Theldrin asks Wolgar, "What do you think about pulling in closer, within 100 feet... so Khessa can scout ahead with her familiar?"
(OOC: Apologies if this was mentioned before and I'm not recalling, but does the Soul of Winter have a skiff or similar the party could use to travel over and board the Emperor?)
Wolgar looks at you all, "Y'all still going in? We can turn around and tell Drallion the ship sank. Which it will do relatively soon, couple days maybe."
(OOC: Oops! I think that I missed this one earlier. But yes, the Company will board the ship.)
"Prince Drallion did not charge us with recovering the ship: only the cargo. If his flagship cannot be saved, The Company of the Grey Chain will just have to board the ship and see whether the cargo is still in its hold."
The question is just how they'll cross from the Soul of Winter to the Emperor of the Waves:
Xanrym asks how close to the other ship the Soul of Winter can get. He says that he has heard stories of sea battles and of pirates sailing right up next to a ship so that they can cross over on ropes or ladders.
Wolgar shakes his head, "Nay, I cannot risk the Soul by getting it so close to the other ship. I can get a couple of the crew to row you over there and wait with the rowboat. But know that that is as far as they go. Our job was to get you here, it's your job to search the ship. That's just me looking out for my crew." He orders a couple of the dwarves, including the one Syllen recovered, Sindhuk, to row you over. Sindhuk jumps at the chance, his scarred face lighting up.
Assuming you get in the rowboat, Sindhuk rows you over to the Emperor. Khessa scouts the Emporer through the eyes of her familiar. The ship's upper decks slope gently down toward the ship's port side. The forecastle and quarterdeck are empty, and short wooden stumps are all that remain of the ship's masts. The double doors leading to cabins fore and aft appear intact, as does the metal grate in the deck that offers access to the lower decks.
If you want to get on the deck of the ship, Sindhuk will row there and drop you off and then back off, keeping about 30ft away from the ship. As he drops you off he hints that although he's very grateful for the help in the fight with the Sahuagin, he wouldn't mind a little personal reward for the lift if you find one.
If you want to get on the deck of the ship, Sindhuk will row there and drop you off and then back off, keeping about 30ft away from the ship.
(OOC: @drumdigby - I guess we use the grappling hooks and a couple of ropes to climb up to the main deck? Or are you saying that the Emperor of the Waves sits so low in the water that we can just hop up from the row boat onto the main deck of the derelict ship?)
As he drops you off he hints that although he's very grateful for the help in the fight with the Sahuagin, he wouldn't mind a little personal reward for the lift if you find one.
Xanrym doesn't promise anything and just says, "Let's see what we find first. Most likely, pirates have already looted the ship, and she's just floating here damaged and empty."
Since Aubrek left them extra ropes, Xanrym suggests leaving one rope in the rowboat with one end securely fastened. If there's nothing to fasten the rope to in the rowboat, he'll hammer a piton into the rowboat itself (above the water line, e.g., into one of the benches) so that they can tie off the rope there. Similarly, after the party climbs up to the main deck, he suggests leaving the ropes / grappling hooks attached with their ropes hanging down the side of the ship. That way, if anyone falls overboard, there will already be a rope for them to climb back up onto the ship.
Normally, Xanrym scouts ahead of the group, but that probably isn't necessary here since Anator already did the initial scouting, and it sounds like the Main Deck, at least, is empty with no obvious foes. It probably makes sense for Coriana (the sailor) and either Avery or Khessa to go first, followed by the rest of the Company.
No skill check needed, wit the tilt of the ship and some indented handholds, it's easy enough to climb onto the deck. Sindhuk will grumble about tying off the boat and warns you that if the ship starts to go down, they'll cut the rope immediately. "You can all swim can't you?"
You all make it onto the Emperor of the Waves, and stand on the mast-less deck. The doors to fore and aft are closed, and a metal grate sits in the middle of the deck.
No skill check needed, wit the tilt of the ship and some indented handholds, it's easy enough to climb onto the deck. Sindhuk will grumble about tying off the boat and warns you that if the ship starts to go down, they'll cut the rope immediately. "You can all swim can't you?"
You all make it onto the Emperor of the Waves, and stand on the mast-less deck. The doors to fore and aft are closed, and a metal grate sits in the middle of the deck.
