As Alistair breathes in he feels the contents of his stomach rise up and and try to escape out of his open mouth, but a hard swallow forces the mess back down.
As Riven lays about him with the chair leg he manages to catch another rat right in the head and splatters its filthy brains afgainst the bilge wall. With similar success Kess zaps her rat who explodes fantatically in a shower of rodent gore while the rest of your teeth chatter in response to the electrical discharge unleashed into the water.
Ryzern cowers as Alistair plays with his length of rope as if it were a whip without really fully understanding its function. Murgrot simply hacks and slices at everything in some attempt to kill but only managing to severely injure the rats as they leap upon him simultaneously and deal terrible damage to the goblins soft flesh.
Hahaha! And another bites the dust me maties!
Riven wasted no time swinging a back hand shot at the rat beside him.
Kess moves alongside Ryzern and swings her mop at his foe.
Attack (Makeshift weapon):
Damage:
HP 5/12
Mugwort snarls back at the dog that bit him. "NOT RAT! DOG! DIEDOGDIEDIEDIE!"
He swings his knife at the beast: for damage.
Alistair swings around and lashes out at the rat between him and Mugwort.
Thankful that the rats have so far ignored him Ryzern steps towards the bow searching in the dim light for something to use as a weapon.
Update coming in the morning.
Within but a few moments the rest of the rats are overpowered and bludgeoned, sliced, and mopped to death.
The stench and stifling heat of the bilges becomes even worse as the scent of dead and already decomposing wharf rat joins them.
But for at least a few moments there is peace.
Mugwort spears the dead dog on the end of his knife and brings it his mouth, taking a big bite out of it. "Hmm. Maybe rat. Eh." He shrugs and tosses the body to a corner. He cleans off his knife by licking it and hides it carefully again.
He then starts looking around the bilge carefully, checking to see if there are any more rats or critters lurking down here.
Riven watched the goblin sample the raw rat meat with horrid fascination.
Jumpin' Jehosafat! Phaw! Is ye mad Mugwort? Dat dere is down right disgusting, it is.
"I would like to think that was the least pleasant thing that will happen today, however I have confidence in the creativity of Mr. Scourge. I really must have a talk with him at some point."
To Jolly and Mugwort: "Their ways are odd but goblins, in small numbers, can be quite useful. Tell me Master Mugwort about this cursed door. What do you remember about the letters and the locks?"
Mugwort gives Ryzern a hard look. "Mugwort not remember 'words'. Words steal things from brain, make you crazy. Mugwort show you door. Door have lock. Door have words. Words is bad. Door is bad. You know words? Maybe you crazy? Mugwort guess you already crazy, so maybe door not so bad for crazy person. Mugwort show you, tonight."
Alistair will attempt aid Mugwort in his search, "Here, let me help you."
The filth of the bilge is clearly too much for Alistair.
Iffen me had some tools den dat lock would be no problem man. We gonna hav' to get geared up iffen dey gonna keep throwing this crap at us mates.
Kess fights the urge to retch, as she looks away from snacking Mugwort. Truly a vile creature, we would fare better without him.
"If that would be all, We all have work to return to. I'd rather get back to it before Scourge finds something else for us to do." Still holding the mop she heads for the stairs.
Mugwort: "I will be happy to take a look at this door. I think my mind can take the strain, at least this once. I will find you tonight."
Kess: "Correct, as usual. We do not wish to impose on Mr. Scourge's good nature."
Ryzern follows the Gnome up the stairs.
Alistair looks up from his searching and follows Kess and Ryzern up the stairs, "I can't get out of here soon enough."
When you are ready to emerge give me thine ship actions please.
As to the contents of the bilges.
A number of discarded crates and boxes packed with straw lie in the bilges, among which can be found a suit of leather armor, three heavy maces, and 12 sp. In addition digging through the muck the following in the dark waters (one item per successful check): a buckler, a masterwork handaxe, a vial of holy water, a tanglefoot bag, two tindertwigs, and 21 gp.
Hey now, dont be so hasty to get back to work now mates. Scourge wont know how long this fight took.
Riven will help with the searching.
"What's that, you see something?" and he jumps back down from the stairs to see for himself.
"Hmm. Pirates store a lot in bilge." Mugwort hauls the finds into the open, looking it over for useful junk.
Once he's found any more useful stuff, he'll emerge into the light, blinking, with a dead rat in one hand. "Mugwort found meat for dinner. Anyone want bite?" He offers it to the other pirates, and if no one wants it, proceeds to eat it. He heads over to Mr. Scourge and waits for an assignment.
"Gads it is foul down there. When was this ship last careened, Starfall?" Ryzern limps up the stairs.
Ryzern walks to the nearest rail, fills a bucket with sea water and dumps it on his head.
At Riven's words, Kess pauses midway up the steps and sits on the stair she stopped at. Seeing the booty, she narrows her eyes.
"I can use one of those maces, it's the closest thing to my hammer at the moment."
She waits patiently for the rest of the companions, keeping a lookout for Mr. Scourge.
Mugwort takes the handaxe, strapping it to his belt in the style of a tool before heading upstairs.
