Waiting on your haro reading so we can move on.
Cerise settles herself and sits, cross-legged, on the deck. She shuffles the harrow deck, and begins to lay out the cards.
"Many ports present themselves, as the crossing roads through hill and vale. Show us to where we should set out sails, and where to claim our coin."
The best options for undertaking such
a task are the neutral ports of Bloodcove and Senghor on
the Mwangi Coast, or farther south, the Sargavan port of
Crown’s End. Bloodcove and Crown’s End regularly cater
to pirates, slavers, and smugglers, while Senghor at least
turns a blind eye to pirates, so long as no piracy takes place
in their waters
Ci Ci stares at the arrangement of the cards before her.
"Two ports hold Besamara's favor, Captain. Bloodcove and Crown's End. Blood Cove is the closer of the two, if you value expediency. Crown's End is more remote, if you wish our commerce to be less conspicuous."
Lost my dot!
My vote is Crown’s End, it's close to where I attended school and running into cut throats and slavers might lead to trouble. TROUBLE IN PORT IS FOR LOOSERS!!
Sounds good to me!
Arcanamirium
Crown’s End?
"I'm game for going to Crown's End," Ci Ci remarks, and she carefully puts her Harrow Deck back in its case. "To be honest, I'm game for going anywhere! I spent too much of my life in a caraven, instead of a caravel."
Crown’s End: After the original landing at the harbor
in what is now Eleder, a group of Chelish colonials split off
and settled on a high bluff overlooking the northern part
of Desperation Bay. Although they established friendly
relations with the nearby Ijo, they suffered regular attacks
from jungle predators and the less amiable natives from the
Kaava Lands. In time, Crown’s End became the port of choice
for smugglers, slavers, and pirate ships, and more respectable
merchant ships simply stopped visiting—or professed as
much to the customs officials in Eleder.
Yarrr! Shall we grant crew shore leave?
"Aye, Master Manny," Capricia replies, sounding less than enthusiastic. "But no one should wander around port alone. Buddy up!"
That said, the captain and any officers willing to accompany her head into the town to do business.
Captain, roll me a profession (Sailor) to steer the ship. Should take about 4 hours with a decent roll.
Captain, roll me a profession (Sailor) to steer the ship. Should take about 4 hours with a decent roll.
Alright crew! Ya got shore leave when we reach port. Get yer drinks and loven done but don't go utterly blind drunk.
Exchanging 1 point of plunder for
gold requires a PC to spend 1 full day at port and make an
applicable skill check. Regardless of how much plunder the
PCs have, one PC must spend a full day trading to exchange
1 point of plunder for gold. The PC trading also must be
the same PC to make the skill check to inf luence the trade.
The larger the port and the higher the skill check, the
better price the PCs can get for their plunder. At smaller
ports there’s little chance of getting more than half value for
plunder, unless a PC can employ a skill to make a better deal.
At larger ports, the chances of finding a buyer willing to
pay a reasonable price for cargo increases, and PCs can still
employ skill checks to make even more lucrative bargains.
PCs seeking to win a higher price for their plunder can make
one of the following skill checks and apply the results to the
table below: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or any applicable
Profession skill, like Profession (merchant). A poor result
on a skill check can reduce the value of plunder. If the PCs
are not satisfied with the price they are offered for their
plunder, they need not take it, but a day’s worth of effort is
still expended. They can try for a better result the next day.
The table below explains how much PCs can expect
to get for their plunder in communities of various sizes,
the skill check DC required to increase this amount by
a set percentage, and the maximum amount buyers in a
community can be convinced to buy plunder for. Each
column is explained in brief here.
