The Elven captive accepts the drink gratefully. He asks Gerrard, in Elvish, "Þakka þér. Hver ert þú?"
"Thank you. Who are you?"
Dwal, meanwhile, examines the hole in the hull. He knows carpentry, and could expertly patch a roof, but watertight vessels are beyond the scope of his expertise. Maybe if Peri tells him what to do. The amount of water entering the ship is minor right now, but if the ship sinks much lower in the water, or if the weather worsens, they could be in trouble quickly.
"ELBIN! MORTLY!"Peri bellows with all the captainly authority he can muster. "Fetch some wood, caulk, and the carpenter's tools, then help Mr. Dwal fix this hole!" He rounds on the lizardfolk. "YOU THREE! Haul your scaly carcasses up to your cabin and stay there! You've nearly sunk us with your ignorance, and your weapons along with us! I'll send someone to fetch you when we're at your dropoff point; until then, I don't want to see your worthless hides on my deck!" This rant is accompanied by furious gestures to convey both his meaning and his displeasure.
He stalks over to inspect the hole with Dwal. "The best bet is to board up the hole on the inside here, then someone'll have to go over the side and fix an oilcloth over it to make it watertight. If you can get started on this, I'll continue with the sails. We need to get this pig in port before the weather kicks up." He leans in and whispers to Dwal, "I think you're right about not givin' 'em the weapons." If Dwal is able to start boarding up the hole, Peri will go work on the sails until it's time to go over the side.
"Ég er Gerrard, undanfarið af Saltmarsh, og við vorum trúlofuð af ráðinu að fanga þetta smygl vesen," replies Gerrard, looking closely at the elf's chains and the lock, asking, "Captain Fenwader, have you found any other keys that haven't fit any of the locked boxes?"
Continuing his conversation with the prisoner, Gerrard asks, "Og hver gæti verið það? Hvernig komstu til að vera fangelsaður hér? Er hægt að tala um algenga tungu manna?"
Elvish:
"I am Gerrard, lately of Saltmarsh, and we were engaged by the council to capture this smuggling vessel."
"And who might you be? How did you come to be imprisoned here? Can you speak the Common tongue of humans?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
"You ain't the sharpest axe in the armoury are ya! Of course it's cargo. I'm guessin' it be yer shipment going by the excitement. So now you've seen it, go back to yer room and let us get to movin' this floating box". He shouts the secret door and tries to usher the lizardmen back out of the sleeping quarters. "Gerrard, can you see if these geckos will listen to you. I don't think they speak too much Common"
Replying to Qivys over his shoulder, the young noble says, "I speak their language, all right Master Qivys, but they don't listen to me very well. I think they are on their way back to their room now, expecting to be delivered to their destination by nightfall. We should talk about what to do with them once we help my elven friend here and get the hole in the ship patched."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
He enters the hidden cell and hands Gerrard the silver key from the captain's desk, studying the prisoner. "Must be the owner of those fancy weapons you found. Might be an innocent victim, or might be a dangerous fellow. Question him well before unlocking him; we've already got enough troubles with the lizards, we don't need anyone else running amok." Then he will return to the main deck, make a quick circuit of the deck looking for any trouble on the horizon, and get back to his sailmaking.
Elbin and Mortly come down to survey the damage. Mortly mutters something about "heating the tar" and heads back upstairs.
The lizardfolk seem unaffected by (or perhaps uncomprehending of) the insults and shouting. But, apparently satisfied with the discovery of their weapons, they return to the main deck. "Night," says one in Common to Peri before departing. "We arrive tonight. Agreement."
Meanwhile, the chained elf responds to Gerrard, "Ég tala tvær tungur, Elvish og Aquan. Ég get líka talað við sjávarbörnin. Ég heiti Oceanus. Ég er meðlimur ættkvísl Manaan. Hvar er krókaleiðin?"
I speak two tongues, Elvish and Aquan. I can also speak with the children of the sea. My name is Oceanus. I am a member of the tribe of Manaan. Where is the hook-handed human?
The wind is picking up a little, occasionally gusting . The sea is becoming a little rougher. Some whitecaps are visible. The ship rocks. A small amount of water continues to slosh regularly through the hole.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Gerrard:
”Svo þessi vatnsvopn sem við fundum hljóta að vera þín. Skipstjórinn í smygli og krókurum skipverjinn eru báðir látnir,” says Gerrard. Trying to get a sense of the aquatic elf’s intentions, he asks, “Ánægjulegt að hitta þig, Oceanus. Segðu mér sögu þína. Hvernig komstu til að vera hlekkjaður í þessari klefa?”
