"I'd be delighted to escort you, my Lady," he says as his lip raises in a roguish grin to mirror the hungry expression in her features.
Amen-set sees Horatio’s response to Tessa and rolls her eyes and lets out a small, yet blatant, sigh; but says nothing.
Adular, do you think few scrolls or a wand of make whole would help repair any damage to the ship that we might suffer from the weather?
"That's fine thinking, Captain," Adular concurs, "Seems to me ships sometimes need emergency healing as well. A dispel magic mayhapys, either in one of our heads or on a scroll might also be wise, in case some other ship tries a bit of a cheat on US eh? Odd fogs or the like?"
Temmer, after the meeting, returns to the ship and attends his duties.
Rain, any thoughts on what we might need to make the Lady even more formidable sailing?
Rain pondering on how to make the Lady a formidable ship and competitor in the water, was silent for a moment or two, before turning her attention to the two newest crew mates.
"Adistan and Jamba, have you any experience in racing in regattas or ship improvements? Anything which could aid us? The Eye of Apendego will prove tricky if the course is to start in the waters therein."
Rain: The Dread Lady is pretty damn fast as it is and any enhancements that might be made physically would take longer than you have until the race starts.
Flynn: Tessa responds and say Excellent, it shall be an interesting experience I have no doubt. She says this less like a statement and more like a challenge to you. Daring you to surprise her. For right now she says We need to make arrangements for you to accompany me... she looks over your clothes and says ...and for us to discuss certain other matters now that we are to go together. Perhaps you could return in an hour or so to...converse...about these matters. She has a twinkle in her eye when she says this but there is just enough seriousness in her voice and demeanor that you cannot be certain that she is propositioning you physically.
Tessa turns to Adistan just before he leaves and says Adistan TEMMER wasn't it? Are you perchance any relation to the Temmer family in Andoran?
She also will speak to Jamba and say A nosoi psychopomp if I am not mistaken yes? What a wonderful companion to have found. Would you perhaps regale me with the tale of your meeting? Also, I have some fine Mwangi Rum that I can have brought out as well should you be so inclined to share a cup with me.
Perhaps you could return in an hour or so to...converse...about these matters. She has a twinkle in her eye when she says this but there is just enough seriousness in her voice and demeanor that you cannot be certain that she is propositioning you physically.
Horatio pauses and looks at her with a sly grin on his face.
"I'm your huckleberry," he says to her with a wink, then he tips his hat and heads out, obviously eager to take up the gauntlet with her later that night.
Flynn, how is the stores of ammunition for the ballistae? I don't know if we will need them but we may need to protect ourselves.
Horatio looks at Variel with a curious expression.
”I guess that that all depends,” he says with a shrug.
”Right now I had planned on using the cannon, so I’m more interested in that weapon an it’s ammunition – and so far we have some ammunition for it, but I had considered getting other types before sailing.”
”Second – regarding the ammunition itself… Well, it all depends on what you’re interested in doing. If you want to destroy an enemy ship completely then that requires one type of ammunition – if you want to cripple a ship, slow her speed dramatically, rather than destroy it – that requires something else.”
"I'm open to any type of weapon, though, just let me know what you're interested in and we can go from there," he says with a friendly nod.
Any other suggestions?
Horatio glances at the others, then looks back at Variel.
”Well, I guess I won’t know that until I know about the type of ammunition,” he says with a grin.
I got a few spells I'd like you to request from Besmara in the morning. Specifically a ward of dimensional binding, another spell to grant you greater connection to her to strengthen your ward, and another to increase my force of will. I gotta prep for some casting I've got to do.
Horatio glances absently from Variel to Dhaavan and Rain, his eyes flicking over to Jiro, then back to Variel.
"If you want to cripple a ship then "chain-shot" works well; it can sever a mast. If you want to keep a ship intact but hurt the crew then "grape shot" would be effective, so would smoke bombs."
"Of course, you could also use "hot shot" to set fire to their sails, or if you prefer, you could just straight cannonballs to crush the hull and sink her outright," he says as he glances at the beams on the ceiling of the cabin and reaches his hands over his head in a long stretch.
"On the other hand, given the fact that we're pretty fast we also have to assume that she may end up firing on us," he says, his hands swinging down to lay on the table.
