"Okay, Hon, I don't want to put you in a bad spot with the Captain," Allie says with a sigh and a slightly pouty expression.
"Give me another flask of Alchemist fire, a flask of acid, and 2 tanglefoot bags (those are great fun). If I heard you right the first time, that'll be a hundred and thirty."
She plunks her bag of coin on the counter and lays out 13 stacks of ten coins, then casually places 5 more in a small pile close to Grok's hand.
"Shall we consider this the final sale?" she asks with a wink and a smile.
Ashrem takes his new fortune and heads below deck to visit Grok.
"Allie, Grok good day to you lassies." he greets the two cheerfully. "Grok, if I'm not interrupting, do you mind if I view your fine selection of alcohol? A celebration like this deserves a better drink!"
That'll be fine Kitten. Grok says and passes the items to Allie.
"Allie, Grok good day to you lassies." he greets the two cheerfully. "Grok, if I'm not interrupting, do you mind if I view your fine selection of alcohol? A celebration like this deserves a better drink!"
Ashrem! Mate, you ought to know that any fine alcohol had I drank a long time ago. You got to see ol' Fishguts for your spirits.Grok replies with a laugh.
Fishguts is more than willing to share a drink with his old mate Ashrem and opens a fine bottle of brandy. Grok comes along to get a drink as well.
Ashrem pauses and frowns for a moment. "Maybe I should cut back on the drink... Nah!" he grins. "I thought you might have had a small bit of that chelaxian left. We'll have to pick some more up the next time we enter port."
Kroop has several bottles of Chelaxian brandy left because the captain doesn't care for it so it is only rarely used in cooking.
At dawn, a few hours after the celebration finally winds down, the ship’s bell sounds, calling all hands on deck. When the crew is assembled, a long line of captured officers and sailors from the Man’s Promise is brought on deck and paraded before the crew. Captain Harrigan addresses the captives first, offering a place on the Wormwood’s crew for any who want to throw their lot in with pirates. Several of the Rahadoumi sailors step forward; Master Scourge cuts their bonds, and the sailors take their places among the Wormwood’s crew. Harrigan then turns to address the Wormwood’s crew.
“All right, you scurvy tars! You’ve done a right good job by me—we’ve got a second ship now, and she’s quite a prize from the looks of her. But I still have only one crew. So here’s the plan—the Wormwood will sail on to our planned destination with our new shipmates here, while Mr. Plugg will pick a skeleton crew to sail the Man’s Promise to Port Peril, where she’ll be worth a pretty penny as salvage."
You are selected to be part of the crew returning the Man's Promise to Port Peril. By the evil look Master Scourge gives you when he calls out your name you can be sure you weren't chosen for your sailing ability. You are given a few minutes to gather your belonging and board the new ship. Cut-Throat Grok actually cries to see you all live and gives Allie a hug that nearly cracks a rib.
Master Scourge
Arreta Bansion
Fips Chumlett
Jaundice Jape
Slippery Syl Lonegan
Tam Narwal tate
3 Rahadoumi Sailors
Ambros kroop
Owlbear Heartshorn
Conchobar Shortstone
Rosie Cuswell
Sandara Quinn
Amamer
Ashrem
Sandman
Allie
Jack Scrimshaw
Maheem
"Badger" Medlar
The Man’s Promise is a three-masted sailing ship, 105 feet long and 30 feet wide interior walls on the ship are of wood, 2 inches thick (hardness 5, hp 20, Break DC 20). Doors are of good wooden construction (hardness 5, hp 15, Break DC 18). Interior rooms are unlit during the day (except for those with windows or portholes), and usually have a single hooded lantern for light at night. The crew of the Wormwood has thoroughly ransacked the Man’s Promise, and besides those features listed below, the ship is empty beyond common items such as hammocks, lanterns, rope, and a few other mundane objects.
Main Deck: Two 10-foot-square hatches sit in the deck forward of the mainmast and open onto the middle hold. Between the hatches and mast, a steep set of wooden steps descends into the middle deck 15 feet below.
Foredeck: The foredeck rises 10 feet above the main deck. The ship’s nameplate on the hull reads Man’s Promise.
nameplate beneath it. This second nameplate reads the
Motley. Further investigation reveals marks in the wood
of the hull that indicate that a previous nameplate existed
before that one, but it has long since been removed.
