IC Area - Chapter Five - "Stormy waters ahead!"

[apn]

Looking through the telescope confirmed what Udhaav had been saying.

Intertwined and intermingled with the wood of the enemy ships hull were thick tendrils of blood red flesh all over. Focusing the 'scope revealed they were pulsing as if the ship were some monstrous creature. Looking on the deck...

Klarrrrchur lowered the glass a moment then raised it to look again. Headless skeletons moved about on deck, crew. They were dressed in bloodied rags and moved as if they were alive, though obviously without a head or flesh of any kind they were Undead...

The cannons had been rolled out at the sides. At some point those big guns would go off and tear into the Crimson Avenger...

Passing the eye glass to Udhaav Klarrrrchur wondered if Will would get the gun crews up to speed and a shot off before...

BOOM!

A single cannon shot rang out...

OOC Will is smart enough, agile enough and (just) lucky enough to get a shot off in the right direction of the dead ship. It could have gone wrong Will knows, but somehow the gods look down and take pity...

For this single shot I'll hand out a D6 for each Level of Saving Roll passed with implode/explode rules applies.

A negative result means the cannon jammed and applies the damage to those within ten feet of the cannon! More likely a low result means the cannon shot clipped or skimmed off the oncoming ship. A high result would mean a more direct shot, striking true. Let's see how you did...

5D6...

apn rolls 5d6 = 3 +3 +3 +1 +1=11 less 2 implodes... apn rolls 2d6 = 2 +2=4

7 damage inflicted on the oncoming ship.

The cannon shot clips the enemy as it plunges through the waves, sending fragments of wood and spray of dark arterial blood as well as what seemed to be rotten flesh into the water...

Where normally there would be thrashing sharks in the water there was nothing - some of the sharks had touched the vessel and been drained of life seemingly, their life forces adding to the undead ships hull!

Something occurred to Udhaav as he glanced through the telescope at the oncoming vessel. The crew had no heads! What ... where were the heads then?

Below deck Will saw his shot just about skim the side of the undead ship as it ploughed on, aiming to ram the Crimson Avenger amidships!

The pilot, Fergal, kept spinning the wheel to tighten the circle around the stricken vessel. He called out to Klarrrrchur... "Cap'n! I think she'll miss us... just... but she'll smash through that wreck and give a broadside as she goes past!"

Bort Meggins called out "All hands! Prepare for contact with the enemy!" whilst ringing a bell continuously to warn that the ship might be struck by ramming or cannon fire!

Fergal called out "CAP'N! If'n I turn away she'll not get a broadside at us, but we'll be leavin' that fella on th' wreck ta die sir! Or I can keep turnin' and..."

His voice trailed off. There would be cannon fire on both sides and likely casualties...

[mosker]

Udhaav:

"That ship it's vam--er--a life drainer!" And I got a voice in my head suggesting I try this:

Actions:
1. TTYF at rudder.
2. Yells at available sailor. "Get Lucia, tell her to grab something to use as a shade, and secure two men: ideal would be clumsy with a sword, but taller than her . If she thinks she has a better idea, you follow her orders.


Undead vs. undead. One vampire has to be better than two men...I hope.

Cap'n thinks I'm making fancy dinner for our drowning man--wait until he sees my plan for a vampiric parasol


....I hope he let's me keep bring a spell book in the brig.

....Should have sewn something when I had the chance

[nialldubh]

Klarrrrchur Deathaxe:

Noting Üdhaav's words, the Dwarf retorts to Fergal, “We cannot let that ship touch us Mister Fergal, steer away from the wreak!”

“LOAD ANY USED CANON WITH BALLS AND CHAINS, TARGET THEIR MASTS!”

“Quartermaster Meggins, I want two cannon push to the aft, and then hurl abuse at that monster ship as we flee!”

“FULL SAIL!” Shouts Klarrrrchur, “WE ARE GOING TO GIVE HER A MERRY CHASE!”

