BLOOD OF THE DEMON MOON CULT SESSION 15: JOURNEY TO IRON SKY REALM

This is the campaign log for the Fifteenth session of a google+run Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate campaign. The previous session is described HERE. 

Note: I am running two campaigns in the same setting and treating them as occurring in different realities with some vague similarities. Characters in one may appear in the other, but there are no direct causal effects from one campaign to the next. Partly this is to playtest, but this is also partly due to the multi-dimensional aspect of the universe I run all my games in. It would theoretically be possible for the party from the Blood of the Demon Moon cult campaign to dimension travel to the Secret of Je Valley Campaign, in which case direct interactions could occur (and they could even meet their counterparts in the alternate dimension). 

CHARACTERS

Player Characters

Zhang Wan (Bone Breaker): An unpredictable and violent martial expert who is the brother of Zhang San. First chief of Qui Pan Bandits. Married to Huo Ju (Little Venom)

Zhang San: A wandering hero and sister of Zhang Wan, more calm than her brother

Chen: A poisoner and healer known for his lazy ways.

Key NPCs

Jade Priestess: Bone Breaker's Sifu and former member of the Demon Moon Cult

Jade Butterfly: San's Sifu
Senior Grand Councilor Cai Yuanyu: Highest ranked official in the Empire below the emperor; plotting to 'invert heaven' and has recruited Bone Breaker into his plans

Prince Yuan: Son of the King of Li Fan, controls the eastern territories. 

General Dee: An important military commander in Hu Qin who pays Bone Breaker for services 

Iron Spear Tip: A magic weapon with a mind of its own, the bride of Zhang Kang.
Little Venom (Huo Ju): Bone Breaker's Wife
The Venom of Zhaoze (Huo Si): Leader of Zhaoze sect, father of Huo Ju (Little Venom) and Sifu to Chen

After they escaped from the Jade Turtle party returned to the inn to strategize. Chen and San went south to retrieve the statue of the Emerald Monk, while Bone Breaker remained at the inn. 

Senior Grand Councilor Cai Yuanyu met with Bone Breaker, informing him that the Face of Vaagu had been taken by Yang Tuo. He also discussed their agreement to have Huo Ju (Bone Breaker's wife) where the Heart of Yao Feng during her pregnancy so the child would become the demon emperor. Bone Breaker explained that his wife refused and the Senior Grand Councilor told him that Qinwen Master of the Seven Talismans (Leader of Heaven Palace Sect) would not budge on the point*. If Bone Breaker's son was not the embodiment of the demon emperor, then the child would die at birth. There was nothing the Senior Grand Councilor could do. 

Bone Breaker used his information network to find out where Yang Tuo may have gone, then he went to Heaven Palace sect with his men and some Divine Powder. He attempted to work out a new agreement. Qinwen was enraged and fused Bone Breaker's feet together. Eventually he restored Bone Breakers feet and released him when it seemed they had an understanding. 

However Bone Breaker used his Divine Powder to cave in the entrance to Heaven Palace sect. This only angered Qinwen even further, and suddenly Bone Breaker's left eye burned as it went blind. Qinwen told him he would take both eyes if he continued to be belligerent. When it seemed the situation was once again under control, Qinwen restored Bone Breaker's vision. 

San and Chen found a guide in the Banyan who took them to Mount Waxing to find the cave of the emerald monk. On the way they stopped at Wu Pen village and met a martial hero named Flying Dragon. He was with three other heroes (Master Hammer and The Saber Brothers (Mr. Yun and Mr. Xi). Though it seemed Flying Dragon was considering robbing them, Chen persuaded him that they could offer him and his men good employment at the Ogre Gate Inn. 

The next day they continued south, with Flying Dragon saying he'd go north to the inn. They reached Wuxing Mountain and began the trek up through the steep trails. They had some Flying Phantoms and soldiers with them, but were attacked by stone throwing apes called Jufu. Five of their men were incapacitated by the attack, but after they sent the apes fleeing, Chen found numinous mushrooms in the area. 

They found the cave of the Emerald Monk and the statue. It took some time to extract, but once they destroyed the base, they were able to carry it through the woods very slowly back to Naam. Keeping the statue covered they found a merchant willing to take them, but he insisted on seeing what their cargo was once on the ship. He took them as far as Bei and warned them to conceal the statue as others would certainly come after them if they knew what it was. 

When San and Chen reached Ogre Gate Inn, Bone Breaker told them he wanted to go to Sun Mai Temple. Abbot Firebrand led the way and their journey began. 

It tool a long time but they reached Sun Mai and abbot Yuancheng agreed to meet with Bone Breaker. During the conversation, Bone Breaker expressed a desire to change his ways and follow the path of righteousness. He promised to be merciful and sought council from the abbot. 

Abbot Yuancheng explained that he knew of Bone Breakers crimes and he agreed to help the son, giving him a protective amulet for Huo Ju to wear and saying as long as the child entered Sun Mai as a monk, he would be fine. He made Bone Breaker promise not to harm Yang Tuo. 

He told Bone Breaker that if he restored the Face of Vaagu there was a way to undo what he'd started. He revealed that the Face of Vaagu was a gateway to Infinite Sky Realm, where the immortal, Iron Sky Maiden resided. According to the Abbot she was once a member of Sun Mai (the only woman in their history) and was a devotee of Hen-Shi (Goddess of Mercy). He believed if they went to Iron Sky Realm, that the maiden would help them. 

