Ducking down a ladderway, you come down to the Main Hold.
This large hold acts as temporary storage area; and the Throaty Mermaid’s galley is past the forward bulkhead from here. You can smell the delicious odors of the stew cooking there.
The crew space is beyond the aft bulkhead.
Poking about, you see that what stands out is, at present, this hold contains a number of strange pipes that were brought on board at Magnimar but seem to belong to a larger system of plumbing, mining ventilation or other technical purpose.
Aside from that, this hold is filled with various crates and barrels of foodstores, a modest washbasin, and a strange alchemical apparatus.
Shaedeen, Thurden and Sunny don't see anything else of note.
A hatch in the fore port corner leads to a ladderway down into the cargo hold.
SHIP LOCATIONS
6. Main Hold and Galley
7. Crew's Cabin
9. Cargo Hold
10. Forward Cargo Hold
You are currently located at number 6, the Main Hold.
Avoiding Shaedeen's swishing steel, Sunny scampers over and peers down into the main hold below.
"Is dark down there...."
Thurden laughs to himself as pushed ahead of Sunny, blinking the light from his eyes and allowing his darkvision to pierce the darkness.
"Ooooo..." Sunny exclaims as something catches her attention below. She looks for a ladder or other way further down.
"There's somit down there... Somit different..."
She giggles quietly as Thurden moves to the fore. Taking up some of the crowded space at the hatch.
Thurden descended down the ladderway into the lowermost deck. There is no light unless you bring it.
All around him are crates and barrels stacked deck to overhead with narrow passageways between them. There is an animal scent here, more pronounced than above.
Holding a hand up to halt his companions, Thurden attempts to creep towards the source of the light unnoticed.
Sunny wait for her freind Thurden to give the 'All clear' sign to close in......
Reijo prepares to light up a lamp with his flint & steel, but holds off on noting Thurden's ability to see into the dark. He places his index finger to his mouth, signing for Sunny to shush her giggles.
With a nod, the motley sailor snuffs out his pipe before approaching the ladder. Cupping his ear with one hand, he gives a careful listen below as the dwarf sneaks down. His other hand loosens the belt strap holding his hand crossbow, twitching in readiness to draw and shoot.
Shaedeen draws her rapier and blinks when Reijo produces a light source.
Where'd ya get that?
Easing forward to the end of the passageway, the others (I'm assuming) behind him, Thurden can just peer around a stack of crates.
In a pool of light generated by a lamp, he sees an area with two sturdy wooden cages, the deck filled with straw and sawdust. Beyond the space is a bulkhead with another hatchway forward to the Forward Cargo Hold in the bow.
A big buff man sits atop one of the cages, singing an old sailing song and focusing on trying to roll a smoke of some kind. He appears a little drunk as well, a couple of empty rum bottles rolling gently back and forth on the deck.
Thurden rolls his eyes in the dark and calls back to his companions. 'Just some drunk seaman trying to burn down the ship.'
With that he steps forward into the light and addresses the brute. 'How long you been down here, boy?'
Sunny wiggles her tanned self closer, the better to peer around the edges of the crates and hear what it is Thurden and this new person might say...
Sunny listens intently as Thurden and this new person speak.
'We're looking into what happened on deck. What do you know about all that?' Thurden presses the questioning, feeling the sailor is already off balance.
Shaedeen listens carefully to the man's response; no lies will slip past her ears!
"On deck?" The sailor said, scratching his chin in thought. "Well, I don't know if this matters, but..."
While this is going on, you see whatever creatures are inside the cages seem to grow more agitated. You see insectile limbs poking out and in between the slats, and antennae quivering with excitement thrust out and feel around.
It is only when an antennae felt around and touched the padlock, which rusted away to nothing immediately, and the cage door sprung open that you realized what it contained.
Out came an insectile creature with a strange propeller thing on it's tail and two long feathery antennae.
You have no idea what the scientific name of this creature is, but every adventurer knows it's common name...
The Rust Monster.
Round 1_________________
Players take their turn in order of posting, enemies will go last.
