Iscarel's and Bek's strikes are turned by the flagging beast before Rackham manages to sever a tendon with his thrust. The bear falls to one knee, putting it's jaw at the perfect height for Tipene to clobber crosswise with his weapon. Cheekbone newly concave the jungle bear strains for a moment before falling with an ignoble squelch into the piled guano. The bats continue to screech and mill, though their numbers are thinning slightly as they do so.
Rackham wipes the gore off his blade and onto the beast's corpse before sheathing his weapon. He puts an arm around Tipene, concerned look on his face.
You alright, friend? Good thing someone got a few licks in on that behemoth before he found us or it could've been worse.
The Tulita shakes himself and seems to shrink a little, the wild magic that had filled him fled. He leans heavily on his tewhatewa, panting for breath. "I'll...be...all right in a moment."
HP: 8/22
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Quillin salutes the filthy black rat that disappears with a cloying sulfur stink to accent the guano. The gnome hops down from his hiding place commanding vantage and looks with disdain at the bear's corpse. "That wasn't so bad. Can't see how he wiped out all those natives. Any more of those gems around? Not worth much, but maybe some rube will mistake them for rubies".
A slog back over to the excavation site shows that there is a reasonable little nodule of gems yet to be broken out. Maybe thirty minutes sweaty work.
Yeah, let's stick around awhile and see if we can find some more of these gems. Nothing like shit-covered stones to endear ourselves to the crew, right? Rackham smiles in the dim light of the cave, but his suggestion is sincere.
Echoing through the tunnel back to surface you hear the onset of the storm washing through. Taking advantage of the relative calm you manage to extricate the knot of unworked gemstones from the crumbling blackened rock that they're ensconced within. The bats appear to be driven to calm by the storm and though there is some activity and the occasional additional deposition - they leave you to your busy work...
"I suppose the storm would wash the shit off. Maybe once we get the gems, we let the skies bathe us."
Tipene nods, then winces as the gashes in his sides rearrange themselves unpleasantly. "Do any of you have healing?"
"By Calistria, that looks unpleasant. I fear I used my last potion in my escape on the island. Just try not to bleed out, friend."
'Do I look like a priest?!" Quillin snorts. "Best we get back to the ship if you want a fix up."
After a short time's busywork you settle in to let the storm roll overhead and break. The intensity lasts for a good couple of hours before the worst of the thunder seems gone and the rain dissipates from a dumping to a steady fall. Weak enough to make for the shore at least.
"Keep the rocks to ourselves for now."
Quillin keeps the pouch recovered earlier safely stowed from sight. Out of sight and out of mind he hopes.
Why? James asks bluntly.
Can't fence 'em before somebody discovers them, but if we bring them to the crew we can get on everyone's good side. Much easier to earn a bigger share of prizes later on, that way. Let's work for gold down the road instead of copper now.
"'Fraid hurting has always been more my thing than healing. Let's get back. Did we make any deal with the captain about loot other than her wreck?"
Iscarel shrugs. "We haven't, but captains on these waters aren't afraid to maroon those who they suspect of holding out on them. Take it from me."
The Tulita considers, then nods. "You are right."
"Then we play it straight with her? Fine with me."
As you make your way back to the shore, you find a few tree branches where they shouldn't be, but the majority of the island's weathered the storm relatively well. Emerging back out onto the beach you see the half-orc righting the jolly boat and give her a hand shuftying it back out into the waves for the short paddle. She doesn't really ask questions, preferring to get out to the ship and let Lanteri do the asking.
The punt is easy enough and arriving at the Bride you find it in good repair, the lee of the island proving a decent enough storm break. Once you're all safely aboard and the jolly's being hoisted Lanteri moves down onto main deck and asks directly "So... worth the trip?"
Tipene shrugs, hiding a wince, and looks at whoever is carrying the swag.
"Then we play it straight with her? Fine with me."
"Nine Hells! The only honest pirates in the Shackles. Fools."
Once you're all safely aboard and the jolly's being hoisted Lanteri moves down onto main deck and asks directly "So... worth the trip?"
Quillin shrugs as well. "Cost Tippene a bit of blood for an old mine with a couple of pretty pebbles. Worth it, Tippene?"
A hand comes out expectantly for the aforementioned stones which are provided by _____. Lanteri gives them a once over and a confused sniff, catching a whiff of the guano, before tossing them over to the quartermaster. She speaks and turns "Fair enough, we need to be underway again."
Horumheb picks up where the Captain left off and starts barking orders and directions to get the Bride off anchor and away. At Tipene he adds "See the doc and get stiched"
Once they get under way James will talk to anyone who will listen about the encounter with the scarred jungle bear and how Tipene withstood the fierce creature's claws and teeth.
The Tulita nods and makes his way to sick bay for the promised treatment.
Tipene is seen to by the surgeon, who despite a couple of jabbing pinpricks where the needle's not well placed stiches him up without much concern. The Bride gets back underway and you end up with a span of days smooth sailing in the aftermath of the storm. Mostly open sea and without sight of any other ships on the horizon. No mention nor notice seems to have been made of your gemstones, and similarly the captain hasn't taken too much interest in relieving you of them - having only kept a couple of gems from the first blushing.
