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Blergh. Looks like I didn't get that first Infamy check with my natural 1. Sorry, folks...
The night after the battle with the Naga, Quara puts in an appearance at the inn. Rather than her usual leathers and blades, the tiefling is dressed in a blue sari, a typically Vudrani dress for women. She walks barefoot, her leather boots abandoned, but the pads under her feet easily their equal. Without saying a word, the Captain launches into a dance. Slow at first, her rhythm gradually speeds up until she is whirling around the inn, golden eyes flashing from behind fluttering veils of blue silk. Every move is part of a story, every leap part of a tale of battle. Those versed in the ways of dancing may see that the Captain is miming not just the battle with the Naga today, but the recent mutiny against Plugg and Scourge as she leaps onto tables and tumbles off of them again, her energy seeming boundless... ... until suddenly, the dance stops. Quara casually tosses back a mug of cold water, then leaves the inn as quietly as she had come. Though her chest is still heaving from the exertion and her fur is matted with sweat, she walks tall and proud.
Just wait until I get Spellsong and some charm spells under my belt! ;) Mwahaha!
Quara tries to talk a good game during the days of refitting and preparation, but it is clear her mind is on other things: the awaiting horizon and the nearby Nagas. When the group is private, she muses aloud: "You know, my lads and lasses, that Naga was a powerful creature. Imagine having one on our side... When we head out onto the brine, we're going to need to add some nice surprises to our arsenal. Obviously the one we fought won't be amenable, but if ever we meet another one...?"
"Might be we shouldn't waste time eating and getting drunk, but looking upstream. More Nagas might come... Maybe we can do something about that."
"Not make it? Not make it?" Quara sputters. "After we did all we could to save his life? Not bloody likely! Here, Petey, let's have a look at those scratches of yours." The captain gives Pete a thorough examination and does her best to counteract the effects of the poison.
Quara pulls herself up on shore and vigorously shakes her body, dislodging water from her striped fur before she carefully wipes down her sword and sheathes it. "A bracing start to the day!" she says, grinning. "I'm sure we'll have a chance to find out more about who- or whatever she was. She's fled for now, but I wager she'll be hacked off and spoiling for a rematch soon enough."
Around Quara, the water suddenly boils without heat, darkens, then brightens. Grinning, Quara swims down again, longsword leading the way. At her side swims a single, golden dolphin, which barrels ahead and attacks one of the serpent women while Quara lashes out at one of the others.
Floating on the surface, Quara nods to the people taking over Pete - and then starts to sing. Her voice dopplers oddly, bouncing off what looks like empty air and reaching into distances unseen...
Quara grabs Pete and strikes out for the surface; once the target is safely on shore, she'll return to do combat!
Teeth bared in a soundless snarl, Quara stabs at the mystery creature, her new blade moving in a straight line so as not to create any drag.
"Keep yer blouse on, missus!" Quara yells back, then leaps into the water and tries to locate Crusty *bleep* Pete and his attacker.
"Do it!" Quara yells. "We need backup for a fight under water!"
We'll have to start calling you Quara of the three blades! You never know when you'll need a special metal weapon. ;)
"In just twenty feet of water?" Quara questions while she runs to the water, her new longsword in hand.
I'm spending some of my gold before we set sail: One Harrow deck
Because you always end up needing special metals when you least expect it. ;) Also, I need the Harrow deck for my upcoming Prestige Class.
"Good one, you!" Quara says, grinning at the human woman. "Get up here and give us your name, why don't you? Don't think we've met before now."
Quara likewise spits on her palm and shakes hands with Rickety Hake, her demeanor solemn. "Aye, it's a deal. Ye'll be passing the word around for free, though, won't you?" The tiefling winks at the squib-maker.
* * * * * * * * * * * * At the drunken gathering, Quara sits on an empty barrel, positioned between the ale and the rum, legs crossed at the ankles and tail swishing side-to-side in a slow, gentle rhythm while she hums a nameless tune.
"Aye, true enough," she says after Atajay has delivered his thundering threats. In contrast, her voice falls softly on the silence, her Bardic training evident. "We're not done yet. Why, we're just beginning." Slowly, the captain spreads her arms and bares her teeth in a tigreish grin.