Insight: 6
If he believes the elf’s story, Gerrard starts trying to use the key to unlock the prisoner.
Elvish:
“So those aquatic weapons we found must be yours. The smuggler captain and the hook-handed crewman are both dead.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Oceanus. Tell me your tale. How did you come to be chained in this cell?“
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Oceanus explains to Gerrard that his tribe has noted, from a distance, the periodic travels of this ship at night along a supposedly deserted coastal area. Suspicious of this behavior, the tribal chief ordered Oceanus to keep watch on this area, slip aboard when the ship arrived, and follow the ship back to its port of origin to discover what he could of these strange proceedings. This Oceanus did, and at the vessel’s home port he witnessed the stowing aboard of a small arsenal of weaponry. He was then discovered, knocked out, and taken prisoner. He awakened some time later, chained to the ship’s hull in this compartment. He was stripped of his weapons and armor when imprisoned, but though bruised and hungry, he has suffered no great injury. He is uncertain how long he has been a prisoner or what his ultimate fate would have been. During his imprisonment he has been brought unpleasant food three times and a cup of brackish, stale water about six times. On each occasion the bearer has been a large bully of a person with a hook for a left hand. These visitations aside, he has been left to his own devices.
Gerrard can't be certain, be he detects no immediate red flags in his demeanor.
Nodding, Gerrard frees the elf (if the key works) and asks him what he knows of the lizardfolk, as they are the ones laying claim to the weaponry. He offers some of his rations and further asks if Oceanus thinks he can identify the smuggler's home port and that suspicious stretch of coastline on their maps, wondering if it is the same location marked on the lizardfolk map...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
The small key works, releasing a grateful Oceanus. He knows nothing of the lizardfolk - he has never seen them. The empty stretch of coastline lay east of Saltmarsh, he explains, as does the smuggler's homeport, but the lizardfolk rendezvous point is west of Saltmarsh, Gerrard recalls from the map Peri found in the Captain's quarters.
The Lizardfolk return to their lair, although the little dragon remains on the crow's nest. Peri returns to sailmaking, as Mortly returns with hot tar, wood, tools, and other supplies to help Dwal patch the ship.
It is late morning, and the makeshift sail is finished, as are the temporary repairs on the hull. The weather is a bit grim to be testing experimental sails, but neither is it improving. Fortunately, Saltmarsh is almost directly downwind of where they are anchored, as is the Lizardfolk rendezvous point beyond - it should be a pretty straight run, regardless of their destination, provided the wind and the sails hold. The charts in the captain's desk note a lack of significant obstacles along the stretch of coast they will be navigating, although fully entering Saltmarsh harbor might be pushing their luck.
The lizardfolk remain quietly in their quarters, for now, and the dragonoid on the crows nest. The parrot makes its racket. The ship strains against its anchor in the growing wind.
Oceanus is clearly very pleased to be free from his chains.
Gerrard will go and look at the weapon bundles, thinking that seeing the weapons might help him get a feel for what the Lizardfolk might be planning. He then escorts the elf topside, assuming some fresh air would do him good.
Speaking with the others, he says, “Right then, decision time. Do we make for Saltmarsh and risk alienating our Lizardfolk guests, or do we head to their rendezvous point and risk getting caught downwind of the port with very few skilled sailors on board?”
Thinking a bit, he volunteers, “For my part, I don’t want to start an incident with a nearby Lizardfolk tribe and endanger the town. Of course, delivering the weapons might give them the means to attack the town if they are already so inclined. I don’t really want to get stuck with our minimal crew trying to do anything fancy with the ship either. I am inclined to sail straight for Saltmasrh harbor and ask for help—if the Lizardfolk can’t be patient and attack us, well at least we tried. What do you guys think?”
OOC: Also at this point, Gerrard is ready to crowbar open any boxes or chests for which they haven’t found the keys.
Gerrard examines the secret cache of weapons - eight large, irregularly shaped bundles wrapped in oilskin and bound with light rope. There is no identification of any sort on any of the mismatched bundles. Opening them, Gerrard finds they contain the following equipment:
10 morningstars 10 longswords 10 shields 20 javelins 1 shield emblazoned on the front with the design of a lizard with forked tongue extended.
