Stabbing Mr. Plugg is easier, when he is lying on his back like a beetle.
As he still can't see, he tries to vanquish the flames eating at him - successfully.
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While Jewel tries to rally the crew into the mutiny and Tarjun stands by pondering pacifism Plugg shakes off the spell. All while burning.
Pierce is a good backstabber. Plugg starts to turn, but grabs his ears as he is hit by a loud noise only he hears. Then he freezes in place.
"Mutiny! Slaughter the traitors!" Plugg ignores that he is on fire and draws his cutlass coming after Tarjun.
Mr. Plugg tries to jump out of harm's way, but failes. He catches fire.
The whole crew comes running, grabs buckets and rags to put the fire out, but that is not easy with alcohol as fuel. Plugg comes out of his cabin and starts shouting commands.
"Finally learning your lesson and trying to suck up? Hehe." Plugg retorts. "Stow it away. If anyone wants more they have to pay. Five silver a mug." Ignoring Jewel's question he orders "Check for how many days the food will last and report."
"Bring my dinner to my cabin. Then serve the crew." Plugg demands. He enjoys being the captain.
Plugg orders the crew around to their jobs. As the crew is shorthanded, there is no one assigned to scrubbing. Almost everyone has to help in the riggs. And because of his special dislike of the kids, Tarjun and Clara get bilge dutry again. "And you go cooking.!" he orders Jewel. You can clearly see, that he'd like to punish her too with a dirt job. But he is not willing to sacrifice getting a decent meal himself for that.
Mr. Plugg walks behind the merchant's crew. "You get to choose. You can pledge your life and your loyality to our captain and become part of the crew. Or you can choose not to." He stops behind the captain of the merchant ship. "Do you pledge your life and your loyality to our captain, yes or no?" The "No, never will I..." is interrupted by a cutlass blade coming out of the chest of the merchant captain. As Plugg pulls it out, the captain collapses. Two pirates grab the body and throw it overboard to feed the sharks. Plug continues down the line and repeats "Do you pledge your life and your loyality to our captain, yes or no?" From there on, every man and woman answers with a short and uncommented "Yes."
Mr. Plugg distributes the work and last he assigns Clara and Tarjun. "You scrub the deck. I want no spots from that scum's blood. Throw the corpse to the sharks."
"Looks like Mr. Don't Care and Miss Can't Climb are going to bilge duty today. You ain't no riggers, so you're now swabs." He then proclaims Cogward the new rigger and assigns also the others to their jobs for the day.
"The you go to the caboose and help Fishguts with the cooking." "All others can go and climb up to the crow's nest. First one there, becomes my newest rigger. Last one operates the bilge. Go."
The nighgt passes and the next day early morning you are woken by the shrill sound of the ship's bell. Everyone jumps out of their bunk and hurries to get on deck. One comes down, unlocks Jewel's cage and runs back up. Once all are lined up on deck including Jewel, Mr. Pugg comes out and walks along the line mustering his crew. He stops at Jewel and comes uncomfortably close to her face. "You pull that shit again, and I have you walk the plank." Then he walks the rest of the line. At the end he starts inquiring "Can you cook?" The bald human answers no. Plugg moves to the next one. "Can you cook?" Another no from the elf. Back to Jewel. "Can you cook?"
Plug runs from the scene crying like a girl.
As Tarjun pours the grog out he learns how life is on a pirate ship. "Hey, you drink that. Take him to the mast that's six leashes!" Two of the pirates grab Tarjun, drag him to the mast and hold him in place, face to the wood. Plugg takes out his whip and administers the punishment.
"Now fill his mug again." Plugg demands. "Drink." he orders as the mug is hold out to Tarjun. Tarjun:
As the evening comes all are called on deck. The boat is moored in the open sea and only one guy in the crow's nest still is on duty. All others stand in line for their daily ration of grog. Mr. Plugg oversees the distribution and controls that everyone drinks their share. As the kids arrive at the front of the row Plugg greets them "Ha, now you're finally getting something real drink. Drink up!" Shackles Rum Ration: Type ingested; Addiction minor, Fortitude DC 5 Price 2 sp Effect variable; +1d4 alchemical bonus to Charisma and fatigued for 1d8 hours Damage 1d3 Con
As you enter the ship you are greeted by the same guy again. "Ah, you're back early. Let me show you your place on the ship."[//b] You are taken under deck and there you find out that ships are very cramped. Some of the seamen have hammocks stored to hang between walls and masts, but you get two bunk beds on the sides of a narrow corridor to share. [b]"Make yourself comfortable. You're called to deck once we're on the way. You landlubers wouldn't be any help in getting the ship underway anyhow."
"Fine. See to it, that you're on board at 6 PM. The ship won't wait for you. Or if you want to start with the scrubbing right away...?"
"Ok then, come back once you earned two gold for the fare and have enough food for a week." The man turns and walks away to order some people around on the deck.
"Hahahaha - I thought you could pay for yourself? Now you don't even have enough to buy a meal anymore? Looks like someone has to work for their fare. You're lucky we're short on hands to scrub the deck."
"Aaah, if this isn't that group of rich kids, who didn't want a free meal." the man laughs. "The trip by ship lasts a week if the winds are good. Wanna pay for the passage?"
"This direction." the man replies and points in a general direction towards the sea. Which is hard to see between the buildings, so it probably would make more sense to check the hills in the opposite direction and see that one is still moving away from them.
