GM Turmoil's Slave Ships of Absalom (Inactive)

Game Master ckelley83

Hervey doesn't have a lot of experience on ships. He is a mite apprehensive.

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

He whispers to his comrades: "I think the name of this boat used to be the At Sea and they just painted some extra letters to make it the Kat Season."

climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (19) - 2 = 17

He climbs the rope and observes what's happening on deck.

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25 Darkvision 60'

Tenibri finds the low-light of an Absalom night to be no challenge to his wayang eyes. "Hervey's right; that's definitely a paint-over. This is the At Sea for sure. Also, look at those yellow sails on deck."

Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

"Aren't yellow sails the trademark of Okeno pirates? I'm sure they are; they're not barred from Absalom's harbor."

Before climbing the rope ladder, Tenibri withdraws a scroll from his bag, reading the arcane words therein. Casting Monkeyfish for a +10 bonus to Climb and Swim. He then follows Hervey up.

Climb, Monkeyfish: 1d20 - 2 + 10 ⇒ (7) - 2 + 10 = 15

Milos strained to make out details in the darkness.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

He carefully got up and climbed up the ladder after Tenibri.

climb: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 extra +1 from enhanced strength (resonant power)

Unfortunately, he lost his grip and fell into the water.

Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14

Struggling in his bulky armor, he couldn't quite swim back to the ladder.

The main deck of the At Sea has two 10-foot-square wood grates that access the hold below. Two doors access the forecastle’s cabin, and a ladder leads up to the forecastle’s deck. The helm is positioned on the raised quarterdeck at the stern, accessible by short staircases on both sides. A surly half-orc with a strong Katapashi accent approaches Hervey and Tenibri as the climb onto the deck, while a pair of gnolls are busy about the deck. "'Bout damned time. Was s'possed to be here 2 hours ago! I'm the First Mate, Curtzog, and Cap'n will have my arse if we don't git our cargo a'shore on the double."

Map is up

Orgrim nods politely at the harbormaster's words while he rows "Are there especially threacherous waters or rocks that this place is called the Ship's Graveyard?"

As the small boat approaches the large ship, Orgrim looks upon the ship with wide eyes, having only encountered smaller vessels in his life so far. His eyes glaze over the ship without taking in any details.
perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0

He grimaces at Tenibri's words "Pirates, yet they are not barred from Absalom's harbor? Still, as long as they operate within the boundaries of the laws of this land then I suppose they have to be tolerated."

When Milos falls into the water and has trouble swimming over, Orgrim climbs the rope ladder and extends a hand to Milos to help him up.
climb: 1d20 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 - 4 = 20
aid another: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5 Of course

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
"I'll need some help to get up as well!" Kelumur yells to Orgrim, as he notes his friend fall to sea. Not confident in his own sea abilities, Kelumur grabs a rope and ties it to himself and the small ship, just in case, so he would not fall very far if he does.

climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (10) - 2 = 8

As Kelumur attempts to get himself up, Kelumur slips...

Unless someone aids another me?

Tenibri starts to look back as he hears Milos splash into the water, but the First Mate commands his attention instead.

Knowledge (eng), untrained DC 10 max: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

"Well met, Curtzog. I'm Tenibri and this is my colleague Hervey. We apologize for the delay, but we're training some new staff today and the whole harbor's schedule is running behind. We are a training crew, so we'll have a couple of extra hands with us today." He motions to the rope ladder over the gunwale, which still twitches with the weight of additional climbers. Thinking that someone should have come up by now, he asks Hervey, "Can you see if everything is okay down there?"

He returns his attention to the mate. I'll just get this out of the way; with trainees along and extra attention for the training, this is going to take longer than usual. Our apologies, but this has to be done right. It's all in support of better efficiencies in the future; I'm sure you understand."

He steps up close to the mate, and whispers this last a little conspiratorially. "We're not supposed to let you know this, but the harbor chief is authorizing reduced slip fees if you make a stink when you berth. So, you know, make some noise when you get in and this'll all be worth your while."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Milos redoubled his efforts to swim over and reach the ladder.

Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

With a burst of strength he grabbed the ladder and tried to climb up.

Should I wait till next round to climb? If I climb this round:

climb: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

The effort was too much and he fell back into the water again. How can anyone climb these ladders?, he thought, starting to panic a bit.

@ Ogrim: You can read the spoiler directed at Hervey and Tenibri above as well.
@ Tenibri: I'm going to rule that based on what you said, that should be a Bluff check. I'll take the same roll and it looks like you have a +2 on Bluff.

Unsure of his ability to climb with his cumbersome armor, and certainly uncomfortable with the open sea around him, Untir lets the rest of the party ascend first before he does so.

Untir will let the rest ascend first, including Milos.

