"Right... stop yer snivellin' an' just answer the questions."
Reijo sheathes his cutlass. He opens a bottle of rum and takes a swig.
He then hands it over to Shae, "For yer lip."
Recalling the filthy rags, he wonders if he should pour some rum over his head, too...
"Boxes empty mistress!" Snivelled Snig as Sunny dragged him across the deck to help Shaedeen. "They all went with sailor man!"
Sunny pats Snig reassuringly again.
"Aye, but we's wonderin' whut t'was t'were in 'em, like" She explains, even as she attempts to peer and poke about in one of the items that does seems some what interesting.
"An' I in't a missed tress or nuffin'. I is a Elf..." She explains absently.
Shaedeen takes the bottle from Reijo a bit suspiciously. It finally dawns on her that, even though her wound is small, it might be enough to transmit lycanthropy to her. "I don't want to grow whiskers!" she whines before raising the bottle to her lips. After letting some of the rum (hopefully) disinfect her wound, the girl makes the mistake of swallowing some. Choking and coughing, she returns the bottle to Reijo.
"What exactly is the appeal of that foul drink?" she asks once she can speak again.
Thurden picks up the weapon and gives it a once over. 'This looks familiar...'
Taking the rum back, Reijo darkly chuckles and cracks a grin at Shae's unpleasant experience with it. But when Reijo grins, it's more like the grin one would expect to see on a maniacal murderer's face right before making a kill...
"Hmpf. Yer right. Would be the wrong kind o'whiskers fer a Kitty..." He scratches his goatee thoughtfully.
Taking notice of what Thurden found, a look of recognition comes over his face now, too.
"'Sailors' eh, Ratty? Tell me, what'd these 'sailors' look like? Were they wearin' dark cloaks?"
His interest in the empty crates is piqued now. Going over to examine another one, he asks aloud, "Were they hidin' in here, Ratty?"
"AH!" Sunny exclaims, even as she points waiving a tanned arm.
"Looky! They's had peoples in 'em!" She turns to her freinds.
"See? They's sitten' things an' restin' places, like!" She adds weight to Reijo's speculation.
"Is at right Snig? Did ye be seein' peoples come out'a them boxes, then?" She asks her new freind.
"'Sailors' eh, Ratty? Tell me, what'd these 'sailors' look like? Were they wearin' dark cloaks?" His interest in the empty crates is piqued now. Going over to examine another one, he asks aloud, "Were they hidin' in here, Ratty?"
"Is at right Snig? Did ye be seein' peoples come out'a them boxes, then?"
"Yes great master yes! All dark cloaks and masks! Big sailor took them out!" Said Snig eagerly.
*Blink, blink...*
(>_>)
(<_<)
"Whut?"
Sunny absently scratches at her blond mop.
"Wait? Whut 'Big sailor'?" She looks at Snig and asks for some clarification.
Snig looks incredulous. He holds his hands out.
"YOU know master! BIG..." He started saying, then the ship heeled sharply before recovering.
Snig grappled Sunnys knees again, bawling.
The ships bell started ringing emergency...
Snig looks incredulous. He holds his hands out.
"YOU know master! BIG..." He started saying, then the ship heeled sharply before recovering.
Snig grappled Sunnys knees again, bawling.The ships bell started ringing emergency...
Sunny helps steady herself and Snig as the ship rolls.
"Uh oh. Them bells dun't sound too gooder..." She looks to her freinds and begins to work out the best way for every one to egress with out tangling themselves up in the process.
"C'mon folks! Top side! TOP SIDE!" She adds some urgnecy.
Thurden is thoroughly engrossed in the sawtooth dagger when the ship begins to heel. He nearly cuts himself with the weapon when he stumbles due to the sudden movement.
'I don't think I'm getting back to my bunk tonight...' Thurden grumbles as he begins to make his way out of the hold.
Shaedeen catches herself fairly gracefully as the ship careens. An idea comes to her.
"Snig, you point out--quietly, with your finger--the big sailor you saw with the cloaks and masks to Sunny, OK?"
The teen then tries to make her way up on deck, keeping her rapier at the ready.
Reijo grunts with satisfaction as Sunny and Snig confirm his suspicion.
"Bloody barnacles of Besmara," he decries as the ship heels. He swiftly grasps something to hold onto. Giving Snig one more glance of suspicion, he accompanies the group to the upper deck.
The memory of wearing Snig's dirty laundry as a head piece comes back to mind...
"A good washin'll do me good," Reijo ponders aloud.
"It's just a bloody storm," he informs the land lubbers as they begin to make their way out.
A tolling bell sounds from the Throaty Mermaid's deck, and the entire ship jolts to life as though awakened from a startling dream. Crew members rush between cabins and up and down the narrow ladderways between decks.
