Sven trudged up 20ft and planted his feet. ”Stay behind me.” He growled.
The air around Buhayra chills, breath fogging strangely in the temperate jungle. White fog also condenses around her hands and arms as she gathers energy from the environment to power her blast.
With a sigh, Tamesis pulls her bow off of her shoulder and fires at the oncoming boars, targeting the closest one, first.
Between Buhayra's cold blast and Tamesis's arrow, the lead boar collapses into the dirt before it can even act.
"Ya uln shugg-or wghah'n uaaah," Kehlysch intones as he extends his hand towards one of the remaining boars. A powerful jet of water strikes one of the beasts, pushing it towards the edge of the ridge line.
Annoyed wordless, Madiya fires swiftly - too swiftly, as her bolt flies into the air above the boars.
Baolus moves to be side-by-side with Sven, picking a heavy rock along the way. When he reaches his final position, he lets the rock fly, aiming for the boar in the back.
One of the boars is pushed back along the trail, though the angle is not enough to push it off the edge. Baolus's rock strikes true, but is not enough to bring the animal down.
The boar Baolus hit charges forward at Sven. Sven's hammer swings, but is not able to connect before the boar's lunge. Meanwhile, the boar that was pushed back by Kehlysch regains it's footing and charges at Baolus.
Sven is able to avoid the charging blow, but Baolus is not so lucky.
Seeing her target just within range of a normal blast, Buhayra lines up another shot...this time at the boar that Baolus had already injured.
Almost as if in a numb haze, Tamesis draws and fires, draws and fires, over and over again, her face a neutral mask.
Seeking to be useful for once, Madiya moves quickly to keep Baolus up while Blue focuses on dealing with the boars.
Sven did his best to avoid the charge, while still stopping the boar from making it to the back lines. He did this by trying to put his hammer between the boar and his comrades.
Unable to force the boar over the edge of the ridge, Kehlysch moves up behind the front line fighters and attempts to kill the beast at close range.
"Ya uln y-ftaghu fm'latgh uaaah!"
At close range, the boars don't stand a chance. A cold blast, 2 arrows, a might hammer stroke, and a corrosive touch spell, all in quick succession, and the boars fall, their hungry rampage brought to an end.
As the group approaches the watchtower, a large, colorful parrot flaps down to near the group and squawks, "Shoo fly! Don't bother me!"
At the base of the tower, a number of broken rum bottles can be found. Climbing the ladder to the tower's simple wooden platform, the group finds the twisted remains of a rope hammock and a few scattered items of clothing. Lying beneath the hammock, with one boot on and the other laying across the floor from it, is the flyspecked corpse of an elderly man. He is recently deceased, and one side of his neck is black and swollen to the size of a melon. A dried ring of foam cakes the man's beard and mustache around his lips. The parrot flaps back over, alights on the corpse, and squawks again, "Shoo fly! Don't bother me!"
Among the scattered possessions in the tower, the group will find a morningstar and light wooden shield-a matching set, based on the carvings in the wood, both of which are magical.
Loot:
+1 Morningstar
+1 Light Wooden Shield
”A hundred gold, eh? These are worth at least fifteen times that! Ah, this was a trip worth taking.”
"Poor guy was out here by himself when the bees came. Apparently he had a bad reaction to them. Didn't stand a chance."
Buhayra smiles at the bird, but keeps her distance. "Aren't you a pretty one. And it sounds like you have been listening in on what I have to say." She turns to the rest of the group. "He's a cute bird. Might be nice to have along on a sea voyage captain? Keep us company? I'm not much of an animal person myself. I like them but they don't tend to like me too well, guess I spook 'em. Anybody want to see if they can make friends with him?"
Trying to keep from scaring the bird away, she diverts her attention away from him - making a show of not paying attention. Instead she starts looking for how the watch tower raises the signal that keeps a ship from coming in to port when one is already in.
There is a set of signal flags next to the window that overlooks the open sea.
Tamesis slips the weapon and shield into the haversack, "Indeed. This makes it more than worth our while. Shall we return to Rickety and advise him of his lookout's fate?"
"We go." Madiya is about ready to be done with land, though she suspects that this isn't the last bit of trouble that they'll face here.
”We haven’t handed over that necklace that charms animals yet,” Kehlysch remarks to Buhayra. ”You could make use of it while we’re walking back. If it doesn’t work, no big loss, since we’re going to trade it anyway.”
Still hurt from the combat, Baolus doesn't have much to add, specially regarding the parrot, since he was also not really good with animals.
"I have no problems with it coming with us... we can always eat it, if it becomes too annoying..."
Buhayra takes the necklace out of the bag and brushes it with her fingers, thinking it over.
"I don't know. This is a sizeable piece of booty to use just on getting a parrot that I am not going to particularly good at keeping or getting to do anything after the magic wears off. Seems like a pretty reckless use of the gold."
She nods, having made up her mind, just as Baolus makes his comment.
