Sunday, August 26, 2012

Session 13 (12 EP)

Tang and Chang seek the help of the Raging Wind School, but it seems the school has been attacked, together with other establishments in town. The local alchemist (and poisoner...) has also been attacked, and offers to help the two companions in their quest to free their friends. He gifts them with a few choice potions, unguents, and poisons.

Tang and Chang return to the Withe Stone School, and manage to free Fengbao, Chinmi, and Zao. The Heroes delve deep into the school, until they reach an underground lair belonging to the Leaning Pillar.

There, they face the leader of the school, a fearsome ogre, and a huge animated statue, infused with a demonic entity. After a difficult fight, Chang skewers the demonic statue one last time, and the demon dies in an explosion of blood.

The Leaning Pillar has been defeated!

The army of Qin is spreading to the four winds, and the Prince of Zhao is still in danger; will our Heroes overcome this next challenge? It seems this will be a story for another time...

THE END

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Session 12 (6 EP)

The Heroes investigate the Purple District, and eventually find a local fence. He has had dealings with the little thieves belonging to Opal's band, but has no way to contact them.

During their search, they save a couple of kids being attacked by a swordsman. The kids know of Opal, and are willing to leave her a message. Further investigation brings the Heroes to a fighting pit, where they actually spot Opal being dragged to the duelling grounds.

The Heroes intervene and save her, but only after she's been poisoned. They bring her to Raging Wind, who tries all she can, but it seems the poison coursing through her blood is of a magical or cursed nature.

In the meanwhile, Tang has been challenged to a duel, and loses all his belongings to a member of the White Stone martial arts school. The party had already heard of this school, and has a few leads connecting it to the Leaning Pillar. The Heroes go the school's grounds, to challenge the students of the school, and retrieve Tang's belongings, also hoping to glean more about a possible connection with the Leaning Pillar.

Unfortunately, one of the students of the White Stone, a huge brute well-versed in Martial Techniques and Taos, knocks everyone out, except Tang, who manages to escape his fury.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Session 11 (6 EP)

The Heroes begin their travel back to Leaping Frog, but are attacked by ghosts. The shades possess a few of them, and the Heroes only barely escape with their lives. They find sanctuary on a misterious hill, seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Even stranger, when they awake from their night's rest, the hill appears to have "moved", reaching the vicinities of Leaping Frog. The Heroes go to report to Raging Wind, and then they retire to their inn. Chang is accidentally poisoned by eating a fruit meant for someone else (an elderly woman named Opal). Luckily, the Heroes find an alchemist that possesses the antidote.

Back with Raging Wind, she tells them that, if they wish to portect the Prince of Zhao, they need the approval of Lord Kiang Zao, a former minister of the Prince residing in Leaping Frog.

They request an audience with the Lord, and are granted a chance to prove their worth. Lord Zao's daughter, known for her rebellious attitude, has gone missing into town. If the Heroes can bring her back home, they will have earned Lord Zao's trust. They are given a description of the girl, and her name: Opal...

Session 10 (7 EP)

The Heroes investigate the Purple District, when they see panicked people running away from a house,  screaming "the dead are walking!" They investigate, and they find a mob of undead creatures ganging up on a woman. The Heroes protect her, while she completes a ritual to destroy the undead.

After defeating the creatures, the woman introduces herself as Raging Wind, the mistress of the local Sword School. She is a skilled Taoist, and successfully exorcises Tang. In the house, the Heroes also recover a shard of the Eye of the Naga. Seeing they are destined to something more, Raging Wind tells them that something weird is going on in the nearby swamp, where an ancient temple used to be.

The Heroes travel to the temple, where they meet more acolytes of the Leaning Pillar, and a fearsome guardian: an Ogre! The beast is a difficult opponent, but eventually the Heroes prevail. In his lair, they recover a letter mentioning a plot to assault the Prince of Zao, soon to be visiting the town of Leaping Frog.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Session 9 (5 EP)

The Heroes travel to the town of Leaping Frog, where they need to seek a Sword School that may be related to the Leaning Pillar.

Qin has invaded Zao, and the powerful nation is starting to spread its control on the region.

Their journey takes them through a haunted swamp, where they face a fearsome undead creature. Tang is possessed by a ghost, and the party is forced to restrain him.

Out of the swamp, they proceed until they reach their destination, where they finally rest at an inn.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Session 8 (7 EP)

The Heroes regroup, and manage to go through the stone doors. After avoiding a few traps, they find several acolytes of the Leaning Pillar plotting nefariously. It seems that the Leaning Pillar is helping Qin invading Zhao, hoping the chaos generated by the war will help them resurrecting their dark god.

The Heroes also glean that the whole mountain they're exploring is actually one of the Pillars of Heaven that fell to the mortal realm. The dark acolytes use shards of this stone to recognize each other. The party moves in, and faces the cultists, and the animated statue they're adoring. After defeating them, and destroying the statue, the Heroes capture one of them, learning that the Leaning Pillar has also stolen the Eyes of Father Naga, broken them into pieces, and sent them to different places in the Warring States.

The Heroes leave the compound, but not before having found several scrolls descibing the method to cure the weird curse affecting the miners.

Back in Sleepy Rock, they find the town occupied by the Qin Army. They deliver the cure, which seems to have positive results, and then depart after a few days, reaching a bigger town to the North, on their way to their next adventure.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Session 7 (4 EP)

The Heroes travel back to Sleepy Rock, with about 40 miners. The miners all seem to be affected by some kind of mental illness, since they're unresponsive, and tend to wander off. A few fall into a coma.

They manage to secure lodging for the miners in Sleepy Rock, and interrogate the Mine Inspector, trying to find a cure. But the villain is not inclined to lend any help, even under duress, and is executed.

The Heroes pay a visit to the former Mine Inspector's estate, where they find his mercenaries looting the place. They enter the palace, and find the Inspector's inner sanctum. There, they recover some supplies, and a few scrolls containing information about the Leaning Pillar, a sect whose goal is to bring down the Heavens, and resurrect their own evil god.

There's also mention of a mountain village, where there should be a cave leading to more information about the curse afflicting the miners. The Heroes travel there, but the local community of masons is not willing to help them out. They find the entrance to the cave, but heavy stone doors bar the passage. Luckily, they recover a key in the house of one of the masons.

The Heroes retreat temporarily, planning their next move.