Err... before that, Anator should be doing its reconnaissance (with Khessa using its senses)... See post 3179
Wolgar shakes his head, "Nay, I cannot risk the Soul by getting it so close to the other ship. I can get a couple of the crew to row you over there and wait with the rowboat. But know that that is as far as they go. Our job was to get you here, it's your job to search the ship. That's just me looking out for my crew." He orders a couple of the dwarves, including the one Syllen recovered, Sindhuk, to row you over. Sindhuk jumps at the chance, his scarred face lighting up.
Assuming you get in the rowboat, Sindhuk rows you over to the Emperor. Khessa scouts the Emporer through the eyes of her familiar. The ship's upper decks slope gently down toward the ship's port side. The forecastle and quarterdeck are empty, and short wooden stumps are all that remain of the ship's masts. The double doors leading to cabins fore and aft appear intact, as does the metal grate in the deck that offers access to the lower decks.
If you want to get on the deck of the ship, Sindhuk will row there and drop you off and then back off, keeping about 30ft away from the ship. As he drops you off he hints that although he's very grateful for the help in the fight with the Sahuagin, he wouldn't mind a little personal reward for the lift if you find one.
I detailed what Anator sees here. Might not have been obvious buried in the other text.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
*Earlier* Coriana responds to the offer to “join” the company, “It’s been a while since I ran with a trustworthy crew but, seeing as how I’m probably the person here with the least integrity, I’m feeling safe.” Laughing, she says, “Kidding aside, I’ll sign up with you for this journey, and I take my commitment to crews deadly serious, I’ll have all of your backs, and I hope you’ll have mine. As far as your snake friend here, I’ll be glad to control it for the crew, but it stays with the crew if I leave.” Coriana will spend some time attuning to the staff and practicing with Asclepius.
[[OOC: Coriana is taking the staff as it was my former character’s Liarin’s best item. It also works tactically with Coriana’s secondary threat lockdown role she excels at. She’s now way down the loot priority list.]]
*Now* Coriana gives Sindhuk a nod when he mentions the reward. She tries to be one of the first onto the deck of the derelict ship, and will immediately approach the metal grate and peer down to see what she can see. Perception:12
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain Thelanis - Darkness Below: Kholias Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards. DM - The Old Keep
Wolgar shakes his head, "Nay, I cannot risk the Soul by getting it so close to the other ship. I can get a couple of the crew to row you over there and wait with the rowboat. But know that that is as far as they go. Our job was to get you here, it's your job to search the ship. That's just me looking out for my crew." He orders a couple of the dwarves, including the one Syllen recovered, Sindhuk, to row you over. Sindhuk jumps at the chance, his scarred face lighting up.
Assuming you get in the rowboat, Sindhuk rows you over to the Emperor. Khessa scouts the Emporer through the eyes of her familiar. The ship's upper decks slope gently down toward the ship's port side. The forecastle and quarterdeck are empty, and short wooden stumps are all that remain of the ship's masts. The double doors leading to cabins fore and aft appear intact, as does the metal grate in the deck that offers access to the lower decks.
If you want to get on the deck of the ship, Sindhuk will row there and drop you off and then back off, keeping about 30ft away from the ship. As he drops you off he hints that although he's very grateful for the help in the fight with the Sahuagin, he wouldn't mind a little personal reward for the lift if you find one.
I detailed what Anator sees here. Might not have been obvious buried in the other text.
Oh, ty I missed that. Ok to start exploring ourselves then.
Theldrin will cast Mage Armor on himself before getting in the row boat to cross over to where the Emperor awaits. He follows Coriana, climbing quickly up the ship's hull and joining her by the metal grate.
(OOC: I don't see anyone take the second sack from the initial items on the ship, I will take it if no one else does.)
Syllen smiles at Sindhuk’s boldness. Syllen will say a word of prayer (cast Guidance on himself) and turn his focus to the ship. He will climb onto the deck and will keep his eyes open for anyone that might be hiding or trying to ambush the group.
No skill check needed, wit the tilt of the ship and some indented handholds, it's easy enough to climb onto the deck.
(OOC: @drumdigby - Do you mean that the there are dents or holes in the hull of the Emperor of the Waves?!)
Sindhuk will grumble about tying off the boat and warns you that if the ship starts to go down, they'll cut the rope immediately. "You can all swim can't you?"
(OOC: Clarifying, Xanrym just wants to affix one end of the rope to the rowboat. He's thinking that if the party is making a hasty retreat from Sahuagin or something, he wants both sailors to be able to focus on maneuvering the rowboat, not on holding their end of the rope.)
