Taking Sandara's hat from the dead sea-goblin, Elek places it on his head, and continues swimming.
Not seeing anything in the small cavern, Elek points north east, "Let us keep searching, if we don't find anything we'll use the potion and search the seaweed. But I fear if Sandara and Bonnie are there it will just be their corpses." Not entering the small cave, he continues swimming.
Undead hands suddenly reach up from under the seaweed and attempt to grab...
... you and Crimson!
Fortunately, the undead appear to be trapped under a series of metal bars. Unfortunately, while they can't escape, they can still stretch far enough to reach you.
Feeling the grasp of the undead hand before he even see's it, Elek feels his body to freeze up, 'What the blazes?' as he realizes he's been grabbed by caged undead.
The chill of the grave envelops you as the undead grabs your leg. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Crimson's motionless form begin sinking to the bottom of the chamber beside you. Fortunately, Breaker is there to grab the two of you by the collars and hold your heads above the surface. He then propels himself out of the chamber with a powerful kick.
You find yourselves in a wider cavern decorated with hundreds of leering skeletal parts, wriggling with worms. As Breaker finds out, this area is also the home of a DEVILFISH. The horse-sized monstrosity lunges forward, and Breaker lunges to meet it with a roar - dropping you and Crimson in the process.
The paralysis wears off shortly thereafter, but you hear the battle continuing to rage. The water is thick with a mixture of blood and ink, dropping visibility to almost nothing.
'Blast! I can't die here! Rusalka promised revenge.' HIs mind churning as he felt the caged undead pulling him under the water. Looking to his left he knew the motionless Crimson would not be able to help. 'Thank Besmara, Breaker is still alert.' Feeling the big half-elf pulling at his collar, Elek mentally breathes a sigh of relief as the rager pulls them out of the dead infected water.
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Feeling Breaker release him, Elek hears Breakers battle cry. 'What now?' Mentally trying to shake himself Elek realizes his limbs are starting to respond. Spinning himself about he sees Breaker fight the monster in a cloud of ink and blood. Realizing he can no longer save his magical energies he swims towards the fight, telling the cursed prosthetic "Pòhuài lì, Tiānjiā fǎshù diǎn" calling on it's destructive power and adding power to it, he thrusts the cursed harpoon at the devilfish.
In addition to the normal range and shape, the effect creates a close range burst that excludes the caster. A Reflex save halves damage from this additional area. Damage from overlapping areas does not stack.
Swimming into the cloud, you find Breaker and the monster locked in combat. As you stab at the devilfish, your magic gushes out with explosive force. Badly wounded, the creature releases Breaker and jets away. Once it recovers, it'll probably seek out easier prey.
Breaker's sustained a lot of damage but grins. "It's about time we found a worthy opponent!" Doing much more is likely a bad idea, though. Once his rage wears off, he'll probably crash pretty hard.
'Well I do like his enthusiasm.' Looking at Breakers wounds, "Yeah, if it was any more worthy, you'd be dead.". Elek gestures towards the north west tunnel. "Let's go that way, see what there is to see." He looks at Breaker. "You bring up the rear, make sure nothing sneaks up on us. If we get in a bind, we fall back to the alcove where we saw the sea-goblins playing with the hat." Waiting till each of them give him a nod, he swims forward with Crimson, expecting Breaker to stay back a little.
D8
Hundreds of remains float in this large bowl of water, which churns with bones, scraps of flesh, and the carcasses of strange, almost alien fish. Just visible through the roiling stew are humanoid bodies floating in the water, wan corpses drifting near the bottom of this cauldron like sleeping guardians.
Two figures hang from the ceiling above the churning water, bound hand and foot with thick strands of seaweed and sinew and weighted with heavy ingots of silver - Bonnie and Sandara.
They're not alone - two grindylows lurk in the water. When they see you, one screams in hunger and cuts the bonds holding your friends above the water. The weight of the ingots immediately drags them below the surface. The other grindylow - a massive creature who looks far too large to fit through the narrow tunnels - charges at you, looking to swallow you whole.
'Well this can't be good.' Seeing the floating scraps of chum, Elek pauses looking behind him to see how close Crimson and Breaker are. Seeing them treading water near him, as their eyes widen he sees Bonnie and Sandara above, then the two mutant grindylows below.
Yelling out a loud as the wicked looking queen cuts the seaweed bonds and the whale sized on begins swimming their way. 'Probably can't beat these two, but I'm not leaving without Sandara and Bonnie.'
