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This is going to show up in the PDF and print versions eventually, but here is a slightly revised map of Fan Xu Prefecture for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate and for the Sons of Lady 87 book. There was an issue with one of the legend elements not exporting. Recommend referring to this one for overland travel.
This was the Fifteenth session^ of my Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate wuxia sandbox campaign, the Celestial Plume Masters, using the Sons of Lady 87 book, which was just released in print. You can see the first session HERE. You can see the fourteenth session HERE.
PLAYER CHARACTERS
Wei Ziying: A skilled poisoner and physician, with ties to the Relentless Corpse Sect, Wei Ziying is a disciple of the Celestial Plume Masters. He also has a longstanding friendship with Kuo Qingzhao, who wishes to know more about the poisons that killed his wife (poisons Wei Ziying knows the secrets of). Grudge: Ravenous Nun Xuanji (for the murder of Red Eagle)
Wang Haoyang: A master of stealth, Wang Haoyang is one of the Celestial Plume Master disciples. He has a lifelong friendship with Pei Ye of the Vermillion Bird Teahouse, but has attracted the affection of another member of that organization, Fan Zhen'er (he does not return the affection but wishes to avoid creating friction within the Vermillion Bird Teahouse, and possibly creating enemies). Grudge: Guan Nuan (for a duel he escaped, she feels she lost face because he was weaker than her and should have been an easy victory)
Hei Ling: A one-eyed chief in the Celestial Plume Masters, Hei Ling is the father of Li Liang, whom he wishes to cease practicing her Toad Style kung fu because of the physical toll on her body. He had Li Liang with Qixia the candied fruit in his youth and since then Qixia has grown hostile. He has a working relationship with the Wu Sisters. Grudge: Qixia the Candied Fruit Vendor (of Hai'an). Grudge: Qixia (many reasons related to their pre-existing relationship)
Iron Tiger: The newest member of the party, sent by Night Thorn to help them expand. He has a longstanding friendship with Iron Beggar Sun Kang, whom he wants to leave his lap of luxury in the House of Flying Lanterns so he can train with the Nature Loving Monks and improve his Kung Fu. Iron Beggar in turn wants Iron Tiger to leave the Celestial Plume Masters. Grudge: Pei Ye (he murdered her favorite client, Golden Cobra).
THE BATTLE OF THE FORGOTTEN BRIDGE
Wei Ziying was sent on orders from Lady 87 to kill the remaining six leaders of the Seven Demons*, who were on their way to meet The House of Loma at ruined bridge over a dry riverbed south of San Ci. They came in search of allies. What the Seven Demon leadership did not realize was they were walking into an ambush set by Lady 87, and that the House of Loma were coordinating with Wei Ziying and Big Sister Hong Na.
Wei Ziying went to the bridge with Big Sister Hong Na, Mule-Head Hong (a high ranking member of the 87 Killers), Three-Handed Feng (leader of the House of Loma), Lulu (a crucial member of the house of Loma) and ten of the House of Loma Disciples. Wei Ziying snuck under the bridge with Lulu and Big Sister Hong Na, leaving Mule-Head Hong and Three-Handed Feng to wait on the bridge (the disciples stayed far from sight in the area).
The seven demons remaining were: Zhizhu (the leader), Yao Yun, Ai, Bone General, Qanku, and Wuzhi. Fubai had been killed so they had a disciple dress up as him. Zhizhu
Art by Jackie Musto
As the Seven Demons approached they saw the disciples hidden behind some trees**. As they got closer one of the Seven Demons recognized the face of Mule-Head Hong as a member of the 87 Killers and mentioned this to the leader Zhizhu***.
"It's a trap." Zhizhu stopped her men and instructed everyone to flee.
What ensued was rather chaotic with Yao Yun, Ai, Zhizhu, and Bone General all using Swift Stride to escape the area****. Wei Ziying leapt out and assailed Qanku with a flash of venom droplets that quickly entered his blood stream.
Wuzhi was also wounded by fled as well using his Swift Stride, only to be followed by Lulu who landed a series of kicks against him forcing until his spit up blood.
