Dramatis Personae

• 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 boys have hauled the cultists back to the Order’s HQ where they’re suitably impressed by the fact that they have closed another portal via achievements in ignorance as no one had bothered to attempt Chi Sensing in the nobles quarters, perhaps due to the sheer amount of spirits and chi in there. Ting goes to find some new robes after discarding his previous damaged and destroyed robes, which Rang seems to have sensed that he’d need.

While gone, Rang and Zhiyu haven’t found too many references to the 17 heroes, almost nothing in fact other than that they came from Heaven and a few other cryptic references. When handing Ting a new robe, Rang also hands him a set of cestus they’d pulled from the tombs with the explanation that there’s some poetry about it eating things. Ting, having never bothered with a weapon or glove before is rather reluctant to even use normal weapons let alone a shenshou. She spends a lot of time convincing him to take them for some reason.

Three Little Cultists

Jian Wu, Jiao Ting, Liang Jing Min, Nongmin Chushi, Sheng Yi, and Zhiyu Zhige
The Order’s Inquisitorial Office
Ninth Month 19th day, 1006 Zao Dynasty, 8th hour
Jiangzihua, Ketuso Province

Meanwhile, the rest of the group tries to figure out what questions to ask the three cultists they’d dragged back. Sheng Yi looks through their reports and references and finds information about three doors of blood and bone that leads to a door to heaven, requiring the blood of heroes. This leads to a rather narcissistic discussion about them wanting them to use their blood to open the doorway since they’re all sort of heroes. Ting has no comment. They try to figure out where the third might be via triangulation, there may be two locations, one either in the middle of the ocean or one on the outskirts of the city.

Nongmin goes in to start the interrogation by asking multiple questions, starting with who they work for, which he answers that he works for the Black Silk Cultists. They were to open up the portals to go in and get something from within, and they have to torture him to get the information as to what they were getting from within the portal, some kind of artifact, an orrery. A clockwork device that would open up a portal to literally any time. Any place, any dimension, any time. They were supposed to drop the artifact off with their leadership, which was already accomplished with at least the group they’re interrogating currently as the Orrery was broken into three pieces as it was deemed too powerful. The next portal is in a farmhouse outside the city. They leave them to stew before asking more questions.

Vs. Magma err… Lava Demons

Jian Wu, Jiao Ting, Liang Jing Min, Nongmin Chushi, and Sheng Yi
The Hell of Blood Letting
Ninth Month 18th day, 1006 Zao Dynasty, 20th hour
Hell

They determine that the farmhouse is in the Royal Quarter and that there’s going to be something going on in the center of the triangle where the Royal Palace stands above all. They aren’t even trying to hide the portal, it’s a giant shimmering portal with flesh flayed from sacrifices. The tear in space exists and there are no cultists staying behind to guard it. The farmhouse contains a lot of dead bodies, the family that lived there was tortured and killed perhaps a day ago.

Stepping through the portal, they see big flaming demons seemingly made from magma, though Wu corrects the group that they’re actually made from lava as magma is what it is called underground. No one really knows how to react so Jing Min asks Zhiyu what sort of demons they’re dealing with. They’re essentially animated balls of hate and cold attacks deal the worst damage to them and hurt them by hitting them in the joints. Fire/heat attacks do nothing to them and might actually heal them.

With Jing Min up first, he jumps towards one of the Lava Monsters and strikes at the thing’s elbow twice but the weapon is parried both times. Ren moves opposite Jing Min and evaluates his opponent. Zhiyu moves and summons her Foxfire and sends it towards the Lava Monster that Jing Min was attacking. Wu moves alongside Ren and evaluates the same opponent as Sheng Yi fires off two arrows at monster whose arm falls off in reaction. Ting charges forwards since he can’t move as fast. Nongmin moves to strike Ting’s eventual target with two TK strikes to the knee causing the leg to fall off. The Lava Monsters move towards the combo of Ren and Wu, forcing them into its aura and take some burns before striking at Ren and Wu, the former parries easily but the sword shatters from the pressure while Wu parries with ease but there’s now lava all over the sword and it’s starting to heat up. Another lava monster moves towards Jing Min and burns Jing Min in its aura and strikes at him, dodging the first and then retreating from the second. The rest of the monsters moves forwards.

Jing Min keeps at bay, waiting for it to approach, while Ren chops through a monster’s arm slicing it off. Zhiyu casts Shield upon Jing Min to protect him and tells him to cut down the monster. Wu steps away and slices at the lava monster and chops off the weapon arm and then the leg on the opposite side of the body knocking it down. Sheng Yi fires off two arrows, one striking it in the knee and taking off a leg. Ting charges forwards and slams into one of the monsters, a silvery aura emerging from his gloves protecting him from the burning aura of the lava monster, the first slam hurt them both while the second slam barely rebounds on Ting as it falls over and perishes. A lava monster strikes at Ren who dodges out of the way. Jing Min steps back from the approaching Lava Monster as the lava it’s throwing misses Jing Min entirely and he strikes back with two stabs at the neck, hitting with the first and missing the second.

Jing Min unleashes a flurry of blows against the Lava Monster that defends against all. Ren strikes against the Lava Monster and decapitates it with a single blow. Zhiyu moves forwards and strikes at the lava monster, killing with the aid of her foxfire. Wu strikes at the lava monster killing it with a single blow. Sheng Yi fires at the other leg and arm, taking it down to the ground. Ting, following his normal routine, does nothing as all the other targets have been engaged. Nongmin strikes a few more times, dealing a small amount of damage.

Jing Min flashes across the battlefield, stabs the standing one in the back of the skull killing it instantly while Zhiyu’s foxfire kills the last one without legs or arms, ending combat.

Aftermath

The gate requires a sacrifice of a flayed limb, Nongmin immediately sacrifices his arm’s flesh as it wouldn’t be able to heal magically and his telekinesis would allow him to still be effective. Attaching it to the portal causes it to destabilize before they pass back through. Nongmin has to wrap his arm in cloth bandages, it’s not bleeding as much as it seems it should. They head back towards the Order’s HQ to fill them in on things.

After Action Report (GM)

I had originally set up to do something different, but decided to just go straight to the combat to finish off the doors. I think plot-wise it was the right call. The next two-three sessions should be the PCs finding out what is really going on and then the big showdown which will take a entire session or maybe a session and a half. Not much to talk about here other than the PCs thought very tactically and did all the right things to defeat the demons by removing their mobility early on and forcing them to heal even though that heat aura really sucked for some PCs.

Other Notes

Bonus report here.

Soundtrack

None.