(Please ignore the railroad tracks that make up the on ramp to this adventure path)
{All except Builder2}
After a long and thirsty day going about your business in Port Peril, you find yourselves in the Formidably Maid, a watering hole in the city known for strong drinks and rowdy crowds. The food is good, if a bit overly seasoned, probably to cover the cheap quality or spoiled nature of whatever kind of meat that is. The spiced rum goes down smooth with a slight burn. There is drinking and carousing late into the night.
The crowd is wide and varied, including a half-orc woman with a short sword in the place of one of her hands, a blind teifling with bells hanging on ribbons from his horns that jingle and tinkle as he dances around the floor with the confidence of a sighted man, and a dark skinned human, dressed all in black with a sneering smile that could easily be mistaken as the grimace of someone having a limb sawed off.
The night goes by without incident, although towards the end of it things have gotten hazy...you haven't drank that much of the rum have you...?
*Fade to black*
{Builder2}
After a long day at the shipyards you have been excused to return to your domicile. Not that it is required. You do not require sleep, or drink, or food that is normal for the softer-ones that work beside you. But working through the night and then resting when you must at the shipyards makes others uncomfortable. So you have learned to retire to a small cubicle you have rented above a blacksmith's shop once an evening for approximately 6 hours.
The roads are mostly empty heading back to your cubicle, but you do not notice the elderly half-elven woman or the half-orc with the active hands that are following a distance behind.
The half-orc signals to the woman with large stripes shaved into her hair. Waving his hands in some kind of sign language.
{Badger}{Worried}{Mechanical}{Dangerous}
The woman watched the hands and sighed as she whispers back. "Quit your belly aching Jape. These mechanos are no more dangerous than another man. Those tales of them ripping people limb from limb are fairy tales. Probably. Anyways, Scourge told us to take him, and gave us this nifty stone that is supposed to knock him out. If you want to go back and tell Scourge that you lillied out fine by me. But don't complain when you end up in the sweat for a day because of it. Now hurry up, we're losin' him!"
The two swiftly creep closer behind the mechanical man, and with a deft throw a small glowing stone hits him in the back of the head and attaches itself. There is a brief electrical spark, and Builder2 stops in his tracks.
"Well I'll be a peg-legged dolphin, it worked. To bad that Scourge said that Chellish courrier vessel only had one of these. More would come in handy later. Oh well, help drag him back to the ship."
Chapter 1: Press Ganged!
You all wake up the following morning in a dark hold. Most of you have vague memories of ringing laughter, heady excess, and scents of stewed meats and perfume linger in your nostrils. By contrast, this morning you are met with a pounding headache, the sickly taste of cheap wine, and a hard wooden floor swaying softly in the way a ship does after it is beyond the breakers and out on the open sea. Hammocks sway gently above your heads.
Intelligence or Nature DC 10:
The grogginess and headache, that oily taste in your mouth. These are clear signs of Oil of Taggit poisoning. Someone must have slipped the poison into your stew or the spiced rum. The spices would have hidden the taste well enough.
There is a soft thud of metal hitting wood as something detaches from the back of the mechanical body lying on the ground behind you. Lights blink to life where the eyes of the warforged rest and he sits up, taking in his surroundings as well. The object that was attached to the back of his head is inert, the magic it was using to keep the warforged incapacitated now depleted.
As you gather yourselves and consider how to respond to the situation you find yourself in, you notice most of your personal effects have been removed while you were unconscious.
(Please do not make any changes to your equipment on your character sheets as there will be opportunities before it matters for you to get starting eq back, but you can put into your notes that at this time these are the items that were left to you.)
Builder2: They must have taken a good amount of time on you, as your scale mail has been removed. No easy feat without your assistance. They however did not find the few hidden compartments that are spread around your body. You remain in possession of your Thieves' Tools and 1 dagger.
James Driftwood: They took all of your large weapons. They did not locate your sequestered money pouch though, you retain your 10 gp and the Tinderbox that you had tucked in there.
Sericea Lespedeza: They appear to not have known what to make of your pouch of spell components, having left you with that and a single dagger that they did not notice tucked into your sash for protection while you waited tables.
Varus Filius: They did not find your secreted away handaxe, or the pouch that contains your mess kit and your tinderbox. But they did take your Lyre, and for that they will have to pay.
Ventus: They did find your coin purse, probably making some pirate very happy to find the 30 gp inside. But the greater treasure of your flute was ignored, as was the crowbar that was hidden below the flute in its case. Everything else was taken though.
