WUXIA INSPIRATION: INN ENCOUNTERS

In wuxia, I think inns are even more of a staple than in medieval fantasy, and they are often where some of the most intense fighting action and drama unfolds. Lately I've been incorporating Inn Encounters in my games. These are random encounters that have a 2 in 10 chance of occurring at any inn the players go to (you can easily adjust these numbers to suit your preferences). Here is an example of a small Inn Encounter Table. Because they are specific events, I opted for a 1d10 table so the results have an even chance of coming up. I usually make about 2-4 of these periodically so things stay fresh and I have a lot to choose from (and I'll occasionally structure each table around themes, locations, times of year, etc). You can also use a 2d10 table if you prefer. 

The famous inn scene from Come Drink With Me

I usually put together stat blocks for potential bad guys as well. That can be handy to have. If you make stat blocks I recommend including notes on any relevant abilities or Kung Fu Techniques. But pulling random NPCs or stat blocks from your campaign or from the rulebook also works just fine. 

Another assumption with these tables is that you expand on the details as things unfold. Some of these hint at deeper scenarios, so if the players pursue them, fleshing them out a bit on the fly will give you more bang for each entry. If tying things together during play isn't your style, fleshing out each event a bit before play can be handy. You can always do this when you make the table, but I find that is often counter-productive because the details are so dependent on where the PCs are when it arises. So taking existing tables and adding details right before or during the session can make them more relevant. 

The following encounters can work for similar locations like wine shops, restaurants and brothels. This is just one table. Ideally you have several such tables for different contexts.

INN ENCOUNTER TABLE ONE: GENERAL EVENTS
Roll 1d10	Inn Encounter
1	The players arrive in the wake of a fight. A scholar named Guo has just cut off the hand of a bandit who tried to grab his friend’s wife. All are calm, but it is obvious the scholar has just sheathed his blade. The Bandit, Yao Ming, sits with his men clutching his sleeve while his men glare. Yao Ming passes out in a round and dies in 4 without proper healing. Scholar Guo will try to prevent anyone from helping him. On a Detect TN 8 Roll the players see the severed hand beneath the table.
2	After the players arrive, a gang of six assassins sent by an enemy come into the inn one by one. Each one takes a seat in a strategic position and gives the party an intimidating look. Pick random martial heroes from the rulebook or from you NPC list. Their reason for coming to kill the PCs is related to something the players have done in the past year.
3	During the night the players hear sounds in the main dining area. If they awaken and investigate, they see the body of a Yen Li priest named Shan. He was stabbed in the chest nine times. Luckily the local Sheriff was staying at the inn. The Sheriff awakens and begins questioning everyone and assuring all the matter is under his control. He chews on a leg of chicken and uncouthly points the bone at potential suspects to make his points. However, minutes into this, he has trouble breathing, looks agitated, collapses and dies. He has been poisoned by Hellebore (Medicine TN 8 roll, Talent: Poison TN 6 to determine). See WHOG Rulebook page 98 for Hellebore. What is more, many of the drinks and food items are poisoned in the inn. Everyone has a 1 in 10 chance of being poisoned if they eat or drink within the next hour. The players are free to come, go or investigate the matter themselves. The truth of the matter is, the Sheriff and Yen Li Priest killed each other. They are old enemies. The Sheriff stabbed the priest but not before the priest made sure to poison every food item and drink the magistrate might consume.
4	Someone wants an object that the players possess. They bribe the waiters and servers to slip Xi Kang’s Spine Freezing Wine (WHOG Rulebook page 99) into their wine. If the players are poisoned, one of the serving girls takes the object when they are paralyzed and transfer it quickly to the villains who are waiting outside the inn.
5	An overzealous constable comes to the inn and tries to have the player characters arrested on charges of discord. Any combat or disruption they’ve been involved in the past few months will come back to haunt them. He has orders from the Sheriff backing him up and he has 6 swordsman with him. If you want to spice up the encounter, midway through the arrest an official whispers in his ear that the Sheriff was just found stabbed to death at another inn. He immediately puts the blame for the sheriff’s death on the players as well.
6	The PCs arrive at the inn and see two rival martial sects are seated at different tables. Choose two relevant sects from the WHOG rulebook or from your personal campaign. Characters can sense the tension rising in the air and within ten minutes a massive fight breaks out between them. The players can choose to get involved or not. However each round there is a 2 in 10 chance for each character of being struck by a stray attack.
7	A local merchant comes to the party’s table and politely greets them. He has heard of them by name and asks if they indeed the heroes he believes them to be. If so he drops to the ground and begs for their help. His son was recently murdered a powerful and wealthy Martial Expert who beat him to death for stealing some of his grain. He asks the players to get revenge for him.
8	A woman approaches the party, she does not know them by name but says they look like righteous heroes and tells them that her daughter was recently kidnapped by a gang of thugs led by a man named Naga King. She says he is known for his Naga Palm technique and she begs them to rescue her daughter. In truth this is an ambush. Naga King is really one of the PCs old enemies laying a trap for them.
9	A man dressed in fine clothes and showing a wide smile approaches the party. He says his name is Luo and he praises the party for their exploits. He asks if he can have the honor of sitting down and paying for their meal. He then orders them all the finest foods and engages them in witty banter. He carries on for as long as he can. In truth he is a charlatan, just trying to get a free meal. He takes the first opportunity to go speak with the waiter, telling him the party is ready for their bill, then sneaks out of the inn.
10	A woman dressed in white and attended by 5 Mystic Sword Sect Disciples sits in the back of the inn (Detect TN 6 to notice). She occasionally looks at the players, but otherwise ignores them. In a case of mistaken identity they match the description of a group of heroes who killed two of her disciples by Bixie Lake. Her disciples walk over and politely ask to buy the party food and wine. They do this in order to surround them. They attack when the players seem most off-guard. Lady White Blade only joins the fight if her disciples have difficulty. See WHOG Rulebook page 235 for Lady White Blade and page 351 for the Mystic Sword Sect disciples (3 Junior, 2 Senior).

