Mawj takes another swing, then tries to leap backward and avoid any counter-punches.
Acrobatics
unarmed;
Mawj's second mighty punch puts out the lights on Aretta, and she falls in a heap.
Fighting defensively -4 atk +2 ac.
ac 16
5' step to flank Fipps(if able)
"Rawr, I beat you into biscuit batter!"
Durvin is unsure what to do, and he worries about the others standing behind Zarque. As he frets, he nervously thumbs a small ball of wool in his pouch, just before calling out a warning. "Zarque, lookout for the half-orc, he looks dangerous." as he angrily reprimands Jaundiced Jape, "You leave him alone!"
Zarque's threat seems not to bother Fipps, and he throws a blow at Ralo as Slippery Syl tries to strike at the little lizard in her way. "Looks like I get to make you bleed anyway!" She says with the same disturbing grin.
Japes stands awkwadly as his friends point away, looking a bit confused.
Ralo grins through bloodied teeth.
"That all you got?"
Zaketta seems perversely delighted to be in a brawl - especially since she and her friends seem to have the upper hand. Seeing that Ralo has Fipps well in hand, she steps over Aretta's senseless form to back up the surprisingly brave Zarque. She throws a wicked jab, but Syl lives up to her nickname and slips easily away from Zaketta's fist.
"I've got your back, Zarque. Let's show 'em what a proper fistfight looks like!"
Zarque strikes again while remaining defensive,
Taking a quick look over his shoulder to look for any other threats, Mawj launches himself at Fipps and attempts to wrestle him.
Perception to notice if any other pirates look like they may join in the attack.
Grapple; vs Fipps CMD. If successful, we both gain the grappled condition.
Durvin is thrilled to see the confusion on the face of the one he had told to stop, urged to continue he adds, "That's better, there's no need for you to get involved in this mess. Now if only there was some way to keep you occupied."
Japes arms are quite grabbed and he has trouble moving. Fipps falls under Ralo's powerful fists and Mawj grabs Slyppery Syl in an armlock. "Get off me you mangy cat!" She yells, attempting to twist away as Japes throws a hampered punch at Zarque.
"Avast! You are soundly beaten. Give up now, or, if you insist, we can continue this exercise to its final stupidity."
Grabbing Slippery Syl in a wrist-lock, Mawj steps in under her arm, takes a knee, and tosses her over his back onto the floor. Maintaining his hold on her wrist, he takes a squat-step around her arm and spins around her shoulder, landing on his back with both of his legs over her chest. He growls and smiles at his success, "Mawj wishes to introduce you to the Taldoran armbar!"
Still defensive.
How much do I think we have left?
"Better hurry. Wouldn't want you to get a whipping like little kids, or are you into that sort of play?"
Zaketta, seeing that Syl is well in hand, takes a swing at the entangled Jakes, hoping that a solid punch will help persuade him to give up.
Grappled, Syl yells out, "Fine. Get off me, you stupid cat." Japes nods his own acquiescence after Zaketta rocks him a bit. The pirates watching from the stairs cheer the winners and start to walk towards the deck now that the show's over.
Rolling off of Syl and springing to his feet, Mawj takes a step over to Aretta's unconscious form. He takes a knee and bends down beside her. "Mawj congratulates you, ringleader." He takes her hand, and with a sharp crack breaks the pinkie finger on her left hand. "Reminders teach us, as Father used to say." He looks to the rest of the defeated pirates. "A reminder for everyone."
Mawj hurries up the stairs, not wishing to be late for duty.
Durvin eases his way towards the steps, eyeing each of the attackers cautiously. He lingers a little behind the others, waiting for them to head out first, and as he nears Aletta he also kneels. Looking to the other bullies he adds to Mawj's lesson, "Just as punishment is swift to the losers, mercy can be just as swift." He works on her broken finger to try and set it right, and ensure she has no more pain than the embarrassment of loss. He then dances nimbly out onto the deck in hopes of avoiding any grudge-fueled swings.
