Nate kneels next to the medic and asks, "Why are they attacking the ship? Who's in charge?"

Liana approaches the injured woman and helps the lizardfolk as best she can with healing the wounds. 

"We are, indeed, prisoners, but that's no reason to leave you wounded my dear." Liana removes her mask for a moment to better connect with this person. She looks to Nate for a moment then back to the woman. "We're out of sorts. Do you think you could help us get our bearings?"

(Persuasion: 11 + Guidance: 3)

"Well...we really don't know ourselves. We thought they were going to free prisoners on board but only thing they've tried to do with them is kill them...well try to anyway. Vice captain Geoff had the guards protect the few prisoners on this deck. He currently asked them to help us with to regroup with our captain." She points to a couple of people not in the Aerovail guard uniform by the man in ornate armor. "The pirates seem dead set on keeping us down here for some reason. Don't know why though."

(I'll let the new players describe their appearance and weapons.)

One of the men with the vice captain appears to be wearing a basic collared tunic and trousers along with a standard sailor's harness, the kind used to secure to the various life lines on an open deck so as not to fall to one's premature death. He is above average height (though still shorter than most of the party) with his hair styled in a faux hawk with the sides shaved and a fairly well groomed beard. He holds his short sword securely, but has a grim countenance about him, as though he rather wished he weren't in his current circumstances.

 If he takes a second to note the arrival of the newcomers, a keen eye would observe that his gaze almost imperceptibly lingers on the tall woman in the mask.

Accompanying him and the captain is another figure in a brown and quite battered looking overcoat. He just now lifts up an arm to scratch the back of his head, thus allowing for a closer look on the garments that could have been blue or grey once, but overall display the same ratty condition. Two shortswords are dangling loosely from his hip, apart from that there seems to be an odd amount of little pockets everywhere on his clothes. His brown hair is short and tousled, recalcitrantly refusing to stay in order and therefore revealing ears that are just a little to pointy to be those of a true human. The slightly deflated look on his face disenthralls his otherwise angular features, an expression of distaste to whatever the captain just told him, but his eyes nevertheless dart around, not stopping for a second, and examine every detail of his surroundings. Although he doesn't appear to be happy about being here right now, his posture bespeaks not the slightest bit of nerviness, although that might just be an act as well.

"Thank you," Nate says to the woman, and he heads towards the fighting. When he gets close to the vice captain, he says to him,  "We're the prisoners from below. Normally, I wouldn't be inclined to help you, but it seems we're both in trouble. The question is, if we help you, what do we get?"

"Oh hush!" Liana shakes her head at Nate. "In a time like this, we should protect the innocent. I doubt these random crewhands are the reason you were put on this ship, hmm?"

She pulls Nate aside and whispers, "It's better to get on their good side. Let's do some good and escape with our lives, eh? Maybe they will even let us go."  

From his position near the Vice Captain, Aidan will have a look about the deck to see if he can tell how many pirates are blocking the way forward.

Perception: 25

(Liana, you do know that the woman is the medic and that Nate is talking to the Vice captain, right?)

A dozen of pirates hold the frontline preventing the guards from advancing, while ten of them stay back firing at the guards. While you can advance on them, it will take a while to defeat all of them. The vice captain scowls, "Frankly, I'm wondering who the hell let you all out. But my first concern is with getting the helm back along with seeing to the captain. Help with that and I'll help with your cases." He looks out to his troops as they hold the line. "While you all would help tip the balance in our favors, I fear it would take too long to get to the top deck. I propose we use a different way to ascend up to the top deck. I want you all to...climb up to the next deck through the porthole." He says with a straight face.

"Hhmn… The longer we take, the more likely the ship is to take some injury she can't maintain. Then we really would all be in trouble." Aidan looks toward the fighting, then looks to the nearest portholes, then back to the Vice Captain. "It will be risky, but if we can use some line to anchor ourselves, it should be possible... Once we are up, you want us to surprise this same group from behind? Or should we try to see to your captain?" 

As he finishes asking, he also looks around the group for other ideas/thoughts.

Gaèl nearly gets enthusiastic about the suicidal proposal. "If that's all you ask from us." He then shuffles back, also investigating where the vice captain expects them to climb up.

"Secure the helm first. If they aren't here for you lot, then they might be here for the ship then." The vice captain answers. A guard comes out of a storeroom and hands the vice captain a grappling hook. "Try not to make too much noise while climbing along the side. While we are attracting their attention here, you don't want to get caught while you all are hanging on the edge."

To the Vice Captain, Aidan replies, "Understood."

Turning to the rest of the party, "You three seem to have been in a scuffle below decks. Sure you'll be up for the climb?" 

Nate snorts and says to Aiden, "I grew up doing this. Are you sure you can make the climb? Or is that harness just for show sailor?"

Casting a quick glance at his harness, Aidan replies, "What, this ol' thing?"

Seeing it up close now, it can easily be observed that the harness is heavily modified with extra straps, loops, sections of hardened leather, and a few small metal plates. One might surmise it doubles as a basic form of armor.

"Guess we'll find out, huh?" Returning his gaze to the half-orc, he continues, "I wasn't doubting your ability, only observing that two of you at least seem to be injured. But if you're up for it, help me secure a couple life lines and you can have the honor of going first."

With that, Aidan will quickly proceed to the nearest porthole, grabbing at least two bundles of line on his way.

OOC: 

(More of an athletics check to see how well the lines are tied down. To climb up the side of the ship is either acrobatics or athletics.)

 Nate will watch Aiden tie the ropes to double check they are secure. (Would that give advantage?) Then he'll go out the porthole and attempt to climb the rope up.

Acrobatics 9

(It would)

Athletics Check: 19

After securing one end of each line on this deck, Thomas hands the free end of one to Nate and begins tying the other to his harness.

He says to the rest of the group, "Once we are above deck, we can drop these lines back down for you all to use."

As Nate sits upon the porthole, he can see Aerovail in the distance. The city nobles in the towering heights of silvery towers, and the poor and wretched in the slums on the outskirts. Regardless of stature, there is an engine near each part of the city, keeping it afloat and stable in the sky. Nate tosses the grappling hook up to the top deck and starts a climb up to the deck. With a few close calls and almost having the hook dislodge itself, he manages to get upon the top deck. He can help the others by tying the hook down.

@Nate