CITY OF DEE CAMPAIGN SESSION 10: THE EMERALD CROWN OF THE ETHEREAL BANYAN

RECAP OF SESSIONS 3-9

I am behind on my session logs so to recap what as occurred in sessions 3-9 of the City of Dee Campaign: Flying Dagger and Red Mantis shifted their loyalties from the Iron Kings to the Holy Killers in Dee. They didn't cut ties with the Iron Kings entirely but found the Holy Killers were more their style. They were given special tattoos by the Holy Killers that enabled them to safely handle spirit orbs for capturing demons. Both were afflicted with consequences. Flying Dagger's skin turned purple. Red Mantis' hair turned bright red. They then decided to go south to the city of Lebdek to meet the Devouring Queen, and were also asked by the Holy Killers to meet-up with a man in the region called White-Browed Tiger. They took a guide with them named P-Duk and a member of the Holy Killers named Long Stinger who ate incessantly. 

When they reached Lebdek the Devouring Queen told Red Mantis (who wanted to be her disciple) to kill Granny Ox Tail, a wicked giant with three eyes and horns. The party went to her mountain and slew her (they also released some merchants she had imprisoned) then they returned and Red Mantis became the Devouring Queen of Lebdek's disciple. She began teaching him the Devouring Winds technique. 

From there they went to find White Browed Tiger. They learned he was at Thunder Palace so travelled south. They made their way through the Endless Swamp where they were attacked by an enormous head and reached the palace. At the palace White Browed Tiger spoke with them and offered to share some of his demon hunting knowledge with them. He told them to go improve their demon hunting skills and then come back when they were ready. They asked if there were any known demons in the area and he mentioned the Glimmering King along the Southwind River. 

They went to the Southwind River and found a huge tower of treasures erected by the locals as offerings to Glimmering King. From the pile they stole two objects: The Dagger of the White Phoenix and the Claws of Cha. They explored the river and encountered a demon called Swimming Priestess (who they captured). Then they found Glimmering King, a terrible crab demon. They were able to capture him in one of their orbs. 

From there they headed north. As they traveled they were approached by a man who said his master wished to speak with them. They appeared at a small make-shift pavilion and garden where they met Flower Prince. He explained that his sister, Notorious Fox, wanted the Claws of Cha (the party saw a suspicious owl nearby when they pulled the treasure from the pile and killed it--this alerted Notorious Fox to their acquisition of the claws). 

