Panicked by the sudden jolt of electricity that courses through their ally, the other two deserters busy themselves getting the boat ready.
While there was no specific order to guard the ship's boats, it's certainly likely Captain Harrigan will consider the boat his "property," having taken the ship as his own once the raid is done, and it's a good bet letting these deserters bugger off with it will have consequences. The most likely consequence is loss of one's share of the booty (or enough of it to cover the cost of replacing the lost ship's boat, at the very least), but more severe punishments are certainly possible. Harrigan hasn't shown himself to be a reserved man.
[color=green]ROUND 7: Getting the Tub Moving
Characters in BOLD may act.
Asami (10/20 hp, Martial Flex [Dodge])
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (13 dmg, Off-Handed, unconscious and stable)
Deserter2 (0 dmg, 7 NL)
Oduim (17/21 hp)
Deserter 1 (0 dmg)
Deserter 3 (0 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
The smoke pouring down from the scorched hole in the ceiling nearby peters out as rivulets of water begin to intermittently splash out of it. Apparently someone has tended to it to make sure the fire doesn't spread.
Nearby, the fighting on the stairwell intensifies for a moment as the four pirates thrash the Hells out of the three Rahadoumi sailors. Two of the pirates gang up on one of the sailors and slash him at the throat and belly, opening him on two ends and creating a horrific, gory mess at the foot of the stairs. One of the two remaining sailors runs one of the pirates through in retaliation, and the remaining two pirates bear down on her with vicious force. The third sailor drops her blade and cowers, bloody from numerous blows and clearly at her wit's end.
When it's all said and done, one pirate -- a rat-nosed halfling -- lies with empty, sightless eyes in a pool of his own blood next to two sailors, while they bind the hands of the woman who surrendered.
They certainly aren't here to hug trees, but they do appear to be taking some folks alive.
Well, regardless of what that helpful tip is trying to tell her, Asami stays the course. Readied action to defend her crewmates if they do anything but fiddle with that boat. She snarls a bit at Oduim, in fact, for potentially instigating a fight where there wasn't one.
Draxxie half-shrugs. "You might be done fightin' Fox, but I'm a pirate. Take the wheel." It's clearly intended as a command, and there is a cold hardness in Draxxie's eyes even as she grins. "Me, Sandy and Fish c'n deal."
Draxxie offers the wheel to Asami, and works a little magic to slow down the deserters' progress whilst the oni deals with her qualms.
Too late, she realizes her calming breath wasn't wise with all the smoke and battle stench in the air. Stars flash before her vision as she tries to get control of herself.
#1 drops the ropes he was holding and holds his head, crying out in pain.
Sandara sighs and strides toward the deserters. "Sorry, but she's got a point." She drives her rapier into #3's gut and leaves him coughing and stumbling, but still up. She calls over her shoulder, "See, Planky? This is why you were a smart boy to give up!"
"Right!" the chap still planking stiffly on the deck calls out cheerfully, moving only enough to turn his head to the side and spit out some blood. "An excellent point, madam! A-ha. Little joke, there."
#2 sneers at Oduim. "He says while trying to kill us. But then what can you expect from the herpes of the sea??" She steps away from Sandara and up to Asami, stabbing out with her short-blade and leaving a shallow laceration in the brawler's abdomen that nonetheless bleeds like hell.
[color=green]ROUND 7: Getting the Tub Moving
Characters in BOLD may act.
Asami (6/20 hp, Martial Flex [Dodge])
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (13 dmg, Off-Handed, unconscious and stable)
Deserter2 (0 dmg, 7 NL)
Oduim (17/21 hp)
Deserter 1 (0 dmg, Dazed 1 rd)
Deserter 3 (6 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
The dehydration and the coughing fit combine to make Estelle's head spin and vision blur momentarily. She can vaguely see two of the pirates moving toward her, but her vision begins to tunnel.
#2 does not, in fact, stab Asami, because the brawler's ready pike skewers her in the gut. While the wound isn't fatal, that combined with the electric shock from Oduim causes her to lose consciousness.
[color=green]ROUND 7 (Adjusted)
Characters in BOLD may act.
