The weather is nice this morning as - once again - after your morning rituals, you are given the day off from your regular jobs. Instead, you're placed under the command of Riaris Krine - an extremely foul-mouthed human woman with a peg leg. She's the Wormwood's drill instructor and has made it her goal to teach you the fundamentals of boarding a hostile ship. You are taken two at a time out on the jolly boat, given a grappling hook, and ordered to toss it onto the Wormwood and climb over. To spice things up a bit, the rest of you are told to repel boarders by throwing garbage at them. Who's going to come out on top?
Boarder Tasks
1. Hit the Wormwood
2. Climb onto the Wormwood
3. If hit, Reflex Save DC 10 to avoid falling off the rope
Repeller Task
Knock the boarders off the rope
2) Aldous
3) Cuddles
4) Enya
5) River
6) Tao
Group One
Boarders: Aldous/River
Repellers: everyone else
Group Two
Boarders: Alain/Tao
Repellers everyone else
Group Three
Boarders: Cuddles/Enya
Repellers: everyone else
She takes a breath and whispers. "More than likely the same thing you do to me." She plays at his shirt, getting one of her arms underneath and onto his bare back. She could feel the scars from where he was whipped, and purrs back. "Poor Aldous. You should not have those scars from a whip..." She gently runs her nails down his back.
Aldous twirls the hook and lets it release.
Seeing the hook latch in well, he begins to climb, hoping he can do this but having no faith in the climb.
Failing very quickly, he tries again.
And he climbs again.
And another failure leads to another toss of the hook.
And climbing ensues...
And a third failure...
First five on Alain, second five on Tao.
First five on Enya, second five on Cuddles.
He puts in effort, but he winces each time he hits and calls out a sorry!
"Enya...," he shivers at her touch.
His hands slide up her back to find the same marks there, "I am not the only one who has felt the heated kiss of a whip. Nor will we be the last," he says with different sort of grin on his face. "Do you think we can be free of this gods damned ship soon? So we can have the freedom we crave?"
Receiving their new orders he gets the attention of his friends as they approach their training area, making a particular point to offer River a silent apology as he speaks.
This is an impowtant exucise. I ask that you aw pay close attention an keep yo wits. I will not play favowits an I expect you aw to do da same. Dis exucise can save yo life, especawy on dis ship. I want everyone to wuk hawd an twy yo best.
Tao never had good aim, but he tried his best to knock his friends off. He felt as though this was an important exercise for everyone and was not going to hold back.
(Miss)
(Hit)
(Miss)
(Miss)
(Miss)
(Hit)
(Hit)
(Fails and Falls)
(Succeeded)
(Succeeded)
(Fails and Falls)
(Succeeded)
(Fails and Falls)
This is so not how I'd try to take a ship. I'd better not cast any spells though. Better to take it on the chin <sigh>
Attempt 1
(miss)
(miss)
(miss)
(miss)
(hit!)
(Fall :-(
Attempt 2
(miss)
(hit!)
(Fall)
Seeing the task in front of us it is obvious that I am worried, this is clearly not something I will excel at.
At the end of the exercise I let out a deep sigh, "I knew this would happen. Now if you want it taken out from underneath I can do that, even cutting the anchor, but climbing, not so much."
She pulls him close to him, her nails still clawing into his skin. "I wont care soon enough. It might be selfish, but hells, they could kill us at any time. I dont want to miss out on an experience I've waited 60 years to experience with the right person." She gently bites his ear and laughs softly. "You know enough about me and my race to know Ifrits cannot hold out on any kind of passionate feelings for long. They explode..."
fall
fall
. Fall
Riaris Krine looks on with a mix of expressions on her face as you climb, throw things, and fall in the water. At first, she looks disgusted by your incompetence, but as the groups continue to attempt the task, she slowly gets a calculating expression instead. Once everyone's concluded, she speaks up. "Well, that was pitiful.... It's clearly obvious that you're not cut out for this sort of work. A couple of you showed some promise," she gestures at Cuddles and Tao, "but your weaknesses are rather gigantic too." She pauses to make eye contact with each one of you - making it clear that she's not happy.
