Gall keeps an eye on Scourge as he goes to cherrypick sailors for their newly commandeered ship. Jape, Syl, Maheem... He is glad to see Sandara and Rosie, of course. But, from the sound of things, their friends would be nearly even with their enemies. The half-giant likes those odds.
At the tug on his sleeve, he wipes the look of intense concentration off of his face to lean down to Esmarelda. His brows furrow at the question and, whether or not she finishes it, he nods along with her. "Aye, good thought, lass. I reckon we'll have to be all manner of...creative."
Pausing at the sight of Cueta with her tongue down Cogward's throat, he hastily excuses himself and hurries over to snatch up one end of her locker. "Easy there, lass. I think ye forgot somethin' below. I'll just nick it for ye right quick while I get me own things."
As I gathered my mother's novels and the rest of my effects, I had to pause to realize sadly that others were to be left behind. At least the Owlbear was coming with us, so I could continue with his tutelage and not worry about that one wayward volume.
"Take heart, dear friends, because the Shackles are waters of destiny. I've no doubt we shall meet again," I told the likes of Ratline, Jack, Tilly, Giffer, and Samms. "Just look sharp and stay alive. At the very least, be glad we're taking the lash with us!"
With that, I boarded the Man's Promise and waved my hat to those left on the Wormwood.
As the group is split off to the Man's Promise, Harmony makes her way over as well, collecting her meager belongings from the Wormwood first, doublechecking that nothing important of her own possession is left behind. Coming up from below decks, she takes one more look at the ship that had been a place of slavery and torture these past weeks, and well memorizes the faces that she is now parting with. She could perhaps tell the crew one more tale. She chooses one from her homeland, Cheliax, and its traditions of dealing with devils. "There was a girl named Morgan. She was from the lower classes, not an outright slave, but certainly an unfortunate, a dweller of the streets with no home proper...but one day something happened..." she begins her tale to those who will listen.
Harmony's tale goes on for three or four minutes, recounting the Chelaxian girl's rise to power, a rags to riches story, treading on people unremorsefully on her way up, perpetrating wrongs and hurting people. Now, usually, with this sort of tale, you get taken down in the end, some karmic justice exacting revenge for everything the person has done. It's not quite that clear cut this time. "...so there she was. Rich. Powerful. Of course, she had to let her own parents die. Had to kill the only man who'd ever truly loved her. Had to look into her son's eyes as she drowned him. Oh, she wasn't alone, she was surrounded by people. She had a mansion. Gold and jewels. The mayor's ear. You decide if that's worth the price."
With that final morality tale, such as it was, delivered, Harmony is ready to move to the other ship and perhaps never again see those who stay on the Wormwood.
Cogsward returns the kiss and slaps Cueta on the ass, "Yar damn well right ye'll see me again I'll be wantin' 'notehr of those if not more!" He grins as he watches Cueta and Gall load her chest onto the Man's Promise.
The crew give a rousing howl at Harmony's tale. Over the din Scourge screams out, "That'll be enough of that dammit here's work ta be done, get to doin' it!"
As Art gathers his belongings Cut-Throat Grok approaches him below decks with a tear in her eyes, "Take this, ye may be needin' it. I'm sure we'll meet again, tell Harmony I said to keep her chin up!".
Finally the skeleton crew is on board and the vessel begins to set sail towards Port Peril.
Scourge and Plugg gather the crew for a quick meeting. Scourge lays down the law, "Although this is a new ship, the rules are the same! My discipline will be a good deal harsher than on the lackadaisical Wormwood, Harigan is a bleedin' heart if ya ask me! All crimes are now punishable with the cat instead of the whip so watch yer step". He looks at your group as he states it and you know it is no idle threat coming from him.
Pkugg takes up the speech, "All of the crew keep the same jobs they had before on the Wormwood They'rse lessa' ya' so ya'll have to work a good deal harder! No freeloaders on my ship now get to work!" He pulls aside the new recruits from the old crew of the same ship and begins to speak with them along with Scourge.
Gall grimaces at Scourge's monologue for the skeleton crew but keeps his thoughts to himself. For now. He gives his friends a meaningful look and a nod before making for the kitchen. While he does not expect that there is much of anything left in the kitchen of their new ship, he will work with what he has. Even if that means his day involves both catching fish and preparing them with little more than salt and seaweed.
