Rrger has no problem figuring out how to don the diving armor after watching Drago put in on. It doesn't seem to have any idea that Rrger hasn't figured that out yet.

Seeing as how Drago seems to be the 'hardnose' type, the captain suggests he be the last to go overboard.

It isn't long before the promontory comes into view. The captain's already steered the ship a bit closer to shore. It actually didn't look that far, and wouldn't have been to walk... a little harder to swim it, and harder still to walk the distance under water.

By now, the attackers weren't so sure that being gutted might be better than being dumped into the sea. They didn't seem to have any paranoia about the ocean, though, and since they didn't have much choice, one by one, over they went. The reservoir was able to store enough air for about six hours of operation, but the compressor could pump more in via a snorkel tube if they were close enough to the surface.

Although it was dark, the suits produced light and even had a compass so they'd know which way to walk. Drago was last, figuring that he'd be less likely to cause trouble that way.

For a short while, they could follow the underwater light, so the water wasn't deep enough to crush them. And the light was moving toward the shore.

While the captain's estimate of it taking an hour or so to walk that distance seemed reasonable, the ship was well out of sight by the time that came about.


That hour also saw the last glimpse of land disappear, though it was possible the dark skies behind them also hid the mountains.

"My crew can handle normal shifts, the captain addressed the Iron Fist, "but with this Nefario incident, I'd feel safer if at least one of you could stand watch at all times through the night."

"I don't know about my colleagues here, But I have always been partial to the morning watch, so I am happy to take from 0400 to 0800."

So saying Creswick turned back to watch the last light fade out in the ocean.

"Are we really sure that letting them all go was such a good idea? If for no other reason than at least two of them are going to die?"

Creswick looks out to the fading coastline, watching it diminish in the distance.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:17, Mon 21 Apr 2014.

I'll take the first watch, if that's alright. And I thing Grigor has a chance to get away before Drago can report to the boss. The last one didn't have a chance to be disloyal so he should have no problems." Rrger looks up at the stars coming out in the night sky, "So who should I wake up at midnight?"

"It could be me." Nicollo was fast to answer. He knew his mind s still in a haze, but the midnight shift would be fine either way. He didn't know if he would be sleeping by then, though. "I've got no problem holding vigil." His gaze was still where the distancing shoreline dissapeared. Although it might seem like it, Nicollo was not trying to hold the vision in his memory.

Danyka smiled a slightly self-deprecating smile, "I guess I get my beauty sleep then..."  She pulled off her tricorne and ran her fingers through her long straight black hair before resetting her ponytail and placing the hat back atop her head.

"Unless any of you prefer company." she noted with a raised eyebrow, before adding more matter-of-factly, "though I will need time to rebuild my arcane energies."  The young Llaelese gun mage had been liberal enough with her castings when the twelve men had tried to come aboard that some recover time would be necessary to get her fully refreshed.

With the fading light, Dany started towards her cabin.  She might as well get some sleep, though she wasn't sure exactly how restful.  But, the Rhynnish brunette felt the need to try to get some quality downtime; she never knew when she would next be awoken or under what circumstances.

There are enough Iron Fist members that the watches only have to be two hours, so it'll work out this way:

20:00-22:00 -- Rrger
22:00-00:00 -- Katrin
00:00-02:00 -- Nicollo
02:00-04:00 -- Goren
04:00-06:00 -- Creswick

If Marco or Dany wants to help, they can double up on any shift they want, even across two shifts if they so choose.


The first shift passes uneventfully.

The second shift passes mostly uneventfully; only the ship passing out of sight of land marks it.

The third shift is also mostly uneventful, though Nicollo thinks he spots something on the horizon to the east. Something white that seems to disappear into the clouds.

Fourth shift is uneventful.

Fifth shift starts out with fog rolling in, though only in intermittent wisps. Towards the end, however, Creswick spots another ship through the fog--500 yards and closing. It's engine and boiler are quiet; the ship glides silently across the waves.

It has to close another hundred yards before the sound of the oars reaches the ship.

The moment Creswick sees an approaching ship, after taking down mentally all details regarding it (approx distance, speed, and it not making sound), and immediately shutting out any light-source on deck, Creswick heads directly to the captain, rousing him quickly and passing on the information, before heading to his comrades quarters and roughly waking all of his team mates as quickly as possible.

The message given to each person is the same.

"There is a ship approaching, spotted [time since he saw it] ago, and  I estimate we have [rough estimation of time till contact] to prepare for contact. We need you on deck now."

Once having woken all individuals, Creswick prepares his weapons and waits on deck for further action. Who knows whether this is friend or foe.


ooc

All of this is done quietly, so as not to give any indication that suggests the other ship has been spotted by our ship.

I will also defer to the GM on what times Creswick offers.

P.S. What is the name of our ship?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:24, Sat 26 Apr 2014.

Nicollo rose easily from his troubled sleep, and the image of the whiteness fading into the clouds on his shift comes to mind. He has told the others of what he saw when he was relieved, but he also said he could have just imagined things. Now he seriously doubts it.

He prepares his guns and walks steadily to the deck, eager to know how much troubled could this voyage be.