With some trepidation, Untir starts to ascend. Almost immediately, his foot slip on a sliperry rung, nearly plunging him into the ink-blank sea below. He grabs hold of a rung in time to stop his fall. Taking a short breather, he tries again and this time, ascends without incident.
climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (8) - 2 = 6 Whew! Almost fell! I assume Untir can try again so long as he doesn't fall into the water
climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (17) - 2 = 15

I guess it's every man for himself. Kelumur grunts and mumbles under his breath as he is unable to pull himself up the ladder. Hearind another splash, he turns his head to see his ally fall again and decides to take a pause to help him out. He throws over a rope in Milos direction. "Grab hold Milos!"

Not sure if allowed but...

aid another strength? Milos: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (6) - 3 = 3
However Kelumur's rope goes nowhere near Milos.
aid another Milos: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (16) - 3 = 13
He attempts again, and the rope looks to be at least within Milos vicinity.

I'll hang back till Milos gets back up.

Milos struggled to reach the ladder again.

Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

Grabbing hold again, he tried to climb a third time.

Climb: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

The third time was not a charm, and he fell yet again.

Haven't rolled higher than a 4 to climb!

Lol.

Kelumur puts his palm on his face a and sighs as he witnesses Milos fall one more time. This is why I prefer working alone... He continues to chuck rope into the sea to help Milos out.

GM, what are the rules on aiding another at this point?

With the help of the rope, Kelumur is able to keep Milos from floating away and tied to the ladder. It takes a few rounds but eventually they both make their way up the ladder.

At this point, I'm going to say that Hervey, Tenibri and Ogrim are up on the deck. Untir is right about to climb onboard while Kelumur and Milos are still working through their struggles. I wanted to give Hervey and Ogrim a chance to interact with the First Mate before I continued.

Orgrim looks over the side of the ship where Milos is struggling to climb up, but as he sees Kelemur helping him he turns his attention back to the first mate and sizes up the situation and surroundings quickly.

knowledge engineering, untrained: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (10) - 1 = 9

Upon hearing Tenibri's words, Orgrim inwardly groans as he is not comfortable lying, but quickly improvises while choosing his words carefully to avoid falsehoods.

"Good day sir! This is my first time onboard such a large vessel! As part of the inspection and navigation procedures, especially for new persons such as myself, it is customary that we meet the captain to introduce ourselves. Could you kindly lead us to your captain?"

diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Sorry for the delay. I have modem issues which I will hopefully get resolved tomorrow. In the meantime feel free to bot me.

Hervey mentions, "It looks like our new trainees are having some trouble getting up the side." He rolls his eyes at the first mate, giving him a You know how it is with new guys look.

diplomacy aid another: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

"Before we meet your captain, is there anything you can tell us about your cargo?"

Kelumur eventually makes his way up, after some struggles, arriving with Milos he gives a lost look as to what is currently happening. "Can anyone fill me in?" He whispers in audible range of the pathfinders but out of others.

Soaking wet, Milos climbed up right after Kelumur. He looked around to assess the situation.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Mostly, his assessment was that he looked like an amateur.

Curtzog eyes the group suspiciously, but can tell from their actions that some of them are obviously quite green behind the ears. "Eh, Cap'ns busy right now. Our cargo is our own, not yours, so don't you worry 'bout it. Jus' get us docked on the double." He strides over and shouts some orders to the gnoll deckhands fussing with some ropes.

So you've all made it on deck without issue at this point. It's up to you what you would like to try to do, but since they are expecting you to start piloting the boat, anything out of the ordinary may require a Bluff check.

Milos talked to the others in a low voice: "If this is really the At Sea, then, as I understand it, we are within our rights to seize the ship and collect the bounty."

I'm assuming that the crew aren't close to us at this point

Orgrim looks around to try and identify the captain's cabin skill check required?

"Now look here sir. I understand that the Captain may be busy, and we have no need to disturb your cargo. Just kindly point us to where your captain is so we can get out of your hair, quickly introduce ourselves to the captain, then get on with the matter at hand?"

diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Let me know if I need to roll for bluff instead?

Untir whispers back to Milos. "We would likely need stronger proof than that bad paint job, though, to show this ship is really At Sea."

He then speaks up after Orgrim. "Yes, it would be most discourteous not to at least make acquaintance with the captain. Especially to introduce the new ones."

diplomacy, aid: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

"I don't think it's just coincidence that 'Kat' is 'at' with a K at the beginning, and 'Season' is 'Sea' with s-o-n added at the end, " Milos replied. "Hervey, Tenebri - you said you thought there were extra letters added. Is that right?"

Tenibri matches his voice to the others, keeping it low so as to not be heard. "I think Milos is right; it's an obvious modification, and that should be good enough to prove our case, but we're on their ship right now. These are Okeno Slavers; they're not going to just give up to us. We need something harder, or we need to physically take control of this ship."

