[WFRP] A More Pleasant Form of Misery

[Thragka]

A More Pleasant Form of Misery

Prologue
Sold Down the River


OOC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291350)

Bezahltag, 1st Sigmarzeit, 2522 I.C.

Though the lengthening evenings bore the promise of the coming summer, in Carroburg the air was muggy. The humidity did not so much threaten the return of spring showers as demand it. The old town ground to a halt in the afternoon. Everyone and everything was sticky and slow-moving, and the rains would have been welcome to break through the turbid atmosphere lingering across the cobbled streets. But in their absence, the townsfolk had only two recourses – waiting in the hopes that the night would be cooler, or, for the less patient, lounging by the Reik. After all, despite the oppressive fug, this was one of the first fine evenings of the year, and one could do a lot worse than spend it on the riverbank just outside of town.

Even within the old walls, where the river was chiefly used for business instead of leisure, the dockers and stevedores found their territory invaded by children come to splash around the quays. The rascals were a nuisance. More than one received a clap to the ear or even a vindictive kick when they got awkwardly underfoot. By the late afternoon an unspoken convention had developed; the children cleared off from incoming boats and stuck to unoccupied stretched of the waterfront. A few of the more enterprising youngsters earned a couple of shillings by trying their hand at the docking trade. They could not know, of course, but some of them had just entered their lifelong career.

In any case, there were few workers left (either adults or juveniles) when the last ferry of the day made ready to depart. This seemed to suit its captain fine, as he had very little cargo, and seemed uneager to let too many people set foot on his vessel. The Red Rooster had arrived late and did not stay long. It accepted the motley group of passengers who for various reasons suddenly needed to take a late ferry out of Carroburg, exchanged a minor amount of cargo, and cast off once more just before sundown.

The pilot had left his passengers to stand around aimlessly on deck at the front of the barge while he handled the wheel. There were five newcomers and one man who’d already been aboard when the Red Rooster arrived in Carroburg. He made no attempt to befriend his new shipmates, though – the gangly fellow just leaned against the gunwale and watched the riverbank slide by. He had a habit of scratching his beard – short, auburn, and failing to conceal the weary-looking structure of his sunken cheeks and knobby chin – as if lost in thought. Indeed, he showed no sign of listening when the pilot began talking.

“Right. I took your coin, so that’s that. We’re making one more stop before Marienburg, at Scheinfeld, picking someone else up. I’ll drop you off when we get to the city. Other than that we won’t have too much to do with each other.”

The pilot spat a dark, tarry gob of phlegm into the river.

“Don’t know why you’re travelling, and don’t much care. There’s bunks in the front of the cabin, just through the door there. There’s another door at the back of the cabin. Don’t go through there. That’s one rule. Only other rule I have is no-one else gets on this boat until we get to the Wasteland. Don’t care if it’s a priest or a watchman or the Emperor hisself. What’s on this boat’s private. My stuff’s mine, your stuff’s yours. I don't ask questions. You don't ask questions. And if we run into any Riverwardens between here and Marienburg, we dissuade them from asking questions, too.”

There was a grunt that might have been a monosyllabic laugh from the sixth passenger; perhaps he’d heard this little speech before. The pilot stared at the bearded man for a couple of seconds, before spitting out some more tobacco-infused saliva and turning his eyes back to the Reik.

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

Smuggler, Lothar thought to himself.

Part of him was overcome with curiosity. Surely the man knew that telling people to stay out of the back room was the best way to guarantee someone tried to go in.

He would have to do his best to not be that someone. He had gotten himself into trouble too many times doing things like that. After Carroburg, he wasn't going to risk angering the captain.

[RossN]

Hanna

Hanna gave both the pilot and the strange passenger disdainful glances and turned her attention to the others aboard.

The red haired actress stood at the port side, her hair and dresses artfully arranged to disguise the fact that she had scarcely a pfenning to her name and no maidservant or bodyguard to accompany her. Quite a comedown for the Queen of the Carroburg stage! Well that would change when they reached Mariernburg - her looks and her talent could get her anywhere as they had in the past.

A tiny hint of paranoia made her glance again at her fellow passengers. It seemed doubtful any of them were in the Graf's pay - or worse his wife's pay but one could never be too careful.

[ZeltArruin]

Heinrich

At the conclusion of the captain's speech, the tall pitfighter reached upwards and stretched, eliciting many pops and cracks from his body as his weapons clattered about on his back and hips. None of the other passengers seemed of his trade, and if it weren't for his ill fortunes in Carroburg, he would have offered a game of dice to them, so his options with the other passengers were few.

Being the blunt and open sort he was, Heinrich unabashedly spoke up, "So, anyone know what the pits are like in Marienburg? I would hate to get imprisoned there for a time, Middenheim was bad enough, thank Ulric I got myself out of there before I lost my head," The pitfighter said, his speech quite good for one so rough and in such a rough trade. It was clear from his appearance that he was quite good indeed at killing.

((its just not the same if he doesn't speak in broken brettonian :smalltongue:. And I always did imagine his imperial was very good))

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

"I've never been," Lothar muttered quietly.

He kept his eyes on Carroburg as it shrank in the distance. He doubted anyone would go through the trouble to follow the ship - If they had even realized he had boarded it in the first place - but there was little else to do and it never hurt to be sure.

