[LP] The Way of the Tiger. (Complete)
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Darth Rabbitt
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angelfromanotherpin
- Overlord
- Posts: 9745
- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
With a deep and guttural cry, you smash your fist into her face and the power is enormous as the Inner Force leaves you. Her head cracks back and the Hannya's neck snaps like a twig. The eyes stare upward, the head lolling lifelessly.
You step back from the steaming body and go over to the girl, releasing her from her chains. She is in a state of shock and you lead her back to the village and her family. At the sight of you and the girl, the whole village runs out to meet you, shouting and screaming their thanks and joy. They beg you to stay for a celebration they plan for the evening in your honour, but you tell them you cannot. After a quick meal you set off again for the Palace of Lord Kiyamo, their blessings and thanks ringing in your ears as you leave.
The road winds up the mountain, a sheer drop on one side. As the evening approaches, you round the corner and sight the palace of Lord Kiyamo. It lies in a shallow valley between two peaks, surrounded by magnificent ornamental gardens and a high stone wall punctuated by tall watchtowers. The main gate is hung with banners, emblazoned with the Mons of Kiyamo, glittering in the sun.
You approach the guards at the gate and hand them the ivory token. Without a word, they lead you through the gates, into a large open area. A sorry sight greets your eyes. It is filled with hundreds of tired and dirty warriors, many wounded and some dying. But there is victory in the air, despite their pain and fatigue.
Presently you are led into a richly furnished Reception Hall where you are asked politely to wait. Your guards bow and leave you. A man in white robes adorned with stylised flowers of deep ultramarine comes into the hall. He has two swords, one long and the other short, tucked into a sash at his waist. He introduces himself as Onikaba, Kiyamo's chief adviser, and tells you he has recently returned from the Island of Tranquil Dreams where he has talked much with the Grandmaster of the Dawn.It seems they know of your success in retrieving the Scrolls of Kettsuin and they pray to Kwon for your safe return.
He leads you into a long chamber of polished wood where Lord Kiyamo sits cross-legged in front of a low table, covered in scrolls and maps. Armed Samurai line the walls. He motions for you to sit beside him and tea is served. He is a man in middle years, his shoulders and arms heavy with muscle from repeated practice with the sword. A white bandage swathes his left shoulder, a recent wound. Then Kiyamo speaks:
'Your fame has come before you, Ninja and Avenger. The followers of Vile, Nemesis and Vasch-Ro are howling for your blood whilst the followers of other gods are laughing up their sleeves. All that is clean and wholesome on Orb is rejoicing. I congratulate you.' He bows before you. You thank him, and he continues.
'You are too late to help us here, I'm afraid. Luckily we manages to win a great victory without your aid. An evil daimio, Jikkyu, had massed a large army of Ronin, bandits, and Bakemono or goblins with which he had conquered most of the south. He had the aid of the priests of Nemesis and the monks of Vile, and had planned an invasion of the Island of Tranquil Dreams.
Jikkyu tried to force the pass in the mountains but we were ready for him and defeated him in a close-run battle. The south is liberated and the road to Iga is open. Your Grandmaster has sent a monk, Gorobei, to meet you.'
He signals to his retainers who usher the monk in. You recognise the tall, powerful frame of Gorobei from the Temple of the Rock. He greets you and you embrace each other. 'It is good to see you again, Avenger,' he says, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. 'Long have we prayed for you. We shall travel to Iga tomorrow and take ship homeward.' He smiles happily.
Kiyamo says, 'You may rest here as my honoured guest tonight. The guest house has been prepared for you. My Bannerman, Hatemoto Hizen and six Samurai shall be your Honour Guard.' You take your leave of Kiyamo and Gorobei and follow Hizen.
Hatemoto Hizen and six Samurai lead you through the ornamental gardens to the guest house in the palace grounds. You cross a tranquil pond, covered in white lilies, and pass through a sweet smelling glade filled with flowering plants and trees arranged carefully, giving an effect of ordered beauty. The setting sun bathes the gardens of the palace in deep crimson light. A feeling of peace and calm comes over you.
Presently, you follow a stone path that winds between two stone lanterns to the red and black lacquered double doors of the guest house. It is a pagoda-like structure with a tiled roof and paper-thin walls. Hizen leads you through the doors into a lavishly furnished room, with ornately carved chests wall hangings and screens adorned with simple water-colour paintings of birds, flowers, and landscapes. You follow him through a sliding door into an inner courtyard, where a fountain tinkles quietly into a stone pool. Looking up, you see the moon rising.
Hizen goes on through another sliding door on the left into a larger room where a long, low table is laden with steaming bowls of rice, crisp fried vegetables and strips of marinated raw fish. Suddenly you realise how hungry you are and you sit cross-legged, your back to two sliding doors, on a tatami, or mat, to eat.
Hizen sits with you and tells you that three of the Samurai will be on guard outside the guest house at all times, one on patrol, the others at the front and back of the house. 'Rest and recuperate, Ninja,' he says. Indeed, you are tired after your long ordeal. A young girl, in white robes, serves tea and retires to a kitchen, through one of the three sliding doors in the room. Ahead of you there is an alcove, n which rests a print of a Samurai warrior slaying a large winged and clawed serpent.
After you have eaten, Hizen shows you to a room beside the kitchen, lit by an hour candle, where a steaming bath and a futon (or mattress) are waiting for you. He departs, wishing you a good night's sleep.
(So... freaking... weeaboo...)
The bath is invigorating and you feel refreshed and cleansed as you lie down on the futon to sleep, a pleasant fatigue stealing over you. Soon you are deep in sleep and dreaming. A vivid image comes into your mind.
You are on a featureless expanse of nothingness. A tiger's head floats before you. Its fur is pure white and its eyes, completely blue, gaze serenely upon you, filling you with quiet strength and calm. Suddenly its mouth opens, revealing a gaping maw lined with many razor-sharp blood-stained teeth and it roars.
A rushing wind blows forth, smothering you in a fetid, choking stench and another face grows out of the yawning blackness of the mouth, completely blotting out the white tiger and its blue, blue eyes, still serene and somehow imbued with tranquility. Ahead of you now is the face of a Ninja, the black hood obscuring all features, save two black eyes, glinting malevolently.