"That being the case - do you have any counter-measures you want to implement that I might tinker with?" he asks as he begins to scratch his fingernail on the table absently.
"I mean; there's the mundane strategies - spilling oil or alchemical fire behind the ship and lighting it... floating rafts with burning pitch on them to make smoke to obfuscate the view... you know, the basics," he adds with a little shrug.
"Or you could do the magic thing - Wall of Wind; Fog Cloud - that sort of stuff... But since no one here seems to know much on what the rules of this race are, or the enemy might do - it's kind of hard to plan a good strategy or possible counter-measures, you know what I mean?" he says with a wry grin.
He turns his gaze back to Variel and picks up a glass of whatever the others are drinking and swings back a large gulp and puts the cup hard on the table then folds his arms and leans forward on the table, studying the Elf thoughtfully for a moment.
"Tell you what; why don't you give me a few thousand gold pieces to buy mundane crafting supplies and I'll make what I think will be the best option for fighting ships and protecting ours," he says suddenly with a bright smile.
Amen-set watches Dhaavan speak to Adular and her head cocks to the side and her lips purse somewhat as she considers things.
"With respect - if thy wish certain spells to be cast to aid thee, it is a certainty that I can also assist thee, if thou would wish it..." she says to him with a polite voice.
Adistan nods at Rain's question.
"I may have some ability to help, beyond working on the rigging, but perhaps this is not the place to discuss it," he says.
He pulls up short at Lady Fairwind's question.
"Indeed, my family is from Augustana, though they might not appreciate my being associated with them, Lady Fairwind."
"Ye did?" To the Captain, "Good to know, does take a worry off, thank ye."
I got a few spells I'd like you to request from Besmara in the morning. Specifically a ward of dimensional binding, another spell to grant you greater connection to her to strengthen your ward, and another to increase my force of will. I gotta prep for some casting I've got to do. I'm looking for owls wisdom for you to buff your casting, Dimensional Anchor, and Eagle Spleandor for me.
Adular sighs, [B]"I'll see what I can do, no promises... she's got a plan of her own sometimes. At least the wand means I don't have to stock up on just one spell over and over again... pain in the ass that is." it would appear something is rubbing him a bit raw about something, but he's trying to put it behind him.
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Variel gives his first mate a quizzical look but doesn't ask what he needs it for. Sure thing. I will try and keep people out of there unless we need to pump the bilges. Watch yourself though as anything goes wrong and you could take the whole ship down with you if we spring a leak.
As Horatio talks about different shot Variel shrugs his shoulders, It doesn't really matter to me at this point as long as we have enough to 'persuade' others from attacking us. I am not looking for a fight nor do I want to start one. If we are heading near 'The Eye' then we will have our hands full with the weather as it is.
As for the 2000gp pieces...what do you have in mind to use them on to make that would be available to us in a weeks time? Flaming oil and pitch I would hesitate to use as the weather could turn them back on ourselves.
As Horatio talks about different shot Variel shrugs his shoulders, It doesn't really matter to me at this point as long as we have enough to 'persuade' others from attacking us. I am not looking for a fight nor do I want to start one. If we are heading near 'The Eye' then we will have our hands full with the weather as it is.
Horatio shrugs.
"I'd not bet on the weather, but when it comes to a fight, I'm a big fan of being ready for anything."
"Still, I get your point," he says after a moment of thought, then offering the Elf a friendly smile.
As for the 2000gp pieces...what do you have in mind to use them on to make that would be available to us in a weeks time? Flaming oil and pitch I would hesitate to use as the weather could turn them back on ourselves.
He scratches his chin.
"I figured on making some Alchemical things, I guess - but given the time, I guess the best bet is to buy some cannonballs and some powder for them. Still - making gunpowder is something I'm handy with; it doesn't take me that long to do it, either."
Then he shrugs.
"Truth to tell, it might be better to just buy the stuff outright," he says thoughtfully.
Standard Cannon Shot
Cannons are crafted of metal—some are cast in one piece, others welded with iron bands—and mounted either in the ground or on wooden frames. Cannons use black powder to propel their projectiles with great force. A cannon has a misfire range of 1 (20 feet). Cannons have a hardness of 10 and 70 hit points. Cannon balls cost 30 gp each and weigh 25 pounds.