They refused and went on their way north. As they went around Mount Bao they came upon an inn they hadn't seen before and got a room. The inn turned out to be a trap and their servers attacked them. In the fray, Red Mantis' tiger (he had purchased a tiger in Dee) was knocked out by a poison and Red Mantis himself was paralyzed by the wine they served. Flying Dagger resisted the effects of the wine and chased off their attackers but P-Duk was killed in the fight. One of the servants grabbed the Claws of Cha and fled with them. They followed the trail and found the group staying at a nearby cave. 

They demanded the claws and a man emerged who said they belonged to his sister. Swords were drawn. People were wounded, and the man was killed under a hail of daggers. The party took the claws and continued north. 

As they made their way over the hills, they were ambushed by a group of masked people. The folk were lead by a woman with a strange painted mask who called herself Western Phoenix. She presented a chest of taels and said her master, Southern Dragon, wanted to buy the claws from them and also take them into his service. 

"You will be paid well," She said. "He admires your talents, but has a prior relationship with Notorious Fox and must help her secure this item."

The players managed to secure an advance of 30,000 spades on the promise that they would meet Southern Dragon by Beggar's Creek in two months time after Flying Dagger made a pilgrimage to the Tree Dwelling Nun sect. 

The party then went to Dee, where they found P-Duk's wife and son. She wept but asked Flying Dagger to describe the people who killed her husband to her son. Flying Dagger gave him a set of daggers, promised to return to train him, and explained that his father was killed by Notorious Fox and her Crescent Moon Sect. He then tried to teach the boy a technique and they left for the Banyan to find the Tree Dwelling Nuns. 

THE EMERALD CROWN OF THE ETHEREAL BANYAN 

In the Banyan they reached the Tree Dwelling Nuns. They were given an audience with Ferocious Flower (the head Abbess of the sect) and Flying Dagger recognized her voice as that of Western Phoenix. He asked to learn her techniques. She said he would have to join the sect. 

"Men can only be monks in our sect, and they must marry one of our nuns, this is our rule," She said. 

"I will only marry a woman who can beat him a duel," Said Flying Dagger. 

A nun stepped forward. But he quickly beat her. 

Ferocious Flower Leapt down from her dais and said "Very well, you will have to spar with me then."

Flying Dagger persuaded Ferocious Flower to duel with him outside and said "If I can withstand three of your attacks, I would like to be your husband but your equal."

"This is fair," Ferocious Flower said, "But that only proves my worth to you, if I win you would still need to prove your worth to me."

Flying Dagger nodded, "Please, let's begin."

"Any technique is permissible?" She asked. 

Flying Dagger nodded. 

She then closed her eyes and the forest came alive with storming debris and flower. As they flew in a heavy gust toward Flying Dagger, he slid back to evade the attack. 

Ferocious Flower clenched her teeth, then unleashed her Storming Daggers technique. This quickly dropped Flying Dagger to the ground. Luckily she restrained her attack or it would have been fatal. 

"Take him to a bed and tend to him, bring him to me when he recovers" she said. 

The nuns gathered him up and tended to his wounds. He awoke later with Red Mantis near him. He then went to see Ferocious Flower who said she still wanted him as a husband but he would be a mere monk in the sect. She said to prove his character and intelligence, he would have to do two things. First find the Emerald Crown of the Ethereal Banyan. Second he must perform a righteous deed. 

He and Red Mantis departed to find the Emerald Crown of the Ethereal Banyan. They asked Long Stinger about it, but he had never heard of the object. They then went to the Hen-Shi Tea House in Zun City. There they happened upon the aftermath of a fight and spoke with a scholar who said he too hadn't heard of the object. 

"It occurs to me brother," Flying Dagger said to Red Mantis, "This object has a very strange name, perhaps it doesn't exist, perhaps I am meant to devise a solution on my own. This is a test of intelligence after all". 

They talked it over and decided to try making a crown from Banyan Branches. They gathered the branches up in the forest then found a woman named Madame Lau who was a skilled basket weaver. She taught Flying Dagger her skills and he made a crown, adorned with an emerald supplied by Red Mantis. 