Asami (10/20 hp, Martial Flex [Dodge])
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (13 dmg, Off-Handed, unconscious and stable)
Deserter2 (8 dmg, 7 NL, unconscious and stable)
Oduim (17/21 hp)
Deserter 1 (0 dmg, Dazed 1 rd)
Deserter 3 (6 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
Asami grunts as the sailor runs into her pike.
”…Maybe surrendering is your best option, with these two hurling spells at you.”
Her breath catches in her throat and the knot that had been growing in her stomach spreads to her chest, gripping it tightly.
Oh god no, not now...
*THUD*
#3, now panicked, drops the ropes to the ship's boat and draws his short sword, stabbing frantically at Sandara. Oduim was ready for him, and fires another bolt of crackling electricity -- which unfortunately sails far, far overhead. Somewhere up above, a seagull caws in pain and surprise before plopping down into the water below.
Unfortunately, the bolt did more to distract Sandara than it did the deserter, and he digs his blade deep into her thigh, leaving a large and bloody wound. Sandara reels back, stumbling a bit on her now-unsteady leg, and glares daggers at him. "Oh, you'll pay for that."
Meanwhile, #1 finally stops shaking his head and groaning. He appears to have come out of his spell-induced stupor.
[color=green]ROUND 8: Last Acts of Desperate Men
Characters in BOLD may act.
Asami (10/20 hp, Martial Flex [Dodge])
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (12 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (13 dmg, Off-Handed, unconscious and stable)
Deserter2 (8 dmg, 7 NL, unconscious and stable)
Oduim (17/21 hp)
Deserter 1 (0 dmg)
Deserter 3 (6 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
The throbbing pain in her skull overtakes her, and she feels what little bile is left in her stomach evacuate as darkness envelops her vision. In one way, at least, it is a blessing: the pounding headache becomes a dull and distant thing as she slips into blissful unconsciousness.
"That he will," agrees Asami, hustling across the ship.
Cry slightly loosens her grip upon the witch's neck, but not enough to draw attention to herself.
"I see the fight's not gone outta yet, Fox!" Draxxie grins. When your girlfriend's involved at least. Gettin' serious there.
Not wanting to abandon her post at the wheel, Draxxie calls upon her magic again, targeting the closest deserter.
"Shoulda taken the offer. Now you gotta run. And ya got nowhere t' run to."
Asami rushes up and flying mule-kicks #3 in the mouth. There's a disturbingly loud crack and his jaw wobbles loosely under his skull as he drops to the deck, occasionally twitching violently.
#1 screams in horror and clutches his hair at the sight of Draxxie. He looks ready to bolt.
.
The thrashing in the water behind Oduim and Draxxie finally ceases.
[color=green]ROUND 8: Last Acts of Desperate Men
Characters in BOLD may act.
Asami (10/20 hp, Martial Flex [Dodge])
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (12 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (13 dmg, Off-Handed, unconscious and stable)
Deserter 2 (8 dmg, 7 NL, unconscious and stable)
Oduim (17/21 hp)
Deserter 1 (0 dmg, Frightened 1 round)
Deserter 3 (13 dmg, unconscious and dying)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
mp=4, ww=3
badmed
areban
Oduim's spear catches on one of the sailor's boiled leather plates, and the tip glances harmlessly away. Screaming in horror at the party, #1 responds by clambering away, ducking and cowering from any incoming blows and clambering into the ship's boat. However, the pulleys aren't ready to release, and after a moment of frantically tugging at them, he makes the worst decision of his life: he leaps off the side into the waters below. The party hears the dull splash as he hits the water, followed a split second later by the sound of sputtering and whimpering.
Moments later, he cries out, but the sound is cut off as something pulls him beneath the waves. The thrashing heard on the port side earlier is now repeated on the starboard. It doesn't take a huge leap of logic to figure out what happened.
Once again, for a moment, all is quiet on the deck of the Man's Promise.
Sandara steps back a few feet, sends out a wave of healing to the party, and points her rapier back at Planky McPlankerton, mostly out of habit at this point -- the man hasn't moved since he laid down arms.