Special Shot –
Blast shot 30 gp 25 lbs. PRG:UC
Instead of a single hard ball, this ammunition is a bundle of large pellets, balls, or pieces of scrap metal, propelled a short distance by black powder and attacking all creatures and objects within an area. Both cannons and fiend’s mouth cannons can fire this kind of ammunition. When such a siege engine fires this ammunition, it hits every creature and object within a 30-foot-cone burst. The siege engine makes attack rolls against each creature and unattended object in the burst. It must miss every creature or target to misfire, and a misfire generates the normal effect. It deals its normal damage on a hit, but does not ignore the hardness of objects.
Chain shot 50 gp 30 lbs. PRG:UC
This siege engine firearm ammunition can be loaded in a cannon or a fiend’s mouth cannon. It is especially good at tearing through sails and dirigibles (see Vehicles), dealing double its normal damage to those forms of propulsion. When fired at a creature, on a hit, the creature must succeed at a DC 20 Fortitude saving throw or be knocked prone.
Smoke shot - 250 gp - 20 lbs.PRG:UC
This hard ceramic sphere contains two alchemical substances separated by a thin barrier, much like a smoke pellet in larger form. When it hits the targeting space, it deals 2d6 points of damage to any creature in that space, and the substances mingle and then create an area of foul but harmless yellow smoke radiating 30 feet from the target square. Treat the effect as a fog cloud spell. On a siege engine mishap, the ammunition explodes before it is launched. Its effect is centered on one of the spaces of the siege engine (crew leader’s choice).
”I think I’d get about ten rounds of Standard Shot – that’s about 300 gold pieces,” he says thoughtfully.
”I’d also get four rounds of Chain Shot – that’s another 200 gold pieces,” he says after a moment.
”And I think that it wouldn’t hurt to have maybe two rounds of Blast Shot – that’s another sixty gold, for a net total of 560 gold pieces,” he says with a shrug.
He looks at the masts thoughtfully then turns back to Variel.
”While we’re at it, it might be a good plan to invest in some scrolls of Make Whole,” he says after a moment ”after all, I got a hunch we won’t be the only ones looking to do some damage,” he adds with a quick wink.
You all make light conversation with Tessa but before long it is time to go. She wishes you well before reminding Flynn about their..."appointment"...
She wishes you well before reminding Flynn about their..."appointment"...
Horatio watches the others leaves and turns to regard Tessa -
"Oh no worries, m'lady - I'll be there, you can count on it," he says with as he gives her a wink over a roguish grin.
** spoiler omitted **
"Alright.. You have my promise that I will return as soon after the race as I'm able for your answer... I can only hope it is a yes and I will live on that hope until I come back... may I have a kiss before I go?"
I just had a massive post eaten... RAGE
anyway...
Hrm, Dhaavan considers the situation a moment, While this is not something I’m familiar with, not do I think I can intuit much on that kind of power, as it sounds like it’s not a God toying with you… But if you wish, as I continue my studies, I can try to find something to help you. I know a little about being at odds with your fate and wielding dark power... Dhaavan’s sympathetic expression takes a questioning glint as he follows up, Yet so many want to have their cake and eat it too, have power without the price. Do you? Or would you surrender both?
I’ll bring Adular and Amen-set to the secure room in the morning once they have the spells that I need.
I just had a massive post eaten... RAGE
anyway...
** spoiler omitted **** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **...
you want I should just do my rolls and go from there? I can take 20 on the Diagram, the DC for the scroll is CL+1 so for a 5th level it's 10, right? Then the spell DC with Eagle's Splendor should be DC 23 to get my Imp, No SR for Dimensional Travel thanks to the Anchor, and The DC for the Cha check is 15+3+8+5= DC31
My check to get it to perform my task is at +8+2 for sacrifice, and I'd hope it is incentivized to do my training, get a nice feather in it's cap...
Later, after talking to amenSet, before he has a chance to prep spells
Oye, so I had a chat with Amen-Set, and she's got a few tricks, and offered the Enhancements to empower our casting, so you don't need to worry about them. Just that Lockdown
"Oh, I can tell you it's not god that has it's grip on me. No God would be so cruel or evil. I would surrender any power to be free of this price," Temmer avers emphatically.
