Week go by. Sailing. Hustle bustle busy. Galt stay busy. Galt help crew. Galt part of crew. Galt stay busy.
Week go by. Air cold. Galt feel air. Galt feel cold. Galt know something happen. Something big. Storm brew, Captain say.
Captain tell story. Galt know of it. Galt know of bad thing. Galt hear from other crew on old ship. Galt think scurvy. Galt KNOW scurvy.
Galt slam fist on wood rail, "SCURVY FOE. GALT KNOW OF IT. GALT OLD CREW TALK OF IT. MUST BE SCURVY. WITH MAGE ON BOARD, SCURVY FOE SHOW HIM SELF."
Galt prepared for scurvy. Galt stay at front of ship, look at sea. Look at water. Calm. Galt like water. Water is calm. Galt like the calm water.
BUT SCURVY FOE AWAIT. GALT PACE FRONT OF SHIP. Galt stop, look at sea. Sea calm. Galt calm. Galt wait for scurvy foe. Galt patient.
Galt help crew, storm or no. Galt know how row ship. Galt know how steer ship. Galt done this before. Galt know how be useful. Galt want be on deck for scurvy foe.
1-27 = Standard Sailors
B = Boatswain
Ca = Carpenter
Co = Cook
H = Helmsman
P = Parson
Q = Quartermaster
S = Surgeon
As the afternoon turned into evening, clouds started to gather in the sky and the sea became more and more restless. The expected storm arrived short after dinner, the bell slowly ringing. It took half of the sailors to keep the ship under control as the waves rammed themselves against the wooden hull while the wind tried to tear down the mast. Luckily enough, the sailors knew what they were doing. Okeanos himself had taken the wheel, steering the ship towards the waves as to not be thrown on its sides by them.
With almost half an hour of stormy weather behind them, it started to look like they'd make it out without the additional trouble of seafolk. A piercing scream of fear and agony proved that wrong, as one of the sailors (#19) who'd been fastening the wooden beams of the mast to the ship's railing with addition rope suddenly found himself pierced by a spear. The first of the seafolk had managed to make its way aboard the ship.
Within moments, the alarm bell was rang at a rapid pace, but during the same time, more seafolk managed to board. All of the seafolk were wilding spears, although some of them also had daggers strapped to their waist and their teeth looked strong enough to tear off a limb or two. Using the waves and the ties to their advantage in a surprisingly quick and coordinated attack, a group of eleven seafolk managed to quickly take a hold of the centre part of the main deck. It was clear that more were awaiting a chance to board in the stormy waters all around them.
The Helmsman was unlucky enough to be on the frontline and was barely managing to hold off two of the seafolk while the other nearby sailors (17, 1, 21, 26) rushed to help him. It was unlikely for them to be able to hold the seafolk off for long though.
On the other side, two sailors (24, 27) were getting overrun by the seafolk despite two others (2, 20) trying to back them up. Also ready to join in the fray from there was Galt, who'd remained on deck to help battle off the storm whilst waiting for his main opponent scurvy, the seafolk to arrive. His impressive size seemed to make even the frenzied seafolk slightly hesitant to rush forwards, but the sailor (27) in front of him wouldn't be as lucky if Galt wasn't quick to come to his aid.
From the Forecastle and Quarterdeck, five of the sailors (3, 4, 5, 6, 7) were loading their arabesques and prepared for a moment that'd allow them to fire the weapons at the seafolk. Captain Okeanos was still on the Quarterdeck behind the wheel, with another sailor (25) still ringing the bell whilst one more (23) was guarding Okeanos.
As soon as the bell rang, Melia, who'd been on edge the entire time, rushed out of the room. Despite not being able to stand stable whilst the ship was being rocked around by the waves, she was ready to guard the doors behind her (to the prince's room and the female cabin) with her life. The stairs downwards (located beneath the stairs to the Forecastle and Quarterdeck) were rushed towards by the sailors who'd been trying to sleep through-out the storm. The surgeon and parson made their way to the medical room instead, preparing for the worst.
The prince remained in his room, knowing he'd only get in the way, although he did get a short-sword ready for a worst-case scenario. The same applied to Oswald in the room below theirs, who held a rapier.
Morana, in the female room, took out what looked to be hand-crossbow and darts. Whilst she didn't leave the room, she kept it aimed at the door whilst trying to keep her balance. The other women in the room had likely noticed that the small girl had been getting terribly sea-sick from the stormy waves, but she was still trying her best to be ready for a fight regardless.
