Steve's Game: Skulls and Shackles 1

[Steve-a-Saur]

When the recruits were all back in a row and less inclined to stir up trouble, Plugg marched up the stairs and walked out of view on the stern of the ship. He returned a moment later, accompanied by a broad, muscular Garundi man. His long beard was bound in gold rings, his head was shaved clean (there's a lot of shaved heads, you noticed), and a decorative eye patch over his left eye.

"Good morning gentlemen, and lady! Welcome to the Wormwood! Thank you all for 'volunteering' to join my crew. I am Barnabas Harrigan. Captain Barnabas Harrigan to you, not that you'll ever address me. I only got two rules aboard this vessel.

"Rule number one: don't speak to me. I like talk, but I don't like your talk. Remember that, and we'll all get along fine.

"Second rule: you aren't allowed to kill anyone. Normally, I wouldn't mind settling matters the old fashioned way, but I'm a bit short on hands right now and I aim to keep what I got. There'll be a keelhaulin' for anyone caught killing anyone.

"Now then Mister Plugg, be a good man and see if you can't make pirates out of these landlubbers. And if it turns out that you can't, then I suppose we'll be having pies tonight. Might as well get some use out of them."

"Yes sir," answers Plugg. Harrigan disappears from view again, presumably to go back to his cabin.

"Swabs," commands Plugg, "see that crows nest up there." He points to a crows nest some sixty feet up. He isn't asking questions. "Start climbing."

"You heard him!" Barks Scourge. "Git movin'!"

Scourge cracks his whip. It seems you've been given your first order.

Spoiler

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Everyone make seven or eight climb rolls to reach the crows nest first.

[North_Ranger]

Cho-Tak listens closely to the captain once he showed up, trying to get a read of the man. Okay, so no talking to the captain... it would have to be Mister Plugg that would get the sweet-talking. But not here, not now. Later, if possible.

"Try and keep up, Biz", Cho-Tak said to the halfling before he rushed to the ropes. Best put his best foot forward here; if he could show this lot what an avid climber he was, he could hope for a chance to take his bow up into the rigging if and when there would be battle.

Jumping into the ropes, Cho-Tak began to climb.

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Okay, here goes... Climbing checks.

(1d20+6)[9]
(1d20+6)[24]
(1d20+6)[13]
(1d20+6)[21]
(1d20+6)[22]
(1d20+6)[10]
(1d20+6)[15]
(1d20+6)[21]

[Athaleon]

Kal grudgingly obeys. Do what they say, bide his time, wait for the right moment. But damn, would it grate on his nerves taking orders from these bellends until then.

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If the pirates haven't relieved Kal of his armor, subtract 1 from each roll.

(1d20)[13]
(1d20)[10]
(1d20)[16]
(1d20)[19]
(1d20)[4]
(1d20)[20]
(1d20)[13]
(1d20)[12]

[Starbin]

Bizkut sighed at the speech from the Captain. Always a bully leading sheep ... And this ship was no different. When the order came to climb to the top, he rolled his eyes. Of course, it didn't help that Cho-Tak was making a race of it.

Climbing wasn't his specialty, so all he could hope was that he wouldn't be last. Stepping forward, Bizkut started up the rigging, heading for the crow's nest.

Spoiler

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(1d20+1)[3]
(1d20+1)[20]
(1d20+1)[6]
(1d20+1)[21]
(1d20+1)[10]
(1d20+1)[17]
(1d20+1)[4]
(1d20+1)[6]
(1d20+1)[7]
(1d20+1)[10]

EDIT: Ah, the dice roller still loves me ... Last place, anyone?

[Thattaman]

Drex winces at the whipping and instinctively grabs for his medical gear, asumming it's not there. He's suddenly surprised to find his hand grabbing some bandages and a few stiches. When he is ordered to climb the rigging, he must oblige, even if it's only to prove himself as a propper pirate.

[Thattaman]

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Oops, forgot the rolls
(1d20+4)[16]
(1d20+4)[15]
(1d20+4)[14]
(1d20+4)[16]
(1d20+4)[8]
(1d20+4)[7]
(1d20+4)[24]
(1d20+4)[24]

[Steve-a-Saur]

Bizkut

All of you had varying degrees of success while climbing, but its safe to say that none of you did worse than Bizkut, who did so poorly he deserves his own post.

