Nissa appreciates Maera's singing as they work. Anything to keep awake. Will this night never end?
Against the odds, Aramis laughs at Zak's words. "Aye, lass. But wha' kind a sailor would ye be if ye backed down from a challenge, eh?" After a couple of false starts, she finds herself easily climbing the rigging, and settling into the familiar routine of knot-work, despite the howling storm.
Poor Nissa...no this night does not seem to want to end.
As the night drags on, the ship begins to get rocked by stronger waves, the deck flooding with a particularly heavy wave from time to time.
As one particularly heavy wave rocks the boat, the deck is completely flooded. As the water begins to recede, a splash is heard off to the port side and a call from the Crow's Nest. "Man overboard!"
Poor young Jack Scrimshaw has been carried from the ship by a particularly hard wave.
Scourge and Plugg don't seem to react, while the Captain and the odd redheaded woman from below deck speak a few quick words, and she goes back to concentrating on something, occasionally making motions with her hands. It is clear that she is casting, but with the din of the storm and the distance, it is nearly impossible to tell what.
There are lots of ropes nearby the portside that could be thrown towards Jack (ranged touch, range increment of 10', rope will assist in Jack swimming/getting pulled up), who is, as of now, only ten foot away. However, the boat isn't slowing down, so he is going to fall behind AND quickly.
Round 1 of 'The Rescue'
At the first sounds of 'Man overboard!' Maera jerks her head wildly to the sea. She hesitates for half a second, knowing that this will undoubtedly lay out all the cards in her hand, but she squashes that selfishness in an instant - she's already lost one friend on this voyage to the sea. She'll be damned if she lets another be claimed. Acting quickly, she runs to the rail, grabbing a length of rope as she passes. She ties it off around herself, and tosses it to Diabolito, shouting, "Hold fast, this'll make it easier to pull us in." With nothing further, she swiftly clambors over the rail, and dives into the swirling sea, though navigating it seems to hold no more trouble for the bard than a calm millpond.
Reaching Jack with impressive speed, she grabs him firmly, encouraging him to cling to her neck if he must to stay afloat. "I've got you, lad, just do what you need to keep your chin up, aye? Trust me, you ain't going to drown me..."
Doc hears the call and sees Maera starting to react. When she throws the rope to Diabolito, Doc runs over to lend a hand pulling her back out when she's gotten a hold of Jack.
As she plunges into the water, Doc yells after her, "Be careful lass! I don't know if we can handle another loss, much less two this night!"
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Malak hears the call of alarm and quickly swings down from the ropes. I may not trust these fellas, but ye never let yer own shipmates get lost at sea. She is an unforgivin' beast. As Malak makes his way across the deck towards where people are pointing he watches the lass jump in. Foolish! Dumb broad! She won't be strong enough to last in these crests! I should have been out there.. ain't nobody can swim like a raging mad Wavecrasher! At that thought Malak notices that she tossed Diabolito a rope. He quickly makes his way to the dwarf's side and grabs tight on the rope. Looking fiercely at the dwarf, "Heave oh! Come ye scallywag dwarf! T'aint right to let her and 'im get pulled under out there! Besmara ain't gonna help 'em, only we can! Now pull ye little heart out!" Malak, showing uncharacteristic bravado, doesn't even realize that he is becoming attached to the others he was press-ganged with as he now fights against the sea to save one of his own. The half-orc grunts as he pulls in the two crew members, furiously striving to overcome the pull of the waves and storm.
Nissa will run to go get blankets and dry clothes. Malak is much stronger than she, and, no doubt could see their comrades safely back to the ship, but hypothermia could be as deadly as the sea.
Maera's quick actions take most of the crew by shock. Jaws are dropped, as are some ropes, though most of the members of the crew at least have some semblance of continuing to do what was asked of them.
Maera grabs Jack with little effort and begins to swim towards the boat.
Diabolito and Malak begin pulling on the rope Maera gets to Jack.
Things are looking up for him, but the officers still seem unconcerned. Only Scourge seems to be paying attention.