You wake with a start, and as consciousness returns, you find yourself sitting bolt upright, bathed in sweat and breathing hard. The night is still and deathly quiet. The candle, still flickering, tells you that you have been asleep for about three hours.
• Return to sleep, knowing your tired body needs rest to recuperate?
• Get up to talk to the guards?
But the coils, demon-spawned, continue to constrict and they still burn with a heat not of this world. Your ribs crack and your costume ignites. Unable to escape, you are burnt alive. At least the Hannya dies with you, and the village will be saved.
(So, I'm going to say this about the Hannya mission: it is bullshit. Like, top to bottom. Not only does it pull Endurance out of you at a fierce rate, but it absolutely requires you to have completed an earlier sequence that we missed to succeed, and expend the reward from that sequence. Also, it has exactly zero reward of its own, and no call-backs later in the series. Literally the best thing to do is to leave and alert the local authorities.
But that's no fun at all. So I'm just going to pretend the spoilered sentences don't exist and append the successful ending, and no-one can say we didn't earn it; because the payoff is nothing.)
(So, I'm going to say this about the Hannya mission: it is bullshit. Like, top to bottom. Not only does it pull Endurance out of you at a fierce rate, but it absolutely requires you to have completed an earlier sequence that we missed to succeed, and expend the reward from that sequence. Also, it has exactly zero reward of its own, and no call-backs later in the series. Literally the best thing to do is to leave and alert the local authorities.
But that's no fun at all. So I'm just going to pretend the spoilered sentences don't exist and append the successful ending, and no-one can say we didn't earn it; because the payoff is nothing.)
The road winds up the mountain, a sheer drop on one side. As the evening approaches, you round the corner and sight the palace of Lord Kiyamo. It lies in a shallow valley between two peaks, surrounded by magnificent ornamental gardens and a high stone wall punctuated by tall watchtowers. The main gate is hung with banners, emblazoned with the Mons of Kiyamo, glittering in the sun.
You approach the guards at the gate and hand them the ivory token. Without a word, they lead you through the gates, into a large open area. A sorry sight greets your eyes. It is filled with hundreds of tired and dirty warriors, many wounded and some dying. But there is victory in the air, despite their pain and fatigue.
Presently you are led into a richly furnished Reception Hall where you are asked politely to wait. Your guards bow and leave you. A man in white robes adorned with stylised flowers of deep ultramarine comes into the hall. He has two swords, one long and the other short, tucked into a sash at his waist. He introduces himself as Onikaba, Kiyamo's chief adviser, and tells you he has recently returned from the Island of Tranquil Dreams where he has talked much with the Grandmaster of the Dawn.It seems they know of your success in retrieving the Scrolls of Kettsuin and they pray to Kwon for your safe return.
He leads you into a long chamber of polished wood where Lord Kiyamo sits cross-legged in front of a low table, covered in scrolls and maps. Armed Samurai line the walls. He motions for you to sit beside him and tea is served. He is a man in middle years, his shoulders and arms heavy with muscle from repeated practice with the sword. A white bandage swathes his left shoulder, a recent wound. Then Kiyamo speaks:
'Your fame has come before you, Ninja and Avenger. The followers of Vile, Nemesis and Vasch-Ro are howling for your blood whilst the followers of other gods are laughing up their sleeves. All that is clean and wholesome on Orb is rejoicing. I congratulate you.' He bows before you. You thank him, and he continues.
'You are too late to help us here, I'm afraid. Luckily we manages to win a great victory without your aid. An evil daimio, Jikkyu, had massed a large army of Ronin, bandits, and Bakemono or goblins with which he had conquered most of the south. He had the aid of the priests of Nemesis and the monks of Vile, and had planned an invasion of the Island of Tranquil Dreams.
Jikkyu tried to force the pass in the mountains but we were ready for him and defeated him in a close-run battle. The south is liberated and the road to Iga is open. Your Grandmaster has sent a monk, Gorobei, to meet you.'
He signals to his retainers who usher the monk in. You recognise the tall, powerful frame of Gorobei from the Temple of the Rock. He greets you and you embrace each other. 'It is good to see you again, Avenger,' he says, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. 'Long have we prayed for you. We shall travel to Iga tomorrow and take ship homeward.' He smiles happily.
Kiyamo says, 'You may rest here as my honoured guest tonight. The guest house has been prepared for you. My Bannerman, Hatemoto Hizen and six Samurai shall be your Honour Guard.' You take your leave of Kiyamo and Gorobei and follow Hizen.
Hatemoto Hizen and six Samurai lead you through the ornamental gardens to the guest house in the palace grounds. You cross a tranquil pond, covered in white lilies, and pass through a sweet smelling glade filled with flowering plants and trees arranged carefully, giving an effect of ordered beauty. The setting sun bathes the gardens of the palace in deep crimson light. A feeling of peace and calm comes over you.
Presently, you follow a stone path that winds between two stone lanterns to the red and black lacquered double doors of the guest house. It is a pagoda-like structure with a tiled roof and paper-thin walls. Hizen leads you through the doors into a lavishly furnished room, with ornately carved chests wall hangings and screens adorned with simple water-colour paintings of birds, flowers, and landscapes. You follow him through a sliding door into an inner courtyard, where a fountain tinkles quietly into a stone pool. Looking up, you see the moon rising.
Hizen goes on through another sliding door on the left into a larger room where a long, low table is laden with steaming bowls of rice, crisp fried vegetables and strips of marinated raw fish. Suddenly you realise how hungry you are and you sit cross-legged, your back to two sliding doors, on a tatami, or mat, to eat.
Hizen sits with you and tells you that three of the Samurai will be on guard outside the guest house at all times, one on patrol, the others at the front and back of the house. 'Rest and recuperate, Ninja,' he says. Indeed, you are tired after your long ordeal. A young girl, in white robes, serves tea and retires to a kitchen, through one of the three sliding doors in the room. Ahead of you there is an alcove, n which rests a print of a Samurai warrior slaying a large winged and clawed serpent.
