(fist fight victor)
Knowing that what he says to Grok may be the dfference between getting his sword back or not pauses and runs though a few senarios in his head before opening his mouth.
The first senario not working out he tries a different approach.
Impressed by Nakon's efforts the previous evening, Grok returns all his equipment for the princely sum of 10 gold pieces.
"Don't ye be tellin' t'others ye paid anything but full price, t'otherwise I won't be 'round to sell ye nothin' more."
When Mata arrives he realises that orcs tend to also steal culture from other races, and chooses his words with more care. Grok smiles understandingly and returns his falchion for only 5 gold.
Nakon straps the heavy wooden shield to his back and secures his scimitar to his belt, the sharp dagger still in his vest pocket, his original one on his right side. The rest of his small bundle of gear he keeps with him aside from the unwieldy scythe which he leaves by his bunk, confident that noone will touch it.
When he gets a chance later that evening he takes to the weapons with his whetstone.
Come bloody hour Lysandra, Mata and Sandara are all invited forward and Master Scourge takes great delight in doling out Mister Plugg's punishment.
Sandara
Mata
Lysandra
Plugg then sends Scourge and Tate below decks to see if dinner is ready.
While Mister Plugg is distracted, Sandara unleashes a burst of positive energy to soothe her wounds, and yours.
Xantrius day has been as hectic as his previous day was idle. His attempts to slaughter a pig have created a bloody mess and his skinning of it has been akin to peeling a grape with a great axe. With no spit or fire pit, he has hacked haunches and snapped ribs in an effort to fit as much as possible into and onto the two small ovens. Having watched Ambrose a few times, Xantrius gathers some of the few remaining vegetables yet to be nibbled by goats and chickens and endeavours to cook them too. At some point he remembers the rest of the crew need feeding and tries to organise stew around the ever increasing chaos of the galley. Scourge and Narwhal saunter into the galley to find the flustered Xantrius.
Scourge grins unpleasantly. "Ye got time fer a floggin' afore dinner be served, Mouth?"
Look a of utter relief comes over Mata's face when Grok agrees to return whakatangata for a fraction of its value. He hands over the coins quickly with large smile.
Strapping whakatangata to his back he walks back up on deck. Smiling at Badger he gets back to work trying to repair the sails. It is frustrating task that Mata struggles to get the hang of, at one point he throws down a frayed rope in disgust. Looking around he notices Plugg watching, bending down he get back into it sighing. Lashes again tonight. So fiddly and annoying I could do this so much easier with magic but I can't let dead men know until it is too late. Or I could kill him, his blood on my whakatangata would be sweet. Funny boy is still making friends, better to wait and make sure of it
When called forward for bloody hour he steps forward proudly handing whakatangata to Nakon. Unlike in the past where Mata has managed to hold back his screams until the last lash this time he lets out the an anguished scream for each last and then at the end falls unconscious.
When healed he stands gingerly "Thank you again lady" and walks over to Nakon "My whakatangata please."
Xantrius -
Xantrius turns to Scourge and Tate, both hands full of dishes. "Glad you're here. I couldn't carry this all up on my own. Just between courses for the Captain."
Dinner is quite good and many of the crew call upon the rum ration to wash it down.
Sevien purifies the rum rations and you all drink, but after his hectic day Xantrius desperately wants the kick provided by the real thing.
Sevien then makes his way below decks.
Owlbear is easy to find when Sevien goes looking for him, chained up behind some of the pig cages next to the cabin that Grok and Kroop use. Owlbear's left eye is swollen shut and his face is a purple bruise. His body is covered in raw red welts and he cries and retreats into his corner at the sight of Sevien.
Sevien looks around to make sure no one else is near
...then proceeds, Scourge and Plugg have not been kind to you. I have come because you are like us. We too have been beaten and harmed by them.
Sevien lifts his shirt to show the scars on his back from the whip.
They don't care for you, they force you to fight and then hurt you when you don't win. You don't want to fight do you? You don't want to be caged down here like an animal do you? Here eat this.