Of course, thank you. Some of the magic that I need is beyond even my power, and I am hoping that as a priest so strongly connected to our Goddess of the seas, that he can access that power. Although, I am sure you could perform the enchantments that will bolster the both of us. Dhaavan says with a smile. Yes, I’d really appreciate that. It would let me maintain my Reservoir, and leave Adular more spells to use for other purposes.
She gives him a bright smile at his initial words, but as the nature of his plans dawn on her her smile turns from bright to thoughtful, as though she is considering the implications of his plans.
"Assuredly I shall help thee, this thy should not doubt," she says with a soft voice.
"Yet be warned; when a man calls upon the power of a djinn then there may be consequences that mortals cannot guess," she adds, as if quoting some maxim or proverb of her people.
Then she seems to think for a short time, her eyes searching Dhaavan thoughtfully.
After a moment she places her hand tentatively on Dhaavan's chest and presses her fingertips delicately against where his heart beats, and her smile turns almost coy under her blue eyes, which now glitter like frozen sapphires under a star-flecked sky.
"Yet I say to thee as well - if thy call forth a creature from even the blackest hell then I shall do what I can to aid thee, whether thy desire is to master it for thy own purposes - which spring from noble designs, I doubt not; or if thy would wish only to watch it squirm beneath thy heel simply to stand above its dark form, such things matter little to me," she adds, her voice almost eager at the thought of using darkness to fight darkness and so bring about good works.
"Know that my heart cleaves to thy purpose in this matter, as it does to thee; and I shall stand ever ready to aid thee," she says leaning in close to him, her voice lowering to a somewhat throaty whisper even as her hand still lingers on his chest.
Then she pulls her hand from him and bows formally to him, as a warrior might bow to a prince, and follows him inside the cabin.
I will move everything forward to Cauldron Rock tomorrow. Sorry for the delay but today was just a really s+#+ty day at work for me. Heading to bed.
Sorry for the delay but today was just a really s!#+ty day at work for me. Heading to bed.
The day after the harrowing experience with that toxic apothecary, Dhaavan goes down to the Secure Storage area with Adular and Amen-set. Having worked late into the night, shadows under his eyes mar his beautific face, but he moves with jaw set in grim determination. The door clicks locked behind them.
Once his force of will is bolstered, Dhaavan draws on his mythic power to force a Magic Circle against Evil to rise, attaching to his painstakingly crafted diagram. The wall rises, and he withdraws a Scroll from his sleeve,Alright, Adular, When you are ready If you could cast the lock on my circle, I'm going to be calling an Imp. I'm hoping I can learn something from the little creature, but It'll be no good if it just blinks out of my circle before I can bind it. If you don't want to be a party to this, then you can step out once the lock is in place, but a little backup wouldn't hurt, at least till I get started.
but something goes awry...
He catches his mis-invocation almost immediately and corrects course.
and as the spell starts to fizzle, Dhaavan growls and unleashes a wave of his will and warps the magic to his own ends, forcing the spell to cast successfully. His mind catches hold of an Imp and calls it across the planes from Hell to his circle. With a flick of his wrist, a dagger appears in his hand and he removes a white bundle of feather from the cage concealed under the sack, An offering, for your pleasure, he says to the little Imp that appears in his circle, as he slices the bird open and places its tiny heart on the plate.
Alright, Lets see how this goes. Dhaavan says to his compatriots once the Imp appears amenable to discussion. If you would excuse me, I have some work to do on this one. You mind standing outside the door, tho...just in case?
8 cha +3 circlet +2 sacrifice Surge if necessary.
I want the imp to retrain me, and I offer the Double retraining cost, and sacrifice to take my new level as a diabolist
"Much appreciated, and don't mind me fussing too much."
then anchoring the creature
The trip to Cauldron Rock takes a little over three days, it would have been much shorter but you were forced to shelter within a cove due to a strong storm. The next day you spot a huge flotilla of ships heading in the direction you are going. Hundreds of ships stretch to the horizon in all shapes, styles, and colors.
