"Free food is free food. I'll eat it if you don't want it." Mouse said as they watched Eryn's expression at being handed the bowl of chowder.

But when she accepted the halfing shrugged and hopped back up on the crate to sit and eat. They ate while Eryn explained some more, pausing only to nod a greeting when Ilura joined them.

"Dare I ask what kind of supplies? Are they the kind where spoilage could happen?...if say, there was an 'accident' on the way and the bilge overflowed into the cargo area. Or are you planning to make a stop along the way to drop the supplies and hope that whomever is waiting on the other end isn't an evil sociopath who would do something like...oh...slaughter the entire crew for betrayal if the supplies didn't show? They'd probably still slaughter the entire crew if there was a 'mistake' in loading and the wrong cargo got loaded but someone with a silver tongue would have an easier time of selling the mistake than if the crew showed but the cargo didn't." Mouse rambled, gesturing occasionally with their spoon then paused to cough. "Not that I've ever had to consider such a situation myself. "

---

It just occurred to me to ask if someone at the market might have a slightly nicer bow than the beat up one Mouse has. Fish market didn't shout weapons merchant to me, but if they have leather armor on offer...

"You are right, Mouse, whatever happens once the ship has landed is not going to be pretty. The cargo is a bunch of giants. One broke loose last night and proved powerful enough to toss the crew around with little trouble. They were to be delivered 'fresh'. I fear that if they're not using these giants for labor, they will be used in some sort of ritual - possibly to create undead for the overlord's army."

Eryn rose to her feet once her meal was finished and Ilura had returned.

"Right, the cure. I had almost forgotten in the midst of these sudden events. Where to?"

---

I guess we'll Make Camp later.

"Back to the ship.  I just hope we're not too late..."

When Ilura asked for a barrel of booze, she received some concerned and judgmental looks until she explained a bit more of the situation. Then several of the vendors went and retrieved casks and bottles from their stands that they thought Ilura might be interested in. Wine bottles, beer casks, cooking sherry, flasks of brandy, etc. None of them had an entire barrel of liquor, but they had quite a variety to offer that would probably add up to about half a barrel or more.

When the group seemed about ready to go, the injured chowder man, Ahab, stopped them. "Hold on a moment," he said to the group. Then, to his wife, he said, "I think we should give them the skyhook." His wife looked surprised, but then nodded and brought over a long flat lockbox from within their supply stores. She set it on the counter in front of him.

To Mouse, he said, "I heard mention you were looking for a new bow? And that you may be facing great danger ahead?" He unlocked the box and opened the lid. Inside was an old-looking bow, made from thin and polished coral, adorned with squid and octopus and kraken engravings. The bowstring appeared to be a thin stretched out octopus tentacle. "This bow, is magical. It has been in my family for generations." He picked it up and carefully pulled back on the bowstring, aiming it at the fruit stand with no arrow. He let go of the string and a long tether shot out, grabbed hold of a pear, then retracted. Ahab caught the pear and took a bite.

"I used to use this bow for fishing in the reef, long ago. I'm too old to make good use of it now, and have no sons or daughters to pass it on to. Would you do me the honor of making sure it is used well?"

What do you do?

---

Everyone
The vendors mostly sell food. The other items were personal items that they gifted you from their private supplies. Is the plan to head back to the ship now?

Ilura
Nobody had a barrel of liquor to give, but you have gathered up quite a collection of smaller amounts in separate containers. Enough to equal a little more than half a barrel.

Eryn
Your spell worked perfectly. The fish smell from your previous casting even went away after your most recent casting's success.

Mouse
Ahab the chowder man has offered to give you his family's Skyhook Bow to use on your travels. It functions as a Hunter's Bow, plus the following:

Skyhook Bow
A bow that shoots tethers instead of arrows. (Arrows can be used to, but not simultaneously)  Shoot the bow and roll +Dex.  On 10+ the bow's tether strikes and pulls you to the target, or the target to you (weight and leverage matters).  On a 7-9 you are connected by a tether, but any pulling or climbing is on you.

The barrel I'm looking to replace was a small cask of wine.  Is what I've got so far equivalent in size (or at least in potency)?

Ilura kept glancing and edging towards the harbor, making it clear that she wanted to start moving sooner rather than later.  As soon as the other party members had said their good-byes, she led them back toward the ship at a brisk pace.

