Othniel's Skull and Shackles: The Wormwood Mutiny IC

[Othniel]

Player
Character
Class
Race
Gender
Align
Campaign Trait
Other Notes
Text Color


barticus
Bruthos the Slaver (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=227534)
Fighter (Lore Warden/Martial Master)
Hobgoblin
Male
NE
Peg Leg

Purple


Nefarion Xid
Zidan ibn Kazim al-Samir (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=224323)
Swashbuckler
Human
Male
LE
Buccaneer's Blood

Grey


oyzar
Ariel Vendedi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=223700)
Cleric
Aasimar
Female
CN
Touched By the Sea
Negative Energy Channeling
Drawback: Lovesick
Indigo


gmoyes
Grathel (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=68387)
Wizard (Siege Mage)
Elf
Male
TN
Barrom Tailspinner
Drawback: Paranoid
Dark Green


Yanisa
Ink (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=15605)
Sorcerer (Imperious Bloodline)
Human
Female
TN
Buccaneer's Blood
Sting (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=15619)
Drawback: Mark of Slavery
Golden Rod



Whether by fate or by choice, last night had you all in the Formidably Maid, a notorious drinking establishment in Port Peril.

You came to Port Peril in search of your destiny, and after a few drinks at a tavern called the Formidably Maid, you went down to the docks to take in a view of the sea. The last thing you remember is a blow to the back of your head and the waves rushing up to meet you.
Your balance always gets a bit shaky after a few drinks, and last night at the Formidably Maid—a tavern in Port Peril—was no exception. That must be why you fell to the floor as soon as you tried to stand up. What happened next is hazy, but you’re pretty sure you were dragged out of the bar and onto a ship at the docks. At least they didn’t throw you to the sharks...
Both of you went to a tavern called the Formidably Maid in Port Peril to earn a few coins with your tales of the sea. The patrons seemed pleased with your performances and bought each of you a few drinks. In turn, each of you had just remembered a tale of an unfortunate sailor who found himself press-ganged on a pirate ship after his drink was drugged when suddenly everything went black.
You went to a tavern called the Formidably Maid, a notorious pirate hangout in Port Peril, eager to start your career as a buccaneer. While you were there, however, a dashing and flirtatious corsair caught your eye, and after a whirlwind night of booze and romance, you found yourself beaten senseless and stuffed in a sack, carried off to who knows where.
Looking to make your fortune, you hopped aboard a pirate ship in Ilizmagorti, and decided to celebrate your safe arrival in Port Peril with a few drinks at a tavern called the Formidably Maid. There were some suspicious-looking characters there, to be sure, and you decided to give them a wide berth, but as you left, feeling a bit woozy from drink, you were set upon by thugs in a dark alley and knocked unconscious.

You wake up, one by one, to the dim light of a ship's hold. The floor tips back and forth, and while it is too dark to make out much past the pile of slowly awakening people around you, the sway of various hanging items is enough to tell you that you are now at sea. Last night is a little fuzzy for all of you, but you recall the ringing laughter of a wild night, the heady joy of excess, and the scents of rich stewed meat and perfume. As you lay there, a dull ache starts in your mind and soon enough it becomes a pounding headache, its pangs punctuated by the creaking floor and the swaying of the room. The taste of cheap wine lingers in your mouth, and you almost feel like you are still drunk.

Each of you also notice an oily feel on your tongue, along with the slight taste of nutmeg.
Everyone but Grathel realizes that such a feel and taste combination is a clear sign of oil of taggit poisoning.

You don't remember being searched, so it must have happened while you were unconscious. Everything is gone but your spell component pouch, which the pirates seem to have missed in the folds of your clothing.
Due to your physiology, the drink didn't have as strong an effect on you, and so you woke up as you were being carried on board. In the ensuing scuffle, you were struck on the back of the head with a blunt object and knocked unconscious. As a result of the confusion surrounding the scuffle, you weren't searched quite as thoroughly and your brass knife was missed.
When you were given a once-over, the pirates didn't miss anything, but they also looked disdainfully at your spellbook. As none of the ones who searched you could read, they had no idea what they held in their hands, casually tossing it aside onto the floor near where they dumped you. As you wake up, your hand falls over your spellbook, and in a flash of insight, you realize your good fortune.
Though you don't know this, the pirate who searched you was the very same dashing corsair you met at the Formidably Maid last night. Feeling a twinge of guilt, he did not call attention to the fact that your clothing looked more expensive than usual, and that it likely offered a bit of protection.
You were searched thoroughly, but thieves tools are easily hidden, and thus you retain them, though it comes to to mind that they must be used discreetly.
Fortunately, you were the last to be searched, and by this time the pirates were tired of their work, wanting to get below and shove off. Due to their haste, they missed your spell component pouch.
Before you can even stand, heavy footfalls creak along the deck, and the harsh light of a lantern spears into your eyes. "Still abed with the sun over the yardarm? On your feet, ye filthy swabs! Get up on deck and report for duty before Cap’n Harrigan flays your flesh into sausage skins and has Fishguts fry ye up for breakfast! I'm Master Scourge, and I'll scourge the lot of ye if ye don't MOVE!" A sinister-looking man with a black beard stands before you, wielding a whip which he cracks for emphasis. Six rather rough-looking individuals stand around him, saps in hand, waiting for an excuse to bruise anyone foolish enough to talk back.

The man standing before you looks intimidating, but all of you save for Ink (who was far too "busy" at the tavern), recognize the face of this man from your time at the Formidably Maid last night.

As your eyes adjust to the light, you all realize that you are in the hold of a ship. You are herded single file from the lower deck (A10 on the map) through the middle deck (A6) and up to the main deck (A3). The bright light of the sun dazzles your eyes for a few moments, and as you adjust you are given confirmation that you are, indeed, on a ship at sea. The crew stands before you gathered around the mainmast, all looking up at the higher deck at the stern where two other figures stand. One of them is a broad, muscular Garundi man with a shaven head, a long beard bound with gold rings, and an eye patch—clearly the captain. The other is a younger, balding man with a long black ponytail, wearing a long coat and carrying a well-used cat-o’-nine-tails.

As you look around, you notice far off as in a haze what is probably the mainland. Closer on the boat, you spot four other individuals, looking ill-at-ease and nervous. All four seem somewhat cleaner than the rest of the crew, and you may surmise that these four are also new recruits.

As you file into place near these other four, the captain looks over the group. "Glad you could join us at last! Welcome to the Wormwood! My thanks for ‘volunteering’ to join my crew. I’m Barnabas Harrigan. That’s Captain Barnabas Harrigan to you, not that you’ll ever need to address me. I have only one rule—don’t speak to me. I like talk, but I don’t like your talk. Follow that rule and we’ll all get along fine. “Oh, and one more thing. Even with you new recruits, we’re still short-handed, and I aim to keep what crew I have. There’ll be a keelhaulin’ for anyone caught killin’ anyone. Mr. Plugg! If you’d be so kind as to make pirates out of these landlubbers, it’ll save me having to put them in the sweatbox for a year and a day before I make pies out of ’em.”

With that, the captain walks away, leaving behind the man with the cat-o'-nine-tails, Mr. Plugg. Plugg watches the captain go and turns to look at the group of ten new recruits, a sadistic grin on his face. "Now then!" he bellows, "I need to fill a few roles on the ship: A cook's mate and three riggers. The rest of you bilge rats will be swabs. First thing's first: Can any of you cook?"

Everyone go ahead and make your "waking" up introduction so that it fits with what's going on. There will be time for proper introductions to your fellow crewmates soon.

I also need everyone to roll me 10-12 climb checks please (I'll be factoring them into my next post). And put them in spoiler tags. Remember that to make a roll on the boards, you type the format like this (let's assume your climb modifier is 5): [ roll]1d20+5[ /roll] but without the extra spaces I put in. Your final result should look like this: [roll0] with the 19 being your result.

Working Map of the Wormwood (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ozG2B1-IvnLXApXZgCG1MDho4gzRnjcLAYVRlDupUbY/edit#gid=0)

[Yanisa]

Ink wakes up in slight confusion, being drunk tastes like headache and feels like poison. Suddenly she realizes she has no clue where she was and in reflex she tosses her arm over her shoulder and touches her back. Sting responds with feelings of anger and disappointment. Ugh, getting scolded by a scorpion, but at least he is safe. She feels her pockets and realizes she has been robbed of everything except the clothes she wear and the silken padding she stole.

When Master Scourge and his gang walks in her slave instinct kick in and even with her pounding headache she managed to jump up. She follows quietly, never speak unless spoken too, and keeps her head down. Was she recaptured already, her first night of freedom ended in this. It didn't fit though, who are these other people? And these hallways, were they on a ship? Outside she got confirmation, but still no answer to the why.

That answer came while the captain was talking. Drafted as a pirate, at least that is different from being a slave. Still she was captured again. Sting respons by sending another dose of disappointment and Ink tries to repress a sigh.

"I have no formal training in cooking." She responds nervously to Mr. Plugg question, although she also had no training as rigger, bilge rat or swabs either. "I am a scribe." She adds and realizes that pirates don't really need scribes. She instantly regretted adding that line and keeps her head down, staring at the planks.

Not that Ink can climb.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]

[roll10]
[roll11]

[gmoyes]

Grathel

"Urghhh..."

When Grathel awoke, it was with a splitting headache and the feeling that the floor was moving underneath his body. Rubbing his forehead, the elf sat up and tried to get his bearings. Looking around, he realized that there was a reason for his unsteadiness. While there wasn't much light to see by, he could tell that he was in the hold of the ship. The smell of salt and unwashed men assaulted his nose. He frowned, wondering how he had managed to get here. Last thing he remembered was being at the Formidably Maid having a couple of drinks and swapping stories of the sea. There was a sea shanty being sung and then... nothing. Someone must have spiked his drink and stole away with him.

Then he realized he wasn't alone in the hold. He could make out the the forms of a few humans and... a hobgoblin? Grathel grimaced. He didn't deserve this. Still, it seemed they were all in the same plight he was. Maybe it would be best to rouse them and get their take on the situation. "Hey, are you guys- urf." The elf was suddenly struck with with a wave a nausea. The stench, the movement of the ship, the alcohol and whatever he was drugged with had caught up with him. Turning aside, he started throwing up what was left of of the meal he had at the bar. "Pleasant," he muttered between retches. "They could killed me with whatever they spiked my drink with..."

Once his stomach had settled down he realized that his spellbook was within his reach, though the rest of his gear had been taken away. He sighed in relief. Whoever had caught him must not have been able to read his sloppy Elven handwriting, if they could read at all. It was certainly a stroke of luck, if it was taken away from him, he wasn't sure if he could get it back. Maybe try to convince them that it held equations pertaining to siege engines? It hardly mattered now, he had to keep it safe. He slipped the book under his shirt just before Scourge and his lackeys made their appearance.

The sinister looking man looked familiar. Grathel realized that he was at the Formidably Maid when he blacked out. With his headache, the elf could hardly make heads or tails of Scourge's jargon filled orders, but the intent was clear. With the threat of the whip and the dangerous looking men, he let himself be lead up onto the main deck of the ship. There he saw two more men who looked like they were in charge. He also saw that besides him there were nine other of the Captain's 'volunteers'. Quite the gang this crew had gathered. The captain introduced himself and told all the newcomers the rules of the ship. Seemed simple enough: don't talk to the captain and don't kill anyone. Captain Harrigan left a man by the name of Mr. Plugg to give marching orders.

A human girl spoke up first saying that she was a scribe. Grathel gave a slight nod. "Aye, and I'm a craftsman. You guys took my tools. My specialty is is siege engines. You might even have one of my works aboard here," he said looking around the deck trying to gauge how well the ship was armed. "Even though I don't have much experience with ships, have some skills that shouldn't be put to waste moping up. I can help fix things up." He didn't have the skill to be a cook or the athletic ability to be up in the rigging. Also thinking about the mess he made in the hold, he probably wouldn't like swabbing either. Maybe at some point he could demonstrate his skill actually using one of the siege weapons, but he probably had to gain some trust first. If he wanted to be be treated with any decency here, he would have to prove his worth.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]
[roll10]
[roll11]

[barticus]

Bruthos groggily wakes up with a ringing in his ears. It takes a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the brightness as the men come in. He guesses that he has been captured as a slave and thinks, "Frack, I never thought I would be on this side of the whip. But at least I know the drill..." At least he wasn't alone. However, there looked to be no other hobgoblins and that meant he was as good as alone. But this was nothing new, Bruthos learned long ago how to make his way in a human infested world. Who knows though, maybe his slavers background would prove to be useful in this new setting. He quickly gave himself a pat down and realized he had nothing except the clothes he was wearing the night before, and to his surprise the knife he kept hidden in his left boot.

After arriving on the main deck and seeing the crew and hearing what Plugg had to say, things don't seem as grim. Maybe if he makes it through the next few weeks he will be put to work doing what he does best, whipping things *read humans* into shape. After all, what other purpose were was there for things that that were to weak to fend for themselves. Bruthos looks around and eyes up the others who must have been captured. Nothing about them seemed to intimidating. With the exception of the taller green eyed thing who looked like he could hold his own.

Bruthos spits on the deck, scowls and says"I've worked as a carpenter and a rigger before.". Best not to volunteer to much about himself yet. He always had a need to know thought process and these new "masters", I'm sure that is what they would like to refer to themselves as, didn't need or deserve to know.

*Checks made at +7 climb bonus since I do not have the studded leather armor equipped. If this is not the case my rolls will be at a +5 bonus instead so just take the final role -2.
1) [roll0]
2) [roll1]
3) [roll2]
4) [roll3]
5) [roll4]
6) [roll5]
7) [roll6]
8) [roll7]
9) [roll8]
10) [roll9]
11) [roll10]
12) [roll11]

[Necropie]

Tat awoke with a dull throb in the base of his skull, and a foul taste in his mouth. He groaned, and propped himself up against the wall, trying to recall where he was. The wall rocked however, and he fell back to the floor. Staring at the ceiling, he could see he was on a ship. He tried to remember how he got here, but kept drawing a blank. He remembered telling his stories in the tavern then… nothing. He sighed. Ok, so he'd been pressganged onto a ship. No big deal. He'd heard stories about this, and most of the hero survives. Well, at least half the time. Plus, he was heading to work on a ship anyway, so if anything this might have saved him some time. Yeah, that’s it. Everything’s going to be fine. Then he noticed all his stuff had gone. Well so much for optimism.

Just at that moment, Scourge and his gang walked in, which jolted him into a standing position. He then noticed he wasn't the only one in the hold, it seemed the other’s were in the same situation as him. Scourge demanded they go to the deck, and as it didn't seem like the time for arguing, he followed. As he began marching, he realised he was still wearing his spell component pouch. Well it’s a start at least, he thought to himself, trying not to give anything away to his captors. They got to the main deck, and stood among the other prisoners who were with him. An eclectic bunch to be sure, but then that’s what you get when you poach from taverns. His train of thought was interrupted by the captain laying down a few ground rules. Fair for a pirate ship, and a damn sight better than some, Tat thought to himself.

“I've worked on ships before, and I know my way around the riggings. Can't say I've cooked much.” He knew his experience might come in handy on this ship, plus as it seemed he might be here for a while, so he might as well try to get along with his captors.

[Necropie]

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]

[roll10]
[roll11]

[OrianStar]

So this is what it's like to be drugged. Uh I'll just have to pray I don't need to endure this down the road. It's starting to go away. Who is this idiot yelling in front of me? "No I'm no cook. I make ships" It's best to go with the flow for now. No need to rock the boat..yet.

[oyzar]

Ariel Vendedi wakes with a start. She remembers falling into the water as she lost consciousness, heavy armor dragging her down. At least she did wake up, she had not drowned. Her heart is thudding as she frantically pads herself down, checking that she is in fact alive and well. Other than a few bruises and scratches, she is quite alright. Her armor is missing though. She must have been really out of it for them to get that off her without waking her up. Thankfully she wore more than just underclothes beneath. Her light white tunic is clinging to her shapely figure, still damp from being soaked in water. It shows of a greater than average size bust and a flat stomach, a figure she has inherited after her mom. She is also wearing a pair of form fitting black leather pants, clinging to her tight but sizable ass, practical for adventuring, but not very ladylike. She did enjoy the looks of lust they drew, but that certainly wasn't her concern here. Her patting down also leads her to discover that her component pouch was still at her side. Between that and her unholy tattoo of Calistria on the back of her hand, three daggers pointing outwards from a circle, she will have access to her godess-given powers.

As her heart calms down Ariel notices that her head is thudding and more than from just the thumping she had received. She is quite familiar with the aftereffects of too much alcohol, but she also knows about poisons. She had been drugged! Seeing that she was now on a ship, she would no doubt find out soon who was responsible. They will pay, oh yes they will.

She isn't left to ponder her situation more nor to inspect the fellows with her before the Pirates come to deliver the bad news. She bides her time, figuring that the more information she manages before she strikes, the better will be her chance of success. Maybe she can even get her fellow prisoners to join her.

On the way up to the deck she can't help but notice the tall, tanned, green eyed man. He looks so strong and handsome. She wouldn't mind getting to know him better.

Ariel listens to the captain silently. So this is the man she will enact her vengeance from. She studies him intently to memorize every detail.

When he finally walks away she listens to the others before joining in. "I am not a great chef unfortunately, but I do know my way around a ship. I am much better at navigating, steering and doing knots than climbing around in the rigging though. I am sure you want me safe and sound where I am useful rather than falling to my death eh? It shouldn't be hard to come to an agreement that is nice for both of us." She winks at Mr. Plugg, implying more than she wants to give, but if she has to work her way upwards, she will use what means she has available.

Diplomacy to improve attitude: [roll0]
Diplomacy to ask for safer and nicer work: [roll1]



[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]
[roll10]
[roll11]
[roll12]
[roll13]
[roll14]
[roll15]
[roll16]
[roll17]
[roll18]
[roll19]
[roll20]
[roll21]

[OrianStar]

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]

[Othniel]

Main Deck

Mister Plugg walks along the deck, looking over each of the ten new recruits in turn, starting with Grathel. "Craftsman, eh? Might have some use for you...if you prove yourself. But don't get any funny ideas about touching any weapons just now." Moving on to Tat, he nods at the young man's mention of knowing rigging. Moving down the line, he comes to Ariel and stares at her as she speaks, a look of impatience on his face. At the girl's suggestion; however, he leers at her. "We'll see; we'll see. Won't save you from climbing the rigging, however!" He laughs and moves on to the next person. Sandara Quinn! You good for anything, save loving? What say you and me find a quiet spot later?

"Just as I told Scourge: Try it and you'll lose a finger...or worse!" she shouts. "I'll out-sail you any day, Plugg. Just give me the chance."

"Swab," replies Plugg with a glare, and moves on to the next person, leaving the fuming Sandara Quinn behind.

Next comes a female halfling who answers Plugg's question by cussing him out. Her list of invectives is only cut short when Plugg raises his cat-o'-nine-tails in a silent threat. "Rosie Cusswell. Swab."

After the halfling is a scruffy-looking man who slouches, a disinterested look upon his face. "Whatever ye'll have me do, sir," he replies. Plugg's only answer is becoming a pattern now, "Swab."

Following the Cogwell is a male gnome who introduces himself with a bow as "Conchobhar Turlach Shortstone. I'm pretty deft with my hands, if I do say so myself. And I do," he says, adding the last with a grin.

Plugg's face bears a scowl as he moves on to Ink, and her (as he sees it) impertinent reply. "No formal training, you say? First time for everything, lass! You'll climb with the rest, and then we'll see."

Omid's "I make ships" seems to spark something in Plugg's demeanor, and a cruel light comes into his eyes. "You make ships, eh? Perhaps you'd like to see the underside of this one? No? Well, keep the talking to a minimum! You're climbing as well."

Finally, Mister Plugg comes to Bruthos, but he hesitates to come so near the Hobgoblin. "I suppose you're the only one of this rabble that knows how to cook?" he asks in a mocking tone. "Perhaps you cook human?" he asks, pointing toward Ink with his cat and laughing cruelly. "Though she'd only make a mouthful, I warrant." At the hobgoblin's response, he drops the tone and laugh, but the cruel light never leaves his eyes. "All right! Everyone to the mast and climb as quick as you can to the top. Any stragglers get the cat!"

Plugg's tone and look instill in everyone the idea that this is a man not to be crossed lightly or alone. You all, along with the gnome, make for the mast as quick as may be and climb up swiftly...or attempt to. Bruthos and Tat, showing their familiarity with rigging make it to the top swifter than any others, though Conchobar the gnome is a close third. Omid and Grathel follow behind, although Grathel nearly slips as he reaches the top, catching himself in the nick of time. Ariel follows even slower, but finally makes it to the top. Ink, on the other hand, makes it about halfway, nearly plummeting to the main deck once, before becoming hopelessly tangled in the rigging. Several of the regular crew are sent up to disentangle her, and she is let down with a rope around her waist.

As Ink's feet touches the ground, Plugg laughs at her expense, and soon the rest of the crew around joins in. As the rest of the new recruits descend (carefully), they are lined up once more in front of Mister Plug. Gesturing to both Bruthos and Tat in turn, Plugg assigns them as Riggers. "You and you," he says, pointing with the cat to Ariel and Ink, "Report to Fishguts. He's the cook, and you two are the new cook's mates. Quinn, show them where to go, and then come back here for your assignment with the others." Turning back to the others, he bellows out, "The rest of you are swabs!"

Quinn nods wordlessly, her angry look not having dissipated, though she obviously realizes arguing with Plugg would be a futile endeavor. Beckoning both Ariel and Ink to follow her, she leads them forward toward a door underneath the Foredeck.

Once Sandara, Ariel, and Ink leave, Plugg addresses the rest of you:
"All of you will answer to either myself or Master Scourge from henceforth. Do not address the captain unless he first speaks to you. You may talk or sing as you work if you wish, but you must continue to work. There will be punishment if you do not work, or if you do not complete your work satisfactorily. Breakfast and supper are served when the bell rings twice. You are allowed one quick midday meal when you choose. To take your meal, visit the cook or the new cook's mates in the galley one deck below. Be back at work swiftly, or you'll feel the cat." Plugg turns to the Boatswain, Master Scourge, who has now joined him on the main deck, "Master Scourge, if you would please instruct our new crew in their daily tasks."

Scourge stands before you with his hands behind his back and lists off the daily tasks that might be required of you (see below). "All right, now that ya know yer dooties, I'll assign each o' ya a job fer th' day!" He waits a moment as Sandara appears on deck once more, taking her place in line. Pointing at each in turn, he assigns duties as follows:

Bruthos (Rigger): Lookout
Tat (Rigger): Rigging Repair
Conchobar (Rigger): Line Work

Grathel (Swab): Rat Catcher
Omid (Swab): Man the Bilges
Rosie (Swab): Man the Bilges
Crimson Cogwell (Swab): Swab the Decks
Sandara (Swab): Rat Catcher

"Now then, get to it!" he shouts, and storms off.

Sandara leads you forward through a door into what appears to be the officer's quarters (see below). She leads you down one set of stairs, and then back through the middle hold (see below). Creeping along slowly, she gestures to a figure leaning against the mast. "That's Owlbear, the poor fellow. Not all there in the head, and dangerous if you get him riled." She leads you (safely) past Owlbear to a room on the side of the ship. She pauses before the door and addresses the two of you in a whisper, "Hello! I'm Sandara Quinn and I was press-ganged onto this ship with the rest of you. I don't have much time, but tonight after the dinner bell, I want you to meet me in the back of the crew berths on the lower deck. I have something to share with you. Tell the others that were brought on board with you as well, if you see them. I'll try to talk to them as well, and let them know." Raising her voice, she reaches for the handle to the door, and pulls it open. "I'll introduce you to Fishguts first, and then be on my way. Ambrose! Two more new recruits, and they're both to be cook's mates. Treat them as you would me." This last she says with a wink at the man, and with a grin for both of you, she turns around and heads back the way she came.

