Marcus frowned at himself when he realized how tactless he was with Eryn. Her question of his arm caught him off guard and he stared at the white and black crystals for a moment. "It's... fine." His expression became distant as he thought back to the chaos of the battle and its aftermath. "Except for the flames. When they licked at my legs, I also felt it on my arm."

"Might have been my imagination." Paladin shook his head and waved the thought away. "Can you talk to Gravelborough and see if he knows of anyone that might help us out? I'll see how Ilura is doing."

Marcus approached Ilura and Cecil, nodding to them both but barely sparing a second on meeting the pirate's eyes. "Any good news?"

Yea, thinking about resurrection. We'll see how things go. Hoping to make it to the port first.

"We're still alive and haven't sunk?"

Ilura's wry humor was tinged with exhaustion.

"After we clean up, I think we need to give the crews a chance to rest.  Then we can focus on getting this vessel back for repairs."

"I'll go check on the one downstairs - make sure he's still secure and has still been dosed appropriately.  The last thing this ship needs is for him to wake up...  Then perhaps the group of us can talk."

The trip back to Cliffport was slow and grueling. Cecil the pirate, and Officer Brigg helped organize the anchor-pulling crew to slowly drag the ship back to port. Officer Gravelborough helped direct other crew around the ship, patching up key mechanisms and making sure what was left of their goods were not stolen by pirates. A goal he failed at, as the pirates were often found rummaging through containers whenever they had a spare second out of sight. More than one of them were treated to an unfortunate find, considering many of the crates were filled with bodies for Nikadroy Qizproteus's malicious shipment.

It was good that Ilura had gone to check on the jotun in the cargo hold when she had. The two live jotun were beginning to stir and would have surely wreaked more havoc on the ship if they had woken completely.

Land was visible on the horizon again just before the sun began to set, but it would take the entire night to reach town again. But they would make it. Unfortunately, with so much destruction, spillage, fires, and discourteous pirates aboard, many of the ship's supplies were in total disarray. The adventurers found themselves having to dip into their own personal supplies when meal time came around. They also knew that they could probably find at least a little bit of downtime before morning, but there were certainly risks associated with sleeping on a ship full of loosely aligned pirates.

As the sun set, the sailors that were from the original crew of the Lessthansix lit lanterns to work by. The ship was in shambles and much of the crew would continue to work through the night. For most, sleep would not be an option until the ship was safely docked in port.

What do you do?

---

The ship should reach Cliffport around dawn. Everyone mark off one ration.

If you would like to rest enough to heal half your HP, then go ahead and Make Camp. Keep in mind though that it is not exactly a safe location anymore. You may want to set up a watch, or rest when you reach land instead.

If you guys would like to do something else to reach Cliffport, that is fine by me too. I don't think that either crew will be too happy to keep you aboard after reaching land anyway. But keep in mind all of your hirelings and Frost when you make any alternate plans.

Ilura
What does Cliffport look like? How are Thomas and Westley, holding up?

Marcus
What is the weather like in the morning? How are Silas and Opal holding up?

Eryn
What is Cliffport famous for? (other than cliffs and ports) How is Mirrorsheen holding up?

Cliffport lived up to its namesake.  A decent-sized bay, surrounded on 3 sides by steep cliffs.  A geological anomaly where the stone that covered the soft rock for leagues in either direction had somehow fractured or been worn away, allowing the sea to chew into the land.  A few centuries past, sensing opportunity, a lord had spent a fortune dropping rocks a half-mile off-shore to stay the sea's assault and forming a well-protected cove.  The narrow strip of beach within the cove was soon built up, but enterprising villagers learned that the sea was not the only force that could carve the sharp rock, and now several tiers of shops, homes, brothels and even a few warehouses lined the cliffs and tunneled deep into the stone.

Cliffport didn't have a lot of land access, but what it did have was a safe port near dangerous seas, and as such made a good haven for trade or just keeping sailors occupied while they waited out bad weather.

Westley was doing fine, more or less.  He had bragged excitedly to anyone who'd listen about how he'd shot the enemy pirate captain.  Though he learned that bragging about it to crew members of the former pirate crew wasn't necessarily well-advised.  Ilura and Marcus had managed to heal him back into decent shape.  And he seemed ok with the notion of saving his stories for the barmaids once he got to town.

