Wuxia Inspiration: Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan

Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate draws on a number of sources for inspiration. I watch a lot of wuxia movies and TV shows, and these have had a big influence not only on Ogre Gate, but on Sertorius and many of my d20 campaigns. I am hoping to share some of my favorite movies and shows in the genre here as we work on WHOG.

Note: I am writing these as a fan of the genre. I am not a movie expert or an expert in asian cinema. These are my own observations based on what I have learned by watching wuxia and kung fu movies, and by reading about them through interviews and books. But my knowledge is quite limited and I am an English speaker. So understand that my commentary comes from this perspective. 

Note: This review contains many spoilers. It also discusses a movie that addresses adult themes and violent content like rape. 

INTRODUCTION

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (called simply 愛奴 Ai Nu in the original Mandarin, which apparently means "love slave") is a 1972 Shaw Brothers film directed by Yuen Chor* (Killer Clans, Clans of Intrigue, and Cold Blade). It stars Betty Pei Ti (as Lady Chun) and Lily Ho (as Ai Nu). Yueh Hua also has an important role as Chief Ji**, who is a kind of detective investigating a series of murders. 

This film occupies a moral world similar to that in Yuen Chor's other film Killer Clans (which I talked about HERE). It is a setting of violence, exploitation and revenge. 

This is an important movie for a number of reasons. It is considered groundbreaking in its depicting of homosexuality and its fusion of wuxia with eroticism. It is also seen as an early feminist Hong Kong film and traces of it are detectible in later movies like Kill Bill. 

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan is the kind of film that benefits a thoughtful viewing. There is definitely more going on in the movie than one might think, and it is quite deliberate. From the initial scene to the first time we meet Lady Chun and her gaze lingers in the mirror, it is obvious the director is drawing our attention to things that become significant later. It is subject matter that could easily become campy but Yuen Chor handles it well. 

INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN

The movie opens with a flash forward in green tint. We see Chief Ji (Yueh Hua) leading an investigation into the death of Master Liao, whose body is on the floor in a courtyard accumulating snow. Chief Ji asks if anyone was with the master, and someone reveals a woman named Ai Nu was seen leaving before they found his body. 

The film resumes in color at Lady Chun's brothel and it becomes clear after a while that the green tinted sequence was set later in the film, a preview of something to come. We meet Ai Nu for the first time, brought to the brothel in chains. Ai Nu, along with several other women, has been kidnapped by a group of thugs who have an arrangement with the madame, Lady Chun. 

Lady Chun holds a personal audience with the group's leader, Huatian, and pays him gold. She warns him not to let his men touch any of the girls, and he assures her they are under his control. During the conversation it is revealed that Lady Chun has no interest in men. 

Later the women are all inspected by brothel staff and Lady Chun learns that one of them has been violated. In a graphic moment, she tortures the woman into naming her assailant: Zhu Hai (one of Huatian's men). Lady Chun immediately confronts Zhu Hai and kills him, revealing herself to be a formidable martial expert. 

Lady Chun kills Zhu Hai

In the meantime, Ai Nu refuses to eat and behaves violently toward the brothel staff. It is clear Lady Chun has developed a personal interest in her, offering her nice rooms and maids if she does as the madame asks. Her initial treatment of Ai Nu is a combination of softness and cruelty as she tries to break her will. When Ai Nu continues to resist, Lady Chun has her caned. 

After the caning, Lady Chun reveals her interest in Ai Nu, trying to seduce her, and ultimately having her way with her against her will. Later one of the men who works at the brothel, the mute Shuzi, brings her medicine and food. 

Lady Chun initiates Ai Nu into the brothel by selling her to four prominent men, each bidding to have her first. She is raped by each of the men and tries to hang herself afterwards. 

Shuzi finds her and calls for help. As the staff cut her from cross beams and she awakens, Lady Chun coldly informs her that death is not easy to attain inside the brothel. 

While helping her recover, Shuzi reveals that he can talk, and says that he simply chooses not to reveal this to the others because he despises them. He also says he sympathizes with her situation. That he once loved a rich girl who was raped by her father and committed suicide, and that Ai Nu bears some resemblance to her. He tells her not to worry, that he isn't in love with her, but that he wants to help her escape and advises her "We do not kill ourselves, we retaliate."

Shuzi and Ai Nu sneak into the courtyard and as they open the front gate, Lady Chun towers before them, her men circling around the escapees. Zhuzi tries to create space for Ai Nu to escape, using his sword against the henchmen, but is eventually overpowered and stabbed. As he dies, Shuzi asks Ai Nu to avenge his death. He makes one last attack at Lady Chun, but she kills him with a touch. 

