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Alone in the Dark (Interlude)

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2020 7:00 pm
by Technospawn
Selune Darkside
1475 Dale reckoning

Everything was going smoothly, a little too smoothly Squidward thought. They had passed the last patrol with no problems and should be making port in two days. Vinjo was at the helm and they ship was jamming nicely. Squid climbed down off the bridge and started to go below decks, when he felt something. Looking around he spotted the portal just a second before the attack started. The first bolt slammed into the bridge, sweeping Vinjo off the helm and out into the dark.

Squid grabbed the nearest deckhand and threw him towards the ships bell order him to sound the alarm then scrambled back up to the bridge. Scanning the portal he spotted his worst nightmare, a nautiloid. The hive had come. Turning he saw Balanor scramble on the bridge as the ship began to flounder with no helmsman. Balanor took the helm. Just as he sat down in the helm two more bolts of pure psychic energy slammed into the ship. The first one took the yardarm from the foremast, the second slammed into the starboard gunwale ripping a large section away.

The Fight continued for what seemed like hours as the crew struggled. Squid knew their only option was to flee. They were no match for a hive nautiloid. The hive was attacking his mind, sending him images of ripping his body apart and feeding it to the stars. He had to get away quickly.
Four days later the ship limped into port.

They had managed to mostly survive, but now they were way undermanned. Over half the crew had been killed in the fight. The ship is badly damaged, and the repairs would eat up almost all the funds from selling the cargo.

Post an interlude describing what you did during the fight or what you are doing in port to help find new crew or repair the ship.
If you post an interlude you will earn 1 bennie.
If you create an extra with backstory and a story of your interaction with them you will earn a Golden Bennie.
Everyone now has Hunted:Major The Hive

Re: Alone in the Dark (Interlude)

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2020 7:15 pm
by Cerulean
Cerulean looked at the damage again and cursed. Under-crewed as the ship was, it felt like repairs would take forever.

He turned to one of the riggers, a Baklune named Shaure, and directed her to take two crew and clear away the scrap where the second bolt from the nautioid had hit. He then resumed working on the mast he had been getting ready to be stepped again.

He resolved to go recruiting when he had some time to go into port.

Re: Alone in the Dark (Interlude)

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2020 12:37 am
by Tiberius
Tiberius staggers as the first blast hits the ship unexpectedly. "By the Void what is the Captain doing to me ship!" growling to himself and pulling himself upright. Heading to the door to the main corridor he's knocked to the deck again as more blasts rock the ship. "Dammit!" he growls again rubbing his head where it smacks the bulkhead. By this point the alarm bell is ringing to alert the crew that the ship is under attack.

Turning to the workbench Tiberius grabs a large hammer and a bucket of heavy carpentry nails and stalks out into the corridor. He points his hammer at a trio of crewmen he sees coming out of the cabin opposite and screeches "Oy! You three! Git yer landlubber hides over here. Ya just volunteered for damage control duty!" When the three just stare at him dully Tiberius stamps his foot and screams "MOVE, ya dull witted lumps! Ya wants the ship to fall apart while we stare longingly into each other's eyes?"

Seeing that he has their attention now he directs them to the lumber stacked in the storeroom. "Two of ya grabs as much lumber and ya can carry and follow me." Pointing his hammer at the smallest of the three he barks "You! What's yer name boy! I can't keep calling you You! all the blasted time!"

Startled, the young man stammers "T-t-t-yril" with wide eyes.

"Alright there Tyril, grab that hammer off me bench and another bucket of nails and the lot of ya follow me and maybe we can keep this lass from breaking apart!" Motivational speech delivered Tiberius turns on his heal and takes off down the corridor at a trot with the three crewmen in tow.

Making their way through the ship Tiberius lets the ship's vibrations guide him towards the worst of the damage. Whenever they come across cracks in the hull Tiberius barks directions at his impromptu damage party positioning planks across the breach while he and the boy Tyril hammered in the nails to form a makeshift patch. Hold together me lovely wench, hold together I tell ya! He chants the phrase over and over silently in his head as a talisman against total destruction as the small group races through the bowels of the ship slapping makeshift repairs over the worst of the damage. After what seems like an eternity the enemy fire finally stops and Tiberius can hear the wounded vessel creak and moan (and the wounded too of course but they weren't his problem) as the ship finally shakes free from her pursuers.

Leaning tiredly against a bulkhead he sighs "Don't worry me lovely, we'll get you right as reign soon enough" and pats the bulkhead gently. Glancing back at the two crewmen he cocks an eye and says "Alright, ya gonna just stand there all day or do ya gots some work to do! If ya be at loose ends I'm sure I got some more work for ya to do!" Not needing further encouragement the two head for the deck at flank speed and disappear up the nearest ladder.