Ambrose turns around and waves at Sandara as she runs off before looking at the two of you. "Well then, some help at last!" he says. Just so you know, Plugg will be assigning your duties after today, but he's busy right now, so I get to do it. First, I'll tell you what you might be doing on any given day, and then your task today will be to clean the galley." Kroop goes on to explain your duties (see below), and then turns back to working on preparing meals, leaving the two of you to your own devices with a final word, "I don't mind talk, nor singing, nor tales, long as you do your jobs. Breakfast and supper are at the ring of the bell, and you're allowed a midday meal as time permits, which you can take here with me, or elsewhere as you desire, as long as you're back promptly."



NPC Gallery

Human. Crowned with a mane of fiery red locks, Sandara looks like someone not to be crossed. Yet the smile lines at the corners of her eyes and the easy way she holds herself hint at a lighter side. She dresses to accentuate her figure, and her whole appearance speaks of the sea, from the seagull feather in her tricorne hat to the sailor tattoos on her arms and the clay pipe thrust into the corner of her mouth.
Short but fierce, the Halfling known as Rosie Cusswell has more muscles than most of the crew, and a fouler mouth than all of them put together. She wears a sleeveless shirt and a leather vest, green pants tucked into tall boots, and a billowing red cape. Large hoop earrings dangle from ear ears, which frame an face that would be attractive, if not for the look of perpetual anger in residence there. A handaxe is belted at her waist, and what looks to be a violin bow is tucked into her belt.
Crimson Cogward stands a bit farther away from the others, eyeing everyone distrustfully. He wears a blue Varisian scarf tied tight around his shaven head. A short tuft of hair adorns his chin, and a tiny skull earring can be seen in his right ear.
Conchobhar Shortstone is a handsome, honey-tongued gnome who wears a foppish purple hat, an eye patch, and a white silk shirt, and carries a dandyish cane. His appearance is that of someone pretending to be a pirate, rather than a true buccaneer. When not otherwise occupied, he plays with a deck of cards that he refuses to part with.
Kroop is a large, some would say fat, man, weighing well over 200 pounds and standing only 5 feet tall. He exudes an air of neglect, perhaps even despair, from the bushy tufts of black hair behind his ears, to his rotting teeth, to the stains on his filthy apron. He walks with a wallowing waddle, particularly when drunk, but is capable of surprising acts of strength. Kroop talks with a thick Shackles accent, which some people find hard to follow. He’s had so many lashes that his back is like tanned leather, and he claims to not even feel the bite of the lash anymore. After 44 years in the school of hard knocks, Kroop is a man who clearly cares little for himself or what people think of him. Nevertheless, he is at heart a kind man, and does his best to protect his cook’s mate from punishments brought on by mistakes made by either of them.
Owlbear Hartshorn is a large man with meaty fists. He’s a bit simple, and the rest of the crew enjoys having a laugh at the poor fellow’s expense. To try to make friends, Hartshorn has taken to clowning, laughing, and crying out random phrases at the top of his voice, as this seems to make people laugh. Owlbear likes to eat live crabs, breaking the shells with his teeth and fingers, and his shaved skin still shows signs of the tarring and feathering the crew gave him as a cruel joke not so long ago.

Daily Duties

Man the Bilges: Vile and sweaty work cleaning out the bilges (area A11), requiring a DC 12 Strength check. The PC must also make a DC 10 Constitution check to avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift.

Rat Catcher: Catching rats and other vermin belowdecks, requiring either a DC 10 Stealth check, Survival check, or Dexterity check to catch and kill enough rats, cockroaches, and beetles for a good day’s work.

Swab the Decks: Backbreaking work mopping the decks and scrubbing them with sandstone blocks called holystones, requiring a DC 10 Strength or Constitution check. Failing either check results in the PC being fatigued at the end of the shift.

Hauling Rope and Knot Work: Tying and untying knots in the ship’s ropes and moving heavy coils of rope from one part of the ship to another, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Strength check. The PC must also make a DC 10 Constitution check to avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift.

Runner: Passing messages to the crew and officers of the Wormwood in all parts of the ship except officers’ cabins (areas A4 and A5), requiring a DC 10 Acrobatics check and DC 10 Constitution check. Failing the Constitution check results in the PC being fatigued at the end of the shift. A PC with the Run feat automatically succeeds at this task.

Repairs: Things constantly tear or break aboard the ship and need repairs, whether sewing sails or splicing rope all day, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check.

Rigging Repair: The ship’s rigging frequently gets damaged and must be repaired, requiring DC 10 Climb checks to reach the rigging 30 feet up, followed by a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check.

Line Work: Hard work hoisting and lowering sails, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check. The PC must also make a DC 10 Constitution check to avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift.

Upper Rigging Work: Work in the upper rigging, 50 feet up, requiring DC 10 Climb checks, followed by a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check.

Rope Work: Handling the ship’s ropes, including coiling them, stowing them, and securing them to cleats and single and double bollards, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check.

Lookout: A climb to the crow’s nest 60 feet up, requiring DC 10 Climb checks followed by a DC 10 Perception check.

Mainsail Duties: Tough work raising and lowering the mainsail, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Strength check. The PC must also make a DC 10 Constitution check to avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift.
Cooking: Assisting Ambrose Kroop in preparing the day’s meal. If Kroop is sober, no check is required. If Kroop is drunk, this requires a DC 10 Profession (cook) or Intelligence check.

Fishing: Catching tonight’s supper using the ship’s nets. A DC 10 Profession (fisherman) or Survival check provides enough fish. A failed check results in a day in the bilges as punishment the following day (see the swab task Man the Bilges on page 23).

Turtle Hunting: Hunting leatherback sea turtles with harpoons, treble hooks, and nets. A DC 10 Profession (fisherman) or Survival check provides enough food. A failed check results in a day in the bilges as punishment the following day (see the swab task Man the Bilges).

Bull Session: Drinking with Ambrose Kroop and listening to his stories. The cook’s mate must drink an additional rum ration, but is able to take an additional ship action during the day.

Special Occasion: Captain Harrigan is celebrating something today, and wants one of the ship’s pigs butchered and cooked for dinner. The PC must make a DC 10 Profession (cook) or Survival check to slaughter the animal, then help Kroop to clean, cut, and prepare the carcass. If Kroop is sober, no additional check is required. If Kroop is drunk, this requires a DC 15 Profession (cook) or Intelligence check.

Places
(A1) This raised deck stands some 10 feet above the main deck (area A3), immediately behind the bowsprit, which is shaped like a rearing dragon. The foremast rises 30 feet above this deck. A light ballista is stationed before the forward mast, manned by a sailor.
(A2) This raised deck stands 15 feet above the main deck (area A3). The mizzenmast rises 30 feet above this deck. The ship’s bridge protrudes forward of the mizzenmast, and holds the ship’s wheel. The wheel is 3 feet across and has 10 spokes decorated with silver inlays, its bolts carved to resemble kraken heads. An iron cage hangs from the side of the mizzenmast, containing the body of a man. He is clearly dead, but an ugly parrot perches atop the cage, still waiting for its master to awaken. The parrot, which has lost more than few of its feathers, hurls the most appalling invectives and curse words at anyone that comes near. A second ballista is aimed rearwards, also manned by a sailor.
(A3) The ship’s main deck runs between the foredeck and poop deck. The mainmast rises from the center of the deck, extending 60 feet into the air and topped by a crow’s nest. Rigging connects the mainmast to the ship’s other masts and like like they may be crossed by careful climbing, or by anyone skilled in acrobatics. Several strands of thick rope are secured to the foot of the mainmast for use as a whipping post. The ship’s clock, a macabre brass-and-copper object depicting worms writhing through whale corpses, hangs from the mast above the whipping post. Not only does the clock keep time, but its bell strikes at dawn and dusk to signal the beginning and the end of the workday.

Two 10-foot-square hatches sit in the deck fore and aft of the mainmast. These hatches are thick wooden grilles and open onto the middle hold (area A6) 15 feet below. At the fore of the ship, two doors lead into the officers’ quarters (area A4), while two doors aft lead to the captain’s quarters (area A5).

A large wooden box bound in iron sits just beneath the bridge. This sweatbox, used to torment sailors, has just enough room to hold one Medium creature (and can be
altered to confine a Small creature).

A small jolly boat sits on the deck next to the port rail. It has two sets of oars but no mast. Although designed to carry four Medium passengers, the jolly boat can fit six at a push.
The ship’s officers occupy the hammocks and sleeping mats in this cramped cabin. A set of steps descends sharply into the middle hold (area A6) below. There are two narrow doors leading to the main deck (area A3). Several footlockers line the walls. Mr. Plugg, Master Scourge, Riaris Krine, Peppery Longfarthing, and Habbly Quarne sleep here at night, and at least one of them may often be found here at any given time during the day as well.
This is the ship’s main cargo hold. The hold is mostly empty, save for 14 caged pigs. In the forward section, a flight of wooden stairs climbs up to the officers’ quarters (area A4), while a second set of stairs descends into the lower hold (area A10). You can see a figure chained to and leaning against the foremast in slumber. He looks to be guarding the area. Another flight of stairs in the aft section next to the galley leads up to the captain’s quarters (area A5), but it is common knowledge among the crew that the door is trapped. Stored near the mainmast are two light ballistae, a disassembled light catapult, and 12 barrels or what is probably oil. Each barrel appears to hold about 20 gallons.
The galley is the domain of Ambrose “Fishguts” Kroop, the drunken ship’s cook. The cramped and chaotic kitchen holds two wooden worktables, several wooden cupboards, and two small stoves against the port wall, as well as virtually every cooking utensil imaginable and a frightening array of meat cleavers. A score of chickens and three goats wander freely throughout the chamber; the goats are meant to be caged, but have a distressing tendency to escape their bonds. The kitchen is a madness of dirt, food, and knives, and finding anything in here requires a Perception check. The stoves are perpetually lit, and large cauldrons bubble away atop them all times. A huge array of spices mingle with barrels of rainwater, two tuns of rum, cupboards full of ship’s biscuit and salted beef, barrels of sauerkraut, and a small supply of fresh vegetables picked up in Port Peril. Despite the chaos, the entire galley functions as a set of masterwork tools for Profession (cook) checks.
Sixteen pillars support the deck above this spacious hold. At night, the Wormwood’s common pirates tie their hammocks between the walls and pillars and sleep until dawn. Two of Mr. Plugg’s toadies, Kipper and Patch Patchsalt, have claimed the far forward section of the hold as their own, and their hammocks are strung between the foremast and the stairs leading up to the middle hold (area A6). A heavy-looking trap door just behind the mainmast opens onto the bilges below. The hold is currently empty of cargo, but several footlockers line the walls. Each member of the crew has a locker, equivalent to a small chest. At the start of the adventure, only 18 of these lockers are in use, while 22 empty lockers are stacked along the walls.

[Othniel]

Day One

It is Morning. You spend the day at your assigned jobs, and may take one Ship Action (see the OOC thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?420193-Othniel-s-Skull-and-Shackles-OOC&p=19378026#post19378026)). Might make sense to do this on your lunch break. :smalltongue:

When you are performing your tasks, feel free to be as descriptive as you like. If you talk to NPCs, they'll respond.
Duties

Riggers
Bruthos: Lookout - You are to climb into the crow's nest and act as lookout for the day.
Tat: Rigging Repair - You are to sit on the deck and repair broken lines.
Conchobhar: Line Work - Conchobhar groans a bit at the start, but goes about his duty without much complaint.

Swabs
Grathel and Sandara (NPC): Rat Catcher - You and Sandara are sent down to the Middle Deck to catch rats.
Omid and Rosie (NPC): Man the Bilges - You enter the bilges, the lowest part of the ship, and Rosie lets out a sound that might be part shriek, part squeal before gasping, "Spiders!" as she points at the cobwebs.
Crimson Cogwell (NPC): Swab the Decks Cogwell can be seen throughout the day cleaning the deck, still in his slouching posture, a sullen look upon his face.

Cook's Mates
Ariel and Ink: As Mister Plugg is not around to assign you your duties, Kroop wishes you to clean his galley. It is a complete mess, and everything requires a careful look to decide if an item is junk or useful.

Places

The lowest deck of the ship, the bilges are a foul, damp place with thick cobwebs above and 1–2 feet of dark, brackish water that stinks abominably below. A ladder leads up to a trap door that opens in the lower hold (area A10), and a single bilge pump rests near the stern. The bilges also double as the ship’s brig, and six sets of masterwork manacles are fixed to the bulkheads in the forward portion of the deck. A man is slumped against the wall, held fast by one set of manacles. He doesn't look up as you enter, and an air of hopelessness hangs about him.

[gmoyes]

Grathel

The elf glanced up at the main mast of the ship. Plugg wanted him to climb that? Well the man probably wouldn't take no for an answer. "Come on Grathel," he muttered to himself, "you used to climb trees taller than this back home when you were young. You can do it." He took some of the rigging in his hands and cautiously and methodically made his way upwards. While he wasn't as skillful as the Hobgoblin, larger human or the gnome, he was keeping pace with the other man and the two women were struggling. A small, confident smirk came to his face. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. However as that though crossed his mind, his boot slipped out of the rigging. With a yell of fear and surprise, he found himself clinging to the rigging only with his hands. He quickly found his footing again, but hung there for a moment to calm his heart. Yeah, he wasn't coming up here again unless he really needed to. He quickly check to see if his spell book was still secure and climbed that last couple of feet. While not that good of a climber, he fared better than the girl who ended up falling and getting tangled in the rope. While it definitely wasn't a good first impression, it was better than falling all the way to the deck and maybe getting herself killed.

Once everyone had made it back to the deck safely, Plugg gave out general rolls to the new recruits. He designated Grathel to be a Swab, which he figured wasn't the worst job he could be stuck with. He could have been forced back up into the rigging. Scourge then assigned him to a particular job, rat catching. Not a glorious job, but it didn't seem too difficult. Not voicing any objections, he went down into the hold to work.

Rooting out vermin was harder than it looked, but it seemed that he had a partner to help him. Sandara, the redheaded woman who stood up to Plugg. Figuring that it might be worth chatting with her to get to know her better and pass the time some while they were doing their job. "Aye, it may not be the best job, but it's better than being stuck up those masts. I heard of a man who fell from the rigging, but got his foot caught on the way down. The jolt snapped his spine. He spent the rest of his life being unable to move from the waist down." The elf shook his head sadly. Then his eyes caught sight of something small moving under the pieces of the disassembled catapult. He darted towards it, but whatever the creature was scurried off out of reach. With a sigh Grathel examined the pile. Seeing that the crewman looking over this area seemed to be asleep, the elf figured that it might be safe let loose one of his secrets. "You know, I'm probably the person who's the best shot with this catapult on the ship. It takes a well trained mind to build them as well as fire them. I bet they would even struggle putting this thing together," he finished with a smirk.

After a bit, Grathel asked about the woman herself. "Sandara was it? Plugg seemed to know you personally and you seem to know your way around the ship. You know these pirates?"

Oh man, Grathel is not a skill monkey.
Dex Roll [roll0]
Knowledge Local for barroom tale spinner [roll1]
Diplomacy [roll2](+1 if barroom tale spinner succeeds)

[Yanisa]

Climbing a rope, how did that happen, Ink wonders to herself. At least it is better then getting cooked, that Hobgoblin seemed like an awfully unpleasant fellow. She grabs another rope and pulls herself up, slow and steady, carefully and fearfully. At some point she reached the halfway point and realized she never had been that high up in her entire life. She looks down, that ships looks awfully shake down here. Her head starts spinning again, her stomach is upset and Sting sends feeling of worries. She tries to grab another rope but wished and tumbles down and ends up tangled up. She starts to fear the worse but at least a few of the pirates untangle her and put her on the ground. She expect a lashing, but gets hounded by a choir of laughter instead. She almost feels relieved, but still she felt and she did not make a good first impression.

When she gets assigned as a cooking mate she could almost smile, suddenly cooking doesn't sound out of her league, she never wants to climb a mast again. She, again, quietly follows along, this time to a more talkative lady that seems to be in the same boat, so to speak. She gives Sandara Quinn a muffled "Hello." but doesn't know what to say else. It sounds awfully like she is plotting something, which seems stupid on the first day, thats the day they keep watch on new slaves the most. The other one following along the sweet talker which didn't seem to turn the tide of the pirates. She was very much the opposite of Ink, not only in her attitude, but even in clothing. Ink just wear simple sturdy clothing that concealed as much of her form, skin and tattoo's as possible.

The cook was an interesting fellow, not like then normal cooks she had seen in her life. The room, galley, was in even worse state and she wondered how the pirates did not die of food poisoning or the like. They must be very though, she hopes she can survive the food, at least she will help making it so at least she could mentally prepare. She never did any sort of real cleaning, although she had some powers to deal with stains and such, even the best scribes make mistakes. She grabs a random pot that clutters ground and utters a few words "Ini sia iejir, qe natorki!" and waves with her hands above the pot. The pots gets cleaned in seconds, which means cleaning is the easy part. The hard part is ensuring you can find anything back in this mess. "Erm... Mister Ambrose Fishgut?" She addresses the cook, unsure how he wants to be called. "A small question if I may. How much are we allowed to re-organize the stuff here?"

So Ink without any shame casts prestidigitation to clean a pot and keeps using it to assist in cleaning.

As for her lunchbreak, she would go outside to the deck to get some fresh air. Not sure if there is a skill check involved with cleaning and wheter I can sneak or Shirk.

[oyzar]

Ariel is disappointed by Mister Plugg's response. For a moment there she thought she had him, his eyes told her so. Still even a man like this probably felt peer pressure. He couldn't let the new recruits off too easily.

Hauling herself up the rope is though work. Ariel wishes she was stronger and a better climber. Maybe she should have trained more before she decided to find out more about her origins? Thinking back, she doesn't regret a thing of what she actually has done though. Still, it would be nice to be as good as that strong, handsome green-eyed man. The way he moved really was impressive. Well, that was one advantage of climbing slowly. She gets to study the well-muscled, handsome man up ahead. Too bad his nice ass is getting further and further away. Ariel's thoughts are distracting her so she goes slowly, but still she manages to get to the top without falling. Ariel is relieved and gets even more so when she sees the fate of the other girl. She feels sorry for her as she is laughed at by the pirates.

When Ariel finally makes it down after ogling the Tate some more, she is sad to discover that she is not assigned to the same group as him. At least she doesn't have to scrub the deck and she doesn't have to do any dangerous climbing. Would have been nice if she was better at cooking though.

The girl that leads them to the cook seems nice enough. Ariel takes a risk and prays for a quick orison while no one else is nearby belowdecks. "Calistria guide my words and actions to a better outcome." She whispers, evoking the guidance of her Goddess before following past Owlbear to the domain of the chef.

Sandara whispered words fill Ariel with hope, already she has found someone of like mind as her, or has been found by rather. Too bad the cook is there so they can't talk freely. Still Ariel responds with a smile. "Thank you Sandara. Us girls needs to stick together in this. I'll be sure to heed your words. I think we'll get along splendidly"
Diplomacy to improve attitude, using guidance: [roll0]
Sense motive to see if she is hiding something: [roll1]


When she turns to face her new master she throws on her brightest smile. He is certainly nothing like the hunk of a man she followed up the rigging, but she had seen worse, well not much, but a few. Still, if she got on his good side, she would have a much more pleasant life onboard until she could enact her vengeance. If he was nice to her in return, maybe she would spare his life. "Master Ambrose Kroop, it's nice to see you at least. Sadly I am quite inexperienced at this, but I am sure you would love to show this young girl how things are done, yes? I am Ariel by the way." Her words taken out of context could be certainly be interpreted several ways and Ariel had seen some of the girls back at the temple drive men wild with similar phrases. Taken in context they made perfect sense though, but hopefully they would lead the chef to view her in a favorable light.

Diplomacy to improve attitude: [roll2]
Sense motive to figure out how he feels about the situation onboard or maybe about any people he mentions [roll3]


Ariel is pleased to discover that her fellow pressgangee is proficient with magic to clean and she smiles at her. "Well, that certainly makes cleaning up this mess a whole lot easier... Miss?" She pauses briefly to mutter another prayer. "Calistria guide our actions to figure out this mess." Before touching Ink. "I know some magic of my own, this should make it easier to figure out what is useful here and what is not. Though really, the only limit to this spell is your impregnation, it'll help with anything. Though it'll only help with something you can already do." She repeats the prayer for herself before trying to sort through the mess:

Guidance on herself and ink as many times as necessary assuming she is not stopped followed by perception to sort and find things:
Taking 20 if that is possible for 25, if not:
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]

[Necropie]

Perfect, Tat thought to himself. A climbing challenge. This is just his thing. As soon as Plugg said to climb the mast, he leapt into action, and began scrambling up the rigging. He was making good progress, and was determined to get there the fastest. As he was nearing the top, he noticed the hobgoblin was matching his pace, despite his peg leg. This spurred Tat on, trying to outpace him, but to no avail. They reached the top at the same time, with the gnome joining them soon after. Tat smiled at them, and looked down to see how the others were doing. They were catching up, but one of them seemed to have got herself caught in the rigging. He let out a laugh, and began lowering himself to the deck.

He was assigned to be a rigger, which Tat had hoped he would be, and his first job was to make repairs to the riggings. Not his favourite role, but it didn’t seem to be negotiable, so Tat got to work. Bruthos was appeared to be stuck in the crow’s nest, so Tat made a note to track him down to introduce himself during his break. As he was working, he noticed that the gnome from earlier was also working the rigging. He looked rather outlandish against the other crew members, his bright clothing clashing with the tatters that most of the others were wearing. But he was a dab hand with the sails, and was clearly a good climber, so he might know something about the ship. When their paths crossed, he approached him. “Nice climbing. You seem like you might know a thing or two about the ship, any idea where we’re heading? I’m Tat by the way.”

Climb check: [roll0]
Profession(Sailor) check: [roll1]
Diplomacy check: [roll2]

[Othniel]

Grathel

"Rigger is hard work, and swab is harder," Sandara states, "But at least you can't fall to your death as a swab." She scowls upward at as if to glare through the ship toward where she might imagine Plugg stands. "Relegated to Swab. We'll see how long that lasts," she mutters.

At Grathel's question, Sandara looks at him and brushes a lock of her hair away from her face. "Oh, aye. I know them. Or I know their kind, and you've the right of it: pirates. Dregs of society, and scum, the lot of them. Except for the cook, that is," She adds. "He's the only decent one amongst the lot. Quartermaster Grok isn't half bad either, though she has a temper when she's drunk, which is most of the time from afternoon on. Some of the newer folk might be okay, but I haven't got to know them yet." Sandara stops pushing through crates as she looks for vermin and walks over to you, extending a hand. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Sandara Quinn, a Priestess of Besmara. Originally form Hell Harbour, but most recently of Port Peril. I was "invited" to this lovely cruise by our good friend, Master Scourge, not that I had any say in the matter, mind you. Been here with Rosie, Cog a few days before your group of six came aboard. Conchobar was brought on yesterday." She removes the tricorne hat she's been wearing to wipe the sweat from her brow. "Know much about siege weaponry?" she asks as you inspect the catapult.

When Sandara mentions Hell Harbor, something in the pools of your memory floats to the surface. You remember that Hell Harbor is the largest settlement on Devil's Arches, an island which lies north and a bit east of Port Peril, just off the mainland, and named for the imps that live in the area. You also remember that Hell Harbor is ruled by the Pirate Lord Arronax Endymion, a member of the Pirate Council. You remember one further bit of information: Endymion is a fan of traditional Chelish opera, and the town boasts the Shackles’ only opera house, the Three-Horned Hall.

You and Sandara complete your work diligently enough, each of you capturing enough rats and other vermin to satisfy Plugg when he comes for inspection. The creatures are taken up to the main deck and thrown overboard and disappear swiftly from view.

