[LP] The Way of the Tiger. (Complete)

[SGamerz]

And if it's heavy armour, it just means he'll find it harder to get back up after we dump him on his ass. Martial arts throwing isn't about brute strength anyway. Throw him!

[angelfromanotherpin]

With amazing speed you turn and grab his extended weapon arm, intending to use his own momentum against him in a Whirlpool throw.

RONIN GUARD
Defense against Whirlpool throw: 5
Endurance: 11
Damage: 1 Die + 1

If you have thrown the ronin successfully you may either use the Winged Horse kick of the Cobra Strike punch adding to to your attack modifier and damage for this attack only as he struggles to get to his feet.
If you fail to throw him, the ronin adjusts his weight to push you aside and quickly recovers to slash at you with his katana. Your defense against this is 6 and if you are still alive you may try the Winged Horse kick or Cobra strike punch.

So for the longest time, the intro text to these books has said that the benefit of a throw is +2 damage, but the in-game text has said the benefit is +2 to hit, and I've always gone with the in-game text. The reprints have made it clear that the benefit is both, which makes throws that much more appealing.
(11, successful throw.)
(Following up with kick.)

You launch yourself forward into a Winged Horse kick, aiming your heel for the gap in his armor between his neck and his chin.

RONIN GUARD
Defense against Winged Horse: 6
Endurance: 11
Damage: 1 Die + 1

If you have not defeated the ronin, he counterattacks by slashing at you with his Katana. Your defense against this is 7.

If you are still alive, you may punch, throw, or kick him again.

(10+2, successful kick; 3+2+2 = 7 damage.)
(His riposte is 7, blocked with a 4.)
(Kicking again, 5-2 fails.)
(Riposte 9, block fails with a 9; 3+1 damage.)
(8-2, successful kick; 2+2 = 4 damage, fight won.)

The ronin collapses, his katana clattering to the paved road from his lifeless hand. You look around to see Gorobei pin a second opponent to the ground and deliver a shattering punch that ends all resistance.

All the other ronin are dead or incapacitated. Singing Wind herself rushes up with the palanquin bearers and crouches over a loyal samurai who has fallen in the struggle. She murmurs a blessing in the name of Illustra, Goddess of Life, staunching the bleeding and saving the man's life.

'Mutari will be sleeping in my quarters at this late hour,' Singing Wind says to your group, collecting the gate key from one of the bodies and opening the gate. 'The direct route there will be guarded, and contains some countermeasures to ninja infiltration – my husband created them when he was told he may be assassinated. Little good it did him. I know of a secret passage that will bypass the defenses, though only one of you can use it.'

She commands the palanquin bearers to remove the bodies and the uninjured samurai to keep watch over the other. She then leads the way on across the grass.

• Follow Singing Wind and the others to the secret tunnel?
• Slip off on your own and risk the ninja countermeasures to be the first to Mutari's quarters?

[Starmaker]

Seems like the time to honorably break away and actually score a flag.

Attack the Ronin. Flags will probably come automatically by doing honourable actions.

I'll call it now:

That asshole who ran away after moar flags will get moar flags and, in a TWIST ENDING!, a disqualification for being an asshole.

[Mr Shine]

Sounds good to me. See ya at Mutari's corpse, losers!

[Darth Rabbitt]

Agreed.

[angelfromanotherpin]

You glide silently like a shade across the grass and then pull yourself up onto the tiled roof of the main entrance building which offers an excellent view of the courtyard and the structures therein. Starting from the inner side of the building where you crouch, a roofed walkway extends through the courtyard to the inner building where great moths the size of a sake cup flutter, drawn by the soft glow of lanterns.

You spot three ronin patrolling different parts of the courtyard, each holding a lantern. They appear diligent in their search pattern, even stopping every once in a while to note each other's position, although you judge that there is a small window of opportunity to slip past them across a shadowy gravel rock garden off to your left.

The noise of chirping cicadas fills the air around you as you ponder your next move.

• Descend and steal across the rock garden area to the inner residence?
• Proceed along the roof of the covered walkway to swing down at the far end?
• Drop down behind a ronin and garrotte him, hoping to either slip past or kill the other guards should the opportunity present itself?

[Darth Rabbitt]

I'm guessing that the rooftop will require either Climbing or Acrobatic, the rock garden will require a Fate test and the ronin will be a fight.

We have Climbing so let's try the roof.

[Omegonthesane]

Ninja Climbing! And hope we don't instead need Ninja Athletics.

[Mr Shine]

Sounds good, roof.