Tiberius turns to look up at Tyril and chuckles as the boy cringes. "Don't worry lad. Me lady is safe for now so there be no need to be biting yer head off anytime soon. Ya did well boy. Ya kept yer wits about ya and so we live to sail another day. Can't ask for much more than that." Straightening up he waves back down the corridor with his hammer. "Come on then, grab what's left and let's git it hauled back to storage. Then ya canna help me survey the ship proper like for damage. The poor girl's gonna need a lot of work to make her right again but she's a tough ol wench and she'll pull through, mark me words!" With that Tiberius heads back towards the storeroom with the boy Tyril in tow. Boy, Tiberius snorts to himself, he be a man by human standards I reckon. Always hard to tell with the bigger races.

Re: Alone in the Dark (Interlude)

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2020 4:36 am
by Triss Nightingale
Performance 5; 20% starting fund nets me 100 gp!
Performance 1d6!!: [4] = 4
Wild 1d6!!: [5] = 5
Selune Darkside
1475 Dale reckoning
Round 0

Triss slept with her arms around her lute. Soon enough they would be in port and she could do what she was really meant to do, sing and play. She was dozing lazily when the ship rocked, nearly spilling her from her hammock. She jolted awake as the bell started to ring.

Triss rolled out of her hammock, leaving her loot there. As the only woman aboard, she didn’t have far to go. Her bunk was hung in the sick berth. She hurried to the surgery, expecting to find Vasher, the ship’s surgeon, there, but the older man wasn’t yet.

As the ship’s loblolly girl, Triss pulled out the large trunk that would serve as the operating table. She hung the lanterns up above, making sure they were filled with oil, then laid out the leather straps used to hold a sailor down and given for him to bite down on. Then she dumped the surgical instruments into a pan of alcohol, and put several rolls of bandages near at hand. Then she washed her hands in alcohol and waited.

The first sailors were dragged down, bloody and pierced with pieces of mast, large shards of wood stabbed into their flesh, covered in blood.

“Where’s Vasher?” Triss asked.

“Dead,” came the simple reply as the sailors deposited the wounded. “Looks like yer the doc now, Doc.”

Triss blinked. “What!” Yes, she had learned a lot about actual medicine, triage, surgery, bandages, and poultices, from Vasher in her time as his loblolly girl, but she was no surgeon! She was here mostly because she could heal. But at the rate the ship was shaking and injured crew were being brought below, her magic wasn’t going to last.

“Ilmater, give me strength,” Triss prayed quickly, then turned to yell at the sailors. “Okay, if they aren’t knocking on Kelemvor’s door, leave them outside!” she ordered.

***

Hours later, Triss wiped a hand across her sweaty forehead, smearing blood. She was bloody up to her wrists. Her magical energy had long ago run out, and she’d had to resort to what healing skills she knew. She had lost a lot of patients, but she comforted herself in the fact that Vasher probably couldn’t have saved them either, not once her healing magic ran out. Blood covered the floor, and men groaned in agony in the next room, but they would live.

Triss dumped the instruments into another pan of alcohol to wash up. That was normally her job, but now she was the only one. She washed as much of the blood off as she could and then went to the medicine cabinet, pulling the key out of her bodice and unlocking it. She took down the small vial of dreamlily they had. A potent painkiller, it was also highly addictive, from a planet called Eberron. It needed to be used with care. She made her rounds with the wounded and gave each a drop to help them sleep, then she collapsed in her own bunk.

***

Arrival at port was less exciting than it should have been. The ship had taken a lot of damage, and a lot of crew had been lost. Triss washed and dressed in good, clean clothes, then grabbed her lute and headed out excitedly into the port town. She found the local tavern and posted an advertisement for crew on the job board. Then she jumped up on the small stage and took a bow, tuning and strumming her loot.

“Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip…”

She sang of the brave deeds of Captain Squidward, his generosity to his crew, and how wonderful it was to work for him. When she was through, she held out her cap for coin.

“Excuse me, miss?” Triss looked up to see a young boy, maybe twelve, standing before her. “You’re lookin’ to hire on crew?”

“We are,” Triss said, noticing the boy’s voice had yet to break. “You have experience?”

The boy dropped his gaze and shrugged his thin shoulders. “Not as such, miss, but I’m a quick learner. I know all me knots, an’ I’m quick an’ nimble,” he insisted. “My father was a sailor, he was. Taught me all he knowed. Just died before he got me a berth, miss.”