Xanrym reassures Sindhuk, "Don't worry. I just want the rope affixed to your boat so that you two don't have to hold it steady on your side. We won't want to tie off the boat just yet, but if we find the cargo, we may need a steady rope tied on both sides. Given the state of the ship, I don't expect to find a working crane with block and tackle to lower cargo down from the the Emperor!" Regarding the remark about swimming he says, "Yes, yes. I think that we all know how to swim, but sailors don't normally wear a full suit of heavy mail like our knight, Avery, or like Khessa. If one of them falls in the water, you may need to throw free end of the rope to them to keep them from sinking to the bottom." He asks them to tie something heavy to the free end of the rope, offering one of his handaxes if they don't have anything else. That way, it'll be easier to toss the end of the rope up to the ship or to drop the free end down into the sea to reach a quickly-sinking Khessa or Avery.
Once Xanrym is done with the rope, the others are already scaling up the ship. He's happy to see that everyone is so enthusiastic. Now wearing his mask (in case he gets knocked into the water!), he climbs one of the ropes and joins the group on the ship.
(OOC: @drumdigby - Do we get a map of the main deck? IIRC, there are two closed doors and the grate to the lower deck. Anything else that we can investigate up on the main deck?)
Khessa climbs onto the wreck with some confidence: "Anator hasn't spotted any enemies... Whoever did this to the anve is probably long gone."
The blonde arcane warrior, once on the deck, decides to [spell Blade Ward; pronounce a short protective formula, while tracing imaginary pentacles in the air with her fingers [/spell] as a precaution. After that, she approaches the grate to the lower deck, trying to open it: "The cargo, if it was still there, should be down here, right?"
The tall adventuress actually expects that the cargo has been completely stolen... but she tries to keep her eyes open at least for clues that whoever did this may have left. Maybe something will allow them to understand who it was or where they may have gone.
Avery follows her up onto the deck. "I'll see to the captain's quarters and see what I can find."
"Wait a moment, Avery," Xanrym says tensely. "It's possible that pirates or Sahuagin looted the ship and then just left it adrift. But it's also possible that whatever took the ship is still here. It looks safe to gather clues about what happened out here on the deck, but before anyone opens one of the doors to any of the 'cabins', I think that we should all be there with weapons drawn. I wouldn't want you to find a sea monster behind the door while the rest of us are scattered from bow to stern. Until we see that the ship is truly deserted, let's treat it like the naga's lair and clear each room, one-by-one, as a group."
Xanrym would like to explore the open deck for signs of a recent battle first, like blood stains, broken weapons, etc. That might give them some clue about what happened. For example, if they find that the decks has acid burns around pools of greenish blood, they'll know that the Sahuagin attacked. Investigation: 21 (or 20 if that should just be Perception)
Once they're done checking out the open main deck, he agrees with Avery about checking the Captain's Quarters first. If the ship was being pursued by pirates or the crew mutinied, then perhaps they'll find the captain's log book or at least a note from the captain that explains what happened.
Xanrym does find blood stains across the deck, probably about three days old. Syllen doesn't notice anything waiting in ambush for the party up here on the upper deck, just the wheel seemingly free-spinning.
Khessa attempts to wrench open the grate as Coriana peers inside - DC 15 Athletics Check: 21
She easily rips open the grate as Coriana sees several fist-sized spiders crawling along the walls of the passage below. They immediately scuttle away from the noise of the grate being opened. Again, the doors to the aft and foor room, as well as the grate, are the only exits from the upper deck.
Spiders aside, there's anything else to be seen down? Khessa can cause a small piece of woos to start emitting an orange-colored Light and toss it, if needed, to see better.
Theldrin asks Wolgar, "What do you think about pulling in closer, within 100 feet... so Khessa can scout ahead with her familiar?"
(OOC: Apologies if this was mentioned before and I'm not recalling, but does the Soul of Winter have a skiff or similar the party could use to travel over and board the Emperor?)
(OOC: Oops! I think that I missed this one earlier. But yes, the Company will board the ship.)
The question is just how they'll cross from the Soul of Winter to the Emperor of the Waves:
Wolgar shakes his head, "Nay, I cannot risk the Soul by getting it so close to the other ship. I can get a couple of the crew to row you over there and wait with the rowboat. But know that that is as far as they go. Our job was to get you here, it's your job to search the ship. That's just me looking out for my crew." He orders a couple of the dwarves, including the one Syllen recovered, Sindhuk, to row you over. Sindhuk jumps at the chance, his scarred face lighting up.
