Orders of the Day----ADM Nellie Tuesday June 22nd, 2004 11:45:31 PM
Rigging arrives to see King Maisey levitating aboard the Sword. The short, muscular woman smiles at Rigging. "Well, I'm happy to inform you that the Jack has handed down your new orders. And seeing as you've had more than your fair share of conflict recently, I'd say you're going to enjoy them. Seems that Ga'al's been up to his old tricks...we've heard rumors that his priests have joined forces with slavers. Seems that the priests give the slaves the option of remaining in slavery or accepting heartseeds. You can guess what most of them are choosing..." Maisey hands a nautical map over to Rigging. "Your orders are to hunt down the slavers and take them out. They can't build the ranks if you take out the source." Maisey turns to leave and then looks back at Rigging. "Oh, and on a personal note... I thought you might be interested to know that there's a formal investigation being launched into Captain Balor's "training methods"... seems that after your "abduction" of his crew members, several others of his crew have seen fit to "abandon ship" as it were." With a big grin, Maisey float down to the dock and walks back to the Jack's palace.
Valanthe Wednesday June 23rd, 2004 8:29:36 AM
Valanthe just wanted to sit in the dark and hope the pain would just go away, but it wouldn't and deep down she knew that. Still she saw that look in Ashira's eye and knew she wouldn't take no for an answer. So instead of fighting the inevitable she relented.
"Alright but I'm expecting my aim to be quite off today." Valanthe said softly and managed only a half smile. Up on the deck Valanthe tried the new bow. It was incredible. The way it felt in her hands, the pull of the string, and even the twang when an arrow was released. Valanthe almost wanted to give it back, almost.
"Now you mentioned something about getting drunk?"
Rigging Wednesday June 23rd, 2004 1:57:42 PM
"OOC what happened to the 4 original sailors we kidnapped? Are they still on board?"
Rigging will smile and nod to King Maisy. "This looks like a good mission. Do a little slaver hunting. I think this will please the crew.
"If any of those displaced sailors are looking for a berth, they can report in to me. I am always looking for good recruits. I am looking to take some prizes and will need a prize crew to sail her home."
Before the king leaves he will pull her aside and say, "I would also like to get some promotions for my crew. Though I am Captain, I am outranked by my first mate. I would like to see Val, Ashira, Redux, Bart jumped up a rank as well."
Rigging will see the King off and then pull Niner over. "Round up the sea dogs and sober them up. We have a mission worthy of our ship and crew. Prepare the ship to leave on the evening tide."
Nezamil Wednesday June 23rd, 2004 9:08:54 PM
Upon hearing the news that they will sail on evening tide the dwarf will spend some time helping round up the swords sailers , knowing the sailers penchant for fun filled trouble the Cleric will help smooth things over with the locals .
Once back aboard Nezamil will check his equipment to make sure everything is set for the mission.then head back topside after dinner , making sure to stay out of the well trained crews way will they prepare for departure .
Nezamil wonders " hmm wonder what our mission will be ? '
The cleric steps to the bow of the ship and speaks a quick prayer " watch over us Domi , for this mission will be full of dangers , let us fight back the darkness of Ga'al and strike a blow to thwart his plans and make the wold a better place for the innocents of the wold " prays Nezamil aloud
Ashira Wednesday June 23rd, 2004 10:34:14 PM
The half-elf smiles with delight as Val takes to the bow like a dolphin to the ocean waves. Yes, it was in the right hands.
Ashira's grin is downright devilish at Val's question. "Yeah...let's go get ourselves a case of good Elven wine. It's been too long since I've gotten good and drunk!" Ashira heads quickly into port and picks up a case of the good stuff and then returns to Val's room. Cracking open the first bottle, she takes a long drink from it. "To us." she says simply and then hands the bottle over to Val.
Redux Wednesday June 23rd, 2004 11:24:09 PM
Redux spends some relaxing time with Talon, doing a mock hunt and generally having fun. He goes to town and finds some entertainment, maybe a dinner and show. He knows that soon they will be eating rations and fish, so he spends a little more to have meat, not salted. He'll finish up his shopping and then go back to the ship to await 'The Meeting.' There's always some anticipation, knowing you've been idle too long and things are about to change.
