RBRB: The Obsidian Bat - RPG Review

The Player Characters are hired to transport a magical artifact, but find themselves caught in a dangerous plot. The Obsidian Bat is an introductory scenario in the Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades wuxia roleplaying game core rulebook.
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#ttrpg

[@Bedrockbrendan]

Thanks for the review Seth! I like all your suggestions (this is great feedback). I also like how you had both Iron-Toothed Bat King and Wan Lang return as recurring enemies. I think you are right about giving further clarification of Xin Lijuan's reasoning (we were going for the convoluted feel of a Chor Yuen film in both adventures and it probably would have been helpful to explain her motivations there to avoid being overly confusing). I really wish we could have fit Pleasures of the Harbor into the core book as well but unfortunately there was no space for it

[@Deathblade]

I second this!

[@himurogentoku7117]

Great game, Brendan! I love Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades!

[@Bedrockbrendan]

@@himurogentoku7117 Thanks !

[@EFergDindrane]

Just ordered on DriveThru RPG! I can't wait to spring it on my players. :D

[@trequor]

A convoluted feel is definitely a strength of RBRB and the genre as a whole, but it is a tad inappropriate for a beginner's scenario. I am running Obsidian Bat for the first time tonight and thoroughly enjoyed reading through the links upon links of character backstory, but it was certainly extra work to turn that backstory into a form that is runnable at the table. I could definitely see this being a hurdle for newer GMs who are excited by the system, but unsure of how to structure a scenario or campaign.

[@ADiceySituation]

Poor Seth had to train his players to play investigation games right. Now he has to untrain them again.

[@bigsarge2085]

Ah, the old "Animal themed antagonist eagerly accepts the poisoned tchotchke only to reappear several scenarios later just to get destroyed again" gag to make a memorable campaign. A tale as old as time! 😉

[@richmcgee434]

"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Bat King!" I suppose "I am the terror that flaps in the night!" also works. He seems more like a Gotham Penguin or Cat than a Bat though, what with the "must steal valuable items that fit my theme" thing.

[@1Ring42]

Someone should definitely do a dark wing duck intro for him.

[@dutch6857]

Damn, man! I was just about to write the "Nana-na-na, Bat King! Bat King!!" You beat me by 8 hours. Well played sir, well played. (Darn you, day job!)

[@renedegames7219]

Here come Bat King, Here comes Bat King, right down Bat King lane.

[@cadenceclearwater4340]

Also, "escort company" makes me think of something totally different.

[@SSkorkowsky]

I... I hadn't made than connection. And now I'll never not see it.

[@cadenceclearwater4340]

@@SSkorkowsky My apologies, twirls moustache 😅

[@Volvandese]

Why can't it be both?

[@thomasbecker9676]

I was honestly expecting a joke about it.

[@SamuraiMujuru]

​@@VolvandeseI have been juggling a character idea (albeit likely for Exalted) of an escort company that is also an escort company.

[@brochogan3579]

I'm starting my fancy new job today in the city. Being a swamp man my whole life...this is kinda stressful. As I sit in the hipster vibe coffee shop below the floor I'll be working on, my foot is thumping and my mind was starting to drift towards the negative, fitting in is something I can do at any nerd convention or function outside the city, but seeing every one so comfortable in this noisy closed in city... my wife had to go back to sleep due our son waking up at an ungodly hour and just falling back asleep, so I can't call her for a boost in confidence. So I turn my ear buds up and open KZbin to kill a bit of time. Then to my absolute joy, a Seth Skorkowsky video pops up. Even though I don't play this system, I have a D&D campaign with everyone playing Monks, Samurai, Rogues and one trickster cleric that is ninja like... this couldn't be more perfect. Thank you sir

[@richdurbin6146]

An episode of "Bar Rescue" at Wangs? Awesome!

[@barlotardy]

Jack's outfit for this episode looks really comfortable..

