DM Bloodgargler's Heroes of the Shiv

Game Master BinkyBo

A half second after the boom of the cannon firing, there is "bloop" as the cannonball lazily drops from the end of the barrel into the water.
Havvy stands akimbo and tskks - asking Gatherine "Think I may'a put the ball in backwards, me ma'am?"

The cannon crew on the other ship loads another ball. You now see the name as the ship continues to turn... the Tamarind.

>sequence of images< to show ships' movement for clarity..

Gatherine gaped at the utter failure of the ship's canoon.She shot a glare at Havvy,cuffing him upside the head in a dope slap. Face burning with embarassment,the dwarfmaid chased him into action in helping her reload the canoon.

This time,do it right!!she shrieked.

1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24Aim
4d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 5, 1) = 12Fire!!

Desperate to strike before the impending impact,Gatherine took the lead with swiftness borne of dread,the dwarfmaid had the canoon loaded and primed to fire.A tindertwig was swiped across a cringing Havvy's stubble-studded chin and set to the fuse.

Whoa!!

The bang that followed made the canoon buck violently,nearly hurlung the plump dwarfmaid to the deck.She held onto it and her hat like a rider asyride a bull.

Garborn, quite unnerved by the loud noises, had taken careful cover, his thin body shaking with nervousness.

Had a busy week. Iolana will fire with one available weapon as well, pity i haven't read how to use ship weapons yet.

The shot from Gatherine's cannon smashes into the Tamarind's deck - taking their cannon and one of the cannon crew with it. A sailor near the damaging shot shakes his fist. "You'll get yours, pirates! Just you wait!"
It appears their only remaining weapon is a ballista center-fixed to the aft rail.

(Iolana - rolls for you to fire a cannon... 1d20+8 to hit, 4d6 damage)

Iolana aims for the helmsman and possibly the helm itself.
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
damage: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 3, 1, 4) = 13

The cannonball cracks through the near rail of the Tamarind, and rips smashing along the the deck. The helmsman dives, but is rocked hard by debris... and the base of the pilot's wheel may have taken some damage.

helmsman reflex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Crewman Du'bing comments on the Tamarind sailor's exclamation... "They think we're pirates?", then shrugs "We'll we've got'em... they can only fire from the aft now."
You see Crewman Du'bing wince a bit instead of cheer with this last shot - maybe second guessing the assumption that this is the enemy.

"Oh...oh n...noo.
T...this was a m...m...misunderstanding?"

Garborn begins to wring his hands in fear and grief, worried that all of this could have been avoided.

"B...but...no..."

Iolana shouts to the crew while waving her arms high above her head:
"Cease the hostilities, they are no match for us now. I repeat, Cease fire"

The captain aboard the Tamarind gives the same order, then an order to cut sail - drop anchor. He holds his tricorn in front of his chest as if making a pledge or apology... "We were warned to keep an eye for pirates... even went on to describe your ship to a "T" right down to the name burned on her hull. Curse the trickery of those ill-bred knaves!"

"Come aboard if you wish, I feel I carry the blame here. Allow us to make amends... break bread, and uncork spirits. My best man will assist in your repairs."

Before answering the Tamarind's captain Iolana approaches gatherine and whispers to her.
"We should do as they say to set things right now,but keep an eye out."

Then to the crew "I'm going to make peace with their captain, anyone willing to come along is welcome."

"Oh...n...now this m...makes sense. A...after r...robbing us, they set up a false w...warning about US, to buy t...themselves m...more time.
I'll...I'll come too."

While it might seem out of character for Garborn to volunteer, the promise of food was more than enough to quell his worry.

They lower their gangplank so the end rests on the reef just under the water. Eubel the elder dwarf rows you over. Du'bing rows their carpenter over - (understood by both parties) as collateral more than for his labor.

The captain introduces himself "Bart Craw. Captain Craw.", and returns his modest tricorn to his head.
The ship has a small crew.. six on deck including the captain. Two are injured from the fight. Apparently the one who'd fallen through the decks is seriously injured... the captain remarks on this... "Braeder'll be outta commission for a spell. All said and done it's my call it's on my head as captain, but he was all gung-ho 'bout hittin fast and hard... so don't you go feelin too bad 'bout him."

