"What the hell are you talking about. Grander was by and collected hours ago."
She looks directly at you Fist without blinking, "If that little scamp shorted you that's on him!"
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"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
"Oh! A wood elf you say! Is that anything like a dryad or nymph? Exotic! I don't mind paying extra!" And the blue skinned tiefling produces his pouch and shakes it to jingle the coins within, after which he puts it away and grabs his crotch lewdly displaying quite the bulge, "My name's Jarrow, why don't we go upstairs Edmond where we can get better acquainted." He then tries to drape his arm across your back and over your shoulder to draw you closer and guide you upstairs.
Jarrow's grapple attempt (STR): 19
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"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
He looks deep into the wretched woman's eyes, searching for any sign of infidelity or dishonesty in her words.
Regardless, he spreads his lips wide in an... unsettling smile, and speaks consolably. "Well... then I prolly need to break the rest o' his fing'rs, now don't I? In tha' case, expect a messenger with yer off'rin returned fer this month as compensation fer this 'lil screw-up."
He stops to consider somethin'. "In fact, Yeni, how's 'bout I buy a round wit' one o' yer girls, too?"
At a raise of her eyebrow, he clarifies: "No, not fer me, woman. T'ere's a wizard in my group, could use a good... usin' by one o' yer girls. Remin' me, wha's the Guild rate 'ere again?"
...meanwhile at the ship... @Molly, after easily sneaking by the crewman on deck Molly slips inside and begins heading to the lower decks. Luckily most of the crew is on shore leave and whoever remains is either busy inside one of the rooms or sleeping because Molly sees nary a soul as she creeps silently through the narrow passages making her way deeper into the bowels of the 'Cracked Pearl.' The first time she was in and out so quick she hardly had time to keep track of where she was going but this second time around she was able to more accurately make a mental map.
🥀Molly Munchausen🖤
Once aboard, Molly slinked and slithered about silently, her form barely a whisper against the wooden planks. From the upper deck, she sought to make her way to the ship's shadowy innards, descending into the bowels where the bilge pumps awaited her hidden amongst the cargo and echoing with the slow drip of seawater.
As Molly crept ever deeper into the guts of the 'Cracked Pearl,' intending to rip them out the little Rhinemaid relished the silence that blanketed her movements. The near-empty ship was a playground for her dark intentions, each step taken with predatory precision. The crew, mostly absent, left her free to navigate the cramped corridors unchallenged with her dolly navigating each twist and turn.
"Drusilla, show mir the way,"she whispered, the doll nestled against her chest as if guiding her through the darkness. Mad Molly's descent into the dark heart of the vessel was punctuated by her idle mindless chatter with Drusilla, a touch of child-like whimsy blended with grim purpose in the macabre task at hand. In the gloomy belly of the ship, she found the primitive bilge pump, its leather flaps and wooden gears soaked in the brine of countless voyages. With a devilish grin, Molly set to work. "Instead of das Meer auszustoßen, let’s invite es herein to dance,"she crooned, her fingers deftly repositioning the valves, her child-like mind simply twisted everything she encountered in a mirrored reversal, corrupting the pump's purpose with a sinister twist.
"Well it's usually 5 gold, so 3 for a Night Raven, and that's just a 'one n' done.' It's double for half the night."
Auntie Yeni appears to be on the up and up.
"Poor Grander, what was he thinking to pull something like this tonight of all nights." She says this in a lower tone, half to herself in mock sympathy for him.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
By fiddling with the mechanism you manage to partly sabotage it. The ankle deep water that was slowly being pumped out of the bilge now begins to slowly flood in and the water rises over Molly's ankles giving her a telltale sign that her efforts have been rewarded.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
"Oh! A wood elf you say! Is that anything like a dryad or nymph? Exotic! I don't mind paying extra!" And the blue skinned tiefling produces his pouch and shakes it to jingle the coins within, after which he puts it away and grabs his crotch lewdly displaying quite the bulge, "My name's Jarrow, why don't we go upstairs Edmond where we can get better acquainted." He then tries to drape his arm across your back and over your shoulder to draw you closer and guide you upstairs.
Jarrow's grapple attempt (STR): 12
((Strength check: 8 + 2 = 10 aw nuts))
He sighed as he was roped back into the conversation. "Erm, yes? Maybe?" He didn't know much of the difference between the two or the three. They all had to do something with nature, right? He resisted to urge to tell him that he was also a druid because what good would that do? Plus, he wanted to keep the tricks up his sleeves~ But he wasn't wearing any sleeves right now!