Creswick is able to wake all of his teammates in about a minutes, and contact with the other ship is somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes. It's not closing fast, but it is steady.

The ship the Iron Fist is on is the M.T.S. Resolute.


In retrospect, of course, Nicollo thinks that the white puff he saw might have been the steam cloud from this new ship.


It's now what is referred to as 'false dawn'--when the light from the sun is diffused over the horizon, even though the sun is still an hour away from rising.

Danyka's cabin door opened and a slightly groggy brunette half-stumbled out of the room.  The thin Rhynnish woman took a moment to straighten her hair and tuck it under her tricorne before shrugging on her reinforced buff coat.  She already has her bandolier and gun belt strapped on and her pack in tow.

It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the scene as she hit the deck and the crisp early morning air.  Dany breathed in deeply.  She moved over to join the others, peering over the rail in the direction of the approaching ship.  A deep frown crossed her lips and her brow furrowed more than a touch.

She took another deep breath, her thin Rhynnish frame shuddering slightly.  "What colors does she fly?" barked the Llaelese gun mage up towards the Resolute's crow's nest.  That was even as she started to fish around in her pack for her spyglass.

Rrger was having the best meal of his life and thoroughly enjoying the lack of overcooked meat and the dreaded army food. He's devouring a scorched leg of mutton and a fresh mug of honey mead when the knock comes at the door to wake him up. He comes out dressed a few minutes later tries not to be seen settling in to wait for the oncoming ship.

Amid the dawning light and the wisps of fog, it's still hard to tell what flag the other ship is flying, but figures can be seen on deck. Without much wind, the flag is hanging limp, but when a stray gust of wind kicks it up a bit, the gold Menofix on a dark blue field becomes visible.

There don't appear to be any large guns on the deck, but there are a few catapults and ballistas. And armored figures.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:03, Mon 05 May 2014.

Danyka frowned slightly at the sight of the symbol and colors of Menoth, lowering her spyglass from her eyes.  "A Protectorate ship?" she growls her volume low and her husky timbre tinged with the incredulity she is obviously felt, "Here?  Armed and approaching quietly and unannounced in fog..."

"This can't be good." the raven-haired Llaelese gun mage quips under her breath to no one in particular, "Not good at all..."  She took a quick survey of the number of armed figures available (and dispositions, if possible) and the amount of artillery that could easily be brought to bear.  Then relayed the information to the others, calling the numbers out over her shoulder.

Dany looked up to the crow's nest again and hissed up the viewing position, assuming that there was some sort of line to the bridge there, "Tell the Captain to be ready for evasive maneuvers..."  She figured that the larger artillery would be harder to shift.  There was no advantage in getting the Resolute hit by catapult fire for no reason, especially if it was avoidable.

[OOC:  Who?  What? And How many?!?  Danyka will 'Take 10' if possible to assess the enemy (Knowledge (Tactics) check total = 16).]

Dany spots 6 ballist and 3 catapults. The catapults are rather small ones, and look kind of odd... which she figures out why when one of the dozen armored men climbs into the seat on the catapult. Apparently, the intent is to launch an armored figure from one ship to the other.

The other ship is within catapult range, but the accuracy would be limited. Likewise, the ballista can be fired at an arc, but accuracy decreases considerably unless the target is very large. A ship is, but yet not quite, and also moving.

As Dany gets a better view, she can tell that about half of the armored people are probably Ogruns! Also, the catapults and ballistas have mechanisms attached to them, making her think they may be steam-powered. The ballistas also have ropes attached to the bolts--clearly intended for boarding actions.

"No good at all." Nicollo grinned at the dark.  "The gods have a sick sense of humor."

Rrger reaches down into one of the deep pockets of his jacket and comes up empty handed. He says something incomprehensible as he sprints down the short deck and into his cabin for his folding bow and quiver of arrows. It only takes a minute or so for him to get back and unfold the heavy composite bow. He gets the thing together in a flurry of motion and looks up with an exploding arrow nocked and ready. "We're assuming these are hotiles, right?" He pauses for an answer before loosing the first shot.

"Well, if they weren't earlier, they are now" Creswick mutters as he pats his pouch of daggers, "May as well expect the worst now I guess" Creswick smiles as he starts loading the crossbow with the last comment.

"Any idea why this has become the worst kept secret this side of the sea?" Creswick asks his comrades, moving to take cover in preparation.

"Thank the gods it isn't a warship!" the Captain comments in a pseudo-attempt to bolster morale. "No heavy guns or we'd definitely be sunk! To sink us now, they have to board and blow us up. I don't plan on letting them do that."

"I have to admit, though, that without you Iron Fisters, we wouldn't stand a chance. Then again, if you weren't on board, they'd most likely have left us alone."

"A secret is only a secret if but one person knows it!"

"Besides, it isn't a secret that we've made contact with another land over the sea. That has wreaked havoc with the religious dogma of the nations. They'd all like to see us fail, to write this chapter of history off as some fluke or fraud. It's just that the Mennites are the closest ones that can do anything about it."

"My plan is to lead them a short chase, then when they pull alongside, go hard to port and ram them broadside. You'll need to repel the boarders along both sides of the bow, though."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:13, Thu 08 May 2014.