"You are not eating this bird Baolus. For one, it would barely be a snack for you, and two just no. That's not right. I think I will try to make friends without the magic. Who knows, maybe I will get lucky. " She puts the amulet back in the haversack for safe keeping; she pulls one of her rations from her own backpack and breaks off a piece of the hard tack, offering it to to the bird with an outstretched arm.
"Hey pretty pretty. Your friend there won't be getting back up. Want to come with us instead? Come on pretty." She whistles and clicks to get the bird's attention as she walks slowly forward, trying to be non-threatening.
The parrot squawks and flies away from Buhayra, but doesn't go far. In fact, as the group makes the walk back towards town, it flies along with them, occasionally landing on a tree branch to wait for them to catch up.
Once they make it back to town, they can tell Rickety what they found. Rickety nods sadly, "Aye. I figured that might be the case. Thank yeh fer checkin'. 'e was an ol' man, an' an ol' friend. May he rest in peace. I'll send a crew out t' collect the body. An' a hundred gold off the squib, as promised."
As he turns to leave, he pauses, "Dunno if you saw it, or picked it up, but I know Lyle had a nice weapon ou' there with 'im. You can keep it, if yeh found it, but don' try'n sell it 'ere in town, alrigh'?"
With that, the group is left alone.
Once back at the commons, Merrill Pegsworthy can be found staying there as well. He turns out to be a amiable, good-natured man. True to what he said before, he is no fan of Harrigan or his cruel ways. At some point over the remaining days, he re-iterates his offer to christen the ship once the refitting is complete.
Sven, glad to be drinking with company, evidently enjoyed himself. He made his way through the other ship’s crew, chatting, laughing and collecting stories. As far as he was concerned, being on good terms with a Free Captain was a good thing. Especially as he didn’t want them to turn around and sell them out to Harrigan. But more importantly, nothing was trying to kill him and the alcohol wasn’t poisonous. Put the two together and he was in a very good mood.
Tamesis does her best to stay present, but distant, during the drinking and revelry. She does accept Pegsworthy's offer to name the ship, hoping that the old tradition does indeed bequeath luck onto her and her crew...
Kehlysch sees if the bird has any affinity for him.
"Come here, Bird," he says to it holding his hand out for it to alight.
Madiya continues to ask around about the attacks on the town, trying to ascertain if this is common activity on the island.
The bird does seem to stick close to Kehlysch, though it doesn't land on his hand directly. Something about him keeps the bird at bay. The way the bulge squirms inside his skin as it closes in may have something to do with that...
Madiya's efforts are not in vain, as the populace of the town has taken a liking to the crew. She discovers that while the town does occasionally have to deal with incursions from wildlife (hazards of living at the edge of a tropical jungle, after all), the ongoing drought has been making such occurrences more common.
At the end of the week, the squibbing is finally complete. The last step is to give the ship it's new name. Since Tamesis agreed to allow Captain Pegsworthy to do the honors, he provides the new name: The Sunset Challenger.
Once the nameplate is attached and the final 1400gp is paid, a bottle of Sargavan wine is broken across the keel, the chocks are released, and the ship slides down the ramps into the estuary. During the ceremony, Pegsworthy offers up one last toast with a wink, "“Good fortune and sure sail await what one can crack the Tidewater Rock.”
Most Free Captains have better things to do than pursue old wives’ tales, but a new pirate captain would surely find a boost to her reputation were she able to claim that she had “cracked the Rock.”
Finally, the group is able to board their ship, which is now, finally, truly, their own. From here, they command their own path forward.
Standing before ship, Sven loudly exclaimed:
“Hear now the speech | that first I spake:
"Harken, all, | and heed my words,
Nowhere on earth | is it known to man,
Nor in heaven above: what awaits."
“To the ocean fair | of Gozreh go we,
Hear now the speech | that first I spake:
"Wilt thou, Free Captain, | thy voice lend me,
That so my vessel | Be named?"
"Ours shall it be | name of silver bright,
And he would give it | though 'twere of gold."
Now Tamesis flies, | and the ocean-waves part,
Till left behind us | the safety of the land,
And sail at last | The Sunset Challenger.”
To punctuate his words Sven lifted his arms, and shifted into a water elemental. Such changed he leapt into the ocean and moved cleanly through the waves, before climbing aboard the ship. It was, after all, important to make a good impression when leaving.
Tamesis thanks Rickety and Pegsworthy for their help, then takes the launch out to the Challenger with the rest of the crew. Once everyone is on board and accounted for (she of course has Crimson do a roll call), she takes her place on the sterncastle with a satisfied sigh.
"Alright people! I know we've had some time off, but there's no more time for excuses. Mr. Cogward, get this crew to work! Kehlysch, find us a heading, please. The rest of you know what to do. I want to plunder something."
Leaving Kel to navigate, Tammy takes the wheel to guide the ship out of the estuary and into open waters.
*time skip back*
Before boarding the ship Buhayra makes one last check of supplies and ensures she has all of the things she needs to keep everyone healthy.
