Lusia's arrow flies true. Lodging itself into the half-elf's thigh. He falls to the ground, grabbing at the wound.

 Round 1 continued

1. Boy (foe): The boy in the aft crow's nest. Angered by Leif's attempt to shoot him, raises his crossbow and fires back. Leif, his bolt whizzes past your left ear. Way too close for comfort!
2. Joy
3. Cyriel
4. Burly bloke (foe)
5. Leif
6. Gaunt Half-elf (foe)
7. Aisling
8. Lusia
9. Cleo

(Sorry for the delay.)

So much for negotiations. Cleo isn't very surprised that it came to a fight. Slavers aren't known to give up their cargo willingly. Cleo conjures a mote of radiant light in her hand. It looks relatively harmless, but she throws it toward the burly man and it sizzles against his flesh.

Starry Wisp - Attack: 19 Damage: 3 radiant damage

Cleo moves in closer to attack from the start of the jetty, her ball of light clouting the burly bloke in his back.

Aisling and Lusia are over by the building (G) about 80 feet from the ship's bow. Aisling's unseen servant remains around midway along the jetty.

Cyriel, Joy, the burly bloke, and the gaunt half-elf are scrapping just behind the foremast on the main deck. The burly bloke is a few feet ahead of Cyriel, squaring up, cutlass in hand. The half-elf is on his backside, holding the wound in his thigh just in front of Joy.

Leif is in the foremast's crow's nest.

Round 2

There is the sound of a taut twang, followed by a faint, whispering hiss as a bolt slices through the air. Shot from the stairs to the lower deck, the bolt headed for Leif.

The boy in the aft crow's nest of the main mast stands up and looks for the origin of the ranged attack. He fires his crossbow at Cleo, but the bolt falls short.

1. New foe
2. Boy (foe)
3. Joy
4. Cyriel
5. Burly bloke (foe)
6. Leif
7. Gaunt Half-elf (foe)
8. Aisling
9. Lusia
10. Cleo

Quote from Valagan >>

 

There is the sound of a taut twang, followed by a faint, whispering hiss as a bolt slices through the air. Shot from the stairs to the lower deck, the bolt headed for Leif.

 
Attack: 21 Damage: 7

Joy grits her teeth, heart heavy with regret, but there’s no time to hesitate. The half-elf could still fight, still pose a threat—and her friends needed her standing strong. With a swift, controlled motion, she steps forward, raising her longsword and bringing it down in a precise, non-lethal strike.

Action: non-lethal longsword to hit 14, damage 10

The young perrenish knight sighs and draws his blade, his eyes focused on the burly slaver in front of him, slowly circling him for a more advantageous position, aiming to be able to push him overboard if given the chance, suddenly feinting a strike, but instead of letting the blade fall onto his enemy he strikes him over the head with it's pommel.

Longsword : 21 Damage (non-lethal): 5 + Sap

"Ve can still end zis vithout bloodshed." He says firmly, ready to defend with his broad shield against the burly bloke's counter attack.

Enjoying the crows' nest's increased protection, the bolt from below embeds harmlessly into the wood surrounding Leif's perch. He readies another shot at the boy across from him and lets loose. "Don't shoot at my friends!" Leif yells as he fires another blunted bolt at the boy.

Attack: 22 Damage: 6 (non-lethal)

Quote from EmileTherese >>

Joy grits her teeth, heart heavy with regret, but there’s no time to hesitate. The half-elf could still fight, still pose a threat—and her friends needed her standing strong. With a swift, controlled motion, she steps forward, raising her longsword and bringing it down in a precise, non-lethal strike.

Action: non-lethal longsword to hit 14, damage 10

The half-elf in front of Joy groans as he grasps the wound in his thigh from Lusia's arrow. Sweat beads down his brow. His eyes widen as he looks up at Joy with defiance, but he is in no condition to resist.

Joy strikes with the flat of her longsword, landing with a heavy thud against the side of the half-elf's head. A gasp escapes his lips, and he crumples to the ground in an unceremonious heap, unconscious. His shallow breath, the only sign of life.

Quote from Oberon99 >>

The young perrenish knight sighs and draws his blade, his eyes focused on the burly slaver in front of him, slowly circling him for a more advantageous position, aiming to be able to push him overboard if given the chance, suddenly feinting a strike, but instead of letting the blade fall onto his enemy he strikes him over the head with it's pommel.

Longsword : 21 Damage (non-lethal): 5 + Sap

"Ve can still end zis vithout bloodshed." He says firmly, ready to defend with his broad shield against the burly bloke's counter attack.

The burly bloke, duped by the ruse, his balance thrown, staggers as he stumbles back. Before he can regain his senses, the knight presses forward, using his momentum to drive him back into the port-side railing.

The man shakes off his disorientation, and with a defiant snarl, he retaliates, swinging his cutlass through the air. Attack: 3 Damage: 1

Quote from AbishaiTheHatless >>

Enjoying the crows' nest's increased protection, the bolt from below embeds harmlessly into the wood surrounding Leif's perch. He readies another shot at the boy across from him and lets loose. "Don't shoot at my friends!" Leif yells as he fires another blunted bolt at the boy.

Attack: 22 Damage: 6 (non-lethal)

The thunk of Leif's attack on the boy hits hard, and he flinches from another blow. 

Round 2 continued...

1. New foe
2. Boy (foe)
3. Joy
4. Cyriel
5. Burly bloke (foe)
6. Leif
7. Gaunt Half-elf (foe)
8. Aisling
9. Lusia
10. Cleo

Lusia again looks to fire an arrow from her bow, this time targeting the burly bloke facing off with Cyriel.  
(Longbow Attack: 11, Damage: 10 piercing; Slow - if hit, target speed it reduced by 10 ft.)

