Maybe Cadj muscles are already tired after climbing the mast, maybe his fingers are too clumsy to tie and untie the ropes, maybe he just can't find his balance.
Whatever the reason, the man seems angry with himself for failing.
Cuff manages to speed up the mast and get into the riggings easily enough. Working diligently he manages to get done a fairly good job.
Vex does her job, running messages back and forth, and ends up completely exhausted. When she returns on deck, panting and clutching her sides, Scourge begins to berate her. "A MORE PATHETIC ATTEMPT I HAVE NEVER F@*#ING SEEN. GET THE F+*% OUT OF MY FACE. I'LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER!"
Cadj just can't get in to the swing of things, his muscles aching from dragging the heavy coils of rope around the deck. As he stands there, nursing his sore muscles, Scourge storms over to him, his face a thundercloud of emotion. From the dressing down Vex received just moments ago, Cadj can assume he too is up for one. "PICK UP THE PACE FANCY MAN! MOVE YOUR F+*%ING FEET YOU WEASELY CUR. I SWEAR YOU NEW MEAT ARE AS USELESS AS T**% ON A MAN!"
Working as diligently and carefully as he can, Cuff managed to follow Pluggs directions to the t, earning himself an approving nod. While working up the mast, Cuff notes several other riggers working alongside him and learns their names from overhearing them, throughout the day.
Slippery Syl Lonegan - Human Female Shackles native.
Tam "Narwhal" Tate - Dwarf Male
Maheem - Human Male Mwangi
Ratline Rattsberger - Halfling Male Chelaxian accent
Conchobhar Turlach Shortstone - Gnome Male Andoran accent
Barefoot Samms Toppin - Human Female Shackles Native
Nameless catches the tossed knife, glaring for a moment before heading for the bilges, content for the moment to bide his time. In the dank, cramped bilge he is soon sweating at his labors, bending to them with grim determination.
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Amara attempts to work diligently today. She invokes Guidance upon herself and tries to cook, if needed. Let me get in the cook's good graces first.
Nameless makes his way down to the Bilges, a dark, cramped, filthy room at the bottom of the ship. Filled ankle deep with water in parts, grungy and disgusting, with cobwebs strung over the ceiling, the Bilges are the darkest most depressing part of the ship. Along one was sits some crates and barrels, along with some moldy bales of hay, the other holds four sets of manacles, one set of which holds a weasely looking miserable man.
The galley is a mess, with two long wooden tables, full of items of food, pots and pans and knives and the like, a large stove over which sits two large kettles and a multitude of pots and pans hanging from the wall. Two goats and a number of chickens roam free, after breaking out of their cages. There is a large drunk man, standing before one of the kettles, cooking what smells like fish stew.
"Ships Mate?" he grunts, before nodding towards the table. "Find a knife and get cutting!"
Ondir raises himself from the deck with a groan, raising a hand in thanks to Amara. "My thanks lass. Father always told me to stay out of the rigging, suppose this was the reason; so much sea in my blood, apparently she hates when I try to get away from 'er." He takes her hand, shaking it firmly, "I'll be sure to remember this when I've the Tempestfury's helm."
As he's tossed the bag and club, he manages to catch it nimbly, despite his injuries. "Aye mate, ratcatching it is..." With that he turns belowdecks, spending most of the day scrambling between bulkheads and beams catching as many of the multitude of vermin that infest the ship as he can.
He manages to find some time during his day to make his way to the ship's shop, pushing his way through the door and greeting the quartermaster as warmly as he can manage. "Well Grok ye really pulled one over on me! I knew ye had some fire in ya, but I never thought I'd wake up with a new berth to call me own." He leans his elbows down onto the counter, trying to be at least somewhat friendly and giving her a wink. "I wonder if ye could find it in yer heart to do me a kindness though? More than just some more of yer company at least..."
As Ondir makes his way through the Galley and in to the store, he catches sight of Amara rooting through a cupboard, before he enters in to Groks domain.
The Half Orc looks up, frowning slightly before slowly realization dawns on her face.
"Ah lover, I never meant for you to get all tied up in this, but I won't say I ain't glad to see ya!" She returns the Undines wink, before laughing slightly. "What can I do for ya?"
Amara looks around for ingredients to cut, and tries as well as she can to help in making the stew. It's bad, but I've smelled worse.
Vex will try to befriend Kroop, in the Kitchen. Best to make friends with the one who feeds you.