[@williamaitken7533]

This could not be more perfect timing! I'm running this adventure right now and just got my players to agree to the job. I found out that Handan is actually known in China for pottery and even produces a special kind of black pottery. So I'm having the Obsidian Bat be made out of this specialty pottery with some heavy glazes. I think that would also justify why the players might even suspect the thing is counterfeit in the first place. I think the Sword Goddess stuff is definitely convoluted, so thanks to some great Jianghu rolls by my players I added in that it's a known fact that Heartless Dagger and Sword Goddess are rivals but it's a WEIRD rivalry. Just as a way to prepare the players for the bizarre twist.

[@SamuraiMujuru]

I'm so glad you're still talking about this game. It's such a cool system and setting that fills an extremely underappreciated niche. It deserves a lot of love (And deathblade deserves to get more than a month's rent out of sales 😆)

[@TheManKnownAsAi]

Damn. Even for a module for a system I'll probably never play, it's great listening to you lay everything out. Always love the insights into your groups' experiences playing them. Would be great to get more of those

[@elhoteldeloserrantes5056]

YES YES YES, I needed a video of a module about this Game, thanks Seth :)

[@DMRaptorJesus]

Really like this game, wish there were more adventures for it because its an amazing rpg but I'd like to see more "tutorial" scenarios or even a full campaign.

[@jeffagain7516]

na-na-na-na-na...Bat-King, Bat-King, Bat-King! Holy Obsidian obelisks, it's an obfuscation Bat-King! Right again Bo-oi Wun-Dar! This could only be the work of our old nemesis, Sward Goodless! Quick! To the Bat-rickshaw! Thanks again Seth (and Jack-Li ! ) :)

[@johnstepina5621]

Love your videos Seth. You are my internet hero I've wanted to start a channel about table top gaming for years, also wanted to write a novel for years, you've done both. Keep up the work and keep inspiring us

[@dubuyajay9964]

I actually would like to use this adventure for Battletech of all things on a backwater in the Periphery, Liao, or Kurita space of all things simply due to how far technology can actually regress in the setting on some worlds. Especially due to how so many civilizations will actually try to be "retro" on purpose.

[@v.bosmans]

So much run to hear how it went with your group! Totally agree about the oddness of Liu Xiuling's motivations, I ended up expanding on those as well which turned up again later in the game. ...Trying not to spoil anyone in the comments! I made a bunch of other little changes, such as having them meet Qing Yun at an inn, and changing Wan Lang's eccentricity (how does someone who fights with a sabre have "Blood Fear"??), Etc.

[@evilscientistrecords]

Jack's wine gourd is perfect.

[@Nephanor]

This sounds amazingly fun! I too thought it was the OTHER type of escort. Too much Firefly.

[@lenorevanalstine1219]

no such thing as too much firefly

[@euansmith3699]

"Feeling hungry, traveller, get yourself a mouthful of Wang's."

[@AuthoritativeNewsNetwork]

Now all I can think of is: Black robed figures burst into the tea house, and begin chanting strange Buddhist tones. "Aum Na na na na na na na" There is an eruption of smoke, and a new black clad figure emerges from the cloud. "BATKING!" 🤣😂🤣

[@Crow.Author]

I got called away towards the end of the video, and when i got back a few hours later, I almost closed the video without watching Jacks outro. What a travesty that would have been!

[@FoolsGil]

6:19 Jack be dropping the shade this episode lol

[@DaerBR]

Can't wait for the "Kult" review continue!

[@SSkorkowsky]

It's most likely that'll be the next vid. Otherwise it'll be the one after.

[@nklinef]

I'd LOVE to see recaps of the other RBRB adventures you've done! ...including your homebrew Bloody Hand adventure PLEASE🙏

[@nklinef]

A breakdown of the abilities and counters would also be AMAZING!❤

[@magosdominusplutos5131]

I think I will use this adventure for my new xianxia Godbound campaign. Thanks Seth

[@zararias]

Good review, and excellent suggestions for tweaking the scenario. Hoping to get some people together in my vacation to try this (finally).

[@corwinandrews4366]

I love how Jack is just the "EVERY PC ever" in his skits. Well, even more then usual somehow.

[@awitlinvfx7763]

Thanks for the review! I went out and bought this system after watching your review of the core book. I'm glad you put this out as I'll likely be running this for my group in the near future!