“Mister Fergal steer towards Khrayyt. Lets finds some shoals and see if that heavy weight does not rips is hull to shreds on the rocks!”

[gringnr]

Akki

Akki steels himself for another battle. The black blade at his side takes a heavy toll, one he hopes won't be needed for this battle. Ha rests his hand on his terbutje, a crude but effective weapon he has come to prefer to all others. He misses his prodd, and wishes he had one now.

Actions:

1. Akki seeks out a bow of some kind. It may not be much, but he thinks he can pick off some of the invaders before - IF - they board the vessel.

[apn]

Akki moves open to the weapons lockers on the deck. One is open and near empty aside from a few daggers and the like.

The other is open and stashed full of weapons of various kinds. Nothing fancy, just what the Pirate crew had plundered over time and thrown in the box for when it was required. The quality was 'well used' and the Elf crouched, picking through them. Nothing here to... wait.

OOC apn rolls 2d6+17 = 4 +4 + 17=25 apn: DARO
apn rolls 2d6+25 = 1 +6 + 25=32 L3 Pass

Akki finds a bow that needs stringing but it doesn't look half bad.

OOC He finds:



Bort Meggins looks over. "No good, that, Quarterstaff? Better off with that Cutlass. I seen it do serious harm to others, that it has."

Akki lifted the 'stave' out and noted the curve. It was a bow, albeit one without a string. He made a motion with his hand as if pulling back on a string.

Meggins ran a hand through his thinning hair. "Well blow me, that ain't no Quarterstaff, it's a bow innit? I'll head down th' 'old an' get ya some arrows an' a few fresh strings. Seen em stashed I 'as." The Quartermaster yelled to clear the stairs and jogged off the deck, yelling for people to 'move their arses' and 'look lively, we got trouble closin' in!'.

Klarrrrchur sees the Elf pulling out a quarterstaff but his experienced eye notes the curve of the wood and he realises it's a bow. No time for that though. He barks an order to Fergal and the Pilot turns to his co-pilot and the pair wrench the wheel hard around, the effort required considerable from one extreme to another with full sails.

The sailors yank on ropes, spilling sails to the full. This would be the test for the repaired sail.

Below deck Will saw his shot had grazed the other ship. Still, better than a miss. Something was happening though - the other ship started moving out of view. Were they turning? What about the stranded sailor?

"You lot. Enough noise to wake the dead." hissed a voice just behind his ear.

"Yow!" started the warrior and he turned, hand on hilt until he saw it was Lucia in a sea cape/hood, the poncho style oilskin grimy and well worn but very thick and too heavy for most to wear for long. Supernaturally strong the Vampire didn't notice the weight.

She peered through the portal to see the pursuer moving out of view. "Odd looking ship. Not a ship at all that. Something ... corrupt. Vile."

She stood and moved back from the portal lest sunlight catch her skin. "Even worse than what I am. I suppose it's still daylight. I'll help if I can - wouldn't want to be asleep when the ship sinks. What do you want me to do?"

=========

Udhaav takes aim with the Take That You Fiend! No chance to aim for the rudder on the enemy ship as its coming prow on.

Did he wait for the ship to close and let fire with his spell or save the magic for now. What was that which the Undead Pirate Captain had done? Something odd with the spell. As it happens it hadn't gone well for that Captain but there might have been something in it. The spell had looked... sounded... seemed 'off' but maybe that was something to try out in future.

OOC Firing TTYF! or waiting until the ship gets closer?

=========

Klarrrrchur moved to the rail, watching the enemy turn slightly.

His order may have doomed the sailor clinging to the wreck, more's the pity. The fellow had been determined to cling on all day through baking sun but chances were he'd die in the next few moments.

The Crimson Avenger started to pick up speed and the enemy turned to give chase. Would it strike that wreck?

OOC LK check for the Dwarf...
apn rolls 2d6+21 = 6 +2 + 21=29 L2 pass

As Klarrrrchur watched the enemy turn he mouthed a brief prayer for the surviving sailor, that death be swift and without pain in reward for his grim determined efforts...

