[IC]Adventures on the Inner Sea[PF]

[Erloas]

"Ah, ok. I'm not aware of anything right at the moment but I'll keep an ear out for any information. Nothing specific, but The Sodden Lands is fully creatures, which is why most people simply avoid it if at all possible, there are whole cities and kingdoms of various beasts. I know some are documented and I could probably get some of that to you if you're interested, not that you probably want to take on a whole city but raiding parties might be close.

The escrow sounds like a reasonable option. If we're in agreement on cost and an even split on trade profits that would work for me." Maeral says.

Spoiler: OOC

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Any amount you want to put in escrow will be fine. The value you put in escrow will be how much you get in trade goods. At this point we'll start with 30% profit on whatever trade goods they have you move, split between you and the company. Depending how that goes it might be changed later.

If you agree you'll have the option to register a banner for your ship as well as change the name and you'll be free to shop, gather information, and pick up crew until the repairs are made. And the repairs will take however long you need to do that stuff.

[samduke]

well then help find us an honest crew, we obviously would pay them. the terms of price & escrow for the ship are reasonable to me. A line on an immediate trip is beneficial to both of us. If you will not mind signing documentation stating to the agreed, I will go and process the papers with the port and get this boat flagged under us. While I am off doing that Ariadne can finalize the remaining details. As for a name for the ship, turning to Ariadne and Bodaku, my friends we have been through a little together do we have an agreed upon name?

[Erloas]

"Ok, we have ourselves a deal. I'll start working on my side of things and let you know when I have a good lead." After the meeting Maeral double checks the ship looking for the work that needs to be done to get the work lined up. After a little bit the clerk comes back and asks how everything is going. Handing out a few pastries and coffee to everyone.
You let clerk know you've come to a deal and she will be signing over the ship and you'll be paying her back for it. The clerk seems good with that and lets you know to stop by the office when you have a name and flag to register. They'll also issue you a flag for Rahadoum, and Maeral will get you one for the company. You also schedule a time with Maeral to meet at the bank to escrow whatever valuables you want to put up. [All of this you'll just do during the time, just let me know what you're putting up, name, etc. and it will be done]

A while later a work crew shows up and starts working on the ship, focusing mostly on the masts and other major work that can't really be done at sea.

Maeral will be able to find you 8 crew members and one officer, including the two that used to work on the ship. They're all more accomplished sailors than combatants but will not shy away from a fight.
There are job boards around various guilds around town to find people specializing in anything. There are also a number of smaller crews that have been running together, usually with a leader/officer and some crew. [Once I know what you want you can head around and make your hires. It can all be done in the background, or if you want to interview anyone specific, such as who's in command when you're away, we can do that]

You're free to travel around town, buy provisions, talk to each other, and anything else that needs to be done. Once that's done Maeral will have your info and you can head out. [Unless you have another preference, she'll have something for Ilizmagorti in the Mediogalti Island. The main power there being the Red Mantis Assassins]

[Daishain]

Once Maeral is gone, Ariadne turns to Gerran and Azaro, "So, the two of you have decided to join us. Did Bodaku tell you just what that is likely to entail?"

When the repair crew arrives, Ariadne points them towards the problems identified before, and encourages the half orc couple to get involved.

[Zurambas]

Gerran bowed low as Ariadne finished speaking. "Um...captain, yes? Though, that appears disputed. That is, um, beside the point?

I have need of gold and experience, and possibly a few good deeds that I would be proud of.

As before, I am a capable climber, and skilled in a number of forms of combat.

However, my skill set is also, um, somewhat...wider than I first advised." He looked around, ensuring there was no one around but the other crew members. He leaned in close to Ariadne, speaking just above a whisper:

"In Tien, I specialized in getting into places and getting out again. Um, infiltration and exfiltration, I believe. I would have told you sooner, but my people already have reputations as thieves. I can certainly perform such, if necessary." His mouth twists in professional disgust.

He then retreats slightly, bows again, and waits.

[Spore]

Isn't it obvious what you do? Azaro puts on his Besmaran bicorne with the prominent Jolly Roger on it. You are pirates. You may be sanctioned by a nation, but that only makes you freebooters. I know your boundaries, and most importantly I know mine. But in the eyes of Besmara, the Pirate Bitch of the Oceans, we are one and the same. As long as we don't enforce laws and live the pirate code, you are all the same in her eyes. She is no force of nature like Gozreh, or enigmatic like any other magical patron. But she is on our side, as long as we follow her code.