Quickly formulating a plan Elek draws the 'breath water potion from his bandolier. Drinking part of it, he hands the vial to Crimson. "Here Crimson, drink some give the rest to Breaker. Breaker you save Bonnie and Sandara. Crimson, keep him safe. I'll distract the big one, until they are safe. Then we'll fight our way out."
As you hand off the potion vial, the massive grindylow reaches you. Following your instructions, Breaker swims for Bonnie and Sandara while Crimson heads toward the queen, who's readying an evil-looking harpoon.
Grasping the estoc from under his arm, Elek thrusts himself back from the huge things attack. Kicking his feet, he drives forward feinting with the long narrow blade. Then while he hopes the thing is off balance, he sashes with the harpoon hand.
Once it gets moving, the grindylow is hard to stop. Its forward momentum carries it straight into your harpoon - but its thick blubber protects its vital organs. It'll take more than one injury to deal enough damage to stop it, unfortunately. On the bright side, it only has one real tactic - grab and swallow its opponent.
Jerking the Harpoon hand from the creatures, hide, Elek shifts as the thing attempts to actually bite him. "Bite me? Your actually trying to swallow me?" Chuckling to himself as he realizes he's attacking a whale like thing with his harpoon like hand, Elek again thrusts with the long thin blade of the Estoc, then slashes with the cursed harpoon.
You skewer the monster once again, but it keeps coming at you. While you've managed to avoid its jaws thus far, the situation could rapidly become dire if it manages to grab you.
On the other side of the cavern, you see Crimson locked in combat with the grindylow queen. Breaker is trying to rescue Bonnie and Sandara, but several of the corpses have reanimated as ghouls. The muscular elf is immune to their paralyzing touch, but you know that a single lucky strike will bring him down.
Jerking the cursed harpoon hand from the blubbery goblin, Elek, from the corner of his eye, notices Crimson fighting the queen shile undead attack Breaker . 'Blast, I was hoping Crimson could cover him while he freed Sandara and Bonnie." Dodged the large abominations teeth once again, 'Need to kill this thing quick.' Trying to save his magic, Elek feints agin with the longer bladed estoc, then slashes with the cursed harpoon hand. "Come on you big tub of lubber, die!"
The goblin's growing wise to your tricks and ducks under your harpoon.
Breaker's downed one of the ghouls and is currently fighting to keep the others from taking a chunk out of Bonnie's leg. Crimson's having difficulty getting close to his opponent. The harpoon she's wielding is clearly magical and seems particularly maneuverable underwater.
Distracted by the fight going on around him, Elek misses the large creature and fails to dodge it's bite. His right shoulder caught in the beasts whale-like teeth, Elek tries to ignore the pain and concentrate. Telling the cursed prosthetic "Pòhuài lì, Tiānjiā fǎshù diǎn" calling on it's destructive power and adding power to it, he thrusts the cursed harpoon at the creatures right eye.
The blast does piercing damage.
The monster's teeth cut you deeply, but the tight hold means the beast is unable to dodge your strike - and eyes aren't protected by thick blubber. Your harpoon skewers its brain, and the grindylow goes limp. As you work your shoulder free of its jaws, you hear a scream of rage from the grindylow queen - the fury of a mother who's lost her son. Hopefully Crimson can hold her off for just a bit longer.
As you reach Breaker, Bonnie, Sandara, and the one remaining ghoul, a harpoon flies toward you.
Seeing the holy symbol around your neck, Sandara's eyes widen. She does her best to beckon with her tied hands.
Jerking his pursed harpoon hand from the things eye socket, Elek ignores the darkness throbbing from the weapon as he begins to swim towards Breaker, Bonnie and Sandara. Telling the prosthetic "Chéngwéi dàpào" as he swims, he fails to notice the harpoon that pierces his leg, sending a plume of blood into the slimy water.
Not pausing he aims the arm cannon at the remaining ghoul, telling it to fire. " shèjí" Realizing he had missed the ghoul, he curses the arm cannon under his breath. Seeing Sandara's eyes widen as he swims close, attempting to cut her bonds with the escot.
The harpoon rips itself free of your leg and flies back into the queen's waiting hand. The distraction, however, allowed Crimson to get in close and sever some of her tentacles. There's still a lot of fight left in her, but she's definitely wounded.
Your shot goes wide of the mark as you don't want to hit one of your friends by mistake. You're able to hand off your estoc to Sandara, although its length and stab-focused design will make it difficult for to free herself.
The ghoul gets a hold of Bonnie, and she goes rigid. You know from experience that the paralysis is temporary, but she's unable to continue holding her breath and will begin to drown without immediate action.