[angelfromanotherpin]

You keep your head low to blend in with the roof against the night skyline, and slither along it, freezing whenever you detect a guard moving nearby.

(You have the skill of Picking Locks, Detecting and Disarming Traps.)

As you inch across the roof, your senses straaining, you detecta trip wire running from eave to ridge, almost invisible in the darkness. You raise the trip wire slightly with your breathing tube and ease yourself under it, before retrieving your tube and continuing on. You soon find yourself on the roof on the opposite side of the courtyard. You wait until the attention of the patrolling ronin is elsewhere before dropping down to continue on along the wooden floor of the walkway into the inner residence.

You creep along a gloomy corridor, pausing outside a set of doors to listen for any sounds in the night.

You hear someone's deep, restful breaths coming from inside.You use a shuriken to cut a small slit in the paper panel of the door, peeking into the large room which is lit by a single flickering candle. Little more than twenty feet away, asleep on a futon in an otherwise sparsely-decorated room is a middle-aged man dressed in a purple kimono – presumably Mutari. Laid out on the wooden floor at his side is a sheathed katana, the hilt of which is decorated with diving falcons.

There is no sign of danger, so you slide open the door, stepping into the room before sliding it shut behind you.

You remain still, sensing something is amiss. You look round the outer edge of the room for any hidden guards but can find none. Mutari stirs in his sleep, rolling over with a sigh and murmuring before going back into a deep sleep.

(You have the skill of Picking Locks, Detecting and Disarming Traps.)

You tentatively place a toe on the next floorboard, and a subtle movement confirms your suspicions. The floor all around the futon is a nightingale floor, designed to make a noise like a chirping bird when stepped on in order to warn of anyone's approach. Any greater weight put on the floorboards would waken Mutari, who would in turn alert the whole complex.

• Hurl a Shuriken at Mutari, and then rush in to grab the Falcon Katana?
• If you have the Climbing skill, use your cat's claws to climb across the wooden ceiling to avoid the nightingale floor?

[Mr Shine]

Blue option!

[SGamerz]

The whole reason we chose to climb to the roof was so we can use our special skill, so might as well use it when given the opportunity!

[angelfromanotherpin]

You attach the cat's claws to your hands and feet, and stand on the side of an urn to raise yourself up to the wooden ceiling which you begin to crawl along like a spider. You lightly drop down to the floor beside Mutari and slip the garrotte around his neck, squeezing in one sharp movement to sever his windpipe before he even wakes. You have no qualms about killing the tyrant in this way; you are trained to assassinate the evil in the world that the weak and powerless cannot reach.

You collect the falcon katana and strap it to your back before crawling back along the ceiling. You drop down at the edge of the room, take off the cat's claws and exit the room quieter than a whisper. Your work for the night is done, and you seek out Singing Wind.

You make your way back to Singing Wind and the others, and stand proudly as you present her with the falcon katana. She gently takes it from you, thanking you for your service. She reaches into her kimono and hands you a folded piece of silk. You open it to reveal a purple flag bearing a black moon, trimmed with gold. Note on your character sheet that you have the Flag of Lemne. You have earned one of the two flags needed to undertake the final test to become a Grandmaster.

As a group, you hurry out of Singing Wind's grounds and return to where her palanquin bearers and two samurai wait. Singing Wind says you are welcome to rest overnight on her ship in the harbor, but you decline saying you must continue on to compete for another flag. She places a hand on your chest and murmurs a prayer to Illustra. You may restore up to 2 lost Endurance.

Daon and Gorobei change back out of their palanquin bearer clothes and into their monks' habits. Daon advises that he needs no rest, bows and leaves at once. Aiko changes from her ninja suit to the straw hat and golden robes of a priestess of Eo, Prince of Peace and Weal. Then, with a smile to you all, she disappears into the night. Gorobei strikes out too, his gaze filled with a steely determination.

You change into the robes of a simple traveller and ponder your next move - Suma and Nara are closer, but also closer to your competitors. You only need to find one more flag.

• Leave Lemne along the northern road to the castle at Suma?
• Leave Lemne along the southern road to the ancient city of Nara?
• Take advantage of your head start and leave Lemne cross-country, heading west for Takahiri (the disreputable City of Bridges) or Nasaka (the capital city)?

Inner Force: 3/3
Endurance: 18/20
Shuriken: ****
Ninja Tools: Ninja Costume, Breathing Tube, Iron Sleeves, Garotte, Flash Powder, Flint & Tinder.
Special Items: Flag of Lemne.