Reynard Ferrand: They seem to have pegged you as ripe pickings, striping you of your fine clothing leaving you with ill fitting rags. In the process they also took your signet ring, your money pouch, and your rapier, a family heirloom that they will greatly regret not returning. Either through lack of interest or haste they did however leave you with your Thieves' Tools
Heavy bootfalls announce the arrival of several people into the hold, and the harsh light of a lantern painfully spears into your eyes, doing nothing but cause your headache to pound at double time. Holding the lantern is the dark clothed stranger from the Formidably Maid, his oily smile a bruise across the bottom of his face. In his other hand hangs a whip that he snaps above your heads as he screams:
"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!"
6 rough looking pirates accompany him, all armed with saps.
James: The name Harrigan rings in your ears. Is this cruel fate or beautiful luck? You find yourself press ganged onto the very ship of the man that burned your ship to the waves, killing your friends and family.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ventus stumbles to his feet, before sneakily slipping his flute beneath his shirt, and mutters: “Talos, you are truly a kind god. What wonderful chaos might I encounter here?”, before walking over to the dark skinned man.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Intelligence DC 10 check: 8 -> failed
Sericea drifted in semi-consciousness for a while, her head aching and her stomach churning. She heard something in the background, and couldn't decide if it was the sound of waves, or a voice whispering her name.
She was sharply woken by the stranger's yells. Finding herself in an unfamiliar place, her hands instinctively went to her dagger and her pouch. Finding them at her waist, she looked around without trying to draw attention. She recognized some of those in the room from the last night at the Maid, but not others. As the genasi got up and spoke, she decided to stay still for now, and see what she could learn about her whereabouts.
The warforge gets to his feet, his body looking somehow wrong, with places where something was clearly taken off from around him. He glances over his form and frowns, noticing that his armor plating has been removed. As the footsteps and yells for them to get moving come, he starts into motion, willing to follow commands for now. He walks directly out, following barked orders as he does what is told him.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Int check: 3
Varus stands warily, feeling the lack of weight on his back. He reaches towards his back, eyes going wide as he fails to find the case he had stored his lyre in. He holds his tongue for now, shifting as he feels the weight of a handaxe beneath his clothing. He eyes the pirates warily before quickly scanning his companions. He then steps forward, making sure to keep his expression neutral as he heads abovedeck.
A flash of anger briefly crosses Jame's face, only to be replaced by a grimace of pain the next moment as the headache from the hangover hits him. Being in no condition to even think of starting a fight, he follows along with what he is told. Though, thoughts and plans of revenge whisper in the back of his mind.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!
Sericea sees the other captives heading up to the deck, so she meekly follows along. She ignores the leers of the pirates, but out of the corner of her eye tries to estimate how dangerous or well equipped they are - are these desperate bandits, or well-equipped criminals?
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(Hoping Blakey makes an appearance soon, but I am going to move the story along...)
"This is taking too long, grab that one...he must be daft in the head."
At the dark man's command, two of the pirate push past Sericea moving towards Reynard as she surriptitiously eyes them.
Sericea's Insight Check: 17
Sericea: If you were at the bar you would try to give these two a wide berth, serving them just what they needed to stay happy and otherwise staying away from the table. One is a large man with pale skin, easily clearing 6'7 and probably weighing above 270 lbs of all muscle. Besides the sap that is in his hand a cutlass rests on his belt as well as a pair of daggers. The other is a dark skinned woman that only falls short of his height by a head or so, but is much more slender. Toned muscles flex as she lifts the unconcious Reynard of the ground as he groans in discomfort. Under her tunic you see a pair of handaxes peaking out. They both give the impression of harden criminals, ready to do what the dark clothed man asks of them.
They roughly grab the man up from the deck and drag him up the stairs behind the others. You had all been kept on the lower hold of the ship. From what quick glance you got of it you surmise that it could be used for cargo, but it currently has none and instead is used as the crew quarters for non-officers aboard ship. You are taken up through the middle deck, where you see a large brute of a man chained to the foremast. He looks up as the man in black walks by and makes a low whistling sound, rattling his chains. With a fast eye you size up the deck, it looks like it is used for storage and as a mess and galley. If you were laying out the ship this is also likely where the quartermaster's storage would be, and therefore where any of your gear not claimed by others would have come to rest.
You are swiftly ushered up the next flight of stairs to the main deck and the open air, where you are greeted with the sight of water in all directions. Land is far away now, the ship must have set sail in the dead of night after you were onboarded.
