Climbing up the stairs Mata hand the vile to Sevien and then puts the mace and pouch in the chest he has claimed.
Picking up the tails of the remaining rats he carries them up the main deck and drops them at the foot of Plugg grinning. "That was fun, when do we get to attack people and take their stuff?"
Of course Mr. Plugg. Sevien completes his work for the day at the ropes...
Mister Plugg snarls at Mata, "Riaris Krine'll be trainin' ye in boardin' next week, assumin' ye don't get keehauled first fer flappin' yer yap. An' don't think there be less work 'cause ye bin sleepin' in the bilges. Git workin'. Ye got hours t' catch up on."
Indeed Mister Plugg and Master Scourge throw work at you for the rest of the day, never letting you rest and watching you carefully most of the time. Even Xantrius gets called up from the galley and sent out in the jolly boat after a pod of turtles.
Mata and Sevien- Hauling Rope and Knot Work
Lysandra- Runner
Nakon- Line Work
Xantrius- Turtling
Xantrius
Mata turns to do his work and continues to grin all afternoon as he works.
Strength:
Constitution:
Acrobatics:
Constitution:
Mata and Lysandra successfully complete their work, though Lysandra is exhausted from her efforts, her head dizzy and her lungs aching from the ragged breaths she draws.
Sevien almost loses another rope off the deck and earns himself three lashes, as does Xantrius who returns with too few turtles to feed a crew of two dozen.
Having finished for the day he watches his companions be lashed, while the lashes are being dealt out he imagines the Scourge taking those lashes. Then he goes in search of food.
Nakon caries out his tasks with his customary ease although he is visibly weary by the end.
He looks blackly at Scourge when he orders Xantrius to catch turtles before turning back to rope work.
Patience, patience. You will spill his blood soon enough.
Profession Sailor
Con
Weary to the bone following the days activities, Lysandra eats whatever gruel Fishguts has come up with today and staggers below deck to rest.
Mata watches his companions full unconscious before leaving them lying on the deck and going search of food.
Sevien
Whip -
Damage -
Whip -
Damage -
Whip -
Damage -
Total= 11 nonlethal
Xantrius
Whip -
Damage -
Whip -
Damage -
Whip -
Damage -
Total= 11 nonlethal
"Ye boys," Sandara shakes her head and takes out her holy symbol to Besmara.
Sevien heal
Xantrius heal
"I think we be headin' fer the Fever Sea. An' I hear Plugg be havin' plans fer tomorrer night, though I don't be hearin' more 'n that."
After Fishguts serves the evening meal, Sevien again purifies the Rum, and with that Xantrius nods politely and makes his way towards Conchobhar.
Thanking Sevien quietly Mata carries his purified rum and goes in search of another game of chance.
Xantrius took his lashes without word or fuss, although his winces eventually became cries of pain as he passed out. When he came to, he thanked Sandara before he approached Conchobnar.
The Fever sea you say madam Sandara? Pray tell me what you know of such a place.
"On th' waters known as th' Fever Sea, furious nature, canoe-bound cannibals, an' th' merciless greed o' deadly pirate lords unite in a tidal crush o' danger an' despair. From th' Eye o' Abendego, these dangerous waters slither south along th' jungle coasts o' Garund, encompassing th' whole o' th' Shackles an' numerous islands beyond. Upon hundreds o' treacherous islands an' beneath uncarin' waves sprawl th' huntin' grounds o' primeval hunters, th' ruins o' foul Ghol-Gan, th' secrets o' strange an' ancient magic, and th' corpses o' generation after generation o' explorers, imperialists, an' pirates who failed t' claim th' treasures o' these rich waters. Upon th' maps o' leaders across Avistan, th' Fever Sea looks like a path t' incredible riches, choked only by th' Shackles an' th' Eye o' Abendego. Those who ply its waves, however, know it fer what it be: a sea o' ancient mysteries, hungry terrors, weird legends, unscrupulous sailors, an' boundless ambitions — which be to say, a pirate’s paradise."
Thank you Sandara.
Xantrius, do you need more healing or are you okay?
Sevien will stay above deck until everyone goes below.
Mata easily draws the same crowd as the previous night; the mere mention of another game of Dead Man's Chest is enough for Conchobhar to hurriedly round the others up.
Kipper talks little to Mata, or anyone really, though he listens, responds and smiles enough in response to the banter about him.
Conchobhar - Profession (Gambler)
Kipper- Profession (Gambler)
Barefoot - Profession (Gambler)
Badger - Profession (Gambler)
Ratline - Profession (Gambler)
Nakon watches the lashings mildly though he seems to approve of the way Xantrius and Sevien take it.
He takes to the food with gusto never seeming to mind how truly awful it is.
It will be soon. A few nights. He had to physically stop himself from quivering in excitement.
Giving a toothy grin and speaking to the group gambling "So how long until I get to stop fleecing you for coins and get to take it from who the dead fingers of someone who wasn't strong enough to keep it?"
