The Wormwood

Sakana thanks the woman for his mistletoe and holly [OOC: I need to make a sea-equivalent to this. Kelp and Caviar?]. His response is very direct. "Why have you brought this back to me?"

She smiled quietly at Sakana.

"As I said, we need allies to survive this ship. I think you would be one. Besmara save us from the depravities of Scourge." She shudders.

"Sleep early Sakana. You're going to need your wits about you in the coming days, procure as many allies as you can before they are turned against you."

OOC: Kelp works, not so sure about the caviar aspect.

You all sleep the night through, and wake up early next morning. The bell rings summoning you all to deck, but four pirates block your path - Aretta, Fips, Syl and Jaundiced Jape. Fipps pushes Alyra in the chest, whilst asking the question. "In a hurry?"

Amanzi steps up next to Alyra, fixing his yellow eyes on Fipps. "I don't see that it's any of your concern, or did someone die and name you 'Captain'?"

Sakana stepped up, backing the catfolk. It didn't have any alliances to anyone - not yet anyway, but something about a bully really, really got on the Locathah's nerves. He stood nearby, staring down the assholes, but slipped a bit as the ship swayed. It definitely did not look cool.

Alyra stumbles back, and reflexively reaches out to catch her fall, gripping Sakana's arm and pulling herself up. She caught him as he slipped and gave a small apology before taking another step forward. She places a hand on Amanzi's shoulder and shows her palm to the four in front of her. "Amanzi, right? Thank you, but we don't need to fight. I understand that tensions are high. None of us were brought here by choice, and we're all trying to find where we fit on the totem pole. I like people with some initiative, all of you, but setting your fists on a potential ally will only make us all weaker. There are people here responsible for all our struggles; we should make ourselves stronger, to face them, instead of fighting with each other."

Sakana looked at Alyra with surprise. He was not expecting such eloquence. "Absolutely well said," he half mumbled. He looked back at the troublemakers, wondering whose hair would catch quickest to a spark.

The little rat watched the goings on, thought about it strongly, and then decided it best he pick a side.

"You all go, if late much punish. Quequek play with new friends. Quequek make sure they stay put. Run yes."

Amanzi arches an eyebrow at the rat. ”I’m not about to start running. If you want beatings,” and here his tone shifts to incredulity, ”I suppose that’s your choice. But it’s not doing me any favors.”

A grunt from Fipps, and he held up his hand to Alyra.

"Yeah, you know what guys? This isn't worth it."

The other three though still look as eager as ever to bruise heads - though markedly, none had drawn a weapon. Seems that the threat of keelhauling is very real.

OOC: What a tremendous success Alyra. You have moved Fipps from Hostile to Indifferent - though his attitude towards the others hasn't really changed.

Sakana cast a spell, and reached out to touch the nearest one, though she missed - especially with none of them wearing armor or holding a weapon at this point. Syl moved to strike at the druid, and almost severely overbalanced. Alyra cast a spell as well, summoning an eagle who struck at Slippery Syl, who screamed in pain. "You'll pay for that bitch." Aretta then moved forward, striking towards Alyra with her fist, though missing. Yesmoro then turns and punches Aretta in the mouth, and she staggers back and holding her mouth. Jape snarls and threw a punch at Sakana, but it didn't quite connect.

OOC: Health status in OOC

Katarina, though healed from the beatings from Scourge yesterday, still tried to punch at her foes though missinng, at which point Amanzi stepped forward and engraved a symbol on Jape's forehead who screamed in pain.

Sakana ...

Sakana had missed, but had firmly planted his feet this time around. He reached out toward the nearest enemy, ready to unleash a small portion of the storm's fury, and did so, causing Syl to scream out in pain, and when she tried to punch Sakana, she again missed. Meanwhile Alyra....

