[IC]Adventures on the Inner Sea[PF]

[Daishain]

'Cassandra' looks to the horizon and smiles, "It is a good day to meet new people. People to trade with? People to kill? We will soon find out."

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Bodaku holds up his arm for Shaddup. After the bird lands, he says, "Shaddup, I want you to fly over that ship over there- Shaddup? Shaddup? Hey. Hey!" He snaps his fingers to get the birds attention. The parrot is grooming under its wing. "Shaddup I'm talking to you!" The bird simply squawks at him. "Dammit, my choice of animal companion was between you and a shark!" Another squawk. "Alright just listen. I need to know if those people are pirates or not." Bodaku says pointing to the oncoming boat. "I need you to fly over there and tell me if they are armed. Pirates will have weapons ready. If they have weapons, I would like to know what kind and how many. Can you do that?"
Shaddup looks at Bodaku thoughtfully for a moment before saying "Where's my dinner?"
"Dammit you greedy bird you just ate! Now go!" With that Bodaku throws out his arm and Shaddup flies away screeching as he goes.

[Erloas]

You watch Shaddup fly off towards the ship. The distance is far enough you can't really seem him after a while. As your watching the ship's direction seems to shift a bit more so it seems that it is heading fairly directly towards your ship. After a little bit you can see the spec that is Shaddup come into view. A few minutes later he lands on the rail and squawks "no food" which sounds like its said with annoyance, and whether that was directed towards you or the other ship you're not quite sure.
"'uns! two" comes out as irritated squaks, you're sure that's just a lipless g there. "s'ords eight eight*" Then looks at you expectantly, then finishes "one bow"

Spoiler: OOC

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*my ex step son when he was younger would just say "90 90" if there was a lot of something, more than he could count. So I've decided he's going to do that too, and 8 is the biggest number he knows. But having trained him you know that daggers and swords of all sizes are considered swords. You'll also note that even your crew has daggers, so not a total indication.

knowledge engineering, profession sailor and similar might tell you things like how long it will take to reach you, what size crew you might expect based on the ship.

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"Good bird" Bodaku fishes out some dried meat which he feeds to Shaddup. After a moment, he adds, "I didn't mean what I said about the shark." He can't look Shaddup in the eye as he says this last bit, but smiles when the bird nuzzle's his arm. He relays the information to his crew mates, indicating that that 8 8 means A lot of pirates. "Prepare for battle!" Bodaku shouts.

[Daishain]

"What a pretty and smart bird you are, I bet you could do even better next time."

Turning to the others, 'cassandra' states, "Sound like it might be them, a fishing boat isn't likely to have guns out in the open."

"I am going to suggest a slight alternative to our prior strategy. Assuming these are our pirates, I intend to use a touch of magic to dive under the waves and come up behind the other ship as they make their approach, from there I can assault whomever they least want in melee. I can take one person with me. I suggest someone prepared to take a few hits. Any volunteers?"

[samduke]

"What a pretty and smart bird you are, I bet you could do even better next time."

Turning to the others, 'cassandra' states, "Sound like it might be them, a fishing boat isn't likely to have guns out in the open."

"I am going to suggest a slight alternative to our prior strategy. Assuming these are our pirates, I intend to use a touch of magic to dive under the waves and come up behind the other ship as they make their approach, from there I can assault whomever they least want in melee. I can take one person with me. I suggest someone prepared to take a few hits. Any volunteers?"

Stepping forward drawing her blade, I am your volunteer, if this is the pirates we were waiting on wait until they are closer so we can see them better, then take us under close to their hull, I might be able to cut their rudder rope and disable their ship in the process

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"We should try to time our attack for when you cut the rudder. Once you cut the rudder, I'll summon the allies of nature to create a distraction among their ranks. We will attack when our prey is most vulnerable."

[samduke]

It is a plan

[Erloas]

Spoiler: OOC

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Really sorry this took so long guys. I figured I would have got it as soon as I got back, but it took a while to get back on schedule. Wasn't able to stay up after work to get things done (after work is like midnight)
I'll switch to close range/5ft maps as soon as we get close enough for direct engagement.

If you're just planning on waiting until they're X away, let me know. Don't want to take away your chance to do anything at range or last minute preparations, as well as see who's still here before going straight into combat.

Robel says "Now that I've got a better view, I'm sure that was the same ship from before. They've either got a poor crew or limited supplies because their sails are weirdly set up. The captain, as your parrot noted, has two guns, one's a musket I know, but I don't know if the other is a pistol or a blunderbuss.

I'm going to have the crew pull in the nets now. Let me know what you want me to do, otherwise I'll just hold course."

You're currently moving at about 20ft per round with minimal sails up. You estimate that the enemy ship is running around 60ft per round right now, so clearly they'll have to slow to match speeds for any attempt to board.

Spoiler: Map

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20ft squares. The wind is light coming out of the west.

[Daishain]

"They are expecting you to pay them yes? Then heave to as if preparing to do so. Have enough people on deck to not seem suspicious, and the rest ready to go just out of sight. The two of us will dive underneath, cut their rudder, and emerge on the other side."

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Bodaku puts his hand on his companions shoulder and says. "Best of luck to you my friends. We will wait for your signal to strike. Once we board, we will make straight for the captain of this cursed venture and slay him. Hopefully, the crew will surrender then. Tonight, we shall have a grand feast to celebrate our victory." He gives his belly a slap to emphasize this, and Shaddup squawks his approval.

[samduke]

Olivia hones her blade to a fine sharp edge and readies her pistol for fast access ease of use.
cassandra how long can you keep us under water?

[Erloas]

Robel says to you"Give the signal and we'll help how we can, until then we'll play helpless. I also hope you've got something to protect your gun from the water and a plan for getting up the enemy ship from the water."

As you wait and watch the ship moves in closer, it is about 140 ft away at this point. So you estimate you've got a little time to move into place but not too long before they reach you. You can see a look-out with a bow at the bow of the ship and what looks like a mate getting the crew ready to board. You see maybe a dozen crew, some more eager than others but none really standing out. They look a little ragged but they've clearly had some practice. A few of them have grappling hooks in hand. You also see a few other crew in the sails, working and moving quickly, probably preparing to adjust the sails as they get close so they can slow down.
You can see the captain at the stern giving the pilot some instructions.

Robel says to his crew "Alright, looks like they're ready for a fight. Keep your weapons away until we get the signal from the guards. Our main goal is to keep them off the ship and to protect each other."

Spoiler: Map

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I'll switch to 5ft squares next.

[Daishain]

'Cassandra' shakes her head, "I could wrap the gun in oilcloth, but then it would take too long to retrieve. I had planned on leaving it here. Are there any amongst you capable of making good use of it? I can get myself and Olivia up the side. Its as easy as a hop, skip, and a jump."

In answer to Olivia's question, she states, "The spell I am about to cast on you will last for three minutes. It will allow you to swim like a fish, but not to breathe like one. So how long we can remain underwater depends on our ability to hold our breath. The speed granted by the spell should be sufficient for this purpose, but still, I suggest keeping steady on your course and not wasting time floundering."

She hesitates for a moment before stating, "Since we are about to shed blood together, I think it time. My true name is Ariadne, and I am honored to count you all as companions."

[samduke]

Think 2 minutes maybe 3 holding is max my pistol will be fine underwater i think1 or 2 attempts at the rudder then up we go to fight

[optimumsquare]

Bodaku shakes his head. "Ariadne or Cassandra. I call you friend. Give your gun to Shaddup. He's a noisome beast but he'll deliver it to you when you come up the other side. Go now. They are closing fast. Cut their rudder and we shall strike. Tonight we shall feast together and you can tell me your tale of hidden names. It sounds a fine one." With that he moves to the men and tells them to prepare for boarding. To Robel he says, "Keep it so they must turn to catch us. Once they start to drift from lack of a rudder, turn into them so that we can board. We will strike quickly and rid the sea of their plague."

[Daishain]

Ariadne smiles and hands her pistol over. Then she beckons to Olivia as she starts to clamber over the side of the ship opposite to where the pirates are approaching from. "If someone could wave to us when they're close enough to swim towards, that would be most appreciated."

Ariadne will tie a short length of rope around her waist and a handloop in the other end. Giving the loop to Olivia, she waits. Once they get the signal, she will cast a spell upon Olivia, causing the woman's hands and feet to morph into appendages more suitable to an amphibian.

Spoiler: OOC

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Olivia now has a swim speed of 30', and can take the 'run' action while swimming. This transformation explicitly does not interfere with the normal function of her hands and feet. Ariadne will be swimming as hard as she can as well so as to not just be a dead weight dragged behind Olivia. The pair will intercept the other ship's rear, cut their rudder, and then move to board from the side away from the fishermen's vessel.
Ariadne's swim check. (1d20+13)[16]

[Erloas]

Robel says "I can do that. Since their coming in partially against the wind I expect their prow to fairly quickly head away as soon as they loose control. Although they can still do some steering and control with the sails if they are good" [As mentioned previously, the wind is coming from the west]

The lookout on the front of the ship is watching with his bow at the ready but not prepared to shoot. The mate is still working with the crew, waiting where they expect the ships to meet. A few of the crew in the riggings are starting to pull up a few of the sails to drop speed.

As Ariadne casts her spell her and Olivia climb down a rope ladder from the rail on the back side away from the incoming ship. Right at the water level, just before jumping in.

Spoiler: map

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[samduke]

jumping over with cassandra loop in off hand.

Spoiler: rolls

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SPELL* standard +8 bonus on Swim check (1d20+9)[13]
Constitution check to hold breath for time (1d20+1)[20]
when at rudder area attack rolls without underwater modifiers
ATK 1: (1d20+3)[13] confirm crit (1d20+3)[14] damage: (1d6+1)[5]
ATK 2: (1d20+3)[14] confirm crit (1d20+3)[11] damage: (1d6+1)[4]
swim upto aft of enemy ship Climb check if needed (1d20+1)[5]

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Bodaku gives the signal to begin swimming to the enemy ship.

[Erloas]

The ship comes in and starts to turn a bit to match direction. They're slowing down slightly too. The lookout doesn't seem to be paying any attention to the water. But as they approach he pulls out an arrow and sends in flying at the crew, seeming more of a warning shot than anything else. And with that he yells "This doesn't have to be hard, just get anything of value you have out onto the deck, and if you're fast about it and we don't find you trying to hide anything, we might not even have to kill anyone!"

Spoiler: MAP

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[I had been waiting for each of you to post. Even if you're just waiting]

[samduke]

if i look at the map correctly we appear to be at P19 so a swim to M19 or there abouts should put us under the rudder area when it comes along side our ship we can then do the rudder rope attacks (pre-rolled) and then board as planned

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"Oh, sure," Bodaku calls back to the pirate. "We'll just get right on that." Lowering his voice so the pirates can't hear, he speaks to the crew. "Get in postions and make it look like we're following their commands. As soon as they start to drift, we'll turn hard into them and board."

[Erloas]

Olivia and Ariadne slip below the hull as the ship passes over them and grab onto the rudder. The mechanisms to move the rudder are inside the ship but there seems to be plenty of places around the joints where the rudder could be jammed into place with a knife or sword. You could keep the ship going straight or get it to push away from or towards the fishing ship.

On deck a couple of the crew head to the stairs to go below deck as if to retrieve items. The closest pirate is watching but not directly doing anything. The one running the crew is preparing his crew to throw over hooks once they get a bit closer.

Spoiler: map

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[Daishain]

Ariadne whispers to Olivia, "Lets jam it so the pirate ship is forced to turn away and sail in circles, but only just after initial contact. I'm going up to ready a surprise for them, use the rope to climb up after me when done."

Olivia focuses on one of her gifts, and smiles when she feels the telltale lightening of her body. Gripping the stern of the ship in order to stay with it, she floats upwards to hover just out of sight behind whoever is manning the tiller.

Spoiler: OOC

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Activating a Levitate spell via Flight Hex. Readied action to cast Vomit Swarm onto the deck upon her discovery, the initiation of violence by either side, or the pirate crew reacting to the jammed tiller, whichever happens first. The latter will produce a Spider Swarm that is NOT under her direct control and will instead focus on the nearest targets. Note that the swarm is immune to normal weapon damage.

[samduke]

rudder could be jammed into place with a knife or sword

Olivia takes the time to wait for the ship rudder to turn right and then the effort needed to jam the rudder full over right with her [hunting knife] ( See OOC for rolls Knowledge Engineering [24] , Profession Sailor [23], Str [12], Dex [19] ) which should cause the ship into a fixed tight right turn, then surfaces to climb and board from aft

edit for item useage

[optimumsquare]

As the pirate ship starts to turn, Bodaku gives Robel a nudge. At least he means for it to be a nudge. Bodaku is a excited and might just push a little too hard. "That's the signal!" He draws his cudgel and summons his eagles.
(1d3)[1] eagles join the party.

[Daishain]

When things start to kick off, Ariadne pokes her head above the edge of the deck, just enough for her next action to be free of obstruction. Calling a foul series of words out, her speech is followed by a disgusting torrent of spiders spewing from the witch's mouth, all over the deck of the pirate ship. Within moments the things are ganging up and biting anyone nearby.

If the tiny creatures are too close still when Olivia is looking to hop aboard, Ariadne will bid her to pause, saying, "The little ones only see food, they'll eat you up without paying me any heed if you get too close."

Spoiler: OOC

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Ariadne will stay in as much cover as the side of the ship can provide. She should enjoy a +4 to AC from anyone not right on top of her.

[Erloas]

As the captain turns the ship to come inline with Robel's ship Olivia takes the movement of the rudder as her cue and pushes it farther in that direction, using his own movement against him. It catches him off guard as the wheel jerks but catches it before it moves too far. Olivia jammers her dagger in part of the hinge and works it in as the captain tries to move the wheel back where he wanted it. The jerk of the ship isn't hard but enough that the others notice something isn't right. The mate looks back and yells "what are you doing to drunk fool! You're supposed to save the drinking until we get back." Then turning back to the crew he says "get ready to throw the hooks, hes not going to make this easy on us"
As this is happening Ariadne opens her mouth and spiders come flooding out onto the deck and quickly starts climbing up the captain's legs. He shakes his legs briefly as they first start, not realizing what is there. Moments later he starts to feel their biting and looks down and screams. "AAAAHHH!"

Spoiler: map

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Spoiler: OOC

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I'm pretty sure that was the way you wanted the ship to go, if I messed it up let me know.

I don't think Adriande did anything attach a rope for Olivia to climb yet did she?
Where is the eagle being summoned to?

Surprise round is over

swarm damage
(1d6)[4]

Initiative
pirates:
(1d20+2)[12]
Adriadne
(1d20+4)[22]
Olivia
(1d20+3)[12]
Bodaku
(1d20+1)[20]

Everyone goes before the pirates=>

[Daishain]

Ariadne quickly shifts focus and casts another spell, sending a cascade of golden particles to flurry around the pirates.

Spoiler: OOC

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Ariadne has a rope around her waist, Olivia has the other end. Between the levitation spell and hanging on the side of the ship, she should have more than enough anchorage for a climb.

Oh, I forgot to mention a Prep item. Magic armor is another spell she'd have cast on herself while waiting for the ships to get in position. Current AC is 18.

Targeting a Glitterdust at the largest concentration of pirates available. That's a 10' radius spread, so should be able to cover most of the forward section of the ship where I assume they're gathering. That's a DC 16 Will save vs blindness for three rounds, along with a -40 to stealth whether or not they pass the will save (though that bit is less likely to come into play)