[color=green]ROUND 9: A Moment of Respite
Characters in BOLD may act.
Asami (10/20 hp, Martial Flex [Dodge])
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (12 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (13 dmg, Off-Handed, unconscious and stable)
Oduim (17/21 hp)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
With no threats apparent, Draxxie keeps a hold of the wheel.
"Besmara's Teeth! Those Rahadoumi were dumb. What booty d' ya think we've captured?"
Jack groans and stumbles to his feet, plucking up his blood-soaked blade and looking around. "Gods, what a headache. How long was I out?"
[color=green]ROUND 9: A Moment of Respite (Updated)
Characters in BOLD may act.
Asami (17/20 hp, Martial Flex [Dodge])
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (6 dmg, Off-Handed)
Oduim (21/21 hp)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
The bolt in Asami's gut is pushed out by Sandara's healing, and clatters harmlessly to the deck.
"A minute?" snorts Asami. "We've got the wheel secured, anyway."
"Yer'll live, Jack. Longer than these lubbers." Draxxie gestures at the dead and dying on the deck.
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The party continues to keep an eye out for trouble while Sandara plugs up some blood leaks on the flesh bags.
No sooner has the group taken a collective moment to catch their breath than three figures burst out of the fog toward the ship's boat. A man and woman in similar garb to the other crew of the Man's Promise run just ahead of a woman in finer clothes wielding a beautifully carved boarding pike that holds what appears to be a human skull at the butt. The three stumble to a halt at the edge of the mystical fog. The woman in the back with the pike points at Sandara, Oduim, and Asami. "Kill them first! Then we can secure the boat! Go!"
One of the crew hesitates, but the other is quick to react, leaping toward Sandara with short-blade in hand. His aim is fair, but it glances off the shimmering links of mystical armor instead of finding purchase in flesh.
[color=green]ROUND 10: Last Acts of Desperate Folk
Characters in BOLD may act.
Enemy Crew 1 (0 dmg)
Asami (17/20 hp, Martial Flex [Dodge])
Enemy Officer (0 dmg)
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (6 dmg, Off-Handed)
Oduim (21/21 hp)
Enemy Crew 2 (0 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
Asami lashes out as the crew approach, with presumably no luck...
...but when one attempts to slash at Sandara, she takes a heaving step forward and shoves the pike straight through 'em. Maybe. Hopefully.
Her follow-through takes her a step forward, even.
Asami's hope is not misplaced as she shoves the pike almost all the way through the deserter. When she yanks it back out, the hook catches on the flesh of his stomach, leaving a ragged tear that pours blood across the already-soaked deck of the Man's Promise. He collapses with a gurgle into unconsciousness.
The enemy officer sidesteps back to get a better shot at the absolute melee monster that just tore a hole in her subordinate and lashes out with her own boarding pike. She appears to be too far away to hit even with the reach of her weapon, but as she stabs out, the pike seems to strreeetchh until it reaches the brawler. Not expecting an Extend-O-Pike, the spear-tip tears through the brawler's left deltoid, and she barely manages to dip her head to the side before the hook can come back and rip through her cheek flesh.
[color=green]ROUND 10: Last Acts of Desperate Folk
Characters in BOLD may act.
Enemy Crew 1 (14 dmg, unconscious and dying)
Asami (7/20 hp, Martial Flex [Dodge])
Enemy Officer (0 dmg)
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (6 dmg, Off-Handed)
Oduim (21/21 hp)
Enemy Crew 2 (0 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
"Holy shit! Jack, take the wheel!"
Besmara's Teeth, I want that pike!
Draxxie gives Jack an order - and steps down towards the melee. She draws her cutlass and waves it about menacingly.
"Give it up, Rahadoumi! The Gods themselves are against you!"
Draxxie conjures her magic again, putting the fear of the gods into the deserters.
#2 looks for a moment as if she's about to vomit from terror, but she steels her nerves and holds her blade shakily but defiantly against the onslaught. "To Hells with you bloodsucking parasites!" she spits.