Ink and Ariel

"Lots of us newcomers need to stick together, Ariel," the other woman replies with a quick smile before dropping it in favor of a serious expression, "And I'd avoid encouraging Plugg or Scourge if I were you. They are evil men." As she dashes off to get to her duties (lest she get the cat for being late) she whispers a quick, "See you both tonight!"

Sense Motive: You feel that Sandara is trustworthy and being honest with you.
Kroop turns around from preparing meals and smiles at Ariel's question, "Ah, makes me wish I had me a daughter I could teach, though you're a mite older than she'd be if I had one. Still, I reckon I could teach you lassies a few things about cooking." A faraway look comes into his eyes, and you can tell he is reliving fond memories. "Oh, the dishes I used to serve!" he mutters to himself before coming back to the present and answering your question, "Think I have my old cookbook around here somewhere, if'n you can find it. I'm afraid the place is a bit of a mess." If Kroop is embarrassed by the state of his galley, he doesn't show it.

"Eh, lass?" As Ink asks her question, he fixes her with a stare. You can see that his eyes are bloodshot, and he is not quite steady on his feet. You also smell alcohol on his breath. "Bloody barnacles!" he utters, looking at the gleaming pot the sorceress holds in her hands. "Haven't seen a pot this clean since before coming on the Wormwood. How'd you get it so shiny?"

Whatever your answer, Kroop seems in awe at Ink's ability to clean his pans to the point that he can see his own reflection. As Ink continues to work, Ariel starts sorting through the kitchen, attempting to make the place orderly and less of a hazard. As she works, she discovers quite a few odds and ends either laying around, or hiding on top of, behind, or under other things...

A masterwork dagger being used as a butcher’s knife
A pair of handaxes used as meat cleavers
11 knives
A short sword
A vial of holy water
A good lock hanging unused off a pantry cupboard
2 pounds of soap
Four waterskins
A barrel of poor wine
Six bottles of good Chelish brandy worth 20 gp each
Three bottles of magnificent rum worth 12 gp each
A large cookbook worth 125 gp (using the tome while cooking grants a +1 circumstance bonus on checks to cook and prepare meals, using either Profession (Cook), or your Intelligence or Wisdom modifier, whichever is highest)
A prosthetic leg made of wood and edged with a silver band worth 45 gp and useable as a Masterwork Club.
12 sp fallen behind a cupboard

In addition, a trio of harpoons, a spear, and Kroop’s steadfast grapple hang on the walls.

As you eye the grapple, Kroop spots your look, "Aye, that's my grapple. Handy thing it is, too, especially for catching turtles and the like. Hits its target most all the time, and only lets go when I speak the command word."

[Othniel]

Tat Medley

You easily complete your tasks for the day, climbing swiftly wherever you are needed and deftly handling the ropes. As you work, you (And Bruthos) spot several other riggers going about their daily tasks:

A female human who looks to be in her mid twenties, crawling like a spider through the rigging bare-handed and barefoot.
A rat-faced halfling with long arms and three missing fingers.
A big Rahadoumi (human) with a permanent scowl.
A cruel-looking female human with murder in her eyes.
A grumpy-looking dwarf with an ever-present scowl and a large, ugly nose.
Conchobhar Shortstone (Description above).

As you draw near Conchobhar the gnome, he fixes you with a distrustful look, but answers your question readily enough, "Conchobhar Turlach Shortstone," he replies. "You can call me Conchobhar. Been here a day or so, and they simply do not appreciate my talents! I am not sure where we are headed, but at least I'm out on the sea now: it's what I've always wanted, even if I hadn't intended on starting my life of swashbuckling quite so...roughly." He grins at you. "At least some of the company isn't bad. Did you see that halfling, I think Rosie was her name? Most beautiful creature I've ever seen." He winks and lowers his voice, though no others are close enough to hear, "I think she likes me."

Though initially distrustful of everyone (as he has good reason to be), Conchobhar seems to be warming to you slightly, at least enough that you have successfully set his mouth running.

[barticus]

Climbing the rigging? How much easier could the challenge be. Bruthos would hardly even call it a challenge, he knew the rigging of a ship like the back of his hand after spending so much time sailing on his own. It was no surprise to him when he was one of the first to the top. After getting down Bruthos was assigned his position as the lookout. As much as he enjoyed the view he knew this was not going to be where his talents would shine through. But he had to do it if he wanted to ever make his way up the ranks on this ship. After making his way to the crow's nest Bruthos decideds that he will spend the first few days just doing the job he was tasked with, after all he might get a feel for how the crew interacts better if he wasn't down on the deck.

Bruthos spends the first 3 days working diligently and talking with people only if they start the conversation. Even if someone does start up a conversation Bruthos makes no attempt to keep it going.
Rolls:
Climb checks, need 12 successes:

[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]
[roll10]
[roll11]
[roll12]*in case of failing
[roll13]*in case of failing
[roll14]*in case of failing

Perception (+4 from working diligently):
[roll15]
Still need one more success, but at least I haven't fallen to my death yet!

[roll]1d20+5
1d20+5*in case of failing
1d20+5*in case of failing

[Othniel]

Barticus: The forum doesn't like it when you edit in a roll, so you'll either have to do it in a new post in the IC, or one in the OOC.

[Othniel]

Bruthos

You perform your job well, showing your past sailing experience. Over the course of the day, you spend your time watching the horizon and watching the deck. There is nothing particularly interesting to see in the water, save for a few dolphins swimming past the ship at one point in the day. Down below, you spot Tat and several other crew-members working in the rigging, and below them on the deck several other crew-members coming and going about their appointed duties.

Everyone

As your day progresses, you pass by several of the crew. A few nod their greetings, but most either ignore you, or scowl.



Meet the Rest of the Crew

Female human sorceress and sailing master. From the way she and the captain talk and laugh, they appear to be old friends.
Female human master gunner. Krine’s skin is darkened from countless days on deck under the sun, and her nose has the appearance of having been broken several times over. One of her legs has been replaced with a wooden peg leg, the result of a wayward catapult shot that took off her leg below the knee. She may be the most viletongued wench the you have ever met, and her language makes Rosie Cusswell sound like a nun.
Male human ship’s surgeon and carpenter. Wears typical sailor's clothes, and a belt with several of his more commonly-used woodworking tools, which double as surgical instruments.
Gunner’s mate. Male Human. Often seen following either Plugg or Scourge.
Boatswain’s mate. Female human. Also often seen following Plugg or Scourge.
Captain's Cabin Girl. An energetic girl of about 15 with brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and baggy clothes several sizes too big. Smiles a lot, but hesitant to speak. Serves the officers and tests their food before they eat it to make sure it isn't poisoned.
A no-nonsense character with a huge scar across her neck. Grok is a reedy female half-orc who favors dark clothing. She carries a notched greataxe and an array of throwing axes hangs from her belt. Grok frequently grins toothily, and uses appalling curse words, particularly when drunk. Grok is renowned for being tough, and she doesn’t suffer fools, but she is a close
friend of Ambrose Kroop, whom she sees as someone who’s had even worse luck than she’s had. She mans the quartermaster's store in a corner next to the galley, and often talks with Kroop as he works.
Female Human. A former fisherwoman from the Sodden Lands who never wears shoes.
A bedraggled female gnome with one eye.
A young human lad talented at scrimshaw.
A rat-faced male halfling with long arms and three missing fingers.
Female human, and a tough joker who likes her rum.
An older female half-elf who shaves her gray hair into stripes.
A very tall female human Mwangi exslaver.
A bad tempered human ex-harlot with big ears.
Male human. A fat, pushy bully with a shaved head.
A humorless, greedy male half-orc mute.
A big male Rahadoumi (human) with a permanent scowl.
An unhinged female human murderer who fled to sea to escape the gallows.
Male dwarf, and old friend of Master Scourge with a large, ugly nose.
A male human chained up in the bilges.

[gmoyes]

Grathel

Grathel gave a shrug at Sandara comment on her current station. "Aye, but at least we're not in a galley or something where we'd have to row everywhere. I doubt I'd last a day. Hunting rats won't kill ya." As he said this, he reached towards a pile of hay in one of the pig pens that had signs of movement in it. He quickly lunged for the pile and ended up snatching up a rat. The elf gave a smirk in success, but he cried out in pain as the rodent bit down on one of his fingers. Spiting out a few curses in elven, he tossed the rat into the container. "Of course, I could be wrong. Don't really know a whole lot about sailing." he grumbled as he nursed the digit.

He nodded at Sandara's assessment of the crew. "Well it can't be too bad if the cook and quartermaster are half decent. The ones who keep the men fed and paid probably hold a lot of power here. Though probably less power for us seeing I doubt we'll be getting paid." He gave a little, sad sounding chuckle and then gave a sigh, but what interrupted when Sandara put our her hand to introduce herself. Grathel took it and did the same. "Grathel. I've been living in Port of Peril making weapons such as these longer than you've been alive I'd gather. There's a few ships in the Shackles that have one of my ballista or catapults on it. While I haven't taken a look at the ballista on the top deck, I'm guessing that these aren't some of my satisfied customers." He smirked. "While I don't have much in the lines of practice firing a siege engine, I know the mechanic of one inside and out. It's not gonna jam on me if I can help it." He paused to think for a moment. "Who do you I'd have to convince to to get a chance of being a gunner? That's probably the only way I'm gonna survive on this ship."

[Othniel]

Middle Deck: Middle Hold

"That'd be Riaris Krine who's the Master Gunner. Spends most of her time either on deck ready to man one of her ballistae, or lounging in the officer's quarters," Sandara answers, "But I wouldn't go volunteering just yet. Better to lay low and let them see that we aren't threats and can do the work before trying to find a better place. And Krine will kill you soon as look at you. Nasty piece of work, that woman. She has a mouth fouler than Rosie's." At this, Sandara laughs loudly, "Did you hear what she said to Plugg earlier? I've never seen such a small person with such a big mouth. I hope she's doing all right down in the bilges. A lot of water down there some days..."

[Othniel]

The Bilges

The lowest deck of the ship, the bilges are a foul, damp place with thick cobwebs above and 1–2 feet of dark, brackish water that stinks abominably below. A ladder leads up to a trap door that opens in the lower hold (area A10), and a single bilge pump rests near the stern. The bilges also double as the ship’s brig, and six sets of masterwork manacles are fixed to the bulkheads in the forward portion of the deck. A man is slumped against the wall, held fast by one set of manacles. He doesn't look up as you enter, and an air of hopelessness hangs about him.
Short but fierce, the Halfling known as Rosie Cusswell has more muscles than most of the crew, and a fouler mouth than all of them put together. She wears a sleeveless shirt and a leather vest, green pants tucked into tall boots, and a billowing red cape. Large hoop earrings dangle from ear ears, which frame an face that would be attractive, if not for the look of perpetual anger in residence there. A handaxe is belted at her waist, and what looks to be a violin bow is tucked into her belt.

Omid

You enter the bilges, the lowest part of the ship, and Rosie lets out a sound that might be part shriek, part squeal before gasping, "Spiders!" as she points at the cobwebs. When no spiders emerge, Rosie gets right to work, mutterings interspersed with language as foul as the water you are wading in. You notice several discarded crates and boxes laying about.

Your task is to clean out the area (DC 12 Strength check, followed by a DC 10 Constitution check to avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift).

[Yanisa]

"Well, I worked for a lot of rich people. I learned some tricks." Ink gave as explanation to Kroop. She didn't know how exactly it worked either and saying it was magic suddenly seemed like a bad idea. She forgot how common people could react to suddenly magic and she could almost kick herself for being so casual. Luckily nothing happened, so that means it would be safe to use more magic here. "I do look forward to learn to cook with you." This was going to be one interesting experience at the very least.

"I am not really a miss." She responds to Ariel. "Slavers used to call me Ink, because I scribed. I guess I would be Soap now." She smiles at her own joke. She is also impressed by Ariel's guidance. "That's a cool trick, using magic to inspire people. All my odds and ends mostly relate to what I needed at work." During cleaning Ink at least tries to make piles of what she cleans. A pile of pots and pans, a pile of knifes (handles all on the same side), etc. She had no real clue how to organize everything and Kroop didn't seem to mind when things changed place.

During the lunch Ink sneaks out for a moment. "I do need some fresh air after all this cleaning." She says as she leaves for the deck. Once there she takes a moment to look over the ocean and peak around the deck. Suddenly she feels weight in her neck and realized Sting decided to also look around. "Do be careful Sting, I don't know what they do with a scorpion. You might end up as soup." Sting reacted fearful but did stick around, he was sure there so no one close. Ink decided not to loiter for too long, eat the scraps of dried bread she had for lunch and went back to the kitchen, Sting fading in her skin again as a tattoo.

[oyzar]

Ariel is relived when Kroop compares her to the daughter he could have had. That probably means he isn't going to try to force himself on her. He seems like a genuinely nice guy. There could have been much worse positions indeed. "That's great. We'll find it for sure." She says, referring to the book.

Ariel shakes her head, a sad smile on her face. A former slave without her own name, how sad is that? She responds to the woman in a soft voice. "I think that you should use whatever name you like. If you want to keep Ink, you can, or you can come up with a new one on your own. Didn't your parents give you a name? Also you are a miss, it simply means an unmarried woman."

Ariel's face light up about the comment about her magic. Both of the people here are nice to her. It could have been oh so much worse. Spending the day in a dark place in Mister Plugg's clutches for example... "Your magic is much more useful here than mine. It will make our lives here so much easier. I imagine otherwise we would have had to clean the dishes manually."

Upon hearing Kroop mention the grapple Ariel says. "A command word? It is magical then? Do you have other magical things?" She doesn't wait before checking for herself though. A prayer triggers her magic again. "Calistria just like nothing can hide from your magic, no magical things should evade my detection." She knows that she isn't very good at figuring out what magical items do, yet. Would have been nice to learn that somehow, but there is only so much you can learn before you set out. At some point you just got to go to get more experience.

At lunch Ariel decides to head out on deck to find the stud from earlier. Would be nice to get to know him better and she did have Sandara's message to deliver. Before she heads out to deck she mutters a quick prayer, it never hurts to be ready. "Calistria guide me on my path."

Ariel heads up on deck and spots Tat speaking to the gnome. Seeing him again makes it feel like she has butterflies in her stomach. Thankfully she has seen plenty of how men and women interact before at the temple, so she is not nervous. She thrusts out her breasts, filling out the tunic nicely and with a sway to her hips she heads on over and raise her voice in greeting. "Hello there guys! Wasn't much time for introductions earlier with the rough start we had. I am Ariel. It's truly a pleasure to meet you. It was amazing to see you scale the rig so rapidly earlier. It was a nice view from below." She winks at Tat. "Were you both pressganged into this too? I was knocked unconscious and fell into the water, I was sure I was a goner."

[Yanisa]

"I meant I am undeserving of titles." Ink explained, she realized her response was pretty silly. She was never addressed with a title before so she kinda responded before she thought. "I assume these pirates fellows will eventually find a name for me. That is how it always go." Although she rather not end up with a name like Fishguts, no offense to the man, but the idea of being called after the insides of a fish made her shiver. "Otherwise Ink is fine. Small and bottled, dark and useful, that's me." She smiles, indicating she doesn't mean it depressingly. "My magic might clean, but I don't think it can cook. I have used it to flavor or warm up horrid meals, but that different. Let's just trust in Mister Kroop and his talents, and the cookbook. Nice find by the way."

[Necropie]

“Damn, trying to figure out our course, see if I can work out where we’re headed. But still, I don’t suppose it matters. A ship’s a ship. I just wish I had some say in the matter.” He remembered his first taste of swashbuckling, and saw a little of himself in Conchobhar. “Yeah, it’s always a bit rough at first, but you’ll get used to it. Either that, or be prepared for a lot of lashes!” He punctuated his sentence with a laugh. “Well as long as she likes you more than she like Mister Plugg, I think you’ll get along fine!”

Just at that moment, Ariel approached them in greeting. “Thanks! I’ve been on ships before, so I know the ropes as it were.” He held out his hand for a shake. “The names Tat. Yeah, I was also pressganged. I was telling tales at a tavern, and woke up here the next day. I'm pretty sure I was drugged, and I wouldn’t mind finding the exact culprit.” He threw a pointed glance in the direction that Scourge stormed off. “And I don’t think we’re the only ones that have been ‘recruited’ recently.” He thought Ariel might be able to help find out something about the ships course, or at least offer insight into the crew, plus she seemed like… good company. “Any ideas?”

[gmoyes]

Grathel

Grathel gave a nod. The young woman gave some rather useful advice. "Thanks for giving me a heads up at the very least. Us elves are a patient bunch, but don't have much in the lines of stamina. From what I've seen, I'm the only full blooded elf on this boat. I hope I don't end up being worked to death in the meantime."

The elf continued to work, only pausing for lunch only after Sandara came back from her's. With the moving ship and the filthy vermin he was handling, he felt as if he wouldn't be able to keep his food down. And that was without even seeing what food would be served. Still, he needed to keep his strength up in order to do his jobs. When he went into the galley, his intuition was correct. He managed to get himself some hard bread, a bruised piece of fruit and some water. It wasn't much, but it would do. He would miss the fresh food that he used to get back on shore. And though he hasn't taken a look at his berth yet, he figured that he would miss his old bed just as much, if not more so. Well the slight silver-lining would be if he wasn't killed, he would probably outlive everyone else on the ship. He wouldn't be a slave forever. But how long it took remained to be seen.

Grathel finished eating and got back to work. By the end of the day, it seemed that Plugg was satisfied by his and Sandara's job performance. While he wasn't quite sure how much vermin was required, but he was glad that it was enough and that he wasn't worse for the wear beside a small rat bite. The elf did feel a small sense of accomplishment watching the bodies of rats and roaches disappear over the side. Though he was sure that there were still plenty more where that came from...

Unless someone wants to interact with Grathel, I think that's all he's doing for the day shift.

[oyzar]

"Ink it is then!" Ariel says with a smile. "Light and darkness." She puts a hand up to her hair and throws out her long golden locks. "The girls with the odd eyes will feed the crew." She blinks her golden, clearly not human eyes against Ink's mismatched eyes.

"Seems like it's quite the setup here. I am glad we have what we need to do our job." Ariel leans closer to ink to whisper in her ear. "And some of these tools can serve as weapons, which we might need, depending on what Sandara has planned."

----

Ariel takes Tat's hand gently. She loves the feel of his strong hands in her soft fists. Ariel looks thoughtful for a moment at Tat's question. She doesn't want to disappoint him. "I don't know where we are sadly. I am sure I'll be able to get it out of Ambrose though. Surely people would talk to him right? Good idea to ask. Oh yeah, I got something for your ears only." Ariel nods an apology to the gnome, "Sorry" before she leans in closer to Tat, the smell of sea and man washes in over her and she takes a deep breath as she really enjoys it. With a smile she whispers. "As much as I would love to meet up with you alone tonight, Sandara the redhead got something planned. We should check it out if we want to improve our position."

[Othniel]

Galley

"Thanks for cleanin' them pots...Ink? As ye call yerself?"

"Nay, lass," the Cook replies to Ariel, "That's my one and only magical item, and my prized possession. Won it in a game o' cards some time back." A pained expression comes over the cook's face as he mentions gambling, and he mutters as if to himself as he turns back to his work, "Don't gamble no more though; learned that lesson the hard way."

You do not detect magic on any other item.

Main Deck

"I think you have an admirer of your own," snickers Conchobhar as he sees Ariel approach. He winks at Tat and then scampers back into the rigging.

Across the sea, you notice distant shapes of land, but they are too far away to make out any details. On the ship; however, as you look at the other crew going about their tasks, you notice the one known as Slippery Sy Lonegan fix you with a murderous gaze.

Later That Day...

As the day lengthens and the sun begins its slow descent into the west, the entire crew is summoned by the officers to appear on deck. The captain stands at the wheel, and Master Scourge waits near the mast as Mr. Plugg slowly leads a man up on deck. The man, known as Jakes Magpie, is a pitiful sight. Dressed in rags, and reeking of bilgewater (the man had been kept in the bilges for a day), his head is downcast, and he has an expression of hopelessness.

"That's the man in the bilges!" whispers Rosie Cusswell.

As the man is brought on deck, the captain addresses him from his position at the wheel, "Jakes Magpie, you have been found guilty of theft from the Quartermaster's Store, and have been duly sentenced to death by keelhauling. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

At the captain's question, Magpie lifts his head. A look of panic comes into his eyes, and he appears highly agitated, "Cap'n, please! I 'ave served with you fer two years, and I've only e'er been a loyal sailor. 'Twas my own possession I were tryin' to recover from the store. It were unlawfully taken from me by Fipps!" He shoots an angry glare at the man he accuses, ending mournfully, "Ain't it lawful fer a man to recover his own?"

The captain waits patiently as Magpie speaks, slowly walking down the steps to stand in front of the others, "Did you have witnesses? No. No one here corroborated your claim, and yet you persisted in breaking into the Store." He looks at Plugg and nods. "Proceed, Mister Plugg."

"Aye, captain!" responds the first mate, and commences the keelhauling. Ropes are tied securely to Jakes Magpie, and he is shoved off a plank into the water. Plugg takes the rope and walks around the rear of the ship up to the Poop Deck and down the other side. He then begins to tug on the rope, energetically pulling in more and more slack. As you watch, Magpie is drawn under the water and disappears form sight. Over a minute later, Plugg calls for help and two other crewmen assist him in recovering a bloody mass from the other side of the ship: All that is left of Jakes Magpie.

"Let this be a lesson to you all," Captain Harrigan states, his deep voice resonating across the deck, "Anyone who steals from the Quartermaster's Store, or murders another crewman, receives the same fate." He waves his hand dismissively to Plugg and heads back to his place at the ship's wheel. Plug and the two crewman slip the rope from Magpie, and his body falls back into the water with a splash, the blood in the water now swiftly attracting sharks. A few moments later, the dinner bell rings, and Scourge shouts, "Supper! Who's hungry?"

As you watch Mister Plugg at work, you notice that he seems to be performing his duty with great relish.
As you look at Magpie's body, it occurs to you that in addition to the terrible cuts he received from the barnacles on the bottom of the ship, Jakes probably also drowned before making it to the other side. A thoroughly unpleasant way to die.

Lower Deck, Crew Berths

You all gather for dinner (prepared enthusiastically by the cook, Ambrose "Fishguts" Kroop, who is enjoying the use of his newly-cleaned cookware. After dinner, you are all provided with your grog rations, and admonished to drink it ("It keeps the shakes at bay!" you are told). After dinner is the crew's only leisure time, but before you can join in any merry-making, Sandara Quinn gathers you all to a corner in the back of the crew berths.

"I see you all got my message," she says. "First, I have something for you." She rummages around in a bag she brought with and produces several items. "I managed to talk to Grok earlier and convinced her that keeping the possessions of a Priestess of Besmara was a very unlucky thing to do," she says with a laugh. "I also ended up with a few items that might belong to some of you," she says as she hands them over. "Even though fighting another crew member on board is against the rules, it pays to be armed."

"The second thing is that I just wanted you all to know that around here, it isn't what you know, but who you know. Friends help friends and watch each other's backs. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't plan on being here forever, and it would be nice to have a few folks I can count on." She bites her lip and looks at all five of you. "That's all I really wanted to say. Now, let's split up before Plugg, Scourge, or one of their lackeys find us." With that, Sandara gets up and goes to join the other new crew-members.

Sandara returns Grathel's Spell Component Pouch, and 2 daggers to you to split up amongst each other in addition to whatever gear Ariel and Ink share from earilier.