Seeing her brother in trouble, Zhizhu commended Bone General and Yaoyun to great stride with her to save him. They leapt in, and Bone General used his Bone Pulling Hook to rip Lulu's leg bones from her body*****
Lulu had a moment to choose between fleeing and landing a fatal blow against Wuzhi. She chose to flee and made her way back to the bridge (though she was possessed by a Qi Spirit at this point as she had over-exerted her martial arts).
When the battle was over, Qanku was dead and the rest of the Seven Demons had fled.
THE SHIFTING ALLIANCES OF IRON GOD MENG
Hei Ling and Wang Haoyang made their way back to Tung-On, first by land to Yun Hu, then by boat along the canal. Iron Tiger went from He Yun to Tung-On by chariot with his men, so was a couple days behind them.
When Hei Ling and Wang Haoyang arrives in Tung-On, they sent word to Hua Yin of Night Thorn's Death, then Hei Ling went to see Iron God Meng after receiving a message requesting his presence.
When he arrived at the Lucky Mountain Gambling Hall, something felt off, but he could not quite put his finger on it******
He came to Iron God Meng's new audience hall, where baskets of King Cobras lined the wall alongside Iron God Meng's guards.
"Greetings Brother," Said Iron God Meng.
Hei Ling could see that something was wrong with his sworn brother's expression. He discerned that his skin and eyes were darkened and showed signs of illness or exposure to poison.*******
Iron God Meng slumped a bit in his chair and looked more wild than normal.
"I have made a decision and need to tell you about it Brother. But I warn you, you are not going to like it."
"Please Brother," Said Hei Ling. "We can speak freely with one another."
"I have decided to join forces with the 87 Killers. The war is bending in their favor: Night Thorn is dead."********
"But brother, the winds of war can change, do not be too hasty and ally with someone who will lose in the end."
"There is more," Said Iron God Meng. "The 87 Killers have destroyed the Heavenly Wind Cult by sending their Palm Mistress to her grave, defeated Demonic Venom Sect in the same way, and is increasing its allies."
"Give me some time," Said Hei Ling. "Events are unfolding that will change the outcome I assure you. I ask you to wait before striking anyone, so you aren't committed to a losing struggle."
"I have committed my forces, but I will not use them against your men, as we are sworn brothers, and should I hear word that something has unfolded, I will remember your words."
This is where the session ended.
*Because this was going to be a major battle and a potentially long and large one (not in sheer numbers but in numbers of important NPCs), I had the two other players present (we were down one player) run the Seven Demons. I like to do this sometimes because it can make for a more competitive fight (players tend to run NPCs more ruthlessly sometimes).
**This was simply a Detect roll
***This was a result of an Institutions (Sects) Roll TN 10. So it was a very unlikely result
****Here I ruled that anyone who fled the area using Great Stride could be chased by another if that person succeeded in an opposed roll against their Great Stride roll (and that the pursuer could make an attack on a success).
*****He got two tens on the attack roll
******This was due to the player failing his Detect roll, had he succeeded he would have noticed more details alerting him to Iron God Meng's change of plans (i.e. guards at attention and placed around the hall more strategically, etc)
*******This was a result of a Medicine Roll
********As far as Hei Ling was aware, Iron God Meng did not understand Night Thorn's importance in the organization. This was true, and his awareness was a product of Lady 87 promoting Night Thorn's death and his importance to the Celestial Plume Masters throughout the martial world
^This was actually a long session but the log is short, due to much of the focus being on a major battle at the beginning which took some time to set up and run (no miniatures but the players needed to familiarize themselves with the characters they were running and each turn of combat was carefully evaluated)
This was the eleventh session of my Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate wuxia sandbox campaign, the Celestial Plume Masters, using the Sons of Lady 87 book, which was just released in print. You can see the first session HERE. You can see the Tenth session HERE.