The party went north, and recovered the face once they learned of Yang Tuo's whereabouts (he had taken the face to the Banyan mountains where he recruited the help of Hu Gao to protect it). Yang Tuo was pleased with Bone Breakers choice to work with Sun Mai and helped him take the face back to the Kushan Basin where they put it atop its original location. It fused to the stone with a blaze of golden light. 

Chen decided to remain with the Kailin in the area, while Bone Breaker, San, Huo Ju, Jade Priestess, and Abbott Firebrand used the Talisman of Yao Feng to teleport to Iron Sky Realm (this was done against the advice of Sun Mai, because the talisman violates the laws of heaven). 

However, use of the talisman did not attract the attention of Judge Yu (who normally handles such matters) so it seemed they were safe. They were brought into a forest and eventually made their way to a seaside village. The people were kind, thought the sky was a strange metallic blue. A fisherman told them to see Iron Sky Maiden they would first need to go to Superior Wisdom Sect near the southern peak (they soon learned that the 'peaks' were floating mountains). The sea near the village connected to Southern Peak and the fisherman agreed to take them. 

This is where the session ended. 

*In order to eliminate a reduction of Bone Breaker's lifespan to five years, the Senior Grand Councilor formed a new agreement with Heaven Palace Sect where they pledged to make Bone Breaker's child the demon emperor. 

THE SECRET OF ZHE VALLEY SESSION 19: THE INVISIBLE FISH OF NANSUN

This campaign is set ten years after a previous set of adventures (HERE). This is the nineteenth session of the current campaign (Session 18 can be found HERE). 

Note: I accidentally left an 'interim session' note in some of the prior session logs. These were regular sessions (last true interim online session for this campaign was a long time ago). 


Characters*:
Xue Lingsu (Purple Cavern Sect)
Xi Kang(Affiliated with Mr. Red Claw)
Zhi Zhu (No Sect)
Long Shu (Purple Cavern Sect)
Min (Purple Cavern Sect)
Rong (Tree-Dwelling Nun Sect)
Nuan (Xi Kang's Disciple and a former Flying Phantom)
Niang the Demon Hunter (A martial hero who knows how to kill the Yao)

Last session the party had destroyed the lacquered heart boxes of the Yao (the Emperor's impervious body guards). This sent a ripple of fear through the grand palace as the Emperor's guards dropped dead. Only one Yao remained alive, because they left his heart box intact. This was Yuancheng, the husband of Niang the Demon Hunter (who was traveling with the party). After they destroyed the heart boxes they saw the Senior Grand Councilor dispatch a man north toward the capital so they followed him. 

They found the man camped by a river and forced him to confess his intentions. He was on his way to kill the Glorious Emperor and convinced the players to join him. He told the party his name was Wei and that the Senior Grand Councilor sent him to kill the emperor as well as retrieve an artifact around the emperor's neck. While the party agreed to work with him in from a shared desire to assassinate the emperor, they could not allow him to take the artifact. Wei agreed to have a duel with Kang for possession of the object after their mission was successful. 

They reached Nansun and went to palace, where Wei presented his seal and said he was sent to protect the emperor. They were met by Eunuch Du Wan who informed them that the emperor had taken to his 'invisible ship of pearl' with a select group of guardians the moment his Yao dropped dead. Wei thanked the eunuch and the party left with him to formulate a plan to find the invisible ship. 

Because it was a city with canals and waterways, they began by asking local fisherman if they had seen anything. At a local inn, Kang found heard a story about a Mr. Buwei who claimed to have caught an invisible fish. He went to the man's residence and told him he was a poet and was working on a masterpiece that would incorporate his tale of the invisible fish. Buwei was excited at the prospect of being immortalized in verse and happily shared what he knew. He brought Kang to where he had been fishing the previous day and explained that something caught his line, dragging him around the canals for about ten minutes. He also claimed to have killed the fish and cooked it. 

During this time, LIngsu went to a Book shop to find information on the heart taking ritual (in hopes of learning a way to save Niang's husband). After some negotiation and bribery he was brought to a back room and shown a manual containing the heart taking ritual with commentaries. He purchased it and read the material, which indicated how to reverse the process. However he would only have one chance of success. 

While the party went through the canal system and searched for inconsistencies, Kang went to Golden Sky Pavilion, a Yen-Li spirit temple. He asked the priest, Master Ren,  if there were ways to see through illusions. Master Ren told him he knew how to make a pill from Numinous Mushrooms that would show the spirit realm and also allow people to see through enchantments. It was expensive but Kang bought 7 pills that he was assured would last for about seven hours. 

Back at their inn, Kang took the pill and immediately began to see spirits in the city, including a massive snake spirit in the canals. He and the party walked through the city, when he eventually spotted a ghostly ship of white pearl moving through the waters. There were also two women in white robes on the deck standing watch. The party walked to a bridge. Rong and Lingsu also took the pill, with the rest of the group following Kang's lead as he jumped onto the deck. 

Kang, lingsu and Min made it down first. Lingsu was able to throw one of the women off the deck, but she used arms of silk to hang onto the rail (causing the boat to drag her like a kite). Kang and Mind faced off against the other woman who unleashed a splay of silken threads and needles, wrapping him in a cocoon. As they fought, Zhi Zhu snuck into the ship and found a door, behind which she heard the sounds of people laughing. 