So, the AP wants me to force you guys into drinking rum, which has addiction effects. It also gives a random charisma bonus at the cost of being fatigued for a random number of hours and the possibility of becoming addicted to it. While this is amusing, It's a bit complicated and could slow down our game, so I'm going to do away/modify with this concept in the interest of keeping the game moving. What I'll do instead is this: You will all get nightly Grog rations (watered-down rum), and drinking your Grog will give you (and NPCs, who we will assume all drink their rations) a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate and a corresponding -2 to Sense Motive checks and saves against Mind-Affecting spells and abilities (including lowering the DC for Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks) in the evening. It always wears off by morning. The AP also wants me to penalize characters caught not drinking their rum rations as it is used to keep crew members in line. I'm going to do away with this entirely with the explanation that you can always find someone willing to drink your grog for you.

You are all free at this point to take one night time ship action during leisure time before going to bed. A Player can also attempt to take up to three additional ship actions during the middle watch in the dead of night, but to do so the PC must make a successful Constitution check (DC 10, +4 per extra ship action taken) or be fatigued for the next day. So, you get your one free night time ship action without cost, but if you take one extra night time ship action, you have to make a Constitution check with a DC of 10 or be fatigued the next day. If you take two extra night time ship actions, the check increases to a DC of 14. If you take three, it increases to a DC of 18. For the free night time ship action, you may choose from any on the list, but for the two optional actions in the dead of night, you may choose only Influence, Sneak, or Steal. Choosing the Sleep action precludes you taking any extra actions.

[gmoyes]

Grathel

At the end of the of his shift, the Captain Harrigan called the crew up onto the main deck. The captain had a man tied up who looked rather worse for the wear. The halfling, Rosie quietly explained that the man, Jakes Magpie, had been in the bilges. Grathel watched as Harrigan charged the crewman with stealing from the Quartermaster and sentenced him to death by keelhauling. Jakes protested that he was just trying to get back what another man took from him. However with no witnesses, they continued on with the execution. Grathel himself never saw the man before now so he couldn't give any input. All he do was watch as Jakes was thrown overboard and Plugg bringing the rope to the other side of the ship and started pulling. When the first mate and a couple of other men hauled Jakes back out of the water, the sight of the mutilated corpse sent the elf dashing to the opposite side of the ship to vomit the remains of his meagre lunch over the side. Grathel had certainly heard stories of keelhauling, but this was the first time he had seen one in person. It was a brutal execution. At least they had dropped Jakes' body back overboard so they wouldn't have to see it again.

Just then a bell was rung and Scourge announced that it was supper time. Grathel let out a groan, followed by a sigh. "I need a drink," he muttered to himself.

***

After managing to stomach his supper, he downed the his grog. Even watered down, it gave him a slight buzz. It didn't take much to get an elf drunk. However, Sandara approached him and lead him down to the lower hold where the crew berths were. There was also the others who were 'recruited' at the same time himself. Sandara had convinced the Quartermaster to give her some of her equipment. However, Grathel was greatly surprised when the woman handed him a familiar pouch. "How did you-" he cut himself off before saying to much, but the unfinished question would have been: how did you get this? Or, how did you know it was mine? Or more importantly, how did you know I needed it? He hadn't given any hint to his magical ability, did she catch a glimpse of his spellbook? But even if she did, how would she have known that it wasn't some sort of other book? Sandara was more perceptive than she looked. Grathel wordlessly took the pouch and tied it under his shirt like a bandoleer.

Looking at the offered daggers, Grathel turned to the others. "I'm more handy with tools than with a blade, though I'm actually quite adept with firing siege engines. Though then again, a weapon of any sort may be useful as I'd be a poor match against anyone on this boat." He paused for a moment. "If we'll be allies, perhaps I should formally introduce myself. I'm Grathel, maker of siege engines." He gave a slight bow, but staggered a little with the movement of the ship and with the effects of the alcohol. "You'd be able find my work all over the Shackles. And as long as it will get me off this blasted ship, I'll work with you."

***

After that little meeting, Grathel left to track down the halfling, Rosie. Upon finding the foul mouthed girl, Grathel decided to try to get some information out of her. "Hey, Rosie. You were down working in the bilges today, right." He took a little glance round to check if anyone was obviously listening in and then continued in a quieter voice. "That was where Jakes was held, right. Did you talk to him any? What did he try to steal back from Grok that was important enough to risk being keelhauled?" The elf gave a shudder at the memory of the man mangled body. "If it wasn't something important, it was probably not worth being dragged under a boat. But then again, I've heard stories of people being keelhauled for less. Did he tell you anything?"

Know: Local for barroom tale spinner DC15 [roll0]
Diplomacy [roll1] including grog bonus, +1 if barroom tale spinner succeeds

[Yanisa]

After a meeting with a murderous gaze, Ink quickly scampers inside again. Back in the safety of the galley, that she already is seeing this place as safe, she dares to breath normal again. She looks at the pile of stuff Ariel has created and noticed a the butcher's cleaver. "Mister Kroops, you wouldn't mind if I carry someone around to defend myself. I already got the stink eye from a nasty fellow and I feel walking around alone isn't really safe. Not that I have the strength or combat training to kill someone, but it might keep someone at bay." She smiles polite as she pockets the cleaver.

She leans to Ariel. "You sure have found a lot of interesting stuff." She adds an a whisper. "Perhaps we could use some of this to win some friends or favors, tonight."

***

During the keelhauling Ink looks away. She had seen slaves getting beaten, and has been herself, but this is a level of cruelty she rather not witness. It does set the tone, she needs to be very careful, a slip up can mean death. It still haunts her during dinner and it takes a moment before she forces herself to eat, food is important. She is pleasantly surprised by the taste, Kroop sure cooks a lot better then she expected. The clean pans helped too, dinner might not end up being the worst thing on this trip. She does avoid drinking the grog, she knows why some slave-master give their slaves alcohol and she still remember this morning.

***

Ink doesn't have a lot to say to Sandara, but she goes agree. "I was finally free and now captured again. I am willing to help to escape." Polity she declines the daggers. "I already got something to protect myself fromt the kitchen." She explains. Then she looks at Ariel. If they wanted to share more the stuff to make friends, Ariel would know the right words. Ink will keep quiet.

[Nefarion Xid]

Zidan had been sullen and nearly mute since he'd been brought aboard. He hadn't yet entertained ideas of escaping or mutinying. Instead, he'd focused on keeping his head down and getting his work done. Here, the captain's word was law, and despite the unpleasant way he'd made part of the crew, he had every intention of serving dutifully for now.

Still, when Sandara offers him a dagger, he accepts and tucks it away safely in the sash around his waist. If he had to fight for his life, he might as well have a spare weapon.

[oyzar]

Ariel is quite happy about how well the day has gone, all things considered. Sure, it started off awful with waking up being robbed of nearly all her possessions, but even that could have been worse, she could have been dead. Then she was sent into forced labor, but it turned out she was supposed to work with the chef who is a nice guy. Between her own magic and Ink's they managed quite well to clean up the kitchen. They even found tons of useful gear in the kitchen for various purposes.

Ariel puts on her best smile as she tries to win over the Ambrose further. She has of course made sure to invoke a prayer to Calistria beforehand, to help her push the correct buttons. "It would be very nice if we could borrow some of the things her to protect ourselves with indeed. Of course we'll use them for their's intended purpose when needed, but until then, actually having live kitchen helpers will be more helpful than having a bunch of weaponry gathering dust on your wall." Ariel takes down the spear and fasten it over her shoulder and get the prosthetic leg in her belt and the short sword in her other belt. Surely some can use those weapons.
diplomacy [roll0]

During the keelhauling Ariel is filled with a mix of emotions. Breaking the law on the ship was indeed worthy of vengeance and as such it should be justified to treat the man to the most gruesome death possible. Yet something felt off about it all. The offense of trying to get back your own things should not be punished by death. This was not vengeance, this was robbery and murder. That in itself was deserving of vengeance. Ariel added Mr. Plugg to the list of people who had to go.

At the meeting in the evening Ariel shows off the weapons she has gathered for the day. "I am Ariel, sorry for skipping over introductions earlier. Our dear cook was quite generous letting us borrow things. I found a sword and a spear and I am sure this thing can be used as a club." She hefts the leg up. "Who think they can use the weapons the best?" She turns her eyes to Zidan. "I am sure a handsome man like yourself could wield the sword quite deftly. Maybe you can tell us a bit more about yourself? I would love to know more" Then she leans in to whisper to him. "Though if you prefer to tell me under four eyes, that's fine by me as well. I would really like to get to know you better."

[Othniel]

Galley

"Sure, lass, jest leave the hook fer now," Kroop says. "And be careful who you show them weapons to. Don't want Scourge and Plugg to find out I armed ye."


Lower Deck, Crew Berths

At the mention of Jakes Magpie, much of the color in the halfling's face drains, "Yeah, he was there, all right, the poor ----," Rosie confirms to Grathel, language as colorful as ever. "Dunno what he stole, and the officers ain't telling. Like as not, they just wanted to make an example out of him." She bites her lip and fingers the axe in her belt, "Almost thought about sneakin' in myself to recover my own, but I'm glad I didn't. I'll have to butter Grok up first, play it safe, ya know?"

[barticus]

Bruthos has only seen keel haulings a handful of times. They were not favored on the ships he worked on before since they meant that there was a new opening on the ship. Regardless of whether a slave was guilty or not. On the ships Bruthos was on they always tended toword sever beatings and seclusion instead. After the keel hauling Bruthos and the others. The meal was better then some he had had on previous ships but still only about as good as a ship meal could get. After dinner he went with tagged along with the other to the meeting with Sandra Quinn. After everyone else is done talking Bruthos speaks up.

"Names Bruthos. I can be a valuable ally or a terrifying foe. Stay on my good side and we won't have a problem. I don't need your daggers. But if you find my whips I would be in your debt.

Bruthos leaves the meeting and looks for someone for the arm wrestling.

Not sure how many rolls are needed but here are a handful to get started. Also not sure if there are any other pcs who want to arm wrestle or if I find some of the other crew who are already doing that.


Roll 1
[roll0]


Roll 2
[roll1]


Roll 3
[roll2]


Roll 4
[roll3]


Roll 5
[roll4]

[Nefarion Xid]

At the meeting in the evening Ariel shows off the weapons she has gathered for the day. "I am Ariel, sorry for skipping over introductions earlier. Our dear cook was quite generous letting us borrow things. I found a sword and a spear and I am sure this thing can be used as a club." She hefts the leg up. "Who think they can use the weapons the best?" She turns her eyes to Zidan. "I am sure a handsome man like yourself could wield the sword quite deftly. Maybe you can tell us a bit more about yourself? I would love to know more" Then she leans in to whisper to him. "Though if you prefer to tell me under four eyes, that's fine by me as well. I would really like to get to know you better."

A native Kelesh speaker, the idiom was completely lost on Zidan. He folded his arms and announced softly, "I am the Amirzade Zidan ibn Kazim al Samir. My father is Kazim the Peerless who serves in the court of the most wise Satrap Xerbystes the Second."

With only a hint of smugness he adds, "I am a Prince of Qadira. I can wield the sword."

[Yanisa]

Ink - Evening - Ship Deck

After a day of "hard" work Ink was ready to find some distraction. The cheap booze however was not what she was looking for, instead she figured these pirates must have games. Dice or Cards, games that suitd her talents. Instead they did brutish things like drinking contests and arm wrestling. She even spotted the Hobgoblin, Bruthos, doing it. She still disliked the fellow, just seeing him gave her chills, but she didn't know why.
On the deck they were tossing filthy greasy pigskins or whatever. Ink had down throwing games before, the kids in the stables always threw horseshoes around a stick, but she was quickly banned for being too good. In truth she cheated with a bit of magic, could work here too, but why bother. Then she saw these pirates played for money and it got her intrest. Except she didn't had any,however she remember that Ariel did found some silver coins in the galley and Kroop didn't stop them from keeping it. Ink quickly walked to Ariel and with her nicest smile asked. "Hey Ariel, could I borrow that silver off you? I got a plan." She winked. "I promise I pay it back tonight, or you get to be the boss as long as we are helpers in the kitchen." Before Ariel could give a proper response, Ink pocketed the money and went back to the deck.

On the deck she stepped towards who ever is playing. "Hey, I see you zailors are good, but have you ever see a girl thrown before?" She shows off the stack of silver, hoping it didn't attract too much suspsion. She grabs of the greasy hogs and actives her magical tattoo. Sting responses by sending feeling of danger, but Ink knew she needed to be careful. Luckily her telekenis came as natural to her as an unicorn, so without a word and a movement the magic flowed around the hog, ready to be used. She tried to toss it, but quickly learns that she has neither the skills or strength to do so. Not that it mattered, her magic was her triumph card. While the hog flies to the air she gives it an extra boosts with her powers.

So the plan is:
Steal the 12 sp of Ariel we found in Kroops kitchen.
Cast Mage Hand while picking up the Hog Lob.
Mage Hand is a SLA (from the feat Mage Tattoo), thus is cast silent and still and can cannot be spotted.
I throws as a standard action.
CMB [roll0]. And yes -6 because its a CMB, not a Dex check. :smallfrown: Otherwise it was a -2.
I fling the Hog Lob thing 15 feet as a movement action after I throw it.
If the DM allows it and the thing is still in range I will fling it once or twice more on the next round.

[oyzar]

"Of course you can borrow the silver." Ariel nods to Ink, distracted by Zidan. She is taken in by the strong smell of the man after he has worked all day in the rigging. It's actually quite nice, not unpleasant at all. She turns her widest smile on for the man. "A prince? That's so cool. Please, do tell me more about yourself."

Ariel hands Zidan the sword under the table, but instead of taking back her hands at once, she lets them linger on his and grabs his hand gently in both of his to hinder him from withdrawing. She wants to touch him more.

[Othniel]

Few of the crew are interested in talking to (let alone arm-wrestling) with a hobgoblin, but Crimson "Cog" Cogsworth takes a seat in front of you. "Bet you have some interesting stories to tell. Never arm-wrestled a hobgoblin before," he states matter-of-factly and offers his arm. A crowd quickly gathers, and the two of you rest your elbows on the table and grip hands. One of the spectators counts down, "Three...two...one...GO!" and the contest begins...and ends just as quickly as you slam Cog's arm down onto the table. He yelps and wrings his arm, trying to relieve the pain. "You've got some power there!" he says with a look of admiration.
Crimson Cogsworth seems a bit less unfriendly to you after the match.
If few seemed interested in arm-wrestling you before, there seem to be even fewer potential contenders. A few awkward moments go by as crewmen look at each other. From the back of the crowd, a small female voice pipes up, "I'll give the ****ing hobgoblin a go." Rosie Cuswell pushes her way through the crowd and takes Cogsworth's place in front of you. She rolls up a sleeve, revealing the tattoo of a crossed violin and bow, and offers her tiny hand to you. You are a bit put off by the pint-size challenger, and as a result your battle of strength with the diminutive woman ends badly for you, her smaller arm slamming your meaty hand down onto the table. "Again!" she says and again offers her hand...and again wins. You aren't sure exactly why or how, but a mere halfling defeated you at arm-wrestling. Rosie gets up and grins at you. Before scampering off, she offers a parting shot, "Let me know if you ever want a rematch."

Not to be upstaged by a halfling, two other crewmen take their turns at arm-wrestling the hobgoblin. You win both of them handily. By the time the contests are over, several bets have been placed, won or lost, and collected. Several crewmen (the winners) clap you on the shoulder, while others look at their emptier money pouches dolefully.
Rosie seems to have warmed to you a bit.
You lost two rounds of arm-wrestling (both against Rosie), and take [roll0] and [roll1] nonlethal damage, which heals at the rate of 1 point per hour.

[Othniel]

You step on deck and notice a half dozen or so crewmen taking turns at throwing a small leathery-looking lump. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be a greased piglet skin (heavily worn) known as the "hog." The rules are explained and you offer your silver pieces as a wager before watching as all six of them take turns throwing the "hog." The tallies are made for how far the hog is thrown: 21, 6, 16, 8, 22, and 4 ft respectively. The last thrower looks sheepish as his distances is measured and shouted out, "I...uh...tripped," the pirate explains lamely. As your turn comes, several of the crew look at you with grins on their faces. All six expected to beat you initially, although the three that received scores of 6, 8, and 4 are clearly frowning. You wind up and throw the ball...12 feet in the air, but as it leaves your hand it is invisibly propelled like a ballista bolt from your hand, soaring a grand total of 27 feat before landing farther down the deck. For a few moments, all that can be heard is the flapping of the sails in the wind, and the poor squawking of the parrot on the deck. Wordlessly the pirate who had held the wagers hands you the total sum of 72 silver pieces plus the original 12 that you wagered.

You gain one hero point for clever use of a magical ability to tip the odds in your favor. Seriously, that was both clever thinking, and pretty cool. :smallbiggrin:

[Nefarion Xid]

Zidan spends most of the evening regaling Ariel with tales of the Satrap's court in Katheer and the exploits of the Peerless. After, his spirits lifted somewhat by the girl's interest, he makes an attempt to entertain the crew with feats of juggling.

[roll0]

[oyzar]

I guess fast forwarding the RP is fine to not delay the others, though it is one of the more enjoyable parts of the game to me, but not if it holds up everyone. Maybe we could play out the conversation in PM or on skype or something and then edit it in and tell the others that we did it?
Ariel really enjoys chatting with Zidan. He is charming, handsome and oh so confident. The tales of the court are foreign and intriguing to her. Maybe she'll get to see similar one day? The interaction with the man sends her heart soaring up even further. Maybe getting taken onto this ship was a stroke of good luck, rather than an atrocity as she had thought? She would not meet this nice man otherwise. She adds in a bit about herself, but mostly she is interested in getting to know more about the fencing ace gone rogue. While they talk she sips her grog. It's not quite wine or ale, but she does enjoy alcohol.

While Zidan is juggling Ariel sneaks on over to Sandara. Getting to know the man was more important to her, but getting to know the people on board and what is going on could prove useful in the times ahead. As always a quick prayer to Calistria comes before her meeting. "Thank you so much for looking out for us. I'll be sure to help you out if I can as well. To do that, it would be nice to know more about the things going on the ship though. What can you tell me about the people onboard? Who are trustworthy, who are dangerous and who will help a woman in dire straits?"

If possible Ariel will use touch on luck on herself:
Diplomacy to influence Sandara [roll0](+2 from grog, +1 from guidance), luck: [roll1]
Sense Motive to figure out if she is telling the truth [roll2], luck: [roll3]
Ask question: [roll4] luck: [roll5]

[gmoyes]

Grathel

The other recruits didn't seem too interested in talking with the elf. Which was just as well, he survived this long in the Shackles by keeping his head down and making good investments. This talk of mutiny did make him a little nervous though. One loose lip and they'll all be keelhauled. He wouldn't be able to contribute much in a fight, though he may be able to support them somehow. If it got him off the ship, he would be fine with it. He made note on everyone's names and abilities as they will probably be of use in the future.

***

Grathel nodded in response to the foul mouthed halfling. Cusswell seemed to be an appropriate name for her, as she seemed to cuss quite well. Maybe it was a name she made for herself. "Yeah, I'd like a word with the quartermaster myself. I'd love to get my tools back, maybe even my crossbow. Though I'd suggest trying to talk with her in the morning. I heard from Sandara that she quite mean while drunk and she hits the booze by lunch." Just then he heard a slam and a cry of pain. Turning he saw Cog clutching his hand while the hobgoblin Bruthos looked quite pleased with himself after the round of arm wrestling. Seeing the competition, his conversation partner went over to accept the challenge. Impressively, the burly halfling managed to overpower the larger Bruthos, not once but twice. The elf grinned despite himself, and cheered on Rosie. "Heh, way to go Rosie!"

Still, Grathel gave a sigh as he watch the arm wrestling. The brutality of the glass really just added injury to insult and if that was what gambling around here was, he would still stay away from it. What happened to card games and throwing dice? At least those didn't draw blood. Most of the time that is.

Again, unless someone wants to chat with Grathel, he's done for the evening.

[Othniel]

Zidan

Your feat of juggling has successfully entertained the crew and won you a +2 circumstance bonus on all Charisma-based skill checks made to interact with any listener among the crew
for the next 24 hours.

Ariel

"Don't trust any of the officers," Sandara replies. "Most of the rest of the crew look out for themselves, but only a few will look to do you harm. The ones that follow Scourge like lapdogs are the worst: Aretta Bansion, Fipps Chumlett, Jaundiced Jape, and Slippery Sy Lonegan." The woman counts them off on her fingers and glances over at the others. "Might want to tell your friend there - the other cook's mate - to watch out. Some of Scourge's hounds think us women are easier pickings." The priestess takes a drink from her grog and makes a face to match the taste. "As for the trustworthy ones...there's Grok who is trustworthy to those as befriend her." Sandara giggles slightly and grins. "She keeps asking me to intercede with Besmara so she doesn't end up cursed for having my things when they brought me on board. Extremely superstitious that one. Also very fond of drink. Might be able to barter with her if you find anything other than this swill they serve the crew. The gnome is all right, though I think he's a bit self-important. That'll go away soon enough on this ship. Rosie's trustworthy, though she's still mad at Grok for not giving something back; not sure what though. Last one's Cog. Bit of a loner, but he seems to respect strength, if that Hobgoblin's arm-wrestling match with him is anything to go by. Bet he likes a good story; most folks do." Snapping her fingers, she remarks, "Oh; forgot one: Owlbear. Poor fellow has the mind of a child. I don't think he means anybody harm, but he could easily hurt someone on accident. Some of the crew tarred and feathered him recently, poor man."

She shrugs before continuing, "And then there's Kroop, though he's not likely to go against the captain unless things become real dire." Sandara lowers her voice to a whisper before continuing... "This is just rumor, mind you, but the story I heard when one of the officers was drunk yesterday is that Kroop used to be some famous chef in Port Peril. Apparently he got into some high-stakes wager with the captain and bet his life. Give you one guess as to who won that toss." She shook her head sadly, "Poor man. He ought to be back on land serving decent folk." Sandara grins once more, and says one last thing, "There's also a rumor that the last cook's mate just up and disappeared. Nobody quite knows where he disappeared to, but I'd watch myself if I was in your position. Officers are mighty picky about their dinners."


You get the feeling that Sandara's friendliness cannot be further improved upon, but you also sense that she is trustworthy and trying to be genuinely helpful.

[Othniel]

Lower Deck

You all head to bed at a relatively decent time having been thoroughly worn out by your first days aboard ship. The night is relatively restful, allowing you to recover from any fatigue or exhaustion from the previous day. Breakfast is served below deck, and as the morning bell rings for work to begin, you all make for the stairs up to the middle deck. As you near the bottom of the stairway, four of the crew come down to meet you at the bottom: Aretta Bansion, Fipps Chumlett, Jaundiced Jape, and Slippery Sy Lonegan. They spread themselves out as if in a wall to block your passage, each of them eyeing your group with smug disdain. Lonegan in especial curls a lip as if in a snarl as she looks at Ink. Stepping up to the sorceress, Lonegan gives Ink a harsh shove. "Where d'ye think ye're goin, mates?" she drawls. All four pirates stand there menacingly. Jape in particular glares hard at you, as if making up for his inability to speak. None have drawn weapons.

No combat...yet, so no initiative. If you guys want to specify what squares you're in, go ahead and I'll move you. Lonegan will always move to be in front of Ink, having taken an immediate dislike to her (you aren't sure why).

[Nefarion Xid]

Lower Deck

He'd barely had time to get his coat on and tie the sashes around his waist before the morning's altercation. Zidan maneuvers through the crowd and tries to impose himself between Ink and Lonegan. "What sort of man are you to treat a woman this way? You will beg her forgiveness now or you will be ****ing out your own teeth for a week."

[roll0]

[Yanisa]

Ink, Lower Deck

She had a decent nightrest, but woke up a couple of times. Having a lot of silver on a pirate ship seems something to invite trouble. And that trouble came after dinner in the form of Sy Logane. Although that might not be for the money, she already had it out for Ink before that. Before Ink could respond, Zidan acted heroically and stepped between her and Sy. Although he judged the gender wrong, Ink could understand she almost made the same mistake, so his threatening attitude almost seems like a joke. Still it was nice and Ink took the chance to hide between her savior. She also felt the need to help.
"We are going to the deck, Mister Plugg orders. And if he hears we are late because of you... Well... you know the man better then I do." Well, not really, Mr Plugg might give out orders later but right now no one was waiting. Still if they believed it they might give up whatever they are after.

