He's easy to find, up on the aft deck looking grimly at the eastern sky.
"Eriniyes, is it not? What can I do for you on this ill morning?"
Pretending not to notice Lord Brycen's problem remembering her name after they spent a night on the town together, Eriniyes gets to the point. "I am not sure if you've noticed, but I thought I'd warn you. The sailors are all nervous this morning with the dawn red sky and the bad omens they believe is coming. I'm sure you don't believe in such superstitious old tales, but it may do us well to get on our way earlier than later. Keeping those men busy may be a good way to distract them."
She does her best to put on a nice face.
Diplomacy:
"Sailors are always nervous about anything that resembles an omen. But I must admit, this sky looks particularly unsettling."
As the day wears on, the redness fades from the sky, but the breeze remains perfectly still. Around mid-afternoon, dark clouds begin massing on the western horizon and an unsettling breeze picks up. Lightning flashes in the distance and the horizon line becomes obscured with rain.
Shortly after suppertime (which the sailors recommend nobody partake of), rain begins to fall on the ship and the waves begin to seriously pick up. First Mate Theodremir comes below to ask for volunteers who feel they can help the sailors man the sails and lines as the storm looks to be a doozy.
Titus volunteers readily to assist the sailors. He goes bare-chested and ties a kerchief or something to keep his wet hair from dripping into his eyes. He does the best he can to help, recommending that they all tie themselves to the deck somehow.
Despite her patronizing of Lord Brycen, Eriniyes is quite superstitious herself. So after her unsuccessful attempt at trying to persuade Brycen to lift anchor earlier in the day she listens to whatever advice the sailors have to offer.
She doesn't skip dinner but eats a very light meal. And when she sees the weather in the distance approaching she gives explicit directions to Wat about staying below deck and holding on to something sturdy if the ship starts to sway violently. After making sure he understands, she goes up top to see what she can do to help out. If the deck gets to be too unsafe she will go back down and wait out the storm with Wat.
Rorse seems to be suprised that hickory was listening,if she heard that what else did she hear?Having a very diffrent view on omens Rorse seems thrilled about the omen, omen's are more like oppurtunities to the halfling. Omens are like a notification that you are about to have the chance to become a legend.
Rorse takes up the challenge of sailing, but takes Titus advice to tie off to the ship.
The sky darkens early this evening, as the setting sun vanishes behind coal black thunderclouds and sheets of driving rain. By around the time you estimate should be sunset, you have already been riding the worst storm of your lives for over an hour.
The wind howls all night, stirring up the water and sometimes bending the ship so low you think it should surely capsize. The waves grow in height throughout the night. Sometimes, they crash over the railings, other times you ride up enormous cliffs of water and then much more frightening, down the other side. At the height of the storm, the waves are easily much taller than the ship itself, so when you are in the trough, you look up all around you and see nothing but ocean water, like you are in a deep hole, then you are carried up to the crest and you should be able to see for miles and miles if it weren't pitch black.
Lightning and thunder crash all around you non-stop, giving you brief glimpses of just how horrifying your situation really is. To make matters worse, the crew were clearly unprepared for the massiveness of this storm. Many of you volunteered to come above deck to help out, but there's very little that even the experienced sailors are able to do other than hold on. The wheel is lashed into place, the sails are triple tied down, and every soul up above decks is praying silently and aloud to either Gozreh, Pharasma, or both in quick succession. Unfortunately, even though your inexperience is clearly of no asset in this storm, the hatches down below have been closed and sealed over to prevent the sea water you are shipping from getting down below and ruining some of the more fragile and precious supplies. All you can do is hold on, and add your voices to the communal prayer around you.
About eight hours in to the storm a series of lightning bolts crackle through the sky nearly on top of you. With a CRACK, the loudest of all, bright light flashes down and obliterates the crow's nest, sending fiery shards down to the deck below. The whole ship shakes and shudders with the blow. While it looks like fire may be a concern for a moment, water quickly ships over the railings, drenching the crew, yourselves, and the burning wood with equal abandon.
Ten hours into the storm, a sailor near the starboard side shouts out something. It gets passed from sailor to crewman to sailor to party member and beyond that a ship had been sighted during one of the lightning flashes. Larger than the Lady Iona with three masts, speculation runs amok from a Chelish pursuit vessel to the Desert Rose caught up with them. In any event, both vessels will have to wait out the storm before any action is taken, as any sort of intership combat is completely impossible.
