Daehalya, seeing the two pirates fall, rushes over to help her companion.
Ezgara continues to weave his tale. He throws a puff of fire into the face of the nearest pirate
"You were warned."
Grundle digs into the mind of the pirate in front of him, throwing their psyche down a well of dread filled only with their most deep-seated fears.
Success The target takes half damage and becomes frightened 1.
Failure The target takes full damage and becomes frightened 2.
Critical Failure The target takes double damage and becomes frightened 3.
He then casts Shield in case the pirate survives the experience and wishes to voice their displeasure.
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Daehalya shifts into a better position as Ezgara burns another of the pirates alive. The screams are short-lived as the pirate dives overboard into the waters below.
Grundle causes severe agonizing despair aong teh remaining boarded pirate causing him to join his friend in the frigid waters below.
Captain Adney bemoans as his ghostly blade passes through the ropes attaching your vessel to theirs, “It’s no good—these maggots seem like they want to chase us to the ends of the world, and they’ve got a fast enough ship to do it!" The only way to shake the marauders, he says, is to defeat their captain. “A ship with no captain’s as good as scuppered,” he explains.
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Yes! Let us put our boot to the Captain's Head!
I can do some cool pugilictic moves to get their attention and Onye can paw-pummel the brains from the ship captain's skull.
And for the record, I f*@@ing HATE the Chelaxians. A bit of bad blood already between the two of us.
Nicky's ready to turn the tables on these Chelaxian marauders.
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Spying the rather large gap between the ships, making a physical jump less likely- he looks for spiritual help.
Hey ghost crew of the weeping but extremely hot woman, you have any help you can lend? Maybe getting a boom mast swinging over towards, or causing a Broach to slew us broadside? Can ya make a heel?
Or is there a Halyard to a lower sail that I can cut and swing across?
Or a kicking strap attached to the boom?
Nicky plans to go all Errol Flynn in this situation. Find a good rope, get some help from the crew and swing into danger. He puts away his weapons and uses both hands in the endeavor.
Just prior to going all Errol Flynn, He spits on the deck of the ship in obvious disgust.
Cheliax! {spit} Wait -'til you get a load of me!
Daehalya -- with a little less verbiage than Nicky -- also follows suit with an act of acrobatics that would make a swashbuckler proud. Readjusting her grip, she takes a quick run across the deck and then uses her staff to vault the distance between the ships.
She quickly looks around to see if there's anything she can do to help the others cross.
Alvarius watches Daehalya leap easily across. He looks at the gap, a little uncertain. "This is... a bit far for my tastes. But I guess the worst thing that happens is..."
The skeleton tries to not think about it too much. He backs up to get a running start, then runs towards the edge to leap!
The cheetah leaps from one ship to the other. The owl wings over and lands on the pirate's gunwale.
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One by one you are able to successfully leap the gap between the ships. The Red Duchess’s captain flings open the door of her cabin and marches out. She’s as corrupted by the bubble’s gases as her crew, and she unsheathes her scimitar as she makes her way toward the Mermaid’s Tears, rage on her features. "You dare try and take my ship! I will make sure you are keelhauled slowly for this"
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Nicholo
Ship Captain
Daehalya
Onye
⠀⠀Uhu
Alvarius
Pirate (Red)
Pirate (Yellow)
Grundle
Ezgara
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Seeing that the Ship captain is obviously high on her own supply, Nicky hopes to incite her further.
Captain? I scoff at you thinking you're a captain of anything. You are just a Rupert. I'm the Principal Grumbler and this crew wants a MUTINY!
+1 for Pursuing a lead, as this was my endeavor.
◆ Bon Mot
◆◆ - Interact- Draw weapon- Elven Curve Blade.
Mutiny by FIRE!
◆◆◆ - Blasting Beam.
DC 10 backlash. Fail. GM, please give me damage.
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"No time to worry about a mutiny while we have disloyal curr that need wiped out." The Ship's Captain spits blood as Nicky Blasts her with his fiery beams.
"Offer no quarter!" The ships Captain charges Onye witha deadly looking rapier.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nicholo
Ship Captain
➤ Daehalya
➤ Onye
⠀⠀➤ Uhu
➤ Alvarius
Pirate (Red)
Pirate (Yellow)
Grundle
Ezgara
Seeing Nicholo duel the captain with both weapon and words, Alvarius decides the best course of action is to help. "Crafanc trywanu," he says, whispering the arcane words that fuel some of his magic. A clawed, skeletal hand appears briefly beside the Chelish sea captain, reaching out to rend flesh from their body.
