Mishael starts swimming with a strong, smooth stroke toward the halfling splashing through the water.
Looking up at the surface, suny sees the new figure enter the water.
And rises to check on this new thing.
Karsielle, hearing Misheal's words crosses onto the boat at the first opportunity and tries to rum around to the front of the boat to the opposite side. "Ok, OK, I'm coming" she cries.
Going to quietly open the door, whisper to the group via message "I'll check out what he's running from."
"About time you answer, thank you for letting me in." he says to the imaginary halfling.
Round 1
Mishael breaks in a strong swim directly to the halfling.
Bloody tries the door but notices that it is locked. Karsielle slips around Bloody and runs heads towards the bow.
Suny spots the halfling in the water and then dives down. Mishael is surprised when she sees Suny come up right next to the halfling well past her. It was either some sort of magic or Suny is an incredible swimmer.
The halfling is startled by the elf woman who swam at him with the quickness of a dolphin and loses his breath. He tries to swim away from Suny but only manages about six or eight feet.
MAP to start Round 2.
Suny actually giggles at the antics of the silly Half-ling as he thrashes about in the water, before simply reaching out -taking a handfull of clothing -and heading for the surface with him. (^_^)
Karsielle continues to run around to the other side of the boat and see what's going on.
Silas peers at the distant scene, trying to figure out what is going on. "What in the world did they start?"[b] Shrugging as best he can while floating, Silas decides to make his way toward the group. [b]"Might as well see what's going on over there."
Bloody rushes behind the boat as he's moving he whispers over message "Mishael what is going on back there?"
Round 2
Even with her superb aquatic abilities, Suny is unable to get a good hold of the halfling. He seems to have gathered his wits and takes off in a good swim away from her, but he is still no match for the aquatic elf as she easily catches up to him.
Mishael surprises herself with a strong swim and almost catches up with the two wrestling in the water.
Bloody and Karsielle make their way to the other side of the boat and are able to finally see what is happening. Silas realizes that swimming takes much longer than running and it may be a while (another two rounds) before he can reach the group.
M
Round 3
Mishael swims up to the halfling. "Give it up Welby. I don't think you're getting away from me, let alone my friend here. We just want to talk. Let's go back to your ship."
Mishael grabs at the halfling splashing through the water. "Here, we'll help you back to the ship."
Mishael is able to swim up and grab the halfling. She issues him a warning and begins to bring him back towards the pier.
In her enthusiasm, Suny ends up ducking Welby more than getting him to the boat.
Bloody knowing on in well he ain't going in the water, he moves closer to the group(L17) and shouts at the halfling "SIR HALFLING, YOU CANNOT BEAT MY TWO FEMALES IN THE WATER. SO GIVE IN KNOW SO WE WILL BE MORE LENIENT IN OUR BUSINESS WE HAVE WITH YOU."
Karsielle and Bloody spot what first appears to be a pile of ropes laying on the deck of the ship, but after a second realize it is a rope ladder already tied to the side railing.
Swimming mightily, Silas inwardly curses the sea here. Should have stayed on ground! Dammit.
Karsielle starts towards the rope, motioning to BF, "Let us throw that ladder down, so our friends can easily climb up with their captive."
Swimming mightily, Silas inwardly curses the sea here. 1d20+8
Seeing her friend Silas cutting through the waves towards them, Suny kicks a little harder and rises up in the water to wave at her friend.
"Here, Silas be doin' right fine." She comments admiringly to Mishael, indicating Silas' form as he strokes through the water.
"Now then, matey." She moves around to get Welby closer to his boat, [b]"Lets be gettin' ye high an' dry, hey?"
As she turns adroitly about in the water herself. (^_^)
"As you wish my lady." Bloody says with a bow and helps her throw out the ladder. After they set out the ladder he hides a dagger in his hand just in case the halfling will try somethings since he is a halfling.
Mishael continues dragging the presumed Welby toward the ship. Seeing Flag and Karsielle drop the ladder, she heads in that direction.
Mishael tries to maintain her hold on the halfling but he slips out. To her surprise, he swims to the rope ladder that now hangs over the side of the ship and starts to climb up toward Bloody.
As he comes up, Bloody sees a look of resignation on his face. It seems he has given up his attempt to flee.
Karsielle smiles a wicked smile at the halfling as he ascends, as she caresses her leather whip, licking along its coils with her long pink tongue. She is tensed, ready to use the whip, in a flash, should the their little friend try and escape BF. Yet she says nothing, but smile and wink at the captured foe, waiting for him to bolt so she can use her smarting weapon to bring him to his knees.
