Taishe nods to the warrior.
"Your ssuggesstion iss not without merit. Oftimess, ssimplesst ssolutionss are besst. Not alwayss,... but often."
Norveg begins tugging the bound sailor towards the rail, whistling a cheerful tune past his oversized incisors.
13 Spider comes out of his daze and looks around
“All those hurt gather round me”
Norveg begins tugging the bound sailor towards the rail, whistling a cheerful tune past his oversized incisors.
[dice=STR check]1d20
The sailor continues her drugged sleep, and Norveg easily brings her to the rail of the fo’c’sle
Tragon returns to the deck and watches what Norveg is doing. He quickly moves to interpose himself between Norveg and the rail. ”Leave him be, mate. We’re not executioners.” He crosses his arms in front of his broad chest, as if defying Norveg to test his resolve.
"Wot, you'd defy the god wot helped in our victory? Hanspur deserves our fanks. Oi'm sending 'im a drowned soul fer tribute. Won't 'urt 'er none. 'Sides, it's a 'uman. Too many uv 'em about," Hanspur looks at Tragon in surprise at the half-orc's objection. "She lost, roit? Give 'anspur 'is due. Didn't seem so squeamish wen you was slicin' up the cap'n."
Tragon draws his blades. ”What could be a better sacrifice to the drowned god than one of his own priests?” he threatens.
Norveg shrugs and releases the bound woman. "Tis an option, mate, but Oi'm yer crewmate. She's an enemy. Simple."
”We don’t kill prisoners. It’s that simple,” Tragon says decisively. ”Even pirates. I didn’t undertake adventuring just to become a common brigand or cutthroat. Yes, blood will be spilled. But what separates us from this lot is our honor. Without that, we are no better than them.”
"Ain't nuffin wrong wif sacrificin' ta yer god in fanks, mate. But Oi ain't aimin' ta cause trouble wif me shipmates."
He raises his hook hand with its impression of the holy symbol of Hanspur on the base and touches it with his paw. "Oi swear by 'anspur Oi ain't gonna drown no prisoners wiles you and me is crewmates."
"Oi'm a rat o' moi word."
Tragon nods. ”I will hold you to it.” He sheathes his blades.
Turning to everyone he says, ”We can hope that the pirates have abandoned this ship, especially without their captain to lead them, but they may think of returning in greater numbers to retake it. Or other pirates may seek to take advantage of the situation. I say we return at once to our benefactress so that she can use what resources she has to secure her ship.”
Having declined to get involved when Norveg suggested drowning the bound unconscious woman, Nahuatl ti quietly observes the interaction between the ratman and the half-orc, noting the lines each was willing to draw...or cross.
She herself wasn't quite sure of how she felt about the idea, knowing that many of the Spirits of the Deep relished the final breaths of those from beyond their domain, while others reached out to save surface dwellers from their own folly on a whim.
"Mebbee only one uv us should go? Rest uv us kin stay 'ere and 'old 'er ship," Norveg suggests.
"Good idea. It would also draw less attention toward her." Nahuatl ti agrees.
Tragon’s eyes dart to the bound prisoner on the deck. ”I will wait here,” he says. The implication is clear; he does not intend to leave the prisoner with Norveg.
Having finished his examination of the creatures in the hold, and thanked 13 Spiders for his aid, Taishe's head slowly rises from the hatchway. He looks around and blinks, noting the still-unreleased tension in the air.
"Ah. One ssuspectss one hass misssed ssomething?" He inquires, blinking.
Upon understanding the situation, he nods thoughtfully.
"Thiss one ssuggesstss that Nuhuatl goes. She iss sswifstesst in water. Does not need boat, can leave for resst of uss in casse of ssmugglerss return. Resst of party should be enough to hold ship if needed."
"Having been willing to burn animalss, and ship, thiss one doubtss that they will incriminate themselvess further by returning to scene of crime."
The kobold shrugs.
"But, criminals are a cowardly, ssupersstitiouss, and oddly unpredictable lot."
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"Oi gave moi oath, mate. No worries."
Norveg glares at Tragon, folding his arms emphatically, and jabbing himself in the side with his hook.
"Dammit."