Twelve hours into the storm, the rain begins to lessen, and wind ceases to howl with quite as much strength and vigour. Thirteen hours in, the rain reduces to a light drizzle. The wind continues to blow and the waves continue to rise and fall from alarming heights. Fourteen hours in, blue sky appears in the west and the sky lightens enough for you all to make out a large three-masted vessel off the starboard bow, and a much smaller vessel off the port bow. Cheers go up from the front as your sister ships are positively identified.
Sixteen hours into the storm, the wind has died down to a stiff breeze and the hatches are unsealed. The waves continue to toss you about somewhat, but nowhere near as badly as before. You have made it through, drenched, frigidly cold, and exhausted, but miraculously alive.
Oh great.
Fort 1d20+3
Well, I suppose there isn't a man, woman, child or critter aboard this vessel that hasn't seen Rommin spewing good food out to sea. What's once more....
Well, this time at least, the sea comes to get it for him, although the wind probably slaps him around with it first...
It's quite a while after you make your way back down below before the crew get the cookstove dried out and relit and a hot breakfast prepared. It's not until several hours after that that the rumours start making their way to you.
Your sister ships were apparently delayed by pirates!! Shortly after leaving the convoy upon reaching open ocean, they were beset upon by 1, no 3, no 5!!! pirate ships and took damage that had to be repaired. Wait, no, that's not it, they were late because they took a detour to Westcrown to report on your activities to the Chelish government. Wait, no, they were late because they had to bribe the convoy leader to take them through the Arch in the first place...nah, it was pirates! 8 ships!!
"Actually, it was just two," interjects a young man's voice from the top of the lower ladder. Only a few years older than Wat, the man descends the ladder, brushing locks of black hair out of his eyes. He wears the clothes of a countryman under a suit of studded-leather armour. A bandolier holding 6 daggers crosses his chest, and you see two more daggers sheathed at his waist and two more strapped to his thighs.
"Damned pirates ripped a big hole in a couple of our sails, slowed us down, and they came up along side and dropped some sort of boarding planks over our railings. We had pirates swarming aboard from both sides, but we fought them off. Once they realized that we were not easy pickings, they quickly swarmed back to their ships, hauled up their planks and sped off. It was crazy. Not as bad as that storm though. That was really wild."
The man clamours down the rest of the ladder and makes his way to Maxalis' empty hammock. He stows his gear underneath and swings himself up and into the hammock. He sighs deeply, stretches himself out, and closes his eyes.
All through the wet roller coaster rorse can be heard cackling, but he is very pleased he tied off other wise he would have been overboard long ago.
When all is said and done Rorse can be found on the deck holding a large colorful fish(comparatively) with both hands by the tail.
Fort
Rorse begins to spew a large amount of what looks to be mostly ocean water.
Reflex to hold fish.
After the crew cook prepares the morning meal, Rorse is able to take his 'catch of the day' and cook it up for himself and Vero and anybody else he cares to share with.
Titus manages to hold tight to his stomach's contents. Once down in the galley, he is visibly exhausted, almost falling asleep at the table. He is half-asleep when the young man makes his way to the general area. "You were with the other ships then, lad?"
Rorse nods to the young man and explains what happend to them in the mean time. We had a pregnant woman explode and try to bring the chels down on us, we got out just before two ships flanked us and stopped us from being destroyed. there were another seven ships beyond that or I would have welcomed the pair of ships to close in and draw their own death, I'm glad to see you made it. through the storm and the pirates. Rorse hops in his bed eating some fish, he gives Vero his share of the breakfast rations. any of you guys want some of this fish I cuaght? in the middle of all the insanity on deck, I look up and and this rainbow colored guy flew right at me. I held on for the life of me and I won, but not without a fight, in the middle of the whole thing I started cracking up, I guess it was all the water and the Idea of holding onto the fish, it just made me a bit...hysterical. Rorse offers a plate of large fellets of the colorful fish.
The young man nods to Titus, brushing hair off his face. "Yeah, the Desert Rose, and I'll tell you, what a miserable vessel to travel on. Have you ever met a Rahadoumi? Miserable, no humour wretches, every one! And Harrolayne, the ice elf b@#~! queen of the world! The whole ship was crowded and dour and sombre and miserable. This ship looks a lot more fun, and when they said that there was some more room over here and they needed someone to help transport some supplies, I said 'HELL, YEAH!'"