(Meanwhile, on the main deck, the party had earlier dragged out a wooden, brass-bound chest, and a brass box. Both remain unopened and locked, with no key for either found.)
Dwal tries to finish up with any repairs he things may be needed and he might be able to manage. He will take a moment to rest before returning the top deck and seeing what the party figures they will do next.
"I don't know what to do with the lizardfolk either. Without them tellin' us what the weapons are for, I don't want to set 'em loose on the edge of town. And if we knew for sure they were up to no good we could just chuck them and their weapons overboard. But might be they're just tryin' to fend off the goblins and ogres and such."
"Regardless, we've got a patched hull, a tired and undermanned crew, and the weather's pickin' up. That pretty well takes the decision out of our hands. We need to weigh anchor, hoist sail, and run for the harbor as quick as we can."
(Unless there are any objections, that's what Peri will do, with the help of the others.)
"Chuck em overboard? That's somethin' I could get behind." He cheers as Peri continues on with his speech. By the end, Qiv finds himself nodding at every word.
Dwal listens to the group for a moment then speaks up. "Understand that if we chuck them overboard there will be a fight." he says then pauses a moment. "We are in no obligation to honor any contract the pirates had with the lizardfolk so, with the ship being ours, them telling us what is to be done isn't something we should allow."
Dwal pauses then looks up to the crows nest at the small dragon. he lowers his tone and says "Things probably spying for them as we speak."
"I say" he says keeping his hushed tone. "we throw all but 1 crate overboard, call them up here and tell them to go get them and push the last one over. It'll piss em off but, they may be more worried about the shipment than the ship itself, though I am guessing they swim alot faster than we can sail right now."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Gerrard:
“Maybe there is something in the previous captain’s papers or inside those unopened boxes that can shed more light on the situation,” comments Gerrard. Getting a crowbar from the tool room, Gerrard takes a shot at wedging open a locked box.
The Elven captive accepts the drink gratefully. He asks Gerrard, in Elvish, "Þakka þér. Hver ert þú?"
"Thank you. Who are you?"
Dwal, meanwhile, examines the hole in the hull. He knows carpentry, and could expertly patch a roof, but watertight vessels are beyond the scope of his expertise. Maybe if Peri tells him what to do. The amount of water entering the ship is minor right now, but if the ship sinks much lower in the water, or if the weather worsens, they could be in trouble quickly.
Peri:
"ELBIN! MORTLY!" Peri bellows with all the captainly authority he can muster. "Fetch some wood, caulk, and the carpenter's tools, then help Mr. Dwal fix this hole!" He rounds on the lizardfolk. "YOU THREE! Haul your scaly carcasses up to your cabin and stay there! You've nearly sunk us with your ignorance, and your weapons along with us! I'll send someone to fetch you when we're at your dropoff point; until then, I don't want to see your worthless hides on my deck!" This rant is accompanied by furious gestures to convey both his meaning and his displeasure.
He stalks over to inspect the hole with Dwal. "The best bet is to board up the hole on the inside here, then someone'll have to go over the side and fix an oilcloth over it to make it watertight. If you can get started on this, I'll continue with the sails. We need to get this pig in port before the weather kicks up." He leans in and whispers to Dwal, "I think you're right about not givin' 'em the weapons." If Dwal is able to start boarding up the hole, Peri will go work on the sails until it's time to go over the side.
Gerrard:
"Ég er Gerrard, undanfarið af Saltmarsh, og við vorum trúlofuð af ráðinu að fanga þetta smygl vesen," replies Gerrard, looking closely at the elf's chains and the lock, asking, "Captain Fenwader, have you found any other keys that haven't fit any of the locked boxes?"
Continuing his conversation with the prisoner, Gerrard asks, "Og hver gæti verið það? Hvernig komstu til að vera fangelsaður hér? Er hægt að tala um algenga tungu manna?"
Elvish:
"I am Gerrard, lately of Saltmarsh, and we were engaged by the council to capture this smuggling vessel."
"And who might you be? How did you come to be imprisoned here? Can you speak the Common tongue of humans?"
