While she passed the sullen captain huddled in his corner,she gave him a dope slap upside the head in passing....You idiot.Did u honestly expect to pull that off? And that's for writing that note with that awful poetry.she scolded in annoyance.
"Poetry?" Captain Craw shakes his head and frowns "Think ye be mistook. Be int'rested in seein poems meself which bring about such a state in ye."
"Aaah..." He tips his head back as he makes the connection. "Ye'd be speakin of Morbel... Brother of our dear departed Sito. Goofy lad he is. Made'imself big as a man by way of magickin'. We met up with'im at sea'n took on his cargo. Mentioned he was fixed on leavin ye a friendly message." He shakes his head "Goofy lad."
Tusara quickly responds to the women on the other ship.
"I'm Tusara, and no, I don't yet know if anyone on your crew is alright, I can tell you however, that the fighting has largely stopped, and my friend and I bulldozed past any pirate stupid enough to stand in my way. Please, feel free to come aboard and find your friends."
"Y...yes, in...in a w...way"
As the fatigue washes away, a broad smile appears across the Ulfen's face. "Then in a way, I'm glad as all the Hells you did! I am Aersten, the son of Vid. I am the last of my crew, and I am very far from home."
Smiling a little sadly, Garborn nods.
"I...I...uh...don't re...re...remember wh...where I'm f...from.
I...Have been s...s...stuck on an island for ten y...years."
Rubbing a hand over a still very emaciated face, Garborn sighs deeply.
"In...in a w...way, that island b...became my h...home, against my w...will."
The remaining crew of the Moana Tarqona cross onto the Tamarind to reunite with their allies and friends. Interrogation of the Captain and his two remaining slaver/pirates, as well as discussion of the current situation is kept for when Iolana wakes.
Iolana regains consciousness in about an hour. Boabdil, Captain of the Moana Tarqona immediately calls for a meeting to discuss the matters at hand.
He nods a welcome to the newcomers, then gets too business. "We must decide our next move. We know these pirates brought us here to sell to this sea witch. We know they received us from their allies - who took us and your research from our ship. Those pirates... Morbel the big gnome and his shipmates must have or have sold your research."
He sighs and grumbles a cuss in Bonuwat. "We lost Bill Pug and Ekjori to the fishmen." He gestures for Du'Bing - who hands him a spyglass. Boabdil points to the horizon. "Six out there... thousand feet out look like they're passed out on top of the water... must be an islet in the reef." He looks through the spyglass before holding it out for another to look. "Hard to tell, but I think Bill Pug and Ekjori are among'em."
Perception
Once she awakes, Iolana is pleasantly surprised she hasn't been stripped down and put in chain, and she asks Boadbil for status of the ship, crew and eventually missing equip.
"I understand we took new souls on board ; would like to know them but first let's interrogate their captain....and where is my sword ?"
Overheard things?
Consulting the maps and charts available as well as the notes and maps in his fathers journal.
The creatures who were with the sea-witch Shayonna the Gaunt were merfolk. They are territorial, and some are aggressive, but generally not innately evil. Most conflicts are with sailors who don't even realize they are above the secrets and sanctuaries the Merfolk guard with selfless zeal. They are terribly clumsy out of water, and will rarely travel more than a few hundred feet inland.
You see nothing around them... they're just lying there like big n tasty hunks of cheese in a mouse trap.
The shore of the island with the waterfall is closer to 2000 feet away. You see a jungle-like area surrounding the base of the waterfall which looks to have some pretty nice and straight trees.
A new mast for the Moana Tarqona will need to be crafted from scratch. This would require getting to land, finding a suitable tree, etc.. at least a few days of work.
You see the maps and charts... This close to shore of Devil's Arches and floating without main sails, the waves should carry you west (if you were to pull the anchor) - closer to the island (island of Devil's Arches, not the islet). However should you veer southward where the river empties into the ocean, you may be carried closer to the islet.
Boabdil nods to Iolana, and gives the order... "Bring him out."
Three of the crewman lead the bound Captain Craw to you, and lash him to the mast. As they do so, Boabdil comments.. grumbling dryly "Few better ways to learn about someone than to see them face the man who'd sell them to fishfolk."
Boabdil leans into Craw's personal space "My friends here are going to ask you some questions." He keeps eye contact for a moment before moving from Craw, and motioning for you to go ahead.
Looking at the state of the masts, Marco frowned. Messing about with the charts on the ships as well as his father's notes and maps contained in his journal, Marco formed some conclusions.