Rounding Up the Troops (ADM Nellie) Thursday June 24th, 2004 12:22:02 AM
King Maisey smiles roguishly at Rigging as she leaves. "Promote your own crew as you see fit. As to your current rank...have you checked your tattoos recently?"
Though a very unpopular decision, all hands are quickly rounded up for the next mission, and the sobering process is begun for most as Val and Ashira reverse the trend.
After the crew is gathered, the officers are gathered in Rigging's office for the debriefing.
OOC When Rigging cares to check, he will discover that there are now 10 tattoos on his chest. The "kidnapped" crew are currently staying on with the Sword.
When opened, Rigging discovers that the nautical maps indicate various regions outside of mainland Aisildur where possible slaver spottings have occured. Most of them appear to be located around Blackbird lake.
Bart Thursday June 24th, 2004 4:03:18 PM
Hmm sounds interesting chasing slaverers I hate those people. Attacking and capturing the weak and helpless. phheeww
Another mission for those who follow Domi isn't it Nezamil?! Saving the slaves and defeating the slaverers. Did i tell you the story when we did meet some slaverers with our group, we saved a lot of people then, I was fighting an evil witch luckily with the help of Domi we survived.
Rigging I'm interested in the boots of springing and striding, the wands we use for the benefit of our group. If we have undivede items left i prefer to sell it so I can save some money to buy a better sword.
OOC I did buy a new sword a few weeks ago in the catacombs with a keen encahntment on it In the old rules yo where allowed to stack the keen enchantment and the improved critical feat. new rules don't i had the old rules in mind when i buyed the sword, cvan i change it into a +2 bastardsword or a +1 schocking bastardsword?
go ahead as long as the cost does not change. - Dominic
Valanthe Thursday June 24th, 2004 5:52:08 PM
Valanthe really enjoyed getting drunk with Ashira. She laughed again and her pain was gone. Then the alcohol wore off. The pain returned and combined with the after effects of elven wine left her pretty miserable. After sobering up Val decides to use the elven wine sparringly.
Nezamil Thursday June 24th, 2004 8:31:12 PM
"Indeed Bart , resisting Ga'al's evil plans is always a worthy cause .slaying the slavers will prevent more people of the wold to be seeded and enslaved to his insatiable desire to dominate the wold."
"Domi is always watching over us , helping to fight Ga'als evil plans and by all means tell me the story of your battle with the witch and how Domi helped turn the battle to victory ."
" hmm as for the captured magical stuff , since i'm the newest member here i'll take whatever you think will help the group the best "says Nezamil
OOC " Nezamil is intrested in ring of counterspells , slippers of spderclimb and 1 of the broaches , even the blue gem looks intresting but whatever you all decide for the humble but stout dwarven cleric ;) is fine
Rigging Thursday June 24th, 2004 9:51:26 PM
Rigging looks at his chest in surprise and gratitude. "HMMMM only 3 more to go." He looks up at the king and grins, "Oppps did I say that out loud?"
He will call a general officers meeting and discuss the upcoming mission. "I am looking for tactics on how to accomplish this mission. Should we just try to run them down and capture them, set traps, disquise ourselves as a merchant ship? Or maybe we should go and try and buy slaves? Work it from that angle.
We also need to split the last treasure take. This is the last chance to decide who wants what. The total treasure value is 63,846 gps.
We can sell it all but the catacombs will take 10%. That reduces our takes down to 9,577 each. There is really nothing I want. Would prefer the money at this time myself.
I think we should keep the wand of curing as party treasure and didn't include it in my calulations.
Give me some ideas.
Ashira Thursday June 24th, 2004 10:22:14 PM
The half-elf heads to the deepest, darkest corner of the room as the meeting is begun. Truth be known, she has a killer headache and all of a sudden, everyone seems to be shouting at the top of their lungs.... Sure signs of a hangover. She sighs deeply...there were a few things she didn't miss about drinking, and this was one of them. She tries to listen closely, but the pounding in her head just won't allow it.