Min used Swan Taming Strike to slice open Kang's threads, then attack the woman. She replied with Whirling Blade, wounding Kang, but was soon dispatched. Lingsu cut the clothes strands the other woman had used to clutch the rail, dropping her into the water. 

The party followed Zhi Zhu down below and kicked open the door to the chamber. Inside they found the emperor with three concubine guardians and a remaining Yao (Yuancheng, Niang's husband). Lingsu charged in and used Sword Whipping strike with spectacular precision. He killed the emperor almost immediately and nearly killed the concubines. It was a quick matter for the party to follow his resounding sword blow and finish them off. 

While the party fought, Zhi Zhu inspected the emperor's body and found two objects, a large pearl pendant and a pendant made of a ruby sphere. She took both. 

Once they subdued Yuancheng, Wei inspected the emperor, but found nothing. He seemed irked. The object he was looking for was called the Heart of Yao Feng, so he announced that perhaps it was the emperor's heart. He cut open the emperor's chest and removed the organ. 

The ship came to a halt. The party disembarked and saw a gathering of locals who stood in awe of this great pearl ship that suddenly appeared from thin air. They seemed to believe the party to be immortals and followed them before Kang corralled them to another part of the city. 

The party fled, with Wei helping them escape through a series of tunnels below the city as alarm bells filled the air. When they were miles from the city, Lingsu performed the heart keeping ritual in reverse, restoring Yuancheng. He seemed to recognize Niang after he awoke and she pledged her service to LIngsu for saving her husband. 

Wei and Kang dueled for possession of the heart of the emperor as they had agreed. It was not an easy fight but Kang ultimately proved the better martial expert. Once he subdued Wei, he killed him. 

This is where the session ended. 

WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE UPDATE

We've been working to bring Wandering Heroes to layout and wanted to give a brief update. 

We are in the last phase of the edits. I should get the manuscript back soon and once me and the editor go over any changes, we will layout the rulebook around the middle of January. 

Madame Hamaya and Dancing Fox
by Jackie Musto

The art is nearly done we also have a couple more maps coming in as well. 

We are very close and have also started on supplementary setting PDFs and the Profound Masters of Ogre Gate follow-up rulebook for higher level play (the core book will contain the rules for higher level, this just goes into considerably more detail). 

We should have more updates in the coming weeks. 

WICKED SCHEMES

As a GM I believe in rewarding good tactics and plans on the part of the PCs. To me things feel more real when a valid solution is able to solve the problem. This sometimes means that challenges are easily overcome or that an adventure ends soon after it started, but in the long haul, I think those are good things, not bad. But, just as the players are rewarded for their cunning, I assume they live in a world inhabited by equally clever opponents. Once in a while the tables are turned and I put a lot of effort into the evil schemes of my NPCs. 

One rule of thumb I abide by, since as the GM I have a serious advantage over the players, is I imbed several 'outs' for the players. I'll usually include a couple of opportunities to detect some crack or clue about the scheme, as well as a couple of opportunities to prevent the schemes from reaching fruition. 

And when I say schemes, I mean the kinds of intricate plans that are designed by a very intelligent foe to trick, mislead and get the party to play right into their hands. These are things that really hit below the belt and wake the party up. When you reward clever thinking sometimes it leads players to believe they can't be outwitted, and I think every once in a while they need to face a truly worthy adversary on that front. 

As an example, recently in my Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Campaign, the party, who had been on a steady ascension to power, were sidetracked when a powerful and clever martial hero named Yang Tuo decided to get revenge for a friend they had murdered, and also sought to stop them from enacting their evil plans (the party in this campaign could be described as evil and cruel). When the party killed his friend Kang, they took a Jade Turtle he was carrying. It was worth a lot of money but they didn't inspect it enough to discern its true nature. Kang came into possession of it because it once contained the imprisoned spirits of a cursed town. After he freed them, he was taking the turtle to its original creator, an Immortal of Iron Sky Realm. 

It just so happened the party had been planning a tournament to help grow their prestige, and they were in need of a nice prize. They decided the Jade Turtle was ideal and announced it would be given to the winner of the competition. 

Yang Tuo realized because the turtle was now empty after Kang freed the spirits inside, it could once again be used to imprison people if he learned the original ritual that had been cast on it. He mastered a ritual and improved it, then went to compete in the tournament. He planned to win it, then complete the final mudras of the ritual once he had it (or use trickery if he didn't win). If Yang Tuo did not win, he knew he'd probably only get one chance to grab the turtle and use its powers before they became suspicious of him. 

Yang ended up making it to the final match, but was ultimately beat by a Player Character named Chen. Because the PCs were recruiting muscle and were impressed by Yang Tuo's performance, they invited him to join their group for a good wage. He convinced them he would and asked if he could handle the Jade Turtle telling them he only competed so he could see it for himself, that once would be enough. When the party agreed and handed it over, they fell right into his trap. He tapped the turtle and imprisoned them. 

The end result was the party was imprisoned for about 2-3 months of time before they escaped (due to time moving slower on the inside of the turtle). This is a pretty good example of the kind of scheme I will occasionally deploy against a party when they attract powerful enemies. 