Sting, Folds of Ink's Cloak

Ink also feels the weight of sting again, who is sliding downwards through the folds of her cloak. His mood seems angry.

Ink Bluff: [roll0]

Sting switches to its real form, but keeps hidden.
Sting Stealth: [roll1]

[barticus]

Bruthos wakes up feeling refreshed and is "happy", as happy as any hobgoblin really gets anyway. Even considering the defeat at the hands of Rosie. But it could have been worse, after all he thought he got a little better standing with both Rosie and Cog. A little humiliation at the hands of a halfling was tolerable. But beating Cog and a few others did not seem to have an effect on a handful of the mates. After the greeting Bruthos and the other received he stands as big as he can advances close enough to be nearly nose to nose (looking down at him if applicable) with Jape and scowls baring his teeth.

"You best get out of my way if you know what is good for ye."

Bruthos moves up to M29. Using intimidate (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/intimidate) to "Influence Opponents Attitude".
[roll0]

[gmoyes]

Grathel (Lower Decks)

Grathel had a restless night, the movement of the ship and his own restless thoughts about his situation did not make for good sleep. Still, he managed to get some rest.

The next morning, he quickly looked over his spellbook to prepare some magic. He wasn't what one would call classically schooled in the study of magic, but he had picked up a few things over the years. While it wasn't much, it should help him survive living on the ship. While it may have been risky studying the book, he hoped that if he was caught that he could pull it off as personal notes for siege engines. Telling them that it contained parabolic trajectories and co-efficients of torque should keep the more simpleminded uninterested. He prepared a couple of more familiar spells, one that gave him a single near-perfect shot and one that gave him insight when building. With a few muttered words, he cast the latter. Building and fixing stuff should definitely come in handy here and he need to prove his worth.

Preparing True Strike and Crafter's Fortune, immediately casting Crafter's Fortune which lasts 2 days or until I make a craft check.

After breakfast as he and his fellow recruits headed up to the main deck to receive orders, their way was barred by a quartet of crew members. They looked like they were looking for trouble, but if they didn't head up to the deck, then he would be in trouble. Some of the others had said their piece so Grathel gave is own input. "Aye, I'm not looking to make trouble. Don't want the disappoint Plugg and the other officers."

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Othniel]

Lower Deck

"Man!" Lonegan all but shrieks in response to Zidan's words. "Maybe I should take your teeth and wear 'em fer a necklace!" She looks again at Ink, and you can see doubt creep into her eyes for a moment, only to be replaced by anger as Fipps Chumlett nudges her silently, "That's right; I do know Plugg, but Scourge's orders were - uh, never mind what his orders were! You're going nowhere 'til I say you can go." Lonegan stares even harder at Ink, though she gives no inclination of spotting Sting's movement.

Beside Lonegan, Jape all but wilts under the stare of Bruthos, and he steps aside, giving the hobgoblin room to pass.

Meanwhile, Aretta Bansion stares daggers at Grathel, refusing to step aside. She keeps shooting looks at Chumlett and Lonegan who seem to be the ringleaders.

Bruthos is free to pass by Jape (if he wants to abandon his fellow PCs), having succeeded at his intimidate check. Zidan was not so lucky. Sting's Stealth check succeeds. Ink can tell that Lonegan is worried about arriving on deck, but you pick up on the fact that Scourge has likely sent these four to delay you from getting to your stations on time.

[oyzar]

Ariel somehow manages to sleep quite well. The movement of the ship and the sound of the sea makes her feel at home, something she wasn't able to feel on land. She wakes up bright and early to prepeare her spells. As she does so she looks over at the sleeping Zidan. It would have been so much better to prepare her spells in the arms of the handsome prince as a proper deific obedience to Calistria. Ariel blushes slightly, she has never actually done such a service to the godess before.

Prepeare same cantrips, but command, cure light wounds and disguise

As usual Ariel prepares herself with a quick prayer to Calistria before going up. "Calistria please guide my path."

Ariel tries to remain calm in the face of the difficult situation. She almost puts on a smile as she raises her voice at the same time as she channels a bit of luck from her godess into her words. "Come on now dear Lonegan. We all know how this works. My mistress can be very nice to those just looking for a nice time, yet every slight will be paid back many times over." She holds up the back off her hand to show off her symbol of Calistria. "Stroking or stabbing? I know what I would rather have done to my back. If you let us through now, I am sure we can find some way to make it worth your while." Ariel blinks and sways her hips slightly. "Maybe the need for a friendly ear in a place you can't be or a task you can't accomplish on your own will come along? I know what it is like to wake up drunk on the bottom of the sea and it's not a date I would wish on anyone."
Diplomacy using touch of luck and guidance, best of two: [roll0] [roll1]

[barticus]

Bruthos makes his way to the stairs. If Ariel's diplomacy doesn't seem to work he stops in front of Lonegan and says; "Let the other pass too if ye don't want to be eating yer own teeth for breakfast."
[roll0]
Here is the link to the Intimidate (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/intimidate) page again.

[Othniel]

Lower Deck

Lonegan is unmoved by Ariel's words, though you can easily imagine the pirate weighing her orders to delay the group against letting them pass. Lonegan's silence is broken by Bruthos' words, and her mind is made up. "Fine," she snaps at Ariel (completely ignoring Bruthos) and steps out of the way. Fipps Chumlett starts to object, "But Scourge said -" Lonegan silences him with a glare, "Oh, don't worry. Scourge will here about it."

"All of it," she adds with a dark look toward Bruthos.

With two of their number (including the ringleader, Lonegan) having backed down, the other pirates stand aside to the jeers of what has been a steadily growing audience of deckhands. You all make it up the stairs and start moving through the crowd of sailors when a voice shouts, "What's all this here ruckus? Back to work, you scabs!" Plugg pushes his way through the sailors, cat in hand and stares as Jape, Lonegan, Bansion, and Chumlett finally come up the stairs. "To work, all of you!" he bellows to the crowd before spinning on Chumlett. "Except you, Chumlett. Three lashes for being last on deck. Let this be a lesson to the rest of you: don't be late to work!" The rest of the sailors scatter as Plugg brandishes his cat and strikes Chumlett three times across the man's back. After the third is given, he sends Chumlett to work and gathers the rest of you for daily assignments.

Daily assignments will be given in a follow-up post shortly.

[Othniel]

Plugg hands out the assignments, and quickly explains what is expected of you.

Galley

Ariel and Ink arrive to see Kroop busy over a large platter. "Good morning, ladies!" Kroop greets you heartily. "Just planning out the Captain's big dinner. Roast hog tonight. Not sure what the celebration is (they don't tell me nothin'), but it has to be just right. Ariel, I'll need you to slaughter one of the pigs down in the middle hold. Then we'll roast the porker for a fine meal. Might even be some leavings for a stew later for you and your friends if all goes well." He switches his gaze over to Ink and frowns momentarily, "Don't have much for you to do today, so I'll give you a choice: stay here and help me out today, or help your friend."

The Captain is entertaining the officers for some special occasion tonight. Plugg doesn't tell you what it is, but he does say that one of the pigs in the Middle Hold must be butchered and prepared for dinner. You must make a DC 10 Profession (cook) or Survival check to slaughter the animal, then help Kroop to clean, cut, and prepare the carcass. If Kroop is sober (and he is today, lucky you!), no additional check is required.
Plugg tells you that there is nothing else specific that needs doing, and to have Kroop assign work to Ink. I rolled a "Bull Session" for you, so I'll let you choose: Either listen to Kroop's stories and drink with him, allowing you to take one additional free ship action today, or you can aid Ariel if you choose.

Main Deck

Bruthos, Grathel, and Zidan are all sent up to the main deck for their assignments, each initially taking orders from Master Scourge who stands at the wheel supervising. The Captain is below deck in his cabin most of the day, but comes on deck every few hours to check up on things. Bruthos is assigned Line Work, Grathel is assigned as a Runner, and Zidan is given Rope Work. After this, he shoves a small wad of hastily written notes to Grathel. "Here, boy, delivery this first message to Habbly Quarn. Yer like to find him in the officer's quarters. Knock, but don't barge in unless yer invited. I'll hear of it if yer found where ye don't belong!"

"Get on them lines!" Scourge yells to Bruthos as he see's the hobgoblin appear on deck. "And you," pointing to Zidan, "Rope work. Neatly now, princeling," he adds with contempt in his voice.

Hard work hoisting and lowering sails, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check. The PC must also make a DC 10 Constitution check to avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift.
Passing messages to the crew and officers of the Wormwood in all parts of the ship except officers’ cabins (areas A4 and A5), requiring a DC 10 Acrobatics check and DC 10 Constitution check. Failing the Constitution check results in the PC being fatigued at the end of the shift. A PC with the Run feat automatically succeeds at this task. Nothing too specific here. Aside from making your rolls, feel free to embellish your running around and delivering messages as you please (except for the Officers' Cabins which are off limits).
Handling the ship’s ropes, including coiling them, stowing them, and securing them to cleats and single and double bollards, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check.

Assignments for Other Crew
Sandara and Rosie have both been assigned as Rat Catchers for today. They spend the morning on the Middle Deck, and the afternoon on the Lower Deck.
Conchobhar is assigned to Rigging Repair and spends the day climbing all around the rigging checking for sections in need of repair.
Cog has been assigned to Swab the Decks, and spends the morning cleaning below deck. As afternoon arrives, he moves to the Main Deck where he can be in the fresh air during the hottest part of the day.


Remember that you get one free daytime ship action, unless otherwise noted. Feel free to work them in to your duties as you will, either while you are performing your duties, or on a water or meal break, etc.
I really don't want to keep track on a daily (in game) basis of what job each minor crew member is assigned to, so if you want to attempt to influence anyone specifically, feel free to let me know, and I'll let you know where to find that crewman.
You are all free to attempt to influence any member of the crew you want (during your appropriate ship actions and such), but you've been warned about several of the officers already (namely Harrigan, Scourge, Plugg, and Riaris), and pointed to one that might be helpful, at least in some way (Grok). The others you are free to engage, if you wish, but the first book doesn't provide much for them. In fact, it tells me to avoid nurturing any relationships between the other officers and the players until later books. I've read ahead a little, and most (if not all) of them factor in somewhere down the line, so if you really want to engage them you can, and I'll keep track of it, but don't expect a payoff anytime soon. Aside from the four primary NPCs that were press-ganged along with the rest of you (Sandara, Rosie, Conchobhar, and Cog), the rest of the non-officer crew range from indifferent to hostile in their initial attitude toward any PCs. I'm betting you can guess which ones you just had an altercation with. :smallbiggrin:

[Nefarion Xid]

Zidan gives Master Scourge a faint smirk, but sets to his task without complaint. Still curious as to why Lonegan screamed 'man' at him, he works diligently and swiftly, his deft hands making the job an easy one. While a novice sailor, he had hoped to impress the Captain with his exceptional agility and willingness to take orders without lip.

During the day, when there's a lull in the work, he calls up to Conchobhar in the rigging. "I like your hat! Most men cannot wear purple. But you? Perfect. How is it that you managed to keep your finery when you were brought aboard? They left me my coat, but my jewelry is all gone."

He twirls, showing off his handsome rose brocaded coat and his silk sashes. "Most of it? Trinkets. But the signet ring was my fathers and I should very much like to see it returned."


Dexterity check for Rope Work. +4 for working diligently today.
[roll0]

[Othniel]

Main Deck

The gnome's eyes light up at Zidan's flattery and the display of finery. "Oh, it was all taken from me at first, but getting it back was was very simple, I assure you. The Captain apparently keeps the stuff taken from new crewmen in the Quartermaster's Store for doling out as rewards or to use for barter in port. I sang the quartermaster a ballad - a magnificent ballad, I might add - about a half-orc Knight Errant who went about righting the wrongs of her father. Of course, it wasn't originally about a half-orc, and it was a he rather than a she, but one must play to one's audience now, don't you know?" Conchobhar grins smugly, and it is quite obvious that he is pleased with himself. "Of course not everyone has my ability to perform," he adds, "and the word is that Grok is uselessly drunk from afternoon on. I reckon that if you plied her with drink - fine drink, mind you - she would be putty in your hands."


As I read the guide, Working Diligently and Attempting to Influence a crewman are two separate ship actions, so you would have to choose between them. As you made your dexterity check with flying colors, I'll let you influence Conchobhar w/o the working diligently action being used.

[gmoyes]

Grathel

Grathel couldn't help but smirk as the crewman, Chumlett, was lashed for being the last one up on the deck. Served him right for getting in their way and trying to cause them trouble, though too bad the others got away unscathed. While it might have frightened them off, it may cause them to try better to hold them up next time. He most certainly didn't want to let his guard down.

Scourge has assigned the elf to be a runner, though he had to desperately hold his tongue when the boatswain called the elf 'boy'. Grathel guessed that he was at least four or five times the man's age. None of the less, he gave a small sigh. Like climbing the day before, he hadn't had much experience with running in his time living in the Shackles. Still, he had to try or else he'd feel the lash. However, running messages between the officers did have a silver lining. It gave him an excuse to be in the officer's cabin. It would be a good opportunity to get a peek at what sort of things they were up to. With the papers that Scourge gave him in hand, he knocked on the door to the officer's cabins. "I've got a message for Habbly Quarn from Mister Scourge," he announced. When the door opened, he quickly glanced through with his keen elven eyes.

I see why there are no other elves on this ship :smallsigh:
Untrained Acrobatics [roll0]
Constitution [roll1]
Using sneak to take a look around the officers quarters.
Perception [roll2]

[Yanisa]

Ink, Lower Deck
She was relieved that the 'Scourge's gang', that how she decided to call them for now, backed down. For a moment she worried things might come to blow, or that she would come too late, which also seems bad. Even sting for a moment seemed to expect trouble, but now that its faded he switches back to his tattoo form. Ink hopes no one notices the scorpion tail around her neck being slightly different now. Without much more dawdle she ends to the galley.

Ink, Galley
Ink puts on her best smile. "Good morning to you too, Mr. Kroop." She think for a moment and then asks. "Miss Ariel, you think you can handle it? Slaughtering a pig sounds like awful work, poor critter." Ink would rather not to do it, but helping your friends is important, especially when trying to escape together. "Also here are the silver pieces back I lend next night. Thanks for that, I had a great evening due to you." She hands over the 12 silver pieces as she wondered what she would do with her winnings.

[oyzar]

Ariel breathes a sigh of relief when the hostile pirate finally back down. She is even more relived when she discovers the penalty for being last on deck. She doesn't want that to happen to her.

Ariel greets Kroop with a smile, she definitely want to be on his good side. "Good morning Master Kroop! Always nice to see you." At Ink's question she ponders for a bit. She has observed plenty of animals before, surely she can figure this out. "I should be able to handle it, don't worry." She goes over to the cookbook and gathers up the masterwork knife to do her task. She starts leafing through the pages, looking for information on how to slaughter things, but stop to accept the money once Ink comes over. She accept it then leans in to whisper. "What did you need the money for anyway? Did you gamble? And did you win something?"

With the help of the finely crafted knife, the information from the book, a prayer to Calistria asking for guidance in her work and her intuition Ariel sets to the grisly of slaughtering the pig. She isn't squeamish and have no problem with the morality of slaughtering the animal so they can eat, but she is a bit uncertain given that she has never done it before. Her nerves doesn't hinder her from performing the task with steady movements though.

Not sure if the book and/or the knife and/or guidance gives a bonus to the check. I want to take 10 for somewhere between 17 and 14. If that isn't possible here is the roll:[roll0] (add up to +3 more as appropriate).

[Othniel]

Grathel

As Quarn opens the door, you see a room lighted only by two portholes in opposite walls and an oil lantern gently swaying in the middle of the cabin. Quarn accepts the note and studies it for several moments before scribbling a reply on the back and handing it back to you. "Here, bring this back to Scourge," is all he says before shooing you out and locking the door behind you. Before shoving you out the door, you catch a glimpse of a large humanoid (you think he's human, but can't be quite sure at your angle) sleeping with his back leaning against the mast. You also notice a row of well-crafted footlockers lining the walls of the cabin.

Text of the original: "Take a look at the bilges later. Think Magpie loosened some of the shackles."
Habbly Quarn's reply: "Will get to it by the end of the day."

Will update later in a new post pending your decision as to helping or going to see

Ariel

With aid from Kroop's cookbook, which has a very useful section on butchering animals to prepare them for cooking, you manage to butcher the pig without fuss or causing it any more pain than necessary. The entrails are thrown overboard, and Kroop takes the meat to roast the rest of the day in preparation for the Captain's dinner. Throughout the day, you periodically help Kroop with the rest of the dinner's preparation, and he takes care of meals for the crew in the spare time your help has allowed him.

Remember, you get one free ship action, as long as it wasn't one of the ones that would retroactively cause your profession (cook) check to fail.

[Yanisa]

Ink, Galley

"Gamble? Sort off. I was pretty sure I was going to win, so can you call it gambling? They played a tossing game on the deck and I won my boots filled with silver. It's making me really nervous walking around with all that money." She smiles sheepish, talking about all that money was making her also feel pretty nervous. "Seeing as you and Mister Kroop can handle the pig, I will check out the quartermaster. Mister Kroop I will back after to help you." A good excuse to avoid watching the slaughter, although her gut feeling was saying she wouldn't be able to avoid it forever.

With that she sets out to the quartermaster's shop.

[Nefarion Xid]

Main Deck

The gnome's eyes light up at Zidan's flattery and the display of finery. "Oh, it was all taken from me at first, but getting it back was was very simple, I assure you. The Captain apparently keeps the stuff taken from new crewmen in the Quartermaster's Store for doling out as rewards or to use for barter in port. I sang the quartermaster a ballad - a magnificent ballad, I might add - about a half-orc Knight Errant who went about righting the wrongs of her father. Of course, it wasn't originally about a half-orc, and it was a he rather than a she, but one must play to one's audience now, don't you know?" Conchobhar grins smugly, and it is quite obvious that he is pleased with himself. "Of course not everyone has my ability to perform," he adds, "and the word is that Grok is uselessly drunk from afternoon on. I reckon that if you plied her with drink - fine drink, mind you - she would be putty in your hands."

"Truly, you are such a story teller? In all my days in the court of the Satrap, I have not met a performer so talented as to make me forget my duty. If you are as good as you claim, then regaining my effects should be a trifling matter. You already have the good rapport with the quartermaster, and I would be in your debt if you aid me. And I think it is very good to have a prince in your debt..."

[oyzar]

Ariel is relieved that she manages to slaughter the pig so well despite her uncertainty. At luch she pauses briefly for a break. She wishes she had Ink's spell to clean herself, but at least she has the ability to create water to wash. She uses the water to wash herself and manages to mostly clean away everything. She would have to ask Ink to clean away the rest later.

Ariel decides to follow up on what Sandara said last night and to visit Grok in her break. She would have liked to chat some more with Zidan, but if they can get the quartermaster on their side things will be a whole lot easier. Luckily they found some really good brandy yesterday and Ambrose doesn't seem to mind too much them taking stuff. Hopefully he wasn't planning on using it tonight. Ariel takes one of the flasks and heads over to the Grok.

I have no idea how things are in the quartermaster's place so it's a bit hard to roleplay it... Also since Ink went while Ariel worked and Ariel went during her break they shouldn't be here at the same time. Unless Ink stayed for lunch of course...

Ariel carefully makes her way with the flask, hiding it in some wrapping or container from the kitchen so the other's don't get suspicious. She murmurs a quick prayer before entering the quartermaster's store. "Calistria please guide my words so I can make friends with this woman. It's crucial to exert my vengeance." She then enters with a smile already on her face.

Once inside Ariel manages to not be distracted by all the chests and things inside, though she is quite curious if there is something she can use there. Instead she turns to the woman running the place. She pats herself on the arm to draw forth the luck of the godess as she begins to speak. "Hello there Grok. I am Ariel, one of the new ones onboard. I couldn't help but overhear last night that you are find of good drinks. It just so happens that I have this bottle of fine Chelish Brady here." She holds forth the bottle. With a wide smile, golden eyes shining to match the color of the brandy. "Us girls need to help each other out where we can right? I would love to know more about you and what is going on here."
Guidance, touch of luck hugest of: [roll0] and [roll1] I guess I'll also roll sense motive to figure out her intentions or if she is hiding something. [roll2]

[Othniel]

Ink: Middle Deck, Galley/Quartermaster's Store

You venture over to the Quartermaster's Store, which is really more of a glorified closet for the Galley, and find the door slightly propped open. As you near, a green-skinned hand thrusts the door open and it slams against the wall with a loud thud. As you peer inside, you see the Store in all its crowded glory:

This storeroom contains numerous barrels, boxes, and chests. The quartermaster’s store acts as a kind of unofficial shop aboard the Wormwood. While any plunder stored there technically belongs to the captain, this is a pirate ship after all, and everything has its price. Any equipment stored within is for sale at the normal price listed in the Core Rulebook. Items found on the ship (or won from other pirates) can also be traded at the store for other merchandise. Bartered objects are generally worth 50% of their normal value when traded for goods. While the store is, in theory, open at all hours, it’s usually only open from dawn to about 3 p.m., when Grok starts drinking. She only opens the door outside these hours to friends. Grok has a tendency to get drunk in the afternoons and closes the store before heading to the deck for the evening meal. After supper, Grok carries the crew’s rum rations in a bucket to the main deck.

A female half-orc with slightly bloodshot eyes stares at you inquiringly. "Cut-Throat Grok," as she is mockingly referred to by most of the crew, is a no-nonsense character with a huge scar across her neck. Grok is a reedy half-orc who favors dark clothing. She carries a notched greataxe and an array of throwing axes hangs from her belt. Grok frequently grins toothily, and uses appalling curse words, particularly when drunk. "Well, whaddaya want, you..." Here she trails off, unsure of what to refer to you as. She takes in your appearance, including your bundled-looking clothing, copper hair, and mismatched eyes. "What in the name of Asmodeus' scaly backside are you, anyway?" she asks rather bluntly. There is no malice in her words, simply curiosity expressed rather colorfully. Her voice is surprisingly feminine for her appearance. "Would you like to buy something?"

Posted on one of the bulkheads is a list of the objects currently in the Quartermaster's Store. It appears to be written recently, as if inventory had just been taken.

Wooden Locker 1: Unsorted, New Crewman Equipment
You surmise that most, if not all, of the gear from the new crewmen (yourself included) is contained in this locker.

Wooden Locker 2: Assorted

1 Masterwork Fiddle
1 Starknife
3 flasks acid
6 flasks alchemist’s fire
4 Sets thieves’ tools
6 Candles

Wooden Chest 1: Potions, etc.
1 Potion of Barkskin
1 Potion of Cure Light Wounds
1 Potion of Haste
1 Masterwork Climber’s Kit
1 Disguise Kit
4 flasks holy water
1 Magnifying glass
1 Manacles
2 tanglefoot bags

Wooden Chest 2: Weapons
1 Masterwork Light Crossbow
3 Cutlasses
31 Daggers
3 Masterwork Daggers
43 Masterwork Darts
4 Saps
1 Masterwork Sap
120 Arrows
20 Masterwork Arrows
6 +1 Arrows
200 Crossbow Bolts

Wooden Trunk: Armor and Such
1 Suit Banded Mail
1 Breastplate
2 Chain Shirts
1 Masterwork Leather Armor
3 Suits Studded Leather Armor
12 Bucklers
2 Masterwork Bucklers

Metal Trunk: Weapons and Scrolls
1 Fancy Dagger
1 +1 Short Sword
1 Masterwork Warhammer
1 Scroll Cure Moderate Wounds
1 Scroll Mage Armor
1 Scroll Magic Missile
1 Scroll Scorching Ray
1 Scroll Summon Swarm
1 Wand Bless Weapon (16 charges)

[Othniel]

Zidan

"Nay, I'm not one to do another man's work for him, but I wouldn't mind writing a song about your own ventures." The gnome stares at you for a moment, and then an impish grin flashes across his face. "Tell you what, see if you can find some liquor for the lady, and maybe fawn over her a bit. Make it look like she caught your eye. Even if the charms of a prince, if you are as you say you are, fail to charm the green skinned "beauty" I'm sure she can find solace in the drink. It's got to be good stuff, mind you. None of that swill they serve after dinner. Maybe those new Cook's Mates could find you some. Kroop probably has some good stuff stashed away for cooking, I'd bet."