[BlueMagnusStorm]

Siegfried

As the captain spoke Siegfried glanced around nervously, eyes on the lookout for the local militia. Just a few more moments and i'll be out of the city and beyond there reach he thought. After a moment lost in thought the pitfighter's conversation drew him back to reality. At the mention of prison Siegfried paled for just a moment before responding "I'm afraid I have no idea I've never been there before.".

[RossN]

Hanna

Hanna, who had been standing close enough to overhear this (not that the deck had that much room) turned to join the conversation. The beautiful actress looked confused. In an elegant Nuln accent she said: "I'm sorry 'the pits'...?"

The accent was fake but the confusion wasn't; while the theatre had its shady side Hanna had never been to a pit fight. Her suitors tended to be more, well, refined.

[Raunchel]

Leonore

The waif keeps her distance from the others, some look like ruffians and she does not want to anger them, such men tend to be very dangerous. She has seen some of the faces before, but that doesn't reassure her. She knows the red-haired woman, everyone does, but the others are just faces to her, and the woman actually is the same, a face with a name, but still someone unknown. "I wouldn't know about those.", Leonore says with a trembling voice. It helps to look weak, then they won't expect her to be potentially dangerous.

[Thragka]

The captain glanced back at Heinrich, looking him up and down. Despite the chill in his introductory monologue, he seemed impressed.

"Yerra fighter?" he asked. "There's a few pits. And plenty of call for strong men, outside them."

The bearded man turned to Hanna when he heard her speak, a curious expression on his face. Confusion gave way to recognition.

"One of Sierck's girls," he said, mostly to himself, as he squinted down his long nose at her. Then his eyes widened, and he looked away, back across the water, as though he was worried he'd said too much.

Lothar
As his attention was drawn to the lanky man leaning on the gunwale, Lothar realised that something had been nagging at the back of his mind since he'd got on the boat. To his otherworldly senses, the Reik had two currents, one of mundane water, and the second of the aethyric energy he knew as the Green Wind, hanging above the river. But hidden beneath the layer of life magic was a small eddy consisting of a different type of magical power, and it was centred on the tall man. It tasted of ash, and tinged his vision with reddish hues and the shimmering of heat devils.

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

Lothar glanced up from the water and turned his attention to the tall stranger.

Though he did his best to appear outwardly calm, Lothar was filled with a growing sense of dread. The last thing he wanted was to run into another wizard.

He took a deep breath, his thoughts racing. Stay calm. There are a thousand reasons for the pyromancer to be on this ship - And if the Grey Order knew of me, surely they would've sent one of their own. He knows nothing about me. Give him no reason to take interest and he won't.

It was a coincidence. Nothing more.

More for an excuse to look away from the man than out of any actual interest...
When the captain spoke, he shifted his attention to the woman with the accent.

[RossN]

Hanna

Hanna's purple eyes widened at the recogntion from the bearded man; or at least semi-recognition (no one who had seen her acclaimed turn as Princess Evaine of Bretonnia in Emperor Oswald III, Part II could possibly refer to her as "one of Sierck's girls.)

"Not for some time Mein Herr, though you are perhaps a patron of the Altdorf stage?"

To her surprise the admirer (of sorts) turned away. A Lili Nisson fan perhaps? Haughtily dismissing him from her thoughts she turned to Lothar. "Are you a patron of the theatre by chance?"

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

"Hmm? No. Couldn't be further from it to tell the truth."

[Thragka]

"Not for some time Mein Herr, though you are perhaps a patron of the Altdorf stage?"

"Once," the taller man muttered. He pushed his forearms against the gunwale to straighten up and turned back to the boat, assiduously avoiding making eye contact with any of the others. Hugging his cloak tightly around his slender frame, he walked across the deck to the cabin door - pausing a moment to stare at Lothar perhaps slightly longer than was comfortable - but only narrowed his eyes before stepping inside.

The door shut behind him with a click. On the banks of the Reik, the last of the city fell behind the Red Rooster. Ahead, the sun was a blurry blob on the horizon, layered reflections flickering on the water as it prepared to disappear for the night. The pilot showed every sign of being prepared to sail on through the night.

[Raunchel]

Leonore looks back at the disappearing Carroburg. Tears well up in her eyes, she will never return, and without her her siblings will find it hard to survive. The war has been terrible, and she has already seen people starve in the back alleys. She wipes away the tears but it doesn't help, more and more flow from her eyes. She cries without sound, that is one of the things that she has learned, she could never let her brothers and sisters find out that she was afraid. She swallows, how will they be now? Are they crying too?

[BlueMagnusStorm]

Siegfried turned towards the prow of the ship and gazed out at the approaching water wondering what this new journey held for him and hoping it wouldn't end in disaster.

[RossN]

Hanna

Hanna sighed. Clearly her fellow passengers weren't in a talkative mood which suggested this was going to be a long trip.

Seeing the girl apparently absorbed in the sight of Carroburg vanishing upriver she walked over and shot her a sympathetic smile. "First time away from home honey?"

[ZeltArruin]

Heinrich beamed as he was recognized for what he was by the captain. "Aye, Pit Fighter by trade, but I've certainly had my share of non-consensual violence, too," He said, flashing his boyish grin. It seemed no one else on this ship was as much of a brute as he, but that was of no concern of his. "I've even faced an Ogre before, but, ah, that did not go well," He said, a few hints of remorse and unpleasant memories tugging at the sides of his smile.

