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The Dryad's Grave approaches under a flag of parley, getting to within 100 feet. From here you can see that the figurehead of the opposing vessel is carved in the likeness of a bare-chested, goat-horned satyr with muscular arms thrust forward as if diving into the ocean, its mouth open in a silent scream of anger and pain.
"Hail to portside!" the opposing captain calls. "I am Captain Morton of the Dryad's Grave. Who are you and where are you bound?"
”I am Chumtooth,” Chumtooth replies, pausing for emphasis. ”Cah-pi-tan of the Kiss of Vengeance. Do you ask so that you may decide if you will fight me for my ship?”
Chumtooth slams the butt of his harpoon on the deck. ”My ship has a fine rack of skulls, skulls of many who tried to take what is mine. Yours may join them, if that is your wish.”
Faengrim will swim to the opposite side of the other ship as fast as he can. Assuming there's no enemies, he'll take the run action.
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There are other sailors on the opposing boat, just FYI. That said, most of them are watching the exchange between Morton and Chumtooth. Morton scoffs, "I will not take your vessel unless you refuse to pay for your passage. What plunder do you carry?" Despite his bravado, it is clear that you have unnerved him.
”Give him our answer,” Chumtooth mutters quietly to Dantes, making it clear to the dwarf that this impertinence will not stand.
Once Dantes acts, Chumtooth shouts to his own crew.
Dantes stands, flicks a bit of octopus tentacle and a few words at the opposing ship, and crosses his arms.
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Morton is unsurprised at the decision to fight, though he is caught off-guard by Dantes' spell. The tentacles wrap around the captain and several of his men, as well as a small creature fluttering about the captain's head, squeezing them tightly.
Those of Morton's men who are able, roll out catapults, readying to fire next round. Morton struggles to break free of the tentacles but is unable to do so.
INITIATIVE
Morton's crew
Morton
Dantes
Screaming Satyr
Chumtooth
Faengrim
Xicorax
Morton Damage: 10
Xicorax Damage: 10
Dantes casts invisibility on himself and steps behind his captain.
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To the astonishment of the crew, the massive satyr figurehead on the opposing boat begins to move of its own accord! It reaches up on deck and picks up a ballista, holding it as a human might hold a heavy crossbow. Sighting its target, it fires the massive siege weapon. The huge bolt slams into the side of the Kiss of Vengeance causing the entire ship to sway under the impact. The mighty wooden construct then begins tugging on the thick chain attached to the ballista bolt, dragging your vessel closer to the Dryad's Grave.
"Fire those weapons!" Chumtooth yells to his crew, pointing to the two seige weapons facing the enemy ship.
Unable to attack at the current range, he moves towards the part of the Kiss that will contact the enemy ship first. He readies himself to hurl his harpoon as soon as he is in range.
Faengrim will try to stealthily climb to the main deck of the Dryad's Grave.
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Faengrim easily climbs unnoticed onto the deck of the Drayd's Grave. The deck is awash in chaos, as Dantes' spell holds and constricts several of Morton's men, not to mention the captain himself as other men roll out catapults with grapples on them.
Those men who are not hindered by the black tentacles fire the grapples at the Kiss of Vengeance. Once on the Kiss of Vengeance's deck, the grapples animate and begin scampering about the deck like giant metal spiders, looking for points to latch onto. They are connected to the Dryad's Grave by iron chains.
Morton growls and disappears, reappearing elsewhere on the deck, out of range of the black tentacles.
Dantes begins to cast enlarge person on his captain.
"Loose arrows at them! Aim for their captain if you have a shot," Chumtooth says to any crew not actively loading a siege engine.
"Sharpshooters to the crow's nest! Aim for the captain or his officers!"
Zul (Trident): human bane, fave enemy
Use transmuting power.
If he can't, Faengrim will fire at him with his bow before dropping it leaving him with his deadly natural attacks.
Mwk Comp LBow: fav enemy
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Faengrim easily reaches Morton, despite the chaos on deck. He slams the trident home, but some unseen force turns the prongs before they can strike the target. Abord the Kiss of Vengeance, archers loose their shafts onto the deck of the Dryad's Grave, several arrows hitting targets, but none strike the captain or Faengrim.
Morton's crew ignores the rain of arrows, setting about reloading catapults. On the deck of the Kiss of Vengeance, the living grapples latch on tightly and the chains suddenly pull taut, causing the ship to lurch again.
Morton turns on his heel and faces Faengrim. With a flourish, he disappears and is gone again.
Dantes finishes his spell and Chumtooth feels magic surge through him as he increases in size!
What? No Attack of Opportunity? I don't like this guy.
[booc]I know that ability. I hate him more now.[/ooc]
With the main deck full of writhing tentacles and his massive captain between him and the enemy arrows, Dantes focuses his attention on the forecastle. He casts a spell that fills the space with noxious green fumes.
Casting stinking cloud on the forecastle, making sure Morton is in the radius.
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Morton (and a few of his men) is overcome by the vapors, choking and wheezing. The Screaming Satyr gives another mighty tug, the chains connecting the two ships straining. Again, the Kiss of Vengeance lurches hard to port as it veers towards the Dryad's Grave! The two ships are now 30 feet from one another.
Enlarged by Dantes' spell, Chumtooth gives a mighty heave, and throws his harpoon at Captain Morton.
With the captain out of his reach, Faengrim dives into the mass of seamen.
Zul (Trident): human bane, fav enemy
Zul (Trident): human bane, fav enemy
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Faengrim dives into the mass of bodies, stabbing and slashing with Zul! He takes down one man and wounds another! Chumtooth hurls his harpoon with his enhanced strength and scores a hit! Morton grimaces under the impact, still reeling and coughing. Meanwhile, the small creature that had been near Morton's head desperately tries to escape the grasping tentacles but fails.
