Adventures of Hoi: Killing Demons, Saving People, Being Perplexed (potentially highly triggering)

Anyone who reads any of the Actual Play/After-Action Reports from our campaigns does so at his or her own damn risk. There are topics that might trigger somebody and we don't shy away from those. If you read on, have fun!

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My Art of Wuxia RPG character Hoi just stopped a human sacrifice recently.

Not being an exact paragon of the xia ideals, he was quite surprised by himself*, but he was following the advice of a hermit, so he let it slide...

Here's the list of Hoi's in-game...accomplishments...so far:

-A supply run to the pirate slave markets (an army has needs for labour, too), he performed excellently there. He didn't get all the slaves he wanted, but he got most of them.

Importantly, on the way there he passed through Magic Mountains, an accursed place. Hoi has no fear, feeling others should be afraid of him, but he is courteous to everyone right until he decides to kill (then he doesn't bother excusing himself for being rude). This helped him out, as the hermit gave him passage, and a sword that allows Hoi to walk on the water.

-Murdering nobles and bringing their magical trinkets to the White Dragon. He didn't ask why they had to die, he asked whether their families should outlive them (yes, discretion was required, so nobody else died).

-Training the wife of a neighbouring ruler how to dispose of him stealthily (literally exhausting him with sex, while she had the advantage of being drugged - and, Hoi suspects, he was as well, to ensure he won't make it). Then we visited her to impose an artifact she probably didn't want (it allows strangling her at a distance) on her neck. 

She came to the White Dragon for an extended visit a week later, and a White Dragon's puppet has been ruling her husband's city ever since.

During said mission, was under direct oversight from the White Dragon's daughter (and her body servant), which turned out to be way more fun than high-station bosses usually are.

-Visiting a cave somewhere to inspect some kind of seal. There was an old map of the World Before The Cataclysm, Hoi did his best to remember it just in case. He couldn't find the cave, though: he only knows one fourth of the way. The other fours are known to three different servants of the White Dragon, who seem muchly similar to him.

-Visiting the aforementioned hermit in his spare time. 

Hoi had found the man interesting (not "of interest", just fun to be around) and asking him whether he requires anything, and whether he wanted his sword back.

The hermit inspected the sword and asked how many men he had killed (7, counting the women as well) and whether he had killed any demons - which got a negative answer.

Then the hermit sent him to visit a particular place in the magic mountain, and do as he sees fit, in order to "get closer to his sword". 

There, Hoi saw a demon summoning ritual - some moronic witches were going to sacrifice a young girl - and killed the morons to prevent it. Then he noticed the demon had appeared, so he killed the demon, too, cackling maniacally.

Why? Because the sword had just said "oh, demon blood is the best" upon him delivering the first strike.

Thus, the reason he stopped the sacrifice is simply that the sword seemed like it wants to kill those there, except the sacrificial victim.

Yes, he asked his sword about everyone specifically. 

Killing the witches wasn't a fight worthy of more than a mention in one of his reports. ("Met three witches, killed them, turned out the demon is coming anyway, which would suggest the ritual wasn't actually necessary - I think it's just being attracted by the smell of blood. Killing the demon required lots of time, effort, and incurred me some minor wounds, and a bill for uniform repair, due to being swallowed - had to cut my way out of the stomach").

Once the fight had concluded, he realized he's just saved a fair maiden...well, a girl about 7-8 years of age. A future maiden, then.

"Am I a righteous xia** now? No, that's ridiculous... But, if I leave her here, it's like I'm wasting my own efforts fighting to save her!"

So he released her. She ran into the deep, magical jungle (they're literally in Magic Mountains).

He shrugged.

"Ah well, guess this one wasn't meant to be..."

Then it turned out the talking pet monkeys of the hermit had saved her and brought her back to him. So he decided he should actually bring her to her village.

Which he did - carried her away while in eagle form, she was in a reed basket that the hermit's pet monkeys prepared). 

The sword, who is telepathic***, talked to the girl to calm her down - Hoi can't speak as an eagle - and later mentioned he likes her, "she's a bloodthirsty little one".

"Maybe I should visit her in a few years and see if she's still like that, if yes, she could be useful", Hoi answered. "Either way, we'll see if she's still grateful for being saved".

Nope, he's not doing anything without an eye towards gain.

He also reported dutifully about killing witches, but omitted the presence of the sword, reasoning that it's his own now.  In fact, he never brings it in the presence of White Dragon or his daughters (the man only has daughters).

Notes:

*He's basically serving the supposed BBEG of the setting, and does so in a methodic, ruthless fashion. I suspect the GM is playing said BBEG as a "misunderstood badass", but Hoi doesn't see it this way - he believes the boss is out to be Number One, no scruples allowed, and is willing to support him (and being his right-hand man has perks)!

Yes, I'm the ninja serving the BBEG, envy me!

Also, for reference, I have 3 PCs in this campaign. One is a guy who would fight for ideals, revenge, or to protect others. Another is a guy who would fight for ideals, for revenge, but usually it's just because it seems like it would be a fun fight.

Hoi, however, is a guy who would fight someone because he was ordered to fight, because he was ordered to kill somebody and didn't manage to do it without fighting, because he wants the guy to suffer, or for profit. 

**Xia are supposed to protect the weak, punish the wicked and act with honour. Hoi knows full well he's one of those many xia would like to punish.

***Turned out, there was an ancient kung-fu master imprisoned inside, who had been a robber, pirate, highwayman, swindler and warrior. It just had been sleeping - until it tasted demon blood.

It has also been determined since that Hoi and the sword like each other's company alright. It probably helps that Hoi is helping the sword satisfy its carnal urges it has a handle that's quite nice, and Hoi pays different whores to use it.