[LP] The Way of the Tiger. (Complete)

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hogarth
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Post by hogarth »

I say tell the truth.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Eh, I'll change my vote to "tell the truth," since it'll probably get us to the BBEG quickly (assuming we don't die).
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

(I'll break the tie in favor of honesty.)

He tells you that he is a monk who worships Kwon and invites you to go with him to his monastery in the Gardens of Redemption. The temple is set in a rose garden and you are happy to find a safe haven where you may meditate and seek help. You kneel at prayer in the bare temple and, beside you, the monk intones the psalm of Kwon the Redeemer.


As you meditate in the remple, your body and soul seem filled with the harmony of Kwon the Redeemer. You may restore up to 3 points of Inner Force, as the God lends you his power. The monk, Bartholdy, recognizes that you have the favor of Kwon and asks you to preach to his brothers in the refectory before dinner. You decline, telling him instead of your quest.

Upon hearing that you are Ninja, he agrees that only he and the local Grandmaster should know of your mission. The Grandmaster, Bartok, a frail old man, wise but weak, is filled with fear at your news. He has heard, however, that Yaemon has passed through Mortavalon eight days since, perhaps, he thinks, heading for the monastery of the Reverencers of Vile in the city of Fiendil. He advises that you strike north towards Fortune Pass, so that you may come to the lands of snow before the Grandmaster of Flame.

'There is a man who lives in the mountains, a mystic, but a follower of the Way of the Tiger. He is older than I but, by the grace of Kwon, he has remained fit and strong. His name is Togawa and, long ago, he was the Grandmaster of the Dawn on the Island of Tranquil Dreams. He lives on Mount Gwalodrun and from there he sets his mind free to roam all the planes of existence. He may be able to tell you where you can find Yaemon.'

You dine alone in a small monkish cell and your sleep refreshes you. Restore up to four points of lost Endurance. On the following day you leave the monks to prepare against the day of darkness, should you fail your mission. You have not caught up with Yaemon yet, and so you leave the city through the northern arch in the morning.

• Strike across the wastelands towards Fiendil?
• Head due north to Storm Giant's Causeway?
• Head northeast to Fortune Pass, and the mystic, Togawa?
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Since we've apparently lost their trail, I suggest we go see the mystic in the mountains to get it back.
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hogarth
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Post by hogarth »

Go to Togawa to learn more KUNG FU!!!
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

On the morning of the third day out from Mortavalon, you are high up in Fortune Pass, the air is crisp and scented with mountain heather. Mount Gwalodrun rises to a jagged peak before you. You climb up the scree slope at its base, slipping backwards whenever the pebbles avalanche, until you reach a belt of pines. At the tree line the mountain side becomes sheer and dangerous.

Image

(Avenger is a skilled Climber.)


You fix the Cat's Claws to your hands and climb carefuly up the rock face, avoiding any ledges where cracks warn you that the rock may crumble beneath you. At length, the sheer rock-face gives way to a cave mouth.


The cave is dark and you stare into the blackness until your eyes become accustomed to the gloom, before calling Togawa's name. The skeleton of an elk of the Western Isles, with antlers nearly twenty feet across, lies on the rocky floor. The huge thigh bones have been cracked open for their marrow. You step cautiously forwards, but freeze as you hear what sounds like an ox breathing heavily. You are tensed when a ten-foot tall Rock Hulk attacks.

You try to block his heavy blow, but it sweeps your arm aside and whirls you against the side of the cave. Lose 4 Endurance. If you are still alive, you throw yourself head first to the ground and somersault towards the monster, and then roll upright and lash out with your foot in one fluid movement. The Rock Hulk flails at you, grunting with pain. You dodge its claws, but the beast seems impervious to your blows and the battle rages for some time.

Suddenly, a monk appears from nowhere, seemingly in mid-air. The Rock Hulk looks up just as the man lands before it. The monk spins to the right on his left foot, presenting his back to the brute, and whips his right foot round and up into the Rock Hulk's midriff with speed even you can hardly believe.
Image
He screams as his Inner Force is released, and the kick pole-axes the Rock Hulk, which shakes the cave as it falls rigid to the floor. The monk turns to you and bows. 'My name is Togawa. Please, follow me.' His own cave is a short climb above that of the Rock Hulk, and you follow him into it.


The cave is bare. Togawa squats, cross-legged on the floor and you follow suit. He compliments you on your skill in the Way of the Tiger, but recognising that he is more accomplished than you, you compliment him in turn, commenting on the kick which killed the Rock Hulk. He offers to show it to you. He calls it Kwon's Flail, and it is more powerful even than the kicks which you use. Note it on your character sheet as a new kick you have learnt. You may add +1 to your Kick Modifier for the advice which Togawa gives.

You tell him that you are from the Island of Tranquil Dreams, and of your mission, asking for his help. He surprises you by asking this question: 'Where is your home?'