Bizkut was off to a bad start from the word "climb", stumbling forward and actually getting caught in the rigging. Since no pirate was that embarrassingly incompetant, Scourge thought that he was trying to stall. The whip cracks just above Bizkuts ear.

"I said CLIMB!"

Not eager to face the whip so soon, Bizkut starts to climb. It was slow going, and you haven't fully discovered your sea legs yet. As Bizkut finally found his groov, a gust of wind suddenly kicked up, startling him and sending him slipping through the rigging. He plummeted from a height of thirty feet before crashing into a mangled heap on the deck of the ship.

"Oooh," the pirates winced in sympathy before breaking out into histarics. Scourge pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head as though fighting an oncoming headache.

"Just... just stand over there..." he mutters. Not even Master Scourge could bare to look at you after that miserable performance. The other pirates continued to laugh and jeer.

"The hell was that?"

"E' couldn't hang onto a rope even if he were dancin' the hempen jig! He'd just slip right out!"

"Aye! That's what we'll call em! Slippery Hempen!"

"Slip for short!"

You stand there exposed for all to see as the pirates continue to laugh at your shame.

Spoiler

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Slippery Hempen takes 10 falling damage

[Steve-a-Saur]

The rest of you

The race to the top goes as well as could be expected from you. The progression up was slow and steady, but as you neared the top there was a gust of wind that swept over you all.

Kal lost his grip for a sudden gut wrenching moment, but he managed to catch himself before he fell too far.

Toothless (since you didn't know what else to call him) slipped from the rigging, but his foot got tangled in the ropes leaving him to hang upside down from his ankle.

Bizkut fell completely and landed on the deck with a sickening thwack of shattered bones. Sandara stopped climbing and began to make her way down, only to be stopped when Scourge cracked his whip again.

"What're ye doin' climbin' down again? Ye gotta reach the top first!"

This left Cho-Tak and Drex in the lead. It was difficult for Drex to hang onto the ropes from the rush of wind, but he perservered and at the last moment he swung his legs up and over and landed neatly in the crows nest. The race was over.

[Steve-a-Saur]

When all of you set foot on deck again, you all stand in a row again save for Sandara who knelt down at Bizkut's side and pressed her hand against him. He feels a sense of energy fill him from the inside, and dulls the ache of his body.

Spoiler

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Sandara heals Slippery Hempen (1d8+3)[9] points

Mr. Plugg walks down from the stern, down the line of new recruits, and stares Drex straight in the eye. He doesn't stare at you in the way you would stare at another human being. It is a very cold, emotionless stare, as though he were silently appraising the worth of a tool rather than the worth of your life.

"Congratulations, you're our new rigger," He says simply, though he sounds like he's congratulating himself.

He steps back to stare at the rest of you with his ice cold eyes.

"Now. Which one of you can cook."

[North_Ranger]

"You okay, Bizkut?" Cho-Tak asked the halfling as he slid down the rope and back onto the deck. It was hard to read the tengu's face, but he actually looked guilty seeing the halfling down on his back on the deck and receiving healing. "Don't worry, only monkeys know how to climb a rigging at first go", he said as he offered the halfling his hand before they were told to stand attention once more.

Once back in line, Cho-Tak nods once to the man who beat him to the crow's nest. There's no time for idle chit-chat now, but perhaps later on... when Mister Plugg wasn't eyeing them. The question about cooking leaves Cho-Tak clenching his beak shut. The last two captains he had served under had actually told him to steer clear of the galley; apparently some crewmen thought it bad luck to have a jinx eater cooking their meals. Still, he looked around, seeing if anyone else spoke up.

[Starbin]

Bizkut laid in a heap, breathing raggedly. The fall had broken at least two ribs and was making any movement, including breathing, difficult. Opening his eyes, he watched while the rest of the kidnapped people continued their climb, as the jeers and catcalls continued. Coughing up blood, he spit it at the nearest culprit, staggering to his feet.

I'm almost dead ... I'm taking one of these sanctimonious bastiches with me ... Looking around, he saw a hammer and was reaching for it when a warmth spread across his body, dampening the pain from his injuries.

