With a hiss of frustration, slickjaw heads back to the "jolly boat".
Slickjaw swims as fast as he can back to the jolly boat, making it just as his Extract wears off.
Slickjaw wraps himself in Scourge's coat, keeping Scourge's body on board for company.
Ace goes up to the rest of the crew, and asks nicely "I think we should slow the ship so the little green guy can catch up, so lets raise the sails so this thing can stop."
" I dont think anyone here wants to punish each other if we do something wrong, so even if someone did fail at something, just try again, no worries."
"Lucy, Cyrdic, and Owlbear, since you guys are the strongest people, mind if you guys drop the anchor after the ship slows down?"
As the boat disappears into the darkness, Cyrdic runs up to the survivors of the battle. "Okay guys, we're not out of this yet. Scourge took off in a boat, and Slickjaw went after him. We have to try and find them before that storm hits. Let's get moving, we probably don't have much time."
"Aye, I've no objections. I guess the little booger did pull his weight around here. And not like we're in any real hurry, y'know?"
"Any o' the rest o' ye got a problem with that?" Kroop yells over his shoulder.
He gets a chorus of nays in response.
"All right then, let's be gettin' to work before we lose 'im!"
The crew works frantically to get the boat slowed down, but it's almost 15 minutes before they're able to get organized to their stations, get the jobs done, and the boat slowed down.
Slickjaw goes through the pocket's on Scourge's jacket, hoping to maybe find an extra ham sandwich or something.
Slickjaw finds no food in Scourge's jacket, but given the dietary habits of his race, that's not to say there's no food on Scourge...
Well, that's a good point... uh oh, talking to myself again.
Slickjaw cuts himself some delicious steaks from Scourge, and reaches into his alchemical pack for some salt.
Let's home he's got some fat on him.
Slickjaw also takes the rest of Scourge's stuff, with the exception of the bow and arrows.
-His cutlass, a Tidewater Cutlass. It is a +1 cutlass, that can cast Hydraulic Push once per day.
Slot none; Price 3,395 gp; Weight 4 lbs.
DESCRIPTION The blade of this +1 cutlass (Pirates of the Inner Sea 18) is spotted with rust, and its basket hilt is cast in the likeness of a grinning skull. Once per day, a tidewater cutlass can be used to cast hydraulic push.
Tidewater cutlasses are not uncommon weapons among the pirates of the Shackles, at least for those who can afford to buy one or who manage to loot one from someone who can. Mr. Plugg acquired his cutlass from a seasoned old tar aboard the Wormwood who had the temerity to point out the first mate’s insecurities, and was beaten to death for his impudence. When more traditional discipline techniques prove ineffective, Mr. Plugg has been know to use his tidewater cutlass to “accidentally” push impertinent sailors overboard to drown in the Wormwood’s wake.
-A Masterwork Cat o' Nine Tails
-A light crossbow
-10 bolts
-3 Screaming Bolts
-+1 Amulet of Natural Armor
-+1 Bracers of Armor
-Shackles of Compliance
-Leather drinking cup
-210 gp
Slickjaw, bored out of his mind, begins work on a Formula Alembic as he uses his miniburner to cook some ScourgeJerky.
The wind picks up and rain begins to fall, steadily growing in power over the next few hours.
The next morning, as you are sorting through the loot, Ace's hand brushes against Plugg's cutlass.
Immediately, he is transported to the middle of the ocean, standing atop the crashing waves with no visible means of support.
In front of him stands a gigantic turtle-like creature, water streaming off of it in endless torrents.
It opens its mouth and speaks with a language sounding like nothing more than dancing waves, swift river currents, and pouring rain.
"I am Golubriol." the creature says to Ace "The spirit of this blade."
"I've waited ever so long for a worthy wielder, one I could reveal myself to. That horrid man who used me before could not even have understood me had I chosen to."
"I sense that you have a good heart, for all the events you've been drawn into of late. Will you take me?" he asks, and waits patiently for an answer.
By mid-morning, the storm has reached the Man's Promise in full. It begins to be tossed on the waves, and all hands are needed on deck just to keep the ship afloat.
To even the most novice sailor, it is obvious the ship is being blown far off course.
The crew works hard, even Kroop coming up from the kitchens to put his hand to working, short handed as you are.
About noon, the sky lightens somewhat, just for a few minutes, and a number of dark shapes become visible. Islets and coral reefs dot the area around you.
Soon afterward, the storm picks up again, almost doubling its ferocity over the morning's already terrible onslaught.
"Hey, has anyone seen Ace? I haven't seen him around in a while...where on earth could he be?"
Around ten, Slickjaw wakes up, stretches, and yawns.
Well, what shall we do? What do you think, Dead Scourge?
Slickjaw reaches out and moves Scourge's jaw up and down, a task made somewhat more difficult (at first) by the beginnings of rigor mortis. "I think you should probably find a way to purify water."
Lucky that I'm an alchemist, eh?
"Yeah, it sure is!
Slickjaw, remembering his shiny new formula alembic, goes to work on converting his blur, cure moderate wounds, haste, and barkskin potions into pure, condensed knowledge.