[Raunchel]

Leonore looks at the actress for a few moments before she replies, still with tears on her face: "Yes, I never left the town before, and I'm worried about my brothers and sisters."

She wipes the tears away and ontinues: "I just hope that they'll manage on their own."

[RossN]

Hanna

Hanna didn't know quite how to respond to that, not being close to her own family. She hesitated but gave what she hoped was a sympathetic smile.

"There, there honey I'm sure they will be. Just think how proud they must be of you going out into the wide world. Not many girls your age would be that brave."

[Raunchel]

Leonore

"I-I never told them that I would leave, I didn't know that until just before we set off. They could be looking for me, or maybe they already think that I'm dead."

[RossN]

Hanna

Hanna stirred uncofortably. This was definitely more than she had asked for.

On the other hand how would Princess Evaine have handled this? Or the goddess Luccina, who she had played (to great acclaim) in Von Zapf's Luccini Tragedy? They'd reassure the crying child, that's what.

"There, there honey. I'm sure once we reach a riverport you can send them a message telling them everything."

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

If her family can read. Or if the girl can write for that matter. Lothar thought. He kept his thoughts to himself. There was no point in upsetting the girl further and he could think of nothing that would calm her.

[Thragka]

"Aye, Pit Fighter by trade, but I've certainly had my share of non-consensual violence, too. I've even faced an Ogre before, but, ah, that did not go well."

The captain gave a throaty grunt – it sounded like approval. “Guess there ain’t many men as can say they’ve done that.” But his attention was on the rudder and the Reik – his gaze stayed fixed firmly ahead as he read the twilight waters.

The sun set, and the night made itself felt as it swallowed the riverbank in gloom and chilled the air. Still their pilot remained fixed to the wheel. He made it look simple to guide the ferry downstream – occasionally, he’d mutter to himself, predicting (always correctly) a coming bend, a sandbank or an odd current. Other than his practiced recitations, all that his passengers could hear was the gentle rush of the water around the boat. It was a calm sound, but the cool and dark of the spring night made it eerie. The spooky quality was only compounded when the afternoon’s clouds transformed into a sly mist loitering on the bank. And as the river broadened – the Reik reminding them that it was the mightiest of the Empire’s waterways – soon even the promise of solid ground was obscured by the combination of the darkness and the low-hanging fog. It was not difficult to imagine that they were as isolated as a ship lost on the high seas.

An hour passed – fitfully, for most of them, as all had unwelcome thoughts to weigh on their minds. Their pilots mutterings soon dissolved into background noise – until Lothar noticed the man seem to straighten up at the wheel.

“The hell is that …” he began. Following his gaze did not make the source of his disquiet obvious to anyone – that is, until a suggestion of a shadow began to solidify out of the mist. Another boat was just downriver, lounging on the right bank of the Reik.

A concerted splash signified an oar-team spurring into action. The shadow began to expand. The Rooster’s captain swore and spun the wheel madly, and the ferry lurched to the left in response. Then came the hiss of something small and thin slicing through air at speed. Another shape began to materialise from the left; at the same moment, an arrow came to a juddering halt in the cabin wall with a thwock. From the shadows, a voice roared out an offer:

“Riches or death!”

“Pirates,” the captain swore venemously. “Someone get my bloody crossbow outer the cabin. Looks like we’ll get t’see yeh in action, Herr Fighter.”

[ZeltArruin]

"Herr Bischof, if you would," said the pit fighter with seemingly more bravado than sense as he drew his long sword and buckler, leaping to the ready as his eager eyes scanned the darkness. Not willing to die out on the bow, he backed up closer to the cabins and the rest of the passengers. Part of him wanted to meet the pirates right on the bow and send them tumbling into the water, it would be heroic after all, but his battle sense was enough to keep him from doing something quite so stupid.

[BlueMagnusStorm]

Siegfried stands stunned by what has just happened for just a moment before setting off at a break neck pace towards the cabin to get the crossbow the captain mentioned.

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

Lothar shuddered and looked for something to take cover behind. There were a few ways he had feared he would die, but being cut down by pirates was a new one.

Maybe the pirates would spare them if they didn't resist. He knew he had nothing of value for them to take.

[RossN]

Hanna

With surprising grace Hanna leapt for cover, beckoning towards Leonore to follow her lead. Hanna's face had gone pale but she wasn't panicking, at least not yet.

[Raunchel]

Leonore is shocked and immediately hides behind the railing.

[Thragka]

Inside the door, Siegfried was greeted with a row of bunks to each side - at the rear of the cabin was the second door the captain had mentioned, and the space between the berths and the rear partition was occupied with sacks and crates, coils of rope, a couple of kegs - and perched on top of one of them, a crossbow. The apothecary went for it, but his path was diverted sideways as the boat shifted beneath him - he nearly crashed into the sixth passenger as the tall man sat up from his mattress and blinked sleep from his eyes.

"What the hell -" the man began, but Siegfried had righted his landlubber legs, grabbed the crossbow and darted back outside.

Through the night mist, their assailants' boats became clearer - a pair of skiffs, one on each side about ten yards from the Red Rooster, with four silhouettes aboard each.

In concerted motion, one man from each boat tossed something overarm towards the barge - but with a pair of plunks, the grappling hooks fell short of the Rooster, and the pirates began to pull them back in before they sank to the riverbed. The other figures were rowing - within moments the smaller boats would be alongside the barge and the raiders would be able to board properly.