Azaro smiles. She will certainly help me quell any infections or other injuries on board. Even if her grace often is focussed on taking what is not yours forcefully, she does grant a few impressive healing powers. I don't think amputations will happen often, if we take care. But we should pack a few hooks and pet legs just in case.

In response to Gerran's self deprecation, he adds. Come on now, you are so much more than a mere thief. And taking things without others noticing has the distinct advantage that no one has to die in a dispute about petty valuables. And the first thing I think of when I see you, Gerran, is how fluffy you are. Azaro jumps on the smaller and quick monk to hug him and stroke his fur.

Spoiler: Grapple!

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CMB: (1d20+7)[14]
vs CMD 21

[samduke]

Olivia stops at the port office to re-flag the ship showing the proper paperwork, once done goes into town locateing a nice masterworked heavy balista, purchasing it along with 10 bolts designed for it, along with 6 light crossbows and 6 morning stars
Ordering the ballista to be delivered to the ship within the hour.
Then heads to the job boards and posts job for 6 persons with seige engine skills as well as must be skilled sailors
telling all who wish to apply to come to the dock for interviews
then heads back and sets up a table with a ledger to sign in new recruits

[Daishain]

Ariadne looks at the pair while they tussle before answering, "We did not formally name a captain before because we did not have a ship and we did not have a crew, just battlefield salvage and a collection of sailors rescued from bondage, most of whom ran off to resume their own lives as soon as we made port. We now have a ship, and we are forming a proper crew, so the question of captaincy will be settled today. You have met Bodaku. The woman who just left is Olivia, a skilled fighter and alchemist. I am Ariadne, a mage that draws power from fickle spirits of the sea."

"And yes it matters what we do. You may be desperate enough for employment that you will accept anything, but it is still important that you choose what life you wish to lead in the first place. At sea, all will be expected to follow the captain's orders of course, but everyone on board this ship at all will be there because they choose the work being offered before we set sail."

"We will be hauling some high value cargo for those who originally owned this ship in order to quickly pay off the value and legally own it ourselves in full, but that is a distraction from the main work we intend. We took possession of this ship in the first place by boarding and capturing it from a group of pirates in the middle of attacking honest fishermen. We intend to do more of the same, chasing after bounties and recovering stolen goods for ourselves. It will be dangerous, and it may not always pay off, but it has been lucrative for us already, and we expect that to remain true in the long run."

"Azaro was it? Besmara may not see a difference between pirate hunters and pirates, but the local authorities certainly do, and I suspect the same is true for many of those we will hire today. I suggest caution when using that word to describe our profession, at least while we are in port."

"I have my own talent for healing, but my method has some severe limitations. It can heal minor wounds in a matter of moments, but it makes use of my familiar's venom, and a second dose within the span of a day harms rather than helps. If you are willing to take over the role of ship surgeon, that would be most welcome."

"Gerran, your talents are most useful as well. You say that infiltration is a specialty of yours. If you had appropriate support, do you think you could capture or eliminate a specific target on an unsuspecting hostile vessel? If we can hand the bounty on a particular Captain without having to deal with his crew, that would make some things considerably easier. Of course, if we do want to capture the ship, dealing with the officers first is almost always a good opening tactic."

[optimumsquare]

"For the record I did not say that we were pirates, nor did I say we were sanctioned by any nation. I still vouch for him though. I got a good feeling about these guys. Shaddup really likes this ones hat."

"The hat! The hat!"

"Specifically his hat. He's not sold on him yet, but Shaddup is not as good a judged of character as I am."

[Zurambas]

Gerran froze in shock, both at Azaro's words and his arms coming for him. His reflexes took over however, long hours of training replacing conscious thought temporarily, as his body twisted down and around Azaro's arms.

A growl, deep and primal, echoed deep in his chest. "I am a cat, Azaro, yes," he hissed, "But, I am not a...PET!"

With that, he disappeared from view entirely, then reappeared behind Azaro, and struck him twice in his broad back, aiming to incapacitate, not kill.

Spoiler: Kitty sneak attack!

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Swift action: vanishing trick (go invisible)
5-foot step behind Azaro (or the side)
Flurry of blows (+2d6 sneak attack)
Azaro is flatfooted and Gerran gets +2 attack bonus from invisibility
Attack roll 1: (1d20+8)[13]
Attack roll 2: (1d20+8)[16]
vs AC 15

[Spore]

Azaro falls over and rubs his head, as he is being pummeled by a straight strike to his neck. ALRIGHT I GET IT! he shouts in a disgruntled manner.

