Qin - Tianxia

Second and final session for the "Towards a World of Lakes and Forests" scenario, on December 16, 2006, six months after the first. Suffice it to say that at that pace, we were set to finish the campaign in 2054! This session also marks the arrival of "Thirsty Panda" and "the Snake".

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Characters present

• Chen Chi, "Soothing Hand"
• Cheng Minh, "the Snake"
• Cui Yuan Foc Sui To, "Thirsty Panda"
• Liu Mei Shan
• Tian Zaisheng

Preamble

Left Hand, shifu of the village of Nao, has disappeared. Tong, his adopted son, accuses the Mohist Tian Zaisheng of being behind this disappearance. Fortunately for him, Zaisheng can count on the unexpected support of two wanderers he had helped during a brigand attack: "Soothing Hand" and Liu Mei Shan. Meanwhile, the elusive Cheng Minh, assassin of the Five Venoms sect, is asked to murder an officer of the Zhao in order to consolidate his place among his own. All these fine people will soon cross paths with "Thirsty Panda", a drunk exorcist drawn to Nao by a sinister omen from the Heavens.

The mystery surrounding Left Hand's disappearance thickens, as a royal scribe by the name of Lao Li settles in the town to conduct mysterious excavations. His two bodyguards, Red Beak and Su Zuo, trail the seeds of unfortunate events in their wake...

Session rundown

Cheng "the Snake" had been on the trail of the officer Red Beak for some time. From clue to clue, he had established that his target would be settling in Nao for professional reasons for a few weeks - plenty of time for the talented assassin to practice his macabre art. Upon arriving in Nao, Minh heard that Red Beak was recruiting strong men to work on a project to excavate an area near the town. Where others would have infiltrated the workers to get closer to their target more easily, Cheng Minh chose the direct route: he tracks Red Beak coming out of an inn, at nightfall. He barely has time to sharpen his blades when a trio of thugs beats him to the punch by attacking the Zhao officer around the corner of a dimly lit alley. To make matters worse, a young woman - Liu Mei Shan - immediately rushes to his rescue. Too many coincidences for "the Snake", who now suspects an affair far more serious than a "simple" assassination. His assassin's honor convinces him to join the brawl, but on Red Beak's side. After all, he cannot let his target get killed by someone else. Unsurprisingly, the three brigands - paltry swordsmen at that - fall under the blows of the three allies of circumstance. At the end of the fight, Red Beak salutes the two providential warriors who came to his aid, promising not to forget their gesture. He then leaves, taking care to coldly rebuff the admiring calls of Lady Liu. Slightly frustrated by this disdainful attitude, Minh and Mei Shan discuss at greater length the reasons why each of them rescued Red Beak - without the assassin revealing his true motives. Together, over the following days, they gather information about the origins of the attackers - evidently three brothers, whose motive remains shrouded in mystery - and about the doings of the officer. On this point, apart from a few conversations with strangers in the town's inns, nothing is truly conclusive.

Back to Tian Zaisheng and Soothing Hand, still busy looking for Left Hand. They had established that the second Zhao officer present in Nao, Su Zuo, had to be linked to the old man in some way. The resemblance between the two ideograms inscribed on their wrists leaves no doubt about it. Our two sleuths easily guess that the old shifu may not have been kidnapped, but simply has no desire to cross Su Zuo's path. The question is why. The answer to this question comes by itself when Su Zuo comes to question Zaisheng about Left Hand: the officer is trying to find out where the shifu is hiding. He claims the two of them studied Jianshu under an old master named Yu He, whom "Left Hand" allegedly murdered to steal his secrets. Su Zuo would have caught him in the act and only managed to sever his hand before he fled. This sinister story contrasts with the very upright personality Left Hand is known for, so Zaisheng struggles to believe it.

