The work of scrubbing the deck isn’t exactly easy, but Guillaume accomplishes it with little trouble. In his care not to raise the ire of his erstwhile superiors, he keeps his head down and doesn’t notice anything today.
@Vladimir: Rattsberger seems to take a liking to Vladimir. "Call me Ratline," the little man says. "I've only been on here a couple weeks longer than you have. I've learned you have to watch your step. Several of the nastier sailors are cozying up to Scourge. So watch yourself, many of them will rat you out for just about anything just to see you get a lash."
@Beket:
The poop deck stands 15 feet above the main deck (area A3). The mizzenmast rises 30 feet above this deck. Beket is heartened to see Rytys sitting atop the mizzen. The ship’s bridge protrudes forward of the mizzenmast, and holds the ship’s wheel. The wheel is 3 feet across and has 10 spokes decorated with silver inlays, its bolts carved to resemble kraken heads. An iron cage hangs from the side of the mizzenmast, containing the body of a pirate. An ugly parrot perches atop the cage. Harrigan and Plugg walk about the deck, Plugg at the wheel. When a particularly large wave causes the cage to shift the bird pipes up, ”What the h*ll. Who’s the boss around here anyway? Who’s the boss?”
Plugg looks back at the bird, “Shut up Pluck before we cook you up for dinner.”
“Aawwk, sh*t on a shingle, aawwk,” the bird says.
”You’re right, you wouldn’t be any good,” Mr Plugg says and laughs before he turns his attention back to the wheel.
Nasifi gives Plugg a nod and goes down to find the kitchen.
"Fishguts". Great.
Nasifi is disappointed but not surprised when she meets Fishguts. Still she needs to keep the spot she's won, so she is very pleasant to him and goes straight to work doing as she's instructed.
She works diligently to show the cook she'll be of value to him.
Different boat, same s%%$e.
Vlad nods sagely to the halfling. "Thanks for the tip, Ratline. Don't think I don't appreciate it."
@Nasifi
Fishguts gets chatty during the afternoon, “Watch yer step around ‘ere lass. It’s poison, this ship, but don’t let anyone hear you say it aloud. The hull listens, see, and the cap’n hears it all. Poison the Wormwood is, though, rotten to the core. You’ll not meet a more nasty, sour piece of work than Cap’n Harrigan in all your days at sea, and his crew’s the same, ’specially the first mate, Mr. Plugg. Vicious little sod, he is. He’d take his own mother’s liver to the butcher to make pies with, he would. But they leave me alone, mostly. They know I can’t ’arm ’em.”
Bessie takes the holystone and begins scrubbing the decks, working to be sure they are properly whitened. It has been a long time since you have had to work a deck, but Besmara has blessed you with this chance. Focus on the work today while Mr Scourge will be most watchful.
Tonight I will have a chance to talk with others of the crew.
If given even a semi-private moment, she will check on Bleepos and the blue man and heal as needed.
Bleepos isn’t the best swab - especially because he seems more worried about eating bugs than cleaning up - and to make matters worse, he decides to go visit the ship’s quartermaster to see if he can get back some of his stuff (or new stuff...).
Howdy! - he says, entering the place - Good’ay, mate! Bleepos thinks it’s nice to meet you. Maybe big strong quartermaster can... Help little, sad Bleepos?
He gives the best of his smiles, hoping to be as friendly as possible.
The quartermaster is a tall, thin half-orc. She has a nasty scar going across her throat and wears several hand axes on her belt. She looks down at Bleepos, ”What do you want?”
As night descended and the crew seemed ready to relax and celebrate, Beket waited near the edge. He stared up at the mizzen mast, watching the massive bird that waited there patiently there for him. "Gabh agus sealg!" He'd shout, using the din of the assembled crew to drown out his words. The young roc would take off silently, searching for fish near the surface to feed its gullet.
He'd eye out the rest of his fellows that had been captured that evening, moving up to each one and whispering into their ears. "We must talk." It was only once they were all gathered that he looked between them all and spoke in that low, careful voice as to not attract the attention of others.
"I am sure that you are all like me and are not happy with our...situation...or am I the only one feeling that way?" He was testing the water, seeing if the others felt the way he did or if they had sold their loyalty to Captain Harrigan already.