It was up to Mila, Moira, Retili and Vromdeir whether or not to brave the seafolk in the current conditions or would take their chances hiding and waiting it out. The waves would make it more difficult for them to keep their balance, although even the seafolk themselves weren't totally unaffected by the rocking of the ship. The light was sparse, as the rainy weather had put out some of the torches and the clouds kept the moonlight at bay, but this also affected both sides, as the seafolk weren't known for being able to see in darkness. The lack of light was predominantly problematic for the sailors who'd been trying to fire their arabesques, but would also make ranged attacks more difficult for others, especially in combination with the ship rocking everyone around on the waves.
I know there are people that are used to write combat in phases and that there are some that are used to having almost complete freedom in scenes, including in combat. For this club, I'd like to use a middle ground. I'd like to see a general approach to how you'll handle the situation and which number of seafolk you'll focus on (if any), whilst I'll personally evaluate an outcome for it and roll dice where appropriate. To give a short example of what I'd like to see, I'll write out the Helmsman as if the Helmsman were a PC;
The Helmsman knew he was in trouble, as he could see two seafolk closing in on him (7, 8) and he wouldn't be able to defend against both of them at once. However, with the sailor to his left (1) being right-handed and having another sailor close behind him, his best hope was that they would be able to at least hold off 8 and 9 for a little, so the Helmsman chose to lash out with his weapon towards 7. As the seafolk had a reach advantage, he'd have to dodge the spear that'd undoubtedly be lashed out towards him and close the gap immediately afterwards, which would also put him a little further away from (8). Were that to succeed, he'd follow it up by slashing his sword at the seafolk's throat, hoping to cleanly separate it's head from its body. Were he to get the seafolk down, he'd be free to aid one of the other sailors (1, 17), depending on which of them had a seafolk that could be flanked and get stabbed in the side the easiest.
Having spent the majority of his time in his cabin or attending to the needs of the prince (excepting for the brief period they were called together for a meeting with the captain) Retili was well and ready for some excitement. As much as he was loath to admit it, the lack of the daily gossip of the servants or the constant needs to attend to of his masters (The prince had proven to need very little) Retili found himself with very little purpose. Even the light verbal exchange with Oswald had done little to curb his boredom. He was almost thankful as the storm rolled in and began to savage the boat. Shortly thereafter Retili made his way down into the shared cabin so as to avoid being a burden to the sailors above. He had heard of seafolk, there were tales of them tossed around by the sailors who had been on the other ships he'd been on, but he hadn't expected them to be true. He even found himself mentally scoffing at the captain even as he solemnly informed them of the danger.
He scoffed less when down below in the cabin as he wrote he heard the piercing and rapid metallic ringing of the bell while writing by candle light down in his assigned quarters. He had removed his veil and cloak for the evening, the sunlight no longer a danger, so it was visible when his pale face somehow managed to go a shade paler. Darting over to his things the Zentail grabbed the dagger from his items. The blade was twelve inches long, razor sharp with a simple crossguard and hilt. Unsheathing it he didn't think twice as he started his way out the door and up the stairs. Unless something got in his way he would attempt to make his way to the prince through the most direct route while avoiding most of the fighting. His intention was to guard his new master with the small blade.
With the storm outside, any attempt at experiments involving delicate alchemy equipment was unlikely to occur. Upon the warning of storm clouds on the horizon, Mila had quickly packed her equipment and stored them in a place where they wouldn't be jostled. She frowned and sat by her suitcase, thinking about the new compound she had just created and the potential applications of it that had yet to be tested.
Alarm bells rung throughout the ship, jolting Mila out of her thoughts. Muffled by the sound of the storm, but still distinct, were the sounds of combat. A few minutes later, Mila stood outside the door to the medical room, kneeling down to tighten her shoelaces.
"Doctor, Minister," Mila addressed them as she entered. At some point, Mila had applied a good amount of some sort of clear gel to her blade, which she was just now sheathing in her scabbard.
Mila turned both heads, but the parson was quick to return his gaze to the scriptures he was reading from. It was likely some sort of prayer. The surgeon was the one to reply. "If you're here to help out again, I should warn you, in the few times I treated patients attacked by seafolk, their wounds were always of the nastiest kind. The blasted creatures tend to use barbed spears that tear through flesh and muscles like it's butter."
"It would be wrong of me to not lend my aid after you have graciously lent me some of your limited working space," Mila stated as evenly as ever, "But I cannot assist at this moment. These seafolk, do you have much experience with their anatomy? Is their integumentary system comparable to the ones in terrestrial sapients? I would be remiss if I failed to act on an opportunity to do some field testing."
The surgeon shook his head. "I'm afraid that the most I've seen of them are the wounds they inflict. Mostly stab wounds from barbed spears and sometimes a limb torn off with their jaws. I'd have dissected one if I'd ever have been given the chance, but the wounded they leave in their wake always kept me preoccupied and their bodies tend to start decomposing pretty quickly... Although I think their stomach acid and the bile from their gallbladder are sometimes used by you alchemists, if you can get it out before the creatures decompose." That was the last he said on the topic, as he started setting up the surgery table, which needed leather straps to tie future patients to the table to prevent them from sliding off of it in the stormy weather.