"Name's Niesen Kurch, and that fish looks amazing. You seriously caught it during the storm with your hands? That's totally wild!" He draws one of the daggers from his waist. It's slightly curved and of elven design, and he skewers a fillet and eats it. "Tasty, too."
First to Lilo:
Well the spiral could easily represent Pharasma. He holds up his palm showing his birthmarkDid it look like this at all?
The storm:
Hobart will take to the deck with the others doing what he can to lend a hand and keep moral up. He will lead a prayer to Pharasma to see them safely through the storm.
With the arrival of dawn on the 22nd of Gozran, the crews are able to assess damages to all three ships, and tally your losses. One soldier was swept overboard from your vessel, though none of you remember seeing it actually happen. The other two ships lost a combined total of 8 sailors. The Cloud Climber sustained some heavy damage which will take about 3 days to repair, but otherwise, the fleet got off lucky.
Over those three days, the ships stay put. The Crown of Jeggare is rededicated as the Lady Iona and the Chelish colours and bowsprit are replaced with Taldane ones. The crew have a little impromptu celebration as the devilish carving at the bow of the ship is finally pried loose and allowed to fall into the ocean. You are able to learn a bit about this brash young man that has taken up a bunk next to you. He clearly fancies himself a ladies' man, and on more than one occasion, you see him emerge from behind some pile of crates or another followed moments later by a blushing female colonist/sailor/soldier. His efforts at seducing Imogene and the others create lots of amusement and entertainment for you, though, as he doesn't seem to take 'no' for an answer. The facial slaps get louder each time, and each time, Niesen comes back to his bunk, rubbing a redder and redder cheek and smiling more and more. Niesen seems to pack more daggers on his body than a cutlery store; between the lot of you, you count at least 14 daggers hidden or worn openly, probably more. He's certainly friendly enough, though, and finds himself particularly drawn to Rorse (with whom he seems to have a lot in common in terms of outlook on life, etc.) and to Eriniyes (who has breasts). Niesen's attempts at seduction are practiced and suave, though at times a little forced, like he's over-compensating for a natural shyness.
Just before suppertime on the 25th of Gozran, the fleet is ready to depart again, and amid much cheering, the anchors are weighed. You sail through the night and into the 26th. Throughout the 26th, clouds build on the western horizon, and a small storm hits, barely a storm at all compared with the last one. You suffer no damage, but the weather is enough to scatter your small fleet once again.
When morning dawns on the 27th, you hear rumours that a ship has been sighted to the southeast, but an hour later, soldiers come to summon you all up to the main deck, as the ship that was sighted is not the Desert Rose; it too bears the colours of Taldor. Although not explicitly summoned, Niesen follows out of curiosity, strapping his dagger bandoleer around his chest.
Rorse armor's up and takes his bow to the deck. He'll keep an eye out toward the ship and watch for those preparing to board, with their recent subterfuge, it wouldn't be hard for the chells or pirates to obtain a Taldor ship.
though his bow is facing the deck an arrow is notched and ready to fly given the first sign of treachery.
|
Lilo fumed silently at Hickory's outright dismissal of his speculations as nonsense..and what did she mean about Aroden's return...Aroden was dead even small children knew that.
Knowing he would be off no help at all during the storm he remained below decks managing to lose his lunch like the majority off the passengers.
Fort save
In the days following the storm he lends a hand where he can. One thing he does do however is not so subtly place himself to intercept any advances the horndog Niesen might make towards Hickory.
He stands alert as the strange ship approaches
Rommin:
The other ship pulls up along side of you. It looks to be a typical merchant-style vessel, slightly smaller than the Lady Iona. Theodric hails the other captain, and the two parlay for awhile. The ship is the Beard of Cassomir, which Theodremir whispers to you was a merchant ship reported lost at sea over a year ago. Turns out, the ship had been sent on a secret mission to Arcadia, along with four other ships that were reported "lost" at roughly the same time. Theodric questions the other captain about details, testing the captain's knowledge of Arcadia, and seems satisfied with the answers.
