The End of the Master (by Tetsukichi)

"In my latest adventure, l joined Bojing’s campaign against the Master. After witnessing the havoc wrought by his armies, our group resolved to tackle the Master in his home country of Hunza. After some disorienting encounters with the brainwashed population, we were taken by surprise by a young thief named HuFei. He had a great deal of inside information about the Cult of Knowledge and the Master and shared our desire to bring an end to both. With his help, we were able to make our way to the Master’s temple without attracting the attention of the watchful Guardians, who according to HuFei, were aware of our mission.

"The Temple of Death was under extremely close observation, but our party was able to enter either disguised in Guardian’s robes, invisible, or miniaturised. As we made our way through the Temple, Guardians questioned us suspiciously, asking us to dispose of the agricultural offerings we had brought as cover for our mission. Armed guards threatened us, but we managed to fight them off, with Mustapha’s shadow monsters serving as a distraction. We reached a large room referred to as the Hall of Law, which contained glass coffins of former Masters and their remains. Ryu and Bojing, who had researched the Cult of Knowledge, recognised the name of the current Master, Hosadas, on one of the coffins. This surprising development altered our view of the nature of our enemy. We were attacked again, but Bojing was able to use his special abilities to transport us to the Master’s lair.* Once there, most disconcertingly, we were confronted by a creature resembling a handsome young man. As we attacked him, he started to float away. HuFei grabbed his foot and then we were able to finish him off.

"The Master’s lair contained magical items, which we gathered up and shared between us.** Next, we returned to the Hall of Law to destroy the Master’s remains. I wore the Master’s platemail armour, so the Temple acolytes naturally assumed that I was the Master. As we were closing in on the Hall of Law, Bojing started to behave oddly, as if he were someone else entirely, claiming to be the Master! Salt used her magic missile to raze the coffin and instantly Bojing dropped dead! It turned out that the spirit of the Master had co-opted Bojing, asking if he wanted to become the new Master. From the moment he accepted this role, Bojing effectively ceased to exist. Miraculously, Bojing came back to life sometime afterwards and is fortunately himself again, not the Master, although much more subdued in disposition.*** So the Cult is finally destroyed and Hosadas is defeated."

* "Tetsukichi is unsure of the exact nature of these powers, but he is grateful for them." (In fact, this was not a matter of any special powers belonging to Bo-Jing. The part found a secret room that facilitated teleportation to any place that was known and named. Bo-Jing remembered seeing the Master through a magic mirror. Playing D&D with Stuffed Animals: Master of the Desert Nomads Part 6: Invitations (dndstuffedanimals.blogspot.com). Bo-Jing remembered the room in which the Master was standing, and named this as the place he wanted to go.

** Bojing chose the levitation boots, Tetsukichi the platemail armour and magical war hammer, Salt and Nekhil got an intriguing ‘room of requirement.’

*** Bo-Jing had previously done a great service for the "King of the East"-- rescuing the demi-god's daughter and also returning to him the magical coin that bore his visage. Playing D&D with Stuffed Animals: The Most Fortunate Khatun (dndstuffedanimals.blogspot.com) As Bo-Jing accepted the offer from Hosadas, the King of the East intervened, warning him that there are no short cuts to righteousness. Bo-Jing's life was restored, but his horror at his mistake left a mark. Gone was the easy confidence that he had known since birth and that had been only been enhanced by his many successes. He came to know that he was fully mortal and vulnerable to the same temptations as anyone else. While he lost the aura of invincibility, there were a few who appreciated his new depth and sense of humility.