Above & Below

Brask's Perception 10

Do not stray too far... I want to be able to hear you, Effort replies to Cadmael.

"I will resume the same watch as before," she tells the others, though she does hold out her lantern.  "I've five flasks of oil left.  Use this to help you keep watch, if you feel you need it.  Be aware, on this drab sea, the light at night will also make us a beacon to other ships, though."

Effort Arcana check:  18  (if guidance would apply: 21)

Effort will take the same watch as previous, perception check, with guidance: 6
Cadmael perception check, with advantage: 18

Luck checks: 3 ... 13 ... 15

Kurama, you begin your watch as the sky begins to darken. A few of the crew linger about for a bit drinking libations before finally heading below deck. An hour or two pass quietly as you sit with your thoughts, veering out into the expansive darkness. The lantern helps a bit, and your eyes slowly begin to adjust to staring out over the open waters, watching the regular pattern of water pushing up against the front of the boat as it slowly sails forward.

Then, something changes. You see a few tiny specks of light coming from under the water out in front of the boat. Barley perceptible, you can't tell if they're moving or not - but the boat is certainly heading toward them. A moment later, you can see...shapes in the water. Again, these are incredibly difficult to make out but you focus on them and they certainly seem to be moving. 

You couldn't possibly venture as a guess as to what this is, but it's only a few moments until the boat meets up with it...

Kurama watched the lights and shapes in the water with utter fascination as they drew closer and closer to the ship.  Swallowing the urge to pull out one of his notebooks, he kept his eyes on things in the water as he moved closer to the edge and called out to those sleeping below, "I see lights and shapes moving in the water.  Is that normal in these parts?"  

Where are you calling, exactly? Out over the edge of the boat, or down to the lower decks...? And how loudly? Nobody else is up with you at this point. 

Kurama would be calling out in the direction of the stairs to the Lower Decks.  He's not particularly loud so while it's not a scream, he calls out loud enough to hopefully be heard (even faintly) by someone down below (though it could've been swallowed by the sounds of the ship/ ocean   

Brask and Effort, give me perception checks to see if you can hear Kurama. 

I'll also roll one for the rest of the crew: 16

Effort Perception: 20 !

Brask Perception 0

Because of course...

Let me do one for Pip as well, Brask's snoring might affect his ability to hear... 10

Effort, Kurama's shout cuts you through you and your eyes flash open. You hear a bit of commotion as a few members of the crew - those closest to the stairs - also get up and out of bed to go see what the monk is hollering about. 

Effort sits up straight, eyes wide open as Kurama's call brings her fully awake.  That, or it was Brask's snoring that never let her truly sleep.  Annoyed for multiple reasons, she decides to aid Kurama the direct way.  Using thaumaturgy, she raises her voice loud enough to be heard throughout the entire hold, reverberating through the wooden timbers with unnatural strength and volume.

"Lights and shapes in the water approach the ship.  Wake and prepare for it!"

She sends Cadmael up to the deck, manifesting the owl directly over the water even as she's still climbing the stairs up.  "Take a look, tell me what you see," she commands him, then casts guidance on herself.

Cadmael stealth: 16
Cadmael perception: 14

Effort's booming voice shakes the wooden walls of the boat, and eventually others start to stir - even Brask! While they are still getting up from their beds, though, Effort and Cadmael join Kurama and a few others on the deck. Looking out over the edge of the boat, the subtle, eery lights slowly vanish. 

A few men reach for their weapons as a tense feeling overtakes the boat. Before anyone can even process it, though, a gurgled noise can be heard from over the side. It's followed immediately by a louder splashing as three enormous hooks are launched over the top of the vessel, with chains dragging behind. Everyone looks up in a panic as the hooks seem to float across the sky directly overhead, slowly arching over the boat and beginning to descend.

Everyone, roll initiative.

As Kurama watched the hooks lift into the air above him, he turned to the others and said "I apologize.  I did not realize that I had to monitor the skies as well."  

• Initiative: 16  

Pip: 10

Effort initiative: 21
Cadmael: 21

Crew: 8 Let's try this again: 11

Just need Brask's initiative to get this party started!

Sorry for the delay:  Brask's initiative 3

No worries, it's still holiday week!

Effort & Cadmael > Hooks > Brask > Kurama > Crew > Pip

Effort, you and Cad are up. The three hooks are descending from the sky, heading toward the opposite side of the boat (so that the chains will be stretched across the deck).