Aft Deck: The aft deck sits 10 feet above the main deck, and steps lead up to an even higher deck behind the mizzenmast. The ship’s wheel stands just before the rail
overlooking the main deck.
Sterncastle: This high deck sits behind the mizzenmast, 20 feet above the main deck. A pair of light ballista sit upon this deck, next to a box containing a
dozen ballista bolts.
Ship’s Boats: Two ship’s boats, a cutter and a gig (see the Skull & Shackles Player’s Guide for statistics), hang from davits on the gunwales just forward of the aft deck. The boats are lashed to the ship and require three DC 10 Profession (sailor) checks or Dexterity checks to launch. Each such check is a full-round action. Each ship’s boat has four oars and a single mast. The cutter can carry up to 12 Medium passengers, while the gig can carry up to
8 Medium passengers.
Officers’ Quarters: This tidy cabin has two portholes to allow light and fresh air to enter. A hefty trap door sits in the f loor, leading to the middle Mr. Plugg assigns Master Scourge and those pirates loyal to him to this cabin. He also instructs the two NPCs who are most loyal to the PCs to sleep here, aiming to keep an eye on them.
Officers’ Storage: These two storerooms are both unlocked and hold the lockers and personal effects of those pirates berthed in the officers’ quarters.
Captain’s Cabin: The rear wall of this luxurious (by pirate ship standards) cabin holds four gilt-framed windows that rise the full height of the chamber. The cabin contains a luxurious hammock, a dining table and chairs, and a few chests and bookshelves. A trap door opens directly into the cook’s cabin below . The two doors opening onto the main deck and the trap door are locked with good locks (Disable Device DC 30; Plugg has the keys). The windows are locked. Mr. Plugg has claimed this cabin as his own, and has also chained Owlbear Hartshorn to the mast with
manacles and a 15-foot-long chain (hardness 10, hp 10, Break DC 26, Disable Device DC 20; Mr. Plugg has the keys), instructing him to kill anyone who enters.
Captain’s Storage: These small storerooms do not have doors, but are separated by sliding walls that can also be removed and made into a folding table. The starboard compartment contains a small writing desk and a couple of chests. One of the chests is locked with
a good lock (Disable Device DC 30)
Middle Deck and Armory: The middle hold of the Man’s Promise is currently empty, though the weapon racks along the walls only need to be restocked to turn this hold into a working armory. Steps behind the foremast descend into the main . A second set of stairs against the aft bulkhead lead up to the main deck.
Crew Berths: Ten supporting pillars behind the mainmast fill this spacious compartment, with room for over a score of hammocks. Plugg assigns all of the PCs and their friends to these berths, except for the two NPCshe wants to keep an eye on.
Galley: This sizable galley contains a large stove against the aft bulkhead and a single porthole in the starboard wall. In one corner, a derrick stands next to a trap door that opens into the secure storage below. The door is locked with a huge, good padlock. It takes a full round to raise or lower the line on the derrick, which can lift up to 200 pounds of cargo. The galley has been stocked for the journey to Port Peril, but the food is scant at best.
Cook’s Cabin: This filthy cabin contains two dirty hammocks and a single porthole in the port wall. A rickety ladder ascends to a trap door in the ceiling, leading to the captain’s cabin. Ambrose Kroop sleeps here, and he has also stashed a small barrel of rum he managed to secure from Cut-Throat Grok before leaving the Wormwood.
Main Hold: Essentially empty after being looted by the crew of the Wormwood, the main hold of the Man’s Promise contains a large water barrel secured to the starboard wall. Stairs behind the foremast lead up to the middle deck, while a trap door near the mainmast leads to the bilges, which contains two bilge pumps, forward and aft. If anything, there are more bilge spiders there than in the Wormwood.
Secure Storage: This large compartment aft of the main hold is locked with a good lock, but is presently empty.
Allie looks around at the other crew picked for the new ship.
Scourge and every one of his bootlickers. Then he's divided us. That's no coincidence. The Rat's setting a trap for the Cat, it seems.
She decides to take a walk to the Quartermasters store, on the premise of a prolonged farewell with Grok.
When the get below, she speaks to Grok quietly, but with urgency.