Ensuring that she has Jack firm, she finishes the workings of a Slipstream spell to help him swim almost as well as she does. "There we go... These waves will be nothin' to you now." With the rope secure about Jack, there should be little trouble hauling him up... and even if it takes a moment, her magic can easily help him keep pace with the ship. "Almost there. Just hold on tight to the rope, I'll follow you up shortly, and we can get you into some warm blankets, aye?" she adds, and while Jack might be looking like a drowned bilge rat, she seems energized by her dip into the sea. Her skin, however, does seem to have taken on a bluish tint from being submerged...
Diabolito grins and then raises a slight eyebrow at Maera, silently asking the unspoken question. "Strange tides tonight, ey lass?" The dwarf pats the woman on the shoulder, keeping his voice low and even.
Between the three men pulling on the rope, Jack is quickly pulled back in, followed by Maera who is easily keeping pace with the ship, swimming quickly and effortlessly.
Once she is pulled back onto the ship, her top clinging to her body, somewhat transparent due to the soaked nature, save for her smalls which protect her modesty, it is very clear to all that her skin is not normal.
The eyes of the officers are now very attentive.
Nissa pats some of the excess water off Jack, chaffing him to warm him up before swaddling him in a blanket.
She crooks a halfhearted smile to Diabolito, fully aware of the metaphorical elephant in the room, as years of her mother's worried tones ring in her head. "Oh, aye. Out there be monsters," she quips merrily, swiping some of her sodden hair out of her face, and resisting the urge to rub at her skin, which would begin to fade back to pale now. It was always the sea that did it - it was easier to focus her camouflage in fresh waters; she'd mastered that long ago. But something about the salt and mercurial temperament of the sea too often brought it out in her own flesh.
Trying not to look at the officers, she moves to check on Jack, ruffling his hair. "What'd I tell you, lad? Don't go look fishing for a mermaid if you don't know how to swim," she teases loudly, enough to break some of the tension with chuckles, grins, and elbow-nugging. "Luckily for you, our 'fine' officers stumbled into kidnappin' themselves one."
"Spectacular Maera, that's quite a handy little trick you've got there.! Brilliant job saving the boy! " Doc says, beaming a smile at the now blue-hued bard. "You two had best get below decks and get warmed up and dried off. That's Doctor's assistant's orders!" he says with a wink.
"Alright, shows over. Get yer arses back to work and keep my ship safe!" The captain has stepped forward and spoken his mind, he glares at Maera and then goes back to his wheel, this is clearly the most time any of the crew has seen the captain on deck and the fact that so many of the officers are visible at any one time is abnormal, so it stresses how dangerous this storm is.
The night drags on, but finally, at long last, day breaks and so too does the storm begin to. As the sun begins to rise, Maera performs her tune and while many of the crew were struggling to keep their eyes open, her song pushes them forward, their vigor so slightly renewed. While the day begins to alight anew, the crew is quite weary, however, the ship must still be manned and it is rough seas so it prevents the anchor from being thrown.
Day 9
Malak: Mainsail Duties – Profession Sailor/STR check (DC 10)
Diabolito: Cooking – Sober = autopass No time to do anything but cook, but the Captain wishes a hearty meal for the crew before nightfall.
Doc and Maera: Repairs – Profession Sailor/DEX DC 10 The ship has taken damage and all hands that aren't needed elsewhere must be maintaining the upkeep this day.
Zak: Rat Catcher – Stealth/Survival/DEX DC 10 The storm has rustled up a good number of them and they seem to be everywhere.
Nissa: Hauling Rope/Knot Work – Profession Sailor/STR DC 10
Aramis: Runner
All checks are still at a -2 due to the storm still being about despite it's fading. Also: All jobs will require a DC 18 Con check to avoid fatigue.
Diabolito happily cooks along, drinking blood to get over the fact that he's fighting the alcohol cravings since he denied his drink.