Blinking, he looked up to see the one wench, attending to his wounds with some sort of magic. Nodding his thanks, he prodded his chest; only a small twinge remained. Standing, he returned to the others, head held high and face set in a stone mask. At Cho-Tak's question, he simply waved the tengu away ... his pride was injured more than his body now, but he still was a bit sullen from the sudden use of the term slip. When Plugg asked who can cook, he simply stared into the distance, not even moving. If it were possible, his cooking was worse than his climbing, and that was saying something.

Spoiler

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Good lord, I'm glad I didn't pick any other psychological pressure points for these f(*kers to use against me! Hope at some point Bizkut can transition from ship's clown to at least back-up clown. Yeesh, those rolls sucked.

[Athaleon]

Kal's stomach heaved in the swaying rigging, but adrenaline and bloody-minded determination kept him going. At length, he made it to the top (though well behind the two leaders) and made his halting way back down.

He winced as his fellow prisoner fell to the deck in a heap, and moved instinctively towards him to try to help. Apparently the pirates had a healer, though, and her magic would be more powerful than anything Kal could perform without tools or ingredients.

When the question came, Kal remained silent. He couldn't cook worth a damn, and he sure wouldn't be the one in the kitchen when the time came to poison a few plates.

[Steve-a-Saur]

Mr. Plugg looks over each of you with his cold blue eyes, trying to judge which tool would be the best for the job. He doesn't even so much as bat an eye at your silence. After a few, uncomfortable moments, he finally chooses one of you for the job.

"You," he said, looking hard at Bizkut, "down those stairs to the middle hold, and make your way back towards the stern. When you come to a room that smells of filth, cheap rum and old piss you're at the right place. Master Scourge, I'll leave the rest to your capable hands."

"Aye, sir Mister Plugg sir," says Scourge, even as Plugg walks away.

[Starbin]

Bizkut never even looked at Plugg, simply turning and walking away in the directions given. He didn't acknowledge anyone else - not that he didn't appreciate some of the sentiments and aid the others had given, but it seemed to make him a magnet for more crap.

Once he was out of sight, Bizkut started looking for something to arm himself ... saps, marlin spikes, pointy sticks, rocks ... whatever would work. When he reached the cesspool of odors, he walked in and looked around.

[Steve-a-Saur]

After Plugg and Bizkut took their leave, Master Scourge sneers at you, the earlier whipping having put him in a much better mood.

"Listen up, ye swabs! I am Master Scourge, Boatswain and Master-at-Arms here on this good ship, an' that means that I give ye the orders, an' if'n I don' like how ye do, ye all get a date with the mizzenmast. An' if ye out right refuse, that's three lashes. Back talk 'll git ye three more, an' a poor days work 'll earn ye a wage of seven lashes. An' if none of ye like it, then ye had better start swimmin'!"

He looks at the wench standing in line with you, and his features soften as a smarmy putrid grin spreads across his face.

"O' course, it don't always have ta be so," he says, leaning close to her, "I've been known to show lenniancy to those who earned my favor."

"Oh my," she says.

"Indeed. A pirate ship is a dangerous place, especially fer a comely young wench. It'd be smart to stand in my good graces. I got mates in high stations, ye see."

"I do see," she says, smiling coyly at him, "there are certain advantages to stand behind such a big powerful man. Come here Master Scourge,"

Scourge beams at this prospect, and steps towards her.

"Closer... closer still..."

Scourge did lean close to her, and right into her palm as it smacked him across the face.

"Not for all the plunder in Besmara's hold," she said, her tone and smile never faultering away from seductive.

Scourge clenched his fist, as if to backhand her, before thinking of something better.

"The bilges!" He spat through his teeth, "A day cleaning the bilges 'll take the fight out of ye!"

She doesn't make any further comment as she makes her way below decks.

"You," he says to Drex, "up those ropes, and just do whatever it is Ratline wants you to do.

"And as for you two," he looks pointedly at Kal and Cho-Tak, handing them a pair of buckets, "we got rats in the hold, and dey ain't gonna catch demselves. Do a good job of it, and ye'll earn a good dinner."

He stands there, wringing his whip at his side, as though daring you to speak up against him.

[North_Ranger]

"Give me my blade and my axe, and we'll get you enough rats to feed the bloody ship", Cho-Tak quorks as he picks up his bucket. "And give me back the tools your wharf rats stole from me; if I see any leaks down there, I can see about patching them up."