And Zarque follows after Mawj and Durvin assuming no one else is having significant trouble.
As the group heads up into the dawn's light the bell rings again about half a minute later. It is clear by the expression on Master Scourge's face that he was not pleased to see you climbing and two people missing. "Besmara's crusty clam, you'd think the most experienced swabs on this boat could get out here on time." Scourge says unpleasantly through a grit of gold teeth. "3 stripes each for Aretta and Fipps whenever they decide to come out." Plugg nods, then begins assigning work orders for the day.
After handing out jobs to all he gets to your group. "Mawj in the rigging again, same as yesterday. The lizard gets to man the bilges, Zaketta is to mob the decks, and Half-Ear here is our exterminator today."
///
Durvin finds Fishguts in a fine mood today, and mostly sober. He directs the halfling to go fishing for tonights supper in the ship's nets.
Mawj gives Durvin a withering glare. "Lessons are to be remembered, not erased."
Daytime Action : Work Diligently
Dex
Dex
Dex
Dex
Mawj nimbly accomplishes his rigging for the day without incident.
Nighttime Action : Entertain
Acrobatics
At night he entertains the sailors again with his tumbling and gymnastics.
My Internet is terrible this weekend. I will post first thing on Sunday, if all goes well.
Durvin responds to Mawj's 'suggestion' with an air of insolence. "Well, then it's a good thing they get three lessons. That we are willing to do greater harm, that we are capable of showing mercy, and that wasting time messing with us may just earn them some fresh stripes at bloody hour." As the catfolk walks away Durvin sticks his tongue out at him.
Durvin is excited to see his new friend Fishguts in a good mood, and just as eager to tend the nets. Fresh fish would be nice, especially when the nets are so full. He is certain the chef has some great recipes, and thinks he remembers seeing a few in the cookbook he found.
As he works through the day in and out of the kitchen, he tries to find the time to talk with Grok, and see if she is as friendly as she seems. If he can make a little headway with her, it may go a long way toward getting some of their stuff back. He tries with complementing her on how much of a proud and fierce sailor she makes, certain that her enemies cower before her, but that he can tell she is a great friend to Fishguts.
Zaketta notes the conflict between Durvin and Mawj with some dismay. They both made good points - life at sea was harsh and often brutal, but needless cruelty never brought about any good, either - but that was something to sort out later. For now, the main concern was getting up top.
Zaketta notices Scourge's obvious disappointment - was he involved in the ambush somehow? Perhaps he put them up to it, she mused, while the gold-toothed petty tyrant assigned them their day's duties.
Zaketta enjoys her new task considerably less than yesterday's, as the fatigue of work and fighting begin to really show their effects. Still, there's no time to be lost in finding new friend, and Zaketta sets to it with a will. Whispering a short prayer to Besmara, she draws upon subtle magics that bring out the charm and appeal hidden deep within.
Casting her eyes about, she settles on her fellow swab Jack Scrimshaw and employs her feminine wiles to attract his attention - a giggle here, a saucy joke there, and more than a little innuendo. As they scour the deck, Zaketta uses every opportunity to flirt with Jack, subtly suggesting that she admires him and enjoys his company.
"You're a fine piece of sailor, that's for sure, Jack - I'm glad I'm here with you and not the rest of those bilge rats in the hold."
Work
Sneak in a peek at the hold,
Zarque heads down sneaking a peek in the hold on his way. When he gets to the bilges he takes the time to think of a plan and to hopefully fill out his muscles some more.
Ralo curses his size and wishes he was the boy he once was.
It was so much easier to catch these things when I could fit where they hid.
At the end of his shift. Ralo drops a bucket of dead rats and roaches Plugg's feet.
"I'd like to do this tomorrow, too. Turns out I enjoy it very much."
I really hope this dunce is a thick as he seems...
When night falls, Ralo mills about until he finds Grok. He walks over to her and exchanges her empty flagon of rum for his full one with a wink.
"I am not a flatterer, as you may have guessed, so I will not fill your ears with insincere words. I see you as an invaluable piece of this vessel and I hope that we can be good friends."