PLAYER CHARACTERS
Wei Ziying: A skilled poisoner and physician, with ties to the Relentless Corpse Sect, Wei Ziying is a disciple of the Celestial Plume Masters. He also has a longstanding friendship with Kuo Qingzhao, who wishes to know more about the poisons that killed his wife (poisons Wei Ziying knows the secrets of). Grudge: Ravenous Nun Xuanji (for the murder of Red Eagle)
Wang Haoyang: A master of stealth, Wang Haoyang is one of the Celestial Plume Master disciples. He has a lifelong friendship with Pei Ye of the Vermillion Bird Teahouse, but has attracted the affection of another member of that organization, Fan Zhen'er (he does not return the affection but wishes to avoid creating friction within the Vermillion Bird Teahouse, and possibly creating enemies). Grudge: Guan Nuan (for a duel he escaped, she feels she lost face because he was weaker than her and should have been an easy victory)
Hei Ling: A one-eyed chief in the Celestial Plume Masters, Hei Ling is the father of Li Liang, whom he wishes to cease practicing her Toad Style kung fu because of the physical toll on her body. He had Li Liang with Qixia the candied fruit in his youth and since then Qixia has grown hostile. He has a working relationship with the Wu Sisters. Grudge: Qixia the Candied Fruit Vendor (of Hai'an). Grudge: Qixia (many reasons related to their pre-existing relationship)
Iron Tiger: The newest member of the party, sent by Night Thorn to help them expand. He has a longstanding friendship with Iron Beggar Sun Kang, whom he wants to leave his lap of luxury in the House of Flying Lanterns so he can train with the Nature Loving Monks and improve his Kung Fu. Iron Beggar in turn wants Iron Tiger to leave the Celestial Plume Masters. Grudge: Pei Ye (he murdered her favorite client, Golden Cobra).
THE TEMPLE OF THE GOLDEN DRAGONS
In Jinsa, Iron Tiger received a message and followed the order. He had Qixia's corpse exhumed and preserved so Li Liang could craft a mace handle from her bones.
Then Iron Tiger went to the Banyan to meet with the Golden Dragons. He offered to train their men in exchange for the temple's Kung Fu. They were uncomfortable with his offer and Bronze Master said they could not freely trade their marital arts with a person like himself.
Iron Tiger threatened to destroy them all if they didn't consider his offer.
"But we have thousands of men, what hope do you have?" Asked Bronze Master.
"I have never been defeated. My kung fu is exceptional and unrivaled. I can take you all."
Seeing Iron Tiger was serious he offered to meet with him privately.
Iron Tiger persuaded Bronze Master to allow him a match with one of the Golden Dragon masters. He called in Master Emerald who faced off with Iron Tiger.
Initially Master Emerald countered Iron Tiger's first attack with a spinning back kick. Shortly after Iron Tiger broke Master Emerald's arm and Bronze Master ended the match, accusing Iron Tiger of being an animal.
"You should leave" He told Iron Tiger.
Iron Tiger refused, demanding that Bronze Master allow his men to spar with the disciples of the Golden Dragons. At first Bronze Master said their sect was too righteous, that he found Iron Tiger's methods appalling. But after he made Iron Tiger promise to not break any more bones, to not kill or seriously injure, he agreed on the condition that he would leave after the matches.
The Golden Dragons selected some of their better men to go up against Iron Tiger's. In the end, the Golden Dragons outperformed them. Before Iron Tiger left, Bronze Master asked to speak with him privately.
"Your Kung Fu is very impressive, and I believe we can come to an arrangement if you are open minded my friend," said Bronze Master. "I have men here, well trained men, who are not worthy to remain. They have misbehaved and I must expel them anyways. Perhaps I can assign them to train with you, to help them reform."
Iron Tiger was pleased by the offer and said he could accept.
"I just need you to do some things for me, if I give you these men," said Bronze Master.
Iron Tiger once again said this was acceptable.
"You will need to kill from time to time; you can accept this term?"
"Yes," Said Iron Tiger.
"Good, I will expel them after you leave and tell them to go to your headquarters in?"
"Tung-On."
"Very well, I will send them to Tung-On to meet you."