If Scourge looks like he is going to put that whip of his to good use, Cho-Tak puffs up his feathers, ready to give him another dose of a jinx eater's evil eye...

Spoiler

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In that case... Intimidate roll: (1d20+5)[7]

[Thattaman]

Drex climbs up the rigging, wondering who Ratline is. He feels oddly proud of Samantha as she hits that horrible Master Scourge, this is not a good ship. He feels naked without his gun at his belt and occasionally subconciouslly grabs for it.

[Steve-a-Saur]

Cho-Tak

Your demands makes Scourge laugh at you, and you aren't entirely sure if that's a good thing or not. He eventually calms down enough to talk again.

"Aww, now that's just cute. The big bird needs his big ol' sword ta take care o' a few li'l mice. I thought ye Jinx Eaters were crows, not chickens. No, yer gonna catch 'em mice with yer purdy li'l claws, an' I don't care whether ye likes it or not. Now shut yer beak an' git ta work!"

He whirls his whip about and cracks it with a flourish. Just how long do you expect superstition to keep you safe?

Spoiler

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Scourge uses Intimidate
(1d20+8)[22]

[Steve-a-Saur]

Bizkut

The middle hold for now is a large empty space. You see a big powerful-looking man sleeping in the far corner, chained to the foremast like a dog. A soiled cooking pot was near him. You didn't need to look inside to tell what it was used for, the smell wafting from it was more than strong enough.

You also see a total of 14 pigs, all caged against a wall of a ship. All it takes is a single glance around the hold to know that there weren't any available weapons, not unless you intend to find a way to smuggle a ballista in your pants. There were two of them ready for use in the hold, as well as pieces of another seige weapon laying unused.

The room in question was easy enough to find. It was to your immediate right, judging from the smell. You open the door and find yourself in a chaotic mess. A score of cackling chickens locked up in cages are stacked one on top of each other, and all manner of filth cover the floor. A trio of goats roam free in this room, one of them even managed to make his way inside a barrel of fresh vegetables and was chewing away happily on a head of lettuce. You also see stoves and cooking utensils, and you realize that this unsanitary mess was supposed to be the galley.

And in the center of all this chaos was a small fat man laying sprawled out on the floor, flies buzzing around him. A black rooster sat on his fat belly, pecking at nodules of encrusted food on his soiled apron, and a cooking pot sat over his head. He lays very still.

Spoiler

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Perception check
(1d20+7)[14]

You do manage to find serviceable weapons in this room. There is a row of three harpoons and a spear hanging on a far wall, and sitting on a counter is a dagger that was being used as a butcher knife. The dagger needed cleaning and was intended for a larger creature than you, but it was still of a masterwork quality and could easily make do until you can find something better.

[Starbin]

Bizkut made note of the big man chained up, wondering what his crime (if any) was. Of course, if it was madness, best to not get to close. Leaving the smell from the man's used chamber pot, he soon found himself in the equally disgusting smell of what passed for a kitchen. A quick glance around found a number of useable weapons, but the one that stood out was the knife. He noted the goats eating the vegetables and the still man in the middle of the floor, but first things first. Moving quickly and cautiously, Bizkut kept out of the man's reach and grabbed the knife, sticking in in his belt loop for now.

Once he was armed, he turned to the comatose man and nudged his legs with a foot. "You alive in there?"

[North_Ranger]

"Crows know how to use their heads", Cho-Tak snorted back. "Chickens only lose theirs", he continued, doing his best so as not to let Scourge see the shiver running down his back. Careful with this one, the tengu told himself, definitely not wanting to feel the kiss of that whip on his back. "But if you want the job done slowly and slobbily instead of quickly and neatly... hey, no skin off my beak. I just wonder what the captain'll think of that"

Spoiler

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Intimidate: (1d20+5)[7]

EDIT: Okay, twice in a row the exact same result on the exact same roll? I call shenanigans, forum roller!

Still, he could not completely hold his beak shut. His bucket slung over his shoulder, the bird-man took a look at Kal. "Come on, let's go... Otherwise we'll hear some more words of wisdom from this philosopher."

[Athaleon]

Kal was still feeling miserable, and could do no more than nod and follow. He had considered leaving out poisoned bait for the rats, but then realized that the rats are probably what's for dinner. That thought twisted his stomach some more.