"Grab the wheel!" the captain said to Siegfried when the latter reutrned with the former's crossbow. "Hold her steady while I take this shot."

[Raunchel]

Leonore is frightened by these pirates. She curses: "Sigmar's Beard, why now?" while she grabs the short stabbing sword she keeps under her skirt. Fleeing is no option, she can't swim, and hiding will be troublesome as well, if the pirates win they will take everything, including possible hiding places. She swallows, she has heard the most horrible stories.

[RossN]

Hanna

Hanna was frightened but she wasn't panicking. A lot of people in Carroburg assumed she was just another empty headed beauty with nothing more to her than a fashionable hairstyle and an artfully cut dress but a lot of people were wrong. She'd traveled a lot as a girl and she knew how dangerous it was... to say nothing of the circumstances under which she was fleeing the city.

She crawled across the deck and drew out the short sword from her pack - a memento from an admirer early in her career. Then she waited, pale and wide eyed but breathing steadily.

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

Lothar 's eyes widened. Surely these women weren't planning to fight the pirates. They were going to get themselves killed. Worse, they were going to get him killed.

Reluctantly, he pulled a dagger from his boot. He was more comfortable cutting purses than throats, but the pirates weren't likely to make distinctions between him and the rest even if he didn't try to resist.

[BlueMagnusStorm]

Siegfried grabs the wheel at the captains request and focuses on keeping the boat as steady as he can.

[Thragka]

As the captain raised the crossbow and took aim through the mist, Siegfried grabbed the rim of the wheel. The rough wood twisted, scorching his palm. The boat lurched ponderously to port, angling towards the invisible riverbank as the apothecary desperately tried to get a handle on the helm.

A movement in the corner of his eye made him jump back; an arrow passed over Siegfried's shoulder, tearing away the upper layers of cloth and skin. From the opposite side, another thunked into the starboard gunwale. Then came the grappling hooks, tossed overarm by a raider on each of the skiffs. To starboard, where Leonore and Hanna hung close to the cabin wall, the metal teeth fell short of the barge, sinking into the murky Reik with a plonk. Lothar was not so lucky. The port skiff's hook found purchase in the railing a couple of yards from the young man, and with a leery grin the men on that side's rowboat began to haul themselves closer to the Red Rooster.

The captain loosed his quarrel, but the shot went wide. He swore, and tried to keep an eye on the enemy as he reloaded. "Prepare to be boarded!" he announced to his passengers.

Map:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/Thragka/Warhammer/A%20More%20Pleasant%20Form%20of%20Misery/BargeCombat1.png (http://s154.photobucket.com/user/Thragka/media/Warhammer/A%20More%20Pleasant%20Form%20of%20Misery/BargeCombat1.png.html)

Siegfried will need to take Strength tests to control the barge; if he fails badly, it'll start to drift towards the bank.

[RossN]

Hanna

"Cut the rope, cut the rope!" Hanna cried out to Lothar.

Lacking a missile weapon she could do little other than try and keep her head down and be likewise ready to hack at the rope with her sword should the starboard skiff make purchase with its hook.

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

He didn't need to be told again. Lothar scrambled over to the rail and took the rope in his free hand. He started sawing through it with the dagger in his other hand.

[ZeltArruin]

Heinrich

Seeing that the first boarding hook came from the port side of the boat, Heinrich shifted towards Lothar, expecting the first pirates to come from that side. Or, should the strange man fail severing the rope, Heinrich could slice through it, one way or another. The mask of combat Heinrich wore was always one of savage glee, it almost made him look a touch insane.

[Raunchel]

Leonore

Leonore is frightened by the pirates and stays in her place while she prepares to either cut a rope if it comes out an enemy, whichever should come first.

[BlueMagnusStorm]

Siegfried Held onto the wheel with all of his strength attempting to hold the boat in place and prevent it from moving as much as possible.

[Thragka]

Siegfried grabbed at the wheel and wrenched it with all his might. The Red Rooster responded to his touch, and the apothecary felt a sense of power flow through his as the wood beneath his feet lurched back towards the centre of the river. Beside him, the captain plonked the end of his crossbow down on the deck and tugged the string back along the body of the weapon. From starboard came the answering thwock of a pirate loosing a quarrel. Heinrich saw the movement out of the corner of his eye. Instinct took over and he raised his buckler to block the shot, but he was far too clumsily slow to catch the bolt, and four inches of wood flecked with black feathers came to a halt in his left forearm.

Lothar’s dagger made short work of the line – within a moment the rope trailed uselessly from the hook. But it was too late to stop the skiff’s approach; Siegfried’s quick reflexes in turning the boat had yanked the smaller pirate vessel along with the barge. The wreckers leered at the young man, and as their rowboat crashed against the Rooster’s hull they vaulted over the gunwale onto the deck. Lothar’s dagger looked pitifully short in comparison to their slender cutlasses. And worse, he was outnumbered. The pair of raiders raised their swords without a smidgeon of mercy – and then Heinrich came roaring along the deck, blocking an arcing cutlass with his longsword and shaving a chunk of flesh off the younger-looking pirate’s leg.

