Just as you take care of the last sailor, another group of sailors, led by what looks like an officer, rush up the straboard stairs. It looks like they are trying to excspe on one of the ship's boats.
Ioney goes first, then the sailors, then Helgash and Nivian, then the officer, and finally, Sebastion. Ioney you're up.
"You cowards there! You're running the wrong way! We'll gut you before you leave the ship. Surrender and live! Flee and be cut down!"
The first sailor headed towards your group has a look of doubt enter his eyes at Ioney's shout (he is shaken for two rounds). The other two sailors make for the starboard side boat to begin getting it ready to launch. The officer, along with the shaken sailor move towards you.
Helgash it is.
Somehow, the sailor manages to hit Helgash.
Helgash and Nivian are up!
Expecting the officer to be trouble, Nivian targets him with her misfortune, starting to sing as she does so.
Helgash attempts to parry and riposte the attack!
Then he returns the attack with a scowl.
The officer fails his save.
Helgash turns the sailor's lucky strike aside and then skewers him. He is barely standing now.
The officer moves up and attacks Sebastion. The officer is weilding a boarding pike.
He misses.
Sebastion is up.
Sebastion returns the favor, stepping up and attacking the officer witht the pike.
AC-23
hp-17/22
status-bardic inspire courage(+1), fighting defensively, power attack, Crane stance
The officer's eyes widen in surprise and pain as Sebastion delivers a vicious slash that deeply wounds him.
Round 6
As you engage this new group, a loud explosion sounds from below decks and a massive cloud of black smoke billows forth fromt he center hatch to the hols at mid deck. You feel the ship shiver from the blast.
Not being quite the hero others might hope, Ioney avoids putting himself in a 2 on 1 battle, and goes to create a 3 on 2 battle instead. Once he moves into place, he tries to poke the sailor escorting the officer so closely.
Ioney finishes off the wounded sailor.
One of the other sailors moves up and attacks Sebastion while the sailor 3 waits.
but he misses horribly.
Helgash and Nivian are up.
"Nivian, stay close!" - Helgash urges his companion, moving forward and attacking the officer.
The officer, bleeding badly, withdraws to the boat and the sailor that held moves up and attacks Sebastion to block the path to the officer.
OK, everyone except Helgash is up.
The bard steps up, trying to fit around the wheel, striking out at the officer.
Nivian focuses her attention on the next most dangerous opponent, attempting to extend her misfortune to them while prolonging it for those affected.
Sebastion, blocked by the sailor, tries to remove the obstruction to the officer.
AC-23
hp-17/22
status-bardic inspire courage(+1), fighting defensively, power attack, Crane stance
Sebastion and Ioney combine to knock out sailor 3.
The officer attempts to release the starboard side ship's boat.
The last remaining sailor shifts over and tries to hit Sebastion.
But fails miserably.
OK, everyone is up.
Nivian raises her Crossbow and fires a bolt at the officer, but it flies past, embedding itself in the sideboat instead.
She continues singing while fumbling around for a new bolt, clearly not entirely focused on the combat around her.
Expressing himself with some colorful language, Ioney moves away from the sailor, pushing himself around the stern to close with the officer.
Once he reaches the officer, he tries to poking the man. "Bad man. No leaving!"
Nivian's curse causes the officer to bungle his attempt to release the boat.
Ionarey aboids the sailor's slash as he moves to attack the officer.
Sebastion steps over and attacks sailor 2, giving room for Helgash.
You stop the officer from escaping, between Nivian's curse and the fact that Sebastion knocked him down to 4 hp with that crit, he really can't escape. As your fight ends, you notice the fighting on deck dying down as well with the pirates victorious. Of the sailors you fought, three are dead, four are still unconscious, and two surrendered (I'm assuming you have bound them all).
The a line of prisoners from the Man’s Promise is paraded before Captain Harrigan and the cheering crew of the Wormwood. Aboard the Wormwood, a party begins as the pirates celebrate their victory with fine food and drink from the Man’s Promise’s hold. Captain Harrigan holds a meeting with his top officers and divvies up the plunder from the Man’s Promise among the crew in the early evening. Bolstered by gold and good drink, the party lasts for 36 hours, well into the next night. Naturally, no work takes place during the party.
Your share is 250gp each. In addition, you recieve 275gp, three potions of cure moderate wounds, and a potion of invisibility as a group. And Capt. Harrigan presents Ioney with an Amulet of Natural Armor +1.