• 'I have no home.'
• 'My home is my body.'
• 'As I said, the Island of Tranquil Dreams.'
• 'I believe in Kwon, the world is my home.'
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hogarth
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Post by hogarth »

Go with the schmaltzy Kwon answer.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Thomas Pain wrote:The world is our home; to kick ass Kwon our religion.
Intentional misspelling is intentional.
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MisterDee
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Post by MisterDee »

I'd go with My home is my Body - the litany we learned at the beginning of the book has that as the second line.
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Post by Foxwarrior »

MisterDee is clearly the wise one here. I vote for that as well.
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Post by MisterDee »

Feh. That's a base libel. :)

I'm not wise, I just went through the whole thread looking for that young magician reference a couple of days ago, and that litany jumped at me as an obvious puzzle solution bit.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I'll change my vote to "my home is my body."
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Togawa nods. 'What are your weapons?' he demands.

• 'I have no need of weapons.'
• 'My weapons are everything that exists.' √

(No need to beat about the bush, I think.)

Togawa nods again and asks a third question, 'What are your eyes?'

'My eyes are the Sun and the Moon,' you say, reciting the words from the secret Litany of the Ninja Grandmasters. 'I am Ninja, I follow the Way of the Tiger.'

Togawa beams at you, 'A Grandmaster of the Five Winds,' he says, 'I must do my best to help you.'

You sleep on the cold floor of the cave, but in your dreams, Togawa, his body silver and ethereal, appears to you, stretching out his hand. You take it and he lifts you out of your body. Looking down, you can see yourself, asleep, in the candlelight. Soon, you are far from the cave, washed by ethereal wind.

You hold on tight, knowing that without Togawa's guidance, you would drift helplessly; the skills of the Ninja cannot aid you here. The monk points ahead to a gleaming archway beyond which a silver pathway stretches up into the clouds. Cherubs flock around its pillars and a Guardian Angel, flawless and white, stands between them.

'This is the gateway to the Seven Heavens,' says Togawa. 'We may not enter yet.' As he speaks, a sinuous form takes shape on the silver road. It glides past the Guardian Angel and as it approaches, you see that it is a perfect tiger, but its fur is white and its eyes are blue.

'The Spirit Tiger is a servant of Kwon,' says Togawa. 'She will help us.' As the tigress looks at you, she passes on a part of her knowledge. She has stalked Yaemon, on the Ethereal Plane, undetected, even by him. Yaemon and Honoric, Marshal of the Legion of the Sword of Doom, who worships the go Vasch-Ro, are journeying to the far-away city of Druath Glennan at the edge of the Far Snows. They will meet a third there, Manse the Deathmage, a potent and evil sorcerer, who reverences Nemesis, the Supreme Principle of Evil.

Together they plan to journey to the Pillars of Change and each knows a secret word which will bind a god or goddess in Inferno. You realize that you must journey to Druath Glennan as quickly as possible. The Spirit Tiger blesses you and Fate will smile on you. Your Fate Modifier is now +1. You try to speak to the Spirit Tiger but words will not come and Togawa pulls you away from the Gateway to the Seven Heavens.

Image

When you awake in the morning he says, 'The unholy alliance must be stopped. Of all the evil gods, only the followers of Vile, Vasch-Ro and Nemesis would have the discipline to join together. Nemesis is the greatest of the evil gods. Never before have three such powerful and evil men trusted each other.'

He pulls a bag of herbs from a crack in the rock. 'These have healing virtue,' he says. You take them and may use them at any time when you are not being attacked to restore up to 8 Endurance. You thank him and are about to ask him if he will accompany you, when he lies down on the cave floor and falls asleep. Sensing that there is no further help to be gained, you climb down Mount Gwalodrun to the pass below. A day later, you enter the foothills of Fortune Pass.


The youthful river Fortune pours don a narrow valley which winds like a snake between the escarpments of the Mountains of Vision. The air becomes cooler as you climb and snow begins to fall. You turn your costume inside out, so that the white lining will camouflage you in the snow. You sleep well in the pass, despite the cold, and may restore up to 4 points of Endurance.

On the second day you hear a cry from around an escarpment and you move on stealthily to look. A warrior holds his sword aloft asa small group of Arocs, bird-men, attack. As you watch, a bolt of green light speeds from his sword, felling one of the Arocs.
Avenger, Grandmaster of the Five Winds
Modifiers: Fortune +1
Inner Force: 5
Endurance: 5/20
Techniques: Climbing, Disable Device, Poison Needles, Kwon's Flail.
Shuriken: ****
Ninja Tools: Ninja Costume, Breathing Tube, Iron Sleeves, Garotte, Flash Powder, Flint & Tinder, Spiderfish, Blood of Nil.
Special Items: Opal Ring, Pouch with 10 Gold Pieces, Essence of Firenewt, Bag of Herbs (+8 Endurance).
• Help the warrior, who is hard-pressed?
• Hide in the snow until the Arocs leave.

(Also, Avenger is still pretty injured, so I'm thinking we should use the herbs now. Let me know what you think.)
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Use the herbs, help out the warrior.
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Post by MisterDee »

Eat lettuce, nut-punch the Arocs.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

(Herbs eaten.)

You leap out and into the air, grabbing one of the Arocs as it swoops behind the warrior. With a powerful wrench you break its neck. A sharp talon tears your shoulder (lose 3 Endurance), and if you are still alive you turn and grab your attacker's leg, pulling him down and then delivering a crippling Tiger's Paw to the side of its neck as another magical bolt leaps from the warrior's sword. Seeing this, the Arocs glide out across the valley, leaving you to continue on your way.