He eyed the money a bit greedily. Not that he really wanted it (though the plan of the mission was seared in the back of his mind), but he knew on the inside it contained 'oh fun, shiny things!'. When the tiefling showed him his crouch, Asbestos immediately wanted to roll his eyes. He, too, had genitalia. Whatever shape he wanted, his could be it. 'Haha! A one up on you, sir.'
"Yes, well I do better get going-" And then he was grappled. The other man's arm wrapped around his shoulder and the warmth of his body heat. At first a small, strange deceitful smile plastered across his face. Wow, his disguise was working! And boy, was it working good! He wanted to swindle that man right there and kill him. He felt the teeth of his Primal Savagery start to weigh heavy in his mouth (though he kept his mouth closed). But he imagined what it would be like to flash a wicked, fanged smile while standing over his dead body. Probably add in a hearty good laugh or two. 'Oh what a show! What a show! ' But the changeling wouldn't actually do that. His heart would be too heavy. He even felt a tear start to well up at this imaginary scenario.
With that, the heavy reality of skin-on-skin made him squeamish and feel small. He wanted out. Now.
The heat of the moment began to cloud his vision. He forgot his where his guild crew was at. Fist? Gotu? Fyn? These cries went unanswered in his head. The room was now just a sea of bodies, moving colors, and smells, he couldn't take it. A few tests at wriggling free made it seem hopeless. He sighed. "Where are we going?" He mumbled as he was led on.
By fiddling with the mechanism you manage to partly sabotage it. The ankle deep water that was slowly being pumped out of the bilge now begins to slowly flood in and the water rises over Molly's ankles giving her a telltale sign that her efforts have been rewarded.
🥀Molly Munchausen🖤
In the damp, shadow-clad bowels of the 'Cracked Pearl,' the sea began to claim its due, a slow and inexorable infiltration guided by Molly's sinister hand. The vessel groaned—a mournful, ominous sound that echoed through the cargo hold, mingling with the rhythmic slosh of rising water. The Rhinemaiden's laughter, a chilling cadence, rose above the burgeoning chaos, a dark harbinger of the ship's possible impending fate.
"Das Wasser tanzt nun zu meinem Lied,"she giggled, her voice a macabre whisper that wove through the cramped spaces of the lower decks. Drusilla, ever the silent confidante, seemed to nod in agreement, her button eyes gleaming with malevolent delight as the water crept ever higher, lapping greedily at the edges of the crates of cargo.
With the pump's betrayal complete, Molly withdrew a hefty iron Crowbar from her pack, its weight comfortable and familiar in her grasp. She affectionately kissed and murmured to it like a lover, "Sweet Guido, show uns your Stärke."Guido—the name bestowed upon her reliable instrument of plunder—was as much a participant in her dark escapades as any living accomplice could be.
The Rhinemaid's steps were cautious yet filled with a predatory eagerness, Molly began to prowl the cargo hold, her eyes scanning for crates and barrels that whispered promises of hidden treasures. The air was thick with the scent of salt and decay, but beneath it lay the faint, enticing aroma of exotic spices. "Saffron, where versteckst du dich?" she mused and sang aloud a sing-song of hide-in-seek, her words half-drowned in the growing din of water against wood. Drusilla assured Mad Molly that there was plenty of time before the vessel would begin to truly flounder and longer yet for anyone to take notice of it. Time enough for plunder...
Each crate Molly approached was met with the cold embrace of Guido, the Crowbar prying at wooden lids with a surgeon’s precision. Her movements were a dance of shadows, every silent step, every careful leverage, a stroke of dark artistry. She wasn't just searching; she was hunting—hunting for the saffron that Lace had spoken of and described to her on the dock. That precious substance and whatever other valuables small enough to be carried yet precious enough to risk the deepening water. Anything else she might be able to cast into the water and retrieve later at her leisure.
As Molly delved deeper into her search, her anticipation built with each pried lid and each peek into the dim interiors of the cargo. She imagined the soft, golden threads of saffron waiting to be discovered, alongside other spoils that might line the pockets of her guild or fuel the fires of her whims. Yet, her search was methodical, marked by a mad patience known only to those who dance on the edge of sanity and survival.