[Zurambas]

After his altercation with the huge pri-ex-pir...Gerran shook his head, seeming to come to himself. He bowed low to Ariadne, and kept his head down while he spoke.

"Captain, I apologize for my outburst. My behavior was unseemly, whatever the...provocation." He glanced meaningfully at the grounded Azaro. "If you do not wish to hire me, I understand completely. But, I believe my skills and, yes, that of my overenthusiastic fellow, would be of great value to your ventures.

I can indeed infiltrate, and with support, begin removing enemy leaders. Or, mark them as targets for marksmen. Also, " His voice dropped to a whisper again, "If I am taught, I can set fires, which would be a fearsome thing on a ship."

He remains bowed.

[Daishain]

Ariadne looks to Bodaku, "Well, they're certainly spirited enough, and that was a very impressive display just now. Gerran is perhaps a little too quick to obeisance, but I think we can teach him to stand tall in spite of himself. Yes I think they'll do. I have no objections, in fact I think these two just may be skilled enough for an officer slot. I would be especially interested in seeing if Gerran can teach others with at least some talent to move like he just did."

"We do need more than this however. We'll want sailors that can at least hold a weapon the right way, and at least a few experienced fighters that are not hopeless at sailing. I suggest canvassing the dock taverns and checking in with whoever handles bounty claims in this city for word of people engaged or interested in such work."

[optimumsquare]

"Ha. Told you. I'm an excelent judge of character."

"Where's my dinner! Where's my dinner!"

"Shaddup! He is clearly still alive." Turning his attention to the party. "So, I'm not sure I followed your strange bartering customs, but I believe that we at least mostly own the ship now and they will pay us to do what we were going to do anyways provided we do some simple trades for them yes?" He does not wait for a response. "Well then, I suggest we use the time the ship is being repaired to recruit a few extra crew. Maybe some who can really fight, eh? I also want to go shopping. I really need to stock that kitchen."

Spoiler: ooc

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Tell me more about this job board you mentioned.

[Erloas]

Olivia finds the siege weapon guild and purchases the ballista as well as finding a line on some crew that know how to use it. They'll show up in the next day to get it installed on the front of the ship and the crew will find some bunks and move a few personal belongings.

A city this size it should be really easy to find just about anything you might need.

Spoiler: OOC-edit added

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I know you guys are mostly meeting, just wanted to let everyone know I'm following everything, just waiting for you guys to get to know each other, pick up crew, and anything else you might need or want.
The need for crew, and that Gerran and Azaro should find some crew to help them, while they know OOC, might be offered up by the more experienced, so they know they can recruit crew for the ship at this point

edit: job boards, the various guilds would have boards up around in their halls or shops related to the guild for members to find work or for people interested to hire their members. An easy way to find someone that specializes in any given skill. In short you're not going to have to do exhaustive searching to find some crew good at any given task.

[Daishain]

Ariadne will spend the rest of the day helping coordinate efforts to get the ship repaired and supplied. She'll ask Gerran and Azaro to post a couple of messages on appropriate job boards about positions being open with the new ship, and discuss with the others what kind of equipment would be needed to arm them.

Whenever everyone gets back together, she'll state, "The question of captaincy has been raised, and it must be settled before we set sail. Do we have a name we can agree upon?"

[samduke]

Ariadne your good in my book as far as I am concerned. Olivia coordinates signing in of all new crew

[optimumsquare]

"As long as its not me. Just don't expect me to call you sir. Or do anything terrible."

[samduke]

edited olivia is busy setting up the balista

[Erloas]

The next day Maeral finds the group while you're all together. "So after a bit of checking around I think I've found a pretty good opportunity for you. There is a relatively small load of cargo needing transport to Ilizmagorti on the Mediogalti Islands. It is nothing illegal but the rumors are that the shipment is for the Red Mantis assassins. It is in that spot where the risk of pirates, which are plentiful around Mediogalti, and the danger of what would happen if anything happened to goods belonging to the Red Mantis, is too great for most small shippers but the trip isn't worth the effort of the more powerful ships. The pay is generous at 600gp, and since I'm not putting anything up as collateral in this deal, I think my cut of 100gp would be reasonable, rather than the 50/50 we had talked about before. Does that sound like a job you would like to take?"

After consulting some maps, you think that is about a 5 to 6 day trip. You would also be passing very close to the islands you were fishing around, so a detour to check out any of the spots there would probably add another day to that.

[Daishain]

Ariadne frowns, "The Red Mantis have a lot of innocent blood on their hands. They'll slaughter anyone if paid to do so, even children. What manner of things are being transported?"