Suny watches Welby ascend the ladder for a moment, before turning tale and slipping beneath the waves.
Suny dives back down looking for anything the halfling may have "ditched" in the bay. She gets a clear look at the harbor floor and doesn't see anything more than the occasional piece of trash.
Bloody and Mishael hold the halfling, who is looking back and forth at each of them. It seems as if he is not quite sure what to expect. Karsielle's performance seems to make the little man shiver, and although he tries to put on a brave face, he is clearly shaken.
Karsielle glances into the main hold of the ship and can see a crossbow set up on top of a workbench, aimed at the entrance to the room. She focuses a little more and is able to see a thin string running towards the door.
The scholar looks at the crossbow trap then back to the halfling, "Tisk Tisk, thats no way of welcoming people such as us. Now your going to have make this up to us, but our interra.." As he says that he lets eyes move to Karsielle, "..I mean questioning is better out of sight." He cracks a sinister smile as he prods the halfling back in his ship with his dagger.
Satisfied there is nothing of interest beneath the waters, Suny swims back to the surface popping up alongside Mishael.
"Well, Welby din't drop nuthin'." She cheerfully informs her friend and floats there awaiting Silas to join them at the bottom of the ladder.
(^_^)
"So Master Welby, it would seem you left an unwelcome gift for us, perhaps you would like to dismantle it before someone gets hurt. Then perhaps we can have a friendly little chat." She points to the inside of the hold, irony biting with each word as she talks to the halfling. "There Flag you see that welcome! Although why you feel so threatened by us is more interesting than our few meager questions." Her voice takes an earnest note as she looks long and hard into the halflings face, "The information we seek, might not cause you further discomfort, however should you le or try and cheat us, then your fortunes may dip significantly, you understand."They take the halfling below deck.
Mishael makes her way up the rope ladder to stand dripping wet next to Karsielle and Flag. "Guess it was good we went for a swim."
The halfling starts to sob when Bloody asks him to move to a place where they can't be seen, but when Karsielle tells him the group is here for information he seems to relax a bit.
"So you're not here to kill me?" he says to Karsielle. "I...I...can be accomodatin'"
Swimming with measured strokes, eventually Silas catches up to Suny and the others. Nodding at his elf friend, he ascends the ladder up to the deck. Once up, he draws his sword. "I'll make it very clear, in case you don't understand. Talk, and you'll keep your legs. Run, and I slice them out from under you. We clear?"
Suny scampers up the ladder after Silas, stopping to shimmy and shake water from herself at the edge of the deck. Once only damp she skips over and joins her companions, giving the center of attention half-ling a cheerful grin and a wave of her and.
"Hey-ya there." She says, though her voice is not pitched too loudly "Some folks be sayin' ye might be knowin' some-at revolvin' about some people's we's keen on findin' out-a-bout." She smiles.
(^_^)
"Nicely put my friend," as Karsielle smiles at the drying Suny. "Now downstairs Master Welby, may I remind you your crossbow is, umm, dangerous. Lets go down below deck and have a little chat." Karsielle lets either Silas or BF follow immediately behind the little halfling. She points out the crossbow below deck to the rest of the party, and continues, "Whoever is leading us, best not open doors whilst at full height, at least not that one, whilst the rest of us can make sure we are out of the bolts flight path. Do you have anymore surprises for us, Mr Welby? Then you'll be able to tell us what you know of Topaz (also know as Dianne) and a certain Captain Montrose? Tell the truth however painful you might think it should be, it will be less terminal than lying. So let's make ourselves comfortable below and have a chat, as you tell us about your recent unusual business." See looks in the halflings eyes, as she flicks her hair suggestively to the halfling, as her fingers unconsciously play on the whips supple handle.
As more of the group gathers on the ship Welby starts to whimper, trying to keep from breaking down completely. His eyes widen a bit when he sees the two Saltshack guards come up behind Suny.
"Easy now, there'll be no beating of our man!" one of them says. Suny is able to talk to them a bit and it is agreed that there will be no torturing or pain inflicted on Welby, and then they follow everyone into the interior of the ship, a spacious area where fish is packaged into barrels.
Once inside, Welby seems more relaxed. "Topaz? Where is she? What did she say to you? She is the one who got me into all of this! It is her fault!"
At Welby's comments Suny purses her lips before, with a slight frown, she replies.
"Um...Mister Welby...? How well d'ye be knowin' Topaz, like?" She asks and the hesitancy in her voice betrays many an emotion racing behind her earnest face. She kneels down amongst the barrels and puts a friendly hand upon his shoulder.