Mila nodded as she processed the information the doctor had given her. "You have my gratitude. I will be off now: hopefully, my efforts will help to minimize the number of people who will require your skills." Mila gestured to the tin of clear gel that she'd put on her blade which she placed in an unobtrusive spot on a bookshelf. "Keep an eye on that, would you? It's non-corrosive to metals, but I hypothesize that it might be corrosive to organics. These seafolk should make for an excellent experiment."
As Mila left the medical room, she could keenly feel her heart pounding in her chest. Mila was not a fighter; she knew that keenly. The fencing lessons that the nobility engaged in would be subpar for the level of force expected from an actual fight, as Percy had once demonstrated to her. But Mila had been stripped of her noble title since Percy's death; her only title now was exile, and as an exile, Mila would have to carry her weight.
I suppose this would be a good chance to test two hypotheses. One, the properties of the unidentified substance. Two, my capabilities in battle. Should the answer to two be inadequate... Well, then I was never going to survive much longer, was I?
Mila would attempt to find other allies before engaging any seafolk, making her way to the prince's cabin where she knew a good bulk of the crew would be. Upon encountering a seafolk, if it was isolated or if Mila held the numbers advantage, Mila would then engage it in combat using the fencing form she was most comfortable with, attempting to cut any exposed flesh to observe the effects of the gel.
Red. Red fill vision as foe kill. Red. Red of blood. Red of anger. Galt eyes fill with red. Galt angry. GALT ROAR, "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Galt scream like thunder. Galt roar.
Crew man dead, but Galt save more crew. Galt push 27 behind him, take any spear meant for him. Galt take it all. Galt can take it. Galt strong. Galt stronger than sea-men. They scared. Scared of Galt. GOOD.
Galt take fist, grow in size from Galt strength (Magic Used), smash into 2, feel weight of bones crunch from Galt punch. Galt take puny sea-man in hand, wield like club, smash any other sea-man (3, 1) with sea foe. Galt feel weight of sea-man, crunch beneath strength.
If puny foe defeated, Galt turn to new foes (11, 4, 10). Roar like thunder. Galt anger, fury known to all sea-men. Galt eyes red. Anger. GALT ANGREY.
At the sound of the alarm bell, Moira sat up on her bed and drew two knives. She wasn't really a fighter, so she decided it'd better to wait out the battle in her room. Going out would probably result in her dying or getting in someone's way. Or both. Moira looked down to see her hands shaking. She was afraid. She had never really been in a real fight before. Even though she was good with throwing knives and could certainly hit and injure and maybe even kill with them, she had never actually thrown them with the intent to hit a living thing before. Moira took a deep breath. This was just another performance. There was nothing to be afraid of. Plus, she wasn't alone. Although Mila had left, Morana was also still in the room, and reassuringly, looked like she knew how to use the crossbow she was holding. Moira hadn't spoken to her much, but just having someone be there helped to calm her nerves.
Red (healthy) / Saturated red (injured) 1-27 = Standard Sailors
B = Boatswain
Ca = Carpenter
Co = Cook
H = Helmsman
P = Parson
Q = Quartermaster
S = Surgeon
Blue (healthy) / Purple (injured) 1-? = Seafolk
As the first sailor that had been attacked (19) drew his last breath on a seafolk's (10) spear, the Helmsman and the sailors around him were pushed back. The Helmsman's attempt to dodge the two seafolk that were closing in on him failed, as the waves made him stumble just enough for one of the seafolk (7) to find an opening and pierce its spear through his leg, after which the other seafolk (8) pierced its spear straight to the Helmsman's heart. This mean that the other two sailors on their side of the front-line had to fight duke it out with the Seafolk next, which both failed to do. One of them (17) managed to retreat, but got hit in the leg with a spear (6's). The other (1) was even more unfortunate, as he got stabbed through the stomach and soon saw his innards ripped out.
The remaining two sailors (26, 21) were soon backed up by the sailors that'd come up from the lower deck to back them up (Quartermaster,8, 9, 10, 11), forming a loosely organized formation to fend off against the seafolk. As they were doing so, Retili managed to make his way up alongside them as well with his weapon unsheathed. The latter instantly made Melia stand between him and the door to the prince's cabin, blocking him from entering. "You should head down again." Her voice was a mixture of hostile and stern, suggesting she didn't trust him enough to let him in with the prince, especially not when he was armed and could assassinate the prince during the chaos. With only a few sailors between Retili and the seafolk, he'd be in a very precarious position if he remained in this place.
