STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION XVI

This is the sixteenth session of our Star-Crossed Blades of the Green Peony campaign for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate (session I can be found HERE, session II can be found HERE, session III can be found HERE, session IV can be found HERE, Session V can be found HERE, session VI can be found HERE, Session VII can be found HERE, Session VIII can be found HERE, Session IX can be found HERE, Session X can be found HERE, Session XI can be found HERE). Session XII can be found HERE. Session XIII can be found HERE. It is set in Zhang Chang prefecture (which I hope to release a blog entry for). Session XIV can be found HERE. You can find session XV HERE. In this campaign, every player rolled randomly to determine who their family are, how many siblings they have and whether individual family members are still alive. The players also gave very rough sketches of their background (no more than a few sentences) and I secretly added a "20-year" backstory to each one. I have implemented a special rule in this campaign that every encounter has a 3 in 10 chance of being connected to their secret backstory in some way. Note in this session I was play testing a specific scenario and the players were made aware prior to play.

CHARACTERS

QI YUN (MASTER POET QI YUN): A roaming martial expert who has secretly learned his martial arts from two different masters (and the masters have no knowledge of one another). 

XING GE: A traveling pipa player and the son of Lu Guiying the Iron Flower. His father died when he was five, and his mother married Gongsun Yuan, the chief of Black Parrot Society. Gongsun Yuan despises Xing Ge. 

TU JIN SHI (THUNDER LEGS): A wandering fighter seeking to be the strongest and most upright hero in the region. His father, Tu Haitao sent his mother away when he was young, after being consumed by grief over the passing of Jin Shi's brother, Tian. Shortly after his father died consuming a lethal concoction in a misguided effort to become immortal. 

LU LI (THE UNFILIAL ARCHER): A traveling physician who comes from a family of successful fishermen. 

A CACOPHONY OF PARROTS 

Xing Ge met with Han Changsi at Black Parrot lake to receive word on his messages. He gave the steward a tea brick gift. Steward Han told him that the whereabouts of the Black Leopard Villa may be known to Master Tu Yu of the Jade Moon Sabre sect. 

Then Xing Ge went to his mother and presented her with the evidence against Gongsun Yuan given to him by the magistrate.

".....'killed Dao Zheng and took his wife'....". A puzzled look crossed her face as she recited the words on the page. "What do you intend to do?"

Xing Ge explained his plan to take over Black Parrot Society then get revenge against Gongsun Yuan. He also said he intended to break the curse of Black Parrot Lake. His mother paced back and forth, seemingly very concerned, then a sudden look of resolve settled on her face."

"Very well, proceed," She thought for a moment. "I will keep your Stepfather distracted and take appropriate measures so he doesn't suspect anything in the meantime."

After, he left with the party to find Master Tu Yu in Henxian District. 

THE BEAUTY AND DEATH OF JADE MOON PALM 

The party traveled by boat to th Town of Laoshi, where they departed into the foothills and searched for Jade Moon Sabre sect*. Soon they happened upon a beggar cooking in a small camp on a hill. 

They approached and greeted him, and his response was enthusiastic. He informed them his name was Chan.  "We are seeking Master Tu Yu of Jade Moon Sabre Sect. Do you know where we can find them."

"Yes, yes," he said. "I know where The Jade Moon Sabre people are." He began pointed wildly o the south west and announced "They are that way!"

Something in his demeanor raised their suspicions. 

"Are you telling us the truth?" Tu Jin Shi asked. 

"Well not exactly," He paused and thought. "They are that way!" and he pointed to the south. Lu Li thanked him for his troubles, gave him a persimmon and partook of his mysterious meat soup**

Chan thanked them and then said "It is no trouble, but do not tell Master Tu Yu I was here. In fact, don't mention me at all when you see him."

"Well I can't lie," Said Tu Jin Shi. "That wouldn't be righteous."

"Tell you what," Said Chan. "If you keep quiet about me, I will take you to the Blind Bat."

"Is this your leader?" Asked Lu Li.

"Yes, the Chief of Immortal Bat cavern."

They agreed, and Tu Jin Shi promised to simply say nothing in order to avoid lying but also avoid revealing anything about Chan. 

They continued to travel in the hills, and on the second day failed to find Jade Moon Sabre Sect, but they did happen upon a group of Yen-Li Nuns led by an abbess. They were dressed in black robes and their faces appeared white and painted like death. 

Speaking with the Abbess they learned that Master Tu Yu was regarded as a strange man and that she was the leader of Hopping Ghost Temple. She also encouraged them to buy their paper talismans "lest they suffer the fate of others in the forest who failed to do so". They agreed and each bought one. As they were leaving the party recalled that the Sword of the Parrot King, the object needed to end the curse, was housed by Hopping Ghost Temple.***

Another day of travel and the party once again failed to find Master Tu Yu or his disciples.**** However they met a blind monk named Nansheng who seemed lost and hungry. When they found out he had been heading to Town of Laoshi, they decided to take a detour and guide him there. When the town was in sight he walked away from them and said "There is an inventor in the prefecture who devised a method of breathing underwater."