"Repel them we will, then.", the ordic pistoleer explain, with one of the branded magelock pistol in his hand and a wicked grin on his face. There's more anger than confidence on his eyes, though.

Since the team has come to a consensus Rrger draws back his bow and lets the first arrow fly at one of the figures on the other ship.

OOC:
22:21, Today: Rrger rolled 7 using 1d8+6. Arrow damage.
22:19, Today: Rrger rolled 19 using 1d20+5. to hit, longbow.

Following in Rger's wake, Creswick lets loose a Crossbow shot at the nearest figure on the ship, and watched with disbelief as the wind appeared to snag the shot and almost guide it directly into the target

"Dany, did you have anything to do with that?" Creswick asks, surprised that the bolt even covered the distance to the target.

13:28, Today: Creswick rolled 8 using 1d8.[8] Crossbow Damage.

13:27, Today: Creswick rolled 21 using 1d20+5.[16] Crossbow Confirm Crit.

13:26, Today: Creswick rolled 24 using 1d20+5.[19] Crossbow to hit.

13:26, Today: Creswick rolled 18 using 1d20+8.[10] Initiative.

The other ship certainly hadn't expected that, but they were in the process of launching their own attack.

As Creswick's arrow finds a target, the twang of a catapult reaches the ears of the Iron Fist. Although the angle is still wrong and the range is long, but the artillerists seem to know their job. One of them goes down with Creswick's arrow in him; he's probably not dead but he's certainly out of the combat.

The catapult ammo is an armored man who lands on the stern of the ship with a crashing tumble. He's got a grappling hook with a rope attached, and he quickly fastens it to the aft mast.

02:10, Thu 15 May 2014: GM StarMaster rolled 19 using 1d20+6 ((13)).

Rrger's arrow also finds its mark.

After that, things seem to move in slow motion, though a lot happens in a short time. It just happens so fast that no one has an immediate chance to react.

When the armored ammo hits the ship, the captain sees the grappling hook, and cuts the rudder hard aport. This causes the bow of the ship to swing around to port, and the ship kicks into full steam ahead, heading for the broadside of the other ship.

This causes the line to pull taut and then snap.

The tactic catches the other ship's captain off guard, and though he cuts his ship hard to starboard in an effort to cause the two ships to pass, he's not fast enough to pull it off.

A couple of catapults fire as a reaction, but they don't have a chance to re-aim. Two of the armored ammo people splash down off the port side, but not before firing a crossbow with a line attached. The third one lands on the ship.

The impact with the other ship knocks most of the enemy off of their feet, and several of the catapults skew sideways. It'll take a bit of effort to realign them.


At this point, the Iron Fist has the option of remaining on the Resolute and defending it or taking the battle to the other ship.

There was a vague, slightly distant, expression of disappointment that crossed the Llaelese gun mage's features.  She probably didn't expect the Protectorate ship to attempt parley, but that didn't mean that Danyka was actually hoping that there would be violence.

Yet, now, it seemed, violence was now unavoidable.  Danyka sighed slightly plaintively.  The story of my life... she thought sullenly.

She shifted positions, not willing to directly engage yet.  As the tall, Rhynnish brunette moved, her hands darted into her voluminous buff coat and emerged with her twin magelock pistols.  "Prepare to repel!" she barked over her shoulder to her companions.  It probably wasn't necessary as the chaos was joined, but it made her feel better anyway.

Brandishing the weapons, Danyka uttered an invocation to her ancestors and her left pistol lit up; the etched runes along the barrel started to glow dull bluish-violet.  Two eldritch missiles shot forth from the barrel in rapid succession, unerringly striking one of the armoured men that had been so rudely deposited upon the deck of the Resolute.

[OOC:  Lo there, do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning...

  Move Action:      Draw both pistols, shift position to direct fire on one of the armoured boarders.
  Standard Action:  Cast Magic Missile at said boarder.

  23:43, Today: Danyka Ydrasyl rolled 12 using 1d20+9. Initiative.
  23:54, Today: Danyka Ydrasyl rolled 2,5 using 1d4+1,1d4+1. Damage: Magic Missiles.

A little slow on the draw, I guess...  if the boarder is within 30', then +1 to damage.]

"Jantze hold this" Rrger hands the bow over with one hand while reaching into his inside pocket with the other hand. He whispers a command word and draws his greatsword, looking to make sure the catapult missile isn't running up on the group's flank.

OOC: I know Jantze isn't there, Rrger will realize in a minute that he just dropped his bow on the deck.

Free action: Drop Bow
Standard action: Cast shield spell from wand in pocket
Move action: Draw weapon

[OOC: I'm not exactly sure if there's any viable target on board, and I believe the other boat is out of range...]

Nicollo positions himself on board as if he intends to block the next incomers using only his body... a rather implausible outcome. Then, with a flap of his coat, his arms come into view and the cannon of a magelock pistol starts tracking the movements of the armored man still on the enemy boat. Just so that they can hear him, he shouts over the wind, in cygnaran: "If anyone else is ready for the next leap of faith, we're more than glad to help you meet the Creator of Man."