The cheetah looks over his shoulder and barks at the owl. The owl leaps off of the gunwale and circles around the pirate captain's head as the cheetah lunges in for a bite and swipes with his forepaw.
+
+
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Nicholo gets a little burned from backlash of his beams as Uhu divebombs on top of the Captain's head. Onye and Uhu claw at the sea Captain's face. Alvarius replicates a spell of his own but manages to just misses as the ghostly skeletal hand floats past.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nicholo
Ship Captain
➤ Daehalya
Onye
⠀⠀Uhu
Alvarius
Pirate (Red)
Pirate (Yellow)
Grundle
Ezgara
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Nicky continues to talk trash. Looking to keep the captain off balance, tactically confused, and maybe generate an intense hatred for him. All with the goal of keeping her from bashing the real threat from our party- Onye.
Oh Captain, the first thing I'm doing after you are mutinied and in chains --- is taking over your captain's cabin and......
HP 61/61
AC 23 (+1 vs. traps), deny advantage, cold resistance 2
Fort +9, Ref +13, Will +10 (+1 vs. traps)
Hero Points: 1
Deviant backlash DC: 5
Effects:
Seeing Onye with plenty of support, Daehalya dashes forward to cut off one of the other pirates, staff spinning as it batters the Chelaxian.
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Daehalya sweeps the pirate off her feet and launches her into the violent ocean waters below. The other pirate screams, rushing Daehalya with her cutlass.
The cutlass manages a small victory as it cuts Daehalya's shoulder.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Nicholo
Ship Captain
Daehalya
Onye
⠀⠀Uhu
Alvarius
Pirate (Yellow)
➤ Grundle
➤ Ezgara
Ezgara calls down a crack of lightning on the captain, then cowers behind his shield!
(posting on the road, apologies for lack of flavor)
Grundle whips any loose debris at the captain.
"Your untidy ship will be your undoing."
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Nicky continues his trash talk.
(is taking over your captain's cabin and) carve my initials in all the wood surfaces. Then I'm go'nna piss on the Chelaxian flag before burning it.
First things first- you are going down harder than a mite's head.
He moves to engage the Pirate captain.
Nicky looks to devise a strategy and get in position to help Onye flank, but that doesn't seem plausible.
◆stride
◆◆ Shared Strategem. - If hit, the captain is flat footed for Onye.
◆◆◆ Attack -
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Nicholo's trash talking infuriates the Captain further as the elven tiefling's blade misses its mark. The Captain strikes with both her rapier and main-gauche at the same time.
The Captain's strikes nearly disarm Nicholo's own blade as it appears to barely be within his grasp. Onye comes to Nicholo's aid as the catfolk manages to get a clean retributive strike back nto the Captain's arm.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nicholo
Ship Captain
➤ Daehalya
➤ Onye
⠀⠀➤ Uhu
➤ Alvarius
Pirate (Yellow)
Grundle
Ezgara
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Nicky smiles as he takes a beating from the Captain. A juxtaposition of what you'd expect.
This is the pathway for our victory. See, Onye now has an opening. And My cloak gets to try and bite you too! Nicky thinks to himself. He sure doesn't voice these thoughts, as he properly has the Captain duped.
Reaction - Cloak of Gnawing leaves. DC 17 Reflex save.
Failure - 1d4 damage.
HP 61/61
AC 23 (+1 vs. traps), deny advantage, cold resistance 2
Fort +9, Ref +13, Will +10 (+1 vs. traps)
Hero Points: 1
Deviant backlash DC: 5
Effects:
"This is pointless!" Daehalya remonstrates. "We're not in Cheliax, and have no quarrel with you!" Despite her words, she never stops moving her staff, sweeping it in an arc against the pirate.
She tries to size up what she plans next.
The cheetah weaves in and out around the pirate captain, threatening to knock them off balance. He looks to the owl and growls before timing a bite at the pirate's leg when the owl swoops at their face.
+
+
Alvarius extends the reach of his spell by muttering a preparatory incantation, then shouts, "Arc Trydan!"
Electricity arcs out from his fingertips towards the pirate and their captain.
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Nicholo's cloak reaches out snaping at the Ship Captains hands. She recoils back in shock, not expecting a cloak to fight back.
Daehalya fails to trip this new foe but does manage to give them a decent sized bruise on their thigh. Daehalya misinterprets the pirates strategy and finds herself off guard and alone.
Onye's claw rakes the armor right off of the Captain's body while Ezgara electrocutes both, who immediately loses consciousness.
Having defeated Kitari, you are able to safely explore the Red Duchess before returning to the Mermaid’s Tears. The caravel’s remaining crew don’t interfere, and in fact don’t seem to be conscious of the situation at all—they simply stand in place on the ship’s deck, mouths agape and eyes unblinking. The Red Duchess’s hold contains two lesser sea touch elixirs, two lesser mistform elixirs, and 200 gp.