TURN OF THE ZHEN BIRD
Iron Tiger left and set out for Tung-On. The journey was mostly uneventful save for passing some Kushen Soldiers as they crossed the Banyan Mountains. However they spotted two birds circling down to them in the Southern Desert. They both tried to peck Iron Tiger so he grabbed their throats and snapped their necks, killing them. Emerald Cobra was concerned they were an omen.
WEI ZIYING BETRAYS HIS SECT
It was decided that Wei Ziying would go to Mai Cun and pretend to join The 87 Killers, providing them with select information about the Celestial Plume Masters. He and Wang Haoyang coordinated a time and place to stage an ambush by leading them to believe Haoyang would be alone and vulnerable when his wife left their residence on a journey. With Hei Ling's blessing he made the journey. Along the way he was accosted by a monk named Li Yaochen. The monk demanded he come with him to see an old friend. Wei Ziying played along but used his elusive viper technique to slip away when it became clear the monk was taking him to Gao Cun.
When he reached Mai Cun he made his way to the Guan quarter and asked for an audience with Lady 87, explaining that he hide vital information about the Celestial Plume Masters.
He was given an audience.
"Greetings 87th Lady of the Guan House," he said before her.
Lady 87 continuously called him "Wei Ziling" throughout the meeting as he explained he wished to join their organization because he felt his chief, Hei Ling did not treat him well, rewarding others who did not deserve it, while passing him by. He also offered to provide Lady 87 with information on the whereabouts of Wang Haoyang.
"Wang Haoyang and Hei Ling are not important people, and why am I to trust this man who betrays his own sect then grovels in my hall?"
"I have more information Lady."
"Can you tell me where the Celestial Plume Masters are headquartered?"
"I cannot Lady, they are very secretive and do not inform me of such things."
"The Celestial Plume Masters ranks are filled with deceptions and secrets," She complained.
"I do know the location of a secret martial school they are using to build a force to send against you Lady. And I am skilled in the use of poison and stealth."
Lady 87 thought and said she would take him into her organization as a prospect. He would be given quarters and uniform, then assigned a task the next day.
WEI ZIYING FACES CERTAIN DEATH
The next morning Yuhuan, Lady 87's right hand, came to Wei Ziying with a pitiful black uniform and told him he would be paired with Big Sister Hong Na and sent to kill the leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult. He was to leave that day.
He travelled for six days with Big Sister Hong Na leading the way. He observed that she got a lot of very basic facts of the world wrong as they talked, and while she was initially very distrustful he managed to persuade her of his sincerity.
On the way they were approached by a Sheriff and 10 constables demanding passports. As Wei Ziying was focused on providing the information, they encircled the pair and announced both were under arrest as Big Sister Hong Na was wanted.
They leapt into action, Wei Ziying spraying them with poison and Big Sister Hong Na slicing most of them down with her cleaver. The remaining constables pleaded for their life, so they departed and let them die from the effects of the poison.
When they reached the entrance to the Heavenly Wind Cult's cave, they realized it was well guarded, so Wei Ziying decided to take a direct approach.
He had a copy of a page of a manual that turned Yao into normal humans. Knowing that the Heavenly Wind Cult was led by Palm Mistress Qin Ying, who opposed the empire, he coated it with contact poison and spoke with the guards saying he came on behalf of Lady 87 offering a peace gift to end the conflict between them. He explained that he had something their leader would find helpful.
He and Hong Na were given an audience, in a cavern where Mistress Qin Ying held court over a jade pool filled with blood. Her son and daughter flanked her as did her men.
Wei Ziying said that he had a manual which could restore the Yao, making them mortal men again. She had one of her acolytes take it and bring it to her. The contact poison worked quickly and she sensed the trembling it caused her acolyte.
Wei Ziying felt that Palm Mistress Qin Ying was extremely powerfulness he stood in her presence.
She rose into the air and called into existence fifteen swords which surrounded and struck at Wei Ziying. He whirled away and avoided the attack then used his Eluding Viper to deliver a surprising Blade of the Dancing Fox and landed devastating blows against her.