[Thattaman]

Drex sits at the top of the crow's nest after climbing the rigging and waits for Ratline. He views the crew from the top. He was just about to find a good pirate ship, have a crew of his own and work along side Sandara. But now he was fated to be a rigger until he could get off this ship and judging by the people here, it would be a blood bath and his blood would be the one getting shed. He needed to make friends among here, starting with the other press-ganged members. The halfling and jinx-eater should be a good start.

[Steve-a-Saur]

Bizkut

"You alive in there?"

The man rouses from your prodding, rising unsteadily into a sitting position, knocking the cockerel to the ground. He lifts the cooking pot up enough to see, blinking his weary eyes at the dank light of the galley. He looks blearily at you, and you can tell from his breath that he had been drinking before you managed to wake him up.

"Eh? Who... who're you?"

[Starbin]

Bizkut glanced around, shaking his head. "A newcomer. How's this gig work? You cook some, drink more, then let the damn goats eat all the food? Get up and show me the ropes before we both get flogged."

Now that he has the knife, Bizkut is a little more confident. Besides, if he established a pecking order here, he might avoid being crapped on.

And if it didn't work, he could always kill the cook and feed him to the crew ...

[Steve-a-Saur]

Cho-Tak and Kal

"Crows know how to use their heads. Chickens only lose theirs."

Scourge smirks, though you can't tell whether or not he knows he managed to unnerve you. "Heh. Like I says, a chicken. Now git movin' Chicken Scratch, I won't be tellin' ye again."

You both make your way back down to the lower hold to spend your day catching rats, but down there, you see a pirate with a purple scarf around his head at the crew lockers, fiddling with one of the locks.

"C'mon, c'mon you little... Ah, open. Not here either... Damnit Jake, where'd ye stash it?"

[North_Ranger]

I'm going to be pecking your eyes out before this trip is over, Cho-Tak muses to himself as he and his new companion make their way below decks. He would have Master Scourge kissing his talons, one way or the other...

Finding the would-be thief, however... now that caught the bird-man's attention better than sloshing knee-deep in bilgewater and crap. Grinning, the tengu motions Kal to be quiet as he sneaks closer to the thief, planning to catch the varmint red-handed.

Spoiler

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Rolling Stealth... (1d20+5)[20]

[Steve-a-Saur]

Drex

Drex looks down at the crew from his vantage point, and they all seem to be hard at work, though you can hardly make them out. You also see a small jolly boat hanging from the port railing, but land will be soon out of sight before you can plan a proper escape.

Down below, you can see Scourge getting into an argument with another halfling. You can't really make out what is said, being as high up as you are and the wind blowing in your ears, but you do see that the little halfling man is completely cowed by the towering Master Scourge. Scourge points in your direction, and the halfling starts his ascent as quickly as he could.

You get a better look at him once he climbs into the crows nest. He was a small man, even for a halfling, and very thin. He had big round ears, a narrow face, and large buck teeth. He was also missing three of his fingers, a ring and pinkie finger on his left and his pinkie on his right. He looked at you nervously, as though ready to dash and hide in a hole at the slightest provocation.

"H-hey, uh, I've just had a talk with S-s-scourge. He wanted me to, eh, g-g-give you a job. C-cause t-that's what ye do on ships... work... on jobs..."

He looks at your face, trying to gage your reaction.

"S-s-so, uhm, r-ready to be shown the ropes?" He laughs a little at his own joke, though it was far from real mirth, "Haha... heh... j-just a lit-t-le riggor humor. Heh, f-funny right?"

[Steve-a-Saur]

Cho-Tak

Your talons hardly make a sound, as you sneak up on the would be theif who was still checking the locker to see if it really was as empty as it appeared to be.

"It's not like e'll be takin' it with em. E' should at least talk afore 'is keelhaulin'. Rrrgh... damned Jakes... damned elf... Damned Hangover!"

[North_Ranger]

Seeing the thief busy with his failing efforts at breaking the lock, Cho-Tak seizes the moment and attempts to grapple the man from behind.

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CMB check, yes? (1d20+3)[14]

"Easy now, buddy. Don't fight it. We don't want Master Scourge to hear no scuffling an' come looking, right?" Cho-Tak quorks to the man's ear as he tries to lock his arms in place.

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And Intimidate: (1d20+5)[14]

"What you think you's doing in here, huh?"