Chumtooth gives a shark-toothed grin, and shakes off the blow. He follows up with a vicious combination of punches.
"Right, then," Vic calls out, laying a hand on the marine, trying to cast a healing spell in a way that will leave any potential scars in place. "Heave to, and welcome aboard!"
"This one can endure pain. He must learn to bring pain to those who stand in his way."
Chumtooth looks down at the fallen marine for a moment, then turns and retrieves his armor and weapons.
"What are you named?" he asks the man after Victoriana's healing magic rouses him.
"Yup!" Vic agrees, enthusiastically. "First Mate Chummy here once bit a naga to death!"
"Chumtooth," he replies, pounding a fist against his own chest.
"She," he says, pointing to Satinder. "Satinder Morne, is your captain now. You will obey her. If you disobey, you will deal with me."
"She and he," he says, pointing to Victoriana and Dantes in turn "are the captain's ah-fee-surs. You will obey them. If not..." he gives a toothy grin that leaves no room for misinterpretation.
Dantes pulls out his ledger, ink and a quill. He silently notes Cavek joining the crew. A light sprinkle of sand absorbs the excess ink, and then Dantes tucks the book under his arm and continues to observe the proceedings.
Satinder escorts the captain on his own deck, and whispers in his ear while she does so.
DC10 Whisper
"Tell your friends that you were spared by the crew of the Kiss of Vengeance. If they are to be boarded by us, let them know that fighting means death to them all. You were wise."
After all is said and done, she will turn to the Victoriana and shout loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Get us away from this small fish, gnome. We are looking for decent loot and a fight that will make us sweat!" before secretly winking at her.
"Master at arms, please escort our new recruit and teach him the ropes. He seems fit enough to take a few lashes, if he makes a mistake before nightfall."
"I just don't want him too bruised to jump straight into grunt work," Vic whispers back to the captain, where she doesn't think the soldier will here. "So... time to find a new ship to chase?"
"Aye!" Satinder bellows, before walking of with some of her officers.
Chumtooth directs the crew of the Kiss of Vengeance to transfer the fish from the fishing boat to the hold.
He watches as they work, leaning on the harpoon, still stuck firmly in the deck of the boat.
"Move quickly! We have bigger fish to catch!"
When all the fish have been loaded, he wrenches the harpoon from the deck and crosses the gangplank back to the ship.
"Remember this day," he says to the fishermen. "Your lives were spared. You will hear tales of us for moons to come; tales of those who challenged us. Know this: those who stand against us will not have mercy!"
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A few days pass largely without incident, until the lookout spies a barque a few miles off the port side, flying the colors of Absalom.
After days of chasing one another, it seems as though the opposing vessel will sail out of range, when it suddenly turns sharply and veers back toward the Kiss of Vengeance!
The enemy vessel approaches from the west, closing rapidly. It seems that they intend to ram you!
West
East
squares
"I've got fire to hurl," Victoriana calls out to the other officers on the ship, "An' where am I aimin' it?"
When the vessel is first sighted, Dantes will work with the crew to make sure everyone is appropriately armed, and bolts and arrows are available on the deck.
When the two vessels start closing, Dantes casts Mage Armor on himself as a precaution. He stands by Victoriana at the ballista, ready to give her an arcane augmentation to aid her aim. He says nothing, but watches Chumtooth and Satinder closely for any orders they may have for him.
"Kill the pilot or burn the sails. That ship must be made to slow before it hits!" Chumtooth suggests, looking to Satinder for confirmation.
"Right, then. Tho's long as we don't sink, I can patch our ship up when we're done."
Satinder was hanging in the rigging, letting the sea air braze through her clothes and feeling free, when the sound came that another ship had been seen.
As everyone looked up, she gave the signal to chase it, and started to climb down. It would take several days to catch it, but being ready was important.
When they were closing in, she said:
"Chumtooth, get everyone ready and armed. I want to lose no time whe..."
Her voice stopped as someone in the crew bellowed "It is turning around on us." followed by Dantes' "I think they are going to ram us."
