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Description
An incident from a game I ran in the past: Jiro, a young and idealistic samurai, too badly wounded to flee, holds a road through the fields while his comrades escape.

Here's the end of Jiro's story in his player's words:

The sight that presented itself to the six men was of a massacre. A lone samurai, his clothes slashed and bloody, sat hunched on his horse in the middle of the road, a stained naginata held loosely in one hand. Around him lay the corpses of well over a dozen ashigaru. Reining their horses to a halt, the men looked to their commander.

Raising his head, the samurai fixed the half-dozen soldiers with a steely gaze. "I know," he rasped, "that I will not live to see the sun rise tomorrow, but I also know that you will not pass me.”

The squad commander's eyes went wide at this pronouncement. "Kill him!" he shouted, pointing at the samurai with his spear. Urging his horse into a gallop, Jiro charged to the right of the six men. Whipping his naginata around, he cut the commander from the saddle, and then pushed past the remaining ashigaru. Confusion reined among the remaining soldiers as they tried to bring their horses around. But they had little experience with trying to control a horse in the midst of even so small a battle as this one. With a shout of triumph, the samurai sent another ashigaru toppling from his saddle. Immediately, the surviving foot soldiers slid from their horses, feeling more secure fighting on the road and not from the back of a panicked horse. A second ashigaru fell to Jiro's naginata, before anyone was able to respond to his attacks. Grouping themselves into a short line, the remaining spearmen stuck out with their weapons, trying to force the samurai back.

From atop his horse, Jiro gave a savage grin. Bringing his naginata up and over his head, he lashed out in a fierce series of strikes, giving a shout of triumph as each struck home. His victory was short-lived however, as a spear thrust caught him in the shoulder and sent him tumbling from the saddle. Standing in the muddy expanse of the rice field, Jiro coughed and spat a mouthful of blood. He now knew, with total certainty, that he was soon to die. But he still had his duty to Lord Arai to carry out. He would see that the ashigaru before him would never make it any further up the road. Bracing his feet, he once again lashed out in a series of blinding thrusts, once again striking at each of his opponents. But when he had needed it the most, his strength had left him, and none of the blows was a fatal one. His naginata slipping from now nerveless fingers, Jiro slowly slid to the ground, to fall in a heap amid the mud and rice stubble Stumbling back to the road, the three surviving ashigaru stared with amazement at the still corpse of the samurai. Just a moment before it had seemed that he would kill them all, now ... he lay unmoving on the ground. The three men looked to each other as they backed away, wondering if this was some sort of trick, or if their opponent's dreadful wounds had finally claimed his life. None wanted to be the first to go and find out.

Description
An incident from a game I ran in the past: Jiro, a young and idealistic samurai, too badly wounded to flee, holds a road through the fields while his comrades escape.

Here's the end of Jiro's story in his player's words:

The sight that presented itself to the six men was of a massacre. A lone samurai, his clothes slashed and bloody, sat hunched on his horse in the middle of the road, a stained naginata held loosely in one hand. Around him lay the corpses of well over a dozen ashigaru. Reining their horses to a halt, the men looked to their commander.

Raising his head, the samurai fixed the half-dozen soldiers with a steely gaze. "I know," he rasped, "that I will not live to see the sun rise tomorrow, but I also know that you will not pass me.”

The squad commander's eyes went wide at this pronouncement. "Kill him!" he shouted, pointing at the samurai with his spear. Urging his horse into a gallop, Jiro charged to the right of the six men. Whipping his naginata around, he cut the commander from the saddle, and then pushed past the remaining ashigaru. Confusion reined among the remaining soldiers as they tried to bring their horses around. But they had little experience with trying to control a horse in the midst of even so small a battle as this one. With a shout of triumph, the samurai sent another ashigaru toppling from his saddle. Immediately, the surviving foot soldiers slid from their horses, feeling more secure fighting on the road and not from the back of a panicked horse. A second ashigaru fell to Jiro's naginata, before anyone was able to respond to his attacks. Grouping themselves into a short line, the remaining spearmen stuck out with their weapons, trying to force the samurai back.

From atop his horse, Jiro gave a savage grin. Bringing his naginata up and over his head, he lashed out in a fierce series of strikes, giving a shout of triumph as each struck home. His victory was short-lived however, as a spear thrust caught him in the shoulder and sent him tumbling from the saddle. Standing in the muddy expanse of the rice field, Jiro coughed and spat a mouthful of blood. He now knew, with total certainty, that he was soon to die. But he still had his duty to Lord Arai to carry out. He would see that the ashigaru before him would never make it any further up the road. Bracing his feet, he once again lashed out in a series of blinding thrusts, once again striking at each of his opponents. But when he had needed it the most, his strength had left him, and none of the blows was a fatal one. His naginata slipping from now nerveless fingers, Jiro slowly slid to the ground, to fall in a heap amid the mud and rice stubble Stumbling back to the road, the three surviving ashigaru stared with amazement at the still corpse of the samurai. Just a moment before it had seemed that he would kill them all, now ... he lay unmoving on the ground. The three men looked to each other as they backed away, wondering if this was some sort of trick, or if their opponent's dreadful wounds had finally claimed his life. None wanted to be the first to go and find out.