'Blast! Looking quickly as the harpoon returned to the now wounded queen, "Blast!" Elek curses aloud as Bonnie becomes paralyzed. Telling the cursed cannon "huí dào yú chā shǒu." He releases the overlong blade into Sandara's hands and grabs the stilled Bonnie by the collar. Then hooking the harpoon head on the knots on Sandara's hands he begins to swim to the surface, hoping that Breaker would be able to finish the undead.
You get Sandara and Bonnie to the surface as Breaker uses the last of his strength to finish the remaining undead. He's too exhausted to do much more than tread water, but his efforts kept both women alive. As soon as her head breaches the surface, Sandara gasps, "Symbol! Can't heal without it!"
Underwater, Crimson's looking severely injured but has managed to score another few hits on the queen. Without assistance, it's impossible to tell who's going to win.
Surfacing a split second before Sandara, Elek hears her blurt out about the symbol. "I'll get it to you. Give me second." Telling the cursed prosthetic "Chéngwéi dàpào" he lowers the barrel into the water, pointing it at the queen. Telling the arm cannon to fire, "shèjí.
As the weapon fires, it's odd darkness following. He begins to reach for the necklace. "Let me get it off, I'll put it over your head. You keep trying to cut the ropes with the sword." Looking back at the projectiles wake, he mumbles "Blasted useless thing."
"My hand, not my head," Sandara responds as she fumbles with the estoc. "As long as I hold it, I can use it to channel Besmara's power."
Your projectile is way off-target, but that's unsurprising considering the displacement effect of the water. Once you resubmerge, it'll be easier to aim.
Nodding he understood, Elek quickly pulled the necklace off. Realizing Bonnie was starting to sink again, he reaches over and held her aloft while he aimed the cannon again. This time trying to keep the refraction of the water in mind. Telling the arm cannon to fire, "shèjí.
He watches as the dark wave from the energy shoot far left of the Grindylow Queen. "Blasted Cannon." Raising his voice hoping Breaker and Crimson could hear him.
Dropping the necklace into Sandara's hand. Looking at Bonnie, he turns back to Sandara. "I've got a butterfly knife in my boot. I'm going to draw it and hand it to Bonnie, then go help the boys."
Your shot flies wide again as Crimson reluctantly retreats. Breaker gets to work cutting the girls bonds with one hand as he holds them up with the other. Meanwhile, Sandara holds the necklace tightly and chants an invocation. Healing energy washes over the five of you.
Shrieking in rage, the grindylow queen waves her hands, and the seaweed begins to grow rapidly, threatening to entangle all of you.
Rolling his eyes at Crimsons frown, Elek feels the wave of healing wash over him, smiling. "That's what I was hoping for." Pulling his butterfly knife out and flipping it open, he get's ready to drop it into Bonnies hands. Looking from Bonnie to Crimson, then Breaker. "One of you lubbers give Bonnie a second knife."
He gestures towards the grindylow queen as she waves her arms. "Now that were healed a little we regroup and attack from three sides." As she casts her spell and the seaweed begins to grow. He curses "Blast!" Looking to Sandara, "I hope you can use the estoc, I realize it's not a rapier but it's all I have."
Pointing the cannon at the squid-shark-goblin, Elek mutters under his breath, "Come on and work right you stupid thing." then tells the cursed prosthetic. " "shèjí."
As the blast ripples through the water, he drops the butterfly knife in front of Bonnie, hoping she will be able to grab it. Turning back to see the damage done to the queen, he frowns, cursing. "Bloody stupid cannon, do I have to do this myself." Telling the cursed weapon "Biànchéng yú chā shǒu." as he prepares to swim straight for the queen.
As everyone fans out and begins to move in on the queen, she waves her hands once again, and a waterspout begins to form. With a gesture, it flies toward you.
Swimming towards the queen, Elek sees the water spout begin to form, sucking in the bones, scraps of flesh, and the carcasses of strange, almost alien fish. Avoiding being caught in the spout itself, he is still scratched and scrapped by bones an bits of shell. "Blast!" Cursing he continues swimming towards the attacker.
Nearing the squid-shark-goblin, he draws the masterwork handaxe from his belt, swinging it towards the queen in a feint. 'Now I got you.' As she shifts to the left he then thrusts with the cursed harpoon hand.
The queen wasn't expecting you to avoid the waterspout, and is blindsided by your aggressive attack. Attempting to focus on everyone at once, she is distracted by your swinging axe and dodges to one side - directly into your harpoon. She goes limp when its point pierces her heart, and the waterspout and entangling seaweed cease shortly thereafter.