Thomas, on the other hand, was somewhat out of sorts.  The parts of the mast and hanging ropes that hadn't burned were black with soot, meaning that if he wanted to keep an eye on the comings and goings, he either had to get his feet dirty, or had to make an effort and keep himself aloft.  And given the nature of the crew and recent happenings, he felt something of an obligation to do his best to keep an eye on things.  He had *no* obligation to be happy about it though.

[You could turn into a whale or something and tow us to port a lot faster you know.  A lot less likely to get stabbed out there too.]

[True, but I might be overcome with an urge to smack the ship open with my tail or dive into the depths or something and take the ship with me.  I'm learning that magic has costs, and it's wisest to not use it without an understanding of what those costs might be...]

While cleaning up, she checked up on the pair she'd saved from the sinking ship.  She showed them the hat to see if it caused any sort of reaction.

As soon as she had a chance to get some time alone with Erin and Marcus, she showed them the jewel she'd grabbed from the captain and relayed what the halfling had shared.  "Do you think we could use this to get us where we're trying to go?  And maybe the captain as well?"  She showed them the hat as well.

Ration marked

Ilura found the drugar former-slaves in the lower decks of the ship, tucked into a dark corner between some crates. They seemed to be more comfortable in the cramped dark space, strange as it sounded. The male drugar stepped out sheepishly when Ilura showed him the hat.

"Hat," the man said timidly. He cautiously reached out his gray-skinned hand and took the hat. "Bag hat." The drugar said, as if that explained everything. The woman drugar said something in their native tongue and the male drugar looked back at her and shook his head. She said something else, nodding. Apparently urging the male drugar to do something.

After taking a deep breath, the male drugar plunged his arm into the tophat, all the way up to his shoulder. Which should have been impossible, since the hat was not nearly that deep. After rummaging around a bit, the man pulled his hand back out holding a three foot piece of broken wood. He put it back in, rummaged around some more, then pulled out a moldy loaf of bread. This time he looked pleased with his find.

"Bag hat," he said again, handing the item back to Ilura. He split the moldy bread in half and took a bite, handing the other half to the drugar woman next to him.

---

The hat is essentially a bag of holding, but in hat form. There are some items in it already that are unknown to you. It is difficult to retrieve things from it that you don't know are in there. But if you know what you are reaching for, follow the standard bag of holding rules:

A hat of holding is larger on the inside than the outside, it can contain an infinite number of items, and its weight never increases. When you try to retrieve an item from a hat of holding, roll+WIS. ✴On a 10+, it’s right there. ✴On a 7-9, choose one:
-You get the exact item, but it takes a while
-You get a similar item of the GM’s choice, but it only takes a moment

Eryn nodded in response to Marcus' question. She found Gravelborough shortly thereafter, and asked him if there were anyone in Cliffport worth seeking out for aid in their journey.

As the ship floated into Cliffport, Eryn made note of the many alcoves and buildings set into the sides of the tall cliffs overlooking the port. In the center of the rearmost cliff side, there was the famed monument of the two warring goddesses. They were facing each other, with a great big lantern between them. At night the polished back of the lantern would reflect light from a divinely lit fire out over the ocean, thereby guiding ships to shore. Behind the statue was the entrance to an equally famous great temple carved into the rock. From this Temple of Balance, the fire was kept lit by the Communion of Twins. Eryn knew little more of this order than tales of trouble - each member worked with another in their task, and being paired based on a ritual rather than by choice, these "divine twins" did not always agree with each other.

The fairy Mirrorsheen had recovered a bit from the earlier fire, though she now looked less like a proper Lady and more like a pixie beggar from the back alleys, considering her singed outfit and sooty body. Eryn winced at the damage the flames had done, though the fairy - aided by some magic perhaps? - had more or less managed to return to her normal state. She was a bit more silent than usual, and held a grimmer expression. Eryn hoped she had not damaged their relation too much with her carelessness.

The item Ilura showed them seemed useful, but Eryn still felt too uncertain around magic items to know if it would help them. "I may try to ask my ancestors for advice," the fighter offered, and mentioned briefly her connection to them through the heirloom weapon she carried. "They have knowledge of things beyond my reach, and helped me greatly with being prepared for the sea monster I dispatched  earlier."