She begins to tell him of some of the stories she knows and some of the recipes she heard of, especially those she knows he has ingredients for
Kroop looks up from the large kettle, when Amara slides the chopped carrots and turnip in to it. He studies her for a moment, frowning, before grunting. "Besmara is in your bones lass, I see the symbol aye. The Queen must have some plan for you girl, to stick you here on this ship."
As the exhausted Vex enters the Galley and takes a seat on a table, and begins to talk to them, Kroop laughs softly, shaking his head. "Ye still have that nice trusting shine on ya lasses. It warms this old salts heart." He nodded, beginning to skin and cut the fish in to pieces, before adding it to the kettle.
He frowned in thought, chewing over his words, before he began to speak. “It’s poison, this ship, but don’t let anyone hear you say it aloud. The hull listens, see, and the cap’n hears it all. Poison the Wormwood is, though, rotten to the core. You’ll not meet a more nasty, sour piece of work than Cap’n Harrigan in all your days at sea, and his crew’s the same, ’specially the first mate, Mr. Plugg. Vicious little sod, he is. He’d take his own mother’s liver to the butcher to make pies with, he would. But they leave me alone, mostly. They know I can’t ’arm ’em.” He nods, cutting the head off of another fish, with a loud thwack of his cleaver.
"Just mind yerselves is all loves, no need to be putting those pretty necks on the line!"
Ondir continues on, oblivious to the regret that flashes across Grok's face. "Ah don't fret yerself lass. This tub is hardly the first berth I've been pressed into, and she's sure to not be the last. 'Tis nary a place at sea what can keep me, if there I don't want to be." He says this last with another wink, and a tune in his voice, before he shakes his head ruefully and adopts a small frown.
"Ah now there's a hard tale if ye ever heard one lass. See I was wearin' me own father's chain last night and I woke this mornin' without it to hand. 'Ole Hargrim Stormeye, me father y'see, he wore it across the cursed Eye itself 'e did, long as he raised me." He flashes Grok his winningest smile again before continuing, "If ye' could find it in yer breast to keep yer' eyes peeled for it, I'd be more 'n grateful, an' I'm sure me father's spirit'd be too."
Amara takes a good look at the old cook and tries to figure him out. Is he genuine, or just playing a game with us?
She reaches over to Kroop and gives him a peck on his dirty cheek.
"May Besmara bless you, may your stew always be tasty, the rum abundant, and may we all see better times."
Amara gets back to cutting ingredients and tries to get a feel for Vex. Who is this person? Ah, screw it. "Hi, I'm Amara. Did I see you at the Maid? My head's a bit foggy still." She smiles.
Still feeling the effects of the day's work. She gives Amara a tired, but sincere smile
"My name is Vex. Yup! I was there. I like telling stories. And where better to get an audience!" she puts her head on the table
"I'm bushed...."
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"...abundant, and may we all see better times!" The blessing fades away, as does the conversation from the Galley, as Ondir returns his attention to the Quartermaster.
Grok frowns for a moment in thought before nodding and moving across to one of the lockers. She pulls it open and takes out a couple of items, before returning to the table. She slides them across the table to Ondir with a smile. "Least I can do. Your armour and your knives. Gotta keep that pretty head intact, don't we?" She grins, leaning towards him and winking.
"Anything else I can do ya for handsome?"
Kroop blinks in surprise, before laughing softly and turning back to his work, a faint blush staining his cheeks. "Yer a kind one lass, ye are. And may ye know adventure and fame the likes ye can only dream of!"
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As dusk begins to set, the crew is called up and brought to the Main Deck. You find yourselves naturally gravitating towards each other and end up standing in a loose huddle, close to the starboard rail. Before you can do much more than say hello and take your places, some of you stinking of blood, some of filth from the bilges, Captain Harrigan steps forward, raising his arms up over his head and calling for silence.
”We have some sport tonight boys, a bit of a treat for you and the new meat.” He grinned over at you to a round of dark chuckles. ”You all remember our dear friend Jakes don’t you?”
A rough chorus of ayes come from the crowd.
”Well old Jakes thought he could get the better of us lads, thought he could take what weren’t his. He tried to steal from all of us mates, tried to make himself fat on our shares!”
The crowd boo and hiss, tension beginning to rise.
”Old Jake was caught and has been roasting himself down in the Bilges since then, after he had a chat with Mister Plugg and Master Scrouge here,”
The round of cheers and ’Good enough for em!’ was louder even than the boos.