Slickjaw wakes up just as the storm is starting to hit its peak. He has just enough time to prepare his Extracts for the day, before his little boat is tossed and turned like it doesn't weigh a thing.
A few hours later, he's so far managed to stay afloat, but his boat is taking on water, sloshed over the sides by the roiling waves.
Thankfully, he remains on the fringes of the storm, pulled along in its wake, but not getting hit by the brunt of the wind and rain, which would surely have capsized his little jolly boat long since.
There's a short lull in the storm, during which Slickjaw notices something. It appears to be another goblin, treading water and looking at the boat in desperation, waving its arms above its head to get Slickjaw's attention.
Yelling out in Goblin, Slickjaw says "Oi! Get over here you soggy git! I've got some fresh man meat and - dammit, you need help don't you ya dirty grudder!"
After downing a touch of the sea extract, Slickjaw sheds some of his stuff to go rescue the goblin.
On second thought, Slickjaw gets back in his boat after setting barely a toe in the water.
"You can tread water, you can swim! Get over here, but first state your intentions!"
The goblin bobs his head in thanks and waves at Slickjaw as he clumsily paddles towards him.
"What's your name and whaddaya want? And how do I know you're not some sort of dastardly luretrapthing?"
Aboard the Man's Promise, all goes well (though rough) for a few hours more.
The crew stops for a break, happier than they can remember being in a long while, despite the storm. They all smile at each other, until Rosie's voice cuts through the darkness.
"Hey! Has anyone seen Conchobar? I can't see him anywhere!"
Riza's voice follows not soon after.
"Colin! Where are you?"
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The goblin grins as widely as he can and lets out a bubbling, burbling speech.
It then nimbly hops out of the water, propelled by something, and lands in the boat.
Slickjaw notices, to his horror, that the creature's bottom half is made up of a number of writhing tentacles, which wrap around his feet and knock him to the ground, as the creature reaches back and pulls a nasty looking spear off its back, grinning all the while.
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All over the Man's Promise, similar creatures appear, climbing from the water and landing on deck, trying to grab onto other crew members and drag them over the side.
Six, total, they brutally attack.
Jimmies thoroughly unrustled, Slickjaw raises an eyebrow.
Slickjaw also hears a thump from behind him, and catches another Grindylow stealing away with Scourge's corpse, giving him a cheeky wave as he slips back into the water.
"Hmm. That's a shame. Well, bring it, you slimy squid."
"Well, I will be pleased to serve you, Mr. Golubriol"
"Serve ME?" Golubriol laughs uproariously.
"Since when is a sword the master in a relationship?" he says, and sends you back to your body.
"Alight, squid-for-brains, lets do this"
The creature straddles Slickjaw and jabs at him, tearing through the meat on his arm, then lunges forward with his wide open mouth.
It reels back when Slickjaw retaliates, but stays on its "feet".
Sighing, Slickjaw gets up and stabs the creature again.
Slickjaw growls and slashes with his dagger, severing the thing's tentacles. As it thrashes in pain, Slickjaw jumps on it, and buries his dagger to the hilt in its head, and twists, silencing its cries completely.
Unfortunately, his triumph is short lived, as his boat begins rocking back and forth, as if something is trying to tip him over.
After downing a potion of cure light wounds, Slickjaw consumes a strength mutagen, takes a breath, and slides into the water to deal with the annoyance.
All of a sudden, the rocking ceases, and soon afterwards a thumping starts up under your boat.
Creature
Creature
Slickjaw
Slickjaw takes a breath and swims into the water and shanks the creature.
Slickjaw dives into the water and stabs one of the creatures right in the heart, dropping it instantly.
The second one retaliates swiftly, but misses the nimble goblin.
Somehow slithering through the water, Slickjaw stabs the second creature.
He heavily wounds, but does not kill the creature.
It, fearing for its life, hisses and launches itself through the water at monstrous speed, leaving a trail of bubbles behind it as it does so.
When the bubbles clear, Slickjaw sees the creature as a tiny speck in the distance, ending up almost 200 feet away in such a short amount of time.
After crawling back onto his boat, Slickjaw begins work on converting his potions into PURE KNOWLEDGE as he ruminates on how to get back to the Man's Promise.
Slickjaw works for the rest of the day, having little else to do as his boat drifts, pulled in the wake of the storm (though barely touched by it at this point.
He begins to grow ever more thirsty, mouth parched and lips chapped, and despairs of getting out of this situation alive.
At dusk, however, hope strikes in the form of an island off in the distance, one large enough that it COULD support a wellspring of fresh water.
It appears to be a little over a mile away, and the wind is driving the boat towards it. At this rate, it should be within reach by the time night falls.
Slickjaw stealthily searches for water.
Slickjaw comes ashore in the jolly boat near an old fishing village. Most of the crude mud and straw huts have collapsed, as the village is obviously long since abandoned.
A small well of fresh water, dirty, but better than seawater, sits in the middle of the village.
A crude mud path, somewhat overgrown by weeds, leads out into the nearby swamp.