On the other side of the deck, the starboard raiders quickly pulled their length of rope back onto their skiff. This time, when they threw it, the grappling hook bit into the Rooster. Hardly believing what she was doing, Leonore darted forwards and snicked the end of the rope. Elation gave way to terror as she looked up from the hook to the furious pirates mere yards away on the smaller boat. One of them nocked an arrow to his bow and took aim at her …

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/Thragka/BargeCombat2.png (http://s154.photobucket.com/user/Thragka/media/BargeCombat2.png.html)

Heinrich takes four wounds from a pirate's crossbow. In return however, I decided that once the pirates had actually gotten aboard the Rooster, the most Heinrich-y thing he could do was charge them - hope that's okay by you Zelt, 'cause he did a nice round 10 wounds to one of the miscreants.

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

Lothar took a step backwards. All of his instincts said he should run. Only the appearance of the pit fighter at his side (and the bloody wound he dealt to the pirate) prevented him from making a mad dash to... to... Where had he thought he could run to anyways? It's not like he had anywhere to escape to.

He took a deep breath and adjusted his stance. He was a poor fighter and he knew it, but perhaps if he could just hold out, he might survive this.

Defensive Stance - Half action
Attack the wounded pirate - Half action

In a rolling sort of mood, so I'll FP it if I miss.

Roll to hit - [roll0]
FP reroll if I miss - [roll1]

damage if I manage a hit - [roll2]

Told you Lothar was a poor fighter. XD

[RossN]

Hanna

The actress raced over to Lenore, dragging the frightened girl down to take cover from the oncoming arrows: "Stay down child!" Hanna urged, her own voice shaking with fear.

OOC:
Full move to the square just above Lenore.

[Raunchel]

Leonore

When she sees the archer aiming at her Leonore is paralyzed by fear. She doesn't react at all until Hanna pulls her away from the danger. The knuckles of her right hand are almost white from the force with which she holds her sword. But she returns to her senses a little and prepares for the inevitable boarders.

[ZeltArruin]

Heinrich

Glaring at the pirates infront of him, partly out of anger towards himself for getting wounded, Heinrich attacked ferociously, but not disregarding his own safety. He knew he would be needed on the other side in moments, and he needed to drop these two quickly.

As always, parry before dodge during their turn.
Aim and attack the wounded guy.
to hit: [roll0] vs 55
also fate luck point if I miss: [roll1]
damage: [roll2]

With great force, Heinrich cleaved through the wounded pirate before kicking his corpse to the river and turning his attentions to the other, the grin in the pit fighter's face was one of savage glee as his bloodied longsword loomed closer to his next target.

[BlueMagnusStorm]

Siegfried tries his best to keep the ship steady. Try as he might though the movement of the ship becomes too much for him and the ship begins to drift.

[Thragka]

The wheel began sliding in the apothecary's hands - the captain was blocking the body of it, and at that awkward angle Siegfried couldn't keep his grasp of it. The barge lurched once again, the Reik's current dragging it towards the left bank. The much smaller pirate skiff creaked and whined as the Red Rooster drove into it - then it buckled, wooden beams snapping in harmony as it disintegrated into flotsam. The wrecker who'd still been aboard it grabbed out at the Rooster gunwale at the last moment - from the choking noise Lothar heard, he'd been badly winded, but that didn't stop him from putting one hand over the other and pulling himself up.

Heinrich's attention was focused on the pair of pirates that were already aboard. The young one whose leg he'd wounded screwed his mousy face up in an animalistic grimace. Snarling, he swung his cutlass furiously. But he was an amateur, and the seasoned pit fighter skillfully blocked the ponderous movement of the enemy's blade with his own weapon, before bringing the sword crashing down on the lad's shoulder and opening him from neck to belly. The boy's anger faded, replaced with something like confusion - and then Heinrich kicked him off the ship. The wrecker tumbled into the river, his blood staining the water around the ruins of his boat.

His partner was more cautious. He raised his own buckler and only half-heartedly poked his cutlass towards the pit fighter. His squat face was compressed into a frown as he glanced around to see what had become of his friend clinging to the gunwale.

"'M alright," the remaining pirate choked out, scrambling up the side of the cabin. Standing up on the roof, he leered down at Heinrich and Lothar, a gold tooth gleaming out from his bushy black beard. He drew a cutlass in one hand and a dagger in the other, and sneered as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Shark's teeth, lad!" the captain roared at the helm, dropping his crossbow as he turned his attention back to the wheel. "I'll bloody handle the ship! You do something useful!" Out to starboard, the other skiff of wreckers abandoned their rope. Grabbing a couple of oars, the pair in front began to row towards the drifting barge. The man standing behind them just watched Leonore and Hannah as he methodically reloaded his crossbow. He was tall and thin, wearing a dark maroon officer's coat and sporting a shabby tricorn hat on his head. It didn't take his underlings long to row over to the Rooster. The trio lined up on their skiff, ready for a coordinated leap across onto the deck of the barge ...

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/Thragka/BargeCombat3.png (http://s154.photobucket.com/user/Thragka/media/BargeCombat3.png.html)

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

Lothar fought the urge to be sick. He has only ever seen a man die once before - from a blow to the head in a bar fight. This had been much bloodier and he was far closer to the boy as he died.

Defensive Stance - Half action
Attack the wounded pirate - Half action

Roll to hit - [roll0]

Better luck this time?