Another recent example occurred in my Secret of Je Valley Campaign. The party had been trying forever to find a way to kill the Glorious Emperor, but he was protected by demonic warriors called Yao, who have their hearts ripped out and placed in boxes (which makes them immortal, regenerative and loyal). In order to kill him, they needed to find the heart boxes and destroy them, so he has less protection. This played right into the hands of a nefarious official who also wanted the Emperor Dead so he could get his hands on a magical artifact that would help him restore the demon emperor (both campaigns have been dealing with this threat, but from two very different angles). When the heroes finally found the heart boxes, the official put his plan into action and sent an assassin against the emperor. 

Again, I think it is always important to insert opportunities for players to learn about the schemes. In the second case, the party got a bit suspicious and lingered in town well after they destroyed the heart boxes. Because they took time to spy on the official, they saw him send out the assassin and were able to follow him and learn of his plans. So every wicked scheme can be cracked if the players are sufficiently vigilant or clever. 

When using wicked schemes like this, it is very important not to railroad and let the dice fall where they may. There might be points where, once a certain line is crossed, there is very little the players can do (for example once Yang Tuo tapped the Jade Turtle, he enacted a powerful magic that couldn't be stopped). But along the way, he shouldn't protect NPCs on their path to outwit the party. Again, in each fight Yang Tuo participated in in the tournament, I rolled the dice and let the results stand. Ultimately he ended up losing the final match, which nearly ruined his ploy. He basically had that one last card to play, and the party was in a good enough mood that it worked. Otherwise, it might not have happened. My view was, things should have been able to go either way. 

BLOOD OF THE DEMON MOON CULT SESSION 14: THE PRIZES FOR THE TOURNAMENT

This is the campaign log for the Fourteenth session of a google+run Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate campaign. The previous session is described HERE. 

Note: I am running two campaigns in the same setting and treating them as occurring in different realities with some vague similarities. Characters in one may appear in the other, but there are no direct causal effects from one campaign to the next. Partly this is to playtest, but this is also partly due to the multi-dimensional aspect of the universe I run all my games in. It would theoretically be possible for the party from the Blood of the Demon Moon cult campaign to dimension travel to the Secret of Je Valley Campaign, in which case direct interactions could occur (and they could even meet their counterparts in the alternate dimension). 

CHARACTERS

Player Characters

Zhang Wan (Bone Breaker): An unpredictable and violent martial expert who is the brother of Zhang San. First chief of Qui Pan Bandits. Married to Huo Si (Little Venom)

Zhang San: A wandering hero and sister of Zhang Wan, more calm than her brother

Chen: A poisoner and healer known for his lazy ways.

Key NPCs

Jade Priestess: Bone Breaker's Sifu and former member of the Demon Moon Cult

Jade Butterfly: San's Sifu
Senior Grand Councilor Cai Yuanyu: Highest ranked official in the Empire below the emperor; plotting to 'invert heaven' and has recruited Bone Breaker into his plans

Prince Yuan: Son of the King of Li Fan, controls the eastern territories. 

General Dee: An important military commander in Hu Qin who pays Bone Breaker for services 

Iron Spear Tip: A magic weapon with a mind of its own, the bride of Zhang Kang.
Little Venom (Huo Ju): Bone Breaker's Wife
The Venom of Zhaoze (Huo Si): Leader of Zhaoze sect, father of Huo Ju (Little Venom) and Sifu to Chen

Chen and Zhou Gui face off. San noticed something odd about Gui's movements and spotted a martial expert pulling from a balcony as if Gui were his puppet. Bone Breaker immediately stopped the match and detained the expert (named Wang Shi). He revealed he had been paid by Zhou Gui to assist him. Bone Breaker decided that resuming the match would be okay and he allowed Wang Shi to continue manipulating Gui's movements from the side of the ring. Chen eventually knocked him out of the arena with Blast of the Dragon, causing Gui to be disqualified. 

After the match Bone Breaker spoke with Zhou Gui and Wang Shi. Both agreed to enter his services (Gui for 40,000 spades a month and Shi for 10,000 a month). Zhou Gui promised to prepare a meal of Longevity Duck for Bone Breaker and his guests. He was directed to the kitchen, and on his way Chef Wu followed him (apparently the two had a working relationship of some kind). 

Bone Breaker called an end to the fights for the day and invited the remaining competitors, and six of the biggest gamblers, to join him. At the dinner there were several incidents. The first occurred when Fearless Cat and Nergui (a Kushan tribesman), refused to come to the meal, preferring to train. They were sent messages that they would be disqualified if they didn't participate. Nergui intentionally arrived smelling foul, while Fearless Cat was impolite. Bone Breaker took them outside with some of his men and threatened to have them killed if they didn't show respect to him as host. For the rest of the evening they presented no further problems. 

The arrival of the Longevity Duck prompted another incident. The dish was presented when Bone Breaker noticed that there were suspicious cubes of meat in a sauce drenching the duck. He asked Zhou Gui what the meat was and he said he couldn't reveal it, as it was a secret ingredient. Bone Breaker became more insistent saying that Gui could just whisper it in his ear. Leaning in Gui told him that it was human meat but that it would rejuvenate him and give him a longer life. 

Bone Breaker told the guests that the cubes were human meat and invited those willing to try but perhaps eat around the flesh. He and another guest, a merchant named Master Han, ate the duck and found their minds were more nimble for the next few hours. 

