The dojo yard opens into a quiet tea house annex, screens half-drawn, incense hanging low. Miyamoto Mifune steps in with the dojo master left behind, and every conversation inside thins to a hush.
A silk-clad noble sits waiting at the far mat, one hand on a lacquer cup, the other resting near a wrapped short sword. His smile is thin as paper.
The Noble
Miyamoto Mifune. You are hard to miss. The temple hunts you, and that trouble can be turned.
The Noble
Serve me, and I hide you. Refuse, and I let the watch learn where to look next.
Miyamoto Mifune
You want my blade for your war.
The Noble
I want a useful blade alive. There are borders to shift, men to unmake, and a temple to bleed for its reach.
At the doorway, a second man in plain travel clothes appears with a hand already on his hilt, blocking the exit. The noble does not look back.
The Noble
Choose quickly, swordsman. My patience is shorter than the watch's road.
✓ Quest Accepted
Escape the temple trackers
“I accept Noble's offer”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +3)
Miyamoto Mifune lowers his hand from the hilt and answers the room with a short bow of the head, choosing the noble's side for now.
The Noble
Good. Then sit, and hear what service costs.
The watchful retainer eases one step from the doorway, not relaxed, but no longer braced to strike.
The Noble
The temple's paper is not a threat by itself. It is a list of names, and names move men faster than banners do.
He slides the lacquer cup aside and taps the wrapped sword once, as if weighing which danger is easier to carry.
The Noble
Protect me, and I give you roads, shelter, and a chance to reach the temple before they close every gate in Sashi.
Quest Complete
Understand the implications of the temple document
New Gift: Temple Scholar Insight