Return to the Hilltop of the Apes
6/3/99

Prelude

FlowerFruit Mountain.
Hoot hoot Hoot, Hoot?
Yes, they will be back, and with new plans.
Eeeeccck!
Don't worry Holy one, I have plans as well.
Hoot hoot?
I will lead them to the place of the restful ones.
Eeeccck!

The Inn of the Jade Pearl
What a curious staff you carry Reverend Guardian.
Yes, it's a symbol of my office, but tell me more of this nobleman with the green eyed courtesan.

To the East.
Slap!
You have failed me again Vegita.
I did not expect the Samurai, I will not fail again.
Forget them, the Root is gone out of my reach, and you have failed me one too many times, Guards!
No!

Adventure Summary

After discussing it briefly, it was determined that the group would return to the village and consult with their masters in hopes of learning some way to defeat the monkeys and their leader. Wu Ho Song was forced to seek out a new master and is now learning at the feet of Moyatoma. The rest of the group was able to continue in the tutelage of their old master, though Shude was forced to go to Hunan to find his.

In discussing it with their masters, everyone discovered the monkey was trained by Koa Li, the revered master of the Drunken Monkey style. Though Shude actually met him, none of the group was given much useful advice on how to defeat him. Shude was, in fact, asked by Koa Li to bear a gift to his pupil. Some mentioned the tale of Ro Dan's pursuit to their master and they were told not to oppose him, or to oppose him a non-lethal combat, for he could only take the one he had been sent for without provocation.

While Shude was gone, Ro Dan came to the village. He met with each of the group and pronounced that they had the stink of the dragon Kackarot on them. He did not know how, but suspected that Shude was the key. WuHo was given a stick of incense to use to summon Ro Dan when Shude returned.

They summoned Ro Dan and he was able to see that Shude was not the dragon either but, because of Shude's standing as a magician, he could see the truth of their existence. Each of the party members, along with some other villagers, has been imbued with a part of the dragon's soul. The dragon did this to hide it from Ro Dan. Only one of those "infected" has the dragon's heart, and he is the one Ro Dan needs. Ro Dan believes that as each person with a part of the Dragon dies, it will become harder for the dragon to hide his heart.

Not sure what to do with the information, the group returned to Flower Fruit Mountain. A disagreement again erupted when Pang Sho returned bearing poison and WuHo Song objected strongly to its use. In the end, it was agreed that the poison could be brought, but that it would be used only in as a last resort.

Returning to the camp of the workers, they were told that the monkeys had been watching them closely. The group headed up the hill to the clearing, where Shude announced that he had a gift for Stone Monkey from master Koa Li. Stone Monkey came and the gift was given. WuHo Song presented his challenge and Stone Monkey refused to fight him.

When pressed, he explained that he had to be strong, for there were enemies in their land. He described them as five men who could "move like monkeys through the tress". They were searching, he thought, for the home of the restful ones. They had already poisoned many of his tribe and some had died. He needed to be strong to fight them. They bore a symbol, the mark of House Ch'Hina contained by a round-cornered triangle with the apex at the bottom.

He agreed to take the group to the home of the restful ones. They turned out to be over one hundred warriors who stood guard over the trove of House Ch'Hina. Thinking the guards were the private army of House Ch'hina, Shude approached, offering the house more respect than it was due.

The restful ones were not their to protect Ch'hina Ito, they were there to see that none learned the secret of his burial ground or recovered his treasure. One-hundred twenty-seven men drew swords at once on Hu Shude. He walked briskly back to his place with the group.

A battle ensued, and just as all seemed lost, WuHo Song slew the general and the rest of the men were gone. A priest of the dead (or perhaps a servant of the Dukes of Hell) arrived and collected the souls. He was surprised that the group could see him.

While the monkeys gleefully looted the dead soldiers, WuHo recovered a matched pair of Katana from the general. The bronze doors leading into the tomb were thrown open and the group entered.

They moved to the bottom of a long stair and found a similar set of doors. They opened them and saw a room decorated in a theme which suggested the five elements. Shude looked at the yellow pot of earth and it suddenly shattered, along with the other three pots, typifying water, air, and fire. Each released a guardian who was swathed in the armor of his element. The earth guardian was sheathed in metal plates and had razor-sharp claws, the fire guardian blazed with searing flame, the water guardian was swathed in ice and had ice-daggers for hands and the guardian of air could not be seen at all.

The fight was difficult and at the end, none of the group was ready to continue their exploration. They retreated to the temple-cave, sealing the tomb behind them, to regroup.

Noteworthy Events

The Ch'hina empire was very corrupt and evil before its collapse.

The symbol worn by the warriors reminded Pang Sho of the mark of a secret society, but he could not remember the group or if it was an exact match. He believed the one he had seen before had been with the triangle apex up.

Crane style is best suited to defeat Drunken Monkey style.

Ro Dan (and presumably the other Dukes of Hell) can not fight a person they were not sent for unless that person protects the one they were sent for or challenges them directly.

The group recovered two magic swords and 4 magical gems. WuHo Song was given the swords, a matched pair of Katanas.

Each of us may have a part of the Dragon's soul, it was implied that Shude had his sexual prowess.

Quotebag

Mrs. D (to Steve): You, Tom, and Dave are not allowed to take the phone downstairs again.

Steve: It only takes me a day because I have a fast horse and ride like the very demons of hell are chasing me.
Tom: That's because they are

Mrs. D: My bushes are looking pretty scraggly. When can you fix them?
Tom: When can I use the phone again?

Experience Summary

Notes

You can do your training for your nest level if your close enough that the training bonus would give you the level.

Active roleplaying is for speaking and acting your charater in a way that I notice, if your charater is a reserved quiet monk, you may be doing great roleplaying, but if I dont notice it you don't get a bonus.

Active Roleplaying is a percentage of everything you did that night, notable roleplaying gets a separate XP as noted above.