Just as Alessandra starts to purchase her own cloak, he slides the cloak back over the counter. "No thanks, she's got one." He takes off his own cloak, putting it around her shoulders.
"There you go, save yourself some hard earned cash. Ain't gonna do me any good anymore. Besides, it just didn't feel like me."
He heads off in his own direction, taking a drink from his new mug.
Alessandra takes the cloak with a modicum of grace; "Thanks." Smells of beer, but it'll do. Saves her spending her own cash.
...
..
.
At the mention of a hostage, Alessandra grins tuskily toothily. "Hey, Red! Got a job for ya!" She doesn't dislike Sandara, exactly, she just wishes that the woman didn't have to be quite so attractive around her. Not that she gives a damn about her looks, but the contrast between the two of them is just too obviously striking. She knows that this isn't Sandara's fault; she knows too that her dislike is irrational; but this just makes her crosser (with Sandara, natch).
Ethron steps forward, taking his falcata and other weapons off and handing them to Doc. "Keep this safe. I want it back."
Ethron steps forth, calling up to the tower. "I will be your hostage. As the Medic aboard this ship, I put faith in you that my skills will not be needed."
Malevor disarms himself and moves up to the small tower. When he is in position, the door opens, and a couple men come out. They search him, and being satisfied with what they found, they escort him into the tower.
After a few minutes, one of the guards on the walls waves you forward.
When you get up to the tower (all PCs are going, any NPCs? You can bring 5 total.) you are allowed inside.
You are escorted up into the tower by McCleagh and several guards..
You go through rooms B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B11.
Within B11, you find Lady Smythee waiting. McCleagh and several guards stay in B11, while Lady Smythee treats you a great meal - a feast of boiled crab, butter-simmered sturgeon, goat cheese, and hard bread, washed down with copious amounts of ale and rum.
Lady Smythee will make plenty of small talk, but doesn't reveal anything tactically useful for you. She is quite impressed that your Captain offered himself up as the hostage, "most Captains would never have done that, a brave man he must be."
You are free to ask any questions, or make any proposals you might have.
This is a niice place Chaenath says.
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Rogar clearly enjoys the feast, nothing to build one's appetite like living weeks on shipboard food. And the dwarf certainly drinks his (and a few other's as well) share of the copious amounts of rum and ale..
"Ah, th' crew has a long history o' brave volunteers" Rogar replys to the lady's remark, still remembering well how he was volunteered into The Wormwood.
"Mighty keep, ye have 'ere." Rogar says, getting quite fed up with the senseless smalltalk. "How'd ya come by it? Always in th' family? Wouldn't mind hearin' th' history o' the place, if ye have time t' tell th' story."
She is pleased to relate the history of the place (which I believe I posted earlier, right?) and how she mourns the loss of her brave husband.
Chaenath continues chowing down on the meal.
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"Well, 'nuf wit' th' banter. I thank ye heartily fer th' feast. It was th' finest I've had in years. An' while I certainly don't mind 'nuther round o' yer fine rum, I get get t' th' point."
"We've heard th' tales o' th' Tidewater Rock, an' how it'll bring luck t' it's keeper. Whether true or no, havin' th' keep would sure help th' reputation o' new pirate crew in th' Shackles. Such as ourselves!"
Now Rogar stands up and spreads his arms innocently. He stands surprisingly steady considering the amounts of rum he's been consuming throughout the dinner.
"But we're no scroundels, I respect th' keep is yours, an' we're not going t' try an take it by force. Instead, I have a proposition of partnership! We have a fully-crewed ship, and means to capture new ones. We can supply ye ships and foodstuffs and wares, whatever ye'll be needin'. No need t' count on merchant's visitin', an' a bad harvest won't ruin ye off. We can help ye run th' keep, too. I'm sure ye'r doin' fine now, but it must be hard, ye bein' widow an' all. And we will benefit from th' reputation, and can use th' keep as our base o' operations, to find new ships t' pray. And most o' all, from here we can prepare th' hunt fer our prime target..."