[optimumsquare]

Bodaku whispers under his breath to Adrienne, "Perhaps this is an opportunity to make things harder for these assassins."

[Erloas]

"I don't know the whole shipment, but a big portion of it is very fine clothing. I heard about it from the tailor that did much of the work. If that clothing is just for their own rich and powerful, or for them to blend in with the rich and powerful in other countries I couldn't say."

[Daishain]

Ariadne frowns, and looks to the others before responding, "Very well, we'll take the cargo. Who in Ilizmagorti will be taking the shipment?" The witch fishes around for paper and ink to write down the details

[Zurambas]

Gerran woke up with no headache this time. After dumping him on the ground, Azaro had been unusually quiet. Gerran shook his head. He'd had to do similar "reminders" before, to squadmates, and their reactions varied. He wondered how the good-natured half-orc would take it. He shrugged.

Quickly readying himself for the day and paying the innkeeper, he returned to his new workplace...and its captain. He found her in the midst of negotiations for a new cargo of fine clothing. He unobtrusively laid his bags down and listened.

He heard the name Red Mantis Assassins; they appeared, by the statements made about them, to be trained in similar methods to his own. Interesting.

When his captain looked around the room at her crew, looking for affirmation, he nodded once, and kept his eyes open for trouble.

[Spore]

Azaro took the rest of the day to think. While this boat was small and the payoff was little, the risk if something happening to the others were there. The people in charge seemed good enough in his books to not sacrifice their crew. He was in.

The next day, after rising and meeting Maeral again, Azaro heavily frowned upon Ariadne signing the deal. He was on board with it - quite literally - but his disapproval in aiding the Red Mantis Assassins was palpable. He overhears Bodaku and just slightly nods at him but was not willing to confront the de facto leader yet. Instead he takes Gerran to the side and asks him.

Spoiler: Gerran

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I trust you have no business with the Red Mantis? And as their advertised skillset is close enough to yours, I would ask your opinion of it. Should we ditch the contract if we see our cargo is used for murder?

[Zurambas]

Gerran did not answer Azaro immediately, realizing the half-orc was pondering not just the danger, but the (im)morality of this cargo.

Soon, he whispered back:

"I had never heard of the Red Mantis until this conversation. If they have a chapter in Tien, I was not told, nor did my team run across them in our missions. My skills are similar, but infiltration and assassination frequently require the same skills, whatever your training regimen."

He looks thoughtful, and nods to himself, his eyes far away. "As to the cargo, when large amounts of money and violence-prone organizations are involved, step carefully."

[Daishain]

Ariadne gets any further details from Maeral. Once she's gone, she turns to the rest of the crew, "It seems that many of you are at least as uncomfortable with delivering to what may be the Red Mantis as I am. If the load had been poisons or something similar, I would have refused outright."

"The option to sabotage the load has been mentioned. I am in favor of the idea in principle, but we definitely do not need to call these assassins onto our own heads. If we can find a way to mess with this in a manner that cannot be traced back to us, great. If not, our options are to deliver the load as is, or change our mind and refuse to take it in the first place. We have not taken it aboard yet so that latter remains an option."

"Either way, I think that if these are the only kind of loads Maeral has to offer, we will have to reconsider our relationship with her."

"Speak your minds, do we take this load?"

[Zurambas]

Gerran bowed to Ariadne, and shook his head. "For me, uncomfortable is incorrect. I believe delivering this cargo to be straightforward.

As to whether we should sabotage it in some way...no.There is nothing immoral about clothing. If we were to dump the cargo, or otherwise interrupt its delivery, they would be very angry and probably visit violence upon this Maeral, the tailor...and us. And they would still get their clothing from another buyer. I believe we should deliver the clothing as requested, and see what opportunities the delivery provides."

He then straightens and steps back.

[Erloas]

Before heading out Maeral lets you know where to pick up the shipment and lets you know where to drop it off, a seemingly simple import company near the docks. She also warns "The Red Mantis stay hidden even there, so you'll probably not know who is and isn't part of the group. That is part of why, even though there are pirates all over, the city and surrounding areas are relatively calm, no one wants to accidently attack their members. When you come back, you should pick up some casks rums and Ogogoro, they've got some very sought after distilleries, and I'm sure we could get some good resale of it here."

When you're done planning and ready to head out let me know. Also if you're going head to Ilizmagorti directly or make any detours.

Spoiler: OOC -Mediogalti information

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Assuming you want to do some research on the area the basic info can be easy found
https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Mediogalti_Island
and a map of the area