Tuesday, October 11, 2016

DISPOSABLE DISCIPLES OF BONE KINGDOM SESSION EIGHTEEN: THE RIGHTEOUS STAFF OF GREEN MANTIS SEES ALL

This is a log for my ongoing Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom campaign. You can see the previous session HERE

Player Characters: 
Shen Chun
Hidden Arrow
Bao Yang
Chao Feng
Wei Ruomei 


Sects: 


The Righteous Outlaws
Calamity Star
Ou Jinghzhu
Tea Master Houzhou

Crocodile Sect*
Player Characters (See above)
King Iron Beard
Li Sou Chao (Witch of Zhaoze Zhou)

The Roaming Avengers
A group of five brothers who swore loyalty to Hidden Arrow.

The Golden Way
Iron God Meng

Dancing Scorpions
Criminal network in Yun Hu

Relentless Corpse Sect
Relentless Corpse Queen
Da Mei Mei

Temple of the Jade Mercies
Abbot Wei Zhao
Abbess Bao-Yu
Weeping Lotus

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

Stone Palace Sect
A gambling hall and criminal network in Yun Hu
Currently under control of party, with Weeping Lotus managing it
Feng is an important member (the accountant)

This session the party was pretty well split up so each member, or small group, will get its own session in the log. 

HIDDEN ARROW
Hidden Arrow received reports on the Queen's palace security, learning that she had a contingent of 5,000 soldiers protecting her, plus a group called The Five Heroes of Xuanlu (who guarded her at all times). 


He performed the Pearl Burning Ritual, which worked but caused the room to quake and the air to thrust in and out of the room. A face appeared in the wall and said "I am the Ghostly Emperor. What do you want?"

Hidden Arrow said he wanted to serve and to receive the benefits of serving the Ghostly Emperor. 

The Ghostly Emperor was pleased and explained he had powers to breach the celestial realms and bestow immortality upon those who went into his service. When he was convinced that Hidden Arrow was sincere he told he gave him a counterfeit Talisman of the Lunar Kingdom, which would enable him to travel freely to and through Supreme Judge Yu's lands. He also handed him a Golden Medallion with the head of a Raksha upon it. 

"You will go to the Lunar Kingdom and help the Plum Tree Monk Escape from the Cliffs of Arraignment."

Hidden Arrow agreed to the request and accepted the items. He asked for assistance in the form of resources. The Ghostly Emperor told him there were men waiting outside the city ready to serve him and they should all go to Plum Tree Temple, where they would find a gateway to Lunar Kingdom. 

Hidden Arrow did as asked and headed by ship toward Mount Dao. There he went to Plum Tree temple, a stone monetary in the hills where the air was heavy with a salty odor. As they approached the ground became swampy. A monk greeted them and Hidden Arrow demanded to be shown the portal. 

The monks revealed a luminous disc-shaped hole beneath their abbot's kang stove bed. The monks, the Golden Raksha Clan, and Hidden Arrow entered the portal and found themselves in a dry broken landscape. To the west was a road and beyond the road was a large cliff. 

They headed toward the cliff and a number of men began to straggle behind them. They looked emaciated and hungry. Hidden Arrow used gaze of the lion to deter them, causing them to fall back. However by the time they reached the cliff, a horde of hungry men were swarming around them. 

They continued to the cliff and found a door guarded by two giant men who looked like they were made of sandstone with Raksha-like faces. He showed the Talisman of Lunar Kingdom and demanded entrance. They let him in. 

Inside was a magistrate behind a standing desk. He approached the magistrate and said he needed to interrogate the Plum Tree Monk. The magistrate seemed nervous and asked for more details. Hidden Arrow grew angry, thrusting the Talisman in the face of the magistrate and warning him not to test his patience. 

The Magistrate told him to go to room 3675. Hidden Arrow took his men down a long, long hall, traveling at least three miles before reaching the door on the right. A soldier stood guard over the door. 

He went into the cell and found a large man there with menacing eyes. He was enveloped in chains and thick purple energy left his body overtime he exhaled. 

Hidden Arrow told the soldier to bring him the key to the chains so he could take the prisoner to be tortured. The soldier left to get the key and returned with the magistrate who begged him not to torture the prisoner, as he was far too dangerous. Hidden Arrow threatened to have him executed if he kept interfering with his methods, and the magistrate handed the key to him then returned to his desk. 

Hidden Arrow released the chains and told Plum Tree Monk that he was rescuing him. The Plum Tree Monk asked if he had the Life Giving Stone, and Hidden Arrow said it was at his inn room in Xuanlu. 

They killed the soldier and escaped. Then headed for the portal again. As they did a bell sounded. They ran fast and all but two made it through back to Plum Tree Temple. 

Hidden Arrow commanded them to seal the gate, and the Plum Tree Monk used his Qi energy to close it. 

"Where is the Life Giving Stone?" Asked the Plum Tree Monk. 

"Oh...I thought you said the Wife Giving Stone".

The Plum Tree Monk grabbed him by the throat and Hidden Arrow said "I was just joking".

"Do you think you can toy with me?"

