Davina steps forward to Master Scourge when everyone had been given assignments, "Reporting for duty sir, what am I to do first" She does not make eye contact with him, looking down, and adopts a submissive posture.
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Ri'el purses his lip as he mentally assesses his situation. "Looks like my desperation to find Thali has caused me to make a bad first impression... Well, hell if I care what this idiot thinks of me as long as I can find her, but I'd best do my task first... Bilge work... Won't be the first time I've done it, much as I hate it... I'll try to do it quick and head to the quartermaster's. If the fortune-teller doesn't find Thali in the galley, maybe the quartermaster will have her. If not, well, I'll see about retrieving Tarssalox's token whilst I'm there at least..."
With that thought in mind, Ri'el makes his way below deck down into the bilges and gets to the back-breaking work as quick as he can, his ability to see in the dark allowing him to work with both hands where most others would be using one to hoist a lantern or torch.
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Hmm...and whilst he's down there cleaning the bilges, Ri'el keeps an eye out for anything useful or of interest amidst the muck and whatever else he finds in the bilge.
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Eli debates correcting the 'Gobbo' comment but decides against it to avoid causing trouble for himself on the very first day... and, to be honest, it wasn't the first time he'd encountered ignorance. The gobbo throws an "Aye, aye." to Scourge, silently thanks his father for the hours of seamanship training, and hustles up to the crow's nest to begin his watch. Given the hard labor going on below, Eli watches the horizons carefully, determined to do a good job.
“It’s poison, this ship, but don’t let anyone hear you say it
aloud. The hull listens, see, and the cap’n hears it all. Poison
the Wormwood is, though, rotten to the core. You’ll not meet a
more nasty, sour piece of work than Cap’n Harrigan in all your
days at sea, and his crew’s the same, ’specially the first mate,
Mr. Plugg. Vicious little sod, he is. He’d take his own mother’s
liver to the butcher to make pies with, he would. But they
leave me alone, mostly. They know I can’t ’arm ’em.”
"I think shome friends of yours found a home here too." He points over towards the back corner of the room, and you see several birds, chickens mostly. From the bunch, a black cockerel comes and jumps up on Ambrose's shoulder. From in the back you also see Harrow, and a small Thrush. Ambrose chuckles a bit, "Made themshelvesh right at home they did. Don't you worry none about em, though, I lovesh birdsh.
You do make it to the shop as well. The quartermaster is a female 1/2 orc. Tarssalox's token is there, and the quartermaster will sell it to you for 5sp.
You also know that Thali is on the ship, and you get the impression quite safe and comfortable.
Son of a b+$%+, making me run after I fell twice, hurting my leg. Not wanting Scourge the satisfaction of seeing him hurt Jack finds a secluded spot to cast a healing spell on himself, making sure no one sees him.
The effects of the alcohol in his body wear him out sooner than expected. So Jack wills himself on. It takes all his strength but he manages to finish the day. Exhausted he finds his hammock to rest up for what will be another tough day tomorrow.
Daytime action Work Diligently
Nighttime action Sleep
Before falling asleep he cast another healing spell, in secrecy. before falling into a deep slumber.
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As Ri'el toils through the day, his spirits are lifted considerably as he notes the feelings of comfort from Thali through their empathic link. Comforted and energised by the fact that she was in no immediate danger, he finishes his work quickly, though he also takes a moment to go through the abandoned crates and stumbles upon a decent stash of equipment!
Washing off the equipment with a few castings of produce water, he finishes his work and heads off to find the quartermaster. When he finds her, he is dismayed to note that Thali was not with her, but comforted by the fact that he'd at least tracked down Tarssalox's token.
"Hmm...looks the quartermaster functions as a kind of 'shop' for the crew. And 5sp is a pittance for getting back Tarssalox's token. But as a new crew member, I'm probably not supposed to have any coin on me yet... and besides, I probably don't want to be seen for too long with all these maces."
