Things are changing now, however. Two nights ago, you docked in the harbor of Rishazzan, a city-state belonging loosely to the Mindeerican Empire. The Captain, a man you knew as Clavard, left the ship to speak with contacts he had in the city. Last night, he fell ill and took to his quarters. Then, this morning, the first mate Fackleman came before the whole crew to announce that the Captain is dead.
There is no clear line of succession on board. Fackleman will almost certainly try to take control of the ship, and the men know him well (though he is not particularly well liked). The crew consists of 17 sailors (21 including yourselves), Fackleman, the navigator Ker-Hess'vish, and an accountant whose name no one has bothered to ask.
The ship is currently filled with merchandise, the exact information of which would be in the Captain's quarters. The men (including yourselves) have not been paid yet this month, and are clearly tense about the whole situation. It is raining lightly, and the sky is overcast as midday approaches. What do you do?
(OOC: when writing anything that is not a direct question about the scene, a description of an action you take, or something that your character says, write it in parentheses with OOC for Out-Of-Character in front. None of you are allowed to post actions for your character until you have equipment and names, but you may certainly ask questions about the world, the setting, the scene, or anything else. You will gain experience for combat and for acquiring treasure, so keep that in mind, though experience is certainly not the only motivator of RPGs. Good luck, and let's get this ship out to sea!)
(OOC: Can we have a general description of the craft? And what is the city we're docked in known for? Any well-known legends or rumors or recent events?)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to attempt to rabble rouse the crew a bit. I'm going to go to the navigator first and try and get a read on his interpretation of how the next hours and days will play out. Then I'm off to the accountant to see what sort of wares and goods the captain is hiding away/keeping from us.
(OOC: How the hell does this work?)
(OOC: haha, you're doing great. The first OOC was actually unnecessary though, questions directly about the world are fine for regular text)
ReplyDeleteThe ship is a cutter, which is a vessel intended to be fast and crew-light while still carrying substantial cargo (hence it being used as a smuggling ship). It is best along coastlines, rather than out at sea. It requires at least 20 crew (so think twice before splitting heads). It's name is Farzhoul.
Rishazzan has long been an independent city-state, meaning that it is not required to pay taxes or house troops of the Mindeerican Empire. However, the two have been allies long enough that Rishazzan is considered by most to be a part of the Empire. The city itself was said to be raised from the depths of the ocean by Sea-Mother Krzchrl (there is no correct pronunciation, and many people of the city make a sort of game of coming up with new and interesting ways to say it). Krzchrl is the patron deity of Rishazzan, often described as some sort of witch-dragon-goddess-monster. She is responsible for all the comings and going of fate on the sea. Rishazzan has a number of temples dedicated to her, as well as a powerful priestly caste. This caste has their strength backed up by the Churlish Stranglers, religious "knights" of a sort you can likely guess based on their name.
The city is a trading port of perhaps 20,000 people (making it slightly smaller than medieval London). It is known for religious fanaticism to Krzchrl, producing some of the best ships known to the world, and for a plethora of spices, most expensive, some drug-like, a few legendary for their potency. Every day, everyone in the city must take one drink of sea water (directly from the sea, no saving it for later!) in order to maintain their connection with Krzchrl. Therefore, the shorelines are usually crowded with people taking their daily "communion".
Now about the navigator.
ReplyDeleteAs you go to meet him, he is clearly nervous about the developing situation. Some of the men onboard think he is a sorcerer, and therefore responsible for the poor weather they've had of late. He relied on the captain for protection, and now he is very vulnerable. The fact that he is a Mindeerican has done little for his security, as the crew are an intolerant lot.
(OOC: i think actual quotes for dialogue will be ideal, so let me know how you want to start out this conversation)
"Erm....You. Have you a moment? I'd...well, hmmm....no reason to beat around the bush. I'd like to discuss the captain's death. No need to fear, I'm not like the others, I promise. I'd like to know what you know about how he died. You've been very quiet since Fackleman told us all. Now I want to trust you; unlike my shipmates, I don't make snap judgments. Unless I know I'm right."
