Bart mutters under his breath as he struggles to pound the rat into submission.
:
:
This time, however, his fists find solid purchase. He lays the rat low across its back, and revels in the feel of its spine crunching beneath the blow.
Fjori fells the rat in front of Hassan and Bart cracks the spine of the one in front of him.
Mel scrambles away as Quillin's glob once more flies errant. Ajani tries to fight back but cannot hit the rat and Hassan tries to blast the remaining creatures against the wall but cannot line his shot up right.
Bart
Ajani
Dam v Ajani
Sensing greater damage from the Chelaxian brawler than the running boy, the reaming rat not attacking the druid scurries to Bart who is easily able to keep out of reach of the snapping teeth.
Ajani it not as lucky as his foe once more bites past the young druid's defenses, sinking its teeth deep into Ajani's thigh. The blow is staggeringly ferocious and Ajani feels impaired.
Quillin sighs as another acid dart splatters hissing against the bulkhead, "Son of sea witch! I can't get a clear shot with you oversized lubbers mucking about."
one more time R4 (4/6)
damage
Moving to the creature midship, Fjori again takes a swing at one of the beasts.
Ajani gives a simian yelp as the rat's teeth dig into his thigh, leaving a deep wound to match the first. "I am sorry, friends...I am of no use to you any more." he grunts through gritted teeth, focusing on using his spear to fend the rat off as he backs away from the creature.
Bart snorts as another rat scampers towards him. He twists away from the oversized vermin's teeth. As the creature comes back around to leap at him, he swats it out of the air dismissively.
:
And misses completely. The rat lands with a soft plop, and Bart spins around to face it again, beginning to show signs of frustration. "Hurry up and die already. I'm getting bored of this."
Hassan circles around behind the closest of the rats, and attempts to stab it with his spear.
Mel nurses her wounds as the fight goes on
Well, poo. Total defense, then.
Fjori crushes another rat but Bart's move to the south is ineffectual. Mel nurses her wounds, Quillin throws far to the left and Ajani does his best to not be hit again.
Hassan rolls wide of the group and comes up behind the rat, surrounded by people with nowhere to go the spear strikes the rat straight in the torso and the creature falls dead.
30 seconds of chaos are over and the combat is won.
Ajani breathes a sigh of relief when the last rat falls, planting the butt of his spear against the blanks at his feet and leaning on it as a wave of dizziness washes over him, using the weapon as an impromptu staff to steady himself, the relieved sigh transitioning to labored breathing.
"So...it is done. That..is good...I cannot take another strike, even a minor one...I must seek out Quinn...immediately..."
Quillin gets his dreadlocks back in order observing, "Well, that was more work than I expected for rat catching. Maybe I'll drag some up to the galley for the mock turtle soup. Since we're down here might as well have a look see to check if these be the pack rat variety..."
Perception
Hassan offers his arm to Ajani. "Let me help you up the steps, my brother."
Fjori wipes the sweat from his brow. These stupid rats took way too much out of him. One of the bites throbs, and he is sure some of the filth from the creatures mouth has infected the wound. He limps heavily towards the hatch leading back to the top deck. He slaps Bart on the shoulder and says, "That is one hell of a way to fight! Are you some sort of monk??"
Bart laughs aloud, a loud, hearty laugh that is somehow also bitter, cynical, and full of mirth.
"A monk?" he snorts. "Yeah, sure. Why not."
Ajani willingly leans on Hassan, thanking him profusely for the aid. "How is it that you found yourself in Formidably Maid? I see you are human, but you are much different from Fjori and from Bart. Where do you hail from?"
"Where I am from? That is a long story which grows longer with each telling, praise the gods that it is so. I have the greatest honor to be from Qadira, which sits on the Western edge of civilization, the furthest most jewel on the crown which is the Empire of Kelesh," says Hassan, as he helps Anaji ascend the steps.
"As for how I found myself here, it is said by all who know me that the sea is in my blood. Sweet Gozreh has blown me from port to port and ship to ship all the way across the Inner Sea and around the Eye of Abendego in search of my fortune. Before I was so kindly taken aboard this ship, I was the Quartermaster's mate on The Jade Zephyr, a merchant vessel originally out of Osirion."
As they reach the main deck, Hassan calls loudly for Quinn.
"But that is all I will say for now my friend. Perhaps tonight you may tell me what exotic lands birth ones such as yourself."
Quinn comes to Ajani and administers healing as best she can. She notes that she has a concern about infection for any that are bitten and she will know more in a day or so as symptoms present themselves or not. Sadly she is not powerful enough to dispel sickness or disease but she knows more than a few remedies and promises to aid everyone as best she can.