As the ships draw close, Morton's crew (those not fighting for their lives against Faengrim) ready their weapons to board. Morton staggers out of the cloud, still wheezing.
Xicorax: 19
Dantes casts fly on himself. As he rises a few feet above the deck, he readies his axe.
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The satyr gives one more mighty tug, the chains straining and creaking. The two ships crash together, jolting everyone (anyone standing on the deck needs to make a CMB roll against DC 15). Once the ships are connected, the satyr gives a mighty shrug and detaches itself from the Dryad's Grave and climbs onto the deck of the Kiss of Vengenace!
Faengrim continues to slay pirates while trying to make his way to the captain.
Zul (Trident): human bane, fav enemy
Zul (Trident): human bane
Chumtooth rises to his feet, and hurls his harpoon at Captain Morton again.
Chumtooth crosses over to the Dryad’s Grave and approaches Morton. He grabs the wizard and fastens the shackles of compliance to his wrists.
”All of your plunder, weapons and items of power are forfeit, including that,” he says, pointing to the Satyr. ”Any of your crew who wish to join us instead may do so. In exchange, your life will be spared, and you may keep your ship. Do you accept these terms?”
Invisible and flying, Dantes follows along behind Chumtooth, ready to alert him if he sees signs of treachery from the surrendering ship.
Faengrim stands ready to kill more of them, particularly the captain.
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"I *koff* agree. *hack hack*" He offers no resistance to the shackles being placed on his wrists. He turns over the command words to the Screaming Satyr, as well as his plunder, and a small pile of items he claims are magical. There are three vials of liquid, three scrolls, a cloak, and two rings, one of which Fitch identifies as the ring of the iron skull.
Dantes lays a detect magic over the other gear and finds that all of it is magical. He can later identify the gear as two potions of cure moderate wounds, a potion of invisibility, two scrolls of dispel magic, a scroll of fly, a ring of protection +1, and a cloak of resistance +1.
Using the ring of the iron skull, Fitch suggests that you begin your voyage in Ollo, the same point from which the Brine Banshee began its fateful last voyage.
While the plunder and magical items are being transferred over to Kiss of Vengeance, Chumtooth picks up one of the healing potions from the pile and walks over to the barely conscious Captain Morton.
"As we agreed, your life is spared. I will give you this healing potion, so that you will not die. You will not attempt to use magic or weapons against me, or your shrunken head will find its place on my belt, do you understand?"
Assuming Morton's assent, he administers the potion, and allowing his wounds to heal. Chumtooth turns to Morton's crew, and says, "Behold, your Captain is defeated, and stripped of his plunder, weapons and power. You may remain with him and continue to serve on his ship, or you can join my crew, and serve under a strong leader, one who will bring you wealth and infamy throughout the Shackles. What say you?"
Once Morton's crewmen have made their decisions, Chumtooth turns to Captain Morton. "And now, there is one last thing for our bargain to be complete. Your last items of power."
Chumtooth grabs Morton's head in his hands, opens his own sharp-tooth mouth, and places his mouth to Morton's. He bites down, and tears the wizard's tongue out with his teeth, chewing and swallowing the raw bloody meat. He then pulls the man's arms up, high and painfully taut behind his back, then bites off the smallest two fingers from each hand.
Rather than swallowing the fingers, he spits them out into one hand, holding them as he unfastens the shackles.
"You were a fool to threaten me, Morton. Now, you are a danger to no one. If I ever see you again, I will not spare you again. I will slowly saw your head from your neck, mount your skull, shrink the skin of your head, and force-feed your remaining flesh to what's left of your crew!"
He deliberately turns his back on the wizard, and unconcernedly makes his way back aboard the Kiss of Vengeance.
"Use the ring and bone to set course for the Brine Banshee," Chumtooth orders.
He has the spoils carried to the Captain's cabin, and calls his officers in to look over the haul.
"Come friends, let us decide what is to be done with these items of power."
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The ship sets a course dictated by Fitch, heading for Ollo. It takes four days at full sail to reach Shark Island and the port of Ollo. Once there, you set out following the Brine Banshee's course. Once your ship clears the strait between Shark Island and Raptor Island, however, Fitch announces that the Brine Banshee’s last course wasn’t northwest as many in Ollo believed, but north-northeast--the captain intended to skim the fringes of the Eye of Abendego to raid merchant ships in the waters near Botosani. The Brine Banshee’s course followed a line from the two islands north of Shark Island to the Eye’s edge, cutting between the Eye and the eastern coast of Mediogalti Island and into Rahadoumi waters.
With Dantes leading the way, aided by Chumtooth and Faengrim, you follow the last known cause of the Brine Banshee. Only a few hours after Shark Island and Raptor Isle disappear beneath the south horizon, the ring of the iron skull indicates that the corpse of Vargus Brack lies below. Soundings indicate 10 fathoms (60 feet) to the bottom.
"The Brine Banshee should be below," Chumtooth says. "Who will join me diving down to it?"
Faengrim is ready to dive.
Chumtooth downs his potion of water breathing, then says to his dive team, "Let us see what lies beneath,", then dives over the rail and into the sea.
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The pair dive into the water and quickly descend the 60 feet to the wreck. The shipwreck lies on its side on the ocean floor. Only half the ship is visible, however; the Brine Banshee’s bow section rests next to a rift in the ocean floor. Chumtooth quickly ascertains that given the angle of the ship, the stern section must have sunken into the depths of the rift. The ring of the iron skull confirms this, indicating that Vargus' corpse lies within the rift.