"I am fine with that option." Nahuatl ti replies, strapping her spear across her back, and taking a waterproof tube from her belt to slip the note and ring into.
"Take care, lass. An' Oi'd say nuffin ta th'authorities, if Oi was you. No tellin' oo moit be corrupt. Yer alone in vis. Wait fer us afore ye say anyfing," Norveg advises.
One quick question friends. Perhaps we should see who hired these pirates to raid our employers ship? We could start with the one alive crew member?
Narl will also head over to the strange creature which attacked them seeing if he has heard of the creature or seen one before.
Taishe rests against the siderail of the ship next to a frustrated Norveg, and calmly begins to fill his pipe. He offers the tobacco pouch to the ratman,...
"One doess not believe thesse were 'piratess'. Although One feelss likely they have engaged in ssuch activitiess in the passt." Taishe says calmly as he tamps his pipe down.
"Clearly, they were, are, ssmugglerss. Thiss one ssusspectss that the Dockmasster iss engaging in illegal activitiess, posssibly without knowledge of hiss superior the Harbormasster. Or posssibly with. Either way, he hass allowed thesse ssmugglerss to use the 'Nixie' for their activitiess while he keepss it tied up in paperwork, pretending he hass never received the harbor feess." The kobold explains, lighting his pipe with a tindertwig.
Seeing Narl head towards the strange creature, Taishe asks,
"Can you identify the creature friend Narl? One confesses that it eludes him. Although it tickless memoriess, something I read perhapss..."
Nahuatl ti arches an eyebrow at Norveg's advice, then shugs before quickly heading to the rail, the small blue-ringed octopus wrapped around her shoulder and upper arm rippling like the surface of a pool as she dives into the water with barely a splash.
"Poirates, smugglers, po-tay-to, po-tah-to," Norveg replies, waggling his good paw in a see-saw motion. "One fing fer sure, rottenness runs deep in this harbor."
He grins at the kobold. "Fortunately, ain't our problem, guv. Oi'm just glad Oi don't have ta clean up that poor lass in tha hold. Disgustin'."
Taishe puff his pipe, smoke trickling from his draconian nostrils as he watches Narl examine the spider-creature.
"Ah. Very true sstatement friend Norveg. The sight was, mosst unpleasant." He nods in casual agreement.
Tragon sets about cleaning his blades in sullen silence. He seems to have calmed down a bit from his earlier confrontational stance, but still seems a bit on edge.
One quick question friends. Perhaps we should see who hired these pirates to raid our employers ship? We could start with the one alive crew member?
Taishe nods, still puffing his pipe.
"She will awaken ssoon enough. Or we can awaken her. Perhapss she will be cooperative while sstill groggy from drug."
Narl will also head over to the strange creature which attacked them seeing if he has heard of the creature or seen one before.
"I am fine with that option." Nahuatl ti replies, strapping her spear across her back, and taking a waterproof tube from her belt to slip the note and ring into.
Nahuatl ti leaps gracefully into the dark ocean and swims for shore. Microscopic bioluminescent creatures limn her as she heads to shore. Once there she emerges and heads to Lavinia’s mansion in the sultry night air. Lavinia sees her immediately, dressed in nightclothes, but obviously wide awake. When she sees the ring she is overjoyed.
“This is fantastic! Where are the others? I wish to offer them my thanks and ask something of them”
Norveg holds up a paw, declining Taishe's offer of the pouch, and leans against the rail alongside the kobold. He keeps an eye on Tragon, and fidgets, taps, and squirms, whiskers twitching.
Finally, he shoves himself away from the rail. "Oi can't bear this no more, lollygaggin' like a ruddy officer," he grumbles to Taishe.
He picks up the nearest mop and bucket and hies himelf to the poop deck, where he begins drawing up buckets of seawater, sluicing them across the polluted deck, and scrubbing the resulting mess through the scuppers.
Tragon watches with interest. Then, without saying a word, he grabs a mop and starts clearing the deck alongside Norveg.
Norveg watches Tragon sidelong with some bemusement. When the two have cleared that deck, he picks up the bucket, gives a brisk nod to the half-orc, and wordlessly moves to the fo'c'sle to repeat the process. He leaves the side of the deck with the bound prisoner for Tragon to deal with.
