Fernao continues to hold his big shield up to protect those on his side of the ship from any incoming arrows or other missiles from the pirates. "It is the time of waiting before a battle that I find the most difficult. I would rather be working on the bracelet I had begun now, but, alas, I can not. Leather is a good material to work with. I wonder what it would be like to work with sea weed?", he ponders aloud as he readies for whatever is going to come next.

Brude throws his head back and laughs when he hears Fernao talking about bracelets, leather, and seaweed, "THis is why we are friends Fernao! Faced with almost certain battle you talk of making bracelets! No grim warrior, my friend Fernao! Instead he lifts all of our spirits!"

A smile flashes across Conall's face when Ason offers shares of the spoils.  He finds stable footing  along the mast, secures himself, and sets an arrow to his bow.  "Have any particular targets in mind?" he calls down to the captain.

Ason shakes his head..."Nothing yet but that will change once we see the situation up close."

Watching the chatting below her, she smiles, then she lifts her eyes to watch both of the ships they're approaching, warily.

The undamaged galley is slow to get underway but it does begin to move once the Rosy Fingered Dawn is a few hundred yards away. It looks like it is trying to move to block the path of your ship but it might not make it. It also looks as if there are men loafing a ballista on the prow.

"Damn them, a ballista! Keep on course, when we get in range let your arrows go!" shouts the captain.

A large bolt is fired from the ballista a few minutes later. It hits below he waterline bu does no damage that can be seen either from  the deck or below.

They do not reload the ballista as the continue to get closer. Now less than 100 yards away you can see that for the most part they seem to Tharshi but there are a few Atlanteans and what might be Hellenes on the crew. At this range it is impossible to verify who the captain or officers are.

They look to be armed with gladii and hand axes. If they have missile weapons they have not pulled them out yet. They have moved into bowshot range.

Aias's smile vanishes once they are fired upon. He lets loose his own arrow at the crew of the offending ship.

3:15, Today: Aias rolled 22 using 1d20+6. ranged attack.

Nkruma watches the other ship and instinctively ducks when the ballista bolt is fired at the Dawn. He growls, a low rumble of sound as much felt by those nearby as heard. He calmly looses several arrows from his quiver, then rises. He fires off three shots in rapid succession. He aims all of them at one of the men operating the ballista.

---

Using flurry of shots to fire three arrows at one target.
Nkruma rolled 24 using 1d20+13 with rolls of 11.
Nkruma rolled 25 using 1d20+13 with rolls of 12.
Nkruma rolled 29 using 1d20+13 with rolls of 16. Ranged attack (no modifiers).
DR 8 each, if any hit remains a critical the target is also impaled

As soon as Ason marks the ballista and makes his cry, Conall bends his great bow and takes aim at one of the crew on the weapon, sending a long shaft speeding towards him.

When the bolt is launched, he's not satisfied with a single arrow, and continues to draw and take careful aim at each of the ballista crew as the Dawn closes the range.


OOC:

16:47, Today: Conall rolled 27 using 1d20+19. bow attack. Adjusted for range.  possible crit?  DR12
16:53, Today: Conall rolled 30 using 1d20+19. bow attack.
16:53, Today: Conall rolled 24 using 1d20+21. bow attack.

Waiting for the pirates to close just a bit more before attacking, Thamyron chants quietly, his hands weaving in the air. Once he is finished,a shimmering aura appears around him, with light vril sparks reflecting in the air. His eyes stay fixed on the closest pirate ship, waiting for them to close just a bit more.


Thamyron rolled 23 using 1d20+4. invoking an aura shield spell on himself.

Fernao watches and waits. If when the pirate ship gets into Javelin range it seems as if it will be useful, he'll toss some of his at them. If, however, the Rosy Fingered Dawn's archers manage to neutralize the ballista he will simply wait until he can jump onto the oncoming galley and show them how a flail works.

Between, Conall's long shot and his closer and Nkruma's bow, the three Tharshi men manning the ballista are dead or dying, one of them impaled to the ballista itself.

Aias and Koryos manage to feather two more of the crew.

The few pirates armed with bows have a dismal showing and do not manage to hit anyone on the Rosy Fingered Dawn...most of the arrows do not even reach the sailing ship.

The two ships continue to speed towards their goals...the pirates look to intercept while the sailing ship looks to come between the burning hull and the anchored pirate galley. It does not look like the galley will be able to catch the RFD though as the sailing ship is propelled towards the others at a rate the rowers of the galley cannot match.

The Rosy fingered dawn is not just 40 yards from either galley. One more round of missile fire from all parties before the RFD gains it place.

Close to the enemy vessel, Nkruma frees more arrows from his quiver. "I've got an idea," he says, just loud enough for those nearby to hear. "Hold your shots until after I fire. I will find your target." He nods to Conall, Aias, and Koryos, and he sucks in a deep breath.

Nkruma stands, bold and open, an arrow knocked in his bow and he bellows, his voice carrying across the waves to the pirate ship. "Ho! Captain of the pirate vessel! Now that we've taken each other's measure, stand and make yourself known!"

The man who stands upon the rowing vessel, the man who stands to answer Nkruma's taunting howls, receives as his prize a volley of arrow fire.