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As Malak watches the officers depart and the captain return to his cabin the half-orc pirate begins contemplating how long he has left until he has to make a move. Don't be too bright now mate, no need to stand out. Bide yer time and survive. Revenge is best when bloody. Malak trudges off to do his duty. As he goes about it he is starting to wear down even further, the constant work and saving of Jack has him looking exhausted. His rage wearing off there seems to even be a lack of thought process as the imposing man goes about completing his work without any acknowledgement of those around him. He feels himself getting heavier and it is starting to show. It seems to be only a matter of time before the fatigue brings him to collapse.
As day breaks, Doc yawns and does his best to get back to work. "Much like the storm, this day can't end soon enough," he says to no one in particular.
Doc manages to finish his work, but it's clear the past two days have taken their toll on him.
I do hope the next few days will be calmer. Nerves still frazzled from being stuck up in the crow's nest all yesterday. Sure wish there was something less toxic than that demon rum to take the edge off.
Each day is a new indignity.
Although her skin had swiftly shifted back to its normal deceptive tone, Maera feels the eyes of the officers watching her carefully all day as if it were still its blue hue. One way or another, she's become the albatross on this vessel now - a good luck charm, perhaps, to most of the crew, like she was with her adoptive family... but should something else go wrong on this voyage, she might now be the focus of the Captain's wrath. She tries to stay out of their way, and keep her head down during her day's work, slightly more concerned about that than the quality of her work.
Aramis carries out her tasks with haste, determined not to be broken by the storm. However, for all of her bluster and bravado, her arms and legs feel as though they're turning to lead, just like the bullets she's kept tucked away safely. Gods, ah'd like ta put one o' them in tha cap'n's thick skull, she thinks, but continues biding her time.
While working, she makes sure to relay any messages between her companions - and make sure the storm hasn't treated them worse than it has her.
Zaketta grumbled internally about ratcatching duty, but kept it to herself. Everyone was already in foul moods from exhaustion and the weather - there was no sense in making anyone any grumpier. Not yet, at least.
With sack in hand, Zaketta went around grabbing up rats, moving with surprising nimbleness despite her fatigue. By the end of the day, she had a sack full of angry rodents, each of them furiously trying to get out. Zaketta stared at the sack for a moment before a wicked smile broke out over her face. When she got a chance, she carefully stowed the bag of rodents out of sight belowdecks. She had plans for that sack later tonight...
Fatigue (w/ Guidance and Storm Penalties)
Stealth (w/ Guidance and Storm Penalties)
Later that evening, Zaketta waited for a quiet opportunity to slip belowdecks. She retrieved her stowed rat bag and, using her "special trick," disguised herself as Aretta once more. She quickly navigated her way down to the officer's quarters, hoping to catch the red-haired woman alone.
Upon nearing her destination, she loosened the ropes around the top of the bag and gave it a good shake to angry up the rats. Then, putting on her best impersonation of Aretta's voice, she strolled into the officer's quarters and flung the bag at the most opportune victim, snarling:
"Narwhal sends his regards, you (insert appropriate insult here)"
As the bag burst open, "Aretta" quickly ran off, leaving the angry rodents to wreak havoc, and dismissing her magical disguise once she was out of sight.
Zaketta's choice of "targets," and the insult she uses on them, in descending order of preference:
1) The red-headed woman, "pox-ridden harlot"
2) Plugg, "barnacle-faced errand boy"
3) Scourge, "sorry sack of swab spit"
Disguise (w/ bonuses from Guidance and Disguise self)
Bluff (w/ bonus from Guidance)
The red-headed woman sits up and practically snarls as she waves her hands and then flames fan from her fingertips, burning the rodents quickly.
After the day finally comes to an end, the bell is rung to gather everyone for Bloody Hour.
Nissa is brought before the crew, "This lass has failed in all ways to do her tasks as assigned and for it, she's ta be punished!" Scourge says with a grin. She receives three quick cracks.
Following the quick and painful strikes, Aretta is pulled in front of the group and while neither Scourge nor Plugg look particularly delighted by what they are doing. "For trying to cause harm to one of the officers, Peppery, Aretta must be thoroughly punished." The cat is used and she is beaten worse than anyone had been during their stay on the ship, leaving the woman unconscious.
