The river is extremely wide at this point, but so is the ship. As you approach the bend, Brask and Burik pull with all their might as the older men instruct the rest of your makeshift on what to do. Spinning the wheel, the old man shouts "Come on, you big wooden *****!" at the ship. It turns slowly, but luckily the bend is forgiving and not particularly sharp. Some branches brush up against the railing, and a few even snap off, shedding leaves and small sticks on the main. After a few minutes of sweaty work, though, the ship is back in the middle of the river heading straight...toward Green Fork.
You start to pass the outskirts of the city. Unlike most you've been in, though - including Lovilra - the outskirts here are filled with enormous estates. Ostentatious mansions sprawl out from the middle of fields, which are filled with various kinds of speciality crops. Workers tend to the fields, and once in awhile you see one of the rich landowners sitting out by the river. A few wave to you.
"Docking point is further into the city," Pip announces. "Another ten minutes, maybe. Looks much different than out here."
"Well, we better have a plan then," Murmur looks to the rest of you for input. "No offense, but some of you look like shit."
(It's that close!? I guess I misread something - I though we'd have a chance to rest.)
I'm up for a fight, Brask says, but a rest wouldn't hurt. Plus we have magic types, he waves at Burik, and you know how they are about getting their sleep in. Can we stop this thing? He looks doubtfully at the boat that might as well be an arcane spellbook for all the sense it makes to the minotaur.
You can take a short rest! I was fast-forwarding a little bit, but mentioned before you could short (but not long) rest.
"We...we could anchor here...but not much room." Pip looks over the railing. "If another boat comes, or if one of these rich folk get upset, could be a different kind of trouble."
"Aye, and I don't know what the river bed is like here." The old man speaks up. "When we get into the city, there will be a dock and workers to help us."
(Effort was at 17 (11+6)/21 before the short rest, so with 3d8 she's at 27 (21+6)/21)
"Well, if they're not the magic-using types, it would be best to attack them at range. Let's strike them first and make them come up here, and have the ballistas ready to fire at them from above. I'm feeling as ready as I ever will be for another fight," Effort says grimly.
I haven't got much at range, but I can have a go on the ballista,Brask says. Looks fun. But how does this go in the city? We're gonna have a big fight? Then what? We get arrested for killing a bunch of people? Guards don't know they're slavers. Or maybe they don't care. He looks at Murmur. Hey, this is your land. Or, closer than us at least. What happens if we just sail through? Do the slavers chase us to get their goods? Do they get the city involved on their side?
"Could just sail through," Murmur considers it for a moment. "I think they'd be on our tail pretty quickly, though. This thing has already slowed down a little without a strong wind at our backs. If it turns the wrong direction, we'd be hard-pressed to outrun a three-legged turtle."
"I've never seen any guards at the docks," Pip speaks up. "I'm sure word would spread fast if there was a fight, but the area is full of...dishonest activity. Most folks don't like the guards hanging around, and they've made it well-known."
"Hm. Could dispatch the slavers and then either keep on sailing out of Green Fork, or abandon the ship and try to disappear into the city," Murmur stares at the three of you, and then gestures toward herself. "Okay, maybe we're not disappearing anywhere. Just worried some other seedy element would come after us if they thought there was something to be gained by it. I don't know...your call."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"If you want to sail this ship, you need more sailors than the two volunteers that we'd technically be kidnapping otherwise," Effort points out. "Particularly since one of them is our captain. Of course, if you're throwing a ship in as the price for that, maybe they're willing partners in all this." Effort shrugs. "Regardless… I would worry less about the guards and more about the slavers. We could simply tell any guards that came to the docks that we were the slaves who escaped. Unless slavery is encouraged in Green Fork," she adds dubiously. "Otherwise… I say man the ballistas, and stand and fight. If you don't take care of these slavers now, they'll certainly come after you sometime in the future. Especially if they're being given their marching orders by that damned cult. This is exactly our fight, then. It's not something we want to pass by - it's the whole reason we're on this journey," she declares.
Cadmael, she calls. Scout ahead for us. Try to give us a read on what awaits us at the port, if you can. Stay high, and don't attract any attention if at all possible.
