As the group traveled down the pier and neared Captain Frost's ship, orders could be heard being called out to the crew. Whereas most of the ship crews had long since secured their vessels and hunkered down for the storm, Captain Frost's ship was as active as ever. When the party arrived, a deckhand hurried them aboard so that they might retract the gangplank. The storm had not quite reached Markhain yet, but a drizzle was starting and wind was making the waters choppier by the minute. Everyone was led up to the prow of the ship where Captain frost stared out at the coming storm, her icy skin glistening in the last rays of daylight, with the woman only occasionally turning to issue a quick order to her crew.

While still looking out to the storm ahead, she said to the party, "You made it back in time. I was beginning to wonder. And with new faces too." She looked with curiosity to Sybilla, the new hirelings, and then finally to Marcus's arm. "I see the ice crystals in your arm have stabilized. That's a good sign." She looked to the sea again "We need to raise anchor and leave as soon as possible. When a storm rolls in like this, it sometimes attracts great sea beasts to the shoreline. They like to gobble what the waves churn up. We need to get out ahead of them, or wait until the storm passes. And that could be days. Days we do not have. I have a schedule to keep." Those that knew of Frost's Devil's Bargain could sense a bit of extra urgency in her words.

"The upper decks can become quite treacherous in a storm, so walk around at your own risk. Just do not get in the way of my crew, especially when the wind is against us like this. A few seconds wasted can sometimes spell disaster. I will send someone to issue your chores eventually, but I am unsure when that will be." She turned abruptly to the side and yelled, "RAISE ANCHOR!" and then turned back to the party. "If there is anything else you need, ask it now. I don't expect myself or the rest of the crew to have any time for trivialities until we break through the storm." She looked to everyone questioningly, but continued shooting glances around the ship to make sure her crew was handling everything appropriately.

What do you do?

Sibella stepped up closer to the captain and the side of the ship. She scanned the waves, looking out to the horizon. She said "A little water won't hurt me and I can handle myself on a ship. A gaping monster maw on the other hand..." then asked the captain about the seas they would be passing through. In the back of her mind she tried to think which sort of sea beasts they might contact in that area. Other than the mundane creatures that her people worked with.

18:54, Today: Sybilla rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Spout Lore (Sea Beasts).
This message was last edited by the player at 02:18, Thu 10 Jan 2019.

Ilura eyed the storm nervously.  On land, she'd have been unconcerned - there was always shelter if you knew where to look.  But there was no shelter on the open sea.

She nodded her head and kept silent.  The less delay, the better their chances of outrunning the storm, though sailing against the wind didn't sound promising.

She stowed her bow and quiver below decks in her hamock, on the premise that they were most likely to stay dry there.  She stroked Thomas' head and guided him to perch on the hook of the swinging bed.  [It's likely to get pretty wet above, and I wouldn't want you to blow away.  If I have need of you, I'll call.]

Then she returned to the deck and positioned herself so she was out of the way, but was still within voice range of the captain and where she could best see the sea ahead.  Her vision wouldn't help much with seeing through the rain, but seeing in the dark might help at least a little...

"Understood, captain, and thank you for taking us aboard," Eryn replied, in a voice just loud enough to be heard over the wind, which had picked up its speed and now ruffled hair and clothing every chance it got. The warrior's grip held firmly onto the spear she carried. The wind could not steal it away from her - it was not strong enough for that - but there was a mounting tension in her that she couldn't seem to get rid of. If they were to mention the Devil's Bargain before they got too far from land to abandon ship, now was the best time.

Eryn did not know Captain Frost, so she found herself unable to read the woman's facial expression and discern her feelings. There was an undertone of stress in her eyes, perhaps, but nothing else that would seem to indicate that knowledge of the Bargain could be used to pressure Frost into altering her course or spill the beans about the overlord.

In the midst of all the sailors running to and from, busy with all the work that needed to be done to allow a ship to safely travel across the ocean, Eryn decided to treat it like a battle. Don't focus on the distractions. Focus on the important parts. Do they look like comrades or merely workers that happen to be in the same place? Would they be as coordinated in a fight as they are in the rigging? Do they truly value Frost, or do they merely respect her orders for now? The crew would be the tipping point of the conflict, if Captain Frost was too far gone to see reason. Without their support, the group could easily get overwhelmed, and if they did not they would simply not be able to land the ship.

I hope Marcus got to know her better, Eryn thought, he has more leverage than me, given his status.

She didn't have time to think for long, she knew that. A few seconds, maybe, before Frost went her own way and any further talk would be awkward and rushed. On the other hand that would also them all much better time to lay proper plans from here on out. She recalled the advice the spirits had given her. Come to an agreement, or stab her in her sleep. One was risky, the other amoral. Still, the experienced fighter couldn't shake the feeling that a head-on confrontation, naturally ending in mutiny and a forewarned battle, would be a mistake to walk into.

Eryn scrutinized the pale captain and the crew as best she could in those few moments she had, and tried her best to read the situation.

---

12:16, Today: Eryn rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities (Frost and crew).
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What should I be on the lookout for?
Who's really in control here?
That's a miss. I'll just mark XP then.

Marcus nodded in agreement with Frost's assessment "It feels better as well." The paladin followed the captain's gaze and observed the incoming storm. It was an apt representation of the situation they have found themselves in.

"Captain." Marcus squared his shoulders and met the ice woman's eye "Once we're on calmer seas, I'd appreciate some of your time." he started off towards the repaired lower deck "Until then, we'll be out of your way. Unless you'll require our assistance."

The captain nodded to Marcus as he took his leave, then turned to address Sybilla's questions about the course the ship was set to take. "We'll travel south along the coast until Cliffport, then head west toward the Cane Islands. From there we'll make a quick jump over to the Lansel Peninsula and cut down across the Hazy Sea. And it will only be a short while further before we reach our destination, the sunset isles." Satisfied that she had answered everything she needed to, the captain walked off to supervise the altering of one of the ship's sails.

On the surface that sounded like a perfectly reasonable course for a ship to take. But to an experienced sailor like Sybilla, she knew it spoke of urgency. A desperate attempt to make up some lost time. For while sea beasts were possible anywhere out on the ocean, in one of those areas they were much more common. People only went through there if they were paid a lot, or they were desperate for speed.

As Eryn observed the crew, she noticed two things about them. The first was that most followed Frost's orders without a second thought. They seemed to trust her judgement. Secondly, those who were less enthusiastic about doing exactly as the captain said seemed to also be the sailors who were not in top peak condition. The fighter got the sense that sailors who might join their revolt would also be the sailors who were... lesser quality.

By this point the ship had made it across the harbor and was passing the lighthouse that signaled they were both leaving Markhain, and the safety of the harbor. And right on cue, as they exited, the waves intensified tenfold. Those of the party more accustom to life on land could feel their lunches from hours ago still churning in their stomachs. To make matters worse, the sky cracked with lightning and the rains suddenly poured down like buckets. Secure footing became an immediate necessity to avoid getting knocked around, or worse, falling overboard.

It was definitely going to be a bumpy ride.

What do you do?

---

Eryn, Marcus and Ilura
Give me a Con roll to avoid gaining the Sick condition (-1 to future Con rolls) until the storm ends.

Sybilla
Either Cliffport, the Cane Islands, Lansel Peninsula, or the Hazy Sea is known by sailors to have a disproportionate number of sea monsters. Which location? What type of sea monsters?

Eryn
It seems the best of the best sailors will probably remain loyal to Frost. Or at the very least, not be disloyal.

quote:

18:19, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 2d6+1.  Con check.

That's a failure unless someone wants to aid me.  (How does one help someone else not puke, anyhow?  Anyone have some peppermint tea? :>)

Sybilla thought far back to her travels through the kingdoms of her people. Some were easy enough, well-swam  routes. Others were full of large sharks or even the lone wandering sea beast. Only one filled her with dread and still brought nightmares to in dreams after many a long year.

The Sartena Serpent helped give the Hazy Sea its name. Located where warm waters met cold fog tended to roll in with some consistency. If the mist suddenly grows warmer and thicker though, hope or pray. The waters begin to boil and steam around the ship as the serpent circles below growing hotter and hotter. Once you see its white hot spines break the surface... it's too late. Whether the creature cooks you in your now burning wooden vessel or snaps you up in its sizzling maw, your only escape is a final one into the steaming soup of a sea.

Sibella shivered and hoped they could take over the ship and steer it away from the creature before then.

The travel did not sit well with Marcus, but the Paladin endured the sea witches magic, so he trusted in his ability to make it through the storm. But the risk that the captain put them in was worrying.

"Once we're through the waves, I hope to find a solution to her problem that doesn't leave anyone on the ship in trouble." paladin said as they sat huddled in the hold "If it fails, we can consider alternatives."

18:08, Sat 12 Jan: Marcus rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Dealing with the waves (Con).

"Come on, let's get below deck," Eryn said, and did not wait to see if the others were following. The rocking of the ship was unfamiliar to her, but she had felt sick all too often of late to really manage another bout of it. "Even if there are monsters around, there's no point in getting all wet and cold before they even show their ugly faces." The warrior felt reasonably certain that the experienced crew would not be stupid enough to sail straight into a sea monster's territory, and so she tried to keep a casual attitude about it, even if her instincts were already telling her she should have stayed on safe, dry land.

In truth, she also wished to get some peace and quiet so she could focus on their task at hand, and perhaps snoop around a bit. It was best to do it now, while the crew was busy setting sail and not too focused on places where passengers may not be allowed. Since the secret about the jotun cargo was already out, there was hopefully little reason to stop her from seeing the creatures.

"I'll be back in a moment," she said to the others, and rose to peep outside their cabin.

No one had asked for the bottles of sedative liquid that Eryn had stashed away earlier. If all went well, the sailors wouldn't think to ask either. Though an honorable warrior would usually shy away from using such methods, a non-lethal poison could be a very humane way of putting Captain Frost out of action for some time. She absentmindedly rubbed the location of one of many old scars hidden beneath the sleeves of her shirt. If there was something Eryn had learned on the road, it was that giving the enemy any leeway was a good way to get stabbed. A headache from sleeping poison was preferable to death, no matter whose it was.

Eryn reached into her bag and drew forth the book where she kept her notes. She shot a glance over her shoulder to ensure no one was looking, then she flipped the pages until she reached one where she had jotted down notes from Hiran's teachings on seeking out magic. It was a simple spell, but not one she felt entirely familiar with yet. Still, if she was to disable herself with a faulty spell, it was now she had the time to wait for it to wear off.

"Medeivisus," the apprentice wizard said in a low voice, while closing her eyes and resting one finger on each eyelid. Stay calm, she reminded herself, focus on the magic, not the words. Immediately, she saw a flow of odd colors surge through the blackness, settling a moment later. My own flow of energy. It worked.

Eryn opened her now magically enhanced eyes and looked around herself.

---

18:42, Sat 12 Jan: Eryn rolled 12 using 2d6+1.  Avoid seasickness (Con).
21:11, Today: Eryn rolled 10 using 2d6.  Cast a Spell (Detect Magic: Sight).
What here is magical?
This message was last edited by the player at 20:15, Mon 14 Jan 2019.

Eryn pretty much had free reign of the halls below the top deck. She even managed to find the area where the jotun were kept. They were separated by a large sliding door with a lock on it, but the door had barred windows she could peek through. It looked like the sleeping giants were being kept in an area where horses might normally be stored. There were three of them in total, but one was the one the party had slain on the docks. Frost had several large blocks of ice near it, no doubt to keep it as fresh as possible. The other two breathed laboriously underneath their weighted chains, but were alive. No magics seemed to be active anywhere under the ship. The blocks of ice had a faint aura, but were not themselves magical. Probably merely created by the captain's magic.

---

After the group got settled into their cramped quarters and managed to share what they had learned throughout the day, they heard an urgent knock on their door. It was Vixen. The woman who had blackmailed Ilura into buying her alcohol. However, the look on her face said the reason she was here was all business.

"We need you guys to join the bucket line. There was a hole not patched right. Frost iced it up for now, but the water that got in is dragging us down." She started off down the hall, not waiting for a response. "Gotta get the water out! Already got your buddies out helping us." All of the hirelings were given spaces to stay in the main crew quarters.

The sailor led the others to a stairwell that went nearly directly from the lowest level of the ship up to the top. Westley was running up and down the stairs energetically, carrying two buckets at a time, but clumsily spilling half the liquid they contained. When he saw the party, he frowned. "You woke them? I said I could empty this ship on my own..." He seemed more disappointed in Vixen's lack of faith in him than the party's presence. But he shrugged and continued his trip back up the steps.

Down below, Silas could be seen standing in a room with waist-high water. His snakes swam around him in spiraling patterns as he dipped buckets into the sloshing water and handed them off to others. Opal lifted the buckets directly up through a hatch in the ceiling, displaying surprising strength for such a tiny gargoyle. Lady Mirrorsheen, on the other hand, had a tin coffee cup that she seemed to be struggling to maneuver through the air with.

"Make a line," Vixen instructed. "We got enough people now that we don't have to keep running all the way up and down. Big guy, there. Spear-lady, there. Triton, over there. Booze-girl, up top, out in the rain." The sly smile she gave indicated she was purposefully putting Ilura in what she considered to be the most miserable location. Apparently there was still a little contempt between the two.

The job itself was not overly difficult, so long as you kept your footing on the rocking ship. It was tiring though. And very, very wet, even below decks. All seemed to be going well though until Ilura's cat eyes spotted something out in the darkness among the waves. It was a lifeboat, bobbing violently up and down. And there was someone in it...

What do you do?

---

Ilura
You gain the Sickened condition until the storm ends.

Marcus
You get -1 to your next Con roll before the storm ends, but you are good after that.

Eryn
There are no notable magics anywhere below decks. Other than the items your group possesses, that is.

Sybilla
I like the monster.

Mithralan
Welcome to the plot! You are in a lifeboat out in a storm. How is that going for you? Oh, and there is a ship that you can spot when the lightning lights up the sky.

“Eeeeehhyyyiiii!” Mithralan whooped at the top of his lungs as he barely kept his balance standing in the lifeboat as it crested yet another large wave. His hair whipping in the wind, he adjusted his grip on the rope tied to the front of the boat, and his other hand dug his trusty harpoon a bit deeper into the side of the boat.
The next wave came even closer to tipping him into the deep blue, and while he held no fear of that he didn’t relish the thought that he risked hitting his head on the boat if he fell. While storm surfing was as fun a pastime as usual, this was quickly proving to be one of those storms that were too big for it to be done safely. But if he jumped and turned into a fish or the like now, he’d Have to abandon his beloved boat! The boat that had been his home, bed and safe haven for the last two weeks. Plus, lost as he was, he hated to idea of swimming from now on without his boat. Sure, he could stay in Aquarian form as long as he wished, but he at least wanted the option to get back in the boat and turn normal for naps...

It was in the midst of this dilemma that he noted the silhoutte of a ship in the light from the the lightning strikes. His face broke out into a wide smile, for while he couldn’t see what kind of ship or crew it was from here, he could see at least one passenger looking in his direction.
So it was with a wide, sharptoothed grin that the antlered, barechested man waved cheerfully at the ship, letting out another High pitched whoop of joy as he all in all looked almost insultingly comfortable considering they were in the midst of a frigging storm!

OOC:
Oh, Lan’s certainly had better days but aside from his heart achingly painful choice about whether or not to abandon his beloved boat, he’s actually quite well. When you’re capable of at any moment Jumping under the waves and simply riding out the storm safely as a fish, it looses a lot of it’s dangerous allure. It’s an inconvenience turned extreme sport more than an actual danger in his mind, really.
But after a few weeks alone he’ll certainly welcome company and food other than raw fish. That’s a fact.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:27, Wed 16 Jan 2019.

Ilura swore softly.  It didn't take a naval expert to realize that the small boat had no hope of making it to shore before the full force of the storm hit - and that its odds of making it through such a storm unscathed were slim to none.  On the other hand, the captain could scarce afford dropping sail to assist, and given her current priorities, the chances she'd do so would alsobe slim to none.  Unfortunately, Ilura's conscience couldn't bear the thought of leaving this poor soul to the mercy of the waves.

She ran from her position in the bucket brigade towards the captain, easily keeping her footing as she ran along the slickened deck of the tossing ship - though she paused briefly to choke back down some lunch that was trying for the third time to join the rain on the deck.  She shouted over the rising wind.

"THERE'S SOMEONE OUT THERE IN A SKIFF.  I'M GOING TO TRY TO GET THEM TO THE BOAT.  GET SOMEONE TO DROP A ROPE OR A LADDER"

With that, she ran to the edge of the ship, willed herself into a queen sea-buzzard and launched herself towards the small boat.

quote:

17:54, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Turn into queen sea-buzzard.

Sybilla had quickly joined the bucket brigade when suddenly there were shouts of  a man overboard. Contemplating where she could be of the most use, she aired on the side of what could be the most fun. Of course she also couldn't be outdone by a seasick buzzard.

  She hung her sword on a nearby hook and rushed up to the deck. Untieing one end of a long length of rigging while leaving the other secure, she then took a running (and sliding) leap off the side of the boat. She flung herself out in the direction of the lifeboat. Letting out a whoop that rivalled the sound of the crashing waves she shouted "One rope coming up!"

This message was last edited by the player at 02:41, Wed 16 Jan 2019.

Eryn's strong arms made it easy for her to handle the buckets, even filled to the brim as they were. While absent-mindlessly helping to carry the load from person to person as quickly as she could, she felt some degree of concern for the poor fairy, who seemed to be doing little to help the situation at all despite her obvious struggle.

"Lady," she called out, when the fairy was about to pass her with the little tin cup spilling a trail of water behind it. "I do not wish to imply that you are not pulling your weight, but perhaps another task would suit you better? We have the leak under control for now, I believe, but if you have some magic that could ease the work, that would be much appreciated."

She hesitated for a moment, looked around to ensure Vixen had left, then added so her other companions could hear: "The jotun that was killed last night has been frozen with some sort of ice spell. It looks like they are trying to keep it preserved. I detected no other magic below deck."

As Mithralan bobbed up and down in his boat, an unexpected sight met his eye. Over on the ship he could just make out through the darkness, two figures leaping off of the ship into the tumultuous sea. One of them hit the water, rope in hand. The other transformed into a huge bird mid-air. A jet-black pelican with a serrated beak, most commonly known as a sea buzzard. This one was also much larger than normal.

Waves threatened to lap at its wings as it flew near, and the wind was causing trouble as well, but it did eventually make it without incident.

Under the waves, Sybilla moved through the water with incredible grace, even in the rough water. As she headed toward the small boat with her rope, she noticed one of her adventuring gear came loose when she hit the water. It was sinking away rapidly into the depths. She could still reach it before it got away, but it would mean letting go of her rope, and by extension, her connection to the ship. That would make the rescue much more difficult that it already would be.

---

Back on the ship, Lady Mirrorsheen paused mid-flight and hovered near Eryn, her wings creating a faint but steady hum. "Believe you me, this is certainly not my preferred choice of activity by any means. But we were asked to assist, so assisting I am. That is what I do. Assist. Whether it be this task or casting magic. My magic is not very potent on its own." The old fairy put a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "Although I may be able to patch up the hole in a more permanent fashion, come to think of it. Regrow the wood to create a tighter seal. It would take some time though. Hmm... I will go investigate." She flew off to go check if she could mend the breach with her fae magics.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Your moves are:
Swallow Whole
Regurgitate Acid
Pluck from the Water

Sybilla
You dove safely into the water, but one of you Adventuring Gears came loose. In order to grab it before it is lost for good, you'll have to let go of your rope. Which will probably create other complications instead.

Eryn
We can assume you managed to tell everyone about your findings after Vixen left, but before Mithralan was spotted.

As Ilura approached the boat, doing her best to compensate for the frequent strong gusts of wind, she took stock of the situation and tried to figure out how best to get the unfortunate passenger to safety.

How big is my beak?  Could I safely carry a human if I wanted to?  Do I think I could actually fly?

quote:

20:09, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Discern realities.

What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me? (in terms of getting Mithralan to safety - e.g. a rope I can use to pull the boat)
What here is not what it appears to be?

Ilura
You are big enough that you could easily lift a human up if you were on land, but probably couldn't fly more than a few feet with one in your beak before you nose dive. Your beak is probably as long as a person is tall, but narrow and serrated.

What should I be on the lookout for?
Rogue waves. All the waves are large, but every now and then there is one that springs up taller than the rest.

What here is useful or valuable to me? (in terms of getting Mithralan to safety - e.g. a rope I can use to pull the boat)
There is a rope attached to the front of the boat that Mithrilan is currently holding onto as he stands in his boat and rides the huge waves.

What here is not what it appears to be?
Mitrilan. He does not appear to be as distressed as you would expect. In fact, he doesn't seem distressed at all for someone in his position.

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

Ilura's brain quickly correlated this newcomer with Westly Great.  Another fool who doesn't know when to be afraid...

She skimmed close to the water and grabbed the end of the rope now trailing overboard as gently as she could in her serrated beak and flapped her powerful wings, trying to pull it toward the ship before it left them well behind.

quote:

23:18, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 2d6+1.  Try to pull the boat.

I'm guessing that pulling the boat is going to take strength.  If it takes con, with my -1, that'd be the same modifier at the moment.  I'm using my +1.

That's a fail unless someone is able to aid

Mithralan looked on at the apparentl rescue attempt, first with bemused confusion, then sheepisness, then finally gratefulness at their selfless attitudes. Something fairly rare in a situation like this. Sure, most ships would Pick up a castaway, but during a storm?
Even more importantly, he was being rescued by another druid! His kind were so rarely found on the open sea, he’d In fact only ever met one other sea druid. This was cause for celebration.
... Well, as soon as he showed his misguided sister that he was quite safe, that is.

“I appreciate the assistance, sister, but it’s actually unneeded!” He yelled above the noise of the wind and waves. “I believe your brave friend is in more need of savin’ than meself. Less of course she’s another sibling of the Wild as Well!”

After yelling his piece, Mithralan grabbed his harpoon and meager belongings, before Jumping as High in the air as he could. At the top of his jump, a ripple went through his form and he changed instantly, almost as if his body had become as fluid as the sea itself, into a large White Seabird. A mighty Albatross. Although this albatross distinguished itself from others with the pair of antlers that grew from it’s skull, and the sharp row of shark teeth that revealed themselves lining the inside of it’s beak when it let out a sharp cry to ensure it had the other bird’s attention.

OOC:
Mithralan turns into an albatross. One of the biggest sea birds should have enough weight and strength to Maneuver the storm at least as Well as a sea buzzard :)

07:00, Today: Mithralan rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  Shapeshifting into Albatross.

So that’s a birdie with two hold to make moves with.

This message was last edited by the player at 08:43, Thu 17 Jan 2019.

"Thank you," Eryn told the fairy, "tell me if you need my help and I'll come."

She next turned to Silas, who was handling the work much better than their smaller ally. Work was going steadily, thanks to him. The strong man had also implied he could do it all on his own if need be. "Silas, they yelled something about someone in a boat, struggling in the storm," she said, "I already pulled one man from the waters yesterday, I imagine I should help do it again, if you've got everything under control here for the time being."

With the water being everywhere, and still moving from person to person in the bucket line with no sign of stopping just yet, Eryn tried to get a good overview of the situation.

09:26, Today: Eryn rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities (situation below deck).
What is about to happen?

Marcus followed Ilura after she noticed the ship in distress, pausing just long enough to check with Eryn - with a look and a nod - that she's handling the situation with the leak. Once on the main deck, the paladin watched Ilura and Sybilla both rush towards the skiff, taking routs which he couldn't follow.

His hands gripped the railing of the ship and he stuck his head out as far as he could without topping over, trying to make out anything in the lightning steaked night. While the triton's rope was secured, he still checked the surroundings for anything else that could be used to help a person back onto the ship. During the search, he had an opportunity to see how the crew was reacting to the whole rescue attempt.

19:13, Today: Marcus rolled 11 using 2d6+1.  Discern realities - the rescue attempt.
What here is not what it appears to be?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?

Sibella swam ahead, not giving a second thought to the gear she was letting sink to the sea floor. She pulled the rope out as far as she could, still not far enough to reach the boat or get a good look at their face. That was when the person in the boar turned into a similar sea bird as Illura. Sibella sat in the water for a moment with her mouth agape then swore loudly. "By Ryleh's tower, I hate these damn shapeshifters. Help pull the boat to me in you rotten seagulls!"

It was a lucky thing that Mithralan vacated his life boat when he did. As Ilura worked to tow the empty vessel toward the awaiting Sybilla, she could feel her seasickness edging up on her innards once again, even in her current form. Try as she might to resist, the sickness involuntarily surfaced, causing the bird-ranger to spew all over the lifeboat below her. And sea buzzards have acidic vomit...

Sybilla watched in despair as the lifeboat she had risked so much to help retrieve dissolved right in front of her, quickly taking on too much water and sinking below the waves. The triton warrior suddenly found herself treading water in a storm with no discernible goal, holding a rope.

Back on the ship, Silace nodded to Eryn. "Go. Do what you need to do. We will manage here. I think Westley will be more than eager to help pick up the slack. Or try anyway," he said with a smirk.

As the fighter made her way up the stairs, a figure down a hallway caught her eye. It was small, familiar, and obscured by shadow. Whoever it was quickly ducked around a corner, quite suspiciously, obviously not wanting to be spotted. Whoever was slinking about would be able to escape detection unless Eryn abandoned going up top to help, and instead went to investigate.

Up top, Marcus quickly noticed some netting stowed alongside the ship that he could lower for Sybilla to climb. It would certainly provide her with more handholds than a soaking wet rope. It was at this point the paladin took note of the crew's lack of assistance in the rescue attempt. Many shot curious glances over at the situation, but they continued to man the rigging and do other vital tasks aboard the ship. It wasn't a malicious sort of neglect, but it seemed Frost was content to let the party play heroes on their own so long as there was no immediate danger to her crew or ship.

What do you do?

---

Mithralan
How do you make your entrance and introduce yourself aboard the ship?

Here are your Albatross moves:
Fly a great distance without tiring
Locate squid, fish, or krill
Bring bad luck to those who harm you

Ilura
Your seasickness came back with a vengeance. you spewed your acidic acid all over the lifeboat, ruining any hopes of utilizing it.

Eryn
What is about to happen?
Someone you spotted slinking around suspiciously is about to escape back out of sight.

Marcus
What here is not what it appears to be?
Other than the two shapeshifters, nothing appears to be as it shouldn't. There also seems to be a bit of disruption in the bucket line.

What should I be on the lookout for?
In the future Frost probably won't have her people assist you in dangerous situations unless it is necessary.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
There is a net you could lower that would make it easier for Sybilla to climb back aboard.

Sybilla
The person you jumped into a raging sea to save, risking your own life, didn't need saving. The boat you tried to salvage just dissolved and sank before your eyes. Not your most satisfying day...

Ilura's shock at her rescue target suddenly turning into a bird disrupted her concentration at a particularly inopportune time.  She circled above the sinking boat, trying to decide whether she should be annoyed at the risk she and her friends had unnecessarily put themselves at, or embarrassed for sinking the ship.

[I guess you'll be needing a new place to perch.  Welcome aboard]

She wheeled and made her way back to the ship, resuming her human form and gripped the railing as she steadied both herself and her stomach.

EDIT: formatting
This message was last edited by the player at 22:38, Sat 19 Jan 2019.

[Well, I never turn down an offer for a comfy perching spot. Lead the way, sister.] Mithralan cried back merrily att he other bird, following her to the ship.
Returning to his elven form a foot or two above the deck, he landed steadily on his feet next to Marcus. Shaking his head to get the worst rain water out of his Hair so it didn’t drip into his eyes, he gave a sharp toothed grin to the paladin.
“Ahoy friend. Nice weather, yah?” He said before turning and eyeing Sybilla in the water. “We should get your brave friend out so I Can thank her for the kindness. Would be a poor sort indeed if I let’er drown after she jumped in fer me, needed or not.”

With that said he grabbed onto this end of the rope she’d jumped in the water with, intending to pull her towards the ship.