Community Base Sale % DC to Increase Maximum Sale %
Size (GP for Plunder) Sale (Max DC & GP for Plunder)
Thorp 10% (100 gp) 10 + 5 per 5% 20% (DC 20; 200 gp)
Hamlet 20% (200 gp) 10 + 5 per 5% 30% (DC 20; 300 gp)
Village 30% (300 gp) 10 + 5 per 5% 40% (DC 20; 400 gp)
Small town 40% (400 gp) 10 + 5 per 5% 60% (DC 30; 600 gp)
Large town 60% (600 gp) 10 + 5 per 5% 80% (DC 30; 800 gp)
Small city 80% (800 gp) 10 + 10 per 5% 90% (DC 30; 900 gp)
Large city 90% (900 gp) 10 + 10 per 10% 120% (DC 40; 1,200 gp)
Metropolis 100% (1,000 gp) 10 + 10 per 10% 140% (DC 50; 1,400 gp)
Crown’s End is a small town.
Cerise will accompany the Captain to fence the plunder, if ordered or given the option to do so, hoping to bring Besmara’s blessing on their transactions.
If not, she will find distraction in one of the dockside taverns.
Well unless we are planning on going to a larger port, I don't think we will get a better price here. However, we do have some barrels and items from smugglers cove that we fence to increase the value of the plunder and take the ship to the bigger port.
Manny will stay to guard the ship.
Manny will stay to guard the ship.
It is clear who is now the Boson's mate.
The first day being unsuccessful, Cerise joints Capricia the following day in another attempt to fence the crew's plunder.
Capricia, however, is grumpy and kinda pissed by what she feels are lowball offers from the local fences.
They offer you 600 gp per point of plunder, the best you will get in town!
Cerise gives Captain Capricia a glance to gauge if she will accept the offer or walk away.
Her demeanor seems to say, we're not likely to get a better offer here.
Capricia seems unhappy with the offered price but begrudgingly accepts it. As she and the Besmaran priestess return to the ship and crew with their earnings, the captain quietly asks, "Are your Harrow readings usually this inaccurate or...do you suppose we'd have gotten offered an even worse amount had we gone to Bloodcove?"
"I think the wrong question was asked, Captain. We asked which port had Besmara's favor, and would cause us the least amount of trouble, not which port would give us the best price for our plunder. We might have made more gold at some other port, but we would have had to deal with whatever troubles came with it."
Ci Ci shrugs, not exactly apologetic, but as if to say, that's they way Harrow Readings go.
Manny takes stock of stuff, plans meals and keeps the kitchen as clean as he can.
* large 4 man tent - used to carry barrels.
* two light ballistas - on ship
* light catapult - on ship
Wand of cure light wounds- 5/8 charges
Wand of summon nature's ally II-11/11 charges
2 lesser bracers of archery
small masterwork silver dagger
leather flask w/ depiction of a crocodile
potion of cure moderate wounds
MW Greatcoat with five large silver buttons (Button is a anchor feather
token)
2 silver hatpins set with tiny obsidians worth 5 gp each
moonstone ring 30 gp
a silver locket depicting a beautiful, buxom young blonde woman worth 45 gp.
A finely tailored courtier’s outfits, worth 30 gp
40 gp, 99 sp, 98 cp
Chest containing:
* Scattered gems worth a total of 250 gp, 56 gp, and 97 sp.
* scrimshaw blade of great workmanship depicting an octopus worth 125
go.
* jawbone of a shark carved with scrimshaw images of a vast
octopus eating whales and containing a dozen silver and
gold rings hammered into it (worth 250 gp),
* a huge hooked tooth from some colossal sea creature with a seaweed
plugged cavity containing six pearls worth 75 gp each.
1 finely tailored courtier’s outfits, worth 30 gp each. 1 each person and two in the chest.
lobster pot containing:
* Eight 4-pound silver ingots, each worth 20 gp.
Loot:
* 3 Giant Coconut crab carapace for bone armor
* 3 small quarter cask barrels rotten food, now purified food,
* Two small Octave barrels of very cheap perfume worth 25 gp each.
* Wedding dress inlaid with pearls and set with three tiny rubies (worth 400 gp), - Sandara carrying
2 silver hatpins set with tiny obsidians worth 5 gp each, (2 each person) - Sandara wearing
* Among the furnishings in the lodge looted from the ship Infernus, wrecked on the beach, including a comfortable bed, a small writing desk, cooking gear. - leave in place.
