Skull & Shackles: The Wormwood Mutiny [IC]

[Master K]

Tramp will silently accept her lashes, and will accept Sparkles offer of aid afterwards if able.

[lostsole31]

Tramp receives the following from Master Scourge ...

18 NL from the first strike.
22 NL from the second, which renders her unconscious.
15 NL from the third, which brings her deep into unconsciousness.

Sparkles obviously doesn't speak to her regarding offers of helping her with wounds. A working party (NOT the PCs) take her below before coming back up.

Sparkles and Sprawl, you both drink your rum rations. What do you do in the evening?

[Rithryn]

Sparkles will drink his rum rations than go check on tramp.

[lostsole31]

Tramp is asleep and bloody in her rack. What does Sparkles do?

Meanwhile, what does Sprawl do for night action?

[Rithryn]

Sparkles will go to his locker and retrieve his healers kit, once back he rolls Tramp onto her stomach so he can inspect the wounds. After seeing how bad they look he immediately begins cleaning and dressing them, after some time he decides to spend the night seeing to her wounds.

Spoiler

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(1d20+15)[24] 1st use of healers hands +1 use of healers kit
(1d20+15)[31] 2nd use of healers hands +1 use of healers kit
(1d20+15)[18]
3rd use of healers hands +1 use of healers kit.
(1d20+15)[19] Provide long term care +1 use of healers kit.
First three are treat deadly wounds DC 20 for +3 hp
DC 25 for +6 hp
DC 30 for +9 hp

[Ostoril]

Sprawl spends his evening mingling with the crew trying to get to know those he has only met in passing.

Spoiler: Crunch

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Night action: Attempt to influence a random NPC he has not met before.

[lostsole31]

Sparkles is able to provide 3 healing to Tramp, and looks over her wounds to help her heal more quickly.

Since Sprawl never really interacts with the riggers (except Selkie), this is a chance for him to make some inroads. He approaches Barefoot Samms Toppin, a former fisherwoman from the Sodden Lands who never wears shoes. She is one of the more initially receptive crew members (indifferent) and by evening's end of chat, she is friendly towards Sprawl.

---

DAY 14 ABOARD THE WORMWOOD: BOARDING SCHOOL!

The PCs are excused from their regular work today, as they are to be trained in boarding. This training is carried out under the watchful eye of Riaris Krine (female human), the Wormwood’s 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 vile-tongued wench the PCs have ever met, and her language makes Rosie Cusswell sound like a nun.

Grappling hooks are an essential part of piracy, used to grapple enemy ships and draw them closer for boarding. Being able to use them is therefore considered a vital pirate skill. Krine orders the jolly boat on the main deck (area A3) to be launched at dawn for the day’s work. She takes two characters out at a time to instruct them in using grapples.

Who wants to volunteer, and/or whom in your "clique" do you volunteer?

[Ostoril]

Sprawl speaks up and volunteers, "Sounds a might bit more excitin than standin on deck. I'd love ta learn from someone of yer skill."

[Rithryn]

Sparkles will step forward with a curious look on his face.
"What's a grappling hook?"

[Master K]

Tramp will also volunteer if recovered enough to do so.

[lostsole31]

Tramp is fully recovered, but she wasn't as quick as Sprawl and Sparkles were at volunteering themselves, even if they don't fully realize that's what they did.

Riaris Krine is only too happy to teach the short blockhead about a grappling hook.

The exercise consists of the characters in the jolly boat throwing grapples onto the Wormwood from 40 feet away, tying the rope off, and then boarding the Wormwood by climbing along the rope. To make it interesting, however, Krine has instructed four random crew members to hurl objects at the boarding characters in an attempt to knock them off, simulating a real attack.

Spoiler: The Crunch

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Throwing a grappling hook requires a ranged attack roll, treating the hook as a thrown weapon with a range increment of 10 feet. The Wormwood’s rail is AC 5. At 40 feet away, the PCs have a –6 on their attack rolls.

Once the hook is set, the PC must tie off the rope as a move action, then shimmy along the rope, requiring DC 15 Climb checks. As they climb, the four pirates aboard the Wormwood hurl a variety of rotting food, garbage, empty bottles, and buckets of bilgewater at the PCs. These items (which count as improvised weapons) do no damage, but any character struck must make a DC 10 Reflex save or lose his grip and fall into the water.