Perception DC: 10
Perception DC: 15
Perception DC: 20
Rommin:
Perception check
Noticing something others don't see, and fueled by the strange vision, Rommin cries out a warning to Lord Brycen, dashes across the deck to grab him by the arm, and hauls him to the deck boards. Rommin finds himself staring down at Brycen's surprised features, and a wave of nausea passes through him briefly at the eerie reflection of the vision he had received just moments ago. The ballista bolt from the other ship flies through the air where Brycen had stood moments ago, whistles inches past Hobart's ear, nearly takes Theodremir's arm off, and flies out to sea.
Captain Theodric stands stunned for a brief second before yelling out, "RETURN FIRE!!". Hidden crew members aboard the other ship show themselves, some wielding bows, others racing over to a pair of boarding planks with nasty spikes on the end, and start raising them up like a draw bridge to ensnare the Lady Iona.
Initiative from everybody please.
perception
Taking a shot at someone holding a boarding plank.
confirm crit
When Eriniyes realizes the severity of the storm and that she will be of no help above deck, she goes down and joins Wat to give him comfort through the storm.
Fortitude:
Eriniyes spots Niesen checking her over with that look...and does not care for it. Her face gets flush, and not from embarrassment. At that moment her red slithery friend comes out of her clothing and raises its head toward Niesen and joins Eriniyes in staring him down until he looks away.
Perception:
Initiative:
Perception
Initiative
Titus recognizes the danger an instant too late, and Rommin is on task before the old man can react. He sees the other ship preparing to board, and with a growl and a grin, Titus prepares for a brawl.
She then raises her arms and speaks an incantation as a shimmering glow surrounds her body while she moves for cover behind one of the masts.
Initiative 1d20+4
Lilo:
Niesen:
Rorse & Vero:
Hobart"
Initiative Order:
Niesen
Eriniyes
Titus
Hobart
Rorse
Rommin
Lilo
A quick word about the boarding planks: they are attached with a hinge to the other ship and they go up and over. There are spikes on the business end that dig into the decking of the target ship. You can see their positions on the map and estimate where they will end up if they get into position. Enemies are also preparing to swing over on ropes like before.
Niesen draws a pair of daggers and makes a dash for where the closer boarding plank would make its landing if it gets into position. Eriniyes casts mage armour on herself .
Titus to act...
Eriniyes casts mage armour on herself .
while she moves for cover behind one of the masts.
Round 1
Titus said he was preparing for a brawl, so I'm going to take that to mean that he moves into position to intercept boarders like Niesen. Hobart's arrow takes the enemy scorpion operator in the throat and he goes down in a gurgle of blood. Rorse's shot grazes one of the plank operators, drawing blood and a gasp but the man works through the pain.
Rommin to act...
Rommin stands up from on top of Lord Brycen, shakes off the last vestiges of the vision nausea, and readies his bow. Lilo lets his sling loose, making a nasty dent in the other ship's railing.
The enemies' forward boarding plank flies up in the air and comes slamming down into the Lady Iona deck. Enemies with sabres prepare to cross the plank. The aft boarding plank starts to rise in the air, but ones of its operators was distracted by a grazing arrow and that plank doesn't get into position this round. Five boarders swing aboard on ropes as well. The soldier manning your port ballista takes a swipe with his sword at one of them; the enemy gurgles through a bloodied throat and falls onto the deck. The boarder's rope gets tangled in the man's legs and doesn't fall back towards the enemy ship.
Niesen takes a 5-foot step and lets fly with a pair of daggers, one at each of a pair of boarders.
Attack 1: ()
Attack 2: ()
Each boarder goes down with a dagger sticking out of his chest. Niesen draws another pair of daggers almost as quickly as the first pair leave his hands.
Eriniyes to act...
fast mount
Rorse takes a moment to get in the saddle and then rides next to Lilo.
Well, Rorse can certainly see barrels on the other ship, but whether or not they contain pitch, he can't tell. He'd have to get a bit closer (like on the other ship!!) to tell (of course, Lilo'd have to get there too since burning hands has only a 15' range.
Of course, given your third question about doing something insane, I think you already know that!
And answering the first question for Lilo, he hasn't cast it once yet...
Eriniyes pulls out her crossbow and aims it at one of the pirates on other ship, preferably the man who was talking to Brycen after we approached.
Light Crossbow: damage:
Round2:
Hobart will fire on one of the pirates trying to get the second boarding plank down.
He will look at Lilo ans RorseCareful Lads.