"Chum...urr...I..am with Satin...ur yee-ooo," Chumtooth replies. He runs the ball ofbhisnown thumb across the barbed point of his harpoon, holding it at an angle so that anyone else who wishes to use it can reach it.
He shows his bleeding hand to the group, waiting for them to respond.
Dantes considers for a moment, then draws his hand lightly across the blade of the axe at his belt as he speaks.
"We should plan some, and bide our time. Plugg may be on his guard with the change over having just happened. And we should continue to win over the crew members. I don't think we should clue them in to our intent, but if they are forced to pick sides in a skirmish, I don't want any doubt as to who they would side with."
"They need us at least until we reach this Rickety Hake," Bangkha says softly. "We should keep sharp, wait for the right moment to do what needs to be done."
"Personally speaking, it's probably too late to influence anyone else onto our side - seems pretty likely that's there's two kinds of people here on this boat. Those who like us, and those who hate us. And those that hate us hate Plugg less, and will probably side with him if he decides he's had enough of us and wants to toss us off this ship. He probably hasn't already because he doesn't want to slow the trip to this squib port down any."
Alwen lazes about and gives Satinder a look. "Though, if I'm going to follow you into what might be my death, I have conditions. First, I want to work the crow's nest as my personal job from now until the end of this crew. Second, I want a private room for myself. And third, I want a honey glazed sweet. Promise me all that, and I'll be glad to work under you."
Satinder looks around the room, and nods as the others now also have two slices across their palm.
"I will vow to each and every one of you now, that if we manage to take this ship, none of you will ever again work against your will. We will work and maintain the ship together, and create our own fortunes, should you wish it so."
She looks intensely at Alwen, trying to get a feel of the full-elf.
"You will get your three wishes Alwen, including something sweet glazed in honey. I will give everyone who fights with us when that time comes 3 wishes, just like Alwen here got..." she says with a gleeful smile at him.
".. and a solemn promise that I will do my best to make that wish come true."
She licks the wounds in her hand, and with the warm blood on her tongue and on her lips, goes "Calistria, hear me now, I declare vengeance upon Plugg. He will die by my hand and by my blade. Guide my hand and show the world what a woman scorned can do!!"
"Really, now? All three of my wishes?" Alwen comments, grinning at Satinder. "Well, doesn't that make you sweet? I'll look forward to that - until then, I suppose best to wait for the opportunity to present itsel to take action," He says, heading to sleep for the night.
Chumtooth licks his wound as well, and draws back his lips to show his teeth.
"Plugg will die. Scourge will die. Those who fight for them will die. Chumtoo...I...make this oath. Chu...I..will fight for those who fight forrr...me?...me, and..I..will share food and plunder with those who fight for me...as well," the kuru states solemnly, despite his clumsy use of the common tongue.
He looks to Satinder. "You offer three boons?" He looks at the woman speculatively. "You will receive boons in kind, when... I claims them."
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Sandara takes a draw from her pipe and then speaks calmly and evenly. "We must be careful. Plugg has eyes and ears everywhere. If he catches wind of our plan, he'll see us hanged from the yardarm before the sun clears the horizon whether or not it slows his progress."
"I'm with ya," Rosie proclaims, drawing her blade across her palm. "Anything that gets me even with those %&$#s Plugg and Scourge."
"I'm not a fighter," Kroop admits, "But I'll throw my support in with you lot. Never much cared for Plugg."
Sandara sighs and winces as she draws a line of blood in her palm.
"It's settled, then," Rosie says. "We follow yer lead," she says to Satinder. I'll spread the word among those I trust most. When the time comes, we'll stand with ya!"[/b]
Satinder nods to each and every one of them.
"When the time is there, we will know it. Calistria loves her some good vengeance.. Whenever you hear 'Sharks on starboard' being shouted, you will know you need to come, and you need to bear weapons."
She looks at each and everyone a few seconds.
"No matter how this goes down, my friends, it has been a privilege to have known you."
If nobody has anything to add, she'll be the first to nod one last time, before going back to her chores.
Before she walks away, Chumtooth speaks to Satinder in a rough, gutteral tongue.
"Satinder can speak with Chumtooth without fear of our plan being heard, for the Others will not understand Kuru words."
"If Satinder fears Others may know the Kuru words, Chumtooth will talk Kuru around the deck, and Satinder can watch to see who hears them and understands."
Satinder nods at these final words.
Chumtooth nods.
"Plugg and Scourge have made the mistake, and Plugg and Scourge will soon feel pain and suffering much worse than puny whips."