It looked like the enemy ship might only graze the wreck, but it might be enough to sink her unfortunately...

==========

Below Deck Bort Meggins ran into the gun deck.

"Mr Darness sir, we're breakin' off! Cap'n says that devil ship will have ta chase us an' we're headin' fer shallows, see if those skeletons on th' hull will snag sommat! You men!" he shouted to half a dozen fellows who were gun crew. "Captain wants two cannons set up on the top deck pointing aft to shoot at that devil ship!"

Will turned to look at the cannons. Some weight there. Would six men be enough? Mind you... he peered at his own tight fitting shirt on the arms where before they'd been loose. The last few days had been exhausting but exhilarating and the young warrior had grown far beyond his once thought potential. Life and death combat did that. You either won or you died!

Could he help, lift the cannon from one end with a bunch of fellows on the other?

Meggins moved on towards the lower deck and the hold... "Oh!" he added "Chain shot, we're goin' fer her sails!" before he continued...

[gringnr]

Akki

"You're a good man, Bort Meggins," Akki calls after the departing farmer turned sailor. "and a brave one!" Perhaps Meggins is right. Take a few at distance, then unleash the black blade. No need to be stingy with its power. There'll obviously be need of it. Akki swallows hard.

[houndle]

Will Darness
To Will's untutored eye it looks as though the shipwrecked sailor cannot be helped without imperilling the Crimson Avenger. Silently he commends the unfortunate soul to Bibulus the god of fine wine.

Unless...

 "Akki, do you think you could shoot a line across to that sailor? We'd have to drag them aboard. A rough trip, but preferable to certain death maybe.

 " Lucia, could you give me a hand with this cannon? If we mount it on the back we can take some potshots at the enemy. Assuming they don't just run us down of course.

 "What in the name of Henk the Holy is powering that ship? If it's not running before the wind then taking the sails down might make it faster!"

[apn]

Lucia turned to look at the cannon, all six feet long and heavy cast iron of it.

She leaned down, wrapped arms around it and grunted as she raised the thing several feet off the floor. Somewhat obscured by the girth of the thing, the Vampire muttered "Where do you want it?"

The sailors around gaped. They'd been reloading the cannon that fired but mouths dropped, and powder dropped from nerveless fingers.

"T'aint right." said one Sailor. "t'aint natural." he muttered as he saw the Vampire shift the weight of the cannon so that its barrel was over her shoulder.

"Best tell me where to put this Will otherwise I'll crash through the floor." she muttered as she glanced down at the creaking boards.

=========

Klarrrrchur kept an eye on the oncoming enemy ship. It was changing course and would clip the wreck, that was for sure. With her sails full the Crimson Avenger might have the 'legs' on it but it depended on whether that thing was unnaturally fast or relied on the wind as the 'Avenger did.

Then he saw sailors moving aside from down below and the Vampire, Lucia, appear carrying a cannon barrel (several sailors carried the wheeled trolley) onto the deck and up stairs to the bridge where he and Fergal stood. The sailors scurried about to set down the trolley and she settled the cannon on that before dusting her hands clean and setting off for the next, dressed in the thick oilskin poncho. Even so the Dwarf saw a whiff of smoke trail after the Vampire and glanced at the thinning mist above.

Sunlight would be around for a few more hours before she could come out and be more useful.

Meanwhile Meggins handed a bowstring and quiver of arrows to Akki having run down to the hold then back up again. The Elf set to with setting the bow up and gave it a few test pulls. It would suffice, but the 'pull' was more than most of the sailors could manage. Akki managed just fine.

=========

Moments later the next cannon came on the bridge and sailors hurriedly sawed sections of rail for the barrels to poke through.

With visible smoke coming from under the oilskin the Vampire croaked "If that's everything I'll go down and try to get some sleep." She glanced at the cannons and rolled her eyes. "If I can."