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"Squeee!" Sunny exclaims scampering towards the new critter.
The completely naturally tanned Elf wiggling over to pet the newest thing she's ever seen. (^_^)
"Whos'a good what's it? You is, yes you is..." And making other cooing noises as she tries to find what keeps it attention the most and offer it some of what ever...
Thurden steps back to leave some distance between himself and the creature and launches an icicle at the beast.
So, Thurden, are you wearing any exposed metal?
"Good job, Sunny! Keep it distracted while I get to higher ground!" Shaedeen mutters under her breath as she tries to clamber up onto the pile of crates on her left.
Round 1_________________
"Squeee!" Sunny exclaims scampering towards the new critter.
"Whos'a good what's it? You is, yes you is..." And making other cooing noises as she tries to find what keeps it attention the most and offer it some of what ever...
Thurden steps back to leave some distance between himself and the creature and launches an icicle at the beast. Which skips off the creature’s armored carapace.
"Good job, Sunny! Keep it distracted while I get to higher ground!" Shaedeen mutters under her breath as she tries to clamber up onto the pile of crates on her left.
The crates go all the way to the ceiling, where it is a tight fit, but Shaedeen is able to squeeze into.
(npc) Reijo charged forward, spotted the Rust Monster, then backed away just as fast. He felt his belt pouches looking for something that wouldn’t rust if he attacked.
The Rust monster slammed into Sunny like an eager dog. Putting it’s paws on her shoulders, it’s antennae quivered excitedly as they brushed over Sunny’s body, seeking the metals that it craved but finding only non-metallic armor.
Velagon rushed forward to tackle the creature.
”Noooo! Don’t hurt it! It’s worth a lot of money!” He shouted desperately at Thurden.
Round 2_________________
Players take their turn in order of posting, enemies will go last.
Sunny giggles at the touch of feathers on her tanned, natural self.
"Oh! Looky! There's a nuther one!" She exclaims and points with one arm while trying to help keep this critter contained.
She continues to try and keep the feather critter at least in place.
'They're going to eat every shard of metal on the damned boat! Why would you bring them by sea?' Thurden shouts at the man before turning to the beast.
Thurden prepares to hurl another icicle at the creature, but waits to see if it attacks.
From her safe perch, Shaedeen calls down to the others, "Be there shortly!" Then she divests herself of most of her carried gear, preparing to drop down and engage the rust monsters with her sap.
"Jimminies! If'n they jus' want some shiny..." Sunny is interupted by a fit of giggling as her tanned self continues to be tickled by the critter's feathery bits.
"Then jus' get a bit an' toss it back in'a cage, like." She calls out her plan even as she continues to try and hold the monster back.
"Then we can be usin' rope ta' tie tha' doors in't place." (^_^)
"Look out! It's makin' a run fer it!" She exclaims as the Rust monster gets the better of her attentions.
"And ye thought it best ta lock'em in... With. Metal. Locks..." Reijo remarks at the drunken crewman's astonishing intellect.
"Bloody genius, this one be."
"Seven seas an' nine hells..." he grunts as he makes his way up a different stack of crates. A few creak and balk at the saltly sailor's heftier self, however, and it takes him a bit longer. Once on top, he draws his hand crossbow.
"I bloody hope they can't climb, Genius. If they start, they be getting me bolts in their bloody skulls..." He grumbles a stern warning at the drunken crewman.
"Or belayin' pins... or wooden slats," he adds to Sunny's rope idea, looking around for a loose board or a few around the room and perhaps from the crates from up top. He is not keen on being the first to volunteer his own "shinies", however.
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"This'd all be goin' a lot quicker if'n ye'd jus' get down here an' help push 'em back in't crates instead a climbin' tha' furniture..." Sunny semi-grumbles as Reijo as well clambers up onto the crates in the hold.
:P
"But ye's doin' such a fine an' dandy job yerself, Saucy!" the rapscallion sarcastically replies as he squinty-eye targets the rust monster over his crossbow, waiting for the slightest hint of it about to start climbing...