Pulling her heavy cloak closer around her body she passes a glance at Val. Looks like she's feeling it just as bad as me... Ashira grins evilly...At least I'm not alone in my misery. She tries to speak as quietly as possible, keeping her head as close to her knees as she can. "Well, since we really don't have any idea what type of victims these slavers are after, perhaps the safest bet is to try and pretend we're in the market..." Ashira stops mid-sentence, grimacing as all the light in the room suddenly tries to bore its way through her skull. Shades!! I don't remember it being this bad before! I either need to do this more or less!
Redux Thursday June 24th, 2004 11:07:37 PM
Redux's rubs his chin in thought as he speaks up. "Let's think this through... Blackbird lake is in Aisildur, right? And the slavers are supplying slaves to the priests, right? Obviously the slaves aren't coming from Aisildur...I mean everyone there is already voluntarily seeded.... Sooo...where are these slaves coming from? We should scout out the remaining non Aisildurian areas to see if we can find any clues. The closest areas would be Blackbird and Culverwood forests." Redux shivers involuntarily. He'd heard stories about Culverwood forest and they weren't pretty.
When the topic of treasure division come up, Redux smiles. "Well, I'd like to have the two wands to use for party purposes. Oh, and the Slow Scroll would be nice. Other than that, I guess gold and pearls would be nice."
Meeting of the Minds----ADM Nellie Thursday June 24th, 2004 11:18:18 PM
The last of the preparations are made as the ships officers discuss possible tactics. Niner listens carefully to all the Wildcards and then speaks up. "What Mr. Redux says is right, but I think I need to point out something fairly obvious. If we decide to investigate Blackbird lake, that will put us right in the middle of enemy territory. Could be tricky to say the least." Several of the other officers nod their heads in agreement with Niner.
Valanthe Friday June 25th, 2004 7:30:02 PM
It was a long time before Valanthe realised that nobody was shouting. Each step on the floor sounded like thunder to her. She wasn't paying a lot of attention not because she didn't want to, but because she was miserable. Valanthe sat there quietly praying things would go quickly and she could go to sleep somewhere.
ooc: the cash sounds good to me
Bart Saturday June 26th, 2004 12:31:31 AM
I think yo miscounte Redux there are three wands, and dont we have any use for the scrolls? And that blue gem what kind of powers has it?
George Saturday June 26th, 2004 7:39:49 AM
OOC I am betraying all mages here but I don't think you can count the wands of magic missile and web as group treasure. It is going to help the group, I agree, but so does every magic item anyone gets. A +3 sword in the hands of Bart or Val will help the group. It makes them more effective in combat. That way they can mow down the bad guys and keep them out of Rigging's face. Very important!
I do think certain wands should be group treasure, any healing wand and wands that give direct benefits or aid to the group. Bull strength wands, cat's grace wand, wand of shield, wand of dispel magic etc.
Just my thought.
Ken Saturday June 26th, 2004 9:22:45 AM
OOC Whatever. I'll take the wands...count it out of my share of gold if you want. Let's just get this over with.
Nezamil d20+7=25 Saturday June 26th, 2004 10:10:37 AM
Nezamil nods his head in agreement with the mage and Niner " yes it will be tricky , culverwood forest is an untamed land (d20+7=25 knowledge geography ch ) i think we can sail up peaseblossom bay near blackbird forest and start there , probably the shortest direct route from the sea to blackbird lake " suggests the Cleric
OOC : cool , yeah the wands should come in handy ,keep them and cash in the rest will save george the headache of dividing everything
George Saturday June 26th, 2004 11:02:05 PM
ooc Rigging just went into the catacombs to sell everything except the wands which Redux wants. Speak up if you want something or your gonna get cash instead."
ken Sunday June 27th, 2004 11:30:57 PM
ooc: last thought on the treasure, how about bringing back a few pearls for identification purposes next time we are in need?
