"Seems we have a new goal and prize to guide us!" Capricia tells the crew. "As for Inkskin the Shark-kin...we'll leave her fate in Lady Smythe's hands. After all, it was her fortress that she tried to crack."
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He stands back at first observing trying to get a read of his new companions. The captain is a tall redhead, lanky but fit, with a confident grace in both her words and actions. She's covered in blood from the recent battle, but that doesn't seem to concern her now that the battle's won and she's been healed up. She's very much at ease with what are likely the officers of her crew--Emma (Emerald), Nico, and Ci Ci--and seems to be a lot less harsh than might be expected from a Shackles pirate.
The captain studies the map further, her brow deeply furrowed.
The captain sizes up the big fellow petitioning to join her crew, along with the half-elven woman last seen trying to save the life of Mardus Siggs. It had been her practice to allow survivors from the ships the Queen's Grace had defeated to join her crew, and the practice had served her well in the past. "Serve me honest and true and you'll get an equal share of treasure in return," Capricia tells the new folk. "You'll work hard but always with the promise of a new adventure--and fresh plunder--on the horizon."
Is anyone going to claim the Amulet of Natural Armor +2? I just took a quick peek at Capricia's character sheet to see what she's already got for magic items: a potion of cure moderate wounds. That's it. Yeah--I think I'll claim the amulet for her.
Capricia's no expert on the geography of the Shackles ... not even close. While Nico tries to pinpoint the physical area of the Shackles the map depicts, the captain instead scans the tattoo for any other bits that seem either important or out-of-place.
Welcome to the crew of the Queen's Grace, Jord!
"We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good of the ship as a whole," Capricia answers Nico with a grin. To the others she adds, "Let's gather whatever loot we can off these scalawags, square our account with Lady Smyth, and decide where the tide takes us next, eh? Register our losses and take into account our new gains."
Treasure distribution you've all suggested sounds OK to the captain. She's waiting on a magic falcata.
I'm no help--the only type of arcane caster I've run in years are bards. And welcome aboard, Morrisa!
The captain's not fully down ... but she's close to it, kneeling beside the corpse of the fallen leader of the raiders who tried to crack Tidewater Rock. As Ci Ci's healing energy washes over her in waves, the wounds she's taken in the battle knit and she becomes whole again. Capricia stands upright and holds her bloody falcata to the night sky, star- and moonlight reflecting off it. "By Besmara's blessing and the fighting prowess of the crew of the Queen's Grace, Tidewater Rock remains free and unconquered!" When Ci Ci is close by, the captain softly gives thanks for the healing before suggesting a spell to check the fallen for magic items. To the rest of the crew, she says, "Loot the dead and throw the corpses into the sea for the sharks to feed upon." She pitches in with the looting, starting with the fallen leader.
Knowing that the spellcaster's the real danger here, Capricia tries to tumble her way past her nearest foe and take a hack at the woman who summoned the geyser.
for (17-20/x3)
Capricia manages to avoid the worst of the scalding water from the geyser, but her plunge back to the ground batters the captain unconscious.
I guess we can give them a few more days. Since I'm playing the captain of our ship, I guess I should let folks know where I stand. If we can get things turned around and have folks (including myself) post promptly, then I'm all for continuing this game; I have no intention of leaving this website or these forums any time soon, so I should be able to post regularly. If folks are wishy-washy about continuing, though, I'd be OK with letting this game fade off into the sunset, especially if folks could spend their time on other things that have become more important or time-consuming.
"Kaliban! Manny! To arms! Let's cut these bastards down to chum to feed the sahuagins' sharks, eh?
Capricia doesn't see the lightning bolt coming and is unable to dodge it. Though badly wounded, the captain presses onward to engage the caster, hacking away with her trusty falcata, anticipating a return attack.
for
Capricia's Opportune Parry & Riposte:
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Still here, but you know what they say: "The captain goes down with the ship."
It looks like we may have lost Emmy--her last post in the game was in October.
Sorry to hear about your troubles but happy that you're back!
Capricia finally fires the ballista from the ship at one of the raiders and then moves to join the battle onshore. for
Capricia finishes loading one of the ballista and prepares to fire on the enemies.
Yeah--Capricia will give that order. Not sure who makes the necessary attack rolls, though.
Capricia decides that her crew can handle themselves; if they need any direction, she feels that Ci Ci can give them orders. "I'm going to check on Lady Smythee--see if see recognizes these invaders and if she's got any ideas on deterring them if they're intent on taking the Rock."
Avast! Ahoy! An' shiver me timbers! Happy ITLAP Day, all!
Capricia shrugs at Nico's question. "I'd hoped Lady Smythee would have a suggestion, but that doesn't seem to be the case." Turning to Ci Ci, the captain asks, "Does Besmara have any divine insights on where we might venture next?"
Capricia makes sure to warn Lady Smythee about the Dominator prowling the nearby waters before preparing to head out on the hunt again.
Capricia is quietly happy at how well this potential disaster turned out. She gives Nico a thankful nod and congratulates him and Lady Smythee on their impending nuptials. She absently realizes that she, as a ship's captain, probably now has the power to perform a marriage ceremony herself. With all the pirating, however, she hasn't had the time to think on how to do the ceremony...nor to ask Fishguts if he has any knowledge or suggestions on the topic.