"Well Riven 'ol boy, if noone else can make use of them we should take the remaining maces. And one of us should use he leather armor, the other can make use of the bag. We shouldn't leave anything behind though I'm not sure who would make the best use of the buckler - maybe Mugwort?"
"And now that I think of it - anyone seen Randal? I wonder if he was thrown overboard?"
Eh, dat dere scallywag be lost to us. Either over da side willin or not. I'll take dat mace and you keep da armor. Dat also be leaving us four gold each with an extra gold and da silver to Ryzern who didnt take any steel. Fair enough mates?
Riven will wait while Alistair dons the armor and then get back to the deck to see whats in store for the rest of the day.
"May the waves of Gozreh wash over you always."
CLW:
Thank ya kindly Kess! I be feelin much betta now, it is.
Alistair puts the leather armor on underneath his shirt and makes hi. Way up the stairs. He will devote himself to his tasks today to avoid any risk of failing.
Up on deck Riven quickly clambors up into the rigging and out of the eyes of the bosses where he works diligently. He grunts his way through the day despite his cuts.
Alistair busily swabs the pale film of salt from the deck as he too tends to his duties.
Ryzern contemplates the deck for a moment before heading towards Mr. Scourge.
Assuming I can find him
"Mr. Scourge sir, if I might have a moment of your time there is a question that has been bothering me.
assuming he allows me to ask.
"While I was in the hold removing that small rat problem it occurred to me to question my exact status on this ship. Am I a slave, a prisoner, or am I a member of the crew. If I am of the crew then it is my duty and pleasure to protect and promote the Captain's interests to the best of my ability. If I am not then it is my place to simply serve quietly and respectfully. I humbly request your guidance in this matter."
You emerge from the bilges to some muttering both good adn bad. It seems that what you did was not unnoticed and more that you were sent there somewhat unaware of what you went into. That you came out relatively unscathed is noticed as well.
Mr. Plugg looks on at you as you emerge from the bilges with a face of nonchalant patience as if he expected you to have been done hours ago.
"Good of ye to join us! Six men have trouble killing one measly little rat!?!" As you are about to voice your protest and lift up the collected corpses of creatures more akin to large badgers than rats he waves you off "Bah! Spare me yer excuses! Get back to work before I discipline ye properly!"
As Ryzern walks up to Master Scourge it looks as if for a moment that the man is going to slap all of the teeth right out of his mouth before a look of sadistic glee comes over the mans face and he laughs. "Tis a foine question! A foine question fer a lad ta be askin in yer circumstances!"
With that Master Scourge wraps an arm companionably around Ryzerns shoulders leading him along.
"Ye see me lad every lad 'n lass growin up 'n the shackles has a dream." He takes you to the railing of the ship waving expansively with his other arm across the wide blue ocean. "A dream of wealth and freedom among the great waces. A dream dat a man may find 'is own destiny among the great blue seas. Aye, when I was but a wee boy my own bosun took me like this and he showed me the great blue yonder and now I pass on ta ye what he passed on ta me."
Suddenly his arms shifts and his filthy fist has a handful of your hair dragging you back with a snarl he slams you into the railing driving your throat against it. As he strangles you against the railing he snarls in his most menacing tone passing on some profound wisdom through brutal violence. "Yer nuthin! Yer a bag 'o spit 'an piss 'an iffin ye don't do wot me, Mr. Plugg or the Capn' says ye'll be foindin yer destiny from the bottom of the ship! Do we understand one another?!?"
Witnessing Scourge's display Alistair winces as he sees Riven's upper half thrust against the wooden railing. He will be diligently working so as to avoid any unnecessary suspicion.
Mugwort shakes his head at Ryzern as the wizard is brutalized. Still, something stirs inside him, something deep and buried and unknown to the little goblin. He feels... protective? Angry? Hungry? Definitely hungry, but maybe something else?
He strides over to where the evil Mr. Scourge is thumping the wizard and taps the bosun on the back.
"Capn says you is not to hurt this one. He is mighty wizard, knows much words, very crazy. Good for ship, bad luck if hurt."
Bluff:
The sun darkened pirate watched from up in high as Ryzern tried to get friendly with Mr Scourge and shook his head while chuckling and muttering to himself...and here I tought dem wizards were smarty pants, it is...poor bastard...
Kess works diligently as usual, ever hopeful of an opportunity presenting itself. Watching Scourge while pretending to tie a rope on deck, she fights her rising anger with faith that Gozreh will allow her a reckoning soon. This entire ship and crew needs to feel Gozreh's cold and dark embrace beneath the waves. Our time will come.
In a fouled mood, Kess walks past Scourge ignoring the commotion and continues with her rope work. As she moves about the deck, she eyes each of her new deck mates and wonders if they can be trusted to act should an opportunity arise. Her gaze lingers on Mugwort Abit longer, That one could live or die, he stirs my memories of Umok. His demeanor seems different than that of an Eyegrease goblin but how far can even a rotting, putrid apple fall from the tree? No, better the tempest take that one too.
With a sigh and a little disappointment in herself, she moves to the next rope on her rounds.
Ryzern replies with some difficulty."Understood, sir. I thank you for the illuminating lesson."
To Mugwort. "No need to trouble yourself. True I was once a wizard but no longer. We have work to do. Best be about it."