It is then made it clear that lights out comes early as everyone needs their rest.
The following day is relatively uneventful.
After a day of relative ease, The Wormwood comes to a halt shortly after the ship begins it's daily journey. Off in the distance, a strip of land and a reef can be seen.
Day 11
The day's tasks were given earlier, but once the ship stops, Plugg calls the group together.
"It seems our captain is wantin' some crab fer his dinner. You lot will be going to get it," four pots sit at his feet. "After someone's swimming adventure the other night, I figgered you all would be ideal. Get out there...and fill the pots up. Don't come back unless the captain has a feast. The first of your buggers that gets back will no doubt get a prize from the captain," he points to the north about 200 feet across sparkling, calm waters. It is clear there is a reef there.
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"Ha! Crabs?! Ain't any of us that can do this. But if ye be sayin' reward my good ole Plugg, then ye sit yer lard arse o'er there 'n watch ye boy!" With that Malak runs towards the pots and scoops one up and leaps into the water, forming into a dive with his feet first to make a quick entry. The dense half-orc seems like he would sink because of all his mass, however, he quickly surfaces and starts swimming like it is more natural than walking the deck. Hugging the pot in one arm he swims sideways in a fury, kicking his legs rapidly and using his one free arm to pull him through the water. When he reaches the reef he floats around in the clear water peering down for any movement of crabs that he can dive for. As he spots them he lets the pot float on the surface as he dives swiftly and grabs as many crabs as possible while holding his breath.
Doc, for once, seems eager to take a chance on a physical competition. "Crabs is it? I could use a swim, and these calm waters do look mighty tempting!" He turns to Jack as he takes off his glasses and shirt. "Would you mind holding these for me Jack? It'd be a damn shame if I started sawing off the wrong legs due to a lack of spectacles," he says with a chuckle.
He then reaches down and grabs one of the pots before heading to the edge of the boat. When he reaches the edge, he takes a few moments to center himself before breathing in once more and diving in. As the rotund man hits the water, there's a large splash, and he disappears below the surface, continuing to dive towards the sea bottom.
"If the cap'n wants crabs fer 'is dinner, 'e could always get 'em from tha' trollop tha' 'angs around 'im!" Aramis laughs, then grabs a pot and dives into the water, boots and all, before Plugg can respond to her crude joke.
The saltwater is cool and refreshing, and as she plunges beneath the surface, Aramis feels free. She powers through the water effortlessly, reaching the reef in good time. Alright then, ye buggers, let's see where yer hidin', she thinks taking a deep breath and beginning the search.
Standard evening actions after giving Tilly her rum, and getting Grok some wine would be to continue befriending Owlbear, and learning what, if anything in specific, the poor fellow knows about Scourge and Plugg. Eventually, I suppose he'd be worked up to Helpful to her as well, but I will make rolls if needed.
During one day, she'll use her day action to ask Grok/Kroop if they've got anything to help her with climbing, as she's worried about the next time there's a storm and she might be put on rigging duties. Perhaps some leftover sharkskin from the feast? She could make some good climbing gloves out of them.
Maera gives Plugg her strongest fake "What, me?" look at his implication, but after a moment's consideration of what else she might be able to feed to the Captain makes her reconsider disobedience for the simple sake of screwing with him. Wordless, she grabs the last pot. Maybe they'll be some blowfish out here...
Since it's obvious now that her skin will turn pale blue shortly after entering the water, she follows Aramis and the others, setting off at an excellent pace for the reef, where the crabs are likely to be hiding. And while her skin and swim speed are no longer a secret, the bard is cautious about not letting Plugg know she can breathe water now.
Diabolito grins widely, looking right at Plugg and showing the sharp teeth between his blood-stained lips. "Crabs, ey? Finally something proper to stretch the muscles."
And with that, he grabs a pot and dives into the refreshing water, seeming to take naturally to the water, as though it were his home.
Once he sees the crabs, he'll go swimming like the fish he represents.