OOC:
Probably Best if Marcus makes any strength check or the like needed to pull sybilla in, since my str is only mediocre and his is likely higher than that. Then I Can make an aid roll if/when it’s necessary. That is, if he pulls the rope with me, obviously.

I guess two water-shifters can handle a boat on their won for a minute longer, Eryn thought, and abruptly changed her course to go after the shadow she had seen sneaking around. The only one allowed to sneak around here is me, she mentally added.

She half wanted to call out "I saw you," but decided against it. This person was hiding from both her and the rest of the crew, and Captain Frost did not necessarily need to know about any stowaways if they could be helpful to their cause. Not being entirely certain who or what it was, the fighter steeled herself in case the being pounced on her from the darkness around the corner. She did not pull any of her weapons, however, reasoning that it would be silly for either of them to randomly attack the other with killing intent in such a place.

---

How familiar are we talking here?

Marcus had retrieved the net just as Mithralan landed and sprayed him with water. Not that it mattered in the downpour. The paladin raised an eyebrow at the greeting "Maybe for fish." he retorted and prepared to lower the makeshift ladder for Sybilla. "And this should work better." The waves and the wind did not make the task easy, and Marcus struggled not to lose the grip on the drenched ropework.

15:39, Today: Marcus rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Defy danger? Hold the net for the climb. Well, that's marginal.

Sibella just shook her head and sighed in defeat. She would have a few things to say to their new castaway addition once she got back to the ship. Something about him did seem familiar, strange as it was she swore she had seen that exact seabird before. She swam swiftly back to the boat, grabbed ahold of the netting Marcus was holding and made her way up. When she was nearly all the way up she shouted to Marcus in a cynical tone "See what happens when you do something for the greater good!"

promptly letting go of the rope and grabbing onto the netting Marcus was holding instead, Mithralan whistled a jaunty tune to himself, before stopping to listen closer as Sybilla neared the ship's railing.

"Hmm, I know that grouching... Is that you Sybs? HI SYBS!" He yelled happily, almost letting go of the net to wave when she got onto the ship, only barely remembering that holding on to the net would probably make it easier for her to actually get aboard without falling into the water again.
"Thanks for trying, friend! Is this your latest posting? it's a nice ship, though a bit of a downgrade from your last posting, ya? Who's your sister friend, by the way? Didn't know you had other druids. Might almost feel hurt if we weren't in a open friendship." He jabbered on.

He usually wasn't mmore of a talker than the next guy, but two weeks with no one to talk to except fish, whose favourite subjects where limited to other fish and the eating of such, he was in a surprisingly dire need of stimulating conversation.

As Marcus and Mithralan worked to help pull Sybilla up out of the sea, everything went pretty smoothly considering the situation. The only real complication was that by the time the net was drawn all the way back up, the ice shards on Marcus's arm were thoroughly tangled in with the netting. It would be a minute or two before the paladin would be able to untangle himself and get his hand free again.

Now that their rescue attempt looked to be complete, an old grumpy dwarven officer limped over to the crew. Nobody in the party had officially met him before, but it was quite obvious this was Officer Dorian Gravelborough, the greedy bookkeeper. "You people just insist on bringing in more mouths to feed, don't ya!" He eyed Mithralan up and down, judging him. He did not seem impressed. "Well, I'm not going to allow all y'all to cut into our bottom line any further. His rations are coming out of your group's allotment." He gave one last look of disapproval before adding, "Now get back to work. All of you. We don't pay you to stand and suck your thumbs." Of course, the party wasn't being paid at all.

Down below decks, Eryn investigated the mysterious figure she had seen. As she reached the end of the hall and turned the corner, she happened upon a person trying to climb atop a large crate and hide under a tarp. It was a small person, and only their feet were still showing, but Eryn still instantly knew who it was. Because you see, the feet belonged to a halfling that had needed to replace their shoes only a few hour earlier. And Eryn saw those new shoes, shortly before the halfling decided to disappear and wander off on their own without so much as a toodaloo.

Eryn had discovered Mouse.

For whatever reason, the halfling had decided to sneak aboard the ship on their own, separate from the rest of the party. And now Eryn had discovered them. Although Mouse hasn't realized it yet.

What do you do?

---

Eryn
You have discovered that Mouse the thief has snuck onto the ship as a stowaway. Mouse doesn't know that you have spotted them yet though. It is up to you if you reveal yourself or keep it your own personal secret.

Marcus
Your arm got pretty tangled up in the fishing line. If anything happens in the near future, it could be a hindrance to you.

Everyone
You have been told to get back to work on the bucket line. If you comply, you can feel free to talk among yourselves as you work, or skip ahead to after you are done with the bucket line and back in your quarters. Then, when you decide what you want to do, we can go from there. If you want to cover some distance before you try anything, we can do Perilous Journey rolls for part or all of the trip. If you want to do something right away, we can move on to that.

Sybilla shook her head when she saw who the damned shapeshifter was. "Lan? It's been a while. Eh, this job's not too bad. What it lacks in quality, I have reason to believe will be made up in adventure." She made sure the officer especially heard the quality comment. She was used to ship bookkeepers and their hardnosed attitudes and she couldn't help but poke a little fun att them. She took Lan aside and helped him get to work. She made sure to work in a place that provided them a little privacy so she could catch the druid up on what she knew of the plans in motion.

---

OOC: I'm leaning toward putting some Perilous Journey rolls behind us and looking for a better opening.

Eryn weighed the options in her head. Making Mouse aware of the fact that she had spotted him would ruin any potential surprise which she could make use of later. On the other hand, not informing him was likely to make him go through her bag at night. Or something. The warrior honestly wasn't certain of how thieves like him would operate.

"Mouse," she finally said, loud enough to be heard over the storm but hopefully not so loud anyone else would hear. "What are you doing on board, you rascal? I though you had decided to ditch us in Markhain."

She watched the halfling warily, in case he decided to run off again. What could he be doing in this place anyway? There wasn't anything useful on the ship, and the road ahead would only be dangerous, as far as the warrior could tell.

---

21:05, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities (Mouse).
What is about to happen?

After (mostly) regaining control of her belly, Ilura retook her place in the bucket line, now extended by the newcomer.

"I'm not a druid I'm afraid.  I just recently gained the power of shifting forms.  I don't know many though, and less still of the creatures themselves."

I'm happy to make one of the rolls

Marcus started untangling the net from his arm as he watched Sybilla and Mithralan greet each other, smiling. "What does happen when you seek to help others?" the paladin almost teased "You find old friends? There are worse things to do than show you're ready to put the good of others before your safety."

Still struggling with the net, Marcus moved back down to continue the efforts to remove the water from the ship, although it might be a while before he could actually get the work done.

"Eh, what can you do? Sometimes you just end up sailing with people you don't mesh with. That's life. Like my last crew, the craven gits. They gave me right up fer their own safety when we got boarded by pirates and they decided that a druid would make for some fine extra booty." Mithralan grouched as he worked. "I mean sure I get it, it was the wiser thing to do in the situation.... Didn't have to be so quick to agree to hand me over, though."

He watched with interest as Ilura settled her stomach and raised an eyebrow at her explanation of her shifting power.
"Huh, didn't know non-druids could shift now. Guess you'll be just a step-sister then. I'll be darned... Though a few more people who can see things from the viewpoint of the beasts are ne'er a bad thing, I suppose. Might make more people appreciate nature."

He helped hoist buckets in silence for a moment, simply taking in the sound of people around him, before letting out a happy sigh.
"Tell the truth, though, I'm just so happy to have someone to talk to again. There's only so much ye can do to entertain yerself for a fortnight with naught but fish to talk to. Terrible at coming up with things to talk about, the are. Especially since I ain't on speakin' terms with the dolphins since they stole my shirt and said my antlers make me look fat." He gestured to his bare chest, a fair bit burnt from being out in the open sun for days on end. "I tell ye, refuse to play with the beak-nosed little bastards just once and they get downright vicious in their pranks."

As the others conversed among themselves, Eryn confronted the stowaway, Mouse.

After Eryn spoke Mouse's name, the halfling paused before slowly turning around. "Dang it, you found me," they said sheepishly as they lowered their self to the floor. "And I did decide to ditch you. But, well, I wanted to see the jotunir before the ship left harbor. When else would I get that chance?" The halfling shrugged, as if sneaking aboard a ship to see some giants was nothing out of the ordinary. Then, holding up the magical Skyhook Bow the thief had been gifted at the bazaar, they continued, "I was going to use this new magic bow of mine to shoot over to the lighthouse on our way past, but apparently it is a lot further away from the harbor exit than it looked like it was from the docks. Now I'm stuck on this ship until we get to its next stop..."

"You're not going to rat me out, are you?" The thief looked as if they were trying to decide if they should bolt or attack the one person who knew they were on board, but seemed reluctant to do either.

What do you do?

---

Eryn
What is about to happen?
Mouse is considering if they should run off or attack, but hasn't decided which yet.

Everyone Else
Carry on.

"Tell the crew? No, I don't see the point." Even as she said this, Eryn had positioned herself to block the doorway - the only exit she could see - in case the all too flippant stowaway made a run for it. Even so, Eryn took one glance at Mouse's uneasy stance and sighed. He was more tense that she had first thought.

"Relax, buddy," she said, "I promise I'm not going to say a word unless you give me a reason to, and even if you run there is nowhere to go; we're in the middle of the ocean. If you fight me, I can easily break you in half. Well, I guess it would be a quarter, given your height." The warrior waved her hand and averted her glance, unsure if the joke could be misconstrued as insensitive.

"In any case, you need to be more careful," she continued. "If someone as distracted as I was could spot you, I'm sure the regular crew would have been able to as well. Everyone on this ship has some business with the overlord - whether good or bad - and tension is rising. They'll be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary."

Eryn reached into her pocket and withdrew one of her paper-wrapped rations. She extended her hand towards the halfling and offered the little packet to him. "Here. The ship's supplies are already limited to the known number of people on board, so don't try grabbing any of the food for yourself. I bet Captain Frost would keelhaul you without a second thought if she caught a stowaway doing that."

A friendly smile crept across her lips. "Of course, since I'm so lenient as to not tattle on a known thief, perhaps you could do me a favor in return?"

---

Offering a Ration to Mouse in an effort to calm him down.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:57, Fri 25 Jan 2019.

Mouse visibly relaxed at Erin's words and reached out to take the ration. But their hand paused just before grabbing it. The thief's eyes squinted up at Eryn suspiciously. "What kind of favor?"

---

Eryn
Asking for a favor sounds like a Parley, with keeping Mouse's presence secret and the promise of food being your leverage. If that is your intent, go ahead and give me a roll. You could also try to hire Mouse as a hireling instead. (Because 4 isn't enough yet, right? ;-) )

"Since no one else knows you are here yet," Eryn said, in as low a voice as possible, given the circumstances, ", you are much freer to sneak around on this ship than I am. I need to know as much as possible about the jotnar, the captain, and the rest of the crew -- particularly the officers. We need to know what the giants will be used for, and we need to know who's allied with Captain Frost and who's not. Any plots against us... we would of course like to know about those as well."

"If you overhear something important, tell us at night after we've gone to our cabin." She indicated the room where they were staying. "Write on paper and stick it in that crack next to the door, if you prefer that. In return I don't tell anyone else about you - including the rest of the gang, if you so wish. What you do once we get to shore is your own business. I'll also share some food with you, if you need it."

"Sounds good?"

---

20:59, Today: Eryn rolled 12 using 2d6+2.  Parley w/Mouse (trade intel for my silence).

I will still offer one or more rations, and I'll give Mouse something to write with/on from my adventuring gear if he prefers to leave us messages that way.

Mouse looked up at Eryn hesitantly, then grabbed the rations. "I suppose I could do that for you. Just until we reach another port though." The halfling began climbing up under the tarp again. "Don't tell anyone I'm here who would rat me out, and I'll get you the information you need if I can." Now within the shadows, they added one last request. "And if you find any more spare snacks, those are appreciated as well. Saves me some extra risks. Just hide them in here and I'll take care of the rest."

The next morning, with the worst of the storm past, Ilura shifted form again and took to the air again with her avian friend.  Though flying came naturally in her new form, she wasn't nearly as adept as Thomas - and the crow delighted in pointing it out or demonstrating it repeatedly.  In truth, though, the ranger suspected that the bird enjoyed the company on his flights.

quote:

02, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+5.  Scouting.

In the morning Sibella scanned the horizon and checked the coastlines for landmarks. Perhaps it was the storm or some other strange shifting of the land but it all didn't quite line up with what she remembered. She thought maybe if she could see under the waves maybe something would jog her memory. Putting her gear in a safe spot she tied a line around her and jumped into the water for a better view.

Eryn's negotiation with Mouse had gone well. It was a stroke of luck that the halfling had decided to sneak aboard, for Eryn doubted that any of them would have been able to search the ship in full without being detected. Someone who wasn't thought to be on board in the first place could move much more freely. She had given him a couple of rations to keep him fed for now, and planned to swap another packet of food for whatever message Mouse left her each night.

She had planned to ask the thief to repay what he stole from her in the past, but decided that his service in these matters would be valuable enough as repayment. Eryn hadn't mentioned this matter to him, but she didn't really expect to see Mouse again after making landfall either. He was likely to skitter away once he was no longer required to be near them.

***

During their travel, the warrior busied herself with assisting Silas and the others for the heavy lifting, and took up the job of keeping track of food and equipment. Luckily they were well off for the journey ahead, so the main concern was the conflict ahead rather than supplies.

The storm abated, but the unease Eryn felt while on board didn't pass with it. Her two - no, three - companions who were able to travel the sea by themselves seemed to be doing fine, particularly the newcomer. She had yet to speak to the elven druid and get to know him, but the man appeared to be in a good mood, so she decided now was as good a time as any. She looked after Ilura and Sybilla as they went their respective ways, both overboard, and approached Mithralan with some questions in mind.

"Are you going to jump after them," she asked with a smile, "or have you had enough of the sea for some time, perhaps? I know I certainly have. Saltwater disagrees with me after recent events. Can't imagine sailing anywhere unless I have to, really. Where were you going before being cast away, if you don't mind me asking?"

---

09:17, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 2d6+1.  Perilous Journey (Scout Quartermaster).

I've subtracted two rations that I've given to Mouse, since I assume he eats one during this travel and will need one for later.

Marcus spoke his prayers to Lusiny at dawn, while the silver disc was still visible in the brightening sky, thanking among other things for the safe first part of the journey. He remained on the deck, greeting his companions as they came up and staying out of the way of the sailors.

He watched Sybilla dive into the water again with a slightly curved eyebrow. As the tritoness swam the paladin noticed Eryn talking with the druid and he strolled over to join them.

“Oh, I could never get tired of the big blue. It’s been my home long enough to be in my blood by now. I Can understand a landlubbers distaste though, bein’ caught in a storm on yer first trip. Few people Can weather a storm like a druid, tho, and I’m quite used to it..” Mithralan retorted with a wide smile. He then glanced back at the rigging he stood at, clicking his tongue and shaking his head before loosening a into and retying it into a tighter one. “I’ll let the other do the divin’ fer now, tho. Gotta do a little work around here, earn my keep. Can’t be a layabout when I board the ship unannounced, or I’ll just get thrown off again.”

The chipper druid then stretched and scratched his antlers vigorously, before grabbing a deck brush and joining the sailors scrubbing the deck. All the while he never took his attention of Eryn, other than to give a friendly nod to Marcus as he neared. He clearly had lots of practice in working while focusing on something else, his movements practiced and easy.
“Can’t rightly remember the name of the port we were to stop in when I was on the Lioness. It were a tradin’ Vessel, so it had stops in almost every port of note up and Down several coasts. Not that it matters to me now. I’d say that givin’ Me up to pirates is a pretty big breach o’ contract, so I’m a free sailor at the moment.”
This message was last edited by the player at 13:50, Thu 31 Jan 2019.

It was a few days time before the ship finally made it to Cliffport and the storm had long since passed. With Sybilla's guidance and knowledge of undersea currents, they technically made it there more quickly than they normally would have, but one of the triton's suggested deviations from the pre-planned route led them straight into a reef that put a brand new breech in the hull. By the time it got repaired, they were actually slightly behind schedule, and Sybilla had felt the captain's icy scorn because of it.

Fortunately though, that was the extent of the ship's misfortunes during the trip. Ilura was able to give enough warning for any threats above the waves, and Eryn was able to make the ship's rations stretch between them at least as far as one might expect, even with the occasional scrap going to Mouse.

The thief stowaway made good on their promise of information too. Eryn received a couple notes from the halfling thus far. The first said that they sedate the jutunir twice a day, at sun up and sun down. It is a duty the captain has taken on personally after the events at Markhain. The second note was a warning that much of the crew doesn't seem to have a lot of respect for the "overcrowding adventurers." It seemed many thought they overstepped their authority since they weren't "real seafarers," and Mouse suggested taking steps to improve their opinions.

Up in the sky, Ilura had a great view of their surroundings. At this point Cliffport could just barely be seen behind them on the horizon. They had never stopped there and merely turned the ship seaward when it came into view. Now, out in the distance in the direction they were going, Ilura could spot a two other ships. One was broken and destined to sink soon. The other was damaged, and sailing away from the wreckage. It flew the black flags of piracy. With her high vantage point, Ilura could see them but knew her own ship could not yet be seen.

What do you do?

---

Everyone
The storm has ended. Everyone who was seasick is no longer seasick. At least, not to the extent where you have the Sick debility. Feel free to continue your conversations from before. Everyone should be at full health now too, except maybe Sybilla (see below).

Sybilla
Captain Frost punished you in some way for leading her ship into a reef. Choose one:
- Take 1d6 damage, ignoring armor. You have been flogged.
- Take -1 forward with any of the ship's crew. You have been publicly berated.
- Take -2 XP (a net total of -1 after failed roll). The captain has expressed disappointment in you, making you doubt your own abilities.

Eryn
Mouse has suggested trying to improve relations with the sailors. Apparently most only tolerate the adventurer's presence, but don't actually enjoy their presence. Also, Captain Frost personally sedates the living jotunir at sun up and sun down.

Ilura
You have spotted a recent pirate attack. They don't know of your ship's presence yet though.

Ilura wheeled in the air, trying to determine the best course. Not seeing an obvious answer, she decided to reach out to her Godess for guidance.  Our mission is urgent, and the captain will not slow easily.  Would you have me guide us around this threat or would it be better for our long-term success to intervene?

quote:

09:57, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Cast guidance.

"I see," Eryn replied, grabbing a deck brush of her own. "Were your traveling companions druids as well, or were you the only one? Can't imagine your profession is all that common in a harbor town. They tend to be made mostly of cobblestone, after all."

---

Game Master:

flogged

I can say with certainty that if Eryn witnessed this, the mutiny will start immediately. No one hurts my companions with shit like this, captain or not.

Speaking of, how many crew members are on board, exactly? It will affect how I go about improving our reputation among them.

Though she kept seeing things that she though had changed since she had last come this way she kept her undeniable confidence strong. She did well enough  until she came to a certain fork in the current she swore that it hadn't been split before. She made the decision to go the way she felt was right... it was a decision she grew to regret. Things could have been worse, they ultimately fixed the damage but the captain blamed her purely for it and as time went on it made her quite bitter.

All in all Captain Frost made her life a living hell. Sybella was used to working under hard task-masters but this was beyond that. When two women with as much confidence as these two had continued to butt heads nearly every moment, it was a lit powderkeg waiting to explode. Eventually Sybilla made the mistake of making a snide remark and that was all it took.

The captain had her men grab her, strip off her top and tie her to the mast. The lashes that came after stung like a manowar's tentacles, the Captain clearly had done this before. Sibella struggled to not scream out with each hit as it tore through her blue skin.

---

This message was last edited by the player at 19:33, Thu 31 Jan 2019.

The whipping didn't last long before Eryn noticed the commotion, and the warrior was having none of it. She dropped the brush, strode across the deck with a dangerously determined gait, and grabbed for the whip when the sailor next raised his arm to strike.

---

If I can, I wish to lay him out flat, but we'll see if I need a roll.

As the storm passed and normal sailing resumed inspirations, likely divine, struck Marcus. First was a possible way to solve the infernal contract, but he wanted to run it past someone experienced in arcane arts. Like Hiran. Or like someone who dealt with dark magic and wanted to live forever. Fortunately, he remembered there is a way to contact such a group. Retreating to the cabin, he noted down a few lines in the twin diary.

To whom it may concern,

Are you aware of possible ways to break a Devil's bargain without forfeiting the soul?
Would a possibility of the signee being in a stasis bag during the breaking help?

Regards,
Marcus, servant of Lusiny

---

With the trouble in navigation and the repairs, Marcus didn't find time to check for an answer in a while. Then the lashing came. Marcus followed few steps behind Eryn, no more liking the cruel punishment than starting the mutiny before other actions were explored.

If it comes to rolling, Marcus will hinder Eryn.
11:40, Today: Marcus rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Interfere with Eryn's attack.
Or not...

Captain Frost was pleasantly easy to disarm when caught off-guard. Eryn was fuming internally, but the warrior still managed to restrain herself enough to avoid going for a choke-hold just yet, however, despite seeing a clear opening for it.

"What the hell is this, Captain?" she asked instead, with a steely voice, while hastily tying up the nine-tailed whip to render it ineffective, and tossing the cruel instrument aside without a second glance at it. If any other crew members wished to step in and pick it up, it would be their funeral. "You better have a damn good reason for why you are striking my ally."

She shot a knowing glance at Marcus, whom she had noticed in the corner of her eye as he tried to step in. She knew the paladin would object to her rash actions, but Eryn also hoped he would understand that defending Sybilla was more important than appearances... at least to her.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Fri 01 Feb 2019.

Up in the sky, Ilura's spell manifested before her as a pale ball of light. A beam shined out from it in the direction Frost's ship was heading. The beam then split into two, and arced in separate directions before rejoining and continuing onward in the same direction. As the ranger and her crow companion pondered what it might mean, they noticed a commotion beginning down on the ship.

With Sybilla tied to the mast and a small group of sailors gathered, the flogging had already begun by the time Eryn noticed what was going on. Silas and Westley watched with disgust, with Opal sitting on Silas's shoulder. Lady Mirrorsheen fluttered off in the opposite direction, not wanting to watch. Vixen looked on with a cruel smirk tugging at her mouth. And Captain Frost herself weilded the whip with a stony face. Willfully expressionless. The miniature albino peacock sitting on her shoulder squawked in distress every time Frost used her weapon.

She was taken quite off-guard when Eryn took her whip from her. The captains face went from expressionless to enraged in the blink of an eye as she turned to face Eryn. The air in the immediate vicinity around the half-elemental captain got notably cooler. Eryn could see her own breath as the captain responded.

"What am I doing? I'm captaining my ship!" The captain gestured at Sybilla with the hand that the whip had been pried from. "This woman assured me that she knew a way to cut down on our time, but ended up nearly running us aground on a reef! She endangered us all and put us behind schedule!" It seemed almost as if Frost was more upset about being put behind schedule than the danger. "Whether she is a crew member or not, if such mistakes can be made without repercussion, the entire fabric of this ship would unravel."

She held out her hand toward Eryn. "Now, either hand me back my whip, or join your friend at the mast."

What do you do?

---

Sybilla
How do you feel about this whole situation? Did the captain overreact?

Eryn
Frost is not happy with your intervention. She has given you the option of either retrieving her whip for her so that she might continue her punishment, or to join Sybilla at the mast.

There are 32 sailors aboard the ship, plus three officers and the captain. So your people make up about 1/5 of the people aboard the ship.

Marcus
You will receive a reply to the message you wrote in your magical book, but not quite yet.

Mithralan's good mood disappeared instantly when he noticed the commotion caused from the attempted flogging. He grimaced as he considered how he should act.

If he'd been part of the crew, the choice would be easy. simply follow the captain.
if he'd been a proper passenger, he would have right to interject.

But he was in an unclear spot, as was Sybilla for that matter. The captain was in her right, she doled out punishments, and decided what they were. But still, Lan didn't like seeing a friend hurt for an honest mistake.

He scratched his head in irritation. He wasn't built for stuff like this. He was a career sailor, used to a life of simple choices, outside those that threatened nature as a whole. Morals were an unwelcome complication.

Eventually he let out a weary sigh, and walked over. Perhaps he could inject some rational thought into the brewing conflict, at least.

"On the ship, the captain is the law." He said loudly, looking calmly at Eryn, before turning to look at the Frost, sending a sympathetic glance Sybs' way as he did.
"But don't you think you're perhaps being a mite too harsh, Captain? True, her route turned out to be less safe than first thought, but that's an honest mistake. She should be punished, sure, but perhaps a few days in the brig with lessened rations would be more fitting than this?" He paused to let his words sink in, before casting his gaze around at the assembled crew members and furrowing his brow.
"Besides, if right is right the fault is yours as much as hers. She suggested the route, but you chose to follow it, over your established routes and the word of the ship's navigator. And you're doling out harsh punishment to one guilty party, then. but not the other. Not yourself. And if I know one thing, it's that a captain who throws pain at a sailor he's not willin' to take himself is no captain at all."

He locked eyes with Frost once more, and his voice took on a cold tone. "Fair's fair captain. Or are you not willing to live through the same pain as you inflict on any man or woman on your ship?"

OOC:
I'm hoping this perspective might pause Frost, at least. And give her crew something to think about.
Not sure if I should make a Move here, and if so which one. Parley, maybe?

Since there isn't really any leverage, I would suggest Defy Danger +Cha. The danger being the Captain's anger.

Makes sense. I'm thinking with either INT for quick thinking or CHA for using charm and social grace?

I'll just make the roll, and you can decide which stat fits. If it's CHA, it's a straight 2d6. if it's INT it's 2d6-1.

22:15, Today: Mithralan rolled 7 using 2d6.  Defy Danger (Convince Frost to chill.).

So it's either a 7 with CHA, or a 6 with INT. Bad or really bad :P

Ilura flew down to the ship's deck.  She'd caught enough of what was going on to recognize that this was probably a good time to redirect the conversation, but she'd have to get their attention first.

"PIRATES!

About one mile dead ahead, coming our way.  They haven't seen us yet, but they will soon unless we change course.  If we vere north west or south east we can come around them and avoid being spotted, then resume course once we're past."

She looked at the captain calmly.  "I presume you don't want to waste time with a confrontation?"

Sybilla turned her head toward Eryn as best as she could, wincing slightly. Gritting her teeth she said to the warrior "I can take it, warrior." Her eyes seemed to say thank you for the brief respite. Sybilla then looked at the captain and said in a slightly menacing tone "The tides are changing, one way or another. Just watch out that it doesnt take you down with it. As if right on cue, Illura arrived with news of pirates on the horizon. Sybilla cracked a slight smile at the situation they found themselves in.

Marcus hovered behind Eryn, his grey eyes narrow and brow furrowed to its limit as he watched the escalating situation. He listened to Mithralan's case, wondering if such reasoning will work with the Captain, and ready to step in if it didn't. Then Ilura called out the warning.

There was no more time. He stepped in front of the two women "Captain, I brought Sybilla to your ship, and it will be me that suffers any punishment you see fit. Eryn, it is my choice and I ask you to honor it." he met each of their eyes for a moment before extending his hand, asking Eryn to return the whip "We have more pressing matters now."

OOC: Let me know if this requires a roll of some kind.

"Bullshit!" The expression slipped from Eryn's lips before she had a chance to seriously consider Marcus' suggestion, which she found ridiculous. She had been listening to the others speak in an effort to find a reason to calm down, but had so far not seen any indication from Captain Frost that would make it happen. The chill in the air around the captain made the warrior's skin crawl, but by some irony this extra annoyance only served to make the heat inside keep building.

The warrior likewise ignored Sybilla's assurances that everything would be fine, but shot a glance and nod of agreement at the triton's vague threat towards the captain, whilst also refusing to answer the captain's demand for the whip she had just thrown away. Instead, the paladin next to her was the unfortunate target of her redirected anger. "A holy knight as yourself, Marcus, allowing such injustice to stand? Well, I will not--" Eryn began, but like the rest of the crew she was interrupted by the cry of alarm when the pirates appeared.