They brought the crown to Ferocious Flower and she placed it on her head. "I am the first to wear the Emerald Crown of the Ethereal Banyan, you have done well. Now you must perform a righteous deed and I will marry you and take you into he sect." 

The party left once again. They inquired about bandits in the area, and learned that a group called Stone Cutter Fortress Gang was terrorizing the people two days to the north. 

Traveling north they were walking along the road when a child stumbled out from the trees filled with arrows*. He wore a Yan-style crown and cried out "The King of the Kushen is dead!" then pointed west. 

They tried to save the boy buy were unable to do so (Long Stinger failed his Medicine roll). Flying Dagger instructed Long Stinger to bury the body while he and Red Mantis investigated to the west. Following where the boy pointed they found a homestead that had recently been attacked by bandits. There was a dead man in the room and a book on the shelf called "The King of the Kushen". They found a wounded man in the stables, but he died before they could ask him any questions (another failed Medicine Roll). Searching around they found a trail leading from the homestead. 

Long Stinger returned to them but with an old lady at his side. He explained that she was the matriarch of the family and her son and grandson had been killed. Her daughter in-law was kidnapped by the bandits. 

Red Mantis, Long Stinger and Flying Dagger followed the trail. As they made their way through the woods a group of archers surprised them and fired arrows through the trees. Then a wave of axe-men charged forward, some hurling axes and others swinging. Red Mantis was hit in the chest and Flying Dagger was struck in the shoulder. 

It was a difficult battle but they eventually overpowered their attackers (the archers managed to escape). Red Mantis' Tiger killed a man who was trying to escape as well. 

They interrogated the survivors, threatening them. One was willing to talk and explained that his master was Cleaving Devil Yao Fu. He told them where the fortress was and said they had the farmer's wife there. Red Mantis let the man go, and Flying Dagger killed him with a hail of daggers as he ran away. 

This is where the session ended. 



*This appears in two in my Disposable Disciples campaign as well. It is part of something I am trying to playtest. The book this encounter comes from is built around my City of Dee Campaign. 

DISPOSABLE DISCIPLES SESSION 44-48: LAUGHTER OF THE MARTIAL WORLD

This is a log for my ongoing Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom campaign. You can see the previous session HERE.  Note that I began recording sessions, so this has allowed me to do more detailed session logs.

Player Characters: 
Shen Chun/Crazed Raksha
Little Bai
Qui
Ong Lao
Min (Feiyan)

Disciples of the Sect: 
Red Eagle (Little Bai)
Mount Dao/Biggest Sister (Little Bai)
Filial Cricket (Little Bai)
Dim-Witted Chen (Shen Chun)

Sects: 

The Righteous Outlaws
Calamity Star
Ou Jinghzhu
Tea Master Houzhou

Stone Palace Sect (Also called Golden Way)
A gambling hall and criminal network in Yun Hu. Currently under control of party, with Weeping Lotus managing it. They've absorbed many other sects into this organization including Crocodile Sect, Blades of the Weeping Lotus, Temple of the Jade Mercies, Relentless Corpse Sect and more. Recently they joined with Relentless Corpse again when Shen Chun arranged a marriage with their leader Da Mei Mei. 

Members:
Shen Chun (King)
Da Mei Mei (Queen)
Weeping Lotus (Right Vanguard)
Silent Dagger
Feng (Accountant)
Gu (Head Chef)
Little Bai
Min
Scholar Shen (a scholar who has been writing a story about Little Bai's life)

Dancing Scorpions
Criminal network in Yun Hu

Relentless Corpse Sect
Da Mei Mei

Temple of the Jade Mercies (see Stone Palace)
Abbot Wei Zhao
Abbess Bao-Yu
Yao Tu-On
Yao Chun
Yao Ba

Southern Hill Sect
Yellow Mantis
White Chysanthemum
Green Mantis (Dead but important)