"And if you see Rosie, put in a good word for me, aye?" he adds almost plaintively.

[Othniel]

Ariel: Middle Deck, Galley/Quartermaster's Store

Note: I am assuming both Ink and Ariel are visiting Grok separately, but feel free to RP a visit together or right after each other if you wish.

As Ink did, you find the Quartermaster's Store easily. The room is stacked with containers of various kinds, and a green-skinned female half-orc with an inquisitive expression stares at you. A list of the Store's inventory is posted on the bulkhead near the door. "Another new crewman, eh?" she asks at first; but then she catches sight of the Chelish Brandy as you hold it up. A smile almost as wide as the scar on her throat stretches across her face as she accepts the brandy. "Well, well, well...some o' the good stuff! You got my name right, Grok that is. Pleasure ta meet ye, Ariel," Grok replies as she nods at you. "Bit cramped in here after doing inventory, but pull up a barrel or crate if'n ye like."

"Not quite sure what ye mean by "what's going on here" unless ye mean what I'm doing, which would be manning the Store. I'm the quartermaster, see, and anything valuable that's not cargo comes and goes through this room. Cap'n technically owns the lot, but ye can buy and sell as ye wish...if'n ye has the gold. Ambrose tells me ye're one of his new mates along with that other'n that stopped by earlier. I wanna say something flat out: Ambrose Kroop is my friend. Ye be nice to Ambrose, and I'll be nice to ye."

"If ye want to see the merchandise, just let me know. Otherwise there's a list over there that I just compiled yesterday." With that she gestures to the inventory sheet. "Or is there somethin' else?"

This storeroom contains numerous barrels, boxes, and chests. The quartermaster’s store acts as a kind of unofficial shop aboard the Wormwood. While any plunder stored there technically belongs to the captain, this is a pirate ship after all, and everything has its price. Any equipment stored within is for sale at the normal price listed in the Core Rulebook. Items found on the ship (or won from other pirates) can also be traded at the store for other merchandise. Bartered objects are generally worth 50% of their normal value when traded for goods. While the store is, in theory, open at all hours, it’s usually only open from dawn to about 3 p.m., when Grok starts drinking. She only opens the door outside these hours to friends. Grok has a tendency to get drunk in the afternoons and closes the store before heading to the deck for the evening meal. After supper, Grok carries the crew’s rum rations in a bucket to the main deck.
Wooden Locker 1: Unsorted, New Crewman Equipment
You surmise that most, if not all, of the gear from the new crewmen (yourself included) is contained in this locker.

Wooden Locker 2: Assorted
1 Masterwork Fiddle
1 Starknife
3 flasks acid
6 flasks alchemist’s fire
4 Sets thieves’ tools
6 Candles

Wooden Chest 1: Potions, etc.
1 Potion of Barkskin
1 Potion of Cure Light Wounds
1 Potion of Haste
1 Masterwork Climber’s Kit
1 Disguise Kit
4 flasks holy water
1 Magnifying glass
1 Manacles
2 tanglefoot bags

Wooden Chest 2: Weapons
1 Masterwork Light Crossbow
3 Cutlasses
31 Daggers
3 Masterwork Daggers
43 Masterwork Darts
4 Saps
1 Masterwork Sap
120 Arrows
20 Masterwork Arrows
6 +1 Arrows
200 Crossbow Bolts

Wooden Trunk: Armor and Such
1 Suit Banded Mail
1 Breastplate
2 Chain Shirts
1 Masterwork Leather Armor
3 Suits Studded Leather Armor
12 Bucklers
2 Masterwork Bucklers

Metal Trunk: Weapons and Scrolls
1 Fancy Dagger
1 +1 Short Sword
1 Masterwork Warhammer
1 Scroll Cure Moderate Wounds
1 Scroll Mage Armor
1 Scroll Magic Missile
1 Scroll Scorching Ray
1 Scroll Summon Swarm
1 Wand Bless Weapon (16 charges)

[Yanisa]

Ink: Middle Deck, Galley/Quartermaster's Store

She didn't expect a half-orc, especially a cussing one, but Ink quickly finds her words. "Hello miss Grog. You can call me Ink, I lack a pirate name." She smiles sheepish as she says that. "I had lucky streak yesterday and now my boots are filled with silver, so yeah I want to buy something."
She overlooks the list and notices the new crewman equipment, it lists a single Scrivener's Kit, which she assume must be the one she stole. No one else here looked like the type to have one because it is kinda useless on a pirate ship. There was one item she owned once she would like to own again.
"Well I thought I won a lot, but most of these prices are out of my reach. There wouldn't be any other way to get some of these items? Or a discount?" She puts on her nicest smile, hoping for a bit more information.
"Or perhaps I need to win more money. But I couldn't leave here without buying anything. Can I get a pouch, to carry my silver, and that bell net, for obvious reasons?"

I am rolling a diplomacy because I am kissing up to this half-orc. [roll0]

Also thats is 30 silver spend, 10 for the belt pouch, 20 for the bell net. 42 silver left over.

[barticus]

The interaction below deck lifted Bruthos' spirits. There was nothing quite like scaring someone into submission. It had been to long since Bruthos had done that but was glad to see it still worked for him. He seemed more cheery doing his work today. "I sure hope Lonegan comes to wake us up again tomorrow." Bruthos thinks as he gets to his work assignment. Fear was the easiest way Bruthos knew to get "respect" or at least the appearance of respect. If he could make Lonegan fear him life on board would be easy, he might even get the support of some of the others who were recruited at the same time he was. They don't need to be friends to work toward a similar goal, hopefully the others also wanted to survive this experience as badly as Bruthos did.

Profession (Sailor): [roll0]
Constitution: [roll1]*using working diligently bonus here if I can, if not treat as 4 lower.

[Othniel]

Ink: Middle Deck, Galley/Quartermaster's Store

"Wouldn't advertise that ye have money, Ink," Grok responds. "There be many pirates round here who'd think it nothing to shake you down for your precious silver and tip ye overboard after." Grok rummages around for the two items requested and exchanges them for payment. "Can't give ye a discount, but ye can always barter. Bunch of new folks on board yesterday from what I hear, and I haven't quite got to inventoryin' their stuff." At this she laughs, a horrible wheezing sound. "Belongs to the cap'n now, of course." Her laugh is cut short as a thought occurs to her, "Say, ye ain't one o' them new folks, are ye?"

[oyzar]

Ariel smiles as the half-orc speaks warmly of Abrose. "Abrose is great. It's really fortunate we ended up with him. I'll be sure to bring him your regards once I do get back. As for what is going on, there are always more aspects to things than one. You are the quartermaster, but also a pirate, a half-orc and probably more things to boot. I am a kitchen helper, but I am also a priestess of Calistria." Ariel holds up her hand to show off her symbol. "Let me bless you, we all could use some help in our daily routines or when unexpected events happen." She holds out her hand to the quartermaster, touching her lightly on the arm. "May Calistria guide your path." She then touches her own chest. "And guide me too."

Guidance on both

Ariel smiles a golden smile, nearly lighting up the room with her brightness. "Calistria is the godess of lust and vengeance, but she can do so much more. Her luck can aid in nearly every endavor you could imagine. I did have something specific in mind when I asked about what is going on. I have no idea where we are sailing, what our long or even short term goals might be. Could you perhaps share that?"

Diplomacy, taking 10 with guidance for 21

Ariel pauses for a bit and starts to turn before turning back with a miscvious smile. "Calistria help me," Another quick guidance neatly snuck into a sentence. "but I couldn't help but notice that my things are not on that list. If you misplace or forgot to tally my armor, I would feel a lot more secure with some physical protection. I am sure I'll be able to find some more bottles of fine drink at some point and you might just get blessings whenever you need them. Us girls need to help each other out right?"

More diplomacy, using my share of the guidance of course. I would like to take 10 for 21

[Othniel]

Ariel: Middle Deck, Galley/Quartermaster's Store

"What kind of luck ye offerin'?" the Half-orc inquires. "Need all the luck I can get on this bloody ship." Grok lowers her voice to a conspiratorial level and leans in, "Not rightly sure if the cap'n has a destination in mind, but we're probably on the prowl for fat merchant vessels. Hold's empty, save for them pigs and the crew'll be longin' for spoils of battle afore long. If they haven't trained ye for boardin' other ships yet, that'll come soon."

"We be pirates, after all," she adds with a grin.

A short silence passes after you mention your equipment in which Grok stares at you as if sizing you up. "Haven't inventoried new crew's gear the cap'n seized yet, so there's no list that's gone to the cap'n. Since ye brought me that brandy, and if ye promise to intercede for me with your Calistria, I'll give yer gear back. Jest don't mention it to Plugg or Scourge, or...heck, any of the bootlickers as follow them two around."

"I don't want Scourge to make this smile any wider," she adds, pointing to her scar. "What gear was yers?"

Providing you promise to intercede with Calistria to bring Grok luck, she returns your gear. Feel free to re-add it to your character sheet.

[oyzar]

"What kind of luck? The kind that helps you wether the outcome is uncertain. Calistria might not be the major godess of luck, but it's one of her domains. Of course you'll get my general blessing, but ofte times it can ge useful to recive a blessing right before you are attempt something you are unsure about the outcome of. Just have me come over when you might need some divine help." Ariel then folds her hands over her heart, looks down and chants. "Calistria please help this woman on her path and give her a bit of your divine luck in whatever endeavor she undertakes." finally Ariel reaches out and touches Grok again.
I guess I might as well cast another guidance. And another one on Ariel as well.

As she gathers up her gear Ariel looks over at the half-orc with a slight blush on her face. "You know, I really like Zidan, one of the guys that arrived recently, the handsome one. Slim, but with broad shoulder, coppery skin, earthy hair. And the most magnificent green eyes. You know the type. It would be really nice if you couldn't give him back his gear as well. Tell him it's because we are friends. I need every help I can get to win him over. I'll try to track down another bottle for you for your troubles, how does that sound?" Ariel pats herself on the arm for some luck, hoping it's enough to win the quartermaster over.

Diplomacy with touch of luck(3rd use today) and guidance, best of two. [roll0] [roll1]

[Othniel]

Ariel: Middle Deck, Galley/Quartermaster's Store

"Wouldn't recommend gettin' attached to folks aboard the Wormwood, but that's yer own business," Grok remarks. "But if he stops by, I'll look kindly on yer man."

I plan on moving us to evening/night time later today unless there are any objections. Just let me know in the OOC if you wish further opportunity for roleplay or actions.

[Yanisa]

Ink, Quartermaster's Store
"I know I should be careful. I tell you because I wanted to buy things." Ink gives another sheepish smile, but she was worried and having a bit less actually helped her feel better. Money is odd like that. "And yeah I am one of the new recruits." She clearly didn't feel like a recruit. "In some twist of irony I am buying my own stuff back, for my own reasons. I should get a discount for that alone." She laughs, indicating she is joking. She doesn't want to barter know, not on these items.


Ink, Galley
After her shopping trip Ink returns to Kroop. With the pig well-slaughtered there isn't a lot of work, but Ink tries her best to help around. She also patiently listen to his stories, drinks with him while laughing hearteningly and general tries to keep Kroop as happy as possible.

I going to spend my second ship action to butter up to Kroop

Diplomancy: [roll0]

[Othniel]

Ink, Galley

You spend the remainder of your ship talking, listening, and drinking with Kroop through the rest of your shift. By the time the dinner bell is rung, Kroop is entirely pickled and rather unstable on his feet. Despite this, he manages to deliver the dinner to the Captain and his officers without trouble, though he does receive the usual tongue-lashing for being drunk (too early). You and Ariel aid Kroop in setting out dinner for the other crewmen, and then it is time to take your own.

You sense that Kroop likes you as much as can be expected for anyone aboard ship.

Everyone, Lower Deck

Your work day is over. It is time for dinner, games, any any other kind of nighttime ship action(s) you wish to take.

[oyzar]

Once Ariel returns from the meeting with the quartermaster she instantly spills to Ink what happened. She is not completely reckless, but tries to keep the info out of earshot of Kroop. "Turns out the quartermaster is quite the religious woman. A few blessings from Calistria and I have my gear back, though I am sure the brandy also helped. I am going to feel so much safer in my armor. Of course you are not a cleric, but maybe it'll be easier for you to befriend her as well if you offer her some good quality alcohol. You work in the kitchen as well, so it wouldn't seem out of place. What did they take from you anyway? Did you have armor as well, or maybe some expensive weapon? The leg we found here is already better than my old weapon." In between helping Kroop out, Ariel tells her tale. She really is in a good mood. She already got a few friends and some gear. Still a long way from getting revenge of course, but it was progress. She plans to continue to make friends and be ready should an opportunity present itself. "I'll take another bottle of brandy so Zidan'll have something to befriend her with. I really do like the guy. He is so handsome and exotic. And so confident. I'll have to win his heart so he doesn't look twice at another woman. Helping him get his gear back should work nicely." Ariel then narrow her eyes, "You aren't planning to fight me for him are you?"

Sometime during the work Ariel does manage to sneak off to put on her armor underneath her clothing. She looks a bit more bulky and not as well defined sexy feminine body shape, but thankfully it's not too visible unless she looks closely. Hopefully none of the officers will.

Once work finishes Ariel rushes over to Zidan. She pulls him into a quick hug. She is very sad that she can't feel her skin against his with the armor in the way, but she believes she got the point across. She leans close to whisper in his ear." Feel what I got, I got my armor back! Befriending the quartermaster was easy enough. A bottle of fine brandy and she was already my friend. I then offered her Calistria's blessing and she gave me my gear back without taking it into inventory or reporting it to the captain.! I left a good word for you, but I am sure this'll help even more." She presses a wrapped battle into his hands. Zidan's smell from a day's hard work and pressing so close is quite strong, but Ariel finds that she really like it, so masculine. It makes her feel safe. Her own smell is weirdly not tainted by the hard work of the day, but rather smells sweet, like flowers, fruit or perfume. No doubt a result of her otherworldly heritage. "I honestly feel like celebrating with you in private in a way fitting for the godess of lust, but maybe you have other plans?" She draws back to look into his face, a huge smile on her face as her golden eyes stare into his green ones. "If so, maybe I could aid you with a bit of prayer and Calistria's luck?"

[Nefarion Xid]

"Are all Western women so... forward? I would have left home earlier if I had known. Perhaps this is why my father spent so many years at sea." Zidan's body language was still aloof and rigid, likely out of some manner of courtly courtesy, or perhaps he was just used to women throwing themselves at him on account of his good looks, money and family name.

His brows knit together and he holds Ariel at arm's length with one hand firmly on her shoulder. He sighs wistfully. "Such a thing would not be appropriate. Not on this ship while we are still captives. The crew may become jealous and they don't need another reason to hate us. And Master Scourge? I don't think he wants anyone to be happy."

"But, I will take all the help I can get in reclaiming my stolen accoutrements. My father's knife? My family ring? These are precious to me and I am naked without them."

[Yanisa]

Ink, Galley

"I met the Quartermaster, she seems nice for pirate." Ink says to Ariel. "Good job getting your stuff back. Me? I didn't have a lot. Some stuff to sleep during the night and some stuff to make food. You know, bedroll, blanket, pet, cutlery, nothing special. And some daggers, a girl needs to defend herself, but the cleaver here seems to handle like a dagger but is a whole lot deadlier. Owh, and for armor." She pets on her silken clothing. "This is thick silk, although not real armor it still helps against the blow and you barely feel like you are wearing it. Nobles calls it ceremonial armor because while, the names says it all. I was surprised didn't take it, it was the most expensive thing on me. That and the Scrivener's Kit... Not that thing is any use here." Besides that thing is maybe better off being forgotten, a relic of her old life.

"And influencing people seems a good idea, after this morning I started thinking. Even these pirates seems sort of fractured. It's good to have some allies here."

"Fight? Nah, I am not that kind of girl... He was quite heroic and dashing this morning, I do get what you see. Besides I rather worry bout my current situation then... but if I won't deny you having fun, go for it girl. In fact, I am going for something else. Give me some luck and some magic." Ink smiles slyly, with a plan in her mind a blessing would do wonders.

Ink, Lower Deck(?)

The events of the morning still haunted Ink, these guys seems to be out for trouble and she had no clue what the larger scheme was. She did seem to spot some friction and one of the guys, Chumlett, got the whip. She might not have the silver-tongue like a girl as Ariel, but she figures she still could do damage with the right words. If she could add a bit of doubt and friction in that group, they might pester Ink and her allies less and Chumlett seems to be the weak link.

She searches out for Chumlett, and waits for a good moment to catch him alone. Ink takes two mugs of grog with her, to drink together, and for a moment considered getting some good alcohol but then figures she doesn't want to spend expensive stuff on someone who is still an enemy. When she catches him, she starts off with one of her sheepish smiles. "Hi, uhm, I know we don't see eye to eye, so to speak, but I saw what happened to you this morning, the whipping, and it seems rather unfair. No, you don't want my sympathies, I get that, but it is clear that you are just the victim of some power struggle." She offers the grog and lets the thought sink in while she takes a sip. "I mean, it is clear Scourge is playing some game to get us new recruits punished. Not sure if it's business or fun... or to annoy Plugg." No misters, this must sound confidential. "But in the end you got the whip. Not me, not the hobgoblin that chewed you guys out or the arrogant dude that insulted Lonegan." She takes a bit more grog, allowing again for a bit of pause. "That Lonegan also doesn't seem friendly. She clearly has some issues with me, and maybe Ariel as well. It must be because she, well, doesn't like that female. You heard that new guy, Zidan, he even called her a guy. Lonegan just wants revenge for no good reason. Doesn't seem to care about who gets hurts, even you." The grog was getting empty now and Ink feels she should leave soon, before one of his buddies show up. "Owh, but sorry for bothering you, I do kinda ended up giving my sympathies. I do know how it feels when people pretend you are important and then just use you." That last push into doubt should do the trick. "Well, I am off. Next time we see we are enemies again, I guess." She smiles, takes a moment to look if he is buying all of this and then Ink leaves the scene.

So in short, I am using my night time action to Influence Chumlet. Rolling a bluff to make him think that Lonegan doesn't have the best of interests for him. Also spending a hero-point.
[roll0]
Thats +9 from my sheet, +2 from grog and +8 from my hero point and +1 from Ariel. (Assuming she uses guidance on me when I ask for it.)

[Othniel]

Ink, Lower Deck

You find Fipps Chumlett sitting by himself on the ground, leaning against one of the many wooden supports within the lower hold, nursing a bottle of grog. Another empty bottle is laying on its side near the man. It is extremely hot on the lower deck, and sweat pours from the fat man as he sits there miserably. As you approach, Chumlett raises his head and casts a doleful look your way, and you can read in his eyes that he expects his day to suddenly get worse. He perks up slightly when you offer the grog, though he watches you suspiciously as you speak, and when you finish his initial response is a heavy sigh. Eventually he begins to speak, and his voice is so slurred that it is difficult to understand him completely, but this is what you gather he says:

"Ye're right! I knew Sy'd get me in trouble. It warn't fair! Said Scourge'd have our backs, she did. Plugg couldn't touch us. And then she goes up on deck like nuthin' happened. Clear as crystal it is! Ever man for hisself with Sy. Well, I'll show 'er!"

Chumlett pauses to take another long swig of grog and looks at you bleary-eyed. "Thanks for the grog, mate. Yer not so bad as Sy and them others says ye were. But don't expect us to be friends. I still don't like ye, but ye've done me a good turn, so I owe ye. But careful callin' in the favor; I don't want to end up in the sweatbox or worse." Chumlett soon falls silent, and shortly thereafter you hear faint snoring.

You get the feeling that Fipps Chumlett, though he still doesn't like you, at least now has a modicum of respect for you. You also are owed one favor by Chumlett, though he will be extremely hesitant to offer any aid that would bring danger or punishment upon himself.

[barticus]

After his shift Bruthos heads to the lower deck to get his dinner. After dinner he grabs a couple of grog's and heads over to Cog. "Ye want a rematch? Here's a grog to help dull the pain of the first round." If Cog accepts he holds up the grog he still has and says, "Bottoms up!"

If Cog declines an arm wrestle tonight Bruthos continues looking for an opponent and does the actions above to whoever accepts the challenge.

Roll 1 [roll0]
Roll 2 [roll1]
Roll 3 [roll2]
Roll 4 [roll3]
Roll 5 [roll4]

*Edit* looks like a bad night of arm wrestling for Bruthos tonight!

[Othniel]

Bruthos, Lower Deck

"Sure, I'm up for a rematch!" Cog replies with a slight smile. "Won't go easy on ye this time!"

And he doesn't. While you have the size that would intimidate many lesser men, Cog somehow manages to beat you twice in a row. "Whew!" he says, after the second round is over. He stares at you with a big grin on his face, "Didn't think I'd beat ye twice, but I did! Beat a Hobgoblin at arm-wrestling."

"Ye look a little pale though, so I won't press ye for another round," he adds. "Ye're all right, Bruthos. Didn't expect a Hobgoblin to participate in any games or anything. Thought yer kind was all brigands and such, begging yer pardon."

You take 9 (5 and 4) points of nonlethal damage for losing two rounds of arm-wrestling. I didn't go any further because that would've put you unconscious.

[oyzar]

Ariel is quite disappointed by Zidan's refusal. Obviously she got to work harder to seduce him. "No, not all are so forward. In truth I have never acted that way with any other man, but you are special. Am I not special to you?" Ariel stares at him with wide eyes and a very hopeful look on her face. "I hope to become special to you one day, soon. If we are careful others might not notice. I am sure the people that got caught together with us won't tattle. Though for tonight, let's try to get back your gear. We should go see if we can find Grok. May Calistria guide or path."

Ariel will spend her ship action as aid another to Zidan, as well as grant him Touch of Luck and guidance when needed.

She also cast guidance on Ink when asked.

[gmoyes]

Grathel

The darkness of the officers' cabin meant the Grathel's eyes had a hard time adjusting. Elven eyes were superior to those of humans, but Habbly took the note, wrote a reply and sent him back out before the elf could see much. Though he saw some figure behind the mast, but the door was shut in his face before he could make out details. Taking a quick glance at the notes, it appeared that the man had been keelhauled had messed with the shackles in the bilge some and Habbly would try to fix them by the end of the day. The poor man must have been desperate to escape. Still the info didn't seem to be be that useful, if Habbly would fix them like he said he would, then that means that it would be even more difficult to escape if one would be locked up in there. Still, Habbly may be the one to talk to to get himself promoted from swab if siege engineering doesn't work out.

***

After supper and his sharing of grog, Grathel quietly approached Sandara. "The officers we passing notes that Jakes damaged some of shackles in the bilge. Habbly said he'd try to get to it right away, but maybe he missed something. Maybe that would be worth checking it out. Figured I'd let you know as you seem to be the one organizing us recruits." He gave a small smirk, but he meant what he said. The woman probably was the one with the most sailing experience out of the recruits. It would be best to stick on her good side.

