One might think that the shark loving sahuagin and the shark-kin felt some kinship with one another and would be easy allies. One would be wrong, though. Faengrim lashes out with his clawed hands trying to score hits while keeping his foes at arm's length.
Claw: fav enemy
Claw: fav enemy
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INITIATIVE (Corrected)
Dantes
Sahuagin
Victoriana
Chumtooth
Faengrim
Satinder
Dantes casts invisibility on himself and leaps over the railing onto the trawler.
Below decks, the sahuagin divide their attacks between Satinder and Faengrim. Wielding tridents, they try to keep the foe at arm's length. Only one of those facing Satinder gets through, but the wound is grievous, leaving three ragged holes in her chest. Her breathing is labored and she wheezes when exhaling.
Neither of Faengrim's foes manages to connect with the agile wereshark.
Victoriana is the next across the railing and down the steps into the flooded hold.
Chumtooth follows her quickly, his great strides allowing him to catch up to her easily.
Faengrim changes form and takes to the water, lashing out at the one that hit him with both clawed hands. The first swipe merely scratches the finny scales of the sahuagin, but the second is a solid blow, tearing through scales and flesh alike.
Everyone who is in the water, but not underwater, has cover. Those underwater have improved cover against attacks from those who are not swimming or underwater. The sahuagin are swimming, but are not underwater.
Sahuagin 2: 15 hp (Satinder)
Sahuagin 3: 15 hp (Faengrim)
Sahuagin 4: 10 hp (Faengrim)
With a deep sigh, Dantes follows after Chumtooth. When he catches up to him, he imbues him with a one of his most powerful spells, hoping it will help end the sahugin quickly.
Chumtooth closes with the nearest sahaugin, swinging his morningstar in a vicious arc.
"F%+#ing c#%$s, Imma get you for that!" Satinder cries out, as the tridents pulls back and she feels her strength eb away slightly. She doesn't drop back to her usual posture of slightly better defensive capabilities, as she slices the creatures that hurt her and tries to take it down in one fell blow.
F$#+ tactics, those b@%%$es are going down...
* +7 base
* +2 gang = flanking
* +2 ranger's focus
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* +3 base
* +1 weapon
* +1 dmg on aquatic types from peg leg
* +2 ranger's focus
* 2d6 sneak attack
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Satinder focuses her ire on the sahuagin that hit her, striking what would surely have been a killing blow, but her aim is turned aside slightly by the water
Dantes touches Chumtooth's side and suddenly the kuru feels empowered (+4 to Strength for one minute (10 rounds)).
Two sahuagin double-team Faegrim once more, while one of the ones that had been facing Satinder turns to the new threat looming its way, the massive kuru. One of Faengrim's opponents is likewise foiled by the water, though the second manages to get through his defenses and land a solid blow . Satinder's foe also strikes her again with what is surely a telling blow . But Chumtooth's opponent misses him.
Sahuagin 2: 15 hp (Chumtooth)
Sahuagin 3: 15 hp (Faengrim)
Sahuagin 4: 10 hp (Faengrim)
Faengrim defends himself by going on the offense.
Claw: fav enemy
Claw: fav enemy
Satinder's breath chokes as the weapon pierces her lungs, and blood gushes out. She lifts her weapon in the most defensive pose she recalls, and stumbles back, towards Victoriana..
"...Help.." she calls out, rasping breathes..
Vic, hearing Satinder's request, pops a healing spell on her.
Dantes grimaces when he sees the strike against Satinder. Fearing for their bold captain, he augments his skin with a touch, thickening it for a few key moments.
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As Victoriana heals Satinder's wounds, Chumtooth clouts the nearest sahuagin with his morningstar, opening its skull, but even though it is ready to fall over, the vile creature fights on. Faengrim manages to hit the wounded one before him once, but once is enough to put it out of the fight. It sinks to the bottom of the boat, still alive, but on the verge of unconsciousness. Dantes taps Chumtooth again and the mighty kuru feels his skin harden like the shell of the coconut!
The sahuagin move in again, closing to attack the crew. With Satinder disengaged, the extra beast turns it's attention to the captain. None of the creatures manages to hit its target.
