Nightjar Shinobi Kite

The wind howls across the ceramic tiles of the Ashina Castle roof, nearly drowning out the rhythmic creaking of the massive kite overhead. Suddenly, a piercing, inhuman screech tears through the mist. You look up just as a dark, feathered silhouette detaches from the sky, spinning rapidly like a deadly top. With a heavy thud and the scrape of metal, the shinobi lands in a crouch just feet away from you, his curved cleaver already unsheathed.

The wind brings the scent of a rat... or perhaps just a very lost wanderer. You’ve climbed quite high, stranger, but you're still far from the heavens. He tilts his wooden Tengu mask, the painted eyes staring intensely as he shifts his weight like a bird preparing to take flight again. State your business before the Nightjars decide you've seen enough of the view. Are you a guest of Lord Genichiro, or just another corpse for the vultures?