Lady Chun offers to kill Ai Nu if that is what she desires, but asks one more time if she will follow her. Ai Nu agrees and over the a long period of time becomes the madame's lover. She is trained to be a skilled courtesan, catering to select clientele and also instructed by Lady Chun in swordplay and martial arts. 

Lady Chun after the kill

The movie returns to the first scene, at the residence of Master Liao, who we now see is one of the men who raped Ai Nu. Chief Ji goes to the brothel and speaks with Ai Nu, and she lightly denies killing Master Liao but says he was a terrible person. 

In the wake of the killing, Lady Chun's right hand man, Bao, expresses concerns that Ai Nu intends to destroy the brothel and kill them. By this time, Ai Nu has proven her love to the madame, and Lady Chun dismisses Bao's concern. Bao reveals his love for her, but Lady Chun reminds him she has no interest in men. 

Perhaps shaken by Bao's advice, Lady Chun attacks Ai Nu in her sleep to test her skills. The two duel for some time and after, she asks Ai Nu if she intends to kill her. Ai Nu says this is impossible, and explains the killings by saying "I am becoming like you in my hatred of men" which seems to satisfy her. 

Chief Ji talks with his men. He has learned that Master Liao was a regular client of Ai Nu, so decides to investigate and warn her other customers, starting with Master Wei. However when he arrives at Master Wei's villa, he learns that Ai Nu is already there. In the bedroom, she ties Master Wei to the bed, reminds him of his first night with her (he had tied her to a bed) and pours lamp oil on his body. She then creates a trail with the oil and ignites it as she leaves. On her way out she speaks briefly with Chief Ji and the house burst into flames after she departs. 

Ai Nu and Zhuo Wenjian

Chief Ji tries to arrest Ai Nu, but is thwarted by Lady Chun who says the brothel has powerful allies in the government. Later, while alone at his home, Ai Nu comes to warn Chief Ji not to investigate her. They battle lightly with swords. Chief Ji asks why she is trying to stop his investigation and she says it is to protect him. At the end of the conversation she tells him her next victim will be Zhuo Wenjian (an elderly official who was the first man to rape her). 

Chief Ji goes to Zhou Wenjian, but he dismisses his concerns and says that the deaths of Master Liao and Wei were unfortunate coincidences. Ai Nu arrives and Zhou Wenjian asks the detective to leave. Ji departs but waits outside. 

Ai Nu in Master Li's chamber

In a somewhat brilliant move, Ai Nu kills Zhuo Wenjian by bringing the four winds, four courtesans that he must please before he can have her for the night. She knows he is old and relies on aphrodisiacs. The process exhausts him and he dies of aphrodisiac overdose. Chief Ji tries to arrest Ai Nu, but Zhuo Wenjian's son lets her go and asks Ji to keep the cause of death private. 

Knowing that her next victim will be the remaining client, Master Li, Chief Ji goes to warn him. Master Li seems to understand the threat but says the others were not Kung Fu masters like him, and that he can handle her himself. He then tells his men to send for Ai Nu that night and awaits her in his special chamber (which Ai Nu later reveals he uses to torment his women).

When Ai Nu arrives, a kind of strip tease duel unfolds. Ai Nu convinces him she is unarmed, allowing Li to search her, but she stabs him with a hair pin, and laughs that his lust clouded his judgment when he knew she was coming to kill him. 

Ai Nu (Left) and Lady Chun (Right)

Eventually Ji and his men break into the chamber, and a battle ensues. Ai Nu escapes into the wilderness, finding another train of wagons filled with kidnapped victims destined for Lady Chun's brothel. Ai Nu attacks the caravan and tells Ji if he wants justice he should arrest them rather than her. Ji takes her side and attacks Lady Chun's men. 

Returning to the brothel, Ai Nu attacks Bao and his henchmen. Lady Chun joins her, saying that she and Ai Nu are like one person, that she cannot live without her. Together, Lady Chun and Ai Nu scour the brothel, killing the men and releasing the women. This is a massive battle, tremendously well done and bloody. 

Lady Chun (who attacks with her nails in a "ghost hand" technique) impales Bao with her hand, but he cuts off her arm as he dies. Turning to Ai Nu she asks if she can still love her if she is disabled. Ai Nu replies that it makes no difference because she never loved her. 

Lady Chun impales Bao as he cuts off
her arm

Ai Nu circles the now helpless Lady Chun and explains that she decided to use love as a weapon for her revenge because hatred had failed. She then cuts off the madame's other arm and watches as she lay dying. Lady Chun says it is karma, that she doesn't hate Ai Nu and wants just one last kiss. Ai Nu agrees but Lady Chun reveals she had been chewing on a poisoned pill. Her mouth flows with green liquid and she dies, telling Ai Nu that they are not one in the same because Ai Nu still has a conscience. Ai Nu dies from the poison and Chief Ji arrives too late to save her. 