After a couple more forkfuls of crab meat and other sides, Captain Capricia taps the handle of her fork on the table and again addresses Lady Smythee. "Do you feel safe enough now with us that you could release our man Kaliban from your dungeon or wherever he's being kept? He's a good man and doesn't deserve to miss out on this meal." She reluctantly pushes herself away from the table with the compliment, "A most excellent meal, Lady Smythee--you have our sincere thanks."
Capricia grins and shakes hands with Lady Smythee. "We have an accord!" As the meal concludes, Capricia asks about the current state of affairs at Tidewater Rock. "Any supplies you need? Any dangers you'd like us to eliminate? Any interest in the loot we managed to relieve The Deathknell of before she sank forever beneath the waves? Any tips on where we might hunt ships in these waters?" After a brief pause, she also asks, "Any news regarding Harrigan?"
Capricia stops stuffing her face with crab meat long enough to nod and eventually reply. "Bastard press-ganged me and Manny in Port Peril and forced us to serve his whim and that of his bastard officers, 'til we were put aboard a captured ship and engineered a well-earned mutiny to claim the ship as our own. Hell, there are other members of my crew who served under Harrigan's yoke for even longer. None of us have any love for the man. Plenty of hate, though."
Capricia arches one eyebrow almost imperceptibly at Lady Smythe's words. Either she's the best ally we could've ever hoped to cross paths with or she's setting a trap for us....
"An alliance," Capricia replies matter-of-factly. "We've heard tales about this place--actually been dared to 'crack the Rock' by other captains and inhabitants of this region--and, as a relatively new ship and crew in these waters, realized that doing so would almost certainly boost our reputation. But we don't operate the way most pirates do: kill first then take whatever you want. No--we'll kill when we must and without any qualms...when such a course of action is warranted. But you've done nothing to me or any of my crew, so we have no quarrel or blood feud with you or your people. Still, I can't deny that Tidewater Rock is a base I'd treasure and would make our course forward toward becoming free brothers and sisters of the Shackles a lot easier. You'd offer us use of Tidewater Rock as a base; in return, we'd give you a small percentage of our plunder and act as a ship that's part of your fleet, defending this place when we're close by enough to do so. Those are the foundational blocks of our potential accord, in my opinion." After taking a moment to compliment Lady Smythe's cook (and offering an apologetic glance to Manny), the captain adds, "Your fleet and, as a result, your grip on the Rock, isn't what it once was. At some point in the not-too-distant future, a crew looking to make a name for themselves--likely a crew with a lot less scruples than mine--will try to take this place. Even if you throw them off, you're almost certainly going to lose more of your men and be that much weaker when the inevitable next attack comes after that. Me and my crew are looking to build up our own reputation as well--though without the violence when it can be helped. In fact, we're well on our way down that path already: we just recently sent Whalebone Pilk and his ghost ship, The Deathknell, to the bottom of the sea, hopefully for good. I'd hoped to grab his ship's bell as proof of our victory, but wouldn't you know it--that cursed bell was what gave Pilk and his crew their unholy power and life, so we had to destroy it. So, technically, we've no proof to back up my claim...but perhaps you or one of your servants in this room can read the truth in my words, either by a trained eye and ear or possibly through magic. In any event, you'll likely begin to realize I speak the truth when tales of Pilk become nothing more than ghost stories meant to frighten children, because his days of preying upon these currents are at an end, courtesy of me and my crew." "So, those are some of the building blocks we might use to lay the foundations of an accord. But I'd like to hear your own thoughts on the matter before we negotiate any final pact." Dipping another piece of crabmeat into a cup of melted butter, Capricia finishes off by saying, "No big rush--I could eat at your table for weeks with nary a complaint if this be a taste of your usual fare."
Capricia keeps a smile on her lips as she approaches the keep but is remaining alert for any signs of treachery from their hostess.
Jeez...it doesn't help that I've been unusually scatter-brained recently as well; I could've sworn I made a post to do a Diplomacy Aid Another check two or three days back.
"Perhaps we might reach an accord that allows us to make berth here on occasion," Capricia calls to the woman. "You would benefit from gaining us as allies, another ship for your fleet, and a negotiable settlement for a portion of our take. Will you parley with us?" To CiCi she adds, "If she agrees, you'll be in charge of negotiations. But I think I'll go along as well...in case our hostess does not intend to negotiate in good faith."
"Run up the white flag of truce," Capricia orders. "We'll try to parley come morning. But let's keep a close watch tonight; I imagine that any inhabitants of the keep already know we're here and might assume us to be hostile."
"That sounds good to me," Capricia says after giving the matter much thought. "We can offer the pig as a gift and maybe have talks over a decent meal. I'd prefer not to start with hostilities, as the Rock's master has done nothing to earn our wrath. Perhaps we can work out a deal to use Tidewater Rock to berth when needed and trade our earnings...if there's interest."
"Of course, Ci Ci," the captain says. "Every little bit helps."
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Capricia thanks Captain Pegsworthy for his information. Once back aboard the Queen's Grace, she gathers her officers and trusted advisors and informs them about Tidewater Rock. "What say you all? Indeed, it sounds like 'cracking the Rock' would both earn us fame and give us a safe base of operations from which to operate going forward. It sounds like a job easier said than done, though; perhaps we ought find a port to sell our well-earned gains first, split up the proceeds, and then try to crack the Rock. What do you all think?"
After hearing Nico's whispered update/refresher, Captain Capricia nods to Captain Pegsworthy and replies, "Tidewater Rock.... No, not yet. We've been busy with a few other things. You think it's worth the effort? Can you tell me anything about its master that might prove valuable should my crew and I decide to take it?"
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