"ALL HANDS TO STORM STATIONS!" Captain Veane calls into the ship's bowels. "WE GOT OURSELVES A MEAN ONE COMIN'!"
"It's just a bloody storm," he informs the land lubbers as they begin to make their way out.
"Ah!" Sunny axclaims at Reijo's words, even as she help/hurries Snig and herself along.
"C'mon. We can be helpin' peopls with stuff!" (^_^)
Though it seems being entangled with Snig isn't helping the tanned Elf's ballance much as the ship heels and plunges through the gathering waves.
Tumbling out onto the deck, you see an awesome sight of one half of the horizon utterly black with roiling storm clouds and lightning, while the other side is blue skies and white clouds. The seas are getting choppy and the storm is rolling closer every second.
Most of the crew are busy gathering up the sails and stowing them below before they are ripped to shreds.
"MAIN HATCHWAY! BATTEN THEM DOWN!" Bellowed the Captain before he plunged below to detail the belowdecks securely.
You can see how the heavy canvas was still rolled up against the mainmast.
Tumbling out onto the deck, you see an awesome sight of one half of the horizon utterly black with roiling storm clouds and lightning, while the other side is blue skies and white clouds. The seas are getting choppy and the storm is rolling closer every second.
Most of the crew are busy gathering up the sails and stowing them below before they are ripped to shreds."MAIN HATCHWAY! BATTEN THEM DOWN!" Bellowed the Captain before he plunged below to detail the belowdecks securely.
You can see how the heavy canvas was still rolled up against the mainmast.
Sunny affectionately pats Snig, "Here. Ye put y'self some where's safe an' out'a tha' way, like. Hey?" She suggests, even as she eyes the work ahead of herself and freinds.
"Uhm....." She is totally unsure about what to do....
Though completely agreeable as to being told where to go.
Shaedeen does her best to follow orders...mainly Reijo's, as he seems like an able seaman. What the girl lacks in knowledge and technique she makes up for with grit and a good work ethic.
Thurden barks a half-mad laugh at the severe storm bearing down on them. 'This should be good! I hope you all can swim!' He roars.
The dwarf casts giddy glances towards the approaching storm as he works, trying to guess about how long they have before it's on top of them.
Reijo narrows his brows at Thurden's odd sense of excitement, followed by a slight smirk. He starkly takes in the dark horizon for a moment.
"Seen worse," he darkly mutters under his breath.
The able seaman notices Shae looking to him. He notices the uncertainty in Sunny's eyes as well.
"C'mon Kitty! Saucy! Chop chop!" he barks, springing to action. Reijo nearly pushes a young inept crewman out of the way as he rushes in to grab a hold of the rolled-up main sail. Inspecting it quickly to ensure the gaskets are secured (ropes that wrap around a sail to keep it closed), he heaves it up over his shoulder as others join him, bringing it below deck before the last hatch is shut.
Sunny does her best to help people with things...
Frowning up at what he presumes to be a bit of a disappointing storm, Thurden's excitement lessens considerably. 'Shouldn't we be leaving this to the crew? I fancy a touch more shut eye before breakfast.'
"Nuh-UH! We's got'a be helpin' peoples!" Sunny exclaims to Thurden.
"They's all heavy liftin' an' stuffs ta' do."
But still, she has no real idea on what to grab or what to move...
Reijo leading the way and motioning the others in the windswept rain, you all get the wood braced canvas down and more or less secure against flooding the main hatchway. It's not pretty, but it will serve.
A moment later a giant wave crashes over the rail, flooding the deck with lukewarm, salty water. All creatures on the main deck (that's you) must succeed on a DC 15 Strength check or be knocked prone.
Creatures that are knocked prone (or already prone) are pushed 1d4+1 squares toward the ship’s edge, stopping at the rail if the movement would push them into the sea.
Any creature knocked prone from the wave or moved across the deck takes 1d4 points of nonlethal damage.
Fortunately, Shaedeen's close to the mainmast when the wave hits and sees it coming. "Kitty" digs in her claws and hangs on for dear life, the scrawny gal surviving the big breaker with only a drenching to show for it.
"This isn't safe!" she yells rather needlessly to the others.
A moment later a giant wave crashes over the rail, flooding the deck with lukewarm, salty water.
Sunny exhults as the wall of water sweeps across the deck. The tanned Elf seeming to almost dive through the torrent rather than bracing gainst the almost elemental force.
With a deft shake of her head her blond mop the water is cleared of her eyes quickly and she looks around, giggling brightly at the adventure every one is having.
"That be FUN!" (^_^)
Thurden grumbles as he sets to do work he paid good money to not have to do on this voyage. Lost in his own complaining he is caught unaware by the wave and is swept from his feet.
