Mission 4 - Turn 2, Attack of the Giant Squid *Next turn starts
4 AM UTC, 19 November Norwegian Pirate - Two Steps from Hell Pugwash uses the soap, but can't get used to his new scent. How do people cope with being clean constantly? Tying himself to the crows nest,
Pugwash surveys the scene. When the first siren song breaks out, he is ready. (roll dice) Sighting through the glass eye, the
port side siren barely has time to open her mouth when
Pugwash's bolt takes her through the heart. The force of it flips her 3 meters back into the sea, where the body sinks below the waves. He begins the rapid reload while he determines his next target, prioritizing those with the potential to threaten fore deck. If Aeshma is lost, the mission is a certain failure.
Count Karnstein paces anxiously on the quarter deck, watching for any dangers while they make their way through the reef. As a captain himself, he knows as well as
Aylar and Baldbeard that this is where they are the most vulnerable to being trapped with limited maneuverability. (roll dice + Luck) From the corner of his eye he sees movement, and turns just in time to dodge a harpoon aimed at him.
So it begins. As the chaos breaks loose all around.
Count climbs onto the poop deck to see three ships behind them, already firing their cannons.
Taking out the Pipe he approaches the rear railing and releases the
fog in wide angle behind the Ship to hide them from pursuers and cover them from the sight of enemy cannoneers. (roll dice) The fog rolls out in a thick blanket,
obscuring them for 50' (15m) behind and to their flanks. Returning to the quarter deck,
Count Karnstein notes the situation on the main deck. (roll dice +Luck) Grabbing a line attached to the Main Yard, he wraps it twice about one arm and drawing his saber, uses it to
swing spectacularly along the starboard railing, kicking one leaping merrow back to the sea while slicing another from the railing. He releases the line and lands mid-deck, ready to defend and repel all boarders.
Aylar narrows his eyes at the battered vessels rising from the deep. Though he remains mindful of the merrows to the side of the Ship, this time he is resolved to keep a sharp eye on the situation, a steady hand on the wheel, and a sneaky presence in the Ship's wards - no intruders will be welcome on deck and hindered through tricksy means if be possible. (roll dice)
A rope flies free to entangle a merrow leaping to the deck. (roll dice)
A barrel slams into another, pinning it to the rail for Crew to take care of. Meanwhile
Sensei (as he has learned is the respectful way to address the old Ship's cook, once a master of weapons) stands at his back to ready intercept any harpoons or fools who would interrupt
Aylar's concentration on managing and fighting the Ship.
As ships arise from the depths of the marine graveyard around them,
Bellandra senses her wooden sisters on many of them.
At least one ahead, perhaps two behind, or more. She rushes to attack the
remaining Merrow near the starboard railing, firing a regular bolt from her hand crossbow, then attacking it with her cutlass. (roll dice)
Cutting it down and away from the Ship. As she runs and dodges, she uses the motion to blend with that of the sea, the dance of waves and the deck of the Ship serves to calm her thoughts.
She calls to those she senses with a deep understanding of their plight, and
feels another voice added beneath her own, a voice with the underlying power of the sea itself,
one she vaguely remembers so long ago.
"Sisters, hear me! I be Bellandra, aboard this ship ye be attacking. I have been as ye, bound as a figurehead, steered where others wished to go, and considered no more than an ornament. But the yearning for life had been with me, and when the time came, I was given the chance for freedom, for me own path - and I took it, and ever since me journey has been me own. Sisters, I sense that same yearning within ye. Ye be not things of horror or rot or foulness - I sense ye, I sense the wonder and beauty of ye. Yer chance be upon ye now! Free yerself and take control of yer ships, break free of the foul ones who seek to warp yer will. Help us in our battle, or seek freedom in other waters. Sisters, hear me, and be free!" Aylar keeps a careful eye on the two ships ahead in particular, deeming it necessary to strike before they do and grateful to
Count for fogging their stern. As such he stays his hand just a bit to see if
Bellandra's plea to her kin will have any effect and potential combat advantage to the Crew, but only just enough to give them a chance. Cautious of making any wild turns and minding the width of the channel and presence of any reefs or graveyard flotsam, he looks to guide the Ship into a good firing position, watching for that crucial moment any vessel be within firing range and clearly ready for attack. Under his hand the wheel responds to his touch, but there is a sudden influx of
a different sort of power than what he's felt from the Ship quite before, one that
reaches first to Bellandra and then to Clíodhna. The power merely
boosts Bellandra, but
reaches for Clíodhna and brings the spectral energies of the Ship into alignment with her own magicks. He recognizes a form of weaving when he sees one and senses her balancing a dance of fire and water, light and spectral, building it carefully.
She sends Aylar her intent and the timing when it be ready.
Kyp takes off his fishnet belt and jumps from the fore deck to the main deck. "I can use my net to catch merrows in the water or ones that jump out of the water, after getting them on deck we can quickly take care of them. Anyone want to help me pull in the catches since that will make things easier?"
Kyp waits until he sees the swift moving shadow coming up from the waves and casts, (roll dice + Luck)
snagging the merrow just as it's leaping from the water. (roll dice) he begins to pull the merrow in
when a large crab claw bats away a harpoon and shields them both as
Mighty comes to add his mighty strength to
Kyp's hauling in the net.
Mighty crushes the merrow with his claw as
Kyp releases the net and prepares for another cast.
Cracker keeps up a constant
squawking in Mighty's ear to defend against any more sirens.
A harpoon barely misses
Durik. "That was close. OH! Leave tiny alone!" he yells as he notices the
merrow targeting Argy. (roll dice) Keeping low and swatting away another harpoon with his cudgel,
Durik runs to protect tiny cook. He tells Dakka to entrap the merrow and then shoot it at the remaining siren. (roll dice)
Dakka immediately
swallows the merrow and as
Durik turns to starboard and pets it,
Dakka fires the merrow with a loud BOOM! (roll dice) Another merrow has the unfortunate timing to leap into the line of fire and is impaled on the fired merrow's harpoon as both continue on to smash into the siren, who is also impaled and silenced, forever.
Durik turns back and
stands with Argy, both now singing sea shanties as he stands to defend his tiny crewmate
near the quarterdeck stairs.
As the ship starts to navigate the reef,
Grog'tial makes his way up to the Fighting Top, where he'd felt reasonably safe during the encounter with the Denuvo - and this time should be better, since the deck wouldn't be abandoned by everyone else. As merrows and sirens and ghost ships appear,
Grog'tial swears silently at his survival once more depending in large parts on magick. Still, this is a moment for action, not for worrying, and something of
Clíodhna's calmness seems to have lingered in him.
Grog'tial sits down behind the railing for best protection from any harpoons. From there, he continuously scans the deck and the waters all around the ship.
He remembers to stuff his ears, then takes up his flute, and concentrates on his grandmother's song. (roll dice) He finds his inner turmoil dissipating, simply playing that well-remembered feeling of peace and security. (roll dice) Then he notices
the merrow on the deck beneath him also swaying to the song. The flute is working on the merrow, allowing the Crew to take care of them easily! (roll dice)
Grog'tial continues to play, knowing that at this moment it is his grandmother's song that is helping the Crew.
(continued below ...)