OOC: Alyra is up

Alyra stepped back quickly, conjuring up the arcane energy she needed to summon another creature. "Come no further." she states to her aggressors. Tanaya claws and pecks at Syl, diving again and again at the woman, though missing each time. Aretta then punched her tormentor, Yesmoro, and though the little rat stayed out of it, Yesmoro punched a potentially telling blow, and Aretta staggered back but still stood. Jape then really landed a solid blow against Sakana (5 non-lethal), and Amanzi steps back from the fray. "Give them a chance to cut their losses, we've made it clear we won't be pushed around." Katarina once more missed, though the pirates don't seem fazed.

OOC: Back to Sakana.

Sakana soaked the blow with his face, feeling every bit of that punch. Another one of those and he would really be hurting. He attempted to throw a punch back, but it wasn't a good throw from the start.Meanwhile, Syl was starting to get annoyed with the eagle, and she punched the eagle for 3 damage. Then Alyra....

OOC: Alyra is up

Alyra stayed, ready to summon another creature at a moment's notice. "You can still back out of this." She says as her bird continues its assault. Syl swayed, looking badly injured, but she stayed standing. Aretta growled and punched at Yesmoro, but missed. Yesmoro in return, smashed her in the face, with the sultry pirate looking in great pain. Jape continued his attack on Sakana, but the druid's nimbleness saved them. Katarina continued to strike without much effect. Amanzi once more brought Besmara's cold anger to bear on Jape, who yelped in pain.

OOC: Round 4 begin! Sakana....

In a flurry of movement, your bullies break en-masse, and break for the ladder. With your group not being armed, there's nothing you could really do to stop them. You see as it happens, enough others around to state that they jumped you - though the claw marks on Syl in particular may be a problem.

Amanzi reaches out and sets a hand on Sakana’s shoulder. “Well fought.” (cure light wounds)

There is a quick look of almost annoyance from Scourge, other than that Plugg moves quickly on to the day's assignments.

"Mr Amanzi, you'll be on mainsail duties today." (DC 10 profession sailor or strength check for raising and lowering mainsail. DC 10 con check to avoid fatigue.)

Scourge wasted no time in reading out the day's duties."Sakana, you're going to haul rope today. Katarina, swab the decks. Yesmoro, catch me some rats. Queqek, repairs."

When Alyra reports to Ambrose, you find he's passed out, and will be no help today. You do find a handwritten note, instructing you to catch some fish using the nets.

OOC: For instructions on checks to make, see OOC. Also, don't forget ship's actions.

Sakana gets to it, but not before stopping and thanking Amanzi. He immediately recognized the flush of magic coursing through his system with its healing power.

The work was hard and the Locathah blamed the morning's excitement. Sakana finishes the work, not making any mistakes as it wasn't new to him, but feeling exceptionally tired at the end of the shift.

For most of you, the shift passes uneventfully - though Amanzi does a poor job, the real problem is struggling to stay awake. He thinks that if his fatigue hadn't been obvious, his work was not so poor it would have netted him a turn of Scourge's punishments without that extra. For Alyra, the issue was that someone, and she's not quite sure who, reported her for using magic. For the pair of them, this would include a turn at the bloody hour.

Scourge flexes his whip, and Amanzi is tied to the mast.

"Call yourself a sailor? You did a poor job, and what's worse, you almost fell asleep doing so. You better do a better job tomorrow."

All three of the blows from the bloodthirsty master of arms hit, sending him unconscious. (total: 11 non-lethal).

Having seen what to expect, may well concern Alyra. When she's tied to the mast, Scourge's words are of far different effect. "Don't go practicing magic again, not on my watch."

Like for her comrade earlier, all three lashes connected, sending her down as well." OOC: 11 non-lethal there too.

Amanzi manages to stealthy cast spells on Sakana and Alyra's drink, making the effects of the alcohol minimal for that pair. Alyra spends a good deal of time entertaining the crew, and she thinks she made a good impression on them - though it's now up to her to utilise that. Just as you are all preparing to turn in, Scourge pulls up Queqek. "You thought I had forgotten about your blatant disregard for the rules about rum didn't you?"

He is then hauled to the mast, and given a whipping like the others, with similar effects. Scourge spits on the rat, and then proclaims.

