Cyrdic fills up his pot, and Slickjaw snags another 3.
After the group gets done with their fourth dives, however, things get a bit hectic.
Attracted by the splashing, a pair of creatures rise up from the depths, looking like a cross between a lobster and an eel, they wave their pincers menacingly and advance to the shallows.
Initiative:
Ace
???
Cyrdic
Lucy
???
Slickjaw
Ace starts off the battle with the color spray/flash.
The Reeflcaw makes a move towards Ace, but is flashed by his brilliant colors, and flops over on the ground, unconscious and stunned.
Cyrdic summons his soulblade, and swings at the thing that hadn't been stunned by Ace's beam of fabulousness.
Cyrdic takes a swing at the creature, and jabs straight through its brain!
The creature starts spasming wildly, flailing its claws at Cyrdic!
But misses both times, and flops to the ground.
As Cyrdic's sword slammed through the brain of the creature, a surge of savage joy went through him, a feeling akin to the one someone might get after dropping an enormous pile of rocks onto a pack of wild dogs, killing them instantly. As the corpse thrashed in its death throes, Cyrdic dispelled his soulknife. Seeing that the other creature was completely incapacitated (and looked like it would be for quite some time), he made sure his pot was safely stored in his bag. Then he reached into the shallow water and grabbed the body of the creature.
Best case scenario, it's some sort of mythical creature and I can get a s##!load of money for this corpse. Worst case, I can still try to stuff it and hang it on the wall in my quarters. This thing looks freaking badass. Setting the body on his shoulder, he began making his way out towards the ship. As he did, he called behind him-"Do what you want with the other guy, I'll go ahead with this stuff. He doesn't look like he's going to be much of a problem anyways..."
The fight over, effectively, the party can easily retrieve the crabs they need, and can head back whenever they feel like it.
Ace slices the other one's throat, and brings it back to the ship's cook to see if it is edible.
"Oh, damn. Not even letting me get a slash in? Boring."
The group brings their mostly full crab pots and the creatures back to the Wormwood.
They hand them off to Kroop, who looks at the creatures with a raised eyebrow.
"Ye caught some Reeflcaws? Hold on a minute, I'll be right back."
Kroop disappears for about 10 minutes and comes back with a small bowl with a bit of meat in it.
"Follow me."
He takes you over to Captain Harrigan's door and knocks.
"Cap'n? I've got a little preview of dinner for ye that ye might wanna sample."
Harrigan comes out a few moments later.
"What is it, Kroop? It better be good."
Kroop give shim a gaptoothed smile.
"I think ye'll definitely like this 'un Cap'n Harrigan. These four caught us a pair o' reefclaws when they was out divin' fer crabs."
Harrigan's eyes light up and he lets out a big grin, showing off his shiny gold tooth.
"Reeflcaw? Well, color me impressed. Lemme have a taste o' that, Kroop."
He takes a bite of the thick meat and lets out appreciative noises.
"Good. Cook me up some more of that along with the crab. Let the officers 'ave a taste too, along with these four."
He thinks for a moment and says "Wait here fer a moment."
Harrigan disappears into his room and you can hear the sounds of rustling through his trunk.
"Here, take this too. Reefclaw is a delicacy in these parts, and I've got a tooth for it."
"Besides, I think ye'll need it afore Sourge is done with ye again!" he guffaws loudly before waving his hand in dismissal and going back into his room, closing and relocking the door.
At the evening meal, you're given a piece of the reefclaw and some crab to go along with the rest of your dinner, by way of thank you for the hard work.
Slickjaw gets all rested up.
Cyrdic went up to Rosie and sat down next to her. "Hey, how're you feeling? You alright after the other day? You know...Conchobar was really worried about you. Seems like he cares for you an awful lot, you know? I dunno...just thought you'd want to know-when you went over, Conchobar was the first person to try and take action. He's not a really bad guy, all things considered..."
Without waiting for an answer, Cyrdic got up and walked back to his bunk. He had been in a foul mood for the past few days, and as he stalked back to his bed to sleep, it finally hit him just why he was so mad. The other day was the first time I asked someone having anything to do with Besmara for help in years...he realized. As he thought this, the old, familiar rush of anger and grief came back. The question that he had repeated to himself like a mantra for the past decade-He was a priest of Besmara...why would she let him get killed by pirates, of all things? It just doesn't make sense. Cyrdic shook his head, trying to clear his mind.