Diplomacy [roll0] including grog and barroom talespinner

[Nefarion Xid]

That evening, Zidan goes to see the quartermaster with Ariel. Nearly gritting his teeth, he attempts to be as pleasant and sincere as possible about his possessions, despite secretly wanting wanting to begin his sentences with "How dare you, you filthy peasant. Do you know who I am?" Instead, he only says "please" and tempts her with the brandy.

[roll0] Without bonuses from the alcohol and Ariel.

[oyzar]

Ariel grants a reroll

[Othniel]

Grathel, Lower Deck

As you look for Sandara, a strong scent of rum-soaked tobacco followed by a few wisps of smoke lead you the young woman. Sandara lays in a hammock in the crew quarters, smoking a pipe and staring up at the deck above. Her tricorner hat sits upon her stomach, and the point of a dagger shines out from underneath. As she hears your footfalls, you see her tense up though she immediately relaxes upon noting your identidy. She looks over at you and smiles in greeting. "Good evening, Grathel." She listens to the information you have to give and nods. "So the bilges serve as the brig then. Thank you for that information. I haven't been down there yet, though Rosie has and didn't want to talk about the experience. Poor lass was probably up to her neck in the bilge-water down there." The pirate priestess shakes her red locks at your mention of her organizing the new crewmen. "I don't want to lead anyone. I just want the best possible chance at surviving until we next reach port," she replies. "At which point I fully intend to escape, along with any who want to come with. The Pirate Queen will see me through, of that I have no doubt." Sandara winks at you conspiratorially, "But she must have a reason for putting me here on this ship. Perhaps she calls to you or another of these new swabs."

Ariel and Zidan, Middle Deck

You seek out the Quartermaster's Store, but find the door closed and locked. You find Grok in the cabin (across the back of the hold past the galley) she shares with the ship's cook, Ambrose Kroop. The door is open a jar, and the sound of music and (drunken) singing comes out. You open the door, and see Ambrose Kroop playing merrily upon a small accordion-like instrument. Kroop is singing what sounds like a sea chanty (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrLcXR9hYFE), and accompanying him at the top of her lungs (and off-key), Cut-Throat Grok sings heartily. Bleary-eyed and quite drunk, the half-orc woman sits in her bunk, propped against the wall. An empty bottle of brandy rolls back and forth upon the floor, and she swings another bottle back and forth in time with the music as she sings. When the song is over, Grok laughs and takes another drink from the bottle before handing it over to Kroop. As she does so, she catches sight of the two of you and bares her teeth in what you think is supposed to be a grin, practically shouting, "Good evenin! If it ain't my new friend Ariel and...and...whoever this feller is! Come in and take a drink!"

It takes some time to make Grok understand what it is exactly you are after, but with a little help from Grok's friend (and Ariel's supervisor) Kroop, you make her understand. "Well, if that's all ye wanted, why didn't ye say so in the first place?" she asks as she slowly rises up and staggers out of the cabin toward the Quartermaster's store. Though the liquor has taken hold of most of the half-orc's wits, she maintains enough self-control to open the door after only a few moments of fumbling for a key. She rummages through one of the chests and produces Zidan's gear as he lists what was missing, including the jewelry. "Cap'n intended to sell this stuff in port sometime, but like as not, he'll forget," Grok explains slowly, as she concentrates on forming coherent sentences. "There ye go, lad. Jest don't tell the Cap'n or any of his lackeys." With that, Grok locks the door and staggers back to her cabin, leaving Zidan once more in possession of his gear.

MW Long Knife
MW Studded Leather Armor
Scarf
Earring
Ring
Belt Pouch w/19 gp

[Othniel]

Day 3: Something in the Bilges

The next day dawns swiftly, and you are given your assignments:

Bruthos: Lookout - A climb to the crow’s nest 60 feet up, requiring DC 10 Climb checks followed by a DC 10 Perception check.
Zidan: Line Work - Hard work hoisting and lowering sails, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check. The PC must also make a DC 10 Constitution check to avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift.
Grathel: Repairs - Things constantly tear or break aboard the ship and need repairs, whether sewing sails or splicing rope all day, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check.
Ariel: Turtle Fishing - Hunting leatherback sea turtles with harpoons, treble hooks, and nets. A DC 10 Profession (fisherman) or Survival check provides enough food. A failed check results in a day in the bilges as punishment the following day.
Ink: Fishing - Catching tonight’s supper using the ship’s nets. A DC 10 Profession (fisherman) or Survival check provides enough fish. A failed check results in a day in the bilges as punishment the following day.

However...

Before you are sent off to complete your tasks, young Jack Scrimshaw rushes onto deck, "Rats!" he shouts. "BIG ONES!"

"Would ye say they're of unusual size then, lad?" Scourge asks.

"Oh yeah! Never seen such big ones in my life!" Jack responds.

Plugg overhears the commotion and comes over. "Rats in the bilges again? All right, all of you - get down there and don't come out until everything is dead!" Plugg points to all five of you and sends you down to the bilges to slay whatever you may find there. Jack leads you all to the ladder leading down into the bilges. You peer inside, but all you can see is the sloshing of about half a foot of water below. "Good luck!" Jack whispers and rushes off.

[Nefarion Xid]

Zidan folds his his arms smugly and tilts his head at Plugg.

"Our weapons were confiscated. How are we supposed to kill giant rats without weapons?" said the man with a dagger, a short sword and two long knives hidden within the sash at his waist.

[Othniel]

Plugg narrows his eyes at Zidan and his lip curls in a sneer. "Ask me again and I'll sheathe a weapon in your gut. Now get to the bilges!"

[barticus]

Not wanting to test Plugg, Bruthos heads to down to the bilges. Once out of view from the rest of the crew he takes out the dagger from his boot.

"You guys have some sort of weapon? I've got my own, but have none to spare."

[Yanisa]

"Don't worry about me, a girl should be able to defend yourself." Ink says, feeling the heavy weight of her butcher cleaver inside her clothing. "It do is dark in there, does anyone have something I can toss down there? I have a plan." Ink looks around, you wouldn't found a pebble on a ship but their might a discarded thing no one misses.

To make it clear, Ink is looking around to find an object she can cast light on and toss down without wasting something of value.

[Othniel]

Looking around, Ink spots several things on the lower deck: broken pieces of crates, several short sections of frayed rope (cut off and discarded), and several empty bottles rolling about.

[Yanisa]

Ah, piece of wood that once belonged to a crate, perfect. She grabs the broken plank off the ground and utters a few words. Si tuor mitne! Suddenly it shines like a torch. She dangles it above the bilges and after a moment she drops it down.

Perception [roll0]

[Othniel]

Bilges

Yanisa doesn't see much from your angle: just a few broken crates floating in the bilgewater, and possibly the movement of a few small creatures in the water.

I figure I've given the rest of you long enough. If you were going to post before going down, it would've been by now.

You all descend the latter one-by-one into the murky bilges and look around. You notice a crate floating near the ladder, and inside a handaxe (that looks well-crafted) and buckler.

Moments later, you all hear the tell-tale signs of Dire Rats as they squeal at you for invading their space.

Party has initiative. You may post in any order. Because I'm not entirely sure who is armed with what, I will allow (retroactively) the giving of weaponry prior to your descent if you guys agree on it, or someone grabbing the buckler and/or handaxe from the crate. Map is updated for the Bilges. Feel free to request your character's placement in a different space (not occupied by a Dire Rat) if you prefer. I figured on keeping you all close to the ladder, having just descended.

[oyzar]

If anyone are lacking a weapon Ariel will offer one of her spare daggers. Ariel mutters a quick prayer as they descend into the Bilges. She is honestly a bit nervous as she hasn't been in real combat before. "Calistria guide our path." She touches herself, Yanisa and Zidan. She doesn't feel like she knows the hobgoblin noe the elf well enough yet. She also draws forth the prosthetic leg to beat the rats with, figuring that it'll work better than the crossbow at short range.
Cast Guidance on herself, Zidan and Yanisa

Once down in the bilges she holds up her hand to show off her symbol to the foul beasts. "Lust can be pleasurable or all consuming. Writh about in the throes of passion as emotions overwhelm you." Ecstasy courses through her body for a brief moment before she feels it flooding out from her in waves. She nearly goes unconcious from the intensity, but she manage to control the waves to harmlessly flow past her allies and also to contain the energy so it doesn't go through the wood to hit the men on deck.
Hope you are fine with me reflavoring ale/wine to intense pleasure. If not I'll edit it back. I seem to remember spells from the 3.5 erotic book causing so intense pleasure that they incapacitate the victim.

Channel Negative Energy, all the rats take [roll0] damage, save DC 15 for half. If they fail the save they are also nauseated for 1 round.

[Nefarion Xid]

Zidan hops down from the last few rungs of the ladder and has his twin knives drawn before he hits the water.

"I'm going to kill that son of a jackal. I'm going to put my boot on his head and hold his face underwater until the bubbles stop. Insulting me is one thing, but this isn't even how you run a ship." Further commentary about Plugg was lost to a string of Qadiran curses as he hacked at the nearest rats.

5-foot-step to N-34. Full attack. First on M-34, then M-33 if the first dies.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[Othniel]

Bilges

All five rats squeal horribly in pain, though two of them seem slightly less effected by Ariel's energy and glare at her with their beady little eyes...at least before Zidan attacks his target (which dodges out of the way).

The Dire Rats in N-32 and N-35 both made their saves.

The Dire Rats in M-33, M-34, and Q-35 are nauseated. All 5 rats take 1 damage.

Barticus, Ink, and Grathel - you're all up!

[Yanisa]

Before Zidan steps into the front, Ink quickly touches one of his blades. "Let me at least help you for yesterday. Arcaniss laraek!" The knife now glows with magical energy. Then she waits, nervously eying the rats and hoping that Zidan would easily dispose of them.

Ink casts Magic Weapon on Zidan's primary weapon. I also will start with my cleaver at least drawn, although not planning to use it.

[barticus]

"Zid stay focused. Can't kill the man if you don't survive these beasts first!"
Bruthos stays put for now and attacks the rat in N32. Not sure if the post in my square provides cover for myself or the rat but I did NOT user that mod in my attack roll.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[gmoyes]

Grathel

Preparing True Strike and Ear-Peircing Scream this morning.

Grathel was surprised about the news that there were apparently giant rats hidden in the bilges. It had been a couple of days since they left port and people had been working down there. Even the man who had been keelhauled who had been locked up down there must have noticed something. Well, at least he didn't have to deal with them all by himself, but if they were as large as Jack said they were, then the elf wouldn't be much use. "Don't think I'd be much use fighting. I'd might be able to stick one of them with a dagger, but that's about it." He took Ariel's extra dagger as his skilled hands were probably more adept throwing it that lunging with it.

Gingerly making his way down into the bilge, he soon enough saw the large rodents. Fortunately for him, none of them were close to him and Ariel's wave energy seemed to put some of them ill at ease. Seeing as he currently wasn't threatened, he prepared himself to make his move. "Frappe Vrai." he muttered to himself hoping that the other would be too focus to pick up the fact that he was casting a spell.

Casting True Strike on himself.

[Othniel]

Bilges

One of the two non-nauseated dire rats lunges at Ariel in attempt to bite her, while the other targets Zidan.

Rat in N-32 moves to O-32 and attacks.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Rat in M-33 staggers forward and pukes.

Rat in N-35 attacks Zidan.
Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]


Both attacking rats miss horribly, and it is the party's turn!

[oyzar]

Aren't there 5 rats? Also, it would be really nice if you list which of us actually hit or not as well as a bit of fluff to describe what actually happens. "Bruthos swings at the rat, but it goes wide." "Bruthos stabs the rat and it nearly splits it in half but it limps on." and "Bruthos slashes that the rat and it starts bleeding, but it still look quite healthy." Are all quite different and bring life to the story.
"Oh yessss. Feel the power, the pleasure coursing through you. The instinct to copulate and breed overtakes them, but they will breed no longer, we will end them here!" Ariel takes a step backwards and continues holding up her tattooed hand to show the rats the symbol of Calistria as they are capture by her divine power. Ariel feels wonderful about the situation. Her clerical powers are working great in this situation, and her armor should be able to protect her from any who get through.
5 foot step back to Q32 then Channel energy again, DC 15 will, damage [roll0]

[gmoyes]

Grathel

Hearing Ariel's... proclamation of faith, Grathel gave a look of disgust. "Remind me not to eat the food you cook," the elf snarked. "At least that's one way one way to get rid of rats on the boat. Just sit in the middle of the ship doing that and soon enough all the vermin will be dead."

Seeing that most of the rats were being taken care of by the bow of the ship, Grathel lunged for the rat closest to him who was also threatening Ink. Those with sharp eyes would see a quick spark of green before his magic guided his dagger into the rat's body.

5 ft step to Q 34. Swift action to activate Arcane Strike. Attacking rat in Q 35.
To hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[oyzar]

Ariel shakes her head in disgust with a look of vhemence on her face, momentarily distracted from the awesome feeling of channeling her goddess' energie. "Ugh, no! That's sick man. Of course we are not eating the rats. What gave you that idea?!"

[Yanisa]

Surprising a shriek when Ariel got attacked, Ink acts on instinct. With a few moments and another loud utter of words, ,she summon a small fiery dragon that flies trough the air and explodes in the near the giant rat, engulfing it in flame.

Casting Snap Dragon Fire Works, and using it the same round on the rat that attacked Ariel.
Damage: [roll0] + Dazzled (not Dazed)
Reflex DC 16 for half damage and ignoring the dazzled condition.

[Nefarion Xid]

Baffled by the current conversation, the prince tries to ignore his companions and focuses on skewering the vermin.

N-33 first, M-34 if the first one drops
Main Attack + Guidance + Magic Weapon: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Off-hand Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

If Zidan is attacked, he counter attacks with...

Opportune Parry and Riposte (Ex): At 1st level, when an opponent makes a melee attack against the swashbuckler, she can spend 1 panache point and expend a use of an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. The swashbuckler makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity; for each size category the attacking creature is larger than the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler takes a –2 penalty on this roll. If her result is greater than the attacking creature's result, the creature's attack automatically misses. The swashbuckler must declare the use of this ability after the creature's attack is announced, but before its attack roll is made. Upon performing a successful parry and if she has at least 1 panache point, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack she parried, provided that creature is within her reach.

[Othniel]

Bilges

As Ariel sends out another burst of negative energy from her goddess, the rats writhe in pain, one of them so affected that that it can do nothing but lurch forward.

Dr1 and Dr3 each take full damage and are nauseated again. Dr1 stumbled forward intent on revenge, but can do nothing but move due to nausea. Dr2, Dr4, and Dr5 take half damage
That first round, everyone (including the rats) missed except for Oyzar's channeling of negative energy. :smalltongue: I've also numbered the rats, so hopefully that will help some.
Grathel sees his chance, and he lunges for one of the rats, burying his dagger in its neck. Blood spurts out of the wound and life quickly leaves the rat's eyes.

Within moments, Yanisa's spell goes off, engulfing another rat in flame. It shrieks horribly as the fire sweeps over the rat's body, simultaneously snuffing out its life and cooking the rat in seconds. It falls dead at Ariel's feet.

Meanwhile, Zidan stabs at a rat, which dodges his first strike and stares at him with such malevolence that it nearly appears intelligent. The rat's stare; however, afforded Zidan an opportunity to strike again with his off-hand, skewering the rat to the floorboards.

Bruthos is up! Dead rats are marked with X's on the map.

[barticus]

Bruthos stays focused and does not say anything as he side steps to O34 and attempts to slash DR4 as he moves in to protect Zid's flank.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[oyzar]

Assuming there is just 1 rat left and it doesn't do much:
"Calistria is the godess of lust. I'm channeling her power to incite the lust of the rats to such a level that they'll become unable to do anything else but focus of that. I'm not interested in doing anything else with the rats except getting rid of them." As if to make a point she rushes over and tries to whack it with her gilded club. Ariel is a bit upset that the others can misjudge what she means so badly.
Using guidance hit: [roll0] damage: [roll1]

[Othniel]

Bilges

Bruthos strikes his target with a powerful blow, sending it swiftly into whatever afterlife Dire Rats have awaiting them. Ariel follows up with a rushed strike from her makeshift club, and the last rat, already senseless from the cleric's earlier channeling, joins its fellows in death. With that, the bilges fall quiet, save for the sloshing of water as the group stands there recovering from the fight. Several partially-destroyed crates float around, some containing items which may be of use.

And not a single successful attack from a rat. I'm almost disappointed. :smallbiggrin:
Amongst the remains of crates floating in the water you find:

1 x Masterwork Handaxe (you saw this before, but I don't think anyone grabbed it yet)
1 x Buckler (same as above)
3 x Heavy Maces
1 x Suit of Leather Armor
1 x Tanglefoot Bag
1 x Vial of Holy Water
2 x Tindertwigs
1 x Pouch of gold (containing 21gp)
1 x Pouch of silver (containing 12sp)

Go ahead and sort out loot, role-play, etc. before I bring you guys back to Plugg to report success.

[oyzar]

The "good" clerics channel positive energy to patch people up afterwards. Meanwhile Ariel channels to prevent having to heal at all. If the enemies can't hit us, no need to heal. Channel energy remaining for the day: 5/7

"Hah, down it goes!" Ariel exclaims happily with a wicked smile as she clobbers the last rat to death. "The power from my godess kept them too intoxicated to do much other than stumble around." She looks around in the dim light of the bilges, her otherworldly sight making sure she has no trouble making out the details. "Woah, there is quite a bit of stash down here. I bet Grok hasn't managed to tally this stuff. We should grab what we can. Maybe they'll be better for killing rats than these knives that we've used. If no one can use them we could try to sell or trade them to Grok for other things. For me, I think I'll stick with my club for now. That hand axe looks fine, but not for me." She walks over to discover the gold. "Woah, this purse contains quite a bit of money. Maybe it belonged to the now dead pirate that was held down here? We need it more than him. Normally I would say we split it evenly, but with so much gear, I think that it's more fair to split it among those who doesn't get anything useful. Though, if you guys trust me, I have a plan for how to make the money into even more."

[gmoyes]

Grathel

The elf gave a little snort at Ariel's boasting of the power of her god. While it did seem effective against the rats, he still didn't trust food from someone who waxed lyrical over f***ing rodents.

Examining the assorted objects, Grathel spoke. "The maces and tanglefoot bag would be difficult to hide, but might come in handy later on. I'm not that good with weapons, but I'll take the holy water, the tindertwigs and some of the gold if no one objects." After splitting up the gear, he takes a look around the room, taking interest to the shackles kept down there. Yesterday, the notes said that some of them were tampered with and that the carpenter would try to fix them. He wondered just how well the man did...

Knowledge: Engineering to examine the shackles to see if any are weakened and/or could be weakened [roll0]

[Yanisa]

Not being religious herself, Ink didn't care either way. Gods do their thing and humans do their thing. But Ariel seems oddly passionate and quite powerful in that passion. To think she was almost worried for her. Ink shrugs. "Not anything here I could use. And I am pretty self-reliant when it comes to money."

[Nefarion Xid]

"Feh, it's all junk," Zidan scoffs while cleaning his blades before again hiding them in his sash. "That axe is too heavy to throw anyway. It's a clumsy weapon for north-men with dirty beards. And keep the money for now. I have plenty and there's nothing on this **** boat that's worth buying."

"I ought to throw these rats overboard before one of the officers gets any ideas about 'wasting good meat'." As he says, he gathers the rats by their tails and hauls them up the ladder. He alerts Plugg of the party's success before throwing their carcasses into the ocean.

[barticus]

Bruthos pipes in before heading back up the ladder. "It may be trash but it could help us get our gear back at least, I know I miss mine. Using this dagger brings me no pleasure. Any of ye' coming with to the store? He grabs the ax and maces after sliding his brass knife back into his boot and then climbs the ladder back to the main deck.

Just confirming that nobody wants to use one of the maces or the ax before we take it to barter with at the store.

[Othniel]

The intrepid group of bilge-cleaners ascend the ladder to find Jack Scrimshaw waiting for them. The lad's eyes go big as saucers when he sees Zidan carrying the rats by their tails. "Wow, did you kill all of them yourself?" he asks Zidan before racing off to report success to Mister Plugg.

As the group appears on deck, Plugg walks up to you, cat in his hands (as usual). "Cleaned out the bilges, did you? Fine, fine...now back to your normal duties, and be quick about it!"

Bruthos: Lookout - A climb to the crow’s nest 60 feet up, requiring DC 10 Climb checks followed by a DC 10 Perception check.
Zidan: Line Work - Hard work hoisting and lowering sails, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check. The PC must also make a DC 10 Constitution check to avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift.
Grathel: Repairs - Things constantly tear or break aboard the ship and need repairs, whether sewing sails or splicing rope all day, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check.
Ariel: Turtle Fishing - Hunting leatherback sea turtles with harpoons, treble hooks, and nets. A DC 10 Profession (fisherman) or Survival check provides enough food. A failed check results in a day in the bilges as punishment the following day.
Ink: Fishing - Catching tonight’s supper using the ship’s nets. A DC 10 Profession (fisherman) or Survival check provides enough fish. A failed check results in a day in the bilges as punishment the following day.

Back to normal stuff for the rest of the day.
Upon your inspection, several sets of shackles bolted to the walls in the bilges appear rather rusted. You guess that any moderately strong person could probably wrench them from the walls (or simply break them apart) given enough leverage. The one set of shackles that looks useful hangs at an odd angle from the wall, with the bolts holding them up appear rather loose. It appears that the shackles' last occupant spent a considerable amount of time and effort wrenching the shackles forward, as the wood behind the set is cracked and splintered. You surmise that if someone were set in the shackles, it would not take much strength to break them from the wall. It does not appear that the ship's carpenter has yet had the time to address the situation.

It also occurs to you that the bilges isn't the only place the captain might have a prisoner kept should the occasion arise. You remember the sweatbox being mentioned earlier, and also the sight of a gibbet hanging off the side of the ship (with an ornery and foul-mouthed parrot perched atop).

[oyzar]

Ariel shakes her head at Grathel's comment. She feels rather cross at him. "If you are taking the holy water that'll cut into your share. I guess we'll figure out how much after we sell the rest of the things we don't need, assuming we are actually able to do so. As for not being good with weapons, you were the first one to kill a rat.." When Bruthos mentions selling the stuff she says. "I'll come with you to the store Bruthos. We can hide the stuff in the kitchen until we get a break. Also, you should let me handle the talking. I don't know how well hobgoblins get along with half-orcs, but I get along with our quartermaster very well. So well in fact that I only had to ask in order to get my gear back. I might be able to help you get the same. Let's make a deal. If I manage to get your gear back, how about I get a bit of what you would have otherwise sold to get it back? Hopefully I'll also be able to get a good price for the stuff we sell."

During the day Ariel is shocked to discover that she is going to be hunting turtles. Apparently Ambrose had observed several of the creatures swimming near the ship. These rats were the first creatures she had killed and now she would kill turtles as well. The ease with which they had defeated the rats puts her somewhat at ease though.

She brings the spear she found earlier and sets out in a little boat hanging by a line to the ship. She is lucky and it doesn't take long before she spots the turtles herself. Once they are close enough she dives into the water with her spear. Using natural swimming abilities she is able to actually overtake the turtles in their natural element and hit them while their limbs are out and vulnerable. Having coordinated with Ambose beforehand the spear is attached to a long line. The large creature is way too large for her to pull on board by herself. Ariel manages to get back to the boat by the use of her incredible movement and then onto the ship before the line reaches full length. With the help of Ambrose and a couple of the other sailors they are able to drag the massive creature back on board. Looking at the creature once it get on board it's at least twice Ariel's size and must weight at least four times as much. She is astonished that she was able to accomplish the task at all. If not for her swimming skill she probably would have drowned or be left behind by the ship which would have amounted to the same thing. She shivers, though not from being wet, at the thought.
Going to take 10 on surival with -2 for shopping for 12, +1 if you allow guidance(repeatedly). Honestly I have no idea how you imagine us hunting turtles, hope you like my creativity...