Her children sprung into action, her son sending a spinning axe at Wei Ziying and Big Sister Hong Na. Wei Ziying used Arc of the Spine, Flick of the Wrist to escape the blade and poison him with needles. The daughter then used a palm strike against Wei Ziying but he evaded that as well.
The battle raged, but was quickly brought to an end when Wei Ziying once again used Blade of the Dancing Fox to kill Palm Mistress Qin Ying. The Daughter and Son were badly hurt. The daughter's name was Fan Wenrou and she offered peace saying "Let us take our mother and bury her in the south, and I promise to cause no further trouble with the 87 Killers."
Wei Ziying agreed, but he knew his poison would soon kill the son, Fan Jing, so he and Big Sister Hong Na quickly made their way back to Mai Cun. On the way Big Sister Hong Na expressed her admiration for Wei Ziying's incredible martial abilities. She was very impressed that he had killed the Palm Mistress in a direct fight.
ALLIANCES IN TUNG-ON
In Tung-on Hei Ling and Wang Haoyang spoke with Chief Wanli who wanted a special arrangement to buy celestial plume. Hei Ling offered him a rate of 2,000 a pound and Wanli agreed.
Iron God Meng continued to focus on snake handling, now working with King Cobras and showing signs of having been bitten many times. He told Hei Ling it made him stronger and more resilient.
When Hei Ling explained the request of Chief Wanli, Iron God Meng was furious. He despised the Nature Loving Monks and resented their encroachment. It would be best to go to war with them he said.
"Is it wise to fight them brother?" Asked Hei Ling
"They have what? Twenty men in this prefecture? We will crush them swiftly!"
Hei Ling paused and said "Brother we should crush them and we will, but why not sell them some plume for a while, let them expand the market and then destroy them so we can swoop in?"
Iron God Meng expressed admiration for Hei Ling's strategic mind and said this was a good idea.
Hei Ling then arranged a meeting with the Seven Demons, and met them just outside Zha. He offered an alliance. They would work together to defeat Long Ma Hall, as he had information that their men were largely in Mai Cun. He agreed to give them Long Ma hall territory after if they would join with them in an attack on the 87 Killers.
The Seven Demons agreed and they began planning their assault on Long Ma Hall.
This was the tenth session of my Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate wuxia sandbox campaign, the Celestial Plume Masters using the Sons of Lady 87 book, which was just released in print. You can see the first session HERE. You can see the Ninth session HERE.
PLAYER CHARACTERS
Wei Ziying: A skilled poisoner and physician, with ties to the Relentless Corpse Sect, Wei Ziying is a disciple of the Celestial Plume Masters. He also has a longstanding friendship with Kuo Qingzhao, who wishes to know more about the poisons that killed his wife (poisons Wei Ziying knows the secrets of). Grudge: Ravenous Nun Xuanji (for the murder of Red Eagle)
Wang Haoyang: A master of stealth, Wang Haoyang is one of the Celestial Plume Master disciples. He has a lifelong friendship with Pei Ye of the Vermillion Bird Teahouse, but has attracted the affection of another member of that organization, Fan Zhen'er (he does not return the affection but wishes to avoid creating friction within the Vermillion Bird Teahouse, and possibly creating enemies). Grudge: Guan Nuan (for a duel he escaped, she feels she lost face because he was weaker than her and should have been an easy victory)
Hei Ling: A one-eyed chief in the Celestial Plume Masters, Hei Ling is the father of Li Liang, whom he wishes to cease practicing her Toad Style kung fu because of the physical toll on her body. He had Li Liang with Qixia the candied fruit in his youth and since then Qixia has grown hostile. He has a working relationship with the Wu Sisters. Grudge: Qixia the Candied Fruit Vendor (of Hai'an). Grudge: Qixia (many reasons related to their pre-existing relationship)
Iron Tiger: The newest member of the party, sent by Night Thorn to help them expand. He has a longstanding friendship with Iron Beggar Sun Kang, whom he wants to leave his lap of luxury in the House of Flying Lanterns so he can train with the Nature Loving Monks and improve his Kung Fu. Iron Beggar in turn wants Iron Tiger to leave the Celestial Plume Masters. Grudge: Pei Ye (he murdered her favorite client, Golden Cobra).