The ship continued to groan and creak around her, a chorus to Molly's whispered dialogues with Drusilla and the methodic clinking of Guido against wood and metal. In the depths of the 'Cracked Pearl,' amid the encroaching disaster she had set in motion, Molly was in her element—a spectral figure of doom delighting in the slow destruction of her aquatic stage.
It takes a few minutes to perform the ritual but Gotu figures this will coincide with and give Fist's ruse a chance to play out. There is a soft click from inside alerting Gotu that he doesn't need a key to gain entry.
Gotu cautiously directed the Unsee Servant to open the door quietly and carefully, allowing only a slight gap for him to stealthily peek inside and survey the surroundings for any signs of movement or presence.
"Well it's usually 5 gold, so 3 for a Night Raven, and that's just a 'one n' done.' It's double for half the night."
Auntie Yeni appears to be on the up and up.
"Poor Grander, what was he thinking to pull something like this tonight of all nights." She says this in a lower tone, half to herself in mock sympathy for him.
The brute passes her six gold. "As much as he needs'll be juuust fine, ken? His pick o'course. He should be in short. Red eyes, black fingernails. He looks sly, but he ain't. Give 'im te VIP run."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(sorry busy weekend)
Smithy follows after Lace, annoyed he hasn't gotten around fulfilling his works on a bag that could hold more than the eye would say it could hold. He should really finish those efforts when he gets back, but for now let's see what this ship has to offer
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"grandpa" Salkur, Gnome Arti/Sorc: Forged in Chaos | Pepin, Human Arti/Cleric: Goblin horde | Mixtli, Volc Genasi Arti: Champions of the Citadel | Erix Vadalitis, Human Druid: Rising from the last war |Smithy, Human Arti: Night Ravens: Black orchids for Biscotti | Tamphalic Aliprax, Dragonborn Wizard: Chronicles of the Accursed | Doc, Dwarven Cleric (2024): Adventure at Hope's End | Abathax, Tiefling Illriger: Hunt for the Balowang | Gorin Mestel, Human Arti: Descend into Avernus
Jarrow is going to try and steer you upstairs to one of the rooms for a little 'entertainment.' You are free to do whatever you want but have 0 movement until you end the grappled condition. "You're kinda cute I may pay extra just to keep you for half the night." And he guides you over to the stairs.
@Molly
After working your way through several crates of ordinary supplies you come across a dozen small barrels about a quarter of the normal size. Prying the lid off of one reveals it to be the saffron you heard about and were looking for, if you want to spend a little more time searching for anything else of value then explain in a post which check you make and why... Investigation or Perception.
@Gotu
There is a short 10 foot hallway that leads to a T section going left or right, a few feet inside is a closed door on your right. You don't see anyone but can hear distant voices from the front of the building.
@Lace, Smitty, and Steelclaw
You all can make a regular straight group stealth check DC 12 to not wake anyone as you make your way to the lower decks.
@Fist
Asbestos and you went in two different directions after parting ways. You have an idea of where he is because you asked him to meet up with Gotu at the back door. If you want to you can search for him there.
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"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
"'Catch ya later, Yeni. Make sure to give th' wizard boy someone good wit' their hands." The brute then begins to push aside folk, headed fer the back rooms at a leisurely stride.
Jarrow is going to try and steer you upstairs to one of the rooms for a little 'entertainment.' You are free to do whatever you want but have 0 movement until you end the grappled condition. "You're kinda cute I may pay extra just to keep you for half the night." And he guides you over to the stairs.
((Dexterity: Acrobatics: 1 + 3 = 4 he really isn't getting free by wiggles any time soon. TIME TO IMPROVISE!))
((Unarmed Strike: 3+ 4 = 7 ah a fail))
Begrudgingly, Asbestos let the man take the lead. After trying to jostle free a few more times, his default reaction was going limp in his arms. But upon seeing that likely if he did go to the upstairs rooms and judging by the grip of the tiefling's arms, he won't likely have a shot of getting free anytime soon. So, he promptly began to panic. Sweat beaded down his forehead as he looked around for a means of escape. He dug his feet into the floorboard of the stairs, trying to slow down his means of capture. If he was to go up, then he would go down kicking and screaming.
"Unhand me, good sir!" He grunted and feebly tried to headbutt Jarrow, missing completely. "I am no wench. Nor 'your man'. Neither am I for sale!" His hair was getting messy from all his attempts at a struggle. 'What to do? What to do?'
