them once they talked with the monk. 

Art by Jackie Musto

"Who is that man?" Ma Ping asked. 

"Just a monk we met some time ago, we must speak with him about a matter."

Zheng Bao, Pan Ju and Xiang Guiying approached the monk. 

"The Abbess has heard news of your temple," Said the monk. 

Zheng Bao explained the details of its origin, including the creation of the Boundless Stone.  

"The Sandstone Sutra is true," said the Monk. "You will not build the temple. Abbess Sun Ming will not allow you to build such a temple."

Zheng Bao protested that they would build a temple in honor of the Boundless Sutra, with Abess Feng Min. 

"We will be forced to use the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower if you persist," Said the monk. 

"Do you not threaten us with the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower, we have the Boundless Sutra and it is a true teaching of Hen-Shi."

The Abbess the hill moved and struck Zheng Bao with a palm to the chest from an impossible distance. It hurt him considerably, but also left him weaker than he'd ever been*. 

Zheng Bao meditated and used his fires of the merciful heart. Though they had no effect on the monk, the Abbess screamed as Hen-Shi's flames overpowered her. She fled by ascending to the sky. 

"I am prepared to give my life in defense of the temple," Said Zheng Bao.

"Then be prepared to do so," Said the monk, and calmly walked away. 

THE ABBESS 

They returned to the temple and Ma Ping was given quarters as well as an audience with Feng Min. Mi Bozhong, was placed into the custody of Jade Swallow who imprisoned him at the back of the manor grounds with Sunan the Murderer. 

They spent the next few days preparing for a possible attack on the temple. In that time, Zheng Bao taught storming daggers to Guiying. 

Guiying asked Ma Ping about the Abbess Sun Ming. She informed them that Sun Ming was the Sandstone Nun. Guiying then asked about the Thousand Painful Deaths flower, and Ma Ping explained that it was a device shaped like a golden flower with petals that exploded and tore into the flesh of all around. 

On the third day, Pan JU saw a blue bird had flown into Mi Bozhong's cage. 

Pan Ju inspected the situation and noticed Mi Bozhong whispering to the bird as they approached. 

"When did this bird come here," Asked Pan Ju. 

"This is my new friend, he came moments a go."

The bird suddenly became skittish and flew away. 

Later that day Jade Swallow informed Pan Ju that Mi Bozhong was drawing something on the roof of his cage. 

Zheng Bao and Pan Ju looked at the painting and it seemed to be a man in splendid robes. 

"What are you painting?" Pan Ju asked. "You shouldn't be using your powers this way."

"I merely sought to make amends," said Mi Bozhong. "I have created a wealthy donor who will bring endless funds to your temple."

"This is not appropriate," Said Zheng Bao. "You must change him, make him a wanderer who donates to the less fortunate."

"But this would kill the man I have already created, a life."

Someone was announced at the gates. 

"I am glad you tried to make amends, but ask us in the future first," Said Zheng Bao. 

Pan Ju was more concerned and mentioned the belt. 

"Check and see if the belt has tightened," Said Jade Swallow. 

They saw that the belt had squeezed Mi Bozhong so his waist was bleeding. 

Zheng Bao went to greet the person who arrived at the gate. There he saw a robust man in resplendent golden robes, scaled like armor. 

"Greetings," said the man, "I am Ouyang Gao and wish to give my wealth to this temple."

Zheng Bao explained to the man that he was figment, created by a magical ink stone. And that they therefore could not accept his money. The man didn't seem to understand, look discomforted and asked to speak with the abbess. Zheng Bao retrieved the Abbess but called Pan Ju and Guiying to watch the man. 

When Abbess Feng Min and Zheng Bao returned the man became to shake and his robes unleashed a hail of blades petals as he himself exploded. In that moment, Zheng Bao saw the Sandstone Nun and her monk creep towards them through the bamboo forest. 

Pan Ju and Guiying leapt in the air, away from the hail of petals. Zheng Bao stood before Feng Min and deflected the petals back at the Sandstone Nun. 

The golden petal ripped into the Sandstone Nun's torso where it continued to burrow over the next several moments. 

Guiying rushed towards the Sandstone Nun and struck at her, but her attack was intercepted by a palm strike to the chest. Guiying hobbled back and felt her body weaken**

Pan Ju unleashed a hail of daggers on the Sandstone Nun. The nun created a circular field of glowing energy in the shape of golden mercies but the daggers passed through. However they did not strike with enough force to harm her. 

Heaving the Boundless Stone Zheng Bao asked the Sandstone Nun what she saw written upon it.

"A false Sutra!"

Zheng Bao fell into a meditation and used his fires of the merciful heart ability. 

The Sandstone Nun's heart surged with heat and her body was aflame. 

Feng Min charged with a palm strike but missed. 

Suddenly the Sandstone Nun's eyes glowed bright red and a terrible energy flowed from her hands into Feng Min, killing her instantly***

In a rage, Pan Ju leapt forward and skewered the Sandstone Nun with Blade of the Dancing Fox, using the Wind Sabre as her weapon. 

The Sandstone Nun collapsed dead to the ground. 

Zheng Bao looked at the monk and said "Give up the path of the Sandstone Sutra, follow the boundless stone and stop fighting."

"I will not follow a lie, but I will give you peace, we have both lost masters today," Said the monk. 

Zheng Bao agreed to peace provided the monk vowed never to attack them. 

The monk agreed but asked to take his master's body for burial in the desert. 

Again Zheng Bao allowed it on the condition he promised not to do anything evil with the corpse. 

Then Zheng Bao asked the monk for the painful deaths flower. 

"It is gone, we placed it in a living vessel," He said, pointing at the remains of Ouyang Gao. 

Still concerned, Zheng Bao made him promise never to recreate the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower. 

"We sought only to keep it out of the hands of the world," Said the Monk. "I will never engineer such a device."

Finally Zheng Bao insisted that he monk speak truthfully about what happened today. The monk agreed. 

He and Zheng Bao bowed respectfully and the monk departed with the nun's corpse. 

"What is your name?" Pan Ju asked the monk.

"Zhag Yan," He said. 

Zheng Bao then observed that they would need to decide who would replace Feng Min as the temple's abbess. 

*This attack did a lot of damage plus it imposed a -3d10 Muscle Penalty for several days. 

**This was a lesser form of the attack she had made on Zheng Bao. It did considerable damage but only imposed a -1d10 Muscle penalty 

***She used an attack that does 16 automatic wounds when successful