Assuming you get in the rowboat, Sindhuk rows you over to the Emperor. Khessa scouts the Emporer through the eyes of her familiar. The ship's upper decks slope gently down toward the ship's port side. The forecastle and quarterdeck are empty, and short wooden stumps are all that remain of the ship's masts. The double doors leading to cabins fore and aft appear intact, as does the metal grate in the deck that offers access to the lower decks.
If you want to get on the deck of the ship, Sindhuk will row there and drop you off and then back off, keeping about 30ft away from the ship. As he drops you off he hints that although he's very grateful for the help in the fight with the Sahuagin, he wouldn't mind a little personal reward for the lift if you find one.
(OOC: Does anyone want to do anything else before boarding the ship?)
(OOC: @drumdigby - I guess we use the grappling hooks and a couple of ropes to climb up to the main deck? Or are you saying that the Emperor of the Waves sits so low in the water that we can just hop up from the row boat onto the main deck of the derelict ship?)
Xanrym doesn't promise anything and just says, "Let's see what we find first. Most likely, pirates have already looted the ship, and she's just floating here damaged and empty."
Since Aubrek left them extra ropes, Xanrym suggests leaving one rope in the rowboat with one end securely fastened. If there's nothing to fasten the rope to in the rowboat, he'll hammer a piton into the rowboat itself (above the water line, e.g., into one of the benches) so that they can tie off the rope there. Similarly, after the party climbs up to the main deck, he suggests leaving the ropes / grappling hooks attached with their ropes hanging down the side of the ship. That way, if anyone falls overboard, there will already be a rope for them to climb back up onto the ship.
Normally, Xanrym scouts ahead of the group, but that probably isn't necessary here since Anator already did the initial scouting, and it sounds like the Main Deck, at least, is empty with no obvious foes. It probably makes sense for Coriana (the sailor) and either Avery or Khessa to go first, followed by the rest of the Company.
With Comprehend Languages running, Xanrym dons his Masks of the Sacred Beasts (Crocodile) and then climbs up the rope to join the party on the Main Deck.
(OOC: Is a skill check needed to climb up the ship? Or no, because we're using a rope to assist the climb?)
No skill check needed, wit the tilt of the ship and some indented handholds, it's easy enough to climb onto the deck. Sindhuk will grumble about tying off the boat and warns you that if the ship starts to go down, they'll cut the rope immediately. "You can all swim can't you?"
You all make it onto the Emperor of the Waves, and stand on the mast-less deck. The doors to fore and aft are closed, and a metal grate sits in the middle of the deck.
Err... before that, Anator should be doing its reconnaissance (with Khessa using its senses)... See post 3179
I detailed what Anator sees here. Might not have been obvious buried in the other text.
*Earlier*
Coriana responds to the offer to “join” the company, “It’s been a while since I ran with a trustworthy crew but, seeing as how I’m probably the person here with the least integrity, I’m feeling safe.” Laughing, she says, “Kidding aside, I’ll sign up with you for this journey, and I take my commitment to crews deadly serious, I’ll have all of your backs, and I hope you’ll have mine. As far as your snake friend here, I’ll be glad to control it for the crew, but it stays with the crew if I leave.” Coriana will spend some time attuning to the staff and practicing with Asclepius.
[[OOC: Coriana is taking the staff as it was my former character’s Liarin’s best item. It also works tactically with Coriana’s secondary threat lockdown role she excels at. She’s now way down the loot priority list.]]
*Now*
Coriana gives Sindhuk a nod when he mentions the reward. She tries to be one of the first onto the deck of the derelict ship, and will immediately approach the metal grate and peer down to see what she can see. Perception:12
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Thelanis - Darkness Below: Kholias
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Oh, ty I missed that. Ok to start exploring ourselves then.
Theldrin will cast Mage Armor on himself before getting in the row boat to cross over to where the Emperor awaits. He follows Coriana, climbing quickly up the ship's hull and joining her by the metal grate.
(OOC: I don't see anyone take the second sack from the initial items on the ship, I will take it if no one else does.)
Syllen smiles at Sindhuk’s boldness. Syllen will say a word of prayer (cast Guidance on himself) and turn his focus to the ship. He will climb onto the deck and will keep his eyes open for anyone that might be hiding or trying to ambush the group.
