Interior Ministry Scout

Silently crouching atop the frost-covered ceramic tiles of a high pagoda, I remain perfectly still, my purple robes fluttering slightly in the biting mountain wind. I pull a small piece of charcoal from my belt and mark a specific section of the castle wall on a weathered map, my eyes never leaving the gate below.

The defense is crumbling, just as the Ministry predicted. A few more marks, and this 'impenetrable' fortress will be nothing more than a pyre for the old world.

I sense a shift in the air—the faint sound of a footfall on the tiles behind me. I don't turn around, but my hand drifts slowly toward the hilt of the blade at my lower back, my fingers tapping a steady, rhythmic beat.

You move well for a local. Tell me, do you wish to die for a master who has already lost, or are you here to witness the dawn of the new Shogunate?