"Plugg n' Scourge've got it in for us. I've a feeling we're meant to have an unfortunate accident between here and Port Peril. Do you have anything...anything...under the table that I might be able to use to even the odds? I'll give you the rest of my share, if it's worth it," she whispers urgently.
Port Peril was a good ways off. A lot could happen between here and there. He looked up into the clear sky and scanned the horizon. "Storm's finally coming." he said to himself.
He smiled.
Ashrem grins as the names are called out. Plugg and his cronies think they can take us out without the Captain around, eh? They don't realize that they'd be better off swimming to Port Peril.
Ashrem goes to see Grok one last time, giving her a firm handshake. "Farewell my friend. I'll miss drinking with you and Kroop. I'll do my best to keep him out of trouble."
looking over at Allie, he smiles. "Allie, is there anything I can help you with? You look a bit worried."
This +1 boarding pike (Pathfinder Player Companion: Pirates of
the Inner Sea 18) is an 8-foot-long pole topped with a tapered
metal spearpoint and a backward-facing hook, used to draw
vessels closer together or repel boarders. A metal skull caps
the butt of the pike. On command, a boarding pike of repelling
can be extended as a swift action, giving its wielder a reach
of 20 feet for 1 round. While the pike is extended, the wielder
does not threaten adjacent creatures or creatures up to 15 feet
away. A boarding pike of repelling can also be extended in this
way to draw vessels closer together for boarding.
Grok frowns when Allie tells her what she suspects. Here, take this. she says and give Allie a potion of cure Light wounds. I've nothin else here that can help you more than that. Be careful Kitten.
To Ashrem she says Watch your back matie. That scourge be a poisonous rat. If you can keep Ol' Fishguts sober he can help you out. He's a good sort.
Allie gives a smile and another hug to Grok. "Thank you," she replies.
She tucks the potion into one of her pockets.
She turns to Ashrem. "You do know that this crew selection is a set-up...Plugg and Scourge have split us from most of our supporters, while bringing all of theirs on board. Am I worried? Yes, I tend to worry when I see that somebody's planning to kill me," she says in an uncharacteristically competent, cognizant tone.
She takes a deep breath, and continues. "Anyways, we gotta watch each other's backs, or we are going find ourselves flayed and hung from the mainmast."
Was the potion a gift, or was Grok expecting payment?
With a new crew assigned to take the Man's Promise back to Port Peril Captain Harrigan makes it clear to the Rahadoumi prisoners that they have the choice to either turn pirate or die. The Rahdoumi are guick to join Harrigan.
You move over to the Man's Promise and settle your belongings in the crew berths as instructed by Master Scourage. Rosie Cusswell, and Sandara Quinn are order to make their bunks in the officers quarters with Pluggs cronies.
As the Wormwood is sailing away Plugg calls the "crew" together amidship. He starts by telling you all that the rules on board the Man's Promise are the same as they were on board the Wormwood, but discipline will be much tighter from now on. Lashings will be carried out with the cat instead of the whip from now on. Everyone will keep the same job they had on the Wormwood, except Allie since Fishguts doesn't need help cooking for so few she will be a regular swab.
Ashrem: Line Work: Hard work hoisting and lowering sails,
requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity
check. The PC must also make a DC 12 Constitution
check to avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift.
Sandman: Mainsail Duties: Tough work raising and lowering
the mainsail, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor)
or Strength check. The PC must also make a DC 12
Constitution check to avoid being fatigued at the end
of the shift.
Amamer and Allie: Man the Bilges: Vile and sweaty work cleaning out the
bilges, requiring a DC 12 Strength check.
The PC must also make a DC 12 Constitution check to
avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift.
"Does this bilge pump...(gasp)...seem slower...or have I gotten soft...(gasp)..working in...the galley?" Allie asks her friend.
"It's just a crap job," Amamer says.
Ashrem works tirelessly and efficiently, making sure all the lines are in order before slipping away to the bilges to help his two shipmates out here and there.
At the end of the day though, Ashrem's energy is gone and he falls asleep exhausted from all the hard work.
Sandman struggled a bit getting used to where things were on the new ship, but managed to complete his tasks.
That night he takes a better look at his new boarding pike.
