Cap'n Voodoo's Freebooter PBP
Game Master voodoo chili

"Can this ship get way fast enough to avoid that, or do we wait out the storm ashore?"

Captain Miro looks much more careworn and tired in the morning light. "Move out is my opinion. I'm getting cold feet about this deal, Rekello. All aboard immediately! We take our chances on the sea!"

Half-Hitch pops up from the gathered sailors. "The monastery is haunted anyway now. I heard Janore's restless spirit all night I did and it's all thanks to that half-orc thug wherever he is. Leave him ashore! He's a cold blooded murderer!"

Overhearing the message, Dingus comes running from his hidey-hole with his meager belongings. "You're not leaving me here, you're not".

Capt. Miro looks askew at the skinny legged Tianman running from the fort with his robes hiked far too high. "Now who in the Nine Hells is that? Nevermind. We'll discuss it later. Everyone aboard who wants to live. It looks like the Glengarnies are extending their reach and that's not anywhere I want to holiday!"

Already festooned with all he owns, Dibbets steps back aboard and assists with making ready to sail. He keeps a weather eye on Half-Hitch to see if the wee one plans on joining them.

is everyone going aboard? HH has found himself a new bunch of mates/protection and will be boarding with the Plumed Lady's crew.

In light of Half Inches sordid accusations, Kaul belts his axe and saunters as unthreateningly as a scarred, disfigured half orc thug can, towards his shipmates old and new...

Little fecker... He's just become me new axe warmer...

With a toothy smile and glint in his beady eyes Kaul approaches;

"Permission tae come aboard ma'am? Hu-hur-hur-hur... That wee Half Hitch... quite the joker fer a simpleton... been drinkin' the salty water he has... poor little mite..."

Did we ever cut down Janore's body and bury it?

Jim looks sidelong at the captain as he scrambles to board. "Here, what are you on about?"

Did we ever cut down Janore's body and bury it?

No. In fact Jim's the only one who seemed the slightest bit troubled by her passing. callous lot you all are.

Jim looks sidelong at the captain as he scrambles to board. "Here, what are you on about?"

The Captain starts barking orders pausing only to hand Jim the end of a line as she says, "Work now, talk later."

Fortunately, the boat in the fog is rather slow moving as you tack northeasterly around it. Dibbets gets another short glimpse of the dark spot as you pull away. The shadow looks the shape of a huge coracle without a sail and awkwardly rowed from the amount of splashing heard above the sound of your own passing. Once clear to the north of the Glengarnies, you you get the wind more at your back and gain speed sailing directly east.

As the activity slows, you find it odd that no one appears to be heading below deck and a quick check in fact finds the hatches locked.

When they've left the mist in their wake, Dibbets gets down on deck with his mates. Eyeing the hold and the captain both he mutters "Lets at least find out what for this time afore we end up gettin killded... we want tae ask? - or should we ask Tum Bobblehead tae help us get below?"

Kaul grins;

"Hur. Suppose tum could help us like... Got me axe too mind Dibbs, seems a mighty good door chopper"

The thug looks at the crew, bar Half Pinch if he shows his snidey wee face...

Captain Miro still seems a bit distracted watching for pursuit. At the mention of his name, you hear a cackle from Kaul's bag. A muffled voice says, "See no evil," and the hatch buckles easily allowing someone to pry apart the twisted boards to slip through should they care to...

Dibbets casts light on the tip of ol' faithful and pokes the wooden staff through the buckled deck to take a peepsie...
Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (14) + 13 = 27

While Dibbets has his look-see, Jim keeps an eye out for the Captain.

Dibbets' peek down the stairs reveals nothing except boxes and crates stacked in the upper hold, but his nose twinkles with the slightest enticing scent of rum.

Dibbets is struck dumb, turning to look up at his companions "Rum" before slipping through the opened rent and into the hold.

the Groom will try to look busy on the deck near where Dibbets disappeared in case trouble breaks out.

Ever the team player Kaul decides to run a distraction for the crew's diminutive rum-hund;

Rumbling over to a tough looking salt the thug pushes them;

"Whattsat? Ye say summit about Bloodsalters?"

Ah, the siren's song of booze puts a gleam in Dibbets' eyes and he quickly slips through a gap in the boards. Meanwhile, Kaul's accusation precipitates a look of confusion among the nearby sailors. Most look more wet behind the ears than salty, but the biggest gent turns, "What? I didn't-"

Then Half-Hitch pounces, so to speak, from behind a coil of rope. Wooden finger thrust toward Kaul he screams, "SEE! I told you he was DANGEROUS! Throw him over before he hurts anyone else!"

Below decks Dibbets follows his nose aft-ward through the crates and boxes and stacks of things to a storeroom door.

Dingus slips to where Dibbets disappeared, and whispers to Richard to follow him and keep an eye out for danger.

"His senses are addled by drink Richard". "Try to keep him out of trouble, and if you can't let us know".