There are about a dozen 50 gallon iron-rimmed barrels crowding the deck, and there is a pungent (but not unpleasant) scent of several exotic spices. The captain gestures to the youngest among them "Pim.. get a crate of the good stuff from me cabin 'n run it to the kitchen.", then turns to the man who'd just finished bandaging the injured helmsman's foot... "Kangus go ask Sito what you can do to help him cook faster, eh?"

Garborn very tentatively raises one hand at the mention of wounds.
"I...I...uh...h...have some healing m...magic..."

Captain Craw: "Belay that Kangus... get Braeder out here or-"

Kangus: "He is in the hold... I don't think he should be moved."

Captain Craw: "Alright then... You wanna escort this gent down to him?"

Kangus: "Aye, Captain."

Captain Craw nods to Garborn "Much obliged to you for doing that. Head to the kitchen afterward. Hope you don't mind if we get a head start on ya, sir?" He makes a glass-tilting gesture with his hand to show his meaning.

"Emm...n...no, no w...worries at all c...captain."
Garborn obediently follows the crewman detailed to be his escort.

Iolana greets the captain.
"Nice to meet you cptn. Craw.I'm sorry for the misunderstanding too, luckily none of the parties sustained serious damage."

She follows the cptn. into the kitchen, keeping an eye around her and whoever is coming along.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Ghiv was the captain in charge of our ship but he disappeared. Are we assuming another crewman is or Iolana has just be promoted ?

Gatherine sheepishly averted her gaze and made herself busy cleaning up the damage to their ship."Oops!"

While Captain Craw leads Gatherine and Iolana to the kitchen - one deck below, Kangus continues down another flight with Garborn. A little triage is set up against a wall closing of the main cargo hold a dozen feet from the steps, a heavily-bandaged and splinted man is heard mid-rant. "Man.. I hope I get the chance to wring her little neck..."
A bald gnome wearing an apron nods then acknowledges Kangus.
"hey... Ho!" As Garborn's presence registers...

Kangus reassures him "He's a healer.. magic healer."

Bandaged Braeder makes a stink-face "What... he one'a them?"

Kangus waits a beat before responding dryly "No he just happened to be gliding by on a sparkling bumbershoot."

The bald and apron'd gnome snickers at the sarcastic comment, then sighs "Well... der water it sure be borlin' now. Back'a da work." He tugs on the door leading back to the main hold - as if to make sure it's locked, then heads to the steps.

Iolana - Sure... Du'bing'll dub you captain for a day.

As they pass by Braeder, Garborn reaches out and tugs tentatively on Kanguses sleeve.
"It...it w..wasn't SPARKLY!
...
w...was it?"

Captain Craw leads Iolana and Gatherine past the kitchen into the mess area... The kitchen is little more than a shelf and counterspace corner of the room and a stove-topped island. A gnome in a chef hat and apron is dumping the steaming water from a large boiling pot as you enter. The gnome chef nods. "'Lo there. Amma goin to make the mashy tatoes, and crispy spicy bird." He cranes his neck to peer around the cloud of steam... "Smell good, hah? I pour drinks... you sit."
Captain Craw slides to the middle of the bench on the far side of the table, and gestures for the two ladies to sit.

Iolana nods and sits down : "I'll trust you captain Craw,thanks for the offer."

Gatherine sheepishly took a seat,dusky complexion gaining a ruddy hue borne from embarrassment.One of her pet shocker lizards emerged from her cleavage,waving a limb as it surveyed the situation. It sparked at the unfamiliar man hovering nearby before taking a lofty perch upon the dwarf maid's tricorne with a haughty toss of its head.

...Again,my bad. We honestly thought you were the dastardly bunch who robbed us and sailed off.

Sito gathers steins onto the cluttered countertop, pours, and delivers them. After sliding them to the center of the table... "We save autre bottle for when eating... will go well widda bird.", he heads back to meal preparations.

~~lower deck - door to the hold
Kangus shakes his head... not sure what to make of Garborn.
Braeder eyes Garborn half-suspicious half-amused. "So you gonna magic me up or what?"

"Y...yes...l...let's do t...that."
Cure Moderate wounds: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (2, 1) + 3 = 6
Cure Moderate Wounds: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (4, 5) + 3 = 12

"T...that's it..I am out now..."

~~lower deck - door to the hold
Braeder lifts his bandages and peers underneath. "Well alright" He then begins unwrapping himself with only a brief awkward glance at Garborn. "Well I... I think you've earned yourself a drink, heh. Kitchen's up one deck... up the steps and toward the bow... can't miss it."

