After watching Harven scamper up the rigging, Tyndal mutters, "Just like militia training," and hauls himself up the side of the ship (Climb Roll 11), armor and all. He quickly moves to join his smaller compatriot beneath the cover of the tarpaulins.
From Harven's new vantage point, he can see the two sailors on deck appear preoccupied with some last minute tasks. A third pirate emerges from below decks and declares, "Vark says we leave in 20, so shake a leg."
1d20+3=15 Climb
1d20+3=12 Move silently
While not in an amazingly stealthy manner, Terin climbs up to the deck, shifts into the black form of a panther and ducks behind anything close to cover him from view.
The thugs are fairly well spread out: with one on the quarterdeck, one at the forecastle, and the newest thug (having come from below) standing in the middle of the main deck.
The closest opponent (the new pirate) is roughly 5 feet away, but your direct approach is blocked by rain barrels (which you discover beneath the taurpulins).
At present, I have Harven, Tyndal, and Terin on deck of the "Nixie," with Eldin, Anders, and Seann below on the "Low Tide."
"The Beast" leaps from behind the rain barrel and tries to rip out the closest crewmember's throat. Attack= 13, Damage= 7 (if he hits)
"The Beast" leaps from behind the rain barrel and tries to rip out the closest crewmember's throat.
The massive, dark-coloured hunting cat bursts forth and tears the surprised thug nearly in twain with its inhuman bite. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, the wound appears to be a mortal one.
The other two crewmembers whirl in alarm at his gurgling sob, but simply stare open-mouthed; caught completely off guard by the sudden appearance of the feral beast.
Go for it...
So..
-----
Terin (already acted)
Harven
Tyndal (can post in whatever order you like though, I'm on my way to bed as it is)
-----End of Surprise Round----
Unknown Thing which is skipping a round
Vark & Bark (likely due to skip a round)
Thugs
Anders
Harven
Terin
Tyndal / Seann
Eldin
----Repeat---
I act late enough that sounds of combat will be audible, I imagine.
As long as I can hear a fight, or if Harven gives the signal, I cast my wing-sound illusion.
"Aw, they started without me," grumbles Seann. He begins to haul himself up one of the ropes hanging over the gunwale of the Nixie. The mage scurries over the side just in time to see Terin spring towards one of the thugs on board.
Harven looses an arrow at the nearest pirate not engaged in melee.
Attack Roll (1d20+7=25). Hit!! For Damage (1d4=4).
As long as I can hear a fight, or if Harven gives the signal, I cast my wing-sound illusion.
The uncannily accurate bolt loosed by the diminutive man strikes the forecastle pirate in her midsection. With a sharp intake of breath and a howl of pain, she pulls the arrow free and pans the deck for the source of the projectile.
As Tyndal prepares to act, out of the corner of his eye he notices Seann scramble over the railing and onto the “Nixie.”
Simultaneously, a horrifying noise reaches your ears: The sluggish beating of giant wings, seemingly without an identifiable cause.
While we are waiting, I'd like to announce a few between-level awards:
Bonus Skill: +1 Sense Motive for Anders
Bonus Skill: +1 Profession (Sailor) for Eldin
Bonus Skill: +1 Diplomacy for Terin
Bonus Skill: +1 Knowledge (local) for Seann
Bonus Ability: Message 1/day for (CL1) for Harven (who has managed to unlock this racial ability despite his low charisma).
Tyndal hasn't been able to post much yet, but barring the results of this combat, it looks like he might get to keep (and fix up) the boat, so I will hold off on other rewards just yet.
Please update your character sheets at your convenience.
While we are waiting, I'd like to announce a few between-level awards:
Bonus Skill: +1 Sense Motive for Anders
Bonus Skill: +1 Profession (Sailor) for Eldin
Bonus Skill: +1 Diplomacy for Terin
Bonus Skill: +1 Knowledge (local) for Seann
Bonus Ability: Message 1/day for (CL1) for Harven (who has managed to unlock this racial ability despite his low charisma).Tyndal hasn't been able to post much yet, but barring the results of this combat, it looks like he might get to keep (and fix up) the boat, so I will hold off on other rewards just yet.
Please update your character sheets at your convenience.
I throw a javelin at the thug on the forecastle.
Tyndal’s flung javelin squarely impales the already wounded thug, widening the preexisting arrow hole by volumes. She topples over the railing, lifeless, without so much as a whimper.
The thug at the center of the ship, already injured and terrified by the thought of what might be creating such a sound overhead, leaps from the “Blue Nixie” onto the “Low Tide.” Unfortunately, he lands imperfectly, and, already gravely wounded, the fall renders him comatose. Though the thug seems stable, the impact appears to have jarred the caulk loose from the impromptu repair in the hull of the boat, and you can clearly see greenish, foamy water boiling up into the craft from beneath his prone form.