Redux Sunday June 27th, 2004 11:41:12 PM
What about the looks of this ship? Should we change the colors a bit, just to look fresh to the area we encounter? I'm sure we have a suitable flag to fly for any encounters. How about going to a port in that bay and try to get hired to help the slavers, be one of their ships. We could bill ourselves as mercenaries? We already look the part. I don't mean to offend you Val, but it might help to warm up to them before we take them out. I remember what happened the last time we came across a slave sale. Do you think you can handle this and not go for their throat immediately?
Ashira Sunday June 27th, 2004 11:59:56 PM
Her head now resting in her lap, Ashira prays to unnamed gods for the meeting to end soon. Still, she tries to be productive. "I don't like the idea of sailing the Sword into enemy seas. I think Redux and the cleric might be onto something. I don't know how easy it would be to negotiate South Peasblossom River, but that would be the best option available to us by sea. But I think Redux's idea about poseing as mercenaries might work out well. If we get lucky, perhaps we can infiltrate and take them out quickly and easily."
Planning----ADM Nellie Monday June 28th, 2004 12:04:50 AM
The officers appear to be divided as to which way they wish to approach the mission, with several of them leaning toward the "direct" approach and then a few others who prefer discretion. All eyes turn to Rigging to discern which option he seems to prefer.
Bart Monday June 28th, 2004 11:37:16 AM
I go for discretion, we have to research the problem, where do they get the slaves from? can we permanently destroy their "suply lines"? can we train the people in the areas they get the slaves from to defend theirselves? what is the best way to make sure that raiding for slaves and getting them to aisuldur is unatractive due to the cost or loss of lives?
Only killing the slavers in a direct approach, as some suggest wont help for the long term, in a few weeks new slaverers will fill in the "market".
We have to survey the problem first and then see what our possibilties are and decide about the best solution.
In the meantime other POJ ships can attack some slavererships to rescue some slaves.
Rigging Monday June 28th, 2004 1:20:43 PM
Rigging listens to all of the advice and thinks to himself, "Can we do both?" He starts pacing, thoughts racing through his head. The group knows that either a speech or a plan is coming on soon.
He will turn with a grin on his face and say, "OK both plans appeal to me. Here is what we are going to do. We attack a slaver ship and take it over. We capture some of the officers and get some answers on how the slaves are moved and where the clerics are who are performing the heartseeds.
We then sail the captured ship into the port, invite the clerics on board and slaughter them and eat there livers for dinner. Sound like a good plan?
First step is to find a slaver and take it." Let's get the Sword into the right seas." He pulls open the charts King Maisey gave him and gives Niner a course?
OOC how much sailing time do we have utilizing Nautacolous do we have?
Nezamil Monday June 28th, 2004 9:30:54 PM
Nezamil watches as Rigging begins pacing " he's thinking of something big " decides the dwarf
" Capturing a slaver's ship would be ideal , we get to squeeze them for information and give us a cover to get to Blackbird lake area " the Cleric pauses a second then continues
" but inviting all the clerics onboard is a bit risky , we need more hit and run tactics i think "
Nezamil turns to Bart " yes i agree that they can replace the slavers as we kill them , but once we free the slaves we can arm and train those willing to fight the slavers , this way they can also help fight the Ga'alian slave trade , having afew groups of freed slaves marauding the slave routes should help keep the slavers numbers in check"
" not to mention we can start an alliance with the marauders , help supply them in exchange for intelligence infomation" Nezamil is on a roll and just continues his brainstorm
" I think helping build a network with the freed slaves to contain Ga'als expansion in the blackbird forest and lake areas would be benefical to our war with Ga'al and give hope to those living in the area that they can help fight his oppression"
The dwarven Cleric peers around as he finishes speaking his eyes bright with excitment at the possiblities of what he has just spoken
" By Domi that would be grand indeed " says Nezamil to no one in particular
Ashira Monday June 28th, 2004 11:35:11 PM
The half-elf nods her head lightly, not wanting to disturb the delicate truce she has worked out with her body. Sounded like a good plan at least...and it looked like the meeting might be wrapping up. As she waits, Ashira fantasizes about curling up into the nice thick darkness of her bed and trying to sleep off her hangover.
