The Daimyo's Gambit - Game Thread

Cassandra sees the courtyard below, a single figure kneeling in front of an urn, deep in thought, praying. The figure wears black ō-yoroi with scarlet red embellishments in the shape of small coals. You can tell that the samurai is probably engaging in some sort of ancestor worship as it kneels on a raised platform with what looks to be a funerary urn. Fēng moves silently, planting the grappling hooks without noise and looks down at the samurai just as Ai Shan jumps over the wall, touching a hand on the top as his legs sweep over, javelin ready in the other hand.

Urki calls out only to see the barbarian bound up and over the wall. He and Kildrak can see his team start to react.

*Map* You all are at the top of the map. The samurai kneels with its back showing between you and the urn. You have a surprise round as you stealth and/or effortlessly leap over the wall.

How far away are we?

You are at the top of the map, right of center or near center, coming over the north (we'll say map is oriented with top to north).

I mean how far from the kneeling fogure. There are no marks or other marks of scale on the map

Sorry, I misunderstood. The place that the urn sits is one block that is 5' by 5'. The area taken up by the samurai is the small thrust north of the urn. That thrust is also a 5' square (1x1). There is a five foot gap between the edge of the wall and the thrust. The wall counts as a place to stand but counts as difficult terrain unless you have a reason why it wouldn't be. The entire shrine is 20' by 20' (4x4). The large section on the attached balcony south west of the shrine is 3x3. The stairs into the mansion directly south of the shrine are 2x2. You can see the building southwest of the shrine has traditional paper walls.

The party vaults over the wall wasting no time. The samurai sits seiza in front of the urn. The winds whispers a smoky breeze through the leaves of the plants just south of your assault, its voice forgotten as your battlenoise begins it's cadence. The barbarian swings his sword twice, connecting with the first. The samurai is thrown all the way to the ground with the first strike and the warrior rolls from under the crushing fists of the the druid's ape form. Cassandra is too pensive, holding back her strikes. The samurai begins to rise, hands going for the daishō tucked into their belt as a bolt tears into their shoulder and an eldritch blast flies over their head. They look over at the Monk trying to hide as their eyes narrow. You can see now the eyes that faced away glow red but look dead sunken into the desicated skin of the vaguely hobgoblin face. The leathery skin is pale and female lips curl back into a sneer. A mempo hangs from a single string and as the darkly armored samurai grabs it and affixes it the rest of the way, hiding the sneer. You hear from underneath the mask, "I knew you dogs would lack honor. Expect no mercy." She, in a bound, leaps back, drawing her swords, unafraid of any attacks from those gathered around her. "You cowards will not die with dignity," you hear as she withdraws, retreating upto the balcony and into the house to the south.

The dwarves are still about a quarter hour and closing fast. Kildrak jumps down from the wall and looks to the samurai. "Are we jus gonna let that one go?" His hands burn with eldritch energies and his eyes look to the group. "We 'aven't the time to molly coddle these beasties with those mooks flying sidesaddle behind us!"

Anyone who was within melee range of the Samurai could (and still can, retroactively) have taken an opportunity attack since she double moved and did not disengage.

The sunken eyed samurai retreats into the large building just south of the team's position. Two crow riders push on the position from the northwest. Ai Shan, Cassandra in ape form, and Kildrak all rush forward into the room to engage the warrior.

Fēng and Urki both are about to rush in too when they hear something that makes them pause. You turn to the left and see two warriors hanging from a rafter above a raised platform. They are tied with honnawa and bound with intricate knots. The rope from the rafters meets the captives at where their hands are tied behind their backs at the waist. They are still dressed in armor and travel clothes but their weapons have been stripped from them and lean against the platform.

A cracked voice calls out "Wait . . ." and it is obvious that these warriors, whoever they are, are conscious though badly beaten.