The hot sun blazes on your back as you get no respite with anyone taking over for you nor a chance to get water with these two taskmasters cracking the whip and yelling at every turn.
Despite the heat and long day, your haul is better than anything you have managed to pull up before, of course Plugg simply grunts at your efforts when you report your findings for the day.
Plugg had me once again climbing high above the action, revisiting the time in the crow's nest. I suppose it was understandable; after all, it was my eyes that spotted the very ship we were on. But despite an excellent showing that day upon the Wormwood, my efforts were much less impressive on the Man's Promise.
Esmarelda set to work, though her work was less then impressive. She just didn't have the same heart in her work here, and often stopped to look over her shoulder.
Cueta frowns as the orders come for her to work the bilges of the new boat. New boat, new boss. Same bastards though.
Heading below decks, Cueta sighs and gets to work, doing her best to clean the bilges. Despite the heat and the miserable work conditions, the swab does an admirable job.
Work Diligently: Gain a +4 bonus on any one check for a job’s daily task
Harmony hates the bilges the most by far, so of course she gets assigned there by Plugg and Scourge, but she tries not to give them the satisfaction of seeing how much she hates that assignment.
Heading down below, she tries to fix her attire to be the most suitable for that dirty environment, and puts her mind to her work. For this first day at least, she gives a shot at trying to do the best she can. If she still gets crap, then she'll start slacking off.
Harmony does her job well today in the bilges, but come evening, she is fatigued like heck out of all the trying hard.
Harmony's hard work pays off as she avoids any sort of reprimand though it takes a toll on her body.
Art on the other hand is struggling with the heat and lack of breaks to fetch water. Plugg calls up to him, "Pay attention god dammit or I'll shoot you out of that crow's nest like a tired old bird!"
Art is unable to gain his focus but perceptive enough to see the sails of the Wormwood disappear over the horizon as night falls and announce it to the crew.
The cat o nine tails cracks right behind your feet as you daydream for a moment as you turn Scourge grins, "That was the only warning ye'll get! Be thankful, Plugg'll've made an example out of ye if h caught ye. I've a soft spot for the purty lasses. Next time, I will too.."
Is able to keep up pace and even cover for Esmarelda's shortcomings as the day wears on.
Pluug calls out as night falls, "Alright you freeloaders listen up! I don't go for this crew entertainment or rum rations. Ye'll get to rest and start fresh tomorrow, if tomorrow is not better than today many of ye will be feeling the lash don't ye doubt it! Anyone caught above decks after dusk without leave gets six lashes with the cat, on the spot!"
To those who run into Harmony during the evening while she's getting her food or whatnot, the woman is clearly exhausted by the events of the day. She doesn't interact much, and what little she does is terse and abnormally blunt. As soon as it's feasible, she retires below decks to fall into a fitful slumber, tossing and turning in her hammock.
Seeing Harmony's terse and weary state, Gall makes sure she receives an extra helping of the evening meal. As well as a warm smile and a pat on the back, in the hope that it helps her with tomorrow's work.
After spending the mealtime with his companions, he heads back to Cueta's locker to retrieve Geach. He does his best to keep the poor beast under his shirt as he meanders about until he can find an appropriate place to hide it. Which naturally means finding a crate large enough to make the rat a home, complete with a nest made of scraps of burlap sacks and a bit of food to munch on. If he has the time, he checks to make certain that the rat has not begun to get sick again and is recovering well from its earlier infection.
Upon seeing Gall, Cueta opens her locker and helps the giant secure a good home for the creature. "You're attached to that little stowaway, eh?" Cueta holds Geach as Gall checks the rat over, pointing out various nicks and scrapes, as well as some imagined afflictions.
Later, as most of the crew is asleep, Cueta makes her way around the ship, trying to get the lay of it, avoiding the area where the officers sleep.
Esmarelda gave a slightly worried look as Scourge spoke to her. She didn't like the way he had spoken to her so as soon as she was able she quickly joined her friends and stayed close to them. Though with Harmony going to sleep and Gall and Cueta gone, Esmarelda did her best to make herself small and unnoticeable. She couldn't shake the feeling from earlier that day.