"He didn't actually receive his full allotment, the rest will be done tomorrow night!"

OOC: Last call for any night actions, will post the duty roll for day 3 tomorrow. 11 non-lethal again.

The night passes uneventfully, leading to much of the same in the morning it is thought.

There is no issue getting on deck the next morning, leading to your daily tasks.

Amanzi: Mainsail Duties: Tough work raising and lowering the mainsail, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Strength check. The PC must also make a DC 10 Constitution check to avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift.
Queqek: Hauling Rope and Knot Work: Tying and untying knots in the ship’s ropes and moving heavy coils of rope from one part of the ship to another, requiring a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Strength check. The PC must also make a DC 10 Constitution check to avoid being fatigued at the end of the shift.
Sakana: Rat Catcher: Catching rats and other vermin belowdecks, requiring either a DC 10 Stealth check, Survival check, or Dexterity check to catch and kill enough rats, cockroaches, and beetles for a good day’s work.
Yesmoro: Swab the Decks: Backbreaking work mopping the decks and scrubbing them with sandstone blocks called holystones, requiring a DC 10 Strength or Constitution check. Failing either check results in the PC being fatigued at the end of the shift
Alyra: Turtle Hunting: Hunting leatherback sea turtles with harpoons, treble hooks, and nets. A DC 10 Profession (fisherman) or Survival check provides enough food. Kroop is sobre enough to handle most of the cooking.

This evening, the entertainment, for the most part, is less bloody. Alyra is given a bash by Master Scourge with the rope, (1 non-lethal), though Quekqek is given another round of the same (12 non-lethal) that he was given the previous night.

OOC: Tomorrow will post the next day's tasks, along with rounding up of any night actions.

Following the evening’s “entertainment,” Amanzi joins Tilly on the foredeck. “Care for something to ward off the night’s chill?” He offers her a swig of whiskey, and they continue chatting. As they finish talking, he casually tips the rum ration over the rail, but as Amanzi turns back towards the main deck Scourge locks eyes with him, and Amanzi realizes he was not so stealthy as he’d hoped.

Another night passes without issue, and you wake up for your 4th day on this nightmare.

You progress up to the deck, only to have your usual assignments read out.
Alyra: Special Occasion: Captain Harrigan is celebrating something today, and wants one of the ship’s
pigs butchered and cooked for dinner. The PC must make a DC 10 Profession (cook) or Survival
check to slaughter the animal, then help Kroop to clean, cut, and prepare the carcass.
Yesmoro: Swab the Decks: Backbreaking work mopping the decks and scrubbing them with sandstone blocks called holystones, requiring a DC 10 Strength or Constitution check. Failing either check results in the PC being fatigued at the end of the shift.
Sakana: Runner: Passing messages to the crew and officers
of the Wormwood in all parts of the ship except
officers’ cabins (areas A4 and A5), requiring a DC 10 Acrobatics check and DC 10 Constitution check.
Failing the Constitution check results in the PC being fatigued at the end of the shift. A PC with the Run feat automatically succeeds at this task.
Amanzi: Upper Rigging Work: Work in the upper rigging, 50 feet up, requiring DC 10 Climb checks, followed by a DC 10 Profession (sailor) or Dexterity check.
Queqek: Rat Catcher: Catching rats and other vermin belowdecks, requiring either a DC 10 Stealth check, Survival check, or Dexterity check to catch and kill enough rats, cockroaches, and beetles for a good day’s work.

Alyra spent her time talking with Fipps about her discomforts with the leadership, while she pretended to enjoy an empty rum bottle. When Scourge came by with the rope, she gave Fipps a sullen nod but said nothing as the man took her to face her punishment. She didn't resist and retired for the evening with only minor bruises.

The next day she went about her work with determination. Today she would make her impressions on the cabin girl, and try to learn some insight to her situation, looking for some leverage she could use to drive a wedge between her and the captain. Preparing the food was no big chore, she was beginning to get a handle on how Kroop operated, and was getting used to working with the man. Aside from his situation impacting his work, she considered him a very useful man to have aboard her ship, when the time came.