((Sleight of hand: 16 + 3 = 19))
'A diversion. Yes!' He managed to reach into the tiefling's pocket and snatched up the coin purse. "Haha!"He yelled fanatically, tossing the pouch elsewhere across the room, "Go get it, you sniving, conniving dog!"
"Pfft!" For good measure, he blew in a puff of random flower petals at Jarrow's face using Druidcraft.
((sorry if this is too many actions, let me know))
Under the dim lantern light that bathed the 'Cracked Pearl' in an eerie glow, the Rhinemaiden continued her midnight marauding with a macabre glee. The ship's belly, swollen with secrets and shadows, served as her playground. Amidst the creaking timber and the sigh of water against the hull, she found the precious saffron—dozens of small barrels, each a treasure trove of vibrant threads worth more than their weight in gold.
"Drusilla, hilf mir, bitte," Molly whispered, her voice a silken thread in the darkness as she nestled the doll closer, its button eyes gleaming with shared secrets. "Zeig mir, where the true treasures verbergen."
Guided by the whispers of her doll Molly's fingers, pale and cold as the deep sea, danced over surfaces and edges, probing for the slightest irregularity. Her every movement was deliberate, a dance of death and discovery as she employed her Investigation skills to uncover hidden compartments that might house contraband or treasures unknown even to the ship's crew.
The water at her ankles whispered of her success below—the bilge pump, now a conduit for the ocean's reclaiming embrace, marked the beginning of the ship's slow demise. Yet, here, in the cargo hold, Molly sought a different kind of conquest.
"Etwas fehlt,"she hissed, her voice echoing softly amongst the crates. The notion of possible hidden spaces urged on by Drusilla's assistance and continued whispering drove Molly to search deeper, her mind weaving through possibilities as her hands moved with a predator's grace.
Finally, with her treasures secured and her curiosity still burning like a phantom flame, Molly decided it was time to retreat. Her ascent was not one of desperation but of eerie calculation—up the walls she Spider Climb, her form defying gravity as she used her Dhampir abilities to traverse the ship's structure. Her path was a shadow's trail, along the ceiling and away from the mundane routes that sailors would tread.
With each step, Molly left the depths of the 'Cracked Pearl,' her laughter a soft chime in the hollows of the ship, a sound both haunting and haunted, as she moved like a wraith toward the upper decks, ready to vanish into the night as mysteriously as she had arrived.
OOC: Molly picks up and stows away as many of the small barrels of saffron as she can fit inside her back pack plus an extra barrel that she will carry tucked up under one arm. Urged on by Drusilla's whispers regarding something about missing space inside the cargo hold seeks to use Investigation to look for seams or any indication of a hidden door or latch to a secret room or small cavity where the 'good' stuff, the 'really high end' type of things being transported that even the crew are not aware of just the ship's captain and/or officers.
Several nearby people briefly look in your direction but give non-committal responses as it's evident they're unaware of which direction said elf boy went.
@Smithy, Lace, and Steelclaw
As you make your way undetected to the lower decks and are approaching the hold you see Molly climbing out along the ceiling with a small barrel tucked under each arm.
@Asbestos
Action economy only matters outside of initiative or combat. After trying multiple things that don't seem to work you manage to snag Jarrow's coin purse and toss it away. "Oops! I dropped my coins. Give me a minute." Jarrow releases you and scrambles drunkenly after his purse and a few coins that escaped and scattered on the floor.
@Molly
You can take 3 small barrels, 1 under each arm and 1 stuffed in your backpack with everything else... or empty everything out of your backpack and stuff 2 barrels in there. Either really valuable items are kept somewhere else on the ship or were already off-loaded earlier as you don't immediately find anything of great value among the crates in the hold. When you leave you spot your companions creeping softly toward you and the hold.
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"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
The brute grumbles as he makes his way to the back stairwell. If he doesn't find the "elf" soon, he'll leave 'im with Gotu, then go check in at The Flamingo Bijou. If this is a double-cross, heads're gonna roll.
Action economy only matters outside of initiative or combat. After trying multiple things that don't seem to work you manage to snag Jarrow's coin purse and toss it away. "Oops! I dropped my coins. Give me a minute." Jarrow releases you and scrambles drunkenly after his purse and a few coins that escaped and scattered on the floor.
((ohhhh okay! thank you!))