Mila, after exchanging some words with the Surgeon, would currently be heading towards the stairs on the quarterdeck side of the ship. She'd spot a sailor (12) who'd lost his balance and was currently getting up to join the others, as well as the Carpenter, who was closing the door to the officer's room in order to hide from the battle. She would also hear the sounds of battle picking up above her as she headed for the stairs as well. Due to taking some time to talk, I'll say she'll arrive on the main deck in your next post, where she'll encounter the situation as described above and can react accordingly.
On the other side of the ship, Galt was playing the main role in the flow of battle. He successfully shoved the sailor (27) behind him to stand at the forefront of the battle. The sailor himself fell over, although he quickly tried to get up again. The spear that'd been meant for the sailor hit nothing but thin air. Galt's outcry even made the seafolk back up for a bit, as their fear of the orc was temporarily stronger than the storm-induced rage. This didn't take long, as the storm was quick to get them back into its grasp and made them try to gang up on the raging orc. The temporary moment of fear did allow Galt to land a hit upon 2, however, who could feel multiple of its bones snap under the the weight and force of the fist. However, picking the heavily wounded seafolk up after smashing it halfway through the ship's deck-planks proved too difficult in the current situation. To make matters worse, the other two seafolk (3, 11) teamed up on Galt. One tried ramming its spear into Galt's left leg, the other to his right shoulder. Galt would not feel any changes due to using magic yet, but if he'd keep consistently using it through-out a fight/post like this, a small backfire risk (1d20 <5) would occur during the next post.
The sailor above where Galt was fighting (24) was about to be attacked when the sailors on the Forecastle (5, 6, 7) fired off their arabesques. The first one of them (5) lost his balance during a wave and missed entirely. The second (6), on the other hand, lined up a near perfect shot with one of the seafolk (4) going after sailor (24) and left it with half of it's jaw shot off. The third (7) barely missed his shot. This left the other seafolk (5) unscathed and able to catch up to sailor 24 and stab him in the back, leaving him severely injured. The two nearby sailors (20, 2) tried to get to him and drag him away before he'd be finished off.
Meanwhile, the remaining sailors on that side of the boat (15, 18, 22, 16, 13) got managed to climb up, with only the cook, boatswain and 14 awaiting their time to get to the main deck of the ship and help out the others.
However, the Seafolk had managed to create some room for their allies to climb aboard in the middle of the ship. Three more climbed up on Galt's side (12, 13, 14) and two more (15, 16) on the opposite side.
There were also a few Seafolk trying to climb their way up along the outside and onto the Quarterdeck of the ship in order to take over the wheel. The seafolk, despite all their storm-induced rage, knew that they'd win this battle if they managed to capsize the entire ship and a few of them were still just about rational enough to act upon it by trying to take over. The sailors that'd been protecting their captain were quick to try to fend them off, but it was unclear if they'd be able to do so and if there were going to be more seafolk that'd come up with this plan.
Meanwhile, Moira would start to have reason to be nervous again. Whilst Morana definitely knew how to use her crossbow, her tiny stature and light weight made her struggle to keep her balance amidst the waves more than others. To make matters worse, the storm made the door fling open, presenting both of them with a good view of some of the ensuing chaos on main deck.
Retili's cool yellow eyes swept over the form of the woman in his way. This was likely the first time she had seen him without a cloak or veil to cover him. The black scar twisted as he sneered at her in response. "I am no coward, I won't simply run and hide down in my cabin like that coward Oswald when the prince is in danger." He turned away from the woman and settled into a low stance facing where the Seafolk were attempting to slice their way through the crew. "If you won't let me in there then I will simply defend him from out here." With a sharp movement, Retili drew his dagger over his hand, cutting neatly into the skin of his palm and spattering blood along the deck of the ship and the tang of the blade. Then Retili began to focus, calling forth the ghoul to appear in front of him. He could feel the blood draining from him even as he did so. If the ghoul correctly summoned he would send it to attack the Seafolk. If it summoned correctly but was not under his control he would attempt to dispatch it swiftly with a stab to the head. Lastly, if it summoned some sort of abomination he would attempt to kill it by stabbing it in any obvious weak spot.[/B]
Moira jumped up from her bed when the door flung open and almost lost her balance with the rocking of the boat. After steadying herself, she slowly made her way over to the door, but hesitated. Should she close it? Go out and help? Using the doorway for support, Moira wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and then threw a knife at one of the seafolk (8) using her magic to curve it past the sailors in front of her, and striking it in shoulder. She took a deep breath before throwing the second knife she had drawn. She only had a set of 12, it would be good to waste any. She aimed her second knife at the seafolk's neck, once again using a bit of her wind magic to help guide it. If the winds weren't so strong, it might have been possible for Moira to use her magic to help steady the boat. With the storm raging as it was though, she would probably kill herself before accomplishing anything. For now, using magic to keep her knives from being blown off course was the best she could do. She could help Morana's crossbow bolts hit their mark too, but she wasn't sure if the small woman intended to move from her position.
