Taptap looks intently to the rolling waves.
I may be no sailor, nevertheless I am a son of the sea.
Taptap breathes in deeply, as salty spray pelts him in the face, stinging his eyes.
Yes. Of the sea, and soon I will learn to sing thee to sleep, or wake thee to a tempest
Turning again to his work slicing and retying lines, Taptap sighs.
Taptap's shanty is well received, and the crew seems grateful for what help it gives in bolstering their resolve.
Alas, Tap's rigging is not quite so effective. As he attempts to splice a line, his fingers slip and the rope, tied to the boom of the mainsail, flies out from between his rain-slicked fingers. The boom groans as it swings, and traps Conchobar the gnome against the starboard railing.
Conchobar curses as he grits his teeth in pain, and the ship begins to list to the side.
Tap groans with shame.
Right.
Slippery fish, slippery fish, sliding through the water,
Looking at the boom, a frown creases Arden's impassive face.
We need to get this situation under control!
Kerruk joins Arden and starts trying to restore the ropes.
Owlbear, if you can push against the boom, Conchobar may yet live. But we must get repair the line, and quickly; Keruk.
Jack moves to attempt to repair the line.
Tap's spell makes for a slick surface, and Conchobar is able to wriggle free with very little help from Owlbear. The gnome rests his hands on his knees for several moments, sucking in breath, then nods to Tap in thanks.
Owlbear grunts as he forces the boom back in place, allowing the others to tie it off securely.
After the mishap, the night continues on, and just after midnight the skies vegin to clear. The rough waters continue for some time, and soon enough dawn breaks over the Wormwood.
The officers, exhausted as the crew, nonetheless dole out tasks as if it were a normal day.
Gather my wary sailors and I will try to ease your burdens.
I should bottle this stuff
Well and good. We are awake. Now I wonder whether the officers are awake...
Tap will be spending the day swabbing the deacks – mopping and scrubbing with holystones, after the storm’s spray wrought havoc on most of the ships surfaces.
Arden will be on mainsail duties; mostly ensuring that no damage has impacted the ships overall navigation and speed.
Jack is cooking today – plain and simple, but on a large scale. Since the crew only had hardtack yesterday, they’re expecting quite the meal today!
Working dilligently..
Taptap grabs a mop and bucket, and choosing a likely spot begins to clean from the deck the debris of the storm. Nothing doing today but this mop and bucket.
Admist his work, Tap occassionally climbs up a barrel to look at the now calm sea. What a beast is the sea Looking a out Tap looks for signs to tell him where he might be.
Taptap performs his daily task with no problems at all, the steady, monotonous work a welcome reprieve from the tumultuous storm only hours before.
Kerruk is miserable, his body do worn and damaged that its all he can do to stay on his feet. When he hears his task - runner, he sighs.
Kerruk is looking a bit tired. Long hard work.
Tap glances at the wound given Kerruk by the rats below deck.
Or a diseased wound. Well I'll sing a song to swe if it cheers him up.
Taptap walks over to Kerruk, and nods to him.
You are tired my friend. Let me sing you a shanty my mother used to know.
Let's all get up and dance to a song
That was a hit before your Mother was born
Though she was born a long long time ago
Your Mother should know (your Mother should)
Your Mother should know..
Arden stoically tends to her duties, wishing for more precious minutes in her hammock.
Jack goes to bed, finding nothing productive to do, and convinced that they'll be at sea forever, and that no progress toward his freedom has been made. Where are these fools sailing? And why?
Noting Jack's despondency, Taptap moves to Jack and taps him on the shoulder lightly. Jack, we are making progress...but it the kind of progress that is silent and invisible. The majority of the crew is behind us, few against us. Further progress can..WILL happen, but we may need to be more bold to do so...but boldness is risky. There are two approaches. One we wait for an opportunity to arise, but arrange to be ready to take advantage. The other, we operate with a plan.
Tap looks about and leans up closer
I for one would advocate a silent operation of assassinating the petty officers running night watches, one by one. Cast sleep, bind them, throw them in the sea. Quick. Quiet. During harsh weather would be a good time...but we missed that opportunity. Or, cut him up, take him down to be eaten by rats.
Tap grinned, almost evilly.
I'm not as nice to my enemies as I am to my friends.
Kerruk shows signs of lagging, that the difficult work of running back and forth on the main deck for no apparent reason doesn’t help in the least. Thankfully, Tilly helps out with his running now and again, and he’s able to get the work done. At the end of the shift, however, a few moments of idle time are too much to bear, and he slips into a blissful sleep.
Alas, the boot that kicks him stiffly in his thigh to wake him belongs to none other than Master Scourge. The boatswain looks down on him with a sneer. Get up, ya’ worthless scum! A bit a’ wind take the pirate outta’ ya? Pathetic! His braided beard flies about as he gestures with his whip. It’s lashes for the lot of ya’, if we can’t get this ship back on course! He spits on the deck near Kerruk and moves on, putting boot to a few others who couldn’t stay on their feet.
Though Scourge made many such promises and claims throughout the remainder of the day, there are no punishments this evening – it seems that even the officers are simply too tired. The evening progresses as most do, though many of the pirates have their own personal accounts of the vicious weather do tell, and they do so with typical piratical flair. Even so, the pirates are all too happy to get some shuteye at the end of the difficult day.
The next morning dawns with the blazing sun and the heat that has returned now that the storm is gone. The pirates gather on the main deck, as usual, and tasks are doled out.
Hello!