"I...I'm not sure these slavers are working with the cult. At least not in the same way that Umog was," Pip adds. "We were taking Murmur to the unnamed island. Directly to the cult. These other three were just to be sold off to the slavers here in Green Fork for a few gold. Not sure what for. Don't think Umog even knew. Just a way to make some easy money."
Cadmael cruises up ahead. The city gets more and more dense up here. Lots of hustle and bustle. Especially at the docks up ahead. I can't make out any obvious slavers or evil-doers, unfortunately. I'll keep looking.
We dock. We wait for someone to pay us a visit. If they're slavers, we kill them. Then we... sail away. That's the plan.
Brask is entirely happy with this plan which seems comprehensive and unlikely to fail. He focuses his attention on the ballistae. Hey Pip. You've fired on of these, right? Wanna show me how it works?
"Yes! Yes, of course!" Pip seems excited to be able to teach Brask. He slowly turns one of the ballistas, pretending to aim it somewhere off in the distance. "You load it up right here." He struggles for a moment, but gets an arrow into position. "And then when you're ready, you release it."
The entire process of aiming, loading, and firing takes a bit longer than you were expecting, but the arrows certainly seem like they could do some serious damage to anyone boarding the boat.
Mechanically (if you missed it on the main deck), it takes 1 action to aim, 1 action to load, 1 action to fire. Of course, you can do some of these beforehand...
Thank you, Cadmael. Stay close and be ready for anything,Effort warns her familiar. If no-one else is manning the other two ballistas, Effort will load both of them, fully intending on their use. "If it's as you say, then maybe today will not end in a bloodbath." Her tail lashes a bit. "Almost a pity, that."
Brask spends some time practising, including observing Pip and how well he is able to handle the ballista. They get in some decent practice shots, hopefully. How much ammo is there?
Prior to arriving at their destination, he will make sure each ballista has an arrow loaded and ready to go.
There are three ballistas on the forecastle (front of the ship) and two on the stern castle (back of the ship). Each area has a pool of arrows - I'll say a dozen in each location. You can certainly load up all five before arriving. Let me know what else you want to do about aiming/positioning them, where you all will be, etc. You still have a few minutes before you start sailing into the city proper. Most of the humans have requested to stay below deck until the fighting subsides. The one older man agreed to help steer the boat into the dock, but will try to take cover if/when things go south. So it's Brask, Burik, Effort, Pip, and Murmur for the main part of any fighting.
(I would suggest Effort, Brask, and Pip take the 3 at the forefront and Burik and Murmur take the two at the back. Pip is at the front just for the mere semblance of trying to pretend like this is still a goblin slaver ship and he should know that. Burik at the back because nobody's gonna believe a dwarf is working with goblins, so he has to stay somewhat out of sight. Effort and Brask can be at the front because there are likely explanations that could be made about a Tiefling and a Minotaur working with the slavers. This is my OOC thoughts and Effort would probably convey this as a tactic in an IC manner, but rather than type it out twice, I'd rather here if anyone else has a better idea. XD)
Brask agrees with Effort's plan, but has a stark warning for Pip. You. Stay out of danger. If they board the ship, run to the ballista at the back and let Burik come up front. You're not gonna be able to pay me if you get your brains smashed in. And I will be collecting my debt, don't doubt it.
You can man the ballistas however you'd like - just know that two of them (one in the front, one in the back) will be clearly visible as anyone approaches the ship. As they walk up the plank (if you're allowing them to), they'll eventually see the middle ballista, and then finally the furthest two (one in the front, one in the back). Let me know how you want to aim them, and any other final preparations you might have.
The ship has slowed a bit thanks to dying winds and the tied up sails. It slowly floats into the main part of the city. Three-story buildings aren't uncommon along the banks of the river. Smaller boats slip by you here and there, but large vessels seem to only be heading the same way you are. Up ahead, you see the river widen even more as the docks come into view.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Above & Below
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
If with advantage from Burik, that's a 11 (3 if not)
Brask goes to the rope and does his best. :)
In the interest of not crashing to our doom, Effort could give you guidance, but that's up to the DM to decide if you want to retcon a 1d4 in
The river is extremely wide at this point, but so is the ship. As you approach the bend, Brask and Burik pull with all their might as the older men instruct the rest of your makeshift on what to do. Spinning the wheel, the old man shouts "Come on, you big wooden *****!" at the ship. It turns slowly, but luckily the bend is forgiving and not particularly sharp. Some branches brush up against the railing, and a few even snap off, shedding leaves and small sticks on the main. After a few minutes of sweaty work, though, the ship is back in the middle of the river heading straight...toward Green Fork.
