"Very good planning, Mighty. So we'll do." Aylar whispers, grinning like a shark that has smelled blood in the waters. "Grog'tial, just a wee point of advice from someone who raided plenty a port raid before, so I may clear yer confusion; ye assume that they might stand down and give yer a chance to stab 'em right after, or that the human will afear fer his life in the first place. Going by me experience, I say ye this: we nae have a number or circumstance advantage to have this work, it is likely that he not even be most high rank'd in the room and that be a vampirate, to whom his life is likely worth less than sand upon a shore. Besides, yer be expecting a guard of a large harbor to parley with an outsider pirate in these conditions? If they be worth their salt, they'll already know that our word be worth exactly nothing, and it best for them to rush us anyway. No one will listen to ye in a heat of a scuffle to be - what will give ye a fair chance and a fairer advantage is yer crossbow and yer shell, not intrigue. I know full well that ye likely not 'preciate or think ye need to hear this, but," Aylar gives him what can be only described as a "cap'n look". "This' not be a Mach'aveli court here. Act as ye will, but these kinds of expectations will bite ye eventually."

Pugwash leaves Rummyfangs on watch in the crows nest and descends to the deck, Whilst climbing down the mast, Pugwash's glass eye catches sight of the flyers on the deck table and focuses on the print.

Pugwash quietly asks why we are advertising Vampirate entertainment and is told they have been laced with holy water.

Pugwash realises the direct mailing potential that could be achieved if combined with a crossbow bolt. If wrapped around a bolt and fired at a vampire, the holy water-laced paper would penetrate the vampires flesh and cause internal burning. Pugwash suspects that this will cause greater damage than simple skin contact..

A more difficult shot, would be to fire the flyer not at a vampire, but at the Denuvo's mast. If done properly, the flyer would then be pinned to the mast for the Vampirates to read. With luck, some of them would take advantage of the offered attraction and leave for the shore.

Pugwash takes two of the flyers, thanks Bhrigu for the initiative and returns to the crows nest with the feeling that he can finally be of use in this great adventure.

Durik was a bit puzzled that his companions started discussing plans. They had just been discovered.. this wasn't the time to talk, but to act!
He positioned himself on the side of the door to hit whoever came through, hoping it wouldn't be Origi.
If the others decided to rush inside, though, he would have followed them.

Who knows when the second part of Pirate Day GA will be released?

Mission 1, Turn 3 - (Tower team, Queen Origi)
Note - please consider posting multiple possible actions; we need to move along and advance past this to where all Crew can take part and have fun. :)
*Current Turn ends when all Tower Team and Queen Origi posts or 7 PM UTC, 22 September*

Argy climbs down from the window as rapidly as she can without slipping and falling. She clings to Grog'tial and whispers anxiously, pointing at the window: -"Quick, matey! Evil vampire in that window. Use yer crossbow if she appears..." after a mere second of hugging, surely no more than that, she pulls away from him and brandishes her pepper grinder menacingly. "Hey, r'spec' me personal space or I'll grind some pepper unto yer lus'ful eyes."

Grog'tial's annoyance at the Halfling pawing him changes as he registers her words. Quickly eying the window Argy has pointed to, he calculates his chance of getting a useful shot. Head shot, maybe, but Polly had said to go for a heart shot. He swiftly loads a stake-bolt into his crossbow.

"A vampire? Have ye got yerself spotted, lass?" Aylar asks in a hushed voice, having heard Argy's urgent whisper as he rejoins the group. "Right. I unlocked the gate, but let us assume the worst: our element of surprise walked the plank and we be out of time. Argy, if she has seen ye, maybe it be best for you to swing the door open, as they be expecting you to be here, then duck to the side and wait out the opener act; after assist as ye deem fair, safe fer cupcakes. Cannae risk making too much noise or bringing the place down. Lads, be ready to rush in through the open way and smash skulls but nae get cocky, aim to also disorient them." He asks Grog'tial for a stake, and tests its balance in his off hand while telling him to be ready to use the shell and for everyone to go for the kill.

"Mighty thinks Cracker has a sneaky plan, she wants to fly to the windows on the other side of tower and tell us how many guards are there. She can also make some noise to distract guards, so that you do not use up that siren thingy. If we go smashing, Mighty can go first, this crab claw is big enough to use it as shield. Claw will shield Mighty, Mighty will shield you..." Mighty told them, leaning to Aylar and Grog'tial. After consulting his 3-headed monkey, he told them monkey would go too.