It takes a few more days for the plot to take a new turn: in the early morning, runt Tong rushes to the governor's palace, yelling that his sister has been kidnapped by a horde of brigands. He accuses Zaisheng again of being responsible, but the Mohist has done nothing to support these claims. However, this information makes the Wuxia think that Left Hand might resurface. Together, they wait for him near his residence and do eventually run into him: the old man acknowledges his crimes and has decided to take full responsibility for them. He arranges to meet Su Zuo the next day, at nightfall, on the outskirts of the town. The whole team - Zaisheng, Mei Shan, Chen Chi and Cheng Minh - attends the confrontation. Su Zuo seems driven by a strength literally from beyond the grave, as confirmed by the red smoke coming out of his eyes and mouth while the heated discussion with Left Hand turns into a duel to the death. The stakes exceed the frame of a simple settling of scores. Zaisheng needs no more to defend his old master.

This is the moment Thirsty Panda chooses to join the party. A man of strong stature, he suffers from a pronounced portliness whose effect is reinforced by the ample robes of the Taoist he decks himself in. Drawn to Nao by the Heavens, he was guided to the site of the duel by his spirit compass. A quick observation of the scene allows him to guess the influence of a specter on the Zhao officer's behavior, so he shouts warnings to those involved: Su Zuo carries a possessed object that might well latch onto someone else, should he happen to die. Despite this warning, Zaisheng manages to defeat his opponent. Su Zuo succumbs after far more wounds than any human being could have endured. Among his belongings is a mummified hand - the one he had taken from Left Hand years before. Without hesitation, Thirsty Panda exorcises this infamous trophy with utmost care. Wounded but alive, Left Hand returns to town to sweep away the suspicions that still vainly weighed on his former disciple. As for Su Zuo, History claims he simply deserted. The old shifu will have to carry the weight of his guilt until his death.

Shortly after this incident, the scribe Lao Li dismisses all of his workers. The excavation work has ended, and only an old stele stands in the royal representative's way. It takes him a whole day to clear the entrance, after which he, Red Beak and his guards make their way into the depths. Minh urges Mei Shan to follow them. They reach an ice cave and catch up with the group as Lao Li seems to lay his hands on ancient documents. This act of desecration awakens the sinister guardians of the place: ice demons cross the walls to strike down anyone who has entered their sanctuary. The guards are torn to shreds, leaving only Mei Shan, Minh and Red Beak to protect Lao Li. Fortunately, they are soon joined by Zaisheng, Soothing Hand and Thirsty Panda, whose combined efforts suffice to wipe out the great majority of the demons. However, nothing is ever easy in the life of a Wuxia: the cave must have been tied to the demons' essence, since it starts to collapse when the last of them perishes. In the confusion, Red Beak flees first, not without vainly trying to steal the books Minh had gotten his hands on "as a precaution". Seeing that he could not fulfill his mission without gambling his life at unfavorable odds, Red Beak leaves the premises. To each their defeat: Red Beak was not able to bring back the documents requested by his obscure employers, but at least he managed to foil an assassination attempt by the Five Venoms Sect. This failure will stick in Cheng Ming's throat for at least twenty years.

Coming out of this adventure, Minh secretly keeps the documents found in the cave and claims that Red Beak took them away with him. Zaisheng spends a few months in the company of Left Hand, as does the rest of the group, whose long-term goals remain vague. Nearly half a year later, Mei Shan, Soothing Hand, Zaisheng and the soldier Lu Yan Sheng receive a letter: in thanks for their help on the road to Nao, they are cordially invited to join Mok Shi Minh in his commandery of Yanshan, in the north of the Zhao.

After all, why not do a bit of traveling?

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Commentary

Here again, the session took place so long ago that I no longer remember the details. The sequence of events is not clear; we had to piece the puzzle together as best we could. At most, it seems to me that the system already ran well by the second session: having become transparent, it let the players appreciate the scenario at its true value. Among other things, the descent into the ice cellar had left its mark with its atmosphere. Faced with the tenacity of the player portraying the Snake, I eventually let the group leave with the books: even with all the GM's bad faith, one must sometimes admit defeat.

To conclude on "Towards a World of Lakes and Forests": apart from character creation, the scenario posed no particular problem. It is well put together, offering two plots, the main one resolved within the adventure while the secondary one opens onto the long term. Only problem: we are never really told what the relics supposedly stolen by Red Beak were for. Up to you, GM, to decide their importance in the campaign.

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