It is possible that without Ashrem's help Allie and Amamer would have been punished that evening. As it is jaundice Jape is the only one that doesn't complete his work to Mr. Pluggs satisfaction and so gets three strokes from the cat as punishment. After the punishment is carried out and the evening meal is eaten Plugg orders everyone not on watch to bed below decks. There is no rum ration handed out, and no time allowed for diversion.
Once everyone heads below deck, Ashrem grabs a few bandages and a salve that he had collected earlier that day. He knocks on the door to the officer's quarters and explains that he wants to treat Jape's wounds, just as he had for Fipps before. If asked for his reason for helping, he replies. "If any one of us goes down, it'll be more work for my friends and I to shoulder." He also talks to Sandara and Rosie while he works, checking that they are doing alright so far.
After chit-chatting for a few moments, Ashrem then examines the wounds closely.
"It's already showing signs of infection. I don't want to think about how filthy that cattail must have been. I'll treat it with this salve but it may not be enough. Let me know if you develop a fever."
Jaundice Jape will begin to sicken with filth fever at the end of the next day.
About midnight Sandara Quinn and Rosie Cusswell come into the crew berth area and wake you all. Sandara tells you that the rest of the crew was called to meet with Plugg in the captains cabin but that they were told to stay in bed. That it didn't concern them.
"That's okayyyy," Allie says, putting an arm around each of the women in turn. "Who'd want to be crowded into a cabin with those smelly bastards, anyway? ee-yuck. You are always welcome to come down here and spend time with us. After all," she says with a wink. "Who says we don't have matters to talk about that aren't their business?"
"At least we'd better make sure we keep an eye out," Amamer says softly. "And we'd better stick together when we can."
"Things are about to get… challenging." Sandman said. "We are nearly upon the trial that will create the beginning of our legend."
"They will send us somewhere. There will be blood. Creatures in the water with teeth and tentacles. Dead women walking. A place of disease and death, and when it is done and we are worn and bleeding, we will return to the ship and they will try to kill us."
"This is what the dreamtime tells. We can walk the path laid out, or we can blaze our own trail."
"But first there will be a storm."
"Then we choose."
"They will try to kill us." Ashrem says grimly. "They will not succeed."
"I hope that dead women walking doesn't refer to any of us," Allie replies softly, reaching out to put a hand on Amamer, and looking to Sandara and Rosie.
"I've heard stories of the walking dead..I..would hate to think of any of us becoming one of them," she says with a small shudder.
The weather the next day is good. a few more clouds than the day before, and the wind is a little stronger. You are all assigned the same tasks as the day before except Allie and Amamer who are assigned to swab the deck instead of working in the bilges.
decks and scrubbing them with sandstone blocks
called holystones, requiring a DC 12 Strength or
Constitution check. Failing either check results in the
PC being fatigued at the end of the shift.
Ashrem smiles at the small progress he is making. It's a lot of work for a small advantage but he will take every advantage he can on a ship full of hostile pirates. He sleeps deeply and in the morning has no clue that the ship changed course. He sets about his work, raising and lowering the sail with his usual skill. He keeps an eye out on his companions as he works, ready to help out if they need it. By the end of his shift, he's worn out. Laying in his rack, he listens idly to any chit-chat.
Allie sets herself to swabbing, grumbling at the back-breaking labor.
"What...(gasp)...are these...bastards...(gasp)...trying...to do..to us?"
Sandman sings through his shift as usual, keeping cadence with a low rumbling song.
"This would be ... Scourge's idea ... of a joke ... don't you think?" Amamer says as she swabs the deck.
Ashrem visits the bilges again after laying in his rack for a bit. Tonight though, he doesn't have much success with his endeavors. The spiders he caught had already used up their venom on whatever prey they had caught for the evening. Disappointed, he returns to his rack and sleeps.
That night it is Sandara Quinn that gets the lash. You are again sent below decks immediatly after the evening meal. Sandara is able to heal herself by channeling Besmara's power.
The next day you are all again assigned the same tasks. The weather is good the wind is brisk and there are a few more clouds in the sky to the west. it is obvious that the ship is no longer heading east toward Port Peril.