The remaining thug at the Quarterdeck picks up a nearby (loaded) crossbow and fires at the beast he witnessed maul his compatriot. Panicked beyond reason, the shot misses by a wide margin and flies impotently over the bow.
Two more thugs arrive this round from below, one from each side of the ship, drawn by the noise of the conflict. While one simply stares agape at the carnage, the other yells in a loud voice, “Vark! Vark, get up here, it’s a double cross!”
RAAARRRRRRAAAWWW!
"For my next trick...."
Anders will cast silent image and have a large, hideous bat-crow-thing take a swoop over the deck and back out into the darkness, preferable buzzing one of the remaining thugs if I can make a guess as to where one is, if not, oh well...
The ghost sound only lasted one round, so it ende, but a silent glide should hopefully have quite an impact, and their imaginations will likely fill in the rest.
Harven circles around the side of the ship, before loosing another arrow, this time at one of the thugs who just arrived on deck.
Eldin carefully picks his way across the boat towards the unconscious thug who has landed in the craft. While he does so, he tries to assess the size of the hole letting in the water, and how long he has before the small craft begins to sink.
Seann mutters a quick incantation, and the head of his spear begins to glow with an eldritch green fire.
Nah. Only if it really advances the storyline in some meaningful way.
I know, but I hate using the same noun repeatedly, so I shuffled it a bit at the expense of accuracy. ;)
While he does so, he tries to assess the size of the hole letting in the water, and how long he has before the small craft begins to sink.
Surprisingly, the damage isn't as bad as it first appeared. Your best guess is that the little ship is in no immediate danger of sinking, but would certainly do so if left unattended.
The Beast sees 2 fresh targets emerge from the opposite ends of the ship but another shoots a bolt in his direction so that one draws his wrath. The Beast moves to attack the thug, swiping with a vicious claw.
18 to hit, and 7 damage
"KKKKEEERRRRROOOOWWWWWW!" roars the beast, coated in gore.
Eldin glances up at Anders, who appears to be concentrating on his spell. “I think I can stop this tug from sinking,” he says, “and it might be good to have a means of escape should our laces come undone upstairs. But if I give the word, get up the rope, or be prepared to swim.”
The priest shifts the body of the unconscious thug so that he can get to the gap between the timbers of the small boat. Plunging his hand into the cold waters that are beginning to fill the bottom of the boat, he puts his palm over the gap and offers a short prayer to Fharlanghn. Beneath his hand, the gap closes up as tightly as if it had been caulked by a master craftsman.
Anders' flappy monstrosity appears.
Harven's arm is jarred by Terin's sudden charge, and his arrow thunks solidly into the deck, quivering violently.
Terin (in beast form) brutalizes the thug with the unloaded crossbow.
----
Tyndal's action.
----
Seann casts his spell.
Eldin walks over, lifts the thug, and then plugs the leak.
Nice descriptions everyone. :)
Waiting on Tyndal's chosen course of action before I thug out.
Tyndal steps from behind the crates, pulling his flail and charging the two thugs that have just arrived.
The new thugs are on opposite sides of the ship, but the wounded thug (from Terin, on the quarterdeck) is next to a new thug, so we'll assume you charged that way for the cleave.
Tyndal thunders across the deck plates, battering the previously injured thug in the forehead with his lethally accurate strike. Just as quickly, he whirls and removes a second thug from the conflict with the backswing of his flail.
The remaining adversary on deck of the “Nixie” decides his chances of survival are much better negotiating with human opponents, and fires his crossbow at the dreadful crow-beast haunting the blue-black above the craft. He utters an excited victory howl over what appears to be a volley into empty air.
Two more thugs appear this round at the quarterdeck with sabers drawn. One gasps for air, thoroughly winded due to the quick sprint from below, but the other appears to have some fight left in him. He stabs fervently at the strange catlike monstrosity before him, and manages to breach Terin’s thick hide painfully .
You hear the sound(s) of a man cursing and a hound baying from the stairwell at the forecastle.
.
Anders (next)
Harven
Terin
Tyndal / Seann
Eldin
Seann casts his spell.
Seann begins to skirt around the edge of the battle, heading towards the door that the thugs have been pouring through.
"You seem to have stopped the leak for the moment, Eldin. Still I believe I will now do more good on deck. Have a care with that thug. I don't want him waking up and overpowering you. And give a holler if the boat starts to leak again."
In which case, I will take my standard action to have my bat-crow illusion swoop down for a savage bite attack on the uninjured thug on the forecastle.
Harven continues to negotiate the Deck of the Nixie, looking for a nice place with cover that also gives him a nice opening to loose another arrow.
Finding a nice position, he then lets fly with another arrow at one of the thugs.
Attack Roll (1d20+8=27) Hit!! for 2+3 = 5 Damage .