"Something is wrong here," Daehalya says, hoping Ezgara or someone can make some sense of what is happening with the crew. This whole encounter seems so confusing. Yes, Nicholo is a nephilim, but why else would the ship have made such an effort to come after them?
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Daehalya is right. This is funky, funky. It smells as bad at 5 day old fish. We need to stay here and better understand the situation. I think we need a party dialogue figure this craziness out. Does the images we saw in a hallusinigenic haze - were they lost memories from our time on the other side of the gate? Or were they pre-gate?
This is funky. Do we have any hints from something the captain might have said?
Nicky goes through with his promise and carves his initials (NR) on at least three surfaces in the captains cabin. He carves the large letters in the captain's bedpost, on her desk, and footlocker. He'll do a carving if he sees another cool surface to "claim".
All the while, he mulls over the events that unfolded and the creepy status of the Chelaxian crew.
The old mendicant pokes the sailors with his broken twig. He presses it against unblinking eyeballs, into ears and the soft skin between the toes and then gives it a sniff.
Minds, minds gone. Gone forever. Do you understand? Obliterated. Senseless as logs. Tip them overboard like lumber. Don’t be at loggerheads: if you put them into the bunks, kind Ezgara will not spoon feed or dribble sponges onto desiccated tongues, smell the sour breath of rotting teeth and armpit, change the diapers. Tip them overboard. This is wisdom: soulless sailors float down the flume to Pharasma.
The cheetah sniffs the slack-jawed sails and sneezes. The hunting cat glows and resumes his amurrun form. "Ezgara describes evil magics," he says. "Onye Dinta finds the plight detestable."
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"Ezgara is right. They're not long for this world, and it's honestly debatable as to whether there's a soul left within. Nothing more than meat husks. They deserve merciful deaths. Tipping them overboard is fine, but only after delivering a quick slash to their throats."
He then walks over to the captain, riffling through pockets to see if there's anything left of value. Which he will pass on to the others.
Alvarius then sizes up the body of the captain. "Seems to be about the right size. I could use a spare femur."
The skeletal wizard then retrieves his dagger, crouches down, and begins the slow process of cutting off the dead captain's leg at the hip.
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The Ship's Captain holds:
★ -- ★ -- ★ -- ★
Freeing the mindless from their misery Alvarius doesn't let any part go to waste. Trapped this far north one does what they must to survive and sustain themselves.
Free of the Red Duchess, the Mermaid’s Tears continues its course toward Egede. Unfortunately, this course takes you straight through yet another danger: a snowstorm of epic proportions. Worse, the snowstorm is infused with the same sweet, mind-warping gas that affected the crew of the Red Duchess.
As your ship sails through the gas-infused flurry, you are all exposed to a second dose of the gas, causing you to have another shared hallucination based on their buried memories.
As you inhale a lungful of crisp, sweet-smelling air, your mind is once more whisked away from the present. This time, though, there’s no glowing gate in sight. Instead, your party is somewhere very cold and very desolate. You trudge together through an arctic waste in the middle of a snowstorm, compelled by some unseen force to move toward an unknown destination. In your hands, you pull one end of a rope secured to a sled that trails behind your party. On the sled is the body of some large creature, hidden to you beneath a canvas tarp.
Once again, Sakuachi stands at a distance, too far from you to do anything but watch. Ahead, a black spire juts from the horizon. Just as quickly, though, the spire resolves itself to be a ship mast. The crunching snow beneath your feet yaws and rolls, and you are once more on the Mermaid’s Tears, her sail flapping wildly in a strong and bitter wind.
As your vision subsides, you are once again on their ship’s deck, but you’ve seemingly brought back the worst effects of your shared hallucination with you. The blizzard has worsened significantly—the gunwales are coated in ice, drifts of snow are piled by the doors leading below decks, and the lake churns with big, choppy waves.
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Ezgara brays like a mule when he wakes up from a dream of pulling a sled.
Saddle Ezgara with your ropes!? He will labor donkey ears, a hundred years, plotting to kick you but once in the head! It is all he needs. Your neck will snap like dry tinder. Ageless is his patience, he abides to bide. Ageless. It is ageless. Do you understand?
He trots around the ship, rags fluttering in the wind, viciously kicking ice free with his demonic hoof.
"Nine bloody Hells, this is unpleasant. And why does it need to mess with the weather?" Alvarius says, teeth chattering. "I hate to be the one that asks, but... are we there yet?"