She steps up onto the higher deck, and starts shouting as loud as she can.
"Finally, a ship WORTHY of our attention!! There is no CHALLENGE in a ship that rolls over and shows us their underbelly! We will TAKE this ship and its LOOT for ourselves, and Besmara may take all who would stand against us.!"
She let the words sink in, before she headed back downstairs to stand amidst her crew.
"Dantes, Victoriana, you will aid our archers and wreak havoc on them as they come closer.
Chumtooth, mighty kuru, test your ballista prowess with this live target.
You all, get ready and brace for impact!!"
Satinder herself tries to spot important people on the other ship with her elven eyes, and tries to focus on them with her bow.
As she prepares, Vic also moves to the back of the ship, preparing to fry any boarding party.
Chumtooth throws his weight into the ballista, shoving it into position. He waits for a moment, then fires.
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As the enemy closes, Victoriana launches a flaming sphere at the crow's nest of the opposing vessel. Almost immediately, it lights the sails, which begin to burn brightly in the afternoon light. A sailor leaps from the crow's nest to the water. Chumtooth let's fly with a ballista bolt which impacts against the other vessel's hull, tearing a good-sized hole in her side (I assumed that Dantes cast guidance on Chumtooth, instead of Victoriana).
At the last second, Sandara spins the wheel hard to port, avoiding a direct hit and bringing the two ships crashing against each other broadsides. Boarding hooks are quickly sent across the gap and the enemy surges across!
The opposing first mate delays his action, so Chumtooth and Satinder are up!
Chumtooth snatches up his harpoon and moves to the nearest gangplank. With a snarl, he hurls it at the nearest enemy sailor
When he finally recovers from the sudden chaos, Dantes casts invisibility on himself and then starts making his way toward Chumtooth.
Satinder will take her shortbow, and wait for the opposing captain to come into view.
As soon as she releases her arrow, she drops the bow and draws her cutlass, ready to deflect any blows incoming.
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The mate surges forward, brandishing a boarding axe. Chumtooth steps up to meet him, hurling his harpoon and dropping a sailor in his tracks. Satinder sends an arrow into the captain's shoulder, eliciting a cry of rage and pain, then drops her cutlass and readies for the onslaught. The enemy surges aboard your vessel.
Victoriana hops the railing and moves to intercept the boarders, shield held high. With a snarl, she casts Burning Hands.
Chumtooth lunges at the mate, attempting to sink his teeth into the man. As he does, he takes advantage of the situation to draw his morningstar.
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The sailors cry out in pain and fear as the flames overtake them. Both are badly burned, one dropping to the deck, as the other plummets into the water. The captain is a bit more hardy, however, and calmly extinguishes his shirt before continuing his advance. The boarding plank is blackened, but does not burn.
The mate takes a five-foot step and swings his boarding axe at Chumtooth, missing by several feet. Chumtooth, however, does not miss, dealing a horrifying bite to the man's shoulder.
Satinder jumps over the railing, shouting at the captain.
"Surrender now, you morron. Calistria has kissed my blade and for every drop of blood you spill, I will have my divine vengeance!!!"
She steps up to the sailor guarding the captain, and wastes no time stepping up slicing him under his arm as he tries to lift the blade to strike Victoriana.
"Well done Vic!" she says while winking slightly.
"I hate this chaff standing between me and my target."
"Yeah, an' I burn things!" Vic shouts after Satinder's threat.
Now Invisible, Dantes will finish closing the distance to Chumtooth through the melee and cast a bolstering spell on him. Before he casts, he murmurs to Chumtooth to let him know who it is.
"Surrender fast, an' we'll heal yer dying crew!" Vic calls out, as she sees the pirate fall to a single stroke of Satinder's sword. "Or we do this the hard way, an' I roast your ship. Or the really hard way..." and, having 5' stepped out of the captain's reach, she drops a Flaming Sphere on the boarding plank.
The taste of fresh blood and the surge of Dantes' magic both send surges of power through Chumtooth's body. He swings his morningstar, and lunges to bite at his assailant.