[@silo_fx3182]

Great review. I picked up the book and the .pdf. Love the system. So much room for imagination and role playing fun. The one major finding, as GM and reader, was the order of the information. It is kind of all over the place. I am currently converting the PDF (private - nothing public) into markdown to allow for all the linkages and lookups. Trying to make a players handbook and DM guide as 2 separate documents. Your idea of copy and paste images is perfectly good too and less of a chore!

[@EFergDindrane]

My favorite is CoC, but I love it when you tell us about other cool stuff, too! Sometimes, I need one-shots and other things to cover when an Investigator can't make it, but the rest want to play, and this is a great thing to try on them! I think they'll love it.

[@SSkorkowsky]

I enjoy playing a variety of games, but CoC is my big love. I find it helpful to do a full palate-cleanse between campaigns and do a short run though some other system or a couple one-shots before diving back into CoC.

[@robbabcock_]

Great review! Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades looks fantastic, and even though I'd never find people to play I still want to pick it up.

[@MaxWriter]

This looks like so much fun. A great review as usual. Thanks! I also have a rabbit hole player. In my Dark Ages game, he's playing a monk but has recently convinced himself and the whole party the Catholic Church is out to get them all for witchcraft. They HAVE been casting spells and another priest did egg him on and thought another priest might have it in for them. I am still waiting to see how it all plays out.

[@cam4636]

Now I'm just imagining Iron Tooth Bat King as Rex Kwon Do from Napoleon Dynamite. **prances around in leather cape** "You think anyone wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing THIS bad boy? _Fuggedabouddit"_

[@jameshenderson4876]

Thank you re the icons on the map! I also had to create a new version of the map from scratch for my VTT (I lack PowerPoint skills!). But I'll gladly use yours for face to face. Much better. And overall, great video!

[@cernunnos_lives]

Effing awesome my man!!! Your RPG Gung-Fu is indeed legendary. And chase that tael, you're always behind. Those costumes are getting pricey. It's a good thing that accent is great for every costume you have.

[@huwhitecavebeast1972]

It's nice to see a RPG based on historical China. Usually you only see Japanese stuff, the change to Chinese is a welcome change in theme.

[@dubuyajay9964]

What about "A Thousand Thousand Islands?" Not a salad dressing! 🥗🏝️🏖️🌴

[@NefariousKoel]

There's been a slew of Wuxia RPGs coming out in the last few years. Became a bit of it's own indie trend lately. Although I wouldn't necessarily term it "historical", but mythical. 😉 Always nice to see different themed games coming out that aren't bog standard fantasy imitations of D&D.

[@richmcgee434]

@@dubuyajay9964 Amazing stuff, that setting.

[@falcon989]

Jack the NPC’s Mandarin accent is flawless

[@Mailed-Knight]

I like all the little stories about how the players handled that.

[@SanJacintoArtGuild]

Sounds fun! I am currently putting together a three-session City of Mist short to introduce my players to the system. This looks like another fun system to explore!

[@rodneycobble5481]

YESSSSS YOU HAVE MY LIKE FOR RUNNING THIS GAME

[@jameskerr3258]

I do appreciate the Photoshopped goodies you make available to us!

[@dutch6857]

I had a lousy, hard, freezing cold day. How did you know I needed a pick-me-up in the form of a new Seth vid? Thank you sifu.

[@SSkorkowsky]

Always happy to give a few minutes of entertainment to help forget about a lousy day. Hope today is better for you.

[@dutch6857]

@@SSkorkowsky Much better, thank you.

[@dubuyajay9964]

04:29. Why does the rest of the party even listen to him!? Damnit Dweebles!

[@witchdoctor1394]

It was definitely Kevin!

[@mattfrandsen1244]

You are the best at this. Thsnks!

[@gothmissstress]

I live for Jack Malone in the ancient chinese costume 😂

[@lindybeige]

I think I can see your eyes reading off an autocue (teleprompter). You look away a lot, which disguises it quite well, but when looking at the start of a new line, the flicker is evident. I'm not sure what I think about the use of this technology on KZbin. Perhaps I should be jealous of the technology you have.