Accepting the reward, Ioney tries to present a confident face and honest gratitude instead of revealing the fear that quickly develops that this may make the thugs target him even harder . . .. "Thank you, Captain. Just trying to keep the promise that I made about keeping the entire crew as happy, healthy, and productive as I can."
But he keeps cutting his eyes towards the thugs, and can't keep his voice from quavering a bit.
Weaklings..., Nivian thinks to herself as the prisoners are paraded.
Alas, not that they had captured a fully intact ship, as well as plenty of plunder, it seemed likely that they would head to a port.
Considering the hostile work environment, that was good news, as knowing where she was, or even just being near a settled coast was giving her options.
But for now, she had to play along a little longer.
She partook in the festivities that ensued, but made certain to stay somewhat sober - she did not trust Scourge, Plugg, or their cronies - so she would definitely not let her guard down while the issue with them remained unresolved. They had made it abundantly clear that they were fine breaking or bending rules - and going out of their way - to cause trouble for the group Nivian considered her allies.
But for now, she saw no option to strike against them. So Nivian waited.
At dawn, a few hours after the celebration finally winds down, the ship’s bell sounds, calling all hands on deck. When the crew is assembled, a long line of captured officers and sailors from the Man’s Promise is brought on deck and paraded before the crew. Captain Harrigan addresses the captives first, offering a place on the Wormwood’s crew for any who want to throw their lot in with pirates. Several of the Rahadoumi sailors step forward; Master Scourge cuts their bonds, and the sailors take their places among the Wormwood’s crew. Harrigan then turns to address the Wormwood’s crew.
“All right, you scurvy tars! You’ve done a right good job by me, we’ve got a second ship now, and she’s quite a prize from the looks of her. But I still have only one crew. So here’s the plan, the Wormwood will sail on to our planned destination with our new shipmates here, while Mr. Plugg will pick a skeleton crew to sail the Man’s Promise to Port Peril, where she’ll be worth a pretty penny as salvage. As for these fine fellows here,” Harrigan gestures at the remainder of the captured ship’s crew, [/b]“some of them will no doubt be worth a hefty ransom from their families back in Azir. And for the rest, if the life of a pirate’s not for them, they can spend the rest of their lives at sea!”[/b]
To make his point, Harrigan grabs one of the Rahadoumi sailors and throws him overboard to the accompaniment of cheers and laughter from the Wormwood’s crew. As the unfortunate man sinks beneath the waves, many of the remaining sailors scramble to swear their loyalty to Harrigan. The officers are led belowdecks and the crew begins to disperse to their daily tasks.
Mr. Plugg and Master Scourge immediately begin picking out several of the Wormwood’s original crew and a few of the newly acquired sailors from the Man's Promise, telling them to be aboard the Man’s Promise within 10 minutes to set sail for Port Peril. Amazingly, he also chooses you to join the skeleton crew as well, and Scourge smiles evilly at you as he picks
you.
The skeleton crew of the Man’s Promise includes Mr. Plugg, Master Scourge, Owlbear Hartshorn, and all of the surviving members of the Wormwood’s original crew of sailors, as well as the PCs, Ambrose Kroop (whom the captain is glad to be rid of ), Conchobhar Shortstone, Rosie Cusswell, and Sandara Quinn.
Ioney gathers his things and changes ships, PAINFULLY aware that it wouldn't matter if Captain Harrigan had bought the farm. He was going to be under the thumb of the thugs that want them all dead, anyway, without the Captain's protection.
Nivian raises her eyebrow when the picks are announced. Scourges smile did nothing to alleviate her concerns.
With the crew already short-handed as it was, they would not act immediately, but she had no doubt that before they would arrive at their destination, something sinister would go down.
She briefly considers her options while packing up all her belongings, then visits Cut Throat Grok for a last time, briefly browsing the wares looking for something that could be used as a poison, drug, or sedative.
"Grok...I had bad experiences in the past. I spent years as a prisoner on a ship before, as novelty, and....to satisfy the urges of my captor. I know neither Plugg nor Scourge think highly of me - or the others who were forced on board with me - and to be honest, I am afraid they did not choose us for their crew with our best interest in mind. I do not want to be locked up as a toy again. Do you have anything that could give me, or others with me, a swift and honorable death? I'd prefer to die proud over living as a slave."