ReplyDelete"Oh thank you," he says in a thick accent. "I don't know much about what happened. The captain would always go ahead of us into the cities, to make sure everything was right for the cargo being transported. By the time he came back yesterday, he was already looking sick. I've never seen someone succumb so quickly to illness. It makes me think, it might be poison! I don't who it would be, though. The captain's enemies tended to be lawmen, who are not the poisoning type, I'm sure you know. That's everything I know, I swear!" He then leans in closer, a fearful look in his eyes. "I think I have to leave ship. I don't want to be murdered!"
ReplyDelete"Well this city is known for its clever alchemists and chemical wizardry. But who would want to kill the captain? Perhaps the authorities have ceded certain...duties to less savory and careful parties. Is there anything currently in our holds that someone might want? The men don't trust you because you have always been quiet and because you know the ledger books as well as the captain himself. What more do you know?"
ReplyDelete(OOC: you know you're talking to navigator, not the accountant, right?)
ReplyDelete"I suppose it's possible, but I've been with the captain for a long time. The law always comes with ships and swords and guns and shouting men, never poison. I don't know EXACTLY what we have, but there are firearms in the hold, I know. Also casks of wine. There are also a lot of other boxes, I don't know what's in them."
(OOC: FUCK.)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to start by waiting for nightfall, then sneaking into the storage area to see whats in those boxes for myself. Baladas, interested? (And of course, the rest of you guys too)
ReplyDeleteWhat do I need to roll to achieve this?
(OOC: you got a name, Shivi?)
ReplyDeleteIf you wait for nightfall, we're going to have to wait for everyone else to complete their actions that take place during the day. Is their anything you want to accomplish during early afternoon?
When the roll finally comes, you will make a Stealth check. As a Fighter, your stealth is in 1 in 6, though situation may modify this.
I have a name now! Its Stenka.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm going to try retrace the captain's steps in Rishazzan- I'm going to go where he went and talk to as many people as possible. (I want to be captain of this ship and if I figure out what killed him, the crew will side with me)
That should take up all of my day!
I'll start by talking to the first mate, navigator and accountant, see if they know what the captains been up to.
You go to see the first mate, Fackleman. He's a surly sort, and acts as the disciplinarian on the ship (the captain has always been a bit distant). As you go to meet with him, he is discussing something with a young harbor-lad, who he shoos away at your approach. "Stenka, right? I assume you have a good reason to interrupt me on the morn of our captain's death. Quick, quick, what do you want?"
ReplyDelete"Our very honorable captain's death is suspicious to say the least. Wouldn't you agree, Fackly?
ReplyDeleteThe crew is getting restless. They want to know what happened to the captain. They won't rest till they see his body. We need answers, Fackly."
"I ought to have known you'd make a /stink/ about this, sailor. You can all see the captain when we goes through the funeral tomorrow, done the /proper/ way. And you don't think I now that it looks suspicious? You don't think it burns my blood that someone thinks they're going to get away with murder here? Well, I'm not going to call it murder until I have someone to throw a ship's worth of angry men at, and unless you want to deal with the backlash personally, I'd suggest you don't go around making snide remarks. We're going to do this right, /Stenka/. Is there anything /else/?
ReplyDeleteNow look, Fackle. I don't know what game you're playing here, but we both know the good cap'n was murdered, and I think you're the one behind this. The crew will back me up, y'know. They always did like the old man better than you. Now, if you want to be captain, you'll need me to clear your name. You can start by tellin me all about the captain's contacts in this city here.
ReplyDeleteFackleman draws his scimitar at these words. "If you accuse me of killing a man whom I thought of as a brother, you will find your unworthy corpse resting with him at the bottom of the sea's embrace. My name needs no scrubbing by your hands. Get belowdeck before my ancestors lost their patience and guide my swordhand to your throat."