So, who is going to go first .... Sprawl or Sparkles?

[Ostoril]

Sprawl offers to go first, "Aint no bettah way ta learn than divin right in, or in this case, climbin right up."

[lostsole31]

Sprawl's first toss of the grappling hook is secure!

He secures the bitter end to the jolly boat, and gets into shimmy position, but no farther than that as he is finding this is tougher than expected. With some guile, he is able to begin moving across, but even then not as far as hoped, with the Wormwood only 35' away now. He gets hit with garbage.

Again, he calls on his guile to avail him, but he doesn't move anywhere, still clinging upside down on the rope. He gets pelted.

He still has trouble, has exhausted his insight, and then he loses his grip and falls into the water. Riaris uses a boat hook to help guide him back to the jolly boat.

Sparkles, ready to go?

[lostsole31]

At the same time as Sprawl is beginning his attempt, Sparkles responds to Krine's explanation of the grappling hook, "That doesn't sound too hard, but you'll have to teach me all those strange new words you used."

Sparkles makes a beautiful toss of his grappling hook. "Aha!" he cries in excitement, tying off the bitter end to the jolly boat. He immediately upends himself to shimmy on his rope. He gets pelted by garbage, but moves stoically and steadily. He gets to within 15' from the ship - well after Sprawl ends up in the drink, but then because of the lift of the rope-and-hook he seems to have some trouble. Finally, he gets to within 10' of the ship, but is unable to maintain his position and falls into the water to the jeers and cheers of the crew.

Though he is so close to the ship, Riaris throws out a life preserver, towing the oread back to the jolly boat.

It is now both men's second attempt ...

Sprawl does a nice grappling hook toss-and-catch and ties off the line. He takes a breath, looking at a couple sailors getting ready to toss things and gets on the line, but it is a complete slip-up trying to go from standing on a boat to upside down with a rope and he goes into the water.

Meanwhile, Sparkles does a much less attractive toss, but it still works. He takes a breath before going. When he gets onto the rope this time, he spares no wait and does an accelerated climb, covering 15' in a quick end-over-end of his smaller, muscular limbs. He moves much faster than he can keep up and then falls into the water.

Their fellow sailors on the Wormwood are laughing and whooping and having a good time. So, the boys are entertainment, at least.

This time, Riaris makes Sparkles go alone, and everybody on the deck of the Wormwood is readied with garbage. It's another ugly-but-serviceable toss and tie-off. Sparkles then is off, again scaling back to climbing at normal speed, and covers 10' (30' from the ship). That is when he gets hit by garbage twice. He is distracted by it, and **SPLASH!**

Sprawl's third (and final) time to make good. And as with Sparkles' last attempt, he is going to have a tougher gauntlet of more refuse thrown his way to distract him. Solid toss-and-tie off with the grappling and bitter end. Sprawl confidently gets onto the rope this time and begins moving with purpose, covering 10'. All the refuse coming his way misses. It is such a good-looking beginning, but then he falls into the water.

Riaris has a good humor about it as she helps Sprawl back in the jolly. She remarks (colorfully) that the whole thing is a lot harder than it looks, and it seems that both of you did seem to learn. She drily recommends that now you can go off on your leisure time in the evening and maybe work on these skills. (To which any reasonable sailor whose evenings are sancrosanct would drily remark that they would "get right on that.")

The jolly boat heads back to the ship. Sprawl and Sparkles disembark. They each receive 6 rope bashes (6 total NL) from various crew members.

Sandy hooks her arm around Tramp's. "Shall we show up the boys?" and then Sandy and Tramp get onto the jolly boat, where they are rowed to a distance of 40' from the ship.

Tramp's turn!

[lostsole31]

Sandy and Tramp both toss their grappling hooks well, though Tramp did so with far greater aplomb. They tie their lines off.

As Tramp gets ready to shimmy onto her line, she definitely sees Sandy get into some type of stance she doesn't recognize. It is a type of lower-to-the ground stance. She gets onto her rope and shimmies out a total of 20', halfway between the jolly boat and the Wormwood. Tramp shimmies out with solid confidence, but doesn't quite cover the same ground, getting out 10' from the jolly boat. Unfortunately, Sandy gets pelted with garbage and falls into the water, and Tramp is on her own for this first round.

