[Game Thread] The Wormwood Mutiny

[Tripod]

The bilge was as dirty and disgusting as most would imagine from the bottom of the ship. As the three of you travel down, you step into ankle deep water. The water surrounds several crates covered in straw and other detritus and the walls are covered in manacles. This was likely where they kept Jakes Magpie before he got keelhauled. A single bilge pump keeps the water from getting too deep.

It isn't immediately apparent what the issue was down here. However, as you begin to look around several heads pop up over the water, big hairy bodies emerging. They have the bodies of rodents with patchy, matted hair but much larger than standard rats. Some bones protrude from their shoulders and their teeth were sharp. The dire rats, noticing another group of victims begin to move!

Battle!   Roll for initiative! On the map your name is represented by a letter (N for Nori, C for Camel, S for Skyfinger). I didn't do grid labels because the room is so small. You can see all the rats but they get partial concealment (-2 to rolls to hit) because they're small and in the water. They go on init 4.

[mountainbound]

Sensing the rats were hungry for more than a toe, Al-Muqtadir splashes forward, meeting the furry onslaught head-on. Where a second ago the dervish was unarmed, now two smoking blades whip to life from his hands and he's in motion. "I don't think they liked how you treated their cousins, Nori!" he shouts as he slices into one, and then dives at another with all his strength.

Actions Init: 11 Attack 1: Hits AC 18 for 10hp. Attack 2: Hits AC 13 for 6hp.

[zevonian]

"Let them...swim" The thin man held no weapons. He wore no armor. Skyfingers simply raised his hands, and made a pulling then pushing motion with them. The water in the bilge moved away from the trio of pressganged men, and promptly slammed into one of the rats in an attempt to push it overboard.

 

Init: 12. CMB 9 for Bull Rush on the middle rat.

[TheChuck]

Nori knew this was going to happen eventually. It does sooner or later on every ship he's been on. At some point he is tasked with removing an animal that just will not cooperate. The little rats were easy enough, even if they did decide to bite a bit they're no real threat to anyone except in absurdly large numbers. These dire cousins though could kill a man if he is not careful. Certainly they would not go easily onto a bit of driftwood, they have food and a nest here by now, and are willing to defend that to the death.

So it is with a heavy heart that Nori summons the power within him. Even though he knows that his power is not lethal, knocking the dire rat unconscious and throwing it overboard will almost certainly result in the poor creature's death. A thunderous retort echoes through the cramped bilge, and one of the rats thrashes about with a tiny thundercloud over its head. Wind and rain pummel the animal and a tiny bolt of lightning slams into it, knocking it unconscious.

With a frown on his dirty face Nori watches Gamel and Skyfingers do their thing, cringing when the big man rips one of the rats nearly in two with his phantom blade.

OOC Nori AC 12 HP 10/10. Rolls.

[Tripod]

With the crew springing into action the rats held little resistance. Camel slashed one in two while the other skittered out of the way of his second attack. Skyfingers, unarmed as he was, tried to shove one but was unable to reach it as the creature was so quick and small in the water. Nori was a little more lucky, reluctantly striking it with a magical blast. However his attack had a little more oomph than he was expecting and shoved the creature back into the wall with a 'Skreeeek!'. The remaining four rats converged on the two closest opponents, biting and scratching with no success whatsoever. Seems this will be a simple clean up job.

Mechanics   All rats missed!

[zevonian]

"Besmara. Allow me to push these away."

They were not pirates, the bad critters trying to eat him. They were not hard working sailors, the vermin at his feet. They were defilers of the bilge, and needed to be removed.

Skyfingers put palms up, away from him. Water coalesced up and around the thin man, and then rushed forward. A fraction of a fraction of the ocean obeyed him, and crashed into the nearest rat, to send it against and then past another one.

 

CMB 22 to Bull Rush the nearest Rat (3, I supposed) away from me. Sending it southward on the map.

[mountainbound]

The only thing Al-Muqtadir liked better than a good fight was peace. These rats were a good excuse to practice his mindfulness. With a fluid motion he steps this way and that, a smile on his lips, knocking rats away from his legs as he waits for the perfect time to strike. One of the vermin turns just the right way in the water and the Camel suddenly lunges. But a sound makes him hesitate. A particular blurb blurb blurbing coming from somewhere in the water under the rats. The water.

"Is this ship sinking?" he asks suddenly at Skyfingers. "What is all this water doing here?" He shouts at Nori, voice full of urgency. "I can't swim! Are we going to sink!?"