[Raunchel]

Leonore sees the man reload and ducks into cover, she has seen more than enough men who were crippled by such a weapon. She briefly looks at her sword and readies it. The moment someone climbs over the side she intends to stab him.

[RossN]

Hanna also ducks and readies her sword. She whispers to Leonore: "When they leap we should both try and hit the one in the tricorn hat - he's their leader and if dies they might make a break for it."

[BlueMagnusStorm]

Siegfried nods to the captain in response, before drawing his axe and moving to the side of the boat that Hanna and Leonore are on.

[ZeltArruin]

Turning on the next brigand, Heinrich brought his sword to bare darting in for a quick, accurate slice, though the power that was in his last blow was nearly all but lacking from this one. Luckily, even a little force from Heinrich was enough.

"You should help the others," the pitfighter grunted to the small man next to him, nodding his head over his shoulder towards the other side of the boat. After his display on the now ex-brigand, maybe he was right.

[Thragka]

At a nod from the leader, the three pirates on the starboard skiff jumped in unison from their boat to the barge. Only one actually managed to tuck his legs up and clear the gunwale as he leapt, landing agilely on the Rooster's deck. The other two, including the one in the maroon coat, seemed to have second thoughts about crashing into the women. The leader ended up planting his feet against the hull and holding himself up by planting his palms on the wooden railing - only the awkward angle prevented Leonore's thrusted dagger from making contact with his chest, and some fancy hand- and footwork let him lean sideways beyond the reach of Hannah's attack. To the other side of the actress, the third pirate had caught the gunwale at his midsection, and even as she struck out against his leader, he leaned his torso over, ready to swing aboard the barge.

The bearded man atop the cabin roof took a thunderous step, and another, and then jumped down behind Lothar. He landed with his body turned towards the boy but his feet pointing to bow; and in the half second where the man got his legs the right way around, and without really thinking, the boy stepped forward and extended his arm. The pirate lashed out with his own knife, and the dirty blade would cut an adult attacker's hand clean off - but Lothar's stab was low. The dagger sank into the raider's belly, releasing a spurt of blood and other digestive ichors from his gut. Dropping his own weapons in shock, the man clutched at Lothar's dagger, staggered backwards a couple of paces, and then collapsed to the deck.

Behind Lothar, Heinrich's opponent was much less reckless - the pit fighter could tell that this one had learnt the proper art of swordsmanship. His strikes were careful and considered, testing Heinrich's own skill at arms and evaluating his style rather than trying to draw blood. Heinrich's sword answered his foe's advances blow for blow, their steal clicking and clacking time and again. The pit fighter tried a more forceful assault with a wide hack, but the wrecker's shield was perfectly positioned to deflect it, and the pirate bashed the broadsword out of the way.

There was some shuffling from within the cabin. The door burst open, and the sixth passenger stepped out onto deck, a quarterstaff with a candle set in it grasped in his right hand. His gaze darted from the corpse at his feet, to the bloodslick deck beneath Heinrich and his sparring partner, and to the boarders to the right as he silently took in the scene.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/Thragka/BargeCombat4.png (http://s154.photobucket.com/user/Thragka/media/BargeCombat4.png.html)

[Raunchel]

When she sees the coat-wearing man in front of her Leonore yelps before she tries to put her steel through him, knowing deep inside that she won't have a chance with him on the deck.

[roll0]target 43
Damage: [roll1]

[RossN]

Hanna

Hanna turned to pirate who had not quite made it on deck and lashed out with a furious assault, that she hoped would make up in energy what it lacked in training and finnese.

OOC:
Standard Attack on the pirate diagonally next to Hanna.

To Hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

After attacking Hanna goes into a Parrying Stance.

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

All Lothar could do was stare in horror as the pirate staggered backwards. He had stabbed on reflex. An unconscious reaction to the man leaping towards him.

"But... I didn't mean..."

He felt his stomach heave, but kept himself from vomiting. He turned to Heinrich. His voice was meek when he spoke.

"Please... No more killing."

He turned at the remaining pirate.

"Put your weapons down. You don't have to die."

Half action - Stare like an idiot at the dead man (And I suppose take his dagger out of the dead man)
Half Action - Delay. Wait until the pirate does what he does. If the pirate is willing to surrender, he'll get his rope out. If the pirate attacks, he'll (reluctantly) attack.

If he does attack, rolls. (Spoiled because why should the pirate know in advance =P)

[roll0] - To hit
[roll1] - Damage

[BlueMagnusStorm]

Siegfried Moves towards the pirate and attempts to injure him most severely with his axe.

[ZeltArruin]

Heinrich

Heinrich pauses his attack and looks at Lothar with a mix of confusion and anger. Mercy wasn't his style, if these people attacked them with the intent of cutting everyone down, there was no need to give them mercy. He paused, waiting for a response, words or blades would be all he would need, but that didn't stop him from glaring menacingly at the brigand.

Intimidate:
[roll0] vs 33

Worth a shot, can't remember how much of an action this is (half I guess), and otherwise I'll delay for his response.

[Thragka]

Lothar
Somehow, he knew it was going to happen before he saw or heard or even felt it. The pyromancer barely moved, but his intentions called the Red Wind to him. Lothar felt it as an otherworldly heat on his face as the gaunt man coiled the Aether around him - and, with words like the crackling of burning timber, unleashed it.

The apprentice's mouth went dry. And the magic tasted good.