((Stealth: 16 + 5 = 21))
As soon as he was ungrappled, Asbestos let out a large sigh of relief. He watched with a slight smug grin as the tiefling ran away to go get his coins. Wincing at little at worry that Jarrow might trip, Asbestos decided to slowly back up and get on out of there. And so he slipped into the crowd and dashed away, heading towards the back exit. "Pssst. Fist? Gotu?" He whispered into the air, trying to make sense of the shapes and colors before him. "Are you there? It is me, Asbestos. Yes? Hello?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
<---- Skippy Doo from A Pup Named Scooby Doo
DM: Drakkenheim Mind and Matter + Blood Secrets + What's in the Here and Now;
Player: Ibahalii Vriwhulth; Test Run
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"What the hell are you talking about. Grander was by and collected hours ago."
She looks directly at you Fist without blinking, "If that little scamp shorted you that's on him!"
"Oh! A wood elf you say! Is that anything like a dryad or nymph? Exotic! I don't mind paying extra!" And the blue skinned tiefling produces his pouch and shakes it to jingle the coins within, after which he puts it away and grabs his crotch lewdly displaying quite the bulge, "My name's Jarrow, why don't we go upstairs Edmond where we can get better acquainted." He then tries to drape his arm across your back and over your shoulder to draw you closer and guide you upstairs.
Jarrow's grapple attempt (STR): 19
[Insight roll: 21]
He looks deep into the wretched woman's eyes, searching for any sign of infidelity or dishonesty in her words.
Regardless, he spreads his lips wide in an... unsettling smile, and speaks consolably. "Well... then I prolly need to break the rest o' his fing'rs, now don't I? In tha' case, expect a messenger with yer off'rin returned fer this month as compensation fer this 'lil screw-up."
He stops to consider somethin'. "In fact, Yeni, how's 'bout I buy a round wit' one o' yer girls, too?"
At a raise of her eyebrow, he clarifies: "No, not fer me, woman. T'ere's a wizard in my group, could use a good... usin' by one o' yer girls. Remin' me, wha's the Guild rate 'ere again?"
🥀Molly Munchausen🖤
Once aboard, Molly slinked and slithered about silently, her form barely a whisper against the wooden planks. From the upper deck, she sought to make her way to the ship's shadowy innards, descending into the bowels where the bilge pumps awaited her hidden amongst the cargo and echoing with the slow drip of seawater.
As Molly crept ever deeper into the guts of the 'Cracked Pearl,' intending to rip them out the little Rhinemaid relished the silence that blanketed her movements. The near-empty ship was a playground for her dark intentions, each step taken with predatory precision. The crew, mostly absent, left her free to navigate the cramped corridors unchallenged with her dolly navigating each twist and turn.
"Drusilla, show mir the way," she whispered, the doll nestled against her chest as if guiding her through the darkness. Mad Molly's descent into the dark heart of the vessel was punctuated by her idle mindless chatter with Drusilla, a touch of child-like whimsy blended with grim purpose in the macabre task at hand. In the gloomy belly of the ship, she found the primitive bilge pump, its leather flaps and wooden gears soaked in the brine of countless voyages. With a devilish grin, Molly set to work. "Instead of das Meer auszustoßen, let’s invite es herein to dance," she crooned, her fingers deftly repositioning the valves, her child-like mind simply twisted everything she encountered in a mirrored reversal, corrupting the pump's purpose with a sinister twist.
"Well it's usually 5 gold, so 3 for a Night Raven, and that's just a 'one n' done.' It's double for half the night."
Auntie Yeni appears to be on the up and up.
"Poor Grander, what was he thinking to pull something like this tonight of all nights." She says this in a lower tone, half to herself in mock sympathy for him.
By fiddling with the mechanism you manage to partly sabotage it. The ankle deep water that was slowly being pumped out of the bilge now begins to slowly flood in and the water rises over Molly's ankles giving her a telltale sign that her efforts have been rewarded.
((Strength check: 8 + 2 = 10 aw nuts))
He sighed as he was roped back into the conversation. "Erm, yes? Maybe?" He didn't know much of the difference between the two or the three. They all had to do something with nature, right? He resisted to urge to tell him that he was also a druid because what good would that do? Plus, he wanted to keep the tricks up his sleeves~ But he wasn't wearing any sleeves right now!
