Grizzle prepares his weapons, feeling his cutlass and axe proper in his hands for the first time in nearly a decade. He takes a swig of booze, and roars at the top of his lungs. "CAM ALOONG YA BAZZERD CATTLEFASH! YER MINE!" He appears to be getting himself worked up for the ensuing fight.
Treggor sets to his duties with boisterous enthusiasm and spends his evening wrestling his shipmates as a warm-up. "This be are hour, me fellows!" He'd say, clapping shoulders and elbowing whoever worked next to him. But below decks his demeanor hardened and his voice took on a conspiratorial tone.
"This be are hour, me fellows. There'll be blades an chaos, and the tumultuous sea aneath us. Every back we can stab outside of our allies is sword not ta be drawn against us. Takin' this ship be our first aim, while plunderin the other be negotiable. But hide yer strikes. We don't need ta be spotted turnin aginst are crew. But make no mistakes; our hand willn't be hidden fer long. There'll be an out-an-out fight soon enough. If ye be ready, if ye be with me, let yer mind be spoken now." Treggor carefully scans the faces before him, looking hard to perceive the intentions of those that have showed themselves allies thus far.
With fierce glee Jack shouts, "A merchantman by tha savored sting! O sweet booty!" In a whisper to the others he told them, with an equal ferocity, "I ken it in me bones, our luck be turnin'. Fortune favours tha bold, keep em' peeled 'n' vengeance will be ours!"
Alfonso tries to psych up the crew with some rousing songs of battle and derring-do.
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Shikyo watches the crew, he's looking for anyone he thinks might be watching the Press Ganged a little too closely. Anyone who might be an enemy or stand in the way of their eventual mutiny might have a rough time in the coming battle.
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One person that Shikyo notices for sure is Maheem -- the second would-be assassin of Treggor back in the bilges. He had originally been scheduled for couple days in the sweat box. But with a piracy abound, his sentence has been temporarily commuted.
Maheem gives the others a wide berth, but glares at each one of you in turn as the day goes on.
As the evening wears on, the Wormwood gradually gains on the other ship, and by dawn, less than half a mile separates the two.
It was an uneasy night, but one filled with excitement, not treachery.
During the last hour, Captain Harrigan instructs Kroop and Dieredon to slaughter half a dozen pigs, slit their throats, and throw them overboard to attract sharks to the scene of the battle.
"Let them find no mercy in the drink, me lads."
***
As the Wormwood closes to within half a mile of the Man’s Promise, Riaris Krine summons the Pressganged to the Wormwood’s poop deck to give them their task for the upcoming battle.
“The ship’s wheel is on the aft deck, just below the sterncastle.
You’re going to grapple over, kill the guards on the sterncastle, take the wheel, and guard the ship’s boats. Kill anyone who tries to get away on one of the boats. Don’t move from the wheel until the fighting’s done, or you’ll have to answer to me. Oh yeah, as we get close, it’s going to get foggy. Just stick to what I told you to do.”
"Last chance before the hells break loose. Are ye all armed proper? Do ye need anything?"
Jack had his armor and shield, his whip and his rapier. By Calistria he was as ready as he was ever going to be, so he replied with gusto, "Aye tha wheel 'ouse. I be ready fer tha fight an fer meh fair share o' plunder!" 'And Vengeance!' he added mentally. Watch your back scourge, there was a score to settle!
Grizzle just bared his teeth and grinned. "Ah be ready."
Alfonso watches the sharks begin to tear the flesh of the pigs in the water.
"Well, I probably would have drowned if I fell overboard anyway."
He listens to the directions from Krine intently.
"Wait, there's a castle on board? Impressive! I'm not sure how we'll take it all by our lonesome, however."
Shikyo has his blades and shuriken. He waits for a chance to slay a few enemies...
Treggor considers the orders carefully.
"Wait, there's a castle on board? Impressive! I'm not sure how we'll take it all by our lonesome, however."
Riaris Krine looks as if she wants to throw Alfonso overboard. "The sterncastle is the back of the ship, ya bloody idiot."
Alfonso and Treggor can't get a good read on Krine. She seems mostly indifferent to their continued existence on Golarion.
"Bah! Get to your posts!"
Riaris Krine points to Treggor. "You. You're in charge of this sad lot. Any of them falls in the drink or gets their guts splattered it's on you. And more importantly I will hold you personally responsible if you lose us that damned wheel. Do you understand me, dwarf!?"
Treggor smiles, but for perhaps the first time anyone aboard has seen it, it appears genuine. "If... ye be addressin those words tah me, I fear ye've let me beard cloud yer vision. I'm as human as Cayden 'imself." he pauses. "Er, that is, before the uh..."
Treggor straightens up and slaps the hilt of his sword.
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"Not you, Treggor. Grizzle is in charge!"
"Yez mizzer whotsisface!" Grizzle says, saluting with his scimitar. "Ah'll hold tha wheel tight as me own lover, an ye see if ah dont!"