Nasifi is glad to find Fishguts to be fairly amiable. "I hear what you're saying loud and clear" she responds to his warning.
She asks a few questions to get a better sense of the cook and the ship, but steers away from anything that might be taken as a sign of plotting something.
"Have a name, or is it just Fishguts I'll be calling you?"
"How long have you been aboard?"
"I'm guessing the Wormwood wasn't sailing shorthanded for a long time before the group of us were brought aboard. What happened to the old crew?"
"Do you know where we're bound to?"
+++++++++++++++++++
After the evening meal has been served up Nasifi heads up to get away from the kitchen's heat and breathe in some much needed fresh air. She socializes cautiously, spending the day don in the kitchen gave her little chance to meet anyone beforehand.
She answers the man Beket's question, also hoping to get some feel for how he's taking her getting the kitchen job rather than him. "I ain't seen worse before, that's for sure."
Nasifi also tries striking up a conversation with the halfling woman, Rosie. She speaks halfling so tries using that language as an icebreaker.
Vlad nods to Beket. "We're in the same boat, as it were." He laughs at his own joke. "There's some right nasty folks on this berth and that ain't no lie." He looks around him a bit. From experience, he knew that new conscripts were often watched a bit more closely than more 'experienced'/sufficiently cowed crew.
Bleepos smiles again, hoping his previous attempt to be diplomatic sweetened the half-orc at little bit at least.
Bleepos no violent... Bleepos tired hard-worker, and wants no weapons right now. Just the mementos Bleepos Papa gave him before becoming shark chum. Papa Bleepos gave him some small Goblin tools, and chart of the seas he had explored...
His face becomes a little sad, now, as if remembering something bitter.
@nasifi
"Have a name, or is it just Fishguts I'll be calling you?" "Ambrose Kroop, little lad,y and what do they call you?"
"How long have you been aboard?" "Ma'rm, I've had the misfortune of being the ship's cook on the Wormwood for three years."
"I'm guessing the Wormwood wasn't sailing shorthanded for a long time before the group of us were brought aboard. What happened to the old crew?" "We had a run in with the Chelish navy. We were boarded and lost nearly half the crew. Captain Harrigan met with the Chelaxian officers and bribed them to let us go. We limped back to Port Peril after that."
"Do you know where we're bound to?" Nope. I'd guess we're looking for a ship to raid. A good take can help calm the crew."
@Bleepos: "I'm sorry about that," Grok responds moved by Bleepos' emotion, "This is all the Captains booty now, but I might be able to give you back a minor item or two. The charts will be easy but what goblin tools are you looking for?" She then lets him in, opens up a trunk and shows him all of his stuff along with a lot of other items.
Bessie is trying to lay low and get a feel for the ship and her crew. Upon hearing Beket's question, she realizes that he is not happy with being pressed into service on the Wormwood.
They call me Bessie Rodgers for obvious reasons. I follow the will of the Pirate Queen, and follow her Code. It 'as only been a day, and aside from the press, 'ere is little real harm to us.She looks to the goblin and blue man to be sure this is a true statement.
Let us see our situation, find out our destination and purpose, and followin Besmara's guidance, turn 'at to our favor. And what shall I call you?
Bleepos thanks you! Thank you much! These are family memories. - he says, guarding the chart and pulling the tools from the trunk - Bleepos don’t want you to get into trouble or to disturb the captain-sir booty-thingies. Captain has big hands like nice and strong Grok, no use for small old tools that are just mementos from Bleepos Papa.
He almost lets out a tear, but he’s not a great actor so he won’t push his luck. The little goblin is more about cunning, and lies are second nature for him.
Master Scourge catches Bleepos as he pops back up on deck. Before the goblin can hop out of the way he gets walloped with the bite of one of the docking ropes. It doesn't hurt much (1 pt non-lethal) but it is heavy enough to knock him off his feet. "Stop trying to slime your way through the day, goblin. I expect you to work. You shirk your duties again and it's lashes for you. Now get at it until the bell tolls."
At the end of the work day Mr Plugg tolls the bell. The crew gathers on the main deck. "This is the bloody hour." Ratline tells Vladimir and shivers as they walk to join the others on the main deck. "Public punishments. Jakes Magpie got caught stealing from the quartermaster. He's getting keelhauled today."