He eyed the money a bit greedily. Not that he really wanted it (though the plan of the mission was seared in the back of his mind), but he knew on the inside it contained 'oh fun, shiny things!'. When the tiefling showed him his crouch, Asbestos immediately wanted to roll his eyes. He, too, had genitalia. Whatever shape he wanted, his could be it. 'Haha! A one up on you, sir.'
"Yes, well I do better get going-" And then he was grappled. The other man's arm wrapped around his shoulder and the warmth of his body heat. At first a small, strange deceitful smile plastered across his face. Wow, his disguise was working! And boy, was it working good! He wanted to swindle that man right there and kill him. He felt the teeth of his Primal Savagery start to weigh heavy in his mouth (though he kept his mouth closed). But he imagined what it would be like to flash a wicked, fanged smile while standing over his dead body. Probably add in a hearty good laugh or two. 'Oh what a show! What a show! ' But the changeling wouldn't actually do that. His heart would be too heavy. He even felt a tear start to well up at this imaginary scenario.
With that, the heavy reality of skin-on-skin made him squeamish and feel small. He wanted out. Now.
The heat of the moment began to cloud his vision. He forgot his where his guild crew was at. Fist? Gotu? Fyn? These cries went unanswered in his head. The room was now just a sea of bodies, moving colors, and smells, he couldn't take it. A few tests at wriggling free made it seem hopeless. He sighed. "Where are we going?" He mumbled as he was led on.
<---- Skippy Doo from A Pup Named Scooby Doo
DM: Drakkenheim Mind and Matter + Blood Secrets + What's in the Here and Now;
Player: Ibahalii Vriwhulth; Test Run
🥀Molly Munchausen🖤
In the damp, shadow-clad bowels of the 'Cracked Pearl,' the sea began to claim its due, a slow and inexorable infiltration guided by Molly's sinister hand. The vessel groaned—a mournful, ominous sound that echoed through the cargo hold, mingling with the rhythmic slosh of rising water. The Rhinemaiden's laughter, a chilling cadence, rose above the burgeoning chaos, a dark harbinger of the ship's possible impending fate.
"Das Wasser tanzt nun zu meinem Lied," she giggled, her voice a macabre whisper that wove through the cramped spaces of the lower decks. Drusilla, ever the silent confidante, seemed to nod in agreement, her button eyes gleaming with malevolent delight as the water crept ever higher, lapping greedily at the edges of the crates of cargo.
With the pump's betrayal complete, Molly withdrew a hefty iron Crowbar from her pack, its weight comfortable and familiar in her grasp. She affectionately kissed and murmured to it like a lover, "Sweet Guido, show uns your Stärke." Guido—the name bestowed upon her reliable instrument of plunder—was as much a participant in her dark escapades as any living accomplice could be.
The Rhinemaid's steps were cautious yet filled with a predatory eagerness, Molly began to prowl the cargo hold, her eyes scanning for crates and barrels that whispered promises of hidden treasures. The air was thick with the scent of salt and decay, but beneath it lay the faint, enticing aroma of exotic spices. "Saffron, where versteckst du dich?" she mused and sang aloud a sing-song of hide-in-seek, her words half-drowned in the growing din of water against wood. Drusilla assured Mad Molly that there was plenty of time before the vessel would begin to truly flounder and longer yet for anyone to take notice of it. Time enough for plunder...
Each crate Molly approached was met with the cold embrace of Guido, the Crowbar prying at wooden lids with a surgeon’s precision. Her movements were a dance of shadows, every silent step, every careful leverage, a stroke of dark artistry. She wasn't just searching; she was hunting—hunting for the saffron that Lace had spoken of and described to her on the dock. That precious substance and whatever other valuables small enough to be carried yet precious enough to risk the deepening water. Anything else she might be able to cast into the water and retrieve later at her leisure.
As Molly delved deeper into her search, her anticipation built with each pried lid and each peek into the dim interiors of the cargo. She imagined the soft, golden threads of saffron waiting to be discovered, alongside other spoils that might line the pockets of her guild or fuel the fires of her whims. Yet, her search was methodical, marked by a mad patience known only to those who dance on the edge of sanity and survival.
The ship continued to groan and creak around her, a chorus to Molly's whispered dialogues with Drusilla and the methodic clinking of Guido against wood and metal. In the depths of the 'Cracked Pearl,' amid the encroaching disaster she had set in motion, Molly was in her element—a spectral figure of doom delighting in the slow destruction of her aquatic stage.