A stray slosh of mop water splashes on the bound ... pirate? Smuggler? Minion? She stirs and suddenly starts convulsing, testing the bonds
Taishe’s expertly-tied knots hold. After a bit the woman calms, looking around the fo’c’sle with wide eyes
Edited for correctness
The woman calls out in a Driftwood accent
“‘Ere! Wot will you lot be doin’ wif’ me? I’mn ‘Arbormaster employee I am!”
Norveg eyes Tragon and snorts. "Tol' ya. Shoulda dunnit."
Then his eyes widen. "Buggah. 'Ow long ya fink it's bin since them others rowed off?"
He drops his broom and hustles off to check on whether or not this ship has boarding nets.
As Norveg looks over, he sees Nahuatl swim up gracefully and board the vessel. She assures him she saw no activity on the beach or near the Harbormasters
”Harbormaster employee. Interesting. Does the harbormaster know you were with a gang unlawfully seizing a ship in port?” Tragon asks.
The woman scowls
“I works for Vark. He sez it, i does it. I don’t get into the whys and where’s of fings. That’s above me paygrade innit?”
Taishe has been watching Norveg and Tragon mop the deck with curious interest, (Not enough interest to JOIN them, instead continuing to puff his pipe.)
But when the woman awakes, he suddenly seems very awake indeed. The kobold ambles over to the bound woman and bends over slightly to look at her closer.
"Hmm. Only a fool pretendss to know more than he doess. OR lesss than she doess. Are you a fool?" Taishe asks softly, curiously.
The kobold continues without waiting for an actual answer. "Becausse only a fool would believe you, if you ssay you were not aware of how illegal your actionss were. Insstructed by Harbormasster or not. Yesss?"
"Come. We have not harmed you. And have no intention of doing sso." Taishe does glance to Norveg, briefly.
"Pleasse, thiss one iss curiouss. What were planss for creaturess in hold? To take ship and ssail to another port to ssell?"
"I am fine with that option." Nahuatl ti replies, strapping her spear across her back, and taking a waterproof tube from her belt to slip the note and ring into.Nahuatl ti leaps gracefully into the dark ocean and swims for shore. Microscopic bioluminescent creatures limn her as she heads to shore. Once there she emerges and heads to Lavinia’s mansion in the sultry night air. Lavinia sees her immediately, dressed in nightclothes, but obviously wide awake. When she sees the ring she is overjoyed.
“This is fantastic! Where are the others? I wish to offer them my thanks and ask something of them”
"Still on the ship securing it."Nahuatl ti relates calmly, as Hapalo extends a tentacle to move a strand of wet hair out of her face. "The smugglers that were on it fled once they started losing. There was concern they might return and take off with the ship, or burn it to cover up their actions if we left it unguarded."
Narl will also head over to the strange creature which attacked them seeing if he has heard of the creature or seen one before.
.
I have not come across a beast such as this before. Perhaps a visit to library here might help though shed some light on things.
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Norveg joins Taishe, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the kobold as they gaze down at the captive.
"'E's roit. Nuffin to worry 'bout, luv," he says encouragingly, baring his long yellow incisors at her in a smile of purest amity.
Purest.
Amity.
I have not come across a beast such as this before. Perhaps a visit to library here might help though shed some light on things.
** spoiler omitted **
"Still on the ship securing it."Nahuatl ti relates calmly, as Hapalo extends a tentacle to move a strand of wet hair out of her face. "The smugglers that were on it fled once they started losing. There was concern they might return and take off with the ship, or burn it to cover up their actions if we left it unguarded."
Lavinia nods.
“That is well. I have retainers I can send to secure the ship. You can tell the others to come here when they are finished “
"Pleasse, thiss one iss curiouss. What were planss for creaturess in hold? To take ship and ssail to another port to ssell?"
The woman looks to Taishe and the ‘amicable’ Norveg. She deflates a bit
“Look, Vark was waiting to meet another ship. We was to unload all those beasties there and then we was getting mustered out from the payment. That’s all’s I knows”
"Will do. Anything else before I head back?"Nahuatl ti asks, clearly enjoying the fact that the night has afforded her multiple opportunities to spend swimming.