After you have eaten, Hizen shows you to a room beside the kitchen, lit by an hour candle, where a steaming bath and a futon (or mattress) are waiting for you. He departs, wishing you a good night's sleep.
(So... freaking... weeaboo...)
The bath is invigorating and you feel refreshed and cleansed as you lie down on the futon to sleep, a pleasant fatigue stealing over you. Soon you are deep in sleep and dreaming. A vivid image comes into your mind.
You are on a featureless expanse of nothingness. A tiger's head floats before you. Its fur is pure white and its eyes, completely blue, gaze serenely upon you, filling you with quiet strength and calm. Suddenly its mouth opens, revealing a gaping maw lined with many razor-sharp blood-stained teeth and it roars.
A rushing wind blows forth, smothering you in a fetid, choking stench and another face grows out of the yawning blackness of the mouth, completely blotting out the white tiger and its blue, blue eyes, still serene and somehow imbued with tranquility. Ahead of you now is the face of a Ninja, the black hood obscuring all features, save two black eyes, glinting malevolently.
You wake with a start, and as consciousness returns, you find yourself sitting bolt upright, bathed in sweat and breathing hard. The night is still and deathly quiet. The candle, still flickering, tells you that you have been asleep for about three hours.
• Return to sleep, knowing your tired body needs rest to recuperate?
• Get up to talk to the guards?
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Darth Rabbitt
- Overlord
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angelfromanotherpin
- Overlord
- Posts: 9745
- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
You get to your feet and don the costume of the Ninja before walking to the door and sliding it open. The eyes of the dying clawed-and-winged serpent seem to glare at you knowingly from the print opposite, the colours like shadows in the faint glow of your candle. You cross the room and, sliding open another door, step into the inner courtyard.
The pool, rippling gently, reflects the pale light of the moon as it lends the cloudless night a ghostly luminescence. The air is filled with the rich scent of the ornamental gardens and the sound of insects and bullfrogs. It is warm and close; there is no breeze. Everything is quiet and peaceful but the night seems full of tense expectancy.
Silently, like a shade, you cross the courtyard, slide open the door, step in and slide it shut in one fluid motion. You are in almost complete darkness, in the first room of the guest house. You stand as still as a rock, your senses straining, reaching out into the almost tangible blackness ahead. Alarms seem to ring wildly in your head. But you find nothing. After a while, you move on.
By memory, you thread your way quietly through the furnishings to the front door, ears straining and spine tingling – you feel charged with nervous anticipation, yet all seems still and you can sense nothing unusual in the room. You are about to open the door when for some reason you pause to listen, although you know all should be well here in the palace grounds of the only shogun for three hundred years. This must be the most heavily guarded place on all Lemné. You hear nothing save a leaden sigh of boredom. You pull the door open just a little and look out.
One of the Samurai is leaning against a pillar, arms folded, humming to himself, as the patrolling Samurai continues around the house. You step out and he turns, a brief look of horror on his face as he sees your Ninja costume, before he smiles with greeting and not a little relief as he recognises you.
'What brings you out in the dawn hours, sir? Only the dead and poor unfortunate guards like myself walk at this hour!'
At this, you begin to feel foolish, and curse yourself for behaving like a frightened rabbit – you relax, like a taut bowstring that is unstrung. You tell the guard you couldn't sleep and stand, deep in meditation, until you notice your complete stillness and detached manner are making the guard feel uncomfortable, so you nod goodbye and return into the house.
You move from the light of the moon to the blackness of the interior and to the door that leads to the courtyard. You pull at the handle to slide it open, but it only moves a fraction before jamming – you try again but it won't move. In an instant all of your senses are alive and the hairs on your neck prickle with anticipation and suspicion. You crouch and turn quietly, convinced something is wrong. Then a sound reaches you from outside – a quiet but sharp sound, suddenly cut off, as if something metal had been dropped and then muffled before it could begin ringing.
• Go outside and investigate the noise?
• Hide behind one of the chests in the corner of the room?
• If you have the skill of Lock-Picking, try to open the jammed door?
The pool, rippling gently, reflects the pale light of the moon as it lends the cloudless night a ghostly luminescence. The air is filled with the rich scent of the ornamental gardens and the sound of insects and bullfrogs. It is warm and close; there is no breeze. Everything is quiet and peaceful but the night seems full of tense expectancy.
Silently, like a shade, you cross the courtyard, slide open the door, step in and slide it shut in one fluid motion. You are in almost complete darkness, in the first room of the guest house. You stand as still as a rock, your senses straining, reaching out into the almost tangible blackness ahead. Alarms seem to ring wildly in your head. But you find nothing. After a while, you move on.
By memory, you thread your way quietly through the furnishings to the front door, ears straining and spine tingling – you feel charged with nervous anticipation, yet all seems still and you can sense nothing unusual in the room. You are about to open the door when for some reason you pause to listen, although you know all should be well here in the palace grounds of the only shogun for three hundred years. This must be the most heavily guarded place on all Lemné. You hear nothing save a leaden sigh of boredom. You pull the door open just a little and look out.
One of the Samurai is leaning against a pillar, arms folded, humming to himself, as the patrolling Samurai continues around the house. You step out and he turns, a brief look of horror on his face as he sees your Ninja costume, before he smiles with greeting and not a little relief as he recognises you.
'What brings you out in the dawn hours, sir? Only the dead and poor unfortunate guards like myself walk at this hour!'
At this, you begin to feel foolish, and curse yourself for behaving like a frightened rabbit – you relax, like a taut bowstring that is unstrung. You tell the guard you couldn't sleep and stand, deep in meditation, until you notice your complete stillness and detached manner are making the guard feel uncomfortable, so you nod goodbye and return into the house.
You move from the light of the moon to the blackness of the interior and to the door that leads to the courtyard. You pull at the handle to slide it open, but it only moves a fraction before jamming – you try again but it won't move. In an instant all of your senses are alive and the hairs on your neck prickle with anticipation and suspicion. You crouch and turn quietly, convinced something is wrong. Then a sound reaches you from outside – a quiet but sharp sound, suddenly cut off, as if something metal had been dropped and then muffled before it could begin ringing.