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Grimacing as usual, the downpour appears to have little effect on Reijo. He moves and maneuvers his way around deck as if it were merely a light drizzle.
When the great wave washes over the deck, the sailor in red disappears beneath the waters for a moment. But as the wave passes, his water-logged form remains otherwise unbothered in the same spot. It's as if he were an animated stone statue with heavy feet firmly planted on deck.
Seeing the ladies enjoying themselves (more or less), he catches a glimpse of the dwarf losing his footing. The stubborn sailor quickly extends his arms. With one hand, he reaches for a nearby handrail. The other hand grips Thurden by the shoulder, pulling him in and helping him to steady himself...
Thurden is washed nearly overboard, but is brought up short of that by Reijo's last second grab.
At the top of a giant wave, the helm managed to turn the head of the ship just enough to slide down the other side. There in the trough between the wind abated a great deal, and the ship gained an even keel for the moment.
At a shout from the helm and a pointed finger, you look up to see one of the foretop sails had not been taken in. If the winds take it just when the ship is broadside, there is a critical danger it could capsize the ship. You have to reef it in!
At the pointed finger and raised voices of alarm Sunny scampers up the lines and begins to do her very bestest to help gather the wet canvas.
Thurden rights himself with Reijo's assistance and barely manages a quick 'THANKS!' of gratitude between curses, dark oaths, complaints, and demands of a refund in full. He stomps about the deck angrily seeing to tasks with an almost blind rage but somehow still hearing and processing orders.
"Yeah--full refund!" Shaedeen echoes. Though she looks a bit like a drowned rat at this point, the scrawny teen keeps trying her best to do whatever the more nautically-inclined order.
"Bloody lubbers be runnin' this ship!" Reijo exclaims as he follows the pointed finger up. Shaking his head, he rushes up behind Sunny to the fore topsail.
"Told ye's all on day one o'this be-barnacled bucket o'bilge, I did!" he mutters aloud as he climbs the rigging.
Taking a moment to assess the time before it's too late, he scrambles to reef the topsail ASAP. His hands are a whirlwind as he competently handles the reef lines and halyards...
Reijo swarms up the ratlines to try to free the torn scrap of topsail, while his companions haul on the lines on deck.
Despite their efforts, the ship is blown nearly 45 degrees before Reijo just chops the line with his axe and the remnant of the sail disappears in the gale.
Relieved of the sail, the ship righted itself and was no longer in immediate danger of capsizing.
The storm kept on coming however, and there were plenty of other things that kept you running from one emergency to another. This went on for another hour before the storm rolled past you.
The winds reduced to a breeze, the rain stopped, the waters reduced to a light chop, and as you sat recovering from the fatigue, the tropical sun even came out from behind the rainclouds. Your clothing dried pleasantly.
Presently, the deck stirred with sailors going about their post storm tasks.
But then...
A number of things to your attention at the same time.
No one released the battened down hatchways.
The crew was all armed with cutlasses.
And your new ratfolk friend was cowering in the corner; first glancing at you, then at the First Mate Marzack Mallick who was standing up on the forecastle looking down on you with a considering expression on his face.
And your blood ran cold.
Thurden looks from the first mate and then back to Snig. He jerks his head back at the crewman. 'That your big 'un?'
Sunny slumps after the storm abates having thrown herself into any and all tasks she could to help about the deck while the strom raged.
She's bright and freindly towards her new freind Snig. (^_^)
As the warm sun shines down from behind the clearing clouds Sunny stretches and relaxes, letting the warmth ease her aches left over from her exhertions.
Sunny blinks, sitting up slowly...
"Here...." She looks to Reijo, Thurden and Shaedeen. "Uhm... is we 'spectin' them pokey peoples comin' back, then?" She asks one or two of the crew who've come to stand nearby herself and Snig. She indicates their weapons.
"Or... wus ye puttin' them ta' use what with tha' storm blowin' things all about?" She absently scratches at her blond mop trying to understand what's developing.
Spotting the first mate, Reijo's spidey senses tingle.
"Hmpf. Course it's him, stands the most ta gain," he mutters low under his breath.
Reijo strolls casually towards the main mast, nearest to Thurden but nearer as well to the ladies, while observing the first mate in turn. He gives the first mate a head nod, respectfully waiting for him to speak first... also minding the positioning of the cutlass-bearing crew closer to him.
Putting his pipe in his mouth (more to make potentially reading his lips more difficult), he reaches for his tobacco pouch while whispering low enough for maybe only Thurden to hear, "Prolly wonderin' whether ta kill us or recruit us, methinks."
Shaedeen draws her rapier casually, not threatening anyone with it but having it at the ready in case things go south.
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