If her kind words didn't cheer Diabolito up, she adds, "Now, let's get you some of the good stuff, aye?" and leads them back to the tavern.
In the morning over breakfast, before she collects her armor and gloves, she will inquire after any additional rumors or legends regarding Tidewater Rock out of lingering curiosity.
The saltbeard nods.
"I meant what I said earlier. We'll never use that junk on a ship again."
And when the mention of proper booze is brought up, a grin crosses his lips.
"Now you're talking my language, lass!" he says with a laugh, as he leads the way to the bars.
Maera finds this interesting, but not really enough to go on. They'd be better at taking some more ships, and establishing more of a name for themselves at the present, she thinks.
A few more days pass by in port and everything is sold, gathered, and regrouped. The crew is able to get some much needed shore leave, get to sow some wild oats, spend some ill-gotten gains, and make some final decisions.
The next three weeks are taken with the crew taking on small ships, most of which would not be worth taking in to sell, but giving them a bit of cargo, and a bit more practice. A few injuries here and there are taken care of by Doc and Sandara, but the crew, as a whole is becoming a well-oiled machine.
At this point, it has seemed to be getting easy, but the cargo holds are starting to get rather full. As such, it is time to make towards a port. The options are brought to the officers as a whole so they can discuss.
Walking into the command commons, "So...our holds just about burstin' with loot. However...we only have one port of call close to us is Bloodcove. We will have to be careful if we decide to dock there. From what I am told by our quartermasters," she nods to those in question, "We can likely take one more ship until we are full up. So, do we take one more and head into Bloodcove or do we head to Bloodcover...or do we simply avoid it?" She looks to her co-captains and to the rest of the crew for their advice.
Holding and petting her cat Maura, Indrana listens to what Sandra has to say, "Just how...unpleasant...is this place and how close is the next nearest port?"
Maera rolls her neck to ease the knot out of it, and says, "We've cut our teeth well and good... I'm of mind to see just how big a prize we are capable of taking now."
Considering Indrana's question she responds glibly, "Well, with a name like Bloodcove... it's merely a question of whether it's better or worse than Port Peril..." And after what happened to them last time they ignored an indicative name... Perhaps they should be properly paranoid.
Sandara takes a breath and nods, "It is the not so secret base of operations for the Aspis Consortium." Taking a moment she looks over to Cassius, "How much of a grudge they might hold after a few weeks...and if they even know it was us...that remains to be seen, but that is what we must deal with if we go there. However, at some point we will need contacts there, no matter what...so it's a matter of when, not if, we end up there."
"Then we shall have to do what everyone does when there are snakes about - watch where we step."
"Much as I'm unsure of this place, I think you're right, we might as well do it and get it over with."
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"Best to be as careful as possible then. I'll reccomend that the crew stay in groups of at least six while they're ashore then. With weapons." Cassius suggested "The same should go to us as well. No straggling, and always with each other. Also, no bragging or mentioning their ship we took."
"Come to think of it, any crew that joined us from their ship should be kept aboard and out of sight until we leave. It'll be s+%% for them, but its for their safety as much as ours."
Maera nods along with Cassius's suggestions - it would probably help them avoid a knife in the back if the Aspis were truly sore over the subject. "We're not about to run and hid from 'em, but aye, good precautions just make good sense. Now, let's find us a new prize to brag about!"
Maera points out a line on the map of The Shackles that is very close to where they are. It is a standard trade route and it might very well lead to them finding some unsuspecting ship.
Just off the coast, still almost a half day from Bloodcove, a fishing trawler rides low in the water, heeling several degrees to port. It is obviously taking on water. The sails flap loosely from the yards and a fishing net drags in the water over the starboard side. The one rowboat that is on the vessel is still visible, but no crew appears to be.
No crew and the boat still on deck? Something smells wrong, captain. He turns from observing the stricken boat and orders all crews to posts. Better safe than sorry lads! To arms! All siege crews latch and load!
Indrana casts a quick spell, bringing invisible planes of force around her to protect her should this be a trap of some kind.
Amos mounts Bullet who is now kept at the base of the main mast, draws his pistols, and starts shouting, Starboard crews stand ready! Grapplers, look lively. Bring her to port as you please, Mr. Rain! Catapult, match for drift!
"If it be a trap... and, frankly, who here doesn't think that it looks like a trap? - Then better for us to spring it while well prepared than allow those who seek to trap us another chance at their leisure," she voices her opinion to Cassius, trying to view the ship through a spyglass for a better look.
As the Fury sails up on the 'derelict' ship, they can see where several axes have been used to put holes in the ship to sink the ship. It is quite clear that there was a scuffle on the ship recently. The crew is easily able to toss cables out and draw closer.
Maera issues some orders for the rear guard to be canny, and she crosses over to the fishing trawler. "Well, someone was definitely here..." she murmurs, giving a glance to the axe wounds. With no one on deck, the next logical step would be to check the Captain's cabin for the ship's log and manifest if it still exists.
After the business with the Grindylow's she'll check for traps first before attempting to enter the cabin.
"Well, this don't look good, eh?" Aramis mutters, keeping her musket drawn and loaded as she follows Maera across. She keeps her eyes peeled for signs of life as she heads for the stairs belowdecks, Rotgut circling lazily overhead.