Figures cluster around the ship’s mainmast, looking up at the higher deck on the stern, where two figures stand. One of them is a broad, muscular Garundi man with a shaven head, a long beard bound with gold rings, and an eye patch—clearly the captain. The other is a younger, balding man with a long black ponytail, wearing a long coat and carrying a well-used cat-o’-nine-tails.
You also notice, you are apparently not the only new crew members. Four others stand apart from the rest of the crew, they seem uneasey at their new situation and their fresh and clean looking clothes are like a brightly painted tavern sign announcing new meat available for purchase.
As you come to a rest from your forced march beside these other new recruits, the captain addresses the crew:
“Glad you could join us at last! Welcome to the Wormwood!
My thanks for ‘volunteering’ to join my crew. I’m Barnabas Harrigan. That’s Captain Barnabas Harrigan to you, not that you’ll ever need to address me. I have only one rule—don’t speak to me. I like talk, but I don’t like your talk. Follow that rule and we’ll all get along fine."
"Oh, and one more thing. Even with you new recruits, we’re still short-handed, and I aim to keep what crew I have. There’ll be a keelhaulin’ for anyone caught killin’ anyone.
Mr. Plugg! If you’d be so kind as to make pirates out of these landlubbers, it’ll save me having to put them in the sweatbox for a year and a day before I make pies out of ’em.”
Without another word or waiting for a response to orders he clearly expects to be followed, the Captain turns and enters a cabin located on the upper deck, leaving the bald-headed Mr. Plugg looking down on the 10 new recruits with an unpleasant sneering smile.
"And a sorry looking lot I have to make pirates out of as well. I am Mr. Plugg, first mate of the Wormwood and your commanding officer. If you need something you come to Master Scourge," he nods down the the unpleasant man in black that came to rouse you from your drugged slumber, "or myself. If you bother the Captain...If you look at the Captain...I will put you to the Cat until your back is minced meat."
"Now, there are several crew positions open on the ship, so we will be running trials to see where you are most fit. First, we need riggers. So all of you, climb to the Crow's nest as fast as you can. Now! GO!"
He points up at the wooden basket sitting on the main mast in the middle of the ship, about 60' above the deck. The four other new crew members head to the rigging to start their climb
(It's a race to the top. The Crow's nest is a 60' climb, each round you can make it half your movement speed up with an acrobatics or athletics check of DC 10. If you fail by 4 or less then you make no progress that round. If you fail by 5 or more then you fall from your current perch, taking 1d6 falling damage per 10 feet fallen, round down, minimum 1d6. (Fall 0-15' 1d6, Fall 20 - 25' 2d6, so on and so forth) If you fall you can make a dexterity saving throw DC 15 to try to catch yourself before you hit the ground, on a success you only lose 10' of progress. Please make all appropriate rolls and stop when you fall and are unconscious or when you reach the top. Plugg also stops you if you fall 3 times and are not yet unconscious. If you reach the top include how many rounds it took you. During the trial if your character decides to stop we can RP that out as well.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
NPC Climb Checks
NPC 1: 5 Athletics Rolls
15 Success: 15'
16 Success: 30'
21 Success: 45'
19 Failure (4 or less): 45'
11 Success: 60'
The first of the new recruits, clearly intimidated by Mr. Plugg and Scourge and wanting to make a good impression scurries up the ropes and reaches the top in half a minute.
NPC 2: 6 Athletics Checks & fall
13 Success: 15'
22 Failure - 4 or less: 15'
9 Failure - 4 or less: 15'
5 Success: 30'
15 Failure - 4 or less: 30'
12 Failure - 5 or more: Fall!
Damage: 17
The second new recruit seems to be suffering from more nerves, freezing on the ropes about 15' up as about half the members of the more seasoned crew scream and jeer at them. Scourge joins in in the mockery.
"Come on Lily White! Get up that rope or we will be tying the rope to you and dragging you behind the ship!"
This encouragement from below spurs them on another 15' before they lose their grasp and fall hard to the deck, losing consciousness. The laughter of the crew just gets louder at their failure.
NPC 3: 1 Athletics check & fall & 2 athletics checks & fall & 4 athletics checks & fall
18 Success: 15'
14 Failure - 5 or More: Fall!
11 Success: 15'
5 Failure - 4 or Less: 15'
5 Failure - 5 or More: Fall!
20 Failure - 4 or Less: 0'
5 Success: 15'
First fall damage (roll 2) 2
Second fall damage (roll 5) 2
18 Failure 4 or Less: 15'
18 Failure 5 or More: Fall
16
Third Fall Damage (Roll 9) 6
The third fresh pirate seems to be afraid of heights, never making it more than 15' above deck before freezing and invariably falling, causing a fresh set of laughs from the seasoned crew. After her third fall Mr. Plugg stops her as she limps forlornly to the rope again.