“I see,” Triss said, studying the boy closely. “You afraid of blood?”

“No, miss,” the boy said quickly. “Grew up on a farm, I did. Helped with the birthin’ an’ the slaughterin’.”

“Well, animals is animals, and people is people,” Triss warned. “I’m in need of a good loblolly boy to help me out.”

The boy nodded. “I know how to sew, miss,” he assured her. “Know a few poultices from the farm an’ such.”

“What’s your name, boy?”

“Trin, miss.”

Triss flipped him a coin. “Go get us an ale and a meal,” she said. “We’ll talk.”

Triss studied the boy as he walked away. She gathered up her earnings, did a quick count, pleased with the result, and grabbed an out of the way table in the corner, where she was soon joined by Trin.

Triss set into the food and kept the ale coming. She noted that Trin only sipped at the ale. It wasn’t that bad. But the boy did devour the roast rothe and root vegetables. As did Triss. She was surprised to find the food in the tavern was remarkably good.

At the end of the meal, Triss was on her third ale, and starting to pleasantly feel her alcohol. She smiled at the boy across from her, who had finished his plate, but still only halfway through his first ale. With his heightened color, Triss could see he was already feeling it.

Triss sipped her ale and made an observation. “You know, you’ll grow up to be a very beautiful woman. Probably make some man very happy.”

Trin’s mouth fell open as he stared at Triss, then blushed and dropped his eyes. “H-How did you know?” he whispered.

“Call it woman’s intuition,” Triss said. “What’s your real name?”

“Trina,” the girl said.

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen, ma’am,” she said.

Triss nodded. “Your secret’s safe with me, Trina,” she said, “but give it a year, those bindings you’re using won’t do shit.”

Trina blushed again.

“Is what you told me true? Do you really know your sailing?”

“Oh, yes, ma’am!” Trina assured. “My father was a sailor. Illithids got him, though,” she said sadly.

Triss winced slightly. That could be an issue. “And why are you trying to sign on to a crew? You should be home helping your mama.”

Trina shook her head. “Plenty of young’uns back home that can help,” she said. “This is one less mouth to feed. And…” She looked away.

“Let me guess. She’s wantin’ ta marry you off ta some old geezer with more money than looks.”

Another blush. “Yes,” Trina admitted. “How did you--”

“Oldest story, kid,” Triss said, “and I know all the stories. I won’t lie. It won’t be easy, especially for a girl on a ship. Most sailors think it’s bad luck. You’re out there for months on end, the men get a little...hungry. You good with a blade?”

Trina pulled out a dagger, fumbled it, and nearly stabbed her own foot when it fell and stuck in the floor, looking embarrassed.

“Right…” Triss sighed. “Well, it’s your virtue, kid. I’ll teach you a few things, but if you work hard, I’m sure we can make a sailor of you. If you can convince the captain.”
Triss Character Tracking
Triss Nightingale Character Sheet
Parry: 6; Toughness: 5
PP: 10/10
Bennies: 3/3 Golden Bennies: 0
Powers: Healing, Relief, Speak Language
Edges
  • Charismatic: Free Persuasion reroll
Shot and powder: 30
Medic kit: 5/5
Hindrances: Curious, Heroic, Hunted
Low Light Vision: Ignore illumination penalties for Dim and Dark conditions (but not Pitch Darkness)

Re: Alone in the Dark (Interlude)

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2020 11:56 am
by Jarvis Ursus
5157 Olven Calendar
11 Frutifall
Late Morning

Jarvis stared into the multi-faceted eyes sitting across from him. It was easy to get lost in the kaleidoscope of reflections of the seedy tavern mirrored back at him. For a moment, his mind drifted back to the events that caused them to limp into port here in Realmspace.

That was another mind-flayer ship that hit us and hit us hard. Must have had something to do with the Captain. Wasn’t a whole lot we could have done in the face of those mental blasts.

Jarvis had done the best he could to keep the crewmen together during the fight. The nature of his Giff physiology made him hardier than most, both from the physical assault of exploding wood and metal and the direct assault on the mind the Nautiloid seemed to have mercilessly unleashed upon them. Throughout the fight he kept the ballistas firing, relentlessly working the crew to reload and reposition the massive siege weapons at a backbreaking pace. The ones that succumbed to exhaustion were the lucky ones. The ones ripped apart by debris or flayed mentally, not so much. He remembered very little as to how they actually escaped, knowing only that as the crew was whittled away around him, he had to keep the weapons firing. At some point he was manning a ballista himself, hefting one massive bolt after another into the skein, cranking back the cable drawstring, and firing at the enemy ship. He vaguely recalled Tiberius making repairs and seeing Triss up to her elbows in blood.