Loathe as she was to abandon the argument at hand, the warrior knew the pirate ship took clear priority. She forced herself to fall into a calmer, more battle-ready mood, but knew that the last word had not been spoken on the matter just yet.

"I agree with our latest passenger," she said finally, addressed to the captain after a few moments of deliberation, clenching her fist and fighting to keep her emotions from bubbling back to the surface. "It's not Sybilla's fault you chose to follow an untrained navigator's advice, and neither is it her fault that she was mistaken. Mistakes happen. No one makes them on purpose. Either throw her in the brig or let her prove her worth against these pirates. If you strike her again I will be compelled to interfere."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:12, Sat 02 Feb 2019.

Captain Frost listened to the adventures with barely contained rage bubbling up inside her. There was haze of icy mist rolling off of the woman's shoulders as her lip curled up in anger. It was clear that she was not happy with her passengers, Eryn in particular, but she still somehow managed to hold back her tongue as the others spoke. When pirates were mentioned, Frost made a gesture to Officer Tonya Star, and the officer ran off to make preparations to handle the situation. But Frost remained where she was and took three slow deep breaths before replying.

"Mistakes," Frost said, taking another deep breath. "Mistakes, I know well. Everyone makes them and everyone pays the consequences." She began pacing slowly around Eryn, Marcus, Sybilla, and Mithralan. "It it is true that it was a mistake to put quite so much trust in Sybilla's navigation. A mistake I paid for in lost time, lost resources, and lost credibility as a captain. And there is a reason I myself was the one issuing the punishment I deemed was appropriate for Sybilla's mistake. Both as additional self-penance and as a way to ensure none of my crew went overboard with the whip. Believe it or not, but I do not enjoy flogging people. I was even planning on icing up her injuries afterward." She ran a finger along Marcus's ice-shard-marked arm as she passed by him. The ones he had gotten when she had helped him heal the beggar, Bolen. But then Frost stopped and swiveled on her heels. She had an intensity in her eyes. "But not anymore."

She pointed her finger accusingly at Eryn. "You are the one to thank for that. You willfully undermined my authority in front of the entire crew. And that cannot stand. As the druid said, on a ship, the captain's word is law. My word is law. And you broke that law. We all make mistakes, and my latest was letting you aboard my ship."

"Officer Brigg?" she said, waving another of her officers over. "Take Miss Eryn here to the Brig. We'll decide what to do with her after we deal with this whole pirate scenario. And to the rest of you," She pointed a finger to the rest of the adventurers. "Any hint of further insubordination from any of you and I will have you join her. Or worse." With that, Captain Frost turned to go deal with the alleged pirate situation. Over her shoulder she added, "Feel free to cut your triton free."

What do you do?

---

Everyone
Frost is walking away, but you still have a chance to do/say things if you would like to.

Eryn
Captain Frost has ordered Officer Brigg to throw you in the brig. (Reminder to everyone: Officer Brigg was the one who secretly hired everyone to help stage a potential mutiny)

Mithralan
Frost chilled, sort of. But now all of you guys are on extremely thin ice.

Marcus
No roll was needed. Frost opted not to hurt Sybilla any further. She also opted not to heal Sybilla...

Sybilla
You are allowed to be cut free from the mast. Your punishment is over. (Still subtract the damage you rolled if you haven't yet.) Feel free to have a hireling release you if nobody else does it for you.

Ilura
If nothing happens before she gets a chance to, Frost will ask you for more details about the state of the ships you spotted. Feel free to assume she asks you this if it is appropriate to the situation.

Ilura looked sharply at Eryn, willing her to not make an already bad situation worse.  The ranger still hoped to talk the captain into letting the team help and interfering in the eventual summoning of the Overlord.  The captain's words had made Ilura even more loath to stage a mutiny.  But that was going to require creating a degree of trust, and their band was running short of time to do so.

She followed the captain as she climbed the stairs to the bridge, answering her questions and explaining the plight of the sinking vessel.  "Under normal situations I'd suggest aiding her, but I understand that you are already short of time.  Hopefully avoiding the pirates will help to compensate for some of the cost you've incurred.  If you wish, I can go aloft and guide you so that we can keep out of sight, but resume course as quickly as possible.  And if the pirates change course, I can let you know that too.  If you wish, I can check for survivors once the pirate is out of range."

"What a load of horseshit," Eryn said, once the captain had moved far enough away to not hear her anymore. "It would have been piss-easy for her to simply stop listening to advice in the future, and to not hit our ally with an instrument of torture." She paused for a moment. "Speaking of," she muttered, then picked up the fallen whip and tossed it unceremoniously overboard. "Let's hope she doesn't have a spare," she continued, addressing Brigg, who had just moved over to perform the captain's orders of imprisoning her below deck.

"I hope you won't bother with any chains," Eryn said, nodding to the officer, "I'll go with you quietly for now, but I can promise: you won't get such things on me."

"Also, we need to talk, as soon as we can," she added, lowering her voice so only her allies at close range could hear. "You know what it's about."

---

Captain can sod off, but I won't press the issue since Sybilla is free for now.

Marcus shuddered at the touch on his crystals, more due to the realization that this was another foolhardy situation they seemed to keep throwing themselves in, than to the real sensation. He turned to Eryn to gesture that they needed a change of strategy when Frost set the sentence for the warrior. Paladin's eyes narrowed at first but quickly widened when Eryn accepted it without much of a fight.

Nodding at his companion's words, Marcus watched her leave with Brigg while he moved over to Sybilla. "Here." he said while he cut the ropes with his blade. Once he stashed the sword he gently ran his hand along the lash marks, leaving shiny scales in the wake. "Do you mind staying around until we see what's the situation with the pirate ship?"

21:28, Today: Marcus rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Lay on Hand - Sybilla.
21:28, Today: Marcus rolled 7 using 1d8.  Healing.

Sybilla stumbled off the mast and let the paladin do his healing. She stretched and tested her new magically restored scales. She still felt sore but that could be phantom pain as she remembered the lashes from just moments before. She leaned in uncomfortably close to Marcus as if she were about to give him a hug, instead she whispers in his ear "Thank you. I need to get off this boat for a bit... If you decide to toss the boss before I get back, send up a signal." With that she did a running jump off the boat into the waters below.

She drove deep enough to not been seen by anyone above then headed in the direction of the pirates.

Frost stood at the ship's wheel and considered Ilura's words for a moment, then seemed to come to some sort of conclusion. "If you could guide us from the air, I would appreciate it. We should certainly avoid the pirates if possible, but I would like to view the victim ship myself. So please lead us toward the wreck if possible. We may just skim past, but we'll see when we get there. I will have someone in the crow's nest keeping an eye on you so that you can signal them from the air."

Meanwhile, as Brigg led Eryn away, Sybilla made her way off of the ship entirely. The triton landed in the waves and easily made her way toward deeper waters, off to do whatever she planned on doing.

Brigg and Eryn left Marcus and Mithralan on deck with the hirelings and went below decks. Once they were away from the bulk of the crew, Brigg took a more relaxed stance and was less formal in his guiding of Eryn toward their destination. "You... you certainly have guts," he whispered to Eryn, impressed. "Don't worry, I won't put you in chains. I won't even take your weapons if you promise not to use them to break free," he said, indicating Eryn's spear, her sword, her knife, and her own whip. "You may need them if we run into the pirates. Besides, I think you are mostly being put in the brig as a show of Frost's authority. A way to humiliate you. You definitely got yourself on her bad side..."

Now at the brig, Brigg opened the barred door and held it for Eryn. It was a dingy little space with straw on the floor, a bucket in the corner, and a single busted porthole to look out of. He looked around to make sure they were alone. "If you wanted to talk, I think now is probably your best chance. I don't know when we will be able to be alone again. Or if you need me to pass on any information, I can try to do that as well." The officer continued looking around nervously, as if he thought the walls might have ears.

Up on deck, Marcus, Mithralan, and the hirelings stood among the crew as they prepared to change course or fight off potential pirates. "Don't just stand there, landlubbers," a random crew member yelled, despite knowing full well that Mithralan was basically a sea creature himself. "Either get outta the way, or do something useful. The archer's stations could use their arrows stocked so that they are ready if we run into trouble. Or the ballista could use some prep work too, if ya know how to operate one." The halfling sailor rushed off to go tie a line before anyone could respond.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Frost has requested your assistance again. Don't forget to give me a Shapeshift roll if you take to the air again.

Sybilla
What is it that you are you trying to do? Did you bring your equipment with?

Eryn
Brigg has brought you to the brig, but isn't planning to chain you up or disarm you. You have an opportunity to talk to him in private now, if you had anything you wanted to say.

Mithralan and Marcus
What are you up to during all of this? Your companions have gone in three separate directions. Are you sticking with anyone in particular?

"So long as I'm ahead of the ship, just follow my lead and I'll do my best to take us around outside the pirate's view.  If I come back towards the ship, keep her pointed towards whatever side I come back on and I'll land and tell you whatever the trouble is."

She waited to see if the captain wanted anything else, then headed forward.  She gave Thomas a grin.  [Ready to take to the air again?  Help me keep a sharp lookout], then shifted her form.

This one didn't come quite as naturally, perhaps because she'd only tried it the once, but it seemed to work well enough.  She flew out ahead of the ship, gaining height until she could see where the pirate ship was headed and then guided the ship sharply to port so they could get as far to the side as possible before the enemy ship breached the horizon.

quote:

14:22, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+3.  Turn into seagull.
14:32, Today: Ilura rolled 14 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

Hold 2

What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?

Sybilla swam swiftly through the water, once she was a fair distance away from Frost's Ship she popped up for a moment to get her bearings. She scanned the horizon for signs of pirate ships before returning beneath. If there were pirates about, perhaps they could be of assistance in distracting or removing the captain all together. Either way it wouldn't be her first time hanging out with that sort. While her powerful arms anand legs treaded water, she thought about what she knew of the pirates who ranged in these waters.

---

I want to seek out the pirates directly, without Frost knowing where she is going or up to. I am thinking Sybilla might either know the type of pirates who roam these sea lanes or even have worked on a "less lawful" ship in the past. She is about showing off her skills and staying away from her people's grasp, I don't think she's been that particular about whose ships she has worked on in the past. You can disregard the roll if you dont think it would make sense for her.

This message was last edited by the player at 22:51, Thu 07 Feb 2019.

Mithralan watched the situation develop in uncomfortable silence after having said his piece. He was not happy with how it’d Turned out. He’d spoken out against a Captain, something that went against everything he knew, and it hadn’t really helped. So he’d Just stay quiet for now.

“Well, that could’ve gone better...” He muttered after the Call of pirates had made people split up. He briefly considered what to do, taking to the air and following either Eryn or Sybilla cam to mind, but he thought better of it. Another set of eyes wouldn’t help his impulsive step-sister much, and Sybilla clearly wanted to do her own thing, what with storming into the water.

Then a sailor called for their attention. Lan briefly considered turning into... something... and taking a bite out of him when the bastard called him a landlubber. They didn’t even have basic respect among sailors here? His opinion of this ship and Crew was sinking faster than a galley made by goblins.
... I don’t know nuthin’ about ballistas. Guess I’ll be preparin’ arrows, then.” He said with a resigned sigh, looking at Marcus. He gave the paladin a nod, before walking of to work.

Marcus observed Ilura and Sybilla fly and swim away from the ship, maybe envious of their abilities for a moment. He didn't have much more time to contemplate it as the sailor's cry came. Looking at the indicated posts, Marcus nodded at the druid's share of work. "If anyone can help with preparing the heavy weapon, come with me." Marcus instructed the hirelings, of which he didn't know enough to presume who might or might not qualify. "The rest, help where you can."

"Brigg," she said, "your captain is bound by a contract on her soul, so I believe she will only grow more agitated from here on out. If we do not stand up for ourselves, she'll take it out on us. That may be good for your mutiny - it turns people away from supporting Frost, you know? - but I will not stand idly by while she hurts any of my companions. I won't be the first to draw a weapon, but I won't hesitate to do so either, if I deem it necessary."

Having arrived at the ship's room for incarceration, Eryn sighed and entered the small compartment. Fully armed, and with Mouse lurking around to sneak her food, it didn't quite feel like prison yet. She wasn't certain how long she would be staying. "Have you thought about the mutiny?" she asked, while Brigg was closing the door behind her, and turned to face the officer. The warrior stroked the bars of the door with her gloved hands, contemplating if the iron would yield to sufficient force. 'Maybe,' she concluded. "I still don't like the idea of being stranded in the middle of the ocean while a fight goes down. There's not even a solid plan, just the notion that maybe a quarter of the crew will support us. As much as I dislike the captain right now, mutiny sounds like suicide for all of us, and I think we need to wait it out. Even if we win, we can't sail the ship with most of the crew incapacitated."

Eryn sighed again and stroked a small scar on her cheek absentmindedly. Another mark of battle; she was never that keen on adding another. "...And what is Frost, exactly?" The question came without much thought put behind it. It was not for tactical information. Eryn's curiosity simply got the better of her. "She doesn't feel entirely human to me, but in a different way than the triton we recently picked up. Magic has something to do with it, I sense?"

Eryn

"What is she?" Officer Brigg said back to Eryn. He stood with the brig door in one hand, but had not closed it yet. "She definitely is not entirely human, no. She is half human, half ice elemental. That is where her icy magic comes from And why, normally, she doesn't like to come out into the hot daylight. As I understand it, much of her family is similarly... mixed. Although I am unsure of how that came about. I have a difficult time imagining that one of her parents is a full-fledged ice elemental." Brig snorted, as if the very idea were preposterous.

Then Brigg's face took on a more serious tone. "But to get back to your earlier question, no, I haven't really put a lot of thought into the mutiny. I've been pretty busy what with the storm and repairs and such. There have even been rumors of a halfling ghost aboard the ship, not that I would put much credit into such ideas." He shrugged. "It is seeming more and more like a seizure of power may be necessary, the way things are going. I hear she plans on taking us across the Hazy Sea! However, I was expecting you and your crew to come up with most of the details once you got settled in. If you are worried about getting lost at sea though, we are currently not that far from Cliffport... Even a rowboat could probably make it back to shore from here if the situation became that dire." The man shrugged again.

"And don't forget several of your companions are well-attuned to life at sea," a voice behind Eryn said. The fighter turned to see Lady Mirrorsheen hovering at the porthole. As she landed daintily on its edge, she added, "Or can otherwise fly. If we are going to ruin our welcome on this ship, I would rather it be today than three weeks from now. Especially if Miss Frost plans on performing more of her barbaric acts." The little fairy shuddered to emphasize her disapproval.

What do you do?

---

Marcus and Mithralan

Up on deck, as Mithralan began collecting arrows from the room they were stored, Opal the gargoyle fluttered over and planted itself onto his shoulder. The small opaline critter sat silently as the druid worked, and seemed to know exactly when its presence would get in the way. Whenever it sensed it would be a hindrance, it fluttered overhead and would land again once it was safe once more.

After a while, Officer Tonya Star approached the druid. "Say, you spent a lot of time at sea. What do you make of this?" The officer led Mithralan over to a barrel where spare cutting tools were stored for easy access in the event of another ship attempting a boarding maneuver. She pulled out a hatchet, but the end was all brown and rusty-looking. "At first I thought water got in and these got rusty, but..." She struck the side of the barrel and the blade squished like a sponge. She went to strike it a second time and the hatchet blade dropped off, walked on tentacled legs, then plopped back into the barrel of tools. The officer was left holding an empty handle. "Strange, right? Do you know what it is?"

Meanwhile, Marcus began preparing the ballista. As he walked over after asking for assistance, Silas followed, as well as Westley. Silace said, "I have not worked with this particular machine before, but I have worked with similar devices."

Then Westley added in, "I haven't ever touched a siege machine before, but I'm sure I can figure it out!" He had his usual air of overzealous enthusiasm about him. "Can't be too hard. Especially for someone as well-traveled as myself. I've got stores of worldly knowledge to draw on!" Silas didn't look particularly convinced by Westley's words, but merely stood there with his snakes slithering about him and let Marcus make the calls.

In addition to the joys of setting up a siege weapon, Marcus also finally received a reply to the note he sent to N.E.C.R.O. The next time he got a chance to look in his magical journal, he would find a note scrawled there by his contact from the secret society.

Marcus, servant of Lusiny,

We have had our experts look into the matter you have requested information on. They have concluded that the only reliable ways in which you can break a Devil's Bargain and retain your soul is to destroy the demon used to bind it, or destroy the signatory who would receive the soul. We have concluded that the use of a stasis bag may be able to delay the forfeit of the soul, but not stop it entirely. In order to delay forfeiture in this manner, the signatory must enter the bag before the contract is breached, and drink holy water immediately before doing so. Then their soul shall remain their own until they leave the bag, wherein normal Devil's Bargain rules will be applied thereafter.

If you decide to test this hypothesis, please send a description of your results.

Regards,
Nobody

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

Under the waves, Sybilla quickly outpaced Captain Frost's ship, making her way toward the location the pirate ship was supposed to be. It wasn't difficult to travel quickly like this for a short while, but Sybilla could feel her muscles quickly becoming tired from the extended exertion. Still, it wasn't too terribly long before she spotted the lower hull of the ship ahead of her.

She could tell by the way it was listing to the side that it had taken significant damage. Despite that, it was still in sailing condition. Additionally, she could tell by its design and war paint that it was a ship most likely owned by the Bolted Bandits. A pirate gang that sailed these parts. They were known both for their hit and run tactics, and for their crew members who had learned lightning and weather-based magics. They were an eccentric but not overly murderous bunch of miscreants. Definitely criminals though.

And judging by the name painted on the side, she was on speaking terms with at least one high-ranking member on board.

What do you do?

---

Ilura

Thomas gave Ilura a caw of delight as the two of them ascended into the sky once again. From the air, the ranger had a great view of her surroundings and of any dangers that might pose a threat. It didn't take long for her to spot the pirate ship once again. And she could spot a figure in the water swimming directly toward it. It was Sybilla. To a normal person at ship height she would be invisible, but Ilura was high in the air, and her eyes could pierce darkness. Even the darkness beneath the waves. Whatever the triton's plan was, it obviously involved the pirate ship.

Another thing that became increasingly obvious was that Captain Frost's ship was going to come into view of the pirate ship before the pirate ship moved far enough away from the wreckage. Frost would either need to slow down or plan a different rout. Or... The ranger's sharp eye spotted barrels among the wreckage that seemed to be leaking an oily substance. Probably cooking oil from the galley. And it was in a position that if it were to catch fire, the smoke could cover their approach! It would certainly be a risk that needed to be weighed though.

And lastly, after Thomas mentioned the smell of carrion in the air, Ilura noted that the wreck seemed to be attracting certain wildlife. So far a couple of small sharks, a few seagulls, and some curious fish. Nothing too noteworthy. But the experienced ranger knew it could be an indicator that more creatures would be drawn to the smells in the water over time.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
What is about to happen?
Sybilla is approaching the pirate ship for some reason.

What should I be on the lookout for?
Creatures drawn by the blood and wreckage.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
Barrels of cooking oil among the wreckage that could be ignited to give cover to Frost's ship

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

Seagull Moves:
Snatch Small Item
Blend with the Flock
Pester

Sybilla
The ship appears to be owned by the Bolt Bandits. You know someone who should be aboard this particular ship. Who is it? How do you know them? And what is the name of the ship?

Eryn
Captain frost is half human, half ice elemental. Also, you are not currently too far from land. You would know Cliffport is just past the horizon.

Marcus
You received your reply to your question. It is up to you when you notice that you have received it.

Mithralan
Officer Tonya Star has found a weird critter in her barrel of tools and wants to know if you know what it is. Feel free to know or not know whatever you want about it.

Sybilla reached the ship finally and gripped the side of its hull, breathing deep she tried to ease her sore muscles. She could only imagine how badly she would hurt if she had brought her pack. Looking up at the ship emblazoned with the name 'The Cork', she remembered her time as a deckhand swabbing off the animal fat and blood off its boards.

How many times had she heard someone make a "The Cork is Screwed" joke and every time the cook would laugh. Cecil Stowaway, as the crew had once called him, was a halfling who had a knack for getting into small places and a skill for making months old fish heads almost palatable (something she often commented on). She almost wished she hadn't deserted them when they were having the ship investigated by some suspicious harbormasters.

Returning to the present she also wished she had brought a grappling hook or some other way of making her way up to the deck. Not seeing any easily accessible way up she let out a few loud whistles that mimicked the sound of crossbow bolts flying through the air. Back when she was with the Bolt Bandits that was their war cry. Hopefully that hadn't changed and they could hear her over the rocking waves and creaking wood.

"Ask before doing anything." Marcus advised Westley "Especially if you're fond of your fingers and hands." the paladin gestured at the gears and tracks along which they moved. He proceeded setting up and checking one side of the machine, helping Silas as necessary.

He was far from checking the journal, but he did pause, maybe too often, to look at what Captain Frost was doing.

12:11, Today: Marcus rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities.
What here is not what it appears to be?

Will our ship pass close enough that a flaming arrow could ignite the barrels?

[I wonder what that triton's up to...  Would you care to have a listen?  I've got to tell the captain her options.]

She swooped back down to the ship.  Given the choice of initing oil and slowing down, Ilura had a pretty good idea of which choice the captain would prefer.

Yes and no. It will pass close enough. But by the time it does, it would already be in view of the other ship, making the smokescreen much less useful.

Ilura flew over the ship and suppressed her urge to leave a big white present on the head of Vixen as she passed.  Landing beside the captain, she resumed her form.

"The enemy vessel is limping a bit.  If we come around to check on the sinking vessel at our current speed, we'll cross the horizon before the enemy leaves.  There's some debris near the sinking vessel that I might be able to ignite to give us cover to approach sooner.  But I can't tell if there are survivors amongst it."

She didn't bother sharing the recently flogged triton's destination.  If the woman chose to betray them, that would be made obvious by the enemy changing course.  Hopefully she was only scouting or would find a way to further disable the pirates and reduce the threat.

EDIT: Adjusted description to reflect OOC discussion
This message was last edited by the player at 20:23, Tue 12 Feb 2019.

"I agree, milady," Eryn politely responded to the fairy. "The captain is getting desperate to deliver the cargo. If she takes us across the Hazy Sea like Brigg suggests, then she may very well sink us all in pursuit of her own freedom. We would need to seize control if she gives that order, but preferably earlier." Even as she said this, the warrior didn't feel entirely certain they could take on both Frost and the crew at the same time. She did not voice these concerns to the two others in the room.

"Is there any way to counter the ice magic and weaken Frost further? Fire would be effective, I imagine? Eryn asked, once again finding herself wishing that Hiran had come with them. His extensive knowledge of sorcery would come in handy if they were dealing with a magical being for sure.

"Oh, and don't worry about the ghost," she continued. "The halfling's with us. I didn't think he was coming, but he hid himself on board anyway. I've been feeding him with some rations I brought with me. Didn't want the crew to wonder," she explained. The warrior furrowed her brow and considered their options. "We haven't been able to lay any plans for a mutiny either. I know Marcus - that's the paladin - sent a letter to find out more about the demonic contract, to find a way to break it that Frost may agree with. If he doesn't receive a reply soon, we'll just have to gear up and go for our own plan. We'll gather your men, have our halfling help distract your opposing officers, and then confront Frost in as isolated a setting as we can manage during the midday sun." She shrugged. "Then it's all about strength of arms, us against her."

"I will need to speak with the others, and gather my mind for a bit. We may have a few tricks up our sleeves, if we put our heads together. Can I count on you to let me out when time comes, or should we have the halfling help make it look like I escaped on my own?"

---

Would there be time to Prepare Spells in the brig, before we reach Cliffport?

Should I strike the entire ration pack from my inventory, since I'm letting Mouse have it anyway?

“Well ahoy there, little friend.” Mithralan said with a cheery grin when Opal joined him. “Been a while since I’ve seen a gargoyle. What brings you away from your roost, eh? Your kin don’t usually fly far from your chosen perches.”
He conversed happily with the gargoyle as he worked, glad to speak with someone who wasn’t either the unfriendly Crew or one of Sybilla’s more... intense new friends. Not that there was anything wrong with that, he was just used to a more simple and calm way of life.

When he was called over to look at the Odd critters, Mithralan had to restrain himself from going into loud guffaws, such was his surprise and delight. “Why, those are glammer crabs!” He exclaimed “A misleading name, since they’re neither crabs nor use glamours to mask themselves. They’re shapeshifting mollusks. Completely harmless, which is actually why they grew to develop such strong natural shapeshifting powers. They Can turn into almost anything around their size, and have an incredible eye for learning the shape of whatever surrounds them. I’ve never seen any that managed to get aboard a ship or mimic tools, though. I suppose someone could have put them there? Why, though...” Mithralan ended his explanation on a questioning note. He had no idea what the glammer crabs where doing on the ship. They were such shy creatures, usually staying far away from anything remotely smart enough to figure out what they where.

Eryn
Brigg thought about Eryn's question about Frost's weaknesses for a moment before saying, "Fire would make sense. Or anything that produces heat. But I really don't know enough to say for sure. I am glad to hear that there is no ghost though," he added with a chuckle. "I'll try to assist in keeping your friend's presence a secret."

Then, with a frown he said, "I will try to help as much as I can when you do enact your plan, but I have no idea where I will be at the time. There is no way I can promise I would be able to unlock you." At this point he finally closed the cell door and turned a key in the lock. He then walked a few paces across the room and hung the key on a hook on the wall. "I'm afraid you're stuck in there forever." The sarcasm was evident in his voice, and aided by the fact that he winked at Lady Mirrorsheen. The fairy fluttered from the porthole, squeezed through the cell bars, and landed on the table beneath the key hook.

"If there is nothing else, I really should get back up top to help with the situation." Officer Brigg paused just long enough for Eryn to ask anything else, but seemed poised to head out the door.

What do you do?

---

Ilura, Marcus, and Mithralan

Thomas cawed his agreement to Ilura, then flew off toward the pirate ship even as the ranger made her way back to speak with the captain. The captain listened to Ilura's assessment of the situation and seemed to be examining the crates on deck as she did so. She considered the situation for a few moments before replying.

"I think... Whether there are survivors or not, we should go investigate. If you could go ignite the debris you mentioned, that would be well. We will turn toward the wreckage when we spot it rising into the air. Feel free to ask some of your friends to assist you if needed." The captain gave Ilura a nod, signaling the end of her "orders."

Marcus, who was not far away, did notice something odd about the exchange, however. It was difficult for him to place at first, but he eventually made a mental connection. The way she looked at the crates and the way she added that little extra emphasis on "not" when referring to survivors... The paladin recalled way back from when Eryn and Ilura first found out about the Devil's Bargain that Captain Frost was a few bodies short of the quota the contract needed. Frost didn't really want to go investigate the wreck. Not in the way she implied. She wanted to go collect bodies!

Meanwhile, Mithralan was having a much better time, hanging out with Opal and discovering a glammer crab. Opal would only respond to his questions with one word answers in a rough gravely voice, but seemed happy to do so. For instance, the gargoyle's answer for what brought it here was, "Hired. Protect." But answering brought a wide toothless grin to the little critter's face.

When Mithralan explained exactly what the glammer crab was, Officer Tonya Star sighed and shrugged. "Well, do you think you could try and find some way to deal with our... infestation? Throw it overboard? Cook it up? Something? It keeps replacing our hatchet blades and it is becoming a problem. I tried killing it a couple times and threw it overboard, but it seems nigh indestructible and keeps climbing back into that barrel. Squishy bugger." The officer shrugged in annoyance and walked off. "I really don't have time for this right now..."

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

Shortly after Sybilla gave the signal whistle, several heads poked over the side of the ship and it wasn't long before a rope was lowered. As Sybilla climbed up she could hear gossiping among the crew about a triton woman who knew their signal and half a dozen crew members poked their heads over the side to take peeks. By the time she stepped foot on the deck, a small crowd had gathered. From a door that Sybilla knew led to the galley, a familiar face appeared.

"Aye, look what the seagulls scavenged!" Cecil Stowaway said in a friendly booming voice. "When I heard the rumor, I knew who it must be. Our lost Fish-girl, come home at last." The halfling was a round old man with a mop of frizzy grey hair and big mutton chops. He wore an apron and walked on a peg leg that he did not have the last time Sybilla saw him. The older guy walked right up to Sybilla, tilted his head back, and looked down his nose at her with a sideways look, despite being several feet shorter than her. "What brings you bobbing back to The Cork?"