Mr Plugg then addresses the assembled crew, "For you new recruits, I want you to understand what is about to happen here. It's wise to maintain discipline. Those caught shirking, stealing, or otherwise compromising the discipline of this ship will meet their punishment here each day. Today, we have a special treat for everyone. Mr Jakes Magpie was caught stealing from the quartermaster store. He admitted as much to Scourge and I last night. Today, he'll be keelhauled for his trespasses. But first, Master Scourge, are there any minor corrections we need to address.
"Not today Mr Plugg." Master Scourge replies before looking down at Bleepos and smiling.
"Bring out the prisoner," Mr Plugg called out. Then Lonegan and Jape bring out a lanky pirate between them. He is marched up the steps to the poop deck where he is tied to a heavy rope on either side of the ship. He is then forced up to the after rail. "Everyone grab a line, port or starboard!" Mr Plugg yells out. Then Captian Harrigan kicks Jakes over the rail. "Now let's start keelhauling!" Mr Plugg yells with gusto and grabs a hold of the line. "March to the fore and let's see what we have left!" Mr Plugg calls out. The lines start to move.
A little over a minute later (12 rounds) you reach the fore of the ship. When the lines are hauled in, hanging between them is a nearly unrecognizable man that has been cut to shreds.
"He's done," Mr Plugg says and smiles. He turns to Captain Harrigan who nods. Mr Plugg then leans in and cuts the connecting lines, letting the body drop to the sea where it is promptly overrun by the ship. "Fun's over, let's eat." Mr Plugg says and hops down to the main deck where Nasifi and Fishguts wait with fish stew and biscuits.
My Besmara bless you Jakes Magpie, sleep well. Bessie says softly.
to know the below
This will determine how Bessie reacts.
@Nasifi: Rosie just shakes her head and moves away. She seems down about something.
@All: One of the more recent conscripts from the group just preceding you approaches your little gathering. An attractive young lady she saunters up with practiced side to side hip movement, meant to catch attention.
"Evenin', I'm Sandara, Sandara Quinn. I visited the quartermaster last night after they brought you aboard. I managed to get these from her," she says and holds out three sets of spell component pouches. "I told her they were cursed items and only good to those who owned 'em. I'm not looking for repayment, just introducing myself. After all, on a ship, it ain't what you know but who you know and I like having friends."
From a game standpoint I will have the same damage inflicted either way. You calculate he took approximately 36 pts of dmg
Only twice seen a man keel-hauled before, and you got the worst of it. Pharasma's blessin', lad. Vlad turns away from the corpse as it drops into the sea. His appetite has been dimmed, but he knows better than to skip a meal on a ship.
----------------------------
"Miss Quinn. I like having friends myself. And anyone who'd bring me some of my gear may very well qualify."
He grabs his particular spell pouch and slides it to an inner pocket.
"You can call me Vlad," he says with a smile.
Well, at least they couldn't drown me. Not that they'd need to. Guillaume thinks, as the broken body of the thief is brought up.
Guillaume nods his thanks when Sandara hands out the pouches. "Aye, it's good to have friends. I'm Guillaume." he says, extending a partially-webbed hand.
Later, if he gets a moment alone, Guillaume reaches deep into himself, tapping his connection the elemental planes, healing himself with energy from the Plane of Water.
Bleepos falls, but before standing up he gets distracted by a crack in the ship - probably somewhere beetles go to hide, and they can be quite crunchy and yummy! Before the goblin came back to his senses, however, the man had departed already. Bleepos checked his clothes for the tools and chart, smiled, then went on with his life.
By the bloody hour, he was already expecting some spectacle. He and the other kidnapped members had just "joined" the crew, so it was natural the officers would try something dramatic to cause an impression. He had seen keelhauling before, but couldn't help but fear the itch on the hair behind his immense ear. This probably hurt quite a lot, as delicious as licking the coral on the bottom of the ship would taste.
Finally, he got alive to the time of his first "dinner" onboard, and felt victorious. Most goblins would probably had been thrown off ship by this time, or would have set the sails on fire. Instead, there was him - alive after all these years on ships, and surviving a new day on this bulky frying pan! As he was trying to take care of the "hurts" the longshanked gave him during the day, the woman approached.