Gotu cautiously directed the Unsee Servant to open the door quietly and carefully, allowing only a slight gap for him to stealthily peek inside and survey the surroundings for any signs of movement or presence.
Perception Check: 15
Lace & co. sneak below decks looking for the saffron. Do I need to roll again?
The brute passes her six gold. "As much as he needs'll be juuust fine, ken? His pick o'course. He should be in short. Red eyes, black fingernails. He looks sly, but he ain't. Give 'im te VIP run."
Now to grab 'Sbestos. But where...?
[Would Passive Perception work?]
(sorry busy weekend)
Smithy follows after Lace, annoyed he hasn't gotten around fulfilling his works on a bag that could hold more than the eye would say it could hold. He should really finish those efforts when he gets back, but for now let's see what this ship has to offer
16
"grandpa" Salkur, Gnome Arti/Sorc: Forged in Chaos | Pepin, Human Arti/Cleric: Goblin horde | Mixtli, Volc Genasi Arti: Champions of the Citadel | Erix Vadalitis, Human Druid: Rising from the last war | Smithy, Human Arti: Night Ravens: Black orchids for Biscotti | Tamphalic Aliprax, Dragonborn Wizard: Chronicles of the Accursed | Doc, Dwarven Cleric (2024): Adventure at Hope's End | Abathax, Tiefling Illriger: Hunt for the Balowang | Gorin Mestel, Human Arti: Descend into Avernus
@Asbestos
Jarrow is going to try and steer you upstairs to one of the rooms for a little 'entertainment.' You are free to do whatever you want but have 0 movement until you end the grappled condition. "You're kinda cute I may pay extra just to keep you for half the night." And he guides you over to the stairs.
@Molly
After working your way through several crates of ordinary supplies you come across a dozen small barrels about a quarter of the normal size. Prying the lid off of one reveals it to be the saffron you heard about and were looking for, if you want to spend a little more time searching for anything else of value then explain in a post which check you make and why... Investigation or Perception.
@Gotu
There is a short 10 foot hallway that leads to a T section going left or right, a few feet inside is a closed door on your right. You don't see anyone but can hear distant voices from the front of the building.
@Lace, Smitty, and Steelclaw
You all can make a regular straight group stealth check DC 12 to not wake anyone as you make your way to the lower decks.
@Fist
Asbestos and you went in two different directions after parting ways. You have an idea of where he is because you asked him to meet up with Gotu at the back door. If you want to you can search for him there.
"'Catch ya later, Yeni. Make sure to give th' wizard boy someone good wit' their hands." The brute then begins to push aside folk, headed fer the back rooms at a leisurely stride.
"Oi. Anyone see an elf boy come through 'ere?"
Stealth 24
Investigation 9
((Dexterity: Acrobatics: 1 + 3 = 4 he really isn't getting free by wiggles any time soon. TIME TO IMPROVISE!))
((Unarmed Strike: 3+ 4 = 7 ah a fail))
Begrudgingly, Asbestos let the man take the lead. After trying to jostle free a few more times, his default reaction was going limp in his arms. But upon seeing that likely if he did go to the upstairs rooms and judging by the grip of the tiefling's arms, he won't likely have a shot of getting free anytime soon. So, he promptly began to panic. Sweat beaded down his forehead as he looked around for a means of escape. He dug his feet into the floorboard of the stairs, trying to slow down his means of capture. If he was to go up, then he would go down kicking and screaming.
"Unhand me, good sir!" He grunted and feebly tried to headbutt Jarrow, missing completely. "I am no wench. Nor 'your man'. Neither am I for sale!" His hair was getting messy from all his attempts at a struggle. 'What to do? What to do?'
((Sleight of hand: 16 + 3 = 19))
'A diversion. Yes!' He managed to reach into the tiefling's pocket and snatched up the coin purse. "Haha!" He yelled fanatically, tossing the pouch elsewhere across the room, "Go get it, you sniving, conniving dog!"
"Pfft!" For good measure, he blew in a puff of random flower petals at Jarrow's face using Druidcraft.
