| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Lucky looked down at his new peg leg and up at Sandman. A grimace strained his face but he eventually he let out a "thank you" through gritted teeth. He took in the scene aboard the ship with steeled nerves. With time Lucky would heal, but some wounds took longer than others.
For the first time in months, years for some of them, the crew was carefree. If only for a night, it would be a night of freedom.
Johara takes the opportunity to engage in some unstructured dancing and celebration of the victories. She flits about various areas of the crew and alternates between happy dances to highlight the mood and seductive dances to tease, never staying in the same place for more than a few minutes and spinning away to the next spot for her performances.
The night of revelry lasts for quite a while. Many of the pirates drink more than their fair share and help themselves to as much food as they can eat. Fishguts spends most of his time preparing wave after wave of edible treats until he too begins to enjoy the lifted ration of rum. Eventually Fishguts makes his way over to the new officers asking for attention to discuss the future.
"So...I dare ask what's next for all of us? While you were gone, there was talk among the crew. Don't get me wrong, we're all grateful to be free of that tyrant and his little whipping boy, but it won't take long for Captain Harrigan to hear about what's happened to his prize, and he's not the forgiving type if you know what I mean."
"Forgive me, but if I may offer a suggestion. There's a ship outfitter named Rickety Squibs. He's located off of the Slithering Coast. If we catch the wind, we could probably be there in 2 or 3 days. For the right price, he can disguise the ship. Even her old captain wouldn't recognize her. Think it over." He turns and walks away, heading towards the rum barrel.
Nivian takes part in the revelry, providing the crew with songs to sing along, swapping to simpler ones as the intoxication level of the crew demands to allow them to participate.
She will also tell them stories, about ghost ships that had been raided by Grindylows, who fed the poor sailors to their queen who had grown too large to leave the breeding grounds.
All the while, she will keep her throat wet, but not truly get drunk herself, even if that means she has to stretch her rum with water. Tonight was a night for the crew, and she fully intended to remain alert and watch over the ship.
During some break in entertainment, when Nivian seeks out Saranda, to chat with her, finding her with the other officers, Fishgut approaches.
Nivian thinks on what Fishguts suggested.
Finishing her (already almost empty) mug, she nods:"He is right. We can probably make it in 2 days, if we are where I think we are. Question is, can we pay his price, or will he accept a promise of future plunder. I do know that you don't want to be on the bad side of someone working on your ship, if you can't breath underwater, so any kind of strong-arming should be off the table, there."
Fargrim enjoys himself, but unlike many of his race, not to the point of excess. "Agreed. If Fishguts is being truthful, then I think disguising this ship would be a grand idea. We can let Harrigan think we all perished in a shipwreck for the time being. Word will get eventually, of course, but no need to announce that before we are ready for it. I want to pay that bastard back."
Johara sprawls idly on the floor with her back to one of the walls on the ship. "I like the idea of truly making this ship our own, giving her a new life and a chance to put paid to our old grudges. Surely we must have something that we can use to strike a deal. And even if we don't, well, if Harrigan wants another fight, he's going to get it one way or another."
"I didn't realize Rickity's place was so close. That gives a better idea of where we are right now."
"I think that is a good next step. Whatever the price is, we will figure out a way to pay it."
The night of revelry is over too soon and the crew awake to a bright sun. After breakfast, Owlbear and Fishguts row back to the island and drop everyone off near to where they landed the first time. It's a short walk to the fishing village.
The village is run down and hasn't been inhabited for what seems like decades. A few collapsed mud huts sit on the beach and the wooden docks are long since rotted away. A path leads away from shore and into the nearby swamp toward the mire.
It isn't long after leaving the abandoned fishing village that the buzzing of flies really picks up. The closer to the swamp, the more the incessant buzzing occurs. Soon there after, the stench becomes obvious. The smell of decay in the air really gives away the ghouls' position.
Sandman waved a hand and produced a cloud of reflective shards, like thousands of tiny mirrors hanging in space.
Fargrim feels the call of his power and shifts into his bloodrage, rushing forward towards the ghouls
Glittery pixie dust springs forth and blinds the nearest two ghouls seconds before Fargrim's chain of devastation completely rips through the first ghoul. It drops to the ground in two large chunks of rotting undead gore.