Like approaching a dangerous animal Sevien places the food near him and allows him to slowly take it and eat. After a time of silence...I can make you feel better also...I promise you I will not harm you as long as you don't try to hurt us...with one touch I can take some of your hurt away.
I trust you will not hurt me, we can be friends.
Again he slowly approaches him before casting...
May the Devil's blood cure thy wounds and fuel your ire!
May the Devil's blood cure thy wounds and fuel your ire!
He asks Owlbear a little about himself and responds to the simple man telling him of his hardship.
I will come to visit you from time to time if you want? I am hoping that if a fight starts between the people up there that you will look to me for what to do? Things will be better with me than with them...I promise.
Owlbear stops whimpering as Sevien talks and looks curiously at Sevien's scars. He takes the proferred food and watches amazed as his own scars vanish under Sevien's magic.
Sevien's gentle questions elicit no response at first, when suddenly Owlbear shouts, Fortunately, no one seems about to hear.
When Sevien mentions another visit Owlbear looks around and tells him, "Lady have crabs!"
After that, Owlbear loses interest in Sevien and goes back to singing quietly to himself.
"Down in Hartshorn I were born,
Heave away, haul away,
That be why I'm called Hartshorn,
Eye of Abendago,
Heave away ye Free Captains,
Heave away, haul away,
Heave away we're sinkin' in
The Eye of Abendago."
Hmmm, crabs...of course you can have some crabs...
Sevien will return to the others and ask around to see if someone knows of a women on board that has crabs...and not the bug kind...
The weather is pretty miserable when you climb on deck. The wind of yesterday has combined with the occasional shower to create blustery squalls and everything is wet and slippery. Several crew members like Mister Plugg and Master Scourge and the effusive Conchobhar wear many layers of coats and cloaks to keep the water out. Others, like Crimson and Fipps, aren't fighting the weather and have gone shirtless. Mister Plugg complains about the quality of the previous day's work and assigns everyone new roles again.
Sandara and Crimson are sent to man the bilges. Mata is assigned rat catching with the quick and surly Rosie Cusswell. Giffer Tibbs, Aretta and Shivikah are assigned rope hauling and knot work. Jack Scrimshaw and 'Badger' find themsleves as runners. Aemilia is assigned repairs with the odious Fipps, leaving Lysandra and Sevien to swab the decks with Tilly and Jaundiced Jape.
In the rigging, Conchobhar is assigned to the upper rigging, Samms does rigging repair and Syl gets the position of lookout. Ratline does line work and Tate does rope work leaving Nakon on the Mainsail with Maheem.
Xantrius makes his way below decks to find Ambrose Kroop unsteadily auditing the galley.
Mata- Rat Catcher-
Lysandra, Sevien- Swab the Decks-
Nakon- Mainsail Duties-
Xantrius- Cooking-
When the days duties are read out Mata grins evilly at Plugg and turning to Rosie he says loud enough for rest of the crew to hear "We got lucky, food and entertainment for us today.".
Mata technique standing still somewhere he thinks a rat might come and then swinging his sword in a great cut if he sees one.
However additionally he'll take the opportunity to explore middle deck with detect magic active under the premise of looking for rats. He is particularly looking for anything magical in the stores.
"Ye be keepin' yer Rat-hole shut an' workin' hard like everybody else. They're tired o' pickin' up yer slack."
"Mr Scourge."
"Now git workin'."
Crew peel off quickly to their various duties, few looking at Mata except to scowl at him.
The Wormwood A6. Middle Hold: This is the ship’s main cargo hold. The hold is mostly empty, save for the 13 pigs; normally kept caged, they periodically escape and run loose within the hold. Owlbear is chained up behind some of the pig cages next to the cabin that Grok and Kroop use. In the forward section, a flight of wooden stairs climbs up to the officers’ quarters (area A4), while a second set of stairs descends into the lower hold (area A10). Another flight of stairs in the aft section next to the galley leads up to the captain’s quarters (area A5), but it is common knowledge among the crew that the door is trapped. Stored near the mainmast are two light ballistas, a disassembled light catapult, and 12 barrels containing 20 gallons of oil each.