  

LOVE AS A WEAPON

While there is less fighting throughout Intimate Confessions than in movies like Killer Clans, this is still wuxia with a some impressive swordplay scenes. Ultimately the story is more important than the action, and the action compliments the story. This is not the greatest fight choreography in the world, but it does work well with the overall feel of the movie and there are moments that do impress. Even if it lacks some of the athletics of a Chen Pei-pei film, the battles are worthy viewing because they are rich in symbolism and mirror the story.  So there is still a lot to appreciate in its use of violence. 

That said there are some truly impressive points in the action. There is one moment in the climax of the film that seemed to be a call back to the temple scene in Come Drink With Me. The way that the spray of blood is used like paint on a canvass in the final scene is also quite impressive. 

The use of the green tint at the start of the film reminded me of Hero's use of colors to establish different points of view of the same event. Shortly after we also see Lady Chun reflecting in a mirror, and this seems to tie in with her later statements that her and Ai Nu are "one and the same". 

 Master Li, Master Liao, Master Wie, and Zhuo Wenjian

This is ultimately a revenge fantasy and well done in that respect. I mentioned there was not much in the way of action, but that is because they are building interest in the main character Ai Nu and investing the viewer in her plight. So by the time she starts killing for revenge, it means something. Watching Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, you will also see familiar moments echoed in later films, particularly around some of the feminist themes. 

The character Ai Nu is somewhat unique and interesting. She is a female martial hero in the wuxia tradition but by necessity a much darker character than Golden Swallow (Come Drink With Me) or Yang Huizhen (A Touch of Zen). Stephen Tao has drawn several parallels between her in Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan and the heroine in the King Hu classic A Touch of Zen. He says if Touch of Zen is about the "transformation of a martial arts heroine seeking revenge to a chaste woman seeking redemption" then Confessions is "sensualistic reverse of that transformation". The movies are starkly different in many respects but I think that is an interesting observation. I wouldn't characterize A Touch of Zen exactly that way (partly because part of the heroine's redemption in that film is to have a child with the male character out of a sense of duty and not love), but I do think there is a comparison to be made. 

For gaming this is a tough one because the brothel is a venue that can be difficult to do in an RPG depending on the tastes and ages of your players. Brothels are a staple in the wuxia genre, and in a wuxia campaign, this could certainly serve as the basis for a villainous gang or organization, but it raises a lot of sensitive issues so I think it would need to be approached with care. 

Still, this is also in part a detective movie, with Chief Ji trying to get to the body of a murder mystery. Much of that could be pulled into a campaign and the content altered enough that it wouldn't present any issues. 

This is a good film, and though it is often spoken of as an erotic piece (and to a degree it is), by today's standards it remains quite tame and these aspects do not overwhelm the story. It isn't sex for its own sake, there are more important themes at work. Some of the scenes are uncomfortable and can be difficult to watch.

*This is usually rendered as Chu Yuan. 
**This is how the name appeared on my version, but it seems it is Chi Te in other translations. 

WORLD BUILDING: INSPIRATION AND PLANNING

I find when world building there is a delicate balance between thoughtful planning and allowing yourself to be guided by creativity. I quite like the process of creating a game setting, and  it is one of the reasons why I am more partial to science fiction than fantasy (I just like the way science fiction writers build worlds). But I think as gamers we can sometimes take world building to cult like extremes and forget it is just a tool and these are just games. Ultimately as a GM or as a designer, you need to find an approach to worldbuilding that works for what you need at the table. For me that means striking a balance between the desire to research and create something plausible and the need for something fun and playable at the table. I want roots but I don't want them to become chains that limit my imagination during play or scenario design. By the same token I want to explore plenty of source material for inspiration but don't want to be tethered to it either, merely regurgitating facts cloaked in fantasy. 

This is not an easy balance to strike. For me research is not only important, it is essential because it is a source of inspiration. But research is slow and time consuming. You can always look for summaries online or visit wikipedia. I don't care for this approach though. I like to give myself time to go over plenty of good sources and build up a strong foundation. 

At the same time, I don't want simply to recreate the material I've read. I want to produce something new and I want there to be room for going with my gut and adding things that just feel like a good fit. 

I find it is a constant back and forth between in depth research and then shaping that into something workable for the setting. 

With Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate I am working hard to respect the source material but fit it into the existing Sertorius cosmology. I'm also trying to strike a balance between the historical sources and the conventions in the genre (which are not always on the same page). 

This is an enjoyable process but I also have to step back sometimes and give myself permission to create rather than emulate. The trick has been to make sure what I am adding doesn't take away from the wuxia genre aspect of the game, but rather contributes to it. 