Perception: 14
(OOC: @drumdigby - Do you mean that the there are dents or holes in the hull of the Emperor of the Waves?!)
(OOC: Clarifying, Xanrym just wants to affix one end of the rope to the rowboat. He's thinking that if the party is making a hasty retreat from Sahuagin or something, he wants both sailors to be able to focus on maneuvering the rowboat, not on holding their end of the rope.)
Xanrym reassures Sindhuk, "Don't worry. I just want the rope affixed to your boat so that you two don't have to hold it steady on your side. We won't want to tie off the boat just yet, but if we find the cargo, we may need a steady rope tied on both sides. Given the state of the ship, I don't expect to find a working crane with block and tackle to lower cargo down from the the Emperor!" Regarding the remark about swimming he says, "Yes, yes. I think that we all know how to swim, but sailors don't normally wear a full suit of heavy mail like our knight, Avery, or like Khessa. If one of them falls in the water, you may need to throw free end of the rope to them to keep them from sinking to the bottom." He asks them to tie something heavy to the free end of the rope, offering one of his handaxes if they don't have anything else. That way, it'll be easier to toss the end of the rope up to the ship or to drop the free end down into the sea to reach a quickly-sinking Khessa or Avery.
Once Xanrym is done with the rope, the others are already scaling up the ship. He's happy to see that everyone is so enthusiastic. Now wearing his mask (in case he gets knocked into the water!), he climbs one of the ropes and joins the group on the ship.
(OOC: @drumdigby - Do we get a map of the main deck? IIRC, there are two closed doors and the grate to the lower deck. Anything else that we can investigate up on the main deck?)
Coriana took one of the sacks, I think that was missed.
”If we can improvise a boom, I’ve got a block and tackle in my pack, bard.” Coriana says to Xanrym.
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Thelanis - Darkness Below: Kholias
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Khessa climbs onto the wreck with some confidence: "Anator hasn't spotted any enemies... Whoever did this to the anve is probably long gone."
The blonde arcane warrior, once on the deck, decides to [spell Blade Ward; pronounce a short protective formula, while tracing imaginary pentacles in the air with her fingers [/spell] as a precaution. After that, she approaches the grate to the lower deck, trying to open it: "The cargo, if it was still there, should be down here, right?"
The tall adventuress actually expects that the cargo has been completely stolen... but she tries to keep her eyes open at least for clues that whoever did this may have left. Maybe something will allow them to understand who it was or where they may have gone.
Avery follows her up onto the deck. "I'll see to the captain's quarters and see what I can find."
"Wait a moment, Avery," Xanrym says tensely. "It's possible that pirates or Sahuagin looted the ship and then just left it adrift. But it's also possible that whatever took the ship is still here. It looks safe to gather clues about what happened out here on the deck, but before anyone opens one of the doors to any of the 'cabins', I think that we should all be there with weapons drawn. I wouldn't want you to find a sea monster behind the door while the rest of us are scattered from bow to stern. Until we see that the ship is truly deserted, let's treat it like the naga's lair and clear each room, one-by-one, as a group."
Xanrym would like to explore the open deck for signs of a recent battle first, like blood stains, broken weapons, etc. That might give them some clue about what happened. For example, if they find that the decks has acid burns around pools of greenish blood, they'll know that the Sahuagin attacked.
Investigation: 21 (or 20 if that should just be Perception)
Once they're done checking out the open main deck, he agrees with Avery about checking the Captain's Quarters first. If the ship was being pursued by pirates or the crew mutinied, then perhaps they'll find the captain's log book or at least a note from the captain that explains what happened.
Xanrym does find blood stains across the deck, probably about three days old. Syllen doesn't notice anything waiting in ambush for the party up here on the upper deck, just the wheel seemingly free-spinning.
Khessa attempts to wrench open the grate as Coriana peers inside - DC 15 Athletics Check: 21
She easily rips open the grate as Coriana sees several fist-sized spiders crawling along the walls of the passage below. They immediately scuttle away from the noise of the grate being opened. Again, the doors to the aft and foor room, as well as the grate, are the only exits from the upper deck.
Spiders aside, there's anything else to be seen down? Khessa can cause a small piece of woos to start emitting an orange-colored Light and toss it, if needed, to see better.
Heeding caution, he will fallow Khessa