Sailors hurried past her though gave her a wide berth as they staggered under the weight of shot and chain.

Fergal glanced over his shoulder. "You coulda hefted them cannons I reckon Cap'n. Yer nowt but 'air n muscle, as me old da' woulda said. Me granpa was wiser. I served under a few Cap'n. Some was good, others less so. You might not be a great Cap'n yet but you got th' look o Eagles about ya. Must be pullin' ya insides apart ta run sir but I bet yer just thinkin' ta even th' odds o'er that monster. After all it took out a fully crewed warship an' we ain't even near that."

"Not yet anyway"

Will oversaw the setting up of the cannons, the loading, the attaching of chains to the ball and stepped back. Ready.



One of the sailors doffed his cap before nodding to Will then turning to the Captain. "Beggin' pardon sir be we ain't got many ball n chain shots. They tend ta mess up th' barrels an' be more bother than worth sometimes."

The balls were cut in half at some point and chains attached. They would 'tumble' through the air and wrap around anything they struck, hopefully the mast and damage or even cut through it depending on the range and speed that was involved. Closer the better.

Fergal licked his lips. "Fer them ta be best we'll 'ave to trim sail an' let that monster catch us some Cap'n." he offered, then turned back to steering, checking the sails all the while.

[nialldubh]

Klarrrrchur Deathaxe:

“I sure I can, but there is so much I can do and one must maintenance an essence of authority or the whole structure of reality will come crashing doun!” Grunts Klarrrrchur.

“Well Mister Fergal, if I knew the blighter was there, I would have noo have gotten us so close, still thanks fa the compliment, that I wasna a good captain, that inspired no end!”

“Well, we best make the best of what we got." He said to the sailor, "If we not got any more we can try and fashion stuff from other materials. Perhaps the magic-users will manufacture some force of nature to assist!?”

“Aye, slow it doun a bit, tease them in and then assault their flagpole!”

[mosker]

Udhaav
Looks at the situation. Turns to Akki: "That bow, rope. Any real chance you can shoot a line to the survivor? May hit water, may hit skewer him--I get it. Ideally you hit the wood, or he's conscious enough to grab it. Tow the poor blighter. Could you?"


Turns to the ship. Nothing in the current spell knowledge will give the captain what he needs in terms of propulsion, but we know so little about magic in this place...Chaos, how the other ship might handle it. There's that voice suggesting a TTYF. and if it goes c&(! up the other vessel is still far enough away (we hope). "Let's hope the knowledge is worth the kremm."

He's about to cast, but sees the captain has plans.

"Captain. I don't have anything now worthwhile for the sails, you still want me to see what will happen? Target the prow just at the water's edge maybe?"

Actions:
1. If the captain orders it, L1 TTYF at enemy ship
2. Goes to retrieve magic staff in bag
3. If Tintangel has things ready, enlists his help going through former captain's papers for insight, magic--and picks the former clergyman's brain re: demonic possession, making it clear the staff is an option.

[houndle]

Will Darness
 "You're the best Captain I've sailed under," says Will nauseatingly . "For in truth, you're the only one."

Will squints down the barrel of the new stern chaser as if he knows what he's doing.

[apn]

Fergal chuckled "I said a great cap'n yet!"

He continued to glance over his shoulder at the receding sight of the wreck and the hapless man clung to the hull. That horrendous ship was steering right at it... then turned, so it looked like it might only clip the wreck.

Then something else happened.

BOOM!

The distant sound of a single cannon firing prompted Meggins to shout "INCOMING!"

Klarrrrchur fished out the telescope and sure enough, saw a single cannon had been placed on the forecastle of the enemy ship. Skeletal crew with those strange dark red pulsing tendrils on their bones - and no heads of course - were reloading.

Will stepped up alongside Klarrrrchur and saw... a splash some hundred yards or more to the port side.

"Glad they can't shoot straight." muttered Fergal.