Queen's Loot
MW Dagger x2
MW Silver Dagger
MW Cold Iron Sickle
Scrimshaw blade of great workmanship depicting an octopus
Vindictive Harpoon: returning harpoon that can be used underwater without penalty
Dozens of scrimshaw objects litter the chamber in various nooks and crannies. Although many of them are merely curious, repulsive, or both, several are valuable.
Shark jawbone carved with images of an octopus eating whales
Tooth of some enormous sea beast
Whale skull covered in scrimshaw that functions as spell scrolls
- alter self, black tentacles, blur, color spray, daylight, enlarge person, hypnotism, slow, touch of idiocy, and vampiric touch
The silver ingots weighing down Sandara and Bonnie are worth a total of 160gp.
Scrimshaw blade of great workmanship depicting an octopus
Feeling the queen go limp on the end of his harpoon, Elek twists the blade just to make sure she's dead. Then jerking it out he looks back over his shoulder to make sure everyone is ok. Realizing the queens corpse was slowly sinking, Elek grasped the harpoon from her cold grip. Looking at it then his own, he shrugs and turning back swims to where Sandara and Bonnie are. "Are you two ok to travel?" He looks directly to Sandara, "Are you able to do any more healing?"
As Crimson and Breaker join them, Elek pauses while Sandara doles out any healing she can. Turning to the two sailors. "Why don't you two gather whatever you can find of value. No reason to leave it here."
He looks at others, "I'll be right back, the queen had more gear I want to get." Swimming to the bottom he began stripping the weapons off of the queen, tucking them in he belt and bandolier.
As he surfaced he Remembered he was wearing Sandara's hat, he took it off his head and handed it to her. "I believe this belongs to you." Pausing he frowns, looking around."Do you two know what they did with your gear?"
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Sandara nods. "I used most of my magic during that big storm a day or two ago, but I saved a small amount just in case."
Crimson and Breaker help you retrieve the valuables. They're tired, but Sandara's healing has taken them out of immediate danger. They should be back to full capacity after a night of rest.
Sandara hugs you when you return her hat. "Thank you! This is the only thing I have left from my first voyage. It's a rather potent magic item, but that's nothing compared to the sentimental value." As you search the caverns for her and Bonnie's gear, she explains what the hat can do.
Eventually, you find all of the women's missing gear. As they get everything together, Bonnie tells you some disturbing news. "Before the storm, I overheard a conversation between Plugg and Scourge. I didn't catch much, but it sounded like they're planning to get rid of you 'as soon as possible.' The storm probably saved your life - at least until you return to the ship."
Relieved that Sandara was able to heal them more, Elek smiles as she talks about the tri-corner hat. He responds touching the large embroidered handkerchief he wears around his neck. "I understand completely. My mother gave this bandana to me, I would be heart broken if I lost it."
Elek helps gather the ladies gear as Sandara explains about the hat, Making a mental note to keep her near in case a quick exit was needed. 'Speaking of needing a quick getaway,; As Bonnie explains about the conversation she heard, Elek smiles a wolfish smile. "That's good, I was planning on getting rid of them as soon as possible." His face takes on a serious cast, "And that piece of work Fipps too."
Gesturing back the way they came, "Let's swim to the rope, I have an idea for the blood birds we found." Leading the others back the way they came, Elek makes sure he stays to the far side of the tunnels to avoid the devil fish and the undead. Once the get to the rope, Elek looks at his companions, "Watch this." Lifting the harpoon hand out of the water he tells it, "Dìmàn Gāojǔ calling on the mantle of the wind, then commands it "Fēi
Smiling as he raises out of the water, he concentrates flying up and slightly away from the rope, telling the cursed prosthetic "Chéngwéi dàpào". So when he reaches the level they saw the stirges at he looks for the creatures, while telling the cannon "Tiānjiā fǎshù diǎn." useing the spell point so he could concentrate on shooting the stirges. Aiming the cannon at the nearest one, he tells the cannon to fire. "shèjí."
The stirges are annoying, but your cannon is more than enough to splatter them against the walls of the cliff. After a minute or so, they're no longer a threat. Once they're disposed of, you're able to fly your companions up.
