@Lazha - The small and nimble rat just dances out of your reach.
@Mithas - Correct, it sizzles in the water.
@Octavia - - The rat is blasted by the noise, but stays standing.
@Jericho launches a punch but mosses in e dim lighting.
The rats attack again!
Octavia, you suddenly feel less well! And no doubt, it was a disgusting bite!
Mithas fires an acid dart at the rat that Octavia blasted.
Lazha switches back to the knife and swipes at the rat she's missed twice before.
Attack:
Damage:
Let me know if your wounds are dire and you need healing.
Ovtavia's stomach churns at the thought of being bitten again but she turns that into anger and lashes out at the closest rat with her rapier again.
Not sure if still flanking.
Damage
Mithas' bolt sizzles into the rat and stops it dead.
Each Lazha and Octavia's strikes slice and stab into rats, and they just barely remain standing.
Jericho, too, throws an attack at the nearest rat, combining efforts with Lazha...
His strike obliterates it.
After Octavia stabs the other rat, it, and one more of its compatriots, emerge from the water to bite away.
Mithas, the bite you receive tears into your ankle, and it already feels ass though the wound may fester.
Octavia will try and stab the same rat she already has to finish it off. Then she'll take a five foot step away from any rats, hoping they don't follow.
"$%@& These things are nasty!! I'm not feeling so good either" She Says
Attack Dmg
Lazha steps up and attack the wounded rat that has been attacking Antonius.
Attack:
Damage
Hang in there. We've almost got these beasts.
Mithas curses in pain and fire another acid dart at the closest rat.
acid darts remaining: 3/7
Lazha's dagger misses.
Mithas' bolt sizzles in the water.
Jericho steps up to hit the rat next to Octavia...
, ,
...and crushes it with his brass knuckles.
Octavia's stab goes wide.
The remaining rat bites at Lazha...
,
...and gets its teeth into your calf.
The bit, plus the fetid water, combine to make a heady mixture of pain and disgusting queasiness in your stomach.
Octavia seeing that she has the remaining rat flanked will try another stab with the rapier...Unless someone else finishes it off first.
DMG
With only one foe remaining, Mithas will conserve his mystical energies and let his more physical allies handle the varmint.
Owww! Stupid rats!
I don't know what it is, but I just can't seem to swing a dagger today. Maybe I should just try to make us all feel better.
Lazha channels energy, excluding the rat from the effects.
Jericho holds back, and gives Octavia the chance to compete the killing blow. Lazhas healing washes over you all, restoring some of your health, but still leaving you feeling a bit nauseous.
Jack Scrimshaw sticks his head down the hole. "Good on ya!" he calls out. "Those rats would ha' eaten me alive, for sure! Get on topside, I'll finish 'em off and get 'em to Fishguts t' see if they're worth eatin," He climbs down the ladder, pulls a small knife, and readies to stick each of the rats with it for good measure.
"Thanks, Jack. I wasn't looking forward to hauling those back to the galley."
Lazha looks over her compatriots, all of whom sport rat bites. That was a lot harder than I expected. Who knew rats could be so fierce.
Healing:
Lazha hands the dagger she borrowed back to Antonius. "Thank you so much for this. I guess I should stop by Grok's on the way back to the galley and get my things back. If I do lad, I may have something to show you."
Octavia would like to take a quick look around at the room to see what she can see before heading back on deck.
Perception
She also thanks Lazha for the heal and tells the other's to hold on to the daggers until they can get their own equipment back. She reminds them to go see Grok and tell her Octavia sent you them by.
"Thanks, Lazha. That feels much better.
@Lazha
@Octavia - You stick your hands into the waters, and come up with a stndard quality buckler with an emblem of a tongue of fire enameled on it.
After a few moments, Mr. Plugg sticks his head in the hole. "Not too much you, I hope!" he sneers, taking delight in seeing your wounds and weakend state. "Now get back topside and about yer work!"
Octavia will sheath her sword while examining the buckler, "Hmm this could be useful in a fight."
Afterwards she'll head back up to her work, muttering to herself about the bites and cuts.
Mithas sneers right back and climbs out.
"Aye sir." Remind me to make sure he gets an extra helping of rat tonight.
On her way back to the galley, Lazha stops by the quartermaster's for her equipment.
If it's allowed, Mithas will also go grab his kit from the quartermaster.
@Mithas & @Lazha - You have time to quickly sneak past the quartermaster's shop. She gives you each a wary eye for a moment. "Ain't lookin' too good there, friends. 'Em f----n rats give ya trouble?"