The Rabbit Prince is ship-shape and battle-ready and there is prey on the waves. More than that, our future's out there, waiting for us to seize it. Did your dreams never stretch further than being free hunters on the waves? As your end, did you expect nothing but a quick death in glorious battle? Let me ask you then, what if you live? Would you be content to be kicked off whatever ship had you last because you'd grown too weak to pull a rope, too battle-scarred to swing a cutlass? What a retirement, to be stuck in a foreign port with a handful of grubby pennies left from all your feasting. That, or a rope slung from a high branch, either by yourselves or your detractors... No, my friends. I have a far finer dream for all of us. We may not be welcome in the fine ports of the world, but here is an excellent port with a town that could do with growing. Lord mayor Hake will be its civic leader, aye, but if we make him a wealthy mayor of a powerful town, then why should we not become its landed gentry? We'll be free pirates, true enough, but we'll be free pirates with a prospect of throwing down our anchors in a place where we won't be seen as wretched beggars or gallows-bait when our sailing's done. Only a fool sets sail without a goal in sight. And so this is my goal: to take you all out onto the water in the Rabbit Prince and hunt those who have more than their fair share of the good things in the world, yet deserve only the worst of it. The Chels will make for fine prey, wouldn't you all say? We bring our catch here to Hake's, pay our bills and feast - but what we don't drink, eat or wench doesn't just go into the dirt, to wait for the off chance that we'll live long enough to dig it up - aye, or for some bastard to collect it while our backs are turned - we put the money to work for our futures. Stick with me! Join me on the hunt! There will be adventures fine on the waves, to be sure, and at the end, for those who live, there will be grand times at your own estates, the landed gentry of a bustling town. Youngsters will tip their hats to you in the street and ask to hear your tales of derring-do and villainy, 'stead of spitting at you and chucking stones. Who knows, if we do well enough, might be a fleet of ships sailing out in our names, and with all of us holding shares. My friends, if you are my crew, I am your captain. And I will take care of you. This is a big dream I'm having, big enough for all of you. Who. Is. With. Me?"
Almost as if on cue (and thanks to a prehensile tail), a piece of cloth slips from the object set behind the barrels, and the ship's new figurehead is revealed for the first time.
As for the Tattooed Mystic - not everything is about game balance and planning. Play what you like; we're all here to have fun, right? ^_^
I seem to have missed a level-up somehow...
Bard level: 4 Base attack bonus +1 Saves: Ref. +1, Will +1 HP: Half of maximum (4) +1 + 2 Con. bonus, +1 favoured class bonus, total becomes 30 Ability score +1. Score chosen: Strength. Strength becomes 14. Magic:
Spells selected: Locate object (handy for finding our next target), Summon monster II (for emergency backup; also handy in case we need to slow down escaping targets. Think 'fire elemental in their sails) Skill points: 7
If we can make a few private purchases, Quara is in the market for a Harrow Deck, so she can start using her Harrowed-feat. ;)
Let's boogie! >:D
Welcome aboard! ;D Is everyone cool with hitting slavers? We can ransom what crew we don't kill, loot whatever valuables they have, and the 'cargo' can become the citizens of Hake's growing city - a citizenry with good reason to feel indebted to us. Good karma and profit! :D
I'd like to recommend we take: Broad rudder Smuggler's compartments Sturdy hull and maybe those Rapid-deploy sails. I can make us a figurehead myself. ;) Hee-hee hoo... When Quara is done, the figurehead will be a beastly chimera of rabbit and tiger, with a fierce snarl and a baleful smile. :D
Dot - sorry dor delay will check later.
"Well, that is why we came to you, Lord Mayor," Quara says, grinning, as she claps Rickety Hake on the shoulder. "Wish ye had some people eager to join up; we're a bit short-handed."
"Seems to me," Quara says, "that what your little community needs is more people. And better security. If you had regular guard patrols, this might all have been prevented." The tigreish tiefling taps her bottom lip in thought, then slowly grins.
I can't even cast Suggestion... yet. :p
We could always recruit?
Maybe you/we could find a replacement DM? If enough people want to keep playing, that is. ^_^
A trick that worked well for me against rats in my very first AD&D-campaign was using Ghost Sound to create the hunting cry of many cats. As simple animals, the rats reacted instinctively by fleeing. Or at least some of them did...