If she had time, she'd stop off in the afternoon and see if Lusiny could do anything about the chowder vendor's legs.  But right now, her focus needed to be Marcus.

The original barrel of wine was probably about waist high. What you have collected isn't quite that much, but some is much stronger (and a some weaker). It will be a gamble if variety over volume will please the sailors or not.

<orange>If I leave it to the ring-leader to divy it up - and explain that this way it was easier to divide and less likely to set expectations for sharing, I figure I can make it work.

"I nabbed two bottles of the extract they're using to keep the jotnar drowsy, if you need to top off the collection..."

"We've been gone for a while now. If a mutiny is about to happen, the situation must be really tense among the crew despite not looking like it from the outside. The officer told me he would wait until the ship has sailed befor instigating anything, but you never know. Be prepared to draw your weapons at the drop of a hat."

"If possible, we should get Bolen and Marcus off the ship before conducting the ritual."

"My preference would be to see if we could find a way to ensure the delivered bodies meet the letter of the contract but are rendered useless for reannimation.  We should talk to Hiran and find out if that's possible.  The captain seems a good woman.  Mutiny will doom her soul.

As for the ritual, the captain must lead it and I  doubt she'll leave the ship.  Not in its current state and when she's doing us a favor..."

"Giants are tricky. Wait. Cure? What?" Mouse asked Eryn as they started to prepare to leave.

The halfling had just hopped down from the crate when Ahab caught their attention. They walked closer to him since he was the one that had been injured and stopped close enough to talk without raising voices.

"I am looking for something in better shape than this old thing." Mouse said, gesturing at the rather battered bow slung across their back. Then Ahab demonstrated using the bow and suddenly Mouse had a broad grin. "Oh, wow, thanks. I really appreciate it. I will use it well and I'll be back for more chowder when we're done with...this job."

"Some believe the sea down by the black beach outside of town to be cursed," Eryn explained to Mouse. "Whether or not that's true, the waters there are infectuous. A fisherman we know - Bolen - is a victim of the sickness, and it spread in part to our ally Marcus when he tried to heal it. We are conducting a magic ritual that may cure them both." She scratched her chin, contemplating the situation. "I will be standing a fair distance away, I think," she mused.

"Long story short, we found more aboard that ship than we expected, what's with their captain and their cargo and all that."

The group makes their way back toward the ship without incident, all of their new supplies in tow. It was difficult for Ilura to transport so many alcohol containers, but manageable. Especially if Eryn and Mouse decided to help.

When the three neared the gangplank, there was a young man waiting there to greet them. It was Westley, the man from the Order of the Ambitious that Eryn and Ilura pulled from the sea the night before. He looked much healthier now that he was dry and in some fresh clothes. He waved to the group energetically as they approached and smiled with enthusiasm. "I sold my barrel!" he reported to Ilura happily. "For almost as much as I bought it for too!"

The man grabbed a sack from his waistband and held it out to the group. It was small and made of burlap and was dripping from the bottom. "Your friends Hiran and Marcus asked me to give this to you. I guess they had to go somewhere? There is a note in the bag." As one of the group started opening the sack, he asked, "So, where is our next adventure?" For some reason Westley seemed to think he was a member of the group.

Inside the sack is a rolled up piece of parchment, the Body Bag of Stasis folded tightly, Marcus's vial of Fleshdust Poison, the Hairpin of Fickle Vestments, and at the bottom, the leaking doorknob. The parchment read as follows:



To Ilura and Eryn,

I am afraid that the demon bound in my spellbook is a bigger issue than I originally foresaw. I must find a way to vanquish it permanently, or, barring that, I must burry it deep below the ocean where nobody will find it. I kept the Ring of the Reef just in case this becomes necessary.

Furthermore, Marcus attempted to heal Bolen while you were gone, but was only partially successful. At the very least, he shouldn't get worse. It took quite a toll on Marcus though, both physically and spiritually. He feels it would be best if he took some time to work on his devotion or somesuch. I'm not sure. He said he would come back to help at the soonest opportunity though. As will I.

In the meantime, we have given some of our items to the Ambitious boy, Westley, to give to you for your journey ahead. We wish you the best in all your endeavors.