Rogar keeps a dramatic pause, letting the tension build a little bit before finishing.
"...Captain Barnabas Harrigan!"
Woot!
Lady Smythee listens to your offer as she sips her wine. When you mention Harrigan, she sits up, "that scoundrel! Why, he was responsible for the death of my husband. Any foe of Harrigan's is a friend of mine, to be sure. I find your offer to be a very attractive one, and while I would be inclined to agree, I counterpropose nuptias temporaria with him," as she points at Ethron.
Chaenath blanches a bit and stares at the Lady with narrowed eyes You want to take healer man?
"Take him? Of course not, just share him."
"..."
Alessandra's face is a picture.
"..."
Her mouth opens and then shuts abruptly as she tries to work out how to respond.
She settles for glaring at Ethron: it's a principle that's worked OK so far.
"Well?"
Ethron figures he should stand an average distance to the wonderful host. Close enough to support, but not close enough to suggest.
And just when he thinks he has this problem in the bag, he finds himself the source of concern among his friends. He leans over to Alessandra, whispering, "I'm sorry, what's going on?"
After she bites his ear off with what was suggested, he turns a bright red. "Uhhh....I'm sorry, but...what? Why me? I mean, I know I'm the Gods gift to woman, but why are you suggesting this? Besides, isn't that concept older than the Witch?"
Alessandra rolls her eyes in annoyance. "You know what? Deal. You get him, we get the partnership."
She shakes her head at Ethron's protests. "And no, you DON'T get a say in it. In the captain's absence, I'm in charge as first mate." She bites off her words. She's really annoyed and has no idea why.
Lady Smythee observes the interface between the two shipmates before asking, "are you sure? He doesn't seem too excited about the idea. Come now my dear, this can be strictly a business deal, or it can be so much more. Well, of course it can be just a business deal after the first night."
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"Aye, we 'ave a deal!" Rogar declares, and already shakes hands with Lady Smythee. "He'll be 'appy t' agree, he's just bein' bit shy now. So, how this goin' t' work? We need a priest? A barrister? Or ye just go consummatin' th' marrige right away?"
The dwarf scurries next to Ehtron, and slaps him manly on the back. "Be brave now, lad. Take one fer th' crew. 's not so bad, bein' married, I reckon. If ye need to, close yer eyes, get yer willy up, and think of th' Chimera!"
Well with that decided. I am going back to the ship. I will see you tomorrow healer man. Chaenath whirls and stomps off back to the ship.
Ethron gives Doc his most meaningful Inquisition stare after getting slapped in the midback.
"Don't. Touch me. Dwarf."
Turning his attention back to the Lady, he clears his throat and begins his counter argument. "M'Lady, if I may, if you're looking someone to begin a meaningful courtship with, or if nothing else a business partner, then perhaps our Captain would be a better suitor. He is Captain, after all, and I am but a lowly Medic. Besides, you already have him tied up, so you're halfway there with him!" Ethron gives his most sincere smile, praying he isn't the one with the ball and chain.
Secretly, he's hoping he can explain to his fellow officers what that was all about, but even he's not entirely sure!
Lady Smythee gets a confused look on her face. "Wait, you're not the Captain? You seemed so dashing and handsome, but you're saying it was your Captain that hostaged himself?". She considers this new information, "It isn't as if you tried to fool me I suppose. Very well, absolutely, it's the Captain I meant to marry all along anyways! Do you think he will agree?"
Ethron lets out a soft sigh of relief at hearing that he's no longer going to be the one in the hotseat.
"I'm sure he'll agree. Besides, such a beauty of a woman making such a modest proposal, there's no way he'd say no!"
"I'm glad we have that figured out." He looks back as Chaenath leaves the room. "Did...was it...uhh..." He looks over to Alessandra, seeing the daggers she's glaring. "Umm..." He looks down at Doc, whispering, "Was it something I said?"