"Greetings, quartermaster," Ri'el says courteously to the half-orc, "one of the crew gave me these maces to trade in with you. Well, I'm supposed to go half-sies with him on what I get for these. Seems he got into a little scrap with some novice priestesses and 'got the better of them', whatever he meant by that, but not before one of them cursed him with some some sort of ailment. Fortunately I was able to fix him up and deal with the worst of it. Some magically-conjured poison that needed to be drawn out carefully. Never mess with magic-using ladies, I always say. Well, never mess with ladies in general, but magic-using ladies in particular. Or, you know, ladies like yourself who could pound a person into the ground with ease."
As he spins his yarn, Ri'el flashes her his best smile, hoping that his faint celestial heritage would help convince the quartermaster that an "innocent, goody-two-shoes" like him could not possibly be lying.
"I thought this would be a bit more glamorous, but I suppose I'll have work my way up. Best to find more about this ship and see if we can make some friends. That Rossie Cusswell seems like she might be nice,"
Arenya get to work with the rats. It's not a pleasant job but she'll quick on her feet and moves silently dockside cat, managing the unpleasant task without too much troubl.e
Getting done with her task pretty quickly, she heads off to find Rossie Cusswell.
Garavaen did you want to explore or try to influence a crewmember? If you're trying to sneak around and take a look at the ship, you can check out one area during the day without a chance of detection, but you can't take 10 or 20 on the roll. During the night this changes, but that's noted on the ship actions. At that point it's going to depend on where you are trying to go.
Everyone, If you're trying to influence other shipmates, you can roll a diplomacy roll if you're being honest about wanting to influence them, or a bluff roll if you're trying to lie about wanting them to be friendly. I will have an extended list of NPCs attached to the ship actions document.
Arenya finds Rossie (and if she's at her tasks for the day offers to help her finish while they chat)
"Hi, I'm Arenya. You're Rossie, right? I hear you're talented musician. I'm more of a singer myself. she says with a beaming smile. "It's really nice to meet you. Perhaps we could perform for the crew together sometime.
Arenya continues chattering "You know I've always dreamed of being aboard a ship but I never got anyone to take me on, but Desmara be blessed her I am. Aboard a real pirate ship. Though they seem to be meaner than I expected. I suppose they're just trying to be tough on the new lot. I'm sure we'll get along very well quite soon. Have you been serving aboard the Wormwood very long? I suppose you know the crew pretty well. What are they like?"
After she's done with work and chatting with Rossie she reports to the Scourge/"I'm all done, sir. Cleared out those rats like an alley cat! Any other duties for the day, sir?"
Rosie looks up at Arenya when she starts to talk, "I just woke up in the same besmirched A$$hole of a room as you did. These bilgerats grabbed me last night, and if any of them think that I'm going roll over for them, they're going to get a hot poker rammed straight up their nethers." Throughout the conversation you get the impression that Rosie Cusswell is very aptly named, but the conversation becomes more easy and pleasant
Astein, you try to help, but soon realize that even drunk, Kroop is a much better cook that he lets on. You help some, but get the sense that if you are asked to help cook, it's Kroop's way of essentially giving you light duty. However, you also get the sense that if he were drunk to the point of insensibility, you would be hard pressed to do anything but cook the meal.
Kroop tells you that birds are free to go anywhere on the ship, since they're seen as a sign of good luck, except Albatrosses.
and chaotic kitchen holds two wooden worktables, several
wooden cupboards, and two small stoves against the port
wall, as well as virtually every cooking utensil imaginable
and a frightening array of meat cleavers. A score of
chickens and three goats wander freely throughout the
chamber; the goats are meant to be caged, but have a
distressing tendency to escape their bonds. The kitchen
is a madness of dirt, food, and knives, and finding
anything in here requires a Perception check. The stoves
are perpetually lit, and large cauldrons bubble away
atop them all times. A huge array of spices mingle with
barrels of rainwater, two tuns of rum, cupboards full of
ship’s biscuit and salted beef, barrels of sauerkraut, and a
small supply of fresh vegetables picked up in Port Peril.
Eli keeps a sharp eye on the horizon and another eye as well as a pair of ears on the rest of the rigging crew. He listens to their banter and how they interact, trying to figure out how things work among his crew within a crew, where the friction points are, who is most approachable, who (if anyone) is 'in charge', who is giving the 'new guy' the stink eye, etc. He also watches for any mis-step among the riggers that could lead to an accident. Working 60' off a swaying deck with swinging masts and pitching canvas was dangerous. Keeping each other safe was a priority drummed into Eli's head from his youth.
