Scroll 1 - The Master Craftsman's Tea Vessel

[jemmus]

The roof has tile shingles, there's no thatched area.

There are no windows in the walls of the master bedroom. Kaida saw that there are fixed closets along the east and west walls. The north wall is composed of the removable panels that are common in better houses in Nippon. They can be removed during good weather to air out the room and provide a view to a garden from inside the house. They're partially paper to let sunlight in.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=htt ... AdAAAAABAE (Sorry, at work, can only post a link, not an image. Please scroll down the webpage for an image of removable wall panels).

Kaida saw that the dog was sheltering from the rain under the east walkway, toward the southern end. It wasn't tied up, it could freely run around the grounds.

If you have questions about the grounds or the construction of the house, just let me know.

[Grognardsw]

Based on character knowledge, is it doable to break through the paper paneled north wall?

[jemmus]

Yes, that could be easily done. And you may be able to just lift them out of their rails along the floor.

[Rex]

If we go through the paper walls, cutting is the quietest option.

[Marullus]

Moving out on this plan, then?

As they meet for the last time outside the walls, Kaida calls upon her mother's legacy, blowing a mist from the palm of her hand into the face of each of her companions.
I'll cast Fire Eyes for all three. It then lasts for one hour.
Fire Eyes (BCS 11) [1d20]=8 [1d20]=8 [1d20]=9 [1d20]=16 [1d20]=11 [1d20]=2

... 19 / 25 spell points remaining.

Dressed in gakusha guise, she then takes an inconspicuous place to pray along the street on the east side until she hears the signal to cause the distraction.

[jemmus]

A very inconspicuous place to wait on the east side would be the "alley" between the roofed wall of the mansion's compound and that of the adjacent one. Unless you say otherwise, we'll assume that Kaida waits there.

[Grognardsw]

In darkness the ninja enacted the plan. With magic night sight, Jinsei moved with Fuma and Minoru to the north wall. The 10’ roofed wall was not tall. Jinsei motioned for the ninja to help each other negotiate the low wall if necessary.

Channeling a snail, Jinsei slowly and extra carefully climbed up. He peeked over the top to make sure no person or dog was on the other side, before completing the climb over.

What do I need to roll for climbing and stealth? Is there a bonus for help, moving extra carefully and low wall?

[Rex]

Fuma

Fuma will follow Jinsei over the wall.

[ffilz]

Is there a tree that would serve well as a lookout point, or do I need to find a roof? Perching atop the wall seems too visible.

[jemmus]

There are various healthy trees on the west side of the grounds. Map: viewtopic.php?p=699153#p699153 On the east side there are only the stumps of recently felled trees. Otherwise it would be a roof or a wall.

Climbing 9-foot outer walls requires a Speed saving throw or Karumijutsu success, with a +2 bonus. On a failure, the chance of making a sound is the Effect Number. (For example, if you need a 9 or under and roll a 5, the effect number is 4. If roll a 4 or under on a 1d20, you made a sound.

Moving silently and visually undetected requires a ninjutsu roll. Remember that you want to roll low (under your skill score) in Bushido.

[Grognardsw]

Jinsei carefully and silently climbed the outer wall, peeking over the ledge to confirm no one was there before sliding down to the other side. What is terrain between outer wall and house north wall? Is there light from the house paper panel wall, or dark? What degree of moonlight is there tonight?

Climbing 15 [1d20]=16 With the +2 he just made it.

Ninjutsu 10/47 [1d20]=10, [1d100]=36

Phase One: Good doggie

Time: 9:30 pm. People are relaxing, but not yet in bed. Stealing tea cup from assumed closet spot in bedroom with someone in there seems much riskier than if empty.

K casts night vision on J or F (whoever can stealth better).

J & F & M stealth over north wall behind house.

F keeps watch, perhaps on roof edge or top, while…

Blow gunners J & M: 1) wait for dog to eventually reach them, assuming it makes patrol; 2) seek out dog on grounds (riskier) 3) poison/dispatch, hide body.

M goes watchman on roof (master bedroom?) with 360 view. Alert J and F to trouble with different whistles: 1) approaching danger; 2) mission abort / retreat.

[Marullus]

What is terrain between outer wall and house north wall? Is there light from the house paper panel wall, or dark? What degree of moonlight is there tonight?

Casts were successful. All three of you can see in darkness 30 yards fpr one hour.

[Grognardsw]

What is terrain between outer wall and house north wall? Is there light from the house paper panel wall, or dark? What degree of moonlight is there tonight?

Casts were successful. All three of you can see in darkness 30 yards fpr one hour.

Thanks, I was wondering what guards and dog may be able to see with moonlight if any.

[jemmus]

The Moon rises in a mostly clear sky. It's waxing, and tomorrow it will be at half moon.