Nothing radiates magic.
Mata's searching does reveal the occasional nest of rats, and his methods, while lacking in subtlety, gain him enough rats to avoid further whipping.
Rosie's methods, while quieter, provide her with plenty however.
Lysandra goes about her work, knowing that she sure as hell doesn't want any more of the lash today, and being with Jape again chooses not to anger the half-orc further.
(work diligently)
After the stressful day preparing the dinner alone, Xantrius thought to withheld his rum from the purification process but was wary of ending up like Ambrose. Regretfully, he allowed Sevien his ritual, although he clearly regretted the decision as he missed the rum...
Not having spotted anyone he particularly wanted to influence over the course of the evening, Xantrius once again performed for the crew. He found his stride early on in the evening and noting the success of his performance, invited the pirates to offer him tips or pay up to hear their favourite stories and comedy.
Sevien that nights asks around to find out who is the crab women.
Scowling at the shift from lookout back to tasks he considers beneath him, Nakon nevertheless carries them out diligently. Not needing to climb he wears his heavier hide coat. Water sloshes freely from the waterproof layers and his bald head. The bad weather seems to concern him not at all.
He carries out his tasks with ease but the blow from the Owlbear must have done more lasting damage than he thought and he is left tired.
Sevien scrubs the decks intently with Lysandra, and the two of them avoid a whipping for their efforts. When Sevien mentions the crab woman Lysandra remembers her encounter with Owlbear.
Nakon applies himself to his duties, but his reward for good work is more work and he finds himself given two more tasks each time he completes one. While still able to keep pace with the extreme work flow, by day's end he is fatigued.
Xantrius performance from the previous night gets him many nods and smiles from the crew and Kroop's sobriety for the most of the day allows Xantrius some respite.
Bloody hour consists solely of Sandara, and after her flogging dinner is brought forth for the crew. Then once again, Sevien purifies the rum and the evening's entertainments begin. However, the constant squalls of rain blowing across the deck have all the makings of a miserable evening.
Sevien will continue with his original action, which was to ask around to see if soemone has some crabs.
"If'n b'crabs y'b'aft'r I've go'o'coupl'o'em ye kin've 'n th' che'p bunn'l avva gessum mor's we'b runnin' outsoon. Cap'n 'aargin lik's 'is crabs'n lobst'rs so's y'c'n be sen' out on t'morra t'gessumor. Y'wannum n'w?"
Sevien will follow Kroop to get the crabs.
Of course I would like them, we should find them a good home! Xantrius tells me you are a good cook...
Mata seems to be starting feel a little more relaxed on board. Good day so far, time to make trouble. He looks around for the cowed half-orc from the first morning and walks straight towards him sits down next him. Speakiing orcish to him in harsed tones and trying to look conspirtorial says
Kroop leads Sevien down to the galley and fetches two hand sized crabs for him.
Jaundiced Jape glares at Mata and says nothing.
Mata continues talking to Jape
Sevien makes his way over to the owlbear and brings out a crab, Look at what I have for you! I heard you like crabs and Sevien is a friend, Sevien is your best friend isn't he?
He uses the other crab as well to talk to the dim witted fool and try to win him over to his side.
"Sevien friend!"
Owlbear takes the crab and bites into it, breaking the shells with his teeth and fingers.
Mata sees Narwhal make his way over to Jape with Fipps in tow, and give Jape some rum. Narwhal and Fipps talk and occasionally laugh. Jape sometimes nods or shakes his head, but says nothing.
Come morning, you awaken to the ship rocking vigorously. The beams and walls sway towards your head as you clamber the moving stairs to emerge on deck. There you are greeted by a grey sky and moaning winds. Drops of rain sting your face and waves the size of a man smash against the ship.
"Storm's comin' in fast while ye mangy dogs be sleepin'in. Hoist th' anchor 'for' we lose her. Set the mainsails 'gainst the winds, tie fast the yardarm and let loose the vang. The cap'n says we'll be ridin' this out."
There's a mighty CRACK and the sky flashes white to the horizon.