Avenger, Grandmaster of the Five Winds
Modifiers: Fortune +1
Inner Force: 2/5
Endurance: 6/20
Techniques: Acrobatics, Climbing, Disable Device, Poison Needles, Kwon's Flail.
Shuriken: *********
Ninja Tools: Ninja Costume, Breathing Tube, Iron Sleeves, Garotte, Flint & Tinder, Spiderfish.
Special Items: Opal Ring, Pouch with 15 Gold Pieces.
Modifiers: Fortune +1
Inner Force: 2/5
Endurance: 6/20
Techniques: Acrobatics, Climbing, Disable Device, Poison Needles, Kwon's Flail.
Shuriken: *********
Ninja Tools: Ninja Costume, Breathing Tube, Iron Sleeves, Garotte, Flint & Tinder, Spiderfish.
Special Items: Opal Ring, Pouch with 15 Gold Pieces.
• Hide behind one of the chests in the corner of the room?
• If you have the skill of Lock-Picking, try to open the jammed door?
-
Omegonthesane
- Prince
- Posts: 3685
- Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:55 pm
Lockpick. Even after the Hannya debacle I remain blissfully convinced they wouldn't give us skills only for the use of those skills to end badly.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.
Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
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Darth Rabbitt
- Overlord
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angelfromanotherpin
- Overlord
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- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
You reach into a pocket of your costume and draw out a long, flat strip of metal. You insert it between door and wall and move it up – it comes up against something and you give a little push. Whatever it is falls off the other side of the door with a quiet clatter and lands on the floor of the inner courtyard. Dropping to rest on your haunches, you slide the door open and spin through, your senses still screaming with a thrill of unseen danger.
As you close the door, you see a short length of metal with a hook at either end on the floor. Somebody must have deliberately jammed it shut from the courtyard. You turn to scan the inner courtyard and the edges of the roof when you hear a muffled sound from the room you have just come from, a faint scraping – perhaps not a sound at all.
• Scale the wall of the inner courtyard to the roof (an easy climb for which you do not need the skill of Climbing)?
• Press your back against the wall, melting in the shadows to the right of the door you have just come through?
• Open the door and go back into the first room of the house as quickly and as quietly as possible?
As you close the door, you see a short length of metal with a hook at either end on the floor. Somebody must have deliberately jammed it shut from the courtyard. You turn to scan the inner courtyard and the edges of the roof when you hear a muffled sound from the room you have just come from, a faint scraping – perhaps not a sound at all.
• Scale the wall of the inner courtyard to the roof (an easy climb for which you do not need the skill of Climbing)?
• Press your back against the wall, melting in the shadows to the right of the door you have just come through?
• Open the door and go back into the first room of the house as quickly and as quietly as possible?
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Omegonthesane
- Prince
- Posts: 3685
- Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:55 pm
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angelfromanotherpin
- Overlord
- Posts: 9745
- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
You jump and grab a supporting wooden strut and swing up onto the tiled roof as agilely and as silently as a cat. You crawl along the roof until you can see over and down to the steps in front of the house. At the foot of the steps lies the Samurai guard, face down. A ribbon of blood, almost black in the dull light, oozes from his neck into the earth. What is unmistakably a Shuriken, almost identical to your own, is embedded in the back of his neck. It is silver, seeming to glow in the moonlight and inlaid with thin bands of ebony shaped into a whirlpool or vortex symbol.
• Drop quietly down to the main doors at the front of the house?
• Stay where you are and await events?
• Drop quietly down to the main doors at the front of the house?
• Stay where you are and await events?
-
Omegonthesane
- Prince
- Posts: 3685
- Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:55 pm
This may not be a good time to be found moving, and we're hardly in an easily located place...
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.
Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
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Darth Rabbitt
- Overlord
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angelfromanotherpin
- Overlord
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- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
You wait for some minutes, your senses straining. Nothing. Then you can feel a tingling in between your shoulder blades, as if someone's eyes were burning into you. You leap up and whirl around, and gasp in surprise. There is a figure, dressed as you, save for a curved scabbarded sword or Ninjato strapped to his back, creeping stealthily towards you, black eyes glinting malevolently in the moonlight.
He stops dead and snarls as you spot him, but in the second of your surprise his hand flickers in and out and a Shuriken almost identical to your own buries itself in your shoulder. Lose 3 Endurance. If you are still alive, the force of the blow sends you off balance and you topple over the edge of the roof.
(Avenger is skilled at Acrobatics.)
You flip over in the air to land safely on your feet beside the steps of the guest house. Your assailant – surely another Ninja – swings nimbly into the pillared cloister of the boardwalk in front of the red and black lacquered doors. He turns and sends another Shuriken spinning towards you. You barely have enough time to bring your arm across and send the deadly throwing star ringing away with your Iron Sleeve. At the same time, your opponent darts through the doors.
As quickly as you can, you leap the stairs and into the guest house. Whirling away from the entrance and the illuminating moonlight, into the shadows, you stop, controlling your breathing. Everything is quiet and there is no sign of the other Ninja. The sliding doors are still. There is no hint of recent movement.
He is probably still in the room. Your eyes strain to pierce the gloom. Suddenly, he shoots up from behind a chest, the all-too-familiar bamboo blowpipe at his lips, and there is a woosh of exhaled air. Your Defence is 7 for this roll.
(3, success)
Instantly you throw yourself aside and a small feathered dart flies into the wall behind you. Your nostrils flare as you recognise the acrid smell of Spiderfish venom. The other Ninja jumps up and over the chest to land nimbly some feet before you.
With a shout he reaches up and draws his sword with both hands in one incredibly swift motion. He stands, presenting only the side of his body to you, right foot forward, left knee bent and at right angles to his body, sword-hip pointing up at your throat, arms extended. You begin to circle each other warily.
Your opponent speaks, his voice flat and emotionless. 'I am Ninja. I follow the Way of the Scorpion. I have slain all your guards and I shall slay you, thus proving that the Way of the Scorpion overshadows the Way of the Tiger, just as the power of Nemesis overshadows the power of Kwon.'