Indrana keeps a sharp lookout but stays on the Fury in a more defensible position.
The dwarf draws both of his weapons after he crosses onto this new ship. He grins, licking his lips and looking around to see if there are any recent signs of inhabitants.
Amos frees and mounts Bullet, but remains on the Fury for now. He wants to be ready to engage and foes in the water should any appear.
As the officers begin board the 'derelict ship', fully expecting the ambush that they see coming. Aramis and Diabolito both spot the claw marks and point them out, showing that it looks as if Cassius is exactly right. And then coming out from the watery hold are the very fish men he warned them of.
Party wins initiative, perception checks avoid surprise round as a whole
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"Shark bait!" Cassius shouts with glee as he moves like a bolt of lightning closing with the largest beast stabbing out with a wicked blow at the beast!
If the Large Creature targets Cassius for an attack (Not AoO), he will use:
When an opponent makes a melee attack against the swashbuckler, she can spend 1 panache point and expend a use of an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. The swashbuckler makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity; for each size category the attacking creature is larger than the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler takes a –2 penalty on this roll.
If her result is greater than the attacking creature's result, the creature's attack automatically misses. The swashbuckler must declare the use of this ability after the creature's attack is announced, but before its attack roll is made. Upon performing a successful parry and if she has at least 1 panache point, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack she parried, provided that creature is within her reach.
Seeing a number of the creatures engaged, Indrana picks what seems to be the most badly injured, and sends a volley of pure force at the creature which swerved around all obstacles in it's path.
Amos levels his old pistol at one of the smaller pieces of shark bait and fires. The bullet zips past Diabolito's ear and slams into the thing.
The dwarf just grins, stepping back and stretching his jaw, the muscles growing and distending the bones in his face, his teeth growing long, pointed, and numerous. The morningstar in his hands disappears, and his teeth seem to glow for just a moment and grow even sharper.
Maera had been expecting an Aspis ambush, and not a sahaugin one, but her choice in tactics changes very little.
"Just a random raid, my pale blue arse," she grouses, and begins to work a Glitterdust Spell. "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. These bloody guppies tangle with us again, and I'll see to it that they don't have to fear this Matron anymore..."
The two lesser sahaugin are covered in the dust, the larger of the three shakes it off, then swings at the leaping swashbuckler.
Just barely missing, the four-armed, massive sahugin assaults the swashbuckler. The swashbuckler slash at the large creature and it doesn't seem to though it's armor.
Guns fire, followed by spells and one of the creatures drops.
The one normal creature left awake and able to see...charges Maera.
Missing and falls off balances slightly.
"Blighted fish!" Aramis exclaims, taking aim at the four-armed brute. "Ye'd think we'd killed enough of 'em!" She looses a bullet, before quick reloading with me of her paper cartridges.
"Easy there, Cap'n! Can't have ye becomin' fish food!" With that, Aramis shifts her aim to the smaller creature attempting to savage Maera.
The dwarf grins and snaps his jaw, charging the larger of their enemies. His teeth glow a bright red momentarily, his eyes showing a true predatory glint.
The large sahaugin slashes out at Diabolito as he charges in, his great size giving him a reach advantage.
It manages to tear a good chunk of flesh from Diabolito's face before the bloodlust fueled dwarf sinks his sharp fangs into it's fishy hide, forcing it to bellow with pain, now bleeding from two wounds.
Aramis's bullets both find homes. One having caused a wound in the big fishman, the other rocking the aquatic assailant before Maera.
Seeing a chance to free up the captains from their nearest aggressor, Indrana sends out another volley of arcane energy into the creature.
The missles fly true, as they always do, freeing Maera from harm as the only other non-blind fishman drops...save the giant one who has two blinded 'helpers' with him.
Blood streaming down the dwarf's face does little to slow the sea bound terror down. His life's blood streaming down his beard onto the deck, the dwarf reaching with teeth and axe to take the enemy down.
Amos loathed shooting into melee. The risk of hitting his own was very real, and with firearms it was almost always unavoidable. However, the brute before them was not going down easily.
Hey! Ugly! Pick on someone your own size! He nudges Bullet into a rearing stand to make himself look just as big as the four armed beast and fires.
Having dodged the sahuagin's attacked, Maera gives a slight two-fingered salute in appreciation of Aramis and Indrana's intervention. Now she's got some breathing room to work some more magic. What's it to be? Big 'un or the two small fry? she muses, casting an Aqueous Orb. Well... whoever's not a strong swimmer, I suppose...
The three creatures seem to have no problems with the watery attack
Cassius's weapon finds a hole...the one between the arm and chest of the monster, leaving him with no wounds just as the creature is smashed in the face with a bullet.
The two creatures that are blinded go after a certain bloodthirsty.
After the blind fish miss horrifically, the big fishman takes a step back and then slashes out at the charging dwarf.
After his strike lands and the dwarf then steps up to maul him, the first strike misses, but the follow up put another wound on the behemoth.
Having a clear shot to the big, four armed, creature, Indrana begins chanting and gesturing, gathering ambient acidity into an arrow like shape and then sending it at the big creature.
The large fishman seems to have the swashbuckler's number, swatting the weapon away with ease.