Unfortunately, lass, there will be a hell of a lot more of that if what I am guessing is chasing the Captain and now the rest of us….

Jarvis snapped back to the present. The mantis man or was it a woman? Regardless, they were clicking and clacking again and obviously agitated. Sighing and waving his hand apologetically, he acknowledged his mistake and tried to focus on what the thri-kreen was trying to say.

So you say your name is Xxxshssfttth? Well we will have to change that. I can’t even think that let alone say it. Why don’t we just call you Ziks? Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry. No, I don’t mean to insult your culture. Okay, Zicks then? I really don’t get the difference but I’ll take your word for it.

This thri-kreen could obviously handle himself. It, for lack of a known gender, easily carried its weapons easily enough….

Yes, I understand the benefits of having four arms. No, I did not realize your kind did not sleep and can rest and stay active. Better than elves, huh? Yeah, I’m sorry, but I don’t think the Captain will agree to paying you overtime because of that. Look, you can either take it or leave it….Uh-huh. Well I am glad we could come to an agreement.

Jarvis stood up and shook one of the insectile claws. The thri-kreen was clicking excitedly as evidently most crews won’t take them on due to their dietary habits. But although mostly vegetarian himself, the big Giff knew the Captain ate brains so the thri-kreen eating primarily only flesh shouldn’t be a big deal…

Wait..what? You prefer elves? Yeah...no...and no I don’t care if half-elves will do...our cook...he just doesn’t do that...Well I am glad we still have a deal. I’ll see you tomorrow at the slip bright and early. Welcome aboard.

Jarvis got up and left the tavern. When he was out of sight and hopefully out of Zick’s ear? attenna? range to hear him, he started to worry about what he had just done.

How the hell am I going to explain this to the Balanor, Cerulean, and Triss? I’ll be lucky if I don’t catch a frying pan upside my head from Ellistro on this. Well desperate times call for desperate measures...

Re: Alone in the Dark (Interlude)

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2020 6:46 pm
by Ellisto
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HIDING DOWN HERE, SHRIMP!!!"

Kar-ak... this HUGE Orc was a definite pain in the hind sections... and other locations. He had just spotted me down in the Helm's room apparently just hiding and doing nothing. He had complained about my cooking EVERY time, and in general just seemed to have a HUGE chip on his shoulder. He seemed to think that nothing I, being so weak and puny, could possibly justify his the air I was breathing. Well, eventually Tymora would turn her gaze away from him and he would get his own. I just wish he would put me down soon so I could get back to breathing and be able to concentrate on trying to focus Tymora's Blessings on the captain. If we were to have any chance to escape from these Mind Flayers, the Captain would have to do the best flying he could, AND would need Tymora's Blessings on him.

BOOM!!!

Well... at least Kar-ak proved useful. His bulk just sheltered the Captain and I from the shrapnel from that shot. Looking out through the new hole in the hull, Ellisto moved to another sheltered location, and saw that beyond all belief, the tough Orc was still breathing and alive.

"MEDIC!!! Kar'ak is down, and there is no way that even an army of Halflings could get him to the infirmary."

Well, it seems like Kar-ak' finally had Tymora turn her gaze away from him. Now I hope Tymora's Blessings will allow us to reach safety.

Re: Alone in the Dark (Interlude)

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2020 8:23 pm
by Andrew Cofield
With the first impact Balanor lurches out of his hammock and is out the door before he is even fully awake. Looking around the deck he sees that the helm is unmanned and dashes to get the ship under control. He spends the next indeterminate amount of time trying to keep the ship from foundering. Dodging ram attempts, turning to get decent shots for the weapons, and trying to get any sort of distance completely drains him. In the end he is not even sure how the fight ended. All he knew was the were limping on and if anything else came at them they were done for.

When the ship does finally make port it settles with a distinct list to port. The first thing Balanor does when he disembarks is to find a nice hot bath and meal. As he sits in the hot water, enjoying a glass of wine, a young man comes in and asks if there is anything else that should be brought. Balanor looks over and considers him. Medium build and sort of average looking for a human. “How old are you? What's your name?”

The young man looks uncomfortable but stands his ground as he answers. “My name is Andros and I am seventeen years old. Why?”

“Do you like this job? Would you be interested in becoming a sailor?”

“Not much to be said for the job. Decent food and a warm place to sleep. I would like to something more though. I was an apprentice to a woodworker for about a year but he died. That is when I took this job. What would you want me to do?”