With that he launches into a devastating attack, his sword a blur as it flashes through the air. You must try to block it. Your Defence is 7.
(6, success)
He lunges at your stomach. You sweep the blade aside with your forearm and he brings it up and down at your head. At the last moment you manage to whip your left forearm up and across your forehead, the force from the blow almost breaking your arm. But the iron rods in your sleeve hold, as they ring like a hammer ringing an anvil.
As he steps back and slashes at your legs with mind-boggling speed, you jump high over the sword's path and land on your feet. You are just in time to twist your right forearm up across your chest and catch the blade before it bites into your neck. Seconds later, you bring it back to the left to take another blow which is aimed at the other side of your neck. The high pitched clang of steel on steel echoes into the night and the sleeves of your costume hang in tatters, fluttering in the breeze from the open doors.
The other ninja steps back and pauses, breathing heavily, left arm extended towards you, fingers spread, his right arm behind his head, the blade of his sword pointed down at your throat: an attack to test your skill. You have a brief moment in which to act.
• Throw a Shuriken?
• Spit a Poison Needle?
He stops dead and snarls as you spot him, but in the second of your surprise his hand flickers in and out and a Shuriken almost identical to your own buries itself in your shoulder. Lose 3 Endurance. If you are still alive, the force of the blow sends you off balance and you topple over the edge of the roof.
(Avenger is skilled at Acrobatics.)
You flip over in the air to land safely on your feet beside the steps of the guest house. Your assailant – surely another Ninja – swings nimbly into the pillared cloister of the boardwalk in front of the red and black lacquered doors. He turns and sends another Shuriken spinning towards you. You barely have enough time to bring your arm across and send the deadly throwing star ringing away with your Iron Sleeve. At the same time, your opponent darts through the doors.
As quickly as you can, you leap the stairs and into the guest house. Whirling away from the entrance and the illuminating moonlight, into the shadows, you stop, controlling your breathing. Everything is quiet and there is no sign of the other Ninja. The sliding doors are still. There is no hint of recent movement.
He is probably still in the room. Your eyes strain to pierce the gloom. Suddenly, he shoots up from behind a chest, the all-too-familiar bamboo blowpipe at his lips, and there is a woosh of exhaled air. Your Defence is 7 for this roll.
(3, success)
Instantly you throw yourself aside and a small feathered dart flies into the wall behind you. Your nostrils flare as you recognise the acrid smell of Spiderfish venom. The other Ninja jumps up and over the chest to land nimbly some feet before you.
With a shout he reaches up and draws his sword with both hands in one incredibly swift motion. He stands, presenting only the side of his body to you, right foot forward, left knee bent and at right angles to his body, sword-hip pointing up at your throat, arms extended. You begin to circle each other warily.
Your opponent speaks, his voice flat and emotionless. 'I am Ninja. I follow the Way of the Scorpion. I have slain all your guards and I shall slay you, thus proving that the Way of the Scorpion overshadows the Way of the Tiger, just as the power of Nemesis overshadows the power of Kwon.'
(6, success)
He lunges at your stomach. You sweep the blade aside with your forearm and he brings it up and down at your head. At the last moment you manage to whip your left forearm up and across your forehead, the force from the blow almost breaking your arm. But the iron rods in your sleeve hold, as they ring like a hammer ringing an anvil.
As he steps back and slashes at your legs with mind-boggling speed, you jump high over the sword's path and land on your feet. You are just in time to twist your right forearm up across your chest and catch the blade before it bites into your neck. Seconds later, you bring it back to the left to take another blow which is aimed at the other side of your neck. The high pitched clang of steel on steel echoes into the night and the sleeves of your costume hang in tatters, fluttering in the breeze from the open doors.
The other ninja steps back and pauses, breathing heavily, left arm extended towards you, fingers spread, his right arm behind his head, the blade of his sword pointed down at your throat: an attack to test your skill. You have a brief moment in which to act.
• Throw a Shuriken?
• Spit a Poison Needle?
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Darth Rabbitt
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- Contact:
The question is whether our opponent took Arrow Cutting or Poison Immunity as one of his Ninja Skills.
I vote we use Poison Needle, since spitting poison has only worked on the O-Bakemono so far in this book (and even on that thing only after shooting like 3 Needles and losing the same amount of Endurance) and I imagine that the skill will have at least one more use in this book.
I vote we use Poison Needle, since spitting poison has only worked on the O-Bakemono so far in this book (and even on that thing only after shooting like 3 Needles and losing the same amount of Endurance) and I imagine that the skill will have at least one more use in this book.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
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angelfromanotherpin
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With a deft motion, you place a needle on your tongue and spit hard. The needle slaps into the palm of his outstretched hand. He starts back completely surprised at what you have done – it seems the Ninja of the Way of the Scorpion knows nothing of using Poison Needles in this way. However, he takes it from his hand and casts it aside, saying contemptuously, 'Spiderfish venom! Do you think I have not spent many years learning to withstand its effect?'
Wasting no time in speech, you take the chance to spring forward and attack.
• Forked Lightning Strike kick?
• Tiger's Paw chop?
• Whirlpool throw?
(For the record, despite his immunity, this is better than what you get with the Shuriken. Mostly because he pauses to brag.)
Wasting no time in speech, you take the chance to spring forward and attack.
• Forked Lightning Strike kick?
• Tiger's Paw chop?
• Whirlpool throw?
(For the record, despite his immunity, this is better than what you get with the Shuriken. Mostly because he pauses to brag.)
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Omegonthesane
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Kick with force - the only thing separating this guy from Yaemon is "not a final boss".
That and lack of respect I guess. Yaemon returned our bow before reciprocating our attempted murder.
That and lack of respect I guess. Yaemon returned our bow before reciprocating our attempted murder.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.
Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
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angelfromanotherpin
- Overlord
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(I'll do the kick, but I'll hold off on Inner Force until I see what the odds are.)
You dart back, avoiding a wicked sword thrust, and then in, driving your foot at his abdomen and then up at his throat with lightning speed.
NINJA
Defence: 7
Endurance: 19
Damage: 1 die+1
If he still has Endurance, he cuts savagely at your extended leg. Your defence against this is 7.