The warrior introduces himself as Runeweaver. You know that runes are the symbols used in spell making. He thanks you for aiding him and tells you he is a wandering adventurer who is travelling north to find pastures new, after a somewhat embarrassing brush with the authorities at Mortavalon. You walk together for a while until you come to a small hut, near the source of the river. You decide to pass the night there – Runeweaver hopes to light a fire against the cold.


Runeweaver makes a fire in the hut while you squat on the floor, to meditate. He wears only a breastplate of boiled leather for armour and you notice that he somehow starts the fire without a tinder box. Your spirit is wandering far away when the door to the hut is suddenly hurled open.
Image
(I think we've all had this guy in our party at one time or another.)
A barbarian warrior strides in. He wears a necklace of giant weasel's teeth, a bearskin, and a strange circlet with a deep blue gem at his forehead. His armour is curiously fashioned with overlapping plates, like a fish's scales. He points his longsword menacingly and demands in an uncouth northman's bastardization of the common tongue, 'Well my two small kobolds of the mountains, I'll take your money and all of your belongings.'

Runeweaver replies, 'What do you take us for, mere farmers or peasants that you should threaten us so?'

The Barbarian replies, 'I don't care if you're princes. I am Olvar the Chaos Bringer and I'm taking your gold.'
Avenger, Grandmaster of the Five Winds
Modifiers: Fortune +1
Inner Force: 5
Endurance: 10/20
Techniques: Climbing, Disable Device, Poison Needles, Kwon's Flail.
Shuriken: ****
Ninja Tools: Ninja Costume, Breathing Tube, Iron Sleeves, Garotte, Flash Powder, Flint & Tinder, Spiderfish, Blood of Nil.
Special Items: Opal Ring, Pouch with 10 Gold Pieces, Essence of Firenewt.
• Spring to the attack?
• Hand him your money pouch?
• Throw flash powder on the fire?
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

A chance to use a ninja weapon we haven't had the chance to use before?

Flash powder that fire.
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Seconding the flash powder motion.
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Post by Dean »

Wheres the option for "Join our party". Flash powder
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

As the dust enters the flames there is a brilliant flash. You had shaded your eyes, but Olvar and Runeweaver are, for the moment, blinded. The barbarian backs out of the doorway and you follow up with a flying Winged Horse to his chest and he throws his arms up and crashes backwards into the snow. Note that he has lost 5 Endurance, for you have cracked some of his ribs.

You are about to run out into the snow to finish him, when a bolt of blue lightning discharges from the gem at his forehead towards the doorway. You try to duck back inside, and your Defence against the Lightning Bolt is 6, as Olvar's sight returns.


The bolt of lightning catches you in the side, charring your flesh and jolting you as if you had been hit by a battering ram, and you are sent hurtling to the far wall. Lose 8 Endurance. However, if you are still alive, you flip in the air and land safely on your feet. You manage to overcome the pain as the Barbarian moves to attack you with his longsword. Runeweaver was closer to the fire-flash than Olvar, and his sight will not return for some time.
Avenger, Grandmaster of the Five Winds
Modifiers: Fortune +1
Inner Force: 5
Endurance: 2/20
Techniques: Climbing, Disable Device, Poison Needles, Kwon's Flail.
Shuriken: ****
Ninja Tools: Ninja Costume, Breathing Tube, Iron Sleeves, Garotte, Flint & Tinder, Spiderfish, Blood of Nil.
Special Items: Opal Ring, Pouch with 10 Gold Pieces, Essence of Firenewt.
• Cobra Strike punch?
• Winged Horse kick?
• Dragon's Tail throw?
• Poison Needles?
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Poison Needles fucked the shit up of the wizard something fierce, hopefully they'll work just as well on this Sagard wannabe.
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Post by Dean »

This book loves beating the shit out of you. We lose like 2 or 3 endurance every page and gain back just enough to stop the blood coughs. Poison Needle this dude and hope that kills him before the next page flip automatically kills us.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

The Barbarian tenses as you place the needle on your rolled tongue and spit it out in one fluid motion. The needle imbeds itself in his cheek. He has an iron constitution and although a look of agony twists his features, his system overcomes the virulent poison. You may note that he has lost 4 Endurance.

As you pause in astonishment, he strikes at you, and his sword cleaves the air towards your shoulder. Your Defence against his blow is 8 as you try to bring your left forearm up to sweep aside the blade. If he hits you, his sword will do 1 Die+1 damage.

(That is an amount of damage guaranteed to murder. He beats Avenger's defence, but the backup block attempt is successful.)

• Cobra Strike punch?
• Winged Horse kick?
• Dragon's Tail throw?
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Well, he's lost 9 Endurance so far, which means he's probably at half health or less, and we're going to die if we screw up at all.

We already know that the kick hurts him super bad so I suggest we kick him in his already-shattered ribs, and hope that his total Endurance is 14 or less.
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Winged Horse kick - we need this over quickly.
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