Slipping into bed, Cyrdic closed his eyes and listened to the creak of the ship around him. To his surprise, he had found that he was...content. At least, he was happier than he had been in the past ten years. His life might be in constant danger, but at least he knew where he stood here. Before he went to sleep, he did something that he hadn't done in years-he prayed to Besmara. "Hey. You didn't have to save him the other day. But I saw him repairing the sails during the storm, looking pretty much good as new. At least until they beat him nearly to death again. But anyways...thanks for that, I guess. I saw Fipps glaring at me again today, I might have to take care of that. Unless you do something like, I don't know...make him trip down the stairs and break his neck? Aww, who am I kidding. You didn't do anything for my dad, and ol' Antun liked you a whole hell of a lot better than I did. So...whatever."
Settling back onto his pillow, Cyrdic was slightly surprised to find tears silently streaming down his face. Before he drifted off completely, he quietly murmured one last thing. "Oh, and if Cyndric's there...tell him I said happy birthday, would you? He would've been 17 today. Love you, you little s+@#."
Ace, having nothing else to do, rests up.
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The group goes to sleep, and wakes up rested.
The next morning, the group wakes up and climbs the stairs from belowdecks, and they hear a loud crashing noise.
Fipps yells loudly.
"Dammit who did that?"
He comes running up the stairs frantically with a broken fiddle in his hands.
"Mah neck, ye broke my neck! Which one of ye broke me neck I swear I'll kill ye!" he yells frantically.
From there, the day proceeds uneventfully, as do the next three. The only thing of note is that Rosie seems to have taken Cyrdic's words to heart, at leasta little. She's testing the waters with Conchobar, and he seems to be in a much less foul mood all the time because of it.
After a full 2 weeks on the Wormwood, the new crew members finally have to go through a classic bit of pirate training: Boarding school.
All of the new recruits (you four, along with Rosie, Conchobar, Sandara, and Cogward) are excused from work, as Riaris Krine stumps out onto the deck, peg leg adding to the intimidation factor she tries to go for.
"Alright ye lilylivered f$!!weasels it's time for ye to learn somethin' useful. Usin' a grappling hook is a vital skill for ye useless sacks of s+$~ to learn, so here's how we're gonna do it. I'm gonna take you out two at a time on the jollyboat and ye're gonna grapple the ship and then do your damnedest to make yer way across the boat while these four gentlemen" she gestures to Fipps and his flunkies "Do THEIR damnedest to knock ye off into the water, where hopefully you'll learn your lesson and I won't have to see your soggy ass go through it again."
"Well? Don't just stand there with your thumb up your ass ye c$~&%@@+#&s, you and you hop to it so we can get this done before sundown." she points to Ace and Lucy as she speaks.
They get in the boat, Riaris spewing profanity laden encouragements for you to row all the way, and at about 40 feet out she tells you to stop.
"Now all ye need to do is throw yer grapple, snag it on the railing, and then climb across. Should be simple enough even for a pair of s@++ fer brains like ye two. Now GET ON WITH IT before me c&$! dries up in this damned heat."
Ace:
Lucy:
Cyrdic, still a bit miffed about the events of the other day (You-damn-it, Bessie, you're worse than a freaking genie...) nevertheless throws his hook at the railing and gets to work.
Ranged attack :
Climb:
Climb:
Climb:
Climb:
Climb:
round 2
round 3
Despite some rough patches where they couldn't get their footing, Ace and Lucy both make it across on their first try, albeit slowly and taking two hits each from flying boots, hunks of wood, and other garbage.
Krine takes out Rosie and Cogward next, followed by Conchobar and Sandara, before finally coming down to Cyrdic and Slickjaw, who make it across a good deal quicker, but still not as fast as Krine would like. Still, she deems them passable, and practice makes perfect, so all of you are passed along.
She gives Cyrdic an appraising look.
"Well, ye're still bloody hopeless, but a bit less than your friends here, if only by a hair than that little 'un." she says cryptically.
Ace:
Lucy:
The next few days pass peacefully...but there is a clear polarizing taking place among the crew.
The group of newbies has mostly stuck together, but the rest of the crew seems to have joined up with Plugg, and Cogward has abandoned his "class" as well, huffing that they're nothing but trouble and will only hold him back.
Plugg starts harassing you even more, assigning the worst possible duties every day, punishing the slightest mistakes and sending all of you (including Rosie, Conchobar, Sandara, and anyone else you consider friends) to bed tired and in pain like clockwork. Each of you has received whippings so often now that they seem almost commonplace, and Sandara's intervention is the only thing that has kept many of you alive through the ordeals.