Several crew members still surrounded the two, murmuring among themselves. They kept their hands near their weapons. They didn't draw them just yet, but seemed ready to use them if the need arose. Some even seemed prepared to cast spells! And over their heads in the rigging, Sybilla could see a crow that she could almost swear looked familiar.

What do you do?

---

Eryn
Brigg can't reliably let you out, but the keys to your cell are on a hook across the room, and Lady Mirrorsheen is there, so... Yeah, you shouldn't have any trouble getting out whenever you want to.

"Would there be time to Prepare Spells in the brig, before we reach Cliffport?" The ship has gone past Cliffport already, just earlier today. You should have just enough time to prepare spells before the ship reaches the wreckage though.

"Should I strike the entire ration pack from my inventory, since I'm letting Mouse have it anyway?" I will leave that decision up to you. You can give Mouse as much or as little food as you would like.

Marcus
What here is not what it appears to be?
Captain Frost's intents for why she wants to head toward the wreck are not what they appear to be. She really just wants to collect more bodies for her contract with the Overlord's brother.

Ilura made her way forward to where Mithralan was chatting with one of the crew-members.

"The pirate ship's moving slowly.  By the time it's out of site, I expect the victim ship will have sunk.  However, there's some oily debris between the two ships that I might be able to set alight which would give us cover to approach sooner.  I figure I can light it with some arrows, but I'll need a stable to platform to do that from.  Are you, perhaps, able to assume a larger form than the one you showed earlier?  One big enough for me to crouch on?  And if so, would you be willing to help me?"

Ilura was actually quite curious about just what variety of forms the druid could assume, but they hadn't had a whole lot of time to talk since the 'rescue'.

Mithralan looked up from the barrel where the glammer crab hid at Ilura’s question, scrunching his brow thoughtfully.
“Well, I don’t know any flying form that’s big enough to carry you, but if ye don’t mind gettin’ yer feet wet I Can help ye easy enough. Just give me a moment to parley with our little shiftin’ cousin here. Glammer crabs are actually quite easy to talk to. Smarter than dolphins they are, but like most animals they tend to fixate on certain things. Dolphins only ever Think about playin’ and eatin’. Glammers think about safe hidin’ spots. You just gotta know how to get their attention. And speak their tongue, obviously.”

Leaning over the barrel, Mithralan made a cooing noise to calm any nervousness the glammer crab might feel, before talking in a low, soothing voice. “Hello there little cousin. I hate to tell ye this, but you ain’t exactly in the best hidin’ spot there. Sure, you look like the other hatchets, but those are sailor things. And the sailors use them pretty often. So they’re gonna keep finding you and getting angry at you. Now, I Think I know how you could stay on the ship, and be much safer. You just gotta turn into something that isn’t a tool. Like a large sea shell. Then I’ll tell the sailors that you’re a sea shell, so they won’t touch you. I know, I know, part of hiding is others not knowing what you’re lookin’ Like, but hear me out. See, people like to make deals. And I know that your kind have very keen senses. You Can sense very large sea creatures from miles away, and steer clear of them. Now, if you made a deal with the sailors to warn them when those Big creatures were near, they would want to keep you as safe as possible. They’d probably feed you too. No more risking being found while looking for food. How’s that Sound, eh?”

Having come up with a way to solve the glammer problem without hurting the thing or ousting it from it’s chosen home, Mithralan relayed the offer he’d made it to Tonya Star as Well. If the glammer and the sailor were even reasonably smart, they’d see how they’d both benefit from this deal, and sort it out between them. Satisfied with his mediating between counting as his one druid feed of the Day, Mithralan turned to Ilura once more.
“Right, natural transportation coming up.” He said, before moving over to the side of the boat and Jumping over the railing.
As he Dove towards the water, he already started shifting, hos body rippling and growing both longer and wider as he fell. When he hit the water a fin had already started taking shape on his back.

When Lan’s form next broke the water once more, it was in the form of a magnificent Orca that jumped from the water, before laying still, it’s back above water and awaiting it’s passenger, a merry gleam in it’s intelligent eyes.

OOC:
Someone gonna ride the waves? The gonna ride waves in style, ya’ll.

1:19, Today: Mithralan rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Shapeshifting into an orca. (+wis).

So that’s one Orca express, with Two hold for Orca moves ;)

This message was last edited by the player at 00:25, Fri 15 Feb 2019.

Sybilla smiled and laughed before feigning looking around for the halfling "What reaks of tuna past its prime? Oh why if it isn't little Cecil Stowaway. We disguising ourselves as part of the furniture now?" She pointed at his wooden leg, she was interested in who or what could have caught the sneaky burger and losing limbs had always been part and parcel of the pirate life. She looked at each suspicious face,  she gestured to show she had no weapon on her, and then turned back to Cecil "You know I am the type to travel, if my waves crashing against some new shore then what's the point of living? Could you point me in the direction of whoever is captaining this chum bucket now? I saw your handiwork back there and I know where you can find a fine ship to plunder, or better yet, take over." She hoped to entice the captain into helping to take over her former ship, though they would have to iron out details like making sure her new companions stayed safe. Always better to have the additional manpower and if she could get herself a greater position on a ship she would.

"I might fly there.  But I'll need a place to land and fire from.  Just follow me and stop when I circle."

The ranger grabbed her bow, flint and steel and prepped a few arrows with cloth and pitch to burn, then took to the skies again, flying low so the whale could see her.  As she approached the debris, she kept an eye out for a patch she could easily ignite without posing a danger to any survivors.

quote:

08:53, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Back to a seagull.
08:53, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

What here is useful to me?

"Nothing I can think of right now, Brigg. You should get back to the others before they start wondering what's taking so long," Eryn said, and nodded a goodbye to the officer. With him gone, she stole a glance towards Lady Mirrorsheen beneath the hanging key, then sat down with her legs in a circle and began doing the rote preparation for the few spells she knew how to cast.

"There is something I wish to tell you," she said to the fairy, whilst methodically tracing magial runes from her notebook with her fingertip. "Back in the caves near Markarth, where we beat back the overlord's minions, there was a child I couldn't save. A sea witch spirited a young girl away to become her apprentice, and the rest of us could only stand and watch as she did so. I thought to myself: 'This will never happen again if I can help it'. Now that we are faced with the dilemma of stopping the overlord or saving the Captain's soul, however, I don't know what to do." She looked away and chewed on her words for a few seconds before continuing. "I may not like Frost, but I don't feel comfortable trading away a soul for an uncertain victory. Yet the amount of people we save by foiling the overlord's plan at every step is so much greater. I really hope we can get Captain Frost to see reason, or else..." Eryn let the words trail off. Switching subjects to something she knew more about, the warrior instead focused on the potential for battle.

"I didn't want to tell Brigg, but thanks to Hiran's teachings I've been able to work out how to create fire through a spell. It is wild and uncontrollable, however; only good for one big burst. I don't think I could produce a stable flame that only weakens her, so I was wondering if perhaps you have any magic that can produce heat?"

---

I may prepare Fireball, but it may be a bit risky. If Mirrorsheen can produce heat or flame I'll just reaffirm the other spells I've had so far.

Marcus watched Captain Frost as she left to continue organizing the desperation-driven attempt, considering how it must feel to know that your very soul depended on the actions of others. He shook his head slowly and wiped a tear that formed at the thought.

The shape-shifters provided a temporary distraction and the paladin marveled at the huge form that Mithralan took as he returned to check the preparations on the balista. He promised himself that he'll finally gather the courage to talk to the captain after they were in the clear.

Ilura and Mithralan
The glammer crab looked at Mithralan with a whole lot of skepticism, but went with the officer regardless. Tonya looked similarly skeptical, but wandered off with the little critter in her pocket. It was currently still in the shape of a hatchet blade, as it hadn't yet decided which new form to take.

Out in the sea, Mithralan easily made it through the waves in his powerful new form, and Ilura flew effortlessly overhead. It did not take long for the two of them to pull ahead of the ship and reach the wreck once more. The debris was spread out quite wide now. The ship itself was three quarters sunken, on its side, and heavily damaged. Whatever air pockets were holding it up did not seem like they would be letting it sink completely any time soon, however.

Under the water Mithralan could see that there was even more wreckage floating around. In addition to the grim sight of sailors motionless in the water, there were also a pelthora of broken boards and loose items floating about. Large portions of the ship floated separate from each other, connected by only a few loose ropes and nets. It could be dangerous to try swimming beneath the wreckage, but it was easy enough to avoid. The druid was able to get into a position where Ilura would be able to fire a bow from his back without too much trouble. His antlers would even provide a handy hand-hold for her. A handhold that Opal also took advantage of any time Mithralan broke the surface of the sea.

Up in the air Ilura didn't spot much that she hadn't spotted her first time through here. The only really useful thing she spotted was a container of lamp oil she might be able to use to speed up the ignition process. It was floating near the surface and easily accessible, since oil is lighter than water.

It wasn't long before the druid and ranger managed to get a sizable fire going, throwing black smoke up into the air to block vision between the wreck and the pirate ship. It wasn't even a minute later when both Ilura and Mithralan could hear a soft pounding sound coming from the hull of the nearly sunken ship...

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

Cecil scratched at his mutton chops as he thought about Sybilla's words, but the old halfling soon motioned for the crew members to lower their weapons. "Donnie died a few months back, so Rutherford is captain these days. He's tending to a harpoon wound he got during our last hit, but I'm sure he would love to hear your proposition." Cecil turned and began walking down the length of the ship. He didn't say it, but it was obvious he expected Sybilla to follow.

"I actually got promoted to first mate myself," he said conversationally as he walked. "Still got kitchen duty though. I insisted on it, actually. Working on a nice victory feast right now... Ah, here we are." He knocked rhythmically on the wooden door of the captain's quarters, then entered without waiting. "Captain. Got an old fish friend here who showed up sayin' she's got a juicy target for us."

Inside the room was a shirtless elf, having his arm being wound up in bandages by what appeared to by a teenage deckswab. Captain Rutherford was short for an elf, and his skin was tanned from being out in the sun for countless hours. He was quite muscular and had the look of eternal youth that was so common among his kind. The glowing tattoos up and down his arms marked him as one of the pirate gang's magical lightning casters.

With almost no expression on his narrow face, he looked to Sybilla and asked, "Indeed? And what juicy morsel might you have brought wriggling into our maws today?" The elf's voice rang with an unsettling mixture of aristocracy and fisher-talk.

What do you do?

---

Eryn

Lady Mirrorsheen sat on the edge of the table as she pondered Eryn's question. "I am not as skilled at spellwork as you are. Not by a long shot. Most of my knowledge lies in how to augment spellwork. How to modify it. Not how to produce it outright. The circle where I learned my techniques was run by one or two masters who knew the spells, and I, along with the other apprentices, were merely taught how to empower their magics. Over time I may have been able to graduate to a level where I would be allowed to learn the actual spells, but, well, there is a reason I no longer associate with them..." The fairy's tone hinted that there was more to her story that she did not wish to get into at the moment.

"So no, I do not think I am able to do what you ask. Sorry." She seemed genuinely upset that she was unable to assist with Eryn's request. But then witha little bit of sparkle returning to hereye, she said, "I could probably make any fire you produce last longer, reach further, or burn hotter though. Or possibly even help create a non-magical flame..."

What do you do?

---

Marcus

Back on the ship, all seems to be going as one might expect. Before too long smoke begins to rise in the distance and the ship turns to head in its direction. With the help of Westley and Silas, the paladin got the ballista prepared in no time.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Same Seagull moves as before.

What here is useful to me?
Some lamp oil that got the smoke rising even faster than it otherwise would have. I had the smoke go up already to save a bit of time, but still feel free to describe your process.

Mithralan
Orca moves:
Belly flop
Redirect prey
Echolocate in detail

Sybilla
You have the captain's attention.

Eryn
Lady Mirrorsheen doesn't seem to think she could do what you asked of her.

Marcus
Everything seems to be running smoothly aboard the ship at the moment.

Ilura lit on Mithralan's antlers, then hopped down onto his back before resuming her human form.  Her arrows remained dry and the first one caught easily.  She sighted on the barrel a good 50 feet away and stuck it on her first draw.  The leaking oil quickly caught fire and she returned the bow to her back.  She'd have to transform again quickly if she wanted to keep the string dry.

[Thank you.  That was much easier with your help]

It was then that she heard the knocking.

Her first thought was to swim under the ship and try to help the person from inside.  However, if they were knocking, odds were that that the entrance to whatever room the knocker was in was blocked, and she wasn't exactly a paragon of strength to be moving things around at the best of times, let alone while trying to hold her breath underwater.

[I have a form that could probably spit some acid and eat through the wood, unless you've got a better idea?]

Can I add Orca to my list of forms?

Preparations done, Marcus considered asking a crewmember for any further tasks they might have for the three men. There was a lot of goodwill to be rebuilt. Before he could, the dark smoke rose and the paladin took it as a sign. There could very well be darkness they need to be aware of. He grasped Lusiny's symbol and prayed for a moment, his eyes closed
"Silver goddess that shines forever,
In this time of uncertainty, please guide me.
What here is evil?"

His hand still holding the holy symbol, Marcus opened his eyes and observed the crew and the captain in a new light.

Guidance

Sybilla took one last look to at the familiar bird before going to meet the captain. She looked the elven man over, he seemed the type to have on your side, especially in a mutiny. She spoke with confidence "Aye, there is a ship near here captained by some Captain called Frost. We had a falling out, heard she is carrying slaves and working with some truely awful man, you know that's means something, coming from a pirate." She hoped that didn't offend him but rather underlined just how bad this Overlord guy could be. From what Sibella heard at least.
"Pretty decent ship though, you could do to add it to the fleet rather than sink it to the briny deep. There might be a few treasures on it to pick off at your leisure as well. What say you, I lead you to this ship, you knock off the old captain and we all make out like bandits?"

"I can't say I am all that skilled myself yet," Eryn said, truthfully. "My spells are still as likely to falter as they are to have the intended effect. Luckily the purpose of this spell is only to wreak havoc, so any aid you can offer towards that end is welcome." The warrior thought about it for a moment, then finally laid her book open on the page she needed. She looked over at Lady Mirrorsheen again, and found herself happy to have the fairy around. "I will prepare the fire spell for now, along with one that lets me communicate through thought alone. I can only manage one of those at a time, however, so I was wondering if you would like to be my eyes and ears, or if not: If you could fetch me one of my comrades for the same purpose?"

Eryn stroked her chin contemplatively. "Actually, come to think of it, I best speak with one of them in any case. I escalated the situation with the captain due to my temper. I best ask before I start setting fire to everything," she added with a grin.

---

I will prepare Fireball and Telepathy, along with cantrips. That fills my capacity of spells for now.

Would Mouse happen to be lurking around nearby?
This message was last edited by the player at 08:05, Mon 25 Feb 2019.

Eryn

"I will fetch one or more of your comrades and let you decide from there who you would like to be your eyes and ears. I am certainly willing, should you decide I am the best candidate." Lady Mirrorsheen gave a kind smile, then fluttered back through the cell bars and out through the porthole into the sunny sea air.

She wasn't gone long before Eryn heard a familiar voice whispering loudly from just outside the door. "If I heard correctly, there is now an officer I no longer need to hide from? That's cool." It was Mouse, the halfling stowaway, peeking around the door frame. Apparently they had been listening in. By the looks of it, Mouse was still worried about being spotted, and so did not fully enter the room in case they needed to dash for a hiding spot on short notice.

What do you do?

---

Marcus

When Marcus opened his eyes, he saw the ship in a way he had never seen before. It was as if the entire vessel had had most of the color sucked out of it and it was now a grey husk. Most of the sailors were a similar grey color. Some a lighter grey and others darker. Frost was rater neutral herself, but on the darker side. A few of the sailors, however, had an aura of black about them. Vixen was one, and Officer Gravelborough was another, as well as a few whom Marcus did not know the names of. Additionally, many of the crates on the top deck looked as if black wisps of evil were wafting out of them, being blown away by the wind.

"Excuse me," a voice said. It was lady Mirrorsheen, hovering beside him. When he looked over to her, all the colors of the ship and crew returned to their normal hues. "Miss Eryn wishes to speak with you when you have the time. She has things she would like to discuss..." The fairy's words trailed off as the smoke in the distance caught her gaze. Her only comment on the matter was, "Hmm."

What do you do?

---

Ilura and Mithralan

As Ilura awaited a reply from Mitralan, the wind shifted slightly. It caused the smoke from the oil fire to blow in their direction, making it more difficult to breathe in their current location. Opal the gargoyle made sounds of dissatisfaction from its perch on Mithralan's antler beside Ilura.

The sound of pounding continued to echo from the ship's hull.

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

Captain Rutherford looked down his chin at Sybilla and brushed his deckswab assistant away with a little bolt of static shock magic. "That sounds like a scrumptious morsel indeed. If you are to be trusted," he looked over to Cecil, who nodded, then back over to Sybilla, "then we are interested. But you may notice that our ship is not at full maneuverability right now. Still, perhaps you can fix that disadvantage for us. If you can do me a favor and sneak aboard their ship and drop their anchor for me at just the right moment, I think we can come to an understanding."

The elf stood up and his long black hair fell over his shoulders dramatically. He crabbed a cutlass from atop his bed and strapped it around his waist, but didn't bother with a shirt. "Cecil, I am afraid our victory feast will need to be postponed. We have a battle to prepare for."

Cecil nodded and gave a wide grin. "Yes Captain. Aye aye!" The halfling turned and went to go make preparations, his peg leg thumping against the planks of the ship.

"Now," Captain Rutherford said, regaining Sybilla's attention, "tell me more about what we are about to face. Who they are, and where we will find them."

What do you do?

---

Eryn
Mouse is lurking nearby if you wanted to say or do something regarding them.

Marcus
A few of the crew appear to be evil, but most are somewhere in between good and evil. Some of the crates also exude an evil aura. And in case you were wondering, Silas and Westley and Lady Mirrorsheen do not register as evil either.

Ilura and Mithralan
Smoke is blowing in your direction now. It is unclear yet if it will become a bigger issue or not.

Sybilla
Captain Rutherford has agreed to go after the ship so long as you promise to sneak aboard and drop Frost's anchor for him (or otherwise disable the ship).

"We are alone, but I don't know how long, so I'll speak quickly," Eryn said. She pulled out her packet of rations and offered it to Mouse through the bars of the prison she was stuck in. "There's three days worth of food in here," she explained. "I'm set for now, but I don't know if we'll be able to stay in touch once the mutiny happens."

The warrior thought about what to say next, as she hadn't really made up her mind about what to do, but she decided that any agreement she could make with the halfling was better than nothing. "I suspect you may not want to put yourself in harm's way, but if a fight breaks out, have you thought about what you will do?"

Sibella tells Rutherford the extent of the route she was told they were taking and as much as she knows about the captain and her crew. She stresses that there are others on that ship they would be way more useful as allies than killed/captured. After the discussion and agreement between them, with the captain's permission she dives off the boat in search of Captain Frost's ship. On the way she thinks about the best way to get aboard without notice.

Marucs frowned at the sight of darkness and tried to commit the faces and locations of the crates to his memory. At least their belief in Frost wasn't misguided. Much. The fairy's message broke his concentration sooner than he hoped, but he nodded and gave a slight smile. "Thank you. I'll go right away." Waving at the two men and offering "Keep an eye out, I'll be back soon." he set off down towards the ship's brig.

Shrugging at the whale's silence, Ilura removed her bow and quiver and left them on the creature's back.  [Try to keep them drive, and for the love of the moons, don't lose them].  She concentrated briefly and her body shifted and grew, returning to the ugly form of the queen buzzard before launching herself into the air.  The smoke was acrid and burned unpleasantly in her lungs, but it wasn't yet thick enough to cause her any real problems.

Alighting atop the overturned ship she positioned herself to the side of the knocking and leaned forward.  The other queen had been able to do so, so presumably she could too.  It took a bit of work, but eventually she was able to vomit forth a considerable blob of stomach acid on the side of the ship.  She watchedas it began eating through the wood even as it slowly dripped down closer to the water's edge.  The ship wouldn't last long once the sealed air could get out and even less long once the acid reached the water line.  She leanded forward to see what she could as soon as the first bits of wood desolved all the way through, thankful again for the Goddess's gift of enhanced sight as she tried to figure out what was going on inside the ship - and how she was going to rescue whoever was knocking before the ship sank...

quote:

10:24, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Back to sea buzzard queen.
10:32, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

It seems we may have lost Mithralan. I will NPC him for the time being.

---

Sybilla

Before she jumped into the water, Captain Rutherford assured Sybilla that he would spare her friends during the battle so long as they did not endanger his crew. He then ordered the ship to change course to intercept captain Frost's ship, assuming it was in fact in the direction Sybilla directed them. As Sybilla dove into the sea once more, she could spot Ilura's crow taking flight as well.

When Sybilla located the ship again, she could see that it was on its way to the wreckage of the pirates' previous target. It had nearly arrived too. Getting back aboard the ship was certainly more difficult than exiting it, but there seemed to be at least one or two places where she could probably climb aboard if she timed a leap with the bobbing of the ship just right. One spot was near the rear where some fishing nets had been hastily withdrawn from the water, but not pulled in completely. Another spot was near the front where a rope temporarily dangled down from a crew member's adjustments. It was near the anchor itself, but more likely that she would be spotted.

Granted, since the ship's crew didn't know she was planning on betraying them, being unseen might not even be strictly necessary for the triton's re-boarding.

What do you do?

---

Marcus and Eryn

Mouse entered the room just long enough to grab the rations from Eryn, then retreated beck to the doorway. The halfling stowaway pondered the fighter's question for a moment before replying. "If a fight breaks out, I suppose I would try to keep out of it. Find a nice hiding spot during the chaos maybe? Unless, of course, I had incentive to do otherwise..." Mouse rubbed their fingers together, indicating they were alluding to payment.

Just then, the sound of footsteps down the hall caused Mouse to retreat back out of sight. But when Marcus entered the room, Lady Mirrorsheen hovering close behind, Mouse poked their head back around the door frame once more. "Feel free to make an offer and we can move our business relationship up past merely helping each other survive." Mouse held up their new bundle of rations and grinned.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Ilura could hear the sound of nails clinking to the floor below as her acid ate away the wood around it. The pounding sound had stopped, and when the hole was large enough, Ilura could see two figures huddling among the wreckage of the room within, terrified of the monstrous sea buzzard looming over them. They were not human, but certainly humanoid. They were finely dressed, but they bore the markings of servitude. It appeared these two once belonged to someone aboard the ship. The room itself seemed to be a private quarters of some sort. There were clothes strewn about and other everyday items. Most were of high quality. One tophat in particular seemed to stand out above the rest as it floated in the rising water.

With a way for the air to escape, The ship was sinking much faster now. The room below her was quickly filling with sea water. The ranger knew that once the ship sank below the waves, it would probably pull things nearby down with it. The suction force it created would be difficult to escape.

As Ilura decided what to do, her loyal friend Thomas returned. He landed beside her on the upturned ship and said, [The pirates are coming back this way!]

What do you do?

---

Sybilla
There are two spots where you can get aboard the ship. If you wish to remain unseen, I'll need a Defy Danger roll. The danger being you being spotted sneaking aboard. If you sneak in the front, you will be closer to the anchor but risk being spotted as you climb aboard. If you climb up the rear, you can get aboard just fine, but you will need to avoid being spotted as you hide or traverse the length of the ship.

Eryn and Marcus
You are now both in the brig with Lady Mirrorsheen and Mouse. You have the opportunity to hire Mouse as an official Hireling if you would like to. Otherwise you can keep the relationship as-is, where Mouse passes notes in exchange for rations, etc.

Loyalty: 1
Cost: Money
Skills: Burglar 4, Warrior 2

Ilura
Your Sea Buzzard moves are the same as usual. You have found two trapped servants in the wrecked ship. What type of non-humans are they? What marks them as servants?

What should I be on the lookout for?
The ship is sinking fast now. It will create quite a bit of suction once it goes under completely. Best not to get caught up in the pull.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
There is a tophat floating in the water that seems more... unique, than the other clothing floating around.

What here is not what it appears to be?
The two people are marked as property of someone. They were not crew members, but essentially slaves of someone who had been aboard the ship.

[Mithralan, get over here!  I've got two slaves and I doubt they can swim]

She was happy to see Thomas again.  She'd been a bit worried leaving him on his own.
[Did the Triton sell us out?]

Ilura changed form back to human, then reached her hand into the room.  "Come quickly.  I can save you, but if you wait too long, you will die"  The hat was interesting, but her priority had to be the people.  She took slight comfort from the fact that whoever had "owned" this sorry pair had likely already drowned.

"How much would you be looking for, exactly?" Eryn asked, but dropped the matter when she saw the paladin enter. "Marcus," she acknowledged, then moved quickly onto business. "Sorry for the trouble above deck. Sounds like this situation may be falling apart quickly anyway, though. Parts of the crew is getting antsy with the captain, and the pirates may be upon us soon."

The warrior closed her notebook and rose to her feet, all preparations done. "I can get out of here if need be," Eryn continued, nodding towards the keys hanging on the wall, "but I was thinking we should have some way of communicating. I would like to use one of the spells Hiran helped me with, and form a mental connection with either you or Lady Mirrorsheen. That way we can stay in touch. What do you say?"

As the pair moved/swam into the light, the slave brands on their forehead were clear.  Their skin was gray and mostly hairless.  Drugar.  Likely captured during a raid and retained either for their strength or as novelties. One of them looked to be a female, which was unusual.  She gestured more urgently.  "Come!  Live!"

Sybilla weighed her options on both directions of approach. Ultimately she decided it would be quite a waste of time to sneak in the back way since as soon as the anchor was dropped they would come running to see what the situation was. She  made her way carefully and slowly up the front of the ship. When she was close to the deck, she took a quick peek and provided there was noone near she would toss herself over the rail and try to quickly get a hidden position. She wasn't  sure what her backup plan would be.

"Eryn." Marcus returned the greeting, his face showing his sadness for her predicament. "Yes, things are far from good." the paladin agreed, still grim. He followed her nod towards the key frowning slightly but it cleared at the suggestion. And then his eyes went wide. "Magical communication!"

He started rummaging through the few possessions he had with him "Sorry. Yes, feel free to cast the spell on me. But I need to check something first." He pulled out a black bound journal and opened the first page, eyes running across the page. "We might have a way to get the captain out of the bargain!" he offered the journal to Eryn.



His enthusiasm sunk as he considered the situation "I meant to discuss it with her in private, not moments before a possible fight. Maybe it's worth considering even if we have to take control of the ship from her."

Eryn read the letter with a wrinkled brow, then handed it back to the paladin. "Is there a time limit to the stasis? As much as I'd love to rid the world of evil, I don't imagine we will be able to find and kill such a demon quickly. Frost may have to enter the bag as soon as we approach our destination, and stay in it for a long time."

The warrior contemplated their situation with a serious expression on her face. The letter was very intriguing, and yet...

"Given how much the captain dreads a delay, I imagine she would rather just hand over the jotnar corpses to fulfill the contract. Perhaps she will assist us after that, or perhaps she will be roped into another agreement with the enemy. There is still a chance for us to succeed, but delivering the jotnar may very well result in a calamity."


Eryn traced a simple gesture in the air with the fingers on her right hand; drawing an invisible triangle from her eyes to her forehead. Focusing her thoughts on the person in front of her, the apprentice wizard did her best to form the mental connection between them. She felt an odd sensation when the telepathic ability manifested, certainly stronger for her than for Marcus. As she instinctively let go of the rush of magic to avoid producing any ill effect, she could feel the spell itself slip from her mind.

The bond had been created, but Eryn knew she would be unable to create another without risk.

Hello, she thought.

---

10:42, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 2d6.  Cast a Spell (Telepathy with Marcus).
I forget the spell until the next time I prepare it.