Grog'tial nods approvingly at the parrot and monkey. "Cracker causing a distraction at yet another window sounds good. Go for it! Our one remaining advantage is that the vampirate has only seen Argy. She should stay right here, pretending to be trimming the verge, as I've heard is well-known to be a favorite late night halfling activity. That should give the vampirate a moment's pause. The rest of us, let's rush into the tower before we can be spotted from above - and let's hope that door isn't locked! - Otherwise, Mighty, bash it in! - There might be another guard immediately inside the door, but I figure we're more likely looking at a dark and empty room - don't look at the lantern outside the door, so your eyes remain dark-adapted! - with a flight of stairs leading up. We go up those, Mighty shielding us, and still try to put cold steel to the human male's throat so he can order everyone to stand down!" (roll dice) If he gets a shot at the vampirate he's fully prepared to take it, Grog'tial tells himself, but if it all goes into the haunted hells below Dwarves Deep, he'll be ready to blow his shell. His mind spins through what must the layout of the tower look like, where should the stairs be, what will they encounter ...

(roll dice) "Very good planning, Mighty. So we'll do." Aylar whispers, then proceeds to give Grog'tial some captainly advice from his years of experience raiding ...

(roll dice) Durik was a bit puzzled that his companions started discussing plans. They had just been discovered.. this wasn't the time to talk, but to act! He moved to go through the gate so he would be in postition on the side of the door to hit whoever came through, hoping it wouldn't be Origi. (roll dice) He had to move carefully to get through the gate with Dakka, Why was Dakka becoming so heavy? ...

Cracker had taken off to fly over the wall containing the gate at the same time Monkey started climbing it and Durik moved to go through the gate. (roll dice) Preparing to look into the first window, Cracker caught a slight movement in her peripheral vision. The parrot screeched a warning just as the Vampirate dropped onto Dakka! But if Durik was surprised, so was the Vampirate as she encountered the Cannon instead of the prey she had thought. (roll dice.)

The door to the tower burst open and a human Guard Captain storms out, hefting a saber in one hand and a dirk in the other. (roll dice) Monkey tops the wall just in time to see this and leaps, Chaotic Good head howling. The Captain lunges backwards with a startled cry at the sight of a howling three-headed monkey leaping at him with all three heads baring their teeth.

Inside the tower, heavy boot steps are heard beginning to run down stairs from somewhere above.

-----
(roll dice) On the roof of the tower, her albatross prince still unconscious but alive, Queen Origi could hear the ruckus of Cracker's screech of warning, the howl of the monkey, the startled cry of the Guard Captain and the boots of the Half-Orc Guards starting to hurry down the stairs.

(ooc: I'm discovering that Grog'tial is not just a nasty character toward his half-brother, but also in his thoughts - and sometimes in his words and actions - to his fellow crew. Just wanting to make certain you all know that this is purely roleplaying Grog'tial, and I really appreciate playing a game like this together. I think it's all still friendly, but if you ever feel like I'm crossing any lines, please let me know so I can tone it down!)

Not fully parsing the blathering of the half-elf - why isn't he moving already?! - Grog'tial is startled as Durik, right ahead of him heading through the gate, suddenly gains a vampirate-rucksack on top of his cannon. He takes a second to reposition for a clear shot, aims (remembering the adjusted trajectory for the stake-bolt, though at this close range, it shouldn't matter), and shoots his stake-bolt straight into the vampirate's back, aiming for the heart. He figures the cannon will probably protect Durik, though if not, ah well, plenty of half-orcs still around.

Given that the orcs seem to be coming downstairs, he doesn't blow his shell yet. By the time the orcs come downstairs, he hopes that the guard captain and vampirate have been dealt with. If not, it'll finally be shell time.

If Grog'tial has successfully shot the vampirate in the heart, he loads a regular crossbow bolt and will next shoot the guard captain (just as soon as he has a mostly clear shot; if that puts any fellow crew at risk, he's okay with that). If he missed the vampirate, he'll either load another stake-bolt and try again, or if the vampirate is chiefly focused on himself and he doesn't have time for reloading, he'll just grab a regular stake and will take a defensive posture, lunging at the vampirate's heart as soon as he thinks he sees an opportunity.

(If Durik jumped to the wall before Grog'tial has actually fired his crossbow, and if Grog'tial noticed him reacting like that, he adjusts his aim to the guard captain instead, fires, and then swiftly loads another stake-bolt to shoot at the vampirate as soon as he has a clear shot.)

Durik heard Grog'tial shooting at the Vampirate behind him.
Since he didn't know if that worked, he jumped back towards the nearest wall to crush or stun the creature with the weight of Dakka.

If the Vampirate didn't detach from the cannon, Durik used its ability to entrap the creature inside it, and then attacked the guard captain.
If the Vampirate detatched from it and was dead\unconscious, he attacked the guard captain.
If the Vampirate detatched from it and was conscious, he decided to attack it first with the cudgel, aiming at the head.

I was asking J exactly about that, but she's away at the moment.
I can't post too many diverging actions, if I don't know the results of the previous ones.
The priority is getting the Vampirate off Dakka, because otherwise the rest will be different.