Cursed items! - he looked at the spell component pouches without having a clue of what they were - Bleepos likes meeting you, young Human lady-girl-Quinn. Bleepos likes making friends.
The last phrase was actually directed towards the group around him - they were starting to get to meet each other, and at least on appearances their situation was quite similar.
Beket rose up from where he was on deck, hearing the toll of the bell on deck. The ominous sound rings out over head and even Rytys seems to fly down a bit lower after having hunted for fish up near the surface of the water. There was a call for punishment though, public ones. The practice wasn't unknown to Beket but he couldn't stop but feel that on the Wormwood, he never wanted to be. Mr. Plugg began his annoucement, declaring what was going on and why it was happening. Beket's scowl seemed to deepen; a pirate shouldn't take from their own crew unless they were planning on trying to supplant those in charge. With this being Captain Harrigan's ship though, to steal from it was not light manner. "Fool. Guess I'm not the most cursed by the Goddess's fortune." Master Scourge's eager grin at the goblin was something that Beket did not miss at all.
The prisoner was brought out to the poop deck, Beket's eyes showing pity for the man to a degree. He at least seemed to bravely meet his fate, being forced up onto the edge of the boat. Like many of the others, he grabbed a hold of the rope and when the call was given; he pulled. There was no reason to be merciful, he was destined to drown and if he came out alive upon the other side; he'd just suffer his fate again knowing the Captain's reputaton. The rope was pulled and pulled and as poor Jakes Magpie was lifted from the water; there was a poor of a body that was once a man. Mr. Plugg cut the line and the carcass disappeared into the dark water beneath, gone from this world. He was beside Bessie when he heard her prayer and though he had his tribulations with the Pirate Goddess, he was not faithless.
"Enjoy your time on Kelpie's Wrath, Magpie. Serve her well." He would turn to the others, gesturing them to follow him as they prepared to eat.
Beket looks among his fellows, nodding at Vladimir's comment. This ship was a dangerous place to be and being the new people here; that put them under a lot of scrutiny by anyone who was secured a place here. No crewmate would like to lose their standing and what he saw of his fellows so far; they seemed particularly skilled. Looking over towards Bessie for a moment, he smirked at the priestess of the Pirate Goddess. He would give a nod towards her, showing a shark-like grin before he spoke again. "I mean nothing by it Bessie, nothing at all. I'm just saying that we should watch each other's backs. We all started off on the same foot together, that makes us peers." He looked towards Nasifi, that shark-like grin still upon his face. "I hope your cooking is good. I would not like to see you on the bad terms of Master Scourge. I will give you tips, if you can get me fish guts. I'll need them."
It was around then that time that a woman approached their associated group, a smile upon her face as she sauntered her way towards them. It was a practiced movement and while Beket certainly enjoyed the display but he was wise enough to know better than trust a beautiful smile and tempting hips. She introduced herself and he'd give a nod of his head, looking towards her. "That is kind of you. Very kind." And quite suspicious as well.
"My name is Beket Runetooth. I come from a clan based in Port Peril. One of the few remaining, anyway." There was a grimace upon his face there as he smiled at their some congregation; the cleric of Besmara, the strange-colored man, the goblin, the half-orc, and himself. They were quite the group, he had to think for himself. "Are you saying that we can count on you Sandarra? If so...I think you'll find you can count on us..." It was coy talk but alliances were important on a new ship with such a vicious crew. You needed to know who had your back.
@Vladimir: she seems quite sincere
@Beket: you can't get a good read on her intentions
Having their previous conversation interrupted by the Bloody Hour, Bessie rolls her eyes at the arrival of Sandra Quinn, but the spell component pouches will be very helpful.
She looks to Beket, still unsure of the man's name,
Apologies if I implied other than that we are equals, we all need friends to watch our backs.[b] She nods and smiles at Quinn, [b]I for one can help heal our wounds, but not even I could have saved Jakes, so we need to be careful.
As everyone is introducing themselves,
Let us see our situation, find out our destination and purpose. Bessie looks to the Mwangi woman, Can you determine the amount of supplies stored, 'at might give us a clue as to how long the voyage be.
Vlad, can I call ya Crow, its a much better sailor name, can ya and Beket determine our headin and distance. I will try as well and we can try to figure out where we are and where we might be headed by direction.
Goblin, Bessie kneels to be eye to eye with the small creature, You are with us, you understand? Stay focused and work hard for now, we need you unharmed.
Goblins are known for their cunning and viciousness. I don't know if this little guy is a complete idiot, or the smartest one here, but I need to remember not to underestimate him.
Quinn
We also need ways to communicate unnoticed, Guillaume and I speak Aquan, it does not seem Plugg or Scourge do. lets make sure we talk and share knowledge about our crewmates, but we should not al meet together like this too often.
"You implied nothing of the sort Bessie, we all need friends." The tall, scarred Mwangi man would say, looking back over the crowd. When asked if he could figure out where they were and where they were going, Beket would give a nod and let his eyes stare upwards into the beautiful, star-filled sky above. He looked for the most constant constellations, using the celestial events above to predict where they were now.
Beket nodded approvingly at Bessie's suggestion for Vladimir's name; Crow just rolled off of the tongue easier and quicker than his actual name. "Crow seems a fitting name."
"I do not know Aquan, not yet anyways. You will need to teach me." Beket murmured to both Bessie and Guillaume. "I can look around the place as well, try to learn what I can. I'm no good at opening places I shouldn't be but I can be very quiet when I need to be. If someone can give them a distraction, I will make the best of it." To be forewarned was to be forearmed. Every advantage they could give themselves as they adapted here would be doable.
Beket, while the crew was gambling and consorting with each other, Beket sneaks his way down below the decks and quietly makes his way the the cabin of the Quartermaster and the Cook. Despite his large size, the man moves rather silently as he explores the room and investigates every little tidbit.
The keelhauling demonstration leaves Nasifi shaken and numb. She had spend some time on a merchantman, well, a smuggler's ship as much as anything, but it was nothing like this. After awaking that morning she hadn't been expecting more of the same, but she's realizing she's in a completely different world now.
Being rebuffed by the halfling woman takes the social wind out of her sails (heh), and she returns to where Beket has been standing. He's the only person aside form the cook she;s really spoken with. She says her hellos to the other people clustered there. Mostly they are the ones brought aboard at the same time as her.
The exception is the woman Sandara Quinn, who she hasn't seen before. Nasifi introduces herself to her as well.
Nasifi shares what she learned from the cook during the day. with them.
"According to Ambrose, the cook, we're here because about half the crew from before was killed in a tangle with a Chelish naval ship. A pirate hunter I guess. The captain paid them off to get away. Now we're probably going to be looking hard for targets so he can make up the loss after the bribe."
Feeling like he's got a pretty good read on her, Vlad asks Sandara, "So, how did you join up with the crew, Miss Quinn? And how long've ya been here?"
I think I'll take all the help I can get with THIS lot.
----------------------
He laughs when Bessie asks to change his name. "Har! Ya can call me what ya like, as long as you ask Besmara for a spell to make water into ale, at least every once in a while," he says with a rakish smile. He'd always wanted to learn that spell. "I'm afraid I don't speak aquan, although I'm willin' to learn. Might be useful for certain spells in the water."
As to their heading and direction "That there is north, so we're heading "
"I may be able to get more precise measurements this evening if I can see the stars, though navigatin' tools would make things easier."
------------------------
That evening, after everything has settled down a bit, Vlad starts telling bawdy pirate stories, tales of drinking, looting, and wenching. It's early on this journey and he'd like to set a tone: being the useful and fun guy that nobody wants to keelhaul. After all, no pirate berth is forever, though it may be til death.
Guillaume nods. ”You might say Aquan comes naturally in my family. My great-grandfather’s great-great-grandmother was a Marid, or something like that. The family stories vary from relative to relative. Unfortunately, that means I’d be most useful off the ship. No offense, but I daresay I can swim circles around anyone that doesn’t have a tail. I can also breathe water, so drowning’s not something I need to worry about.”
Enhance Water Bessie says, recognizing the requested spell as one she often memorizes. It doesn't make the best grog, but tomorrow, you shall have a pint on me, dear Crow!
Beket grins softly at Guillaume and gives a low chuckle. It sounds threatening to a degree but it is only the deepness of his voice that seems to add that menacing quality to his voice.
"We will have to see friend, for I can boast the very same." Beket leaves his mysterious words at that, stretching some before looking to the others. "I think I will go and retire now. Sleep well friends." Beket would now move down beneath the decks, where he would sneak into the quarters to search around.
Beket is able to determine the ship is moving north. Having left out from Port Peril last night he can assume they are still in Jeopardy Bay.
Sandara Quinn responds to Vladimir, [b]"I had the misfortune of coming aboard five nights before you did. It was me, Conchabar, Cogward, and Cusswell. They didn't let us above decks until we pulled out of port. We had the opportunity to meet some of the other sailors before you. That's when I convinced Grok that my gear was holy. Then after you came aboard, I figured the same ruse might work for your spell components. Luckily it did."
Vladimir comes to the same conclusion as Beket, that the ship is moving north and must be in Jeopardy Bay still.
Bleepos listens more than speak for the rest of his night up, and learns a lot more about the other members. Maybe I should ask blue longshanks to teach me fish language!, he thinks, not in a very precise way. Finally he retires, tired, to get some sleep. He smiles and waves, for moments staring at Bessie’s leftovers and wondering if she was going to eat that.
Because of Vladimir's excellent storytelling, Beket finds it a bit easier to get away from the crowd (+2) to search around. Down below he makes his way into the galley and finds the door to Fishguts' and Grok's room. He hears Fishguts inside the room so he lays off his original plan. He spots the handle of a sword lying under bags of flour.
XP for day 1
Befriended Ratline: 75 each
Vladimir performance: 100 to Vladimir
Bleepos retrieve thieves tolls: 50 to Bleepos
Survived Day 1: 250 each
Everyone rests through the night and recovers all fatigue and, with healing assist, hit points.
We're using XP? Ugh.
The next day, Beket awakens once more but he keeps a mental note of where that blade was located. Such a weapon would do little for him but for another of them, it could be quite the tool. He would move carefully among the crew members, saddling up beside the man that had earned the nickname "Crow" and whispered in his ear.
"I do not know if it'll mean much to you but I found a blade hidden among the sacks of flour in the galley. You seem like you might get the most of it." Beket said quickly to him before making his way back up to the main deck. The work of a swab was nearly constant and there was still more of this place to explore and learn. To learn the inside of a ship was to learn the behaviors of an animal or the mannerisms of a friend. You had to know a ship to predict it, to understand it. He quickly went to work, doing what he could to finish his work as effectively as possible.
Bessie awakens and begins her morning meditation, offering prayers to Besmara and focusing her mind. Soon she would be back at work swabbing the decks, it was frustrating to be a ship's surgeon and reduced to swabbing the deck, but if that was the toil required by the Pirate Queen, so be it.
I wonder if the loss of Jakes has impacted the ability of the crew, or if the Capt'n had an extra to make an example of... he said no killing because they had just enough to sail.
Bleepos wakes up more rested, and gets back to work with a smile on his face. He waves playfully to Bessie, looking around to check who else is back at work already.
After the day before, he's smarter now - he wants to make sure he can "shirk" and explore the ship, but he keeps running quick, stealthy, and whenever back to work he makes sure people can see he's there at the activity.
All the routine gets him tired once again, but at least he can try some exploration.
The next morning everyone prepares to head to the main deck. You've been told by Quinn and Ratsberger that everyone is expected on deck within two minutes of the bell. The bell tolls but when you make your way to the main stairwell, a line of sailors blocks your way. Not suspecting trouble you are in a random order; Guillaume, Beket, and Nasifi in front, Bleepos, Vladimir, and Bessie behind.
"In a hurry?" Lonegan asks as he chuckles and then shoves Beket.
Getting back up upon the deck, Beket went back to work with the rest of the swabs maintaining the deck as they sailed along the great, big ocean. The hard work would keep him focused and he would keep his eyes peeled as the monotonous work continued on.
It is obvious to all that the large, Mwangi man had been a sailor for quite some time. When there was time for him to slip away from the crew, he would sneak back downstairs and try to explore the main deck. It was the place they would be around the most and it would be good to learn what little quirks were there.