Conchobhar- "Fleecing, sir, be a wholly inadequate description fer what ye be doin' with that coin. Don't be holding the game up so."
Badger- "Uhdunnuh."
Barefoot- "Whatever takes yer fancy, I guess."
Ratline- "Sweet Desna, I can't believe how cold these gods damned bones be."
Kipper- "Riaris got sum trainin' lined up fer ye next week. Ye'll get yerself killed in time."
Conchobhar is only too happy to chat with Xantrius while rushing the others to take their turns.
Lysandra sleeps easy, removing all fatigue, exhaustion and nonlethal damage.
Sevien watches as everyone gradually makes their way below decks. Few are inclined to stay up late, instead retiring for as much rest as possible before another days hard work.
Nakon's eyes roam the crew.
Xantrius watched the gambling as he mingled, focusing his efforts on Conchobnar. He did not mention the protection pact to the Gnome, but simply focused on making him friendlier to him and his allies.
Conchobhar looks up as Xantrius approaches.
"Don't be crowdin' me. I be somewhat busy at th' moment, but not too busy to be listening if'n ye brought me a tale or two o' th' high seas."
At first, Xantrius thinks Conchobhar is ignoring him as the gnome rakes in coin after coin from the other players and whoops as the dice roll well for him again and again. But midway through Xantrius tale, Conchobhar interrupts him, and asks the exact wording of a previous sentence, and Xantrius realises that the gnome is committing every word to memory.
As evening winds down and Conchobhar sweeps in Mata's last coin, he tosses it to Xantrius.
"Thank ye, me hearty. I be addin' that to me catalogue. I 'spose I should find another tale fer ye, but sleep beckons and yer friend's gold be heavy in me hands. Perhaps another night."
Sevien calls it a night as the rest of them settle in.
Standing up Mata says "Good game, well played" then head off to bed.
Routine begins to settle in about you. No one stops you as you make your way atop deck and into the heat of the day. You get a nod from Conchobhar and a smile from Sandara. Fipps sneers at you, but otherwise you're ignored as you line up.
Master Scourge marches up and down yelling obscenities at all of you until Mister Plugg clears his throat from the poop deck to assign duties.
Jape, Giffer, Jack and Rosie are set to swabbing the decks, while Sandara finds herself hauling ropes and doing knotwork with the odius Fipps. Badger and Shivekah are assigned to man the bilges. Sevien is to do repairs with Tilly Brackett and Aretta Bansion while Lysandra and Cog are sent to the hold for rat catching, leaving Mata and Aemilia as runners.
Nakon is assigned rigging repairs, Barefoot gets rope work, Maheem is to do linework and Narwhal will do upper rigging work. Ratline is given the job of lookout, leaving Conchobhar and Syl to handle the mainsail.
Xantrius is sent to the galley where he finds Kroop reclining on a sack of turnips, with a pitcher of rum in one hand and a dry cup in the other.
"Ahoy, m' coo's matey. Yeb' grabbin' a cu'n' hav'n' a drin' an' ye'k'n tel's 'bout wachyer doin'ere."
Xantrius was weary from yesterday's efforts and if he had understood the heavy accent correctly, he realised he wouldn't be doing much work.
Sounds good to me Ambrose. The cup's for me, the bottle is for you, am I right? he replied with a friendly wink.
Nakon looks disdainfully at the pile of ropes but sets to repair, contenting himself with the occassional baleful look at those working above. He finally seems to have hit upon something he's not very good at and his work is poor.
Profession Sailor
The man seems comfortable with his role as pariah. He's made no effort to ingratiate himself with the other sailors and seems oblivious to their whispered comments or challenges.
After the previous morning, fighting rats then catching up on duties, today's work continues at an almost leisurely pace. Nakon had no chance to visit Grok the previous day, but today Mister Plugg and Master Scourge consult occasionally and several crew take opportunities to chatter or sneak out of the heat to below decks.
Xantrius in particular finds himself with plenty of spare time as Kroop trades stories with him, prepares enough dinner, then falls asleep.
When ever running a message below decks Mata will take the opportunity to cast detect magic while unobserved. Even though he only manages to cast about 30% of the time given he has all day he should be about to look everywhere he is sent with messages with detect magic up.
Sevien spends his time with the two focus on his job, thinking he may spend some time tonight trying to get to know them better and sway them to our side...
As the sun reaches its zenith, Nakon slips below decks to bargain with Grok. He makes no issue over the fact the armour is his, merely handing over the coins and taking back the shark skin vest, running his hands over the rough exterior.
Sevien - Repairs
Lysandra - Rat Catcher
Mata - Runner
Rigging Repair -
Sevien manages quite well the finer arts of repairs, splicing rope and fitting sails and restoring to usefulness the many items that can't be discarded.
Mata also briefly sees the ship's sailing master, Peppery Longfarthing, and notes her door radiates magic, as do both doors leading to the captain's cabin and a grappling hook hanging on the wall of the galley.
Nakon sucessfully returns from his visit to Grok to find he has indeed been missed.