---

Nkruma rolled 16 using 1d20+12 with rolls of 4. CHA+Influence, +2 Fire Atman Hero Points.
Hero Points normally give +2 to a roll, but I'm gambling on passion to give Nkruma's words more weight, doubling the bonus since I'm using aspected Hero Points.


Flurry of Shots, 2nd use of the day
Nkruma rolled 30 using 1d20+13 with rolls of 17. Ranged attack (no modifiers).
Nkruma rolled 31 using 1d20+13 with rolls of 18. Ranged attack (no modifiers).
Nkruma rolled 14 using 1d20+13 with rolls of 1. Ranged attack (no modifiers).

Each arrow attack that hits is DR 8

IF the others wait, doing as Nkruma says, and all fire at the same man, Nkruma's Wolf Pack bonus comes into play and each attack gets +4 DR
This message was last edited by the player at 17:06, Tue 11 Mar 2014.

Nervous about the hail of arrows and giant bolts from the ballista, Brude holds steady on the rudder.

Normally I let the combat run it's course round by round but since this is a special case...

Nkruma calls out to the captain of the pirate galley, a grizzled and very large man stand and shakes his fist at the sailing ship.

Aias raises his bow and targets, not the captain, but the man hit hit before.

09:07, Today: Aias rolled 19 using 1d20+6. attack.

The wolfish grin spreading on Conall's face for a moment makes him almost indistinguishable from Nkruma.  "That's one way to find the captain!"

He hold his shot until the Asena has begun to fire, and then his hands blur as he begins launching arrows into the enemy captain, the last one leaving his bow before just as the first one lands.

OOC:

10:28, Today: Conall rolled 29 using 1d20+16. bow attack.
10:28, Today: Conall rolled 28 using 1d20+16. bow attack.
10:27, Today: Conall rolled 25 using 1d20+16. bow attack.
10:27, Today: Conall rolled 17 using 1d20+16. bow attack.
10:27, Today: Conall rolled 22 using 1d20+16. bow attack.

Conall's first Flurry... with each one that hits, DR16 thanks to Nkruma's bonus!

Knowing that no man, strong pirate or not will not be able to withstand such an onslaught, Koryos turns his attention to the other galley. He draws back his bow string and lets loose a wicked barbed arrow as favored by his people.

OOC: Sorry folks, but RL has me distracted. I'm following as best I can and things ought to be distracting me less in the next few days. Or something.

Fernao continues to offer whatever cover to himself and those about him with his shield and awaits the opportunity to jump the rail onto the enemy ship.

He captain called out by Nkruma is now indeed a human pin cushion. no amount of luck of favor of the gods saves him as he goes down in a hail of arrows. Aias manages to hit the same crewman again and the man drops to his knees on the deck. 5 sailors dead or incapacitated on the moving galley and one wounded but not in any danger. 19 crewmen uninjured but confused with the ship now nearly dead in the water.

Koryos manages to hit one of the crew on the other galley with an expertly shot arrow.

Betweent he two galleys, bows were fired at the Rosy Fingered Dawn. Two of the crew are hit with arrows as are Sabetha who finds herself with an arrow in he right shoulderand Thamyron who is hit in the right thigh but the arrows falls tot he deck infront of him without penetrating his clothing even.

He first ship flounders and remains at a distance of perhaps 70 meters while the Rosy Fingered Dawn expertly glides between the other galley and the burning hull.

There looks to be about 20 pirates on the galley and 5 on the smoking hull, pillaging, plundering and possibly even raping at will. Just three survivors are on the hull, all look to be Hellene women.

Of the five pirates on the hull, only one is well armed and armored...a bit of a dandy actually with a feathered plume on his iron cap and a rather ornate gladius.

Brude manages to bump into both the ships stopping the progress of the RFD right in between the two of them.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:11, Sat 15 Mar 2014.

Nkruma casts a glance over his shoulder at the burning hulk. "Fernao, see to the rescue of that craft." He drops a look at his supply of arrows. "Anyone else who wants to help the Flowered Bull, grab bronze and go." He looks back at the anchored galley nearby, trying to weigh the odds.

Brude lets go of the rudder and pulls the wickedly sharp hatchet from his belt. He sprints across the deck and as he jumps over the rail to the burning ship he smiles as his old friend Fernao and shouts, "Don't make me do this all alone!"

His hand axe whirls overhead as he attacks one of the regular crew from the galley on the burning ship. Whichever one is up to the most no good.

08:53, Today: Brude rolled 29 using 1d20+16 DR7+1

Conall shifts his position on the mast to interpose it between himself and the nearby galley, and takes aim at the pirates pillaging the burning hulk.  His hands move again in the practiced motions, pulling arrows one after another, sending one speeding at each of the five pillagers.


OOC:

Conall is firing one arrow at each of the five pirates pillaging the burning ship.  DR12 arrows; hopefully, a couple of criticals in here.  That should soften them up some for Brude!

09:20, Today: Conall rolled 25 using 1d20+16. bow attack.
09:20, Today: Conall rolled 17 using 1d20+16. bow attack.
09:20, Today: Conall rolled 27 using 1d20+16. bow attack.
09:20, Today: Conall rolled 34 using 1d20+16. bow attack.
09:20, Today: Conall rolled 35 using 1d20+16. bow attack.