Round 2_________________
Sunny giggles at the touch of feathers on her tanned, natural self. (Armor? Sunny in't wearin' nuffin'. ^_^ )
She continues to try and keep the feather critter at least in place.
The creature drags her and the sailor forward towards Thurden, its feathery antennae reaching towards him…
'They're going to eat every shard of metal on the damned boat! Why would you bring them by sea?' Thurden shouts at the man before turning to the beast.
Thurden prepares to hurl another icicle at the creature, but waits to see if it attacks.
From her safe perch, Shaedeen calls down to the others, "Be there shortly!" Then she divests herself of most of her carried gear, preparing to drop down and engage the rust monsters with her sap.
"Jimminies! If'n they jus' want some shiny..." Sunny is interupted by a fit of giggling as her tanned self continues to be tickled by the critter's feathery bits.
"Then jus' get a bit an' toss it back in'a cage, like." She calls out her plan even as she continues to try and hold the monster back.
"Look out! It's makin' a run fer it!" She exclaims as the Rust monster gets the better of her attentions.
"And ye thought it best ta lock'em in... With. Metal. Locks..." Reijo remarks at the drunken crewman's astonishing intellect. "Bloody genius, this one be."
Actions: Climb up a wooden crate, using my boarding axe (+2 to climb wooden surfaces). Ready my hand crossbow, if there's time this round. (Crossbow is readied)
"This'd all be goin' a lot quicker if'n ye'd jus' get down here an' help push 'em back in't crates instead a climbin' tha' furniture..." Sunny semi-grumbles as Reijo as well clambers up onto the crates in the hold.
"But ye's doin' such a fine an' dandy job yerself, Saucy!" the rapscallion sarcastically replies as he squinty-eye targets the rust monster over his crossbow, waiting for the slightest hint of it about to start climbing...
A drunken Viktorra comes out of the shadows behind the second cage, then jams a belaying pin into the hasp just as it disintegrates under the creatures antennae. Staggering back before her rapier is dissolved, she looked blearily around…
Rust monster
Bucking and straining towards Thurden, the Rust monster is just barely held in place by Sunny and the sailor.
Round 3_________________
Players take their turn in order of posting, enemies will go last.
"Hey! You there! Wave yer pointy thing ta' get this one's attenion!" Sunny calls to the emergent Victorra
Even as she continues to try keeping her feathere'd critter in check.
Thurden begins searching around the hold for anything he can use to latch the creature's cage once it's corralled.
Rolling her eyes at herself for the foolishness she's about to attempt, Shaedeen drops silently from atop the crates, trying to knock the engaged rust monster back into its cage.
With Viktorra securing the other cage, she proceeds to pitch in with the first rust monster.
Throwing her cape over it's head, she helped wrangle the struggling monster back into it's cell and latched it with another belaying pin.
The battle is over.
Shaedeen peels herself off the floor of the hold, looking anything but thankful that the ordeal is over. Muttering to herself something about "Padlocks...to lock in rust monsters!!" the scrawny teen sets to climbing the stack of crates again to retrieve her weapons. Gathering her gear, she again drops to the deck floor, this time much more gracefully.
Realizing she's been a bit rude to the newcomer in her peevishness over the rust monster escape, the short teen sizes up the newcomer before saying, "Good job wrangling that beast. I'm Shaedeen." She sticks out a small hand in the other woman's direction.
Still grinning and gigglin brightly to herself after all the feathery tickling she's resceived from the now caged critters Sunny bounces over and also offers a tanned, brown hand in greeting to the newly appeared Viktorra. Though trying to to crowd her freind Shaedeen too much in the process, vaguely throwing her other arm around Shaedeen's waist given the tight quarters herre below decks.
"Aye. An' I am bein' named 'Sunny' in'a speakin' of tha' peoples!" She exuberantly offers. (^_^)
'Thurden.' the dwarf grumbles before turning on the sailor. 'Now, what were you saying before that thing busted out?'
'Pretend I don't.'