(Yeah, Inner Force is a sucker's bet here, we don't hit even 51% of the time. Also, the odds here are too even for Avenger to overcome the monstrous Endurance gap.)
(4, we miss; 11, he hits; 5, we block.)
(I think Avenger probably wants to use a throw to set up a better attack, but I don't want to try it with the post-block penalty because failing at throws frequently sucks. So I'll try the punch to see what it looks like.)
He thrusts at your chest. You act quickly, stepping in and blocking his sword arm with your left arm and then hacking down at the side of his neck with your right hand.
NINJA
Defence: 6
Endurance: 19
Damage: 1 Die+2
If he still has Endurance, he spins away and then feints at your head before bringing his sword down in a wide arc, hoping to cut you from left shoulder to right hip. Your Defence against this is 7 as you try to cartwheel away.
(10, we hit for 5. 6, he misses. Throw time!)
He thrusts at your chest. You act quickly, stepping in and blocking his sword-arm with your left arm and then twisting with him, trying to yank him over your hip and to the ground.
NINJA
Defence: 6
Endurance: 19 14
Damage: 1 Die+2
If you are successful, you throw him over your hip, but he flips in mid-air and lands agilely on his feet, spinning to face you. However, your next attack catches him unprepared. Add 1 to your Attack modifier for this attack only.
(7, we got him! Follow-up with an Inner Force punch for maximum hit chance)
(7, we hit – and would have missed with a kick, so I feel vindicated. [4+2]x2 =12. 2 left. 4, he misses.)
(Punch again. 10, we hit, and for 4. That was an unlikely victory.)
With both hands, your opponent cuts straight down at your head, the blade a blur, its tip arcing from a point near the small of his back to the top of your head. In an instant, you clap your hands together inches above your head, trapping the blade, a feat of extraordinary judgement and co-ordination. Still holding the blade, you jump and drive the ball of your foot at the Ninja's throat with a cry, and thus effect a Leaping Tiger kick. It smashes into his throat; his arms fly up and he sails backwards to crash in a heap, the blow killing him instantly.
You are left, the blade still in your hands – the victor – in the silent empty house. Exhausted, you sleep where you are, a deep sleep haunted by gliding black shapes that seem intent on killing you. But you wake somewhat refreshed. Gain 3 Endurance. You may retrieve any Shuriken you have used before you set off to Kiyamo's palace.
You are shown in to see Kiyamo and he listens quietly whilst you relate the night's events. When you have finished, he says, 'I am shamed that such a thing could have happened in my house. Thank Eo you are so formidable that I do not have the loss of your life on my conscience as well as that of Hizen and of the six guards.'
You replay, 'Do not feel shamed, Lord. There was nothing you could have done in any case. He was Ninja.' He looks at you for a long moment and then shivers and drops his gaze.
'Yes, indeed.' There is a pause. Then he continues in a louder voice, 'Today you may travel to Iga – I shall send a force of five thousand men to accompany you. There is still much work to be done in the south. May Eo's blessings go with you!'
You take your leave and a few hours later you and Gorobei are heading south. In two days' time you are at the port of Iga, on board a ship bound for the Island of Tranquil Dreams. Your spirit soars like a bird at the thought of home.
At long last the golden shores of the Island of Tranquil Dreams shimmer beyond the breaking waves like a mirage. The ship grinds gently onto the sand and you leap down at the sea's edge and walk towards the great red rock that rests alone in the desert. The temple to Kwon nestles beneath it, its darkest vaults deep within its confines. Before the tiger-head doors stands the Grandmaster of the Dawn. You bow and present the Scrolls of Kettsuin, saying the words of time honoured ritual, 'I have completed my mission, Grandmaster of Grandmasters.'
He places his hand on your shoulder and says, 'You are the saviour of all that is good on Orb, even of the temple itself. I named you truly, Avenger. You will be the scourge of injustice for as long as you live.'
There is a great feast in your honour that evening and the villagers cheer you to the echo while Gorobei tells them of your exploits. The children dance around you and you are festooned with flowers.
You rest, alone, on the next day until the Grandmaster of the Dawn comes to your cell. He squats low on the floor beside you and says, 'Honoric still lives. He has sworn vengeance. He survived even the Blood of Nil, though he was near death for some weeks. Word has just reached us that the Legion of the Sword of Doom prepares once more for war.
'But enough of this; you cannot bear the cares of the world on your shoulders at all times – come, there is little left that I can teach you, but what I can I will. Tomorrow I will tell you something that has been hidden from you. The time has come for me to tell you who your parents were, who you are, you who have become Avenger, the most deadly warrior of them all.'
The wrap-up is coming later; missed content, final thoughts, etc. If you have questions, don't hold back.
You dart back, avoiding a wicked sword thrust, and then in, driving your foot at his abdomen and then up at his throat with lightning speed.
NINJA
Defence: 7
Endurance: 19
Damage: 1 die+1
If he still has Endurance, he cuts savagely at your extended leg. Your defence against this is 7.
(Yeah, Inner Force is a sucker's bet here, we don't hit even 51% of the time. Also, the odds here are too even for Avenger to overcome the monstrous Endurance gap.)
(4, we miss; 11, he hits; 5, we block.)
(I think Avenger probably wants to use a throw to set up a better attack, but I don't want to try it with the post-block penalty because failing at throws frequently sucks. So I'll try the punch to see what it looks like.)
He thrusts at your chest. You act quickly, stepping in and blocking his sword arm with your left arm and then hacking down at the side of his neck with your right hand.
NINJA
Defence: 6
Endurance: 19
Damage: 1 Die+2
If he still has Endurance, he spins away and then feints at your head before bringing his sword down in a wide arc, hoping to cut you from left shoulder to right hip. Your Defence against this is 7 as you try to cartwheel away.
(10, we hit for 5. 6, he misses. Throw time!)
He thrusts at your chest. You act quickly, stepping in and blocking his sword-arm with your left arm and then twisting with him, trying to yank him over your hip and to the ground.