---

- I'm asking Gravelborough if he has any contacts in town.
- Lady Mirrorsheen is alive and back in her normal state, but still singed and sooty. I don't know her mood, but she seems perhaps a bit petulant. If the good fairy needs it, I will help replace any lost or damaged belongings of hers (and sponsor a meal and some healing too, as fit).
- I will not Make Camp yet given the current situation. I don't have any rations either.
- Question: Where can one get supplies in town? Is there a clean inn around where us and the hirelings may gather in peace?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:20, Mon 29 July 2019.

Ilura took back the hat and nodded her thanks.  Seeing the poor folk so pleased to see the moldy bread, she reached into her pack and offered them one of her rations to share as well.

She wasn't too sure about the hat.  She'd have to experiment with it a bit, but she certainly wouldn't trust it with anything important - and she wasn't totally sure she wanted to even trust it with her hand.

Ilura nodded in response to Eryn's idea.  "I can ask my Goddess if she has advice as well, though she can be a bit hard to understand sometimes...  Probably best to wait until we're on shore to do that though."

Marcus tried to keep the clashes between the two crews to the minimum, but there was too much ship for him to cover. And exhaustion from the catastrophic trip started to settle in. In the end, he was satisfied that no large fights broke out and that he managed to get a few hard biscuits to stave off hunger. The paladin took a moment to check on Silas. The man was recovering well from being pinned by the mast, but Marcus noticed he kept glancing upward, muscles coiled and ready to spring. The only thing of note in the sky was Opal. The gargoyle was alternating between mourning the crippled ship and tugging on a rope tied to the remnants of the mast. The movement of the ship came from the anchoring, but Opal took some comfort in the illusion of help.

"If it's truly so powerful, we should keep it for more meaningful things." Marcus said after marveling at the gem. A thought occurred to him and he glanced at Eryn "Will it work if we're not near the ocean?" He stifled a yawn and bowed his head. "May I ask for you to keep an eye out for trouble? I could use a few hours of proper rest."

There were no clouds between the ship and Cliffport. Both moons shone, silver gleaming on water and blood creeping over the cliffs. A storm was forming behind them and will likely reach them around the time they dock or slightly after.

Making by on scraps. Making camp if others agree to it
Silas is developing a slight paranoia
Opal is troubled by her lack of participation

"Sleep would be good for all of us.  We'll have a lot to do once we dock.  I'm owed a favor by some of the crew.  They can hopefully keep tensions calm while we retreat below-decks."

Ilura found Vixen at work repairing a patch that had sprung a leak - and looking none too pleased about it.  On the other hand, she wasn't manning the rowboat, so she obviously still had some control over her station on the ship.

"I've come to collect - and it's an easy favor.  My group is going to get a bit of rest before we pull into the dock.  I need you and your friends to keep an eye on things above decks and to do your best to maintain the peace.  If you can do that, you can consider your debt paid."

Ilura will take mid watch unless one of the others wants it.

Officer Gravelborough's reply to Eryn's request was a grumpy one, but it contained the information she was looking for. "Of course I've got contacts that could help you. What kind of sailor do you think I am?" For a moment it seemed he was waiting for an actual answer. Then he thought better of it and continued on. "Try the Temple. Ask for Miss Vespath. She has ways of getting things places much faster than a ship can travel. Not in bulk, unfortunately. But maybe she can help you get where you want to be." There was a strong implication in his voice that he would prefer your people not return to his ship once everyone reached shore.

When Ilura found Vixen, the woman snarled at Ilura's request, but begrudgingly agreed. She said she would make sure no pirates interrupted her sleep, "if she could help it."

---

It sounds like at least Ilura and Marcus plan to Make camp. I'll say there is a 1 in 4 chance that a pirate might think it is a good idea to risk trouble with the adventurers while they are trying to rest. I'll roll a 1d4 and a 1 means trouble.
21:05, Today: Game Master rolled 1 using 1d4.  Trouble? 1 means yes.
Of course...

I'll let you make your Take Watch rolls first (in case Eryn was resting too, and wanted a shift), then I will roll to see which shift the trouble shows up during. You can have Hirelings help watch too, but they aren't likely to be very good at that task on their own. Well, maybe Opal the watchful gargoyle could be ok at it.

Eryn
Gravelborough suggested you talk to Miss Vespath at the temple.

