Rain needles the embankment as Jiro hauls Arimari to the crest. Below, the estate wall sinks into a hedge line, and the Hachiman Gate shows itself, small and weathered, half-hidden under the eaves.
Jiro
There. The latch is under the lip of the roof. Old Goro keeps to the main gate when he is angry, so this door may still be quiet.
Jiro keeps his hand raised a moment longer, then lowers it as if already leaving the mission in Arimari's hands. Water runs from the hedge in silver threads.
Jiro
If anyone asks, you are only a pilgrim seeking shelter. No name, no clan, no haste.
Arimari Tiarasan
The postern is close. One slip, and the pamphlets will never reach the lord.
At the gate, a lone gatekeeper in a soaked rain hat shifts under the eaves, peering out toward the road. The hidden latch is reachable, but only if Arimari commits to the approach now.
“Stealth up to the hidden latch”
SUCCESS (Good Stealth, rolled +3)
Arimari lowers his center of gravity and slips along the embankment, each step placed where the rain has already softened the clay.
The hedge swallows him by degrees, wet leaves brushing his sleeve as he reaches the wall beneath the eaves.
The hidden latch sits above his hand, dark with water, close enough now to touch without reaching high.
Arimari Tiarasan
The latch is set higher than the mud, but the roof lip gives cover.
Old Goro keeps his attention on the road, never looking down as Arimari settles into the shadow of the postern.
A narrow seam appears between hedge and wood, just enough for a careful hand to work.
Arimari reaches the latch cleanly, with the pamphlets still hidden beneath his cloak and the gatekeeper only a few paces away.
Old Goro
Who goes there under the eaves?
Quest Complete
Reach the lord's gatekeeper
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Fair→Good