Twin-Fisted Eagle Sect
Twin Fisted Eagle
Jade Fist

Bone Breaking Sect
Destroyed and taken over by Drunken Hero Kang

Glorious Death Cult
Led by Supreme Master Tung, who says he is a god of death

Shen Chun (right)
art by Jackie Musto

I have been behind on my session logs. Just to briefly recap what has gone on in this campaign to this point, Shen Chun became the leader of the martial world and formed a soft alliance with Bone Breaking Sect (their leader Kang retired to pursue other matters). He also acquired the Phoenix Crown and the Wind Sabre of Sunan (which he left at his headquarters with Da Mei mei). Amid all this they had been hearing rumors for weeks that the Kushen were mobilizing a huge army and that their generals were all made into immortals by Loma the Earth Goddess. They killed Hero Feng, and Qui began organizing his own sect called the Southern Wind Society by recruiting masters of the martial world to join him in disguise (essentially they each have their own sect and agenda but when they join with him, everyone wears masks to hide their identity) and has a special name. Members of the Southern Wind Society include: Ferocious Flower (Western Phoenix), Notorious Fox of Crescent Moon Society, Flower-Handed Snake (Northern Dragon), Pale Fox (Eastern Phoenix). Recently the party acquired the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower and shattered a large jade statue of Iron Sky Maiden. They took the jade and began selling it. In Hening they sold some of the jade to a merchant but were later ambushed by his associates at the Autumn Inn. They killed the Merchant and put a man named Abacus An in charge of his holdings. Then they headed south to retrieve The Chariot of Du Qian. In the south they found the shrine protecting the chariot too powerful and learned they needed something forged from Sunan in order to defeat its guardian. So they began heading north to get the wind saber. 

THE LONG JOURNEY NORTH

The party split into three groups to head north as they all had slightly different destinations. Shen Chun went back to Huisheng to his ship. It took him many days but he had a guide so made it there safely. When he arrived he was told that Weeping Lotus was waiting for him below deck. 

Weeping Lotus appeared bruised cut and haggard. He sadly informed Shen Chun that Stone Palace Sect Headquarters and gambling hall had both been destroyed in a rain of fire and steel. Shen Chun pressed for more information and Weeping Lotus informed him that Da Mei Mei was dead, as were all the other sect members except for 100 men he brought with him to the ship. What is more he informed Shen Chun that the Kushen were marching on West Gate at that very moment. 

Shen Chun left immediately for Fan, where he intended to march to west gate with Xiaomin, Iron King Yao, Fearless Dagger and Tea Master Houzou. 

In the mean time Qui took his retinue north as well, but by a different route. As he and his men traveled, the earth shook and they heard a booming voice say "The jade return to me now!". They asked who spoke but again it said "The Jade give to me now!". 

An explosion of rock split the ground. A large snake-like creature made from bone flew into the air. Qui commanded his people to run. They made their way swiftly and escaped. 

Qui noticed Flower-Handed Snake was missing and asked what happened. Smart-Minded Fool, the brother of Notorious Fox, said "I saw him get cut in half by that thing's tail."

"Was he killed?"

"I didn't stop to read his pulse, but he looked dead to me," said Smart-Minded Fool. 

Qui and his men continued on. He passed by the ship in Huisheng and heard about the attack before Shen Chun Departed, but went to Yun Hu instead of Fan. There he discovered that Stone Palace Gambling Hall was intact, and showed no sign of having been attacked. He recruited some men then spoke with Master Zhao (who bought some of his Jade). Master Zhao was clearly getting ready to leave the city. He explained that the capital had fallen, the empress was dead, and he planned to go to Hai'an. 

Qui sent a message to Shen Chun (it never arrived). 

Min and Ong traveled to the City of Spiral Crown. They too had some difficulty. In the dense forest they were surrounded by flying crocodiles. But they made quick work of the creatures and the Ogre Demon traveling with them gathered the flesh for the remainder of the journey. They made their way over the Batong Bridge and Ong appeared before Granny Ox Tail, his Sifu. She taught him the final Gushan technique and he informed her that he wished to trade the Sword of Bao with Heaven Palace sect. He planned to ask for an island off the coast where he could start a temple of Gushan. In his opinion the North was not ready for their god so they would need to build a following on the fringes. Granny Ox Tail was quite impressed with the plan and told him to make his way through the Banyan to Heaven Palace. 

They headed north through the Banyan. Along the way they heard someone crying in the woods. Soon a young boy stumbled out covered in arrows. He had a cape fashioned from a bed sheet and a strange Yan-style hat. He passed out on the ground saying "The King of the Kushen is dead!" and pointed somewhere beyond the trees. Ong tried to save him but was unable to do so. Min, who recently lost all her emotions to dark ritual magic, callously gathered the arrows from his body for later use and continued on the path. 