Ilura

The drugars seemed unsure if they should trust the shapeshifter at first, but quickly came around on that decision as the room continued to fill with water. They clamored up the side of an overturned desk and grabbed Ilura's hand and emerged out onto the hull of the ship. As they did, the drugars uttered words of concern to each other in their native tongue. Their concern doubled as they realized where Ilura wanted them to go next. "Boat?" the male asked in a thick and clumsy accent, nervously eyeing the antlered orca. They both looked around frantically for another mode of transportation. "No boat? No Boat?" The drugars then caught sight of Frost's ship approaching. With eager pointing, the male asked, "Boat, yes? We go boat?"

Now that Ilura was back in human form, Thomas took the opportunity to land on her shoulder. [I don't think the triton sold us out, but she definitely sold someone out. I'm not so good with people-words yet, and they were inside when they were talking, so I don't know all of the details. But the pirates are headed this way and Sybilla swam back to the ship we were on. I think the ships are going to fight.] Almost as if on cue, Ilura caught a glimpse of the pirate ship through a break in the smoke. It was most definitely heading toward their location.

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

Sybilla leaped onto the deck when it looked like the coast was clear and quickly tucked herself between some crates. Just when she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the shadow of a figure blocked her exit. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but a face she recognized soon came into focus.

"I thought that was you," Westley, the naive hireling said with a wide smile. "I was afraid you had left us. Whatchya doing back there? You lose something?" It was clear that the clueless young man had no idea that he was about to blow Sybilla's cover. She would need to act quickly before other crew members took notice.

What do you do?

---

Eryn and Marcus

With the barest of touches, Eryn's link to Marcus was fully established. The paladin could hear the psudo-wizard's thoughts as clearly as his own, and vice-versa. When they willed it.

"I could have helped you with that," Lady Mirrorsheen tsked at Eryn after the fighter had cast her spell. The old fairy then flitted out the window to gather in their surroundings again and reported back what she had found. "It looks like we have just about reached the wreckage. It seems Ilura has found two survivors as well. Drugar." The last word was spoken with malice on her tongue. The fairy did not seem to be a fan of the species. She landed nimbly on the table below the key on the wall and awaited further instructions.

The stowaway, Mouse, had disappeared from view again after it became clear they were not going to be paid to risk staying out in the open.

What do you do?

---

Sybilla
You made it to a hiding spot, but Westley is about to unwittingly blow your cover. You can attempt to keep that from happening, somehow, if you so desire.

Sybilla sighed when she saw the oaf Westley, looking up at him she quickly said in a low voice "Yeah, my gear. I think  the captain's men stripped it off me earlier. Go check by the mast and come back quickly. There might be trouble brewing. Go now." She didn't have time to make up some elaborate lie or to tell him the whole truth. She just needed him out of her way for a moment so she could drop anchor. Having her blade on her would also be a quite helpful in the battle to come. With any luck he was a man of action and not the type to dally around asking questions.

---

OOC: 10:04, Today: Sybilla rolled 10 using 2d6+1.  Defy Danger (Cha).

"I can tell you are not overjoyed to see them," Eryn commented when the fairy's less pleasant side was made apparent to her. "Is there something we should know?"

"Get on whale.  Whale take you to boat."

Ilura grabbed the floating hat and jumped down onto the great fish's back, retrieving her bow and quiver which Mithralan had thankfully managed to keep dry.

She addressed the whale quickly.  [The triton has sold us out to the pirates and is now back at our ship.  She may try to sabotage it.  You need to warn the captain.  I'll see if I can slow the pirates.

Thomas, come with me.  We need to disable that ship]

Ilura flew back to the pirate ship and scanned the back of the ship looking for a place she could resume her form, then turn into a queen sea buzzard again without being noticed.

quote:

12:49, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Become gull.

12:52, Today: Ilura rolled 14 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

Curent plan is to find a place behind the ship where I can resume form, then turn into a queen sea buzzard, than belch acid onto the back of the ship close to the water-line to give them something more important to think about than chasing our ship.  However, open to other options if there are more effective/safer ones.

You might be right. Marcus conceded to Eryn through the newly established link. "I'll go see what is happening and keep you posted." the paladin bowed his head and left with another worried glance towards the imprisoned warrior. "Can you stay with her?" he asked Mirrorsheen.

"Do you have a waterskin handy?" Marcus asked, stopping at the door before turning back. "I want to prepare for Frost."

I'll use Eryn's adventuring gear if it's OK. And then fail to cast the rote.
21:17, Today: Marcus rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Sanctify water.
And this will be interesting.

Eryn and Marcus

Lady Mirrorsheen sighed when Eryn asked about the drugar. "Their species and my own have a... turbulent history, to put it lightly. Our peoples rarely interact, but when we do, it usually revolves around the fact that they consider fairy flesh to be a delicacy." The old woman spat on the tabletop in disgust.

Taking to the air again, she looked to Marcus, "But yes, I can remain here with Eryn. Let me help with that spell you are casting though. That's what I was hired for." She flitted over to lend her magics to Marcus in order to help empower the effects of his magic. The little fairy closed her eyes, waved her wand, and chanted a nearly inaudible incantation in the fairy tongue. As Marcus's holy light permeated the water, Lady Mirrorsheen began to take on a wispy appearance. Almost see-through.

When the fairy opened her eyes and saw what had happened, she seemed mildly concerned. "Well that's not good. Our magics must not have been properly aligned..." She reached out to touch the wall and her finger dispersed like a fine mist before reforming. She pushed on the wall harder and her entire arm dispersed and reformed. "Huh. It may take me a while to figure out how to undo this one..."

The two adventurers could hear shouting and commotion starting up above.

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

Westley grinned widely at the task Sybilla had given him. "I know-" he lowered his voice to match the triton's. "I know just where they are. I'll be back in a jiffy!"

He was only gone a few moments when Sybilla heard the crew shouting. "Captain! Permission to let the survivors aboard?"

"Granted. Then get the nets ready to try and recover some of the fallen. And we'll need to-"

"Captain! A ship!"

Peeking from her hiding spot, Sybilla could just make out the shape of her old pirate ship emerging from the smoke on the far side of the wreckage.

"Man the battle stations!" Frost yelled. "Bring us around! Defensive maneuvers!"

It was at this moment that Sybilla could see Westley returning with her stuff. But she wouldn't have time to don it if she also wanted to drop the anchor before Frost could maneuver her ship for the initial attack. The triton adventurer had a decision to make.

What do you do?

---

Ilura

The drugar couple seemed reluctant to board the whale, but eventually did so anyway. After all, the alternative was to remain on a sinking ship. Mithralan immediately rushed them over to the ship to get them to relative safety. But before he could leave his whale shape and warn the captain, the pirate ship emerged through the flames. It sailed directly through the debris floating on the water and toward Frost's ship.

As Ilura drifted toward the ship on the wings of a gull, she noticed that the pirates had chosen a curious path toward Frost's ship. The head-on approach suggested that they planned on having some sort of advantage. Otherwise Frost's ship would be able to easily maneuver into an advantageous position before the two clashed.

Another detail caught the ranger's eye as well. Where a ship would normally post archers, this one had sailors posted with no bows in sight. But the the tattoos that were glowing and crackling on their skin as they prepared for conflict suggested they had magical talents instead.

As for hiding spots, there were several that Ilura could see. Thomas the crow circled over the crow's nest, pointing out that it had just now been vacated so that its inhabitant could participate in the coming fight. Or there was also a large coil of thick rope near the rear of the ship she could duck into, presumably used for mooring the ship at a dock. And of course there was always the option to try and transform in the air or water directly behind the pirate ship too, since that was not the direction that held any of the crew's attention at the moment.

What do you do?

---

Marcus and Eryn
There are spare waterskins aboard the ship you could grab, so no need to use an adventuring gear. Lady Mirrorsheen has become mist-like due to some sort of miscalculation. She can't affect solid objects at the moment. Your water seems to be holy water now though. Also, note that Ilura has a barrel of holy water that she brought with from Markhain.

Sybilla
The attack has begun. You can either drop the anchor, or gather your gear before the action starts, but not both. Note that dropping the anchor is sure to immediately draw attention to you (unless you find a way for it not to).

Ilura
What should I be on the lookout for?
The pirates at the archer stations are mages, not archers. Which could be problematic.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
There are a few useful places you could transform yourself without being noticed. Inside a huge coil of thick rope, behind the ship itself in midair/on the water, or in the crow's nest.

What here is not what it appears to be?
The pirate ship thinks it has an advantage for some reason. the path of their approach would seem outright foolish otherwise.

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

You can decide if Opal went with you or back to the ship with Mithralan.

Also, your new tophat has 1 weight. It is a bit heavier than you would have expected and seems like it might have magical properties. Feel free to Spout Lore about it if you think you might know about it.

I was really just looking for a place to hide behind the ship where I could transform without being noticed

Confident that all eyes were looking forward, Ilura landed on the water behind the ship and quickly resumed her form before changing form again into the queen.  All of the back and forth was starting to leave her a bit woozy, but the bracelet worked as designed.   Launching herself into the air, she quickly caught up and vomited a huge quantity of bile onto the rear of the ship, close to the waterline.  She did her best to try to get some on the connection to the rudder as well.   Hopefully once the ship was taking on water, the pirates would decide there were more important things to do than fight.  As soon as she was confident the acid was making a sufficient-sized hole on the ship, she tried to change shape again back to a gull so she could head towards her own ship.  Only this time, nothing happened...

quote:

12:38, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Transform to queen.
12:39, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Dex to get the acid where I want?

Not sure if it's a defy danger or even if a roll is needed.

quote:

12:40, Today: Ilura rolled 5 using 2d6+3.  Back to a seagull.

Or not...

Ilura sent Opal with the whale to ensure the slaves got there safely.

Sybilla tapped her foot as she waited for the boy with her sword. He was simply taking too long, and now with the pirate's  in sight she had to take her chances pursuing the plan. Taking hold of the winch that kept the anchor hauled up she slowly began to release it. She didn't  want the damn thing breaking off or putting another hole in the ship. The chain began to uncoil and the heavy weight made it's way to the seafloor below. She stood guard by it, hiding as much as was possible. It was hard to do and still keep an a hand on the winch.

---

19:09, Today: Sybilla rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Defy Danger (Dex).
This message was last edited by the player at 23:13, Tue 12 Mar 2019.

Sybilla, do you want to give me a Defy Danger to avoid drawing attention to yourself? Probably with Dex to stay out of sight or Cha if you just want to look inconspicuous. I am open to other options though.

Paladin's eyes went wide as he watched the faerie's transformation "By the silver light..." he watched her test the mist's behavior and listened to her "I'll pray for you to be better, but I must leave. Stay safe. Both of you." he looked at Eryn once more before rushing through the door and to the deck.

Well, clearly both Marcus and I forgot about the barrel.

"You too, Marcus," replied Eryn, watching her comrade leave in a hurry.

"I will protect you as best I can," she told the fairy, swiftly gathering up her belongings and preparing to leave the small cell. "I would ask you for the key, but I understand that you cannot hand it to me right this moment. In that case...

The warrior gripped two of the metal bars in front of her, and gave a quick pull to test how solid they were. Even if the bars were strong, the wood that made up the ship may be a bit weaker, and with toned muscles like Eryn possessed it proved a simple task to escape. The metal rapidly twisted out of shape under her strength, while planks cracked loudly as they were forced to follow the bars that had been run into them. Eryn felt certain that if it wasn't for the pirates boarding the ship, her escape would have been noticed immediately. Still, it would be impossible to hide what she had done, for there was not much cage left to speak of.

Thinking quickly, Eryn grabbed the keys from the hook and threw them in between some crates and barrels she spotted. At least Brigg would not be implicated in her escape, however unlikely it was to matter now.

With spear in one hand and shield in the other, there were only two things left to do.

First, she focused her mind upon the spirits she now knew to dwell in her weapon. I have little time to make a final decision, she called to them, I need to judge Captain Frost's disposition. Should I attempt to broker a deal with her - to offer our muscle and our knowledge of the contract to help her, or should I forgo such a risky plan and instead attack her on sight, to bring her down while she is distracted?

Now carrying the spirit's advice, she called out to Marcus through their newly forged telepathic link:

Marcus, I am free of the cell. Mirrorsheen is with me. I need to know what is happening above deck.

---

19:52, Today: Eryn rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Bend Bars, Lift Gates (the cell I'm trapped in).
> It doesn’t take a very long time.

20:00, Today: Eryn rolled 12 using 2d6.  Heirloom (Fight or parley with Frost during the pirate battle?).

Ilura

Ilura watched as her acid began to eat through the hull of the ship and water began pouring in. Slowly at first. But it would certainly cause quite a problem for the pirates when more of the hole dipped below the water line. The ranger could see that she had managed to damage a crucial part of the rudder mechanism as well. The ship would have a difficult time steering now.

Satisfied with her work, Ilura attempted to change from her queen sea buzzard form back into her now-familiar gull form, but instead found herself bobbing in the water in her own human form instead. Which was strange, because her bracelet had always worked as advertised before. Why would it stop wor-

Then Ilura changed suddenly and without warning. She shrank considerably and her skin sprouted downy brown feathers. She had turned into a seagull, but as a fuzzy little seagull chick! Its stubby wings were unable to provide flight and its little legs could barely even paddle. As Thomas flew overhead, concerned, Ilura was overcome with a sudden urge to cry out to her mother for food. A cry that was drawing the notice of several shapes just below the water.

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

Sybilla, in her effort to remain unseen, inadvertently loosened the winch for the anchor too much and it began to fall at an alarming rate. The chain whirred as it dropped into the sea. But at one point the entire chain rattled, then continued dropping rapidly again.

Peeking over the edge of the ship, Sybilla could just make out an enormous vibrant ribbon-like creature gliding through the water. A colossal forty foot long sea slug. They were normally harmless so long as you gave them a wide berth and did not provoke them, but the one Sybilla was now looking at seemed to turn aggressively toward the anchor that had struck it. It definitely seemed provoked...

The ship lurched as the anchor latched onto the sea floor, halting the ship's movement quite suddenly.

What do you do?

---

Marcus

Marcus emerged onto the main deck to see Opal the gargoyle helping two drugar aboard the ship. Silas was still stationed up by the ballista. And Westley was standing on the deck holding Sybilla's equipment, looking lost.

Not far off the pirate ship was heading straight toward their own ship's position. A couple archers fired, but their arrows fell a bit short. "Hold fire!" Frost yelled from up at the wheel. "Wait until we are in posit-" Her sentence was cut off as the entire ship lurched to a stop. People struggled to keep their balance as the ship angled awkwardly in the water for a moment. "What in the nine hells...?"

The paladin could see that the enemy ship was still heading directly toward them. At its current speed it would certainly collide into their hull. He could see the enemy captain turning the wheel of their ship like mad, but the ship itself was not turning. The ships were about to crash.

"Marcus, I am free of the cell. Mirrorsheen is with me. I need to know what is happening above deck."

What do you do?

---

Eryn

Eryn posed her question to the spirits in her weapon even as the ship lurched violently. Ramona was the first to respond.

"I think you have burned most of your bridges with that woman, deary. I think she was probably planning on offloading you at the next available location."

"Or sooner."

"Quiet Johnathan! That's not helpful."

"But it is! If she would do something like that, it just goes to show it is time to take her out!"

"True..." Ramona paused for a moment. "Even so, perhaps wait and see how current events play out. The decision might be made for you, if your ship loses in the coming conflict."

"Or even if you win. Either way, I say stab the ice-queen right in her frozen heart."

"Much as I hate to agree with that ass, it does seem to be your best option now, barring some miraculous change of heart from the captain. Make sure you wait until the time it right though. No need to be a thug about it."

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Your bracelet glitched for some reason. You turned into a baby seagull instead of the adult seagull you had intended. You have 1 Hold, and the move: Cry for Food. You can expend the hold and revert to you normal form immediately, but you will be left with a permanent new seagull-related tell. Or, you can spend your hold on your move and take some time to Cry for Food. That will give the sharks enough time to approach you though, and you will likely have to Defy Danger. Regardless of the option you select, feel free to describe what the sharks look like, including size, color, or anything else.

Sybilla
You were not spotted, but you lost control of the anchor. It struck a huge beautiful sea slug that is now acting aggressively toward the anchor. It probably wont be long before it follows the chain up toward the ship.

Marcus
Your ship has stopped in the water and the enemy ship is going to crash into it. Three hirelings and two civilians are nearby.

Eryn
Ramona and Johnathan seem to agree that it is probably your best bet to eradicate Frost. Assuming she survives the conflict.

something is wrong with the ships. Ours and pirates. They are about to crash! Marcus sent out to Eryn, as he took in the scene, his eyes widening. He frantically looked around for a moment before realizing there was someone who might be able to help stop the impending catastrophe.

"Lusiny, please honor me with your wisdom." he slowed down and gazed across the deck of the ship towards the pirates and waited for a sign "How can these people be saved?"

12:47, Today: Marcus rolled 11 using 2d6+1. Cast Guidance rote.

This is unexpected...

It had been so long since she'd eaten and Ilura hadn't realized how much energy these rapid transitions, not to mention all the flying had taken out of her.  She was hungy.  And she wanted food *NOW*.  Her mouth opened in an automatic reflex, broadcasting her need to any who were near.

Beneath the waves, she could see shadows moving.  Long and dark, slicing through the water.  Circling.  Her cries took on a new urgency and she paddled her little legs, trying to get closer to a piece of debris she could hop onto.

Understood. Eryn replied in her thoughts, partly to Marcus, partly to the spirits. The warrior strode up the ladder to the deck above with the still wispy Mirrorsheen close behind her. She knew the two of them would be easy to spot thanks to the fairy's unique appearance and her own strongly colored shield, but there was still some hope that the imminent collision would draw attention away from them.

Captain Frost would be in the middle of the situation, she was sure. Not only was the half-elemental one to clearly take charge, the good captain was also under a lot of pressure to get the living cargo delivered on time. A pirate attack - and the inevitable delay that followed - could push Frost over the edge.

"Mirrorsheen, please help me look for people we know," she said, keeping as low a profile as she could. Eryn scanned the scene looking for her allies, and for the ship's officers. If they joined forces, a bunch of rabble like the pirates would likely be no threat to them - not compared to witches and monsters, anyhow.

Her earlier grievances with the ship's captain bubbled to the surface. Eryn felt her grip tighten and the fire she prepared earlier yearning for release.

Captain Frost would be the number one target.

---

08:34, Today: Eryn rolled 11 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities (Get a proper view of the deck).
Who’s really in control here?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

Sybilla paled a bit when she saw the manner of sea creatures approaching the ship. She still didn't have her weapon though, so she was at a disadvantage. The anchor was down though, so that much was done. She took a peek out to see where that boy was  with her stuff, then tried  to find a place to hide closer to him and farther from the anchor wench.

Ilura

Ilura paddled frantically through the water even as she cried out to be fed. As the dark shapes in the water maneuvered closer, she found her way onto a broken plank that was bobbing in the waves. She was safe.

Then the magic of her transformation wore off and she automatically returned to her normal shape and size. And unfortunately the change in size made it apparent that the board she had climbed onto was not nearly as large as it seemed just a moment ago. The ranger bobbed back down into the water and Thomas cawed nervously overhead. The sharks seemed startled by the sudden change in size and darted back a couple of feet, but then quickly turned to approach Ilura again. [Ilura, look out!] Thomas warned as one of the sharks lunged toward her in the water.

What do you do?

---

Marcus, Sybilla, and Eryn

Even with Sybilla's obvious blue skin, nobody seemed to take much notice of her at the moment. Her sudden return after disappearing for an hour or two was the last thing on the minds of the couple crew members who spotted her. It did not take long for the triton to spot Westley standing with her gear, looking lost. He smiled when the two found each other and he helped Sybilla don her gear. "We gonna fight the pirates?" he asked her enthusiastically. "Bet we'll get famous if we can fend them off!" He gave Sybilla's rapier a couple of energetic swishes before handing the blade to the adventurer.

As Eryn emerged from the depths of the ship, Lady Mirrorsheen fluttered up into the air to do as requested. The fairy quickly pointed out Sybilla and Westley's location, nestled between some crates nearby. And the fighter could spot Silas standing up by the ballista, trying to maneuver the large weapon on his own, but not having a lot of luck. His snakes slithered over his muscular arms even as he pushed against the contraption. Across the deck, Eryn could see Opal the gargoyle hovering near Marcus, whom was casting a divine spell.

Aside from her companions, the people aboard the ship were running around like crazy, tying off ropes and preparing for attacks. Frost herself was up at the wheel trying to direct crew members to fix whatever had stopped the ship. A handful of men were headed over to check the anchor. Others were checking the sails.

Aboard the enemy ship, their crew was similarly scrambling. The vessel was approaching fast and on a collision course, just like Marcus had mentioned. The front end seemed to be higher in the water than it should have been too, almost as if there was a lot of weight holding down the back end. Their captain had abandoned the wheel and rushed to his cabin, disappearing inside. It did not seem he was fleeing though, but rather like he was retrieving something.

As Eryn scanned the ship, Marcus was busy casting his magic to try and figure out how to make the impending crash not so catastrophic. A silver moon appeared before the paladin and shined its pale light toward Captain Frost at her wheel. Apparently the icy woman was the key to dampening the impact of the collision. Unfortunately it appeared she had yet to notice that the enemy pirates could not steer their ship. She was too busy figuring out why she could not maneuver her own.

And then the air erupted in crackling lightning.

From the enemy ship, bolts of lightning arced toward Frost's ship. Several crew members were thrown backward or screamed out in pain as they were electrocuted by enemy pirate-mages. They returned fire with their bows. Their arrows seemed harder to aim than the enemy magic, but it was quicker. Soon screams of pain were coming from the enemy ship as well.

The enemy ship that was now only a stone's throw away from crashing into Frost's vessel...

What do you do?

---

Ilura
You have used your Hold and returned to human shape, but a shark is lunging for you! How will you avoid its razor-toothed jaws?

Marcus
Your Guidance spell has indicated that Captain Frost is what can possibly keep the ships from a terrible crash. A crash that will happen in mere moments! She hasn't seemed to notice yet that the enemy captain can't steer his ship, as she is too preoccupied with being unable to maneuver her own.

Sybilla
Nobody is paying you much mind yet, but it could just be that it is taking them a minute to connect the dots. Still, you do have time to put all of your equipment back on.

Eryn
Who’s really in control here?
The battle is pretty chaotic at the moment, and nobody has the upper hand yet. Both captains still have decent control over their respective crews thus far.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
The ballista could certainly pack a punch. Whether it be against friend or foe...

What here is not what it appears to be?
The enemy captain appeared to retreat to his cabin, but Eryn has a hunch that it is to retrieve something instead.

As soon as she spotted them, Eryn strode over to the triton and their hireling. "Sybilla! Westley! Good to see you," she called out. "Silas looks like he's having some trouble; I'll go help him aim for the enemy. Once their captain's down I intend to take on Frost. Would you be up for that?"

Sybilla could handle her own, she was sure, but Westley may be a bit out of his league despite his bravado. Eryn looked him up and down, trying to spot if he carried a proper weapon - and if he knew how to handle it.

She shot one glance at the enemy mages and quickly decided they had to be the first targets to aim for. Those with a range advantage - particularly of the magic kind - were very dangerous both to the sailors and to the ship.

Marcus, I could light up those spellslingers with a fireball, but it would give away the surprise to Captain Frost. What do you think?

---

I'll help Silas man the ballista. Would that be a Defy Danger, or some other move?

Does Westley carry a proper weapon?

Sybilla felt she had bought the pirates enough time to get well engaged so she stood up and pulled on her equipment. She shot Westley a look that said 'don't do that' when she took the sword. Sybilla addressed Eryn with a cordial bow and said in a matter of fact way "Do what you need to. I'm going after the captain now. Oh, and watch out for the creatures in the water they seem a bit fiesty today for some reason. " That last bit of advice was said with a tinge of guilt.  ith that she looked out for where the captain might be found and made a beeline with her sword drawn.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:36, Wed 20 Mar 2019.

"Wait, which captain?" Eryn asked, slightly concerned. Perhaps they both were skilled combatants, but for some reason she suddenly pictured seafood laid on ice when thinking of Sybilla fighting Captain Frost alone.

"Captain Frost!" Marcus called out after seeing the sign, his voice booming with divine authority in hopes that it will carry over the clamor and "The ships will crash unless you stop them!" he hurried towards the helm sending out a thought to Eryn Do what you must to keep us safe. But for now, we need to stop the ships from crashing or it won't matter!

18:40, Today: Marcus rolled 5 using 2d6+2.  I Am the Law! (Need Ice).
Thank you dice roller...

Sybilla had started moving before Eryn could get a proper answer out of her, but the direction she went in made it obvious. Shouts were ringing out left and right now. Spells and arrows were exchanged while the pirate ship rapidly closed in on their own. There was no time left to think.

Eryn reached the ballista without being hit by anything, but she knew that the weapon was an obvious target for their opponents. The warrior hoped Silas was ready for what he signed up for. Those mages certainly did not look like they would give any quarter.

I will torch them if I find an opening where our own ship is not in danger from the fire, she replied to Marcus.

The pirates were a bit too far away yet for the warrior to trust her aim with the fire spell she had learned, so instead she grabbed hold of the ballista to help Silas move and load it. "Their captain went to get something earlier!" she shouted to the muscular hireling over the noises of battle. "It's likely a weapon of some kind! Let's scatter the mages, but stay on the lookout for him!"

With this, she pulled the weapon into position, aimed for the first mage she could see, and waited along with Silas for the waves to align the two ships in such a way that they may send the heavy projectile to its unfortunate recipient.

---

Would the earlier Discern Realities apply to acting against the pirates with this, by the way?

Ilura's mind raced.  The artifact she'd been taking so much for granted was either discharged or failing.  Her bow was useless in the water and was likely being damaged by the saltwater even as she struggled to stay afloat.  Even her new sword would be of little use when she had no leverage to make use of it.  Worse, the onrushing shark wasn't giving her much time to think of alternatives.

She grabbed the piece of wood that had been her temporary perch and positioned herself to try to get the shark to bite it, rather than herself.  Her nimbleness was enough as the hundreds of teeth bit down on the wood rather than her legs as she moved lithly to the side.  She tried to touch the shark's eyes to blind them with light, but the spell did not come.  Part of her wondered if perhaps she'd yet again done something to offend her Goddess.  Magic was so confusing...

With no other recourse, she tried to communicate.

[IF YOU ATTACK AGAIN, I WILL MAKE YOU BLEED AND YOUR BRETHREN WILL FEAST ON YOUR FLESH.  I AM NOT WEAK PREY]

quote:

20:01, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Defy danger - dex.

Actually, that should have been a +2, but that's still a 10, so good enough

quote:

20:02, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 2d6+3.  Cast light.

Not quite.  And no fairy around to help :(

quote:

20:10, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6.  Defy danger - CHA?

Not sure if that should be a defy danger or a parley, but in either case, I'll definitely take that roll...

On a separate note, is it reasonable to presume that I touched the shark as I fed it the board instead of me and it swam past?

Marcus, Sybilla, and Eryn

Eryn made her way to the ballista easily enough, and she and Silas soon had the war-weapon ready to fire. It was merely a matter of choosing their target.

Sybilla and Westley were nearly to where Captain Frost stood when Marcus called out to her with his divine voice. The captain definitely heard and automatically turned to look, but then her eye caught sight of Sybilla's blue skin and the escaped Eryn's red-ribboned spear. Whatever Marcus was saying to her was forgotten as the wheels in the captain's head turned. Sybilla could tell she was starting to grasp what the triton's return to the ship meant when it happened to coincide with the appearance of the pirate ship. "You!" she started, drawing her weapon. But that was as far as she got, because the entire ship surged at that moment as the enemy ship collided. Captain Frost and Sybilla were both thrown sideways off their feet.

A moment before the collision, Marcus, as he desperately called out to Frost from near the front of the ship, noticed Officer Tonya Star standing nearby. She wasn't moving, and seemed to be staring at a rust-brown hatchet head in her palm. But the hatchet head had little tentacles and they were squirming wildly. Almost as if it were trying to warn the officer of something.