[Mr Shine]

Go to Suma. The other guy has gone to Nara, and we may as wll viits as many as possible.

[Darth Rabbitt]

I'd be slightly more in favor of heading west but I'm good with that plan.

[angelfromanotherpin]

You jog north along the Imperial road to Suma as the dawn's first light swells in the sky, the white paed road abruptly changing into the normal grey paving stones as you progress. You are disguised now as a simple traveler ans you make good progress.

The countryside around you is verdant and dotted with various paddy-fields where families are emerging to start their day's farming. At first there are no other travelers except those breakfasting in post stations along the road, but soon you pass a few traders carrying stock by palanquin and a small kabuki entertainment troupe.

You overhear the troupe talking about monks of the Scarlet Mantis whom they passed on the road. You pretend to rest on a log by the roadside and continue to overhear what you can until they are out of earshot. It appears that the monks, worshipers of Kwon's twisted brother Vile, are waiting by the bridge over the River of Ketsuiki, watching all who pass over it, apparently seeking out some followers of Kwon.

You decide to travel off-road. You keep to the high ground until you spot the bridge and the distinctive red jackets of the monks that stand out like five bood-stained fingerprints in the distance. You are just about to cross the river upstream when you spot another potential problem. Behind you, you can just make out Daon and Aiko walking together along the road, and you decide it only fair to warn them of this threat which is not part of the trial.

You appear out of the bushes alongside the road, calling over Daon and Aiko to tell them of the danger that lies ahead. They appear just as surprised as you to learn that the monks of the Scarlet Mantis were somehow expecting them.

'We could simply travel upstream and find another crossing,' Aiko says. 'We do not need to fight.'

'No, we must confront them,' Daon says, hitting his right fist into the palm of his left hand, 'and drive them and their contemptible ideology from the island.'

You say that you prefer to face them to learn more about how they knew to expect you all. On this point everyone can agree, although Daon's eyes narrow. 'Only if that means searching their corpses,' he adds.

You quickly hatch a plan between you. You and Aiko change into your ninja costumes and sneak under the cover of foliage to the riverside. You float underwater using your breathing tubes until directly beneath the bridge, where you grab handholds in the wooden arch but remain out of sight. Meanwhile, Daon has been slowly approaching the bridge on his own, much to the cruel chuckling of the five monks of the Scarlet Mantis who crack their knuckles and remark that a single follower of Kwon will be an easy kill.

You look across to Aiko alongside you. You both nod and co-ordinate your attack. In a single fluid motion, together you vault over the bridge's barricade and launch kicks into the shaven heads of your nearest opponents, who have no time even to raise an arm in defense. Two monks fall with a thud against the wooden floor of the bridge. With two incapacitated, you and Aiko now fight one monk each, and Daon rushes in to engage the last.

Like all of these monks, your opponent has a Scarlet Mantis tattooed on his forehead. His brow furrows in concentration as he prepares to match his martial arts against yours.

Will you try:
• An Iron Fist punch?
• A Leaping Tiger kick?
• A Teeth of the Tiger throw?

[MisterDee]

Punch, I think. A throw's risky against another martial artist.

[Darth Rabbitt]

And he'd probably expect a kick after we just jump kicked two of his comrades. Punch.

[Omegonthesane]

I am convince by DR logic. Punch.

[angelfromanotherpin]

You drive an Iron Fist punch into the monk's gut, trying to blast the air from his body and rupture his internal organs.

MONK OF THE SCARLET MANTIS
Defense against Iron Fist: 6
Endurance: 14
Damage: 1 Die

If you have killed the monk...

If not, he lashes out to strike you with a Winged Horse kick. Your Defense against this is 7.

There's the option to switch moves, but we have a solid (if small) edge here so I'm going to stick with Iron Fist.
(7 is a hit; 2 Damage leaves the monk at 12.)
(7 is a hit; 2 Damage leaves us at 16.)
(8 is a hit; 5 damage leaves the monk at 7.)
(9 is a hit; 6 damage leaves us at 10. Painful.)
(6 is a hit; 4 damage leaves the monk at 3.)
(6 is a miss.)
(7 is a hit; 1 damage leaves the monk at 2.)
(7 is a hit; 2 damage leaves us at 8.)
(8 is a hit; 3 damage takes out the monk.)

The monk is felled by you last blow and lies unmoving. You see that Daon has executed a Whirlpool throw on his opponent and finishes him with a vicious kick. Aiko catches her battered opponent with a Teeth of the Tiger throw, sending him toppling over the wooden bridge and into the water below which gushes red. Daon checks on the two that you and Aiko incapacitated earlier, but they are already dead.