"I have never seen such a truly depressing performance. I wouldn't put you in the crows nest if you were the last fecking crew member on the ship. Go stand over there."
4th NPC - 6 athletics checks
18 - Failure Less than 4: 0'
14 - Failure Less than 4: 0'
12 Success: 15'
5 Success: 30'
13 Success: 45'
11 Success: 60'
The last of the other new pirates that you met as you make it on deck has a couple of false starts with the rope, but then begins to climb hand over hand with confidence and ease. He ultimately makes it to the crows nest just a little slower than the first.
Sericea takes in everything as they are brought to the main deck and meet their captors. The hazards of Port Peril pale in comparison to this predicament! She also begins to despair at their location; she hasn't been out to sea since the shipwreck where she lost her father.
After the four other captives attempt the climb, she and the others from the Tavern approach the ropes. She's not eager to be a rigger, but who knows what other jobs may be in store...
Acrobatics DC 10: 13 Success, 15'
Acrobatics DC 10: 20 Success, 30'
Acrobatics DC 10: 15 Failure, fall
Dex Saving DC 15: 13 Failure, fall
Damage 3d6 for 30': 8
Sericea makes quick progress at first, driven by fear. But she falters halfway to the top and loses her grip. She flails at the ropes on the way down but it's in vain, and she hits the deck and is knocked out.
Varus grimaces as he moves over and begins to climb.
Athletics: 7
Athletics: 19
Athletics: 25
Athletics: 22
Varus is focused as he climbs, though he nearly loses his grip 45 feet up, he grits his teeth and pulls himself the rest of the way to the top (4 rounds).
With an ungangly lurch, the warforge managed to reach the top of the climb. It had not been a very pretty climb, with him tangled in ropes for a bit, and with him struggling the last half, but he got there as ordered.
by my counting you stayed put at 20 feet for 2 rounds, then climbed up to the 50 foot mark the next two rounds. At 4 rounds you are not quite to the top yet... Just going by the description you gave in the post before this one.
by my counting you stayed put at 20 feet for 2 rounds, then climbed up to the 50 foot mark the next two rounds. At 4 rounds you are not quite to the top yet... Just going by the description you gave in the post before this one.
James stumbles, not quite having his sea legs back, over to the rigging that lets you climb to the crows nest and begins to make the climb. He mumbles to himself as he climbs up, "Come to the bar, we'll get together, and have a few laughs. You won't get kidnapped by pirates." James makes it 15 feet up before having to pause to catch his breath. "This hangover is really killing me." He says to himself as he holds one hand to the side of his head. Once the headache becomes manageable again, he continues the climb reaching 30 feet, then 45 feet. He just keeps climbing, almost like he has done this countless times before, reaching the crows nest. He climbs into the crows nest and leans against the mast, "Oh, I think I'm going to be sick."
(OOC: Go ahead and take care of this so there is no concern about someone dying on the first skill challenge of the game).
As Sericea and the unnamed pirate both hit the deck, hard, the laughter of some of the more hard bitten crew members only increases. But it is apparent that others amoungst the crew are not amused by the pain of others. Some even cheer; genuinely happy as James and Ventus, reach the crows nest.
One individual, a human woman with fiery red hair rushes forward to the fallen holding a metal implement that hangs from her neck. As Master Scourge looks on with a mix of anger and desire in his eyes, she reaches down and says a quick prayer, touching each of the fallen on the forehead. After she has seen to their immediate needs she glances up at Scourge with a cold look, which causes the anger in his eyes to flare and he steps forward, gripping his whip. She retreats back into a group of pirates though and he allows her to depart.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Founding Member of the High Roller Society.(Currently trying to roll max on 4d6)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
James looks over at Ventus who floated up there and gives them a cheeky smile, "That's cheating." While up in the crow's nest James will look around and try to see if he can get an idea of where they might be.
Prologue: A Night on the Town
(Please ignore the railroad tracks that make up the on ramp to this adventure path)
{All except Builder2}
After a long and thirsty day going about your business in Port Peril, you find yourselves in the Formidably Maid, a watering hole in the city known for strong drinks and rowdy crowds. The food is good, if a bit overly seasoned, probably to cover the cheap quality or spoiled nature of whatever kind of meat that is. The spiced rum goes down smooth with a slight burn. There is drinking and carousing late into the night.