Jack diligently stands by the wheel, blade gripped as firmly in his off-hand as he can manage, eyes open for trouble. His brow is furrowed, however, and he glances anxiously in every direction, as if he's looking for something he knows he should be seeing. Or someone...
Sandara looks the shaking woman up and down. "Impressive," she says. "Standing in defiance against overwhelming odds. You'd make a damn good crewmate." She purses her lips. "Shame, really." She steps back and touches Asami's shoulder, whispering a prayer and sending positive energy coursing into the brawler's wounds.
She whispers in Asami's ear, "Go get her, tiger."
[color=green]ROUND 10: Last Acts of Desperate Folk
Characters in BOLD may act.
Enemy Crew 1 (14 dmg, unconscious and dying)
Asami (18/20 hp, Martial Flex [Dodge])
Enemy Officer (0 dmg)
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (6 dmg, Off-Handed)
Oduim (21/21 hp)
Enemy Crew 2 (0 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
Oduim lands a shallow but bloody puncture in #2's abdomen.
She responds in kind with her short-blade, but the druid easily sidesteps the clumsy, shaky hand.
Shockingly, the fellow on the ground who was bleeding out stops twitching and his breathing seems to steady.
[color=green]ROUND 11: Death (… But Not For You, Pirate)
Characters in BOLD may act.
Enemy Crew 1 (14 dmg, unconscious and dying)
Asami (18/20 hp, Martial Flex [Dodge])
Enemy Officer (0 dmg)
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (6 dmg, Off-Handed)
Oduim (21/21 hp)
Enemy Crew 2 (3 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
When Estelle finally opens her eyes again, it feels as if she's slept a thousand years. And yet, it seems very little time has passed; the three pirates she saw earlier are still here. Two of them pluck up the body of their fallen comrade, one by each arm, but the third stops them. She's a gnome with greasy, stringy hair and a battered leather patch over her left eye. She grabs the arm of one of the two other pirates, a weaselly half-orc with sallow features and an unhealthy yellow tinge to his skin, and says, "Once you've got 'er up top with the others, start collectin' booty. An' Jape?" She yanks him down almost to her level, making the bigger man yelp timidly, and jabs a finger right in his face. "You snag a single coin fer yerself an' Harrigan finds out? Ye'll end up like ol' Magpie. So jes' keep yer filthy mitts ta yerself an' let Narwhal here do tha heavy lifting, ye ken?"
The half-orc nods vigorously, and apparently satisfied, the gnome lets go. As the dwarf and half-orc haul the fallen halfling up the stairs, leaving an impressive smear of blood as they go, she glances over to see the young witch slowly coming to, and comes over with a waterskin. She tips it up into the girl's mouth. "Sip, don't guzzle. Yer dehydrated. If ye drink too fast, ye'll chuck up the whole lot an' waste it." After a few blessed sips of water, the gnome takes the skin back and plops down in front of Estelle.
As the young woman gains more of her bearings, she realizes her hands are still shackled. So, not a great sign, but not entirely unexpected either.
"So," the gnome says, sipping her waterskin. It gives a rather unfortunate view of her teeth, brown with rot, with several missing. Surely sailing the Shackles didn't do that to her, so perhaps something else did?
"My name is Giffer, Giffer Tibbs. I'm a member o' the crew on the Wormwood. Decent enough ship, as pirates go. Been part o' worse, ta be sure. You, though, don't look like no pirate. Ye look..." She cocks her head, eyeing Estelle up and down. "... Ye look shipwrecked, ta be honest. Tattered and restitched clothes, seaweed fer a necklace. I seen it b'fore. How long were ya wrecked?"
Asami hisses as the spear punches through her shoulder--and, instinctively, readjusts her grip to focus on her other hand. As long as she can still adjust her aim with the left, she should be fine...
...and then Sandara knits her flesh together in one easy prayer.
"...Ore wa kitsune," she retorts.
Of course, her grip on the spear is immaterial-- the crew have come close now, and she lashes out with a quick pair of kicks!
...Doesn't do well with it, though.
Asami's blows go far afield, not even connecting with her opponent's armor, let alone soft, bruise-able flesh.