----
At the end of the day, @Octavia, you are exhausted, and slump to the side. "That'll be lashes fer you, Antonius!" Master Scourge calls out. "No slugging about on the job!"
"More trouble than I would have thought, though I hear that you might be able to help us out in case the problem crops up again. Antonius mentioned that you might be holding something for me?"
Octavia, after a hard day of labour, the churning in her stomach and with the fresh Rat bites she will take her rum and her punishment and if she doesn't fall unconscious she'll stow her re-acquired gear in her trunk and then head to bed.
But on her way, if she gets a chance she'll try and get Lazha's attention for a quick and private conversation.
She says "Lazha, I need to talk to you about something, do you have a minute?"
"Never seen rats that size before. They must be eating better than we are."
Course, we'll be eating them soon enough.
"Antonius said we should talk to you about our belongings? Thank you, I've been feeling naked without my goddess' blade."
After collecting her things, Lazha will lock all of it in her locker except her spell component pouch, her silver dagger, and the large pouch with the whetstone & book of poetry. Then she'll hurry down to the galley and help finish getting dinner ready.
And when we get to the evening, Lazha is definitely interested in talking with Antonius.
Antonius meets with Lazha away from prying eyes and ears in the hold were they have strung their hammocks.
"listen...I have something I need to...well you are some sort of priest right?
Antonius fidgets with the buttons on the cuff of his coat.
"Well not like any priest I'm used to but, things are so different out here...okay, what I mean to say is that I have a secret and I need some advice from someone like you, from one of your kind. You see, I'm not...human.
He pauses.
"I'm an orc well not really I mean I'm a half orc...or quarter orc or something.
He throws his hands up in the air in frustration.
I grew up human but because my father found out I'm an orc...and he's not...and my mother wasn't...well I'm sure you get the idea. It ended badly...mostly for my mother" Antonius pauses for a few seconds biting back a tear.
...She pauses for a moment and then continue.
"There is one other thing, and I really don't know who else I could tell but you, I'm not a man, I'm a woman, or She-orc. Is that what they call you? She-orcs? or is it female? I'm not sure about that. I'm sort of in a tough spot here and I need some advice...what in the world do I do? I'm stuck on a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean in disguise and I've spent my life with servants and ball gowns, and the opera...I miss singing."
Realizing she's said a lot in a short time she drops to the hammock and takes off her tricorn hat and runs her hand through her black hair.
"These things itch so much." She says absently.
Lazha listens intently to Antonius as he -- no, she -- relates her tale. She bit back several responses she might have given in favor of allowing the bard to say all that needed saying.
So much for asking Antonius to read Chelaxian love poetry in that beautifully expressive voice of his.
"First of all," Lazha said, "You are safe. You have friends here, so no one will attack you because of your gender. If they do, they will die. Dress however you are most comfortable, and however you feel safest, but whatever you choose, don't be afraid. And do tell me the name you wish to be called. "
Such a shame. Antonius makes such a pretty man.
"As for what kind of priestess I am. Naderi is the goddess of the Foolish Choices. Of 'It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time.' Whenever you are staring at the right way and the wrong way to do things, Naderi is the goddess of the Third Way.
"Naderi is not a goddess for everyone, or for every moment. But in light of what you've told me, I think you would do well to consider her teachings with regards to your parents.
"Your mother made choices. Your fathers made choices. They may have been glorious choices, or terrible choices, or foolish choices, but they were all made and the consequences were what they were. Without those choices you would not be here today. You should meditate on those choices until you can accept them. You need not like or agree with them, but you must accept the role they played in your parents' life, and in yours.
"Once you have done that, you will be ready to begin deciding what kind of half-orc you are."
Lazha had given some version of this advice many times. The Shackles were home to more than its share of half-breeds, and many of them were drawn to Naderi, just as Lazha had been. But as she considered the bard lying in her hammock, successfully fighting off tears, Lazha thought perhaps she owed Antonius more of herself.
"Orcs can be very loving, you know. Despite what humans say. My parents were very happy together, until my father's family convinced him he was shamed. He was such a gentle man, Taldan, and always worried about doing the right thing. Sometimes there is no right thing, and then there can only be tragedy.
"But you are an opera singer, so you already understand. Tragedy is the fuel of the soaring heart."
Lazha reaches into her belt pouch and pulls out the book of poetry she'd just reclaimed from the ships stores, and handed it to Antonius.