As for shops and inns, there are plenty of establishments of varying qualities. It will be easy to find any standard gear. Let me know if you are looking for anything more exotic. The inns use the standard rates for the various qualities of establishments. Feel free to rent as many rooms as you feel is appropriate. Don't forget that you can use the Westley discount for all prices in town if he is with you.

I believe Officer Brigg still owes the adventurers 300 coin too. Eryn, you can add that to your inventory. I think he was supposed to give it to you when you first departed on the ship, but I forgot about it.

quote:

21:00, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Take watch.

"Thank you, Gravelborough, I will meet with her. Is there anything else I can do for you right now?"

Eryn made the offer, but didn't truly feel like making true on it. She had been in a high-stress situation for a long time now, and though she had suffered little physical damage recent events were still weighing on her mind.

The sell-sword counted the coin Officer Brigg had given them while thinking about where the funds really came from. Blood money, wasn't it? Still, it would be nice to have, and the mutiny that killed Frost would likely have happened no matter what.

She sighed and scooped the coin into the carrying bag, before preparing to take first watch. Some fresh water, food, and a good rest would do them all well, she could not sleep just yet. Not until the others had their go at it.

---

Are we good with food then? I'll do as Marcus for the time being, and get supplies once we're in town. I'll get back to you on what I wish to buy. Note to the rest of the party: I'll use the 300 coin from Brigg to cover your rooms and any food & sundries you need, then we can split the rest.

Make Camp. Eryn has things to think about at the moment. I'll take first watch.
08:17, Today: Eryn rolled 10 using 2d6+1.  Take watch.

Marcus asked Opal to help him during his watch, hoping to boost her confidence. Whether through exhaustion or from wanting to give the gargoyle the spotlight, the paladin barely took notice of the things happening on the ship in the night.

08:35, Today: Marcus rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Take watch (with Opal).
Can I bet on which watch will the trouble rise?

Rolling 1d3 to see which shift danger shows up on. Erin is 1, Ilura is 2, Marcus is 3.
15:51, Today: Game Master rolled 2 using 1d3.  Danger Time.
Ilura is able to wake the camp and prepare a response, everyone in the camp takes +1 forward.

---

The first portion of rest went fairly smoothly. The rocking and creaking of the broken ship turned out to be just what was needed to drown out the busy ruckus of a hard-at-work crew of injured and mismatched sailors. Eryn had no problems during her shift at watch, and most of Ilura's shift went without incident as well. It wasn't until she was about ready to wake up Marcus that a sound caught her ear.

The floor outside creaked. Which wasn't out of the ordinary considering the entire ship was creaking, but this one sounded like a footstep. A fact that was confirmed when she heard several more footsteps to follow. There were at least two people, by the sounds of it. And when the two started whispering, one of them had a familiar voice.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" one voice asked in the quietest of voices.

"Shut up, of course it is. They're loaded!" The second voice belonged to the sailor, Vixen. Ilura was sure of it. The very same person who assured Ilura she would keep the pirates away.

"But they are the ones who killed the sea slug, sunk the enemy ship, and bested both ship captains in the same fight..."

"Which is why I know their stuff is worth stealing! You can't do all that stuff with just ordinary gear. We get their stuff and we can retire when we reach shore. Buy a whole barrel of beer! We can walk straight there too if we get those weird cloud-boot thingamajigs. Now open the door, Trixie, and be stealthy about it."

The door started to slowly creak open. But of course Ilura had had plenty of time to rouse her companions during Vixen's little whisper argument...

What do you do?

---

Vixen and Trixie are trying to sneak into the room to steal everyone's gear. What do you do before the door is opened? How do you handle this new "threat?"

Eryn
Yup, you are good with food for this Make Camp.

Ilura quietly roused her companions and gestured toward the door, holding up two fingers.  Her bow was already strung, but she fitted an arrow and found a place in the shadows where she had a good view of the door.

She gave the two a few minutes to slip into the room and get clear of the door before calling out: "Good evening Vixen.  It appears I wasn't sufficiently clear in my instructions.  I had assumed 'and don't try stealing from us yourself' sort of went without saying.  Also, if you're down here, who's keeping an eye on the pirates?"

Not sure that I need to roll, as I'm not really asking them for anything.  More just seeing how they play it or choose to respond.