~~mid-deck Kitchen/Mess
Captain Craw talks about some of the cargo they've carried... some of his favorite and most exotic spices and knick-knacks while you (Iolana, Gatherine, and he) drink. Sito the gnome's cooking is starting to smell pretty good. He hands Sito his stein. "...top me off?" Sito takes Cap Craw's stein, steps back into the kitchen, and returns with it a moment later.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
any chance i can get a +1 ?

Iolana takes the mug the her lips ,sniffing the drink and tasting it.
Not feeling anything suspicious she drinks and thanks Captn Craw.

Sense motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Knowing that his tolerance for alcohol is pretty low due to a decade of starvation, Garborn is about to point that out, until he notices the strange behaviour of Braeder.
Instead he nods quietly and take refuge in this extreme shyness to cover his suspicions.

"o...okey...I b...better join the o...others. It w...would be rude to make the c...captain wait."

Gatherine,not one to pass up free alcohol,eagerly reaches for the offered mug and took a swig.When she noticed several things as she took a long pull,she sputtered and spit violently across the table.
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30Perception

Oi!!What's in here?!

Bristling suspiciously,the dwarfmaid upended her chair and withdrew her double barreled pistol and cocked it,keeping it lowered to the floor but ready to fire.She glared at the captain and the gnome cook.

Last time somebody put sumthin in mah drink I ended up stranded on a haunted island infested with undead and cannibals.Who I shot in the face after I caught up to her.Now who do you think I am am?! He's an alchemist and you just got slipped some sort of antidote. Imma dwarf,fool! It'll take a lot more than that to trick me!

Gath and Iolana: Fort save DC15... add +2 to the roll with Gatherine discovering it before you finish your drink. If you beat 17 on init you may take your turn

Captain Craw's eyes go wide, as he cups his hand over his mug, and tries to scramble away from the table. Sito begins to reach under his apron... just as Garborn is making his way up to the steps to you.

Sito and Craw init: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
sailor init: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

>map<

1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 2 = 27Fort

Gatherine scraped her tongue over her teeth to rid herself of the oily flavor from the taggit poison--that very same drug that had landed them all in a misadventure upon Smugglers Shiv.She spat onto the floor,baring her teeth in seething fury.

Her dwarven resistance to poison and heated blood burned away the sleeping drug into harmless fumes.She shook it off in indignant anger.

Oil o' taggit!? Do dastardly bastards go shopping together or what? Tis the same thing that damned snake wench slipped us!she roared.

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4Initiative

So incensed she was at the discovery,the dwarfmaid bit her tongue bloody and jerked Twinbellows up to fire.It's muzzle swung between the gnome cook and the scrambling captain like a stuttering pendulum.

fort save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
as usual...what now?

I think maybe we were right to fire on them after all...

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Captain Craw yells out "To your captain.. now!", as he scrambles through the nearest door and slams it behind him. Sito the gnome cook, ducks behind the counter and disappears.
You hear the clamor of boots on the deck above - sailors moving toward the steps down to you.
>map<

Oh no...

Garborn wrings his hands in fear, deeply regretting not taking at lest Fleek with him, he was small enough surely?

"Oh...oh...w...what do we do? it w...was a trap a...after all."

In a sudden and mercurial change of mood, Garborn suddenly stands straight and spits in fury.
"And to think I HEALED one of them! To be rewarded with treachery! "

Rattling off a quick incantation, Garborn prepares for combat.

Mage's armour

"They won't dare attack if we get the captain as hostage!"

Gatherine bristled when the gnome ducked out of sight and the captain slipped behind a door.She was torn between taking care of the alchemist,going after the captain,or assisting the unsteady Iolana before the rest of the ships crew arrived.

Iolana too spits what little she had ingested and cursed the captn.

"This is the last time i accept an invitation from someone that a minute before tried to kill us.Let's hope i didn't drank enough of....whatever it is"

The girl readies her blade and cast a protection spell.
Shield

1d20 + 10 + 1 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (13) + 10 + 1 - 4 - 2 = 18Attack
Twinbellows' Double-barreled pistol,Point Blank,Deadly Aim,Both barrels at once
1d8 + 2 + 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 2 + (6) + 4 = 15Damage

Gatherine heaved herself over to the door the captain ducked behind,lifted Twinbellows and fired.Both barrels roared in unison and vomited sparks and smoke.She turned her face away to avoid catching a splinter in the eye.