Rigging Monday June 28th, 2004 11:44:13 PM
As the ship heads out, Rigging will say, "Oops almost forgot. Here is your cuts from the treasure split.
I sold all of it except the wands. The wand of healing is considered party treasure and Nezamil will hold it.
Redux wanted the wands of web and magic missile. He also gets 6 pearls worth 100 gps and 588 gps and 5 silver pieces
Rigging gets 10 100 gps pearls and 8,588 gps and 5 silver pieces
Redux Tuesday June 29th, 2004 12:02:49 AM
Redux smiles as Rigging warms into his speech. Here it comes. he thinks. He nods agreement with the Captain's plan...well, all except for the liver part. Redux shivers at the thought of having to eat liver again...some childhood memories never fade.
Land Ho!!!----ADM Nellie d10=6 Tuesday June 29th, 2004 12:40:09 AM
Rigging and Niner plot out a course that will take the Sword to Peaseblossom Bay...though it remains in question as to whether the Sword can make it up South Peaseblossom River.
The powerful artifact is activated and the ship's sails fill quickly with favorable winds. The Sword picks up speed and soon is gliding over the waves effortlessly. The sun beams off the waves and the warm, moist spray gives an almost dreamy feel to the voyage. With the aid of the Nautoculus, it takes merely 7 days before Peaseblossom Bay comes into view and oddly enough, not a single Aisildurian vessel is spotted during the voyage from the Pirate's homebase into enemy territory. A quarter moon provides enough light to identify the dark, foreboding outline of the Blackbird Forest in the distance, while in sharp contrast several pinpoints of light on the coast clearly identify the location of the coastal cities Abderus and Adores. As soon as land is within sight, Niner pulls aside the already awaken Rigging and asks his advice. "We've got several hours before daybreak sir, and as of yet, no Aisildurian's have been spotted. No Pirates have attempted a journey into the South Peaseblossom as of yet, so we really have no idea how deep she is. We have the cover of night to our advantage...should we attempt a night journey, or do we try and anchor near Izen and send in longboats?"
Valanthe Tuesday June 29th, 2004 2:04:49 AM
Valanthe remembers the encounter at the slave auction where she royally screwed up. That seemed like so long ago. She was so different then and Appolo was still flirting with her. She promised all that she will be a good girl this time.
Since Valanthe has seven days to kill she spends six of them in the total darkness of her cabin. She drinks when she can and when she can't she stays curled up on the bed. She finds that Reverie is not easy to come by, sometimes days apart. When the seventh day comes around Valanthe pays for her drinking by sobering up. Accepting the misery as just another part of her life.
Rigging and Swirl Tuesday June 29th, 2004 4:08:57 PM
Rigging will tell niner, "I think this is a job for the Wildcards and a the longboat. Let's keep the Sword in reserve until we have done some recon. This could to easily become a trap. The Sword's strength is her speed and agility. She looses that in a narrow river."
Rigging contacts Swirl and sends him on his way to scout out the first 1/4 mile of the river, looking for the enemy, docks, or signs of life.
He will turn back to his first mate and say, "Where do you think we should drop anchor and hide the Sword? Do you want to go along the bank or head out to sea?"
Nezamil Tuesday June 29th, 2004 6:12:21 PM
Nezamil spends the week preparing for the coming battle, organizing and cleaning his equipment, making sure all is battle ready .
The dwarven cleric will check with Captain Rigging and Niner to see if there are a few extra weapons that could be given to any freed slaves to help build a viable interdiction force againist the slavers
" yeah marauders attacking Ga'als forces and disrupting the slavers thats a fine plan, now just gotta work out the details to see if it can become a reality " a smile comes to Nezamil as he continues to brainstorm for what is needed to bring that idea to fruitation
Bart Tuesday June 29th, 2004 7:01:31 PM
Rigging let me use the nauticoulos to survey the river his depths his dangers, with his help we can do the job, no need to sent out Swirl or Talon
Nellie Wednesday June 30th, 2004 10:41:50 AM
Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!! My computer is fried!!! Posting from the library now. Will not be able to post until further notice. Sorry. :(
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