The crowd is wide and varied, including a half-orc woman with a short sword in the place of one of her hands, a blind teifling with bells hanging on ribbons from his horns that jingle and tinkle as he dances around the floor with the confidence of a sighted man, and a dark skinned human, dressed all in black with a sneering smile that could easily be mistaken as the grimace of someone having a limb sawed off.
The night goes by without incident, although towards the end of it things have gotten hazy...you haven't drank that much of the rum have you...?
*Fade to black*
{Builder2}
After a long day at the shipyards you have been excused to return to your domicile. Not that it is required. You do not require sleep, or drink, or food that is normal for the softer-ones that work beside you. But working through the night and then resting when you must at the shipyards makes others uncomfortable. So you have learned to retire to a small cubicle you have rented above a blacksmith's shop once an evening for approximately 6 hours.
The roads are mostly empty heading back to your cubicle, but you do not notice the elderly half-elven woman or the half-orc with the active hands that are following a distance behind.
The half-orc signals to the woman with large stripes shaved into her hair. Waving his hands in some kind of sign language.
{Badger}{Worried}{Mechanical}{Dangerous}
The woman watched the hands and sighed as she whispers back. "Quit your belly aching Jape. These mechanos are no more dangerous than another man. Those tales of them ripping people limb from limb are fairy tales. Probably. Anyways, Scourge told us to take him, and gave us this nifty stone that is supposed to knock him out. If you want to go back and tell Scourge that you lillied out fine by me. But don't complain when you end up in the sweat for a day because of it. Now hurry up, we're losin' him!"
The two swiftly creep closer behind the mechanical man, and with a deft throw a small glowing stone hits him in the back of the head and attaches itself. There is a brief electrical spark, and Builder2 stops in his tracks.
"Well I'll be a peg-legged dolphin, it worked. To bad that Scourge said that Chellish courrier vessel only had one of these. More would come in handy later. Oh well, help drag him back to the ship."
Chapter 1: Press Ganged!
You all wake up the following morning in a dark hold. Most of you have vague memories of ringing laughter, heady excess, and scents of stewed meats and perfume linger in your nostrils. By contrast, this morning you are met with a pounding headache, the sickly taste of cheap wine, and a hard wooden floor swaying softly in the way a ship does after it is beyond the breakers and out on the open sea. Hammocks sway gently above your heads.
Intelligence or Nature DC 10:
The grogginess and headache, that oily taste in your mouth. These are clear signs of Oil of Taggit poisoning. Someone must have slipped the poison into your stew or the spiced rum. The spices would have hidden the taste well enough.
There is a soft thud of metal hitting wood as something detaches from the back of the mechanical body lying on the ground behind you. Lights blink to life where the eyes of the warforged rest and he sits up, taking in his surroundings as well. The object that was attached to the back of his head is inert, the magic it was using to keep the warforged incapacitated now depleted.
As you gather yourselves and consider how to respond to the situation you find yourself in, you notice most of your personal effects have been removed while you were unconscious.
(Please do not make any changes to your equipment on your character sheets as there will be opportunities before it matters for you to get starting eq back, but you can put into your notes that at this time these are the items that were left to you.)
Builder2: They must have taken a good amount of time on you, as your scale mail has been removed. No easy feat without your assistance. They however did not find the few hidden compartments that are spread around your body. You remain in possession of your Thieves' Tools and 1 dagger.
James Driftwood: They took all of your large weapons. They did not locate your sequestered money pouch though, you retain your 10 gp and the Tinderbox that you had tucked in there.
Sericea Lespedeza: They appear to not have known what to make of your pouch of spell components, having left you with that and a single dagger that they did not notice tucked into your sash for protection while you waited tables.
Varus Filius: They did not find your secreted away handaxe, or the pouch that contains your mess kit and your tinderbox. But they did take your Lyre, and for that they will have to pay.
Ventus: They did find your coin purse, probably making some pirate very happy to find the 30 gp inside. But the greater treasure of your flute was ignored, as was the crowbar that was hidden below the flute in its case. Everything else was taken though.
Reynard Ferrand: They seem to have pegged you as ripe pickings, striping you of your fine clothing leaving you with ill fitting rags. In the process they also took your signet ring, your money pouch, and your rapier, a family heirloom that they will greatly regret not returning. Either through lack of interest or haste they did however leave you with your Thieves' Tools
Heavy bootfalls announce the arrival of several people into the hold, and the harsh light of a lantern painfully spears into your eyes, doing nothing but cause your headache to pound at double time. Holding the lantern is the dark clothed stranger from the Formidably Maid, his oily smile a bruise across the bottom of his face. In his other hand hangs a whip that he snaps above your heads as he screams:
"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!"
