First - rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated. I'm not dead - simply being eaten alive by new job and new commute. Please accept my sincerest apologies for the dead air, I really hadn't anticipated the impact of the changes on my free time.
The good news is... I believe once the initial shock and awe have subsided, I'll be able to achieve a better balance, and get back up to my prior posting rate. I currently plan to do initial catch up to all my groups this Sunday (2/9). Thereafter, I'll be back up to speed.
Several pairs of heavy footsteps enter the dark room, and the harsh light of a lantern painfully spears through the murk. A familiar thin figure leads down the ladder, gold teeth gleaming in the painful light of a bright torch. He is followed by six burly pirates, each brandishing a sap in a manner indicating some familiarity with their use.
An expression that might be mistaken for pain but which is clearly an attempt at a smile bruises Scourge’s face as he cracks the whip in his hand and screams at the PCs.
“Still abed with the sun over the yardarm? On your feet, ye filthy swabs! Get up on deck and report for duty before Cap’n Harrigan flays your flesh into sausage skins and has Fishguts fry ye up for breakfast!” Aside to the pirates, "Get this lot up on deck first, then haul up the theiving trash."
Magpie chuckles to himself, "Ye're a right moral group of rogues, you are. I think ye've missed the point that your shiny new shipmates have stolen your effects - now in the quartermaster's store right alongside mine - as well as enslaved you to work their ship and fight their battles, on pain of death. Be careful where you pin your loyalty and honor."
Jake Magpie gives you all a rueful smile, "Welcome to the Wormwood. You're all about to see an object lesson in shipboard discipline, featuring yours truly. I'm in for the unforgivable crime of attempting to pilfer the ship's quartermaster - punishable by keelhauling. For those of you not familiar with this particular shipboard festivity, it's a pretty definitive discouragement to future misbehavior. There's plenty of ways, on this ship, to draw a keelhauling - three biggest, striking an officer, stealing from ship's stores (that's me), and killing a fellow crew member. You'd do well to remember those," looking somewhat cross-wise at Kiana, "because Master Scourge - your 'gold teeth', surely enjoys the role of master-at-arms. He's a real blighter, and would as soon peel you like a grape as look at you."
"As for what's in store? well.. your flame-headed friend has the right of it. You've been signed up for the Sweet Life, shanghai'd aboard a proper pirate ship. Captain Harrigan's out to make a name for himself, and has used up most of a crew to do it so far. He needs hands to man stations, and as long as ye all are useful, and don't force Harrigan's hand by blatantly breaking one of the major rules, you'll work hard, fight hard, and earn a share of booty."
Looking harder at Kiana, "I don't know how far those wings will get you lassy, but you might want to make a show that you can't fly far. If they suspect you'll bolt, they're like to clip your wings, possibly unpleasantly."
Our heroes wake up the following morning in the dark hold of large-ish ship. They all remember the night before—the ringing laughter of a wild night, the heady joy of excess, the scents of rich stewed meat and perfume lingering in their nostrils. Some indulged more than others, some resisted. All have been brought to this dank hold, with water lapping about in the bilges. Our heroes feel a pounding headache, the sickly taste of cheap wine in their mouths, the hard floor, a rhythmic creaking noise, and the feeling of the room swaying, as if still drunk.
A quiet voice issues from across the bilges, "Well good morning to you all. You appear to be stirring just in time for me to introduce myself. I'm Jake Magpie. The late Jake Magpie - though a bit early for all that." The laugh that follows his introduction is brittle and sharp.
Our heroes are scattered fairly evenly around the oblong-shaped hold. They have been stripped of arms, armor, weapons, and all sundry gear - all now just whatever basic clothing was underneath all the accouterments. Unlike our heroes, Magpie has been secured in the bilges by a set of shackles set several feet up the inside of the hull.
the bilges are a foul, damp place with thick cobwebs above and 1–2 feet of dark, brackish water that stinks abominably below. A ladder leads up to a trap door, and a single bilge pump rests near the stern. The bilges also double as the ship’s brig, and six sets of manacles with locks are fixed to the bulkheads in the forward portion of the deck. One of these is occupied by Jake Magpie.