Closing one hand around the candle atop his staff, the lank man whispered words in a language only one of the other passengers understood, but which called out to the hindbrain of each of them. Though the harsh syllables were quiet, they seemed familiar, evoking concepts that men had visualised and defined long before they even had language. Warmth. Life. Danger. Fire; the first tool, friend and god and trickster.

The candlewick flared, one shard of flame separating from the flash and slicing through the air towards the starboard pirates. It was almost too fast to see, until it burst into a smoky sphere on one of the raider's arms.

"Bleedin' witch," was all his companion could say as he helped slap it out.

"You're still standing!" replied their leader, and with that the pair of them regained their composure. The one with the charred sleeve took a step towards Siegfried, raising his cutlass to catch the apothecary's axe, while his companion turned towards Hanna with a cruel gleam in his eye.

The pirate captain was having more trouble getting aboard the Rooster. Leonore's frenzied stabs didn't come near to actually cutting him, but the girl's vigour had won her the initiative - the pirate was far too preoccupied with sliding his hands along the gunwale to dodge her knife to even consider vaulting over it. He hung awkwardly in place like some gigantic barnacle, glaring back at his diminutive rival with contempt.

To port, the cornered wrecker gave Heinrich's personal space another half-hearted poke with his sword, but his focus was clearly on keeping his shield between himself and the pit fighter. It seemed the will to fight had gone out of him with the death of the other pair of raiders. Then Lothar spoke.

"Put your weapons down. You don't have to die."

The man glanced from Heinrich to Lothar, and then at the corpse behind them. Then he dropped his sword and raised his hands in surrender.

None of the raiders on the other side of the deck followed his example.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/Thragka/BargeCombat5.png (http://s154.photobucket.com/user/Thragka/media/BargeCombat5.png.html)

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

The gathering magic around the pyromancer called to Lothar. He felt the sudden desire to call the Grey Wind. To let its power fill him. The sensation was enough to make him temporarily forget the killing around him.

He set the thought aside. As much as he wanted to, he knew better than to act on the impulse. Past experiences had taught him it was usually safer people not know what he was.

Lothar breathed a sigh of relief. Atleast this one can see sense, he thought. Turning to Heinrich, he spoke.

"Go help the others. I'll join you as soon as I can." With some luck, the fighting will be done before that, he thought.

He cut a segment from his rope and went about binding the pirate's arms behind his back.

Lothar is going to cut two segments off of his rope, about a yard in length for each. He'll use one to bind the pirate's hands and the other to bind his feet. How long will that take?

[Raunchel]

Leonore starts to gather some courage and hope, she hasn't been hurt yet but she doesn't dare to look around to see how the others are faring. She truly believes in herself and keeps trying to stab the pirate's leader.

And another all-out attack from the frightened Leonore.[roll0]
Damage[roll1]

[RossN]

Hanna

Hanna wanted to help Lenore but she had problems of her own to deal with, and based on her performance in the battle so far even that much might prove to difficult.

Not feeling very confident she lashed out at the pirate facing her.

OOC:
Standard Attack on the pirate next to Hanna.

To Hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

After attacking Hanna goes into a Parrying Stance.

[ZeltArruin]

Heinrich

Heinrich didn't like leaving the pirate there with Lothar, but there were more pressing concerns. Turning, Heinrich charged to the other side of the barge to the brigand next to Hanna, bringing his blade down with all the force of his impetus and weight.

Charging the guy next to Hanna
to hit: [roll0] vs 55(+10 for charge?)
damage: [roll1]

[BlueMagnusStorm]

Siegfried grabs his axe with both hands, brings the axe above his head and goes for a powerful blow to the pirate in an effort to end this battle quickly and prevent any of his fellow passengers from being harmed.

[Thragka]

"Oswald, you coward!" the pirate captain roared as he avoided Leonore's knife. His coat flapped like the wings of some bird of prey as he dipped and ducked, waiting for a chance to hop across the wooden railing to no avail. Across the deck, Lothar's new charge grimaced. As the young man got the rope out of his pack and cut off a couple of lengths of cord, the wrecker looked like he was having second thoughts about surrendering. He looked back at the river wistfully. Then he sighed and unstrapped his shield from his arm, eyes fixed on Lothar.

The pyromancer pronounced some more smoky syllables, and his candle spat another burst of fire towards the boarding party. This time the flame caught the man raising his cutlass to Hanna. Scowling, he swatted it out, and the actress took the opportunity to deliver a well-timed slash. The pirate bent double to avoid it, knocking Hanna's arm out of the way with his shoulder. Straightening up, he grabbed her wrist, tugging her towards him as he raised his curved blade for the second time. Then Heinrich came barrelling across the deck, greatsword cleaving an arc through the air before he was even close to his foe. By the time the pit fighter reached the wrecker his blade was swinging low. It gouged into the man's leg, driving him down onto one knee. Hanna scrambled back out of his reach as the man struggled through the pain and rose to his feet.

Siegfried slashed out with his axe, putting all the strength he'd need to perform an amputation into the blow. His target feinted right, and then kicked off forecastle to deftly sidestep left. As he slid one foot around the other, the pirate stabbed at the overbalancing apothecary. His blade slid deep into the meat of Siegfried's left bicep, sending a searing pain through his arm and side. As Siegfried staggered back, the wrecker grinned, casually wiping the blood off on the apothecary's tunic as he savoured his advantage ...