FROM MODULES TO WIDGETS: CANNIBALIZING YOUR PUBLISHED ADVENTURES FOR SPARE PARTS

I see a lot of negativity directed toward adventure modules for a variety of reasons (from not liking the structure to not feeling they are necessary when you can make up your own material for free). My attitude toward modules has always been quite positive. I find modules helpful for inspiring me as a GM, useful for the spare parts they generate, and occasionally fun to run beginning to end. I have quite a few of them on my shelf, some I've run, some I haven't. All I have read and taken bits and pieces from. 

Today I just want to focus on cannibalizing modules for spare parts. For me this approach is the most functional and rewarding. It also allows me to enjoy modules I might otherwise have little to no use for. If I can pull multiple NPCs, locations, adventure threads, etc from a single module over the years, then for me it has value. 

Even if you don't like modules from beginning to end, they are great sources of spare parts to fit into an adventure and campaign. While I think a lot of people understand this, I have seen people express surprise that a module might be used for anything other than running it straight through. For those who have only run modules as written, or who have written off modules entirely because they don't want to run them from start to finish, consider viewing them as a source for spare parts. I recently incorporated a portion of Feast of Goblyns into my Swords of the North campaign (talked about it HERE). I hadn't used Feast of Goblyns in ages, but I am always pulling it off the shelf to get ideas or see if something from it will fit what is going on in the campaign. 

Because I wanted to add in some horror in the Party's latest adventure, and because I knew I needed a cool lair for the blood cultists who are trying to thwart the PCs, the Cavern of the Undead Priestess portion of Feast of Goblyns seemed like a nice fit. To make it work though I had to change a few things so it would gel with the setting and with had had been going on in the campaign. 

First I removed the undead priestess herself, replacing her with Abu Nutesh, a leader of the inquisition and a member of the Blood Cult. I decided to keep a lot of the undead priestess's minions, simply using their closest equivalents in the Sertorius rulebook. Because we already have zombies and other undead, this was mostly easy. Though I did have to modify some existing monsters in a couple of cases. 

Second I took out the map of the Cavern of the Undead Priestess, re-read the description for each entry, then started writing my own to fit the needs of the blood cult, incorporating what seemed to work from the module itself. Some of the things I kept were the black mists that steal magic items (this was a kind of magical security system that could bring magical objects possessed by the party to Nutesh's chambers so he could use them), the giant skeletal sentinels around the parameter of the canyon, the canyon itself, the colossal skeleton tower inside the chasm, etc. I also reskinned a few of these things as well. For instance, while I kept the Skeleton Sentinels, I turned many of them into Giant Yaumbies, monsters in Sertorius that are like zombies by splinter into copies when wounded. There was also a quick wood tree in the canyon in the original module that served as a spy for the priestess. Because Sertorius has no quick wood trees, I changed it into a sculpture made to look like a tree and enchanted with Pora's Portrait. This enabled it to serve the spy function, but made it much less of a threat to the party. 

The Cavern I used is actually just one area of exploration from the canyon described in the original module. I pretty much used a half of a chapter and a half of the book. But that was all I needed. In the past I have used other sections for different reasons (mostly when I have run Ravenloft games). This time was different because I was using it in a non-Ravenloft game. 

THE THEOLOGY OF THE FLAME

In my Swords of the North Campaign for Sertorius, the party has been trying to undermine an influential group within the Church of Ramos who believe in killing Sertori, called the Gesarians. They've enlisted a member of their own order named Arius to devise theological rebuttals to their arguments. I finally got around to putting something together to them, so we wouldn't have to keep talking vaguely about Arius' arguments in the game. 

THE THEOLOGY OF THE FLAME (AGAINST GESARA)

LAMUT MENNA ALAHAB: TAD GESARA

By Arius of Palus

In this book written by Arius of Palus are 20 Arguments against killing Sertori and 10 that support this position by claiming Sertori are divinely anointed. These are the two strongest arguments in The Theology of the Flame.

ARGUMENT FROM THE SECOND LAW

The Second Law states “Do not kill.” Three words, clear as day. These can have no meaning but that to kill is forbidden. No other meaning can spring forth from “Do not kill”. Had Ramos wished to qualify this declaration he would have done so, as he did in the Fourth Law.

Gesara argues that the wording implies it is permissible to kill non-humanoid creatures. After all, all members of the church eat meat and give sacrificial offerings to Ramos. She then makes the argument that Sertori are not humanoid, but demonic in nature and therefore it is permissible to kill Sertori. In my next argument I address how her assessment of Sertori nature is incorrect, but here I want to expose that her second premise (it is permissible to kill non-humanoid creatures) is false.