OOC

WILL IQ: apn rolls 2d6+15 = 6 +3 + 15=24
KLARRRRCHUR IQ: apn rolls 2d6+16 = 5 +2 + 16=23
AKKI IQ: apn rolls 2d6+17 = 5 +1 + 17=23

L1SR pass each

UDHAAV: apn rolls 2d6+23 = 4 +1 + 23=28

KNOWLEDGE GAINED:

L1 - that splash wasn't big enough to be a cannonball, nor did it skim like a cannonball might have done

L2 - (Udhaav sees this) Whatever was fired wasn't a cannonball, but a skull and where it landed in the water there was a wake, as if something were swimming from there... and directly towards the Crimson Avenger

Meggins called out "Mind yerself lads! They might not be able to shoot but we don't want them gettin' lucky!"

He turned to Will, acknowledging the chain of command. "First Officer! Cannons are ready to fire sir! They be angled straight ta th' rear, only thing that might take a couple o shots is elevation sir." he rubbed his chin. "If'n they get closer that might 'elp us, 'specially wi' them blasted chain shot that miss most o'er th' time."

Udhaav moved to the port rail and looked out. Sure enough there was a wake in the water.

Something was swimming (underwater close to the surface) towards the Crimson Avenger...

BOOM!

Another shot rang out, and just like the first, looked to be inaccurate. Where it splashed was even further out than the first shot.

"They's range findin' 'Cap'n. Probably 'justin their cannon again. Faster, slower, turn, how'll ye play it sir?" asked Fergal.

Tintagel appeared on the deck, the blond haired (albeit thinning) scholar adjusting his round rimmed spectacles. "Any injured to the galley!" He made his way nervously to the Quarterdeck where the officers stood whilst one sailor quipped "Aye, we'll be served up in ta morro's stew nae doubt!"

"Triage set up Sir." offered Tintagel. "Best as I can amidst all the pans and pots." He turned to Will. "Probably need a couple of runners with a stretcher sir." he added. Then he looked out at the chasing ship, wiped his glasses and shook his head. "What in the nine gods name is that?" he muttered.

OOC Still not close enough for Take That You Fiend! but the thing in the water might be within a moment or two, mosker

[apn]

OOC mosker if you want to retrieve the staff that's fine. Tintagel can confer with you based on his knowledge. You might want to act on what Udhaav saw first.

[gringnr]

Akki

"I can try, Udhaav," Akki says.

ACTIONS
1. Akki tries to fix a rope to the arrow, perhaps with flag or pennant for visibility?
2. Akki tries to fire it to the poor man overboard...

[mosker]

Udhaav

This makes no sense. He thinks of what he knows of gunpowder, cannons, the weight of skulls and their relative fragility.

Makes no sense.

No sense. No logic.


He thinks of the end of the first term in the wizarding academy: The Logic of Magic final exams. Students all showed up to discover all there was in the exam room was drink: wine, beer, harder alcohol--all good stuff. The test at first seemed to be to match the proctors drink for drink, and whenever one student looked as if they'd not be able to remember what happened the rest of the day, they were taken from the room...and unbeknownst to those currently imbibing, given the exam.

"This is no time for reminiscing, master wizard," he snarls in his best imitation of Klarrrrchur.

"Focus," he says, smiling bitterly as he grips the enchanted nail. 

That thing's coming for the hull. Same plan new target: find out what happens and but keep the effects far away from the ship.

Actions:
1. L1 TTYF at the skull in the water as soon as it's in range.
2. Mutters silent thanks to whoever that if the enemy's going to try breach the hull from at or below the waterline, they have someone with unholy strength already relegated to roles off the deck and away from the sun.
2a. Makes mental note that if Lucia is going to be depended on, to encourage fellow delvers to contribute extra to the pay of any sailor keeping her fed and strong.
3. Gestures for Tintangel to come over, observe what's happening with the skull. He also tells him all he knows, supposes, suggesting those stretchers might need to be repurposed with an application of tar to fix holes in the hull.