Then he disappeared as did the town itself. The party realized he had led them into Jade Moon Sabre's encampment. All the women of the sect were exceptionally beautiful and some of them carried Guqins, which attracted the attention of Xing Ge. It was explained the regular disciples were called Jade Moon Sabres while the ones with musical instruments were called Jade Harmonies. They were led to Master Tu Yu for an audience. 

After introductions and a recounting of their journey, Master Tu Yu said "You surely had a fortuitous encounter with a Bat Demon!" Expressing concern, he reassured them that Bat Demons were benevolent creatures. 

They then explained their purpose was to find Black Leopard Villa to rescue Lu Li's parents. Master Tu Tu asked for more information about the party which they volunteered. He expressed his utter hatred for the sect and told them he would agree. When Xing Ge and Qi Yun said they had interest in learning his martial arts, he said he would take male disciples, something he normally would not allow, on the condition that they brought back members of Black Leopard Villa for him to torture information out of. 

Master Tu Yu then performed a demonstration of his Jade Moon Sabre technique by slicing through three bound tree trunks with his hand. The party was impressed and asked for more information about the beggars living in Immortal Bat Cavern, if they were good people. 

"They are mostly alright," He said. "But that stupid beggar Chan, so perverted, always trying to catch a glimpse of my beautiful disciples. It makes my heart fume with rage!" And he chopped the air. 

"I must tell you then," Said Xing Ge, "We saw him the other day on a nearby hill."

"What?!" Master Tu Yu pointed at four of his disciples "You come with me!"

He then turned to Xing Ge "Show me the way so I can smash his skull with my Jade Moon Palm!"

Tu Jin Shu refused to participate and would only go halfway with them (he offered to stay behind in the camp but Master Tu Yu did not trust him to remain among his disciples). They continued on and found Chan resting in his camp. 

"You two!" Master Tu Yu pointed at Qi Yun and Xing Ge. "Restrain him for me!" They leapt forward to attack, and Lu Li joined in. 

*

Waiting for the party, Tu Jin Shi spoke to the Bat Demon, not knowing if it could hear his word. He explained what happened and asked it to intervene if Chan is deserving. The ground began to shift and from the earth, emerged a wooden mask, similar to an opera mask, with stylized bat features painted on it. Tu Jin Shi thanked the Bat Demon and promised to protect the mask. 

*

Xing Ge blasted Chan with a flow of blue phoenix energy, then Lu Li slammed his head with a bow. Rushing forward, Master Tu Yu struck Chan with both palms, obliterating a portion of his skull. Chan collapsed in a bloody pile. 

Master Tu Yu laughed and pointed at the remains. "Your first lesson: This is how you use Jade Moon Palm!". He then kicked the body and instructed his disciples to bury it. 

"Excellent!" He said to Xing Ge and Qi Yun. "Your information was good. I will make you full disciples when you return!". 

He then told them where to find Black Leopard Villa. The session ended after the party regrouped. 

*This was a series of Inverted Encounter Rolls

**The meat was quail

***This was a fated encounter

****They were searched a small, four hex area of the map 

STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY SESSION XIV

This is the fourteenth session of our Star-Crossed Blades of the Green Peony campaign for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate (session I can be found HERE, session II can be found HERE, session III can be found HERE, session IV can be found HERE, Session V can be found HERE, session VI can be found HERE, Session VII can be found HERE, Session VIII can be found HERE, Session IX can be found HERE, Session X can be found HERE, Session XI can be found HERE). Session XII can be found HERE. Session XIII can be found HERE. It is set in Zhang Chang prefecture (which I hope to release a blog entry for). In this campaign, every player rolled randomly to determine who their family are, how many siblings they have and whether individual family members are still alive. The players also gave very rough sketches of their background (no more than a few sentences) and I secretly added a "20-year" backstory to each one. I have implemented a special rule in this campaign that every encounter has a 3 in 10 chance of being connected to their secret backstory in some way. Note in this session I was play testing a specific scenario and the players were made aware prior to play.

CHARACTERS

QI YUN (MASTER POET QI YUN): A roaming martial expert who has secretly learned his martial arts from two different masters (and the masters have no knowledge of one another). 

XING GE: A traveling pipa player and the son of Lu Guiying the Iron Flower. His father died when he was five, and his mother married Gongsun Yuan, the chief of Black Parrot Society. Gongsun Yuan despises Xing Ge. 

TU JIN SHI (THUNDER LEGS): A wandering fighter seeking to be the strongest and most upright hero in the region. His father, Tu Haitao sent his mother away when he was young, after being consumed by grief over the passing of Jin Shi's brother, Tian. Shortly after his father died consuming a lethal concoction in a misguided effort to become immortal. 

LU LI (THE UNFILIAL ARCHER): A traveling physician who comes from a family of successful fishermen. 

THE PAINTED MAIDEN 

Reflecting on their experience hearing a Black Parrot utter the words about the lifting the Curse at Black Parrot Lake, Xing Ge asked his men about the Tomb of the Parrot King and how it came to be cursed. They told him that when his sword was stolen ages ago, it sank and was flooded until the area became a lake. One of his men, A-Fu, said "I know where the sword is kept." And explained it was known to be an artifact of Hopping Ghost Temple. 