Thank you for coming Master Flynn. I was so looking forward to...discussing...things further with you.
Horatio's eyes roam slowly over her body with an easy, caressing glance which moves to slide up to her face, pausing a moment to linger over the richness of her lips until he finally encounters the fire behind the emerald jewels of her irises.
"Aye," he says with a raw voice as an almost primal growl rasps hotly through his throat as he watches her.
He moves forward, seeming to be less interested in the wine than other more animal intoxications.
As he stands before her he smells the fragrance of her scent and the blood throbs hotly in his temples, and he stares down at her lounging form with a rugged need that he does little to conceal.
Seeing that she is still seated and that he has no chair to sit in does not seem to dissuade him in the slightest as he moves closer to her.
As he advances he slides gracefully to a knee before her, his hand swinging the carafe forward even as his body is now lowered directly across from her reclining form, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Talking can be thirsty work - may I moisten your drink first?" he says with a voice laced with innuendo even as he offers the carafe to her glass.
"Forgive my boldness, but I don't like seeing a lady thirsty, especially if I can satisfy her needs," he adds, but despite the brevity of his words his voice is laced with a naked intensity as he awaits her response.
I do hope to be a pupil worthy of your tutalage and look for word to seeing what we can acomplish. You will find there is much I wish to learn. he saus, complementing the devil and hinting at an ambition that would lend it prestige, by association with me.
A good offering thou givest upon me. Thy will is strong. I shall train thee if thy wishes it. The Dark Prince never turns away a soul so willingly given.
Amen-set curls her hand into a tight fist and a strange energy crackles over her bare flesh - the light consistent with holy energy that comes when she channels her patron's power, rather than the fire that she typically enjoys.
Her eyes do not leave the creature, but rather, they remain focused on it with a steady gaze that burns intensely, yet she says nothing.
I don't know about willingness or giving, all things consided, but I digress. To acomplish your task and fulfill your part of the bargan I will need you to maintain invisibility and hide your presence as not to cause a stir. I pay for knowledge, results; I obey you as my teacher, while I will need you to obey me in other things. That said, I would like to be friends, in so far as our kine can rather than master and student, servant and master. Then considering his companions Please forgive my lack of manners. I was so pleased to have achieved this particular benchmark, that I lapsed. Allow me to introduce my confessor, and companion to you . . . Dhaavan says, featuring to Adular and Amen-Set, waiting for the imp to name itself.
Her gaze flicks to Dhaavan, then turns back to study the Imp and she watches it carefully, realizing instantly Dhaavan’s ploy to lure the Imp to giving his proper name so that the company can properly control it.
I do hope to be a pupil worthy of your tutalage and look for word to seeing what we can acomplish. You will find there is much I wish to learn.
Her expression remains icy, but inwardly she smiles at Dhaavan’s cunning.
While her own desire to adhere to law and other goodly pursuits would not permit her to lie even to an enemy, she knows that subterfuge is often the best method of combating evil.
It is obvious, therefore, that Dhaavan was merely using his wit and charm to convince this agent of Darkness of his "eager desire" to bind with it.
Yet to her, his ruse at pretending to be an ally with such a creature was almost so transparent that for a moment she feared that the Imp would divine his true purpose, but she instantly dismissed that fear.
After all, Dhaavan was far too skilled for this villain to perceive what it was that he truly desired.
She shakes her head even as she realized the creature had not yet offered a name yet.
She growls and mutters in Draconic as they wait for a response.
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Letting the others go about their business Variel only gives a passing thought to what Dhaavan is up to. Instead Variel spends his time with Rain both in planning the wedding and also in discussing the upcoming race. Rain was the best chance of them winning the race so anything Variel could do to help her he could.
I am not as adept as the others in some of my spells but if there is anything I can do to bolster your efforts let me know. I already planon taking a dispel magic spell if we need it. Otherwise the rest of my abilities are yours.