((sorry if this is too many actions, let me know))
<---- Skippy Doo from A Pup Named Scooby Doo
DM: Drakkenheim Mind and Matter + Blood Secrets + What's in the Here and Now;
Player: Ibahalii Vriwhulth; Test Run
🥀Molly Munchausen🖤
Under the dim lantern light that bathed the 'Cracked Pearl' in an eerie glow, the Rhinemaiden continued her midnight marauding with a macabre glee. The ship's belly, swollen with secrets and shadows, served as her playground. Amidst the creaking timber and the sigh of water against the hull, she found the precious saffron—dozens of small barrels, each a treasure trove of vibrant threads worth more than their weight in gold.
"Drusilla, hilf mir, bitte," Molly whispered, her voice a silken thread in the darkness as she nestled the doll closer, its button eyes gleaming with shared secrets. "Zeig mir, where the true treasures verbergen."
Guided by the whispers of her doll Molly's fingers, pale and cold as the deep sea, danced over surfaces and edges, probing for the slightest irregularity. Her every movement was deliberate, a dance of death and discovery as she employed her Investigation skills to uncover hidden compartments that might house contraband or treasures unknown even to the ship's crew.
The water at her ankles whispered of her success below—the bilge pump, now a conduit for the ocean's reclaiming embrace, marked the beginning of the ship's slow demise. Yet, here, in the cargo hold, Molly sought a different kind of conquest.
"Etwas fehlt," she hissed, her voice echoing softly amongst the crates. The notion of possible hidden spaces urged on by Drusilla's assistance and continued whispering drove Molly to search deeper, her mind weaving through possibilities as her hands moved with a predator's grace.
Finally, with her treasures secured and her curiosity still burning like a phantom flame, Molly decided it was time to retreat. Her ascent was not one of desperation but of eerie calculation—up the walls she Spider Climb, her form defying gravity as she used her Dhampir abilities to traverse the ship's structure. Her path was a shadow's trail, along the ceiling and away from the mundane routes that sailors would tread.
With each step, Molly left the depths of the 'Cracked Pearl,' her laughter a soft chime in the hollows of the ship, a sound both haunting and haunted, as she moved like a wraith toward the upper decks, ready to vanish into the night as mysteriously as she had arrived.
OOC: Molly picks up and stows away as many of the small barrels of saffron as she can fit inside her back pack plus an extra barrel that she will carry tucked up under one arm. Urged on by Drusilla's whispers regarding something about missing space inside the cargo hold seeks to use Investigation to look for seams or any indication of a hidden door or latch to a secret room or small cavity where the 'good' stuff, the 'really high end' type of things being transported that even the crew are not aware of just the ship's captain and/or officers.
Investigation Check: (14 + -2) = 12
@Fist
Several nearby people briefly look in your direction but give non-committal responses as it's evident they're unaware of which direction said elf boy went.
@Smithy, Lace, and Steelclaw
As you make your way undetected to the lower decks and are approaching the hold you see Molly climbing out along the ceiling with a small barrel tucked under each arm.
@Asbestos
Action economy only matters outside of initiative or combat. After trying multiple things that don't seem to work you manage to snag Jarrow's coin purse and toss it away. "Oops! I dropped my coins. Give me a minute." Jarrow releases you and scrambles drunkenly after his purse and a few coins that escaped and scattered on the floor.
@Molly
You can take 3 small barrels, 1 under each arm and 1 stuffed in your backpack with everything else... or empty everything out of your backpack and stuff 2 barrels in there. Either really valuable items are kept somewhere else on the ship or were already off-loaded earlier as you don't immediately find anything of great value among the crates in the hold. When you leave you spot your companions creeping softly toward you and the hold.
The brute grumbles as he makes his way to the back stairwell. If he doesn't find the "elf" soon, he'll leave 'im with Gotu, then go check in at The Flamingo Bijou. If this is a double-cross, heads're gonna roll.
((ohhhh okay! thank you!))
((Stealth: 16 + 5 = 21))
As soon as he was ungrappled, Asbestos let out a large sigh of relief. He watched with a slight smug grin as the tiefling ran away to go get his coins. Wincing at little at worry that Jarrow might trip, Asbestos decided to slowly back up and get on out of there. And so he slipped into the crowd and dashed away, heading towards the back exit. "Pssst. Fist? Gotu?" He whispered into the air, trying to make sense of the shapes and colors before him. "Are you there? It is me, Asbestos. Yes? Hello?"
<---- Skippy Doo from A Pup Named Scooby Doo
DM: Drakkenheim Mind and Matter + Blood Secrets + What's in the Here and Now;
Player: Ibahalii Vriwhulth; Test Run