Kwin speaks to quietly for the new "captain" to hear, but he lets his god's wrath get the message across. But the movements of the boat and captain prevent holy wrath from hitting his time.
Argyri's shoulders unwind a bit, as their foes fall back. "We're winning, buds! Bottom's up, drink'm if ya got'm!!"
She downs a healing potion, and gets ready to join the pursuit.
The pounding of the footsteps upstairs are punctuated with door slam and roar, "Get outta my way ya useless slugs!" A huge tattooed smuggler in studded leather wielding a blood-stained hook and hammer shoulders a smuggler aside. He swings at Badger but misses.
The two wounded smugglers retreat near their new captain leaving a fresh smuggler who arrived with the bosun. The smuggler slashes at Badger with his cutlass. Distracted by meat hook, the gnome catches a slice.
Seeing another arcanist, the deck wizard raises his fingers causing another shimmering green arrow to streak toward Drusilla who also dodges out of the way to see a blob of acid to hit deck.
Drusilla will begin an Ancient Elven song of the Wind. Her notes ring a beautifully haunting melody that makes her fill with some sort of power.
With the Arcane energy flowing into her from the Ancient ways of the Eldritch Song she leaped into action. As she does she moves with enhanced speed her sword out.
With the increased speed, she makes a straight line toward the enemy wizard.
Kwin steps out since Blacklock has cleared the way. Glancing around, he locks his gaze on the wizard. With Blacklock's potion in one hand and his bow in the other, he decides to drop the bow, point at the wizard, and call down his god's power upon him!
Argyri is just considering whether to drink her final healing draught when she sees Drusilla charge past.
Ulp! Well, I can't let her run out on her own, can I? I mean, would Dyzziq the Dashing sit by and let a wizard have all the fun??
She dodges past the sailor by the door, and charges straight toward the self-styled captain.
With a huge brute attacking Badger, Tarn did what he could to help. Still feeling blessed he waded into the thick of things, aiming his hammer for the back of the man’s leg.
The kid picked a vial from his belt, passing it back to Kwin "Oy, for the old man!" before lunging forward with both hands extended, crushing one of the bottlenecked fighters in the stomach.
Kwin steps out since Blacklock has cleared the way. Glancing around, he locks his gaze on the wizard. With Blacklock's potion in one hand and his bow in the other, he decides to drop the bow, point at the wizard, and call down his god's power upon him!
With a huge brute attacking Badger, Tarn did what he could to help. Still feeling blessed he waded into the thick of things, aiming his hammer for the back of the man’s leg.
With the Arcane energy flowing into her from the Ancient ways of the Eldritch Song she leaped into action. As she does she moves with enhanced speed her sword out. Drusilla barely dodges a cutlass as she runs passed the fresh smuggler by the door.
She dodges past the sailor by the door, and charges straight toward the self-styled captain. The chain mail of the new captain blocks the killing blow. And, the surprise prevents her dagger from finding purchase, too.
The fresh smuggler flanking the door steps in front of the doorway to cut off reinforcements and stabs at Tarn.
Bloody Bjorn grins evilly at Argyri and tries to end her with a massive two-handed swing and backslash.
The wounded smuggler blocking the stairs to the deck wizard and the other wounded smuggler who steps over Argyri's body to attack Drusilla. Both miss the wizard who realizes that she is tanking vs 3 opponents.
Recognizing a fellow caster, the Deck Wizard sneers at Drusilla from above on the forecastle and fires a beam of crackling, blue energy at her.
Pulling his hammer back, Tarn was blindsided when a smuggler stabbed him in the side. He stumbled and fell to one knee. He swung his hammer wildly to force the man back as he pulled himself back up.
Argyri's eyes go wide as the captain's blade spills her guts out.
She hovers for a moment, thinking: ...what...?, before collapsing, unconscious.
Drusilla smiles and steps back five feet then unleashes hell aiming her spell at the wizard.
After that, I will ready my defense.
Kwin races over to Badger, starting his prayer as he closes the distance.When he crouches next to his fallen friend, his hand flares with silver-gold radiance, sharing a sliver of his god's power.
A dreamlike montage of swashbucklery–drawn mostly from the penny dreadfuls she reads, but now also mixing in her own exploits–somehow fuels Argyri's will to keep on fighting. She awakens beneath the feet of the smuggler she'd just ran past.
She attempts to catch the smuggler above her unawares, and then tumbles back, out of harm's way and onto her feet. There, Argyri wobbles somewhat on her feet, as adrenaline wrestles with loss-of-blood, to keep her going.
Badger's eyes flash open. "Bah . . . I'm not ready for the choir invisible!" He rocks back and then to a place where he can get his feet under him. He springs back into action knowing that cornered in the cabin means they need to win if they expect to live. He hopes his sudden reemergence on the field gives him a shot at surprising the sailor.
Pulling his hammer back, Tarn was blindsided when a smuggler stabbed him in the side. He stumbled and fell to one knee. He swung his hammer wildly to force the man back as he pulled himself back up.
Drusilla smiles and steps back five feet then unleashes hell aiming her spell at the wizard.
Blacklock leaned back on one foot, rapidly nailing the smuggler with a pair of whip-cracking snap kicks.
Kwin races over to Badger, starting his prayer as he closes the distance.When he crouches next to his fallen friend, his hand flares with silver-gold radiance, sharing a sliver of his god's power.
A dreamlike montage of swashbucklery–drawn mostly from the penny dreadfuls she reads, but now also mixing in her own exploits–somehow fuels Argyri's will to keep on fighting. She awakens beneath the feet of the smuggler she'd just ran past. She catches the smuggler above her unawares and runs him through with her rapier. She kips up to her feet and stabs the new captain with her dagger dropping him with a flourish!