ReplyDeleteAs a note, Stenka, I don't wish to encourage (necessarily) violence here, but drawing your sword will cost one round, as it is a greatsword, giving Fackleman a considerable upper-hand that you ought to know about.
I put my hand on my sword, but don't draw it. "I don't want to fight you yet, Fackle. If you've found peace with his death, then so be it. But I won't rest till I find out what killed the old man."
ReplyDeleteI'm going to back away now and head for the accountant unless he decides to fight me.
He does not attack you. As you walk away, you hear him say a mumbled blessing over your shoulder, and you hear the scimitar sheathed.
ReplyDelete(OOC: Let's wait on dealing with the accountant until Baladas is done with the navigator, so you two can collaborate if desired)
Oh god and now he's religious? Stenka REALLY dislikes this man, as saintly as he may be.
ReplyDeleteOOC: J, is he lying? I'm guessing not.
ReplyDeleteYou can tell that Fackleman is completely earnest in what he is saying.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to find Baladas.
ReplyDelete"We should figure out what's in those boxes...Hmmm...Aha!...Anyway, ermm...we've...we should...we gotta stick together as a crew. All of us——you too...even if /they/ aren't too keen on you. Just stay outta sight and flash everyone a big smile. Keep your ears to the ground and let me know if anything funny should strike you."
ReplyDeleteI flash him a big, kindly, dwarfy smile and give him a gentle pound of solidarity.
Now I'm gonna go looking for the accountant.
The two of you meet and go looking for the accountant. He has his own quarters, and the door is open. Inside are far more books than either have you have ever seen in such a small area. The accountant is a well-made young man with startling blonde hair sitting at his desk scribbling madly with a quill that simply won't hold ink long enough for him. At your entrance, he spins around in his chair and inadvertently knocks a paperweight shaped like a sphinx and all the papers that were under it to the ground. He springs to his feet and bows low, grinning like a child.
ReplyDelete"Good even, Master Dwarf Baladas, and to you Lady Stenka. It is a wondrous honor to have the two of you in my humble cabin this night. I assume your visit has to do with the terrible slaughter of our gracious captain. Please, please, sit!" He gestures to two stool-sized piles of books.
I sit
ReplyDelete"Good evening to you too. You wouldn't have any rum now, would you?"
ReplyDeleteI stand.
ReplyDelete"Stenka, please...not now.
Yes, we're trying to piece together last night's events. Might you have an inkling as to what went on?"
(OOC: Thank you for removing the word recognition thing)
ReplyDelete"I just so happen to have some rum saved up m'lady, I'm not much of a drinker, I'm afraid. Here, please have this bottle as a token of gratitude.
ReplyDeleteI'm of course more than willing to aid the two of you; I'm fully convinced it was murder that did in our poor captain, not some illness. You see, I've read many texts on medicine, and I know of no fever that could take so healthy a man so quickly.
Now, as you know, the captain would always go ahead of us into ports to make sure things were safe for us. I don't know exactly where he went this time, but I DO know that some of our cargo is intended for one Baroness Crose Rumerial, a noblewoman of some repute. Though I can say little of the rest of the captain's day, he almost certainly visited Baroness Rumerial. Is that helpful?"
"For the token, my man, you have the allegiance of my sword."
ReplyDeleteI take a long swig from the bottle.
"You've been working for the captain for years now. Have there ever been any discrepancies in his books?"
The young man frowns. "I'm not sure what you mean by discrepancies. Do you mean falsifications of his own ledgers? I don't know what he would stand to gain by such things, as he is his own master. The only ones who saw his books were myself and the late captain, and they were entirely for his benefit."
ReplyDelete"You say 'of some repute.' What sort of repute would that be?"
ReplyDelete"She is known to be highly business-savvy. So savvy that some would no doubt accuse her of being a man in disguise, were it not for the fact that..." The accountant grins to himself. "Well, she also has a reputation for being exceedingly beautiful. A rare creature to be sure. Then there is, of course, the odd rumor or two. The curse of nobility, I'm afraid, is that people will talk."