A DEAD MAN MAKES WEI ZIYING A RICH MAN
Upon arrival in Tung-On they found Iron God Meng still training with venomous snakes and someone named Duo Na waiting for Wei Ziying in a partitioned area of the gambling hall.
Duo Na was dressed in expensive robes and said he worked for Wei Ziying's friend Kuo Qingzhao of the Red Owl Society. He brought news that Kuo Qingzhao died in his sleep* and had bequeathed his wealth and his title of Chief of the Red Owl Society to Wei Ziying.
Wei Ziying explained the situation and headed to the Red Owl headquarters to see the body and people in mourning (and to inspect his new residence). There he saw only hired mourners, and was himself the closest thing to a friend or loved one. While he observed the mourners, a strange woman surprised him and introduced herself as Fan Heng. She had a black sword and was dressed in Hai'anese fashion. As he led her to an audience chamber to speak privately he noticed an unnerving black mist emanating from beneath her robes.
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| Fan Heng by Jackie Musto |
She asked "You are the new chief of the Red Owl Society?"
"I am," Wei Ziying replied.
Fan Heng asked "And you have inherited all the powers, responsibilities and obligations of the Red Owl Society, and all the promises it has made?"
"I have," he replied.
"I represent an organization that he promised something very precious to: The Sword of Time. We gave him so much for this promise and have grown tired of waiting for him to make good. Now that he is dead, it is your responsibility."
"I will look into this matter and see what I can do for you," He said.
"Kuo Qingzhao made a deal with us, and the price for breaking that deal is not small. You will obtain the Sword of Time."
"What is your organization?"
"I speak for Feng Yin of the House of Paper Shadows."***
Not knowing who the House of Paper Shadows were he thanked her and promised to do his best, then went to find out more about the situation.
HEI LING TENDS TO BUSINESS
Hei Ling tended to his treasury to inspect the money from Rong E'hua, then he sent a message to Jinsa asking Iron Tiger to procure the body of Qixia (Hei Ling's daughter Li Liang wanted to use the bones to make a handle for her weapon).
He then decided to place Fan Zhen'er in charge of managing the Red Owl Society information network in their absence.
WEI ZIYING FINDS THE SWORD OF TIME
Going to Iron God Meng's he conveyed what he learned to Hei Ling, who then spoke with Iron God Meng and learned that the House of Paper Shadows was powerful, used dark magic, and not a force Wei Ziying could contend with. But he also was told that Yao Chaoyun of the Yao Family Pawn Broker Shop might have information on the sword.
They went to the shop and found Yao Changyun, his wife, some hired muscle and a crying baby. They spoke with him about the sword of time and explained that Wei Ziying was the new chief of Red Owl Society.
"Well I happen to have the Sword of Time, I had procured it for Mr. Kuo and was looking for another buyer when I heard he died but it seems I can sell it to you."
They asked how much and he told them 20,000 spades. They decided to make the purchase, as it would still be valuable as an antique even if it was fake.
Wei Ziying brought it to Fan Heng, who inspected it and said it was a forgery.
"How can I tell if it is a forgery or not?" He asked
"It is like looking at a sword through an opaque stone. You have two months to bring me the real Sword of Time."
WORDS OF THE VERMILLION BIRD
Hei Ling went to the Vermillion Bird Teahouse to pay Hua Yin her four hundred thousand spades and to see if she knew anything about the Sword of Time. Hua Yin accepted the payment graciously and agreed to the new terms (he would owe no more money or service, except the promise of finding her son). He asked about the Sword of Time and she told him she knew a thing or two about it.
He asked if she knew where it was.
"This information is valuable, more costly than your payment for Fan Zhen'er. At least twice as valuable as Fan Zhen'er," she said.
Hei Ling agreed to pay her 800,000 spades for the information and she informed him that the Sword of Time was in the possession of Master Zhan at the Temple of Supreme Righteousness. She also warned him that Master Zhan was extremely powerful, beyond anything either of them had contended with, nearly an immortal.
