“If you would prefer to settle this in honorable single combat …”
“I would – but you words as empty as bucket with hole. Also, you smell.”
Bouncer casually swipes Purple-shirt’s head from his shoulders. The head rolls to the edge of the gang-plank, to confront its assailant with a surprised stare. Before dropping into the Sellen like an offering to the river god.
*PLOP*
As the sun peeks out from behind a cloud, Kyra steps forward and heals the party with its purifying rays.
With Bouncer firmly in control of the gangway, the pirates change tact. The boarders drop their cutlasses, step back 5’ and draw their bows, sending a hail of arrows at Kyra!
Pleased with two hits, the jaundiced pirate urges his mates to do the same. “ARRRRH! Focus fire on the priestess!”
Brown bandana then steps off the edge into the river to extinguish the flames.
Managing to stay afloat for now now he screams, "HELP ME! I'VE GOT A WIFE AN' KIDS ... AN' I CAN'T SWIM!!!"
Archers!
---
Wisp
Almaas
Garduk (prone)
---
Black Pyjamas! (bloodied)
---
Vulpina
Kyra
Bouncer
---
Boarders more Archers!
are go!
Brown –Ben
Yellow –Ben
Black -Troy
|
[ooc]The halfling-sized fire elemental *EXPLODES* into existence through a cloud of black smoke.
من اطاعت می کنم، مگی. اما اجداد شما هزینه خدمات من را پرداخت خواهند کرد
Huh. That was uncalled for!
Garduk snarls his response in Ignan:
"من هرگز این نوع نگرش را از عناصر گل نمی گیرم، می دانید! و انحلال آسمان بی انتها چیزی جز دلپذیر بودن نیست!"
Still... it's pretty much exactly what the Old Bastard warned you about, isn't it?
"ARRRRH! Focus fire on the priestess!"
Garduk swears under his breath as the archers open up on the Qadiran cleric. He jabs a finger in the direction of the archer in white.
Garduk yanks a miniature shovel out of his pouch. He mimes digging with it, and growls, "Pudota reikään!"
A square pit, 20 feet deep and 10 feet on each side, opens up under archers with the blue and green bandanas (marked in purple on the map). The area around it slopes into the pit as well.
Create Pit. The blue and green archers must each make a DC 17 Reflex save to jump to safety; any creature ending its turn on a square adjacent to the pit must also make a Reflex save with a +2 bonus to avoid falling in as well.
The fire elemental watches the burning pirate jump over the side in annoyance, then flows down the stairs to engulf the archer in the white bandana.
As BJ turns to trade insults with Vulpina, he presents a perfect profile to Almaas at point blank range.
Erastil’s champion makes no mistake, sending an arrow up the ninja’s earhole with sufficient force to pierce both his brain and the far side of his skull.
BJ drops to the deck on his back, like a drunken reveller wearing an ‘arrow-through-the head’-band at a community Night of the Pale party.
The dwarven Pathfinder’s second shot takes orange fletching in the bow arm, causing him to turn to face Almaas … and Wisp.
"Do you pair want some more... Whaaa?"
Orange first realizes something isn’t right as the skin about his ears, nostrils and mouth are drawn back in a twisted grin by a sudden burst of high pressure air. The wind jet increases until the pirate’s eyes *BURST* in a crimson mist against their orbits.
As Orange’s cheek bones and nose bridge fail, dozens of tiny bone fragments are blown through his empty eye sockets, penetrating his frontal lobe and ending his life.
The small fire elemental modulates the tone and pitch of its voice to sound eerily like Lady Fiddleproud, as its flaming violin strikes white bandana.
در نهایت شما عمق آتش سوزی درون شما را نشان می دهد. آیا خدمتگزاران فانی خود را حقیقت می دانند؟
Blue and green bandanas feel the rolling deck beneath them disappear, as Garduk conjures a pit-like demiplane beneath them.
Blue manages to leap to safety, while his mate falls 20 feet to the bottom of the pit, landing on his feet.
White (on fire)
Brown
---
Wisp
Almaas
Garduk (prone)
---
Black Pyjamas
---
Vulpina
Kyra
Bouncer
---
Yellow
Blue
Green (pitted, NOT prone)
are up!
