Side One, Ep.1 "Holey Ship!"

[Reaver]

I say to the others: "I'm going to go down the port side and aft to try to find a skiff or a lifeboat. The Hyena doesn't strike me as the type of Captain who'd go down with his ship."

With that, I begin my search.

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

More thoughts from the Hyena -- or rather, one thought repeated over and over. I grind my teeth. Clearly he's trying to block me out somehow, or else he's mad -- laughing mad. Or maybe he's trying to dehumanize his target in preparation for killing her. But his mind is fixed on the silver coin. It can't be the goddess he's thinking about; goddesses can't be killed. Should I mention the letter? Does someone here still have it? I can't remember if I put it in my own pocket or gave it to someone else...

 

[Philip Overby]

I click my cesti (?) together and strip them off. "Bare handed then? Like old times? I'm going to make mincemeat and cornmeal out of your stupid face."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"I threw down my gun, grappler. You can come at me with or without the blades, but I am a swordsman, not a bare-knuckled brute like Pug."

He stands in his quarters, sword in hand.

"Blades or bare fists is your own choice. I'll wait."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The two warriors face each other. Both are wounded from battle. Neither makes a move right away…

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The pirate rushes forward with his blade, but the Pale Jackal is quicker.

((Yeah, I beat a 9, but it was a 17 I had to beat; PJ gets initiative, and the 17 is his grapple roll!))

PJ gets the Hyena in a choke hold…

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The rain gets heavier, and the dead slide toward the broken bow if the ship. Reaver has returned from his search for the way off of this ship. It's no longer a matter of how our heroes get out, but when…

As his companions watch, PJ keeps the pirate in his choke hold. Th emirate struggles.

The pirate is strong—and being at sea only makes a pirate stronger. But the Pale Jackal's skill is barely enough to restrain the pirate. PJ figures the pirate will lose consciousness in about ten seconds…

Spoiler: how grappling checks work

For unarmed classes, your grappling power is strength AND agility when using a class skill.

For those who lack the grappling skill, it's strength OR agility.

The pirate's STR rating with an adrenaline rush is 5. PJ's strength with adrenaline is 4, plus he has 2 in agility. So PJ's grappling power is 6 and the pirate's is 5. The only way the pirate can escape PJ's strong technique is to roll a 20.

The die rolls add to grappling power:

Weak = +0
Normal = +1
Strong = +2
Max Str = +4

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

…five seconds…

 

[Reaver]

I face my companions and yell above the din of the worsening squall: "Fear not! Our mermaid friend Daphne will provide us with a means of escape but we cannot leave until Pale Jackal defeats the Captain and we get the information we require!"

 

[SeverinR]

Shan Mai
"I will go down the starboard side and look for some craft to use as an escape vessel. We will yell if we fidn something.
I will need help getting it to the Port side without letting it tumble off the ship."
He hurries up to the starboard side.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

A voice echoes:

"I am Daphne. Some of you have seen me; some have not. I serve The Voice, Goddess of the Open Sea, and it is through Her that I was able to guide you onto this ship. Your work here is nearly complete, so my Lady has granted me Her power a second time.

"These waters are not safe. A lifeboat would be a deathtrap. What Reaver said is the truth; my Lady's magic will allow grant you safe passage to The Black and Blue Oyster."

There is a loud rumble as one of the cannons rolls across the sloped deck. Dead bodies tumble down the hatch, or off of the broken bow and into the sea. Even the stack of cannon balls begins to slide. The base of the pyramid grows broader, until the stack dissolves and individual cannon balls roll the big frogman corpse down to the lower deck. Each cannon ball lands with a splash, indicating that the deck below is already flooded.

The Hyena lets out an odd sound--his lungs heaving, his voice hoarse, but the sound is unmistakably an attempt at a laugh.

((No damage to PJ. The pirate shoves him off and picks up his sword.))

He shoves the Pale Jackal away. He readies his sword. The Pale Jackal rushes straight at him...

 

[SeverinR]

Shan Mai returns to the group.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The Laughing Hyena is too quick for the Jackal. He thrusts his sword into the path of PJ's charge.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Pale Jackal makes a feeble attempt to retaliate, only to get slapped in the face by the pirate's blade. The brawler spits blood.

 

[Reaver]

Even though it appears that my friend Pale Jackal is outmatched, I know that this is not the case. I look at each of my companions and say: "We must not interfere. We are honor bound to respect Pale Jackal's wish to fight the Captain one on one. I have seen Pale Jackal prevail against much greater foes than this Laughing Hyena."

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

"I have no intention of cheating," I tell Reaver, even though the temptation is great. The Hyena promised to fight fairly, and his thoughts have some more credibility than his spoken words. Even so, I wince in sympathy for the Jackal as the fight continues.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Once again, the Pale Jackal rushes the pirate. His confident laugh shows that he has shaken off the effect of the choke hold.

"A wasted effort, brawler. Never remove your blades when fighting a swordsman!"

But as he says that, he misses the Jackal completely! PJ grabs the Hyena, bends over backwards, and slams the pirate's head to the ground. The pirate's neck is craned. He struggles, barely able to breathe. Even if he escapes, his sword is stuck in the floorboards, out of reach…

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The Hyena struggles for another ten seconds, but it's no use. He collapses.

The Pale Jackal stands, bloodied and barely able to breathe… but victorious!


((Congrats to Phil the Drill for taking a risk that paid off! Your reward is two new grapple attacks:
Suplex Submission and Suplex Slamfest!))

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

"Well done, Jackal!" I call out, applauding the victor. "What now, then? Back to the Oyster with this wretch?" I have a feeling we should get off this ship as soon as possible, and it would not do to keep Daphne waiting if she intends to help us again.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Daphne's voice echoes through the air.

"I am still on my way to you. If you wish to bring a prisoner, he must be conscious. The bubbles you traveled in can only be entered at will. I suppose the pirate would choose my magic over his sinking ship."