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/Thragka/BargeCombat6-1.png (http://s154.photobucket.com/user/Thragka/media/BargeCombat6-1.png.html)

[RossN]

Hanna

Furious that the scum facing her had dared touch her Hanna abandoned all caution at slashed at him, her attacks driven by rage rather than any planning.

OOC:
Making an All Out Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Raunchel]

Leonore is becoming frustrated, the man keeps avoiding her weapon, and worse than that, she has no idea about what's going on, except that she heard strange sounds and that at least one wrecker is a coward. Again she tries to hit her opponent, hoping for more success.

Another all-out attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[ZeltArruin]

Heinrich

Seeing the desparation getting to the girl, Heinrich kept his attacks steady and careful, there was no need to die here, after all. The attack seemed accurate enough, unless the pirate could pick it off before his blade found flesh.

Aim and Attack
[roll0] vs 65 (45+10 aim+10 outnumber)
[roll1]
In case of fury
[roll2] vs 65 (45+10 aim+10 outnumber)
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

An idea struck as Lothar finished binding the pirate's limbs. He silently prayed that the pirates were too occupied with fighting to pay him much attention.

"Drop your weapons, lads! We're beaten, mercy!"

He shouted, doing his best to impersonate the pirate captain.

Rope was already out. Last round would've been used cutting the segments and binding the pirate's arms.

This round, Lothar will bind the pirate's legs and take the pirate's sword (more to keep him from using it if he somehow gets free than anything else)

As for my trick...

[roll0] vs 58 as you said OOC
[roll1] reroll if necessary

[BlueMagnusStorm]

Siegfried reels back pain clouding his vision for a moment. Fearing another possible more lethal strike than that he decides that all out aggression is not the way to go. He takes a quick swing at the pirate in an attempt to provide him some breathing room and then adapts a more defensive posture.

[Thragka]

Seeing Siegfried falter, the pyromancer hoisted his quarterstaff up into both hands and charged towards the forecastle. He swung his stave like a club at head height, but the wrecker had seen his gangly form approaching out of the corner of his eye - spinning, his cutlass split the candle from the wood. Siegfried flicked his wrist, spinning his axe towards the distracted brute. The pirate snarled as he knocked it aside. He spun on his feet with a surprising agility, viciously springing his steel towards the wizard - it was only the way the tall man stumbled backwards in fear that saved him from being skewered. He flailed the staff, but it was a panicked, uncoordinated motion, and the raider turned his head out of its path with barely a conscious thought.

Wrapping the fingers of one hand around the gunwale, the pirate captain balled the other meaty fist and threw a punch at Leonore's head. As the girl ducked, he sprang over the rail landing on the balls of his feet and drawing his sword as he straightened up. Finally able to take stock of the situation on deck, he slashed at Hanna's back. The first the actress knew about it was when the sword bit into her leg, opening a wound across her calf. She staggered, almost collapsing against the gunwale, just as the pirate in front of her bounced back upright, catching Heinrich's downward blow against his cutlass' guard and forcing the pit fighter to plant one foot behind him. Leonore channeled all of her rage into her arm and stabbed up at the captain. Her knife slid through his sleeve, drawing blood - but it was only a scratch, and the man flicked her blade away instinctively like a carthorse whipping its tail at a buzzing fly.

Lothar finished binding his prisoner's limbs before glancing around at the pandemonium.

"Drop your weapons, lads! We're beaten, mercy!"

There was a half second of confused silence, surprise clear on the pirate captain's face. Then the man in the maroon coat regained his wits.

"Don't listen to that weed, boys, I'm over here." he growled. "We're going to kill them all."

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/Thragka/BargeCombat7.png (http://s154.photobucket.com/user/Thragka/media/BargeCombat7.png.html)

[RossN]

Hanna

Crying out in pain Hanna turned around and stabbed her blade at the captain. "For Sigmar's sake help us!" She gasped at Lothar as she tried to wound her implacable foe.

OOC:
Standard Attack on the Pirate Captain: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

For second half action will go into Parrying Stance.

[Raunchel]

Leonore

Leonore is shocked when the captain gets on board, and when she sees him wound Hanna she becomes really frightened. She fights more defensively now, hoping to spare herself.

OOC:
Normal attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
And then into a parrying stance.

[TheSummoner]

Lothar

Lothar shrugged. Well, it had been worth trying.

"For Sigmar's sake help us!"

With the pirate's sword still in hand, Lothar charged towards the fighting.

Charge attack against either 11 wound pirate if he's alive when Lothar's turn comes or the captain if 11 wound is dead by then.

[roll0] vs 28 +10 (charge) +? (outnumbering. Number depends on whether or not 11 wounds is alive)
[roll1]

Well, if 11 wounds dies, I'll get +20 from outnumbering and that'll hit, otherwise it's a miss. Though looking at the initiative order, it looks like everyone who goes before Lothar already tried and failed to kill him, so a miss.

[ZeltArruin]

Heinrich

This guy needed to die, and quickly, there were only so many places Heinrich could be at once.

regular attack, hoping to use my second action to move
[roll0]vs 45+10(outnumber)
[roll1]

[BlueMagnusStorm]

Siegfried seeing the pirate momentarily distracted by the magician swings his axe at the pirate hoping to catch him off guard and then he resumes his defensive position.