ReplyDelete"Aah. Now what might these odd rumours be?"
ReplyDeleteThe accountant looks rather uncomfortable. "There are those who say that the Baroness dabbles in the forbidden arts. It would be incredibly damning--pardon my pun--if these were to turn out to be true, but there is little to substantiate this idle talk."
ReplyDelete"You mean witchcraft?"
ReplyDelete"There are many names for it, but yes, I suppose I do mean witchcraft..."
ReplyDelete*shudders*
ReplyDeleteI'm going to look for the Baroness now. I step out of the ship and ask around for her whereabouts.
ReplyDeleteNobility for the most part live in the countryside, removed from sinful and filthy cities, including the Baroness. However, she owns a villa by a cliff overlooking the sea, still a part of the city, but removed from its poorer areas. You can travel there, but as a warning, you know that you will look very out of place, and may be turned away by the Watch. Most of the residents will be wealthy merchants or others of good means, rather than armored smugglers like yourself.
ReplyDeleteThe captain, as a smuggler, presumably had some other way of reaching the Baroness than calling on her establishment directly, which is a very public affair.
Well I have no idea how the captain contacted her, so I'm just going to find a store and steal some fancy clothes.
ReplyDeleteThat will require a sleight of hand check. As a fighter, your sleight of hand is 1 in 6. Roll a six-sided die and post the result. If it's a 1, you succeed, otherwise you fail.
ReplyDeleteI rolled a 6.
ReplyDeleteYou walk into a rather nice tailor's establishment, where there are a number of sample dresses and such hanging from the walls. The owner is a middle-aged, rather plump woman with a slight stutter. You attempt to walk nonchalantly about the store and steal a dress that just might fit your fighter's build. However, not being a thief by trade, your ruse is obvious. The owner notices you, and immediately goes red in the face and starts gasping. She starts to run outside, clearly attempting to call for the guard.
ReplyDeleteOn my way in, did I spot any guards?
ReplyDeleteThere are always guards, usually at every street corner, in nice neighborhoods like this.
ReplyDeleteDamn. I drop the clothes and run.
ReplyDeleteAs you run out the door of the tailor's, the whistle of the guard goes up. People on the street instinctively duck off to the side so as not to get in the way (or the line of fire). There are two guards immediately present. One starts hurriedly loading a crossbow, while the other draws a sword and starts running to cut you off (this is the one blowing the whistle). There will doubtless be more guards in the area soon. You can either run down the main thoroughfare (towards or away from the guard), try your luck in an alley, or utilize any of the buildings that surround (this is a mercantile area). The guards are about forty feet away.
ReplyDeleteI draw my sword and run towards the poor neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of poor neighborhoods, all of which are a good twenty minute walk in the guard's direction.
ReplyDeleteoh thats just brilliant. I'm going to run down a few alleys then try and hide in a building.
ReplyDeleteYou run down some alleys, and the sound of the chase follows you. After turning a few corners, you burst into a nondescript building and slam the door behind you. You find yourself in welcoming area of a home in incredible disrepair. There are empty bottles everywhere, and a man leaning against the wall, the most recently emptied bottle in his hand. He had been unconscious, but at the sound of your entrance, he starts awake and looks at you with intense, jaundiced eyes. He is swaddled in a blanket, and is horrifically ugly; moles, sores, and scars adorn his hideous face.
ReplyDelete"Who in the name of Krzchrl's blood are you?" he says in a gravelly but level voice.
"The guard is after me. Please let me hide here!"
ReplyDeleteI put on my most desperate face.
"You have a pretty face for a warrior. I think you're still green, no scars or missing ears yet. They'll come. Help me to my feet, street-lass, before I decide to forget that I fucking hate the guard."
ReplyDeleteI help him to his feet
ReplyDeleteAs he unfolds from his blanket, you realize that this man is actually immense: at least six and a half feet tall.