Relieved to be back up on the cliff, Elek points down towards the beach where they left the boat. "Let head back to the boat and get our gear. We should spend the night at the fort, I have some rations that we can eat." As they are walking towards the beach Elek addresses Sandara and Bonnie. "We found a small fort here on the Island. It looks like some Chelaxians tried to settle the Island but failed." He smiles, "Plugg gave us thirty six hours to get the water and get back. But we know he can't leave then due to the tide." He gestures towards the island, That will give us a little time to explore before we fill the barrels and head back."[/b]
Once they reach the ships boat, Elek pulls his pack out, shouldering it, and picking up the boarding pike. Holding up the two pole arms he asks. "OK, Since it's obvious I'm not equipped with enough hands to use either of these right, which of you lubbers are trained to use one of these?" Looking toward each of them, "No reason to leave magic weapons unused."
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As they began walking back to the fort. Elek asked Bonnie, "So What were you planning on doing before you were shanghaied?"
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Once they get back to the fort, Elek makes sure the gate will close Looking at Breaker and Crimson, "You two cut the body down and drag it and the other one out away from the fort." Look at Bonnie and Sandara, "You two start getting a fire going. I'll start supper." Pulling out his iron pot and some of the food, he makes a simple stew. Passing out the stew and some hardtack he had packed to the others, he sat down on the ground under the tree and ate with them.
As they eat, he gestures, we'll need to take a watch. Just a couple hours each. Breaker since you have the clearest eyes you go last. Sandara you take the first watch,"[/b] Gesturing towards Bonnie, "Bonnie you take the second." Looking to Crimson "Crimson you take the third and wake me, I'll take the fourth and wake Breaker." He looked back around the group waiting to see if any of them had a question.
As the meal finished he joked, looking at Sandara, "Sandara since we don't have Rosie here to play for us, would you tell us how you came to want to be a pirate and priest of Besmara?"
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After Sandra's tale Elek pulled out his bedroll and went to sleep there beside the fire under the large tree. Waking for his watch, in turn he woke Breaker to finish the watch and went back to sleep.
Waking in the morning, the crew finished off the cold stew, and once ready, headed back down to the ships boat to fetch the barrels and head for the stream they saw to the north.
Sandara takes the boarding pike. It's not her preferred weapon, but being able to keep enemies far away is a boon when it comes to spellcasting. Breaker takes the harpoon. He's the strongest in your group, so a thrown weapon is more effective when he uses it - and the fact that it comes back is handy since he's not particularly accurate.
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Bonnie chuckles in response to your question. "Honestly? I've wanted to be a pirate since I was a little girl. All they had to do was ask - shanghaiing me was a colossal waste of effort on their part."
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"I've always been on the sea; my father was a fisherman in Hell Harbor. When I was twelve, Besmara saved him from a powerful storm, and I've been devoted to her ever since."
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Despite your worries, the night passes uneventfully . In the morning, you fill the barrels with fresh water from the stream. As you work, Sandara and Bonnie urge you to make plans before returning to the Man's Promise. "The storm only delayed Plugg's plan. Once he has water, your usefulness will be over in his mind."
'Hopefully they will see the weapons as gifts, and my willingness to invest in them as members of my crew.' Smiling and nodding as Sandara and Breaker take the magical weapons, he looks to Crimson and Bonnie. "Hopefully we can acquire more magical weapons that will appeal to you two as well."
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'Always wanted to be a pirate, a sailor after my own heart.' Nodding as Bonnie explained they would have only had to ask, Elek nods, "Me too, I came to Port Peril to join a pirate crew." He paused for a moment, "Though Barnabus Harrigan would not have been my first choice." He smiles, "And Besmara knows, I'd have never picked Plugg." He shakes his head, "Running a good crew in the ground like that. What a waste."
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As Sandara tells of her youth, 'Not often you hear of Besmara saving fishermen.' Elek nodded, "When I was twelve I was 'cabin boy' on my dads pirate ship "The Banshee" I've always been on the sea as well." he pauses and looks away. 'Except for two years on an Island, though I guess that was sort of at sea.'
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Once they had filled the water casks and returned them to the ships boat. Elek thought about the need to make plans. "It's early in the day, We have several hours before we hit Plugg's thirty six hour mandate, let alone the tide eight hours later." Gesturing towards the hills to the north-east. "Lets get to high ground and make sure the Man's Promise is where we left her."
As they walked, Elek conversed with his four crewmates. "I was thinking we return after dark, when only Owlbear is on the deck. I'll keep him calm." He turns to Bonnie, "Bonnie, would you be able to pick the locks on the manacles and possibly the Cabin doors?"
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As they continued walking. "Once we freed Owlbear, we would need to get the support of the crew below decks." He paused for a moment. "But we would need to keep an eye on Syl, since she's Pluggs lover, or whatever those two call it."