They reached Heaven Canyon but decided to stop at sect headquarters first. 

WEST GATE

When Shen Chun reached West Gate he was greeted by General Kuang and informed that the Kushen had attacked the wall outposts but seemed to be tactically withdrawing. He wanted information and persuaded Shen Chun to take some men and attack a nearby encampment led by General Borte. 

He went through west gate and snuck into the encampment. He sent in Xiaomin to kill a patrol. Then he, Xiaomin and Weeping Lotus donned their gear. He had Tea Master Houzou and Fearless Dagger take the 120 men under their command (the general gave him 20 additional soldiers) and wait for their signal to attack. 

They walked to the general's tent and were let inside. There they saw Borte with her guards and informed her that an attack was approaching. Immediately they sprung into action, attacking her guards and Borte as well. However, Shen Chun was stabbed through the back with a Guan Dao. He looked back and saw Weeping Lotus holding the shaft of the blade. Chaos ensued. 

Shen Chun was able to use Strike of the Raging Tiger on Borte, causing her to fire arrows at her men and at Weeping Lotus. His men swarmed the encampment and he only lost 10 soldiers. However both Tea Master Houzou and Fearless Dagger were killed in the fight. 

He had Weeping Lotus bound and interrogated him. When they returned to West Gate, the general told them that he just received word from the capital that it had been attacked by the Yan and Chai Yun. The empress was killed by assassins, and a coup staged by the Senior Grand Councilor. 

Speaking with Weeping Lotus he learned that Da Mei Mei was still alive and that the headquarters and gambling hall had never been attacked. Weeping Lotus admitted to working with the Yan because they had his daughter (who was one of King Yegu's wives). In the past he had asked about Weeping Lotus' family and past, and he was always evasive and clearly grief stricken. 

They took Weeping Lotus to the headquarters where Shen Chun talked with Da Mei Mei. She wanted to executed Weeping Lotus as an example to the sect. But Shen Chun was less certain. Qui, who was also present, suggested they find some other solution, perhaps giving Weeping Lotus the corpse venom. Da Mei Mei refused. Qui said they needed martial heroes more than ever and killing Weeping Lotus was a waste. Shen Chun decided to have him killed. 

Qui worked in the background, having his men sneak out Weeping Lotus to a secure location while he distracted Shen Chun with a conversation about Master Zhao over some tea. He then explained that he had taken care of everything and that Shen Chun should just act surprised. Not sure what Qui meant, Shen Chun walked with him to speak with Weeping Lotus. When they reached the holding area, Weeping Lotus was missing and Shen Chun slowly built to a rage. 

This is where the session ended. 

STORMS OF THE MARTIAL WORLD SESSION 18: THE VOYAGE OF THE TEN TALISMANS

This was the Eighteenth session of a new Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate campaign. See the FIFTEENTH SESSION LOG to read about the previous session. 

Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate is our wuxia RPG. It is available HERE in PDF. 

Characters
Peng Ke-Yen: Eccentric daughter of a merchant who goes against conventions and is notable for her white and black streaked hair. From Dashen village. 

Peng Pei: Daughter of two low Yen-Li priests. Also from Dashen village. 

Peng Biyu: Peng Pei's mother. 

Blind Yan: A blind hero and connoisseur of fine foods.  

Shin Du: A performer and actor who is a perfect shot with the bow. 

Song Pei: A one-armed physician.

Sister Fox: Brother Wolf's Sister who is ailing from Life Ebbing Venom. 

Feiyan: A yen-li priestess who is acquainted with Sister Fox. 

Unfortunately I fell behind on my session logs while working on some supplements. I will briefly recap sessions 16 and 17 very quickly before getting into the events of session 18. The party acquired the Ten Talismans which can alter reality, and they decided to keep them safe by placing pairs of them into the hands of powerful gods across the world. They first went to the Island of Cha to meet with the Eastern Sea Goddess. They were able to secure passage on the Vermillion Star but on their way were attacked by Gentle Ghost (who they managed to defeat but not kill). In Cha they found themselves embroiled with a group called Crescent Moon Sect, but defeated them and handed two of the talismans to the Eastern Sea Goddess. Then they set sail for Xuanlu. 