Round 2

Gatherine's shot shreds a sizable hole in the door, the latch dangles by one persistent, but insufficient screw. Capt Craw yells out "Come through that door, and I'll blast ya good, ye mad Dorf Lass!"

You hear shouts above "Hold the line! ... Don't let their crew board! Someone shoot that ape!", and "You three.. get down there now!".
One of the sailors from the top deck comes within sight - wielding a boarding ax.

Garborn sees First Mate Kangus come up toward him from the lower deck brandishing a cutlass.
"Surrender, old man... don't wanna hafta cut ya!"

>map< Invisible gnome cook shown at last seen location

"I'm no older than you are, you prick!" Garborn snaps at Kangus.
Inspired to act, and already holding his trusty staff, Garborn decides to try and even the odds a little.

Spontanious casting of charm person through arcane bond

what's initiavie ?

Oh,I'm mad alright,by Torag!! We came t'apologize fee blasting' yet ship an' ye try t' drug us?! Planning on sellin' us into slavery? Rape? Just you wait--I'll turn you into a fleshy rattle--courtesy of all the lead bits I'll stuff yet guts with!!Gatherine bellowed indignantly,stuffing the spent and smoldering Twinbellows into her bandoleer.She grabbed her thunderhammer and primed it,brandishing it menacingly at the door.

Or better yet,Imma pulp like a goblin's ungainly head!!

Gatherine cast an anxious look bad over at Iolana.Oi! Iolana,can ye shake it off?!

Iolana already feels unsure on her legs, and begins breathing heavily.
"Hard to tell without knowing what it is.....but i assure you it is already taking effect. In case it 'll be rape, i hope i'll still be unconscious"

The girl makes a feeble effort at a sarcastic smile.

You're up ... I'd mistaken your Fort roll for your initiative at first. Enemy and friendly NPCs have taken their Rd 2 actions.

will save vs charm: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

Meh, so much for that idea. This may come down to CqC after all, not Garborns strong suit.

Iolana moves next to Garborn and keeps enhancing herself.
"As long as this girl is still standing you'll have hard times subduing her, or whatever you're going to do"

moves to H1 and spends 1 pool for a +3 scimitar

Round 3

You hear the voice of the gnome cook, Sito... still invisible, but still somewhere in the kitchen area. "Good you have some vigor. Will fetch a high price.... Get them... I will repair what damage you do before we reach Shayonna the Gaunt."

First Mate Kangus clucks his tongue "Aye m'lord.", and swings - missing Garborn, his cutlass clangs against the entryway. He glances over his shoulder, and yells "Don't you get soft now! Get in the fight, Braeder!"
The crew from top deck rush down not bothering with caution as they move to corral Garborn and Iolana.
Garborn and Iolana - first 2 sailors provoke AoOs for movement through threatened squares.
The sailor with the boarding ax swings at Iolana. The next sailor coming down the step stabs at Garborn. The third hurls a dagger from an awkward position, then draws a large knife from the small of his back.

From behind the captain's door, you hear him call out fearfully "Sito!", and the sound of his stein dropped to the ground.
Kangus vs Garborn: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
cutlass damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

vs Iolana: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
ax damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

vs Garborn: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
dagger damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

vs Iolana: 1d20 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 - 2 = 7
thrown dagger damage: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

You hear the sound of combat above as your crew reaches the Tamarind's rail. You then hear Eubel the elder dwarf yell out... "There my boy! Fire on that lot there!" apparently assisting his nephew Havvy.
light cannon: 1d20 + 12 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 12 - 2 = 11 damage: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 5, 1, 2) = 14 miss location: 1d8 ⇒ 2
You hear the cannon boom, then the crack of wood... splinters and debris fall from the ceiling above your heads. "No no no!".. Eubel yells again. "Reload!"
DC21 Knowledge local to be familiar with Shayonna the Gaunt

>map<

"Blargh! Gahbone! Gahbone! Where you at?!"

Iolana grunts as an ax grazes her left forearm, and swings in response when someone tries to run past her.

AoO: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

You hear an anguished cry and splash from the combat above. Someone cries out "Ekjori!"
A moment later you hear Du'bing yell out "We're coming... hold on!"

Party is up