"Once we've made sure the Man's Promise is where we left her, we rest up until nighttime." He chuckles, "Maybe we can catch some crabs for Owlbear." Pausing, he shakes his head, "I know we approach at night. I think we've got three options. One, we all sail the ships boat and sneak aboard. Second, I fly to the boat, convince Owlbear not to sound the alarm, then the rest of you bring the ships boat around. Third, you all sail the ships boat back with the water at dusk. Tell Plugg I heard about his intent and decided to stay on the Island. Then after dark I fly to the boat and keep Owlbear calm so we can execute the plan."
He looks at the others. "Any opinions on which might work best? Or any facts I'm overlooking?"
Bonnie can try to pick locks, but it's far from her strong suit. As she explains, her real skill is throwing knives with near pinpoint accuracy. Trick shots, and the like.
Crimson's witnessed a mutiny get put down before. The would-be mutineers spent some time posturing and trying to cow the officers into submission. The response was to sic Owlbear on them and then finish off the survivors. As Plugg and Scourge don't know that you've befriended Owlbear, you can probably trick them into releasing him for you.
If you'd prefer a stealthy approach, Sandara believes the third option you presented is the best. She's very good at lying to people, after all. The problem is that Plugg will almost certainly proceed to sail away as soon as the water barrels are on board. You're not a fast flier, so the Man's Promise will rapidly outpace you.
The biggest hurdle is gaining the support of the crew. You've befriended pretty much everyone, so odds are good that you'll have allies on board. The less advance notice they have, the longer it'll take for them to decide what to do, though, so if you're wanting a stealthy, speedy mutiny, they might not be ready in time.
Enjoying the conversation as they head north east, Elek, considers all the options. Finally getting to where they could see the ship, he asks Breaker. "Breaker, can I use the spyglass I'd like to see what kind of shape the ship is in."
The Man's Promise is still anchored where you left it. The repairs seem to be close to completion.
Seeing the repairs on the 'Man's Promise' almost complete, Elek smiles, 'Well, at least Plugg has my ship repaired.' Turning to the others, "Let's head back to the Ships boat and rest a few hours. Maybe in the process we can catch a few crabs for Owlbear."
Once they return to the beach, Elek spends a little time looking for crabs on the shore. Also turning over rocks looking for smaller ones and looking in tidal pools near the beach.
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After several hours of rest, relaxation and fruitless crab hunting. Elek opens his pack, passing out the rest of his dry rations. "Let's eat, once it's almost dusk. I'll have you drop me off at the northern tip of the island then sail to the 'Man's Promise.'"
He looks at Sandara, "You convince Plugg that either I'm dead or not willing to risk facing him. Once it's full night, I'll land on the deck and have a conversation with Owlbear. Then I'll come talk to the crew. Once we have them on our side we'll have a conversation with Plugg."
Looking at the rest of them. "My only concern is which side of this Syl ends up on. We can't let her tip off Plugg. If there are folks you trust, like Artful and Cusswell you can tell them, but make sure it's after everyone is in the hold and make sure Syl doesn't get wind of the plan."
Pausing for a moment longer. "Any Questions?"
"What should be done about crew who won't support us? I doubt Syl will be the only person to side with the officers, after all."
Nodding, Elek shrugs, "That's easy, whoever doesn't want to join can stay here on the Island. I don't want to sail with a crew that doesn't want to sail with me."
He smiles. "I'll wager I can talk most of them into it."
He points to the magical weapons that Sandara and Breaker are carrying. "Once any pirate worth their salt sees that kind of wealth being passes out to the crew they will beg to sail with us."
He holds up a finger, "But only talk to those who you're certain will join us. I'll talk to the rest after I speak with Owlbear on the deck."
He turns to Crimson. "Like you said, it was Owlbear who turned the tide the last time, and they know it. If he's with me I'll wager only the really stupid ones will stick with Plugg."
His smile widens, "Besides, I'll promise real grog, not that crap Plugg was serving."
Disembarking the ship's boat in the shallows near the Northeastern tip of the Island, Elek watched as the small sailing vessel moved towards the 'Man's Promise.' Elek moved to higher ground where he could watch their progress with the spyglass. Watching as the others unloaded he could see Sandara talking to Plugg. Smiling, she was very good at lying to people after all. Chuckling he made a mental note that once this was all over they would have a drink and he would ask her what she told him .
Staying low and out of sight, Elek occasionally checked the spyglass to see what was going on aboard the ship. As the 'bloody hour' approached he hoped none of the four would be in trouble. As the crew ate he could see 'Fishguts' serving the crew, speaking very softly, "Don't worry old man, I'll be back from the dead soon enough."