Amanzi sets to his tasks for the day. The high work is no problem, good claws more than make up for a missing leg (gods damned sharks!), and the work is familiar, if galling. Thinking: "Gotta wait for an opportunity to separate the amenable crew from the captains and officers. Methods of maintaining discipline - fear - on this ship are unconscionable. Unfortunately, they're effective. Alyra and Sakana seem like solid allies. Sandara's offer of friendship was almost too quick, but I'll take her at face value for now. The others.... time will tell."

Somewhat distracted by his own thoughts, Amanzi makes a half-hearted attempt to engage Ratline as they work, but doesn't press the rigger's minimal responses.

Jack Scrimshaw appears on deck at approximately mid-morning. He murmurs something to Plugg, who growls for a moment then seems to look around.

"Right. Amanzi. Sakana. Alyra. Queqek. Yesmoro. To the bilges, and don't come out till you've killed whatever bit young Jack here. And no wasting time either, I mean now!"

OOC:State any preparations you might do before you go.

Amanzi climbs down the rigging and approaches Jack, "Jack, what can you tell us about it?"

As Jack tells his story, Amanzi turns to Mr. Plugg, "Sir, if this thing is dangerous enough to need 5 of us, will you issue proper weapons to kill it?"

Plugg appraises Amanzi.

"Right. You can tell the quartermaster you have my approval for -one- short-term loan of a weapon. I will be checking back with her later that you returned it. One weapon, just for you."

Jack shook his head. "It just leapt out at me out of the water, bit me."

OOC: To identify the marks, anyone can make either a knowledge nature or heal skill check.

Sakana takes his place among the group; apparently they were about to have a proper fight. When the wounds were mentioned, the Locathah Druid moves forward to take a look. He thinks he has a pretty good idea of what did this.

+++
[OOC: in case you can't see the link, I rolled a 15 on the Know. Nature check]

After we are out of Plugg's hearing, Amanzi will turn to the rest of the group. I can manage without a weapon, does anyone else need something specific? Remember, it may be close quarters where we need to fight this thing.

Sakana realises upon looking at Jack's injury, it might be a rat bite. A very, big rat bite. Rats are known to sometimes carry disease, so being bitten might not be great, depending on if that carries through to their giant cousins.

Alrya moves to stand with the rest of those called forward. Outwardly, she gives a slight nod to the people, but after their fight below decks, she considers each of the others an ally. She isn't good with cleric work, and leaves the interrogation to the others. Once ready, she moves with them to the quartermaster's.

When Amanzi poses his question, she waits for a pause then shakes her head. "Never been good with a weapon. I could use about a minute of preparation time though, when we're sure we are away from prying eyes. I have a more... powerful ally than what you saw during the fist fight. nonetheless, anyone who needs more than one item may use mine to request more. As long as you'll pay me back." She reaches up absentmindedly to adjust her headband, putting a few locks of hair back in their proper places.

Sakana shook his head when asked about a weapon. He would rely rather on his innate druidic powers - leave the sword and board for someone who was really good with it.

After reflecting on the wound, he speaks up. "This looks like a really big rat bite. Not sure how something this size escaped the radar for so long, but they definitely need to be dealt with. The potential for disease alone, bites aside, necessitates their destruction."

You all arrive at the bilges, and you can see some movement in the water below. You're not quite sure what it is down there, and the only real way would be to descend. Doesn't look pleasant, looks like a lot of dirty water down there. As well as whatever is down there... rats maybe?

OOC: You can climb down the ladder or jump - jumping requires an acrobatic check to avoid taking damage. Only one person can use the ladder to descend a round. Yesmoro would be your stand-up fighter Sakana. I think he'd want a bigger weapon, but will need him to confirm he wants to claim it.

Yesmoro hisses with pleasure upon hearing the new assignment. "Too long since there was some ressspectable bloodshed on this ship."