Marcus woke with a start, nodding at Ilura's gestures. When he saw who was planning to steal from them, paladin's eyes went wide. He observed Ilura, curios how she will handle it. His hand rested on the hilt of his blade in the unlikely case something went wrong.

"Someone we know, I take it?" the warrior asked Marcus in as low of a voice as she could. Like the paladin, her weapon was close at hand.

---

After making camp I would be back at full HP and have new spells prepared. I assume this scene will play out before Make Camp is officially completed, though?

Both Vixen and Trixi froze mid-step when Ilura spoke up. There was an awkward pause as Vixen's mouth slowly hung open. Trixi took off running down the hall leaving the leader of their group behind to deal with the fallout all on her own.

"Ummm," Vixen finally stammered. "I... just wanted to see if you needed a pillow..." An obvious lie. "Looks like you're good though?" Vixen took a slow step backward with one hand on the doorknob. She seemed eager to leave, but scared to at the same time.

What do you do?

---

Eryn
Yeah, this scene will be before Make Camp is complete. I doubt it will make much of a difference at this point though. ;-)

"So steal our 'stuff', but make up for it by giving us pillows?  I'm not sure I like that as a trade...

I could seek another favor, but you don't seem great on delivering.  I could turn you over to Gravelborough.  There's still a bit of time to keel-haul you before we pull into port, but that's never really been my style.

Do you have any suggestions for what we should do with you?"

Marcus squared his shoulders and narrowed his eyes at Vixen's attempt of deception. He let Ilura speak, but his gaze turned to her at the harshness of her words. Despite seeing how the sailors, pirates or not, lived and worked, he still didn't think it appropriate. "Perhaps she should make an offering to Lusiny?" he offered, hoping to defuse the situation.

"I think keelhauling is too deadly, Ilura," Eryn chimed in. "The late captain preferred whipping. I happen to have one on me right now... but I will still second Marcus' suggestion of a donation. I'm not fond of the practice, you see."

The warrior stayed behind the two others, and allowed herself to relax a bit. These pirates were pushovers, thankfully, and not at all the immediate threat she had imagined when she was woken up in the dark hours of the night with several people at the door.

"I expect money is a little tight.  Perhaps just a day of prayer and reflection at the temple while you're on shore-leave.  Then no-one will need to say anything to anyone.

And I presume we can count on the rest of our evening being undisturbed?"

Vixen's eyes went wide ate mention of keelhauling and whipping, but she visibly relaxed when the group settled on the idea of a day of prayers. Her words, however, were clearly tinged with anger. But in a clearly defensive way. "Ugh. All I do is come to see if you want a pillow and you threaten me with beatings? Fine. Whatever. I'll do your prayer thingy when we get to shore. Can I go now?" It seemed likely that Vixen was the only one who believed her own lies.

What do you do?

---

Everyone can finish Making Camp and apply all of the benefits that go with it. Did anyone want to do anything else before reaching shore? If not, I'll start a new thread for my next post.

"Extra pillows are not needed. We'll keep an eye out for you in case we need one, though," Eryn said, hoping to make Vixen realize their group was not to be trifled with. Thieves were not something she wished to fall victim to now that they had recently received a quite large payment.

***

Following the dismal result of throwing volatile fire around in a hectic battle, Eryn had decided not to risk using her Fireball spell again until she could practice it a bit more. Instead she had dabbled into another, less fearsome ability, an extension of the simple spell that let her change an object's color and appearance. With some luck, it would let her create a simple illusion of herself to distract her opponent in battle...

---

Following Make Camp, I am back on full HP (23) and will apply my previously planned level-up from here on out. Spells prepared this morning: Mirror Image, Magic Missile, Telepathy + cantrips.

Apart from preparing spells I have nothing more I wish to do before we reach shore.

Ilura looked at Marcus somewhat sheepishly.  Apparently the stress of the days events had taken a toll and she was more prickly than was really called for.  Her watch at an end, she tried to get some additional shut-eye in the hopes it would improve her mood before they hit landfall.

As the port came into sight, Ilura approached officer Mar about taking the captain's "Devil's Bargain" along with her body.  "We'd like to help her if we can, and I expect we can make better speed than you can..."

Also at full HP (21) with prepared spells:   Detect Alignment, Cure Light Wounds, Hold Person and cantrips.

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