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Qivys
"You ain't the sharpest axe in the armoury are ya! Of course it's cargo. I'm guessin' it be yer shipment going by the excitement. So now you've seen it, go back to yer room and let us get to movin' this floating box". He shouts the secret door and tries to usher the lizardmen back out of the sleeping quarters. "Gerrard, can you see if these geckos will listen to you. I don't think they speak too much Common"
Gerrard:
Replying to Qivys over his shoulder, the young noble says, "I speak their language, all right Master Qivys, but they don't listen to me very well. I think they are on their way back to their room now, expecting to be delivered to their destination by nightfall. We should talk about what to do with them once we help my elven friend here and get the hole in the ship patched."
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Peri:
He enters the hidden cell and hands Gerrard the silver key from the captain's desk, studying the prisoner. "Must be the owner of those fancy weapons you found. Might be an innocent victim, or might be a dangerous fellow. Question him well before unlocking him; we've already got enough troubles with the lizards, we don't need anyone else running amok." Then he will return to the main deck, make a quick circuit of the deck looking for any trouble on the horizon, and get back to his sailmaking.
Elbin and Mortly come down to survey the damage. Mortly mutters something about "heating the tar" and heads back upstairs.
The lizardfolk seem unaffected by (or perhaps uncomprehending of) the insults and shouting. But, apparently satisfied with the discovery of their weapons, they return to the main deck. "Night," says one in Common to Peri before departing. "We arrive tonight. Agreement."
Meanwhile, the chained elf responds to Gerrard, "Ég tala tvær tungur, Elvish og Aquan. Ég get líka talað við sjávarbörnin. Ég heiti Oceanus. Ég er meðlimur ættkvísl Manaan. Hvar er krókaleiðin?"
I speak two tongues, Elvish and Aquan. I can also speak with the children of the sea. My name is Oceanus. I am a member of the tribe of Manaan. Where is the hook-handed human?
The wind is picking up a little, occasionally gusting . The sea is becoming a little rougher. Some whitecaps are visible. The ship rocks. A small amount of water continues to slosh regularly through the hole.
Gerrard:
”Svo þessi vatnsvopn sem við fundum hljóta að vera þín. Skipstjórinn í smygli og krókurum skipverjinn eru báðir látnir,” says Gerrard. Trying to get a sense of the aquatic elf’s intentions, he asks, “Ánægjulegt að hitta þig, Oceanus. Segðu mér sögu þína. Hvernig komstu til að vera hlekkjaður í þessari klefa?”
Insight: 6
If he believes the elf’s story, Gerrard starts trying to use the key to unlock the prisoner.
Elvish:
“So those aquatic weapons we found must be yours. The smuggler captain and the hook-handed crewman are both dead.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Oceanus. Tell me your tale. How did you come to be chained in this cell?“
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Oceanus explains to Gerrard that his tribe has noted, from a distance, the periodic travels of this ship at night along a supposedly deserted coastal area. Suspicious of this behavior, the tribal chief ordered Oceanus to keep watch on this area, slip aboard when the ship arrived, and follow the ship back to its port of origin to discover what he could of these strange proceedings. This Oceanus did, and at the vessel’s home port he witnessed the stowing aboard of a small arsenal of weaponry. He was then discovered, knocked out, and taken prisoner. He awakened some time later, chained to the ship’s hull in this compartment. He was stripped of his weapons and armor when imprisoned, but though bruised and hungry, he has suffered no great injury. He is uncertain how long he has been a prisoner or what his ultimate fate would have been. During his imprisonment he has been brought unpleasant food three times and a cup of brackish, stale water about six times. On each occasion the bearer has been a large bully of a person with a hook for a left hand. These visitations aside, he has been left to his own devices.
Gerrard can't be certain, be he detects no immediate red flags in his demeanor.
Gerrard:
Nodding, Gerrard frees the elf (if the key works) and asks him what he knows of the lizardfolk, as they are the ones laying claim to the weaponry. He offers some of his rations and further asks if Oceanus thinks he can identify the smuggler's home port and that suspicious stretch of coastline on their maps, wondering if it is the same location marked on the lizardfolk map...
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
The small key works, releasing a grateful Oceanus. He knows nothing of the lizardfolk - he has never seen them. The empty stretch of coastline lay east of Saltmarsh, he explains, as does the smuggler's homeport, but the lizardfolk rendezvous point is west of Saltmarsh, Gerrard recalls from the map Peri found in the Captain's quarters.