Believing the murders of Qi Yun's co-disciples were the most pressing matter, he then asked his men if any knew about recent rumors about Painted Maiden sightings*. They informed him, they had heard of sightings happening along the river, of bodies being found by members of Chi Song River Gang. They also said a body was found in the town of Jiaoshi. 

Xing Ge left two of his men behind to watch their new abode. They took passage on an imperial tea vessel. On the ship, Tu Jin Shi was looking for anyone who might be a painted maiden and happened to notice a famed courtesan named Gentle Moon Qin. Asking about her, he learned she was a favorite of General Lu, a minor commander in the area**. Tu Jin Shi began to follow the courtesan, but when she turned her nose up at him and walked away, he decided this was a sign she was just a normal person. 

The players knew that there was a famous inn in Jiaoshi run by a woman rumored to be a Fox Spirit, Lady Xuan Chi. They also understood, even though the city was governed by City Lord Shuang Yi, the true power in the region was the Fox Spirit and that her organization, River Spirit Sect, was quite powerful. 

They decided to go to the River Spirit Inn to speak with her. There they found a large inn upon an island in the river, shrouded in a dense mist, its multiple stories rising high into the sky, with each one offering a greater pleasure than the one below. 

They met with her on a balcony of the second story, but Tu Jin Shi's gruff ways were off-putting to her. She did explain that about a week prior, someone was found dead in one of the inn rooms, a merchant named Guo Chiang. People had said it looked like a painted maiden killed him. 

"And what would a Painted Maiden look like?" Tu Jin Shi asked. 

"Like a normal person of course," Said Lady Xuan Chi. "They can assume human form and use this to live among us and devour victims. This is just a rumor of course, the constables handled the matter."

Though she was growing more and more irritated by Tu Jin Shi's unrefined manners, when it came to her attention that Master Poet Qi Yun was among his group, she took more interest in them. 

"Did anyone interact with the merchant here before his death?" Tu Jin Shi asked. 

"Yes, a number of people did."

"Well I believe I have learned everything we can, thank you for your help."

"Do you want to know their identities?" Asked Lady Xuan Chi (at this point she was fully contemptuous of him). 

Tu Jin Shi indicated he woud very much like to know this information. 

"If Master Poet Qi Yun would honor us with an exclusive Huaben, only to be performed at my establishment, I would be willing to provide you these details." 

Qi Yun wrote a story about a beggar dreaming of ascending the 18 levels of pleasure at The River Spirit Inn***, set to music composed by Xing Ge****. 

She explained that merchant Guo Chiang had interacted with Magistrate Lao of Yue Town, who had been staying at the inn and on friendly terms with him. He also spoke with the Prefect's wife, Sun Niao. Red Cicada, a courtesan at the River Spirit Inn, had spent a night with him. And Lady Yi Huang of Huo Long Cavern Sect had spoken to Guo Chiang. 

"Why were so many influential people speaking with him?" Asked Lu Li. 

"Because he is obscenely wealthy." Said Lady Xuan Chi. 

They also found out that the body was already buried then secured a dinner audience with Red Cicada, which cost them five hundred spades. 

During the meal, they asked about what she discussed with Guo Chiang but refused to disclose that saying it was private. She did say Sun Niao had concerns about Guo Chiang's activities, and agreed that he was likely killed by a Painted Maiden. 

They pressed her further about Sun Niao and she said there were rumors she was such a creature. Explaining that people knew she was the one the prefect sent to deal with his enemies. She also confirmed that Sun Niao was the last person seen with Guo Chiang. However after telling them her suspicions about Sun Niao, Red Cicada became visibly fearful and as they were leaving she clutched Xing Ge by the hand saying and gazing at him intently "I cannot rest easy after speaking so openly about the Prefect's wife. As long as she lives I will be fearful."

Xing Ge sent a messenger pigeon to Black Parrot society asking about the Prefect's wife and all the other suspects, with instructions for the response to be sent to their nearest outpost in Lanyin. Before leaving they went to the constable and spoke with the coroner. 

The coroner confirmed that the body appeared eaten by a large mouth, and one that could be mistaken for alligator bites. He told them as well that no noise was mentioned by anyone at the inn during the time of the murder, but emphasized it was a pleasure house where such sounds could easily be misinterpreted or ignored. He also expected more papers and other items in the room, so suspected things were taken. 

When they asked if any evidence was found he handed Xing Ge a jade hairpin and said it was clutched in the dead man's hand. He also noted there were signs Guo Chiang fought back. 

Xing Ge remembered seeing the hairpin before when they first met Sun Niao on the boat. 

Before leaving the constable told them the case was effectively closed. 

This is where the session ended. 

*I had assigned an "Information Network" rating of 0d10 to his men, for occasions like this. I rolled 2d10 to take the lowest and got an 8. 

**This was intentional disinformation by her true client: Chief Patrolling Inspector Luo Sha (who was traveling in secret on the ship). 

***There are not literally 18 levels at the inn, but he chose the number for poetic reasons. 

****They both got 9s on their rolls, so the story and music were of very high quality and acceptable to Lady Xuan Chi.