You start to pass the outskirts of the city. Unlike most you've been in, though - including Lovilra - the outskirts here are filled with enormous estates. Ostentatious mansions sprawl out from the middle of fields, which are filled with various kinds of speciality crops. Workers tend to the fields, and once in awhile you see one of the rich landowners sitting out by the river. A few wave to you.
"Docking point is further into the city," Pip announces. "Another ten minutes, maybe. Looks much different than out here."
"Well, we better have a plan then," Murmur looks to the rest of you for input. "No offense, but some of you look like shit."
DM - Above & Below
(It's that close!? I guess I misread something - I though we'd have a chance to rest.)
I'm up for a fight, Brask says, but a rest wouldn't hurt. Plus we have magic types, he waves at Burik, and you know how they are about getting their sleep in. Can we stop this thing? He looks doubtfully at the boat that might as well be an arcane spellbook for all the sense it makes to the minotaur.
You can take a short rest! I was fast-forwarding a little bit, but mentioned before you could short (but not long) rest.
"We...we could anchor here...but not much room." Pip looks over the railing. "If another boat comes, or if one of these rich folk get upset, could be a different kind of trouble."
"Aye, and I don't know what the river bed is like here." The old man speaks up. "When we get into the city, there will be a dock and workers to help us."
DM - Above & Below
20
Cool, thanks! Sorry, I guess I misread it.
Brask is fighting fit, but knows that the others may not be. How badly hurt is Pip?
He's ready to head into the city and face what we find, but will push to stop if either Effort or Burik want to.
Pip is back at full health with a short rest - although that's not saying much. :)
Effort short rest: 6
DM - Above & Below
(Effort was at 17 (11+6)/21 before the short rest, so with 3d8 she's at 27 (21+6)/21)
"Well, if they're not the magic-using types, it would be best to attack them at range. Let's strike them first and make them come up here, and have the ballistas ready to fire at them from above. I'm feeling as ready as I ever will be for another fight," Effort says grimly.
I haven't got much at range, but I can have a go on the ballista, Brask says. Looks fun. But how does this go in the city? We're gonna have a big fight? Then what? We get arrested for killing a bunch of people? Guards don't know they're slavers. Or maybe they don't care. He looks at Murmur. Hey, this is your land. Or, closer than us at least. What happens if we just sail through? Do the slavers chase us to get their goods? Do they get the city involved on their side?
"Could just sail through," Murmur considers it for a moment. "I think they'd be on our tail pretty quickly, though. This thing has already slowed down a little without a strong wind at our backs. If it turns the wrong direction, we'd be hard-pressed to outrun a three-legged turtle."
"I've never seen any guards at the docks," Pip speaks up. "I'm sure word would spread fast if there was a fight, but the area is full of...dishonest activity. Most folks don't like the guards hanging around, and they've made it well-known."
"Hm. Could dispatch the slavers and then either keep on sailing out of Green Fork, or abandon the ship and try to disappear into the city," Murmur stares at the three of you, and then gestures toward herself. "Okay, maybe we're not disappearing anywhere. Just worried some other seedy element would come after us if they thought there was something to be gained by it. I don't know...your call."
DM - Above & Below
"If you want to sail this ship, you need more sailors than the two volunteers that we'd technically be kidnapping otherwise," Effort points out. "Particularly since one of them is our captain. Of course, if you're throwing a ship in as the price for that, maybe they're willing partners in all this." Effort shrugs. "Regardless… I would worry less about the guards and more about the slavers. We could simply tell any guards that came to the docks that we were the slaves who escaped. Unless slavery is encouraged in Green Fork," she adds dubiously. "Otherwise… I say man the ballistas, and stand and fight. If you don't take care of these slavers now, they'll certainly come after you sometime in the future. Especially if they're being given their marching orders by that damned cult. This is exactly our fight, then. It's not something we want to pass by - it's the whole reason we're on this journey," she declares.