Sincerely,
Dr. Hiran Krauss

P.S. I may have insinuated that Westley would be initiated into the adventuring group if he did this favor for me. I swear, the boy's gullibility knows no bounds! It is up to you if you want to honor my insinuation though.



What do you do?

Ilura shook her head grimly.  She wasn't terribly surprised.  She'd been pushing it a bit with the shopping expedition - and the sea vulture incident had cost her a couple of hours she simply hadn't had.  Perhaps she should have flown back directly to the boat.

With Hiran gone, she had no idea how they were going to have a hope of preventing the overlord from coming back.  And she was far too new to the expectations of the silver goddess to feel comfortable with Marcus's departure.  With her mentor gone, she felt suddenly rudderless.  Erin was a friend, but she was fundamentally a warrior.  Her knowledge of the arcane arts was only beginning.

Ilura looked over at the spear-maiden.  The loss of her mentor must be even more difficult.  Lusiny's blessings came directly from her will, but Eryn's path involved a great deal of study and instruction.  How would she be able to proceed without that guidance?

"How long ago did they leave and where did they go?"

Mouse grabbed some of the alcohol containers to help carry.

"Do you mind if I stand outside while y'all do that? Maybe back down the dock?" The halfling asked as the group walked. Then they stopped and eyed the dripping sack. "Why is the sack dripping? What is it dripping?" A pause as the stranger asked where to next. "Good question, buddy. I'm for a bathhouse adventure first since your friends seem to have skipped town on this whole 'cure him' quest. And then while we're taking a bath someone will explain how it's wise to imprison giants on a boat and why we can't just say 'oops, they fell off while we were sailing' so we're not stuck with angry giants on a boat while far away from land."

"Westley just got drafted," Eryn said matter-of-factly after reading the letter. "We need every arm we can get to fill the gap those two have left. If's he actually enthused about it, all the better."

She rubbed her temple in frustration. No Hiran meant no more magic lessons or powerful sealing rituals. No Marcus meant no divine smiting of enemy forces. At least they still had some guidance from the goddess via Ilura's newfound connection to her, and two newfound allies. Thankfully most monsters would fall over if you hit them hard enough - no magic required.

"I'll join you for that bath, Mouse," she said, weary but not defeated. "The fight left me a bit winded and I need to be in top shape for what comes next."

"I don't know why the bag is dripping. Hiran carried a lot of odd magical items in his pockets. Ilura, I'd like to take a look at it later. Hiran always seemed very interested in whatever he stopped to pick up, but discarded other items as trinkets. I don't know if that means this particular object will be useful, but maybe I can gleam some new knowledge from studying it."

Before they could leave, however, there was one matter to attend to. "Please wait for me a few minutes, by the way. I need to exchange a few words with the officer I mentioned." With that, Eryn took a quick look around, trying to locate Brigg and maybe get a feel for the crew's mood at the same time.

---

Is Brigg on board? Is he reasonably alone so we can have a private chat?
This message was last edited by the player at 08:09, Mon 19 Nov 2018.

Westly's face broke into a wide grin when Eryn confirmed he was now part of the group. With extra enthusiasm, he replied to Ilura's inquiry about Hiran and Marcus. "They left about half an hour ago, I would say. They headed that way." He pointed down the pier, toward shore, but didn't get any more specific than that. "If you guys still need more people for our adventure, I wouldn't mind going to the town square and spreading the word. Just let me know what you want me to tell people. I can try and rustle up some good recruits. I heard the captain say the ship was still on schedule to sail at sundown, so there is still time."

One glance at the ship showed that the crew had made remarkable progress on repairs. There was already a new mast in place and most of the major breaches in the hull had been patched up. They must have employed some mages in order to get things fixed so quickly. Still, there was the matter of getting a new sail in place and there were a lot of ropes that still needed to be put up.

The crew itself looked to be getting rather exhausted from the long hours they have been working. Officer Brigg could be seen on deck ordering some crates to be moved around. It wouldn't be difficult to pull him aside. Captain Frost was noticeably absent. Not surprising since it was mid-day, and her half ice-elemental nature meant she was weaker in hot weather.

Illura could see the three crew members she owed the booze too as well. They were pounding nails into the floor of the main deck. Their leader still had Ilura's bow strapped to her back.