“You would be a cabin boy. It would be your job to make sure the officers, and any passengers, have what they need. You would do a lot of what you are doing now, bringing meals and such, but you would also be responsible for ensuring that the ship's officers, particularly me, have clean clothes and are properly groomed. In your spare time you could learn about being a sailor. Eventually you may even get a full share in any profits. Interested?”

The young man looks down in thought. After a few moments he looks back up. “Do I have to decide right now?”

“No, we will be in port for repairs and re-crewing for a few days at least. I plan on staying at this fine establishment for most of that time so if you have any questions, and when you make a decision, just come to me. In the meantime I believe I need more hot water, a bit more wine, and I think I am ready to eat.” With that Balanor settles down into the water a bit more and closes his eyes. They young man nods and heads out to get what was requested.

Re: Alone in the Dark (Interlude)

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:56 pm
by Old Man
The Old Man was minding his own business at the helm when suddenly the door burst open. He was good for fueling the helm and keeping the shop going, but when desperate times came they always relieved him.

Heading up to the deck he was not surprised to see a Nautilus, few things surprised him now. But he was surprised to see how close it was. Turning to the Cpt. he asked. "You need me supporting the offense, or helping with defense?"

The hideous Cpt. seemed to forget Mr Brandt because he was useless in combat. But the old man was very useful is other ways when used rightly. Getting to work he improvised some explosives for the crew to use as grenades, then began working on some healing runes, just case there were minor injuries he could help with.

After that the battle just blended together, nothing all that special to get excited over and really much like every other battle. Strange though, Young Braden was all sorts of excited, and at risk of injuring himself with his silly excitement. The gnome never had a voice that was much good at challenging or correcting, so he just let his apprentice get excited. When it was all said and done he could lecture him on the details and what he learned.

Re: Alone in the Dark (Interlude)

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2020 4:29 pm
by Captain Blackfoot
Step, tap, step, tap...

The old rhythm steadies the captain's nerves as his vessel is viciously assaulted by the damned Hive. His gait is one of the few things that has remained the same throughout Blackfoot's life.

Step, tap, step, tap...

Captain Blackfoot reaches out for the bluish skinned Tiefling Malvir. The first mate is another constant, but also a complication, in the captain's life. Blackfoot uses his ilithid mind to connect with Malvir's, 'Those hive lads aren't too happy with us, it seems. Lot of effort for a pair of wayward souls.'
Old Man wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:56 pm Heading up to the deck he was not surprised to see a Nautilus, few things surprised him now. But he was surprised to see how close it was. Turning to the Cpt. he asked. "You need me supporting the offense, or helping with defense?"
"Offense, lad?" the captain scoffs at the @Old Man, "We're running goods, not pirating or what have you. We're not equipped for these damnedable Hive bastards. Get with the first mate and chart a course for the helmsman. Get us to the nearest port that hates the flayers more'n us, lad. Once that's good and done, make yourself useful. Maybe make some of tricks you love to tinker with to make things difficult for that damn squidship."

'Navigator's getting with you to plot us a course, Malvir. Get it to the helmsman and get us to port with all haste. Once the course is set, bring my next meal to my quarters. No need to bother the cook and the healer about a last meal. I'm more concerned with escaping than any squeamish crew members or the comfort of any of those bastards.'

An irate Malvir explodes into Captain Blackfoot's mind, 'Eating? Now? Really, cap'n? The blasted Hive is on our tails and your concern is dinner!'

Mentally sighing, the captain responds, 'No, Malvir, I'm concerned with shedding excess weight. So pick the heaviest one we've got. Then get any hands we can spare belowdecks to toss anything not bolted down. If we can't sell it, I want it thrown right at those squidfaced assholes.'

Step, tap, step, tap...

The sound accompanies the captain throughout the mad dash towards safety. After jettisoning excess weight, the crew were able to leverage their considerable skills towards getting safely away from the Hive ship. It wasn't an easy task, and it was definitely an expensive one. It's all part of the life, however, and Captain Blackfoot wouldn't have it any other way. Captaining is a lot like the ocean. Some days she's a fickle bitch, but if you tough her out and ride those waves like your life depends on it, you just might reap unimaginable bounties.

Re: Alone in the Dark (Interlude)

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 12:12 pm
by Technospawn
The following characters have earned bennies:
@Cerulean benny and golden benny
@Tiberius benny and golden benny
@Triss Nightingale benny and golden benny
@Jarvis Belloch benny and golden benny
@Ellisto benny and golden benny
@Balanor benny and golden benny
@Old Man benny and golden benny
@Captain Blackfoot benny and golden benny