Brown –Ben
Yellow –Ben
White – Drew upside
Blue
Green (1 NL) pitted DC 25 climb
|
"Right then-- over we go," chuckles Vulpina as a pool of blood starts threatening to sully her shoes.
With a quick two steps and a hop, she springs across the gap between the ships and circles around behind the two archers.
"So many shots, and not a one has fallen your target! Here, allow me to demonstrate!"
With a beautiful flourish, Vulpina raises her pistol. "One simply points..."
"...and shoots."
Kyra follows, trying to catch yellow shirt into a flank with Lady V!
for slashing dmg.
Lady Vupina dances across Bouncer’s plank, getting up close and personal with the jaundiced pirate.
As the ‘slinger presses her piece’s muzzle against his chest, the man remains defiant staring his executioner in the face.
“Is this where you say, ‘You might feel some pressure?’”
While she avoided getting BP’s blood on her shoes, Vulpina’s tunic and lower jaw receive a fine spray of bloody powder, courtesy of the law of action and reaction.
Both Pathfinders manage to awkwardly lumber across the narrow bridge.
Brown bandana calls up from the water, reminding the party he's still there. “Hey! Who’s that walking on our bridge?”
“Shuffle, shuffle. Nearly fell. On our bridge?”
... before sinking beneath the surface of the Sellen.
White bandana screams in panic as his hair catches fires, engulfing his face in flames.
His still-burning corpse flops to the deck and rolls into the pit, dropping in on a surprised Green. “ARRR, you’ve bested me, mates! I yield.”
Green withdraws a half-bottle of wine from a belt pouch and pours it over the corpse – extinguishing the flames (but not the smell).
With his ship mates out of the fight, Blue bandana drops his bow and dives off the edge of the boat.
If he survives the Investigator’s opportunistic blow, he strikes out strongly for the nearest bank of the Sellen.
White
Brown
---
Wisp
Almaas
Garduk (prone)
Vulpina
Kyra
Bouncer
---
Blue
Green (pitted)
is up.
|
The usual gray complexion of Wisp seems to be more green in nature. He pats Almaas on the back as he offers a lack luster, "Good fight everybo- " <glorphp!> Midsentence, the wayang is unable to hold back the sight of blood and gore. His stomach evacuates all over the deck, mostly missing archer. He pulls a cloth and wipes acidic spittle from his mouth, "So sorry about that." Wisp offers up the now stained kerchief, "Did you want to borrow this? Or I could just start wiping...wait...where are you going? You still have my tummy goo on your shoes!"
He watches the dwarf leave as he decides to stay near the rail. With some effort, he dangles his upper body over the railing as his tiny torso 'off-loads' food and drink from the last day or so. Wisp watches little blobs drift and swirl in the river. He finds a peaceful solace in watching the patterns float away in the current.
|
|
"در نهایت شما عمق آتش سوزی درون شما را نشان می دهد. آیا خدمتگزاران فانی خود را حقیقت می دانند؟"
Do my mortal WHO know the truth about what now?
Garduk looks around, then realizes the elemental’s mistake. He starts to correct it, then thinks better of it.
"آنها نگرانی شما نیستند! پایان دادن به کمانداران!"
As his command to the fire creature echoes between the ships, Garduk hears a noise like thunder from the bow of the enemy vessel.
"What in the Abyss was THAT?"
Curiosity drives all thoughts of danger from his mind. Garduk stands to get a better view, but sees only Lady Vulpina, covered in gore, and the collapsing body of what had previously been one of the archers threatening the Pathfinders and Lady Fiddleproud's crew.
Must remember to ask Lady V. about that noise later, he thinks.
The screaming of burning and terrified men forces Garduk's attention back to the enemy ship, where it appears the fighting has come to a satisfactory conclusion.
"Lady Fiddleproud, there are a couple of the attackers left alive and still within our reach..."
"Glub, glub, glub."
"... one of our attackers is still alive and within our reach," Garduk growls, "and there may be items of value on that ship in spite of how it looks. But if there is some reason you think we should immediately burn it to the water line, I, er, can probably help with that. Otherwise, I should probably send that -“ he gestures towards the elemental, which is dancing a little jig as the flaming archer runs away and falls into the pit, “- back home before it sets the ship on fire just by breathing."