[@mouldyminiatures7056]

Harmless surely? (If there is a teleprompt or power point). Every style that works is a win. This is quite punchy yet full of detail.

[@SSkorkowsky]

I used to do Power Point on a laptop just below the camera (huge font with 2-3 sentences per slide) but started using a real teleprompter last year. With all the detail and names in a standard vid, I need to write it all out. Otherwise I'll miss some detail or be all "um"s and "ah"s trying to remember it. Jack portions I don't use a teleprompter. I just memorize it and go. But that's also why it requires 6 or so takes to get every Jack clip.

[@justintiffin-richards6840]

sorry I put a link in my earlier reply... if you have a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, Quadro RTX 3000, TITAN RTX or higher you may find the NVIDIA Broadcast 1.4 beta Eye Contact feature interesting try googling " nvidia broadcast 1.4 adds eye contact "

[@mouldyminiatures7056]

Both of you gentlemen produce some of the best RPG content. Styles may vary but your shows not only have quality presentation but have clear delivery of great themes. Power to you both.

[@SSkorkowsky]

I'm just here trying to play it cool Lindybeige is commenting on my channel.

[@XX-sp3tt]

3:00 #4 "We're considered expendable."

[@SSkorkowsky]

This is true.

[@erniemiller1953]

"We got to kick his ass..." the name of my high school Goth band.

[@erniemiller1953]

"We got to kick his ass...again" was our name when we got the band back together.

[@justintiffin-richards6840]

sniff... Iron-Headed Badger #4 last words were.... Holy! Booby Trapped Macguffins Bat King!

[@doctorlolchicken7478]

This sounds awesome. Odd there are so few adventures for it. Tempted to make one but I ought to play the game first.

[@Baulderstone1]

You might want to take a look at Strange Tales of Songling by Brendan Davis. It uses the same base system as RBRB (the Network System), but it is based on supernatural/horror stories like Chinese Ghost Story. It's in the wuxia ballpark, but it's more investigative with fewer character powers to track. I think you'd like it as its a middle ground between RBRB and Call of Cthulhu. Full disclosure: I was the editor on SToS, so I may be biased.

[@--enyo--]

When you said the Handan ‘escort company’ I have to admit I jumped to very different conclusions about what that meant than a courier/guard service. 😅

[@trioofone8911]

Verbal motif of the day: "Good times!" 😉

[@juddgoswick2024]

So the Bat guy's hideout is a camp? Not, let's say, a CAVE with some relics and mementos inside?

[@gendor5199]

I feel as if Bat Kings theme song should almost be a joke on the "Who's on first" joke "Who is on first?" "Not Who! Bat King" "But Why is on Second?" "Not Why! Bat king" "When is on third?" "Not When! Bat king"

[@filippooliveri5347]

Wee! A new video of Seth!

[@jajsem1109]

This game and adventure sounds great. I mean, I grew up on wuxia movies and I love the feel. Unfortunately I know of no one I would play it with. Not that they would not like to, but I am affraid we would not be able to play it properly.

[@DaerBR]

First couple of seconds after I read the video title, I was thinking "wow, why would they have an obsidian bat - must be a heavy thing to swing with..."

[@jamesmarston8461]

I thought the same thing

[@gbgamer9474]

Should have challenged 'batman' to a dance off

[@NefariousKoel]

Let's hope he isn't a dancing FBI agent with a gun haphazardly stuffed in his pants. That hasn't gone well in the past.

[@bobmcbob9856]

A Wuxia TTRPG system? Damn guess I’m gonna have to add that to my never ending list of RPG systems I want to learn. Well ok the list is just pulp Cthulhu, Conan, and now this but given how much I struggle with retaining a consistent group of players even for D&D (because most of my friends simply aren’t that into TTRPGs, I don’t have a game store nearby that does play sessions, & ofc we’re all very busy) getting them into a new system is kind of a Herculean task

[@thebolas000]

Another great review. Good times.

