"All the better for the line, then.  I sort of set to rallying rescuers before hearing any of the details, you see.  Kind of an ominous name, though, don't you think?  Implying it's only got a small hope?"

Nuria looks at Breldo and the Captain. "I-I think we should get closer. The crew looks like they are about to fight. If we can get there, maybe we can break it up before it starts."

examining the wounded ship, tuck, turns to the guard and responds to his question. “Can’t say I believe much in sea monsters, although there are some fascinating stories in some of the books that I have… Well, never mind. In any event, something happened to this ship, something that makes very little sense to me. I’d swear that ship was damaged by some thing very hot and very powerful, perhaps, lightning? But I know of no storms that have been nearby of late. Truly, this makes no sense. But if we can get closer, to see what assistance we can provide to anyone still on board, I would be grateful.“

Perception check to overhear the other conversations as they approach. 8

The guard escorting Tuck nods, offering a few confused glances himself, and works double time to get to the ship with the others.

"Lightning could be possible... Does Lightning strike that many times though? I thought they said lightning doesn't strike the same place twice?" he spoke as if this was a fact rather than a phrasing.

Eventually, they...

2 (1)

Approach on the same side where his captain, in one of the larger boats, has asked to throw up a rope. The guard navigates right close to the ship, muttering that perhaps people could jump over to the smaller ship once they get on the larger one. He does hear the talk the captain and two others are doing down there, the lone sailor manning the wheel pointedly keeping himself out of affairs- While he only catches the tail end of their conversation, he does still hear something about someone attacking someone else on the ship...

Nuria carefully climbs up after Gilgamesh once there, she looks from the captain to Breldo. "What should we do now?" She asks as she un-slings her shortbow again. She really doesn't want to get into a fight, but if she did, she'd stay on the sidelines and shoot them with her bow. She'd never been in a fight with this many people, and she is not confident in her close combat skills.

"You and I should probably let someone in uniform go up first," Breldo suggests to Nuria, "wouldn't want to be taken for a pirate boarding party."

He secures his crossbow to his back, and checks his daggers.

Nuria nods, "Oh-Of-Of course. That would be a disaster!" She looks at Gilgamesh expectantly.

"Captain would have told it better, I think," the sailor admits to Khond. "Always was poetic about it. But he's, erm... Gone."

After sharing that grim message, Khond sees the tabaxi climb over the railing, at around the same time he sees a smaller rowboat dock up near this side of the ship, a bit further. A guard, and... A dwarf? After some calling out, it seems some people work on tossing them down a rope as well.

---

Slick jumps over the railing to find things have escalated to the point of the tiefling having drawn a dagger- Though seemingly mostly in self-defense, as three pissed sailors got him practically cornered on one side of the deck. Moments before he leaps over he can hear the tiefling yell out: "I dare any of you to come closer! Come on then!", only to be caught off guard when Slick leaps over- Stunning at first both the tiefling and his three would-be assailants. There's perhaps another twenty people or so behind them, a few people lying on the deck injured, and a bunch of them don't look like sailor types- But they seem focused mostly on the other side of the boat. One of the sailors breaks out first.

"Finally help! You're here to help, right?!"

"Throw this man overboard first!" the middle one cuts in between. "It's all his fault!"

On the other side of the ship, Slick notices what is most definitely a guard- Or rather, someone in the higher echelons of the guard, get on. The trio doesn't seem to have noticed them yet.

(Is he trying to look for anything specific, a general sense of the scene, or just focused on the tiefling? If looking, give me a perception roll too.)

---

Gilgamesh climbs on, and for a moment Nuria and Breldo right behind him worry as it seems as if he's being swarmed, people crowding around him. Luckily, as they climb up and over the railing themselves, they note that the assailants are two women who... Well, they're clearly just panicking.

"Thank the gods, we're saved! We're saved!"

"How do we get down?! I can't climb!"

"I'll go down first!" a man in a vest tries to interject, almost looking as if he'd have pushed down Nuria and Breldo in a chance to get down the rope to the ship- Were it not for the captain shoving him back, and another sailor sternly calling out that women should go first.

The ship's deck is an utter mess, although the group only gets a partial view. It seems about twenty people or so came crowding right around them when they heard of potential rescue. Most remaining people don't seem to be sailors. A few people seem to be either holding bandaged wounds, or lying on the deck- Unclear whether they are unconscious, or dead.

(Both give me perception rolls)

Perception: 20

Nuria scowls at the man who tried to push past them and the woman before looking back over the ship. What could have caused this? It was terrible! Hopefully they would be able to get all the survivors off before the boat goes under.

Perception: 6

Breldo will slip an and around the legs of the taller folk to get his way clear of the scrum.

Even with the crowd blocking a lot of their vision, both Nuria and Breldo get a decent appraisal of the situation. Breldo especially, as he just dodges in between the legs of the people to get a direct view at the deck.

As for damages, The deck is in terrible shape, with multiple scorch marks plastered across its length. As they've seen before, one of the masts is practically gone, only a broken stump remaining, with the other one torn in half. Now, it's become obvious the steering wheel has been hit as well... It's just outright gone. 

As for people, a quick headcount reveals that there are about 21 people on board, with the vast majority seeming to be passengers rather than crew now. About three crew seem to have cornered what seems to be a tabaxi and a tiefling cornered on one side of the ship, seemingly but seconds removed from outright hostility. Three people are lying on the ground on improvised mats, heavily injured. Breathing weakly, but alive. 