While Bluey’s arms, head and shoulders break the water’s surface, his lower half remains jerking about aboard in the wake of Bouncer’s scything blow.
“Your victory, your call, Pathfinders.”
Lady Fiddleborn glares down the midship ladderway, noting the Watch below still has not made an appearance. “Burn the hulk, or I can have Maria try to make her river-worthy. Your call.”
“If we take her as a prize, I was going to give your group the honor of renaming her.”
Once the sheepish Sandbar Scorpions bearing cleavers and boarding axes finally make it on deck, their Captain is not gentle. "IF YOU HAVE QUITE FINISHED YOUR BREAKFAST IN BED, I’LL HAVE SWEEPERS FORE AND AFT!"
"LOOK AT THE STATE OF MY SHIP! YOU LUBBERS WILL HAVE HER TRIM AGAIN INSIDE A GLASS OR YOU’LL ALL FEEL THE CAT’S BITE!"
She turns to give your party a sly *wink* “Mr Bouncer seems keen to execute Green, which is no skin off my nose. Similarly you can try to rescue Brown or leave him to Hanspur as you please.”
“I will say newly unemployed pirates, with relatively clean work histories are easily encouraged to throw their lot in with the competition. But the decision is entirely yours, Pathfinders.”
“‘You have what you hold,’ as we say in the River Kingdoms.”
|
|
The Lady Vulpina knows just how to tilt her head to avoid getting the spray across the bulk of her face, having done this a few times by now. It is, of course, rather easier with a vulpine muzzle... but it's much harder to get the blood off of one's fur. Human form is much easier.
Shoving the pirate carcass to the deck with her foot, she retrieves a handkerchief from her mantle, dabbing the blood off of her jaw and throat before using it to wipe her blade and pistol.
She makes a mental note to figure out which of their spellcasters is capable of cleaning blood out of her parade armor, then takes a moment to appraise the situation.
There is a minuscule flash from one of the pouches of her belt as she strides across the deck to look down at Green.
"Would you be so kind as to inform us of what may have emboldened you to attack a ship carrying a noblewoman and her escort?" she asks.
“It was Bluey’s idea, milady. ‘im what that big cove dunn killed.”
The pitted pirate throws himself to his knees before the picaroon. “Ain’t no honest work here, and you can tell by me state, and that o’ me boat that times are hard.”
“If it please you, milady me name be Green. I have a wife and eight children all half-starved in forest. Bluey thought you might have something to spare we could sell to help keep our families.”
“If you kills me, I dunno what’ll becum o’ 'em.”
You get the impression two out of every three words he says are embellishment or flat-out lies. However, there remains an underlying element of truth at the heart of his pathetic begging.
"Mr. Green, since our Captain has given us the choice of your fate, hear this. If you swear to forsake your pirate ways here and seek to better yourself and follow the teachings of the Dawnflower, I will happily send you back to your wife and child, and may the rest of your lives be filled with happiness. If you won't, I shall redeem you here with my sword, as I don't trust Hanspur to keep you from doing dubious deeds on the river. Choose wisely. The same offer will be made to Mr. Brown, if someone can fish him out of his early watery grave..."
As if to emphasize her words, Kyra takes her holy symbol up high and utters a prayer, which causes the symbol to glow. She presses the symbol on her wounds and they begin to heal!
Kyra waits for the words of the pirate, and watches every twitch, furtive glance or eye contact evasion the man tries to make.
|
|
Garduk quirks an eyebrow at Lady Fiddleproud and thinks for a moment, then nods, and turns to face the dancing fire elemental. The half-orc bows to it in thanks, although not too deeply, then dismisses the summons to return the elemental to its own plane. As the elemental disappears, Garduk calls out one last time in Ignan:
"بله، فلیشیا!"
Turning back to the pirate captain, he says, "Thank you. We will discuss names for the new member of the fleet this evening. If you don't mind, I'd like to go see what we've found."
Assuming the captain dismisses him, Garduk will make his way over to the other ship, taking particular care while crossing the plank.
"So does anyone who knows how to swim feel like trying to haul the jumper out of the river while the rest of us search our new prize?"