Deciding that she isn't about to let Plugg break her spirit, Allie begins softly singing a rather bawdy sea chanty:
"The ship sailed into harbor after fifteen months at sea. The Captain hit the tavern with his crew of fifty-three. After drinking up their pay, they staggered through the town, but all the inns and public houses turned the sailors down..."
In case you want to hear the whole thing (warning: heavy innuendo)
Amamer works beside Allie, picking up the tune easily enough, if not the words, and humming along.
Ashrem is hard at work handling the lines while Allie's song lifts his spirits. He's still worn out at the end of the day. Still, he made sure to tend to Sandara's "wounds" as well as checking on Jape's fever before retiring in the evening and sneaking into the bilges later that night.
Sandman was smiling while he worked, but the smile never reached his eyes. He was quiet for most of the day, and spent a lot of time watching the horizon.
No one recieves any lashes at the end of the day. A number of the crew join Allie when she starts to sing but Scourge shouts at them and they fall silent. Jaundice Jape is obviously sick.He colapses halfway through the day and has to be carried to his bunk. After the evening meal you are all again sent below immediately.
Sandman spends a little time etching small new marks into his mask, then goes to sleep. It wouldn't be long now, and he needed to know more. The dreamtime was waiting for him.
Allie smiles to herself as she settles into her hammock.
This crew isn't a lost cause. They're siding with Plugg out of fear, not because they respect him. Get him and that bastard Scourge out of the way and we can win them over.
She checks the dagger in her wrist sheath, and relaxes, humming a little ditty about dead men and bottles of rum.
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After the evening meal, Ashrem asks Jack about what has him so nervous recently. He also brings some food down to Jaundice Jape, contemplating on how else to increase his infection while he replaces the dirty bandages with clean bandages and a little more "healing" salve.
"Jack, my friend, do you think any of Plugg's crew would willingly jump overboard to save you?" Ashrem wraps his arm around Jack's shoulder as they walk together. "You know that it's too late to distance yourself now. Even if you were to try and be buddy-buddy with them, they would just assume that you are spying on my behalf," he whispers conspiratorially.
"I would never ask you to risk your neck like that for me. I do appreciate you telling me about Plugg's plan. I knew he wasn't heading to Port Peril but it's good to know his actual destination." Ashrem stops the two of them and looks him sharply in the eye. In a cold whisper, he warns Jack.
"You can distance yourself if you want, I won't hold that against you. But if Plugg thinks that he can rid himself of me and my friends, then he doesn't deserve to be Captain of this ship. He's making these plans assuming that he and his minions will make it to Blood Cove alive. You can stay neutral, but I would stay away from Plugg's side, if you catch my drift."
Later that evening, Ashrem gathers Allie, Sandman, and Amamer.
"I really wish Allende or Lucanorr or even Vaelor were here right now. But I think you three are the most trustworthy friends I have on this ship right now." he observes the three companions for a few seconds before continuing. "We all know that we're not sailing for Port Peril. Jack just informed me that he overheard Scourge say that we're heading for Blood Cove. Have you heard anything about it? Once we're there, Plugg plans to recruit more pirates for himself and get rid of those he doesn't like, mostly us. We need a plan and we need to work together."
Taking a moment to look around to ensure they were not being eavesdropped, Ashrem continues. "I'm the one responsible for Jape's illness. If any of you think you could sabotage Scourge's minion's work and get them a lashing, I may be able to infect them as well. Other then that, I've been gathering venom from the bilge spiders each night. It isn't much but hopefully soon I'll have a dose or two to use. I plan to use every advantage I can to take them down first. Do any of you have any suggestions?"
"Well, messing with their work would be easy, if you knew who was going to be doing what job the next day," Allie replies. "I would be happy to give those buffoons a reason to be beaten by the sadistic prick they've chosen to support...but...what if we sabotage a work site and someone else gets hurt, like Sandara or Rosie, or one of us?"
"Bloodcove is near the Slithering Coast," Amamer says "It's the only town of any size until you reach Sargava. The whole town is built like one of our hunting camps, on the roots of mangrove trees.
shortly after you begin talking Sandara Quinn comes and sits down with you. "Talking about mutiny are we?" she says with a grin. "Count me and Rosie in. You should probably bring Ol' Fishguts in too. That old dog has been around the fleet if you know what I mean. I would be suprised if he didn't have a trick or two up his sleeves."