What are you doing? You have a prisoner to question.
As Neela questions Caulky, Rhialla sits directly across from the cabin girl cleaning her nails with the tip of a dagger. "I, on the other hand, have quite a bit against you. You don't talk and you'll wish you were on Harrigan's bad side instead of mine."
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Heating up her dagger, Ashlei casually drags its tip across a nearby wooden plank that makes up the ship's hull, and is in full view of the prisoner. Heavy black scorch marks pop into view with little puffs of smoke, showing a badly drawn cartoon of a girl pin-cushioned by dozens of daggers!
Herzag just sits back in the darkness and enjoys the show!
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"I'm just curious as to why you are so loyal to a man that has so little care for his crew. Different styles of leadership I suppose, come along peacefully answer our questions and you will be fine. If not, well you heard the ladies."
He moved a bit away to keep an eye out for anyone looking for ol caulky.
Caulky looks more surly than anything. "I ain't loyal to that ass! Ever since you lot stole the ship from him he's been getting more and more crazy. I've had to do ships work since he's lost so many crew."
"The Wormwood's in port now, but she leaves soon. Got to when you are bringing pressed crew on board and the other ships are looking for them."
Anything else you want to ask her?
Ashlei looks hesitant.
"Is it illegal here? Can we turn her in for kidnapping and press-ganging crews? Let the...authorities take care of her?"
"Laws o' the seas Ashm nothing wrong with pressganging crew....except for what happens when they gather up enough spine or spite to make you pay for it." Rhialla answers, looking rather pointedly at Caulky. "Hartigan's old Furst Mate found that one out firsthand."
"Sooooo.... You want to give her a beating for what she's done to you, or..?" - Herzag begins growing impatient.
Ashlei shrugs and smiles while picking at a fingernail with her dagger.
"Keelhaul? We can let the barnacles on the bottom of the ship scrape the flesh from her bones. That sounds like fun."
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"Bah. Truth be told, she personally hasnt done much to deserve my ire. The cabin girl of a shite captain doesnt matter much to me. I was more interested in what she knew. Only reason I'm not for letting her go, is word would get to Harrigan of our precise location, which im not in favor of.
He paused suddenly looking almost disgusted.
"what did you do for ol Captain Harrigan as his cabin girl eh? peel his oranges? Adjust his block and tackle?"
Caulky looks annoyed at Percival's rather blunt questions. "Of cause I warmed his bed. I had to get his food and make sure it weren't poisoned. Run messages to the other officers and such. Still easier than sweating and bleeding for a living!"
She smirks a little. "Someone tried to take bets on Plugg still being alive after we heard you took the ship. No one took that bet."
Giving you a hopeful look she offers. "Look I don't have any love for Harrigan, I can work as crew and fight. You could sign me on if you want to keep an eye on me?"
What are you doing now?
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"We could use a ship's runner. I dont need a bedwarmer. Think about it. We expect everyone to pull their own weight. The long and short of it is however, we can't have you running off and letting Harrigan know we are here... While you wont believe us which is fine, I'll have you know it was less of a mutiny against him and more of us merely defending ourselves when he decided we might be a threat. He lost."
He said bluntly motioning for the others to get a move on. He had hoped to spend a bit more time in port... but well it was too late for that now.
"How longs that flight last Neela? Herzag get back to ship let them know we are coming in pretty quickly and will be leaving faster than we anticipated."
"Best damn offer you're gonna get luv, I'd consider it well." Rhialla says looking at Caulky.
"Aye Captain" - the rogue takes off back to the ship, to get the preparations for departure underway.
Ok, you now have Caulky Tarroon as reluctant crew.
She is actually a bit surprised at you accepting her desperate offer. Having served Harrigan she is very unused to anything like mercy.
Thanks to the flying Herzag your ship is getting ready to get under way.
Which port are you making for first?
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"Despite just having a few days off in the city, lets start with the temple of Calistrians, mostly because we have an introduction letter with their headmistress. Set sail for Quent, but...lets keep our eyes open both for targets of opportunity and perhaps a few folks looking to keep the number of free captains down if you catch my drift."
He paused and pulled Herzag to the side for a moment
He grinned for a moment then glanced back to the others.
"If Burnout gives you gruff about it, I'll tell her it was captain's orders no worries about it. Oh... and double the combat training of the crew. I've a feeling we may need it soon."
He finished adjusting his hat and moving back amongst the crew.
Once out of the bay that is Port Peril's home it is a westerly course to Motaku Isle and it's capital Quent.
After three days sailing you are alerted by the call of the lookout in the crows nest. "Sails Captain. One ship making straight for us!"
What is your response?
At the possibility of trouble, Rhialla takes of=ver the wheel, preparing for action.
Ashlei tries to get a look at the ship.
"Do we run Captain? Or turn and face her?"
The lookout has been scanning the ship with a long glass. "Bad news Captain. It's The Sea Jackal!"
Most other pirates gladly avoid the Sea Jackal, which is well-known throughout the Shackles for its gruesomely disfigured and fanatically sadistic crew.