Over the course of the meal the party formed several agreements with three of the merchants in attendance. Master Han, a silk merchant, came to an arrangement where the party gained 50% of his business if they supplied all the silk for free. Master Fan, worked out an agreement as well. Some of the guests were local scholars and expressed only disgust at Bone Breaker's behavior. When they left for the common area to drink, Chen followed and sat down with them. 

Chen asked the scholars if they knew of an artifact he might seek out to gift to his new Sifu, the Venom of Zhaoze. They reprimanded him for associating with a poisoner but one of them suggested he consider seeking the Emerald Monk, a legendary statue. According to the monks, the Emerald Monk was a student of Sunan and Bao known for his vanity. He made a deal with the Demon Emperor, who promised to make him immortal and beautiful for all time. But the longevity elixir the Demon Emperor gave, turned him into solid emerald. 

Bone Breaker then spoke with his wife, telling her of the arrangement he had made with the Senior Grand Councilor (to make their son the vessel of the Demon Emperor's spirit). He didn't say an agreement had been struck but acted as if he were still making a decision on the matter. She was outraged, and said that "no" was the only permissible answer. He let the issue go and tried to think of alternative solutions. 

That night, Bronze Master arrived at the inn with two prisoners: Lingsu and Min (members of Purple Cavern sect that Bone Breaker had been trying to kill). He presented both as wedding gifts and told Bone Breaker he shouldn't kill Lingsu right away as the man was quite knowledgeable.

The next day the tournament resumed. The final bout was between Chen and Yang Tuo. Chen relied heavily on his Blast of the Dragon Technique, while Yang Tuo used both the Sword of Sun Mai (a powerful phantom sword technique) and the All Encompassing Emerald of Sun Mai (a ball of green energy that crushes foes). Some of the fight also involved an exchange of kicks and counters. By the end, Chen was far more wounded than Yan Tuo, but he managed to knock Tuo off the edge of the ring, winning the tournament. 

Bone Breaker presented the Jade Turtle to Chen and then approached Yang Tuo in the ring asking if he would join them, promising a considerable sum of money. Yang Tuo appeared interested and confessed that he came only as a pilgrimage to see the Jade Turtle for himself. If he could touch it that would satisfy him, and he would be wiling to work out an arrangement with the party. 

Bone Breaker told Chen to hand the turtle to Yang Tuo, and Chen obeyed with some reluctance and suspicion. As soon as Yang Tuo had the Jade Turtle in his hands, he tapped it in in a pattern and it exploded in golden light, creating a column of energy that carried Tuo into the sky and formed a dome around the entire area for about a kilometer. 

Yang Tuo

From high above, Yang Tuo said "You brought this on yourself Bone Breaker". The party sent men and archers after them, but the pillar protected Tuo, burning anyone who approached into ash. Everyone inside began to feel sick and woozy. 

Bone Breaker tried to flee with the help of Sand Demon, burrowing below the dome, but its arm was burned off as soon when they reached the boundary, forcing them to retreat. San tried to reason with Yang Tuo, saying that many innocent people (there were about 2,000 locals attending the tournament) would be affected. 

Yang Tuo told San that no one there was innocent and then told a story about a man named Xi Kang, and a woman named Zhi Zhu, who had gone to the Pagoda of Golden Mercies and saved the spirits of people trapped inside by tapping the power of the Jade Turtle. He accused Bone Breaker of murdering them while they were on their way to return the turtle to Iron Sky Maiden at the Face of Vaagu. He also accused Bone Breaker of stealing the face of Vaagu. 

Eventually everyone passed out and found themselves inside the dome, with the landscape much changed. Where the tournament had been, there was now a giant Pagoda rising up from the sand. Everyone felt fatigued and drained of all emotion. 

They found Lingsu, and he explained to them that he was with Kang and Zhi Zhu at the Pagoda of Golden Mercies but that the Jade Turtle behaved very differently there. He told them that an entire town of people were imprisoned inside (or at least their Dragon Spirits were imprisoned inside). He believed it was a trap intended to purify and that if they cultivated they could escape, but that would take years, if not decades. Plus he said time seemed to pass faster on the outside than the inside. 

Bone Breaker, Chen, San, Abbot Firebrand, Jade Priestess and Lingsu went into the Pagoda. There they found a tall statue of Hen-Shi surrounded by floating miniature statues of Hen-Shi made of gold (Lingsu informed them these were known as Golden Mercies). A set of stairs led up to another level. They heard a voice that said "Reflect. Reflect and overcome the obstacles. Cultivate and I will release you."

They tried to go up the stairs but they never reached another level, they traveled for hours and seemed no closer to an end. Lingsu suggested that the next level was probably only attainable after a certain amount of cultivation. They went down and tried to meditate. There, San noticed a concealed down in the floor. She opened it and descended some stairs to find a door and a plaque. The plaque read: 

This is all an illusion, but all too real. There is another path, a faster path. Find the Golden Lamp, bring it here and face the obstacles within. When the lamp radiates golden light, sink with it to the bottom of the waters of reflection. 

San brought this information to Bone Breaker who rounded up some of his men to find the lamp. It was in a nearby cave but radiated red rather than gold. They took the lamp down the stairs and went into the chambers beyond the door. 

There they found several powerful entities of considerable size. The first was a giant and twisted creature shrouded in billowing white robes spanning an entire room of jagged rock and water. When they brought the lamp into its presence and attacked, it was slowly drawn into the device. They attacked it and a spinning back kick from San sent it into a million pieces as it was fully absorbed into the lamp. When it was done, found that their sadness had returned. 