Letting Karsielle take the lead on this one, since she does have a personal stake in this. He stands ready to the step in when needed and studies the halfling while twirling around his dagger in his hand.
"Got you into what? What is it that makes you so ashamed or frightened to be talking about." Turning to the guards, she smiles, "Be assured no harm will come to your resident, other than the punishments Gartold might enforce. However if he concocts a web of lies, I'm sure Gartold's punishment would be more severe." Turning back to Welby she smiles at him in a friendly way, "With such assurances, I'm sure that you would like to dismiss the guards, so we can continue our discussions freely and frankly in private." She moves forward, bending down close to the halfling's ear, her hair gently falling and caressing his face, in hushed tones so only Welby can hear she adds, "for some things Gartold might find distasteful." with the hint of a threat.
Still dripping wet, Mishael watches Karsielle work her will on the halfling turning to the guards, "Ya, we mean no harm, just looking to learn a few things here."
Welby pauses for a moment while he takes in the groups words. Then he looks to the two guards, "I'll be fine. Please wait outside the doors." "Welby, you don't-" the lead guard starts, but Welby cuts him off. "wait outside the door. I will alert you if they try anything." he says. And with this, the two guards go outside.
Once alone from the ears of the Saltshack guards, Welby speaks."Topaz was a dear friend. She needed help. She needed money. That damned dust got to her. It changed her."
Suny does offer Welby a hug in support if his emotions should become to painful.
"Aye, they's some amongst th' kin whut take t' Rum...an' other stuffs...a mite too much fer whut's good fer 'em."
She quietly confides honestly, even blushing,
"Which in't t' say I in't been taken by th' Rum on occasion, m'self..." And she hangs her head a little, then gathers herself.
"Go on..." She encourages.
The Scholar hides his dagger, and shows intrest in the halflings last comment, "Intresting, what is this dust you speak of?"
His manner seems a little more calming.
Karsielle speaks more directly to Welby, her silky voice hardening, "Now Welby, let's not be hearing any more lies, that you might speak to keep Gartold off you back. Speak plainly what you were doing in the late Topaz's room. For though we never met before her death, she could have been a sister of mine. So why were you visiting her and what was she providing for you? For I don't mind if you have to tell Gartold about your special business with Topaz, but won't it be easier to keep it amongst ourselves now?" Her eyes deepen in color as she speaks, taking on a dark hue. "Speak to us in private, where words will stay in this room, or confess under Gartold's iron fist. But speak the truth of your sordid business." Her face rises up, as she looks around the room, looking for evidence of the halflings conspiracies.
Whispering into Mishael's ear, "See what evidence you might find down here."
Mishael eases back away from the interrogation and begins looking around the room for anything suspicious or out of place.
"She got on that Abyss Dust." Welby says to Bloody. "That's the worst, I've seen it change a lot of people. It changed her too." It seems to Bloody that Welby is speaking the truth.
There are no enclosed rooms inside the ship, just a large open space that is used for processing fish and then placing them in barrels. Off in a corner is a hammock and some personal belongings. Mishael searches this area and isn't able to find anything of at first. It seems that Welby doesn't have much. However, the last item she searches is a small chest which looks empty but is quite heavy. With a little work Mishael is able to pry open the false bottom and finds a stash of Freeport-minted gold coins.
Welby sighs a bit before answering Karsielle. "She was giving me some goods that I would pass on to some other people. Very bad people. Scary people. I thought they sent you here to kill me."
Suny nods,
"So...maybe it were th' dust whut done Topaz in?" She asks/suggests.
"Or could these 'Bad people' be havin' somat t'do with things?" She asks/wonders.
Kariselle, her blood rising at Welby's answers, moves up close to him. "These goods what were they? I suppose you haven't been able to pass them on without Topaz's help. And what about the special deliveries you were asked to provide? Did one go by the name of Captain Montrose?" She goes on to describe the captain as much as she can, as she does this she brings her hand across her neck, indicating a cut throat "He might not have said much, or even breathed. A slab of meat to be sold on! Tell all, who were these 'Bad People'?, Where did they collect your 'goods'? How did you receive payment and what were you paid? Why do you fear them so? How did you first make contact? How did you get Topaz involved and why? Who killed Topaz? Will they come for you next?"
She unfurls the whip, leaving it trailing on the floor. "Answer Welby, it sounds like you are in need of friends, not making more enemies. Your answers determine which we shall be, for I would like to avenge sweet Topaz's demise." Her words are full of restrained anger, waiting for a response to let her satisfy her lust for revenge and the sharp sting of Calistra's vengeance.