Scuttlebutt has it that the ship’s captain, Kassim ibn Sayyir, was a prosperous Ketapeshi slaver who left his home port one day with a ship full of slaves and never returned.
He resurfaced over a year later, having repurposed his ship as a raiding vessel and his former slaves as buccaneers.
Worshipers of Lamashtu, the pirates aboard the Jackal are known to practice elaborate forms of self-mutilation, and inflict the same upon their captives.
Lamashtu’s blessings for the crew’s grisly perversions are evidenced by the yeth hound padding constantly at its captain’s side.
Captain ibn Sayyir, his yeth hound, and cultists eagerly attack any
ship they encounter, demanding flesh-bound tributes to Lamashtu, while the less zealous crew members hang back.
Percival's orders getting the crew jumping to their places, the ship preparing for battle. The other ship will find no advantage in the meeting.
What are you doing now?
[dice=Lore (Pirate Captains)]1d20+6
Seeing the reality herself made Ashlei's blood run like ice. There was no doubt in her mind. She shivered, her entire nature alien to such feelings normally.
"Confirmed Captain, it's the Jackal! I once saw her berthed in Katapesh! We cannot allow ourselves to be captured by the crew! So move you scurvy dogs! Or be sacrificed to those cultist's goddess!"
"Undersood Cap'n - I've seen her spinning those knives around, so this may be interesting" - the half-orc nods - "And Ash gives me gruff about everythin' - this shouldn't be much different" - he chuckles.
Seeing the reality herself made Ashlei's blood run like ice. There was no doubt in her mind. She shivered, her entire nature alien to such feelings normally.
"Confirmed Captain, it's the Jackal! I once saw her berthed in Katapesh! We cannot allow ourselves to be captured by the crew! So move you scurvy dogs! Or be sacrificed to those cultist's goddess!"
"Nasty bastards they are" - Herzag agrees with a snarl - "Wouldn't mind getting me some combat practice on that scurvy crew though. Ya don't think Ashe?"
Smirking knowlingly, she replies easily.
"This scurvy lot of ours needs the practice I'm sure! Secure the hatches! Crossbows to the deck! Don't you fire until ordered!"
Ashlei loads her crossbow and moves to the railing to gain the best view. Once in extreme range, if any enemy presents itself, she'll take a shot at it ignoring her own orders.
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"Ballistae Open up on their sails when they get within 300, when they close to less then 100 aim for large swaths of their crew. Crossbowmen open up on them at 150 paces If they close to board focus fire on any of the sailors manning their sails, then their forces on deck preparring to board. Boarding crews Ready yourselves for anti boarding. Boarding pikes to the front, Make them pay in blood before they even reach our decks. If they want to be the aggressors we will let, them, but they will pay for it in blood."
He paced back and forth as he called out the orders watching the other ship close.
"Neela! When they start firing at us head to the bow of the ship and see if you can't do that mist thing you do to keep us obscured to their archers, but Keep an eye out for obvious Spellcasters! If you see any call them out."
He gripped his enchanted pike watching the approaching ship doing his best to see if there was anything he was missing.
Herzag is not prone to much shouting - instead he walks around the deck, growling at the sailors in a low tone, almost predatory like, pointing out stuff here and there - "Set those ballistae", and "You want to get yourself killed? Then keep your head low until we tell ye!", or "Use the long pikes if they board, then just drop them to the side, and draw steel if they get on board"
The Sea Jackal nearly slips behind your ship, but Rhialla's hands on the wheel turn Besmara's Bounty in a rapid evasion to keep your stern out of weapons fire.
Your weapons shred the Jackal's sails in the pass, leaving it losing speed quickly and coming to a slow halt as casualties hinder new sails being raised.
The Sea Jackal is dead in the water at the moment. Taking out the sails has crippled it temporarily.
What are you doing now?
"Taught those @##$%ers a lesson!" Rhialla says with a wild laugh as she handles the wheel. "What'll it be luv, take the win or go back to put 'em down?" she asks Percy."Just give the word."
Herzag smiles at the prospect of actually capturing such infamous ship.
"They would give us no mercy...No quarter."
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"Bring us around, I want at least two salvos from the ballista raking their decks before we close for boarding. The Seas are rough enough without sadistic cultists about, lets do the world a favor and cut them down!"
He called out doing his best not to smirk. His line of thinking was much the same as Herzag's actually. Taking out the Jackal would certainly spread their name.
Smiling broadly, Ashlei puts away her crossbow and turns to Neela.
"How many of those flying spells can you muster up"
Rhialla brings the ship around, setting up an attack pass on the temporarily crippled ship.
Flashing her white teeth in the sun's light, Ashlei waves toward the ship.
"That'll do! Teleport me and Herzag over, then fly over with the captain and yourself ASAP! We'll try to make short work of the leaders, then end this quickly once the crew joins us. Will that work captain?"
The two ships crash together, only the insane core of the Sea Jackal's complement is left to fight, all scarred and mutilated in devotion to their deranged god.