OOC Hit AC 6 Hit AC 8

[TheChuck]

Nori targets the rat that Skyfingers had pushed away, hoping that one out by itself would be an easier target than a rat mixed up in the chaotic maelstrom of water and flailing translucent swords that has formed around Gamel. The little thunderburst misses the rat though, and it squeaks in fear as the miniature lightning hits the water next to it.

The druid is distracted for a moment by Gamel's frightened shouts, and he laughs at the landlubber. "Don't worry Gamel, we're not going to sink from this little puddle."

OOC Nori AC 12 HP 10/10. Rolls.

[Tripod]

The rats easily evaded the strikes from Camel and Nori, the water obscuring their path as they attacked the intruders. A skrreeeaaaaak emitted from the rat Skyfingers charged into, the small dog sized rodent flying backward, slamming into the wall. However, it and another nibbled at the cleric as he attacked, drawing some blood. The same happened to Camel as he slashed his mindblades, one of them catching him on the leg.

Mechanics 3 total damage to Skyfingers 2 to Camel

[mountainbound]

Feeling the bit of rat's teeth, the Camel exclaims: "Blasted R.O.U.Ss! Now by the bite of your teeth I know you exist!" And with that the dervish whips his psychic blades through the water, slicing at matted fur with a vengeance.

Actions Attacking any close rats, or taking a 5' step to get near. Attack 1 hits AC 15 for 7 damage. Attack 2 hits AC 23 for 6.

[zevonian]

Skyfingers pointed to a portion of the bilge. "The pump will hold. No sink-Ow!" One of the rats bit him on his unarmored arm, interrupting his reply.

Blood. There was blood dripping from him now. This wasn't how his life worked. Oh, he'd had the crimson nightfight woundings of others land upon him. He'd tended to everything from bruises to severed limbs, but his own sanguine splashing into the water he had summoned? No, this should not be.

"Besmara. Pull away the defilers." The water swirled around one of the rats, the one that just bit him, and tried to remove it from the vessel. In the mini-maelstrom, he had to back away.

 

Standard: Surge. CMB to drag away a rat.

Dice CMB:

d20+4

(9)+4

Total = 13

Free: 5' step away from rats.
Can't Channel Energy yet, as it would just heal the rats and we'd be back at square one.

[TheChuck]

Nori snaps out of his reverie about well endowed mermaids and sends another storm bolt at the nearest unengaged rat. The tiny thundercloud sends a little bolt of lightning into the rat, making its hair stand up on end as it flops about erratically. When the rain clears another rat is floating belly up in the dirty bilge water.

OOC Nori AC 12 HP 10/10. Rolls.

[Tripod]

With a furious attack from Camel and a lightning strike from Nori, the dire rats fell like dominos. After a few more seconds of scuffling, the rats were expunged from the ship, lending safety to the crew. Now silent except for the churning of the bilge pump, the three of them stood in the water looking out across the barrels and boxes of the bilge. It was likely nobody remembered what was even down here so if they wanted to spend more time sifting through things, they could.

OOC Sorry for the slow post but I went ahead and finished the fight. Everyone gets 270 experience and can make 2 perception checks to go through the boxes down here. If, when you're done, you're free until evening.

[zevonian]

"Besmara. We have defended this vessel. I ask you allow us reprieve from our woundings."

Thumb to thumb, fingers to fingers, the little cleric tapped his digits together as he spoke. When he fnished, he spread his hands out quickly, thumbs towards himself, pinkies towards his allies. Immediately, wounds began to close themselves.

"They people that took me...us...they took something that belongs to me. While I look to see what's been damaged, to report back to the task assigner, I must inform you that I will also be looking for what's rightfully mine."

 

Two uses of Channel Energy, make sure we're all fully fit before heading upward.

Dice Channels:

1d6	4
1d6	6

Perception Checks:

Dice barrels and boxes:

d20+8	(8)+8			Total = 16
d20+8	(11)+8			Total = 19

.

[mountainbound]

As the last of the rodents falls, the Camel's two smoky swords dissipate into the dank air, and once again the dervish is weaponless. It's then that he feels the healing flow from Skyfingers. "Thank you kindly my friend. In my land, we do not know of Besmara, but I see your god is powerful and generous. You must tell me more of her some time!"

He talks for a bit about the gods of the desert -- a seldom-seen rain deity, the Dune God, the wicked Lord of Beetles, and a few others as he pokes around the chests rotting away in the bilge.

Action To clarify, do we all heal 10 hp? Perception Dice Roll: 1d20+5 (14)+5 Total = 19 Dice Roll: 1d20+5 (13)+5 Total = 18