PAIN. RED. Galt want to smash those two. Galt want sea-men suffer, "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH." GALT CRY IN RAGE.
Galt grab spear in right hand to stop shoulder spear, get hit in leg. Galt pull spear with might and right hand. Galt punch with left hand. Galt kick with left leg to sea-man who stab Galt. If fail, Galt release other spear with right hand, punch with right hand.
"Galt Pain... GALT KILL." Galt roar at foe, with bare teeth.
Following the sounds of steel on steel, Mila quickly pushed past the sailor who had lost his balanced ascending the stairs to the main deck. What little light that the storm could not engulf revealed an unmistakable battle. Mila quickly looked around. Much of the main force of the seafolk had boarded the main deck, and much of the sailors had engaged them. Among the exiles assisting, Mila could immediately see the carnie, whose knives took improbable paths midflight, and the Zentail, who seemed to be engaging in some type of blood magic. She could also hear the distinct cries of an enraged orc. That was a good thing, Mila told herself. If he was screaming, he was still alive.
There didn't seem to be any way for her to impact the battle on the main deck, since the battle lines were fairly well drawn, and Mila did not fancy her chances in a neutral one-on-one engagement now that she saw what the seafolk looked like. Instead, she turned and ran to the quarterdeck to assist against the seafolk attempting to climb up the sides of the ship. The alchemist would engage whichever seafolk was closest to boarding, and when they were in range, she would stab the closest appendage to her in an attempt to get them to fall off. If they would continue to climb, Mila would continue to slash at them with the intent of causing as much damage as possible before they could board.
Red (healthy) / Saturated red (injured) 1-27 = Standard Sailors
B = Boatswain
Ca = Carpenter
Co = Cook
H = Helmsman
P = Parson
Q = Quartermaster
S = Surgeon
Blue (healthy) / Purple (injured) 1-? = Seafolk
The battle raged on aboard the ship, although it seemed like the worst of the storm had passed on. The rain still was pouring down, but it no longer obscured everyone's vision as much, giving clearer visibility across the ships in the combined light of the moon and some torches. The waves had died down just enough to give slightly more decent footing, although that was something both sides of the combatants were able to make use of.
The three sailors on the Forecastle were ready to fire another salvo at the seafolk. Sadly enough, the first of them (5) had his arabesques jammed, whilst the other two (6,7) only grazed the seafolk on deck. The shots did manage to hold up the seafolk just long enough for two sailors (20, 2) to drag their wounded companion (24) downstairs to the surgeon.
This left the other sailors (15, 18) on that part of the ship to fight the seafolk (5, 4). With one of those seafolk (4) already being heavily wounded, it was easy for Sailor 18 to finish it off. However, the sailor facing the other seafolk wasn't as lucky, as he was barely able to fight the creature to a stalemate whilst its allies arrived. Whilst the sailors (15, 18) managed to deal with one more seafolk (5) by teaming up on it, they soon entered into a deadlock with the remaining two, as sailor 14 and the boatswain came to back them up.
A little besides them, Galt was facing a group of seafolk by himself. His rage was slightly less intimidating the second time around, but it was clearly still affecting the seafolk. Galt managed to grab the seafolk's (11) spear with his right hand and and knocked him out in a clean hit by his left hand. However, Galt surrendered his left leg in order to do so, as kicking towards an incoming spear on deck of a ship in a storm was a gamble with a low success rate. Galt's left leg has been injured, he can still stand on it, but it will hurt a lot and he won't be as quick and agile as usual with it. The surprising action, however, did cause the seafolk to whom the spear belonged (3) to be surprised enough to become an easy target for a counter-attack.
As Galt was fighting, the sailors behind him managed to come to the aid of their Orcish ally. Sailor 27, who'd been saved by Galt moments ago, finished off a heavily wounded seafolk (2) that had tried to come after him previously. He also managed to intercept another seafolk (13) from being able to flank Galt, but a third (12) tried to shove aside the unconscious seafolk with its feet in order to team up on the Orc. Yet another seafolk (14) was also awaiting its chance to attack the Orc. Meanwhile, three sailors behind Galt were waiting for an opportunity to join the fray whilst 27 was trying to hold the line besides him.