Hei Ling thanked her but left with grave concerns. On his way out Hua Yin said "As this is the sword of time, it is possible that the sword exists in two places, perhaps more, at once."
NIGHT THORN
They decided to travel to Celestial Plume headquarters in River Village to pay tribute. On the way they discussed their options. They agreed things were grim that contending with either the House of Paper Shadows or Master Zhan seemed quite beyond their abilities. They hatched a plan to have Wei Ziying feign betrayal of the Celestial Plume Masters, so that he could worm his way into the 87 Killers. The goal would be to rise as quickly as possible and hope that when the House of Paper Shadows came for him, he could bend their wrath towards the entire 87 Killer sect.
When they reached River Village they were greeted by Night Thorn but did not see their other master. He accepted their tribute and then listened to their plan. At first he was cautious saying that he worried the House of Paper Shadows might simply kill Wei Ziying in his sleep and do nothing to Lady 87 or her men. But they explained that just as Wei Ziying had inherited the promises made by Kuo Qingzhao, if he were to die Lady 87 would also inherit this responsibility**. Night Thorn decided that it was worth the risk once they explained, as it only seemed to sacrifice one person for the possibility of taking out the 87 killers entirely. He agreed to their plan.
They also suggested they could ambush the 87 Killers by having Wei Ziying feed information about the school in Jinsa, but have Iron Tiger and Emerald Cobra ambush them when they attack. He supported this idea as well.
He then told Hei Ling to recruit more men and to form more alliances so they could bring a greater force against the 87 Killers.
*Last session Wei Ziying performed the Wealth Attainment ritual and this is the fruit of that magic
**This was just speculation on their part.
***The proper name of the organization is the Society of Leather Shadows but she employed the colloquial term to get maximal intimidating effect: which didn't work initially because he did not know who they were. She also invoked Feng Yin, rather than the House of Paper Shadows nominal director, which I opted for because she was trying to be as intimidating as possible and Kuo Qingzhao was a member of the organization who would have known about Feng Yin.
There are a number of ways to advance NPCs in Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. One of my favorite is the Going into Seclusion method in the Lady 87 Campaign book (you can also see an early version of this idea on the blog). Sometimes I use more granular methods or random ones. I put the two tables below together today for my Celestial Plume Masters campaign.
The first table is a method for calculating NPC advancement over time. It can be done session to session, like PCs, or in time in the game world (using either weekly or daily increments----you can also use monthly if you prefer). This assumes an average of 2 XP gained each session/week/day and just charts it out over time. It also uses the revised XP chart from the Bedrock Games website (rather than the one in the rulebook). One thing you will notice is a bit of a hump at the Qi rank 7 mark, because this is the entry point into the profound levels of martial arts. So it takes considerable time to get there from Qi rank 6. After Qi 7 however it reduces back down to a more reasonable level.
This can be used to figure out a characters Qi rank when they are re-introduced (if they were Qi 3 when the players met them 20 sessions ago, they could be Qi rank 6 in the present session). It is just a tool. You can use any approach you want here, from eye-balling the level to giving your NPCs XP the way you do PCs.
I also came up with a random method, the above Defeated Master Progression Table. This was designed to handle NPCs who suffer a big defeat at the hands of the players, to determine how they react, but I may turn it into a more general table for randomly determine a given NPCs current level.
Because the table was designed this afternoon it is just a rough attempt. I am sharing it with my players before the game for feedback and will probably make changes based on that, then make further changes after using it in play (and then create a modified version for NPCs in general).
The Defeated Master Progression Table was designed with Li Liang in mind, an NPC one of the characters defeated in humiliating and painful fashion to strike a physical and psychological blow (with the aim of impacting her performance in a duel one year from now). So it was created with that specific tactic in mind (and meant to reward it much of the time, but also keep open the possibility that the defeat serves as a key motivator for the NPC). Once I have a chance to test it out tonight and make some changes I should be able to write about how it went and possibly put together a new version.