Pickings are slim on the vanquished vessel. The pirates bear cutlasses, shortbows and leather armor of journeyman make.
Five bottles of fermented grape juice, barely worthy of the name wine are stored in the galley larder.
The great cabin holds a set of maps and notes regarding navigation in the River Kingdoms. However, Lady Fiddleproud and Icurian scoff at their accuracy if asked to inspect them.
Otherwise nothing else notable or magical is found, even after Maria and her mates knock out bulkheads as she repairs the worst of the old boat’s rotted boards.
“If you swear to forsake your pirate ways here and seek to better yourself and follow the teachings of the Dawnflower …”
The Scorpions laugh like drains at Green’s discomfort, as the ex-pirate accepts Vulpina’s piece o’ eight and takes his vow.
Lady F explains. “The second of our six River Freedoms is ‘Oathbreakers Die.’”
“Piracy is the main employer in these parts, Imam and I dare say you have condemned our ‘family man’ here to a short life of honest poverty, assuming he keeps his vow.”
“Which he probably will, for his life is forfeit if he is caught engaged in river banditry by anyone who hears about the oath he made here today.”
At Garduk’s dismissal, the fire elemental *crackles* and *pops* off a reply before imploding in a sooty cloud.
خواب خوب، مگ.
Lady Fiddleproud watches the exchange with an eyebrow raised. “I fear you are now too late to save Master Brown. The current flows quickly in this stretch of the river and his body will likely never be found.”
“We will discuss names for the new member of the fleet this evening.”
“Could yer name her after me new ladyfriend, Mr Garduk?” Foxe enquires hopefully.
“Frien’ly Henly is her name, an’ right accommodating she is too! I bet she’d help out you and your mates for a really good price.”
|
Obviously Almaas was still cleaning his clothing as he did not witness the conversation which involved killing unarmed and helpless opponents!
”I cannot believe that you really thought about killing these men! This would have been a horrible act and I am absolutely against that! We have to talk to these men and try to understand what drove them to abandon their community, to wager their lives although the risk was high!“
Almaas turns to the prisoner. Again he speaks like a father to an unruly son.
”I do not want to see such actions again in the future, understood?! Tell us all you know! Why did you attack us!?“ he says to the pirate.
“You may count on it, Brother. Like the dawn heralds the promise of a new day, I am reborn!”
Almaas hears a few *snickers* from amongst the Scorpions.
Green bows low to the monk of Erastil. “An’ the attack was jus’ biz’nis. Nothin' personal, un’erstan’?”
|
|
Once things are more-or-less settled, Vulpina's eyes dart between her companions before settling on Garduk. Her feet carry her toward him with a purposeful stride.
"Just the man I have been after. Your name was Garduk, correct?" she asks. "I believe it is common for arcane mages such as yourself to practice stain removal before learning to set men ablaze and drop the floor from beneath them. Might this be the case for you as well?"
The Sandbar Scorpion and her unnamed tender sail on after the altercation with Green and his mates, and do not come across any other aggressors that day.
The next morning, low gray clouds smear the sky and by midday, tall trees leaning over the riverbank further obstruct the pale sun. A dank gloom falls over the crew as the ship enters the deeper regions of the Echo Wood.
“Sail Ho!” Wick is once again alone at the cross-trees, an hour before nightfall.
“Whereaway?” Captain Fiddleproud’s response is instantaneous as she pulls out her spyglass.
“For’ard against the bank, Cap’n. A barge low in the water, caught in … giant spider webs??”
Lady F races up the mast to join her topman for a better look. After a lengthy appraisal through her glass she calls back down to the deck.
“It’s the Hanspur’s Luck — or what’s left of her. Risk, reduce sail if you please. Mr Garduk, hard a’ starboard and bring us alongside her. Handsomely now!”
The wind seems to become dead still as the Sandbar Scorpion glides towards the far bank of the Sellen. Like a large bee stuck in a spider’s web, the Luck bulges out of a mesh of sticky tangles, its deck slightly sloping abaft.
A minute later, Risk and Icurian have the Scorpion’s moorings secured to the ensnared derelict.