"You should give it to Scourge and Plugg instead. I think they plan on getting rid of you and your friends. All I have is this."
She hands you a small box, inside are four vials of a green liquid.
"Oil of taggit, it won't kill anyone, but it will make them unconscious for a few hours. It has to be drunk or in their food to work."
She looks at you with tears in her eyes.
"You be very careful, Plugg is despicable and Scourge is a nasty piece of work."
She gives you a strong hug goodbye.
"Thank you! I mean it. Report it stolen a day after we part ways, wouldn't want this to cause any trouble for you.", she hugs the Half-Orc back.
"If we ever meet again, I won't forget this. Fair winds and calm seas to you, Grok."
As she gathers her things, she quickly marks the vials "Healing", but keeps them hidden all the same as she transfers over to the Man's Promise.
Yar suddenly comes to his senses after he was beat to unconsciousness as a prisoner.
He looks around and realizes a little what’s going on.
“Hello?!? Hello!! Who’s in charge here??? Please, spare my life. I can be of use to you all and your crew. I have skills as a navigator!!“ he pleads.
Suddenly, he stops speaking and looks at Helgash.
“Wait... I know you!!? Is that you from the fight? Thank the stars! You, do you remember a few weeks ago when you were jumped by some thugs? You were about to get a beating until I distracted them! Please help me!!“ he shouts.
Nivian raises an eyebrow when one of the new converts speaks up to her. She was used to being somewhat memorable to people, with her blue skin, but made no effort the remember all the people she met in passing. But his story did ring a bell: "Ah...I do remember. You got the situation all wrong, my friend. It was not a beating they were after, but something more carnal in nature. And I WAS trying to lure them to the alley behind that warehouse, where a few other local gals that had business with them were waiting, armed and ready. With your "rescue", I had little reason to hang around and run into a dead-end."
She smirks - but in a friendly way: "But I very much do appreciate the good intent behind your action. Couldn't have known, and if things were as they seemed, you'd very well could have saved me from a bad fate. I think we had no chance to introduce each other, then. I'm Nivian. This here's Ioney, and that over there Sebastion. There's some others, like Sandara or the cooks mate, Helgash, but you'll meet them in due time. I'm afraid we're not the favorites of our commanding officers, but if you'd prefer sticking to us over trying to do things alone, you are welcome to hang out with us. As said, fair warning, but then, we did nothing to bring their anger on us, so there's a good chance you'd not fare any better by not associating with us. But that's your choice."
She leans forward and offers the Halfling a hand to help him up - or to visibly reject her in a show to Pluggs cronies.
Yar is surprised.
“Oh, I see. Thank you for clarifying, Nivian. And it's good to finally meet you and your companions. I'm Yar, and I appreciate the offer to stick together. It's better to have allies than to face this situation alone!“
Yar takes Nivian's hand so she helps him up.
He then looks at the other and nods respectfully.
"Glad not to have had to watch one of these kill you, Yar. I'm Ioney. Not much of a sailor, I'm afraid."
"Aye, here's hoping we watch nobody kill anybody in the near future. We may not have the luxury of waiting until we arrive at the port we're headed towards, but lets keep our heads low and see how things go. If things go from bad to worse, I may have an idea on how to proceed, but we should talk on that in private, later. Expect to get the s&&@tiest shifts in the worst jobs, and punishment for failure with glee on their part. But you're alive, which is more than can be said for a lot of the others who were on the 'Man's Promise'. Here's hoping it stays that way.", Nivian adds, then waves Sebastion over to also say his welcomes to their new companion.
Yar nods at Ioney and again looks at Nivian.
"Well, I will really try to follow your lead here Ioney and Nivian. I mean, I am just a humble servant of the monkey king! And I promise to try to remain sober for the time that we are together!" he says with determination.
"You're an adherent of Sun Wukong? Now that's a troublemaker. I like you already. Don't stay too sober, we may need his favor before we're through with this mess-", Nivian acknowledges the additional information Yar provides with a grin.
The prize crew is hustled on to the Man's Promise and the two ships part ways. Plugg wastes no time on laying down the law. As the Man’s Promise sets sail, acting captain Mr. Plugg and his first mate Master Scourge gather the crew together to inform them that although this is a new ship, the rules are the same, though discipline on the Man’s Promise will be a
good deal harsher than on the lackadaisical Wormwood — all crimes are now punishable with the cat instead of the whip. All of the crew keep the same jobs they had before on the Wormwood, but they will have to work a good deal harder, as the crew is smaller.