After several hours of watching and listening... Eli finds a faint point of connection with one of the other riggers. When she is nearby and seems to be between tasks, he calls out quietly to the woman they all call 'Barefoot Samms'. He gives her his best smile, trying to hide his teeth as much as possible. Then he sticks one of his perennially bare feet over the lip of the nest, wiggles his toes, and gives her a thumbs-up on her own lack of shoes. "I'm Eli. They call you 'Barefoot' cuz you don't ever wear shoes, right? Me neither! Can't stand the stinking things and they're damn dangerous up here." He looks out at the wide ocean, "But you can't beat the view, eh?"
With the rest of your small group working diligently, you continue to work until the ship's clock chimes it's bell, indicating the end of the work day, and the beginning of "Bloody Hour." Mr. Plugg and Master Scourge drag a man in irons up from belowdecks and lash him to a rope that has been strung under the ship from side to side. Mr. Plugg turns to the crew and announces, "Jakes Magpie was found guilty of tryin' ta steal from the Quartermaster's store last night. Tryin' ta use the cover of our new recruit's entrance on board as cover. Grok caught him tryin' ta grab hisself some new weapons. The punishment for stealin' from the quartermaster is keelhaulin'." He lifts Jakes' head up to meet his gaze. "Besmara have mercy on yer soul." He rips the shirt off of Jakes' back and then looks at his cronies, Kipper and Patch Patchsalt and yells "Heave!!" The duo pull hard on the rope, and Jakes is pulled over the port side of the ship, and the two continue to pull at a swift, but leisurely pace. The rest of the regular crew crowds along the starboard side, looking over the side. After a little over a minute, what remains of Jakes Magpie makes it up the side and back onto the deck. The barnacles that coat the ships hull have ripped the man to shreds, and bloody scraps of skin hang from the flayed remains.
Shortly after, Plugg's cronies throw the remains overboard for the sharks.
Arenya watches in horror and the Jake so cruely taken from this world.
Eli watches the keelhauling as well the crew's and commanders' reactions. He had heard of the punishment, of course, but he'd never fully imagined the results. His curiosity gets the better of him as he sidles in to view the body more closely... and really wishes he hadn't.
Don't get caught on a keelhauling offense. Right, good lesson there.
Garavaen winces at the terrible punishment, then catches the expression on Plugg's face and has to bite back a growl. Sadistic motherless bastard actually enjoyed that little show... I just hope he doesn't love it enough to invent reasons to repeat it..
With a mounting sense of dread at what is coming, That poor man! Davina gasps as they throw the man over and quickly rushes to the side of the ship to retch over the side at the gruesome sight when they haul his remains back up.
She doesn't eat much due to a lack of appetite and sits with something of a horror filled look on her face most of the evening. When people begin playing games and such, she will start to come out of her funk and begins to observe the crew and how they interact. She also makes sure to stay close to the others she was conscripted with since she hopes there are safety in numbers.
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Cheered by the retrieval of Tarssalox's icon, he thanks Grok with a smile and manages to genuinely bid her a good day as he leaves to search for Thali, though it isn't long before he is called to deck by the ship's clock.
Up on deck, Ri’el grimly observes the keelhauling, a punishment he’d witnessed a few times before, but each time once too many.
He winces as he notes the extent to which the man's body had been savaged. "A sorry fate, and not one I'd like to see meted out regularly, least of all to myself. This is definitely a dangerous place, and I'll need to step carefully if I want to make it off alive..."
As soon as he gets the opportunity, Ri'el immediately looks for Astein, and upon seeing a very familiar avian on his shoulder, rushes him so quickly the Varisian almost thinks he's about to be tackled. Instead, the aasimar stops just short, his face beaming and his eyes moist with joy and relief. He extends a hand, and the thrush hops onto it as Ri’el gently places her into what appears to be a specially-prepared satchel for her accommodation. He gives Astein a genuinely warm handshake and smile of gratitude.