The day passes relatively easily, and though some of you are tired by the end, each of you manages your day without too much issue. When Zarque checks the hold he finds only a little cargo, and a large shirtless human chained to the beam. "Who is little lizard man?" The man asked, his eyes making it clear he is a bit simple.
Zaketta seems to make Jack Scrimshaw quite friendly and by the end of the shift he smiles more often in her company. Durvin's attempts go similarly, with Grok offering him more drink and both the cook and her enjoying their day quite thoroughly.
As the day nears its end there is a scuffle from belowdecks. Soon enough Mister Plugg comes out onto the deck with Jakes Magpies hair held firmly in his hand. "This PIG tried once more to break into the Booty again." Plugg threw Jakes hard across the deck and he slipped to the ground hard near Zaketta. The first mate pointed to two of the pirates nearby. "Put him in the sweatbox. I have run out of patience. He'll be keelhauled tonight."
Mawj winces and spits over the side to ward off ill-fortune. He tries to get close to Sandara to whisper a question. "Mawj wonders when the hull was last scraped?"
Zaketta moves over to Jakes and takes hold of him to carry him to the sweatbox. As she lays a hand on his shoulder, however, she calls out to Besmara for a small dose of her power and channels the divine energy into refreshment and comfort for her friend.
Leaning close to him, she whispers, "Hang on, Jakes, we'll get you out of this somehow." Straightening and lifting up Jakes, Zaketta raises her voice and begins to verbally abuse him.
"A thief, eh? Keelhauling is too good for, you mangy bilge rat!"
After Jakes is secured in the sweatbox, Zaketta joins Mawj and Sandara, whispering, "Jakes is in a tight spot - we've got to figure out a way to save him."
As she confers with her fellow priestess and the formidable cat-man, Zaketta tries to catch the eye of Ralo, Zarque, and Durvin, signaling that they need to find time to confer together.
Ralo locks eyes with Zaketta and tries desperately to convey his meaning without giving it away on his face.
It's time for new leadership. This must be done while the officers are distracted and seperated.
Jakes' pain seems lessened by the help and he presses something into Zaketta's palm, "For my girl. If I don't make it." He whispers before being locked into the box.
Zaketta opens her palm to find a small silver locket, which opens to show a slightly off but decent painting of a blonde half-elven woman and the carved name Arianna.
"They haven't scraped it in the time I've been here." Sandara answers Mawj's question with a grimace. "Some men survive keelhauling. Perhaps he'll make it. I told him not to try to get in again on his own." She bites her lip nervously, her dark eyes locked on the sweatbox. "Believe me sister, I'd love to save him, but I don't know if it's possible. The captain would never stand for it, and he could kill half the swabs with one hand behind his back. He's even taken Chelish vessels crewed by Hellknights, according to stories. Besides, if we were to rescue him, where would we hide him?" She gestures at the ship, all 100 feet long and 30 foot wide of it. "They'd search as soon as they found him missing and they'd get him then."
Durvin just watches the events with a look of concern on his face, shrugging as Zaketta looks to him, his way of saying he doesn't know what they can do.
Zaketta takes Jakes' locket solemnly, and nods quietly at the man's request to return it to his girl.
I'll not fail you, Jakes.
Quietly, with a tender respect for the importance of the item, Zaketta puts the locket around her own neck, where it nestles against the small picture of her mother.
I'll gut Plugg and feed him his own intestines before this is over, she vows, her fingers curling into fists.
Zaketta gives a deadly nod to Ralo, though her face shows resignation when Sandara points out the difficulty of mounting a rescue.
"Mawj wonders what was so important that his life was worth the gamble." The monk shrugs, then returns to his work to avoid the ire of the first mate.
Zarque will discreetly ask about the man in the hold and if letting him loose would be enough of a distraction to make Jake disappear and somehow appear as though he escaped into the waters.