"See here?" He told anyone who was interested. "If we just up anchor, with this sea state and the wave motion coupled with the currents this season will carry us... West," He pointed out, "Closer to THIS island, The Island of Devil's Arches." He pointed on the map.
"But. To get to the Islet there, we need to veer South somehow. If we can get closer to where the river empties into the ocean, the current will carry us closer to the Islet. Maybe jury rig a mast from one of the booms. If we can't do that; well all I can think of is to rig the ship for towing and use the ships boats to tow us out there. That seems like a lot of work though." He mused aloud.
"Hello mr, name is Iolana Zerengo, i'm the acting captain of the Moana Tarqona. Looks like you are a capable man on a ship and for sailing, would like to talk to you again, after i've asked a few questions to a certain rat."
The tall varisian girl nods to Marco and goes to the mast where Boadbil has tied Captn Craw.
Iolana stands close to the man and stares in his face for some seconds with a severe look.
"When i say to someone I want to trust you i . . . and for me betrayal is worst than outright murder. The fact you surrendered doesn't change a thing, i'ld still prefer to run your guts through and throw you to the sharks, so your best hope now is to tell me something useful.....for example , who were you going to sell us to ? And who do you work for ? Do they have a secret dock or something around here ? My crew told me they faced some fish-men, i guess they are involved ? Start talking"
Gatherine went to see how Iolana a was doing after waking from her poison-induced sleep,presenting her the captured captain's bejeweled scimitar for her troubles and brandishing Twinbellows,reloading it and keeping it lowered to the deck as Iolana spoke sternly with their prisoner.
I'm here for emotional support for poor Iolana.I did say that I wouldn't kill you. I didn't really include anybody else I that agreement of ours.I mean,with you being an evil dirty slaver should really outline what kind of treatment you'll end up with. Pay evil unto evil and that.
Tusara has also crossed to the ship with Marco, and follows Iolana to the mast, where the captain is tied up.
After waiting till Iolana and Gatherine had said their piece, Tusara squats down to the captains eye level, looking him in the eyes.
"I don't think you need a genius intellect to realise that these people wish you ill", Tusara replies softly, indicating Gatherine and Iolana. "Unfortunately, this makes me you're only friend here, so why don't you consider asking my relatively pain free questions, just the two of us, and in exchange you avoid some distasteful outcomes?"
Patting Iolana on the hip,seeing that she more or less hand things handled,she tipped her hat at the rescued newcomers and sauntered back over to the taken ship to snoop about.She checked on the slain foes and made a throughout search for loot upon their bodies,making a point to upend the gnome cook Sito and shake him upside down by his ankles until the last of his personal effects tumbled out of his pockets and onto the floor. Dropping the corpse unceremoniously onto its head,she scooped up whatever she'd found,stowed it away,and continued her hunt for useful and valuable spoils.
Perception
When she was rushed by the uncle and nephew duo of dwarven sailors,she greeted both warmly and proudly showed off her new culverin and bloodied clothing with a warrior's bravado.She smacked away their fretting hands and had them assist her in securing supplies and loot for the crew from the captured ship.
When she came upon the dusky Boabdil,she greeted him and welcomed his safe recovery,relieved to see he hadn't been slain.Oi!! Happy day,indeed.Missed you.Worried you'd been murdered. Chasing those Spidertear lot leaves a trail of corpses,the further ahead,and in our wake.
In response to his sightings with the spyglass,she took a look for herself and confirmed that she did indeed see Bill Pug and those distinct purple suspenders of his,but she was unsure about Ekjori.
Hmm.Looks like they're still alive,considering they look like beached lobsters.Corpses don't sunburn.Maybe they were marooned for us to stop and find.Most likely its another trap--sitting there lil chunks of cheese in a trap for rats.Either way,let's go get em before the sun bakes em any further.
"Thanks for the support and this sword Gatherine, but i also want the one i dropped during the fight and one of the slavers took with him....have someone searched for him ?"
Aersten chuckles grimly at the man's reply. Just like you, he muses, to be rescued by the one man who seems to have had worse luck at sea than yourself.
"Maybe some day, you and I, we can pick up an oar and follow old Captain Hjalle, eh? Stories say that when he went to retire from a life at sea, he took an oar and walked inland. On and on he walked, until he came to a town where the first thing someone did was point to his oar and ask, "What's that thing?". He lived happily in that town the rest of his days." Aersten grins at his own joke, then goes back to render assistance to the rest of the fellows who had been chained below decks with him.