"Thank you, friend. I am indebted to you." As he says so, he tries to think of how he might be able to repay the Varisian...
Arenya watches Ri'el thinking, "He is so happy to be reunited with his thrush. Its odd life. How happiness can exist during even the most miserable times. The rest of the crew don't seem too happy about I think it's wonderful. A life of adventure is just beginning. Though Pugg and the Scourge could be nicer, they don't have to be so horrid.
Shortly after "Bloody Hour", Cut-Throat Grok, the Quartermaster comes out with a small barrel, and starts to serve up the rum ration for everyone. Scourge walks over to the where all you new recruits have sort of sequestered yourselves. [b]"All of ya, get in line fer your rum ration, an make sure ya drink it. Anyone that spills theirs gets 6 lashes. If yer caught tryin ta sell yours? Six lashes. So please, do me a favor and spill yours, it'll give us all a bit of entertainment for tomorrow's Bloody Hour."[b] He chuckles to himself as if he just made a grand joke, and then leaves, letting his gaze linger hungrily on Sandara, Arenya and Davina.
Eli can't understand the point of getting lashed for spilling, selling, or (presumably) refusing a ration of rum. Nevertheless, he lines up, gets his drink and drinks it.
Garavaen takes the rum and drains it with a shrug.
Taking a whiff of the rum and blanching at it's strong odor, Davina finally decides to get it over with and quickly tries to drink her ration.
She runs to the side and barely manages to keep the ration down. Looking rather sickly, and not walking very well, she makes her way to the access way, and makes her way down to go to sleep.
Garavaen finds some crewmen to their dice with, hoping to coax some coin... Or favours... From them.
After that, he gets back to get some sleep, Need to try to schedule a time where we can share information if we want to get away from these sadistic freaks...
Having had little luck striking up a conversation with a human rigger, Eli opts to try a different tack - hopefully against a less-stiff wind. He sidles over to the Quartermaster, the greenish woman probably carrying orc blood which might make her friendly to another greenskin. He gives her a friendly non-human smile. "Hiya, Chief. I hear you're the one to talk to about gettin' things on-board. Big job that, means you're important." He whistles appreciatively at his conclusion, "I don't mean to take up your free time, Chief, but 'afore I came aboard, I had a nice hat that's come up missing - leather, three-corners. Have you maybe seen it in your duties?"
Arenya drinks her the beverage. She isn't used to this sort of drink and very quickly feeling confident and relaxed unaware of the full impact of rum. She walks up to the Eli and Quartermaster and interjects in the conversation realising what Eli is trying to do and attempts to help him. "That was a nice hat. It really suited you. Though Eli I would be careful of not getting on the Quartermaster's bad side. The tales I've heard about the battles she's been in and how terrifying she is. When ships see wormwood approaching the crew yells out oh no, not Captain Harrigan and Grok she'll split us in two and feed us to the sharks." she adds very obviously trying to flatter the warrior.
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Astein, you try to help, but soon realize that even drunk, Kroop is a much better cook that he lets on. You help some, but get the sense that if you are asked to help cook, it's Kroop's way of essentially giving you light duty. However, you also get the sense that if he were drunk to the point of insensibility, you would be hard pressed to do anything but cook the meal.
Kroop tells you that birds are free to go anywhere on the ship, since they're seen as a sign of good luck, except Albatrosses.
Grok turns quickly, and a little wobbily, feeling the effects of the rum when Eli speaks and looks confused for a moment before looking down and giving a very toothy grin, "Could be that the hat's made it in with the rest of the booty, in which case it all belongs to the captain, now.[/b] She grins broader at Arenya's words, and looks back down at Eli, "You're cute. So, Grok let you and friends come after hours, and buy things, an maybe get them back. Grok make deal for cute green skin. Shhh..... She then gives Eli a smile and shoulder nudge, that damn near knocks him over.
As the day wends into night, you all head back to the lower deck, where the hammocks are hung at night. You and the other new conscripts are given a spot towards the stern of the ship, each with your own footlocker that's equipped with a simple lock. As you are getting ready to settle down for the evening, Sandara sits up from her hammock and looks around to make sure you have a modicum of privacy.