Lady Fiddleproud zip-lines rapidly down the headstay to the fo’c’sle, to get an even closer look at the Luck.
“Here we are, mates.”
She turns to the party – her face grim. “This looks like a good place to start your investigation, wouldn’t you say?”
|
|
Garduk nods and grimaces good-naturedly, still feeling the relief of coming through the battle unscathed.
"As it happens, I know which cantrip you mean, and I prepared it this morning. I take it you want all the, er, insides of the black pajamas off of you?"
* * *
"Veri, poistu. Veri, poistu."
As he casts prestidigitation over and over, he asks about the thunderclap he heard when Lady Vulpina killed the archer with the orange bandana.
"It sounded like a musket, but I didn't see you carrying anything that big. What was it?"
* * *
"It’s the Hanspur’s Luck — or what’s left of her. Risk, reduce sail if you please. Mr Garduk, hard a’ starboard and bring us alongside her. Handsomely now!"
Garduk does his best to follow Lady Fiddleproud's instructions to bring the ship alongside the Hanspur's Luck.
Spiders. Wonderful.
Those are very big webs.
As the Pathfinders begin to line up to disembark, he quietly pulls out his wand of mage armor and activates it. A pale white glow shimmers at his feet, then rises up his body until it reaches the top of his head and winks out.
|
|
Garduk approaches Almaas as the party prepares to board the Hanspur's Luck.
"Hrm. Almaas? Couldn't help but notice you don't wear any more armor than I do. I can cast an armoring spell on you that will give you a little extra protection for an hour or so. If you want. It won't slow you down the way real armor would."
|
|
"It sounded like a musket, but I didn't see you carrying anything that big. What was it?"
"Ah, a good question! And thank you dearly for the assistance; the Society once dispatched me bereft of an arcane escort, and so I was made to wear gnoll blood on my boots all the way back to Sothis," she muses.
"Oh, but the pistol-- yes, I'm quite fond of it!" Her slow-dawning smile grows as she pulls it out. "Alkenstar-made. I've had it since I was a girl... but I have of course put my own touches upon it since then." She twists and turns it to show the embellished engravings, which appear to show an even more immaculately-dressed Vulpina shooting a samurai between the legs.
"I call it 'To The Point.'"
*********
"I cannot say that I am fond of this, but 'twould be unseemly to complain of our mission when we arrive to execute it," she chuckles, drawing blade and pistol. "Be wary; spider webs rarely string themselves."
She thinks a moment. "Almaas, you have impressed me more than once since we set sail. Once we have dealt with the spiders-- which I've no doubt will leap at us within minutes-- I've a request I could use your aid with, I do believe."
|
|
Garduk approaches Almaas as the party prepares to board the Hanspur's Luck.
"Hrm. Almaas? Couldn't help but notice you don't wear any more armor than I do. I can cast an armoring spell on you that will give you a little extra protection for an hour or so. If you want. It won't slow you down the way real armor would."
Almaas looks a little surprised.
"Well, if you can spare the spell and we are probably in danger and you have the opportunity then please do so! Thank you! I see that the teachings of Erastil to support each other is gaining weight!" Almaas says with a big smile.
|
|
She thinks a moment. "Almaas, you have impressed me more than once since we set sail. Once we have dealt with the spiders-- which I've no doubt will leap at us within minutes-- I've a request I could use your aid with, I do believe."
Almaas opens his arms wide.
"Sister, you have all the support I can give at your disposal! I stand at your side!" he says with all sincerity!
As the party scouts the deck of the ghost ship, you find no sign of life on board.
The webs are everywhere. To even move, you must cut your way through thick webbing to reach the hatchway and staircase leading down into the barge’s hull. You can also tell the ship is sinking towards the aft, as the bow of the ship is inclined.
As you head down the creaky, swollen steps into the darkness below, you hear the sloshing of water and smell of dank wood.
From their vantage points in the hold, Bouncer and Kyra detect movement behind web-encrusted crates, from three separate locations in the hold.
Oh, and both the Investigator and Sarenrite also notice that some of the crates are marked DANGER ⚠ EXPLOSIVES.