---

Everyone
Westley of the Order of the Ambitious has joined the party as a Hireling. Someone can keep track of his stats, which are as follows:
Loyalty: 2
Cost: Fame and Glory
Skills: Minstrel 3, Protector 1
Other: Ambitious, Gullible, Overconfident, Member of the Order of the Ambitious

Westley has offered to go try and round up more help for the party if you want him to. (find more hirelings) If you want him to, then whoever tells him what information to spread to attract applicants can give me a Recruit roll.

quote:

Recruit
When you put out word that you’re looking to hire help, roll:

+1 if you make it known that your pay is generous
+1 if you make it known what you’re setting out to do
+1 if you make it known that they’ll get a share of whatever you find
+1 if you have a useful reputation around these parts
✴On a 10+, you’ve got your pick of a number of skilled applicants, your choice who you hire, no penalty for not taking them along. ✴On a 7–9, you’ll have to settle for someone close to what you want or turn them away. ✴On a miss someone influential and ill-suited declares they’d like to come along (a foolhardy youth, a loose-cannon, or a veiled enemy, for example), bring them and take the consequences or turn them away. If you turn away applicants you take -1 forward to recruit.

Bolen is currently out fishing, doing what he was asked to do earlier, and won't join the party again unless he is asked to.

Ilura
Marcus and Hiran left about half an hour ago. They could be anywhere by now.

Eryn
It shouldn't be too difficult to get Brigg somewhere relatively private. Although speaking with him anywhere on the ship (especially at length) is inherently risky. Additionally, the crew looks tired from the long hours they have been putting in, but don't seem particularly downtrodden considering what they have been through.

Mouse
Does Mouse have any experience on a ship? If so, what sort of experience? If not, how do they feel about sailing out into the ocean for the first time?

Ilura looked sharply at Erin when she accepted Westley's offer.  She wasn't sure the man would be useful for much more than cannon fodder - and that didn't exactly align with her own ethics, let alone her new goddess's.

Westley reinforced her impressions of him with his completely unhelpful explanation of where her companions had gone.  The only place she could think to try was the temple, but before she did that, she needed to get her bow back.  She hurried up the gangplank and spoke to the officer.  She pointed to the ring-leader.  "Can I borrow this one for a minute?", then proceeded down to her quarters.

She unloaded the bottles into a hammoc.  <blue>"I wasn't sure what you'd prefer, so I picked up a variety.  Also figured it'd be easier for you to share with your companions this way and might be a bit easier to tuck away so you don't end up sharing with anyone else.  You can divy it up with your friends as you like."

"Could I have a word, officer?" Eryn said to Brigg, deciding it was best not to make the crew privy to the fact that they already knew each other. She did her best to make it seem like the matter to discuss was entirely mundane. Once they were separated from the others, she quickly informed him of the situation.

"Brigg," she said in a low voice, "our party's wizard and the paladin had to leave on urgent business, which means we are not as strong of arms as I'd like to be. I am a bit winded myself from a monster attack that occured just now, and I'm sure the others are too. We should rest up before helping you. Will your crew be rested as well, if we leave for a few hours?"

The warrior spoke the last sentence with a meaningful glance towards the working crew members, trying to convey the battle advantage they could have if the crew exhausted themselves working, without having to speak of mutiny in clear terms where they could overhear the conversation.

---

I'll make a post for Westley in the status thread. I don't want to lose him as a potential free helping hand, so I said yes right now. We'll just kick him out again if he gets in the way.

If we go into town I'm cool with rolling for recruits too, but only if the rest of you guys (Ilura, Mouse) agree it's a good idea to increase the size of the party. Help/underlings could be great, or it could be a burden if they get in the way or demand high payment.

Ilura
Vixen looked at all of the alcohol with greedy eyes. The sailor shoved Ilura's bow back into the ranger's arms, roughly. "You brought us a lot!" she exclaimed excitedly. She then gathered up over half of the alcohol for herself and threw the other containers under two other bunks.  Maybe Vixen was bad at math, but she didn't even seem to try and calculate if the volume of booze was equal to what she had given up. The sailor paid little more attention to Ilura after that, unless addressed, as she was too busy examining all of her brand new "treasure."