Hidden Arrow apologized and said he would get the stone. He took the Plum Tree Monk to a side room and performed the Pearl Burning Ritual once again (he estimated the pearl he had could be used up to three times). 

The face of the Ghostly Emperor appeared in the stone and spoke. He requested the Talisman of Lunar Kingdom, which Hidden Arrow returned. Then said "You are the 13th Chief of the Golden Raksha Clan."

Hidden Arrow said "Excellent, I look forward to meeting the other chiefs."

"No," Said the Ghostly Emperor, "You are the 13th person to be the chief of the Golden Raksha Clan. Now, leave me to speak with the Plum Tree Monk."

"Thank you Master, what does this mean."

"It means, in life you command the Golden Rakshas, and if you die, I shall help you become a Painted Death to continue your service."


SHEN CHUN AND WEI RUOMEI 
Shen Chun spoke with their Yen-Li priest, Yusheng, about finding a ritual to help him control the spirit of Kwan (whom they had imprisoned in a sealed chamber). 

Yusheng said he could find rituals that would give him near but not total certainty (95%). he said they would need to seek the wisdom of more powerful people or entities if they wanted more. Shen Chun told him to begin making a list of such people. 

Shen Chun and Wei Ruomei went to Twin-Fisted Eagle Clan headquarters in Southern Hai'an to negotiate an alliance so they could defeat Southern Hill Sect. On the way they were spotted by Twin-Fisted Eagles' scouts who brought them to his Earthen Round House. 

They discussed how many men each side had. From what Twin-Fisted Eagle said, it sounded like Southern Hill Sect had more heroes but fewer disciples. They agreed to work together against Southern Hill Sect. 

As Shen Chun and Ruomei headed back to Crocodile Sect headquarters, they were ambushed in the Skinless Forest. A man appeared in the distance with a stick in his hand and from either side a number of men enclosed on them. 

"It is time for you to die," Said the man. 

Shen Chun said "It doesn't have to be this way, why do I have to die."

"You killed your Sifu," Said the man, who they knew to be Green Mantis. "You are unfilial beasts."

"I did no such thing."

"The man held out his stick, which had an odd golden sphere on top, and said "I see your crimes. I know you killed not only Iron God Meng, but you also killed Relentless Corpse Queen. Time to die."

The man leapt into the air and dug his rigid fingers into Shen Chun's head, cracking his skull slightly. Shen Chen backed up and commanded his men to take on the flanking enemies. 

Ruomei leapt forward and attacked, and did Dim-Witted Chen. They wounded Green Mantis but not enough to bring him down. 

Shen Chun used Phoenix Spirit Disruption to open Green Mantis' heart so he would fall in love at the next kind word and said "You are very brave and very righteous."

A look of confusion passed over Green Mantis' face. 

"You don't have to hurt me," Shen Chun said. 

Pained, Green Mantis said "I am sorry my love, but justice must be served." Then he raised his stick and tried to sever Shen Chun's arm. But Shen Chun countered, tapping Green Mantis' meridians and freezing him in place. 

They were able to grab hold of Green Mantis and threaten to kill him if the others didn't stop fighting. 

The disciples of Green Mantis put their weapons down and were all tied up. Shen Chun had them killed, then returned to the Crocodile Sect Headquarters to kill Green Mantis. 

After killing him, he made arrangements to go to Li Fan with all his men, taking their entire force out of Hai'an. 

Before he left though, he examined Green Mantis' staff. Looking at the orb he realized he could see the crimes or misdeeds of anyone who stood before him. For example he learned that Yusheng had stolen money from their treasury. 

CHAO

Chao recruited a scholar who was hard on his luck and needed funds to pass the exams. Soon a person arrived named Scholar Shan. However it was clear to Chao that Shan was a woman dressed as a man. He offered to help her master the art of disguise and give her funding if she would do as he asked once appointed to the Dak Station. She protested that Dak Station positions were appointed by a higher magistrate, but Chao said he would handle those details. She told him her real name was Zhu Shanhu and agreed to his terms. 

Chao then went to Blacksmith Fu and asked him to make a replica of the Immortal Killing Sword. He agreed to do it for 7,000 spades and said it would take two weeks. 

Then Chao went to Li Fan. 

BAO YANG
Bao Yang continued to consolidate things in Li Fan. He hired a man named Devil-Faced Toad to assassinate Gentle Blade (the head of Southern Hill Sect's information network). Then he hired two bounty hunters: Long Sword Leng and Bronze-Faced Yu to track down Li Sou Chao. He made initial payments and the three headed off together. 

When Chao arrived, Bao Yang reprimanded him for impersonating him in a meeting with Xiao. He said he'd have him killed if he did it again. He even stated he was thinking of bashing in his head but decided against it. 

Bao Yang hired an engineer named Pan Hu to design a heavily trapped complex to use as a base of operations. The man told him they would need to build it away from the eyes of the local authorities because they would be suspicious if he built such a heavily fortified base of operations near Yun Hu. He suggested the area by the Dragon Tooth Caverns. He also said it would take many months, possibly much longer and cost millions of spades. Bao Yang gave him some initial funding and ten men to go scout the location and began planning. 



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