Baltzar will hold for now, want to save my action in case anyone needs emergency healing...
Also, knowledge check for them?
These ghouls, dressed in chelaxian dresses, are much like the ghouls encountered earlier. Their bite and claws can paralyze, their bite alone carries ghoul fever, and they are slightly resistant to positive energy.
The ghouls, spurred on by shear hunger, rush up and surround Fargrim. Even the blind one salivates as the possibility of fresh meat. One of the ghouls nicks Fargrim and begins to frenzy at the smell of the sweet coppery blood. Fargrim's arms tense up but he quickly shakes off the paralysis effect of the scratch, his dwarven constitution too strong for such meager creatures.
Sandman rushed in to support the dwarf, bringing his war club down towards the nearest ghoul.
Johara clasps her hands together and stands on her toes as if to emulate someone at prayer, then raises her hands and spreads them out to the skies. Then she bounces quickly to get closer to the action, but staying near Sandman just to stay safe. It looks like she is preparing to enter the fray.
Nivian was quite capable of forcing misfortune on those she saw as enemies. For a long time, this was the first time she actually felt a desire to do the opposite...to make fortune smile on people whom she got to consider allies...friends even.
Forcing on Fargrim, besieged by the ghouls, she ever so gently altered his thread of fate.
Dust blinds the eyes of one of the ghouls as it rushes through the golden particles. Sandman's heavy club smashes down into the shoulder of one of the ghouls, easily dislocating the arm with a sickening crunching sound. Johara's prayer-like spell bolsters her own abilities as she moves forward to join the fray. The accursed witch seeks to alter another's fortune, but this time for the better.
Fargrim takes a step back from the remaining ghoul (if any) and continues his vicious assault!
Fargrim's chain rips another ghoul in half as it shuffles forward through the field of dust. Baltzar continues to hang back and wait for the right opening. The ghouls continue to follow the scent of blood as they claw and bite at the dwarf. Despite the blindness, a few teeth and nails manage to find flesh. At least for one ghoul, dwarven blood appears to cure blindness as it shrugs off the glittering motes after drawing blood.
Johara seems to go into double-time as she begins dancing her way into battle and unleashes another spell at the same time.
Nivian starts her siren sing-sang, while pointing at the unharmed Ghoul assailing Fargrim:"Balance in all things...", making it's fortunes worse.
Fargrim takes a step back and sends his chain weapon flying outward to destroy another of the undead, but his continued swing misses the next target!
Sandman moved in front of Nahia and swung his club out at the ghoul in front of Johara.
Johara dances into melee as Fargrim and Sandman crush skulls. Nivian curses a certain dwarf under her breath while Baltzar continues to follow along.
The remaining ghoul frenzies at the sight and smell of so much blood. His fangs and claws dig deep into Fargrim's flesh. The pain is almost too much as Fargrim's body stiffens up.
With her magic and her dance in place, Johara skips next to the ghoul with a simple chasse. Her scimitar blurs with supernatural speed as she slashes twice, swish swish, her deceptively slim arms whipping it around with incredible speed and precision.
(includes +2 heroism, +1 allegro, +1 battle dance)
(includes +2 heroism, +1 allegro, +1 battle dance)
*Fwhump* *Fwhump* *Fwhump* The final ghoul lands on the ground in three large, bleeding pieces. The extremities still twitch as if they were not aware that they were no longer receiving signals from the decaying brain. Blood stains the ground and flies begin to fill the air as the buzzing continues to intensify.
Nivian strolls in front of Fargrim, leaning forward so he can see her face:"Don't worry. It'll wear off...in a little while."
Noting the stench again, now that the adrenaline rush of battle wears off, Nivian wrinkles up her nose, then shrugs:"Oh well, guess it was time for a toilet break, anyway."
Fargrim grunts with the pain, but then suddenly his body locks up rigidly and his eyes stare ahead at the ghoul in frustrated anger! Inwardly he roars against the irritation, but outwardly there is not even a twitch...
Johara slides back up from her crouched attack position to a more relaxed stance and takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. She wiggles her scimitar slightly to shake off some of the last remaining ghoul bits. Then she wrinkles her nose at the smell, before she cocks her head and looks over Fargrim curiously.