Finally she just climbed into her hammock, laying there trying to get some sleep.
I climbed down from the nest that evening to receive the appropriate dressing-down from Plugg.
Surprisingly weary from my efforts, I decided to turn in early that night and hopefully get a fresh start in the morning.
As Cueta learns the lay of the ship padding softly around she is approached by Scourge who grins at her menacingly, "Sneaking about are ye'? Tell me love, ye' seem like ye' could fit in wit' the crew, why d'ye' pal around w't those landlubbers?"
With Cueta's assistance Gill is able to find a secure location for Geach. His wounds seem to be on the mend.
Gill along with the rest of the group succumb to the long day and rest as the next day will likely be more difficult than the first.
Cueta sneers and spits to the deck. "Not sneaking. Just getting an idea for the layout of the boat. As for my friends, they've had my back and I'll have theirs. More than I can say for some on this ship."
She leaves it unsaid who exactly she's talking about.
Scourge grasps the hilt of his whip but does not act though if looks could kill Cueta would at least be maimed.
She heads back to the (relative) safety of her companions and sleep steals her away from the waking world.
The sun rises, it will be yet another hot day, hotter still with the hot air rising from the lungs of Plugg as he berates the "lazy" crew for oversleeping.
There is no land or ship as far as the eye can see now.
Gall rises and stretches a bit before he moves to make sure the others have awoken, as well. Afterwards, he heads off to the kitchen to gather his things. Maybe at some point, he will be able to get enough fish that he can get them to keep until the next day. And maybe someday, they will be out from under the thumb of Plugg and his cronies. A man has to have his little dreams.
Regardless, he sets to his usual fishing and meal preparation with as much zeal as he can manage. He can only hope the rest of his friends are having as much luck as he is.
Cueta grumbles as she heads down into the bilges again. That outfit she'd bought nearly a month back was dirty and Cueta, never a clean person, sniffs herself and finds her stench overpowering- never a good a sign when considering the comfort of others (even if Cueta was unused to doing so).
The day is spent scrubbing and bailing quickly lest the deckhand grab Plugg and Scourge's attention. Despite the heat and the dirty bilge, Cueta has done a fine job as the bloody hour draws near. Sighing, she returns topside to see what the evening brings.
I was once again tasked to do the job of the lookout, much to my chagrin. I had awoken refreshed and hopeful for a better start upon the new ship, but it seemed as though Plugg simply wanted me out of the proverbial sight and mind.
Yet I would not be a son of Poisson if I were not to prevail. With a bit of panache, I kicked the boom to get the line running, and in an instant my climb was underway. I waved to the lass swabbing the deck far below to give her a bit of encouragement, then set about my duties.
The following day Esmarelda set to work like she had before. She returned Artevious' wave with a small one of her own before focusing on her task at hand. It seemed like she was able to finish her work, though only barely. When they day came to a close Es looked rather warn out, and often didn't pay attention when someone was speaking to her.
On the second day, Harmony is sent to her absolute hate again, the bilges. If there's anything the appearance-focused (some might say vain) woman hates more, it's being forced to get dirty over and over again. Seething inwardly, she goes there again without protest, but once she's down there among the filth and rats, she curses under her breath almost endlessly. She doesn't have the same amount of focus and determination as on the first day, but nonetheless she manages to get her assigned tasks done in the bilges.
When she occasionally emerges from the bilges during the day for breaks, she resumes the work she had been doing on the Wormwood, chatting people up and trying to get into their good graces. She starts off easy, targeting someone who is Friendly but not yet Helpful, and tries to improve them to the highest attitude tier. If there is no one available who's Friendly, she'll go for someone Indifferent.
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For Gall and Cueta Day 2 moves along smoothly despite the hot sun beating down upon them. Scourge can find little to grumble about with respect to their performance.
True to their words both Scourge and Plugg begin the floggings to improve morale. Esmarelda and Harmony taste the cat o' nine tails as their bodies begin to give out in the hot sun!