"It looks like we're all in the same pickle here, and it looks like Scourge has it out for you all, worse than me even. I couldn't get much but I convinced Grok to part with a few things of yours. With that she reaches into her footlocker and pulls out Garavaen's crossbow and bolts, Astein's Harrow Deck, and Jack's Holy Symbol. "It's not much, but hopefully it will help you out. We should work together, on a pirate ship, it's often about who your friends are that can help you more than what you know. I just thought you'd sleep better knowing that there's someone around that can back ya."
From nearby, Rosie pipes up, Would ya f**kall shut the blazes up? Lamashtu's tit yer keepin' me awake. If it'll make all of ya shut the hell up and sleep, I'll have yer back too. Despite her demeanor you do see that Rosie is sporting a bit of a smile as she rolls over and pulls her blanket up.
"We're all in this same mess together huh. I know you're here against your will but if you think about it this could be an amazing adventure. Who knows what we can accomplish together! I'm sure if we put our talents together we will make a great crew and even become officers soon. Who knows, maybe even captain one day." she says as she begins to sing a song about pirate adventures, treasures and infamy, starting to drift off into dreamland. She's quite happy to be part of this gang. "I have a good feeling about this lot."
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"Indeed, Miss Sandara. We are in a rather complicated situation, and I would be glad to be able to regard you all as my tribesmen. You can, all of you, count on my aid if you need it as well.
"I'd have a care too, if I were you, Miss Sandara, and Misses Davina and Arenya as well. That Scourge fellow is thoroughly disagreeable, and he seems to have taken some unhealthy interest in you ladies. Be especially careful around him, and try to keep out of his way. Anything happens, let the rest of us know soon and best as you can, and we'll see if we can't come running to help.
"Though you, Miss Sandara, seem quite capable yourself. I saw what you did for Astein when he fell. You are certainly not just a pretty face," Ri'el whispers as he gives Sandara his best smile (a smile that is also sincere in light of his retrieval of Thali and Tarssalox's token). "What's your story? How did you learn to do that, and what brought you to the shackles?"
Garavaen reaches down reverently and lifts the crossbow, feeling the familiar, reassuring weight... Before reluctantly placing it back, "Now isn't the time to start that particular fight.. We need to learn more so we can make sure all the shots count.. "
He looks Sandara in the eye, his stoic mask completely gone for the moment and says, " Thank you. It's good to know that we have someone who'll stand with us when the shooting starts.".
Never thought I'd be making friends in a hold after running afoul of a press-gang... Especially not attractive female friends, at that..
He gives her shoulder a squeeze then smiles and jerks his head toward Rosie, adding dryly, "As long as they're all caught up on their beauty rest, at least. "
Eli blinks in surprise at his success. He gives Arenya a brief yowza look then lays a huge and genuine smile on the half-orc. Having been hip-checked by the quartermaster, he steps closer, leans in, looking up at her with his red eyes, and braces himself for another side-smash. "Did I mention I like women tall and dangerous... and green, well, what's not to like there?"
Eli swings comfortably in his hammock, listening. "'Afore you sleep Miss Rosie, you'll want to know that Conchobar, the gnome rigger, was eyeing you often from the masts. He talks up anyone that's worn a dress... but it seems his eyes have fallen on you."
To the others, he adds the other scraps of information he's divined. "Narwhal Nate the dwarf with the..." he makes a gesture indicating a huge nose, "and Slippery Syl are thick as thieves with Scourge." He shrugs at that, "Worse thing I've seen is that Plugg enjoyed keelhauling that fella to death. That ain't good... and that fella was properly chewed up. Best to avoid anything that will draw you that punishment."
He looks at Arenya and then adds, slightly embarrassed. "Lovely Grok, the quartermaster, might be taking a bit of a shine to me. She's uh... expressed a willingness to open her shop after hours for my friends and me." He pulls off his red silk bandana and wipes his face with it, then puts it back on his oblate skull. Seeing it off his head, you realise it is oddly shaped with multiple openings. It takes a moment, but it becomes clear that the 'bandana' is actually a pair of discarded women's panties... rather scandalous ones.