Then the enemy ship crashed and Marcus and Tonya were both thrown against the rails. A split second later and three thin and sticky tendrils burst up from the sea below. One missed everything and quickly retracted back to the water. The other two struck Marcus and the officer. Both found themselves pulled over the rails. Tonya fell to the water but Marcus managed to grab hold of the railing. As the long chameleon tongue-like appendage pulled at him, he could see that it was attached to long and colorful sea slug in the water below. Opal the gargoyle made distressed clacking sounds as it hovered over the paladin's head.

From Eryn and Silas's station at the ballista, they had a good view of the enemy ship as it crashed into theirs. The front end bashed into the side of the ship with a sickening crunch and splintering of timbers. Written on the front end of ship was written the name "The Cork," and it rose even higher into the air than it had been before the crash. Then the enemy ship started to slowly sink back down into the water again.

The fighter had her choice of targets, as most of the enemy crew had to steady themselves during the crash. They didn't have a siege engine to hold onto like Eryn had. There were plenty of casters and swordsmen she could aim at, but Silas called out before she could let loose a bolt. "Is that the captain I'm supposed to look out for?" he asked.

A short elf with long black hair emerged from the door Eryn had seen him retreat to earlier. He wore a longcoat with no shirt on underneath, and only had one boot on. In his hands were his other boot and a sparkling orb. The latter of which he tucked into his pocket.

As the enemy captain hastily pulled on his second boot, a small puffy white cloud materialized in front of him. A little rainbow arced toward his feet and the elf walked up it like a staircase and stood on the cloud. The cloud turned black and began rumbling noisily as the captain began using it to fly around. Every so often a bolt of lightning would shoot out from under it, issuing a loud crack to go with the bolt.

The enemy captain looked angry atop his floating cloud. And with the tattoos on his bare chest starting to glow, it was obvious he intended to take his anger out on Frost's crew.

What do you do?

---

Ilura

Ilura's spell fizzled, but she could still feel it inside of her somewhere. Like an uncomfortable gas bubble that wasn't cooperating. The sharks seemed to lose interest in her pretty quickly though. Especially after she managed to deflect them, both physically and verbally.

[Let the squirmy one go,] one of the sharks said to the other. [There are plenty of not-squirmy ones to feast on.]

[We need to watch out for the death-ribbon swimming nearby anyway. Besides, she tasted like wood.] The two sharks swam off, presumably to bite at the other bodies in the water. It was difficult to know what they meant by "death-ribbon" though.

A loud crunch alerted Ilura to the fact that the two ships had crashed into each other. Even over the waves, the ranger could see that the pirate ship's front end was high in the air and its back end was sagging quite a bit now. Then she heard the rumble of thunder and a person soon hovered out over the water, standing atop a small storm cloud. And hanging from the side of Frost's ship, she spotted her friend Marcus hanging onto the railing as a thin tendril of some sort attempted to pull him to the water.

What do you do?

---

Marcus
The ship struck and you got thrown to one of the ship's railings. The giant sea slug has three long tongues and pulled Tonya Star into the water. It is trying to pull you down too, but you have grabbed onto the railing. Your grip won't hold forever though. Add +1 XP if you haven't yet.

Sybilla
You and Captain Frost are near each other now, but have both been knocked to the ground. Neither of you has a clear advantage at the moment.

Eryn
Westley has a dagger. Who knows if he knows how to use it though. Firing the ballista is a Volley. You can add your Discern Realities bonus to the Volley roll, and add Silas's Warrior skill to the damage if you hit. Crossbow stats are: near, far, +3 damage, 3 piercing, reload, immobile. It has 3 ammo available.

Also, the enemy captain has reemerged. He had a fancy orb and a nice pair of rain-boots!

Ilura
Sure, we can say you touched one of the sharks. We'll say it is a blacktip reef shark, if you wanted to look up pictures. Your Light spell didn't go off, but no other effects happened either. Yet. Add +1 XP if you haven't yet.

"Death Ribbon" didn't sound terribly appealing.  Time to get out of the water - but she didn't want to take her chances with the bracelet quite yet.

[Help me find something I can pull myself on so I can get some shots off at that flying dude]

quote:

21:27, Today: Ilura rolled 13 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas - find something to clamber onto.

I've rolled for a shot, but not sure how quickly I can make it into position, prep my bow and fire.  (And don't know if my bow - blessed as it may be - is even firable)

quote:

21:31, Today: Ilura rolled 13 using 2d6+2.  Called shot on enemy captain.

quote:

21:32, Today: Ilura rolled 5 using 1d8+2.

If I can hit the captain, he should be drooling.  That damage is pierce 1.

Sybilla shot Captain Frost a dark smile and said with a laugh "Who, me?" This was right before being thrown on the deck like a bucket of mop water. While the ship began to rock hard against the collision and slowly right itself, Sybilla clambered on her hands and knees to get into a good position.

She pulled herself up to the captain and still on her knees, raised her rapier. With the blade hoisted above she drove the point down through Captain Frost's shoulder. When it struck an inky blackness spilled out from the wound. It was like a sticky shadow that clung to Frost's form. Sybilla wrenched her sword out of the darkness and tried her damndest to get to her feet before facing reprisal.

When the triton stumbled back, she truely saw the extent of the damage she had done. Blood was pooling around the body at her feet. She must have nicked something a bit more vital than just a shoulder. Sybilla stood in surprise that the captain so feared was unconscious and in the process of having her life spill from her.

After a moment of regaining her composure Sybilla lifted her rapier high into the air and shouted as loud as she could to be heard over the din "Captain Frost has fallen! Those who would have followed her, set down you arms and you will keep your lives and find new purpose with Rutherford!" She gestured toward the cloud-riding man above. She waited to see if anyone would actually listen as she glanced about. There was also still that matter of the rainbow ribbon creature terrorizing the ship, but that could be taken care of in good time.

---

08:27, Today: Sybilla rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Arcane Bladework.
08:31, Today: Sybilla rolled 6 using 1d8.  Damage.
Applied the Tethering Technique-
Your attack pins your target’s shadow to the ground, preventing them from moving more than a few feet from their current location.
Edit: Changes to show the defeat of Captain Frost.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:53, Sat 23 Mar 2019.

The impact of the two ships almost made Eryn lose her footing, but holding onto the mounted weapon in front of her allowed the warrior to focus more on the battle at large than her own fleeting safety.

"Yes, aim for the captain!" Eryn shouted to Silas, and the two of them together swiftly turned and aimed the ballista as best they could. The two ships leaned on each other and lay relatively still, giving them the opportunity they needed. Eryn hit the release lever and watched the bolt sail through the sky to hopefully arrive at the pirate captain's location.

The bolt struck true. Eryn didn't wait to see how well the elf took it, but hoped it would ruin his day before he could rain any spells down upon their location. "Load it up again," she asked Silas next to her, handing him a new piece of ammo from the nearby stash. "I need to do something about those mages."

The warrior reached the railing of the ship's deck just in time for the enemy to begin reforming their squad after the crash. From somewhere behind her she heard Sybilla shout something about Frost being taken care of. No need to save the fire, then.

"Fervens!" she cried, thrusting her palm overboard with fingers spread wide, aiming roughly for the center of the amassed crew on The Cork's deck. She knew that keeping control of the fireball would be impossible with her current level of skill, but she did not need control, only chaos. By aiming away from their own ship, she hoped to isolate the damage to where it was needed - the pirates.

As the heat and flame coalesced into a tangible shape from her spell, however, Eryn could already tell she had overshot her own abilities again. The tentacles rising out of the sea only served to underline the trouble they were about to find themselves in.

---

08:25, Today: Eryn rolled 12 using 2d6+1.  Volley (ballista against pirate captain, +1 from Discern R.).
08:27, Today: Eryn rolled 14 using d10+d4+3.  Damage from ballista (self + Merciless + weapon).

We didn't have an entry for Silas in the character status thread, but I found them in the previous IC topic. Add +4 damage from Warrior for a total of 18.

08:29, Today: Eryn rolled 5 using 2d6.  Cast a Spell (Fireball towards the pirate crew).
I don't think I can hit with this even if I add a bonus?

Edit: A clarifying sentence. Edit2: Found Silas' stats in the previous thread.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:45, Mon 25 Mar 2019.

Marcus barely registered the seconds between being swept off his feet and hanging for his life as the monster tried to pull him into the water. He adjusted his grip on the railing, wrapping his left arm around a post. With the other hand, he pulled out his blade and started prodding and slashing the tentacles, praying for his grip to outlast the slug's.

What is going on? he sent to Eryn Are you and the others safe? Then he heard Sybilla's call and his eyes went wide, his struggle with the sea monster forgotten for a moment.

08:53, Today: Marcus rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Defy tentacle.

Ilura

Now that the sharks were no longer bothering her, Ilura managed to find an overturned table to climb atop of where she could fire her bow. The bow didn't seem to be affected by the saltwater yet from the short time it had been submerged, but Ilura couldn't help but think there would be long-term damage once the saltwater had time to soak further into the wood grains. Ilura could still feel the bubble of light somewhere inside her as she took aim with her bow.

As Ilura fired one of her vorlag-quill arrows at the enemy captain, she could see it arc through the air and expertly catch him in the back of the head. There was a small spark of electricity as automatic protections attempted (and failed) to deflect the shot from its target, and the enemy captain hovered in the air for a few moments as he tried to figure out what had just happened to him.

And in those few seconds, Ilura saw a ballista bolt strike him square through the chest, causing him to fly back through the air in her general direction. When he landed in the water, there was no doubt the man was dead. Not many could survive a ballista bolt trough the torso.

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

The final showdown between Captain Frost and Sybilla had been anticlimactic to say the least. Even as Frosts icy blood pooled with Sybilla's shadow magic to create black frost crystals atop the deck, it was difficult to fathom that she had been defeated so easily. Such was the fragility of life.

When Sybilla yelled out over the commotion and called for a surrender, most of Frost's people were too busy fighting off the enemy forces to pay her much attention. The ones who did notice, however, had looks of total shock on their face. They put down their weapons and looked to the enemy captain floating out above the waves.

Only to see Captain Rutherford launched backward by a ballista bolt that had pierced clear through his chest cavity.

Officer Gravelborough, Frost's dwarven bookkeeper, yelled out, "Don't surrender! The enemy is crippled! Their ship is sinking! We can-" His words were cut off as a fiery explosion engulfed half the ship.

What do you do?

---

Eryn

Eryn's ballista bolt had struck true, taking out the enemy captain. Silas worked to reload the ballista as ordered even as Eryn rushed forward to cast her spell. As she began weaving her arcane signs through the air Lady Mirrorsheen hovered up behind her, still in her vaporous form. "Do be careful deary."

Eryn let loose with her spell, aiming at the center of the enemy ship. Unfortunately, the back of the enemy ship dipped further into the water just then, bringing the enemy ship's railing above Eryn's line of sight. Her spell struck the side of the ship almost directly in front of her and Eryn's fireball erupted in her face.

An orb of flame expanded quickly, its intricate tendrils of fire engulfing the front half of the enemy ship and the central portion of Frost's ship. There were screams of pain from both crews as people were bathed in heat.

When the ball of fire dissipated, masts, ropes, and timbers aboard both ships were aflame.

What do you do?

---

Marcus

Marcus managed to pull out his blade and strike at the appendage gripping his. It was not easy though, and he nearly lost his grip on the railing several times. In the end though, he managed to convince the beast grabbing him that he was more trouble than he was worth and it let go. Unfortunately the flat of Marcus's blade got caught on the sticky tongue as it retracted and the weapon was wrenched from his hand. It disappeared with the giant sea slug as it swam below the ship.

As the paladin pulled himself back onto the ship's deck and mentally communicated with Eryn, he heard a loud explosion accompanied by a bright flash of flame. A wave of heat washed over him.

That couldn't be good.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Your shot managed to stun the man just in time for Eryn's ballista bolt to send him plunging into the water between you and the ships. You still feel a bubble of light magic somewhere inside you, but it doesn't seem to be hindering you in any way. Oh, and both ships are now on fire.

Sybilla
Captain Rutherford died just as you proclaimed that everyone could find a new life aboard his ship. Then Eryn's fireball engulfed half of both ships. You were just outside of the blast zone, but now both ships are aflame.

Eryn
I never actually calculated the enemy captain's HP yet, but with 18 damage from you and 5 from Illura... Yeah, he's toast.

Your fireball ignited too close to you. Roll the spell's damage. You, Lady Mirrorsheen, and anyone else nearby will all take that much damage. Which includes half of the enemy crew and one third of Frost's remaining crew.

Marcus
You were able to get free of the beast, but your blade got stuck to its sticky appendage and was pulled into the water. Mark it off of your inventory. Luckily, you were out of range of Eryn's fireball, but now both ships are on fire.

Ilura looked at the captain, then the ships with incredulity.

[The ship's bow is better than yours]  Now that Ilura didn't seem at immediate risk of death, Thomas had returned to his usual 'witty' self.

Pulling herself together, the ranger paddled over to the dead captain and seached his body for anything useful.  She didn't know what she'd do with any of what she found, but in her current state, she wasn't sure how to help with two burning ships, one of which was sinking, let alone the "ribbon of death" threat that lurked somewhere below.

The bubble of magic purcolated uncomfortably.  She tried belching to see if that could get rid of it.

Do you want a roll for paddling or belching?

Ilura

After swimming through the choppy waves over to the dead seafarer, Ilura found the water around him to be thick with red. Even so, the adventurer suppressed her disgust and managed to search him for anything useful.

It was quite obvious that his boots were what allowed him to float on a cloud. A quick search of his jacket pockets revealed a bundle of soggy cigars and a pink crystal orb. The orb was not a perfect sphere, but a stylized jellyfish in a spherical shape. There was writing etched into its surface that read, "For our debt to thee, summon us three. We'll pay what we owe, when the jelly is thrown."

What do you do?

---

No roll needed to swim over to him. If you truly want to try and fix your light-bubble problem, go ahead and give me a Defy Danger with Int to see if you can figure out how.

Marcus looked after the sword that had served him through a lifetime of battles, his hand extending over the rail that he just climbed over. The explosion brought his mind back to the battle. I'll be with you shortly. he sent to Eryn, hoping she is still able to hear him.

The paladin looked over the scene and located Sybilla. He ran over, sparing a glare for the merfolk before focusing on Frost. He knelt next to the captain and tried to get the waterskin on holy water down her throat before starting to put her body in the statis bag. "Help me!" he called out to any of the crew nearby.

08:27, Today: Eryn rolled 10 using 2d6.  Inflicted damage from Fireball (ignores armor).
08:27, Today: Eryn rolled 6 using 2d6.  Fireball damage (Fighter re-roll).

---

The explosion of flame was expected, but the proximity of the fire was not. Eryn let a particularly vile curse word escape her throat. The pirate captain is dead, but I failed to hit the mages! Eryn sent to Marcus while rubbing her face angrily in an effort to lessen the pain. Save Frost if you can; I'll try to chase the monster away.. She spat and cursed again. Hopefully the paladin was too far away to hear the exact wording, for she had a feeling he would approve.

Eryn watched the flames from her failed Fireball slowly lick higher and higher up the mast. Damn if wet timber and sailcloth didn't burn awfully well after all! With no spells to move water at her disposal, there was nothing else for her to do than let the rattled crew handle extinguishing it, and make space for them to do so in peace. She ignored the screams that followed from her mistake. "Lady Mirrorsheen, are you all right?" Eryn asked, glancing in the fairy's direction. She hoped Mirrorsheen's smoky state would have protected her somewhat from the spell.

Their situation had become utter chaos in less than a minute. The warrior couldn't help but wonder why the pirates had decided to ram their ship directly into Captain Frost's, but there was no time to dwell on that. Bad choices abound on both sides of the conflict, after all. To avoid making another such overconfident mistake, the warrior knew she would need to keep a clear mind and both hands on her weapon to keep it steady while poking at the disgruntled monster; therefore she let the shield she carried stay on her back as she carefully sized up her new opponent - and the slowly spreading fire - from a distance.

---

09:15, Today: Eryn rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities (the chaotic situation on the ship).
What is about to happen?

Marcus, Sybilla, and Eryn

When Marcus called for help, Opal immediately fluttered down and did its best to help him lift Frost's body. The little gargoyle was surprisingly strong for its size. Westley stepped closer to help as well, but did not seem quite as enthusiastic about moving the dead captain.  "Why are we putting her in a bag?" the boy asked after Marcus finished with the holy water.

Nearby, Sybilla could see the crews of both ships working frantically to put out the fires created by Eryn's fireball. The heat of battle had subsided and now most everyone seemed more concerned with survival. The enemy ship was tilted back quite far in the water by now, and Sybilla could see Cecil giving out orders. As first mate, the old cook of The Cork was now the highest ranking person on the ship. He seemed to be coordinating people to prepare the lifeboats.

Eryn could see this too, once the smoke cleared. She could hear Cecil giving the order for the pirates to abandon ship, even as Eryn called out to Lady Mirrorsheen.

"I'm- *cough* No. *cough, cough* I'm alive, but- *cough* not alright." The old fairy was at the base of a barrel, struggling to retain a physical form. Her misty body was swirling with smoke now too. But she was alive. "I'll- *cough* need a few minutes." It was an obvious understatement, but Lady Mirrorsheen waved Eryn away.

Looking back toward the enemy ship, Eryn could see a couple pirates getting into one of the lifeboats, only to have two long tongues shoot from the water and pull them under with a blood-curdling shriek from the pirates. A large colorful sea slug in the water began munching on one of them, and attached the other to the sticky slime on its back for later. A few moments later it attempted to snare another pirate, but the peg-legged halfling was already ordering a retreat. The halfling then yelled something unintelligible and pointed toward Frost's ship. They seemed intent on boarding frost's not-yet-sinking ship now that their lifeboats seemed to be a poorer option.

What do you do?

---

Marcus
You can get Frost into the bag relatively easily after pouring holy water down her throat.

Sybilla
Your buddy (former buddy?) Cecil is in charge of The Cork now, since Rutherford has died.

Eryn
Lady Mirrorsheen is alive, but will need quite a bit of time to recover before she can help in any meaningful way.

What is about to happen?
Cecil, the peg-legged halfling aboard the pirate ship, is ordering his people to board Frost's ship. Since it is only on fire, as apposed to on fire, sinking, and having its lifeboats attacked by a huge sea slug...

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

Ilura
If you choose to retrieve them, the boots are 2 weight and the jellyfish orb is 0 weight.

For clarification, are the boots 2 weight if I ditch my regular ones and just wear the magic ones, or is it just extra weight if I'm carrying them in addition to my own?

Ilura grabbed the magic boots and put them on, pocketing the orb and sticking her regular boots in her pack.  If the pirates were boarding her ship, her friends were going to need backup.  The magical bubble in her belly would have to wait.

With the boots in place, she tried to make her way to the ships.  As she hurried through the air, she tried to figure out what she could do about the slug - and what the heck the death ribbon was...

quote:

17:34, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Spout Lore - giant slug.
17:34, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+3.  Spout Lore - Death ribbon.

"Saving her life." Marcus said with more conviction than he felt. Finished with what he could do for the captain at the moment, paladin looked at the situation that somehow managed to get worse with every moment. "Come," he called to Westley as he moved towards the railing closest to the pirate ship "we might need to fend them off if they can't be reasoned with."

Shield ready and suddenly aware that his blade was somewhere in the depths, Marcus stood facing the pirates he expected were coming. "You will not take our ship, but you can ask for refuge on it!" he called out to the crew of the sinking ship.

15:00, Today: Marcus rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Defend the ship.
Can Westley give me +1 to the roll? Although if it's like Defy Danger, it doesn't matter...
Hold 1

Ilura

When Ilura pulled off the captain's boots, she could tell they were heavier than normal boots, but not significantly so. As she pulled them onto her own feet, a white and puffy cloud accumulated in the air in front of her. A rainbow arced from the cloud down to the water just in front of Ilura. The rainbow was somehow solid enough for Ilura to use it to climb up, despite being made of light. When she climbed aboard the cloud, however, it went from white and puffy to dark and stormy. Little lightning bolts flashed across its underside and booming thunder echoed from it. It was not a very stealthy mode of transportation, but it seemed to move around in the sky wherever Ilura willed it to go.

As Ilura made her way toward the battle, she could see the huge sea slug's colorful form prowling underneath the ships. It flowed through the water like a long beautiful ribbon, shooting out its tongues to ensnare anything that moved. It occurred to Ilura that the shark's name for the sea slug was "death ribbon," and there was not a separate threat they had been warning her about.

It also occurred to her that while the sea slug was acting aggressively, it was not attacking intelligently. It probably wouldn't be difficult to fool in some fashion. How Ilura could use that to her advantage was not immediately obvious.

What do you do?

---

Marcus

"Keep them back!" Marcus heard a voice from behind yell. It was Officer Gravelborough. "They'll just steal all we got once our backs are turned!"

"Well we ain't staying on our ship," Cecil replied. The pirates continue to gather planks to use for a boarding maneuver and approached the gap between the ships to board. By force if necessary.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
I'll say the new boots are only 1 weight if you switch them with your normal ones, 2 weight if you keep both. However, it appears their cloud-effect cannot be turned off.

Spout Lore 1: The sea slug and the death ribbon are the same creature.
Spout Lore 2: The sea slug is aggressive, but not smart. It could probably be fooled somehow.

Marcus
Westley, Silas, and Opal all have Protector levels, which means he can assist with Defy Danger rolls (but not other rolls), but when they do then you can't roll higher than a 9 even if the total says otherwise. They all would give a +1 to that roll, regardless of Protector level. Their other Protector ability allows you to add their level to your armor when you take damage. When you do, lower their protector level by 1 until they have a chance to rest and recuperate, or receive healing.

The pirates seem intent on boarding regardless of your words. You may try to convince them peacefully, or Defend your ship. Or both. Or neither. Whatever. But note that you actually have 2 Hold from your Defend roll, thanks to your Staunch Defender move.

From her noisy-cloud perch, Ilura could see the scene clearly for the first time.  She scanned the two vessels as Thomas few low, quickly getting a sense of who was directing the pirates.  The less leadership they had, the less of a threat they'd be.  Ilura re-strung her bow and drew an arrow, putting it into the halfling who appeared to have taken charge.

She shouted to make herself heard over the thunder rumbling beneath her feet.

"One plank, weapons in the sea as you cross.  Obey and we'll see you safe to land.  Attack, and we feed so many of you to the slug, it'll sink from the weight!"

quote:

15:00, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

Who's really in control here?
What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?

I think I already know the answer to the first and have a good sense of the second, so I'll act on them now.

quote:

15:01, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  Volley at halfling.
15:02, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 1d8+2.  damage.

I'll lose 1 vorlag arrow ammo.  Damage is pierce 1

quote:

15:05, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6.  Parley using +1.

Marcus sighed and turned to Gravelborough who clearly didn't understand the immediate danger. "If you force a fight from them, you won't have enough crew left to make it to port, even if we hold." the paladin had seen enough desperate people to know the pirates would fight to the last man considering their situation "And they can help out if we run into any further trouble."

Seeing the scowl on officer's face, Marcus glanced back at the ship and Ilura's approach to the problem. He frowned as the halfling was struck by the arrow. "Our group will keep an eye on them until we dock." he offered as an assurance.

17:00, Today: Marcus rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  Parley with Gravelborough.
Defend Ship - Hold 2
This message was last edited by the player at 12:41, Tue 09 Apr 2019.

"I am sorry, truly," Eryn replied to Mirrorsheen hovering next to her. "I did not expect the ship to rise like that. I'll be back in a moment to see to you, but I need to help the others." She was making her way over towards the rest of her allies, doing her best to avoid the flames, when Ilura rose from the ocean on cloudy feet. For a moment the warrior instincts within had Eryn almost shouting to Silas to prepare the ballista for a second shot, but then she realized it was her ally who controlled the thunder this time. She breathed a sigh of relief and hurried onward.

The pirates were about to board, but with their crew being easy pickings for Ilura above and the sea monster below, Captain Frost's men had hopefully gained control. Just in case there was any doubt, Eryn decided to help Marcus reach an agreement. "Both of our captains are down!" she called out to the assembled crew of both ships. "Both of our ships are in danger, but I dare say our side has the upper hand in this conflict. Clearly those who wish to live will need to cooperate, or else we may all end up at the bottom of the ocean, whether it be by fire or sea slugs." She looked from the protesting Gravelborough to the pirates, then back to those aboard Frost's ship. Where was Brigg, she wondered? They needed someone to take the lead, and this would be a golden opportunity for him.

Eryn shot a glance at Marcus, wondering why his sword was not drawn in such a dire situation. Then she saw that the scabbard was empty. Had he lost it? Marcus, if you need a blade you may have mine, she told him via their mental link, indicating the magic sword at her side. Did you manage to save Frost? I spotted you and Westley bagging the body. Did you sense any demons approaching to claim her soul?

---

13:30, Today: Eryn rolled 12 using 2d6+2.  Aid Marcus Parlaying with the officer. +1 from Bond, +1 from earlier Discern re:pirates.

Marcus: You may have the magic blue sword if you need a new weapon.

There was a scream from the halfling pirate as Ilura's arrow struck, then a clunk as he fell forward onto the deck of his ship. The man's body started to roll down the slope of the sinking ship for a moment before friction brought him to a rest. It was difficult to tell if Cecil was dead, or merely dying.

With their leader incapacitated and their ship on fire and sinking, the pirates all seemed ready to comply with Ilura's demands. "Keep that damned slug from eating us while we cross, and we'll do whatever you want!" one of the pirates shouted up to Ilura. The sea slug looked to be exploring another portion of the water at the moment, but would surely return once the pirates began crossing the gap between the scorched ships. The pirates moved one of their planks through the small fires littered on the deck and prepared to start crossing over.

Likewise, aboard Frost's ship the Lessthansix, Gravelborough seemed to be warming up to the party's position as well. With reluctance he said, "I suppose we can't sell our wares if our crew gets too small to sail. Or if our ship burns down to the waves..." The grumpy dwarf looked around at the patches of flames that had not yet been properly dealt with. Particularly the ones that looked to be climbing the main mast toward the largest sail. "Alright, fine. They can come aboard. But if they kill any more of my crew, I am holding you adventurers personally responsible. Protect my investments!" He then turned and began relaying his decision to the remaining crew.

As Eryn began wondering where Brigg had ended up during all of this, she could see him slumped against a wall not far away. He was unconscious, and had either been within Eryn's blast radius, or had been struck by one of the enemy pirate-mage's lightning bolts. Or both. But it was clear by the stream of blood running down his forehead that he was not currently in a position to take charge of the situation. For now, that task would need to fall to the adventurers or to Officer Gravelborough.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
I will let you decide if you killed the halfling pirate Cecil outright, or if you merely incapacitated him. Either way, he is laying immobile on the sinking pirate ship.

Who's really in control here?
Now that you shot Cecil and had several successful Parleys, your party is pretty well in control of the situation. At least for now.

What is about to happen?
The fire aboard Frost's ship, the Lessthansix, is about to spread to the main mast. And that would make the fire much more difficult to contain once that happens. Not to mention make it more difficult to sail.

What should I be on the lookout for?
The sea slug is keeping its distance right now, but it will soon approach to try and snatch some pirates as they cross to the other ship.

Marcus
Gravelborough has agreed to let the pirates aboard so long as you protect his "investments" from the pirates, which includes Frost's crew and cargo.

Here are the stats for Eryn's sword if you decide to take it:

quote:

Glowing blue blade (close, +1 damage, 2 weight)
It glows with a blue light. It can cut shadows like paper. This does not hurt the shadow's source, and isn't really permanent either. Wielder can roll +Dex to temporarily pin someone by the shadow.
 - On 10+ their entire body is immobilized for a moment.
 - On 7-9 just the part that got pinned is immobilized for a moment.

Eryn
Officer Brigg is unconscious at the moment.

If I get to choose, the halfling's alive.  Didn't really want to kill him, just take the wind out of the pirates to make them more amiable.

"I'll see what I can do.  Take your halfling across.  My friends might be able to heal him."