Later that evening, the tall thin pirate officer exits the bar. He leaves a small purse on the counter, "Thirty silvers, as agreed. And Master Barkeep, your daughter is sleeping safe a-bed. We'll not be back this way soon again, but when we do, I'll remember well how little cooperation I received from you and yours. And after I swore an oath not to recruit your regular customers - such a pity we had to be more forceful."
He steps out into the night, "Come Peppery, Fipps, gather the others, and our take, and let's not foresake the tide."
Polyglot is specific to the Mwangi swamps. A bunch of pirates probably speak it (being from that area), but the lingua franca is common. There's no specific cant for pirates - though it may be hard to follow directions without a prof(sailor).
The thin man looks somewhat narrowly at Brek, "I've never seen anyone in the Sweet Life for long what doesn't lift a glass with his mates. And those in our trade aren't long on sermonizing. Won't any dispute the powers of god, fate, and the briney deeps - but them as can't do what's needful find themselves sleeping in the deeps, or shackled on the shore. So what is it for you?"
@Tiah - despite the darkness swimming up through her, Tiah makes a measured parry of the lady pirate's truncheon swing - Tiah even makes a stylish cut that the pirate princess requires effort to avoid. The two thugs immediately pounce on Tiah from opposite sides, and bludgeon Tiah into the cobblestones. Tiah's trip to the wagon is much less gentle than Malyoxa or Kiana's.
@Tiah - With an almost startling speed and fluidity, the female pirate sidesteps your desperate lunge. She takes a long step backwards, and makes way for her rougher colleagues to act.
Both of the thugs seem to be maneuvering carefully, and avoiding any chance of hitting the female pirate. With an exasperated sigh, the woman pulls out a truncheon of her own, and directs the thugs into an arrangement that boxes Tiah in.
> Timariah (-11 hp, non-lethal), Peppery, thugA, thugB
...and it seems the baddies are having no better luck...
@Brek - The thin officer replies, "I'm looking, but I haven't seen any crew that can hold their drink yet." He draws a long draft from his own, and looks pointedly at the reeling human woman seated at the table.
@Tirmariah - The pirate princess steps back and casts another spell.
GM Screen:
Tirmariah Will:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19
As the spell completes, the female pirate grumbles, "These will have to earn back this effort - they'd better be worth it. Boyz, the hard way."
The two thugs swing their cudgels, and charge Tirmariah.
The two thugs pile into Tiah with vigor. Though reeling from the effects of the drinks, and bludgeoned to the edge of unconsciousness, Tiah still has the wherewithal to stand and respond.
> Timariah (-11 hp, non-lethal), Peppery, thugA, thugB
To you Timariah, have at!
Brek sees a tall and thin man with a braided beard and a mouth full of gold teeth gesture him over to his table. He signals the barmaid to bring another cup of what he's got - and a look passes between them, some sign they had a prior understanding.
Similarly, some signal seems to have passed from the barkeep to the thin man with the gold teeth and fancy outfit. He also gestures Yuki over to his table.
Reffa deposits two flagons identical to the one in front of the pirate on his table.
~~~~
Giz's stylings are well appreciated. He is roused roughly and lifted up onto a table. Another cup of grog is pressed into his hand, with cries of "song! song!".
Epic debauchery and piratical drunkenness ensue - some of which may even be recalled later.
~~~~
Kiana and Tiah sweep out past the fat man curled around his tender bits, and out into the evening. They are both far less steady than their indulgence so far would lead them to think. After the two adventurers traverse a block or two - somewhat unsteadily, A high clear voice sounds from behind them, "Ho! Feathers! yes, you. Feathers first, then her friend."