"Giffer, git yer idle arse into the crows nest. Rosie, Jape and Narwhal, I want th' front sail stitched with reinforcing. One o' ye stop the center o' the mainsail tearin' worse. Sandara, Badger, Lysandra and Sevien two o' ye take front sail, two th' aft. Loose th' aft sail t' break wind and raise the fore sail t' catch 't. Cog, Aemilia, Shivikah, Maheem and Sly, tie down everything on deck ain't goin' below. Aretta, Scrimshaw, Barefoot and Ratline, corner the mainsail and secure th' topsail. Tilly, Fipps, Conchobhar, Mata and Nakon, bring down the upper rigging, secure the cross beam and tie fast th' yardarm. An' Xantrius, ye be helping with th' mainsail."
Lysandra and Sevien - Line Work
Mata and Nakon - Upper Rigging Work
Xantrius - Mainsail Duties
Feeling a bit of fatigue crawl into her bones as she works the sails, Lysandra begins to sing a sea shanty in an attempt to help herself and those near her get through the strenuous labor.
Nakon moves to his tasks leaving his heavy hide coat on his bunk. Its immediately apparent that the half-orc is a hopeless climber and Nakon wordlessly takes the higher more dangerous tasks.
(nothing added)
Hes's out of reach of the Lysandra's singing but appears to appreciate the music anyway, a less ugly grin than usual forming on his face.
During the day, Xantrius paid a visit to the Quartermaster with the intention of asking for and bartering for the remainder of his equipment- his studded leather armour, sawtooth sabre and a weapon cord. Although he had 30 gold pieces to barter with, he was hoping to not have to part with too many of them.
Still recovering from his rum addiction, Xantrius retired early for the night.
Sevien works diligently at the sails, hoping he won't cause them to sink the ship...
Mata looks up at swinging rigging that Plugg pointed at. For a moment he looks scared then when the fight or flight instinct hits and he begins to grin. He slaps Fipps heavely on the back and says loudly to be heard over the storm "Best day yet, today we get to fight a storm."
Mata starts to climb carefully and not really understanding what he is doing copies the others that been sent up.
As the anchor is hauled away, the Wormwood stops jerking and slides down a large wave. At the helm, Harrigan turns the ship to glide up another wave. The wind is lessened as the ship runs before it, the Wormwood skimming waves and soaring over the foam.
The storm comes on in earnest however, and soon the Wormwood is piercing waves that lash the deck and beat at the hull. The light vanishes and hooded lanterns are set to illuminate the deck and rigging. Half the time they shine into the churning waters that threaten to swallow the ship and other times they blind you so you can barely see what's in your hands. Anyone not nearby appears as just a dark shadow in the rain, unless lit by the frequent flashes of lightning.
The sails billow and flap as the winds howl about them, and every loose rope becomes a flailing whip. Messages are shouted from sailor to sailor to reach their target. The lurching deck soon becomes slippery and crew rush from handhold to handhold to shift positions. Salt spray tears at every patch of exposed skin and static fills the air.
Simple tasks become a feat of endurance as winds snatch at ropes and sails and as monster waves pummel legs from beneath their owners. The work is hard and exhausting, and those near Lysandra are grateful for the invigorating wisps of singing they can catch between the screaming winds and the roaring waves.
At first you figure you just have to ride out the storm and you set the ship to follow the winds and waves. But as the wind whips around from a different direction, adjustments are made, and a sail dropped before it's torn off. Another sail is set against the new wind, which likewise changes direction. A rope comes loose and has to be secured, while another is brought up to stop a crossbeam twisting. The next thing you know, hours have passed and still the ship is tossed and turned through waves that charge the length of the deck sweeping all before them.
The ship rolls down a valley between three surges of water and Mata loses his grip and is thrown from the rigging. A rope swipes him as he falls and for a second it looks as if he'll miss the deck and vanish into the ocean, but the aft of the Wormwood sinks down a hollow of water and painfully slips back under him.
Nakon is able to swing down and stop the sail Mata was securing from tearing itself loose, then tosses the end of a rope to Mata to help him back into the rigging.