Sahuagin 2: 1 hp (Chumtooth)
Sahuagin 3: 15 hp (Faengrim)
Sahuagin 4: 0 hp (Faengrim)
Chumtooth turns to the attacking sahaugin and swings at it with his morningstar.
He leans into his swing, and lunges forward with his teeth.
As he feels the hardening of Chumtooth's defenses begin to wane, Dantes focuses for a moment to bolster it.
Faengrim is not willing to just let the sahuagin fade away and continues to attack him (even if he has to go underwater to do so).
Claw: fav enemy
He also swipes at the other sahuagin that is attacking him.
Claw: fav enemy
Satinder's groans lessen as she feels the soothing warmth of the healing magic.
"Thanks Vic, that feels amazing.", she says while lingering a few seconds longer, to make sure Victoriana is ready with her healing magic.
Vic hits Stander with another healing spell, just in case.
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Victoriana slaps Satinder with another healing spell, closing more of the feisty woman's wounds. Chumtooth takes the battle to the prey, smashing the head of the approaching sahuagin and following through with a ferocious bite. The sahuagin sinks beneath the water, bleeding heavily. Faengrim likewise dispatches his wounded opponent, leaving only two sahuagin standing (one severely wounded). The rejuvenated Satinder rejoins the combat, tearing into Faengrim's opponent, bringing it down as well. That leaves only one severely wounded sahuagin. The creature turns to flee, but Chumtooth is quicker and with a single swipe from his morningstar, brings it low.
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Victoriana slaps Satinder with another healing spell, closing more of the feisty woman's wounds. Chumtooth takes the battle to the prey, smashing the head of the approaching sahuagin and following through with a ferocious bite. The sahuagin sinks beneath the water, bleeding heavily. Faengrim likewise dispatches his wounded opponent, leaving only two sahuagin standing (one severely wounded). The rejuvenated Satinder rejoins the combat, tearing into Faengrim's opponent, bringing it down as well. That leaves only one severely wounded sahuagin. The creature turns to flee, but Chumtooth is quicker and with a single swipe from his morningstar, brings it low.
"So these are the shark-men; the ones who took our crew some days ago," Chumtooth says with a tone of disdain.
He holsters his morningstar. "Search the ship for plunder. Bring the bodies on board. Their skulls will be placed on the rack. I will shrink their heads. Any who wish to feast on this enemy may join me."
Dantes pales slightly at the talk of eating the sharkmen, and quickly moves away to arrange for the cataloging of the plunder.
Satinder tries her best to eat some of the fallen body parts, but most likely will do her utmost best to fake it.
Faengrim turns his scrunches his face at the thought of eating the flesh of a sentient creature, even one as hated as the sahuagin. He does not begrudge his captain's appetites, however.
"I don't eat people that eat people," Vic responds, shaking her head, before going on to check how salvageable the other ship (or its parts) looks.
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None of the crew, surprisingly perhaps, take Chumtooth up on his offer. Of the half-sunken ship, nothing appears to be worth salvaging, though one of the sahuagin wears a necklace made of golden coral and a strange, silvery metal with blue-black whorls. A thorough search of the small hold reveals a small storage room in which the slaughtered remains of the ship's crew have been carelessly piled. Vic and Dantes agree that the necklace is probably worth about 1,500 gp. Dantes notes that the strange metal is deep platinum, a rare substance revered by undersea beings.
Once back of the ship, Chumtooth carefully peels the flesh from the skulls of the dead sahuagin, then cuts the tendons and ligaments holding the head to their bodies. Finally, he cuts a long filet of meat from the thigh of each body, and sets them aside.
"Throw the rest of this overboard," he commands, gesturing to the butchered remains with his bloody kukri. "If it cannot be saved, Give fire to the other boat, and move us away," he says to Vic, as she begins to examine the wreckage.
Dantes glances at the curing heads in passing, thinking At least I am on the correct side of this equation...
The fastidious dwarf busies himself with tasks around the ship, making sure the inventory is complete and up to date, and that the most valuable objects, like the necklace, are secured in the captain's quarters.
"Well, that was interesting..." Satinder murmurs to herself more than any other sailors around her.