With that, Ilura 'walked' her cloud over to a location where she stood between the eyes of the giant slug beneath the water and the plank the pirates were pushing into position.  She hoped that the cloud and the lightning from her portable storm would be enough to confuse the creature and stop it from realizing that there were meal-sized morsels crossing over.  Then she drew one of her regular arrows - no sense wasting her fancy ones on something as unarmored and squishy as this thing appeared to be - and waited to fire into any part of the slug that crested the water that either looked vital or was about to attack herself or someone on one of the ships.


I'm going to roll to hit and damage, on the presumption that I'll end up with a target.  Feel free to ignore if I don't.  I'm not involving Thomas in this one.

quote:

21:36, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Volley at slug.

I'll lose ammo (marked)

quote:

21:42, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 1d8.

I did all I could. Marcus sent back to Eryn For now she seems safe. THe paladin relaxed as a treaty was brokered and the men fled the sinking ship. He turned to Eryn and approached the warrior, giving a tiny smile along with a nod. "I will find another blade, but thank you for the offer." With the attack, there was bound to be equipment that was suddenly without an owner. Not that the idea of scavenging from the dead gave Marcus any mirth.

"Please keep an eye on the transition, I'll see whom I can help." Still unarmed, the paladin moved over the deck among the sailors, offering short blessings of Lusiny, encouraging cooperation. He prepared himself to take on some of the wounds onto himself to save a life. Too many were already lost today.

17:15, Today: Marcus rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  Lay on hands - most needy.
17:16, Today: Marcus rolled 4 using 1d8.  Damage transfer.
If there is no one in a more dire need, than healing Lady Mirrorsheen

With Ilura positioning her cloud between the sea slug and the pirates, the sea slug looked as if it were about to target the ranger with its sticky tongues. The moment it raised its mouth out of the water, however, it tasted the sharp end of one of Ilura's arrows. It screeched in pain and wreathed in the water before retreating back to explore a less-pointy area of the ship. The arrow still protruded from its scalp as it slinked beneath the hulls of the ships.

Meanwhile, Marcus searched for those who could most use his healing powers. While Lady Mirrorsheen certainly looked like she was in rough shape, she would survive. There were others that Marcus was less sure about. Besides, any attempt to actually touch Mirrorsheen would cause her wispy form to momentarily dissipate.

In the end, the unconscious Brigg seemed to be one of the worse-off crew members. As Marcus channeled the divine powers of Lusiny into the officer, the wound on Brigg head healed up. The paladin could feel a trickle of blood forming on his own scalp as the magic faded and the damage was transferred to himself. The was a mild pain on his torso as well, as if he had been seared with fire. "What... What's going on?" Brigg asked as he looked around, still a bit dazed.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
The sea slug has been driven back for a moment. At least long enough for the pirates to finish crossing.

Marcus
You absorbed 4 of Brigg's damage. He is conscious again.

Eryn
Brigg is conscious again. The slug is staying under water and out of stabbing range (unless you purposefully try to get into stabbing range).

"Very well, Marcus," Eryn replied. "I'll be on the lookout."

After a short while, after trying in vain to find a good angle of approach on the submerged sea slug, the warrior spotted Brigg finally stirring after receiving treatment. "Glad to see you are alive, Brigg," Eryn told him. "The pirates rammed into our ship, and in the chaos that ensued I'm afraid one of my spells exploded in the wrong place. Looks like I may have singed you, as well as others. I apologize." The warrior paused, unsure of how to continue, but decided the lay all facts on the officer's table. "Frost is dead," she explained, "and so is the enemy captain. Both ships are damaged, on fire, and the surviving pirates have been allowed aboard ours to survive and to help with repairs. We do not have a headcount yet."

Eryn looked with concern at the blood seeping from the paladin's head, then at Mirrorsheen and the men on deck. "Both crews are in bad shape, and need a new leader," she said. "That could be you. If you're lucky, your wounds may help you seem more devoted than Gravelborough."

Ilura kept an eye on the slug waiting to see if it was going to retreat and ready to teach it another lesson if it tried another attack.  However, she also kept close to the ship.  She didn't know how long these boots were supposed to last and her confidence in all things magical was a bit limited at the moment.  Thomas came and perched on her shoulder, somewhat amused that she was flying without being a bird.

[Help me keep an eye on what's going on.  We're not out of this yet.]

quote:

09:45, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

What is about to happen?

With Brigg and Eryn making plans to handle the situation, Marcus took a moment to focus on himself. He wouldn't be of much use otherwise. While he prayed to Lusiny that the merge of crews will pass peacefully, he also sought out a replacement for the blade that was now stuck to the sea slug. The paladin took one off a sailor that was struck down in the initial barrage, closing his eyes and whispering "Thank you for your service. You found yourself in a terrible position and yet served your crew."

When he rose, Marcus realized that he took more of a beating than he initially thought. Holding onto the sacred stone that served as his symbol, he called upon his goddess for healing.

12:12, Today: Marcus rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Cast Cure Light Wounds on self.
Oh well, at least I got a sword

As Marcus began concentrating to channel the divine blessings of Lusiny, he heard the snap of a rope. He looked up just in time to see one of the little fires aboard the ship finish burning through a rope that was holding some barrels in place. With the ship still bobbing in the open sea, the barrels immediately broke loose and rolled into Marcus, knocking him over. A few even broke open in the process. Pickle juice spread across the deck in one direction, and lamp oil spread across the deck in the other.

From her spot in the air, Ilura saw what happened to Marcus but was too far away to prevent it in time. However, she was in a prime position to see that the contents of the broken barrel of lamp oil could be a terrible threat to the ship. The liquid was slowly moving toward one of the remaining mini-fires aboard the ship. The mast above it was starting to burn too, sending cinders down dangerously close to the flammable liquid. And if that wasn't bad enough, the light bubble that had been floating around inside Ilura had just moved up to her throat. She felt that it would finally expel itself soon, but for the moment it made it impossible to speak aloud.

While all this was happening, Eryn and Brigg conversed, not yet aware of the additional trouble befalling the fighter's companions. Sybilla was attempting to organize a bucket brigade with the help of the hirelings and pirates, but the attempts to organize such a thing in all of the chaos was proving to be difficult.

Brigg stared at his hands as he absorbed all of the new information Eryn had told him. He clenched a fist in determination and pulled himself to his feet. Then immediately leaned against a crate for support. "You are correct, Eryn. Both crews are in bad shape, and need a new leader. Unfortunately I am a member of one of those crews, and am in bad shape. But Gravelbourough can not be allowed to lead us."

Brigg sighed. Then, with significant effort, he spoke loudly and clearly to address the nearby crew. "Men and women of The Lessthansix! I, Officer Brigg, hereby extend my every authority to Miss Eryn, the spear-maiden, until I am in a condition to lead. Friend and foe alike, please heed her words so that we might survive our current predicament!"

After uttering his last word, Brigg promptly collapsed back against his crate. With a weak smile, he said to Eryn, "I hope you don't mind. But you and your allies are probably our best chance at survival right now."

What do you do?

---

Ilura
What is about to happen?
The contents of the barrel of lamp oil that broke near Marcus will ignite soon if not dealt with.

Also, your failed Light spell finally caught up with you. You feel like you are about to belch out the bubble of light magic that was inside you, but for the moment you are unable to speak in anything above a whisper.

Marcus
You got "attacked" by some barrels that broke loose when the rope holding them down got burned through. Take 1d6 damage. Armor counts. Your spell did not get successfully cast in time, so you would have to try casting it again in order to heal yourself. You are also partially covered in pickle brine.

Eryn
Brigg has just transferred his own authority to you.

Better to be covered in pickle brine than lamp oil I suppose... :>

Ilura coughed and sputtered but was unable to get any words out.  She could communicate with Thomas, but unfortunately he couldn't talk to anyone else, and putting out flames wasn't exactly part of his training.  Even worse, the cloud beneath her feet continued to send out the odd spark of lightning - not exactly the the sort of thing that made it wise to approach a pool of flammable lamp oil...

She 'ran' through the air, coughing all the while to see if she could get the bubble free, trying to get to an area of the ship unlikely to be lit by her lightning.  Perhaps if she could get her feet back on the deck, the cloud would disappear.


I'm making a roll to see if I can 'cough' out the bubble.  I don't know what the skill might be, so adjust whatever direction is appropriate.  (Or ignore if coughing it out isn't possible.)

quote:

21:13, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6.  Cough out magic bubble.

The promotion was sudden, but welcome. Eryn had no idea what authority Brigg actually commanded on board, but she reasoned that as long as he stayed alive to guide her it would work out alright. There was some fear in her heart that her earlier outburst would have landed her popularity far lower than Captain Frost's, but with Frost presumably gone for good she could hope for a respite, so long as she remembered not to speak ill of the dead.

Eryn spoke to the crew: "Thank you, Brigg. Though I am able to lead warriors on land, I must admit to a lack of maritime expertise. I will rely on the rest of you experienced sailors to fulfill your duties as you normally do. Do not be afraid to speak up if something needs to be discussed."

She looked to Gravelborough, not knowing if he would approve or not. "Fellow officer, I know I am not Brigg and that I may not take his place. I you will allow me to take charge of the immediate practical matters, I will confer everything else to you. Rest assured I will relinquish my command as soon as Brigg has recovered."

Next, sensing the need for urgency, Eryn turned to the matters at hand. "First: The fire! The sea monster appears to have withdrawn, at least for now. We must make haste and secure the ship before it returns! All able-bodied men, join the bucket line. Marcus and anyone else capable of seeing to the wounded: Do so, please. Save as many as you can. Navigator: Chart us the best course to a place where we may land safely. Anyone left without something to do: Keep watch for the sea slug, and patch any leaks you see."

She waited for a moment to see if her commands were accepted.

---

12:45, Today: Eryn rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Parlay with the crew to accept my command, promising efficiency and limited authority.
Concrete assurance of my promise: I will not overstep Gravelborough's authority or the crew's expertise, and I will give up command as soon as Brigg has recovered.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:49, Wed 08 May 2019.

Gaging slightly at the sourness that washed over him, Marcus rose to his feet with a few new bruises. As he did, the paladin uttered a short thanks to Lusiny for keeping him from greater harm. Surveying the damage from the falling barrels, he noticed the spread of oil towards the fire but was unaware of the further sparks overhead. "Oil spill!" he yelled hoping the sailors had a way to deal with such dangers. Leaving them to deal with the flammable liquid, Marcus moved towards the burning part of the deck, hoping to reach it and put it out with his brine soaked boots before it ignited the oil.

15:38, Today: Marcus rolled 3 using 1d6-2. Barrel damage.
Let me know if I need a Defy danger or something to get to/Deal with the fire

Yeah, go ahead and give me a Defy Danger, Marcus. The fire is on the other side of the oil, which means you will have to go through the oil or navigate around it. Both of which could be potentially dangerous. Especially on a rocking, burning ship full of new passengers.

Dex considering he needs to keep his balance. Fun times!
17:28, Today: Marcus rolled 7 using 2d6.  Defying danger

As Ilura made her way to land on the ship, the bubble in her throat slowly worked its way out. With one final belch, the light spell emerged from the ranger's face like someone opening a shuttered lantern. Then it was gone and Ilura could speak again.

When she reached the ship's surface, her cloud created a little rainbow for her to walk down, and the cloud itself lost its stormy qualities and became white and fluffy. But it did not dissipate. The cloud remained a few paces from Ilura, usually just off the side of the ship. Ilura was just in time to catch the tail end of Eryn's speech.

The crew seemed to already be doing most of what Eryn had directed them to do before she had even said anything. The few who had paused long enough to listen to her words didn't seem all that moved by the message either. But it was Officer Gravelborough who took it upon himself to point out why. "They aren't going to trust you lass," the greedy dwarf admitted. "Not until you prove they should. And after starting both the ships on fire, it would probably take something impossible to do that. Like driving away that big ole slug squirmin' around in the brine." He harrumphed and smirked, "knowing" that driving the slug away couldn't be done, then went back to leading people in his own way.

Meanwhile, Marcus got himself across the spilled lantern oil patch relatively successfully. He fell to his knee once or twice, coating his lower legs in oil, but he did manage to reach the fire before the spill spread that far. Unfortunately, stomping the fire out with his now-oily legs was probably an ill-advised strategy at this point.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
You can speak again. The cloud did not dissipate when you landed, but did turn white and fluffy once you stepped off of it. As long as you wear the boots, the cloud follows near you, usually just off the side of the ship. (And yes, it will even follow you inside if you go inside the ship. It is not a stealthy or convenient cloud.)

Eryn
Unfortunately a promise to follow your promise is not concrete assurance. They demand proof that you have defeated or driven away the sea slug before they will accept you as a legitimate leader (or a feat that is similarly impressive and helpful). They are still doing their best to save the ship right now, but more out of self-preservation than because you told them to. Nobody has moved to help navigate or heal the injured.

Marcus
You have made it past the lamp oil, but not without getting a significant amount on your lower legs. Which will make stomping out the fire quite dangerous for you.

"Well, you do what you are good at, then, and I will do what I am good at," Eryn replied. "If you can handle the fire, I will deal with the slug." The warrior moved over to the side of the ship, gazing intently into the water for a chance at spotting it. If she was lucky, she could skewer it like any regular fish you would cook for dinner, but she expected that it wasn't going to be so simple.

Once Eryn spotted the slug's shadow moving under the water, she tried to follow its motion to see if it would be possible to predict its location. If it was also willing to extend its arms in an attempt to grab new prey, baiting it would be an option. Otherwise, one might have to dive into the sea to properly combat it, and that seemed all too risky.

She pondered her options for a few moments, and found herself wanting for a good crossbow. Unfortunately, they only had the big one...

---

The Parley result makes sense. I figured I would need to provide something more concrete.

Would the ballista be able to aim at such an angle that it could strike the slug in the water when it's so close by?

14:38, Today: Eryn rolled 11 using 2d6+1.  Observe the sea slug to figure out how to deal with it.
What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?

Walking on a rainbow felt more than a little odd, but there were more important things to worry about at the moment.  With her voice finally freed, she hollered at the crew "Deal with the mast!  If the sparks it the oil, we're doomed"

Then she ran to the base of the mast, casting about for a blanket or cloak and some water she could wet it in that would help to extingish the flames.

quote:

09:32, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities w/ Thomas - something to put out fire.

Forgot to actually include the bonus from Thomas - but not sure how useful he'd be in this situation.
Key question is "What here is useful or valuable to me"
I'll let you decide whether I get answers to other questions and, if so, which ones :)

Forced to reconsider his plan, Marcus stopped and considered the situation as Ilura's cry came through. He looked up starting to realize the danger of the situation.

21:23, Today: Marcus rolled 13 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities.
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is not what it appears to be?

Officer Gravelbourough grunted noncommittally at Eryn, but didn't argue further. Then, looking at the ballista, Eryn could tell it would be her best bet for taking out the sea slug. But unfortunately it wouldn't be able to aim low enough without purposefully tipping the ship far to one side. A feat that was possible if she got the crew to cooperate, but definitely risky.

There were, of course, bows around that had been used in the initial approach of the pirate ship. Or Eryn could probably even use her spear if she got down closer to the water. Maybe with some netting or a lifeboat? The slug was still prowling around down there though, and would lash out with its long sticky tongues at anyone who would get too close to the edge. Right now it seemed to be going toward the back of the ship to see what it could find back there.

And speaking of lashing out, Eryn caught a glimpse of a familiar face carrying the Skyhook Bow they had been rewarded for defeating the queen sea buzzard. Mouse had blended in with the newly boarded pirates and had joined a bucket line. Apparently the sneaky halfling didn't want their ship to burn down either. And with so many new faces aboard, nobody knew which crew they belonged to.

Meanwhile, as Ilura ran to the base of the mast next to Marcus, cinders rained down on the two of them from above. Nothing for them to worry about directly, but certainly a concern for the oil that was continuing to spread in their direction. And the oil on Marcus's legs. There was tattered canvas holding down some gear nearby, but it would need to be untied or cut loose. There was a rain barrel nearby as well. It would be safer to use than the seawater, but would also use up some of the crew's drinking water if the canvas got dunked inside.

After Ilura had issued her warning about the mast, three of the pirates approached to help out. At least, that's how it appeared at first. But Marcus's sharp senses caught the way they looked at Ilura. He also spotted the dagger one of them held in their sleeve. The paladin could tell the pirates meant to confront Ilura rather than help out. After all, the ranger had looted their captains valuables and shot the first mate. From their perspective, blood was owed.

What do you do?

---

So many Discernments, so little time.

Eryn
What is about to happen?
The sea slug is about to check out the back of the ship for a while, where nets are draped off the side that you could potentially hang from.

What should I be on the lookout for?
Be on the lookout for the sea slug striking at people near the sides of the ship. It will be difficult for the bucket lines to collect their water.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
Mouse's Skyhook Bow could be useful. It can shoot both arrows and magical tethers.

quote:

Skyhook Bow (near, far, 1 weight)
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.

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

Ilura
I don't think your bonus from Thomas would apply here, since you aren't fighting or scouting. You're just searching. Still an 8 though!

What here is useful or valuable to me?
There is a canvas wrapping over some nearby gear/cargo that can be cut loose, and water nearby to dunk it in.

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

Marcus
What here is useful or valuable to me?
The same cloth and water that Ilura has noticed.

What should I be on the lookout for?
Your legs catching fire. Roll me a Defy Danger if you decide to stay under the mast and help Ilura in some way.

What here is not what it appears to be?
The three pirates that seemed to be coming to help are actually intending to attack Ilura by surprise. They will stab her if you do not intervene.

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

Ilura set to work using her dagger to slice off a good sized piece of tarp, dunking it in the water barrel and then shoving it between her pack and her back to free her arms to climb.  She ran to the base of the mast and then began to climb.

quote:

11:15, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+2.  Climb the burning mast to put out flames.

I made a guess that that would be a defy danger DEX?  Will hold onto the +1 for actually putting out the flames - assuming I don't get stabbed before making it that far... :>

"Mouse, could I borrow that bow for a spell?" Eryn asked. "I don't mean to make demands, but I'd rather have it to get back on board with in case I fall. I'm going after the sea slug that's picking off the crew. If nothing else, watch my gear till I get back!"

With the ballista too risky to try given the ship's rocking movement and the crew's lack of ability to assist her at the moment, the warrior stashed her shield along with her backpack on deck and made sure only to carry the essentials: Weapons, including a knife, and whatever useful adventuring gear was left.

With spear in hand she climbed over the edge and grabbed hold of the net rigging on the side of the ship, near the back. The sea frothed several meters below, and she could still see the slug circling in looking for someone new to grab and eat.

The nets felt solid despite earlier damage to the ship, and the beast luckily looked like it was approaching from the right direction. Eryn steeled her grip by securing her left arm through the net's loops. In her right she held her trusty spear, poised to strike the sea monster.

Ancestors, if you have any advice to give against this monster, I would gladly hear it, she called in her thoughts.

It was time to go fishing.

---

<Leaving my shield and backpack behind on deck, keeping only spear, longsword, knife, and adventuring gear on my person. I assume the sword and knife are secured in their sheath to prevent slipping out.

If Mouse gives me the bow I will carry it too. If he nicks my stuff I will feed him to the fishes.

08:37, Today: Eryn rolled 13 using 2d6+3.  Defy Danger (STR): Strength of my grip vs motion of the ship and when the slug strikes.

08:41, Today: Eryn rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  Heirloom: Consult the spirits about the slug.
* On a 7-9, the GM will give you an impression.

Marcus took a quick look upward and judging the place where there would be the least cinders falling, he planted his feet and pointed his new sword towards the pirates. "You were given safe passage and this is how you repay us! Put your skills to good use like managing this fire and you may remain on the ship." he shifted the blade towards the nearest railing "Otherwise you'll end up in the depths." Marcus was clearly disgusted, maybe not just with the vengeful trio but with the threats he was uttering. But it seemed to be the only language they would understand.

15:38, Today: Marcus rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Defy fire (wisdom?).
15:39, Today: Marcus rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  I am the law! No attacking.
 - They listen, run away, or attack Marcus
Used +1 from second two questions

Ilura scrambled up the main mast even as Marcus confronted the approaching sailors. There were still plenty of handholds for Ilura to grip as she made her way up, and the ranger easily dodged the bits of flaming mast that were slowly falling to the deck below. One such piece was falling toward Marcus, but there wasn't much Ilura could do about it. She would have to trust that the paladin could take care of himself.

Up at the mast, half of the canvas was covered in flames and billowing thick smoke. As Ilura planned out how she could put it out, she realized she would need to climb a bit higher, into the midsts of the flames and smoke. It would be hot, and visibility would be limited, but she wouldn't be able to use her wet cloth from below the flames. She would need to get above or beside them.

Down below, Marcus berated the three pirates that dared to betray the generosity shown to them. The moment it became clear that Marcus was on to them, the pirate at the back of the group bolted, afraid for his safety. The second one hesitated, then sheepishly walked off to go rejoin a bucket line. The third, seeing her comrades abandon her, turned toward Marcus with renewed anger. "I ain't afraid of no depths! You'll pay fer what ya did to our captain!" The pirate with the dagger in her sleeve lunged toward Marcus, aiming to maim him even if it cost her her life.

The attack would have been easy enough for Marcus to avoid is a burning piece of the mast hadn't just landed nearby and blown toward his legs. The paladin knew he could either avoid the fire that would ignite his legs, or he could avoid the dagger coming toward his abdomen. Avoiding both would be exceptionally tricky.

While Marcus handled an unruly pirate, Eryn prepared to handle the sea slug that was lurking below the waves. Mouse agreed to watch Eryn's things in the meantime and lend her the bow, but assured Eryn that if the bow wasn't returned, Mouse would keep the rest of her stuff.

At the back of the ship, Eryn was in a prime position to strike at the slug when it came near. The waves bobbed toward her and way from her as she hung over the edge of the ship. The slug spotted her and squirmed toward the fighter, ready to lash out at its newest target. Eryn's ancestors answered her call just as the slug rose up out of the water to strike. Jonathan and Ramona rushed to give their advice at the same time.

"Throw your spear through its brain!"
"Tether it to the ship with your bow!"

Eryn new she only had a split second to act before the slug lashed out with its own sticky tethers.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
You'll need to climb further up the pole to effectively use your wet cloth, which will require another Defy Danger. The danger being avoiding the fire and smoke at such a height. 10+ and you put out the fire. Describe how. 7-9 you put out the fire, but...

Marcus
You can Defy the fire, but you'll get stabbed if you do. Or you can avoid getting stabbed, but catch on fire. Or you can roll a Defy Danger to avoid both, but if you get a 6- then you will suffer both.

Either way, you have one pirate attacking you. For you I Am the Law move, one ran, one listened, and one attacked. You take +1 forward against them.

Eryn
Johnathan and Ramona each gave valid, yet conflicting advice on how to handle the giant sea slug. It has risen above the waves and is about to attack you.

Ilura got to the part of the mast where the flames had started.  The charred wood there was no longer burning but it was far too hot to try to climb.  She needed to get above it to actually put out the flames burning higher on the mast.  Thankfully, there was a rope nearby.  She held onto the mast and gave the rope a yank to make sure it was solid before grabbing it and starting to climb.

Unfortunately the smoke above concealed from both her and Thomas's view that the line she was clinging to was itself aflame a good 20 fee further up.  A fact that became obvious when the rope snapped...

quote:

11:38, Today: Ilura rolled 5 using 2d6+3.  Defy danger (dex) using +1.

And on a 6 or less...

Perhaps the pirate can break my fall? ;>

I can't risk throwing this spear away, Eryn thought. It is important to me, and the two of you may very well vanish into the depths with it.

Realizing that she could only use one hand to fight, the warrior held fast while waiting for the sea monster to strike. Eryn knew that if it acted on instinct, there would be a moment where it would be left open for retaliation, and in this moment she would skewer it. She wasn't certain if the flesh of the slug would be soft or made of sterner stuff, but the brain would indeed be a good target to aim for in any case. Where could it be on a creature like this? Center of the head, certainly? Would the sea slug stay alive long enough to flail and grab her?

Before Eryn had time to consider any other factors, the monster lunged forwards, forcing her to rely on years of trained reflexes over any kind of conscious decision. She leaned to the side as best she could to avoid the brunt of the mass behind the tentacle strike, and while hanging from one arm on the nets she swung forwards again, leaning into the motion to reach as far as possible with as much strength as she could muster.

"Begone! she shouted, over the roar of the waves.

Making the best guess she could, Eryn drove the spearhead straight for where she thought the creature's brain would be located. It tore through the outer skin easily and sunk into pliable monster flesh. With any luck, this would be the end of it...

---

12:20, Today: Eryn rolled 11 using 2d6+2.  Hack and Slash (sea slug, using spear).
12:21, Today: Eryn rolled 3 using 1d10+1d4.  Dealing damage (+1d4 from Merciless).
12:21, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 1d10+1d4.  Dealing damage (Fighter re-roll).
Weapon has 2 Piercing.
12:22, Today: Eryn rolled 11 using 2d6.  Defy Danger (Dex): Slip past the tenacles and aim for the brain.

That's not good...

Ilura's hands sensed the slack in the rope just as the "snap" reached her ears - and then she was falling.  As she looked down, she saw the pirate lunging at Marcus.  She'd caught enough bits and pieces of the conversation to have a pretty good sense of what was going on.  She was too far from the mast to wrap her hands around it and grabbing another rope risked more of what was already happening.  However, if she pushed against the mast, she could subtly alter her trajectory and...

quote:

08:40, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Defy danger (dex) - land on pirate.

Trying to stab me wasn't nice.  Trying to stab my oh-too-nice friend Marcus and suffer the consequences :>

Marcus nodded in satisfaction as the two pirates heeded his warning. Then the third spoke up and attacked. He had no intention of harming anyone further, no matter his words. He shifted his feet to avoid the attack but stopped as he felt the heat reaching his leg. With a deep breath, he squared off to face the incoming dagger. "If we keep going like that, we'll all end up dead." he spoke softly, bracing for impact.

Well, this occurred to me even before Ilura's sweeping down to save Marcus. Let's see how it plays out. I'm fine with taking the damage and then having the pirate plomped on.

Game Master:

Feel free to describe what it looks like when you take out this ferocious sea creature with a single strike.

For just a moment the sea monster spasmed, flailing its limbs in a manner which made Eryn concerned it would tear into both her and the ship, but then the slug went limp as the spear drove just a bit deeper into its soft skull. When it began to sink into the ocean it slid free of the polearm, revealing bits of blood and guts visible on the sharp weapon. The warrior then knew for certain she had landed a killing blow, rather than just hitting excess fat on the strange mollusk's body.

Seeing the dirtied spear-tip, Eryn wished to avoid corroding the steel by drawing it through any more saltwater than necessary. Therefore she flicked it through a wave only once, to get the worst of the mess off, before resolving to clean the weapon properly as soon as she could. A cloud of monster blood stained the ocean where the creature's body was already vanishing into the depths. Despite the looming threat of more slugs coming up from below, Eryn felt excited knowing she had bested such a beast easily, even after fighting it in a precarious position in an unfamiliar environment.

Her task complete, the warrior slung the spear back over her shoulder and gripped the net with both hands, before climbing back over the side of the ship to safety. There she greeted Mouse and retrieved her belongings, making sure to hand over the bow she had borrowed from him before making any mention of her own equipment. "Thank you for lending me your weapon," Eryn said while getting her gear back on, "I didn't end up needing it, but it was nice to have all the same, as a backup."

"The monster is dead," she called out to Gravelborough, trying to make the statement sound more like practical information to the officer than any sort of bragging. Though Eryn felt satisfied with killing such a threat to the crew, the important part was not to be the glorious victor, but to ensure that they trust her abilities despite the trouble she had caused earlier.

---

Handed the magic bow back to Mouse and retrieved my items.

I assume Ilura and Marcus may have resolved the fall before I manage to climb back on board, hence I have not rushed to help either of you yet. Tell me if you feel I could/should assist you there.

Edit: A word.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:47, Mon 27 May 2019.

The pirate continued slinking toward Marcus, murder in his eyes. "If we all end up dead, at least it will still include you being dead!" Then, as Marcus was distracted by the flames at his feet, the pirate lunged.

But was promptly pummeled into the deck when his blade was only a hair's breadth away from piercing Marcus's thigh.