For lunch Ariel gathers up the gear they found and head to the quartermaster, hopefully together with Bruthos. "May Calistria guide our path" she says and touches them both briefly before they enter. "Good day Grok! May Calistria guide your path," She touches the half-orc as well. "Did you see the turtles? Quite impressive creatures aren't they? Before that though the whole new lot of us was sent down to the bilges this morning to clear out the rats. Poor Bruthos here didn't even have his equipment with him. Thankfully we were still able to kill them all still. Nasty creatures. Anyway, I would be very appreciative if you could return his gear as well." She briefly pats her arm for luck as she asks, hoping she doesn't have to hand over more alcohol, it could always be used for more bargaining later. She doesn't reveal the presence of the new gear yet, hoping that they can sell it afterwards after getting their gear back for free.
Guidance on all 3 I guess. Diplomacy with touch of luck and guidance. Best of two [roll0] [roll1]

[barticus]

Bruthos goes about his daily duty as usual. Mostly sticking to himself unless someone starts a conversation. Even if someone does start one he seems mostly unresponsive. He ascends to the crows nest swiftly and reports what he sees.

Climb: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

Bruthos meets Ariel for lunch and heads to the shop with her hoping to get some of his gear back. Hopefully nobody else has touched his whips... It would be best for all that way.

[Othniel]

Ariel, Main Deck and Galley

Despite never having hunted turtles before, Ariel proves a natural, hauling in more than enough for the day's meals. Ambrose pats her on the back appreciatively and remarks that he, "Ne'er had a more helpful pair o' assistants" as Ariel and Ink.

Bruthos, Main Deck

Bruthos manages to climb swiftly to the top of the mast, but fails to spot a schooner just on the horizon. When he climbs down at the end of his shift, Plugg is there to reprimand him for not paying close enough attention and gives him a quick lash for punishment, dealing [roll0] [points of nonlethal damage.

Ariel and Bruthos, Quartermaster's Store

Sometime during the day's tasks, Ariel and Bruthos meet up with Grok. Ariel's typical charm continues to work on Grok, and Bruthos is soon rearmed with the gear taken from him before. Grok mentions that, "Yer gonna need it anyway, since we're likely gettin' near shippin' lanes, if I hear'd right."

Bruthos regains the following:

Studded Leather Armor
Boarding Axe
Whip
Scorpion Whip
Cutless
Javelin (Ammentum) x2
Hammer
Fishing Tackle
Compass
Small Steel Mirror
50’ Silk Rope
Water Purification Sponge
Tobacco
Piece of Chalk x10
Journal
Ink
Inkpen
Canteen
Flask
Backpack, common
Bandolier
Eye Patch
Hat
Pipe

[Othniel]

Ink, Grathel, and Zidan

The three of you go about your daily duties without much complaint, probably happy to be out of the Bilges and dire rats. Though unaccustomed to fishing, Ink manages to bring in enough of a catch to supplement Ariel's turtles, and the crew is unlikely to go hungry for several days. Grathel performs his repair work without issue, and even manages to earn a very rare nod of approval from the captain as he walks by on inspection. Zidan, on the other hand, while he performs his duty admirably, hoisting and lowering sails as needed, he expends an extraordinary amount of effort and is fatigued at the end of his shift.

With that, the day's shifts are over, and the evening bell is rung, calling everyone to dinner and the evening's usual events.

Zidan is fatigued until he gets a good night's rest (in other words, until the next day).

Also, apparently my damage roll for Bruthos didn't take in the last post, so he takes [roll0] points of nonlethal damage.

Ariel and Bruthos, Quartermaster's Store

While you visit Grok, she offers to show you the equipment currently being stored there. One-by-one, she fiddles with a set of keys and pops open the chests laying around her. She also points to another list posted on a beam detailing everything for sale. She also accepts the items you brought to sell, giving you 60% of market value for each item. You gain a total of 214 gold pieces and 2 silver pieces. Because Grok likes Ariel, she offers to sell items at a slight discount (assume 90% of standard market price).

1 Fiddle
1 Starknife
3 Flasks of acid
6 Flasks of alchemist’s fire
4 Sets of thieves tools (One looks slightly nicer than the others, but Grok doesn’t seem to notice)
1 Box of candles (6 candles inside. One looks slightly more ornate, and has the faint aura of an enchantment about it)
1 Potion of barkskin
1 Potion of cure light wounds
1 Potion of haste
1 Masterwork climber’s kit
1 Disguise kit
3 Flasks of holy water
1 Magnifying glass
1 Set of manacles
2 Tanglefoot bags
1 Masterwork light crossbow
3 Cutlasses
32 Daggers (One dagger has decorative filigree of a jaguar carved on the blade, and the handle is made out of bone. It has a faint aura of conjuration. It appears that Grok may not have closely examined this item.)
3 Masterwork daggers
43 Masterwork darts
4 Saps
1 Masterwork sap
120 Arrows
20 Masterwork arrows
6 +1 Arrows
200 Crossbow bolts
1 Suit of banded mail
1 Breastplate
2 Chain shirts
1 Masterwork leather armor
3 Suits of studded leather armor
12 Bucklers
2 Masterwork bucklers
1 +1 Short sword
1 Masterwork Warhammer
1 Scroll of cure moderate wounds
1 Scroll of mage armor
1 Scroll of magic missile
1 Scroll of scorching ray
1 Scroll of summon swarm
1 Wand of bless weapon (16 charges)

[Othniel]

Evening, Main Deck

Your daily chores are done, but Plugg has something "special" in mind for entertainment. Before the five of you can manage to scurry off after dinner, Plugg drags you all up onto the main deck has his followers clear the area as Owlbear Hartshorn is led on deck. Rumors about Owlbear abound, but what you do know is that Owlbear Hartshorn is a large man with meaty fists. He’s a bit simple, and the rest of the crew enjoys having a laugh at the poor fellow’s expense. To try to make friends, Hartshorn has taken to clowning, laughing, and crying out random phrases at the top of his voice, as this seems to make people laugh. Owlbear likes to eat live crabs, breaking the shells with his teeth and fingers, and his shaved skin still shows signs of the tarring and feathering the crew gave him as a cruel joke not so long ago.

"Well then, how about a bit of sport, this evening!" Plugg says as he twirls his cat-o-nine-tails. He lines you up with a large portion of the crew watching from the sides. "Any of you bilge rats care to take him on? There's a purse of one-hundred gold pieces in it for the winner!" As he says this, he tosses a pouch of what you assume is gold onto the floor at his feet. "Anyone else want to bet? My money is on old Owlbear here, but feel free to bet on one of these weaklings." Owlbear shuffles forward and blinks at the evening sun. "Two rules!" Plugg continues, "No weapons and no magic!"

One of you must fight Owblear. As Plugg said, if he catches anyone using magic to help, there will be trouble for the offender.

[barticus]

"I'd take one of those bucklers you have. Never know when a shield might come in handy." After picking up the buckler and paying Grok he goes back to his daily duties.


Later that day

Bruthos looks left and right to see if anyone else steps forward before doing so himself.

Bruthos chimes in, "If two of us beat Owlbear we can split the purse, yes?" as he steps forward and reaches to the whip at his side to make sure it is ready should someone toss Owlbear a weapon.

Bruthos says "I'll take that bet Plugg." As he steps up and checks the whip at his side, just in case a weapon is tossed in for Owlbear.

[Nefarion Xid]

Zidan scoffs, "I can think of more sporting opponents. The poor man is simple! Why don't you show us your martial prowess, Mister Plugg?"

He begins tugging his rings off and tucks them away in his belt pouch. "Come, come, the men deserve a proper display of pugilism. Will you oblige?"

Diplomacy to rile the spectators up and get them on his side.
[roll0]

[gmoyes]

Grathel

After the rat problem was taken care of and the poor state of the bilge shackles noted, Grathel settled down do do his assigned task: repair work. While not that familiar with ropes and sails, his nimble fingers and bestowed magic made quick work. Catching rats and running messages he may have been successful with, but when it came to making stuff, he was really in his element. Focused on splicing and braiding, he tuned out almost everything else, sometimes forgetting he was even on the ship. However, he did notice when the Captain stopped by to appraise his work. The elf was surprised for a moment when Harrigan gave a nod of approval, but quickly covered it up with a confident smirk. If the captain liked what he was doing, Grathel hoped that maybe he would assign him to continue that line of work. If so, he'd probably survive the Wormwood.

***

Soon enough, the supper bell rang. But before Grathel could make his way below deck, Plugg had rounded him and the other recruits up and challenged them to fight a man known as Owlbear. He could see the resemblance. The hobgoblin stepped up to the challenge and the man Zidan proposed a counter-challenge to Plugg. "You're gonna get killed," the craftsman muttered. He could see that the Kelish man was tired from hauling lines and Bruthos still showed a welt where Plugg whipped him earlier. He wouldn't be betting on either one of them. Still, it was probably a better option than letting him or one of the girls fight. And trying to drag Plugg into it would be just suicidal. The elf just gave a sigh and stayed to the sidelines.

[Othniel]

Everyone, Main Deck

Bruthos and Zidan step forward to both challenge Owlbear. The big man stares dumbly at Bruthos, as if trying to figure out what manner of creature he is. Plugg scowls darkly at the two of them when it is plain to see that they intend to team up on Owlbear. "Fine, let's even the odds," he says and tosses Owlbear a club. "There, that's better. Now, fight!"

Owlbear swings the club around in large circles as he adjusts to the weight and then smiles.

Bruthos and Zidan's averaged initiative beat out Owlbear, so you gentlemen go first.

[barticus]

Bruthos lets out a loud battle cry as he starts moving around Owlbear and signals to Zidian to do the same.

Bruthos takes a 5' step to L12 (hoping to eventually get into a flanking position) and uses his standard action to demoralize Owlbear.
Intimidate (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/intimidate) check: [roll0]
DC 10+Owlbear's Wis mod

[Nefarion Xid]

"I'm doing this under protest. There's no honor in this fight." Zidan sneers at Plugg but steps forward to fight when it becomes unavoidable.

Sweeping behind Owlbear delivers two quick punches to the man's kidneys.

Move around to flank. Full attack.

Right
[roll0]
[roll1]

Left
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Othniel]

Bruthos lets out a loud battle cry as he starts moving around Owlbear and signals to Zidian to do the same.

Bruthos takes a 5' step to L12 (hoping to eventually get into a flanking position) and uses his standard action to demoralize Owlbear.
Intimidate (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/intimidate) check: [roll0]
DC 10+Owlbear's Wis mod

"Noooo, get away ugly man!" Howls Owlbear, clearly alarmed at Bruthos' battle cry. He looks around bewildered for a moment, as Zidan moves behind him. Owlbear turns to follow Zidan's movement, momentarily turning his back on the source of his fright, and as you see him move, you all notice that his is somewhat clumsy and doesn't track with his left eye, which appears to be blind. Both of the prince's blows find their mark, and Owlbear grimaces in pain before swinging his club at Zidan.

Plugg, meanwhile, circles around to the side for a better view of the fight, and the others (Bruthos and Zidan too engaged to notice) see a bloodthirsty look on his face.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[barticus]

Bruthos sees that Zid has Owlbear's attention and decides to jab Owlbear's left side, just under the ribs.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Did Owlbear look to be demoralized?

[Nefarion Xid]

"I don't want to hurt you. This is Plugg's fault," Zidan whispers before again dancing around behind and again pummeling the man.

Forgot Zidan was Fatigued before. Attack and damage should be corrected this round.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

If Zidan is attacked, he uses: Opportune Parry and Riposte (Ex): At 1st level, when an opponent makes a melee attack against the swashbuckler, she can spend 1 panache point and expend a use of an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. The swashbuckler makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity; for each size category the attacking creature is larger than the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler takes a –2 penalty on this roll. If her result is greater than the attacking creature's result, the creature's attack automatically misses. The swashbuckler must declare the use of this ability after the creature's attack is announced, but before its attack roll is made. Upon performing a successful parry and if she has at least 1 panache point, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack she parried, provided that creature is within her reach. This deed's cost cannot be reduced by any ability or effect that reduces the number of panache points a deed costs.

[Othniel]

Everyone, Main Deck

"No, no!" The brute whimpers as Zidan's first blow finds its mark. Owlbear jerks backward, and Zidan's second attack goes wide. Owlbear shrinks away from Zidan, moving backward until he nears Plugg.

Plugg shoves him forward again, "No, ye simpleton! Fight! I want my money's worth."

"No, no!" Owlbear whimpers again, "Please not hurt Owlbear more!"

Bruthos: Yes, Owlbear was successfully demoralized, and I forgot to subtract 2 from his attack roll (which missed anyway).
Owlbear takes a 5' step away from both of you to M13, backing up toward Plugg, and takes a standard action for Total Defense (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/combat#TOC-Total-Defense).

[Nefarion Xid]

"If you want a real fight, Plugg, I've got all evening. You want to see blood? Hit me yourself. Otherwise I'm done here." Zidan sneers.

[barticus]

Bruthos does not give up yet and goes in for another punch to the chest.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Othniel]

Everyone, Main Deck

Plugg's pet crouches low in attempt to shield himself from from Bruthos' continued beating, but is unable to block the hobgoblin's deft strike. The clatter of wood striking wood sounds as Owlbear drops the club he was holding to the deck, and the sound of a grown man quietly sobbing fills the air. "Master!" he whines between sobs, clearly begging Plugg to bring the fracas to a close.

Disgusted, Plugg kicks the pouch of gold forward toward the combatants, a few gold coins spilling out and clattering on the deck. "Fine, you two win. Kill Owlbear, and you'll get lashes...a lot of them."

Owlbear continues Total Defense.

[Othniel]

Everyone, Main Deck

Owlbear maintains his position on the floor, and everyone looks on as Bruthos delivers a final blow. Save for the sound of the waves and the creak of wood and rope, silence reigns across the deck after Owblear thuds to the floor, unconscious. Moments pass before Plugg finds his voice again, "Lonegan; Chumlett - re-chain Owlbear below." He then wheels on Bruthos, whip extended menacingly toward the hobgoblin, but before he can speak again, a voice calls down from the crow's nest, "Ship ahoy!"

Another moment of silence follows as the crew stares at each other, broken finally by Scourge's grizzled voice from behind you, "Don't just stand there, ye scurvy dogs; posts!"

"Except for the five o' ye," he says, gesturing to Bruthos, Zidan, Ariel, Ink, and Grathel in turn. "Yer dismissed from further dooty tonight. It will take some time to catch up to arr quarry, and Cap'n Harrigan aims ter test ye all out in boardin' tomorrow. Dismissed!"

With that, Scourge returns to the wheel, and the rest of the crew on deck goes about their business with much more haste and efficiency than you have yet seen.

It will take approximately twelve hours to catch the ship the Wormwood is now chasing. You all have time for one more night's rest and/or activities should you choose. Any nonlethal damage you have sustained (which is just Bruthos, I believe) will be healed, and you may visit the Quartermaster's Store one more time. Make this last round of activity count!

Oh, and you all level up to 2. :smallbiggrin: Huzzah!

[Othniel]

The Wormwood

The next day dawns bright and clear. You all gather for breakfast refreshed and fully rested. As you finish, the ship's gunner, Riaris Krine, shoves the door open and glares at all of you, "Up on deck, we're closing on our prey!"

As you file up on deck, you see the Wormwood alive with the crew engaged at their duties. Ahead and slightly starboard, a slightly larger ship sailing tries its best to outrun the smaller but faster pirate ship. "Looks like a Rahadoumi merchant vessel," you hear Scourge say to Plugg as the two walk by, inspecting the other sailors' work. "Should be fat with cargo; we'll celebrate tonight!"

Krine lines up the five of you and inspects each for equipment. "You all have arms, good. Won't ask where you got 'em, long as you put 'em to good use in the boarding party. Here's what's going to happen:

The ship’s wheel is on the aft deck, just below the sterncastle. You’re going to grapple over, kill the guards on the sterncastle, take the wheel, and guard the ship’s boats. Kill anyone who tries to get away on one of the boats. Don’t move from the wheel and boats until the fighting’s done, or you’ll have to answer to me. Oh yeah, as we get close, it’s going to get foggy. Just stick to what I told you to do.” Krine finishes her appraisal of the group and stops in front of Zidan, "You - whatever your name is - I'm putting you temporarily in charge of the other four. Try not to get them killed. One more thing, you can pick any one other* of the crew to help you out if you want, though it might get a bit cramped over there. Now, figure out your boarding order, as we're closing fast!" With that, she dashed off to help man the Wormwood's ballistae.

*Any one excepting the officers, Owlbear, Grok, or Kroop. You all get the feeling that Krine doesn't particularly care which crew member you choose, if any, so long as you get the job done. In fact, you get the distinct feeling that she views all non-officers as nothing more than cannon fodder. At the rate the Wormwood is gaining on the other ship, you figure you have about 5 minutes before the battle commences in earnest. Time enough to select an additional NPC for your boarding party, and make a quick battle plan. You may find brief descriptions of the other crew members here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19377983&postcount=10) and here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19381738&postcount=20), including your very best friends (sarcasm alert) Slippery Sy Lonegan and Fipps Chumlett. :smallbiggrin:

Everyone pick a location on the main deck of the Wormwood for your character to start. You should all have the ability to edit the map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ozG2B1-IvnLXApXZgCG1MDho4gzRnjcLAYVRlDupUbY/edit#gid=0), but otherwise just tell me the square and I'll put your character abbreviation there. Be sure you are looking at the bottom map that shows the Wormwood and its prey next to each other.

[barticus]

After landing the final blow Bruthos composes himself and stares down Plugg just anticipating the lashes that would surely be coming for him. But after hearing Plugg speak Bruthos relaxes some and heads down to rest.

After breakfast he heads to Q52 on the map. If Caulky is still standing in front of Brothos he looks to her and says
"If you don't want to get plowed over when I jump to the other ship you should step aside."

[Nefarion Xid]

"'Help'. Bah! They're Rahadoumi. My grandfather could kill ten Rahadoumi and he's been dead for thirteen years. And he had gout in his old age. Feh."

Zidan idly twirls his knives while marching up to the sterncastle and taking his place on the railing. He grips one knife in his teeth while gripping a boarding rope.

[gmoyes]

Grathel

The elf stood by as Bruthos and Zidan made quick work of Owlbear. Two on one wasn't much of a fight even if the ugly man was armed. He was glad that Plugg didn't rise to Zidan's challenge, he really didn't want to get on the man's bad side and he might have been able to mop the deck with the,. At least he went through with giving them the gold from the bet.

As the fight wrapped up, there was a shout from the crows nest about a ship in sight. That sent the ship into a frenzy as men went to their stations. However, Scourge had different orders for them, ordering them to rest up as they would for a boarding party the next day. Grathel gave a blank look. Killing rats was one thing, but fighting the crew of another ship was something else completely. Still there wasn't anything he could do about it besides prepare himself for the fight ahead.

He approached the newly victorious Bruthos and Zidan to make an offer. "If one of you wouldn't mind, could you stop by the quartermaster and buy a light crossbow and some bolts for me? A dagger is just fine for killing rats around the boat, but I'd need something stronger is we'll be fighting crewmen. I would have asked sooner, but you've got the gold and it's difficult to hide such a weapon." He glanced towards the girls. "They've also got a good reputation with Grok as far as I've heard."

***

The next morning before breakfast, Grathel read through his spellbook to see what could be useful for the battle ahead. He had managed to find some time to alter some of the spells in his book to create new ones, but they wouldn't be of use in a fight. Instead he opted for some protective magic, True Strike and his one offensive spell. It would have to do.

After eating, the ship's master gunner had chased the group onto the deck and explained the plan. The five of them and someone else would take out the guards around the helm and make sure none of them tried to get away in the lifeboats. Grathel thought to himself that even if someone tried to get away, he'd be able to shoot and sink it before it could get too far away. With Zidan put in charge of their group, the elf voiced his opinion on who they should pick up as a sixth member of their force. "I'd suggest either Sandara or Rosie. Both of them look like they'd be useful in a fight."

Positioning himself by the stern ballista on the off chance that the gunner would fail in battle, he also looked at the ship they were about to engage to see what they were equipped with. It appeared that they had a pair of ballista on the stern. While he wasn't sure if they be able to swing around to target things on their own ship, how the two ships were lined up, the Wormwood's rear ballista should have a clear shot of the other ship's helm. With a muttered "Blinder Magie." and a few motions Grathel created an invisible skin over his body, hoping that anyone seeing him would think he was praying to some unknown god and that no one would get close enough to feel the barrier. Finished his preparations, the elf glanced at the others. "So any battle plans? I'm certainly not going first. I might be able to support you from here."

Preparing Mage Armour, Ear Piercing Scream and True Strike. Casting Mage Armour, duration 2 hours. Starting at S53 which I have marked.

[oyzar]

Yeah, this is what I get for not paying attention, I would have betted, but oh well, waaaay too late now obviously.
Previous day.
Ariel is worried about Zidan fighting Owlbear and she cheers for him as they fight. "You can do this Zidan! He's no match for you." She is happy to see that he is successful in defeating the big man.

Overhearing Grathel's request she takes pity on the man despite his rude comments earlier walks over and says. "You don't deserve this for the way you acted earlier with the rats, but I don't want a man to go unarmed into battle. Did you have such among your gear previously? I might be able to convince Grok to give you back your gear, come with me..."

Once inside Grok's store she says. "Calistria's favor upon os Poor Grathel here is without weapons and there is a ship on the horizon. Would you be able to give back his gear please? He really could use a light crossbow."

Guidance and touch of luck again, now at level 2. [roll0] [roll1]

--------
Ariel prays to Calistria for a way to close wounds, to bless their strikes and finally a way to make attacks especially lucky and almost sure to hit.

She congratulates Zidan on his promotion. "Congratulations Zidan, this is well deserved. I too think Rosa is a good pick, she managed to beat Bruthos in arm wrestling after all."

In response to Grathel's question she says. "Well, I plan to knock out as many as I can with my channeling. You can then knock them out while they are unable to focus on the battle." She'll go with the group if they decide to go over one of the planks, if not she'll remain between them to be able to hit as many as possible from the other ship.

[Othniel]

The Wormwood, Main Deck

As the Wormwood draws closer to its prey, you can see the other ship's name painted on the side: The Man's Promise. With each passing moment, the ships come nearer and nearer. The ship's master gunner, Riaris Krine calls out in a loud, clear voice and The Wormwood's ballistae begin firing. In return, Rahadoumi sailors begin peppering The Wormwood with crossbow and ballista bolts.

The Captain Harrigan and Mister Plug stand at the ready to cross as soon as the ships are joined. Whatever one may say for Plugg's cruelty, he is obviously no coward. At a sign from the captain, several crew members slit the throats of pigs that have been brought up on deck and heave them over the railing. Soon after, the tell-tale dorsal fins of sharks may be seen in the water.

The Wormwood finally draws even with The Man's Promise, and several of your fellow sailors throw grappling hooks at the ship. Many miss, but several find their mark, and after a few moments, more hooks find their purchase. Plugg gives a shout, and the crew start hauling on the ropes, pulling the ships closer together...

The battle has begun!

You judge that you have a few moments before the ships are close enough to lay down the planks and cross. If you are brave enough, you can swing across now (but beware the sharks in the water!), or wait until the ships are lashed together and cross more safely.

You all estimate that there are about 2 rounds before you can cross the planks over to the other ship. You may use this time to buff or make ranged attacks.

Characters and NPCs have partial cover if they are next to a ship's railing (i.e. in a square on the edge of a ship).

[barticus]

Bruthos waits patiently for the ships to get close enough to board. He is excited for the combat and as he is thinking of his training a small gleeful smile begins to form on his face. But as soon as he realizes it he takes it off as quickly as it formed.

Bruthos has no need for prep rounds. But he does ready the action to swing to the next ship once the ships are within 10' of each other. Sorry I didn't get this out yesterday like I had hoped. Work has been busy :/