First, we have three words “Do-not-kill”. If Ramos wanted to limit this to humanoids, he would have done so. There is nothing in the original Khubsi “La Taq Turu” to imply anything other than we should not kill.

Second, this is supported by the Light of Ramos. There are many instances where Druza describes the people she identifies as “anointed”, “holy” and “possessing the Divine insight”. In all such cases, from the Man of Sephar to Lady of the Pomegranate, none of them are ever described consuming meat or making animal sacrifices. This on its own might not constitute evidence, but as all know the Light of Ramos is in some respects a clarification of Orathel Namburi’s The Book of Light. Some passages describe similar people and events. In the Book of the Light, there four instances where such figures are said to consume meat, yet this does not appear in Druza’s more perfect revelation. Why would this be so, except to clarify the Second Law?

Third, if we accept this is the case, then the entire church must revise its position on the Second Law. Consumption of meat and animal sacrifice must be forbidden, for Ramos says clearly “Do not kill”. If we have been commanded by our God not to kill, and it is clear from the words of the law that there are no obvious exceptions to this rule, then anyone who creates exceptions and kills anything that lives is guilty of violating the will of Ramos.

Objection One: It is common sense that when Ramos said “Do not Kill” he never meant to deprive humanity its ability to eat or to defend itself. To say otherwise is to be defenseless in the face of danger and hunger.  

Response: This interpretation of the law does not prohibit consumption of food, but of meat. There are plenty of people known to survive on diets that consist of crops, grains and other plants. And while the prohibition against killing is clear, it does not say we cannot stop those who would themselves kill. This means we can in fact wage war, provided it is defensive and provided our aim is to stop and not to kill. I would suggest that if death follows from this act, it is unintentional and unfortunate, perhaps a minor breach of the law, but surely the “greatest and most powerful” of the gods would be able to make a moral distinction between the people who go to war and the people who defend themselves from war.

Objection Two: Even if we have no account in the Light of Ramos of holy people consuming meat, this is not a prohibition, it merely indicates Druza felt it unimportant to comment upon.

Response: This raises two issues. First, to dismiss the details of the Light of Ramos, even the negative ones, questions centuries of tradition and practice in the Church. How else are we meant to weigh the Laws of Ramos except by applying them to specific events and descriptions in the Surahs of our sacred scripture? Second, it simply isn’t a matter of the details being unimportant enough for inclusion, they are present in the Book of Light but absent in the Light of Ramos. If it is a fact that the Light of Ramos is a clarification of the Book of Light, a more perfect rendering of our god’s will (and it is) then we must heed such differences in the text.

ARGUMENT FROM THE MAN OF SEPHAR

It is known that the Khubsi word for Sertori is Sephari. Anyone familiar with Khubsi understands that Sephari literally means “a person from Sephar”. The Fourteenth Surah of the Light of Ramos is an account of the Man of Sephar, who the blessed Druza says “being anointed by Ramos he raised Kharga from the dead and performed many other miracles in Besra and Shanor.” In his great work “The Contemplations”, Ulami Khabir made the following observation nearly two hundred years ago in the heart of Shahr: “There can be no other conclusion, the Man of Sephar is the origin of our word Sephari. We must accept, if we believe that Druza received a true revelation from Ramos, and certainly she did, that The Man of Sephar was a Sertori, indeed was the first known Sertori to our people, and was anointed by our god. If we accept this it seems natural to conclude that all Sertori are so anointed”.

So the nature of the Sertori is revealed to us in the pages of scripture. They are not demons or hosts for wickedness, they are anointed by Ramos himself, given special purpose on this earth to perform his will. And this makes sense, for who but the most powerful and greatest god should have servants such as these.

If this is so how can it be just to kill them as Lady Gesara has so aggressively lobbied?

Objection One: Even if the Man of Sephar was a Sertori and this is where the Khubsi word for Sertori arises, that does not mean all Sertori are anointed.

Response: This objection ignores the exceptional nature of Sertori themselves. Clearly what set the Man of Sephar apart from other Sertori was his ability to raise the dead. This can only be viewed as a form of Sertori magic. If Druza herself stated he was anointed by the Lord, the sole sign we are offered for her assessment is his ability to perform this magic. By extension we can conclude all Sertori are anointed.

But for the sake of argument, let’s suppose we can’t. For the moment, let us concede it is impossible to know whether all Sertori are anointed by the one example of the man of Sephar. This still undermines the claim of the Gesarians that it is just to kill Sertori because they are by nature wicked. If we know that the one Sertori mentioned in the Light of Ramos was anointed by the god, then we cannot assume their nature is wicked or demonic, for Ramos would never anoint such an creature.

