Mirumoto Mountaineer

Elite Unit: Mirumoto Mountaineers Most samurai from other clans look at the foreboding peaks of the Dragon lands and wonder how anyone could hope to attack or defend such an area. These men and women have no knowledge of the Mirumoto Mountaineers, or they would not ask such questions. The Mountaineers are young Mirumoto samurai chosen for a particular duty based on their athletic ability, their ability to handle the adverse terrain in which they train, and their clarity of thought. Prospective mountaineers are taken into the most remote sections of the mountain range by their sensei and train there in complete isolation, living off of the land for weeks or even months at a time. Those who cannot survive on their own are quickly removed from the program, but those who succeed emerge from the training stronger and more self-assured than ever. The Mountaineers are employed by the Dragon as scouts during times of conflict, and as a means of patrolling the most difficult sections of their home provinces during peace time. More than once, the Mountaineers have detected, intercepted, and eliminated threats attempting to infiltrate the Dragon lands via hidden mountain passes. In particular, the Mountaineers are an essential element of the clan’s northern border defense, where they work to prevent the minions of the Dark Oracle of Fire from gaining entrance into the Dragon lands. Tactics: The Mountaineers’ duty is to observe and report, and to attack only when absolutely necessary or when doing so can directly delay an opponent or opposing force from Masters of War Web Supplement 9 making further inroads into Dragon territory. Because the Mountaineers are so light and mobile a unit, their traditional tactics are to bait their opponents into dangerous terrain, such as regions that are prone to avalanche, or to harass from higher ground with archery fire. Unit Assignment: The Mirumoto Mountaineers occupy the Seventeenth through Twentieth Legions of the Dragon army. The reserve companies assigned to these legions are constructed so that they can be set up as mobile home bases, from which various patrols are conducted throughout regions as large as an entire province. Mirumoto Mountaineers (New Path) Technique Rank: 3 Path of Entry: Mirumoto Bushi 2 or Mirumoto Swordmaster 2 Path of Egress: Re-enter the same School at Rank 3 Technique: Dance of the Avalanche – Mountaineers are among the finest scouts the Mirumoto have, and are trained to evade and observe above all else. Whenever you are struck by an opponent’s attack, you may immediately roll Athletics/Agility against a TN equal to your opponent’s attack roll. If you are successful, you evade the attack. This Technique may be used a maximum number of times per round equal to your School Rank.