He looks up to survey the ship and see what attention they are or aren't drawing. If he catches anyone's eye he gives a slight nod of the head to indicate that that they'll be on their way shortly.

Are there other crew on deck, or just the Mate Orgrim's twin and the 2 gnolls?

"I'd like to find that Pathfinder. I know it's not our mission, but they could be helpful if something goes down."

I prefer while we have the advantage of being out in sea, away from authorities, we take this ship down forcefully. Kelumur makes his intentions very clear that he will not go easy on slavers.

"It's been made very clear that we need to capture this ship before it gets into port," Milos replied. "Who's with me?"

Kelumur gives a soft but heftful "Aye." Giving a large grin as he is about to draw his daggers.

1d20 ⇒ 13

Curtzog turns and looks at the party as they again ask to see the Captain. "Nobody's ever been this chatty before when coming to dock us. What in hells is going on here.." he starts to walk towards the whispering party and notices Kelumur's hands inching towards his daggers.

Round 1

Untir
Kelumur
======================
Curtzog
======================
Milos
======================
Blue
Green
======================
Hervey
Tenibri
Ogrim

Untir's sees Kelemur reaching for his blade. Guess this means battle then!

Untir raises his arms and implore his tribal ancestors to manifest their power and bless his comrades. A wave of divine energy sweeps through the party.

cast bless: +1 attack, +1 saving throw vs fear

Kelumur draws his daggers and charges towards the spear wielding warrior, as he spoils the jig. He grunts, loudly as he hopes everyone will follow his lead.

dagger,twf,bless,charge: 1d20 + 5 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 5 - 2 + 1 + 2 = 26
dmg,sneak: 1d4 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + (4) = 8
crit,dagger,twf,bless,charge: 1d20 + 5 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 5 - 2 + 1 + 2 = 12
dmg: 1d4 ⇒ 1

Untir calls on his family's spirits to watch over the party while Kelumur rushes forward and thrusts a dagger into one of the gnoll deckhands, leaving blood squirting from a gash between the ribs. Curtzog draws a massive blade of his own and brings it down hard on Kelumur's shoulder, just missing his neck. "I knew somethin' be wrong with the lot of ye'. You'll regret this!"

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 252d6 + 4 ⇒ (4, 3) + 4 = 11
Confirm: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 92d6 + 4 ⇒ (3, 4) + 4 = 11

Round 1
Active spells: Bless

Untir
Kelumur (-11)
======================
Curtzog
======================
Milos
======================
Blue (-8)
Green
======================
Hervey
Tenibri
Ogrim

Milos moved to flank Curtzog. "You'll pay for that!", he snarled as he thrust the long spike on the end of his polearm at the villain who injured his teammate. He stumbled at the last moment and the attack went wide.

Attack: Lucerne Hammer, Bless, Flank: 1d20 + 5 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 1 + 2 = 9
Damage: 1d12 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

Sorry about the long delay. Time to get this rolling again.

Milos flails wildly about with his polearm, and almost gets the spike stuck in the wood of the deck. Both of the gnolls pull out spears and stab at the Pathfinders, but the rocking of the boat keeps them from hitting. Milos gets an AoO on green

Blue: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 141d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Green: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 111d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Round 1
Active spells: Bless

Untir
Kelumur (-11)
======================
Curtzog
======================
Milos (can take an AoO)
======================
Blue (-8)
Green
======================
Hervey
Tenibri
Ogrim

Milos swung his polearm around quickly as the gnoll moved towards his leader.

Lucerne Hammer,Bless: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 5 + 1 = 13
Damage: 1d12 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

As the gnoll with the green sash moved in to stab at Milos, the occultist swung his hammer down, just grazing the gnoll as he dodged to the side.

Tenibri focuses his arcane power, using it to summon help to assist his allies. "Alvoki Monstron!" he invokes, waving his arms in a pattern to open a shimmering portal near one of the gnolls; an eagle--shimmering in the same glittery pattern as the portal--appears and swoops down at the foe.

Spending 1 arcane reservoir point to use Conjurer's Focus (standard action).

Summon Monster I to summon a Celestial Eagle

The eagle, immediately focused on the beast in front of it, puts everything it has into an all out attack.

Bite, flanking: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 3 + 2 = 24
Damage, smite evil: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Talon, flanking: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 3 + 2 = 16
Damage, smite evil: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Talon, flanking: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 3 + 2 = 11
Damage, smite evil: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Wounded, Kelumur holds himself firm, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

I'll delay to see if anyone gets into a position I can take flanking advantage. If not I'll just be the last to act before the enemy.

Wounded, Kelumur holds himself firm, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

I'll delay to see if anyone gets into a position I can take flanking advantage. If not I'll just be the last to act before the enemy.

You have flanking from both Milos and the eagle, so whichever target you want. Milos' lucerne hammer has reach.