Tramp moves another 10' total, now about where Sandy is. Tramp gets hit by garbage but stays on her rope. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, Tramp loses her grip and goes into the water.

Sandy was the first to fail, so Mr. Krine makes her go alone on the next round. She tries to go too quickly too soon and goes into the water.

Now Tramp has to go it alone. This was the most embarrassing yet, because her grappling hook doesn't even make it to the ship.

Sandy goes for her final grappling throw. Solid. Again she is in that strange stance and makes it halfway across. She gets hit by one piece of refuse but ignores it. She is having a little trouble, but then closes to 10' from the ship. She gets hit twice by refuse, but still keeps her grip. She finally gets across, and there is cheering.

Tramp now has a lot to live up to with Sandy being the first of the new recruits to actually make it. Brilliant toss and tie-off. She only shimmies out 5' at first, far enough out to get missed. Doesn't matter, Tramp falls into the drink anyway.

[lostsole31]

Handbag only ever made it 5' and botched two throws. Selkie is a rigger, but couldn't get more than 10' downline.

Everyone except Sandy gets six rope bashes (6 NL each) from various crew members upon coming back aboard.

The rest of the primary workday is spent with Riaris Krine teaching the junior sailors various type of boarding action combat tactics and maneuvers.

Everyone has their rum rations and dinner.

What night actions will folks perform, if any?

[Master K]

"I'm still curious about that guy in the cage, is anyone interested in going with me to try to check it out. With any luck the deck will be deserted this time."

[lostsole31]

Sandy is willing to go with Tramp.

Sprawl, Sparkles? Night actions?

[Ostoril]

"Tha certainly sounds intrestin, but too many will draw some attention. I think I will keep gettin ta know tha crew a bit more."

Spoiler: Night Actions

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Sprawl will once again attempt to mingle with the crew and get to know an NPC he has not interacted with before.

[lostsole31]

Sparkles? Night action?

[Rithryn]

"Sure, let's go take a look."

[lostsole31]

Sandy says, "Well, if there're two of you already, I'll do something else so there's just you two and not three of us skylarking above after hours."

Sparkles and Tramp go to sneak topside and to the poop deck. Are they going to take any precautions (beyond "be stealthy")?

[Rithryn]

Before setting out sparkles looks at tramp.
"Have your sounds fully healed? If not you should try to find more bandages because I'm running low."

[Master K]

"Thanks to you guys I'm all good now. I appreciate the healing you all provided."

[lostsole31]

Tramp and Sparkles move out to the poop deck (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 a pirate's body that smells something awful. An ugly parrot that has lost more than a few of its feathers sits atop the cage. Nobody is on the poop deck at this time as the ship is at anchor at night.

Tramp, Sparkles, what do you do?

[Rithryn]

Sparkles will quietly approach the parrot before trying to quietly converse with it.
"CAW, CAW!"

Spoiler

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attempting wild empathy animal to improve it's attitude towards him.

[lostsole31]

So, what happens is that the parrot starts to unleash some withering cusswords and invectives, as it appears to possess a considerable vocabulary of appalling curse words.

Sparkles does his thing for a minute, but the parrot seems completely and totally unimpressed, even more hostile by the end of his attempt.

[Rithryn]

Sparkles moves back to Tramp.
"We had a difference of opinions."

[Master K]

"Did you try cursing back? Maybe teach it some new ones" Tramp turns to the bird and begins cursing back using the most creative and colorful expressions she can come up with or remember overhearing other pirates using, throwing in some Minkian curses as well for good measure

[lostsole31]

What once was supposed to a stealthy sneak around now becomes chaos topside on the poop deck as Tramp and the parrot are cursing at each other quite vociferously. Coming into view, as if he has been there for a spell but you are now only noticing him, is the first mate Mister Plugg. Far faster than your eyes can register he steps forward and lashes out with his cat-o'-nine tails, cutting open the parrot in many places so that it is dead before it hits the ground, and bathing Sparkles and Tramp in its blood as it goes.

Mister Plugg doesn't say anything, but stands there expectantly.