On their 19th day aboard the Wormwood, Slickjaw is assigned to the bilges. On the way there, he bumps into Plugg and Scourge.
With barely restrained glee they pat him down and remove his hidden dagger and his cestus, his hanbo hidden far away from him in his locker.
"Tsk tsk, you know none of the crew is allowed weapons, ye little snot. We'll let you off with a warning, this time. Be on yer way, afore I change my mind."
When Slickjaw reaches the bilges, there are two other pirates down there working already.
Perception:
If so, Sleight of Hand:
As Slickjaw looks around the bilges, he notices that the other two pirates are carrying daggers quite openly.
"So basically, whenever I really want to, I can just concentrate a bit and bam-instant weapon. Sword, battleaxe, warhammer, pretty much anything I can think of, really. I've been able to do it since I was a kid, my dad said I was a 'Soulknife' or something like that. It's come in handy though, I'm more or less always armed," says Cyrdic to an enraptured Conchobar and Owlbear as they work hauling goods back and forth just belowdecks. Lowering his voice a bit, he mutters to them "And let me tell you-these days, it's making me really happy to be able to do it...the way things have been going around here, I'd hate to be left alone with pretty much anyone without a weapon."
Owlbear looks at Cyrdic with a vacant grin on his face.
"Show?" he asks, as politely as he can muster.
Conchobar strokes his goatee.
"I too would be quite interested in seeing your trick, if you don't mind." he says.
Slickjaw slams back a Str mutagen and a Blend extract as he goes downstairs.
Stealth:
Sleight of Hand:
Slickjaw snatches a dagger from the belt of one of the pirates.
"Where is that little bastard? He was supposed to be here 5 minutes ago?"
"No clue. Not like it matters. If he doesn't show up for work he's done for anyway, Scourge will whip him until he croaks like the little frog he is."
Sleight of Hand to steal the other knife.
Sleight of Hand:
Slickjaw quietly lifts the other knife.
Slickjaw slips back up to the base of the stairs (with the knives concealed), and says "'Morning, gents."
Sleight of Hand to conceal knives:
The two pirates jump, startled.
"'Bout time ye got down here ye lazy runt." one of them grumbles.
Cyrdic smiles a bit. "Sure, I guess I can show you guys. Just gonna make sure the coast is clear...don't want anyone dropping in on us. Don't think that'd be very good, eh?"
Owlbear claps loudly and laughs, while Conchobar looks suitably impressed.
"Very good. Could be QUITE useful in the coming days..."
Slickjaw goes to the pumps, while keeping an eye on them.
Perception:
Sense Motive:
The two pirates not so stealthily move closer to Slickjaw, who is oblivious to their hostile intent until they shout "Get 'im!" and reach for their daggers.
Which they are quite confused to see are no longer on their belts.
Initiative:
Slipping both knives into his hands, Slickjaw yells "Back the f@%+ off before I cut off your g&~#!!ned dicks and f@#+ing feed it to the sharks, you f$*#*!-a**@&$ ganking sons of b+$*@es!"
The two pirates look at the little goblin with the knives, and then at each other.
They start conferencing for a moment.
"Well he does have our knives..."
"Yeah but hes so TINY!"
"Good point. So here's what we do..." he slips into an inaudible whisper at that point.
They turn to Slickjaw with smug looks on their faces and prepare to move in.
Slickjaw attempts to ninja around the pirates and get to the stairs.
Acrobatics:
Slickjaw slips nimbly around the pirates and gets to the foot of the stairs.
The two pirates splash forward, one after another.
The foremost pirate leaps at Slickjaw, trying to wrap his arms around him, while the other tries to snatch back one of the knives.
The foremost one falls back, failing to grab him as he gets sliced across the face and neck by the dagger.
The second, shaken by his friend's injury and the threat of a waving dagger, moves his arm away at the last minute to avoid being cut, failing to disarm the goblin.
Attack Roll:
Damage:
AoO Roll:
Damage:
His voice deadly quiet, Slickjaw says "Trust me, you don't want to try that again."
Total Defense for +4 dodge bonus to AC.
Stubbornly, the second one advances again.
"He's just a little guy, pick yourself up!" he screams.
The first man groggily advances again, warily trying to avoid the daggers, while the second man goes to snatch one again.
The first one fails his Grapple, but the second one pulls off a surprisingly adept maneuver, kicking the dagger out of Slickjaw's hands and juggling it off his knee into his hand.
"I've got ye now." he says with a smile.