The officer, clearly irritated that her efforts to murderize the brawler were mostly reversed by the cleric, changes tactics, stabbing at the druid instead, the pike once more stretching as she attacks. Unfortunately all the blood coating the deck of the Man's Promise causes her to slip slightly as she thrusts with the pike and the attack goes wide.
Sandara shrugs noncommittally, clearly unable to understand the words of the statement, though she seems to get the gist. "Fine, no words of encouragement, got it." She steps up again, beside Asami, and stabs at #2 with her rapier. Like her lover roommate/best friend according to leading Golarion historians, Sandara's thrust misses its mark, glancing harmlessly off one of #2's boiled leather plates.
[color=green]ROUND 11: Death (… But Not For You, Pirate)
Characters in BOLD may act.
Enemy Crew 1 (14 dmg, unconscious and dying)
Asami (18/20 hp)
Enemy Officer (0 dmg)
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (6 dmg, Off-Handed)
Oduim (21/21 hp)
Enemy Crew 2 (3 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
Jack hangs out at the wheel, continuing to look anxious.
[color=green]ROUND 11: Death (… But Not For You, Pirate)
Characters in BOLD may act.
Enemy Crew 1 (14 dmg, unconscious and dying)
Asami (18/20 hp)
Enemy Officer (0 dmg)
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (6 dmg, Off-Handed)
Oduim (21/21 hp)
Enemy Crew 2 (3 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
"Fifteen men on a dead man's chest
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!"
Draxxie strides across the deck, belting out a shanty to stir the blood. Her cutlass flashes, then she disappears into the mist, coming around behind the hapless deserter.
Blood boils as Draxxie inspires fury in her comrades once again. Invigorated, Oduim lashes out with a bellowing cry. #2 manages to turn aside the spear just enough to avoid being gutted, but she still takes a nasty gash across her hip and thigh, bleeding profusely.
#2 decides to return the favor on the druid, stabbing into his gut with her short-blade. It doesn't go deep enough to cut into any vital organs, but it does bleed dark blood.
[color=green]ROUND 12: Death (… But Not For You, Pirate)
Characters in BOLD may act.
Enemy Crew 1 (14 dmg, unconscious and stable)
Asami (18/20 hp)
Enemy Officer (0 dmg)
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (6 dmg, Off-Handed)
Oduim (19/23 hp, Inspired Rage)
Enemy Crew 2 (7 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
Asami, emboldened by Draxxie's raging song, lashes out a couple times more:
Am I standing on a bar of soap or something? My balance is... poor.
Asami's blows sail wide as a particularly large wave tilts the ship momentarily and everyone adjusts their stance to compensate.
The officer turns her attention to the skald and tries to end her song prematurely by putting the (now normal-length) boarding pike through her eye socket, but barely misses, leaving a score along one of Draxxie's leather armor plates and nothing more.
[color=green]ROUND 12: Death (… But Not For You, Pirate)
Characters in BOLD may act.
Enemy Crew 1 (14 dmg, unconscious and stable)
Asami (20/22 hp, Inspired Rage)
Enemy Officer (0 dmg)
Draxxie Dirgus (18/18 hp)
Oduim (19/23 hp, Inspired Rage)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (6 dmg, Off-Handed)
Enemy Crew 2 (7 dmg)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
"But one man of her crew alive
What put to sea with seventy-five"
Draxxie closes with the Rahadoumi officer...
"And b*!#! here's a clue
That ain't gonna be you!"
Oduim's frustration at not dropping this woman finally boils over as he channels the fury of the sea into a final, brutal attack that pushes his spear in through her guts and up through her ribcage. He misses her heart by a few inches, but feels a strange popping sensation as he ruptures her left lung. When he yanks his spear out, she collapses to the ground, bleeding out and gasping for air that seems to refuse to come.
Despite all her rage, Draxxie is just a rat in a cage little too unfocused to quite land her blow. The officer deflects the blade easily with the butt of her pike.
Jack continues to guard the wheel.
Seeing the fight is down to one officer, Sandara leaves it in the party's capable hands and moves over to Jack to heal him.