They continued on through several chambers and halls with similar creatures. They faced a burnt creature of rage and hate that lobbied fire at them, a giant woman who healed and then sliced their bodies with her hair, and more. Some were harder to defeat the than others. San and Wan devised a twin kick technique that enabled them to maximize their damage against the creatures and this helped them trap them in the lamp. Each defeated foe helped them regain their emotions. There were other creatures in the tunnels as well, some with no form at all. 

Finally they found a smiling monk with a staff in a chamber filled with luscious fruit trees. He greeted them and pounded his staff on the ground, causing the energy from the lamp to flow into his weapon. The party sprung into action against the spirit. He smiled and offered them a place to eat or talk, while biting into their necks and draining their blood. When he attacked it revealed rows of razor sharp teeth. But his politeness and exuberance never diminished. 

San and Wan were able to defeat him with their twin kick technique, drawing his energy into the lamp. Once he was inside, the lamp glowed a golden light and they continued south deeper into the caves. 

At the end they found a massive body of water at the bottom of a chasm. They went back and took some key people with them (Bronze Master, Bone Breaker's Wife, Fearless Cat, etc) and all plunged with the lamp into the underground ocean. After sinking a considerable depth, they awoke by the inn. There were thousands of bodies around them, frozen like statues but made of flesh. These were the people they left behind, their bodies remaining as phoenix ghosts. 

This is where the session ended. 

LEGEND OF THE BAT (WUXIA INSPIRATION)

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. 

I decided to do a review of Legend of the Bat because I wanted to talk about wuxia movies that gamers will appreciate. The director of the film, Yuen Chor*, was prolific, making 120 films in the first thirty years of his career. He was also a talented screen-writer and was responsible for greats like Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan and Killer Clans. The volume of his output and the kinds of stories he likes to tell, is reminiscent of what gamesters do. Legend of the Bat in particular resonates with that part of my brain that is always on the look-out for cool stuff to incorporate into my weekly campaign. Because it is a mystery, I will be vague on details in this review and try to capture the feel of the movie more than anything else. 

Legend of the Bat is a 1978 Shaw Brothers Film, directed by Yuen Chor and stars Ti Lung (Chu Liu-Hsiang), Derek Yee (Mr. Bat), Yueh Hua (Li Yuhan), Ching Li (Liu Yumin), and Candice Yu (Jin Lingzhi). Legend of the Bat is the second in a trilogy of films based on a book by Gu Long (Clans of Intrigue is the first film, Perils of the Sentimental Swordsman is the third). It helps to watch the first film but isn't necessary. I do recommend Clans of Intrigue, you simply don't need to watch it to understand the plot of Legend of the Bat. 

The core concept is fairly simple: a terrifying mastermind named Mr. Bat looms over the martial world from his residence on Bat Island and our hero must go there to confront him. A very simple idea, but the path is riddled with complexity and various twists that force the viewer to do a double-take. Some people don't like the confusion of these turns, but I delight in them. You'll understand better on a second viewing, however you really don't need to grasp the fine details to enjoy a movie like this. At its heart, this is a mystery and adventure story. It features plenty of martial arts, but what drives it forward is the investigation and cascade of clues and gorgeous set-pieces. It is a visually engaging movie and you can almost enjoy it for that alone on the first watch. 

Chu Liu-Hsiang Makes Friends

The characters are colorful but the tone is dark. This comes through right away in the opening scene where an auction is taking place at Bat Island. It seems people can try to obtain all kinds of things at this annual affair, and a mysterious bidder asks for the head of Chu Liu-Hsiang (Ti Lung). 

Chu Liu-Hsiang is an unrivaled martial hero, who travels with his friend Yi Tien-Hung. They are drawn into the mystery of Bat Island when they stumble upon the murdered bodies of other experts from the martial world at Siming Villa. There they meet a man who can't remember who he is but was clearly involved in whatever occurred. All he knows is he is supposed to get to Bat Island. 

This is an intriguing opening that immediately pulls you in. As the story unfolds similar leads appear, equally opaque and compelling. The two meet other heroes along the way, sometimes it is unclear if they are allies or enemies. 

Ultimately what propels Chu Liu-Hsiang to seek out the island for himself is when he meets Li Yuhan and Liu Yumin (Li Yuhan's ailing wife). Yumin is very sick and needs an opium-based remedy that Mr. Bat has access to. Chu Liu-Hsiang agrees to go the island to help obtain the medicine for her. The introduction of these characters is playfully inventive and I don't want to spoil it by going into too much detail. Just note that it is worth paying attention to. 

Ti Lung as Chu Liu-Hsiang

Later he teams up with others as well, like Jin Linghzhi (Candice Yu), a dutiful daughter trying to rescue her father from Bat Island. Jin Lingzhi's father was an engineer who helped design the complex on the Island but was forced to stay there against his will. There is also a royal guardsmen in the mix, but I can't say too much about him without giving away fun surprises. 

The journey to the island is a bit spellbinding due to the set-pieces. After an initial investigation Chu Liu-Hsiang and his allies find themselves on an enormous boat with secret passageways and sinister schemes. More murder mystery follows, and after a disaster at sea, they are rescued by a blind and kindly man named Yuan Suiwan (who has an even more impressive boat). 