[@bigteej5821]

I'm in the early stages of putting some pre-gens and whatnot together to run this as a 1 shot so I can try it out. For the potential amusement of anyone seeing this, I plan on channeling The Macho Man Randy Savage whenever he interacts with the group. "I am the *invincible* iron tooth bat king! (yeah). I have descended from on high to grace you with my presence! (yeah) In my extreme and unknowable benevolence (yeah), I have come to relieve you of the burden which you now carry. (yeah). Surrender the obsidian bat tooth unto me! (Oh yeah)....."

[@kythian]

Pre-roll ad still playing... "LIKE"

[@catyear75]

Shaw Brothers approve this video ...!

[@dubuyajay9964]

06:50. Maybe that's *why* the antagonists chose that poison? To throw any investigatiors off by framing the cult?

[@Bedrockbrendan]

We actually went back and forth a bit on the different poisons when we were designing it I believe. So I think changing the poison to fit the group and style of play works well. The actual reason we had in mind for why they selected this specific poison was because it weakens Sword Goddesses martial arts and makes her vulnerable to attacks from weaker opponents. But you can get good results from lots of the poison on the list.

[@SSkorkowsky]

The issue I had was more of the mid-session surprise of a secret cult being involved when I hadn't planned or expected a secret cult being involved. I'd only read, "Fake bat explodes and poison gas" and moved on with the rest of my prep. But during the game when they identified the poison and it ended up being the signature poison of some notorious super-secret cult I hadn't more than briefly skimmed when I read the corebook weeks before, and now they're going down that path, when there was no mention of the cult at all anywhere in the adventure, that was the issue.

[@richmcgee434]

@@SSkorkowsky They wouldn't be a super-secret cult if they got mentioned in the intro adventure now, would they? :)

[@Bedrockbrendan]

@@SSkorkowsky I quite liked your suggestion on managing the poison. I also can see how this might arise (I run a lot of mystery and investigations and my players will often stick to a detail like that as well). I think if I were to rework the adventure I would probably go over the list of possible poisons the GM can select from and what effects those might have on the final battle. I also think we could have included something to help keep the adventure interesting but not get off track if they do get hung up on the Black Cloud Cult (there might be a good side adventure there or a way to give players more background information if they track down the people who sold the poison to Chief Ban Fei).

[@patroclusilliad233]

I'm begining to notice a pattern with the NPC that reappear later on for this group...A very amusing pattern.

[@kalleendo7577]

Awesome!

[@NefariousKoel]

Bat King's gonna Bat things.

[@Supallcomm]

It's Seth SkorThursday!

[@ADiceySituation]

I'd kinda like to see Seth review The One Ring second edition by Free League.

[@NefariousKoel]

I would too, among other things. Although the abstract combat positioning may not go over well for him considering his group's focus on minis & grid movement. I could be completely wrong, however.

[@wmdragonj]

I’m just picturing the Robin Hood Bit from the 1st Shrek movie

[@alantheinquirer7658]

Ah, Jacks trusty drinking gourd!

[@tabletopgamingwithwolfphototec]

This makes me wish my primary & secondary groups where more into trying many different systems. I still struggle to get them to try a game thats not a fantasy , class & level based system. I still can't get my primary group to play anything but D&D or Pathfinder.

[@SSkorkowsky]

One trick I've used to good effect is the upfront deal. Something like, "I want to run 3 adventures. That's it. You don't need to buy book or any of that because it's short-term. Once I get these couple games out of my system we'll return to D&D/Pathfinder." Worst case is they play a few sessions of whatever game you're wanting to try and celebrate their return to D&D/Pathfinder. Best case, they decide they enjoyed whatever game you wanted to test-drive and try to get a couple more sessions of it. Many players, I've found, are much more willing to try out a system if they know up-front it's only a temporary change. I've used this several times after one campaign ends and another begins, as a quick palate cleanse.

[@witchdoctor1394]

Na Na Na Na Na Na, Bat King! Pow! Biff! Bam!

[@storytellersteerpike4452]

When are we getting the Pleasure Barge review?

[@sindarpeacheyeisacommie8688]

I'm going to have to buy a copy of this game. After I heard the description of "beat down so hard to hell that he bounced back up"… Yeah, I got a play this game. They should make a version of this game but scanned out as gladiators. Kind of like they were gladiator movies, but a whole lot less gay.