[color=green]ROUND 13: Last Gasps
Characters in BOLD may act.
Enemy Crew 1 (14 dmg, unconscious and stable)
Asami (18/20 hp, Inspired Rage)
Enemy Officer (0 dmg)
Draxxie Dirgus (20/20 hp, Inspired Rage)
Oduim (19/23 hp, Inspired Rage)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (0 dmg, Off-Handed)
Enemy Crew 2 (16 dmg, unconscious and dying)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
Asami takes a quick step, leans back, and shoves her spear forth!
Asami's spear catches in the officer's chain shirt before it can puncture anything important. Sensing the sharks closing in (metaphorically, at least for now) she steps back and stabs out at the skald with her now-standard-length pike, but it glances off Draxxie's wooden armor.
[color=green]ROUND 13: Last Gasps
Characters in BOLD may act.
Enemy Crew 1 (14 dmg, unconscious and stable)
Asami (18/20 hp, Inspired Rage)
Enemy Officer (0 dmg)
Draxxie Dirgus (20/20 hp, Inspired Rage)
Oduim (19/23 hp, Inspired Rage)
Sandara Quinn (5 dmg, Instant-Armored)
Handsome Jack (6 dmg, Off-Handed)
Enemy Crew 2 (16 dmg, unconscious and dying)
Carlosss (-16/18 hp, Dead)
[/color]
When Estelle finally opens her eyes again, it feels as if she's slept a thousand years. And yet, it seems very little time has passed; the three pirates she saw earlier are still here. Two of them pluck up the body of their fallen comrade, one by each arm, but the third stops them. She's a gnome with greasy, stringy hair and a battered leather patch over her left eye. She grabs the arm of one of the two other pirates, a weaselly half-orc with sallow features and an unhealthy yellow tinge to his skin, and says, "Once you've got 'er up top with the others, start collectin' booty. An' Jape?" She yanks him down almost to her level, making the bigger man yelp timidly, and jabs a finger right in his face. "You snag a single coin fer yerself an' Harrigan finds out? Ye'll end up like ol' Magpie. So jes' keep yer filthy mitts ta yerself an' let Narwhal here do tha heavy lifting, ye ken?"
The half-orc nods vigorously, and apparently satisfied, the gnome lets go. As the dwarf and half-orc haul the fallen halfling up the stairs, leaving an impressive smear of blood as they go, she glances over to see the young witch slowly coming to, and comes over with a waterskin. She tips it up into the girl's mouth. "Sip, don't guzzle. Yer dehydrated. If ye drink too fast, ye'll chuck up the whole lot an' waste it." After a few blessed sips of water, the gnome takes the skin back and plops down in front of Estelle.As the young woman gains more of her bearings, she realizes her hands are still shackled. So, not a great sign, but not entirely unexpected either.
"So," the gnome says, sipping her waterskin. It gives a rather unfortunate view of her teeth, brown with rot, with several missing. Surely sailing the Shackles didn't do that to her, so perhaps something else did?
You can make a DC 15 Heal check to determine the cause if you wish.
"My name is Giffer, Giffer Tibbs. I'm a member o' the crew on the Wormwood. Decent enough ship, as pirates go. Been part o' worse, ta be sure. You, though, don't look like no pirate. Ye look..." She cocks her head, eyeing Estelle up and down. "... Ye look shipwrecked, ta be honest. Tattered and restitched clothes, seaweed fer a necklace. I seen it b'fore. How long were ya wrecked?"
Estelle rocks herself into a sitting position and pulls her legs up tight to her chest. Her arms wrap tight around them and her foot begins tapping a calming rhythm as she watches the... pirates.
Scourge of the seas? Simple thieves? Murdering rapists? There simply is no way to know until you or they win the battle. And I'm about to find out.
As the lady notices her and walks closer, she cringes back from the water offer instantly, expecting it to be ripped away and followed with a slap. Recent memories are hard to overcome. But as the liquid flows, she finds herself drinking deeply until a sputtering cough wracks her body. As her breath returns she looks up and instinctively brings her hand up to her chin, fingers extended and bringing them forward slowly towards the pirate .