On the other side of the ship, Retili attempted something rather dangerous. Not only was a ghoul one of the most complex summons, he also tried to summon it in a pretty short time frame. (Full Save DC >15, got 16). The risk, however, paid off. Retili managed to summon the Ghoul without issue. The creature pushed past the sailors as it was sent to fight the Seafolk. The latter had been in a stand-off for a while. Whilst they hadn't been able to save their ally (17) from the seafolk, as his wounded leg had made him too much of an easy target, they had been able to hold off the seafolk fairly well. The sudden arrival of the Ghoul shook up both sides, but it was more to the detriment of the seafolk, as one of them (6) was jumped, bitten and clawed to death by the Ghoul before the seafolk could good and well figure out was what was happening. This allowed the three sailors (9, 11, 21) behind it to form a fairly strong defensive line.
Below them, one of the sailors (26) had lost his balance, which had caused the seafolk (9) to jump at him and break their formation. Whilst the sailor behind him (8) tried to drag him off to safety, the seafolk that stabbed him was directly behind him... It looked like they wouldn't manage to make it, but Melia finally left her position directly in front of the prince's room to come to their aid. It seemed like Retili's successful summoning had given her enough faith in the prince's safety to move a bit further away. She grabbed the wounded sailor to drag him further away from the attacking seafolk and tried to heal him whilst doing so. (Natural 1.) Sadly enough, the healing didn't do much, other than causing Melia to suddenly jump back in panic. Whatever had occurred had left her terrified of the wounded sailor, as it clearly took her all her courage to abstain from fleeing into the prince's room altogether. The proud warrior woman was, for the duration, reduced to a trembling mess that barely managed to resist her instincts to retreat further.
With the retreat of his allies, the quartermaster was brought into a very precarious position, as was left to try to defend himself against two of the seafolk (8, 1) on his own. Despite being a slightly better fighter than the average sailor, it looked like he wasn't going to see another sunrise. Whilst he was slashing away the spear of seafolk 1, seafolk 8 eagerly stabbed towards the quartermaster's neck... Until it suddenly felt Moira's knife manage to hit its shoulder, which caused its spear to miss the quartermaster. The second knife missed the seafolk's neck, hitting it in the chest instead. However, the pain and confusion the creature experienced was enough for the quartermaster to finish it off with a clean slash through its neck. This left the quartermaster to deal with seafolk (1) whilst sailor 10 tried to engage seafolk 9. Sailor 8 was still trying to drag sailor 26 to safety. Morana, unaware of how Moira's magic worked, didn't risk firing a crossbow bolt into the ongoing chaos.
Mila successfully rushed up to the Quarterdeck, which was just in time to see one of the sailors (25) get hit by a spear that was flung across the railing. The sailor clearly hadn't expected the seafolk to throw its main weapon at him, but the seafolk itself hadn't cared about it, as it was now ready to attempt biting through the neck of the wounded sailor. This gave Mila a good opportunity to jam a (poisoned?) blade into is maw and sent it back into the sea. A bit away from them, one of the seafolk (21) got its hand cut off by the sailor (23) and fell back into the water, whilst it was trying to get a hold of the ship's railing. Another one (18) also tried to throw its spear at the sailor above it (3), but missed, after which it kept glaring at the sailor above it whilst staying just out of reach of the man's sword. Besides Mila, the seafolk managed to climb onto the stairs, but was confronted by sailor 4, before it could attempt to attack her. As they were distracted on their side of the ship, however, one more seafolk (22) attempt to sneak on board on the opposite side of them.
Retili bared his teeth in satisfaction at the sight of the Seafolk falling underneath the ghoul, blood and viscera flying up from beneath it and signaling a grisly end to the fish person. Concentration on controlling the beast was important. It was a strong summon without a will of it's own, but that was a two edged sword. If not commanded regularly it would fail to do anything at all. "Ghoul, leave that one and kill the nearest seafolk." Retili's command was absolute. The creature would stand up from where it was and with jaw agape, blood dripping from tooth and nail it would rush the seafolk (7) with reckless abandon and mindless resolve. It would attempt to tackle the seafolk and drag it to the floor to bite and claw it to death. If it could not bring down the seafolk it would instead attack it upright, once again attempting to bite and claw it to death. Meanwhile Retili planted his feet and awaited an attack in a low stance. He looked quite savage as he stood, teeth bared and waiting.
Moira left her position in the doorway and rushed out to help one of the sailors (8) drag his injured comrade (26) into the safety of the room. Since she had no medical knowledge though, she left him on the floor after getting him to safety. A quick look outside showed that the seafolk on their side of the boat had been mostly cleared away, but there was still a good amount of them on the other side. She turned to Morana, "If you're willing to go out there, I can help your crossbow bolts land with my magic." Moira hoped she would agree, if only so she wouldn't have to leave the comfort of their little room by herself.