Daehalya barely notices the weather -- so much like home -- as she remains distracted by Alvarius' most recent actions, and the shared vision. She can't help but wonder if the thing they are pulling -- could it be the Blackfrost Whale? That seems to link them based on what they've learned, but ... did they already encounter this dire threat?
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Nicky looks at Alvarius, and gives a bit of a grimace. He quickly tries to hid his reaction and instead says, Yowza Alvarius. You are making the most of your resources. I guess you are being prudent and getting some "back up" bones. See, I think it's just the same as looting the bodies. The crew ain't gonna need the femur anymore- just like the Captain ain't needin' this beauty of a rapier. Nicky picks it up and looks to put it in a scabbard. Claiming it, unless another could use it.
***************
As the shared illusion comes to play- Nicky is dismayed and keeps his dismay apparent. Not hiding it.
That's number two on the un-figured-out list of vivid dreams. Come-on! Who the hell knows what is causing this? What does it mean? Also, I f#+&ing HATE the cold. I'm freezing my horns off.
He looks at the ship's equipment and knows the frost is messing with the rigging.
WE got to get the ropes uncleated so we can rotate the mizzenmast to clear the clumped ice. I need a couple o' you to go over there and untie and retie ropes. We have to batten these hatches.
Nicky calls instructions to also help with the de-icing of important equipment.
All the while, Nicky's teeth are chattering. He's not at all immune to the cold and doesn't have the equipment/clothing.
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As you try to make better sense of your dreams and how involved Sakuachi is in you missing moment you arent quite sure yet. Soomehow fate brought you all together once more. Looking at the raging sortm it begins to manifest and coalesce into an elemental being as it tosses your ship back and forth.
Its humanoid form looks vaguely familiar peering closely at the monster, you see features of your own visage roughly hewn across the elemental’s “face.”
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Ezgara
Elemental
Alvarius
Daehalya
Grundle
Nicholo
Onye
⠀⠀Uhu
Like immune to like! Ezgara opts to avoid his usual lightning spells. He tries to ID the creature, and then tosses a puff of flame at it, but it gets blown away in the wind.
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"The enveloping mist seems to weave our dreams into the fabric of reality, blurring the lines between the ethereal and the tangible. We tread on precarious ground, where our very thoughts might manifest into being. The challenge now lies in the mastery of our dreams, if such control is even within our grasp."
Grundle concentrates on the least threatening thing he can imagine: a cuddly marshmallow man used to advertise sweets from his youth.
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Ezgara recognizes this creature to be a blizzardborn. Freezing and thawing in a near-constant loop, blizzardborn resemble humanoid forms composed of a mixture of partially melted snow and sleet. These elementals move with crunching strides, their bodies constantly sloshing and sloughing off shards of ice. Because of their ability to refreeze, blizzardborn can travel into warmer environments safely, though they tend to look more like slush in these areas.
The flames in Ezgara's hands sputter and go out against the strong winds.
Te blizzardborn swirls across the deck, leaving a trail of frozen shards in its path. Raising an icy claw the blizzard howls as it claws at Onye.
+ 1d6 Persistent Cold
The icy chill gets beneath Onye's fur as the Amurrun begins to shake.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Ezgara
Elemental
➤ Alvarius
➤ Daehalya
➤ Grundle
➤ Nicholo
➤ Onye
⠀⠀➤ Uhu
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Grundle Soothes Onye before turning his attention towards Parson Brown.
"Beast of snow and ice, hear this: Your presence disrupts the balance of this frozen wilderness. Continue your advance, and you shall meet resistance as fierce as the winter storm. We are of this land, attuned to its moods and elements, prepared to defend it. Withdraw into the solitude of your icy realm, or face the fire we will bring against your cold heart."
Ezgara weaves a story of melting snowmen for Oyne.
He then hurls more fire in the elemental's face, giggling at his own wisdom.
HP 61/61
AC 23 (+1 vs. traps), deny advantage, cold resistance 2
Fort +9, Ref +13, Will +10 (+1 vs. traps)
Hero Points: 1
Deviant backlash DC: 5
Effects:
Daehalya easily handles the slick deck, moving to Onye's side as her staff swings in a complicated figure eight, each end jabbing at the elemental.
Alvarius moves his hands through the gestures to hurl yet more electricity.
Not satisfied with the one spell, the wizard mentally creates a bolt of pure force that, with a word, flies out unerringly at their foe.
Even as frost seeps into his bones, the amurrun calls upon the spirits of creation and transforms into a cheetah. With Grundle's magic soothing his wounds and crude images of lions knocking down snowmen with their claws floating around him, the cheetah bites back in retaliation.