SWORDS OF THE NORTH PART VII: OFFSPRING OF THE INQUISITION

This is a report of the seventh session of our Vaaran Kingdoms Sertorius session. You can see session six HERE. 

NOTE: For this adventure I used a portion of the Cavern of the Undead Priestess from the Ravenloft Module, Feast of Goblyns. This material was modified to suit the setting and campaign but felt highly appropriate for the Nutesh's headquarters in the Parsan Gorge. 

The party: 

Gaius: A Ronian-blooded aristocrat

Uloff: A Gru Trader

Garoff: A Gru Bounty Hunter

Dreckergael: A human hunter who casts spells randomly when wounded

Tauq: A human tribesmen from the march between Palus and Apprea, serving in the house of Alu-Bora under Archon Emmanuel. 

Important NPCs:

Belga: A Dwarf Sertori with blue skin who believes he is a Gru 

Vaela: A Hasri Sertori who has grown loyal to the party

Hamil Kar-Harba: The brother of the King and Gaius' uncle

Gesara: A Sertori hunter who leads a wing of the Church of Ramos against spell casters

Ruega: Daughter of Goff-Tannerhauch
Abu Nutesh: A leader of Gesara's inquisition (official title is Jurista)

The party returned to Goff-Tan where Vaela informed them of terrible news. Crassus, who they had sent to Poro Deus to make contact with Caelum was intercepted by a Jurista of the inquisition named Abu Nutesh while passing through Shahr-Tel. He was tried and promptly executed, then his body was taken into Beora and deep into a canyon (Vaela's contacts followed the inquisitors) called Parson's Gorge. Equally troubling, Vaela reported that their ally Darios Tyrna has also been tried by the inquisition in his own castle but had managed to escape. There were also reports of Juristas entering Goresios Maorides territory to conduct investigations. 

The party decided to go the canyon to deal with the inquisition directly. It was a 5-8 journey, so they left Vaela in charge and made their way. First they came to Narna, where Roona was still stationed (as part of an effort to sway the local Eparkos to their side). She informed them that the inquisition had been to the village and took the bodies of Ruega and Gregos from the tempe site (they had died in a large battle some time before HERE). While in Narna, Uloff used used the Aperture of Po to open a visual window into Qelna. With this he was able to see that the Sons of Shai had fallen to an alliance of the Elven priesthood and the resident Sertori. They spoke through the aperture with Cadius, the Orc Sertori they met in Qelna, who now seemed to be in charge of the city. He informed the party that he had in fact taken over, in order to prevent total chaos, and said that Ogaron (the leader of the Sons of Shai) had escaped to seek revenge against the PCs. He said that he would be open to an alliance if they provided him with Ogaron's head. 

The party departed and made their way into the Graevesh Warna (a region of jagged and steep wooded hills). There while in camp, they were attacked by something during the night. Garoff saw a creature stalking the parameter of their camp. As he awakened the others, a massive wave of fire swept over them, burning the trees and many members of the party. Once the fires passed, their attacker charged; a large beast with the body of a bear, the scales of a dragon, the arms of a troll. It had a twisted glowing horn on its head and when they saw its face, they recognized that one half was Gregos (the other half proved to be Ruega). The monster was stitched together like a doll. It gored Garoff, impaling him on its horn. It was a difficult fight but the Sword of Qelna and Uloff's Spheres of Hate gave them an edge. They sent the creature tumbling back with deep cuts of the sword and blasts from the spheres. As it tried to retreat, they finished it off. 

The next day they continued on. The party decided that the timing of the attack was too perfect and someone had informed the inquisition of their intent. They felt magic might also be an explanation so Garoff used Wild Whisper to speak with local rodents. He asked if the other animals had been speaking with anyone, and the mouse informed him that all the animals in the region did so, and had been speaking with people in the towns, as well as those who move from town to town. Dreckergael and Uloff made a point of observing the wildlife as they traveled and eventually noticed the same murder of crows had been following them for much of the journey. Dreckergael managed to trap the crows (using Survival) and Garoff performed another Wild Whisper to speak with them. This took some convincing as they were reluctant to talk. Eventually one of the crows revealed that they were in communication with Abu Nutesh. Uloff and Garoff killed the other crows, but left the one that had spoken in the trap, rigging it so it would release in a few days. 

Within the next few days, the party reached the canyon and searched the rim. They could discern that the canyon itself was deep (up to 3,000 feet in places) and they saw giant undead sentinels at various points. This meant they would likely have to go through the Canyon entrance or find an alternate path through a nearby cave complex. They managed to find a cavern that lead deeper into the gorge and traveled through it. 