The pressed crew from the Man's Promise work that much harder as they observe the whippings, those crew members who have it out for the press-ganded group laugh at the cruel beatings encouraging the two men to hit the women harder. This includes the usual cast of characters - Fipps Chumlett, Jaundiced Jape, Maheem, Slippery Syl Lonegan, Tam 'Narwhal' Tate.
Owlbear Hartshorn, Ambrose Kroop, Conchobhar Shortstone, and Sandara Quinn look on impassively neither reveling in or condemning the actions taken.
Gall, having been busy working with the dinner, had fortunately missed the flogging Harmony and Esmarelda were on the receiving end of. He makes certain to get the pair of them as well taken care of as he can in the evening, even making sure to walk them back to their bunks. No point in taking chances, after all.
"I reckon we oughter keep a weather eye on one another for a time," he says to the rest of the group when they gather around for dinner. "Some of this lot's got it out fer us. Gotta look out fer our own, aye?"
Admittedly more than a bit disgrunted at the treatment of his allies, he tries to do a bit of poking around the ship of his own. Preferably around the same time that the rest of the crew is busy drowning their sorrows or entertaining one another.
"Someone who shall remain unnamed for their safety", Harmony tells the other four when they are grouped up somewhere between dinner and sleep, "thinks that Plugg may be looking to break away from under Harrigan. If that's true, we may never rejoin the other ship. That would also mean Plugg and Scourge would have no accountability whatsoever. They can do whatever they like to us, to anyone, if they're planning on being their own masters from now on." Harmony frowns a little, rolling her shoulders and grimacing at the pain emanating from her flogged back. "On the other hand", she makes sure she's very quiet and that nobody's listening in, "if Plugg and Scourge plan on independence, that also means...they're no longer under Harrigan's protection."
Esmarelda thanked Gall for getting her down to her hammock, though she went quiet soon after that. She seemed to be staring off into space before Harmony began speaking to their group. It snapped her out of it, though she still had a far off look in her eyes.
"Doesn't that mean we don't either?" Esmarelda asked as she looked to Harmony. "And if there is no one to keep them in check... well.... um..." Esmarelda shivered as she shook her head. "This has me, rather worried." She muttered.
"As well you should be, because that's exactly what it means. All bets are off", Harmony answers. "It's a new game now, fresh table, unforgiving rules. It should be obvious Plugg and Scourge have little love for us. And there's no one between us and them now." She looks around to each of you. "But I just got flogged, so I'm not an exactly unbiased party here. Perhaps my injuries and anger are clouding my judgment. What do you think, Cueta? Gall?"
Cueta sits in her hammock, nursing her thumb where a wicked splinter lodged there earlier in the day. "Aye, Harmony's right. New game. I think we should stay close as much as possible. And when the chance presents itself, if one of them is alone..."
Frack. Mutiny. She doesn't say it, because it could get her keelhauled. But she leaves the meaning out there, hanging between the four, easy enough to see.
Making a quick supplication to Besmara, Cueta takes a rag and bucket and washes Harmony's wounds. The goddess is happy - Harmony took the flogging like a right bastard. Her wounds close, mere red marks on the woman's back.
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After Gall leaves Kroop sneaks into the berth where you all reside on the ship, "We are now headed off course and I think I know where. A seedy, isolated dry dock on the Slithering Coast west of Bloodcove called Rickety’s Squibs. For a price, old Rickety Hake completely refits ships into “squibs,” providing new identities by changing ships’ lines, silhouettes, and general appearance to be unrecognizable to their former owners or anyone else familiar with them"
You find little of note in the main hold. Anything of value appears to be locked up next to Plugg's quarters. As you move about the ship you do discover that Mr. Plugg holds Owlbear Hartshorn in his quarters in chains.
Nodding in agreement, Gall leans against the nearest pillar as the grim reality of their situation settles over his shoulders like a cloak made of lead. "I'm with Cueta. We'll watch our own fer now and see when we get ourselves an opportunity. Play our cards close to our chest fer now, aye? See who we can't make as proper friends, for when it comes right down to that."
Gall mouths a string of oaths that would make even Rosie blush and tries to quickly make his way back to his bunk. There, if anyone is still awake, he will gladly relay what he unearthed with a dark scowl. More likely, if everyone is asleep he will retire for the evening with a grimace and a heavy heart, resigned to tell them in the morning.