Cadmael, she calls. Scout ahead for us. Try to give us a read on what awaits us at the port, if you can. Stay high, and don't attract any attention if at all possible.
Cadmael Perception: 12
"I...I'm not sure these slavers are working with the cult. At least not in the same way that Umog was," Pip adds. "We were taking Murmur to the unnamed island. Directly to the cult. These other three were just to be sold off to the slavers here in Green Fork for a few gold. Not sure what for. Don't think Umog even knew. Just a way to make some easy money."
Cadmael cruises up ahead. The city gets more and more dense up here. Lots of hustle and bustle. Especially at the docks up ahead. I can't make out any obvious slavers or evil-doers, unfortunately. I'll keep looking.
DM - Above & Below
We dock. We wait for someone to pay us a visit. If they're slavers, we kill them. Then we... sail away. That's the plan.
Brask is entirely happy with this plan which seems comprehensive and unlikely to fail. He focuses his attention on the ballistae. Hey Pip. You've fired on of these, right? Wanna show me how it works?
"Yes! Yes, of course!" Pip seems excited to be able to teach Brask. He slowly turns one of the ballistas, pretending to aim it somewhere off in the distance. "You load it up right here." He struggles for a moment, but gets an arrow into position. "And then when you're ready, you release it."
The entire process of aiming, loading, and firing takes a bit longer than you were expecting, but the arrows certainly seem like they could do some serious damage to anyone boarding the boat.
Mechanically (if you missed it on the main deck), it takes 1 action to aim, 1 action to load, 1 action to fire. Of course, you can do some of these beforehand...
DM - Above & Below
Thank you, Cadmael. Stay close and be ready for anything, Effort warns her familiar. If no-one else is manning the other two ballistas, Effort will load both of them, fully intending on their use. "If it's as you say, then maybe today will not end in a bloodbath." Her tail lashes a bit. "Almost a pity, that."
Brask spends some time practising, including observing Pip and how well he is able to handle the ballista. They get in some decent practice shots, hopefully. How much ammo is there?
Prior to arriving at their destination, he will make sure each ballista has an arrow loaded and ready to go.
There are three ballistas on the forecastle (front of the ship) and two on the stern castle (back of the ship). Each area has a pool of arrows - I'll say a dozen in each location. You can certainly load up all five before arriving. Let me know what else you want to do about aiming/positioning them, where you all will be, etc. You still have a few minutes before you start sailing into the city proper. Most of the humans have requested to stay below deck until the fighting subsides. The one older man agreed to help steer the boat into the dock, but will try to take cover if/when things go south. So it's Brask, Burik, Effort, Pip, and Murmur for the main part of any fighting.
DM - Above & Below
(I would suggest Effort, Brask, and Pip take the 3 at the forefront and Burik and Murmur take the two at the back. Pip is at the front just for the mere semblance of trying to pretend like this is still a goblin slaver ship and he should know that. Burik at the back because nobody's gonna believe a dwarf is working with goblins, so he has to stay somewhat out of sight. Effort and Brask can be at the front because there are likely explanations that could be made about a Tiefling and a Minotaur working with the slavers. This is my OOC thoughts and Effort would probably convey this as a tactic in an IC manner, but rather than type it out twice, I'd rather here if anyone else has a better idea. XD)
Brask agrees with Effort's plan, but has a stark warning for Pip. You. Stay out of danger. If they board the ship, run to the ballista at the back and let Burik come up front. You're not gonna be able to pay me if you get your brains smashed in. And I will be collecting my debt, don't doubt it.
You can man the ballistas however you'd like - just know that two of them (one in the front, one in the back) will be clearly visible as anyone approaches the ship. As they walk up the plank (if you're allowing them to), they'll eventually see the middle ballista, and then finally the furthest two (one in the front, one in the back). Let me know how you want to aim them, and any other final preparations you might have.
The ship has slowed a bit thanks to dying winds and the tied up sails. It slowly floats into the main part of the city. Three-story buildings aren't uncommon along the banks of the river. Smaller boats slip by you here and there, but large vessels seem to only be heading the same way you are. Up ahead, you see the river widen even more as the docks come into view.
DM - Above & Below