Ok, so the dinner party breaks up. You all go back out to the ship. Shortly thereafter Malevor is released, none the worse for wear. He also ate well and was well treated.
So...
Who's gonna break the news to him?
Considering Ethron is the one who got him into this, he'll be the one to do it.
"So good news and bad news, all summed up with one question: What color suit are you going to wear to your wedding?"
Malevor takes a step back? "My, err, wedding? What? And just who am I to wed?". He scans around the deck, mostly at the women, and trying to discern whose idea this joke was.
"Ah. Well, that's the uh..best..part..."
Ethron goes into a bit of detail regarding Lady Smythee's offer, making sure that he understands that the idea is an old one, but it could work in their favor.
"Is she pretty?"
Ethron is silent for a moment. "Oh yeah. A real knockout."
"Well, then, what are we waiting for?"
Alessandra grins. "You'll be fine, Cap'n."
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Shocked by Ethron's sudden outburst, Doc jumps back a little. "Whoa... Jus' tryin' t' be friendly here..."
Once the initial shock passes, the dwarf gets into a darker mood. That was no way to treat a teammate, and this will be remembered...
"Me think ye better serve yer god, and keep yer mouth fillled with ale, t' keep ye spewing out such hate. Human."
He has lost the appetite for continuing the dinner, so Rogar just downs his last mug of rum. At least the issue with the keep seems to be resolved without violence, so the visit here was not fruitless. And the lady of the keep seems agree with the marriage plan.
"Aye, ma'am. I'll be sure th' cap'n happily agree's with th' marriage. He's a handsome fellow, he is. Hope ye like yer husbands ..eh.. horny."
Alright, so on the morrow, Captain Malevor sends word up to the keep that he would be delighted to marry the good Lady Smythee post haste.
Arrangements are made, and the ceremony is performed. After the ceremony is performed, Lady Smythee presents Malevor with a dowree, her farglass and her late husband's "iron shirt." Naturally, if after the contracted year of marriage the parties decide to go their separate ways, she will expect the items back, as is proper.
In the mean time, she and Malevor head off to her apartments and do whatever they do, and a huge feast was provided for the rest of you.
I'll pick it up there when I can get the next fight started!
Aura faint divination; CL 5th
Slot none; Price 6,400 gp; Weight 1 lb.
DESCRIPTION
This telescoping brass spyglass functions as a normal spyglass and allows clear vision to the horizon 3 miles away at sea level. From atop a typical crow’s nest or 70-foot-tall tower like Tidewater Rock, this vision extends to over 10 miles. Once per day, the user of a farglass can activate a clairaudience/clairvoyance effect upon any location seen through the farglass’s lens. As long as the location is kept in sight through the lens, the clairaudience/clairvoyance sensor can move with the location. This effect lasts for up to 5 minutes.
CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, clairaudience/clairvoyance; Cost 3,700 gp
Ethron tries his damnedest to be the best man! He's the one that introduced the happy couple, he should be allowed to do so!
"Have a good night, Captain! Don't forget to write!"
Ethron lets out a low whistle after looking over the Iron Shirt. "That is a pretty piece...Does anyone want to use this? Besides me, I mean."
The next morning, the good Captain Malevor comes striding down the path from the gatem, wearing his new breastplate, and with his new spyglass dangling from his hip. He has a spring in his step that you've just not seen in the man before. "Alright lads and lassies, I have done my duty and upheld the honor of the ship, so let's put to sea and get some green under our keel."
That was three weeks ago, since then you’ve captured two ships:
Abendego Mistress a caravel (10,000gp) out of Thuvia carrying 2 points of plunder (wine and grain).
Her captain and first mate had between them chain shirt +2, potion of CLW.
Deep Blue a Chellish schooner (10,000gp) carrying 2 points of plunder (spices and fabrics).