---------------------------------
When the flotilla is seen Variel cant help but admire the view. This is going to be a glorious event. Speaking to the cerw Variel tries to bolster the men and women to prepare for the coming days. Alright crew. We don't know what this race all entails but I know that The Lady is in the best hands possible. WE have been through hell and high water together and we will make it through this. You all know your jobs and I trust you to do them. Let;s make sure that when the race starts we are ready!
diplomacy
When the flotilla is seen Variel cant help but admire the view. This is going to be a glorious event. Speaking to the cerw Variel tries to bolster the men and women to prepare for the coming days. Alright crew. We don't know what this race all entails but I know that The Lady is in the best hands possible. WE have been through hell and high water together and we will make it through this. You all know your jobs and I trust you to do them. Let;s make sure that when the race starts we are ready!
Horatio's eyes are neutral as they scan the other vessels.
His chief concern is trying to gauge the various qualities of seaworthiness and potential threat via noticeable weapons.
He turns a glance at Variel and lowers his voice so that the other crew members cannot hear him.
"Regarding what the race entails specifically; who should we talk to about finding out those details?" he asks as his eyes now range to the shore.
"Meantime, while we're at it - if we hope to win, maybe we should find some bookies in town and lay a wager on ourselves - or at least hire an intermediary to do it."
"If we win the race, that means we could win some big money - assuming we're successful, that is."
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The crew gives a wild cheer and seems extra motivated to do everything possible to win.
Rain slides the ship deftly into the flotilla, weaving among the other ships like a bird of prey slaloming through trees in search of its next meal.
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Rain slides the ship deftly into the flotilla, weaving among the other ships like a bird of prey slaloming through trees in search of its next meal.
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Master Flynn, I must say, you are quite the cunning linguist. I truly enjoyed our conversation. We must make our discussions a regular occurrence when in proximity, don't you agree?
Horatio smiles and bends his head, pausing to press his mouth to tease her shoulder, tasting the coppery taste of blood mixed with her sweat at one of the many minor wounds where his nails had raked at her skin as they had taken each other.
He moves his mouth slowly up her neck and presses his lips gently to her ear to whisper softly to her -
"Aye, lady - I'm also looking to many further lessons in linguistics, especially with someone with such a talented tongue," he says with a coy smile as he pauses talking to gently tease the side of her earlobe with his mouth.
He props his body on his left arm as his right hand gently strokes her skin, his eyes staring deeply into hers.
"You move me lady; in a way I have not felt before - your fire, your spirit... I feel it will always draw me to you, and not even the sea herself shall halt me from returning to meet with you again," he says with a soft, quiet voice as he studies her eyes beneath him.
Instead Variel spends his time with Rain both in planning the wedding and also in discussing the upcoming race. Rain was the best chance of them winning the race so anything Variel could do to help her he could.
I am not as adept as the others in some of my spells but if there is anything I can do to bolster your efforts let me know. I already plan on taking a dispel magic spell if we need it. Otherwise the rest of my abilities are yours.
When they had the time to themselves, they discussed the wedding quietly between them.
As they approached and then merged among the flotilla, Rain looked across to Variel as he spoke of bolstering the ships's chances in the regatta. Her words remained low, especially among the other ships and the cheers and excitement, "The elements may prove tricky so I will try and steer the Lady true and clear. As to what magic may be required, I cannot say. Once we know the exact rules as to what is permitted and what is not, then we may make plans regarding spells. If you concentrate on magic and I on the movement of the ship, we may not be caught by surprise. Harrigan won't make it easy for us once he sees us, I am certain of that. I do not want this race to be about besting him. We must concentrate on the larger prize."
Handing the wheel over momentarily to Jiro, Rain took Svingli's Eye out and gazed upon the sky and sea, hoping to gauge the weather over the next days.
Her gaze then scanned the ships around them, hoping to spy the Wormwood's colours and position,
Once she is done, Rain takes the Wheel again and steers/sails the Lady deftly among/between the other ships heading toward Cauldron Rock.
Seijiro takes the helm for a few moments, freeing Rain to consult the Eye for some weather recon. When she return he hands the wheel back to her and hops up on a railing to watch the sea and the other boats and Rain's adept handling of the ship in the 'crowd' of other boats.
"You make it look so easy. Glad you're at the helm again, Rain." he says with a wide smile.
"There he is, Rain... " he says, pointing.
Temmer keeps an eye on the flotilla, more ships than he's seen in some time.
Almost as many as dock at Augustana! he thinks.
He looks around, trying to determine which might prove the greatest competition.