[@livecatgrenades]

I saw this and clicked instantly.

[@kitsune9085]

The setup for this adventure seems to lack something; I don't see Sword Goddess setting up the job purely for a reputation hit and then expecting a genuine shipment afterward. Maybe Sword Goddess genuinely set up the shipment, but heard Heartless Dagger was also potentially doing business with the company. Then, she can perform the frame-job massacre to not only dissuade the company from working with Heartless Dagger but also ruin her reputation.

[@richmcgee434]

Yeah, I'm a little confused by that aspect of it myself. Maybe she just didn't expect her disguise to be seen through?

[@matthewautodidactyl612]

The map DESPERATELY needs a scale. A bit of Google-Fu shows the distance between Handan and Anyang is 70 km (43.5 miles). Do with that what you will....

[@manfredconnor3194]

Fearless wushau warrior with a brooklyn accent.

[@1Ring42]

Good times

[@TheEndKing]

This game seems insanely fun.

[@vilhelmpuddintain9295]

Jack said it was good times like three separate times, that's how you know it's a good time!

[@jerryl7050]

A total blast!

[@derekburge5294]

I always have such a difficult time getting my players to take RBRB seriously... They laughed at my villain! Hung Lo of the Snake Swallower Style should not be laughed at!

[@shockerck4465]

Will there be other adventures?

[@SSkorkowsky]

There are only 2 RBRB adventures. This one and Pleasures of the Harbor. I'll review the second one eventually.

[@Bedrockbrendan]

Right now these are the only two adventures. Depending on what comes of the supernatural expansion, there will likely be one in there. I have also been meaning to post adventures for it on my blog but so far have mostly posted variations on the system. I may also convert adventures I have for another system to RBRB on the blog as well at some point

[@Malkamok]

Good times.

[@mrgunn2726]

The Obsidian Bat or the Maltese Falcon.

[@kensvideos1]

Spade was never a delivery boy.

[@visageliquifier3636]

10:54 - Sounds iike Kaido from Saiki-K.

[@tabletopgamingwithwolfphototec]

Cool.

[@barlotardy]

I can't wait to cram my mouth full of Wang's! ..... wait....

[@Cruze6102]

a few days ago I gm'd a tournament oneshot in RBRB. It was a round robin with 8 participants in which every npc contender had some underhanded method with which he tried to cheat during the tournament. Players had so much fun, since while one was fighting other two had to prevent outside interference. The only thing that didn't work out was that one player had ability Yan's Enduring spirit which prolonged his battles during the tournament. I advice to not use such abilities during such a scenario.

[@alanplace-hall4081]

I'd watch a full wuxia movie starring jack.

[@AkameOda]

Who else spent the 1st half of this video picturing an obsidian baseball bat? ⚾

[@citcoin-official2681]