"Fargrim? Can you hear me?" she asks. She circles him, then leans forward and brushes his cheek with one hand. "How terrible! I hope this wears off soon!"
Sandman let out his breath when the last ghoul fell.
"It will." he replied. "Keep a look out in case there are other ghouls. Nicely done."
Sandman assessed all the claw and bite marks on Fargrim's body. "You are going to be alright. A few more scars. Just breathe. You'll be able to move again soon."
"What about him turning into one of them? We'll still need to keep a close eye on him." she says, obviously as much concerned for his well-being as the worry of what he could become.
"Don't they have to kill you for that to happen? Or you get sick and then get turned? I don't really know how it works," Johara says with a frown. "We have healing magic and skills, surely someone can make sure that Fargrim stays with us!" She rubs the back of Fargrim's head comfortingly and says, "He's too important to us to let something like this take him away!"
"Either the fever kills him and he becomes a ghoul, or he fights off the fever and he's fine. He may already have already resisted it. When we get back to the ship, we can find out." she explains.
Fargrim's frustration continues to grow until he feels as if he could scream himself hoarse! Suddenly Johara's fingers brush his cheeks and he was not already frozen in place the unexpected touch would have done the same! He felt his heart flutter at the gentleness of the gesture... He listens as Baltzar mentions something about turning into one of those terrible creatures and a growing fear begins to take root; death he would face with a grin, but undeath... What could be worse than such a terrible fate?
The paralysis lasts less than a minute but it feels like a life time. Perhaps it was Johara's magical touch that broke the mighty dwarf out of his frozen state.
The remains of the ghouls yield nothing of value. Their clothes are ripped and shredded but do contain markers of Chelish design. Most of the bodies belonged to females at one time but one of the bodies was a male.
Trekking further along the pathway slips suddenly into a large green bog. Remnants of an old wooden bridge cross the bog, but only short timber platforms on either side remain, leaving just the pilings jutting from the mud. The odor of salt is incredibly strong here and makes the eyes water. Here the forest canopy overhangs the mire. Roughly 70 feet away through the dense mud sits a huge tree draped with some kind of tent.
Even stronger than the salt is a terrible stench of death, a fetid odor of cheap perfume and rotting flesh. Lurid, painted faces cover both the tree trunk and tent, and both are decorated with rotting humanoid body parts and carpets of squirming insects.
Sandman eyed the mud, the vines and the precarious sticks. He remembered the lesson of boarding ships on the Wormwood. He had yet to become proficient at the most fundamental aspects of piracy and adventure. Humiliation was his least favorite kind of pain, but it still held lessons. He might as well learn.
With an exasperated sigh he stepped into the muck, but predictably he didn't get far.
Johara eyes the sticks in the mud and says, "I can get across there with ease. Should I carry a rope before I go?"
Fargrim stumbles, but catches himself when the paralysis finally wears off. "That was far more horrible than I care to ever experience again!" he grumbles and casts a sheepish smile at Johara.
He wrinkles his nose at the smell once they reach the rotted bridge. "I think that'd be a fine idea, Johara. That way we can use it to pull ourselves outta the mud."
He then spends a moment looking around at the trees and then grins when he spots what he's looking for. "While you do that, I'm going to take another route. Then I can help pull Sandman there outta the muck." Without another word he begins, easily, scaling a nearby tree trunk until he judges he's high enough. He then slashes a vine the separate the bottom from the trunk and with a cackling laugh, he swings across and lands with a heavy thud on the other side. He turns with a large grin. "Now that was fun! I don't know how my brethren can stand living instead those stuffy mountains...."
"That seems easy enough!", Nivian exclaims as she watched Johara effortlessly make her way across.
Confident in her natural agility, Nivian attempts to follow, only to slip on the second stick, and fall into the mud face first in front of Sandman.
"Phhht", she spits out, lifting her head:"That did not go as planned...careful, Johara, does are sli...nevermind", she starts, then stops upon realizing the agile girl already made her way across.
"Sorry, Nivian," says Johara ruefully. "I'll come back over and secure a rope." She then nimbly makes her way back, takes a line from the group, and hops back across before tying it ably to a tree with one of her recently-learned sailor's knots.
With a growl, Sandman surged against the mud, trying to pull himself free.