"Did any of you know what the Captain had in store for us, or should I go get in line to get my pound of flesh out of his sorry hide?"
"Heh..." Unsure if he understood the whole meaning of the story, Garborn laughs a little hesitantly.
He is not so scary, when he doesn't have claws and froth at the mouth at least.
Craw chews his lip as if weighing his options... "Was told t'sell the fellas we got from Morbel to Shayonna the Gaunt... the voice ye heard before ye nodded off. Musta been her fish-men yer folk saw."
"Ye can't kill me... made a deal with that squat'n stocky lass."
Craw clears his throat as Tusara begins speaking to him.
"What kinda thing ye need to be knowin? Good as dead anyway if we can't get outta Shayonna's waters, eh?"
Iolana smirks, amused.
"As that deal has anything to do with me; i'm pretty sure you know people of our kind only keeps the promises they want to,no matter who the other side is.In case you still haven't got it by yourself, i've been a pirate captain myself; i know how to handle scum like you"
The girl waits some seconds then keeps questioning :
"Then, where is this Shayonna, and is it possible to talk with her ? What happens to the captives ?"
When she came upon the dusky Boabdil,she greeted him and welcomed his safe recovery,relieved to see he hadn't been slain.Oi!! Happy day,indeed.Missed you.Worried you'd been murdered.
Stepping away from the interrogation, Boabdil smiles big, and knocks Gatherine's shoulder with a fist. "Good to be seeing you, Miss Gatherine. I'm still waiting to see how much is too much for you to lug around witchoo." He steps around her to see the new bag. "Sharkskin, eh? Good.. good. Keeps the water out."
small punching dagger and light crossbow
Sharkskin Adventurer's Sash (waterproof)
contains...
a small hard leather case of 9 vials.
Formula Book (spellbook for Alchemist)
3 smokesticks
2 tanglefoot bags
small mess kit
Potion bandoleer (2 marked anti-toxin, 6 unmarked potions)
"Then, where is this Shayonna, and is it possible to talk with her ? What happens to the captives ?"
"Somewhere's below us... only done this twice before meself. We're meant ta leave the captives there where ye see the folk over yonder. We stay for a night, and wake up with a mess of pearls ye wouldn't believe just settin on the deck."
"All I know about what comes of the captives.. is that when we pull anchor the next morning.... Thar be one less.""As fer talkin to her... I could tell you tale about that if you've time... the story of old Captain Grubby Stoag. He was drunk on night watch the first time I'd been to these waters. He was yelling out mad crazy things.. taunting Shayonna in an uncouth manner - like a brash oaf at a brothel. Was keeping me awake, but me sore feet refused to be rebooted at such an hour. And then suddenly he stopped...."
"Next watch called us all out... found'em with his head in a bucket. Stoag resisted as we pulled at him... all the while I got meself thinking what a way for a sea captain to drown. We finally got him up straight... and there what did we see... but a row of gills on each side of neck, and there he was gurgling... his body just wanting to breath air outta habit."
"Sailed all the way home with his head in the bucket. That's when I went from First Mate to Captain, y'see."
Iolana turns to Boabdil and whispers to him.
"I don't like where this is going,will need to hear everyone's opinions."
To the others around the prisoner:
"He is all yours, i have to make some preparations."
Tusara listens to the Captain, before running the puzzle together. "So you captured me, and others, then successfully conned you pursuers into drinking a drug, and then invited Shayonna and her friends onto the boat to pick up the prisoners for themselves so they could do whatever it is they do with their prisoners. I promptly ran into them, took away their sight, and then they all ran away after swearing to return."
After pausing for a moment, running all of this through her mind, Tusara shrugs "Well, she seems intent on running into us at some stage, so if she makes her move, well, I guess she makes her move. I'm not that worried, she seemed more angry at Marco than at me, so maybe she just hates men?
With the mainmast useless, Marco starts looking around for something that could serve as a jury rigged mast.
But can't seem to find anything suitable.
He sighed, looking at the ships boats.
He really hated rowing...
Gatherine handed over the sharkskin adventurer sash to Iolana along with the punching dagger,formula book,and potion bandoleer with a shrug,figuring she had the right to the best items off the alchemist,seeing as she was the one that landed the mortal blow with an electric grasp.However,the smokesticks,tanglefoot bags,and the hard leather case with nine vials she kept a stubborn grip on.