ReplyDeletePlease roll a d6 and post the result.
5
ReplyDeleteAnd may I say, I am so very glad that I don't have to fight him.
ReplyDeleteThe man has a knife in his hands, which he was attempting to conceal. He tries to pull you into a lock with the knife at your throat, but you are not surprised!
ReplyDeletePlease roll another d6, this time for initiative.
Aww what? 5, including the mod
ReplyDeleteYou are permitted to act first! You are allowed to move, use items, attack, or what have you as you like. Attacking always ENDS your turn (you can't attack then move). As a fighter, you have some extra options for combat. You can /press/, which gives you +2 attack, -4 AC, and you can /fight defensively/, which gives you a -4 attack, +2 AC. Alternatively, you can choose to just /parry/, which takes your entire turn, and gives you a +4 AC.
ReplyDeleteTo be clear, my sword is already in my hands, right?
ReplyDeleteYour sword was not totally prepared, because you were helping the dude, but you reacted first, so readying your sword is not a problem.
ReplyDeleteI fight, but defensively, while yelling, "Why are you fighting me, you drunken fool? I don't want to hurt you!"
ReplyDeleteOh, while attacking, I'm going to aim for his legs. They seem to be weak.
ReplyDeleteSo I rolled a 2. I have -2 for fighting defensively and +3 b/c of my class. So in all, thats a 1 on the d20 roll.
ReplyDeleteMy damage roll is 6.
HP = 9
The giant man slides his knife along your blade and stops your swing cold. He simply grunts as he attempts to introduce your intestines to the floor, but with a careful parry, you turn aside the blade.
ReplyDeleteRoll a d6 for new initiative order.
Rolled a 2
ReplyDeleteYou lose initiative. The man now kicks at shelf nearby that is filled with bottles, some empty, some less so. The shelf topples onto the two of you, and bottles roll everywhere. The man manages to keep his feet. Will you be so lucky?
ReplyDeleteRoll a d6, post the result. The man's turn continues after this roll.
3
ReplyDeleteHi Baladas..I'm using all of my telepathic abilities to ask you to come help me fight this madman. Does this work? Tell me you can magically hear my thoughts!
ReplyDeleteThanks to your incredible reflexes, you too do not fall down on top of the bottles. The giant man makes another lunge with the knife, finding a slight chink in your armor, and he nicks your abdomen, drawing a bit of blood.
ReplyDeleteTake 4 damage, please, and it is now your turn!
I will continue fighting defensively. I'm aiming for his knees.
ReplyDeleteWhenever you attack, you can just roll the dice (attack and damage together) without waiting for my permission.
ReplyDelete18 (17)
ReplyDeleteDamage 1
My sword nicks his fingernail.
ReplyDeleteThe giant man chooses to Press, attacking with wild abandon with his knife. "I know why you've come!" he shouts simultaneously. "The Appakendian Woman indeed!"
ReplyDeleteHis knife comes perilously close to your neck, severing a few locks of hair. You begin to feel the wear of battle, and the sweat is flowing freely now. Take 2 damage.
"What the hell are you talking about? Krzchrl is witness; I have spoken only the truth!"
ReplyDeleteIs this all you do during your round? If you wish, you can choose to Parry, which means you take no actions but defending yourself, which increases AC by 4. I only ask in case /he/ still wants to keep fighting whether you are essentially giving him the next round.
ReplyDeleteOh, sorry. I want to defend, so yes I'll Parry.
ReplyDeleteam I required to roll?
ReplyDeleteYou are not required to roll, parry is automatic (and it increases your AC to 21).
ReplyDeleteThe man, however, ceases his fevered assault, and starts looking confused. Now that his fighting has ended, he for the first time /looks/ drunk. "Wait. You're not her. Her hair was scarlet. And her eyes..." The man throws the knife to the side and leans awkwardly against the wall. His excellent balance has faded with his adrenaline.
