Session 9 - Blades of Black & Blades of Light

Xiao Feng and Tóugǔ engaged in their duel. During their fight Tóugǔ  revealed that five of the seven blades were currently in Bloodmar. One of course was with Xiao, one was with Tóugǔ, one was located in the Black Bone Fort of Urgoth-Sar, one had been in the possession of The Once-Blessed, the lost pirate lord, and the final one was lost somewhere in Bloodmar and Tóugǔ had not yet tracked it down.   A fierce duel was fought between Tóugǔ and Xiao as the party watched. Xiao won the duel but not before Tóugǔ's avatar could sent Heaven's Fall back to his real body wherever it was located denying Xiao his right to claim it. After defeating his avatar it was discovered that Tóugǔ's version of the Xiǎotōu technique could be use on corpses removing the need for either a willing subject or the ability to subjugate the will of the host body.    With Arturus' aid the party entered Urgoth-Sar's realm. Here Arturus had to allow reluctantly allow Urgoth-Sar access to his body to open the passage to the Black Bone Fort. Failing to push the demonic power out Arturus instead severed his right arm, where the corruption was located, to keep himself from being possessed.    In the Black Bone Fort the party were attakced by wraiths. These wraiths were once members of the Black Blades that Arturus had killed there decades ago on his quest to purge the Black Blades from this world.    They also discovered Hadwisa, a being with a body half ethereal and half physical who had once been a prisoner and victim of the Black Blades. One of the black pearls of The Once-Blessed was lodged in the ethereal part of her body and was the cause of her being restored to a somewhat physical form.    She told the party she would gladly give them the pearl if they could get her to the Forge of Souls, which was located in one of the Arch-Tech ruins. Legends of the Forge of Souls suggest she could create a new permeant body there.    An encounter with a spirit that wielded Celestial Beam occurred on the upper floor of the fort. This spirit had been Tóugǔ's bodyguard. Tóugǔ had betrayed and killed him and then bound Celestial Beam to his spirit to keep it sealed and safe within the Black Bone Fore while Tóugǔ searched for the other swords.   Xiao managed to use his abilities to free the spirit and break the seal. Earning both the spirit's gratitude and Celestial Beam as a reward for doing so. The spirit also revealed that Tóugǔ's is part of the Hēi line, a disinherited branch of the Shegzhan royal family. The party found the fort treasure vault and made it back to The Driftwood, treasure in tow, using the fort's teleportation portal.