The core book is Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. It is a wuxia rules system based on d10 dice pools, skills and a vast number of Kung Fu techniques. The core d10 mechanic is sleek and works pretty quickly too. You simply roll your pool, take the single highest result and compare it to the target number to see if you succeeded. Characters advance by gaining ranks in Qi, which happens when they meet certain thresholds for experience (i.e. finding or stealing a martial arts manual, fighting an opponent more powerful than themselves, growing their reputation, etc). It is set in a fantasy world inspired by Song Dynasty China. The book itself is 492 pages, with a large portion devoted to Kung Fu techniques and setting. It also includes sects, NPCs, everything you need to make a character and a sample adventure. There is also crucial GM advice, including guidance on using the Grudge Encounter system (which really helps emulate the feel of a jianghu setting). It is the only book you need to play Ogre Gate, and it is available as a pay-what-you-want HERE, and available in print HERE.
The next most important book for the setting is Ogre Gate Inn and the Strange Land of Li Fan. This provides a full description of the client kingdom Li Fan, a host of sects, NPCs, maps (including Yao Gong Palace), a large adventure inspired by the Dragon Inn films, new Kung Fu techniques and monsters. The adventure takes up three chapter of the book and the book itself comes in at about 190 pages or so. There is a ton of adventure material to draw on in this one. It also has a bit more supernatural horror in it. Ogre Gate Inn and the Strange Land of Li Fan is available in print and in PDF.
The next two books are adventures.
The first is The House of Paper Shadows. This one is a pure blend of wuxia and horror. It takes the players to the House of Paper Shadows, a mysterious organization in the Qi Xien setting, where they face all kinds of horrors and can be transported back in time to the dark events that created the House of Paper Shadows in the first place. The house of Paper Shadows is available in print and PDF and is100 pages.
The next adventure is called Tournament of Daolu. This is just a fun book. It spans time and place as well, starting with an adventure in the southen wilderness, but culminating in a tournament in the city of Daolu, where the players may find themselves back in time meeting Sunan and Sun Mai. The city is well fleshed out, and the tournament is structured providing the GM with a clear way to manage elimination and competitors. The Tournament of Daolu is only available in PDF.
After that there is the sects of the martial world series, which has 6 entries. These are PDFs that each include one new sect. Presently they are: Maidens of the Jade Blue Sky, The Silken Robe Society, Crocodile Sect, Relentless Corpse Sect, Temple of the Jade Mercies, and The Glorious Death Cult. Each PDF is just 50 cents.
The Blood Stained Roads of the Martial World was also meant to be a book, but it got sidelined as other projects vied for the pipeline. It is essentially an encounter book but the encounters are quite fleshed out. Think of it as one big encounter table with the encounters fully described.
The Profound Masters is also on the blog. This goes into more depth with profound sects and abilities.
Journey to the South provides a description of the lands south of Hai'an. This is pretty useful and includes my hand drawn map. I ran a number of campaigns that ventured into this territory so most of the stuff here comes from those sessions.
There is also an official Ogre Gate novel called Legends of Ogre Gate, which describes the rise of the ancient heroes Sunan and Bao (important figured mentioned in the setting history of the core rulebook). This was written by Jeremy "Deathblade" Bai, who co-wrote Tournament of Daolu, Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades and was a part of many of the early Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate campaigns. At the time Jeremy was translating xianxia novels so he was able to bring that knowledge to the setting. It is a large book, at 808 pages with nearly 100 chapters.
Then there is Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades published by Osprey Games. It is available in print and PDF. I co-designed this with Jeremy, and it is quite different from Ogre Gate, but uses the same core mechanics. Unlike Ogre Gate it is set in historical China and it is specifically emulating the wuxia style of Gu Long. I'm very proud of how this one came out. It really captures what we were going for. One thing I love about it is it does a great job of emulating the genre while still remaining highly gameable. Also where Ogre Gate is sect-focused, the Jianghu of RBRB is places greater priority on individual characters. There are still sects, of course but the emphasis was more on unique characters who populate the martial world and their relationships with one another.