He approaches Grok. "I need a weapon, Missster Plugg's orders. I'm not picky but I'd prefer something with an edge.

Once his weapon is in hand, Yesmoro leaps down into the bilge, eager for a decent fight.

Acrobatics roll:

Yesmoro jumps, luckily it's into water so he takes no damage, but he does end up prone - and sees 6 large rats starting to move towards him.

OOC: Won't start combat till everyone has posted an action. Note, they have concealment because of the darkness down here, unless you have low-light vision or darkvision.

With Yesmoro prone, and Sakana and Amanzi making their way down, the dire rats soon made a move, and started to swarm our heroes. Alyra moves before anyone...

OOC
Alyra
Rat
Rat
Sakana
Queqek
Rat
Rat
Yesmoro
Amanzi
Rat
Rat

Alyra moved into the bilge, standing at the landing and beginning to call out to Tekka when Yesmoro leapt in to the waters below. She gave a slight cock of the head and briefly contemplated going through with the long summon anyway, but decided a crushing victory would be worth more to her than proving a point, and that she wasn't in a great position to be losing allies. She concentrated, pulling her eagle from the fold between the material and astral planes. With a wave of her hand, she sent Tanaya to attack.

This attack killed one of the dire rats, and though another one bit at Yesmoro whilst he was prone, it also missed.

Sakana stepped forward, and shocked one of the dire rats into insensibility, with it now moving no more, and another couple moved and tried to bite at people, but both missed.

OOC: Yesmoro and Amanzi can go - 4 rats left standing, one has not yet moved. Yesmoro will need to stand up from prone and provoke 2 AoO to do so.

Yesmoro roars in frustration as he stands up. Stuck on a rotten pirate ship for days with not a decent whore in sight, and the first time there's some decent killing to be had he lands face down in bilge water. Infernal fire glows in his eyes as he swings his sword with all his might towards one of the filthy creatures biting at him. As he stood, one of the rats actually managed to bite him, (1 damage, and fortitude save), but he also chopped one rat in two, leaving only three standing. Amanzi reached out to try to touch one of the rats, but it scampered out of the way.

OOC:Alyra can act.

Alyra let the bird fight of its own accord, finding a wall to lean up against as she assessed the situation. Tanaya flew at the nearest rat, striking with beak and talon to bring the vermin down. Tanaya ripped one of the rats into pieces. A rat then struck at another of the group, once again missing. After immobilizing the first enemy, Sakana knew that electricity was quite effective on these creatures. He reared back, eyes flashing briefly with an electrical charge before unleashing a small portion of the power of the storm upon another rat.Another rat was shocked, but didn't quite die, but when it bit back against Sakana, it also collapsed.

OOC: Yesmoro, Amanzi and Alyra all can go, as they all act before the last remaining rat.

With bits of the previous rat still dripping from his blade, Yesmoro swings is sword in a broad arc, spraying blood and bilLge on the wall as he follows through on his swing.

Like it's brethren, this rat quickly breathed it's last.

Sakana swam gingerly into the water and then submerged, relying on his Locathah physiology to double check that all the enemies had died.

Alyra held her hand out for Tanaya to perch upon, and without a word, the bird flew up and landed. She scratched its chin while she watched the fish man check out the bilge. "Sakana! Doesn't that feel gross on your gills? I admit, I've never breathed with them. We made short work of those rats, I'd wager we have some private time to talk. May I have a word with everyone?" She pushes off the support she was leaning against and takes a few steps to be more central on the landing.

Yesmoro picks up a slashed rat and looks at it. "Big fucker, ain'tcha?" He tucks the rat into his belt and turns towards Alyra. "I'm listening."

Sakana comes up and immediately finds fresh water to pour over his face.

"Storm Gods above, I wasn't breathing that filth in. Just had to make sure we were in the clear. We are." He smiled. An odd look on a face such as his. He moved to the trio that had gathered and gave Alyra his ear, metaphorically of course.

Sakana finds no still living rats below, and given you took under a minute, you probably have a bit of time to talk, or search the bilges. Possibly both.