Quara makes her way over to the dormant Gremlin and - while continuing to sing and bolster her allies - raises her sword for the killing blow...
Snarling, Quara slashes at the Gremlin a second time, but misses miserably!
Quara continues to sing -- but does not stand in place. Her voice continuing to wrap around the others, she leaps and tumbles, passing through the mass of swarming, teeming rats -- and heads directly for the gremlin egging the vermin on! "Filthy vermin, rum for blood," she sings while slashing wickedly at the gremlin, "soon your corpse will rot in the mud!"
Quara rises from her seat and roars! The tiefling has not drank anything stronger than tea during the crew's stay at Rickety Squibs' place of business; she's wanted to keep her mind clear in case of emergency negotiations. "" she shouts as she draws her sword. "" Immediately, the tiger-striped captain launches into song, its magic curling about all who are awake and those who are asleep, as well. It even curls about the surviving cats...
DM CrazyHedgehog:
"No slaves, bless our souls," Quara says, smiling. "Or what passes for them. But I like your offer! Agree to make this, your place, the Rabbit Prince's home harbour, and we may do good business together. We'll hunt the seas aboard the Prince and bring back plunder and whatnot, and your place will grow in wealth and good fortune! This will be an even finer harbour than it alread is."
"Sher," Quara says. "Captain Quara Sher." She blinks companionably at Rickety Hake's words, then nods at Atajay.
Quara puts a friendly arm over Hake's shoulder and asks: "Now tell me honestly, master crafts - what do you have in the way of special additions in addition to the aforementioned smuggling compartments? I'm sure a master of your craft has many a fine trick up his sleeve."
"Master Hake, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, a right honour, it is!" Quara says, her voice as friendly as her smile. She warmly shakes the Squib-maker's hand and pats him on the shoulder with her other hand. "You come warmly recommended, sir, for your skills with ships. Aye, this fine ship was built by the Rahadoumi. We sail her out of theft into piracy, but dash it all! The Rahadoumi look is just not fashionable enough, and as you can see we're all slaves to the latest fashions." The tiefling glances around at the Rabbit Prince's crew, then back to Rickety Hake and winks outrageously. "Apart from our being here to partake of your fine skills, Master Hake, I have a crew that's been on the waves for a fair while. No doubt some of my brave men and women would like an opportunity to carouse, if you have an inn and anything worth drinking here. That, and we're looking to restock and maybe pick up some extra crew members. Have you any bold souls in your little slice of paradise that might want to ply the briny blue for a bit?"
"You spin a good tale, Batango!" Quara says, grinning as she claps the Witch on the shoulder. "You'll have to tell that one at dinner sometime. And fret not, I'll keep your wisdom in mind. Oh yes, so I shall..." When Scourge spits defiance, Quara... smiles. Actually, she grins, baring nearly every tooth she has. It actually doesn't look all that funny. The way her eyes turn jet-black is not amusing, either. When she laughs, it might actually cause the amusement value of the situation to drop into the negatives. "Boldly spoken, mister Scourge! Boldly spoken! You know, I may have been a little unkind, if you can spit defiance in my face with death on your doorstep! Let's see, you wanted what many a seafaring man wants, didn't you? A ship under your command, even if only in part? Well, by gum! I do believe I'll make a captain out of you." Quara gives some rapid orders, and a piece of lumber is brought out of the hold; a worm-eaten piece she spotted earlier. "Many a captain would make you walk the plank, mister Scourge," she says in a jovial tone as she elbows Scourge in the side -- a little harder than strictly necessary, perhaps -- "but that seems cheap. I'm giving you your own plank, to keep. Tip 'er over the side!" As soon as the plank has been thrown into the ocean, Quara selects an end of rope and ties it around Scourge's neck like a noose. She gives him a wink, then gives more orders: "Untie this bilge-rat -- beg pardon! Untie captain Scourge and send him down to his ship. Congratulations, captain Scourge, on your maiden voyage aboard The Plank. May she serve you well. Keep the rope, with my compliments; you do enjoy your whipping-tools, after all." As soon as Scourge has been thrown overboard, Quara leans on the railing and looks down on the man. Provided he comes up, she gives him a cheery wave -- then draws a blade and nicks the palm of her hand, allowing bright red drops to spill down into the water. "A ship's not much good without a crew!" she calls down to Scourge, smiling. "Accept this, my final act of generosity; a few drops of savoury to summon hence some eager candidates to join you. I'm sure they'll be right hungry for a position on the crew of captain Scourge! May they serve you well! Unless, of course, you'd prefer to avoid the work interviews and head back to shore for your retirement? You know which way you should paddle, right? If not, try to spot a bird; they always head for shore... eventually. At night. Good day to you, captain Scourge, . I'll ask chaplain Quinn to say a prayer for your diseased soul." With the execution out of the way, Quara heads over to the wheel, and there... she sings. A working song, to indicate the show is over, and everyone is to go back to their duties. The rhythm is good enough, and gradually, the captain's eyes go from murderous black to their merry gold.