As the sun set in the west casting its final rays across the clear skies, reflecting on the gentle waves, Elek watched the crew go below decks and Owlbear left alone on deck, the giant fiddling with his chain. Lowering his glass, "We'll get that off of him soon enough."
Waiting an hour after the sun went down, Elek again looked through the spyglass, trying to see if any light were on in either of the cabins. Watching for the lights to go out, Elek waited another hour or so after that. Getting up. dusting himself off, he tells the cursed prosthetic "Chéngwéi dàpào" so he could shoot any potential threats, well at least fire at any potential threats. Then telling the prosthetic "Dìmàn, Gāojǔ, Fēi." he picks up the spyglass in his right hand and slowly begins to fly towards the ship.
Landing on the Foredeck, he quietly walks down the steps towards Owlbear, tucking the spyglass under his left arm, he puts his finger to his lips and tells Owlbear, "Shhhh." As he approaches the big man, he waives and smiles. "No I'm not a ghost. I had Sandara lie about me so Plugg wouldn't come looking for me. I was told Plugg wants to kill me." He shrugs, "And I"m not going to let him. I'm going to take the ship from him and send him to the Island to live." Pointing to the Island, "I know you think he's your friend, but I don't think he really is. But I know you are my friend and I'd like you to stay here on the ship with me, instead of going to the Island with Plugg and Scourge and Chumlet." He points to the chains. "If you willing to help me take the ship, I'll have someone get those off of you before I speak to Plugg." He points to the hatch, "Before I free you, I'll need to go talk to the crew. I'll be right back."
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Leaving Owlbear to consider if he'd rather stay on ship with Elek or go to the Island with Plugg, Elek heads below decks. As soon as he's visible, he tells everyone "Shhhhh." Then smiles. "The stories of my recent death were slightly exaggerated. I don’t know how much time we have, so let me make this short. I’m done with Plugg running this ship, this crew and me. He has it in for me.” Elek paused to look at crew. ”And some of you as well.” Looking towards his friends, ”I say we take the ship. We can Maroon Plugg and any with him on the Island. Unless they'd rather fight, then whoever lives gets tossed overboard.” Pausing for effect, he lays down the spyglass and draws his estoc and asks. ”So who’s with me?”
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Looking around at the volunteers, he nods, ”I’m going to need someone who can pick the locks on Owlbears chains. He will side with me.” He looks at those who don’t join him. ”You all understand we need to tie you up, just in case right?”
You can see Plugg trying (and almost succeeding) to conceal a smile as Sandara talks. After a brief conversation, he dismisses your friend and swaggers away. Amazingly, nobody is whipped during the bloody hour. The officers appear to be in a good mood. It's probably because the repairs are complete. Or perhaps there's another reason....
When he sees you, Owlbear begins to shout happily, but you're able to shush him just in time. He doesn't appear to understand everything you're telling him, but you know he'll help you when the time comes.
Your time and effort making friends pays off as almost the entire crew sides with you. Fipps and Narwhal aren't present (it seems they've been made honorary officers in your absence), and the half-dozen Rahadoumi sailors aren't interested in assisting. They've had the fear of the officers (and Harrigan - even in his absence) firmly instilled in them. Jack is game to fight, but Maheem and Shivikah won't let him.
Giffer, meanwhile, offers to free Owlbear. Apparently, she's invented something called the "Quick Carver" that can slice through steel like it's made of butter. This would be a perfect opportunity to test it!
As for Syl and Aretta, they both eagerly offer stand at your side when the action starts. You're unsure of their motives, and it's even possible they'll use the chaos to attempt to murder each other.
Chuckling at Pluggs enthusiasm, Elek is at least please that no one got beaten. 'Good, everyone will be healthy.'
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Smiling at Owlbear, Elek nods, "I knew I could trust you my friend. Wait here until I get back."
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As Giffer tells him about her invention, 'And if it doesn't work we pick the lock' Elek nods, "That's perfect Giffer, when we get above decks, you go free Owlbear and tell him to wait there for me. I don't want Plugg to instantly realize he's been freed."
As the group talks, Elek notices Jack bickering with Maheem and Shivikah. Elek moves over to the boy kneeling down, "So how's that new knife doing Jack?" He reaches in his bandolier and pulls out the Scrimshaw blade with the octopus, showing it to the boy. "Now Maheem and Shivikah are right, I need you to stay below decks and keep an eye out. When I was in Minkai I heard about magic potions that can make a man disappear and reappear some where else and old Plugg is tricky. You stay put down here, keep a weather eye out and give me a shout if anything odd happens, yeah?" He holds the fancy knife out and smiles. "Then we'll figure out what to do with this fancy knife." He puts the knife in his bandolier as he turns to Shivikah, nodding towards the steps, asking. "Shivkah, why don't you stay near the hatch so you can keep an eye out as well."