It is at this point that you remember something. Back in your past you had a mentor who told you a little of the heavens, though you were more interested in the sword than the stars. The name Appakendia refers to what your mentor called a "planet", a rogue star that moved differently than the others. There were other planets as well, but Appakendia was certainly one of them.
I put my sword away and throw water on his face so he wakes up. "I'm a pirate. Name's Stenka. Who are you?"
ReplyDelete"I'm Diestoklaus, miss Stenker. 'Ma mercen'ry. Oh god, I almost kil't a innocent girl!" He breaks down into tears.
ReplyDelete"Yes you did. Now stop crying like a little girl, and tell me if you know anything about this Baroness Rumerial."
ReplyDeleteHe looks bleary-eyed at you. "I know nuthin' o' nobles. My head been at groun' level since I was borned."
ReplyDelete"Why'd you try to kill me anyway? Who did you think I was?"
ReplyDelete"The woman from Appakendia." There is fear in his eyes. "She's trying to find me, to kill me. All the others are dead already."
ReplyDelete"What others?"
ReplyDelete"Woman from Appakendia? There are no women, and no men for that matter on Appakendia. Or any other star. My man you have had a little too much to drink."
ReplyDelete"But there are people there!" He grabs your arm as he talks. "Three years ago, I was on an expedition, out into the Edgeless Plains. Some madman, perhaps he was the devil, hired us to investigate a strange treasure that the locals were talking about, 300 miles into the plains. I was just a sellsword. We found the place, where a great pole stood, carved from a strange wood. The locals said it had come with a woman who had appeared there, a woman who came from a star. They showed us, it was Appakendia, one of the wanderers." Diestoklaus takes a swig from a nearby bottle, mostly empty. "We thought them superstitious louts. But then she came from out in the plains. I don't have the words to describe her. Where she walked, the air seemed to catch on fire. Monsters poured from her mouth and eyes. The ground turned to water and the clouds to stone. These things couldn't be real, they made no sense, but I felt if I stared at the horrors too long, they might become real enough to kill me. She had red hair, the same consistency as yours, and she was strong, too strong to be human. She slew half of us then and there, and the rest of us fled out into the Plains. I had friends who fled with me. She tracked us, and killed us, one by one. I always managed to be one of those to escape. We ran from city to city, growing fewer in number, but she always found us. I am sure now that I am the only one left. But she will find me, I know she will. Til then, I drink and fester here, an old wound that will never heal..."
ReplyDelete"But why would this witch try to kill you? Did you try to steal it?"
ReplyDelete"Of course we tried to steal it. It was what we had come for. We had gotten it into a wagon just before she appeared, and were trying to leave. But this vengeance... nothing merited it!"
ReplyDelete"I think she's a powerful witch, not an alien. You know, I have a friend who knows some magic. Maybe she can help you with some protective spells or something."
ReplyDelete"She was no witch. I am sure she was from the stars, which hold more terror than our earth possibly can. Your friend can do nothing to help me. I am a dead man."
ReplyDeleteOOC: oh wait, do I know that she's a magic user?
ReplyDelete"How can you know for sure? You're a sorry man if you're giving up so easily. I thought you had more in you."
ReplyDelete(OOC: you do know that)
ReplyDeleteHe glares at you. "You have not seen what I have seen. You have not had friends butchered before your eyes, men with far greater skill in battle than I. You do not know me. You are young, and you yet have innocence. I would not drag you into a conflict where you will surely lose your life. Get yourself hence, girl."
ReplyDeleteI glare back at him. "If you ever decide you want to use that knife of yours for anything other than opening beer bottles, ask for Stenka of the Farzhoul."
ReplyDeleteUnless he has anything to add, I head back towards the ship, looking for the other two.
He has nothing to add. As you head back to the ship, you gain 250 experience points for your trouble. You find Nabooru and Baladas engaged in conversation. You may continue commenting in the Ship-Side post.
ReplyDelete