Her captain had headband of alluring charisma [+2] and a ring of climbing
The Captain has you returned to Tidewater Rock for rest and refreshment, but upon arriving you discover that the island was attacked by sahuagin the previous night. One of the garrison’s guards is dead and Mardus Siggs is languishing from a horrific wound to his thigh from a barbed sahuagin trident. Mardus’ wound was treated, but the jagged barbs of the weapon caused a great deal of damage to the bone as it was extracted. Sandara is sure she can help Mardus through this.
A small amount of investigation determines that a small group of sahuagin came upon Mardus in the evening as he was with his goats. The goatherd was surprised, but the guard happened to come along to summon him back to the castle for dinner. The guard held off the sahuagin while Mardus hobbled back to the castle to get help. When the rest of the guards arrived, the sahuagin were gone—apparently back into the sea—and the guard had been torn to shreds. A somber funeral service is held for the slain guard and after healing Mardus, Sandara is warmly praised.
However, the danger is not passed. That evening, just as the last of the castles inhabitants go to return inside from their daily chores, and just as the four of you are returning to the ship, 8 sahuagin break out of the surf not 30’ from the open door and start rushing to get inside. You lot are 15’ from the sahuagin, squarely between them and the gates of the keep.
The party is up…
Chaenath relays everything she knows about the Sahuagin and then casts Web to grab as many of the attackers as possible while still allowing one or two to be attacked in melee.
Drawing his falcata, Ethron rushes up to the nearest sahuagin, his stance changing to that of a more menacing nature.
Alessandra's bow flickers into her hand and she fires at the creepy shark-things. "What is with these £%&£ers?! What did we do to them? Apart from kill them all, I mean..."
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"Aye, ugly buggers. Why don't ye have a chat with 'em once we're down, lass. "
Rogar throws a tanglefoot bomb, trying to catch any sahuagin that was not caught by the elf's spell.
A creature that takes a direct hit from a tanglefoot bomb must save against the bomb’s DC 15 or be entangled and glued to the floor as if it had failed its save against a tanglefoot bag. Creatures in the splash area that fail their saves are entangled but not glued to the floor; those who make this save are not entangled at all
Chaenath relays much that you already know, they are aquatic creatures, no particularly special defenses. They do have a special attack, called blood frenzy, which is like a mini-rage. Hopefully I will get to show you this feature of the sahuagin here in a moment!
@Chaenath - there are no diametrically opposed surfaces for the web to grab, so try something else.
Ethron rushes into melee, but his swing misses.
Alessandra fires a single arrow into one of the enemies. The arrow strikes deep and the creature falls to the ground dying.
Doc's bomb strikes S5, and splashes onto S2-S7.
Saves vs Splash DMG
Fail
Save
Save
Save
Save
Saves vs Entangled
Fail
Save
Fail
Fail
Save
Fail
Several of the Sahuagin take full damage, and several escape the entanglement.
Ok, just waiting for a modified action from Chaenath in place of the web
S1 -
S2 - 6, Entangled
S3 - 3
S4 - 3, Entangled
S5 - 13, Entangled
S6 - 3
S7 - 3, Entangled
S8 - 16, dying
Good deal, let's say it hits the same ones Doc did...
Fail
Success
Fail
Fail
Fail
Fail
The Sahuagin act:
S1 is uninjured, not entangled, and not blind, so he moves to rush by your party and head towards the door. He will take an AOO from both Ethron and Doc if they care to take it.
S3 will do the same as S1, so if any of you have an AOO left, take it.
S5 will attempt to break free...
Fail
S2, S4, S6, and S7 being blind will not try moving, but they will get another saving throw at the end of their turn to become unblind...
Fail
Fail
Fail
Success
Fail
Ok, so S1 and S3 have made it to the door, the rest are milling about blind, entangled, or now unblind.
The party is up again.
S1 -
S2 - 6, Entangled, Blind
S3 - 3
S4 - 3, Entangled, Blind
S5 - 13, Entangled, glued to floor, Blind
S6 - 3
S7 - 3, Entangled, Blind
S8 - 16, dying