Hello Seth, Lime, and Today I'm going to be continuing the Tale of my Campaign 'The Incomplete Constellation'. Part 7: The Rings of Yanghai The players: 'Bill', ' Kathrine', 'Chief Jeef' and 'Jemma'. Their Characters: Ayingleheim the Goliath Barbarian, Amayali the Dragonblood Elf Monk, Valociel the Aasimar Paladin, and Ilieptra the Tiefling sorcerer. The DM: Me. Last time: The party killed Demogorgon. Now they had stopped in the Material plane to figure out where to go next, and Nehkalion 'remembered' that he *did* know where to find another part of Abashi-Ka's Staff. The mortal elven empire of Yanghai. The squad decided to disguise themselves as Nobles from another realm in order to reach the Empress and steal her magic rings. At first it was going pretty well, The Guards bought their lies that they were the Crown Princess (Amayali) and her Husband (Valociel) and Their Bodyguard (Nehkalion) from Carraldor (place they made up on the spot), And assumed that Ilieptra must be the Sorcerer-Hierarch of Ricildir, (Yanghai's reclusive, sun-worshipping neighbours.) Because obviously anyone with the audacity to barge into the imperial palace like they had a right to be there, must be a real foreign noble who *does* have a right to be there. They were getting along **Swimmingly** with Empress Ri-An, Heavenly Queen of Yanghai, the Oceans and all they reach. Nehkalion and Ayingleheim were able to draw away her Guards, The Imperial Knights of the Azure Jaws; with a fake lead on a Plot to Assassinate either the Empress or their respective masters. Illieptra would try to steal the rings when Valociel and Amayali distracted Ri-an, in between the conspicuous riverlike water features either side of the throne, underneath the obvious Full-moon shaped Skylight. But when Ayingleheim failed an easy perception roll while covering the main gate, things started to go Hilariously wrong. As in 'Bombshell' wrong. Or my table's equivalent 'Indomitus' (long story) wrong. Ilieptra just barely failed her sleight of hand check, so she failed, but wasn't caught. Amayali failed to keep out the people who'd slipped by Ayingleheim, so they burst in and Cried 'Impostors!' It turns out that Carraldor isn't fake, and the actual Nobles do look a lot like our squad. Valociel failed his check to refute this claim, and the Azure Jaws came rushing back in. Ilieptra was the only one who hadn't been made, so she was the only one who didn't get her teeth kicked in. In order to get the others released, she convinced Empress Ri-An that it was actually just an ill-conceived plot to draw out the 'Assassins' by using fake nobles, and that the squad were actually *All* under her employ; and not colluding against the Empress. The Empress said that since Ilieptra asked nicely and no harm had actually come to her, they could have their crimes forgiven if they succeed in a Trial by combat at the lunar apex that night. Only Elves can participate in such trials in Yanghai though, so it would have to be Amayali that fought. Since they were out of options, the gang accepted. Night fell, Amayali and the gang were taken into the throne room, Amayali asked who she'd be fighting, and Ri-An told her: The strongest warrior in Yanghai, Empress Ri-An herself. When the Moon Apexed, The Empress transformed into a Huge, terrifying, 'surprisingly still beautiful' (according to my players) Half-Shark Half-Elf. Ri-an was a Wereshark. Apparently Karcharíanthropy is a necessary part of being Emperor/Empress of Yanghai. Not only was she massive in this form, she was unbelievably strong. Her normal Elf form was a pretty toned martial artist, and that got multiplied to an insane degree by Shark-hulking out. Interestingly, she retained her full consciousness and awareness in this form. Amayali's opening move was to grapple Ri-An to keep her out of the water. After that it was both of them going back and forth punching; kicking, biting and doing fancy monk moves on each other for a pretty long time. Ri-An actually gave in and decided to release us after about 30 rounds of back and forth; because she was getting exhausted, she was out of breath and was visibly much weaker than when the fight began. "Drying out... I grow weak... I can't fight much longer on dry land... You win." Amayali then released her from the hold she had. During the fight, Amayali had managed to take one of the rings off, and pass it back to Illieptra. It was the Ring of Fire. Ri-an asked her to return it, before crawling into one of the reservoirs. Ilieptra instead used it to blast about half of the Azure Jaws, and the fight was back on, for real this time. Amayali was the only one not occupied by Azure Jaws, and also the only one who could breathe underwater, so she had to follow Ri-an to take the remaining rings. By the time she'd been able to catch up to Ri-An, The Empress had almost fully recovered from their fight, the only notable exception being a black eye that Amayali had given her. Once the Azure Jaws were taken care of, the others still couldn't help much outside of the occasional healing or buffs, I didn't expect them to tear through the Azure Jaws so fast, so I sent in their Doppelgangers just for the fun of it, and so they'd have something to do while Amayali fought the Empress. Their second round was more