Just setting up some space for the soon-to-be campaign. Details to come!
Satinder, signing up!
Lux wakes up and looks around.
Day One
Ringing laughter and raucous cries. The smell of sweet meats and perfumes. Wild abandon and excess. And then blackness.
That was last night. You can't quite remember what happened, but you do know that all those rich sensations have been replaced by the taste of cheap wine in your mouth, a pounding in your head, and the cold hard wooden floor you are currently lying on. Everything sways. Everything creaks. It's dark, but you can make out others nearby in similar states of grogginess. You now realize where you are. A ship's hold.
You've been press ganged.
Individual Notes
"Urgh, my head...The guy that hit me is going to be sorry!!"
She feels around for her whip, and when she realizes she has nothing on her body, the cursing starts.
"$*^#@&$*^#@& !!!F*cking nutmeg? Really? YOU ARE SO DEAD!! May Calistria guide my hand, I will get my revenge!"
Perception:
Profession cook:
There is a very dim lantern hanging from the ceiling, providing just enough light to make out that there are indeed other people here.
Maeleg barely manages to refrain from swearing.
"Nice cursing girl. I guess you're not the one who drugged me. So, who are you ?"
He then realizes than his beloved musket as disappeared.
"$*^#@&$*^#@& !!!Sons of a Cheliaxan whore !"
If someone damages my gun, I'll <censored but it will really hurt the offender>.
A wake passes through Skaldi's mind. The disturbance from Myrkr shakes the young man like a dinghy rocked by the wake of a man-o-war. Myrkr wants him awake, and the beast is difficult to argue with.
Before opening his eyes, the young man takes stock of his situation.
The helmet is missing. Blade and bag too. Pack with the armor in it.
I'm at sea. There are five others here. Some, at least, in the same trouble I am.
That smells like...
Mael? Can I blame you for this? Skaldi groans. Please tell me I can blame you for this. It'll make hitting someone much easier
Skaldi sits up and clutches his head. Ow. Ah.
Poisoned and hung over? This is a great start to the day.
"Skaldi ? They caught you too ? I guess that's a lesson : pretty faces and cheap wine can be more dangerous than Mountain Trolls.
So, anyone knows where we are ?"
Always are. Skaldi mutters, seemingly a life lesson he's learned before.
We're at sea. I can tell you that much. I'd be you'd guessed that though.
He groans again, his head still bothering him. Are we locked in? Should we head above deck?
"I hope you don't think I'm to blame," Satinder says with a smirk on her face.
She is looking around, quickly and on her guard for anything.
"Gideon, you old rotten bag of potatoes, is that you? What on earth are you doing here? I thought you always said nobody could get the best of you?"
She nudges her foot in his ribs, to hasten his awakening.
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Gideon gives a groan as he begins to move and gather his senses, noticing he's missing his family's sword and cutlass.
"Why is it that whenever I wake up face down on the floor with half my equipment and gold nowhere to be found, you're involved, Satinder."
He begins to pick himself up and pats his body down and notices he still has some grease and his clothes on.
"Well at least my pants aren't missing this time....." he mutters to himself. "Nice to see you too."
He finally notices he's in the hold of some ship. ".......huh."
Skaldi spies the shadowed form of "Lux" over in the corner and decides to leave him or her to slumber. At least someone can recover a bit longer.
Using a wall for support, he slowly rises to his feet.
He mutters something under his breath and makes his way towards the door.
Anyone know anyone else down here? What about you? he asks Iron Sides.
"Gid, usually you don't mind..." she says with a big grin and a suggestive look. "Like that time on board the Wooden Parrot, remember?"
She walks up to Skaldi and Maeleg. "Well, you seem to have experienced the same thing. Shall we call you pointy and horny?"she says smilingly,"Or do you have something different in mind? I am Satinder Morne, the best cook in the Shackles! Hahaha!" You can tell she has trouble controlling her smirk.
"Gideon, get up and stop staring at my behind. We need to find a way out of here. Maybe we're not too far from the shoreline, and we can make a swim for it."
Maeleg rises to his feet.
"My name is Maeleg. My red-haired friend is called Skaldi."
A slow smile appears on his face as he winks at Satinder.