There are two hatches on the deck that lead deeper in the ship. Both have been shut tight, one covered with boxes, and the other has a metal pole shoved in the locking mechanism to keep it shut.

"Order! Everyone, please remain calm, we'll make sure everyone gets off safe! Women first, then passengers, then the crew, we'll assist as needed! Who's in command?"

There's a prolonged silence before someone speaks up from the back. "Evar, sir."

"You captain, Evar?"

"Third mate, sir."

There's a very brief, but pointed silence. At least one other sailor seems to bite his cheek on commenting what he thinks about this Evar being in command.

"Evar, then. Is this everyone?"

Another brief pause. A glance around.

"...Yes, sir. We're all that's left."

Slick has found his, hopeful prize, and focuses on the current situation,

"Rick is here to help! Rick's boat is small, but look-"

He points at those getting on the other side,

"More help! Hurrah!"

While they look away Rick says quietly to the tiefling,

"Marrut? Zed sent Rick, who is me. Jump in, Rick's boat is over there. Fast!"

Rick will help the man overboard if he confirms he is Marrut, forcefully if needed.

Athletics: 1

Slick stands triumphantly on the wooden boards, exclaiming he's there to save all of them. One at a time. One, very specific person, at a time. For a brief moment it looks as if the aggravated trio is about to exclaim they're not falling for the oldest trick in the book, until one of them notes there IS in fact more people coming on board. The brief opportunity taken to whisper to each other. Marrut seeming a bit confused with something that Rick said, but connects the dots rather quickly.

"Yes. Look-"

Marrut starts, but doesn't get to finish his sentence before Slick tries to throw him overboard. Well... That was the intent. In reality, Slick, being the gentleman that he is, didn't want to accidentally hurt the VIP by throwing him over too forcefully. So the attempt comes across more like a weird hug than an attempt to actually throw him over. At least it seems like the assailants are too confused by it to see it for what it was, although it doesn't take long for one of them to call out.

"Hey, is that a guard? Guard! Guard! Take this man!"

Marrut mumbles something in a language Slick likely does not understand. Leaning in to very quickly whisper: "Cabin 11"

He sees further on his side of the ship, a different sailor tossing down a rope. Not much later, a dwarf has worked his way onto the deck.

The dwarf nods in thanks to the sailor who threw the rope down for him climb up on the deck.

His eyes narrow as scans the deck and sees the damage and the chaos.

The dwarf is carrying a warhammer and a shield, but no armor, just regular leather britches and a loose shirt.  He carries the weapons effortlessly, as he is pretty built. He seems, at first sight, to be as wide as he is tall.   

To the nearby sailor, "What caused this?" he asks firmly, looking at the man until he answers.

Nuria, quickly spotting the cornered tabaxi and tiefling, knocks an arrow to her bow and, without thinking, fires a warning shot aiming to hit the boards between the middle sailor's feet. Whether or not it lands where she wants it to, she yells at them, "S-Stand down! I don't know why you are fighting, but you all need to get off this ship! You need-" She chokes off her next line. What was she doing? She's never drawn this much attention to herself before, not intentionally anyway. All her instincts are telling her to turn tail and run. Run, hide, and never show her face in public again. She bites her lip, steeling herself. No. There are wounded on board. She cannot stand by and let innocents die. She points at the wounded. "All you salors, those of you who are minimally wounded, help the women and the wounded get to the boats!" She points at the three men cornering the tiefling who is now being awkwardly...hugged? by the tabaxi. She's not sure what to think about that, but she ignores it for now. "I-I don't know why you are trapping those two, but whatever quarrel you have with them can wait until you are on dry land!"

To hit if needed: 8

Persuasion: 8

Slick nods to Marrut and then points at him and yells,

"Yes, arrest this man!"

Then more quietly says,

"Jump! Rick will get whatever is there. Rick's boat has a miniature horse man. Can't miss it."

Persuasion: 25

The sailor who pulled up the dwarf seems to pause for a long second, just staring the dwarf right in the eye, before muttering his answer: "I think we pissed off the gods."

He doesn't seem like he intends to elaborate too much further, besides muttering "That thing wasn't a storm," 

---

And then hell seems to break out; Gasps and cries escape several lips as Nuria looses a crossbow bolt. Not quite hitting where she intended to... But luckily, since she didn't intend to hit anyone (and it didn't actually stray off its mark enough to hit someone else) that makes little difference. The three people that have the duo cornered yelp out, turning with pale complexion as the girl cries out, frantic, but some of her determination seems lost in the rush of emotions that has her stammer out words. It's not long before Gilgamesh is right beside her. And, barring that she tries to resist, takes the bow from her.

"Easy girl. With that said, she is right, we've no time to be arguing! Whatever matters need be settled, we shall do so on land. Follow her advice, and work on getting everyone safely in the ships!"

The three men sputter weakly, not even noticing as the Tiefling gives a quick nod to the Tabaxi, even as the Tabaxi seems to agree that he should be arrested. And then, he jumps overboard. Nearby, Khond notices the man hitting the water.

(Khond, give me a perception roll to see how much you noticed going on)

Up on deck, the men curse for a moment as their target disappears, stammering a few words, but find no opportunity to actually bring up their complaint. People are starting to get to actual work, sailors tying ropes and using them to lower down people toward the boats directly. It seemed like there was some time at least to spare panicked jumping overboard, at least.

"Shall I head below, see if there's any down there?", Breldo asks Captain Gilgamesh.

Khond Perception: 11