Oh, right. ^^;
Quick notes: By 'unstopper this bottle', Quara means for someone to yank the gag from Plugg's mouth. Also, I have a fate in mind for Plugg. He won't be joining us... but he will be making a very intimate acquaintance of a piece of spare lumber and the wide, blue ocean.
Quara's expression is grim when she sees Jack's body, and she makes sure he has a good send-off.
After young Jack's remains have been disposed of, the newly minted Captain hears out Ambrose Kroop and nods.
Mister Kroop, a moment of your time," Quara says, beckoning the cook to return. When he does, she puts a hand on his shoulder and gives him a friendly smile.
Once the ship is underway, Quara calls the other party members to her, and then calls for Jape, Lonnegan and Fipps.
There, Scourge should still be bound fast, nude apart from either a sock or his skivvies -- which have been used as a gag.
The question comes out as a thunderous roar, and the captain has a white-knuckled grip on the hilt of her longsword.
"Aye, we'll be gutting the captain's quarters and the first mate's for loot we can sell," Quara sells. "That, and some of the jink we got from the Grindylow lair might be good for selling. We'll put it to good use, all of it." The tiefling rubs her hands and grins.
"Bah for Harrigan," Quara says, spitting over the side. "A man who needs the likes of Scourge and Plugg to keep his crew in line is not fit to lead at all! A crew must be one in purpose, not divided against itself so it can be exploited."
Quara beckons A'vandira over while she talks to Arven. "I've got jobs for the two of you as well," she says. "A'vandira, I think you'd be a real boon for our future navigation. That familiar of yours can scout ahead without arousing much suspicion in enemy ships, and can bring us word of the lay of the seas and land. Arven, you'll be A'vandira's main backup in that department. There may be more skilled sailors on board, but none of them will be as in tune with A'vandira as you." The tiefling quirks an eyebrow at both her shipmates and smiles a subtle little smile. "Anyway, the first place I'd take this ship is to a good harbour for repairs and re-fitting. And possibly some recruiting. We had a skeleton crew setting out from under Harrigan's thumb, and we've even less people now. This ship needs a full crew before we can set sail proper-like."
"Pray tie Mister Scourge to the mast," Quara says, "and strip him bare. Gag him with one of his socks. If the filthy bugger doesn't wear socks, use his underwear. I'll deal with him in a bit." The tiefling crooks her finger at Sandara Quinn.
The tiefling addresses the crew: "Yes, they fought against us. But at one point they were our crewmates and we fought side-by-side. One day, it'll be our turn to get pitched over the side. When that happens, I'm sure we'd all prefer just a wee bit of style."
Quara walks over to Crimson Cogward and claps him on the shoulder, grinning like a tigress.
Quara hops up on an empty crate and grins at the entire crew.
The tiefling points to Penta.
The newly anointed Captain hops off the box and passes over to "Fishguts" Kroop, pausing to clap Batango and Atajay on the shoulders in passing.
Quara returns to the crate, her smile radiant.
Tonight we feast to celebrate the new management... And as a sign of that change, I call for a change of names. Our proud ship is named The Man's Promise, and a Rahadoumi man's promise should be unchanging and unyielding. But this ship of ours has changed hands twice now; its timbers are soaking up the wisdom that battle brings change, and fortune shifts at the edge of a blade fuelled by the fire in our hearts. Therefore, a new name, the name of an omen that signifies that very wisdom. The Man's Promise is no more. Henceforth, we are all the proud crew of The Rabbit Prince!"
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