"Poke me again and I'll turn you into catfood," Bangkha mutters sleepily. "Is the game back on?"
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In the early hours of the fourth day, the wind blows with incredible force, driving the Man’s Promise far off course. The ship is tossed about
on the high seas, and all hands are called on deck to work, including the cook’s mate. All of the crew is required in the rigging. Toward dawn, as the sky begins to brighten almost imperceptibly, the storm redoubles its ferocity, and dark shapes loom out of the sea all around the ship—small
islets and coral reefs that dot this area.
At this point, the storm is considered a powerful storm with strong winds
(Core Rulebook 438–439), and visibility is practically zero, making Perception checks all but impossible.
Cold and soaked to the bone, Chumtooth works the lines at his station surrounded by a dark cloud condensing from his own sour mood.
"Enough wind and rain!" he shouts into the storm, his usually rumbling resonant baritone voice swallowed by the gale.
He imagines himself in one of the ancient ruins of his island, sheltered from the rain, relaxing beside a roaring fire. He can almost smell the roasting meat. He imagines that a human haunch turns on the spit, and the severed heads of Plugg and Scourge look up at him from the pile of bones and entrails.
"I AGREE!!" Satinder shouts to try and get above the sound of the storm. She realises soon that more people have heard her than was her intention, and starts working on the rigging again.
Muttering against herself, she continuous to work, trying to figure out when an opportune moment would be to take action.
This storm would be nice, if we weren't all wet. My clothing is soaked, and I hate looking like a cat that has been drowned!
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As the storm breaks into its full fury, you are working near the deck when Alwen shouts a warning. Coming aboard, you can barely make out a number of small creatures with blue scaly skin. They stand about four feet tall and while the upper party of their bodies resemble goblins, the lower portion is that of an octopus. They wield spears and have wickedly sharp teeth.
Satinder
Chumtooth
Dantes
Alwen
Creatures
Bangkha
Chumtooth brandishes his morningstar and moves forward to engage the nearest creature.
As the winds are howling and the rain is splashing everywhere, Satinder sees the little ones climb up onto the deck. She draws her weapon, and tries to manouvre against the wind. She moves slowly, a lot more slowly than she's used to, but manages to stay upright even as she stabs her boarding pike at on the little pieces of filth. When it goes down, she shouts at the others.
"Spread out, don't let them surround you.
Alwen, get up close, this wind is too much for even your crackshot aim!"
>
Staying right where he is for the moment, Dantes casts Mage Armor on himself and readies his axe.
The elf is surprised by the boarders, but manages to give fair warning to everyone despite the cover of the storm. He heads for the one closest to him, taking a swing with his boarding axe. "You know I can figure out shooting's a no go in this weather on my own, right?" He calls back to Satinder as he engages.
"I know my friend, I know. A little bit of fun while we fight for our lives, it's not too much to ask is it?" she says while attempting to dodge one of the little creatures.
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Ayaki stabs at one of the little creatures, but the blow skitters off it's greasy hide without doing damage. Satinder and Chumtooth's assaults prove more effective. Satinder impales hers and Chumtooth's attack slices the thing cleanly in half. Green ichor pulses from it's severed torso and its tentacles wriggle as its lifeblood drains away.
Dante casts mage armor and girds himself for combat as Alwen slashes at his foe, but misses.
The creatures close in for the attack, their tentacles wriggling and grasping at anything on the deck to help keep them steady against the howling winds. Two of them mob Satinder. One hits with it's spear, plunging the weapon deep into her shoulder. Its tentacles wrap about her legs and ankles, threatening to drag her down. She tries to slash at the appendages, but her attack cannot find purchase. The other of the pair misses her with its spear, but its tentacles trip her up and drag her to the deck.
Alwen's foe strikes back at the agile elf, striking a glancing blow with the spear that rakes the elf's cheek. At the same time, the tangling tentacles wrap about his legs, despite his efforts to fight them off, and drag him down as well.
One of the creatures chooses Bangkha as a target. It misses with its spear, and the grasping tentacles wrap themselves around Bangkha's legs, but this proves unwise, the half-orc lashes out with his fist, pummeling the creature into unconsciousness.
The last of the creatures goes after Cat, but she proves too agile for it to hit with spear of tentacles. She attempts a counter-attack, but her bite cannot get past the creature's greasy hide.
Bangkha and Cat move to surround the creature near them.
Pushing against the wind, Chumtooth moves across the deck to confront the creatures attacking Satinder.
He sweeps his morning star down at the tiny sea-goblin.