Then Dingus is distracted by the tumult on the desk around Kaul, and heads over that way.

"Hiss...hisss...sssst.hiss....ssist"

Does Dibbets notice Richard:
Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25 vs Stealth: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33
Nope

Emboldened by the smell of the sweet nectar, Dibbets calls a shroud of air to protect him... just in case. Padding up to the door, he puts an ear to it...
Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32
...going straight ahead to opening it unless he hears / sees reason to pause.

Jim saunters over to the incipient fight. "Half-Hitch, that's no way to treat Kaul. If not for him, we'd all of us be walking dead, haunting the monastery under that dead captain he cut down." He stops and grins a bit at the sailors. "That's enough about our troubles. Captain Miro seems a mite...distracted, one might say. What's dogging her wake?"

Dibbets lays an ear against the wood and doesn't hear anything, but does feel an odd thudding from the top as the ship rolls in the swells. Almost as if something heavy had been suspended above the hatch.

******
Jim- give me a diplomacy.

Untrained: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

Dibbets ponders the thuds a few moments before pulling open the storeroom door...

perhaps a partition to increase the tension ; )

Init above and below
the Groom
Kaul / Dibbs
Sailors
RG
Dingus
Jim

Addressing the other crewmen. "I wouldn't take the word of this coward."

the Groom turns his stare to Half-Hitch and points into his soul, "Shrimp, you know what we saved you from. And now you try to attack us. I would rethink your position."

Cast Cause Fear at Half-Hitch, DC 14 Will

What are the sailors armed with?

What are the sailors armed with?

Jim notices daggers and a few cutlasses amongst the crew, but no steel has been drawn yet.

With the casting of the spell, the Groom puts images into Half-Hitch's mind of a soggy zombie, mosquito woman, with a noose around its neck making sexual overtones to him. The hope is that the cowardice of Half-Hitch will show his true colors to the crew.

Was rushed last night but wanted to put some context in there.

Grinning like a hungry mako, Kaul steps towards the assembled throng and bellows a challenge;

"BELIEVE THAT MAGGOT WILL YE? WELL THEN LADS... WHOSE FIRST FOR TAE TASTE MY BLOODY AXE... YOU! YOU? WHAT ABOUT YOU BIG LAD? OR WILL YE GIVE ME THE HALFLING?"

Intimidate: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30

Half-Hitch emits a piercing shriek and scrambles to the opposite end of the ship as the first sailor challenged by Kaul quickly steps back yelling, "Not me! Not me! Take the halfling!"

Captain Miro appears on the poop deck above saber drawn and a scowl on her face. "Stand down, orc. We've got enough trouble without you adding any more. I need every man aboard, but mad dogs can go feed the sharks." The remaining sailors seems uncertain what to do, but start circling around with a hard look in their eyes.

Round 1 cont.
Dingus
Jim

Jim doesn't draw his sword. He continues to stand there peacefully, the soul of sweet reasonableness. "Here, I'm sorry, Captain. We've had a rough go of it lately, so we're all still a mite on edge." He looks around at the circling sailors, his gaze equally hard, then back to Captain Miro. "Best you call off your lads, I'm thinking."

Miro keeps her saber en garde as she replies to Jim "Same here. If your friend will drop the axe, perhaps we can commiserate..."

"You heard the Captain, mate. I think you've made your point."

Has Richard warned Dingus of what's going on under deck?

Round 2
the Groom
Kaul / Dibbs
Sailors / HH
RG
Dingus
Jim

Dingus- feel free to read the spoilers for li'l dicky's report.

Dingus had done his best to concentrate on the trouble above deck, and had dismissed Richard's panicked rantings from below decks.

"Dibbets is in some kind of hot water down below"!!! Dingus calls heading for the hatch.

Oh, no. With gritted teeth and a forced smile, Jim murmurs to the sorcerer, "Ixnay on the elowbay...."

Keeping his hands away from his weapons. "There! You have seen the true nature of the halfling. He is a stooge of a criminal and a coward."

"Soooo, yeah. We have no problem with you and your crew. Its just surviving by our wits for several weeks on a raft has our nerves a bit jittery."

Out of the corner of his mouth, "Kaul....lower the axe and save it for whatever is chewing on Dibs."

Kaul belts his axe, then throws his paws up in the peace sign;

"Awright...awright. Ain't got no compunction to kiss the hull again, so I belay my intentions..."

The thug crains his no-neck looking for Half Pinch;

"...but I ain't no soft touch neither... an' me an' the slip got bloody business tae settle... when we reach shore...."

Miro eases her blade back into its scabbard once Kaul puts his axe away. "Good. Now I don't care what your beef with the slip might be, but it'll wait until you're both off my ship." She looks oddly at Dingus' outburst. "Now go stow your effects in the forward cabin for now. No one goes below decks without my leave."

Round 3
the Groom
Kaul / Dibbs
Sailors / HH
RG
Dingus
Jim