The Sunset Challenger departs the harbor at full sail and charges after it's quarry. The clouds hang low in the sky and threaten rain. Though none actually falls on you, great sheets of it can be seen in the distance.
The Chelish vessel, riding the winds from the storm, makes very good time. Khel is the better pilot on average, however, and you manage to gain on them slowly. You cover many miles in stalking your prey and finally catch up near a singular, lonely island shaped like a nearly closed crescent forming a nice walled bay not dissimilar to Rickety's. The ship finally spots you and you see all her sails fall into place as she cuts close to the land in an attempt to scare you off the hunt in the rocky waters!
Kehlysch does his best to adjust and slow the ship before it runs aground on a shoal.
Seeing the peril, Sven kicked the crew into action, shouting orders before disaster could strike.
Without much to do the past few days, Madiya has been starting to go a bit crazy, but the sighting of a prize sets her mind straight. She works as hard as she can to get the ship's weapons straight and ready, then takes up position near the front catapult to await the coming fight.
Khel, with the crew's help via Sven, manages to not dash himself against the rocks. The other pilot isn't so lucky. Their hull scrapes against a hidden shoal and the ship shudders, but doesn't seem to be cripplingly injured. It exits the rocks intact, but very much slowed by the scrape!
A streak of fire ascends from her stern upward hundreds of feet into the air and bursts with a POP and a cloud of red smoke!
"Distress sign! We need attack fast!", Madiya shouts out as she sees the flare. Signalling to the crew helping her out, she makes sure the preparations for the catapult are right, letting loose at the enemy ship's sails with chain shot.
Sven made his way around the ship, his blood up. He chanted the prose of his people, whipping himself and any near him into a killing mood.
”Within the sea | ere a man shall go,
(Full warily let him watch,)
Full long let him look about him;
For little he knows | where a foe may lurk,
As sails on the waves within.
Hail to the givers! | a guest has come;
Where shall the stranger go?
Swift shall he be who, | with swords shall try
The proof of his might to make.
Of men thou shalt be | on sea the mightiest,
And higher famed | than all the heroes;
Free of gold-giving, | slow to flee,
Noble to see, | and sage in speech
Rich shall We be | if battles win
With such as these, | as now thou see;
Forward look, | and further tell:
What the life | that we shall lead?
On the rocks there scrapes | the cowering daughters,
Fair in armor, | since never used;
Thou shalt cut | with keen-edged sword,
And cleave the byrnie | with no remorse!”
Urgan moves topside to help the crew. "Cap'n where do you need me?"
"Bring her in! I want to feast on Chelish soul tonight!"
She turns to Urgan as he approaches, "Unless you have some magic that can slow them down, then work with the rest of the crew."
Kehlysch takes advantage of the other ship's loss of speed by trying to coax more speed out of the Challenger.
The Challenger swoops in on her prey. Madia hits some of the rigging on the ship with her shot and Khel manages the rough, churning currents near the rocks well enough to maintain his speed.
The chelish crews return fire with their own catapults! One splashes off of starboard, but the other shot rips through some of your fore rigging!
It doen't look like it's going to matter though. The other pilot is having a devil of a time getting his ship back under control and she flounders!
You are now at the 800 foot mark. Not quite bow range, but you'll be there in seconds at this rate!
The boisterous ulfen readied his hammer as he gathered up their boarding party, a look of joyful anticipation on his face. Resplendent in his drake skin armor, he looked every inch a predator, ready to leap upon his prey. Even as he did this he kept an eye on the sailors, looking out for any potential issues which might impede them.
Urgan's skin hardens as he casts a protective spell on himself before moving to assist the crew in preparing for boarding.
Seeing the prey ship starting to flounder, Tamesis casts Cat's Grace on herself in preparation for boarding action.
"We're almost on them, boys and girls! Don't let them slip away, now!"
Kehlysch keeps the Sunset Challenger on an intercept course, trying to pull alongside so that his crew mates can board the Chelish warship.
The Challenger is rapidly gaining, but Kehl still has to be careful around the many hidden shoals and rocks this close to land. You close to 400 feet and the crew of the Dowager Queed starts sending bolts your way in addition to another pair of catapult shots!
Khel manages to dodge the more on-target shot!
Arrows start to fall all around the ship. None hit anything important. You look for the enemy officers, but they seem to be keeping their heads down.
The pilot is clearly failing to get anything done on his end. The Dowager Queen is practically drifting to a stop at this point.
Just to be safe, Madiya helps reload the catapult again, getting it ready to fire if the Chelish ship manages to regain speed.
Tamesis moves to the forecastle, charging her bow with a little extra power to account for the range. She draws back, targeting the poor failure of a pilot controlling the ship, hopefully putting him out of his misery (and hers).
The arrow takes the pilot in the neck and rips him from the wheel! Another tiny ball of fire shoots off from the aft into the sky as you approach. It bursts into colored smoke with a BANG! as Khel brings the Challenger alongside!
The Crew of the Queen is firing bolts and arrows at you the whole time, but only manages minor injuries among the crew and rigging.
As you grapple the ship you see a row of heavily armed and armored marines waiting for you with pike and blade, but no officer in sight. Arrows and bolts are raining much more accurately from the rigging, fore, and aft castles. It seem like they've been ready for you, which makes perfect sense given the utter failure of their pilot.
Completely missing the fact that she is about to be bombarded by catapults, Tamesis focuses on the marines before her. She pulses the magic in her bow, changing the enhancement on it before quickly firing two shots at different targets.
Kehlysch takes a moment to call upon the power of his stormlure necklace to create a shield of wind around him.