”And now, the time has come to show him just how we treat thieves on this here ship. Well,” he grinned, arching his one good eyebrow, ”thieves who steal from us that is. HAHA BRING EM UP BOYS!”
A disheveled man is dragged up on deck, chained at the wrists, and forced to his knees before the large Captain. He looks up at the man, tears in his eyes and a bitter set to his lips.
”Jakes Magpie, for yer crimes against me and this ship, you are sentenced to be Keelhauled till ye are dead, or ye f*&~in wish to be!”
The mans single screamed ’NO!’ is drowned out by the loud roar of approval as the crew lunged forward and embraces the man in to their midst. Within minutes he reappears, bound tight in rope, long enough on both ends to allow it to be passed beneath the ship. He is dragged up on to the Fore Top Deck, Mister Plugg on one side with a group of four crew backing him up, and Master Scourge on the other with the same. The rope is passed under the prow before being secured once again. Without much more adieu, Jakes is tossed off the front of the ship.
Most of the Crew show signs of enjoying the ‘festivities’, but no one shows as much relish, at brutally punishing Jakes as Mister Plugg does. The pure joy on the mans face is psychotic.
Over the course of around the next minute and a half (12 Rounds), the men holding the rope slowly walk the length of the ship, before reaching the aft top deck and slowly, gruelingly drag the ropes back up on deck. The thing attached to the rope, as it can barely be called a person, is torn and battered, partially flayed and wholely disgusting. The corpse is cut free and its manacles are removed and he is tossed to the deck as the crew and officers gather a slight bit away.
If someone wants to investigate the body…
You estimate that Jakes has taken around 24 points of damage, but died not of his wounds, but of drowning.
The Captain calls for order once again, as the remains are dumped overboard and the crew returns to the main deck.
”Well, he won’t be stealing anything else anytime soon, or ever again, Pharasma willing!” The crew laugh along, as two crew members, accompanied by the Ships Cook, drag a large heavy bottomed cauldron up on to deck, a cauldron wafting the delicious scent of a hearty pork stew.
”And supper is served, but before we can get to that, we have some more punishment…” Harrigan getures at Scourge, who walks in to the crowd, taking two Pirates with him, and towards your little group. Without saying a word he grabs Cadj by the scruff of his neck as the other two grab Nameless, and drags him up towards the front of the crew. ”Our new boys ain’t up to scratch yet, so we are going to teach em a lesson. Master Scourge, give em a lick of the whip. One lick apiece!”[/i]
Cadj and Nameless are thrown to their knees, their shirts torn off their backs, as Scourge walks up and down behind them. He steps over to the tired and dirty Wizard and, again, without breaking his silence, swings the whip above his head, before lashing across the mans back.
"You're next Princess!" Scourge moves over behind nameless and takes a second, before drawing back his arm, and lashing the man as hard as he can.
Both men are bleeding, their backs split by the force of the whip.
Captain Harrigan claps slowly, ”Perfect, perfect. Do better tomorrow lads and we won’t have to repeat the lesson. Now, eat then drink and enjoy yourselves, tomorrow we may have work to do!”
The Crew cheer loudly and make their was over towards the awaiting food, as Plugg, Scourge, Harrigan and the other Officers, retire to the Captains Cabin, followed by a one eyed woman and two others, all three carrying covered dinner platters.
Cuff downs his ration in two or three gulps.
Cadj looked at the punishment with interest. At least there were rules on this pirate ship. Harsh rules, but rules all the same.
Some of the crew were watching, some were disgusted, few were enjoying it.
Since his abduction, Cadj was mostly keeping to himself, not trusting anyone from the crew, not trusting even the other people the pirates shangaied too.
Out of a morbid interest, the red headed man with a crooked nose looks at the corpse.
Sure, you can't hold your breath that long. Not with the pain from all those cuts, and the blood loss.
Hearing he was about to be punished too for his failure of doing his work properly, Cadj removes himself his shirt, and prepares for the lash without too much emotion.
Later, tired from his clumsy work and with an aching back, Cadj drinks his rum quietly
A bit too strong and coarse for my tastes. I'll have to do better tomorrow if I don't want to feel the sting of the whip again
Not very interested in bonding with anyone-unless someone speaks to him first-Cadj soon go to sleep.
Vex drinks the rum. And almost spits it out. Swallowing hard. Not what she usually drinks. Way too strong. This was not going too well. But she didnt want to end up whipped.... or worse...
