The half-elf nods, "Looks like. Name's Garavaen. If your telling me to duck so I'll keep my head, Gar'll do too.."
He looks around again, then adds, "We'll find your friend. Thali, was it? She probably just got tossed in a different hold."
Waking up groggily, Davina carefully tries to stand up but looses her balance and ends on her hands and knees, the rather short skirt she wears showing more than she meant to show anyone. She shakes her head carefully and stands up, looking at the others in the hold.
Feeling the familiar rocking motion Jack realizes he isn’t on dry land anymore. Grabbing his head with one hand he feels the effect of last nights drinking, a throbbing headache.
Although he didn’t think it would be there his other hand reaches for the sword on his back.
Trying to stand he looks around, eying the others who just woke up.
Jack. Who are you?
The goblin's eyes follow each card as the Harrower describes them. He listens carefully and his large skull nods as he commits the gist of the reading to memory. After Astein finishes, Eli scans the full spread of cards once more and sets his hat firmly on his skull, determined. "I'll keep a weather eye out for that Tyrant and think on what I need to do." He opens a faintly jingling pocket on his bandolier and pulls out a small handful of coins, copper and silver. The goblin extracts the four silver coins from the meager pile and slides them across the table to the Harrower with a sharp claw. "Thanks."
Eli wakes with a start and crouch/walks not-quite-silently toward the wall, getting his bearings and shaking off the residual effects of the booze. His red eyes gather clues in the darkened room as his large ears seek clues outside the room.
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Ri'el nods grimly at Garaveen's words. "She's close. I know that much...and I'm getting her back, no matter what."
Ri'el turns his attention to the rest of the room's occupants stir to their feet. He looks askance at the large tiefling, but deciding that this was not the time or place to be picky about allies, extends his hand to the tiefling as well. Seeing that the others are stirring to wakefulness, he speaks loudly to avoid having to repeat his name for each person in the room.
"Ri'el. It appears we've been abducted. To be sold, or to be forced to join the crew...which might as well be slavery. Either way, we're going to need to stick together if we want to get out of this situation."
Mantling and then re-seating her wings, Davina gives her customary slight bow, her accent thicker than last night, "Kurikami Davina, aa yuu aa aariitsu?"
Seeing the outstretched hand of the tanned man he firmly shakes it. Right you are, abducted is a good guess, to be sold as slaves.
As you come to your senses a bit more, you realize that you have been stripped of your gear. While the pirates were thorough, some of you still have a few small items. Your pouches are still with you, although emptied of money. Spell component pouches were left alone, but weapons, armor, and the rest have been taken.
You hear groans from the others brought in with you, and the halfling woman bursts out "Where the f**k are we, and who's the f**kin' ****heel that brought us here. When I catch the dungeater, I'll kick his ass up around his ears, so he can s*** and eat at the same time!"
Her voice steadying and becoming more understandable, "Did someone say being sold?! I will not suffer my sister's fate, I will perform sepuku before being enslaved as she was." Davina seems to be panicking at the thought.
Garavaen holds up a hand, "Let's not jump to conclusions. May be were only pressed to work on the ship... In which case, we might get treated as crew once we're far enough out from shore... Or it could be a horrible life of slavery, you'll and worse if the crew and captain are the depraved sort.. or something in between..."
He shrugs, "Really, being headed for the markets might be best as they'd not want to damage their cargo too badly before market."
Wakes up to the sound of jibber jabber her head aching. "Oh shutup, will you." she calls out hoping for the headache to stop.
As she tries to find her feet she realizes her coin purse and armour are missing along with her dagger. "Damn it, this doesn't look good. I've managed a few soups before but this seems different. What the hell. Is the room rocking? We're on board a ship. A real ship! This is amaz... Oh god I'm going to.... she makes her way to the corner of the room and hurls.
She takes a breath and then lets it go again. I hope that's all of it.... What's that taste. It's like cinnamon or something like that. Damn it. That's taggit. . It must have been in the drink last night." she says looking around suddenly aware of her company. This is an odd lot. she thinks to herself.
Poison! Quick thinking little one! That’s how the did it!
Jack says while looking at Arenya. If he doesn’t think she understands, he tries again.
Do you understand me now. So that’s the weird taste in my mouth.
Garavaen winces at the strange woman's pronouncement, "Poison? Kinda figured. Knew it couldn't have been magic.".
He checks his pouches again, disappointed, the asks, "Don't suppose anyone had a hidden weapon they didn't take while we slept? "
As you’re taking stock several pairs of footsteps sound and a door is thrown open from the top of the room and bright sunlight stabs down at you like spears.