"Still, I've been told to turn you into ship fighters, and I'm not going to give up that easily! We're going to try this a different way, so new instructions: board the Wormwood! Anyone not currently working will be tasked with stopping you. You have until I climb aboard to strategize. And you'll need it. Fail, and you all get whipped. Impress me, and your incompetence will be forgiven. Go!" With that, she returns to the Wormwood.
Once we're alone, "How about we just take the boat and row away? If we head up wind..." Alain says wistfully.
As Riaris begins her departure, Tao quickly turns to the others wanting to utilize as much time as they have to their advantage. Tao takes a deep breath and speaks slowly to ensure he is clearly understood.
We need to know aw... ALL of ourrr. Strrrengths and weaknesses. What each of us brrrings to the table.
Tao begins speaking slowly at first, but seems to be picking up speed as he begins to become a bit more comfortable with the manner of speech he is using. Strangely enough, his over enunciation makes him sound more and more like a genuine pirate.
HUGS Cuddles responds.
"I suppose we could tie knots in the ropes at intervals. That would make it a bit easier to climb wouldn't it?"
(DC 5) A rope with a wall to brace against, or a knotted rope, or a rope affected by the rope trick spell
"I am told I can be very hypnotic when I sing." Enya giggles. "Im sure I can take out a few of those pesky throwers with my songs. As for the knots, that could take too long. If we put the best climbers and the most dexterous in front, then they could shield those of us who don't climb and move as well. Or we could do BOTH!" She giggles again, seeming in WAY too good of a mood for what is happening.
Alain. I have seen ya weave yerrr own kind of trickerry. Do ya think ye can weave'em ta ourr advantage? Cuddles, You an I'll be makin ourr way up the side. Frrrom what I seen of ya, yerrr most effective in our enemies faces. I'm the same.
Tao looks over to Enya, Aldous, and River for their response.
Cuddles grins happily and claps his hands. HUGS!
Tao watches the large Half-Orc's meaty, dangerous hands collide repeatedly and feels sorry for any of the ships crew to be caught those ham-hocks.
Enya chooses to ignore the strange new way Tao has decided to speak and continues on her day.
"If this was a real assault I'd pull out all the stops but for a game I'd rather not. The officers on this boat don't like magic much."
Cursing to himself at his current prayer regiment. "Time to stop praying for so much booze each morning," he says as he looks up at the boat. "I can grant some luck to the two of them as they climb, then tie the four ropes to the rest of us and one of them can defend the other while we are each pulled up...Also, River could try and climb up the anchor, as it would not be expected, so less chance of getting targeted."
Alain mutters, "Luck is what I'll need if I'm going to get up this rope."
He'll start putting knots in his rope.
Tao will sit down with Alain and help him do the same with a second rope as the group talks. His eyes drift to the departing boat as he watches Riaris move toward the Wormwood.
Cuddles will assist in knotting the rope as well. He's got not much else he can do.
Enya gets an AHA! look."One more thing!!! I can make a note that can hold river and mines weight individually, maybe Alain and Aldous' too! Sorry Cuddles. I completely forgot! It wont move and Cuddles could use it as a pulley, Guaranteeing our successful boarding, they cant knock us off something we are tied to." Enya smiles at her stroke of genius and what she hopes is helpfulness.
"That would be cool. How does it work?"
"Sounds like the best plan I've heard...if we need to, I can command anyone who attacks to help...and while it won't last long, it will be a second set of hands that would be attacking assisting instead...
She smiles at Alain, all disdain for him obviously gone. "Basically I can sing a note and make it appear somewhere I want it to. It is as strong as me basically, so it can carry up to 130 pounds. That way, we can hoist the members of our team up to safety and we can help Cuddles while he gets up. :) The knotted rope should help Cuddles get up pretty easily." She smiles and slaps Alain on the back.
"Would you be able to lift you onto the ship somewhere else? Like on the other side from us?"
Cuddles is really confused by this talk of singing notes and pullies, so he continues knotting rope and awaits instructions from the smarter people.