There was a sickening crunch and a yowl of pain before the pirate passed out. Ilura managed to roll off of her makeshift cushion and back onto her feet in one smooth motion. She was certainly not without her own share of bruises from the impact, but the ranger had managed to avoid breaking any bones. Well, her own bones anyway.

[What? How?] Thomas flew past and was quite taken aback at Ilura's incredible landing in her human form. The crow landed on the rail of the ship even as Ilura's cloud settled nearby.

Meanwhile, Eryn returned to announce her success against the giant sea slug. "The monster is dead."

A few sailors had witnessed the fighter's heroics, but those that had only just now heard all turned and stared at Eryn with awe on their face. Gravelborough himself was standing with his mouth agape. The old dwarf then ran to the rail of the ship to see the remnants of the battle himself. "What sort of dark pact did you need to enact to kill it so... effortlessly? Without even suffering a wound for your troubles!" It was unclear how serious he was being with his inquiry, but the look on his face let Eryn know she had earned his respect. At least as a capable warrior. "Very well, spear-maiden. What would you have us do?"

By this point all of the fires on the lower decks were pretty much out. The fires up in the sails were raging quite terribly now though. It would take a miracle to put them out at this point. There wasn't a lot of threat to the crew from the burning cloth and ropes, but the ship couldn't sail very well without its masts either.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
You are safely on the ground now. The fires in the masts spread quickly after your fall though, and not many are savable at this point.

Marcus
Ilura squashed your attacker before he struck you, so you're safe. The pirate is quite battered though and is currently unconscious from the pain.

Eryn
You have earned the respect of the sailors and they are ready to actually follow your orders now. The sails will be difficult to put out at this point though. What are your orders for the handful of sailors still in a condition to be helpful?

The ship is just past the horizon from the nearest port. Your masts are on fire and your hull has been rammed by another ship. You have about 20 healthy crew, plus hirelings, plus the two rescued drugar. Many injured and dead crew. Two shipwrecks nearby. Two unconscious jotun below decks. A dead sea slug. Two dead captains. And Marcus and Ilura and yourself, along with all your collective gear.

Ilura didn't bother sparing a glance at the pirate she'd taken out.  He'd wanted to kill her and he'd tried to kill Marcus.  Besides, there were more pressing matters.  She glanced up at the flaming masts, still dropping cinders dangerously close to the spilled oil.  <blue>"Get the crew to cover the oil with wet tarps.  I'm going to see if I can do something about the masts.

She didn't want to, but she couldn't think of any other alternative.  She prayed to her goddess, rubbed the bracelet around her wrist and willed herself to turn back into a queen sea-buzzard.  Hopefully she could scoop enough water with her beak that she could help to douse the flames - that was, if she could manage to change form at all...

quote:

23:15, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 2d6+3.  Turn into sea buzzard.

Them dice doesn't like me so much lately...

Ilura's form shifted as usual. Her face grew a long serrated beak, her arms became wings, and all of her gear melded into her new form as black feathers sprouted all over her body. Everything seemed normal at first. But then Ilura heard the scream behind her.

The ranger looked back to see that the cloud that had been following close to her was still present. But instead of being white and poofy, it was now roiling with a sickening green hue. As it churned like a miniature storm, an acrid rain poured out from underneath it, coating much of the nearby deck. Including the unconscious pirate that had tried to attack her. He had woken up just long enough agonize over his dissolving body before falling silent once more.

Parts of the deck were already starting to wear away significantly as the acid rain pelted it. Even the base of the brand new mast that had been erected in Markhain was being dissolved away. If Ilura didn't act fast, the ship would suffer crippling damage.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
+1 XP! You have 2 Hold. Your moves are Swallow Whole, and Regurgitate Acid.

When you transformed, the cloud created by your magic boots took on aspects of the Sea Buzzard's acidic vomit. It is currently down-pouring acid rain all over the center of the ship, where holes are quickly forming. (The boots themselves have melded with your form.)

Normally you could expend all of your hold and return to your human form, but you will find it more difficult than usual this time. If you try to expend your hold without using a move, roll +Wis to see if it works as desired.

If you try to move away from the ship, roll a Defy Danger. The danger being that the acid rain causes more damage to the ship and/or crew as you exit.

Marcus and Eryn
You see the cloud, but are not quite within its range. At least not yet.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:20, Fri 31 May 2019.

Oh, no...

Ilura took to the air, flying directly to the side of the ship, dodging along a path that would hopefully minimize any damage by the following cloud.  She felt a twinge of guilt about the dissolving pirate.  She'd sort of expected Marcus to heal him - she might have even done so herself.  However, no time for that now.

She picked up speed, trying to get a sense of how quickly the cloud moved - and whether there was any chance of her outrunning it.  If not, she wasn't going to be much use putting out the flames...

quote:

15:23, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Defy danger (dex) - try not to damage the ship..

Is there any chance of outrunning the cloud, scooping up water while it catches up, then outrunning it again to dump the water and get back to the side of the ship before the cloud comes back?  Is grabbing a mouthful of water equivalent to the 'swallow whole' move if I don't swallow it but just carry it in my beak?

Eryn looked at the magic cloud with disdain. Once again botched spells had made the situation take a turn for the worse. "Ilura!" she shouted, "are you able to control that cloud? Can we do something about it?"

The warrior had no idea how to handle this new trouble. Putting the fire out was priority, but any sails they had would likely be gone if the acid rain kept up. She turned to Gravelborough. "I hate to say it, but I think we'll have to sacrifice the mast." Eryn was no experienced sailor, but she could tell when something was beyond repair, and when a fire had spread too much to be controllable. None of them - except Ilura - had any chance of raising water high enough to put out what was essentially a burning tree. Chopping it down and letting it fall overboard might be the best solution.

"Emergency solution: I know you have giants for cargo. Can they swim? Are you able to handle them well enough to risk releasing them?" Eryn gestured towards the ship that had rammed them. It was still afloat, though damaged. "I'm thinking we could put the jotun to work towing the ship back to shore, or as far as we get. If we do some rudimentary repairs and construct a harness for them, we could manage. The alternative is for two dozen or so of us to go onto makeshift rafts, and I'm not too keen on that idea."

Struggling with indecision, Eryn took the time to calm her nerves and get a proper handle on things. She figured there may be resources on the ship they had yet to remember, or perhaps some bright spot that could aid them.

---

08:48, Today: Eryn rolled 6 using 2d6+1 ((3,2)).
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?
What is about to happen?

Oh dear.

Edit: Text formatting.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:50, Mon 03 June 2019.

With the pirate taken out in the unlikely matter, Marcus stepped away from the fires and took a moment. One that in retrospect he didn't have. Ilura transformed and the acid started raining on the ship and the late pirate. The paladin regrouped with Eryn and shared his thoughts. "Despite the current peril, couldn't Ilura turn into a whale and pull the ship? Rather than doing anything with the giants."

15:10, Today: Marcus rolled 6 using 2d6+2.  Help Eryn.
Well, almost...

As Ilura flew away and her cloud followed, it became clear that Eryn's assessment was correct. The main mast would not be able to remain erect much longer without endangering the entire ship. Its base was corroded by the acid cloud, and the fire above was quickly burning away its support ropes. When Eryn said she wanted to cut the mast down, Gravelborough and Brigg both reluctantly agreed. "Aye, it is about time to write off this ship as a failed investment," the old dwarf admitted.

Then, when Eryn asked about the jotun, he added, "I think they can swim, but we will need to unchain them and wake them up first. Not sure how ornery they'll be. Perhaps your ice-armed friend's whale idea is the better-"

Gravelborough's words were cut short when a loud crack split the air. Splinters of wood flew out from the base of the main mast as it twisted in place. It leaned to one side as charred ropes snapped up above. For the second time, the adventurer's were witnessing this ship's mast break and fall. But unlike last time, it was not falling straight to one side. Enough ropes were holding tight that as it fell sideways, it swung toward the front of the ship and slammed into the deck. The back of the ship lurched upward, launching two sailors and Captain Frost's body into the air. At the same time the prow of the ship dipped toward the water.

Screams from the front of the ship could be heard coming from the unlucky few unable to avoid the mast as it crashed down. And even more could be heard from those under the half-burned mast. One of the pirate-mage even tried blasting it with lightning, but that only seemed to make things worse.

Silas Massasauga, the hireling looked to be pinned under the mast. It was a portion not yet aflame, but the fire was certainly growing close to him. Westley was not pinned, but was trapped on the other side of the impact next to Mouse, and looked quite frazzled by his current predicament. Opal the tiny gargoyle flew between the plumes of smoke, trying to find a way to be useful. Lady Mirrorsheen was currently out of view, and Sybilla had apparently decided it was in her best interests to abandon ship again. The triton dove overboard and was quickly out of sight.

What do you do?

---

The mast came crashing down on the front of the ship, causing all kinds of wreckage and spreading fire all over. There are several sailors and hirelings amidst the peril. On the plus side, much of the fire is more accessible now! Also note, a lot of the top deck around the main mast has been weakened by acid. Tread at your own risk.

Marcus and Eryn, don't forget to add your +1 XP!

Ilura dipped down to grab seawater in her enormous beak.  She glanced back as she heard the crash.  That wasn't good...

The only positive thing was that the cloud was slowly following her - at a speed that would hopefully allow her to outrun it.  Her large wings beat powerfully as she lifted herself up out of the ocean, neck muscles straining under the weight of her mouthful of water.  She made a beeline for the ship trying to arrive to dump her load on the worst of the flames and remove herself from the deck before her "acid cloud" caught up.

quote:

12:34, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Defy danger (dex?) - dump water, not acid.

I've rolled dex on the premise that what matters is my ability to get on and off the deck quickly.  However, strength to carry the water could also be justifiable - in which case that roll's a solid fail...

"Hell," exclaimed the warrior when saw their dwindling crew hit by the mast. When she noticed Silas pinned beneath the fallen mast, there was no trace of hesitation in her actions anymore.

"Opal, help me over here!" Eryn shouted, and grabbed the section of the wood closest to Silas with both arms. Her well-trained muscles held it in an iron grip and lifted the heavy debris away from the man, though she knew he may be too injured to crawl away on his own. The burning center portion of the fallen mast splintered some more under its own weight, and broke in half. The resulting log came free from the fire, allowing Eryn - with Opal's help - to roll it far enough that it wouldn't start burning as well.

---

20:43, Today: Eryn rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Bend Bars, Lift Gates. Clear the mast away.
* It doesn’t take a very long time.
* Nothing of value is damaged.

Marcus caught sight of the black bodybag falling into the sea and he sought out Sybila, planning to demand her to retrieve it. But she was already jumping ship and Marcus prayed it was for a noble cause, although deep down he knew it wasn't. As much as he felt an obligation to save Frost, there were others in greater need.

"Organize a chain and bring water!" he yelled to the first group of sailors he passed on his way to the fallen mast. The next he called to his side "Water should come soon, help those trapped that are closest to the flames until then!" The paladin stopped at the edge of the acid riddled area and tried to direct further efforts around the worst parts. Although it was hard to tell with all the smoke and blood.

11:30, Today: Marcus rolled 9 using 2d6. Organize the crew. (Cha?).
Not sure if it's parley, Defy danger, or something else, but let's give it a try
(+2 if Cha, -1 if Int for quick thinking)

Eryn and Opal quickly made their way to Silas's side. He was struggling to push against the mast, and his serpentine companions slithered nearby in distress. The snakes hissed menacingly at Eryn when she stood nearby, but did not strike. With the help of the tiny gargoyle, Eryn managed to free Silas without any pieces of the mast falling in the wrong spots. "Thanks," Silas managed to mutter between labored breaths. When the snake charmer crawled free, two more sailors crawled out behind him from under the mast, eager to escape the spreading flames.

Flames that were quickly extinguished! Marcus's bucket brigade was organized in mere moments, thanks to the paladin's swift crew coordination. It also helped that they no longer needed to worry about a giant sea slug snapping at them every time they grabbed water.

What's more, Ilura's massive form managed to drop water atop the fire without leading her cloud over the ship. She would agilely veer away when she opened her beak, letting momentum carry the water the last few feet toward the ship. The ensuing drenching did wonders for extinguishing the flames. Unfortunately the only place she could safely perform such a maneuver was at a spot where she had to fly through the thickest part of the ship's smoke cloud. The ranger was momentarily blinded after delivering her payload, and smoke filled her lungs. But at least her acid cloud stayed away from the ship.

What do you do?

---

I wasn't originally planning for Frost to actually fall overboard, but I'll go with that. It makes the stakes even higher.

The fire is no longer much of a threat to the ship.

Eryn
You manage to free Silas and his snakes, along with a couple other sailors beneath the mast. They are all battered and bruised, but alive.

Marcus
The bucket line is successful and the fires on the lower part of the ship are quickly contained. (With Ilura's help, of course.) There are still a few more flames up above, but nothing really worth worrying too much about.

Ilura
Your water contributes greatly to the extinguishing of the fire, but you are momentarily flying blind from the smoke in your eyes.

Ilura swung away from the choking smoke.  [Lead me away from the ship]  She listened intently, both for Thomas's cries as well as the cries of the wounded sailors.  She didn't know exactly where she was going, but "away from the ship with her friends" seemed the best bet when she was being followed by an acidic rain-cloud.  Once far enough away, she tried to settle down into the ocean to allow the salt-spray to help clear her eyes.

quote:

11:22, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?

Specifically - trying to avoid the ship and land safely in the water.  If I can find something appropriate to "swallow whole", that'd be good too..

Marcus watched the successful firefighting with a trace of satisfaction. Something was going well. "Excellent work." he praised the crew "Keep at it." The immediate danger dealt with, he strode to the railing. Looking over he looked for the black form of the bag Frost was in, hoping it would float and not let in any water. But he had no idea how what its magic could do. Glancing back to where Eryn was helping he shared his plan through the bond she formed I'll get the Frost back, will you deal with the rest of damage?

14:38, Today: Marcus rolled 4 using 2d6+1.  Discern realities - Frost.
Yay for XP? If asking - What should I be on a lookout for?

[Over this way,] Thomas said to Ilura, doing his best to guide her. [Dip a little to the left. Your other left. Pull up a bit. Spread your tail. Fan your wings now. Fan. Fan!] Ilura crashed into a wave with a graceless splash and tumbled a bit in the water. It did what she needed though, and she could start to see once again.

And one of the first things she noticed was the myriad of wreckage strewn about the sea. Planks, charred canvas, the fallen, loose cargo, and pieces of rope. Basically the only places not covered in debris are the areas where her acid cloud had dissolved it away. Even now her cloud of acid rain was changing the color of the sea beneath it as the magical precipitation mixed with the ocean water. It was slowly spreading her way.

What's more, the ranger caught sight of the sharks from earlier. They looked curious about the new wreck now that the slug was gone. And some of their other buddies were surely nearby too.

Up on the decks of the Lessthansix, Marcus was able to quickly spot where Frost's stasis bag was floating among the debris. It hadn't gotten all that far from the ship yet since the ship wasn't moving much, but it would still take a short swim to reach it. Or a ride in a lifeboat, but judging by how quickly bubbles were escaping it, the remaining air inside would not keep it buoyant much longer. Marcus had maybe 20 seconds before Frost began to sink to the depths.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
What is about to happen?
The acid rain's acid will soon spread across the water to Ilura if she sits still too long. And she isn't immune to it either.

What should I be on the lookout for?
Those sharks from earlier are drawing curiously closer to the new wreckage.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
There is still plenty of stuff floating around from the original sunken ship, the nearly sunken pirate ship, and the heavily damaged Lessthansix. Some of it potentially swallowable. Let me know what you find!

Marcus
What should I be on a lookout for?
You should be on the lookout for a way to hurry and grab Frost from the sea within 20 seconds. Or on the lookout for a way to retrieve her after she sinks to deep water...

Her eyes clear, Ilura struggled to figure out what to do.  Her insides were warring with her.  Part of her wanted to gulp things down, another part of her wanted to belch up acid.  And the normal reflex that would have just let her return to her own form strongly suggested that doing that just now would be ill-advised.  None of the floating debris looked terribly appetizing.  The dead bodies would have been a dinner made in heaven for a typical queen sea-buzzard, but Ilura couldn't bring herself to stomach the idea.  In fact, the very notion of it made her struggle for a moment to keep herself from belching forth the contents of her belly.

Deciding that warding off the sharks would be a good idea, she flew towards them, then belched a huge quantity of acid onto the water above/in front of them.  It probably wouldn't do them damage directly, but they'd sense it and hopefully realize this wasn't a great place to hang out.  Plus the cloud would soon follow her, reinforcing the threat.

Her belly now empty, it pronounced it's displeasure at its emptiness.  The ranger scanned the water for something to eat.  Most of the local fish had disappeared - the sharks and sea-monster had convinced them that this was not the idea location to hang out.  So that left the debris.  Finally she spotted something that might work.  A broken crate of hard-tack was floating on the surface.  Doubtless now soggy with salt-water, but more appetizing than the alternatives still floating.  She flew over and scooped it up with her beak, tossing down her gullet.

I will, Eryn replied to Marcus.

She was grateful for Ilura and the others' effort to douse the flames. Despite the setbacks they had suffered, the ship would at least stay afloat for a little longer, and hopefully carry them safely to shore. With sharks in the water, it would be critical to avoid having to do repairs below the waterline too.

The warrior looked with concern at her transformed ally, who was busy throwing up corrosive liquid. I'm not sure if Ilura has proper control over the acid, she communicated to Marcus, without looking at paladin. Having cleared away the last of the debris from the trapped sailors, Eryn had already let go of the broken mast and moved to help toss smoldering pieces overboard. Get out of the water as soon as you can, she continued. I'll help you as best I can.

---

I'll standby for a little bit and help Marcus. Are there are any undamaged rope coils around? If the sharks aren't scared away by the acid I think I'll focus on them.

I might need some help with that. Marcus replied to Eryn as he dropped his shield, backpack, and the borrowed sword to the deck. He grabbed an end of a coil of rope without checking what it was attached to and jumped into the water, swimming towards Frost.

I'm guessing some sort of Defy danger? Str to swim in armor? Or Dex to get there fast enough? I probably don't have +1 as I failed Discern roll, so I can't get to 10+
07:45, Today: Marcus rolled 7 using 2d6.  Defy danger - get to Frost.

I'll keep you secured, Eryn communicated, and grabbed the other end of the rope Marcus had taken with him. She considered simply giving the paladin as much slack as possible, but decided that it would be best to keep her hands close to the current length in case Marcus or the body started sinking. That way she could haul them in with fewer pulls.

As the rope slid out meter by meter past her gloved fingers, Eryn wondered if it was really worth trying to save someone who was already dead, in the middle of such a catastrophe, but then again the captain had sold her soul... Wicked as that was, it wouldn't do to abandon a lost soul that still showed a chance of redemption, even if it was a fate they had brought upon themselves.

Can we even save Frost at this point? she found herself asking, even if she already anticipated Marcus' reply. If she is dead, and she never fulfilled the contract... Were you in time to bag her body, Marcus?

---

21:23, Today: Eryn rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Aid Marcus with the rope. +1 from bond.

Ilura's acid belch seemed to have the desired effect on the two sharks she targeted. They had decided they might have better luck elsewhere. Perhaps other sharks would show up later, or perhaps not. But those two, at least, would not be returning any time soon.

When Ilura found the hard-tack to gulp down, the agitated sea-buzzard within finally seemed to calm itself and Ilura could feel her natural form taking over once again. She managed to land back on the ship with relative grace even as she resumed her human form. [Much better than your last landing] Thomas commented. The cloud still followed near her, but it had lost is sickly acidic quality and was back to being a harmless white poofy fluff.

The ranger found herself standing next to Eryn as the powerful warrior worked to Hoist Marcus and Frost back up onto the deck. The paladin had taken a quick dip into the sea to retrieve the captain's body, powering himself through the waves even while wearing armor. And with Eryn's help to reel them in, he made it back before his muscles decided to give out.

As Eryn helped hoist the bag over the rail, some of the seawater within spilled onto her. Which would not have been a problem, except it seemed it was infused with Frost's icy essence. The extreme cold prickled at the fighter's skin, hurting her slightly, but was hardly worth noting.

The trio of adventurers finally found themselves standing together once more, overlooking the utterly disastrous results of the last hour. No immediate dangers were presenting themselves and the three adventurers finally had a moment to breathe. Now they only had one question left to answer. What would they do?

---

Ilura
You are back in your human form with the other two at the rear of the ship. Your cloud is no longer producing acid rain.

Eryn
The "danger, retribution, or cost" from Aiding Marcus was that a bit of extremely frigid water got splashed on you. Like, liquid nitrogen cold. Take 1d4 damage. Armor counts. You are currently standing with the other two at the rear of the ship.

Marcus
I went with strength for your roll, which gave you a 10 with Eryn's Aid. You have successfully retrieved Frost and are standing with the other two at the rear of the ship.

Ilura helped the others clean up debris and assist the wounded, keeping an eye out to see how the crews were handling the new state of affairs.  She personally saw to tending to the halfling she had shot earlier.  Once he was healthy enough to answer questions, she asked a question that had been on her mind for a bit.

"Did the triton who brought you to attack us work for you?"

Focused on catching his breath, Marcus clasped Eryn's hand in thanks and nodded to Ilura glad to see her in control of her form and new magic. Then he sat down leaning on the railing to give his body a moment to rest. He watched Ilura walk over to the pirates and he glanced at Eryn Should we worry?. The spell she wove between them was proving quite useful.

It took a while, but the severely injured Cecil Stowaway, first mate of the pirate ship, finally came to. As his eyes fluttered open and he realized what had happened, his first words were, "The Cork. Is screwed..." He then went into a coughing fit before he was able to elaborate further.

With heavy breathing, he continued, "The fish-girl, Sybilla, did work on The Cork, long ago, yes. Back when she was just a guppy of a woman. But I was still surprised to see her today. Still *cough* I didn't expect her to *cough, cough* betray us the way she did. 'Cause of her, The Cork bobs no more." The old halfling man went into another coughing fit, pounding his peg leg against the deck where he sat. He had a hard time talking, but the frown resting between his muttonchops indicated he was truly disappointed that his ship was gone now, due to Sybilla.

"It seems that betrayal is her thing.  I wanted to appologize for shooting you during the fight.  It was somewhat unsporting, but it seemed the best way to get your men to lay down arms and cross peacefully.  In the end, it saved lives."

"We could lock you up and turn you over to the authorities when we get to port.  Or you could help us get to port sooner and get this ship back into sailing shape again and leave with your men and a chance to start a different life."

She reached out to her goddess, hoping that the mother would be more true than the magic items she'd struggled with of late.  Mother, let me know the heart of this man, so that I can see whether I might trust him.

quote:

20:10, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Cast Detect Alignment.

I'll forget the spell

"You're the one who did this to me?!" There was a flash of anger in Cecil's eye, but it passed the moment he moved and pain resonated through his body. He took a couple of deep breaths before continuing, much more calmly this time.

"Well, if yer looking for forgiveness, ye ain't gettin it from Cecil Stowaway," he said, referring to himself. "That bein' said, I ain't gonna send a swarm of assassins after ya either. I'll do what I can to help get back to port. By the looks of things, unless you have a trick up your sleeve, we'll have to use the anchor to pull us back into port..." It did not look like Cecil relished the thought. His eyes subconsciously glanced down at the magic boots Ilura was wearing. "You, ah, didn't happen to grab anything else off Captain Rutherford after you skewered him, did ya?"

When Ilura prayed to her goddess and looked at Cecil, she could see an aura surrounding him. It was a grey aura, with a tinge of black here and there. Which was actually much lighter than several of the other nearby pirates who had much darker auras. The ranger got the impression that Cecil was not particularly evil, but certainly not good either.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
I wasn't sure if you wanted to detect whether he was good, or whether he was evil. I went with evil. He isn't a great guy, but he's not particularly evil.

"Use the anchor?  I'm not sure I understand...

As for forgiveness, no.  Nor am I offering any for what you and your crew did to the previous ship.  More a question of amnesty for those who help us get back to port.  If there are any you think are more likely to slice throats than assist, we can keep them well-fed in the brig until we make port - you can decide.  But we'll hold you personally responsible for the actions of your men...

In terms of other stuff, he had a few things on him, but the boots were most important.  There were sharks in the water and it was rather important that I get out.  Did he have something that would have gotten us back to port sooner?"

Yes, that's what I was going for.

Cecil seemed to be content with the rough truce that had formed. He replied, "Rutherford always claimed he had an ace up his sleeve. A bauble that he said represented a "favor the sea-maidens owed him." Said he could smash it open and collect what was due." Cecil shrugged. "Probably just hogwash, I guess. The anchor it is then, I suppose. Ya gotta have a couple people put the anchor in a rowboat, row it as far toward shore as you can go, then drop it into the sea. As you reel the anchor back in, it pulls the ship toward the point where it sunk. Slow going, but its how you can move a big ship like this without wind. Or in our case, without a sail."

"Probably be wise not to send my guys out to do that though. Not by themselves. The greedy barnacle-lovers would probably just drop the anchor and row the rest of the way to shore, leaving us stranded. Don't try ta cage them either though. Less you want a face full of lightning. Tread firmly but carefully, and get a bit lucky, and I'm sure you can lead everyone back ta shore without making any more heads roll."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:18, Mon 22 July 2019.

"I don't think we need to worry about ourselves for the time being," Eryn said. "Both the ship and the crew are pretty beat up, but I'm told we're not too far from shore and we seem to have the situation under control."

She looked at the body bag lying next to Marcus and rubbed her temple in frustration. "I don't know what to say about Frost, however. Sybilla stabbed her before I knew what was happening. I hear rumors that the pirates arrived because she asked them to attack as well. She was part of their old crew. I knew we had a mutiny in the works, but I was hoping to corner Frost in the captain's cabin and press the issue of the devil's bargain, not go straight to killing her."

The warrior leaned on the edge of the ship and gazed outwards across the waves. There was still a lot of blood and debris in the water, though they had drifted some distance from where the two ships first clashed. "What do you think we should do once we get back to shore?" she asked the paladin.

---

15:36, Today: Eryn rolled 1 using 1d4.  Damage from ice water.
Minus armor that's no effect. Good!

"We can open the bag and I can heal her, but her wounds might be beyond my abilities." Marcus followed Eryn's glance, unease forcing him to look away shortly after "And there is still the matter of breaking the contract. If we have nothing else to go with, we can try to revive her and explain the situation. She might have contacts in the port." his pursed lips betrayed he wasn't thrilled with facing the captain after everything that happened to her and the ship.

The other question was as problematic and the paladin gazed across the water to unseen land. He probably wasn't looking in the right direction either. "Get our bearings. See if there are any news about the activities in the jungle. Find some allies." All were easy to list, but might be difficult to achieve. "With all the mishaps, I don't like to ask this, but is there a way for you and the pirate mages to move the ship?"

Eryn grimaced. "I don't think we should bet our survival on my magical abilities." The warrior still felt the sting of failure after causing the fire earlier, and despite the redeeming factor of her trying her best to save everyone Eryn couldn't help but linger on the thought that some of their own lost sailors may have fallen only because they fell victim to the flames. She thought of how to convey this concern to the others, but decided it was best not to linger on the issue. "I don't have any spells that can move the ship. If no better solution presents itself I was thinking of having Ilura turn into a bird or fish again, in an effort to fly and fetch someone from land who can rescue us. Maybe someone who knew Frost, as you suggest, Marcus."

Eryn looked back over her shoulder at the bag containing the captain's body. "Terrible mess she got herself into, this. Terrible decision to accept a devil's bargain, at least, but I recon she had no choice if the overlord's followers demanded it..." Her thoughts drifted off for a moment, before she recalled another detail. "You told me she helped you earlier," she said, nodding towards Marcus' arm, "how's your condition? No odd side-effects manifesting, I hope?"

I guess I don't really have much to add at this point. Carry on.

Marcus, how is your arm? Have you experienced any side effects from the fire, Frost's death, or other factors? As for healing Frost, a simple cure spell or Lay on Hands won't do it. She is definitely dead. You could certainly try a level 3 Resurrection spell though, If you prepare it.

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.