Blinking away the afterimages, you see several men holding saps, led by a deeply tanned man with long dark hair tied back with a purple bandana, and a long, braided black beard wearing a full length, jack-tar coat. The man punctuates his entrance with the crack of the whip in his hand. “Still abed with the sun over the yardarm? Ye’ll have time ta take a caulk when the work be done! On your feet, ye filthy swabs! Get up Athwartship and report for duty before Cap’n Harrigan flays your flesh into sausage skins and has Fishguts fry ye up for breakfast! MOVE IT!!!
Davina replies to Garavaen, "That may be good for you, but I would imagine they are likely to sample me before then, at least as crew I may have some protection against that." When Jack speaks in abyssal, she seems to recognize the words but makes no response otherwise.
Hearing the instructions and not wanting to take chances on making her plight any worse, Davina quickly falls in and proceeds as instructed,
though she does give the man a hurt look as she does.
The goblin clutches at his head... feels only the silky smoothness of the bandana capping his oddly flat skull and gnashes his sharp teeth.
Though he doesn't like the nutty taste in his mouth, Eli isn't mad about being poisoned, not really. His missing gear seems to go along with being shanghai'd... so it's irritating but not entirely unexpected, so no foul there. But his missing hat, now THAT was a cruel insult that can't be overlooked.
Only a low-down bilge-rat steals a man's hat! Probably saw it was all magickal and now he's stealing my luck and destiny. Well, if it's lost, it's lost. And if it's stole... someone is gonna pay.
Eli blinks in the sudden light and looks at the men with saps... and debates eating the arm off one of them. Not seeing his hat, and armed with the Harrower's warning, Eli decides discretion is the best choice for the moment. Arm-eating could wait. He starts up the stairs without a word.
Outnumbered and unarmed, the deck stacked against him. Jack decides to keep his cool. So you’re the sneaky bastard responsible for this, I will keep my eyes on you. Jack thought to himself. Standing up Jack walks past the man with the black beard, up the stairs and into the daylight. Once he is on deck and his eyes are adjusted to the light Jack takes a good look around.
Garavaen eyes the man for a moment, feeling his anger and hated rise, mentally counting the number of men and assessing the combat skill of his fellow prisoners... He keys out a single bark of humorless laughter, You know things are bad when you're counting on a goblin to help you in a fight...
He steps forward and stats heading toward the deck, pausing to look at the man as he passes, saying grimly, "Not the game I agreed to play last night, is it?"
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Ri'el draws a deep breath as he inspects Thali's satchel.
"They took Thali AND Tarssaolox's iron eye. My most valued possession AND dearest friend... but at least the idiots left me my component pouch," he thinks to himself as he reaches into the satchel and fishes out his component pouch and retrieves from it two small vials of coloured sand. "I'm not defenceless."
Ri'el stares at the man at the entrance but is unable to make out anything noteworthy about him.
Noting their dire situation, however, he quickly realises that the halfling woman was likely to resist, and deciding that a common enemy would make her an easy friend, he bends down beside her whispers near her ear, "we'd best cooperate for now, miss. When the time for ass-kicking comes, I'll gladly join you. Heck, I'll work with you to see that time come. But we're at a disadvantage at the moment. We should play along for now, and see if we can't get some payback in time."
"I've got your back if you've got mine?"
Arenya flashes Jack an excited toothy smile being able to understand both tongues.
A pirate ship, A REAL PIRATE SHIP! she thinks to herself her mind racing. I think I've heard of Captain Harrigan. Oh, this is going to be amazing! Maybe one day I'll be the first mate, or even a pirate captian.
The crack of the whip brings her back from her day dream and giving the man with the whip a nod she calls out, "Yes sir, at once." and charges upstairs wondering what her new duties will be.
The halfling woman casts a glare at Ri'el that softens quickly. "Rosie Cusswell, let's go get this over with." With that, she starts up the stairs.
The others head up the stairs into the sunlight, and the men herd all of you onto the main deck.you settle in a line, and you’re all standing in a line along the midline of the ship, and hear several comments from the rest of the regular crew making jests as some of the others scramble to find “athwartship.” When you finally get a look around you notice, to your dismay, that sea stretches out in every direction, and the land mass that you think might be the Shackles is naught but a hazy smudge on the horizon.
You recognize several of the regular crew as some of the people at the Formidable Maid from the night before. The group of dozen or so regulars forms a semi-circle around the mainmast, looking up at the stern where two men stand.