It's with a general sense of both calm and readiness that you find the air a mite changed when sail sight is seen ahead. The colours flying are out of Freeport, and there's a general sense of hubbub and excitement that this might be your rendezvous ahead.
Iscarel washes washes himself clean, figuring the smell of briney sea-water is better than reeking of guano all week. Iscarel perks up at the sight of the sail on the horizon. "Well, well. About time."
"So let's see what these lobstermen look like."
"So let's see what these lobstermen look like."
A fair sight prettier than that jungle bear, I'd wager,
James muses, squinting into the distance, smiling at the prospect of the rendezvous.
"Aye. Might be time for a swim for something other than washing off guano soon."
Drawing closer to the ship your eyes are... somewhat disappointed. There isn't any massive contraption to see, nor are there exotically dressed or colored accoutrements on the smallish clipper that you're rendezvousing with. The lobster in the lobstermen looks to be held in a waxed canvas covered pile on the foredeck that's secured for rough weather transport. The crew on the other ship consist of your usual rough types, bearded men with distant looks... and a couple of gnomes in relatively clean garb.
Once close, Lanteri sees the Bride brought alongside and meets with her opposing captain (one of the bearded distant types) for a good fifteen minutes in the other man's quarters before emerging.
Tipene looks for anyone on the other vessel who might be a Razor Coast colonial...more to steer clear of than anything else.
Tipene's scan comes up short as he spies only those of a Freeport origin on the other vessel.
James leans against the rail, hailing one of the opposing crew who seems less distant (though perhaps not less bearded) than the rest.
Hey, friend--you heard anything about this wreck we're headed to? What's she carrying?
Rackham's assumption of friendship draws a wry scoff from the sailor opposite, but he isn't called on it. The man guardedly responds "Surely if your Captain wanted you to know... you would've got told? 'Sides, don't matter much to me... I get paid any which way it tumbles."
Making her way back onto the Bride Lanteri sets Horumheb mustering to be back undersail. The Freeport vessel tacks onto your stern and follows you on. The target looks to be a island not too far off - maybe a day's sail or more. The rest of the day ebbs into night as you sail... before Lanteri calls to weigh anchor to avoid approaching the shallows without aid of light. The Freeport vessel keeps astern of you, though there is a commotion on her foredeck.
A calm night passes and you're awoken for the dawn by the sweet ministrations of Horumheb's voice. Anchor up and a short jaunt leads the Bride and follower into an exposed shoreline with jagged volcanic rock outbreaks. Lanteri has Hinsin on the foredeck keeping a second set of eyes into the water... seeking to avoid the worst of the rocks that jut upwards and are partially hidden by the roiling waters. Despite a couple of close shaves where the hull groans as it scrapes along something... you manage to get to where the Captain's looking to and an anchor is thrown down to pull taut. The Freeport vessel has an easier time with a shallow draft and comes up a short distance alongside.
It's then that you get to have a good look at what must give the Lobstermen their name... and what was concealed beneath the canvas on the other ship's foredeck. A bizarre contraption of metal and cloth - like a golem from a mage's tale and yet hollow and ungainly. It waddles around with a tethered line snaking from it's head and back to a contraption that wheezes, hisses and spurts with turning wheels and thwapping paddles. The sight of it is horrifyingly comical and intriguing the same.
Struck dumb with the confusing nature of it all you watch as the bizarre metallic man waddles to the side of the ship... and falls off the side. Judging by the run in the tethers it falls like a stone for 30-40 feet before coming to a thudding halt.
Quillin watches the strange spectacle with interest."What's it doing?" he asks Lantern.
"Oh no. You aren't getting me in one of those..."
Tipene looks interestedly over the side at the oddly armored man's descent. "What if there is something dangerous down there? How does he get back up?"
Damned if I know--feeling up for a swim?
The Tulita smiles tightly. "I am a very good swimmer, when Ocean is awake in me."
"Maybe he pulls on a rope and they pull him up? I'd rather swim without a suit too."
"You're a couple of mermaids, I'm sure," the gnome smirks and frowning that the captain seems to be ignoring him, returns to staring at the water.
The queries put out by the crew (both those that were already of the Bride and those put on in Lilywhite) are answered tersely and without true clarity by Lanteri "He's going down to get something, then we're going to haul it up." and Horumheb adds with a snort "Gods willing no-one'll needs get wet." as all eyes are fixated on what very little of the metal man's wake is visible...a single line and a few stray bubbles.
It's a good twenty minutes of boredom inducing work before there's any further action. Bek's thought proves mostly true as the line jerks a few times... twice then once then thrice if you're counting... and the men on the other ship manhandle a couple of chains over to the ship's side. The chains end in a split loop that's threaded around the line then send down with the metal-weight to the sea floor. The split ring following the line downwards and the chain snaking after.
Horumheb explains "For the hauling" and another ten minutes pass before another series of tugs on the line (twice, twice and once) and the chains are looped around capstans and some men on the Lobstermen ship begin the heavy work of straining and slowly hauling the chains back surfacewards.
Iscarel shudders at the the thought that anyone might step into that iron-maiden like contraption willingly, and watches in slick-browed suspense.
Quillin leans into the rails, eyes squinting and ears twitching.