Treggor spits and turns away, his brief smile turning to a grim scowl.
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Shikyo prepares to board
Shikyo manages to latch onto the boat in the correct place. He then begins climbing across
Can't I just rain death with my bow from here without boarding?
Alfonso manages to land the grappling hook on the first try, but quickly falls in the water as soon as his hands touch the rope.
A fierce look sprouts upon Jack followed by something troubled. He muttered to the others, "We be separated from our friends... I hope dey stick tagether!"
As the crew of the Wormwood get closer, a call from the crow's nest identifies the ship as the Man's Promise.
The two ships soon enter into reasonable firing range and close together. The crew of the Man’s Promise begins to bombard the Wormwood with missiles, mainly crossbow bolts, but also with two ballistas on the sterncastle attacking the Wormwood’s rigging in a futile attempt to slow the pirate ship. At the same time, banks of heavy mist suddenly envelop the enemy ship--product of the Wormword's wizard, Peppery Longfarthing.
The ship closes in...
Shikyo will take cover, his skills are related to subterfuge and stealth, not engaging at range.
Grizzle simply readies his weapons and takes cover.
Dieredon takes four shots with his longbow, focusing fire on the highest ranking officer he can make out. After every shot Dieredon will go prone behind the rail as a movement action. In essence he is sniping.
Relishing the chaos about to be unleashed, and thinking on the loot about to be had, Jack shouts, "Harrr! Here it be! Luck o tha' Sting be with ye!"
At the last moment he whispers a prayer, beseeching Calistria for aid in the battle to come.
Treggor pulls his bowstring back and lines up an arrow with practised precision. He scans the boat for archers to pick them off before they have a chance to fire.
,
,
,
,
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Between the both of them, Dieredon and Treggor manage to kill three sailors with precision shots.
Captain Harrigan himself praises the shots. "Well done, lads! Show 'em what's for!"
***
Finally, the two ships collide, and the pirates begin hurling grapples and lowering planks to board the Man’s Promise. The ships remain locked together, as the Press-ganged make their way onto the other ship.
Alfonso: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Mad Jack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Dieredon: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Sailors: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Shikyomaru: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Treggor: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Grizzle: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
Dieredon moves up to the area at the rear (A2) of their ship and fires at the rearmost enemy in the B1 area.
Shikyo leaps the distance and swiftly moves to his right towards the rear of the Man's Promise.
Jack eyes the shifting planks with caution, falling into the water would not do. So he carefully makes his way over the plank, and once on the other side his whip lashes out with a resounding towards the nearest sailor!
Alfonso sings a song and weaves a spell, trying to catch the enemies in a magical lullaby.
hp affected.
Alfonso's song immediately puts two of the sailors to sleep. They fall over unconscious immediately.
Jack takes his time over the plank, and crosses over to the Man's Promise. He cracks his whip but can't land a solid hit.
Dieredon picks his spot and looses an arrow, hitting one of the sailors.
; Miss
; Miss
The Sailors reposition themselves, and two of them attack Mad Jack. But the Chosen of the Sacred Sting easily dodges both attacks.
Alfonso: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Mad Jack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Dieredon: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Sailors: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Shikyomaru: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Treggor: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Grizzle: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
***
Shikyomaru leaps over the railings and lands on the Man's Promise.
A HP 11/11, AC 12
B HP 11/11, AC 12; Sleeping
C HP 11/11, AC 12
D HP 11/11, AC 12; Sleeping
E HP 11/11, AC 12
F HP 5/11, AC 12
Grizzle roars, leaping over the railing like a man possessed as his mouth froths. His legs propel him between the ships, and he lands in front of an enemy crew member, his cutlass already cutting heavy as an axe through the air as he draws his axe into his left hand.
Treggor sees the fighting break out as his crewmates cross or sling missiles and magic towards their prey. He grins, backs up a pace to get a start, and hurls himself across the gap like a human seige weapon. "Ya-har!"
He lands with a rattling thud as his heavy boots put the fear of the gods in the wooden planks of the deck. A sword rings out of its sheath as the seasoned pirate draws it for the kill, but with his other hand he makes sport of an enemy sailor, grabbing his shirt and yanking him down towards the stairs below deck.
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Grizzle jumps over the rails and lands on the ship. He draws his weapons and cuts a man in half. Leaving him as two bloody chunks on the ground.
Treggor grabs one of the pirates and moves to shove him off the ship.
Alfonso: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Mad Jack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Dieredon: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Sailors: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Shikyomaru: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Treggor: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Grizzle: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
A HP 11/11, AC 12
B HP 11/11, AC 12; Sleeping
C HP 11/11, AC 12
D HP 11/11, AC 12; Sleeping
E HP 11/11, AC 12
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Dieredon fires at thr nearest enemy not asleep.
Dropping his whip, Jack pulled his rapier, it was time for some dark work. Stepping past the fallen sailor in front of him, Jack bats aside the weapon of the nearest standing sailor. He takes advantage of this opening to lunge with his rapier, piercing the man's belly.
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