Badger's eyes flash open. "Bah . . . I'm not ready for the choir invisible!" He rocks back and then to a place where he can get his feet under him. He springs back into action knowing that cornered in the cabin means they need to win if they expect to live.
Deck wizard smiles back at Drusilla and disappears with a word briefly surrounded by silvery mist.
The deck is littered with bodies. You know the Deck Wizard is alive but no where in sight. Behind the rush of adrenaline in your ears, you can actually now hear waves and birds.
Badger might have only scratched the crew man if the last of Blacklock's kicks hadn't driven the man into the gnome's swords. The gnome nearly get's buried by the weight of the sailor and takes a moment to pull his blades free which requires him to stand on the corpse to free the blades. He looks around, "This one's dead. These others might still be breathing albeit shallow. Did ya all git the spell slinger."
Drusilla falls as that last blast lays her low.
Drusilla falls as that last blast lays her low.
Drusilla looks at Blacklock and laughs."He is fleeing, I know not where he is gonna go except over the side?"
"Gotta be the lower decks!" rushing to the trapdoor, flinging it open and peering inside... the brawler finds the business end of a cutlass waving in his face wielded by one of the smugglers who was once banging on the trap door. The human in leather armor stands on the deck below, which looks to be an officer's quarters, preventing Blacklock from coming down without a fight.
You suspect the Bosun left of his two crew to watch his hatch when the First Mate called him to the Main Deck into the fight. The Bosun and fresh smuggler were the last two crew entering the melee at the doorway.
"Don't do anything stupid." Tarn warned. "Got lads here near death's door. Better to let the last few get away than to have any losses on our end." That, and he thought to himself, that in a foot race he wasn't going to be the winner anyways.
"No we capture them and turn them in." Drusilla says with a smile as she comes up and smiles as she pulls form her spell component pouch a chunk of disgusting meat.
"Or I could melt them with a spell"
"Well capture them assumin'they got the wit's ta surrender. I killed enough of you boys today. Throw side yer arms and you'll not be left for chum."
"Ho! There you are! You want to die?!" the brawler screamed before jumping down upon him...falling on top of the man's skull with the knife-edge of his elbow, right before kneeing him in the clavicle. The kid ducked a blade and back flipped away just as quickly...
The quarter's are cramped with no open exits, so Blacklock rebounds back up to the captain's quarters looking down on the pummeled smuggler who is beaten within an inch of unconsciousness .
"<beep> <beep> <beep> <beep> <beep>! Stop that! I surrender!" The wounded smuggler drops his cutlass.
Argyri limps over and slaps Blacklock on the shoulder. "Nice work, kid! You're a real force to be reckoned with.
"All of ya, in fact. I won't lie, I've never had a fight this tough in my life...and hope not to again, anytime soon. But if it was gonna happen, I'm glad it was beside you lot."
...before headbutting him square in the nose and hauling him up. And the smuggler is now unconscious.
Looking around the quarters where the smuggler surrendered, This cabin occupies half the stern section on this deck, with one bulkhead running along the centerline of the ship. Along this bulkhead, leading up in the direction of the bow, is an enclosed companionway. At its foot, a door in the central bulkhead leads to the other part of the stern. On this door hangs a dark blue cloak.
A single bunk, the bed linen heaped in a pile, is set against the hull. At its foot is a brass-bound wooden sea chest, its lid closed. Under the bunk is a brass box, also closed.
In the center of the cabin, a plain wooden table is bolted to the deck. On it are two books, one open and propped up against the other. Beside the table is a wooden chair. Hanging from the ceiling over the table is an hooded lantern. Just aft of the hook that holds the lantern is the hatch measuring three feet on a side that you are looking down through from the captain's quarters.
With your keen eye, Blacklock notices a secret door on the aft wall of the room.
Badger looks at the fallen sailors. "Are any of these gonna wake on us?"
Kwin will lean over the side where the guards are waiting with their rowboat. He calls out "All is well so far, but the danger may not be past. Stay alert."
Kwin will help check the fallen and bind any that are merely wounded.
"Let's check da rowboat. I'd hate ta think one of our foes got our escort." Badger moves out of the cabin carefully keeping his eyes toward the other side of the boat where he saw the caster earlier. He moves to the side of the boat where their rowboat stopped and looked over the side to make sure they were still there.
Drusilla looks to Black Rock with her sword out."Let us look around below deck and see if there are any more surprises"
Blacklock waits for reinforcements with memories of weasels floating through his head.
Kwin and Badger look over the side of the ship and confirm their rowboat ride is still there. The guards wave.
Drusilla confirms the secret door has no traps, so Blacklock trips the release of the secret door. Inside this cramped area, only four feet wide at the widest, is sandwiched between the adjacent cabin and the ship's stern. It contains eight large, irregularly shaped bundles wrapped in oilskin and bound with light rope. These are piled at random on the deck, as though thrown in casually from the doorway. The eight bundles here contain the following equipment:
* 10 morningstars
* 10 longswords
* 10 shields
* 20 javelins
* 1 shield emblazoned on the front with the design of a lizard with forked tongue extended
There is no identification of any sort on any of the mismatched bundles, nor is there anything else stored in this secret area.
When Argyri sees the chest, she feels her fingers twitch. "I better see if that chest or box are trapped. First though, let's find where that wizard is hiding.
"Should we check rooms out in pairs, and then holler when we see them?"
Drusilla takes her time to search for hidden things be them man or device
Drusilla recognizes the Deck Wizard cast Misty Step!
Badger nods at Argyri's suggestion. "Two should stay topside. One at the hatch in the captains cabin and someone in the door to the cabin to keep an eye on the deck and watch their back. That way if the rat runs up when we go down he'll get pinched."
" He used a teleportation spell. Short range he is still on the Ship!" She says as she keeps her blade out ready strike if needed.