One of them is a broad, muscular Garundi man with a shaven head, a long beard with several gold rings collecting its mass in front of his chin, and an eye patch. Clearly the captain of the ship. Standing beside him is a younger balding man with a long, black ponytail, wielding a well-used cat-o-nine-tails as if it were an extension of his hand.
The captain paces a bit on the aftc'sle. “Glad you could join us at last! I trust you enjoyed your nap? Welcome aboard the Wormwood. My thanks for volunteering to join my crew. I’m Barnabas Harrigan. That’s CAPTAIN Harrigan to you if you need to address me. Not that you’ll ever NEED to address me. I like talk, but I don’t like your talk. Follow that rule and we’ll get along fine.”
“Oh, and one more thing. Even with you new recruits, we’re still short-handed, and I aim keep what crew I have here. There’ll be a keelhaulin’ for anyone caught killin’ anyone. Mr. Plugg! If you’d be so kind as to make buckos of these bilgerats, it’ll save me having to put them in the sweatbox for a year, and a day before I make pies out of em.”
"Alright, ya landlubbers, time ta see if ye can cut it on this ship. It's a rigger we be needin' so ya better start climbin'. If I see any slackin', ye'll be gettin' lashes durin' the Bloody Hour. Now get ta climbin'!"
Mister Plugg points to the main mast, and the crow's nest stitting 60 feet above.
The goblin vaults onto the mast, catching it fast with his claws and grippy toes. He scampers up the first 30' quickly. Well out of range of the First Mate's cat-o'-nine-tails, and mindful of a fall at this height, Eli clambers up the rest of the way more cautiously. He perches on the edge of the crow's nest and glances down at the crew... hoping to spy some bastard wearing his hat.
Well, nothing to be done about it, guess I have to try and hope. Davina moves up and begins climbing quickly at first.
And upon falling, decides slow and steady is the preference here.
Mr Plugg watches Davina flounder trying to climb up the rigging, "Stop climbing! Watching you is causing me pain! I'm sure we can find *some* way for you to make yourself of use to the ship. The last is punctuated with a lascivious sneer.
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Ri'el looks up at the main mast and the crow's nest at the top.
"I have a spell to blitz this, but I won't be getting many opportunities to find Thali if I'm stuck up there... Still, I better make at least a token effort."
Round 1: 7.5ft
Round 2: fall - 0ft
Round 3: 7.5ft
Round 4: 15ft
Round 5: 15ft
Round 6: 22.5ft
With some sympathy, Eli watches the Angel-woman struggle with the climb.
Can't be easy to climb with wings that act like sails.
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"Well I suppose the goblin's your new rigger," Ri'el calls out as he sees the agile goblin swarming up the main mast.
Climbing back down:
Round 1: 15ft
Round 2: 7.5ft
Round 3: 7.5ft
Round 4: 0ft
Deciding that it would be prudent to secure a role that involved less back-breaking work, and hopefully more time to search for Thali, Ri'el decides to approach the first mate with an offer.
"Personally, my skills are more... mercurial in nature. If you need a good navigator or helmsmen, I have quite some skill at those roles. I have also some skill as a doctor and healer if you have need of one. Alternatively, if you provide me with some line and tackle, I also procure a steady supply of catches from the sea, as well as keep them fresh so the food rations last longer. And if the captain likes his fish fresh, I'm sure you'll be pleased to take credit for my appointment."
"Though you idiots had better not have included Thali as part of your intended food rations..." he thinks to himself.
Wincing at the implications from the man, she bows deeper to him than she did to anyone else so far, and follows the instructions, watching her compatriots do their climbing.
Garavaen shrugs, From up there, I might get a better view to try to figure out where we are, and count the crew... and makes his way to the rigging. About halfway up, he pauses for a moment to get a look around, They outnumber us, but if we had weapons and surprise, we could do well. The mate snarls below him and he sets himself back up to climbing, his arms starting to ache as he closes in on the nest, causing him to have to struggle mightily to pull himself into the basket.
Not wanting the job but also not wanting to draw attention to himself Jack starts to climb the rigging.
Dc 10 7,5
Dc 10 15
Dc 10 15
Dc 10 22,5
After about 20 feet Jack’s right foot steps in a present left by a seagull and he slips. He tries to land gracefully but instead hits the deck rather hard.
Taking the hit stoically he stands and starts to climb again.
Dc 10 7,5
Dc 10 15
Dc 10 22,5
Dc 10 30
A bit higher up Jack again slips and falls, hitting the deck in similar fashion as about half a minute ago.