interesting than their first, as this decorated reservoir was covered with little details that both of them tried to use to get an advantage, and there was no big grapple this time, because they were already *in* the water. It was also a much closer fight. If not for being healed by Valociel and buffed by Illieptra or Nehkalion then Amayali would've been bitten in half or torn apart on multiple occasions. Eventually she was able to knock out the Empress, her royal blood drifting out into the water from her nose and mouth as her eyes rolled back until they seemed to stare at her own dorsal fin. Amayali heard the Empress gasping, and realised that as a Wereshark her gills only work as she moves. Not wanting to drown her opponent, she dragged the massive unconscious Shark to the surface, and held her head above the water, allowing her to breathe through her lungs. Her face hitting air had a similar effect to splashing a sleeping human with water, but Ri-an was far too tired and much too weak to fight anymore. Ilieptra took the rings off her finger. Ri-an didn't even try to resist anymore, finally recognising her opponent. "Amayali? I was... defeated... by a Goddess. Of course. No mortal could... possess... such strength. Such divine... heavenly strength..." The Empress's breath steadied, as she properly regained consciousness. "Mighty, Merciful Amayali, please carry me ashore. I am far too weak to swim. My mortal body couldn't withstand your power, I sink even as I speak." Again, Amayali couldn't let her drown, so she lifted her out of the reservoir, and laid her down in the middle of her own court. The Squad were allowed to stay the night because those Azure Jaw jerks were either Barbecued or thanking the squad for not Barbecuing them. The Doppelganger Nobles left as soon as they had the chance, this was too crazy. So the moon goes down and up comes the sun, still laying in a pool of her own blood is the Empress. She's still pretty beat up and drained but with help she's able to take her throne again. She reveals that she can take that shark form at any time, but she's most powerful under the full moon. But after the beat down that Amayali laid on her, she isn't strong enough to transform, she can hardly walk straight. Of course since she's incapacitated and her Azure Jaws are decimated, and her biggest 'crime' is having us jumped by her entire guard because she assumed we wanted to kill her, we offer to protect her until she recovers. After all, we don't know where any more pieces are. It turns out though; that the Empress does. But the story of how we defended Yanghai from the situation we put it in, and then went to find a necklace, that'll be for Next Time. Until then Seth, you have a Great day. Zack the NCP: Y'know, if all the Rulers of Yanghai are Weresharks, and their form of Karcharíanthropy lets you retain your sanity and consciousness, then why don't they give it to their Imperial Knights? Maybe not the regular grunts but the Captains at least can be trusted, if they can't, why let them guard the Empress? It'd make them way stronger and faster, it'd make them immune to nonmagical attacks, it'd give 'em that healing factor in water that the Empress has too. Biggest downside is that they'd lose some of that crazy strength if it got too hot or if they dried out, but even a 'wilting' Wereshark is way tougher and stronger than a regular Elf on their best day. Huh. You've got a point there. Zack: Then again bein' a Wereshark didn't help Ri-An herself too much against Amayali. Especially in that first fight. She was gettin' more worn out by the second, if she didn't give up and get in the water, there's no way she had more than a couple more rounds left in her. Actually, she only had one more round left. With Amayali's damage, the mounting fatigue from drying out and the exertion penalty for larger aquatic creatures on land, Ri-an could only take at Absolute most another two punches before being knocked out, and if that somehow didn't happen, she'd pass out from her fatigue reaching Double her Max HP at the end of the round unless she was in water. Zack: Well, I guess that makes up for Amayali getting dropped to precisely 2 hp on Three separate occasions in that fight. Like I said. Much closer the second time.

[@hollowmask222]

You know part of me wonders what the scenario would be like if the bat cosplayers was an actual serious threat its just his personality that makes him seem like a joke kinda like a beware the silly ones in the world of martial arts.

[@SSkorkowsky]

He is a serious threat. Dude is tough and his 3 goons are also tough. He's just also really dramatic and weird.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Eat at Wang's!

[@britishshock]

I spent this whole video listening to you talk about the oblivion bat just to understand 3/4 down, it's a animal Bat, not a weapon Bat.

[@goadfang]

.... yanno.... I think you are subtly increasing the time it takes for Jack to say "yanno" in every video, and eventually, we'll all just be sitting there staring at Jack, waiting for him to finally say it. I bet you could leave us hanging for at least 2 minutes at this point.

[@britishshock]

Ha. Dishonor to my family for watching this video. Ha. Boy. I do that every day. 😂😊😅😢😢😢

[@dane3038]

300xp