Dramatis Personae
- Jian Wu aka Two (played by Christian G.): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
- Jiao Ting aka Eight (Played by Chris D): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
- Liang Jing Min aka Five (Played by Randy H.): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
- Nongmin Chushi aka Seven (played by Rory F.): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
- Sheng Yi aka One (Played by Calvin J): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
- Zhiyu Zhige aka Nine (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
- He Bohai aka Eleven (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
- He Donghai aka Twelve (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
- Ko Lenfan aka Four (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
- Laoshu aka Mouse aka Three (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
- Meiyou Ren aka Six (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
- Rang Baozhai aka Ten (NPC): TBA. Tagline: TBA.
Previously . . .
The group has headed towards The Rat’s Nest without Lanfen, Rang, and He Donghai. They aren’t bringing anything special with them on the way other than themselves. They find a burned out building with a large amount of cultists and what looks like demons. They creep into range and try to identify their opponents and what sort of demons they’re facing. Apparently they’re able to see invisible opponents and in the darkness. They’re incredible tough, strong, potentially deadly poison in a stinger. They’re what happens when someone summons a demon into a dead body.
The Rat’s Nest
Jian Wu, Jiao Ting, Liang Jing Min, Nongmin Chushi, Sheng Yi, and Zhiyu Zhige
Yong Residence
Seventh Month 14th day, 1004 Zao Dynasty, 18th hour
Pingxian, Fu Dao Province
They send Mouse out for scouting to find the daughter that they’re searching for. She returns shortly to tell them that she was located in an octangular room behind two demon guards. There’s still a large amount of cultists and other demons to get through first though. Mouse is instructed to move into position to slide through metal bars on the only other entrance into the room, a window. Jian Wu wants to charge forwards through the primary entrance while Nongmin heads towards the broken wall along with Jing Min. Zhiyu and Ren move towards the broken wall together as Sheng holds back to utilize his bow and arrows.
Jing Min heroically charges forwards to strike at the demon’s face twice with solid hits that don’t seem to faze it in the slightest. Ren rolls past a demon and slices through the demon’s tail to disarm it. Sheng Yi takes a deep breath and invokes a state of calm before firing two arrows at cultists, with two solid hits hurting them severely. Jian Wu breaks through the door with a mighty slam with eyes focusing on him. He Bohai takes advantage and circles around the broken wall, kicking a cultist in the head knocking him to the ground. With the White Bone Demons coming for them Jian Wu gets two fireballs thrown at him, which miss slightly, as two demons run forwards and attempt to sting Jian Wu. Jing Min dodges a sting and then parries a second. Zhiyu moves forwards and grapples one of the White Bone Demons by the chest and throws it to the ground hard. Ting jumps off of the table he’s standing on, off of a spit over a fireplace, and slams into a demon dealing a large amount of damage to each other before Ting sweeps his leg, crippling it. Nongmin moves in from behind of Ting and Jian Wu and strikes at the crippled demon with his telekinesis but can’t easily focus, dealing a small amount of damage.
Jing Min strikes three more times, with the demon missing each blow. Ren decapitates the demon he’d already crippled, destroying it. Sheng Yi takes another deep breath and fires twice at a Bone Demon’s eye sockets to little to no effect. Jian Wu slashes through a Bone Demon, destroying it. Mouse runs up and stabs at a demon in the spine, annoying it somewhat. He Bohai moves to grab and throw a Bone Demon, but fails at his attempt. One of the demons manages to strike at Zhiyu leg, impaling her with its stinger but is protected by her magic. Jing Min manages to avoid a sting on his life while one tries to strike Mouse but fails when it spins around too far. When the demon with a crippled leg attempts to sting Ting, he turns it around by aggressively parrying the stinger, breaking it off completely. Zhiyu moves in and, upon failing her grapple, kicks the prone demon in the head. Ting kicks the demon in the skull, destroying it, before moving towards a cultist with a giant step, clinching him, and kneeing him in the groin. Jian Wu gets three fireballs thrown at him, forcing the big teen to dodge two of them and takes the third on the chest for a good amount of fiery damage. Ting, already damaged and holding onto a cultist, takes two fireballs straight to his chest and falls prone on attempting his defense. Zhiyu moves out of the way of several fireballs while Nongmin attacks a cultist telekinetically, dealing a bit of damage.
Jing Min thrusts his spear into the demon’s skull, missing due to the poor lighting, before turning to rapidly strike at another nearby demon where he misses twice. Ren runs forwards behind two demons and slices through the necks of two demons, destroying them. Sheng Yi fires another two arrows, but the cultists dodge out of their way. Jian Wu charges forwards to slice down a trio of cultists that manage to dodge out of the way of his blade with rather lithe movements. Mouse strikes at the Demon before her but it manages to dodge out of the way. He Bohai manages to strike the Bone Demon, sweeping his leg and dropping him prone. Jing Min and Mouse parry the demons’ blows. Zhiyu runs across the battlefield towards Ting and summons her foxfire. Ting gets annoyed at the cultists and stares the one above him down before breaking his kneecaps and then capping it off with two kicks to the groin and then shooting a fearsome stare at the trio of cultists, intimidating them, before rolling behind a pillar for cover. With the cultists unsettled, they step back away from Ting and Jian Wu, each trying to throw a fireball at Jian Wu, who takes out several arms before getting hit by two fireballs and still standing tall. Nongmin steps forwards and strikes out with his telekinetic karate, striking one of the cultists twice.
Jing Min strikes out, missing once and crushing one of its legs and then its ribcage, destroying it. Zhiyu heals Ting while her foxfires hits a cultist immolating him to death. Ren sprints ahead, beheading several cultists in a row. Sheng Yi runs forwards, letting loose two arrows, one that misses and one that kills a cultist via a hit to the vitals. Jian Wu charges through their line and slices down two of the trio. Mouse stabs at another demon, dealing a small amount of damage while He Bohai attempts to kick a demon while he’s down. Jing Min barely parries a sting out of the way. Ting, still on the ground, does a follow-though and locks eyes with a cultist across the room, causing him to faint. Nongmin strikes at the cultist running away from Jian Wu, dealing a small bit of damage.
Jing Min stabs into one of the demons while Zhiyu sends her foxfires at another one of the demons causing it to explode while Ren decapitates the last standing cultist, leaving just a single demon left up. Sheng Yi strikes the Bone Demon with two arrows, Mouse stabs while He Bohai kicks at it. The demon steps back and stabs at Mouse with his tail who then dodges. Ting rolls to his feet while Nongmin steps forwards and strikes at the demon, finally killing something ending combat.
Aftermath
With the cultist turned off via pressure point strikes and tied up, Zhiyu tends to their wounds and then checks on the girl who has been violated, physically and mentally. They find papers on a nearby desk, missives between the cultists and others in the cities and then move to find out what the cultist knows with Ting standing there for intimidation/interrogation help.
After Action Report (GM)
I intended for this combat to take a bit – 10 demons and 10 cultists all with enough combat ability to prove dangerous in large numbers. What I didn’t count on was a lot of critical successes and low rolls on my part making it worse. Two of the PCs took over 40+ of damage and one PC (Ting) was close to death. They pulled it out during the end though with good rolls and some solid tactical thinking. Overall, a fun game. I get to give out some questions for the cultist they captured and are going to interrogate. They also rescued the minister’s daughter and that should swing him to their side to help find the rest of the cultists.
Other Notes
Bonus report here.
Soundtrack
None.