Nissa slowly strips down to her undergarments, and leaves them in a tidy pile with Jack before diving into the water. She would help her friends. How hard can it be to get crabs?
Zaketta chortled at Aramis's joke and gave her a slap on the back before she followed her into the water.
"It's good to get away from those damned officers," she opined, once the group had gotten out of earshot. "This might be a good time for us to talk about a change of leadership on board that tub."
With her interest in fomenting a conspiracy, Zaketta seemed to be only half-heartedly looking for crabs.
Swim
Perception
Aramis seems interested in the possibility of mischief. "I'm all ears, lass. What'd ye 'ave in mind?"
Maera reaches the reef long before anyone. In little more than 15 seconds she has dashed the 200 feet, while everyone else has gone a mere 37 feet.
As the rest of the group is swimming, everyone can see her look for a moment and dive underneath the water, having no struggles with what she is doing.
After Maera resurfaces for the second time, her eyes catch something moving in the coral beneath her. Swimming out from a cave, Maera, Malak, Aramis, and Diabolito see three creatures that appear to be the bastard love children of an eel and a lobster begin moving towards her, flesh on their brains, sharp maws grinning wide.
The creatures are swimming towards Maera, who is still just over 100 feet away.
Round Order
Aramis
Maera
Monsters
Diabolito
Doc
Nissa
Zak
Malak
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Malak watches as the woman swims past him, furiously he huffs and starts to follow her. As he watches her he notices her stop and look below, the half-orc follows the path of her eyes. "Sink me! Watch yerself lassy! Those things don' be meanin' to play with us! Get yerself away if ye can." Malak shouts to Maera as he keeps swimming his way towards her. Once he reaches the bard, the barbarian shows how prepared he is. He pulls out the dagger that he had tied into his bandanna and bares his teeth like an animal ready to defend his prize. Malak lets his pot float beside him so he can have a free hand for the aquatic bout he is about to engage in.
Catching sight of the monstrous creatures, she surfaces just in time to hear Malak's warning. "Don't get too close to these things if you can help it. They're reefclaws... Poisonous things, they'll put you in a pinch, and they're not pleasant to be around when they die."
With that, she swims back about 5ft, and starts the workings of a Sleep spell.
Diabolito grins widely, a slight darkening of the water around him as his body briefly takes on a bloody hue. It is with surprising speed that the dwarf goes hurtling through the water like a ballista bolt.
The dwarf's voice gurgles under the water, like the rising typhoon, as the dwarf begins to show his more bestial side.
Aramis yells out a curse as she spies the creatures, alerting her oblivious teammates. "Look out, lasses! We've got company!" She kicks harder against the water, swimming as fast as she can towards the monsters.
Nissa flounders along but she is unwilling to let them face danger alone.
The three reefclaws quickly swim towards the blue skinned woman, slender tongues flicking out with obvious hunger.
One of the three makes swims directly towards the aquatic caster, the other two swimming out to the sides to flank her.
The creature strikes hard on Maera with a claw, eyes looking frantic, and while the wound burns, she is able to shake free of the pain, while casting her spell, staying free of the reefclaw.
Swimming along the sea floor, Doc catches sight of three shapes moving up from the reef towards Maera. He immediately realizes something is amiss as he sees Maera begin backing up. With a sense of urgency, Doc begins trying to close the remaining distance as quickly as possible.
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Malak swims in closer to get behind one of the reefclaws trying to flank Maera. He attempts to swim in behind the beast as it focuses on Maera. Once he gets close, Malak thrusts his arm forward to stab the creature with his dagger. The huge half-orc growls like a monster as he forces the dagger through the water with all his strength at the reefclaws's back.
Zaketta was just about to begin describing her scheme to the others when danger reared its ugly head. Diabolito was off like a bolt to rescue Maera, and the others quickly followed... albeit rather more slowly.
A lot of unusually strong swimmers in this lot, Zaketta thought to herself. That's usually bad luck on a boat, but... I never let that stop me, did I?
Zaketta took off after the others, legs kicking and arms scooping through the water in a practiced crawl stroke.
Swim: