Shaolin Showdown

Story Summary for Shaolin Showdown:

The Ascended in the modern juncture decide it's time to take a more active role against the Guiding Hand in 1855. They send the Eastern King to coordinate operations. He and the Ascended of the 1850s (led by Kinoshita) do not agree on the best way to handle the problem.

The King decides that he needs direct action against a number of key Hand operatives, and so brings some Lodge enforcers to 1855. Of the three, only Senor Ocho is successful—he kills Li Sen-hao. Juan "El Tigre" Velasquez is killed in his attempt to kill Tsung Jin. Rachel McShane is critically wounded in her attempt to kill Tong Su Yin. "Monkey" Chang is sent to kill his former master, Old Man Wu, but his heart isn't in it, and their battle is interrupted by a Jammer attack anyway. Chang is last seen jumping onto a flying monkey, just for fun.

The Ascended also send Natraj Thalnasser, the head of the Bear family, and an expeditionary force to secure an area and prepare for the arrival of a larger modern army. The Hand send Wei Fong-yi to confront him, and Natraj is killed by Fong-yi in the ensuing fight, and the remaining Pledged forces are routed by the Hand.

The Eastern King finds the location of the Hand's secret Temple of the Shaolin Dragon. He goes there to confront Quan Lo, and Quan Lo kills him in single combat.

In a subplot, the Dragons discover a Lotus plan to take over five key feng shui sites devoted to the elements, and so cause a critical shift. Kar Fai leads Zheng Yi Quan, Dr. Shen, Jenny Zheng, Big Mack, Katie Kincaid, Six Bottles Hwang and Iala Mané to try to foil the Lotus plot (led by Lai Kaung). Shinobu Yashida shows up gunning (swording?) for Kar Fai. Shinobu and the obligatory thugs put a beating on the Dragons. They are saved by the arrival of Fong Sai Yuk, and his mom (Miu Tsui Fa). Fong Sai Yuk kills Shinobu, then takes Kar Fai to see Quan Lo.

The Dragons catch up to the Lotus at Four Sorrows Island. Lai Kuang is killed by Katie Kincaid. The Poison Clan Killers are taken down by Kar Fai, Zheng Yi Quan, and Six Bottles Hwang. Their plot is foiled.

In a sub-subplot, we learn that Mr. X set up the Shinobu encounter as a distraction so that he could assassinate Iala Mané. Mr.X fails in his first attempt, but later tries again while the Dragons are fighting the Lotus on Four Sorrows Island. He shoots Iala with a silver bullet, but Iala tackles him and the two fall off the island and disappear.

The Unspoken Name visits Kinoshita in 1855, then later announces that he has taken leadership of the Lodge council in 1855. We don't know what happened to Kinoshita.

This story summary was written by Stefan Vincent, and can originally be found on his website, here.