Session 10.

The four adventurers decided to investigate the house on the hill first. Riding a little closer they could see a wooden stockade enclosing a shack, whose chimney was issuing smoke (and I don't mean handing out cigarettes!!). Deducing that this might be the base for the bandits they had heard rumours about, the vicious and highly competent band that had moved down from the mountains of northern Hyuga, they decided to skirt round to the south and approach the building over the back of the hill, through the trees.

While heading down the road to the south, the four trouble-shooters encountered a gem dealer heading the other way. He had come from Tarumizu, the capital of the province. When asked if he knew anything about the house on the hill he replied that it was the home of his friend, the old pearl diver, with whom he had done business many times before he retired. He often called in to see him to talk of old times and to try to persuade him to part with the few really fine pearls he had kept for his old age. However, the gem dealer didn't go there any more because the house had been taken over by a group of bandits. What had happened to his friend he didn't know, but was anxious to find out. Sugiyama bid him thanks, and warned him of the armies now marching into Osumi province.

The four reached the back of the base without alarm. Around the shack was a 9 foot stockade made from tree trunks and lashed together with rope. Trees behind the base had been felled for the stockade and clear the lines of sight. Large gates to the south gave access to the compound. A watch tower was in the south-east corner, and a stable in the south west. Two large, rough lean-tos butted up to the shack. As the adventurers watched, they could see perhaps a dozen different men busy on various jobs.

As the light faded, the trouble-shooters made their plan. Sugiyama would sneak over the north-west corner of the stockade and get in position to attack anyone coming out of the shack. Koei would float overhead using the Wings of Heaven spell and hit the guard in the watch tower with arrows of fire, providing security and illumination to the others, before dropping a blanket over the chimney to smoke out those in the shack. Meanwhile, Mariko and Kimori would cut the ropes holding a couple of the stockade posts in place and slip through the gap into the compound to cover the lean-tos.

Things started badly, and soon got worse. Koei hit the guard with three powerful Arrows of Fire, setting light to his armour and the watch tower, and alerting the other guard in the compound who raised the alarm. Mariko cut the rope on the stockade, but the trunks started to fall, taking the ones next to them, which took the next ones and so on, and with Kimori unable to hold them the entire northern wall of the stockade fell over. Sugiyama waited for Koei to block the chimney, but as no-one came out of the shack, and with lots of noise from other parts of the compound, he decided to force the issue. Unfortunately, he discovered the hard way that kicking a door in doesn't work well with an outward opening door. His kick sent him flying backwards and left him stunned on the ground. Meanwhile, Mariko and Kimori reached the front door of the southern lean-to just as a bandit emerged, sword flashing. Kimori reacted fastest, took a mighty swing, lost his grip and hurled his Katana six yards away, narrowly missing the guard who had raised the alarm and was now running up. The bandit in the doorway struck at the unarmed Kimori and wounded him. Mariko stood in for Kimori, while he drew his Wakizashi, and managed to wound the bandit. As the other guard ran up to swing a Nunchaku at Kimori, Koei dropped several shuriken on him, doing slight damage, then changed to Arrows of Fire and toasted him. Kimori turned to meet another bandit coming out of the lean-to and caught him a fatal blow to the eye. By now the lean-tos were emitting bandits in large numbers, armed with swords, staffs and bows, and a fierce warrior was approaching the stricken Sugiyama with a no-dachi.

Having bitten off more that they can chew, will the famous four wait to be cut down ignominiously, or beat a hasty retreat across the remains of the stockade and return with a more realistic plan?

* Originally chapter 11.

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