NINJA
Defence: 6
Endurance: 19 14
Damage: 1 Die+2
If you are successful, you throw him over your hip, but he flips in mid-air and lands agilely on his feet, spinning to face you. However, your next attack catches him unprepared. Add 1 to your Attack modifier for this attack only.
(7, we got him! Follow-up with an Inner Force punch for maximum hit chance)
(7, we hit – and would have missed with a kick, so I feel vindicated. [4+2]x2 =12. 2 left. 4, he misses.)
(Punch again. 10, we hit, and for 4. That was an unlikely victory.)
With both hands, your opponent cuts straight down at your head, the blade a blur, its tip arcing from a point near the small of his back to the top of your head. In an instant, you clap your hands together inches above your head, trapping the blade, a feat of extraordinary judgement and co-ordination. Still holding the blade, you jump and drive the ball of your foot at the Ninja's throat with a cry, and thus effect a Leaping Tiger kick. It smashes into his throat; his arms fly up and he sails backwards to crash in a heap, the blow killing him instantly.
You are left, the blade still in your hands – the victor – in the silent empty house. Exhausted, you sleep where you are, a deep sleep haunted by gliding black shapes that seem intent on killing you. But you wake somewhat refreshed. Gain 3 Endurance. You may retrieve any Shuriken you have used before you set off to Kiyamo's palace.
You are shown in to see Kiyamo and he listens quietly whilst you relate the night's events. When you have finished, he says, 'I am shamed that such a thing could have happened in my house. Thank Eo you are so formidable that I do not have the loss of your life on my conscience as well as that of Hizen and of the six guards.'
You replay, 'Do not feel shamed, Lord. There was nothing you could have done in any case. He was Ninja.' He looks at you for a long moment and then shivers and drops his gaze.
'Yes, indeed.' There is a pause. Then he continues in a louder voice, 'Today you may travel to Iga – I shall send a force of five thousand men to accompany you. There is still much work to be done in the south. May Eo's blessings go with you!'
You take your leave and a few hours later you and Gorobei are heading south. In two days' time you are at the port of Iga, on board a ship bound for the Island of Tranquil Dreams. Your spirit soars like a bird at the thought of home.
At long last the golden shores of the Island of Tranquil Dreams shimmer beyond the breaking waves like a mirage. The ship grinds gently onto the sand and you leap down at the sea's edge and walk towards the great red rock that rests alone in the desert. The temple to Kwon nestles beneath it, its darkest vaults deep within its confines. Before the tiger-head doors stands the Grandmaster of the Dawn. You bow and present the Scrolls of Kettsuin, saying the words of time honoured ritual, 'I have completed my mission, Grandmaster of Grandmasters.'
He places his hand on your shoulder and says, 'You are the saviour of all that is good on Orb, even of the temple itself. I named you truly, Avenger. You will be the scourge of injustice for as long as you live.'
There is a great feast in your honour that evening and the villagers cheer you to the echo while Gorobei tells them of your exploits. The children dance around you and you are festooned with flowers.
You rest, alone, on the next day until the Grandmaster of the Dawn comes to your cell. He squats low on the floor beside you and says, 'Honoric still lives. He has sworn vengeance. He survived even the Blood of Nil, though he was near death for some weeks. Word has just reached us that the Legion of the Sword of Doom prepares once more for war.
'But enough of this; you cannot bear the cares of the world on your shoulders at all times – come, there is little left that I can teach you, but what I can I will. Tomorrow I will tell you something that has been hidden from you. The time has come for me to tell you who your parents were, who you are, you who have become Avenger, the most deadly warrior of them all.'
The wrap-up is coming later; missed content, final thoughts, etc. If you have questions, don't hold back.
-
Omegonthesane
- Prince
- Posts: 3685
- Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:55 pm
And I guess I was wrong - Random Evil Ninja was a final boss just like Yaemon, right down to the lol-invincibility to some of our ninja tricks.angelfromanotherpin wrote:You run as fast as you can – your ninja training in woodcraft enabling you to cover your own tracks. Soon you lose sight of your pursuers and you head for the valley of the River Crow.
(There's some entertaining stuff we missed out on here, someone be sure to ask me about it during wrap.)
Last edited by Omegonthesane on Wed Aug 21, 2013 8:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.
Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
You mentionned some good content with the bandits - what was it?
Also, you said the Hannya was only survivable via a key item? I guess that's Cassandra's dagger (plus the Blood of Nil, which we already used up?)
It seems to me like this book was very much split in "levels", with full-heals between them - is it just my perception?
Also - one question going back to Avenger! - did we need to do the minibosses to survive Yaemon? Given that trying to kill Honoric via the Blood of Nil seems to be canon, that would make the Hannya subquest a total deathtrap if the Dagger+Blood is the only way out of that encounter.
Also, you said the Hannya was only survivable via a key item? I guess that's Cassandra's dagger (plus the Blood of Nil, which we already used up?)
It seems to me like this book was very much split in "levels", with full-heals between them - is it just my perception?
Also - one question going back to Avenger! - did we need to do the minibosses to survive Yaemon? Given that trying to kill Honoric via the Blood of Nil seems to be canon, that would make the Hannya subquest a total deathtrap if the Dagger+Blood is the only way out of that encounter.
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angelfromanotherpin
- Overlord
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- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Okay, the stuff with the bandits. First, that's a situation where Poison Needles is super effective. You needle the leader, and the rest assume you've cast Finger of Death or something, and run for the hills. Also, if you examine the body, you discover that they were members of the Legion of the Sword of Doom, out looking for revenge for Yaemon.
Also, that adviser to the bored-looking barbarian chieftain was a dark sorcerer in Manse's tradition, and if you impress the chieftain with your grovelling and get passage on a longship, he tries to do you in.
The Blood of Nil is the required item to canonically defeat the Hannya, but there is actually an opportunity to get another dose in this book. It is a crazy action centerpiece, and I was amazed to discover that it was not a mandatory encounter.
It starts with this:
Yeah, Olvar the asshole was part of an evil adventuring party. They also want payback.
Thaum, an illusionist; and Tyutchev, a motherfucker.
Cassandra the Fighter/Thief and her magic sword.