Sandara and others return to work. Zarque's inquiries gain him a name, 'Owlbear' Hartshorn, a simpleton that the captain keeps essentially as a pet. He is chained by the officer's quarters at night to keep any from getting in. His chain is shortened in the morning to allow passage along the walls. He is extremely violent, eats raw crabs, and was recently tarred and feathered as a cruel prank. Letting him loose would be an issue, but not a shipwide one and it doesn't seem likely it would cause enough of a tussle to get a prisoner out without notice.
As the day comes to a close the 'Bloody Hour' begins. Four sailors are whipped, Aretta and Fipps Chumley for being late to work, 'Cog' Cogburn, a large man with a beefy red neck who seems enraged at his stripes for shirking his day's work, and Rosie Cusswell, a halfling sailor who was caught with a dagger she secreted onto the ship. Finally, Mister Plugg stands with a theatrical flourish. "And now we have our Theif!" Aretta, Slippery Syl and Fipps drag Jakes out of the sweatbox, his face grey and his legs unsteady. "What do we do with those who would steal rightful booty, me hearties?" Plugg asks, and several pirates answer with a cheer of "KEELHAUL 'IM!" Plugg and Scourge, along with his other supporters, tie Jakes to the rope hung over the side of the ship into the water. Magpie looks up onto the ship for a second, then turns to Plugg. "I hope you drown in a tide pool and crabs eat what's left of your half-rotten brains you psychopathic scum." Jakes says, almost calmly, and then spits into Plugg's face.
Everyone goes silent for a moment, and then Plugg, his face red with rage, drops Jakes over the side. Scourge begins to pull the rope, dragging Jakes Magpie under the water and over the razor sharp barnacles of the hull's bottom. Master Scourge's golden teeth shine with his excitement, and several of the more viscious pirates seems to enjoy the show. Sandara stands firm, though there are tears in her eyes, and never looks away from her friend's death. Finally, roughly a minute later, what is left of Jakes Magpie rises from the water.
The darker pirates cheer, and Mister Plugg smiles. "Feed him to the sharks." He says coldly, and Scourge and Jaundiced Jape untie the corpse to drop it into the water. "And let that be a lesson to those of you who would get any... ideas." Plugg's eyes scan the deck, seeming to stop over all the new recruits, including Sandara, Cog, Rosie and a foppish gnome you've heard called Conchobar. "We don't tolerate that sort of whale s+*# here on the Wormwood." He then turns and walks away, leaving a pale-faced Kroop to dispense the rum rations.
Heal
Mawj raises an eyebrow as Jakes is pulled out from his keelhauling.
As the evening continues, the lithe monk tries to entertain his fellow shipmates with more tumbling.
Acrobatics
Zaketta struggles to hold back tears as Jakes' body is hauled up from the waves. She mutters a quiet prayer to the Pirate Queen as the man's remains are tossed to the sharks.
"Besmara, shelter his soul from the storm."
Zaketta is quiet during mess, barely touching her food. She does, however, consume a great deal of rum, apparently seeking to drown her sorrows. Whether from considerable intoxication or from a subtle determination to avenge Jakes, Zaketta soon sits down next to Cog, her blouse's laces loosened, and a charming smile on her face.
"That was more than a sight unfair to you, mate. Why, anyone can see that a big fellow like you needs twice the rest because you do twice the work! You can't push a magnificent specimen like you - you deserve to be rewarded for your efforts, not lashed like some common dog."
Zaketta smiles suggestively and continues to flirt with him throughout the evening, emphasizing her sympathy for his unfair punishment. Though she returns to her hammock even more exhausted than the night before, Zaketta holds tight to her determination to see Jakes avenged.
Ralo's face is calm as still water during the keelhauling. After, he goes to bed, angry that he could not simply kill the offenders.
Durvin tries to avoid the whole situation, attempting to find the opportunity to stay busy in the galley in preparation for the evening meal. He has nothing to say afterwards, feeling upset at his inability to do anything about it. He drinks deeply of his rum serving, not to mention having had some during his time at work, and decides to ease his nerves with song. He hopes that he can, if nothing else, try to raise the spirits of those that are down for the act done to poor Jakes.