"Get back t' work, ye lazy layabout! I'll be seein' ye at bloody hour," sneers Mister Plugg.
"And ye! Ye're meant t' be runnin'! Not sleepin' as soon as ye round th' corner! An' watchin' where ye be goin' instead o' starin' off an' knockin' others. Ye be joining fish-face at bloody hour!"
Mata is also fatigued.
Xantrius laughed merrily along with Ambrose as he eagerly span tales for him, the rum loosening him up in a most enjoyable fashion. Now somewhat used to the regular rum, Xantrius noted he had acquired something of a taste for it and eagerly helped Ambrose finish a bottle before eventually deciding to go for a wander and visit Conchobar at the mainsail.
Merry with the rum in his belly, Xantrius was all charm and wit as he conversed with the Gnome he had spent the last three evenings talking around and introducing to his allies. Having struck up an excellent rapport built up over the past two days with the Gnome, he struck while the iron was hot- extending the offer of the group's protection and flattering the Gnome; making him certain that his expertise was eagerly sought after.
Sevien will spend the evening tyring to get to know Tilly Brackett and Aretta Bansion better and make friends.
I am Sevien, a healer from Varisia. We did some good work today on repairs. Tell me a little about yourself, you both seem to be able seamen.
He continues chatting to them, using his natural charm and whit to try and sway them to our side.
He purifies their Rum ration as per usual...
During her day trying to catch rats, Lysandra tries to befriend Cog while they work.
"Kinda boring work tryin' to catch rats, but it could be worse I suppose. They could be lettin' Kroop do this...gods only know what we'd end up with a meal time, eh?"
"Yea. Though if I be findin' he's done that, I'd be smashin' 'is fat nose in and makin' 'im eat it 'isself. Looks like someone's done that to Narwhal already. That dwarf's nose musta been broken a dozen times already. Puttin' it where it don't belong, I say. Give me any more trouble, I'll do more'n just break it. I'll punch it in so far it'll go down 'is bloody throat till 'e chokes on it. There's worse'n rat catchin'. At least this way we get to kill something." Cog scowls and goes back to work.
Conchobhar swings down from the rigging and chat's amiably to Xantrius while Mister Plugg and Master Scourge berate Aretta about something.
"Arr, matey. Gatherin' ye own crew. I like how ye be thinkin'. So's t'be mutiny, eh? No chance o' that while ye've less'n 'alf th' crew. But I be a patient gnome. An' Harrigan could do with another setback. 'e ain't had one since Agasta Smythee turned 'im back from Tidewater Rock. 'Twas 'ardly a setback though, since 'e ended up with the rest of the Smythee islands."
As the sun begins to set, streaks of red shine through the distant clouds and Mister Plugg gathers the crew for the usual ritual of bloody hour.
Sevien's focus and Lysandra's grace get their chores done with little trouble.
Badger takes 3 lashes for her unsatisfactory work in the bilges, while Aretta gets 3 for a spliced rope that came apart again when used.
Both are barely able to stagger away after their punishment. Mata and Nakon are then called forward.
Sevien approaches Arietta after the lashings and asks her for a moment away from the rest of the crew promising to help her.
Here let me help you with those wounds...remember I am a healer.
Away from the crew, he starts to clean her lashes and treat the wounds,You should join our little group. We are looking out for each other. This treatment will stop eventually, you should be on the side that wants this type of thing to end!
Nakon simply shrugs at Plugg's denouncement going back to rope curling.
------------------------------------------------------
Later at bloody hour, he shrugs out of his jacket before taking his place at the post.
His upper body is as tatooed as his head and face, crude sea animals real and fantastic, work their way up and down his torso.
They don't hide the scars though. His back is a mass of old scar tissue, the mark of many scourgings clear. On the back of his shoulder, seperate from the other tatooes but defiantly uncovered by them, are several circles with a line struck though, a Chelaxian slave tatoo and moreover one denoting a slave borne into captivity.
He has nothing but a small smile for Scourge.
Give me your best, little man.
When it is his turn at bloody hour he'll step forward "Lets get this done" he says pulling off his shirt. When the lashes dig into his back grits his teeth and only gives out a scream of pain on the last lash of the whip.
Aretta looks warily at Sevien and pulls away as he casts his spell, but he still manages to get a hand to her. She's about to strike him when the broken skin knits itself together and her recent scars fade. Perplexed, she reaches awkwardly behind her to find her back healed somewhat. It doesn't take long for her snarl to return. "Thanks, but I ain't joinin' no bunch o' pussies who'll get torn apart the first time they meet a real pirate." She makes her way back to Master Scourge and the others, but not without glancing back at Sevien.
Master Scourge does as Nakon bids, opening new scars on the shamans back. He lashes Nakon brutally and seems annoyed and taken aback when Nakon doesn't fall.
Nakon
As Nakon leaves, Master Scourge turns his attentions to Mata, where he attempts to wring some delight from Mata's pain. But Mata also walks away.
Mata