Orgrim, alarmed that the situation has descended into chaos, springs into action, drawing his warhammer and charging at Curtzog.

attack: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 4 + 2 = 21
hammer: 2d6 + 9 ⇒ (4, 6) + 9 = 19

"We must be quick, before reinforcements arrive!"

Oh yes i do! On mobile earlier so my eyes played tricks on me.

Upon hearing Oigrim's words, Kelumur uses both daggers to strike down the enemy, quick and hard. Trying to pin weaknesses as he does so.

dagger,twf,bless,flank: 1d20 + 5 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 5 - 2 + 1 + 2 = 14
dmg,sneak: 1d4 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + (1) = 5
dagger,twf,bless,flank: 1d20 + 5 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 5 - 2 + 1 + 2 = 7
dmg,sneak: 1d4 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + (4) = 7

Seeing the heavy wounds that Kelumur has taken and realising that the next hit would take him down, Untir calls upon his ancestor spirits residing in him once again, but this time for their healing power to wash over his allies.

channel: 1d6 ⇒ 4 Selective Channel: exclude 3, i.e. all 3 enemies.

Then, much as he knows he is ineffective in close combat, Untir moves closer to Kelumur, getting ready to draw his wand in case he needs more healing later.

Don't forget the bless! +1 to attack.

Welcome back GM!

Hervey, seeing the discussion quickly degrade into combat, manifests his lashes.

Full round action.

Curtzog Reflex: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14 Falling Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Ogrim Reflex: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 Falling Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Hervey calls on his ethereal lashes to appear, while Tenibri summons an eagle out of thin air. The eagle tears at the gnoll deckhand with beak and claw, and he falls to the deck a bloodied mess. Ogrim charges at Curtzog, but just before he can land a devastating hammer blow, the flimsy wooden deck grates give way under the combined weight of the two. Neither one of them anticipates the collapse and both fall 10 feet to the deck below. Untir then heals the party's wounds with divine power.

@Kelumur: Go ahead and give me an alternate action since your attack no longer has a valid target. I'll retcon Curtzog if needed at all.

Down below, Ogrim sees that the hold of the At Sea has been outfitted to allow for easy access from above and a mixture of live and boxed cargo. Iron rings attached to the inside of the hull on both sides provide anchor points for manacles, and four slaves are chained to the starboard's side rings. Three of the slaves are humans, and the other is a gnome with a gag in her mouth. Along the port side, iron cages have been bolted to the floorboards and hull. A scraggly half-elf is bending over one of the cages to open it. A squat, powerful, and vaguely canine beast covered with weeping sores lies within. Barrels of potable water and crates filled with dried carnivore feed are packed into several sections of the hold. There are two doors toward the stern. As soon as the two half-orcs come crashing down, the gagged gnome looks up and startsa muffled shout while straining on the manacles. Curtzog stands up while swearing, and unable to find his sword draws a heavy mace. He swings at the paladin but misses, woozy from the fall.

Curtzog: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 111d8 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Round 2
Active spells: Bless

Untir
Kelumur (-7)
======================
Curtzog (-3)
======================
Milos
======================
Blue
Green
======================
Hervey
Tenibri
======================
Orange
Purple
======================
Ogrim (prone)

Milos heard the sound of cracking wood, followed by a crash below as the section of the deck on his right gave way. I need to watch my footing, he noted nervously to himself. He stepped back carefully and swung the blunt end of his weapon at the gnoll in front of him.

5ft step back, Attack

Lucerne Hammer, Bless: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 5 + 1 = 19
Damage: 1d12 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

I don't recall where Curtzog was standing but with my low health I would not risk any action that would enable a AoO. To make it simple, Kelumur would delay until after green.

Kelumur holds his ground, waiting to see what the enemy does next.

@ Kelumur: You did get healed so you aren't as bad as before. Curtzog is now on the deck below you with only Ogrim so he is of no threat to you at this point. But I'll just delay you down a bit and you can figure it out.

Kelumur stands in shock as the deck collapses in front of him, taking his foe with it. Milos uses the opportunity to strike the distracted gnoll deckhand, smashing its skull in with his long hammer.

Round 2
Active spells: Bless

Untir
======================
Curtzog (-3)
======================
Milos
======================
Blue
Green
======================
Kelumur (-7)
Hervey
Tenibri
======================
Orange
Purple
======================
Ogrim (prone)

The eagle, leaving a shimmering trail behind it, swoops through the opening in the deck, immediately cutting back under the deck to come at Curtzog from behind, biting at the slaver.

Bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 3

Tenibri takes a 5' step to the side to improve his view into the interior of the ship. He motions his arms as he pronounces "graso" in a firm voice, causing a patch of grease to appear underneath his enemies.

Casting Grease: Reflex DC 16 or fall, Acrobatics DC 10 to move through at 1/2 speed or can't move.