Zarque is unhappy with what happened but being used to such unhappy happenings in his life he simply goes to bed early.
note, Zarque generally doesn't drink much, giving away any extra by "sharing" with other crewmates. and this is his normal routine for the rum(so I don't have to state it every time)
Both entertainments are well received, but Cogburn sits in the corner with his drink and scowls. When Zaketta approaches him he listens carefully to her little spiel, then spits over the rail. "Thanks for the sympathy, but bull s%#$." He looks from under his knotted handkerchief with a bit of anger. "I should pull my weight as anyone else will. I chose to be lazy today and took my punishment. Don't you pretend to care." He jerks his chin back to the others gathering around Durvin's excellent song. "Go listen to your friend, and leave me alone."
Day 3
The next day starts with the horrendous clock on deck chiming and the pirates rising with the sun as always.
Zaketta rouses herself for another weary day of work in the bilges, but finds her fatigue finally catching up with her - she's simply unable to keep up the pace needed at her job.
She doesn't let her exhaustion keep her from pursuing her goal of gathering allies, however; she remains as flirtatious as ever, and spends much of the day flattering "Ratlines" Rattberger on his skill in the rigging.
"Ratlines, I've never seen a man that can handle rope like you. I wish I was half as good a sailor!"
At night, sore and weary, Zaketta only has a tiny bit of grog, and then collapses in a heap into her hammock, thoroughly worn out.
Mawj is motivated to do his best today, having seen firsthand the sort of discipline maintained on this ship. Not that he minds, of course. Pushing himself is something he has become accustomed to as a monk of Irori.
He volunteers to run messages between officers, finding that his quick natural reflexes allow him to pass notes quickly and effortlessly.
When he reports to the Captain's chamber to deliver a message, he discovers Harrigan away from his desk and decides to take a look around the room.
Daytime Action - Shirk
Perception
Stealth
At night, he continues exploring the ship while others finish their grog.
Perception
Stealth
Durvin notices the general weariness that overcomes the crew after their nights of staying up and being active. To motivate everyone, he starts the morning with a rousing song to lift spirits and prepare the sailors for the day's labors. At the song's culmination, though it started out wearying in its own right, seems to wash away the exhaustion of the day prior.
Arriving to work for the day, Durvin sees that Ambrose is once again in high spirits, and going through the daily motions. With the cook in such high spirits, Durvin once again joins him in song, and finds time to chat a little more with Grok. If he can ingratiate the quartemaster to them, it may go a long way toward convincing her to swing them some deals, or even allow them access to their previous belongings.
Zarque takes an opportunity to check a parts of the ship that he hasn't yet seen.
Zaketta makes Ratlines rather proud and he shows her a few knots she's never seen before. Mawj cannot find anything not put away in the captain's cabin, and all the drawers and lockers are locked fast. It would seem the Captain is a tidy man. Grok has a bit of rum with the cooks and she seems to have made fast friends with Durvin, sharing stories of growing up in Belkzen most of the day. Zarque finds nothing in the galley when he drops in, but it seems that Grok's friendliness extends to friends of Durvin's as well.
The 'Bloody Hour' comes and sees Zaketta and Conchobar whipped for dereliction of duty.
Zaketta is knocked unconscious from her lashes, and Conchobar only takes 2, requiring another the next day. After rum rations, Mawj just manages to avoid Grok and get into the Quartermaster's Stores, where all of the doors are locked except a fairly small wooden chest.
Mawj notices an arrow trap on the chest, primed to fire at the person opening it.
Durvin's show goes over well as always and Zarque finds two twined together bags in the bilges. One of them holds 21 gp and the other is a Tanglefoot bag, as well as a small buckler.
Day 4
Shortly into another boring day aboard the Wormwood "Barefoot" Samms Toppin comes up from the bilges, screaming in pain. "Gods... ow... ow... Besmara's Salty Thighs!" The pretty sailor had several small wounds all over her arms and legs.