This time he doesn't get up that easy. Holding his arm, his face showing signs of pain, he stands up and limps towards the rigging to start climbing again.
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Astein approaches the ropes and something odd happens as he begins to climb. His hair lengthens and whips about him gripping the ropes and helping to pull him up and climb. He loses his grip and pauses to recover a few times, but eventually makes it to the top (unless he didn't).
10'
10'
20'
30'
40'
40'
50'
50' (This could be a 50' fall, not sure what happens when you miss by exactly five. If so, doubt Astein will survive...)
60' (If he didn't fall he will succeed.)
Astein climbs most of the way up the rigging, before one of the ropes spins in his grasp and he plummets to the deck with a horrible thud, and lies there, unmoving. One of the other new crewmates, the pretty redhead, steps forward and lays a hand on him, and you see a warm glow spread from her hand to him.
Plugg looks on incredulously, "A more sorry lot of sailors I've never seen! Master Scourge, did you drink too heavily last night when you picked out this lot?" This comment is answered by a gale of laughter from the regular crew. "Alright, come on down, the only of yas what made it up there. The one in the hat is our new rigger. The rest of ye are now swabs. Scourge will see ta yer assignments. Plugg starts off, and then spins on his heels. "Wait a minute. He looks over everyone and spies out Astein, "Yer about bloody useless. Yer the new cook's assistant. Report ta Fishguts. The rest of ya, BACK TO WORK!"
The goblin climbs cautiously down to the deck.
Before they descend, Garavaen looks around from the nest, then sighs, "Good job, Goblin. Keep an eye out up here... you might see a way for us to all get out of here."
He starts down the rigging with a sigh, To think, yesterday looked like a good day...
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Astein thanks the redhead. Good to know there are some valiant souls on the ship. As Mr. Plugg yells at him, he hangs his head and walks to find the cook, "Aye, Mr. Plugg."
"I'm better at climbing than that, but Plugg shows his ignorance. Cook's mate is a great place to learn about a vessel and safer than most. I'd have fallen on purpose if I'd known this was the result. Maybe not from that high though...
The goblin looks around to make sure he is the one being addressed as 'goblin'. He says pleasantly, "That's a common mistake. I'm Mwangi and the name is Elias... You can call me Eli.".
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Ri'el scowls at Plugg's declaration, thoroughly non-plussed that his attempt to obtain an alternate role had been ignored.
"But if I can't look for Thali in the galley myself, maybe I can get the next-best thing."
With that thought in mind, Ri'el strides after Astein and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Ho there, friend. Whilst you're at the galley, perhaps you could do me a favour. If you see a little bird there with little star-like markings on her feathers, could you kindly inform me as soon as possible? She wouldn't provide much by way of food, but she is a precious friend to me, and I would be indebted if you could keep her from the butcher's block."
"まあ、少なくとも、それがで終わった"
Arenya seems visibly disappointed at not making an good impression on Mr. Plugg or the rest of the crew. "I'm a better climber than that. I should have tried to climb faster instead of being so cautious. I have to do better at my other duties."
She climbs down without much difficulty and eagerly awaits further instructions, not letting her first failure dampen her spirits too much. She looks around waiting for the person known as the "Scourge" to give her the next assignment.
As you all report to Master Scourge, you realize that he was the man that roused you this morning, and also the man at the Formidably Maid last night.
"Alright ya lubbers, now ye get yer first taste of what bein' a real sailor is like. Every mornin' ya need ta be on deck afore 8 bells for yer assignments. If yer late, ye get 3 lashes durin' Bloody Hour. Ye'll work durin' the day. If ye shirk yer duties, or do a poor job, ye get 3 lashes the first time, 6 for a second, 9 for a third. After that, we'll Keelhaul ya. Work hard and ye don't have ta worry about it. he walks in front of Eli, "Gobbo, you'll be on lookout today, up in the nest. The big red one (Jack) will be the runner today, He steps in front of Garavaen "Ye'll be swabbin' decks, going down the line he looks at Arenya "ye're our rat catcher for the day." He leers down at Davina, "You'll be on deck where we can see ya. Ye'll be running, too. He then steps in front of Ri'el, "So, a helmsman, a navigator? DON'T TELL US HOW TA RUN OUR BLOODY SHIP!! Report to the bilges for the day, maybe that'll teach ya to not lip off.
Then, almost as an afterthought he looks at Astein, "You report to the cook." He then gives assignments to the other new recruits.
Garavaen nods, Nothing I haven't done before, I suppose.., then sighs, committing himself to hours worth of scrub-work.