Sevien is able to hold his own with Lysandra, and while more than one sailor finds themselves washed to the deck, Sevien avoids becoming one of them.
The day drags on with no sign of the storm letting up. As you become better at pre-empting the next task required to keep the ship above the waves, it also becomes harder to hold the ropes, keep balance and breathe without choking on water as weariness creeps into your bones. In turn, you're each called down from your position, and given some ship's biscuit for dinner, before being rotated to a new position on the rigging. Lysandra and Sevien are reassigned to Rope Work. Xantrius and Mata are told to do Line Work and Nakon is assigned Mainsail duties.
Lysandra and Sevien - Rope Work
Xantrius and Mata - Line Work
Nakon - Mainsail Duties
Mata is seen at time to be throwing up over the side. Once his stomach is empty and despite the limping from his fall Mata is grinning again and seems to be relishing the storm. However he does look relieved to be assigned to work on the deck rather than told to climb again.
Lysandra continues to work through the ropes as if it were second nature to her, while occasionally continuing on with a song to ease the stomachs of those near her.
The storm is finally too much for Sevien. Although he is able to works the ropes most of the night, he heaves ho many times during the storms fury...
Being helpful, Cut-Throat considers Xantrius' request for his equipment and returns it all to him for free.
"Ye be careful now, ye hear? Don't be doin' nothin' rash."
The world gets darker, which you'd not thought possible, but seems to indicate the shift from day to night. It makes little difference to you. Your world is still the weary tugging of ropes with blistered hands, hauling with sore backs and fighting your way back and forth across the deck on weary legs. At times you could sink to the deck and sleep, ignoring the wrath of the storm and the deadly consequences if only the exhaustion would cease. At these times, however, the strains of Lysandra's shanty come to your ears above the bass roar of the angry sea and with a shake of your head the music overcomes your fatigue.
You have no idea how long you've been working. It may have been minutes or hours since your quick snack of biscuit for dinner. It has only been one dinner, hasn't it? It feels like you haven't slept for weeks. And then there's the scream.
Jack Scrimshaw has been working the mainsail with Xantrius, but has just handed another rope up into the rigging, presumably to help brace the sail, when another wave crashes along the deck knocking him to his knees. Instictively he grabs for his fallen carving and the second wave, while smaller than the first, washes him off the deck as if in slow motion. He screams as he grasps futilely at the ship's railing and falls over the side.
With little hesitation, Xantrius tied off a rope to something sturdy, tied the other end around himself with a tight knot and leapt into the rocky seas to try and rescue Jack, shouting just before diving in.
Foolish.. Sevien grumbles to himself. He then carefully makes his way to the rail of the ship and the rope that Xantrius tied to himself to see if he will need help getting back in the ship.
Mata makes is way over and selects a long rope and ties one end aroune his waist and says. "Just in case." He then bends down grabing the roap attached to Xantrius ready to pull him when required.
It takes a few seconds for Xantrius to tie off both his knots and hurl himself into the ocean after Jack. He's only 10 feet away and powerful strokes by Xantrius propel him towards the unfortunate sailor. But the black sea rises between them and Xantrius slides back down the wave away from Jack and ends up no closer.
Meanwhile, the Wormwood surges forward into the storm and the two figures find themselves further away from their friends.
40'
60'
70'
80'
100'
110'
Damn your eyes man, swim to me! Xantrius shouted at Jack as he continued to battle the current to latch onto him.
Nakon watches without evident emotion, taking the rope from Sevien and steadying it with the half-orc.
Sevien nods and hands the rope to Nakon. He then casts light on the rope to serve as a beacon.
and curses as the storm ruins his concentration...
Somehow Jack hears Xantrius shout above the thunder and crashing waves and manages to turn towards him. He starts swimming with powerful strokes towards Xantrius, but despite his amazing efforts the wild seas suck him backwards. He briefly vanishes under the inky blackness, then swims up into the wave as it crests and is almost tossed at Xantrius by the wild foam. He struggles to get his head above water again and turns to orient himself, by which time Xantrius has ploughed through a swell and reaches a single hand to Jack.