Anticipating the man falling from either her shot or a blow from one of the others, she then moves out from the cover and starts to advance towards the ship. (30 ft movement) 

(OOC - If allowed for ranged attacks, she would try for non-lethal damage.) 

Aisling considers firing one more black-and-icy-blue strike, this time at Cyriel's foe. But she hesitates, afraid their combined attacks might kill the man when it's clear Cyriel and Joy only intend to knock the slavers unconscious. Letting the magic fizzle out in her hand, she steels herself against the fear of getting closer to the fight and runs toward the boat as fast as she can. Maybe if the slavers see there are more than three of them, they'll stop the fight?

(She moves 30 feet and dashes another 30. With her bonus action she commands the Unseen Servant to move another 15 feet)

Cleo starts running up the jetty toward the boat. She doesn't want to kill the burly man since it seems the others are knocking their foes unconscious, but there is a new enemy on the field as well. She wants to incapacitate that foe before he can do more damage.

If she can get line of sight on the new foe, she casts Entangle on him, hoping to root him in place. Cleo whispers an incantation and points her sickle in the direction of the new enemy. Suddenly, vines and roots sprout impossibly from the planks of the ship, writhing around the new foe.

Quote from FairIthilien >>

Aisling considers firing one more black-and-icy-blue strike, this time at Cyriel's foe. But she hesitates, afraid their combined attacks might kill the man when it's clear Cyriel and Joy only intend to knock the slavers unconscious. Letting the magic fizzle out in her hand, she steels herself against the fear of getting closer to the fight and runs toward the boat as fast as she can. Maybe if the slavers see there are more than three of them, they'll stop the fight?

(She moves 30 feet and dashes another 30. With her bonus action she commands the Unseen Servant to move another 15 feet)

For Aisling's eyes only...

Lusia's arrow hisses through the air, lodging itself just inches from the burly man Cyriel has against the railing.

Lusia, Cleo, Aisling, and her servant move in closer. (ooc: please see the updated battle map for positions).

Cleo, you can't see the other foe. But you know somebody shot a bolt at Leif from below deck.

Round 3

The bell at the helm on the aft deck stops ringing.

The injured boy in the aft crow's nest stands up and dives off the mast. You watch the tiny lad gracefully fall through the air, splashing hands and head first into the dark water between the rowboat and the jetty.

Cyriel, the burly bloke, drops his cutlass and surrenders his hands. Eyeing the unconscious half-elf at Joy's feet with concern.

The sound of battle gives way again to the lapping waters and your heavy breathing.

Edit: Aisling's servant is the hollow purple circle.

Assuming there are no more agression from the slavers, the young knight sheathes his blade and addresses the remaining crew. "Zank you, you made ze right decision. Now, vhere vere ve..." He says with a sigh. "...ze people you brought here earlier zat ve rescued from drowning in ze harbour, ve have come for zeir release." He states firmly, hoping the two slavers would shed some more light on the situation before any aggression erupted again.

Joy lets out a quiet breath of relief as the cutlass clatters to the deck and the fight comes to an end. She watches the burly man’s worried gaze flick to the unconscious half-elf at her feet, and despite everything, she understands.

She gladly sheathes her blade, kneeling down beside the fallen man. Before anything else, she tosses his daggers aside, out of reach—just in case. Then, with a steady hand, she places her palm lightly against his chest. A soft golden glow spreads from her fingers as she channels Pelor’s warmth, using Lay on Hands to bring him back from the edge of unconsciousness.

As the half-elf stirs, she speaks gently but firmly. “Easy now. You’re not dying today.” She glances up at the burly man, her hazel eyes searching. The way he worried for his friend. The way they didn’t fight to the death.

And then there was the boy. Her gaze flicks toward the water where he disappeared. If he came back, she would heal him, too.

Looking back at the two remaining crew, she finally asks the question nagging at her heart. “Are you really slavers?” Her voice isn’t accusatory, just…tired. Hoping, maybe, that the answer isn’t what it seems.

Action: Lay on Hands on half-elf for 1 HP 

Quote from Valagan >>

For Aisling's eyes only...

"Arrgghh!" You hear the familiar, disapproving whisper deep within your mind. "This mercy will be your undoing!"

As she runs towards the boat, Aisling suddenly freezes. "No…!" The word escapes her, a little too loud. Then she remembers this voice exists only in her mind and she falls silent, staring at her feet as she searches for the right words.

But her strength isn’t there, on the ground. She lifts her gaze instead, looking to the boat where the tide of battle seems to be turning in their favor. These people—strangers not long ago—are fighting to save the helpless. They are trying. They care. And for the first time in a long while, she feels strangely protected. A little less alone. A little more certain.

"Cold and death are all you know," she murmurs, "But I don’t want that. I want warmth. I want to be surrounded by people who care. And I will care, too." Her fingers tighten into fists. "If that is to be my undoing, then so be it."

Gritting her teeth, Aisling keeps running towards the ship (Action Dash, moving another 60 feet) and commands her unseen companion does the same (15 feet).

Leif watches as the boy jumps from the Crows' Nest to the water below. 'Huh... I didn't expect that.' He thinks to himself. His attention quickly returns to the individual he saw below deck who fired a bolt at him from the stairs leading below. Leif fires a blunted bolt down the stairs if he can see his attacker.

Attack: 10 Damage: 10