6 rough looking pirates accompany him, all armed with saps.
James: The name Harrigan rings in your ears. Is this cruel fate or beautiful luck? You find yourself press ganged onto the very ship of the man that burned your ship to the waves, killing your friends and family.
Founding Member of the High Roller Society. (Currently trying to roll max on 4d6)
Ventus stumbles to his feet, before sneakily slipping his flute beneath his shirt, and mutters: “Talos, you are truly a kind god. What wonderful chaos might I encounter here?”, before walking over to the dark skinned man.
sleight of hand check: 8
Intelligence DC 10 check: 8 -> failed
Sericea drifted in semi-consciousness for a while, her head aching and her stomach churning. She heard something in the background, and couldn't decide if it was the sound of waves, or a voice whispering her name.
She was sharply woken by the stranger's yells. Finding herself in an unfamiliar place, her hands instinctively went to her dagger and her pouch. Finding them at her waist, she looked around without trying to draw attention. She recognized some of those in the room from the last night at the Maid, but not others. As the genasi got up and spoke, she decided to stay still for now, and see what she could learn about her whereabouts.
The warforge gets to his feet, his body looking somehow wrong, with places where something was clearly taken off from around him. He glances over his form and frowns, noticing that his armor plating has been removed. As the footsteps and yells for them to get moving come, he starts into motion, willing to follow commands for now. He walks directly out, following barked orders as he does what is told him.
Int check: 3
Varus stands warily, feeling the lack of weight on his back. He reaches towards his back, eyes going wide as he fails to find the case he had stored his lyre in. He holds his tongue for now, shifting as he feels the weight of a handaxe beneath his clothing. He eyes the pirates warily before quickly scanning his companions. He then steps forward, making sure to keep his expression neutral as he heads abovedeck.
A flash of anger briefly crosses Jame's face, only to be replaced by a grimace of pain the next moment as the headache from the hangover hits him. Being in no condition to even think of starting a fight, he follows along with what he is told. Though, thoughts and plans of revenge whisper in the back of his mind.
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!
Sericea sees the other captives heading up to the deck, so she meekly follows along. She ignores the leers of the pirates, but out of the corner of her eye tries to estimate how dangerous or well equipped they are - are these desperate bandits, or well-equipped criminals?
(Hoping Blakey makes an appearance soon, but I am going to move the story along...)
"This is taking too long, grab that one...he must be daft in the head."
At the dark man's command, two of the pirate push past Sericea moving towards Reynard as she surriptitiously eyes them.
Sericea's Insight Check: 17
Sericea: If you were at the bar you would try to give these two a wide berth, serving them just what they needed to stay happy and otherwise staying away from the table. One is a large man with pale skin, easily clearing 6'7 and probably weighing above 270 lbs of all muscle. Besides the sap that is in his hand a cutlass rests on his belt as well as a pair of daggers. The other is a dark skinned woman that only falls short of his height by a head or so, but is much more slender. Toned muscles flex as she lifts the unconcious Reynard of the ground as he groans in discomfort. Under her tunic you see a pair of handaxes peaking out. They both give the impression of harden criminals, ready to do what the dark clothed man asks of them.
They roughly grab the man up from the deck and drag him up the stairs behind the others. You had all been kept on the lower hold of the ship. From what quick glance you got of it you surmise that it could be used for cargo, but it currently has none and instead is used as the crew quarters for non-officers aboard ship. You are taken up through the middle deck, where you see a large brute of a man chained to the foremast. He looks up as the man in black walks by and makes a low whistling sound, rattling his chains. With a fast eye you size up the deck, it looks like it is used for storage and as a mess and galley. If you were laying out the ship this is also likely where the quartermaster's storage would be, and therefore where any of your gear not claimed by others would have come to rest.
You are swiftly ushered up the next flight of stairs to the main deck and the open air, where you are greeted with the sight of water in all directions. Land is far away now, the ship must have set sail in the dead of night after you were onboarded.
Figures cluster around the ship’s mainmast, looking up at the higher deck on the stern, where two figures stand. One of them is a broad, muscular Garundi man with a shaven head, a long beard bound with gold rings, and an eye patch—clearly the captain. The other is a younger, balding man with a long black ponytail, wearing a long coat and carrying a well-used cat-o’-nine-tails.
You also notice, you are apparently not the only new crew members. Four others stand apart from the rest of the crew, they seem uneasey at their new situation and their fresh and clean looking clothes are like a brightly painted tavern sign announcing new meat available for purchase.