"I'm sure you and your friend have fascinanting stories to tell us about your common past... "
A set of stairs leading up to a heavy trapdoor are barely visible in the darkness. Anyone closely examining the trapdoor will find that the thin sliver of sunlight peeking from between them is broken in the middle but the shadow of something on top of the trapdoor. It looks like you're barred in.
"$*^#@&$*^#@& !!! They locked us in.. AAARGGHH!!
Don't throw a tantrum! Don't throw a tantrum!"
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"Let's just figure out how to free ourselves at the moment."
Gideon quickly interrupts trying to change the subject
"So, I take it we were all drugged and pressed....does anyone have a weapon on them in case we need it?"
His thoughts immediately going into a fighting mindset
"Who ever patted me down missed a flask of grease I've got in my pockets. But I don't think it'll be of much help freeing ourselves."
Looking up at the trapdoor, Skaldi sighs. Feel like opening that for me?
No? Didn't think so.
He turns to his new companions and offers a hand. Skaldi the Tallest. He makes sure the byname is stressed. Pleasure to meet you both. I don't suppose one of you in inhumanly strong? He glances at the trapdoor once more.
"Usually when you press gang someone, you don't keep your ship near the coast. So if we manage to escape, we could be on the high seas. It may be best to plan for that before trying to open this door. What do you know about sailing, repairing a ship or charting a course ? "
Slowly, he pushes himself into a sitting position, holding his head. He closes his eyes, shutting out the world, and tries to ignore the sounds around him. He's vaguely aware of a small mass on his head, somewhere above the still-stinging spot where he felt the pain first.
Ambrose opens his eyes again. The dull pounding has faded to the background. His mouth is dry. He looks around, sees that he's in a hold. On a ship. The familiar rocking is comforting, despite the pain and the confusion. He hears words. They seem to be coming from other people, and soon he can see the everything clearly. He holds out his finger, and the mass on his head disappears only to reappear there. Ambrose smiles at the small bird perched there. At least I still have you.
With a deep sigh, he looks back up at the others, taking everything in. "Who are you all?"
Not one to give Mael a chance to mis-name him twice, Skaldi speaks up. Skaldi the Tallest. He says, not being particularly mindful of everyone's headaches. He strides over the the newly risen Lieutenant and offers him a hand up.
He gestures off to the others. Maeleg, Satinder and... Gid, no?
"Hey, that one is awake too.. But I believe it is only proper to introduce yourself first, horny!"
All of a sudden, thudding footstep sound outside the door, which swings open to reveal the harsh light of the sun. Within moments, 6 rough looking Wormwood pirates armed with saps file in lead by a lanky, sneering man with a braided beard and almost a complete set of gold teeth. The man cracks a knotted whip and shrieks a command:
Still abed with the sun over the yardarm? On your feet, ye filthy swabs! Get up on deck and report for duty before Cap’n Harrigan flays your flesh into sausage skins and has Fishguts fry ye up for breakfast!
Scaldi's face is a snarl for just a moment. No! Your purpose won't be served by that. No displays yet.
He bites back whatever almost rose to the surface and heads out the door. Shile ascending the ladder, he checks once again for either his sack or his dagger. He gets the feeling he'll be doing that a lot.
For a moment, Maeleg dreams of attacking the sneering man but he's quick to understand it's a dumb idea.
Keeping his mouth shut, he quickly follows Skaldi.
Satinder follows Gideon up the stairs, while trying to look as innocent, shy and scared as possible.
Bluff:
She uses a simple hand signal towards Gideon, to stay his hand.
I would love to gut these pigs where they stand, but this is not the time... Calistria, hear my call, I will have my revenge, in your honour!
Not my ship. Likely still in the Shackles. Probably pirates. Outlook: grim. Keep your head down, take stock of the situation.
Ambrose tries to swallow his pride. It's all he can do to keep the snarl off his lips at being ordered about by a filthy pirate. His eyes begin to spew a thin stream of smoke as they smolder in their sockets, but he does as he's bid, following the others. As he does, he whispers quick instructions to the little bird.
Confused Lux looks about seeing the others his eyes dart about careful to not look anyone directly in the eye. His nostrils flare slightly as he rises from the floor. He runs his hands about his clothing which at this point is just loose linen pants and a pair of supple boots. He shuffles trying to be unassuming. Once people start up the stairs he shifts about trying to take to the middle of the pack.
The lot of you file up the stairs through a middle deck, and then out into the light of the main deck, all the time being pushed and prodded by the sap wielding pirates and the crack of the bearded man's whip.
In the full sunlight it is quickly apparent that you stand upon a sizable ship which is somewhere out on the open ocean. No land in sight.
Figures cluster around the ship’s mainmast, looking up at the higher deck on the stern, where two figures stand. One of them is a broad, muscular Garundi man with a shaven head, a long beard bound with gold rings, and an eye patch—clearly the captain. The other is a younger, balding man with a long black ponytail, wearing a long coat and carrying a well-used cat-o’-nine-tails.
Of not are four others standing on the deck, set apart by their relative cleanliness and their apparent unease. Clearly, another set of relatively new recruits. A dozen or so other pirates, obviously existing members of the crew, stand about on the deck and in the ship’s rigging.
Once everyone has found places to stand on the deck, the captain addresses his crew:
“Glad you could join us at last! Welcome to the Wormwood! My thanks for ‘volunteering’ to join my crew. I’m Barnabas Harrigan. That’s Captain Barnabas Harrigan to you, not that you’ll ever need to address me. I have only one rule—don’t speak to me. I like talk, but I don’t like your talk. Follow that rule and we’ll all get along fine.
“Oh, and one more thing. Even with you new recruits, we’re still short-handed, and I aim to keep what crew I have. There’ll be a keelhaulin’ for anyone caught killin’ anyone. Mr. Plugg! If you’d be so kind as to make pirates out of these landlubbers, it’ll save me having to put them in the sweatbox for a year and a day before I make pies out of ’em.”
Finishing his speech, Captain Harrigan turns and leaves, giving the stage to the man with the cat-o'-nine-tails whom he addressed as Mr. Plugg.
As the rest of the crew gets back to work, Mr. Plugg begins angrily shouting in a booming voice:
"Listen up now yew piles a' filth! Like the captain said, we're short a few crew members, so I devised some tests t'assign yeh to your new jobs!
Right!
First test!
We need three new riggers! First three of yeh t'climb up the mainmast ta' the top a' the crow's nest get the job!
Ready?
Go!"
Intel:
Hmpf, stupid oaf. That's probably the one who took my whip, g!~ d$!n it! But fine, I'll race these buffoons.
"Ah, the sea wind! Thank you, signori Plugg, I have missed it so...
Pray tell, what are the other tests? Maybe I will find one more suitable for me, later on. I wouldn't want to be anything less than all I could be for this fine ship, now wouldn't I? she says and shouts while climbing.
Maeleg hides his smile when he hears the comment in Infernal and his anger when he recognizes the man.
Besmara, give me luck and I'll sow chaos on this ship.
Without saying anything, he begins to climb the mainmast.
Shaddup and climb yeh bloody wench!
Stupid eunuch, probably as thick as a doornail that one..
Skaldi blinks in the sunlight for a few moments, not stopping, but not entirely sure where he’s going. As vision returns, he assesses the scene. Without a moment’s hesitation he strides over to the four other newcomers and stands with them. He is trying to convey, with both his actions and his stance that he stands with them. He can tell now isn’t the time for words, but he’s at least willing to nod a greeting to each.
He listens to the captain and smiles in understanding.
When Mr. Plugg yells “jump” Skaldi doesn’t even take the time to say “how high.” He simply makes his way to the mast and starts climbing. He’s not shoving any newcomers out of the way and, if he has a chance to help one, he’ll do it in a heartbeat.
I'm making several, just to make sure I can get to the top.
ETA: Having just found the rules, Skaldi will attempt to show off and take a -5 to climb faster. I'm pretty sure that means I fail that first roll and then fall somewhere between 60 and 75 feet up. That's gonna hurt.
Without a word Lux springs forward and swiftly to the nearest point in the rigging and attempts to climb recklessly fast.
The other recruits take hold of the ropes as well, led by the foppish gnome, a surprisingly fast climber for his size. The halfling follows him but let's out a $@&$! Git offa' me ya' #%@&$!@ bastard! and gets slowed down when the bandana'd man kicks off her shoulder to gain more height. The redhead begins climbing last; anyone paying attention to her would get the idea that she is purposely trying to lose the competition.
Will yeh look at that men? We got a real corsair on our hands, no? *spits*