I didn't rightly know what to think. I suppose it made a certain sense that with the reduced crew there on the Man's Promise that we needed everyone ship-shape and able-bodied in case we ran into some sort of adventure, but Mr. Plugg seemed intent on belaying any sort of fun or revelry aboard. There was, of course, to be expected a certain lack of strenuous discipline aboard any pirate vessel, otherwise one would just join the navy of one's choosing. I'm not quite sure if Plugg understood that.
Furthermore, Plugg resumed his delight in administering the floggings for those who could not keep up with his oppressive pace. Even though it would be a setback to my pirating career, I had my thoughts to jump ship when Mr. Plugg out in to Port Peril and try my hand at signing on with a better ship.
And then it hit me: we weren't headed back to Port Peril! I couldn't rightly determine where we were headed, but I was sure that it wasn't there. I pondered this strange turn of events as I returned to my berth, just in time to hear Kroop confirm my suspicious and raise the stakes even further. Plugg was planning on refitting the Man's Promise, likely against the orders of Harrigan himself!
"That sounds, I daresay, rather like mutiny," I said softly.
"Indeed," Cueta mutters, scowling. "And we're along for the ride, like it or not. Once we don't show in Port Peril, every last one of us will be keelhauled, if Harrigan has anything to say about it. And Plugg and Scourge gave us no choice in deciding our own fates."
Mutiny was one of the greatest sins on the high seas. My father, ever the scoundrel and rule-breaker, was renowned for his staunch and loyal crew who never once uttered the word. Indeed, more than one of his fierce rivals were mutineers whose first deeds of villainy was that of betraying their captains.
I frowned as I pondered my predicament. Here we were, a-sail upon a vessel that was bound for betrayal of its rightful captain, if it weren't mutinous already. I sat up, following that line of thinking. We hadn't mutinied, but the erstwhile captain of the Man's Promise, Mr. Plugg and his cronies. We were simply along for the ride.
Well, I daresay, the mutiny had already begun.
"Lads and ladies, we find ourselves in quite the predicament. Through no fault of our own, we are afoul of one of the more heinous crimes upon the high seas, but what if -- and follow me on this -- since Plugg and his cronies have already betrayed Harrigan, our actions would be, well at the very least no worse than what's already been done."
"I can see how they would be, but do you want to be under Plugg's and Scourge's boots for the rest of your life?" Esmarelda asked as she crossed her arms. "They do not care for their crew. That much is very clear... and I don't want to know what they will do when the power finally sets in..." She said as her mind wondered, which made her shiver at the thoughts it came up with.
Cueta's eyes narrow. "Best take a walk, Kroop, unless you want to be party to something can't be undone. Regardless of whether you stay or go, keep your trap shut tight."
Cueta says what Harmony was going to say. Old "Fishguts" Kroop would be better off not hearing anything further. As much for his own good as for theirs. She doesn't speak any further until the chef is gone, but when he is, Harmony breaks the silence.
"One of the oldest questions in the world. Is it all right to murder a murderer. Steal from a thief? Cheat a con man? Eye for an eye? Mutiny against a mutineer? What is justice, and who gets to determine it? Are we empowered to act as judge, and if need be, jury and executioner? And what do the gods say? Besmara surely would frown upon a mutiny of any kind? And all this before even considering the odds of even being successful. This is certainly something that all of you should sleep on rather than making any rash decisions."
Cueta shrugs. "Right and wrong got nothing to do with this. Its staying alive that matters. And don't worry about Besmara. She'll be right as a rainstorm with it, if we give her some booty for her chest.:
Rubbing her chin deep in thought, Cueta leans back, suddenly quite tired. Sighing, she finishes her thought. "But I agree about the odds. We've got to take advantage at the right time. Lay in wait and be good swabs in the meantime."
"I can't disagree with your logic, Cueta. The first priority of any person is to stay alive, at..." her eyes go distant for the briefest of moments, "...any cost." Her body language shifts a little bit, and she seems tired, despite the healing Cueta's treated her wounds with. "I think I'm about ready for bed."