Satinder curses as the creature trips her, and she bites her lip. Blood gushing from the wound the creature made seeps gradually down her flank, as she attempts to fake a stand-up against the creature, before attacking it whilst prone.
The creature fails to see the blade coming as it pays too much attention to Chum.
"Thanks Chum. Slippery buggers would have had me, and I'm not into those tentacle things."
She turns to Dantes, as she can no longer see Ayaki.
"Can you distract the one that was fighting Ayaki? I'm sure he'll appreciate it." followed by a wink from the eye that took a beating when she hit the deck.
Dantes presses his sandals hard against the deck as he tries to push forward toward the fighting. Strength DC 10 .
As he is thwarted by a strong gust, he quietly starts casting a spell to aid his allies.
"Watch out for their tentacles!" Alwen shouts over the wind, trying to stand up and avoid the attack coming his way, before retaliating in kind with his axe.
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Working in unison, Bangkha and Cat take down their opponent, Bangkha's club dropping it to the deck where Cat shreds it into small pieces. Struggling against the wind, Ayaki manages to flank one of the ones attacking Satinder. With a shattering blow, she brings the creature down. Satinder fakes a stand, plunging her weapon into the remaining foe, which shudders and dies. Alwen rolls to his feet and slashes the remaining creature to death.
As the storm finally abates, the Man's Promise finds itself driven onto a reef of sharp coral. When the sun rises and the tide goes out, the predicament becomes clear; the ship has been holed in the main hull on the starboard side, next to the water barrel. Plugg orders a few of the crew to begin dismantling the deck to make repairs.
Roll call reveals that two people are missing; Sandara Quinn and "Barefoot" Toppins.
Alwen looks a bit worried when he realizes that Sandara was missing - had those creatures from last night taken her before retreating? If that was true then the odds of her being alive were slim. It was a pity, especially considering her healing magic. Toppins was much the same, though less for her usefulness and more for her company.
He does take a look out at their surroundings - if they'd hit a reef, and those aquatic creatures had drawn their prey off to their lair, perhaps there was an island or speck of rock where they were close by.
"The Sea Goblins have taken Sandara! Chumtooth will kill all of these creatures! Chumtooth will crush goblin skulls! This Chumtooth vows!"
"If we are fetched on this reef, repairs will have to be made. We will find these tentacled creatures, and our friends," Bangkha says in a low voice to Chumtooth.
"Our shipmates have been taken by those things," he says to Plugg. "Give us permission to go and find them."
Dantes has a chance to make a knowledge roll in most areas due to his breadth of experience feat. Did he recognize those creatures? Might he be able to help narrow down where they might lair, and therefore were we should start looking for our kidnapped shipmates?
+11 - Knowledge (Arcana)
+10 - Knowledge (Dungeoneering)
+10 - Knowledge (Engineering)
+10 - Knowledge (Geography)
+10 - Knowledge (History)
+10 - Knowledge (Local)
+10 - Knowledge (Nature)
+6 - Knowledge (Noblity)
+6 - Knowledge (Planes)
+6 - Knowledge (Religion)
Satinder eyes Plugg as Bangkha demands the permission to find her.
She only adds "It's bad luck to lose a cleric of Besmara on board of a ship..." while walking past, helping the others break off pieces of wood so they can go and fix the hole in the side of the ship.
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Plugg eyes the group warily. "They were probably washed overboard during the storm. Their own carelessness. Better to lose a few expendable scum and get the ship to Port Peril than to risk crossing Captain Harrigan."
No sooner does he finish speaking than Fipps Chumlet appears behind him. "Beggin' yer pardon, Mr. Plugg, but the water barrel 'pears to have burst when we ran aground. We gots no fresh water, sir!"
Plugg growls and mutters something unintelligible, then looks at you again. "Take the cutter and a few barrels and go ashore. Find fresh water and supplies and get yer arses back here. Repairs will take a day and a half, by my estimate, and we'll sail on the high tide. Be late, and we leave without ya!"
Satinder nods as she listens attentively, and prepares to leave.
"You lot coming?" she says, while whispering something to CHumtooth.
"Chumtooth thinks the sea goblins took Sandara and Bare-foot, but Chumtooth is angry that Plugg will not fight the sea goblins to win the females back!"
"Eh? Don't tell me that this has been your first journey on a boat," Alwen comments to Ayaki as he helps to lower the cutter. "If that's the case then hitting land for the first time after so long at sea is going to be mighty disorientating for you, lass. But don't worry, I'll be sure to catch you if you fall."
Alwen settles into the jolly boat with a smile, peering out at the island and figuring out where the best place to land might be.