Eryn
Brigg didn't seem to grasp what Eryn was getting at right away. It took a moment for the realization to dawn on him. Then, with a wink, he said, "Ah, no, I am afraid the crew will be exhausted for a day or two. It will be a while before we get back into a steady rhythm out at sea. Especially considering we lost a few crew members to death and injuries. But!" The officer held up a finger to emphasize his point. "But, I did get the captain to agree to let you and your companions gain passage with us, so long as you pull your weight with some minor duties around the ship. Swabbing decks, preparing meals, etc. Nothing too advanced. She said it was the least she could do for your help with the jotun, and and that it is cheaper than hiring new crew right now. We leave at sunset though, so make sure all of your people are on board before the last rays dip below the horizon. You can make Officer Mar's quarter's your own while on the ship. It will be cramped for more than one or two people to stay there, but I think you can make do for one trip."

What do you do?

Mouse shoved the bottles of alcohol they were carrying at Ilura as she was leaving and it wasn't long before they were standing with Westley alone by the gangplank. The halfling looked up at Westley, shrugged and pointed back over their shoulder.

"I'm going to head to the bathhouse while they figure out what we're doing next. I have no idea what's going on and I suspect I'm not going to be much help right now and I stink of bird and fish. If Eryn asks, no I haven't run away. I'll be back after a bath and I find some new shoes. I'll start with the shoes so she can catch up on the bath thing." Mouse said amicably, pausing to say one more thing before heading back down the gangplank and to the nearest cobbler then bath house. "I'm Mouse, by the way."

---

Mouse has been a passenger on a ship and may or may not have been involved in a few quiet moves of cargo as it was moving from ship to warehouse or warehouse to ship, but Mouse has never worked on a ship.

Mouse is of the opinion that the more big people with weapons there are when confronting a demon, the better. They think that the big people make a good distraction and also things to hide behind. Plus demons are dangerous. I'm of the opinion that maybe a healer or other holy person would not be a bad idea?

"Ilura.  Nice shooting earlier, by the way."  The ranger waved to the halfling as they headed off the ship.

"If you can share some of the coin, there's a weapon I'd like to purchase and I'd also like to spend some time at the temple.  And check on the wolf people.  I'm hoping one of the two might have an idea of how to keep those bodies from being useful.  Do you want to take our new friend and see who else you can recruit - and maybe whether there's anything else useful to acquire at that market?"

I can heal, but a priest isn't a bad idea.  Does the -1 only apply to the next action or until you get non-priest healing?

An adept and a warrior and/or protector wouldn't be a bad idea either.

The -1 from a Priest's healing is just for the next move roll you make. (Or until enough time passes or you get some other type of proper healing.)

Someone can go ahead and give me a Recruit roll too. Let me know which of the four bonuses you are applying to the roll. You definitely get to add the last one. "+1 if you have a useful reputation around these parts."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:29, Sat 24 Nov 2018.

"Thanks, we'll make do," Eryn replied to Brigg. "One of us don't need that much space and I'm fairly certain I've slept in worse conditions."

She returned to the group and found that the others were already leaving for town. "I've got some coin to spare, Ilura," she mentioned, having overheard the last part of their conversation. "Though keep in mind we may need to leave enough to pay food and sundries for some recruits as well."

---

In addition to the bonus you mention I would add "letting them know what you are setting out to do." I don't want to end up with recruits that are clueless to ongoing events. I agree that someone with healing and/or demon-smiting magic would be a good choice.

FTR, I currently don't have anything else to do on the ship, and I'm done shopping for myself, so Eryn will tag along to wash up before finding recruits (and maybe rest to recover HP if possible).

"Do you have a budget?" Mouse asked as they waited for the others since it seemed like everyone was hitting the bathhouse before a potentially long voyage without. "For bodies and for supplies, that is. We can pick up more supplies at the market and recruit while we're there if you have a budget and a list from the quartermaster."

---

Are we paying well? I'm assuming a +1 from letting people know what they're getting in to and a +1 from our rep at the market for helping.

"We have about 150 coins I would say, give or take. We can't afford to waste money on any recruits who might run off early, so I would say no payment up front. Also we should write work contracts." Eryn waved dismissively with her hand as if she didn't really care about the finer details at the moment.

"But first... a quick wash-up and rest. Funny how it works: When you're hired as a bodyguard on the road people will want you to be sweaty and covered in blood, but when you wish to give a good impression in a civilized area you have to be presentable no matter what grisly work you'll be doing."

---

Took a bath: Healed half my max HP (just enough to get back to full). Changed into fresh clothes.