"Here is your assignment, should you wish to accept it. This is my favorite collection of love poems. It spans many lands, and many years. Some are famous, and some obscure. I want you read through it, and find the poem that your mother would have read to the father of your body, and the one she would have read to the father of your mind, and the poems they would have chosen for her. When you have memorized those, you can perform them, if you wish, and return the book to me." Lazha paused for a moment. Oh, why not. I might as well ask. "And if you want, pick a Taldan poem for me. I enjoy poetry read by a skillful tongue."
"Octavia, my name is Octavia Selene."
She reaches up and gently takes the book from Lazha. She flips it open and looks at it's pages.
"Thank you. For the book and the advice." She says looking at Lazha and nodding.
She spends another hour looking through the book and reading poems until she nods off to sleep.
When the Bloody Hour arrives, @Octavia is called up by Master Scourge: "Antonius, for failing to keep up with yer work, three lashes!" Two other sailors march up to take you by either arm and tie you to the mast.
She won't try and resist but won't try and hide her anger either. She'll growl and attempt to avoid yelling at each lash.
Following Antonius' lead, Lazha won't take any action before the lashing. Afterwards, she will cast Cure Light Wounds (in place of Endure Elements) on her, unless Sandara provides healing first.
@Mithas & @Lazha - "Indeed I am," she nods. "Like I offered to him, you won't find a safer berth for them than here in my shop, but if you want them handy, they are yours." If you want all your gear back, she turns it over to you. If you want her to hold some things, she will be fine to do so, but please indicate which things will still be there.
@Lazha - You do indeed find the rats back in the kitchen, and Kroop is busy cleaning them. He hands a knife your direction. "Get to it. We can stretch a stew even further with these, but we'll need to cook 'em extra long to get the bad stuff out."
@Octaiva - once again your shirt is roughly raised up, and Master Scourge levels three quick lashes at you for your sluggish work.
,
,
,
[ooc]If you fall unconscious (quite likely in your current state), Sandara does approach and channels positive energy to heal your wounds..[ooc]
"This might indeed be a good place to keep some of my things for safe keeping. Though I would like a pouch of mine that you have. It contains an assortment of oddments that I would feel better having on my person."
"Thanks for the offer. I think I'd like both my daggers, and both my pouches (spell component & book/mirror/brush/whetstone), but I'll leave the armor and the satchel (healing kit & waterskin) with you."
Back in the galley, Lazha tries her luck cleaning the rats.
Why those don't look half bad...but I still don't think I can get excited about eating rat.
@Mithas & @Lazha, after Sandara revives Antonius, she motions for your assistance in getting her back downstairs for the evening meal of pig and rat stew for the crew, while the officers enjoy the more choice portions and toast heavily to Kroop's unfortunate lot in life. Those on the crew you have befriended approach and sit with you during dinner, and Master Scourge keeps an eye out to make sure all are drinking their rum rations.
Octavia will drink her rum to dull some of the pain and anger.
Chariama Bonus:
Fatigued:
Fort Save:
Angry and annoyed at receiving another lashing she thinks too herself.
At the Opera it was all backstabbing and treachery. Divas would never touch each other but they would destroy each other through lies and deceit, or use their beauty to turn men into their pawns. That world was brutal, maybe even more brutal than this one, but I can still use what I learnt there here. Who could I use to my own gain, to protect me and the others.
Octavia descends into the middle hold and looks for the brute that is confined there. When nobody is around she approaches the brute out of the shadows and removes her disguise in front of him. "You've been stuck here haven't you. Forced to watch and wait. It must get boring? She says in as seductive a voice as she can as she sits down near him, but far enough away so she can escape if need be.
"I bet its been a long time since you've heard any music? Octavia begins to sing quietly and softly. After a few minutes she stops and ask's the brute his name and where he's from.
She'll talk with him a bit if she can and then put on her disguise infront of him asking him not to say anything and then leave and head below to bed.
Diplomacy: (+7 Skill +1 Charming +4 Rum bonus)
Perform (sing) Check:
disguise Check: (No kit used this time)
Lazha listens to the officers making sport of Kroop. As they are making toasts, she will listen for an opening, and then loudly raise her glass to "Ambrose Kroop. Master Cook and Free Soul."
Then she drains her grog in one sip.
Charisma:
Fort save:
After dinner, she looks around for Badger to influence again.
"Cheliax, huh. Antonius is from Cheliax, I know. I've never been out of the Shackles, myself. Though I hadn't done much fishing until I started working for Kroop here. Any pointers you care to share?"
Diplomacy check: