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The halfling seems a sluggish to respond to the Pathfinders. She yawns again and stretches, smiling at Kaylee. "Thank you dear, the stew is a recipe from my gran. It never fails to please." She takes the letter, breaks the seal and nods to herself as she reads it.
Inspector Ginsi is happy to help after reading Lady Darchana’s request. It takes her a few minutes after reading the request to confirm the pending docking request for the Kat Season in her ledger. "Nope, it doesn't look like they've docked yet, they are still at sea." She then takes a different ledger out, locates and sign out a rowboat, and finally several minutes later locates the pilot roster. After looking over the pilot rosters, she excuses herself to notify a pilot to prepare for departure, leaving the Pathfinders alone in the empty office.
The door opens again after about five minutes and Inspector Gilsi enters, all smiles. She says they have a pilot waiting at Docking Slip 49, a dwarf named Zigil. "She's a hoot and a half! You'll love her!" Ginsi offers.
The Pathfinders quickly head to their assigned slip, as the sun slips down below the western horizon. Checking the knots tied in a rope attached to a rowboat, a female dwarf stands with her back to you. As you approach she turns, looking over her shoulder. Zigil grunts a greeting as you arrive a the small rowboat. "You row, I navigate." she says curtly. She points at Hrothgar's large companion and says, "Not on this rowboat."
"Ready when you are," she says gruffly.
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Ragnar quickly blurts out at Kaylee, clearly irritated by her continued criticism: "What's the problem? I won't put up with such riffraff as that halfling girl while she gets ready. If she were working for me, she'd be jobless and homeless a long time ago. We have important business and I won't waste my - our - time on such nonsense. She should do her job, not doze off.". He calms down a bit, then grins and adds "And you say I'm mean? No girl, I'm just doing what it takes. Not everyone can be charmed with your looks and smooth tongue."
As Lady Darchana eluded to, any ship that carries more than six people or 500 pounds of cargo cannot, by law, sail through the Ship Graveyard except under the guidance of a registered member of the Pilot’s Guild. Regardless of its own captain or pilot’s skill, a specially trained pilot travels out from the Harbormaster’s Grange to a waiting ship once it has signaled. This pilot then directs the ship through the ever-changing maze of wrecks that constitutes the Ship Graveyard.
Absalom’s harbor is an inky, shifting landscape of shadows at night, illuminated only by the city’s lights, the waxing moon, and the distant blaze of the Absalom Lighthouse on Pilot’s Island. Eventually, a three-masted ship with white sails comes into view. It’s just over one hundred feet in length, and its bowsprit is a weatherworn representation of a canine-headed mermaid. The crew is busy as they await an escort through the Ship’s Graveyard. A rope ladder hangs from the rail of its starboard to a foot above the waterline.
Belven notices nothing hostile as they approach, but there is movement on the deck. As you get close enough to identify the ship and climb the ladder you can no longer directly see the deck.
As Ragnar begins to climb the rope, the ugly, tusked face of a half-orc peers down at you. "'Bout time," he says. He turns back toward the deck and bellows "Pilot's 'ere!"
After Ragnar climbs onto the deck, he sees the half-orc standing near the ladder and two gnoll crewmen making preparations to get underway. One of the gnolls goes into a cabin at the bow of the ship after untying several ropes. "'bout Go-rum time. We'z ben 'ere all day!"
He takes a long hard look at Ragnar the says, "How'z ya gonna pilot da ship in dis dark chummer?"
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"Oh, our pilot can see in the dark! A lot like you, I would think, silly!"
Kaylee walks forward with a major swagger in her step. "Now, be a good boy and go fetch your captain for us? The pilot here" she indicates Ragnar, "needs to speak with her before he can pull us into the harbor."
Kaylee blows a kiss at the half-orc, chanting under her breath and masking her hand movements with the kiss-blowing action as she casts charm person on the half-orc.
Oblivious to what just happened the half-orc just smiles at Kaylee like a total goon. "Curtzog dat first mate," he thuds his fist on his chest. "Pilot talks to me. Curtzog gets da ship in safe. Cap'in dunna be bothered." He points to a nasty scar on his shoulder, "Girl is pretty, but cap'in'll do dis or worse if Curtzog dis-dis-dis-tur, bugs her."
With everyone on deck now, Curtzog seems confused and asks Kaylee "Why so many pilots?"
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"Oh sweetie, we are the pilot's bodyguards! He is the best pilot in the city... He gets paid the most, so he has to be careful! But anyway, sweetie, we really need to talk to the captain. You wouldn't want him to touch something he's not supposed to and get you in trouble with the captain, would you?" Kaylee touches his arm, subtly pressing herself against him suggestively.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Ragnar chuckles as the half-orc shows off his scar. "Pfft. I can't believe a big half-orc like you is afraid of a woman, especially one who could only make that tiny scratch. I would show you what scars really mean, but there seem to be some underage gnolls here so I'll keep those covered for now. Anyway, run now and tell your mistress Ragnar the pilot said she needs to be here. Get your captain, kiddo, cuz' this pilot ain't moving no ship without her on board and signing this form. City orders, you see. Insurance and stuff." Before the half-orc can answer, he adds "If you're too scared to get her, just show me where she's at and I'll get her up here, by the hair if necessary." He adds more quietly, gesturing at Kaylee as if he doesn't want her to hear it, "You know, some girls actually like that. You should try it sometime."
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The main deck of the At Sea has two 10-foot-square wood grates that access the hold below. Two doors access the forecastle’s cabin, and a ladder leads up to the forecastle’s deck. The helm is positioned on the raised quarterdeck at the stern, accessible by short staircases on both sides.
Curtzog seems confused and slightly unhappy about the idea of disturbing the captain, but after a few suggestive brushes with Kaylee he finally agrees. Heading through a door to the forecastle's cabin, you hear him in the hold below knocking on a door. After a short back and forth with the captain, you can hear him stomping back up the stairs. "Cap'in 'll be right up."
After a few minutes, a Keleshite woman emerges from the forecastle's cabin door carrying a lantern. The Keleshite woman is dressed in studded leather, and wears two ornately decorated kukris at her waist. Her black hair is held out of her face by a faded yellow bandana. She has a dark mole on her left cheek just below her eye. "What in the name of the Eye of Abendego is going on here pilot? I have an important meeting with Goodman Hugen tomorrow and I'll be sure to bring up the ...incompetence in great detail. Can we please get underway?"
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Kaylee takes a step toward Curtzog and casts a spell at the captain.
"She's trying to kill me! Curtzog, get her!"
"Curtzog, sweetie, I really like the captain's kukris... could you grab them for me?"
In either case:
Round 1:
Curtzog
Ragnar
Hrothgar
Gnoll
Captain
Belven
Kaylee
Seeing the captain rushing at Kaylee, the half-orc first mate pulls a heavy mace off his hip and looks ready to defend the bard! He moves a little closer and readies a swing for the approaching Captain!
Ragnar and Hrothgar may act!
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Ragnar smiles in anticipation as he draws his greatsword and confidently walks towards the Captain, his movements becoming more and more sharp as he advances, feeling the familiar sense of inner rage surging inside him. "You should be know better than to speak so insolently to your betters, woman," he shouts as he slashes at her with a top-down motion, trying to kill her with a single blow.
The gnoll moves up to the quarterdeck, readying a bow and drawing and arrow and firing it at Kaylee scoring a solid hit!
*hit*
Unable to concentrate on anything but kissing Kaylee's sweet lips, Captain Wardak moves across the hold covering trying to reach the object of her desire. Curtzog swings his heavy mace at her head, but misses.
Round 1:
Curtzog
Ragnar
Gnoll
Captain (14 damage taken)
Belven
Kaylee
Hrothgar (delay-ish?)
Belven and Kaylee may act, Hrothgar I put you on delay if you'd like to take an action this round.
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Kaylee begins cheering to boost her allies' abilities, using a hymn she had been taught by a ship's captain years ago.
"I'm on a boat! I'm on a boat! Take a good hard look at this Gorum-loving boat!"
She'll then pull out one of her butterfly swords and take a five-foot step back away from the captain to give her allies room to attack.
Ragnar's savage attack lands again on the Captain, but in her unnatural lust for Keylee she barely seems to register.
Belven and Hrothgar are up still for Round 1!
Round 2:
Curtzog
Ragnar
Gnoll
Captain (27 damage taken)
Belven
Kaylee
Hrothgar
Curtzog dodges the dwarf's attack, and looking around surveying the chaos that has erupted on the deck seems to awaken in shock from a pleasant dream. Seeing his Captain a bleeding mess, and armed intruders attacking he drops the heavy mace with a thud. He draws a greatsword from off his back and takes a massive, underhand swing that looks as if it means to knock the dwarf overboard!
*miss*
Ragnar is up!
The gnoll turns his aim on Belven and fires, wounding the elf!
*hit*
The Captain draws her kukri and wheels around on Ragnar, stabbing at the man!
*miss*
*hit*
Belven, Kaylee, and Hrothgar are up!