These guys also show up as general nuisances in Talisman of Death, a Fighting Fantasy book that's set on Orb. Taking these guys on is actually quite a bit of fun, because they fight as a team and you have to disrupt their teamwork.
But the truly goofy part is that they lure you into a temple basement to fight you, and just as you get the upper hand, a scorpion son of Nil (named Mardolh) enters the scene like the Kool-Aid Man, for no reason. Yes, it's a temple of Nil, and yes, you are making quite a bit of noise, but there's exactly zero foreshadowing that this might happen. Then the terrible trio runs for it, you get to take on Mardolh (who is extremely hardcore) and when you win, he turns into a hole in space and leaves behind a single dose of Blood of Nil. It is fantastic.
Other stuff:
The torturer of Quench-heart Keep. I think I should have put this one up when we encountered him, but somehow I missed it.
Part of the merfolk adventure we didn't have.
Goblin Dire-rat Cavalry. You heard me.
The Hannya and the O-bakemono, encountered together.
If you skip the Hannya like a sensible person, you show up in time for the battle that had all of Kiyamo's men so beat/dead. You get the opportunity to prevent the battle by sneaking into the enemy camp and assassinating Jikkyu, the enemy lord and commander. It turns out he's an oni in disguise, and this is his final form.
Anyway, I think it's pretty clear that this is a filler book. I mean, the last book ended on 'soon you will learn about your parents,' and so does this one; there's been basically no actual story progress.
What I don't get is why the player is subjected to round after round of random stuff (goblins, merfolk, barrow-wights, Hannya) when there was such a promising vein to mine in the 'followers of the men you killed want revenge' line. If you very specifically had to deal with the three distinct flavors of threat from the three support organizations you decapitated last book, that would have meant a lot more than Alice-in-Wonderlanding around dealing with Steve-type problems.
Also, the book has a large amount of filler in the form of ability references that are functionally non-existent. For example, if you stay in bed when the Scorpion ninja comes for you, he sneaks up and poisons you. If you don't have Immunity to Poisons, you die. If you do have Immunity to Poisons... you also die, just at a different page reference that talks about how you're throwing off the poison when the Scorpion ninja stabs you to death. There's a lot of stuff like that, and it reads like the authors wrote the thing, saw it was too short, and then went back and wrote a pile of 'if you have X skill' statements that were then not allowed to make any difference at all.
This remains my least favorite of the five Way of the Tiger books, but if there were a sixth book, Assassin! would still rate higher than that unmitigated turd.
Also, that adviser to the bored-looking barbarian chieftain was a dark sorcerer in Manse's tradition, and if you impress the chieftain with your grovelling and get passage on a longship, he tries to do you in.
There were more full-heal opportunities, but I don't think they divide the book into sections particularly – most of them seem to be missable, for one thing.It seems to me like this book was very much split in "levels", with full-heals between them - is it just my perception?
You do need to kill the minibosses to get Yaemon, otherwise one or both of them show up and gank you in the middle of the final showdown. Honoric can only be defeated by dripping poison; Manse can be defeated with Sorcerak or with a more elaborate confrontation involving randomly collected protective charms.Also, you said the Hannya was only survivable via a key item? I guess that's Cassandra's dagger (plus the Blood of Nil, which we already used up?)
Also - one question going back to Avenger! - did we need to do the minibosses to survive Yaemon? Given that trying to kill Honoric via the Blood of Nil seems to be canon, that would make the Hannya subquest a total deathtrap if the Dagger+Blood is the only way out of that encounter.
The Blood of Nil is the required item to canonically defeat the Hannya, but there is actually an opportunity to get another dose in this book. It is a crazy action centerpiece, and I was amazed to discover that it was not a mandatory encounter.
It starts with this:
Thaum, an illusionist; and Tyutchev, a motherfucker.
Cassandra the Fighter/Thief and her magic sword.
But the truly goofy part is that they lure you into a temple basement to fight you, and just as you get the upper hand, a scorpion son of Nil (named Mardolh) enters the scene like the Kool-Aid Man, for no reason. Yes, it's a temple of Nil, and yes, you are making quite a bit of noise, but there's exactly zero foreshadowing that this might happen. Then the terrible trio runs for it, you get to take on Mardolh (who is extremely hardcore) and when you win, he turns into a hole in space and leaves behind a single dose of Blood of Nil. It is fantastic.
Other stuff:
The torturer of Quench-heart Keep. I think I should have put this one up when we encountered him, but somehow I missed it.
Part of the merfolk adventure we didn't have.
Goblin Dire-rat Cavalry. You heard me.
The Hannya and the O-bakemono, encountered together.
If you skip the Hannya like a sensible person, you show up in time for the battle that had all of Kiyamo's men so beat/dead. You get the opportunity to prevent the battle by sneaking into the enemy camp and assassinating Jikkyu, the enemy lord and commander. It turns out he's an oni in disguise, and this is his final form.
Anyway, I think it's pretty clear that this is a filler book. I mean, the last book ended on 'soon you will learn about your parents,' and so does this one; there's been basically no actual story progress.
What I don't get is why the player is subjected to round after round of random stuff (goblins, merfolk, barrow-wights, Hannya) when there was such a promising vein to mine in the 'followers of the men you killed want revenge' line. If you very specifically had to deal with the three distinct flavors of threat from the three support organizations you decapitated last book, that would have meant a lot more than Alice-in-Wonderlanding around dealing with Steve-type problems.
Also, the book has a large amount of filler in the form of ability references that are functionally non-existent. For example, if you stay in bed when the Scorpion ninja comes for you, he sneaks up and poisons you. If you don't have Immunity to Poisons, you die. If you do have Immunity to Poisons... you also die, just at a different page reference that talks about how you're throwing off the poison when the Scorpion ninja stabs you to death. There's a lot of stuff like that, and it reads like the authors wrote the thing, saw it was too short, and then went back and wrote a pile of 'if you have X skill' statements that were then not allowed to make any difference at all.
This remains my least favorite of the five Way of the Tiger books, but if there were a sixth book, Assassin! would still rate higher than that unmitigated turd.