"You got money? So I should rob you instead? HAHAHHAHAHA" The man replies "They for sure will sell you a meal inside."
"Hey guys, you looks hungry. Want a free meal?" a guy asks who leans at the rails on a tavern's porch.
In the meantime everything is stacked on the docks, the plank is withdrawn and the Captain salutes Gorm. To his sailors he shouts "Get that tub on the way already. I want to be out of that rotten dump before the sun sets. Set the foresail."
"Ye better hurry. I'm gonna leave faster than yer Betties can ride my first mate home." Mr. Plugg replies. Three sailors shove the plank out and many others are already dragging crates and barrels up from the belly of the ship to stack them on the docks.
With a last outcry the captain goes down. Lying on the ground he keeps bleeding. His body covered with stabs from Faerveren, but also horrible wounds that opened when Persephone infused him with negative energy.
"Gav, come here!" Plugg shouts. He tries to disarm Faerveren with his whip, pulling the rapier out of her hands.
The captain shouts angrily as horrid wounds open on his body. I'll feed you to the fish!"[/b] he threatens and draws his cutlass.
"You're going nowhere." The captain orders, lashing out at Locke with his whip. "You put down all the stuff from the boatswain and empty your pockets, so I can check that you didn't steal from my ship."
The group takes the stuff of the dead boatswain and climbs the stairs back to the deck. The deck scrubbing sailor points them to the captain's room. It is a large room at stern with a large desk that has a sea map of the area and some navigational tools on it. The captain stands behind the desk. "So you managed to get the old nutjob out of the bilges? Congratulations. You're qualified for the job. Welcome on the crew of the 'Promise Made'. The two gold are paid in the next harbor."
After a minute the captain of the ship appears. "Who are ya? I know landlubbers if I see some. But anyway, you can have the job for two gold per head if you manage to clear out the bilges. Take it or leave it." With that the captain turns and returns into the cabins of the ship.
When you arrive at Fort Haard, the revelry is already in full swing: tables are laden with roast meat and f lagons of ale, mead, and rum, and loud, drunken buccaneers swagger and stagger around the main hall. Hurricane King Kerdak Bonefist presides over the revelry from his gold-chased, teakwood throne. A blustery man with long black hair and beard, Bonefist looks more pirate than king, forgoing his crown and royal regalia for the long coat and tricorne hat of a sea captain. A tankard of rum rarely leaves his hand, but his most noteworthy features are his magic pistol and his skeletal right hand, the source of his sobriquet. Already well into his cups, the Hurricane King blearily stares down at you as you are brought forth for introductions. Bonefist repeatedly roars for silence, only to be ignored, so he finally resorts to firing his pistol into the air to establish a deathly silence after its thunderous echo fades. He glares fierily about the hall until, with an apparent change of mood, he smiles and speaks in a calm voice. "This fresh catch of scallywags want to add their fine ship to our brethren o’ the sea," he says, erratically waving his still smoking pistol toward the mentioned group. "But before I award their letter of marque and make them Free Captains right and true, I say we hear from them." Bonefist turns his dark gaze upon the group. "What say you tell us all a tale or two of how you came by the plunder in your hold?" The inebriated pirates draw closer to hear the group speak.
Plugg is hit hard, but is still standing.
Mr. Plugg tells Shivikah and Tibbs "You take care of the steering wheel ." and moves on deck to help Scourge. On the way he draws his cutlass.
Mr. Plugg stands behind the steering wheel on the stern castle.
As the Man’s Promise sets sail, acting captain Mr. Plugg and his first mate Master Scourge gather the crew together "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 you will have to work a good deal harder, as the crew is smaller now."
As the usual distribution of the days work shall take place Mr. Plugg accompanied by Master Scourge picks out several of the Wormwood’s original crew "You are aboard the Man’s Promise within 10 minutes to set sail for Port Peril. Sandara, Rosie, Cogward, Shortstone, Toppin, Tibbs, Scrimshaw, Syl, Maheem, Fipps, Shivikah, Badger, Tilly, Ratline." And with an evil grin he adds "Also Noonan, Estelle, Besmara, Lito, Trytton and Jarrus."
"But you" Plugg commands, pointing to Noonan. "you go to the bilge." A malicious grin on his face.
As the day comes to an end it is time for bloody hour again. Plug revels in the opportunity quite some of the new ones he despises. "You an' ye hold these incompetent landlubbers t' th' mast one at a time. That`s what ye get fer failin' at piratin'. An' once I be done ye clist up th' mess." he orders pointing out Jarrus and Besmara to hold Estelle, Noonan, Lito and Trytton. "Master Scourge?"
As the morning bell rings Plugg receives them as usual. "Ye go with Krine." he states and points out Trytton, Besmara, Lito, Estelle, Noonan and Jarrus. "The rest of you does their works as usual. And no slacking. I want te ship shining from keel ta crows nest."
Plugg throws the pouch with the gold on the deck. "Now go eat and drink your rum ration. Scourge - clean up here." Then he moves back on the poop deck smashing his fist hard into the wooden wall.
"Attack you scurvy coward." Plugg commands giving him a lash.
Plugg throws Owlbear his club. "Fight you lice ridden wench. I don't feed ye to back out."
"I bet 100gold on Owlbear. Winner takes all. Fist fight. No weapons, no magic tricks." Plugg replies not sure if he shall be annoyed they are not afraid or glad to have someone to make an example of.
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