Pie-rats' Rock Solo [in-character thread]

[Smilex]

You feel the siren song grasp your mind. The song is melodious, sad and seems to talk directly to you. It grasps at your soul, even through the beeswax and makes you feel you need to get to the ones singing.

You step on the rail and look at the roiling ocean. Suddenly you realize that you're not going to get to where you want. The sea is in your way. The current will throw you on the rocks and the rocks will crush you. You can't get what your soul wants.

And then as suddenly you feel a loss. You feel your hearts' desire fly away. Your mind can no longer grasp the sensation of love... And you're back in the moment.

You hear a splash as Jimjam pushes the pig carcass into the ocean and then runs toward you. Ginny also jumps into the ocean but he looks to be diving for Thorn instead of staggering into the sea in a daze.

All the sailors have so much beeswax in their ears they can hear nothing.

[gac3]

I move to jump out but realize that more people in the water likely isn't the solution, especially given my strength and the currents. Instead I pull out my rope and give it to JimJam while yelling and hearing for him to throw it to Ginny and pull them in. Then I look around for any sign of the sirens.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Perception
(1d20+5)[21]
Trying to see if I can spot any sirens that I could shoot to try to stop the music.

[Smilex]

-Happy you not jump-jump Jimjam goes and grabs your rope. He tosses the other end into the ocean where you can observe Ginny quickly reach Thorn who doesn't seem charmed anymore.

The sirens, all three of them are continuing to sing while they're moving down their perching cliff. They're about 50 yards distant, easily visible despite the rain. For a moment you wonder if their song would sound better if they were close by.

Oannes casts a spell and a block of ice appears next to Ginny and Thorn. It's shaped in a way it can be grabbed relatively easily.

[gac3]

I draw my bow back and fire at the closest Siren.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Attack
(1d20+5)[7]
Damage
(1d6+3)[7]
Additional damage on a crit
(2d6)[6]

[Smilex]

You quickly realize that the sirens are not easy targets and the heavy rain gives makes you disadvantaged in your shots. The threesome take a dive into the water and suddenly the singing stops.

Oannes puts more beeswax in his ears just to be sure.
Ginny manages to tie the rope around Thorn.
Jimjam starts pulling her up.

[gac3]

I join in the efforts to pull my allies up while trying to keep an eye on the sirens.

[Smilex]

You give your arm to Ginny who quickly climbs onboard with your help. He nods to you awkwardly.

Jimjam gives Thorn a long hug while Oannes slaps more beeswax in her ears.

In a moment the water around the pig carcass is gushing. You realize the sirens are on it. But already your ship is moving past.

You realize the captain is trying to gain distance as fast she can.

Thorn casts message again.
-Do we have more pigs for the next ones?

[gac3]

I tell the question to JimJam.

[Smilex]

Things calm down as the boat distances itself from the sirens. Eventually the captain comes to you and motions in a way suggesting to remove the wax from your ears.

She smiles a wicked smile and starts talking.
-Well now. You've... seen how ah deals with em sirens. Nuff wax and meat to get their innrest and thar no trouble at all.

-Now ah've got a proposal of sorts. A few miles down the shorr thar be anothah siren's nest ann anothah ship onna rocky shoah. Now that ship be innresting. It's got a loot we could sell foh a deah sum.
-Ah could draw away the sirens and when they be onna frenzy foh some pig meat. Ah could get the ship right next to that theah shipwreck. If you be a man who's inna game, you could take them boys and gal and loot the wreck clean befoh any of em singbirds comes back.

Ah knows a merchant who bes looking foh what that thea ship has. Would be real eazeh to get a pile of coin. We could split it evens. What say you?

[gac3]

A wide smile breaks across my face. "That does sound intriguing mate. As long as it doesn't stall our main mission too long, I would be happy to do what I can."

[Smilex]

She spits in her palm and grabs your hand to shake it.
-From tongue to hand, from hand to action.

After the agreement she proceeds to steer the boat on a course to head back closer to the island.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

Do you explain the agreement to your team and if so, how?

---

After your negotiations it takes about 40 minutes for you to get near enough for you to see the cliff and the wreck.
The ship isn't quite what you expected. It looks more like a statue of a crab than a boat.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Give me a roll for history.

The colony of sirens on this rock is substantially larger than the last one. You can make out about ten creatures just by looking from a distance.

[gac3]

"Okay mates. The captain has requested a minor detour to examine a ship that wrecked not far from here and salvage what we can. Our team will split half of what we find. It'll be a quick trip as we have a job to do but since it's not part of the main job, anyone who wants to can sit out. Though they will forfeit their share of the findings. So be prepared mates, things may get fun."

Spoiler: Ooc

Show

(1d20)[9]

[Smilex]

Everyone in the group chooses to partake in the sidetrip.

You remember seeing the metallic crab-looking thing from a distance before and you thought it was a statue. You can't remember it's history.
Thorn comments on the issue...
-It's a sahuagin vessel from the time of the shark war. They used to go under the surface instead of floating. The undersea ships stopped working near Home island when gods removed their magics. Our warriors could never break one of those though they tried with spell and blade.

The 'crab' seems to be a roundish thing, about 10 meters in radius. It's legs look crushed and defunct. On one side of the vessel the there's a large break in the hull where the legs attach. This looks like the point of entrance.

At this point the captain suggests you once again use the wax on your ears. You see your crew this time use large gloops of it. Thorn continues to transmit your commands to others through message spells though it takes more time than talking directly.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

How much wax do you use this time? And do you do any other preparation at this point?