As the ladies turn groggily to regard the striking red headed pirate princess, two thugs come from behind them in the shadows. They clout Kiana promptly into unconsciousness. The redhead casts a spell at Tiah, which seems to slide off of her already-fuddled consciousness. "Damn" mutters the redhead, then more loudly to the two thugs, "Well don't stand there gaping, grab her!"
As Tiah reaches the door and begins to head out, the hefty pirate - shaved pate and all, returns back through the door, bowling into Tiah. He looks startled and uncertain. His expression then changes to a creepy-jovial grin. "It's cold and wet out - and too early to leave. Let me buy you a drink." He stands firmly in front of the door - unambiguously filling the doorframe.
Tiah notices three people that seem particularly interested in the drow's departure. One is a rather coarse-faced pirate at the card table. The second is a sneering man with a braided beard and a mouth full of gold teeth. His body is tall and thin, and even his long coat and heavy boots fail to give any impression of strength or bulk. He is obviously holds some rank on some ship. His eyes follow the drow, and flick to the third figure. The third is a fat human male near the door, who follows the drow into the night.
Malyoxa:
As Malyoxa's legs wobble on the dark and rain-slicked cobbles, a thin male voice comes from behind, "Scourge wants that one." Two more males emerge from an alley slightly ahead of you, and a coppery-curled female behind them. The men both carry stout-looking weighted saps. The redhead snaps, "Fipps, get back inside and mind the marks." One of the approaching men says, "Peppery, this one looks like bad luck - aren't these black elves dangerous?" She answers, "They're smart and tough - and we need smart and tough. They also have friends, but she'll have few enough of those at sea. Port Peril, the Formidably Maid, and the Scoundrel's Lear will have no shelter for her, after how she cruelly murdered that boyfriend of hers later tonight. Now stop jawing, and load her in the cart!" As consciousness slips from Malyoxa, she 'smells' the unmistakable tang of arcane magic. Rough hands bind a smelly scarf around her eyes, and a rough rope ties her hands behind her back. Malyoxa is loaded roughly into a cart that smells incongruously of flowers, including a stray stem, whose piercing thorns dominate the dark dreams that carry her off...
The symbols and uniforms don't seem religious, per se. There is some resemblance to blasphemous infernal texts and temple art and altar dressings. Not something you can really pin down, but you feel pretty certain there's a relationship.
The sigil, and the uniform it's attached to, bear some stylistic resemblance to Sargavan 'vassal fleets', before the Sargavans lost the clout to inflict their cultural norms on the privateers they hire. It's not a sigil/uniform that you've seen (now or recently) in circulation.
For future reference, if you're inclined to make a check for something, go ahead and make the check (speculatively) letting me know what you're trying to get done. I'll let you know whether or not it's 1) the right kinda check, and 2) successful. Definitely the kind of thing that we can push forward with, without needing several back-and-forths.
@Malyoxa - in the dregs of the wine, you detect traces of a paralytic poison and a soporific (knock-out). Not a mix you'd normally recommend, but there. You estimate your odds of being able to stand up before passing out at under 30%. 'Ar! that'll learn ya to be polite!'
NOTE: I don't believe anyone else has a special, warm-and-fuzzy relationship with poisons. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Service is brisk. The beer, grog, and wine are cold, if a bit thin. The stew is warm, and softens the stale bread well. The waitress, Reffa, proudly points out that the fish stew has only fish in it tonight.
The knife-throwing game in the corner is run by a very intimidating female half-orc named Larana. It's apparently very popular, and loud cheers and groans rise from the onlookers periodically. There is some sort of metallic gubbinz swinging in front of the ringed target-board. It only becomes apparent what the gubbinz contains, when it's emptied, and a small ball of fur flies toward the stew pot. Reffa swats it casually away - "Only fish in the stew tonight. Keep your mice to yourself Larana!"