The crew seems relatively impressed but largely along party lines. Those who were hostile to you seem ever more so for the accolades of your peers and those who are showing the glimmers of friendship. Meanwhile those who have often been indifferent to you do seem to raise their eyebrows, perhaps making further attempts at seeking allies that much easier.
Quillin pokes around the hold and while he finds the broken drum and crates that the rats surely came out of he finds little in the way of items of value...although...rats that size have been known to eat anything.
Quillin gathers up the rat carcasses. "Hey Friar Bart and Fjori, want to help me gut these suckers? They might have gobbled up a coin or two."
Quillin begins cleaning the rats as you might a fish.
cook/survival/or what have you
Fjori helps the gnome gut and skin the rats. He also makes sure he has some extra food for "the Owlbear". If possible he will also take the skins and try to fashion some sort of covering for the poor man.
While quite adept at skinning fish, Bart somehow finds himself mystified by the prospect of skinning rats the size of alley cats. He holds the dead creature looking puzzled before tossing it back to the ground to allow Fjori (who oddly enough seems to be unusually proficient at the task, raising strange questions about Fjori) to continue filleting them expertly and Quillin to continue to carving them into bloody messes.
Quillin snaps his fingers and chants the power words, scrubbin' bubbles to magically clear the tufts of hair and rat chum from his velvet coat leaving the skinning to Fjori. He grabs the nicest looking carcasses for the soup pot before heading up to the kitchen.
Mel limps around the hold for a while looking to see if anything of interest is available.
Perception
While Ajani and Hassan work their way upstairs the remainder of the group remains below. After a few false starts Fjori is left to the skinning and gutting while Quillin and Bart keep a watchful eye for hints of anything of note and they are rewarded for the effort; after the six carcasses are dealt with a small stack of mixed coinage equal to 50gp, a dagger of masterwork quality, a boot of leather and a small silver mirror (15gp) are the "reward" for the group's effort.
Mel casts her eye elsewhere but only find the rows of locked footlockers lining the hold, the crew's gear and personal possessions. The locks are standard and of questionable quality on a few but otherwise there is little of note.
Quillin finds a pair of rats that seem plump enough and takes them upstairs. Handing them over to the ever drunk Kroop the cook casts a bleary eye to the bodies as he holds them up. He shares a glance with Grok who in turn shrugs. Whelp, I think I can make that work, good job lad.
Quillin casts a jaundied eye on the loot. "Heck of an appetite those rats have. Not much here, but I guess we can divvy it up. I already have a knife, but could use some of the coin."
His eyes glow purple as he detects for magical auras.
"Keep it all if you wish, I have no need of those things. What I would like are the rat skins and some of the meat, cooked. I have a friend with a mighty hunger and a need for some clothes."
Bart shrugs his shoulders at the loot. "Eh," he grunts. "Blades're fer pansies. An' all coin's gonna get ya on this ship's a muggin'. Ye can 'ave it fer all I care."
Quillin shrugs and pockets the loot, "I suppose I'll offer the boy, chimp, and jaw flapper their cut then. I can cook up a tasty rat kebob for your friend, Fjori."
"That would be great Quillin, but could you keep it hidden down here...I do not want others to know I am sneaking food to the Owlbear. Well, not yet anyways!"
Mel takes herself of to Mistress Quinn in the hopes of healing.She spent long enough on the streets to know rat bites bring diseses with them and not being the sturdiest of people fears that she might be weakened to a point where she is considered expendable.
"Nice Dagger that" she says when she rejoins the others.."should keep a good edge..just right for cutting throats that need cut""
Quillin nods to the boy, "The knife's yours if you want it. If anything gets close enough that I need to use it, I'm doing something wrong."
Quinn can get everyone patched up no problem but she wants to keep an eye on anyone actually hurt by a rat for the next day or so to see if you ned up with and illness or disease.
Plugg seems satisfied with your efforts though Scourge is obviously chagrined that no one was hurt more seriously. The remainder of the day for everyone is light duty of no consequence, feel free to specify a daytime action.
Mel spends the day swapping tall tales with the cook
Diplomacy as influence on Fishguts
Not having made much headway with Giffer or ratline, Quillin continues his attempts at allying with the small folk by hobnobbing with the dandy rigger.
"Is it Conchobar? Great name! You look to be an experienced sailor. What's your favorite port?"
diplomacy
Fjori takes the pelts of the rats and scrapes and streatches them. Once that is finished, he takes the meat and gets Quillin to cook it for him. While waiting he speaks with the cook, asking about information on the Owlbear; who he is, how he got into this terrible state, whatever he may know. He will also visit Quinn so she can look at his wounds and patch him us as much as possible.
Being on light duty for the day, Bart decides to see if he can sneak a peek in the officers' cabin. Besides, he's spent his entire time on the ship so far on the rigging. If anyone catches him, he just figures he'll say 'Sorry, Mate. Didn't know that's what this room was.'