He takes a moment to scan the horizon, looking to see if their aerial bursts are signaling another ship.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," he says to no one in particular.
"Watch catapults!" Madiya shouts out as the boarding begins. Grabbing her crossbow, she charges up and fires at the nearest enemy catapult crew while her helpers aim their own catapult at the one on the opposite side of the Chelish ship.
Urgan drops ball of water on the catapult crew.
Having nothing to do, Baolus awaits patiently for the ships to align...
As the ships slide together the aft catapult crew gets attacked by a ball of water. Two are caught completely unawares and are swallowed up. The third manages to react in time to not get caught and dives for the release! Both catapults go off!
The one that is currently in a ball of water misses badly. The other only barely misses the deck to the relief of several of your crew who saw death flying their way.
The defending crew doesn't attempt to board you, they stand their ground, marines arrayed like a phalanx with pikes and swords at the ready!
Two of the marines are taken out by the captain and one of the catapult crew is wounded!
As the two ships came together, Sven was the first to leap aboard the enemy ship. Screaming a savage and wordless battlecry, he ran into the fray. His hammer crackled with electricity, and it hit with the force of a storm. He didn’t care that he stood out as an officer. Rather, he exulted in the thrill and hoped that he would attract a worthy foe. For how could one be worthy of a saga if they were not willing to both dance, and laugh, with death?
Still scanning for an officer or other target of opportunity, Tamesis keeps firing into the line of marines.
Sven takes readied attacks from several pikes and a couple swords as he closes, but only one does any real damage. Tamesis takes out two more of the Marines. The crew follows Sven over with a cry and engages the enemy crew! They are funneled around the phalanx toward the fore and aft where they are pretty easily bottlenecked! The enemy crew is clearly playing for time.
Choosing to remain at the helm, Kehlysch unleashes a volley of magic missiles at the marines threatening his crew mates.
"Ya uln kadishtu uaaah!"
Madiya launches the ready catapult at the opposing side's, though it doesn't seem to do much damage, then readies her crossbow again.
Baolus follows Sven and boards the enemy vessel, landing besides him. He then attacks with his grappling hook, intending to trip one of the sailors.
The catapult shot causes minor damage, but not enough to hinder operations. Baolus puts his target on his back!
The marines choke up on their pikes as the two officers board and meet them head on. Four of the marines engage Sven simultaneously and several land hits. Three engage Baolus, but only one finds an opening on him.
The crews on either castle do their best to reload, but the aft crew is still struggling against the sphere of water. Sandara seems to be in some kind of mage battle with a caster on the forecastle, and other members of your crew can be seen singling off against enemy sailors. Several of said sailors disappear below decks.
Now bleeding, Sven shifted his stance and swung his hammer at the most skilled of the marines. The weapon danced with electricity, knowing aside anything in it’s way before it obliterated the man.
Silently wishing she could put more arrows downrange, faster, Tamesis keeps up the barrage as best she can.
Seeing Sandara engaged with a spellcaster, Kehlysch turns his power upon the enemy mage. He unleashes another volley of energy bolts.
"Ya uln kadishtu uaaah!"
The druid directs the orb towards the rest of the marines dragging two marines in it. Urgan then moves towards the center of the boat.
Any creature in the path of the aqueous orb takes 2d6 points of nonlethal damage. A successful Reflex save negates this damage, but a large or smaller creature that fails its save must make a second save or be engulfed by the aqueous orb and carried along with it. Engulfed creatures are immersed in water and must hold their breath unless capable of breathing water. They gain cover against attacks from outside the aqueous orb but are considered entangled by its churning currents, takes 2d6 points of nonlethal damage at the beginning of their turn each round they remain trapped. Creatures within the orb may attempt a new Reflex save each round to escape into a random square adjacent to the aqueous orb. The orb may hold one Large creature, 4 Medium, or 16 Small or smaller creatures within it.
The sphere moves as long as you actively direct it (a move action for you); otherwise, it merely stays at rest and churns in place. An aqueous orb stops if it moves outside the spell’s range.
Madiya directs her helpers to keep the catapult loaded with round shot while she charges up her weapon to continue taking shots at the opposing catapult crew.
Baolus continues to try to trip the marines, making the fight easier for them.
Sven creames one of the marines and sends his lifeless corpse flying as Baolus goes into overdrive and sends two more marines to their backs! (marked in green)
Tamesis strikes true and wounds another marine.
Khel and Urgan do their magic thing. Khel kills the enemy caster and the blob of water moves forward on the deck, slurping up random sailors as it does so! Only one of the marines avoids getting swallowed!
(you both get an AoO on the green ones)
Only one of the marines gets in a good hit!
They all seem to be setting back into a defensive posture, buying time, perhaps?
Sven staggered under the most recent blow. He couldn’t take too many more hits like that. Fortunately, the marines couldn’t stand up to his attacks either.
Madiya looks over at the opposing ship, clearly not very comfortable with the Chelish marines' delaying tactics. However, there's not much she can do at this point other than keep an eye out for reinforcements. She once again charges up and fires at the catauplt crew that she'd hit with her first shot, her bolt crackling with electricity this time.
Knowing that Sven as a beast in combat, Baolus continues to trip the marines around him.
Some spellslingers throw fireballs. Tamesis thinks to herself as she keeps her pace, Some can lay waste to large swaths of their enemies at a time. And some can only attack a single foe with each attack. One would be far more useful in this particular situation, wouldn't it? But noooo. This has to drag out, because of what we have.
Baring her teeth in frustration, she continues to support her men on the enemy ship in the only way she can. For now.
Kehlysch sends another barrage of energy blasts at the nearest standing marine.