* A score of chickens and three goats wander freely throughout the
Kitchen chamber. - on ship
* 12 barrels containing 20 gallons of oil each, - on ship
* 14 pigs - on ship
everyone received over 200 GP for their share of taking the Man's Promise.
Plugg +1 Cutlass and a MSW Cat O Nine Tails.
2 points of punder will be needed for squibbing the ship.
potion of cure moderate wounds,
screaming bolts (3);
tidewater cutlass (+1 cutlass; see page 59),
masterwork cat-o’-nine-tails*,
light crossbow with 10 bolts, amulet of natural armor +1, bracers of armor +1,
shackles of compliance (see page 58),
leather drinking cup,
betting stash of 100 sp and 200 gp
potion of blur,
potion of cure light wounds,
black adder venom (on punching dagger);
leather armor,
punching dagger,
masterwork handaxe carved with notches for kills,
shortbow with 12 arrows in leather quiver with a buttoned shutter to protect them from the elements,
whip,
boatswain’s call,
corked dark green bottle containing 8 doses of oil of taggit,
six gold teeth worth 5 gp each,
hefty waxed coat with many hidden pockets,
leather snuff box with a diamond stud worth 100 gp containing 1 dose of dark reaver powder,
silver wedding ring worth 25 gp, 14 pp, 29 gp
Laroisael gear RETURNED:
Wand of cure light wounds- 5/8 charges
Wand of summon nature's ally II-11/11 charges
2 lesser bracers of archery
small masterwork silver dagger
leather flask w/ depiction of a crocodile
potion of cure moderate wounds
MW Greatcoat with five large silver buttons (Button is a anchor feather
token)
2 silver hatpins set with tiny obsidians worth 5 gp each
moonstone ring 30 gp
a silver locket depicting a beautiful, buxom young blonde woman worth 45 gp.
A finely tailored courtier’s outfits, worth 30 gp
40 gp, 99 sp, 98 cp
Plunder Points: 1
Party's Plunder 2
So we sell the gems and jewelry? We can make a big pile of money we can use for stuff like ship repairs.
The two ships are worth 5000 a piece.
Manny waves to the newcomer. Welcime!
Hmm... Welcome. How can I help? The half-orc gives the goblin a once over, somewhat wary but not overly concerned.
"Besmara's favor be on you, sailor! What is it you do best?" Ci Ci asks Kaliban.
I will give you the tour and lowdown. I'm da cook and thus the most powerful person evar!
He looks at the two, Hmm... deckhand, mostly. Spent a lot of time on ships. I know my way around one, if that's what you're asking.
Cooks are very important.
Always need help on the ship, you'll fit right in.
When time permits, Captain Capricia gathers what remains of the Queen's Grace's officers for a private meeting. "We've lost some members of the original crew, including some officers. I was considering filling out open positions with veteran crew from the Vorsfang as a sort of goodwill gesture to those who've pretty much been forced to join our crew. In truth, some of those people might very well have more experience at sailing and pirating than our own crew does. I had Sandara surreptitiously interview our new comrades, and she reported that two of them--Kaliban and Nico--seem to be held in high regard. I was planning on offering them positions amongst our ship's officers."
Manny is here as cook!
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Cerise nods in agreement at the implied question as to whether to accept the newcomers as crew, but doesn't voice it. Being a relatively new recruit herself and the Captain being skeptical of her Harrow Reading, Cerise decides not to be too forward in her opinions at this time.
Big question is what do we do next? Keep on being pirates or even..GASP! Go legit?
You are pirates now. Go back to sea and plunder!
"Black Bess calls us back to the sea to reave and plunder!" Ci Ci declares. "She is pleased with our exploits, but we should not boast of the roads already traveled when there are many unknown ways that lie before us."
Those among the crew who have always lived near or upon the sea, Cerise's mixed metaphors may sound off. You can take the Varisian out of the caravan life, but you can't take the caravan life out of the Varisian.
Then let us cast off!