"Baolus, did you end up using that Antivenom I gave you? If not can I get it back to put back into stock? Otherwise I might run to see if they have any more before we set sail."
*later*
"So where are we heading Kehl? I figure if we get to a larger port sometime soon it would be good. Rickety's was nice for what it was, but their options for commerce were a bit limited. I know Sven did not find the armor he was hoping for at the very least. Maybe a heading were we could hit some shipping lanes and then head in to a place with more purchasing options?"
Once out to open sea, Tamesis hands the ship's new flag to one of the crew and has them run it up the mast.
Tamesis takes a moment to turn to Buhayra after she speaks, "We'll find port in good time, but first, let's get some plunder in our hold. I've been on land for FAR too long to go straight back, now."
Kehlysch pulls out his navigational charts and begins to peruse them.
"Aye Captain, I will go ahead and plot a course towards the nearest shipping lane," he replies.
"Guys, I have a suggestion..." Baolus says, waiting for the others attention before continuing. "...what Pegsworthy said is actually a good idea, ye know? About the Tidewater Rock..." when he sees none of them recognized the name, he sort of laughed.
"Really? None of you remember tale? Well... 'Good fortune and sure sail await what one can crack the Tidewater Rock.' it is an old saying about a small castle Tidewater Rock, which commands a small, protected harbor on a remote island south of Motaku Isle... I'm sure Khel can take us there. It is said that anyone who can claim Tidewater Rock as her own will have good luck... we can definitely use some luck, but that is not all, for the castle makes a strategic watch point from which one can strike the nearby shipping lanes."
Still smiling, he continues. "Most Free Captains have better stuff to do than pursue old wives' tales, but we, and I mean ye Red, would surely find a boost to yer reputation if ye're able to claim that ye had 'cracked the rock'."
Tamesis nods to Baolus, "Private island? Private castle? Sounds good to me. Kel, what kind of shipping lanes can we hit between here and there? Get ourselves some swag and then crack that rock!"
Based on Kehlysch's charts, he is able to determine where the famed Tidewater Rock is actually not too far away. The shipping lanes, however, are pretty slim between Rickety's and Tidewater. More prey would be found to the south, on the fever sea, as traveling into the waters of the Shackles would be suicide.
”I can plot a course South into the shipping lanes of the Fever Sea, where we can do
Some hunting. Then, after we’ve taken a ship or two, we can swing Northwesterly towards Tidewater Rock,” Kehlysch suggests.
Madiya nods at the suggestions. She isn't too familiar with the Rock despite her time on the seas before, but it certainly sounds like an interesting place.
Tamesis furrows her brow for a moment before responding, "Cracking the Rock can wait, at least for a little bit. We have a new ship and a chance at finally engaging in some proper piracy. Lead us into the shipping lanes, Kel. Once we've filled our holds at least once, we can take our aim at the Rock."
”Captain is right. Need some plunder before we are taken seriously. Otherwise we’re just explorers and adventures.”
Once the plan is made and all preparations are complete, the group sails the newly refitted ship out of the estuary and down the slithering coast, into the fever sea. The day does by without sighting another ship, which isn't surprising, this close to The Shackles. Once night falls, Fishguts presents a flavorful meal, using some fresh ingredients he picked up in Rickerty's Squibs.
As night begins to fall, Tamesis asks Cog to assign two sailors to the night watch on a rotation, so no one has to stay up late twice in a row. She also has him assign one of the ship's officers (except for Kroop) to stand watch with the sailors, on a similar rotation.
Just before the end of the night shift and the start of the morning watch (about 4am), Buhayra and the 2 crew on watch all notice a group of creatures clambering over the side of the ship, five of them in total.
Sighting enemy climbing onto the ship, Buhayra immediately begins drawing energy out of the cool night air, noticeably dropping the temperature immediately around her.
"To arms men, we are under attack! You there, get to the ship's bell and rouse the crew, then go alert the captain personally. I will hold off these sahuagin beasts while you do. Come Conchobar, let's show them what for!"
The Rahadoumi sailor nods to Buhayra and runs up the steps to the ship's bell, ringing and clanging it with all of his might.
Conchobar nods and calls out a series of musical chords, pointing at the closest sahuagin.
The sahuagin shakes it's head, but doesn't seem to be affected. Conchobar retreats back, drawing his bow as he does.
The sahuagin follow, closing in on Buhayra and Conchobar, tridents drawn. Only one manages to get in close enough to take a stab, though.
Hearing the cry of alarm, Kehlysch rolls out of his hammock and runs up on deck to see what is happening.
Sven likewise ran at full speed, having just gotten out of bed, to get on deck.
"Sh*t, we are getting hemmed in here!"
Dropping back 5' to be directly next to Conchobar, Buhayra sends another cold blast at her earlier target. "Focus on that one, try to bring them down one at a time!"
Hearing the alarm, Tammy heaves herself out of her hammock, over Sandara, and moves for the door, grabbing her bow and quiver on the way. She throws the doors open, but doesn't advance any further, for now.
"Why are there sahuagin on my ship?!"