Pain, Galt pain. Galt feel Galt grow strong. STRONGER! (Galt has used magic again) Galt grow from sheer will. Galt is stronger than foe. GALT STRONG.
"GALT CRUSH." Galt roar, as Galt slam fist down onto foe that stab him (3), then sweep to side, want knock foe (12) off ship with sheer might, GALT KILL SCURVY!"
Mila had successfully pried one of the seafolk off the side of the ship, but she was given no chance to celebrate this as another seafolk managed to board. A sailor interposed himself between the seafolk and Mila, and Mila quickly backed away. In some small part of her mind, she was aware that the reason she had thrown herself into battle was to test the caustic substance currently coating her blade. Right now, the majority of her awareness was on not getting killed or injured. Seeing that there was no way to engage the seafolk closest to her (20), Mila looked around the deck for any other threats. If she was able to spot the seafolk scaling the other side of the ship (22) with the heightened visibility, she would scream, "Over there!" and rush over, attempting to wound or otherwise incapacitate it with her sword. If she was unable to see it, she would bide her time and wait for any opportunity to strike at (20).
Red (healthy) / Saturated red (injured) 1-27 = Standard Sailors
B = Boatswain
Ca = Carpenter
Co = Cook
H = Helmsman
P = Parson
Q = Quartermaster
S = Surgeon
The storm was dying down even more, which finally allowed everyone that had gotten used to the mild movements of a sailing ship to have decent footing again. It also looked like the first of the seafolk were starting to snap out of their storm-induced rage.
The three sailors on the forecastle of the ship released another volley unto the seafolk. Two shots merely scratched their opponents, a third hit the seafolk in its chest. Whilst none of the hits were lethal, they allowed the sailors directly opposing the seafolk (15, 18) to go in for the finishing blow. Whilst one of the seafolk (15) decided to jump ship (literally), the second died (16) to a slash to the neck.
Before seafolk 3 could try to stab at Galt again, he was slammed through the wooden planks of the main deck and into the lower deck, where it remained unconscious and with multiple broken bones and snapped ribs. Galt continued by swiping at Seafolk 12, catching the unconscious seafolk 11 on the way towards it and sending both of them to crash into seafolk 13. If the sailors beside Galt hadn't seen it coming, sailor 27 would've taken a plunge as well, but luckily enough, he'd already been somewhat weary of the raging orc. It allowed him to dodge out of the way in time to avoid being swept up as well. The last seafolk (14) on their side was quick to voluntarily follow its brethren back into the sea.
Meanwhile, Retili's ghoul was going after its second target. Seafolk 10 had already decided to jump ship, leaving only seafolk 7 near the ghoul. The seafolk tried to defend itself against the ghoul, but the brainless charge without any concern for self-preservation proved too much, as the seafolk soon found itself bitten and clawed to death. The sailors behind it were looking at it with clear concern, now that there weren't any seafolk around, upon which one of them (21) addressed Retili. "You've got that thing under control... right?"
The seafolk besides them were trying to get to sailor 26, but thanks to Moira's aid, he was dragged to safety whilst sailor 10 and the quartermaster kept the seafolk (1, 9) occupied. As they dragged him past Melia, they could see she was still struggling not to get taken over by panic, although she was calming down ever so slightly. Upon Moira's suggestion, Morana nodded. "Alright." As they got out the room, however, it turned out their aid was no longer needed. With the storm calming down and their numbers dwindling, seafolk 1 and 9 had finally jumped ship as well. Morana did sent a crossbow-bolt after one of them, but it plunged into the sea after the seafolk without any sign of whether it had hit its mark or not.
On the quarterdeck, seafolk 17, 18 and 21 fully retreated. Seafolk 20 tried to jump ship, but got its neck slashed open by sailor 4 before it could jump over the trailing. Mila would be able to spot the seafolk (22) just as it peeked its head over the railing. However, upon seeing two sailors (3, 23) turn around upon Mila's call, who herself rushed at it, the seafolk was quick to plunge back into the water it had come from. With that, the battle ended.
A collective sigh of relief went through the ship, as it didn't seem like the seafolk would try to board a second time, seeing how the storm had mostly subsided. A few small gusts of wind and a mild drizzle remained. The surgeon was able to stabilize the three wounded sailors (24, 25, 26), whilst the others made up their losses. They'd lost three sailors (1, 17, 19) along with the Helmsman, although it was clear that their losses would've been far heavier weren't it for the aid of the mages. Seeing as how they'd likely arrive in the City of Bells soon, the corpses were prepared to 'last' longer by the Parson and then put in body-bags rather than given a grave at sea, as being buried in the soil was still preferable to most citizens of the Kingdom of Edfield.
