The Daimyo's Gambit - Game Thread

The smoke begins to build and billow. It clings to the rafters and sinks under its own berth, obscuring vision, clogging nostrils with acrid fumes. Shouts and screams of the children are muffled by the clouds of darkness that begin to descend to the floor.

Visibility is low and breathing difficult as the heroes duck to improve either. The children follow Utamuro as Tonton leads the way. Feng pulls up the rear where a small goblin girl has started crying and refuses to move. Feng stops to push her along as a burning rafter falls behind him. The three heroes and ten children finally push their way into the clean air to the north of the small manse. As they suck in fresh air, they have a moment to notice that the Widow is not there but that two others are.

You can see two large crows, each with saddle and rider, landing in the courtyard to the north. The riders are Dwarves and they wear plate mail. The two crow riders could not be more different. Both wear plate armor but one is clearly a wizard. He holds a crystal ball in one hand and an old worn pick-ax in the other. He seems lost in thought and his eyes glow with arcane magicks. The other bears the insignia of Grigori's knights on their full helm, usually sent with the wizards as an added layer of safety. Grigori was known for protecting his investments.

They dismount and the knight looks toward you, drawing a two handed war pick from a leather thong but not advancing as you can see through the eye slit of their helm, a puzzled look. The knight stands defensively and ready to engage should you move toward them.

As you cough and sputter in the night breeze, the wizard speaks in a deep voice, enhanced by magicks, "We seek the one known as -"

Before he has a chance to finish though, he is interrupted by a fearsome bellow. Everyone is startled from the moment and look to the West where, jumping down from the wraparound patio, a hobgoblin woman with red glowing eyes and a flaming sword lands. Wearing only a pair of hakama, her upper body tightly wrapped in cloth, the Widow pauses in her vengeance. She looks to the dwarves with her eyes ablaze.

Utamuro sees his challenge unanswered, him forgotten in the moment.

The pantomime of the tree inhabitants has gotten to such basic motions that Feng can understand what they are saying.

Tonton uses the situation to advantageously position himself. It is difficult though with the birds and riders on one side and the burning building on the other, the fire making the shadows that do exist dance. That dancing gives you just the cover you need to make it closer to the Widow.

The dwarf protector shifts their stance towards the Widow but still keeps a wary eye on Utamuro unsure of the involvement of the samurai and the Widow but slowly understanding that they have interrupted something. The dwarf sorcerer looks more unsure of whether to launch an ice storm or to withdraw.

Tonton runs along the undulating shadows, reaching the edge of the roof. Jumping he lashes out with a well aimed slice, gashing an oozing wound in the undead corpse snatcher. Using superior footwork, he ducks a quick fiery counterstrike as he scurries out of reach.

Fēng looks at the tree and then back to the fire. Visualizing the smoking ruins he thinks back to the basics of his training, "Swift as the wind. Quiet as the forest. Conquer like the fire. Steady as the mountain." his Master's voice rings in his ears. He closes his eyes and flys by his intuition into the fire,. He sees the fallen timbers and can hear the crackling blaze, using the heat to save wing strokes. Curving around hallways and alighting over burning brand, he gets to the sword, holding his breath against the smoke. He looks down and can see the sword with a beam atop it. You can feel your weariness flow through you knowing what strength it would take to pry it out before it got too hot.

Utamuro dashes forward in a low aggressive stance. His blade counter swings high before coming crashing down on the Widow's unprotected knees. Though it catches her squarely in the joint, she squarely catches the blade in her joints, leaning into the strike to avoid falling over. As she is wearing no armor, Utamuro finds no difficulty twisting the blade from the knee, further opening the wound as he steps into the lunge to add leverage.

Tonton's strike does 27 damage. Utamuro's combine for 24 damage. The Widow is slowed until she can heal herself.