She breaths deep, focusing on the mouth and now fascinated with the teeth in front of her, cocking her head to get a better angle. Her brow furrows as she determines the cause of the rot and then realizes a question was just asked to her. Something about how long? Shipwrecked maybe?
Estelle taps her chin with a finger and shrugs, holding up her index finger, middle finger and thumb while curling her other fingers into her palm. She then shakes her hand to indicate 'ish' and points to the water skin again.
If I could force myself to talk to them, I doubt anything would even come out. My throat is on fire. I hope that stuff wasn't rum!
The halfling frowns, cocking her head to the side. "Mute?" She sighs. "I don't know sign. You got like... erm, a board and chalk? Or somethin? Oh!" She waves a hand. "I think Shivikah knows sign. If he's still alive. Come on, let's see if'n we can track him down. You're comin' with me, lass. Manacles stay on for now, least until we can have a proper discussion. No fuss now, eh?"
Giffer leads Estelle up the stairs to the middle hold. Giffer leads her away from a hallway where a small cluster of pirates and Rahadoumi continue their battle, but it's clear the pirates are slowly winning. Likely the battle will be over shortly, if the ratio of Rahadoumi sailors' bodies to pirate bodies is any indicator. Surprisingly, most of the limp forms on the floor don't appear to be dead. Most of the Rahadoumi who succumbed to their wounds were stabilized, as are the pirates. Very few bodies have wounds that look immediately fatal.
In the galley, a tall Mwangi man with chocolate skin, lanky arms, and wide shoulders is busy binding the hands of three Rahadoumi sailors. One of them is the young man who Estelle saved on the beach. His eyes widen at her entrance, and he yells, "YOU! You did this, didn't you! F*+*ing witc--" His vitriol is cut brutally short when the Mwangi man clocks him in the mouth with a vicious jab that sends blood spewing across the galley floor. The young Rahadoumi sailor's head lolls from the sudden concussion.
The Mwangi man lifts the sailor's drooping, bloody head by his hair and growls, "That is enough from you, boy." He looks up at Giffer and the newcomer, his previous dangerous scowl replaced by a look of distant curiosity. "They had a prisoner?"
Giffer nods. "Aye, an' I think she be mute. Ye know sign, aye?"
He nods curtly.
Giffer's shoulders drop slightly from relief. "Thank tha gods. Care ta speak wit' 'er? See why she's here? I think she climbed up outtta th'bilges durin' the hullabaloo."
From the way they'd just come, a man with a bucket of water hustles through the galley into an adjacent room. There's the sound of a splash, then a thin trail of smoke that wafts through the door. The bucket man unhurriedly steps back through the galley for more water. Apparently whatever blast she'd heard earlier, they have the resulting flames well under control. Fire is no joke on a ship, so his unbothered gait must mean it's little more than smolders that they're wetting to make sure the surrounding wood doesn't spontaneously catch.
Shivikah nods toward the bound trio. "Watch them." Giffer nods, draws her short-blade, and sits down nearby, picking under her dirty nails with the semi-sharp point of her battered sword. Shivikah motions for Estelle to follow, and leads her back from the prisoners and into a side room, perhaps the officers' quarters? She's not sure.
He flips a stool around that was sitting near a small, cramped desk nailed down into the floorboards and offers it to her, sitting on a large crate nearby.
My name is Shivikah, he signs. What is yours?
She nods happily as the woman at least figures out it was a sign. Her hope of being understood rises significantly.
Following along like a dutiful captive Estelle tries to stay out of trouble, not that that helped with her prior captors. These ones seem less bad though... for criminals.
Ugh, that's my mother talking again. Most are probably just forced into piracy through economic, birth or other unfair circumstances. Don't judge these ones too harshly. At least until they earn it.
___________________
The simple question brings a happy memory to her. There was no sign for her name, but her name meant a sign. One that she enjoyed using.
Pleased to meet you, my name is Star.
Her index fingers point repeatedly up into the sky as she smiles.
Draxxie steps out of the mist, her teeth bared, her steel ready. She slashes at the officer...
"No mercy for those with no grave
No grave but the sea!"