The next day was a particular sunny day and considering it wouldn't be long before they'd arrive in the City of Bells, captain Okeanos decided to let the cook use the remaining supplies to host a small feast to celebrate their incoming arrival (and to make room for fresher supplies). Whilst the feast didn't have many fresh products left, it did have some decent quality foods made out of the preserves, even including some pastries. Those who liked fish would certainly have a field day, as it was the only fresh thing and was therefore used in a lot of the savoury dishes.
They sailors gladly played along with Galt's victory over the scurvy foe, as nobody dared to correct him. If anything, Galt was able to enjoy a fair bit of extra liquor by having multiple sailors be willing to share their own rations, which was one of the highest honours one could get from them. The carpenter was the only one that wasn't as vocal or happy, as he had a broken main deck to repair thanks to Galt's actions.
The Surgeon, upon confirming none of his patients were busy dying, addressed Mila a day after the battle. "There was one thing I forgot to mention yesterday, but now that things calmed down, it might be interesting to look at. With how acidic the stomach acid and bile are in the seafolk, they have to have a way to prevent it from eating away at their own innards. If we dissect one, we might learn of it. Would you be interested in assisting me?"
Around the same time, Melia would address Retili, whilst he was on his way to the prince for the usual tea-time. "I'd like too..." She was hesitating what word to use for a bit. "... explain my actions during the fight." She clearly wasn't eager to do so, but continued on regardless. "The prince is a very trusting person, so to make sure that doesn't get him killed, I decided to assume the worst of people. Your actions were brave and helped us a lot, so I hope you can forgive me, even if I say that I won't yet change the way I'll act in such situations in the future."
Moira would find herself approached by Morana. "You don't seem like the type of person who'd get themselves exiled." There was a clear question in her words, regardless of how casual she stated it.
Other than a few NPC interactions that I started, the prelude will end here, as the next post will be the first part of the next chapter; the City of Bells. I'm planning to follow a more 'loose' and 'go at your own pace' plot-line from there, other then having a bigger weekly post, but I do want to encourage characters interacting with each-other, so feel free to use the last few IC days on board and the next OOC week to not just answer NPC's, but also further work on some relations between PC characters that will make it easier for them to work together in a setting where they aren't forced to be together in the same place.
After the battle, Moira retrieved the knives she had thrown and did what she could to help the sailors clean the deck. She was relieved the incident passed with few casualties, and that she had been able to help. This incident was most likely only a small taste of what going out into the Hinterlands though. Although she let herself celebrate with the rest, there was a small part of her that couldn't help but feel anxious. She'd have to practice her knife throwing more. Much more. Maybe she could ask Vormdeir to teach her.
The day after the battle, Moira had been out on the deck, enjoying some fresh air when Morana approached her. "I didn't get exiled actually." She told Morana. She hesitated slightly before continuing, wondering the best way to word things so she and her family didn't seem completely crazy, before deciding to just keep things simple, "I'm looking for my famly. What about you?"
@ItariChan
Morana was rather surprised upon hearing that Moira hadn't gotten herself exiled. As Morana glossed over Moira, she couldn't imagine the girl being an overly brave adventurer either. The family story only brought up more questions. "Your family? Why in the world would they be in the Hinterlands of all places?"
She was quick to answer the return-question. "It turned out that stealing is punished a little heavier if you're not among the big three species, so between the risk of getting my head lobbed off upon capture or voluntarily leaving for the Hinterlands, the latter seemed like the nicer option."
For Retili's part after the battle he retired to his cabin without a word to the others after seeing to the dispatch of the ghoul once they were out of danger. If anyone had known Retili for a particularly long amount of time they might have thought him to be particularly pale after the battle. He ate a simple meal of Zentail plants that night to account for the blood lost. It was unfortunate but necessary and he hoped they would be able to avoid any future fights.
Part of Retili wondered if the prince even knew what he had done to protect the cabin one night ago as he brought the tea to his cabin. If he did he did not show it. Retili preferred it that way, but he felt that he may have made two mistakes the night of the battle. Trying to gain access to the prince during such a turbulent time no doubt would raise suspicions, and summoning the ghoul had been both risky and exposed his magic to other members of their group. That was a secret he had hoped to keep for some time yet to avoid seeming dangerous to the guard.
He was back in his veil as he approached the prince's cabin with coriander tea. Melia caught him just as he was heading into the cabin, a rare departure from the prince's side. Even rarer was the words she spoke in turn. "I do not expect trust," Retili said after a moment of pondering the woman's words. "Trust is not so easily given to a stranger after all. I do hope that you will not think so low of me as to think only of my own skin during a fight. As I said before, I will fight to defend him where I can." With that he entered the prince's cabin with the heavy tray and set about pouring tea for him.