The Lizardfolk return to their lair, although the little dragon remains on the crow's nest. Peri returns to sailmaking, as Mortly returns with hot tar, wood, tools, and other supplies to help Dwal patch the ship.
It is late morning, and the makeshift sail is finished, as are the temporary repairs on the hull. The weather is a bit grim to be testing experimental sails, but neither is it improving. Fortunately, Saltmarsh is almost directly downwind of where they are anchored, as is the Lizardfolk rendezvous point beyond - it should be a pretty straight run, regardless of their destination, provided the wind and the sails hold. The charts in the captain's desk note a lack of significant obstacles along the stretch of coast they will be navigating, although fully entering Saltmarsh harbor might be pushing their luck.
The lizardfolk remain quietly in their quarters, for now, and the dragonoid on the crows nest. The parrot makes its racket. The ship strains against its anchor in the growing wind.
Oceanus is clearly very pleased to be free from his chains.
Gerrard:
Gerrard will go and look at the weapon bundles, thinking that seeing the weapons might help him get a feel for what the Lizardfolk might be planning. He then escorts the elf topside, assuming some fresh air would do him good.
Speaking with the others, he says, “Right then, decision time. Do we make for Saltmarsh and risk alienating our Lizardfolk guests, or do we head to their rendezvous point and risk getting caught downwind of the port with very few skilled sailors on board?”
Thinking a bit, he volunteers, “For my part, I don’t want to start an incident with a nearby Lizardfolk tribe and endanger the town. Of course, delivering the weapons might give them the means to attack the town if they are already so inclined. I don’t really want to get stuck with our minimal crew trying to do anything fancy with the ship either. I am inclined to sail straight for Saltmasrh harbor and ask for help—if the Lizardfolk can’t be patient and attack us, well at least we tried. What do you guys think?”
OOC: Also at this point, Gerrard is ready to crowbar open any boxes or chests for which they haven’t found the keys.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Gerrard examines the secret cache of weapons - eight large, irregularly shaped bundles wrapped in oilskin and bound with light rope. There is no identification of any sort on any of the mismatched bundles. Opening them, Gerrard finds they contain the following equipment:
10 morningstars
10 longswords
10 shields
20 javelins
1 shield emblazoned on the front with the design of a lizard with forked tongue extended.
(Meanwhile, on the main deck, the party had earlier dragged out a wooden, brass-bound chest, and a brass box. Both remain unopened and locked, with no key for either found.)
Dwal
Dwal tries to finish up with any repairs he things may be needed and he might be able to manage. He will take a moment to rest before returning the top deck and seeing what the party figures they will do next.
Peri:
"I don't know what to do with the lizardfolk either. Without them tellin' us what the weapons are for, I don't want to set 'em loose on the edge of town. And if we knew for sure they were up to no good we could just chuck them and their weapons overboard. But might be they're just tryin' to fend off the goblins and ogres and such."
"Regardless, we've got a patched hull, a tired and undermanned crew, and the weather's pickin' up. That pretty well takes the decision out of our hands. We need to weigh anchor, hoist sail, and run for the harbor as quick as we can."
(Unless there are any objections, that's what Peri will do, with the help of the others.)
Gerrard:
With a smile, Gerrard moves to help per the Captain’s order, though he keeps his weapons close at hand should the Lizardfolk attack.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Qivys
"Chuck em overboard? That's somethin' I could get behind." He cheers as Peri continues on with his speech. By the end, Qiv finds himself nodding at every word.
Dwal
Dwal listens to the group for a moment then speaks up. "Understand that if we chuck them overboard there will be a fight." he says then pauses a moment. "We are in no obligation to honor any contract the pirates had with the lizardfolk so, with the ship being ours, them telling us what is to be done isn't something we should allow."
Dwal pauses then looks up to the crows nest at the small dragon. he lowers his tone and says "Things probably spying for them as we speak."
"I say" he says keeping his hushed tone. "we throw all but 1 crate overboard, call them up here and tell them to go get them and push the last one over. It'll piss em off but, they may be more worried about the shipment than the ship itself, though I am guessing they swim alot faster than we can sail right now."
Gerrard:
“Maybe there is something in the previous captain’s papers or inside those unopened boxes that can shed more light on the situation,” comments Gerrard. Getting a crowbar from the tool room, Gerrard takes a shot at wedging open a locked box.
Athletics/Strength: 15
(Starting with the brass-bound box)
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"