Bouncer
---
Spiders
---
Kyra
move or standard in the surprise round!
|
|
"Well, if you can spare the spell and we are probably in danger and you have the opportunity then please do so! Thank you! I see that the teachings of Erastil to support each other is gaining weight!" Almaas says with a big smile.
Garduk nods absently once Almaas starts talking about Erastil. He taps the dwarf with his wand of mage armor and activates it. As when he cast the spell on himself, a pale white glow shimmers around the monk's feet, then rises up his body until it reaches the top of his head and winks out.
Garduk puts the wand back into his haversack. "There. You're all set, at least for the next hour."
Not only does Bouncer hit the Brown spider, his bardiche SMACKS it so hard that it looks like it’s been half-squished by a cloud giant’s boot!
Red steps 5’ onto a crate and attempts to bite Garduk. Brown tries a similar move on Wisp, and his mate Green attacks Bouncer.
Bouncer
---
Red
Green
Brown
---
Kyra
move or standard in the surprise round!
Brown Feff G 2 go
---
Bouncer
---
Red
---
Garduk
---
Green
---
Vulpina
---
Brown
---
Kyra
Almaas
Wisp
Quick Rules: +2 on all rolls (including damage rolls) and special ability DCs; +4 to AC and CMD; +2 hp/HD.
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/rules-for-monsters/universal-monster-rule s/
Web (Ex)
Creatures with the web ability can use webs to support themselves and up to one additional creature of the same size. In addition, such creatures can throw a web up to eight times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets up to one size category larger than the web spinner. An entangled creature can escape with a successful Escape Artist check or burst the web with a Strength check. Both are standard actions with a DC equal to 10 + 1/2 the creature’s HD + the creature’s Con modifier. Attempts to burst a web by those caught in it take a –4 penalty.
Web spinners can create sheets of sticky webbing up to three times their size. They usually position these sheets to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Perception check to notice a web; otherwise they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing gain a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5-foot-square section of web has a number of hit pointsequal to the Hit Dice of the creature that created it and DR 5/—.
A creature can move across its own web at its climb speed and can pinpoint the location of any creature touching its web.
Format: web (+8 ranged, DC 16, 5 hp); Location: Special Attacks.
https://aonprd.com/EquipmentWeaponsDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Net
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|
Garduk roars in pain and surprise at the spider's bite. "Argh!"
Maybe I should have stayed with the Old Bastard and finished my apprenticeship after all.
Garduk gapes at the raw punctures where the spider's fangs stabbed into his leg. Where the arachnid ripped through his pants, he sees the skin around the holes begin to grow paler...
Feeling his joints begin to ache, Garduk takes stock of his injury.
Wisp experiences a burning sensation spreading out from the spider bite, but manages to distract himself long enough for his body to disperse the venom.
is up. Move or standard.
Kyra raises her holy symbol and channels to safeguard her friends!
Like Sarenrae once did to Rovagug, Kyra thrusts her holy symbol in the brown spider’s many-eyed face and performs her own miracle, healing most of the injuries inflicted on Wisp and Garduk.
Bouncer
---
Red spider
---
Garduk
---
Green spider
---
Vulpina
---
Brown spider
---
Kyra
Almaas
Wisp
is up!
Brown Feff G 2 go
Bouncer draws his three-section staff and *SPLATTERS* the brown spider all over the wooden crates.
Having acquired a taste for half-orc, the giant red-back tries to NOM down on Garduk again.
Bouncer
---
Red-back spider
---
Garduk
---
Green spider
---
Vulpina
Brown spider
Kyra
Almaas
Wisp
is up!
|
|
Garduk winces as the spider's poison courses through his system, then sighs in relief as his wounds close almost completely when Kyra calls forth Sarenrae's light.
He calls over his shoulder, "Thanks, Kyra!" Glaring back at the spider, Garduk says, "As for you, next time you take a chomp at me, you might break a tooth. You won't get a third chance."
Garduk flexes his wrist, and a thin, tapering stick of wood pops into his hand, pushed by a spring from a sheath strapped to his wrist, concealed under his sleeve. Garduk activates the wand with the command word - "Suojeleminua!" - and a faint shimmer appears in the air immediately in front of him.
Keeping his eyes on the spider, Garduk steps off the stairs onto the floor and away from the creature.