On the island they face all kinds of deadly challenges, from prison cells suspended above pools of acid to deep and deadly caverns with flaming pits before they reach Bat Hall to confront Mr. Bat himself. I won't spoil the details of the mystery enshrouding the island but it is a cleverly executed, if somewhat foreseeable twist. 

The Heroes face icy obstacles
in the caves below Bat Hall

Legend of the Bat is a well-paced mystery and adventure, with tons of gameable content. More than many other wuxia movies, Legend of the Bat illustrates how dungeons can feature in the genre. Much of the film takes place in a series of caverns that connect various chambers of Mr. Bat's lair. The heroes trek through dangerous pits of flaming oil and icy caves, puzzling their way through obstacles and traps. 

The film features one of the most bizarre and wonderful traps I've seen: a house on the water that detaches into boats, pulled into a walled hall by a rope. The final result is the hero charges into a house following clues, only to find himself sealed inside and drawn to a chamber where the eye-patch wearing Xiang Feitian awaits him. It is filled with stuff like this. The first portion of the movie occurs on a boat (two different boats actually). Both are maze like, replete with traps and carry mysterious guests whose motives and allegiances are unclear. 

There are a lot of characters in Legend of the Bat and they are all memorable. Wuxia movies with lots of characters can sometimes have trouble making each one distinct but I feel this movie does a good job giving each person a unique role that sets them apart from the others. This also helps because there are some moving sacrifices along the way and you really need to feel for the characters for that to work. 

One thing I loved are the investigative hooks. The ways parts of the mystery are introduced and the ways characters are introduced. It just always holds your curiosity and keeps you guessing. Again, I don't want to spoil too much, but these are all things I can see a GM pulling into a campaign. 

I highly recommend it for gamers looking for inspiration for wuxia or fantasy games. There is so much here the would work at the gaming table (everything from the mystery itself to Bat Island and the strange use of boats). And as a wuxia film it's a great movie to watch. 

*More often rendered Chu Yuan or Chor Yuen, I'm retaining this usage to keep consistent with my previous reviews. 

BLOOD OF THE DEMON MOON SESSION 13: GIFTS FOR THE WEDDING

This is the campaign log for the thirteenth session of a google+run Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate campaign. The previous session is described HERE. 

Note: I am running two campaigns in the same setting and treating them as occurring in different realities with some vague similarities. Characters in one may appear in the other, but there are no direct causal effects from one campaign to the next. Partly this is to playtest, but this is also partly due to the multi-dimensional aspect of the universe I run all my games in. It would theoretically be possible for the party from the Blood of the Demon Moon cult campaign to dimension travel to the Secret of Je Valley Campaign, in which case direct interactions could occur (and they could even meet their counterparts in the alternate dimension). 

CHARACTERS

Player Characters

Zhang Wan (Bone Breaker): An unpredictable and violent martial expert who is the brother of Zhang San. First chief of Qui Pan Bandits. Married to Huo Si (Little Venom)

Zhang San: A wandering hero and sister of Zhang Wan, more calm than her brother

Chen: A poisoner and healer known for his lazy ways.

Key NPCs

Jade Priestess: Bone Breaker's Sifu and former member of the Demon Moon Cult

Jade Butterfly: San's Sifu
Senior Grand Councilor Cai Yuanyu: Highest ranked official in the Empire below the emperor; plotting to 'invert heaven' and has recruited Bone Breaker into his plans

Prince Yuan: Son of the King of Li Fan, controls the eastern territories. 

General Dee: An important military commander in Hu Qin who pays Bone Breaker for services 

Iron Spear Tip: A magic weapon with a mind of its own, the bride of Zhang Kang.
Little Venom (Huo Ju): Bone Breaker's Wife
The Venom of Zhaoze (Huo Si): Leader of Zhaoze sect, father of Huo Ju (Little Venom) and Sifu to Chen

After killing Zhi Zhu and Kang in Zun City, the party traveled back to Zhaoze sect. The fastest path was straight through Zhaoze Swamp, so they stopped in Bouzhou and got boats for their army. The effect was it may have been quicker to go the long-way around the swamp but they still were on track to make it to Zhaoze Island by the wedding date. 

On their way, a tired messenger wearing Golden Dragon regalia caught up to the party and said that Bronze Master wished to give a wedding gift to him in person (that he was at Zhaoze Swamp Pavilion, the residence of The Witch of Zhaoze Zhou). The party was a touch suspicious and approached the pavilion cautiously. There they found Bronze Master with a disciple of his named Fearless Cat. He said he wanted to arrange a wedding between Fearless Cat and Bone Breaker, that Little Venom didn't have a suitable temperament for his sworn brother and came from a relatively small sect. 

Bone Breaker was a bit torn. He didn't want to go back on his agreement with Zhaoze Sect, but he asked for more details. Bronze Master told him that Fearless Cat was one of his best students and the child of Iron-Clawed Lion (master of The Majestic Lion Cult). In addition, it was very possible her mother was the leader of Mount Hai'an Sect. He pointed out that Zhaoze Sect had a mere 30 or so members, while Majestic Lion had nearly 1000. 

Bone Breaker decided to test Fearless Cat's Kung Fu by having her fight San. His sister agreed and the two squared off in the swamp. San fought with her fans and Fearless Cat used her iron claws. 