Then she went to recover Iolana's favorite blade she'd lost track of during the battle below decks.
"Meh.. not quite... I did not invite her aboard. She seemed to've taken issue with us fighting and blasting cannons above'er secret waters." He looks to Iolana "Morbel told me to lead ye here if spotted... that ye'd likely follow us thinkin we were he.", and back to Tusara "Morbel's been dealing with Shayonna for years... he oughta known the hand we've been dealt was in the cards." He chews his lip - lost in thought for a moment before shaking his head.
Sensing the Captains thoughts, Garborn smiles wickedly.
"Y...you know, if y...you had died h...here, nobody c...could tell us m...more of Morbel or tell us where to l...look."
Garborn lets his smirk and the implications speak for themselves, seeking to goad the "good" Captain down a path of dark thoughts.
Iolana turns again to Craw and asks abruptly :
"So maybe you can tell where Morbel is....and out of curiosity, this scimitar you used has something strange,something i cannot identify and this fascinates me. Do you know what properties it has ?"
Marco cleared his throat, trying to get the Captain's attention.
"Marco Enrotheld; honored to make your aquaintence!" He said, bowing formally.
"I was just wondering, if we are to rescue those poor souls on the reef before they are devoured, should we not get under weigh now?"
Captain Craw answers Iolana... "Ye've me word I can't say where for certain. Back to Greensblood, perhaps? And me blade does have somethin to it... some magicky twist I've no skill in meself... meant to wither a mage's protections or some such thing."
"Good to meet you, Master Enrotheld." Boabdil bows.. less formally.
He looks out as Marco refers to the reef islet, and nods somberly.
"Aye. It'd be good to plan and act quick. Miss Gath is prolly right... looks like a trap. I hear you say the ship may drift that way.. if left to the current and waves? Be safer than a launch or a swim, eh?"
Marco nodded gravely.
"They will have anticipated a boat. We will take them by surprise with a whole ship." He grinned.
Gatherine,sporting fresh bandages and wound dressings but still clad in her armor and bloodied attire,hopped on one of the ship's cannons and howled to the wind,Oi!Come what may! We've crew to save!
She is very attractive, even damaged, don't you think?
Shut up brain! This isn't a good time for that.
Just saying...
"So is this the plan?" Aerys looks over the group after draining a quarter-keg into one of Captain Craw's ostentatious jewel-studded mugs. "Weigh anchor, and with luck, drift toward the reef islet?"
"What about the masts? What if we need to get outta there quick?"
"Iolana and I are giving thought to cutting the mast to the Moana Tarqona to replace the Tamarind's." He points to the bigger ship's mast damage is mostly at the very top. The undamaged portion of it is tall enough for the Tamarind.
"We can craft a new mast for the Moana Tarqona... " He points to the Island of Devil's Arches.. "Good straight trees. Four or five days... maybe a week to finish."
A cold shiver runs up Garborn's spine at the thought of spending more time on an island.
But he consoles himself with the fact that THIS time, the ship will be around, AND that he won't be alone.
Marco nodded at Aerys.
"Aye, we weigh anchor and we'll drift to the islet and rescue our people. It'll take a while though; we can work on jury rigging a mast while we wait. Even if we can't do that with the spars and booms we have, we can still rig a tow with the ships boats."
He looked at the Captain.
"Permission to weigh anchor Captain?" He called out.
"Aye." Boabdil knocks First Mate Du'bing on the shoulder - who yells out "Weigh anchor!"
Boabdil adds to the command "Eyes on all sides. I want Dub at the helm. All other hands gather up what we have to work with."
He beckons Aersten, Gatherine, Garborn, Iolana, Marco, and Tusara.
"Crew can sail, but I need you to do whatever you can do to keep us alive. Once we are clear of these waters, that ship.." He points to the Tamarind "and its cargo is ours.. all of us. We in this together, aye?"
Crowing with glee,Gatherine danced atop the loaded cannon she'd perched on.Thhhhat's right! Together through thick and thin and damn what may bar our way!
"Ah... Of course Captain." Said Marco with slight hesitation and a nod.
He really hoped the comment about the ship and it's cargo didn't mean he had stepped over the line into piracy.
Aersten looks around and asseses the situation. Could be a lot worse, I suppose... "I'm in, but she's got to learn to show some enthusiasm, eh?", he grins as he gestures at the Dwarven woman dancing on the cannon.