Moving to the corner where the Rahadoumi sailors are huddled together. He addresses them as a group. "You sailors have three options, whether you fight with us or not. One, If you've had enough of sailing with us already, you can stay here marooned on the Island with whoever lives. Two, you can help us sail this ship to port and you can disembark there. Or Three, once were in port where you have a real choice, you can join us." He shakes his head, "I'd rather not sail with anyone that doesn't want to sail with me, but I could use your help getting her to port. Once there I won't have ya unless your willing." He looks each sailor in the eye, nods to them and moves back to the group.
Pointing to the hatch. "Once we get above decks, I'll take a group to the fore-deck and deal with Fipp's and Narwhal. The rest of you move to the aft and wait for me there to help me deal with Plugg. Hopefully this will go off without any bloodshed." Seeing Syl and Aretta glaring at each other, 'I should separate those two if I really don't want any bloodshed.' Turning to the crew. "Breaker, Crimson, Sandara your with me." Pausing for a moment. "Syl, you too, I need someone to pick the lock and from what I hear your the best." He gestures towards everyone else. "The rest of you, except Giffer, Shivkah and Jack, follow Bonnie and Artful to the aft-deck and wait for me." HE looks to the other three, "Each of you know what your to do."
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As they go above deck, Elek leads his team to the fore-deck. Drawing his estoc, he turns to Syl, pointing the weapon at the door of the 'Officers Quarters' "Syl if you would do me the honor of opening the door." Then looking at Sandara, "Any magic that will keep them from seeing us, or asleep, or groggy till I can toss 'em over would be great." He looks at Breaker and Crimson. "Fipp's would give us no quarter and Narwhal is just damn unlucky. If they fight or yell out, we end them."
Jack reluctantly agrees to stay belowdecks where it's safe. As per your request, Shivikah stays with him to make sure he remains down there.
The Rahadoumi sailors elect to stay out of the fight and consider their options. Based on human nature, they'll probably follow whichever side wins. A few of your allies will keep an eye on them to prevent a possible surprise attack while you're distracted with the officers.
The Quick Carver: A large very sharp knife. When the blade meets resistance, it begins to vibrate to aid in cutting. This may allow the knife to cut through harder objects or to cut through more material faster. The strength of this vibration is random though. When a character uses this knife roll a D20 -5 to determine the vibration's DC. The character must roll Sleight of Hand against this DC. On a failed check, the character or another nearby creature or object takes 1d6 slashing damage. WARNING - It is not advised to sheath this knife.
Syl cracks the lock within 30 seconds. Inside the cabin, Fipps and Narwhal are asleep in their hammocks. Breaker and Crimson look to you for instructions.
Watching Giffer's knife start to work on Owlbears chains, Elek follows Syl to the fore-decks door watching as she picks the lock and opens the door. Seeing Breaker and Crimson at the ready. He motions to their weapons and the sleeping men. "Put a blade on their necks so they can feel it waking up. If you need to put a hand over their mouth while I speak."
Once the two pirates were in place Elek step between the two hammocks pressing the two bodies, the one on the left with his arm cannon, the one on the right with side of his blade. Speaking loud enough to be heard as he pushes the hammocks. "Wakey wakey boys, the bills come due." as he sees them wake, "Easy now or your life ends swinging in a hammock. We're quietly headed to the gunwale you boys are taken a swim to the island, or your dying there in you beds. What's your choice?" He looks from one to the other, Nodding to Breaker and Crimson to remove their hands, waiting for a reply.
Neither pirate is in a position to argue. "Looks like we're takin' a swim. Can we at least gather our gear before we go?"
'Gather our gear? Yeah, no.' Shaking his head no, Elek smiles, "Sorry boys, I just don't trust you. I don't think I'd have been given the same opportunity. Consider it being born a second time, you came out of the womb naked, you can come out the ocean that way. At least you'll be alive." As he motions the cannon towards the door. "For what it's worth there is a fort in the southwest hills, follow the trail to the field on the beach, then the trail to the north. You'll find it. We left cloths and spears there." Backing out the door, keeping the arm cannon pointing at them he waits until Breaker and Crimson have tossed them over the edge and watched them start swimming away.