As night falls, the sails of the Wormwood disappear over the horizon. Mr. Plugg does not believe in crew entertainment or rum rations, and anyone caught above decks after dusk without leave gets six lashes with the cat.
Day 2
Friendly NPCs begin whispering their concerns to the you on the second day of the voyage. If the Man’s Promise is sailing back to Port Peril, what is to become of the group of press-ganged crew? Rumors begin to spread among the friendly NPCs that Mr. Plugg might decide to claim the Man’s Promise for himself and establish himself as a pirate captain in his own right. These rumors become more certain when a Sandara Quinn deduces that the ship has changed course and is heading east toward Bloodcove, a notorious port on the edges of the Mwangi Expanse.
During the evening, Kroop suggests to you that he knows where the Man’s Promise might be heading — to a seedy, isolated dry dock on the Slithering Coast west of Bloodcove called Rickety’s Squibs. For a price, old Rickety Hake completely refits ships into “squibs,” providing new identities by changing ships’ lines, silhouettes, and general appearance to be unrecognizable to their former owners or anyone else familiar with them.
Yar listens intently as some of the crew express their concerns and share rumors about Mr. Plugg's intentions for the Man's Promise. Yar can feel the tension and unease growing among the crew, and he knows that they need to find a way to protect themselves.
When Kroop suggests Rickety's Squibs as a possible destination for the Man's Promise, Yar sees an opportunity. He approaches Nivian.
“What do you think?!“
"I think that's trouble.", Nivian responds, "I was already worried when the idea was to sell the ship in a larger harbor. But if that had been the case, he'd be stuck in the harbor until the Captain would have picked him up, and there was a chance he'd part ways with us with no trouble. If he intends to keep the ship, however, I am almost certain he will not want to keep us on his payroll."
She makes sure nobody else is listening on on them, with only close allies close by: "We are short-staffed as is. Just enough to keep this ship going. Any less and there's trouble. That means he won't act until we get close to the Bloodcove, but we face the same issue...if we mutiny, even successful, without them and their cronies we'd have to be lucky to make it to any port, winds willing. I think for now, we'll lay low a bit longer, try and get closer to our destination. Then we'll act."
"You're an adherent of Sun Wukong? Now that's a troublemaker. I like you already. Don't stay too sober, we may need his favor before we're through with this mess-", Nivian acknowledges the additional information Yar provides with a grin.
Yar chuckles at Nivian's comment about Sun Wukong, glad to have found a kindred spirit among the crew.
”You know it!“ he says with a grin.
“Sun Wukong was a rebel and a trickster, always causing trouble for the gods. But he was also fiercely loyal to his friends and followers, and he never gave up in the face of adversity. Those are qualities that I admire, and that I hope to embody in my own life!“
He takes a swig from his flask, feeling the warmth of the alcohol spreading through his body.
“And don't worry, I won't stay too sober if I don’t have to!!“ he adds with a wink.
"I think that's trouble.", Nivian responds, "I was already worried when the idea was to sell the ship in a larger harbor. But if that had been the case, he'd be stuck in the harbor until the Captain would have picked him up, and there was a chance he'd part ways with us with no trouble. If he intends to keep the ship, however, I am almost certain he will not want to keep us on his payroll."
She makes sure nobody else is listening on on them, with only close allies close by: "We are short-staffed as is. Just enough to keep this ship going. Any less and there's trouble. That means he won't act until we get close to the Bloodcove, but we face the same issue...if we mutiny, even successful, without them and their cronies we'd have to be lucky to make it to any port, winds willing. I think for now, we'll lay low a bit longer, try and get closer to our destination. Then we'll act."
Yar nods in agreement with Nivian's assessment of the situation. He knows that mutiny is a risky proposition, especially with the crew being so short-staffed.
“I understand your concerns, Nivian!“ Yar says, “but we can't just wait and hope for the best. We need to take action before it's too late. And I agree that we need to get closer to Bloodcove before we make our move. But we also need to start planning now, so that we're ready when the time comes!“
He listens as Nivian suggests using the Oil of Taggit to incapacitate Plugg and his closest allies.
“A good plan, but we need to be better prepared before we attempt it. But I’m game you decide now’s the time!!“