Taptap walks briskly up to the burly half Orc on the main deck before inner. Studying him, Tap thinks back and can't recall the half-Orc every saying anything, or caring much about the world around him, for that matter.
How are you this good evening? By good I mean, we get to have some piss passing as rum...and if it ain't fishmeal again...try as Jack and Fishguts might..
Studying the half-orc..
Is this one hostile?
Putting on a charming smile
Well in any case, you seem to be stalwart seaman that knows things many do not. I wondered whether you might know whereabouts this ship is sailing? I haven't caught sight of land for some time.
Hey Fipps.
Tap grins wickedly. I was hoping that the wind knocked you overboard; but I guess I'm just gonna have to share my grog with you this eve.
Taptap guffawed at his own joke.
T'would be better than more rat hunting. They think that just beacause I'm short I like to hunt rats down in the belly of this racket? The storm knocked me clear to the ceiling, it did. But when I landed, I squashed that rat flat, farts and all.
..yeah twas not funny to me either.
Kerruk, feeling for the most part friendless and alone - save for his Osprey companion - keeps very much to himself, spending much of his spare time brooding over imagined punishments he will one day dispense to Plugg, Scourge and all their ilk.
He is generally uncommunicative and, although polite and distant to those he has befriended (Tap, Jack, Arden, Grok, Sandara, Owlbear, Tilly, Conchobar, Jack Scrimshaw, Kroop, Rosie and Ratline) greets almost all other attempts at discourse with a feral snarl and a look of barely restrained fury.
Arden stretches and fixes looks at Master Scourge with indifference. I could sleep away a century. She looks about for her friends, notes they are all present and heads for the deck.
The large orc, whom Sandara identified for you as “Jaundiced Jape” eyes you with open anger as you approach. You can see now that his skin has a sickly yellow-ish tint. He snarls as he stops his work (today he’s a swab as well) and holds his holystone at the ready as if it were a mace he could crush your head with. You get the sense that he is quite hostile.
His face eases somewhat at your jest, and he shakes his head. He opens his mouth wide to reveal the severed and burnt end of what was once his tongue. Now you can understand why he’s so quiet.
Fipps’ expression sours at your appearance, and he snorts at the joke, though not with humor. Guess a rat knows ‘is own, eh Taptap? Keep runnin’ a-foul a’ those that run this ship an’ dey may jes give me that hunnerd gold to squash you flat…farts an’ all.
Now that, Fipps considers funny, and he laughs hard enough to bring about tears.
Yawning, Arden stretches again and with a sigh walks up behind Tap as he converses with Fipps and the orc. Smiling at Fipps, she says, "I love what you've done with your hair. How do you get it to come out of the nostrils like that?"
Tap guffaws. It started doing that after I punched him in the face.
Tap and Arden. It is I who punched this fellow in the nose. But I remember more than a few bruises from him in return. But all in good fun, amongst comrades. Here, let us drink to our health and good fortune. Speaking of which. Where the hell are we going? Anybody know?
Jack raises his cup in salute, and quaffs all his grog in a single, long, gulp.
Message: Tis better to be our friend than our enemy Fipps
Fipps snarls at the jest. Whaddya’ know about anythin’, girl? Spend a few days on this tub and think yer right set ta’ be captain…maybe ya’ should git back up in yer riggin’ and play with yer nots!
His face reddens further and glares at Tap. An’ don’t ya’ think I forget when one’s done wrong by me, little man.
Jack’s attempt to lighten the mood, while well said is unfortunately ill timed, as Fipps is already about as sour as he can get. The big man grunts and shakes his head. Nah…not for us ta’ be knowin’. The cap’n’s got a place in mind, don’t doubt. I overheard we may be nearin’ the Slitherin’ coast tomorrow…if he’s huggin’ tight to it, gonna’ be some tough navigating, with the shallows there.
Tap snorts and walks away, but ere he turned a corner, reminds Fipps but remember it was you who attacked us that day, and it was I who healed you of the bruises we gave you for it as an offer of friendship going forward.
Kerruk notes the exchange, but does not take part, preferring to glare at the departing Fipps.
Hopefully they are better at navigation than they are at running a crew.
Putting his hand on Taps shoulder, Jack says, Not thy best, I think. That man is not one moved by gratitude, but one who holds tightly to his grudges. Here, you try to intimidate him before the crew... nay, intimidated him I think. He will not be more of a friend for it, nor will he be afraid too long. It is through his stomach, his purse, and his vanity by which his enmity may be assuaged.
Then whispering, Of all the things that I burn most of all to know, it is where we are going, and for what purpose. You, Arden, and the like are the ones who can tell me most in which direction we have been sailing, and where that is like to have taken us. I am in the kitchens. But perhaps thou may find out more, tonight?
Moving past Arden, Jack indicates with a wry smile, a small shake of his head, his amusement, and disapproval, at Arden's jibe at Fipps.
Slitherin' coast....
Taptap racks his brain to try to recall his father's coastal maps.
Arden tries to recall maps and other methods of telling the direction while at sea.
The next morning starts as many would, blazing sun beating down on the main deck, the unwashed crew going about its tasks, and the merciless officers overseeing it all.
Relatively standard tasks are doled out, as all of the damage from the storm has been repaired. Near midday, Plugg waves over Arden, Jack, Kerruk, Taptap, and Rosie Cusswell. There are 4 crab pots at his feet. He points to the north, to where the water is lighter from the shallows of a reef. The captain wamts fresh crab for dinner. You sorry few are gonna go an' git it. Should be shallow enough there
..don't come back without full pots.