As you come to a rest from your forced march beside these other new recruits, the captain addresses the crew:
“Glad you could join us at last! Welcome to the Wormwood!
My thanks for ‘volunteering’ to join my crew. I’m Barnabas Harrigan. That’s Captain Barnabas Harrigan to you, not that you’ll ever need to address me. I have only one rule—don’t
speak to me. I like talk, but I don’t like your talk. Follow that rule and we’ll all get along fine."
"Oh, and one more thing. Even with you new recruits, we’re still short-handed, and I aim to keep what crew I have. There’ll be a keelhaulin’ for anyone caught killin’ anyone.
Mr. Plugg! If you’d be so kind as to make pirates out of these landlubbers, it’ll save me having to put them in the sweatbox for a year and a day before I make pies out of ’em.”
Without another word or waiting for a response to orders he clearly expects to be followed, the Captain turns and enters a cabin located on the upper deck, leaving the bald-headed Mr. Plugg looking down on the 10 new recruits with an unpleasant sneering smile.
"And a sorry looking lot I have to make pirates out of as well. I am Mr. Plugg, first mate of the Wormwood and your commanding officer. If you need something you come to Master Scourge," he nods down the the unpleasant man in black that came to rouse you from your drugged slumber, "or myself. If you bother the Captain...If you look at the Captain...I will put you to the Cat until your back is minced meat."
"Now, there are several crew positions open on the ship, so we will be running trials to see where you are most fit. First, we need riggers. So all of you, climb to the Crow's nest as fast as you can. Now! GO!"
He points up at the wooden basket sitting on the main mast in the middle of the ship, about 60' above the deck. The four other new crew members head to the rigging to start their climb
(It's a race to the top. The Crow's nest is a 60' climb, each round you can make it half your movement speed up with an acrobatics or athletics check of DC 10. If you fail by 4 or less then you make no progress that round. If you fail by 5 or more then you fall from your current perch, taking 1d6 falling damage per 10 feet fallen, round down, minimum 1d6. (Fall 0-15' 1d6, Fall 20 - 25' 2d6, so on and so forth) If you fall you can make a dexterity saving throw DC 15 to try to catch yourself before you hit the ground, on a success you only lose 10' of progress. Please make all appropriate rolls and stop when you fall and are unconscious or when you reach the top. Plugg also stops you if you fall 3 times and are not yet unconscious. If you reach the top include how many rounds it took you. During the trial if your character decides to stop we can RP that out as well.)
Founding Member of the High Roller Society. (Currently trying to roll max on 4d6)
NPC Climb Checks
NPC 1: 5 Athletics Rolls
15 Success: 15'
16 Success: 30'
21 Success: 45'
19 Failure (4 or less): 45'
11 Success: 60'
The first of the new recruits, clearly intimidated by Mr. Plugg and Scourge and wanting to make a good impression scurries up the ropes and reaches the top in half a minute.
NPC 2: 6 Athletics Checks & fall
13 Success: 15'
22 Failure - 4 or less: 15'
9 Failure - 4 or less: 15'
5 Success: 30'
15 Failure - 4 or less: 30'
12 Failure - 5 or more: Fall!
Damage: 17
The second new recruit seems to be suffering from more nerves, freezing on the ropes about 15' up as about half the members of the more seasoned crew scream and jeer at them. Scourge joins in in the mockery.
"Come on Lily White! Get up that rope or we will be tying the rope to you and dragging you behind the ship!"
This encouragement from below spurs them on another 15' before they lose their grasp and fall hard to the deck, losing consciousness. The laughter of the crew just gets louder at their failure.
NPC 3: 1 Athletics check & fall & 2 athletics checks & fall & 4 athletics checks & fall
18 Success: 15'
14 Failure - 5 or More: Fall!
11 Success: 15'
5 Failure - 4 or Less: 15'
5 Failure - 5 or More: Fall!
20 Failure - 4 or Less: 0'
5 Success: 15'
First fall damage (roll 2) 2
Second fall damage (roll 5) 2
18 Failure 4 or Less: 15'
18 Failure 5 or More: Fall
16Third Fall Damage (Roll 9) 6
The third fresh pirate seems to be afraid of heights, never making it more than 15' above deck before freezing and invariably falling, causing a fresh set of laughs from the seasoned crew. After her third fall Mr. Plugg stops her as she limps forlornly to the rope again.
"I have never seen such a truly depressing performance. I wouldn't put you in the crows nest if you were the last fecking crew member on the ship. Go stand over there."