When the party reached the end of the cavern they found another giant undead sentinel, armed with a long lance. Their initial attacks were successful but every time they wounded it, it split into three additional copies of itself (much like the Splintering of Yaum spell). This was in fact a creature known sometimes as a Yaumbie. Before the battle was over the original giant had created nine fragments of itself (each weaker than the original). It was a difficult fight and many were wounded, so Tauq helped heal them afterwards. 

When they entered the canyon, Garoff used Wild Whisper to send a snake to scout ahead. It reported a large tree, a steel cage surrounded by four creatures and a cavern entrance. The party moved through the canyon. When it came upon the tree they saw that it was not a natural growth, but sculpted and that it had eyes etched all over its surface. Uloff used Juggernaut to ram into the tree, causing it to explode in a shower of broken wood. He took a wound but seemed satisfied by the action. 

When they reached the cage, they saw it was suspended from the rocket edge of the canyon, and around it were four zombi-like humans. In the cage was an orc woman. Gaius strode forward and used Back to the Grave, and scored a Total Success. As he commanded the undead to return to their tombs, three of them crumbled to dust and the remaining one was easily dispatched with an arrow by Garoff. 

The Orc woman said her name was Kaela, and she had been in the cage for five days. Nutesh had placed her there to drain her magic. When pressed she said he had taken two of her spells (which they determined were Avalanche of Flame and Bolt of Fury). She told the party that Nutesh was intelligent, cruel and capable of changing form to look like a number of different people. 

Before they departed, the party had talked with Vaela about researching methods for restoring spells lost to the blood cult. They believed that it might be possible for Kaela to regain her spells and offered to help if she went in with them to the cavern. She agreed and the party entered the cave. 

In the cavern they spent time debating which paths to take, ultimately settling on those passages that seemed most heavily travelled. They encountered a region filled with black mist with swirling white shapes. As they tried to pass through the white shapes materialized into hands and grabbed for magical objects. They failed to grasp the Sword of Qelna but did manage to take one of Uloff's orbs. 

Finally they arrived at a  massive chasm with a bone bridge leading from the rim to an colossal skeletal structure in the center. The bridge entrance was guarded by two giant skeletons with long spears. Once again Gaius strode forward to use Back to the Grave, but as he spoke he realized he made a terrible mistake as it had no effect. Both the skeletons speared him and the rest of the party rushed forward to attack. During the battle they sent one skeleton over the edge of the chasm and destroyed the other with axes and sword blows. 

Entering the bridge they walked toward the structure, which looked like a towering giant skeleton of Ramos in an iconic pose. A spiral stairway led up the spine and led them to a room in the skeleton's skull. There they found an elven woman strapped to a bone throne with a look of discomfort and fear. The ground was obscured by a dense curtain blanketing the floor, though they could see two bulging shapes beneath them. Immediately Kaela rushed to stab the elven woman but missed. A creature like the one that had attacked the party in the hills ripped through the drape and attacked, but Uloff intercepted it and wrestled it to the ground. The party was able to get Kaela to confirm that the elven woman was Nutesh. 

Dreckergael fired an arrow at Nutesh, hitting him below the ribs and forcing him to change back to his natural form, a male Halfling. Gaius cast Aedra's Mood Lighting, which is difficult to explain but it is a little bit like this: 




This had the effect of giving the party a +1d10 bonus on rolls. Uloff continued wrestling with the beast, but another emerged from the drapes. Nutesh drew forth the Orb Uloff  had lost in the mists and threw it at him. This missed but landed on the floor causing an explosion that ripped a large hole revealing the chasm below. Uloff  used the hole to throw one his beast into. It fell but grabbed on the to the edge (with an Athletics Roll). As it dangled the creature cast Drowning Sorrows which had caused a swirl of tragic imagery that literally choked the party. However Uloff pried its hands from the rim and it fell. 

Meanwhile, Tauq beheaded Nutesh but the other Beast released a strange burst of crackling bolts from its body that hit and harmed many party members. It then attacked Uloff and left him seriously wounded. 

This is where the session ended. 

GAMING WITH ILLNESS AND DISABILITY: IN DEFENSE OF ESCAPISM

A while back I talked about Gaming Through Illness (HERE). The kind of illness I had in mind was physically debilitating chronic disease. I think I laid out some good points on how to get the most out of gaming while your body is restricted in this way. Since then, I've encountered a lot of other gamers online going through their own health related disability issues. One thing I've learned is everyone experiences different challenges due to the specific nature of our conditions. Personally I am not that fond of talking about my condition, and even bristle a bit at sympathy from folks when I do talk about it (this isn't their fault of course, they are just trying to be nice, but for some reason I just don't like receiving gestures of sympathy or praise for being 'brave'). This is another reason I generally avoid discussing it, because I don't really like the kind of attention it brings. But I am beginning to realize it is helpful for others in similar situation to speak about this and hear about it. And it is also helpful for me as well. 