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Cuff stands up from the barrel he had finished his rum on. Some of the foam still hangs on to the corner of his mouth as he rises and saunters over to the arm wrestling table. He slams his arm down onto the section with no glass and calls for an opponent.
Cuff gains a +3 alchemical bonus to CHA, is fatigued for 6 hours and takes 3 temporary CON damage.
Cadj gains a +4 alchemical bonus to CHA, is fatigued for 8 hours and takes 1 point of temporary CON damage.
Vex gains a +3 alchemical bonus to CHA, is fatigued for two hours and takes 3 temporary CON damage. Vex is also addicted.
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Ondir releases a somewhat exaggerated sigh as he takes the bundled armor and blades, tucking them under an arm to deposit at his bunk momentarily. "Ah lass yer a lifesaver ye' are, me pretty head will thank ya t'be sure." He rests his free arm's elbow against the counter, giving Grok yet another wink. "P'raps there is. Big ship like this, a man could use some company under th' stars..."
Ondir rests with both elbows up on the ship's rail, leaning back with his ankles crossed as the other new crewmembers gravitate into a group around him. His gear safely stashed away in his bunk, he feigns some interest in the keelhauling, though its not the first he's seen. Finally, as the food and drink is served, he pushes himself off the rail, eating his fill and sipping the rum as he goes in search of Grok again. The woman found, and his arm at her waist, he takes an extra pair of cups and a spare chip of shell to a table to set up an impromptu cup game and see what sort of gamblers the crew of this ship makes.
Praying to Besmara for guidance and hoping she doesn't embarrass herself, Amara takes a drink.
"To the Queen of the seas!"
A bit tipsy, Amara stumbles over to the other captives. "Hi, snice to meet you. I'm Amara! Hey, half-orc guy, you saved my life!" She attempts to gather her wits and looks him straight in the eye. "Thanks for that." Looking over at Cadj, she notes his reticence, thinks about respecting it, and rejects that thought. "Hey, what's your name?"
As the enibriated woman starts speaking to him, Cadj stops dead in his tracks, and bows slightly
My name is Cadj Nassen, Amara of Besmara.There is nothing more for you to know for the moment. Besides, I'm not sure you will be able to recall whatever I said tonight tomorrow morning.
He bows again, slightly, and turn his heels, unless again interrupted.
Though Amara feels the rough alcohol rush to her head and a drunken placebo effect begin to take hold, in reality she is barely effected by the drink.
Cuff storms over to a table, covered in glass and lit pools of wax, and demands attention. A moment passes before a huge Mwangi man steps forward, cracking his knuckles and grinning darkly.
"Let's play Greenskin!"
Cuffs arm gets slammed into the glass on the table...
"Come on, Cuff!
Amara whispers to Vex, "I'm not really drunk, but people tend to underestimate drunk girls. Let them!"
She looks around for the red-haired woman.
The intoxicated girl swings about, trying to tell stories that she is also having a hard time remembering
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Cuff growls at the man menacingly, baring his teeth he says "Again!"
Ondir finds himself at a table, where cards are being played. The game is a variation of a Mwangi game called Punda, where the players need to make up a score of up to 31, on three cards. The Half-Elf woman sitting at the table with the deck in hand, looks across at Ondir and smiles, before gesturing to the center of the table where a pile of coins lie.
"You ain't got gold or items of value, then you can piss off. So what'll it be dear?"
The Mwangi man flinches slightly but grins, before nodding. "Alright dumbass, if you are stupid enough to want to go again we can."
The man sets himself again and grabs Cuffs hand, before beginning to push. They continue pushing back and forth till finally Cuff forces the mans arm down in to the glass.
The man pulls back with a curse, before growling a sharp "This one f*!#ing decides it. I'll bet you this..." he slammed a purse down on the table, where it shook. "Five gold. That this is my f%$%ing game. What you got soft cock?"
Vex begins to draw a crowd with her story telling / interpretive dance style jumping about. She tells the tale of a famous Pirate, or something. Maybe it was a Geisha? She isn't sure but it was very captivating and the crew, caught up with the passion and the theatrics of it all, cheer, clap and boo, at appropriate parts.
By the end of the story, the crew have thrown some coins on the deck before the woman, as a sign of appreciation for her tale.
After collecting up her coins, Vex has earned 2 gold skulls, 6 silver sails and 7 copper knots. ()
Amara glances up towards the Top Deck, where she can see the woman with the red hair, waving at her invitingly. She raises a bottle of something and shakes it, before gesturing for Amara to join her.