P.s: attachment for J, to see if I understood the map

Keeping it short'n'sweet: if I can get at the Captain without hindering Durik any, I will; if I can't get at the Captain, I'll see how the Vampirate wall-smashing goes and strike at her if she falls off and becomes momentarily stunned.

Are there any rooms upstairs to explore? If so, Origi uses the commotion to explore them and look for anything useful. Or do the stairs go straight to the ground floor? Then Origi will sneak up behind the trailing half-orc and with her height advantage (being on the stairs) stick her sack over its head, while the other half-orc is busy rushing towards the noise. She'll then slash the bagged half-orc's legs (with the rapier in her good hand) to immobilise it and try to finish it off quickly with thrusts to the back of the neck. She'll retrieve her sack, sneak behind the second half-orc, and slash at this one's legs again.

Mission 1, Turn 3 - (Aboard Ship)
*Current Turn ends midnight UTC, 22 September*
(My apologies, I had hoped to post this sooner but I've had workmen here all day today.)

The faint screech of a parrot and the howl of a monkey reached Felinoid ears high up the Main Mast in the Crow's Nest. Then again, there had been bird and monkey calls from the area beyond the wall now and again that night. Before Cap'n Rummyfangs could quite decide what to do there was another sound, and much, much closer. From the Ship's hold came a loud slurred sea shanty

First slurred voice - "OHHHHHHH! Who lives in a cavern not under the sea?"
Obnoxious caterwaul - "Owww wherrrre be MEE-ow Cap'n B?
First slurred voice - "Decaying, black and white a penguin he be!"
Obnoxious caterwaul - "Wherrre oh wherrrre be MEE-ow Cap'n B?"
*Belch*
*Huuak, Huuak, HUUAK* (Sound of furball being hacked up.)

The rags that had been floating near the crew started off towards the steps leading below decks, then halted. "Oh bother!" squawked Polly lowly. "They must have gotten into the Ol' Nick's and the rags won't work on the newly turned. I thought Cook would know better."

Just then a carving knife thunked into the mast, whizzing past Bhrigu and just missing him thanks to one of the Cat's tentacles smacking it off course, but it did leave a small tip of that tentacle writhing on the deck as the Cat quickly pulled the injured tentacle back in.

Polly turned to the Crew. "Nothing for it. The Ship won't have them under control just yet. Ye'll need to handle this one yerselves, Mateys. Just shut them up, and try to keep the noise low. To kill ye have to behead them. Oh, and watch the parts, they'll move on their own."

That was all the time she had to brief them before the Ship's Doctor, now Zombie, emerged from below and came at them with a sharp paring knife, a surgeon's precision and a hunger in his undying eyes. Behind him, wiping his whiskers while staring at them from the lower deck, stood the Ship's Cook, his usual well kept fur falling out in grotesque patchs while in the process of becoming undead. Baring feline fangs in a horrible smile, he prepared to throw another galley knife with one hand, while reaching back for the tachi sheathed on his back with the other.

-----
Rummyfangs and Pugwash are in the Crow's Nest up the Main Mast. Foggy is testing the chains forward before heading back to the Gun Deck and Bellandra stands near Polly and Gilius on the Forecastle Deck. Captain Baldbeard is near where the Longboat is usually stowed, while Kyp wanders the deck nearby. Larissa is near the Main Mast Quarterdeck side. Count Karnstein back near the Commissioned Officers Quarters. Bhrigu is near his fliers on the table by the Main Mast forward side, in sight of the Cook at the bottom near the Warrant Officer Quarters entrance. The Zombie doctor has just climbed up to the Main Deck, nearest Bhrigu, Larissa, and Count Karnstein. The Cook is still down below. Do not assume either of them are slow.

The Ship, deck plan

My Action post in response from-post158 to-post178 read during the last hour or so
If I missed something, please let me know

Larissasuggested whisperin':
Zombies cant swim 'n they bein' our crew mates we cant scuttle 'em
We can tie 'em up wit' ropes 'n make 'em walk the plank (throw 'em outboard)
'n drag 'em fer a while:
Thar mouths will be busy swallowin' seawater t' keep 'em quiet...
'til the ship has 'em under control
IF fer some reason, the control doesnt happen afore the Denuvo boardin', well...
we'll needs t' sink 'em fer a while 'n worry later
t' squeeze-half-sea-from-'em/sew-thar-guts. Wha' do ye say?

Argy pockets the pepper grinder and wields her beloved pan again
Once the group breaks in, Argy will wait behind for a moment and then try to slip to a side when entering, to watch for enemies coming from other doors or flank the ones already in combat.

From your description, it appears I am close to the doctor, but the doctor hasn't noticed me yet?
If that is true, I keep out of the zombie's line of sight and when in reach use all my strength to cudgel off its head.