A moment passes, then suddenly the last monk you had felled springs up, having been feigning death, and breaks into a run. You hurl a shuriken at his back, as does Aiko, and the monk collapses again. You jog over and double check that he is dead, just to be sure, and collect your shuriken.

'Good throw,' Daon comments, 'both of you.'

'I notice that we did not leave anyone alive for questioning,' Aiko says.

Daon grins and then conducts a quick search of the bodies, before taking great delight in tossing them into the river. You are about to offer to help but Aiko quietly advises you not to spoil his fun. Daon walks over and hands you an Obsidian Bracelet he found on one of the bodies. Note it on your character sheet. 'Since you warned us of this ambush, this rightfully belongs to you. I sense it has some inner power, but but I do not know its nature.'

You rest and share a quick meal of berries you have gathered along the way (you may restore up to 2 lost Endurance points). Then you continue on the road to Suma with the others, wary of further enemies.

You and Aiko dress as travelers again and walk with Daon along the paved road north. The way grows busy with traders taking their wares to Lemné by palanquin, and you also see samurai patrols in green lacquer armor.

The sun is setting as you are admitted into the gates of Suma, and you pass by the harbor where foreign ships are strictly kept to their own docks. In the native area of the waterfront, you notice a ship called the Setsudanki that dwarfs all others, manned by samurai in grey lacquer armor and flying a grey flag bearing the mon of three interlocking rings. The chatter on the street is that the local Daimyo Arai is hosting a banquest for a Daimyo from the northern islands.

You emerge out before Suma castle, which dominates the city, a vast defensive fortification set against the sea cliffs. The stone towers are marked with grey flags bearing the mon of a black moon, but from this distance you cannot see any that bear the golden trim you seek. The three of you head closer, passing numerous swordsmiths, armorers, and lacquerware enterprises that are closing for the night. In the background you hear the barking of dogs from somewhere inside the castle walls. You make discreet inquiries about the gold-trimmed flag, and you learn that it is said to be kept in a guarded room somewhere near the banquet hall of the castle.

Aiko scrutinizes the outer wall and its moat. 'It is at times like this that I'm glad for the training of the ninja. Are you thinking to sit this one out, Daon?'

'Ninja are not the only ones who can enter such a place,' Daon replies. 'The Grandmaster of the Dawn let two Daimyo know that we were coming, so that the tests do not always call for masters of stealth and trickery. We shall see who is first to find that flag inside – may Kwon go with you both.'

Daon leaves at once. Aiko offers to work with you to find a way inside, but you tell her that you prefer to work on your own, and she too departs.

• Use the Seven Ways of Going to enter Suma castle disguised as a courtesan?
• Use the Seven Ways of Going to enter Suma castle disguised as a samurai?
• Scale the outer wall to assess the castle defenses?
• Decide that there may be easier flags to find elsewhere and leave the city along the road to the capital city of Nasaka?

[SGamerz]

Scaling the wall sounds like another opportunity to put one of our special skills to use. Let's not waste it.

[Mr Shine]

I want to see Avenger dress up as a courtesan. Maybe we can score the Daimyo!*

OK, let's climb the wall

*Yes I know what it originally meant.

[angelfromanotherpin]

You change into your black ninja costume and ready yourself. You wait until the moon is behind a cloud before swimming across the moat. Next, you wait until a guard above has walked past before you scale the outer wall and crouch atop it, observing the scene before you. What you see dismays you.

Between you and the inner wall are various ferocious brown and white Akita dogs tied with long leashes to stakes in the ground. They are in various states of alertness, but you judge that there is no gap between the maximum extension of the leashes. Along the outer wall to your left are half-a-dozen wooden kennels occupied by a few dogs kept separate from the others, and on the right a stone hut that seems to be used to store meat for the animals.

Beyond the dogs, you would have to climb the inner wall which is tall and curved outward to make it difficult to ascend. Scaling the inner wall will be impossible without the Climbing skill.

• Advance toward the wall via the kennels?
• Advance toward the wall via the meat store?
• Go back and disguise yourself as a courtesan?
• Go back and disguise yourself as a samurai?
• Decide not to try for the flag here and instead head to the capital city of Nasaka?

[Mr Shine]

Avoid the dogs, go via the meat store.

[SGamerz]

Got to the meat store and get some meat so that we can at least feed the dogs to keep them quiet if we're somehow forced to go past the kennels later.