The captain tosses another pig's corpse to attract the sirens and they start approaching, about a dozen of them.

[gac3]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

If I have the ability to take extra with me just in case then I just use some wax. If not then I will use a lot of wax.

As far as preparations, I think I would use the time to try to get some basic hand signs established between the crew and me. Like some basic stuff we can do without being able to hear.
"Go that way."
"I'll scout ahead."
"Stop."
"Kill it."
"Run away!"

I think I might be able to teach those in fourty minutes. But if not, then that's the order I would teach them.

How close are we to the entrance? Like can we jump from our ship into there? Do we need to swim/take a life boat or something?

[Smilex]

You teach your team hand signs and they learn them easily enough. You also grab beeswax into a leather pouch with you. All the others just push the stuff in their ears until they're deaf. When you approach the sirens your team is ready to grab you if their singing affects you.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

When the sirens start approaching, six of them are singing to try to lure more of you in the water despite the pig meat. Roll six saving throws dc 14 with advantage. If you fail one, your mates just hold onto you for a while and push your ears completely full of beeswax. If you succeed in all, you can continue directly.

After the pig is in the water and the sirens are swimming for it, your ship continues closer to the rocks. The captain manages to take the ship just three meters from the shore. Larva lassoes one of the crabship's legs to tie the ship more or less in place. Curry and Harp bring up a narrow portable landing bridge that's tied together from a bunch of bamboolike reed and sinew.


As you're leaving, the captain tells you to get whatever you can but the best loot should be a metallic black box.

The location of the crabboat is such that it's partially submerged in high tide. At the moment it's between high and low and the waterlevel is just below the opening.

The entrance is a hole in broken metal. There's jagged edges everywhere and you're walking in on an unbalanced bridge. It's surprisingly difficult as one end of the bridge sways with the ship and the other is tilted on an uneven broken metal plate.

Spoiler: OOC

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What's the marching order? WHo goes in first, second etc? The lighting inside the boat is dim. Anyone want to carry a torch? Thorn and Jimjam don't have darkvision.
Please give me a dc 10 dex saving throw for entering safely.

[gac3]

Spoiler: ooc

Show

We will make marching order Me, Jimjam, Thorn, Ginny,
Oannes

I'll leave it up to them to light it but will offer Thorn a torch

Saving throws
(1d20+3)[4]
(1d20+3)[19]

(1d20+3)[9]
(1d20+3)[17]

(1d20+3)[17]
(1d20+3)[5]

(1d20+3)[21]
(1d20+3)[10]

(1d20+3)[18]
(1d20+3)[5]

(1d20+3)[4]
(1d20+3)[10]

Then for entrance

(1d20+5)[11]

[Smilex]

Spoiler: ooc

Show

You end up charmed again so your mates stuff your ears with beeswax.
Thorn picks up the torch.

You cautiously tiptoe through the opening of the ship avoiding the sharp edges. All the others clear the obstacle without trouble but Oannes gets a cut on his arm from one of the metal plates. It doesn't seem too bad and he seems unfazed.

Inside the vessel the first room you enter encompasses the starboard third of the vessel. The ship is tilted and there's a pool of seawater in the lowesta part. In the pool you can see crabs and sea anemones.

There's a further opening in the room to the central part of the vessel. There's three coral chairs in the opening blocking it.

The room itself has a series of small cages on its walls. On the floor there's a ratfolk skeleton. There's some furniture wreckage, at least one item must have been a table. You can see a few knives made from whalebone.

At the other end of the room there's a contraption in the ceiling that points three spikes down towards a central point. On the outer wall there's a circular crystal plate.

[gac3]

I grab the three whale bone knives and check the body once over before going to check the contraption. I tell Thorn to have the others root through the wreckage in this room for anything interesting, but especially a black box.

[Smilex]

You grab three of the knives and you see more in the pile. You see other utensils too. This might have been an eating area.

Jimjam and Oannes start moving the wreckage while Ginny is opening the pathway to the next area.


The body is largely eaten, possibly by crabs. Bits of tissue still hang on to bone. You notice a small bag next to the skeleton. It contains seven beautiful pieces of coral and a couple of small pearls. They were probably a diver. Already this feels like a nice catch.

Meanwhile you move to the contraption. The spikes are obdisian. They've got barely visible yellowish runes on them. They're at the ends of arms that swivel. The other ends of the arms are attached to a roundish object attached to the ceiling. There's a narrow broken chain connected to the round thing. There's also a lever.

Thorn messages you.
-We found a plague opal.

[gac3]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Knowledge check on if I know what a plague opal is? I assume it's not a nature check so all the others are probably the same.

(1d20)[9]

[Smilex]

On the floor of the room there is a stone, about the size of thumb. It's oval and smooth. It glitters in torchlight. It's color varies from cold blue to marine blue depending on how the light hits it. When you look at it more carefully you can see that there's black in it. Black dots float inside the gem.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

You know that a plague is a disease or similar spreading devastating phenomenon and an opal is a precious stone. The item looks. Spooky.

Thorn messages you again:
-It was under the wreckage. I've seen one of these used for assassination. It was set on a necklace. When close to the targets skin, it was struck with a fist resulting in quick death to the striker and the person carrying it. Dangerous, but pricy. Do we take it?

Jimjam and Oannes continue tossing the shattered furniture away. They've uncovered more whalebone utensils and some metal cups.

Ginny has managed to dislodge the first piece of blockage that's in the way to the next room.