"Surrender now captain, and we can have a talk without my blade in your chest." Satinder says calmly, confident in her and her crew's ability.
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The decks are awash with blood, but your side has the advantage. The first mate, now in a blood-haze, swings again at Chumtooth but his axe fails to bite. Chumtooth suffers no such problem with his morningstar and deals the man a savage blow. The first mate staggers, but stubbornly refuses to yield. Chumtooth bites at him again, but falls short.
Satinder offers the captain quarter if he will surrender. The remaining sailor attacks Chumtooth again, emboldened by his previous success. Once again, his aim is true and he slashes across Chumtooth's abdomen.
Vic sends her flaming sphere rolling across the boarding plank towards the Captain and he yelps in fear and pain as the fire burns his pant leg. Realizing that he has lost the battle, the Captain drops his weapon and kneels in defeat.
"Right, then! Anyone who wants to live, lie down and drop yer weapons!" Vic calls out. Kneeling, she attempts to cast Stabilize on the pirate in front of her, dropping her shield to instead draw her crossbow and point it at the unconscious body for ensurance. "If yer already lying down and disarmed on account o' blood loss, that works too."
Standing stoutly behind Chumtooth, Dantes begins a longer spell to turn the boatswain into a true horror!
Start casting Enlarge Person on Chumtooth, it will be in effect at the start of Dantes next turn.
Chumtooth feels the familiar power of the enlarging magic. He swings his morningstar at the first mate, trying the end the fight for good.
His blow strikes true, and so he lunges for the other troublesome sailor with his huge teeth.
Vic stabilizes everyone she can reach in time, but decides not to cast any healing spells until Cap Satinder gives the orders or we find out who attacked us and why.
Ignoring the blood and politics, Dantes goes below deck to retrieve a ledger book, and stands ready to start documenting their haul.
Satinder starts shouting out orders, to make sure everyone on the other side of the boarding plank can see her being the captain.
"Vic, get the able healers and make your rounds, I want to minimize the losses on our side. Use restorative magic only when absolutely necessary. I trust in your judgment.", she says with a smile as she has a loaded crossbow ready.
"Dantes, you do your mathematics. Start documenting the losses and gains of men and material. Your magic is incredible in a fight, but your keen mind is even more incredible with the numbers." she says while nodding appreciatevely to him and then to Chum.
In Kuru:
"Chumtooth, you have fought and killed many. You are a legendary warrior. Now it is time to show the beaten crew how wise it is to fight on your side, not against us. Roar and display your strength, and let's get us some new fish."
After all this, she takes the time to stow her weapon after cleaning it on some cloth nearby, and turns to the captain.
"I want you and any remaining of your officers in chains, but you will be treated as my guests. Don't cause any trouble, and your body count will not go up any further, understand?
I respect the difficult decision you had to make to surrender your ship and your crew."
She then walks away, sending Owlbear to fetch the chains and guard them somewhere on the side.
"Right, that's the plan. I don't think any of ours were hurt bad, but I'll check. I say we hear their story an' ransom offers before we decide what to do with their ship, but I'll see if I can get a good think at what it might be worth."
Chumtooth nods and rips his harpoon from the chest of the dead sailor. He takes a moment to lick some blood and bits of flesh from the iron head, then proceeds to stride the length and breadth of the deck, howling a war chant. He slams the butt of his harpoon on the deck boards in time to the chant.
"Fear us! Fear the Kiss of Vengeance! The strong and fierce may join us. The weak and timid are good for nothing but meat!"
Chumtooth nods and rips his harpoon from the chest of the dead sailor. He takes a moment to lick some blood and bits of flesh from the iron head, then proceeds to stride the length and breadth of the deck, howling a war chant. He slams the butt of his harpoon on the deck boards in time to the chant.
"Fear us! Fear the Kiss of Vengeance! The strong and fierce may join us. The weak and timid are good for nothing but meat!"
[dice=Intimidate, 'join or else"]1d20+11