It was perhaps that lack of curiosity or that momentary relaxation brough upon by something familiar after the sights of awe that caused Mia to fail to notice the hooded man overhead, obscured by the curtains and hanging silks, lodged between the ceiling and the top of the arch of the entrance to this room.<br/><br/>With barely a sound, the assailant dropped behind Mia, and before she even picked up the light thud of his feet hitting the floor, his hands went over her shoulders, wrapping a silk wrap of some sort around her neck and pulling quite forcefully back, cutting off her air and putting her off balance, causing her to fall into his chest with her back, unable to take another breath. In a moment of panic, she flailed around aimlessly in hopes of trying to grab the garrote or her executioner's hands. In her surprised state however, much of her movements were wasted and she could feel her strength leaving her body, the edges of her vision darkening already. She had to collect herself, regain her focus or she'd lose consciousness in moments!<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">The assassin lurking on the ceiling, concealed by the hanging silks and curtains stops waiting and makes his move. Mia's passive perception didn't alert her to danger, and her low perception check means she is surprised and doesn't get a reaction in the surprise round. The assassin hits her twice. Because he has the assassinate feature, both crit automatically upon hitting.<br/>Attack 1 (sneak attack): 36 damage<br/>Attack 2: 9 damage<br/>Because it's a garrote attack, Mia is <strong>grappled</strong> (escape DC 15) and <strong>can't breathe</strong> until free. While grappled this way, the assassin has advantage on attacks against her!<br/><br/>Since the total damage of 45 puts Mia below half hp, she suffers a wardrobe malfunction of your choosing.<br/><br/>Entering normal initiative, it's Mia's turn, as she rolled just a few points higher than the assassin!</div></div>