One-Armed Fiery Demon

Fearless Cat leapt at San and stabbed her torso with the claws. San tried to kick her in reply and missed. Fearless Cat then assumed a quick meditative posture and created a large emerald globe around San, which began to crush her. It squeezed her for several moments and she tried to break the globe, slightly cracking it before it dissipated on its own. San then managed to kick her a few a times but was struck badly by the claws and acknowledged defeat. 

During the fight, Abbot Firebrand was visibly shaken when he saw the emerald globe, which he told Bone Breaker was a secret technique called The All Encompassing Emerald of Sun Mai. 

Bone Breaker told Bronze Master he was impressed, but that he had to keep his agreement with Zhaoze Sect. Despite several attempts to convince him otherwise, he would not change his mind. Bronze Master understood and promised to send him a proper gift (telling him he would send the bodies of Lingsu and Min). 

The party tried to recruit Fearless Cat nonetheless, asking if she'd agree to marry Chen. She was insulted and angered, refusing such an arrangement. She did agree to go to their tournament however. 

They reached Zhaoze Island and held the wedding. During the night, Chen and Venom of Zhaoze spoke. The latter took a liking to the young poisoner and offered to be his sifu. He agreed and began learning Naga Palm Technique. 

After the wedding they traveled to the city of Rong-Yao where One-Armed Fiery Demon was imprisoned (Bone Breaker had learned this through his information network). They met with an official who informed them that she was to be executed for slaughtering people in the streets. However a bribe of around 20,000 spades persuaded him to let them see her and secret her out of the city (whereupon the official grabbed another prisoner and had her executed in One-Armed Fiery Demon's place). 

One-Armed Fiery Demon was reluctant to speak but when they showed her the Wind Saber of Sunan, she lit up and said "I must have that blade". Bone Breaker asked why and she explained that she and her husband had stolen it long ago, but it was taken from them by Lady White Blade (who also killed her husband). She also explained (after some questioning) that she was in jail for killing members of Mystic Sword Sect (due to her grudge with Lady White Blade). 

Bone Breaker told her that Zhi Zhu and Kang were dead, as was Lady White Blade. She asked if Zhi Zhu died fighting, and he told her that she had. He then asked if she would join him if he gave her the sword. She agreed and pledged to serve him. She cautioned him that she would kill any Mystic Sword sect members on sight. This was a problem, he explained that he had some Flying Phantoms in his service. She said she'd kill them if they crossed paths but wouldn't go out of her way to hunt them down. This was the best agreement he could work out, so he told Nuan to return north and told her to keep the phantoms away from One-Armed Fiery Demon. 

They took One-Armed Fiery Demon with them, and she quickly assumed the role of bodyguard. 

On their way back from Yuzhing, Little Venom informed Bone Breaker that she was pregnant. The ship became a floating festival as The Venom of Zhaoze encouraged everyone to drink and sing. 

By their return, Chen had nearly mastered Naga Palm under the tutelage of the Venom. When they reached the Inn, Iron Cub informed them that the structure for the tournament was complete. 

In his room, a gift awaited Bone Breaker. It was from Senior Grand Councilor Cai Yuanyu; a neckless with a round, red medallion and a note saying "to be worn by your wife". 

Before the tournament he went with the party to Fan to meet Senior Grand Councilor Cai Yuanyu. There he also went to a Yen-Li temple and recruited a priest named Mak and his wife to teach him about the religion. 

The Senior Grand Councilor told Bone Breaker that he had found a solution to his arraignment with Heaven Palace Sect (they had shortened his life to five more years in exchange for making land around the inn fertile). If Bone Breaker would bring his pregnant wife to the Demon Palace after it was restored by the Key of Yao-Feng, they would forgive his debt (if he did not, his child would die). Provided she wore the Heart of Yao-Feng (the necklace he had gifted them), his son would become the Demon Emperor and their plans to invert heaven would be underway. Bone Breaker quickly agreed. 

On his return he continued to learn from the priests in the month leading up to the tournament. However one night the couple broke into Sand Demon's room and tried to capture him. The party found them entangling sand demon with a rope and trying to imprison him in a gourd. They were able to stop the couple and killed them on the spot. 

This greatly upset Abbot Firebrand, which confused the party because when they met him, he'd been smashing out peoples' teeth. But he seemed upset over the bloodshed and said that he would be reborn as a worm or worse for his killings. He said, they were killing without reason, that he could accept it from time to time, but that it had become too much. Bone Breaker promised to let Abbot Firebrand make the call next time and this seemed to satisfy him. 

The tournament came and ten competitors entered to compete for possession of the Jade Turtle (including several of Bone Breaker's own men): Yang Tuo, Jade Priestess, One-Armed Fiery Demon, Madame Hamaya, Zhou Gui, Chef Wu, Cai Bao, Nergui, Fearless Cat and Chen. 

The first match was between Nergui and Madame Hamaya (with Nergui as victor). This was followed by Yang Tuo and One-Armed Fiery Demon, with Yang Tuo defeating her (and also using the All Encompassing Emerald of Sun Mai). In the next match, Chef Wu fought Cai Bao and greatly disturbed the crowd by hacking his opponent to death after striking him down. They dragged the chef off of the blood covered grounds and forced him to agree to use restraint in future matches. 

The following match was Chen (a member of the party) and Zhou Gui (owner of the Silk Tavern). They prepared to face each other. 

This is where the session ended.