4th NPC - 6 athletics checks
18 - Failure Less than 4: 0'
14 - Failure Less than 4: 0'
12 Success: 15'
5 Success: 30'
13 Success: 45'
11 Success: 60'
The last of the other new pirates that you met as you make it on deck has a couple of false starts with the rope, but then begins to climb hand over hand with confidence and ease. He ultimately makes it to the crows nest just a little slower than the first.
Founding Member of the High Roller Society. (Currently trying to roll max on 4d6)
Sericea takes in everything as they are brought to the main deck and meet their captors. The hazards of Port Peril pale in comparison to this predicament! She also begins to despair at their location; she hasn't been out to sea since the shipwreck where she lost her father.
After the four other captives attempt the climb, she and the others from the Tavern approach the ropes. She's not eager to be a rigger, but who knows what other jobs may be in store...
Acrobatics DC 10: 13 Success, 15'
Acrobatics DC 10: 20 Success, 30'
Acrobatics DC 10: 15 Failure, fall
Dex Saving DC 15: 13 Failure, fall
Damage 3d6 for 30': 8
Sericea makes quick progress at first, driven by fear. But she falters halfway to the top and loses her grip. She flails at the ropes on the way down but it's in vain, and she hits the deck and is knocked out.
Ventus begins breathe deeply, casts Levitate and a small wind kicks up, visibly wrapping itself around him. He floats slowly up to the crows nest.
He gets to the top in three rounds.
Builder moves directly towards the climb and starts up.
Acrobatics check: 13
He makes it up 15 feet, and continues upward...
Acrobatics check: 22
at the half-way point now, Builder continues upward...
Acrobatics check: 17
Builder gets tangled in some of the rigging and has to untangle himself before moving onward. He tires to get moving upward though...
Acrobatics check: 11
Still tangled Builder works to get loose and get moving again...
Acrobatics check: 23
at the 45 feet mark, Builder tries to get the last bit to the top...
Acrobatics check: 13
Varus grimaces as he moves over and begins to climb.
Athletics: 7
Athletics: 19
Athletics: 25
Athletics: 22
Varus is focused as he climbs, though he nearly loses his grip 45 feet up, he grits his teeth and pulls himself the rest of the way to the top (4 rounds).
Builder reached the to in 6 rounds...
With an ungangly lurch, the warforge managed to reach the top of the climb. It had not been a very pretty climb, with him tangled in ropes for a bit, and with him struggling the last half, but he got there as ordered.
Ventus makes his way to the top in two rounds.
by my counting you stayed put at 20 feet for 2 rounds, then climbed up to the 50 foot mark the next two rounds. At 4 rounds you are not quite to the top yet... Just going by the description you gave in the post before this one.
I‘ll fix it.
James stumbles, not quite having his sea legs back, over to the rigging that lets you climb to the crows nest and begins to make the climb. He mumbles to himself as he climbs up, "Come to the bar, we'll get together, and have a few laughs. You won't get kidnapped by pirates." James makes it 15 feet up before having to pause to catch his breath. "This hangover is really killing me." He says to himself as he holds one hand to the side of his head. Once the headache becomes manageable again, he continues the climb reaching 30 feet, then 45 feet. He just keeps climbing, almost like he has done this countless times before, reaching the crows nest. He climbs into the crows nest and leans against the mast, "Oh, I think I'm going to be sick."
(made it to the crows nest in 5 rounds.)
Round 1: Athletics: 11
Round 2: Athletics: 9
Round 3: Athletics: 19
Round 4: Athletics: 18
Round 5: Athletics: 22
(Ability rolls are in the Spoiler box)
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!
(OOC: Go ahead and take care of this so there is no concern about someone dying on the first skill challenge of the game).
As Sericea and the unnamed pirate both hit the deck, hard, the laughter of some of the more hard bitten crew members only increases. But it is apparent that others amoungst the crew are not amused by the pain of others. Some even cheer; genuinely happy as James and Ventus, reach the crows nest.
One individual, a human woman with fiery red hair rushes forward to the fallen holding a metal implement that hangs from her neck. As Master Scourge looks on with a mix of anger and desire in his eyes, she reaches down and says a quick prayer, touching each of the fallen on the forehead. After she has seen to their immediate needs she glances up at Scourge with a cold look, which causes the anger in his eyes to flare and he steps forward, gripping his whip. She retreats back into a group of pirates though and he allows her to depart.
Founding Member of the High Roller Society. (Currently trying to roll max on 4d6)
James looks over at Ventus who floated up there and gives them a cheeky smile, "That's cheating." While up in the crow's nest James will look around and try to see if he can get an idea of where they might be.
Perception: 18
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!