XUANLU

When the party arrived in Xuanlu they walked the streets but soon found themselves surrounded by people with painted faces. A laugh was heard amidst the crowd and they saw Supreme Master Tung standing tall on a quickly constructed pavilion tower, ready to paint the scene of their deaths. The people with painted faces were his Death Disciples, men and women who had disfigured their true faces but were in the habit of wearing convincing masks. 

Their was a great battle in the middle of the street. Some of the party were hurt but they defeated the disciples and eventually killed Supreme Master Tung in a final stand-off. The final blow was delivered by Blind Yan, who used his Dog Bashing Stick and Stick of the Rebounding Dog techniques to disabled him. Peng Pei stabbed impaled Supreme Master Tung with his painting while he was unconscious and Ke-Yen beheaded him. Everyone in the street began to murmur and news spread quickly throughout the city. 

Queen Ai Nu

The party then went to an inn and found the patrons trembling at their presence. The proprietor gave them meals and rooms on the house and the mood was tense. Soon a female official dressed in red and black, named Swift Fan, arrived with soldiers and bowed to the party, telling them Queen Ai Nu wished to speak with them. 

They went to the palace and spoke with Queen Ai Nu. She had heard of their glorious deed (killing Supreme Master Tung) and asked them to go on a mission for her. She wanted them to destroy the House of Paper Shadows. The party discussed the matter and a majority of them were strongly against the idea, while Shin Du was in favor of it. 

They returned to the Queen and told her they had an important mission to complete for the gods, but would return when they finished with their final decision about the House of Paper Shadows. 

The Queen offered to provide them with a guide and information from the astronomical office, which they accepted. They were given a Singh guide and also a ship to take them to their next destination: Thunder Palace (home of the Southern Thunder Goddess). 

THUNDER PALACE

They learned that the palace was surrounded by swamp that would consume those who could not maintain a pure mind. It took many weeks but their ship arrived on the far southern coast and they entered the swamp in a small craft with a sailor and the sing guide. 

They meditated to keep their minds pure but some had distracted thoughts. As they rowed their way through the muck, they saw a massive tower of stone rising high over the dense foliage. Soon Blind Yan sensed something moving beneath the boat. A giant head of a woman emerged with a gaping jaw and wild hair that flew at them from all directions. As the wet strands of hair wrapped around their bodies, it squeezed some and pulled others into her mouth. The guide and the sailor were quickly devoured but both Peng Pei and Shin Du found themselves munched inside her mouth as well. They were tough though. Peng Pei managed to escape before suffering serious harm. Shin Du felt the full weight of her teeth smash down on him. He used the opportunity to fire a rain of arrows while inside. 

It took some time, but the party was able to defeat her. Shin Du had heard rumors that the flesh of the creature was particularly delicious so Blind Yan took some for the journey. 

Without a guide or anyone to pilot the boat, they struggled to make it the rest of the way. They were ambushed by men who had the the upper torso of bison and demanded they come with them to King Sharp Horn. The party attacked, driving the Bison Men away, but not before some were gored. As the Bison Men retreated, Shin Du launched a volley of fatal arrows at their leader. 

They reached Thunder Palace. At the gate there were two guardians in armor that scintillated with lightning. They summoned a man with stark white hair and vestments adorned in orbs and he spoke with Ke-Yen, who said she had a gift for the goddess. They were bought into the winding chambers of the palace. It all looked cut from black stone. They were given Zhen Bird Soup then Ke-Yen was brought into a hall of white pumice stone. There she saw the Southern Thunder Goddess, in silk-like robes threaded with electricity. She spoke curtly to Ke-Yen, explaining there would be no reward for their efforts (the Eastern Sea Goddess had given them a token of her appreciation). She then demanded the gift and Ke-Yen gave her two of the talismans. 

The goddess said they were to leave immediately and that they would be given a guide and better vessel for their journey. The man with white hair led them onto a barge-like ship told them to meditate as they travelled. The first day heading back to their ship was uneventful but on the second, someone had distracted thoughts again and another giant head emerged from the waters. 

This is where the session ended.