The condition I have is called Crohn's Disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that causes your immune system to attack its own gastrointestinal tract. The inflammation this causes can be uncomfortable and embarrassing but the real harm from Crohn's disease is the complications patients tend to experience in the form of infections, abscesses, fistulas, blockages, etc. These can result in seriously disabling states, requiring bowel resectioning, ostomies, etc. Crohn's patients often need a number of surgeries to deal with such complications and the aftermath can leave you homebound or worse. In my case, after my first three surgeries I was fine, but a series of three surgeries after that led to some debilitating fistula tracts that require daily antibiotics and keep me at the house. I won't go into detail beyond that, but it is sufficient to say that I went from being a very athletic and active person to being barely capable of taking a brief walk outside. This contrast for me, because I was so involved in weight training and martial arts, was quite disheartening. I've always been a gamer, but I have never appreciated the utility of the escapism it affords until now. 

Escapism sometimes gets a bad name. It can distract you to the point that you become uninvolved or detached from others. That is a danger with any number activities though that demand our time. I could make an argument that my old exercise routine was a bit excessive and distracted me from other things for example. By the same token, I have known people who have taken gaming to an extreme and missed other important parts of their lives. However I think when one is homebound by a disease, and when one's body doesn't work the way it used to, escapism can be enormously therapeutic. I can't spar anymore. Nor can I go on my regular morning jog. These were things that not only made me physically healthy, they improved my mental state. Now that I can't do neither of them, there is great appeal for me in being a wizard or barbarian warrior for a few hours each week. This is why wuxia settings have had particular attraction to me lately, because they let me transcend the limitations imposed on my body by illness, even if just for a brief period. There is something really satisfying about exceeding the mundane limits of the martial arts I used to practice in real life, by playing a martial hero who can glide across a lake and summon powerful blasts of internal energy. 

Here I can't speak for other people suffering from debilitating illness. Like I said everyone has a different experience and some may see no draw to the escapism aspect of RPGs. I am curious though, for those affected in this way, how it has impacted their gaming and their tastes in games. I invite anyone to comment with their own personal stories. 

THE NEW YEAR

This has been a tough year for Bedrock. Though we finally saw the fruit of a years-long project, as we were preparing for the print release of Sertorius in September, Bill Butler passed away quite unexpectedly. It overshadows anything else Bedrock achieved. For this reason I don't have much desire to reflect on the other things we accomplished during the year. I can say 2014 is a year I will never forget, because I lost a good friend.

Still I think it is important to talk about the last year because so much of it was a product of the seven years Bill put into Bedrock. I say seven (and not 6 or 5) because while our first book was released in December 2009, we had been working together as a team since 2007-08. 

Last year we released two products. One of them was the Sertorius Roleplaying Game. The other was a free adventure for Sertorius called Beneath the Banshee Tree. We had made a deliberate choice to reduce our production schedule in order to improve the substance of our material. Before that we released multiple products a year to help support existing lines. While it didn't make a lot of fiscal sense to reduce our production schedule (releasing regular product really is what keeps lines healthy and revenue strong) it make good design sense. We couldn't have given Sertorius the attention it needed if we had been juggling modules and supplements for our other games. We also wouldn't have had the time to playtest as frequently as we did. In the end we were both happy with this decision because it enabled us to enjoy what we were doing in a way we hadn't before. 

I am glad Sertorius is finally available and glad that Bill was able to see a proof of the final print release before he passed away. The reaction to Beneath the Banshee Tree in particular has been rewarding. 

We were working on a number of things in 2014 and I hope to have those released in the near future. In order to speed that process up, I released our Sertorius Fantasy Packet on the blog (HERE), so we will have an easier time getting Book of the Archon and Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate out the door. The Fantasy Packet is basically a small set of optional rules to run Sertorius as a more standard Fantasy game. 

Going forward in 2015 we hope to continue doing what we've done in the past but in a necessarily different way. Without Bill, we are a different company. I worked with Bill long enough that I feel like I know what he would like and what he wouldn't, but I also worked with him long enough to know he wasn't a static man. His tastes, like anyone else's, changed over time. So one of our guiding principles has become "what would Bill say about this?". We say that knowing that Bill liked a spirited debate and was always a bit of a fighter. So I think the best way we can honor his memory is continue to reflect on what he would want, and continue to debate with him where we might disagree. We just completed a game (which still needs play testing and review) called The Meddlers. This is our attempt to make the kind of game we think Bill always wanted to make. It is light (both in terms of rules and tone) but also incredibly dark in its own way, which I think is appropriate. Bill had a way as a GM of turning the benign and friendly into wicked and evil things.