@Malyoxa - Reffa brings you a tall goblet of some dark red wine (vintage not-so-entirely-cheap). She points at a burly, coarse featured human participating in the card game. From part of the way across the room, he's obviously been watching for this to be accomplished. He pokes his neighbor, snickers, then looks back with a look composed of, 'i-can't-believe-they-talked-me-into-this', 'oh-my-goodness-she's-going-to-eat-me-now', and 'she's-not-really-out-of-my-league-i-can-brazen-this-out'. Other hands at the card table seem to be ignoring the cards for the moment, and taking odds on his time to live.
You _are_ all about to be... recruited... into a ship's crew. Some recruiters follow orders, some have predilections and tastes. I'm betting 100% of the (really really) black-skinned females, and 100% of the winged females in the room will be... recruited.
Weighing anchor sometime late tomorrow evening. For now, please feel free to interact in gameplay in the Formidably Maid, where you all have found yourselves gravitating to in Port Peril.
This is a very high quality field. If I had more bandwidth, I'd open another table or two, because I'd really like to see more of these characters have space to breathe and grow.
For right now, however, I have to decide on a party to set sail with. Please find below a list of those selected, who should report to the gameplay and discussion threads (now attached), and make their introductions.
Justin L. Warren, Yuki Okano, Oracle of the Waves Human (Tian-Min)
cuatroespada, Tiah Swashbuckler (ACG) Human (Varisian)
Welcome to Formidably Maid - one of the more vile collections of scum and villainy in Port Peril. It's nine o'clock on a Saturday. The regular crowd shuffles in. There's an old man sitting at the card table, making love to his tonic and gin. It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday
And the waitress, she gives you a smile.
@Faratim, Krash4031, CarconticSqurl - There is much time. I intentionally set the recruitment long during the holidays, so folks can hit it at their availability. And still get to Christmas Parties. :)
If you do not have the Improved Disarm feat, or a similar ability, attempting to disarm a foe provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver. Attempting to disarm a foe while unarmed imposes a –4 penalty on the attack.
Improved unarmed strike negates the -4 penalty (you count as armed), but not the AoO - you need improved disarm for that.
@Japheeth - credit & chronicle applied as though running a pre-gen (apply to any character once they reach the level of the chronicle).
@Chillblane - intentionally 2 recruitment threads - 2 tables to be run in parallel under slightly different conditions.
@Nightdeath - yes to all character construction questions. races are open - surprise me :) Keep in mind I'm looking for long-term campaign characters, with story and interaction. Also be aware S&S is full of a lot of... not-open-minded characters. Playing through some of the vol. 1 with my kobold magus was very cool - i really liked the character - but he drew a lot of flak, just by dint of being a real oddity.
@Daway - starting level 1. Campaign narrative is S&S, but the first sanctioned content area will be the portion of Dragon's Demand that's level 1-3. Then the S&S sanctioned content at 2-4. Then DD at 3-5... And this is NOT the full-on PFS-legal characters recruitment. These characters will receive XPs for non-sanctioned content as well.
I will be running a full Skull and Shackles campaign. PFS credit will be given for the sanctioned content sections, as for pre-gen characters. I'll also be weaving in Dragon's Demand.
Characters will be built using PFS rules (20 point build, etc.). However.. all Paizo content is fair play (my access to 3rd party content is very limited, so I'm going to keep it to Paizo stuff). Faction traits (or other Pathfinder-specific content) will require a strong justification. Playtest material (advanced class guide...) is also acceptable. Advancement will use PFS-style XP awards, and 'disrepute'/'infamy' (not prestige/fame) - which will be used as GM guidance on access to magic items and vanity.
In selecting submissions, I will be looking at PFS content as a guideline for abusive material. I will not be selecting a crew full of goblins.
Expected posting rate will be roughly one post per day. Communication about lags or breaks is encouraged and expected (real life happens to all of us). Communication is important - that's what the discussion thread is for.
So - I'm looking for six scurvy dogs with some reason to be in Port Peril. I'll be accepting submissions through 1/11. Questions/clarifications/setup for several days, then setting sail 1/14.
So down your cup of grog, hoist the sails, and set a steady course for the Shackles, where plunder and infamy galore await those who can seize it!