While moving back onto the ship, she looks at the semi-shark warrior, puts her arm around him and talks in a sincere voice:
"Fighting while in water, it's a drag, but you seem to have found a trick.. Teach me, you can?"
Faengrim looks over Satinder as smiles a sharky smile and changes back to his normal, humanoid form. It is obvious that the young skin-changer likes what he sees. "It is something native to my people and not something I can teach to one who does not share my heritage. But I would be willing to show you any time you'd like."
Once Chumtooth has completed cleaning the skulls, he mounts them on the skull rack in front of a full muster of the crew.
"These shark-men, these sooo-wahh-geen are the creatures that took our watchmen some days ago. Our brothers have been avenged! So shall we do the same to all who stand against us."
He adds one of the shrunken heads to his own totem belt, and offers the others to any of the officers who wishes to take one. If there are no takers. He fastens them to the door posts of his cabin.
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A few more days pass relatively uneventfully. A small prize (which nets you rep, but no new crew) and it is time to take on fresh water. This means a journey upriver and inland a little bit. As the day comes to a close and you are coming down the river towards the mouth, your lookout calls down from above that he can see the masts of a larger ship at the mouth of the river. You are, as yet, concealed from the vessel.
"Call to the lookout in the nest," Chumtooth commands. "Can he see a flag or colors?"
Chumtooth squints his sensitive eyes against the sunlight, trying his best to make out an ensign or other markings on the ship.
"Better be wary, those Cheliax scum might be looking for revenge...?" Satinder says, before climbing up and seeing if she can spot more details.
Faengrim does take a shrunken head to hang from his belt.
"How much larger?" Calls Faengrim before turning to Chumtooth, "Maybe we can get you a bigger flagship, captain."
How far is the mouth of the river from where we are?
"Drop anchor and furl sails! We do not want to close with them until we know more of what weapons they carry."
Chumtooth looks to the sky and tries to estimate the amount of daylight remaining.
"Watch the mast. Say if they enter the river and move towards us!"
"We can send a scouting party to get a closer look, Captain. Or I can swim over there and do the same. Maybe even working some sabotage."
Chumtooth nods at Faengrim's suggestion.
"Swim to the ship, and stay unseen. Count their men, mark their weapons then swim back. Sah-boh-tahj may happen, but not during the daylight. Satinder may go with you to watch your back, if you wish."
He turns to Dantes and Vic. "If you have magic that can hide them from being seen, use it."
Faengrim looks to Satinder. "Can you keep up?" He then jumps over the rail into the water and starts swimming underwater to the Chelish ship.
Vic shrugs, as usual. "My best spell for this sort of thing is spelled 'cat-a-pult'"
Satinder doesn't flinch, and jumps into the water and starts swimming after the wereshark.
At a safe distance, she will leave the water and signal to Faengrin that she takes cover there.
I know I'm good, I don't know about you.
Best not both get caught.
Following him with her eyes, she takes the utmost care not to be seen.
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Night is coming on fast, and it will be moonless. Perfect for sneaking about.
Victoriana raises the spyglass to her eyes and peers at the enemy vessel. "Well, that's interesting," she mutters. As Dantes, Chumtooth and Fishguts look at her for an explanation, she says, "Their wheel is mounted on the quarterdeck."
She pauses for a moment to let that sink in. "That means that they must have a pulley-activated tiller in the cabin below. If we could sneak aboard and into that cabin, say, through the windows, and cut the pulley ropes, they'd be crippled and we could easily get away. They might get one or two shots at us on the way by, but they couldn't pursue us."
"If the moon stays hidden, we could get to the ship without being seen. If we use a signal that the rope is cut, we can move the ship down river in time for the ones cutting the rope to reach us as we pass." He turns to Vic and adds "throwing fire with your magic or your machine at their sails would also help us."
Satinder: "We fight that and we lose. We run and we get caught. I think I can sabotage the rudder but I need something to break it with."
"Are you sure? This could mean death to you, if you get caught.."
Meanwhile she starts thinkin about something to help his task.
"We should just go back and inform the cap'n."
Faengrim looks between the enemy ship and Satinder a few times before responding. "Ok. We report back." He then starts of back to the Kiss of Vengeance.