Session 2. (10/11/99)

Last week's interrupted episode left the four adventurers Kimori (Tony Hummerston), Koei (Andy Allen), Mariko (Paul Burton) and Sugiyama (Dave Weaver) planning the heist of the Stone of Slôn. Kimori voiced some concerns over the legitimacy of stealing from the Daimyo (or was he just SCARED!!!?), but he was shouted down by the others, even the normally pacifist Mariko. Having decided their plan of attack, the four waited until evening and set off for the castle. The weather was perfect: overcast and windy, but no rain. They climbed the steep, heavily wooded slope to the base of the eastern wall of the castle, garbed in black clothes and moving quietly (Kimori in particular refused to talk to the trees, though what they might have said to him in the past to cause this attitude is not known). Koei cast Eyes of True Sight on each member of the party, which allowed them to see in the dark and spot traps easily, and then hid up a tree. Sugiyama was the first to scale the wall. Half way up he spotted a row of downward-pointing spikes, warned the others and climbed past them. He reached the top without difficulty. Two guards were patrolling, but they were heading away. Sugiyama tied the rope he had taken round the base of the little shelter for the Stone of Slôn (afterwards called the "bandstand", though no euphoniums were seen all night) and threw the other end down to Kimori and Mariko, who quickly scaled the wall. Mariko pulled the rope up, then inspected the bandstand with Kimori, while Sugiyama stood guard. Sugiyama spotted the two guards returning, and all three crouched in the shadows in the bandstand hoping to avoid detection. The guards came closer and closer, their lantern giving a little illumination to the area. Then the one with the lantern nudged the his partner, drew his sword and charged the bandstand; the other ran off in the direction of the nearest guard post. Kimori stood up and drew his no-dachi ("Is that a 4' Japanese Great Sword, lovingly crafted by master swordsmiths over the course of weeks and housed in a lacquered scabbard stuck through your belt and in a position of instant readiness, or are you just pleased to see me?"), while Sugiyama set off silently on an intercept course. Kimori, mouthing his battle cry "Hiiiiiyyaaahhuuuunnn" (lit. "Leave an address with your head so I can mail it to your body"), took an almighty swing at the guard, scored a critical hit all over his body, and left him in a state where he could only be identified from dental records by the authorities in the two provinces his teeth landed in (and undoubtedly provoking a swift and vengeful response from Mrs Trellis). Sugiyama meanwhile, being unable to gain on the fleet-footed guard, took a mighty leap and landed a flying blow from his katana. The guard was forced to turn and fight, and although he landed one blow, he was no match for Sugiyama who dispatched him in half a minute, finishing with a gruesome critical hit (ensuring prolonged correspondence between the show's makers and Mrs Trellis).

There seemed to be no reaction to this action, so Sugiyama and Kimori returned to the bandstand and between them carried the stone to the wall and up onto the parapet. Mariko gathered the bits of body and brought the to the wall. Koei had been bury casting Mud on an area at the bottom of the wall into which the stone could be dropped and subsequently concealed. Just then two guards appeared, looking for the first two. They spotted the adventurers and charged in. Quickly Kimori, Sugiyama and Mariko pushed the stone and the two bodies over the wall and into the mud, making a squelchy thump and sending mud flying everywhere, then turned to meet the guards. Kimori took one on, Mariko and Sugiyama the other, while Koei cast Darts of Wood into them (two each) which weakened them but did not disable them. After a short sword fight there were two more dead guards, but by now the noise had caused some reaction in the castle. From all around there was shouting, the sound of running feet and lanterns being lit (the sight, not the sound). Sugiyama leapt off the wall and into a tree, Mariko lowered herself down the rope, and Kimori jumped down into the mud, where he sank waist deep and he a great deal of difficulty getting out, even (or despite) Mariko's help. With everyone clear, Koei dispelled the Mud and it returned to its former look of bare earth. The four made their way down the hill and back to the School of the Blade, looking for but not seeing any pursuit.

Almost immediately the troubleshooters started hearing quiet whispers that the Stone of Slôn had disappeared, and this immediately affected recruitment to the school. In that week there were more applicants than places, and both the school's balance sheet and the list of alumni ready to serve Lord Chozo improved markedly. Koei, who wasn't teaching, imbued four shuriken with the spell Fireflash for later use.

A few days after the raid the troubleshooters returned to the spot where the stone was hidden, dug it up, loaded it onto a cart and took it, via a disused farm track, to Masaki Village and their employer, Lord Chozo. On the way they discovered a secret training camp for the Daimyo's Death Squad, which they sneaked past. Lord Chozo cleverly hid the stone in plain sight, buried almost completely in a rock garden.

The first half of this episode (second half to be broadcast next week) began with Kimori (Tony Hummerston), Koei (Andy Allen), Mariko (Paul Burton) and Sugiyama (Dave Weaver) in a meeting with their employer, Lord Chozo. He told them that the camp they discovered was a secret training camp for the Daimyo's killers, the Death Squad, and that they were to "add it up" (actually he said they were to "total" it, but Sugiyama's knowledge of commerce, the best in the group, was less than 20%, so there was some misunderstanding). Having sorted out what to do, Sugiyama and Koei went to reconnoitre the site, Koei on the astral plane and Sugiyama (hardly any more tangible) on the Iyo Plain. By day there was a lot of activity all over the camp, in the kenjutsu training area, the strategy school, the unarmed combat area, the race track and the archery range. Sugiyama noticed that a lot of the pupils were very low level (a fact that Koei missed because of her lesser knowledge of kenjutsu); Koei however, being able to go inside the camp and its buildings, counted about 30 pupils and teachers. That day there was a demonstration of kenjutsu by the leader of the Death Squad. He sparred with one of the teachers, who was clearly a proficient swordsman. They used real katana, but wore heavy armour and pulled their blows. Although not immediately apparent, it later occurred to Sugiyama and Koei that the leader of the Death Squad had not missed with a single blow! After the demonstration the leader rode off back to Matsuyama.

Back at the school the four troubleshooters planned the raid in between teaching duties (or in Koei's case, studying Fire magic). It was a particularly good intake to the school, and it was full again. Kimori arranged to rent extra rooms and hired another teacher, Atami, a level 1 Bushi with some useful skills. He also had the school's banner made up (see right). As for the planning, the four decided to attack at night, using Koei's Fire Blast spells to sow confusion. They also enlisted the help of Kozo Tsudaze, Lord Chozo's Sergeant-at-Arms, but how would they avoid it becoming a straight 5 vs. 30 fight?

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