- :
With light duties, and having avoided being in the path of the rats' fury, Hassan gladly pitches in wherever an extra hand is needed. When the opportunity presents itself, he attempts to introduce and ingratiate himself to Riaris Krine, the master gunner.
@Bart -> Anything in particular you are trying to figure out?
@Fjori -> Roll diplomacy for me
@ Mel -> Should I just hand wave that everyone loves you from now on? Care to roll something lower than the upper teens anytime soon? ;p
@Quillin -> Hunh....ouch. Stick to tall people? ;)
Ajani, still feeling fatigued despite the healing he received at the hands of Quinn, mostly takes the afternoon off. He does, however, pay another visit to Cut-Throat Grok, thanking her profusely for the return of his equipment to him and letting her know that if she ever needs a favor that he would be useful for, to not hesitate to let him know.
Remember Ajani gets a +2 for Mel having moved her to helpful
Ajani butters up the Quartermaster and the half-orc certainly takes to it making with a wink and nod as she sips on her rum watching Kroop run about with rat carcasses and rations. Ajani can tell that the half-orc, despite her early start into drunkenness seems to appreciate the sentiment.
Mel comes in and out of the kitchen and is easily able to ply the ever drinking cook with fun tales and lively stories. The cook seems, in some ways, quite happy even to the apparent surprise of the Quartermaster. Occasional visits by Scourge, Plugg or their toadies are met with stifled laughs and solemn nodding, only to erupt into laughter at the exit of these more dour presences.
Quillin finds little satisfaction with the foppish Conchobar who offers mute response until finally the gnome offers a tirade about how he would get so much more work done if the new "heroes" of the boat would take their sword swinging rat killing antics elsewhere and stop trying to chat him up.
Hassan works hard to ingratiate himself to the Master Gunner and while he makes a couple of fortuitous interventions, saving errant gear or a rolling cannon ball, the overall response is not cold but almost empty. It is like, in some ways she does not think of Hassan in the same way as she might her fellow officers and though nothing distinct reveals this divide Hassan is able to tell that friendship or positive relations with the officers of the ship may be difficult absent some special action or shared conflict.
Bart makes a pass or two through the officer's quarter at times when either no one is looking or few people are actually paying attention. Bart notes that doors, well locked seem to lead to small closet like quarters for the ship sorcerer and ship carpenter. Bart steals a glance at one point and sees myriad racks of jars, baubles and books in the sorcerer's space. Meanwhile other than the presence of "Owlbear" the officer deck looks much like Bart's: Posts and poles for hammocks and chests lined on the wall with gear. There is more space per person and more elaborate locks on the chests. Bart does note that a wicked crossbow seems rigged to be set against the lower hatch if needed. Since the hatch has been open since coming on board it is difficult for Bart to determine the reason for such a trap.
Quinn teases Fjori in a relatively provocative way murmuring that Fjori obviously gets hurt to spend more time with her. She takes her leave soon after leaving the Nord alone to steep in his own juices at the comment. From the cook Fjori gets surprisingly little from the loose lipped Kroop who seems more appalled not by questions but more the character of "Owlbear" muttering stuff about "treat him like a dog" and "poor fool's an ogre sized clown looking to be treated right".
Fjori gathers his evening meal and goes to sit with his new friends. Once again he rids himself of the grog. When the group is together, he speaks.
"I would like to thank you all. We went into the hold as individuals, and returned as a group. I could not have picked a better group of people to have been shanghai'd with."
Later Fjori looks to bring more food to the owlbear, then look for Quinn, to maybe further their earlier conversation!
Hassan takes his evening meal, pretending to drink his ration of rum and then tipping it out into the sea when the opportunity presents itself.
He sits with the group this evening (having no more pressing task, praises be to the many gods who have conspired to give him this day of laxity and idleness), and eats what passes for food.
"Truly let it be said that the gods have a sense of humor. This morning we were nearly food for the rats, and tonight they are filling our bellies!" He seems to be making a joke, although it must lose something in the translation. )Kelish is a language of many subtleties, dear reader. Much is lost when spoken in the trade tongue.)
He continues in response to Fjori, "It is good that my ever so humble self has been granted such wise and winsome companions as yourself to be kidnapped with. I am sure that we will find ourselves in such circumstances again many times in the days to come. Of course, our opponents will not always be of the four legged kind, though one might say that they will be just as ugly..." He trails off pointedly, as his gaze falls unmistakably on Master Scourge. "But I have faith that the gods will show us the true and righteous path, while such mangy jackals are destined for Gozreh's Court, beneath the waves."
When the talk is done and the food eaten, Hassan walks off to find Rosie Cusswell, and press her into playing on her fiddle again. Hassan does his best to sing along, but his spirit is not in it tonight.