It does my heart good to hear that Kaida remembered the too cheap for many candles detail.

[Grognardsw]

From under the house, Jinsei waited for the dog to appear while Minoru and Fuma took their positions.

[jemmus]

The Sun has set, leaving only the light of the Moon behind clouds to illuminate the damp pathways and grounds of Kofu. The members of the Nakama return to a spot beside the merchant's house scouted and observed the day before. The alley between the roofed eastern wall of the merchant's grounds compound, and the similarly roofed wall of the neighbor's. Fuma's, Jinsei's and Minoru's always mystifying, but always beloved, cousin Kaida murmurs under her breath about "eyes" and "fire," taking her attention to another place. The "Hiding World"-- the kakuriyoh. The three shinobi feel a wave of otherwordly nature all around, and then they notice details of the walls, floor and roofs of the narrow nighttime alleyway. They can only compare the experience being like a cat. Able to see in the dimmest of light. While bumbling dogs, humans and mice cannot do the same.

The shinobi move between the walls to the north, and pause. They turn left around the corner and move to the west along the northern all. Jinsei stops and signals a stop and hush. Then, after some tense seconds of catching footholds on smooth limewashed clay walls, silently crawls along its roof, and drops over to the other side. Fuma and Minoru silently observe and listen. Nothing. Silence and success, shugenja Kaida is in place. The lights inside the merchant's mansion glow dimly, through the paper windows of the great mansion' outer walls. Jinsei is in. Fuma and Minoru are to follow. Minoru, to quickly take a high place and observe.

The dog inside the grounds makes unpleasant sounds of grooming itself, standing and shaking its rough hide, and standing under the Moon to appraise this spot in this night and its territory. It starts to look toward Jinsei's area, ears slightly up, listening and curious.

Next actions?

[Rex]

Fuma

Fuma freezes on the dogs movement and he waits for Jinsei to strike.

[Grognardsw]

I had assumed Fuma and Minoru followed Jinsei up and over, though the delay in their rolls I suppose puts Jinsei under the house when the dog is spotted. Perhaps Fuma is at the top of the wall when the dog is seen?

Jinsei motioned in the ninja sign-language for Fuma to stop, lest the dog possibly see him come down the wall. He signed for Fuma to ready his blowgun.

The ninja judged the distance to the dog to ascertain if it was in range of his blowgun, or needed to be closer.

[Rex]

Fuma

Fuma doesn't have any poison, unless we are retconing that we gave him some.

[jemmus]

We can retcon Fuma borrowing some poisoned dart if you'd like. The nakama is a tight, trained team who grew up together. When they discussed taking the dog out with poison, they wouldn't have missed that Fuma doesn't have any poison darts.

Actually, I jumped the gun trying get up momentum, so we have to back up some. Fuma and Minoru need Speed ST or karumijutsu successes (at +2) to climb the outer wall. Then they'll need ninjutsu rolls to move undetected on the other side. Fuma will need to say where he goes (under the house with Jinsei, or elsewhere). Minoru mentioned climbing to a high place to serve as a lookout. The options are somewhere on an outer wall, on the mansion's roof, or in a tree on the west side. (The shinobi have seen that the northeast side just has stumps).


Blowgun range - It's equal to the character's Health saving throw in yards, times the number of 2 ft sections of the blowgun. Up to three sections can be fitted together. No disadvantage to fitting all three sections together is mentioned, other than the time it takes to fit them. It would take two 10-second turns to fit a three-sections blowgun. Climbing with an already fitted blowgun would be at -2 (with the +2 bonus, so net +0). Fuma's Health ST is 4, so the range is 4, 8 or 12 yards. The mansion's grounds are really wide and quite open, so Fuma can probably expect encounters to be at longer range.

So, to summarize:
Need a Speed ST roll or karumijutsu roll from both Fuma and Minoru (at a base of +2);
Need ninjutsu rolls from both;
Both need to state where they're moving to.

Jinsei is in place under the house on the north end and Kaida is in place in the alley outside the east wall.

Blowgun (Fukldake): Task Value: 3 per Length. Task Turn: 1 day.
Skills: Gimmickry. Weight: 1 per Length. Cost: 3 per Length.
The Fukidake is measured in “Lengths”of 2 each. Up to3 Lengths
may be fitted together. The Fukidake may be used to blow darts at a
victim, or to disperse powdered drugs over an area, with a range
based on the user’s Health. Darts may be blown a distance in yards
equal to the Health ST times the number of Lengths. Divide this
figure by 10 for the range used for blowing powders. Using the
Blowgun in combat requires a “Use Daikyu” Option. It requires a
“Ready Weapon” Option to fit two Lengths together.
Lengths may also be used as snorkels, permitting unlimited
underwater activity as long as the Ninja remains no deeper underthe
surface than the length of his blowgun.