Pirates of the Caribbean: A Skull & Bones campaign
RichGreen
Adventurer
Session #23
The Welstand anchors a mile off or so offshore and the Captain, Rodrigo, William and Clever Dick get into the ship’s boat and head for the beach. William’s caiman follows behind the boat. As they row the boat through the shallows, the pirates are attacked by a giant crab. Bloody Mary is grabbed in its claws but manages to escape, only for the monstrous crustacean to seize William’s croc. After a short fight, the crab is despatched and the men of the Welstand are able to reach the shore. On the beach, swinging in a hammock, they encounter the ancient shipwreck, Herman Toothrot, who tells them “the Dark One”, Cuauhtemoc, has headed inland to the volcano, carrying several black tablets.
The pirates head inland through the jungle. As before, they spot a “magic parrot” of the same variety seen and shot on their first trip to the Shanty Isles. This time, the parrot strikes first, unleashing a colour spray on Rodrigo and the others, before flying off!
When the group reaches the lizardfolk camp, they skirt around the edges through the trees. Unfortunately, they’re not stealthy enough and are attacked by a band of lizardfolk armed with poison dart blowguns and savage clubs. After a few rounds of fighting, these smaller lizardfolk are joined by a larger blackscale lizardman. There is a big battle but the pirates prevail and are able to start climbing the side of the volcano through the sweltering jungle. After a few hours of tough walking, the crew start to near the top of the volcano where the jungle starts to give way to a barren area of slippery, sulphurous mud and steaming pools. Here, a tunnel enters the side of the mountain: a lava tube, twenty feet wide.
Bloody Mary and her men enter the tube, heading down into the bowels of the volcano. As they advance, a pair of flaccidly -flapping membranous kites of skin glide through the air towards them. These disgusting creatures attach themselves to Bloody Mary and Clever Dick and start to absorb their skin. Attempts to get these skin kites off don’t work but the others are able to kill them with carefully aimed blows from their cutlasses. From here, Rodrigo sneaks ahead, following the twisting lava tube further into the mountain until it opens up into a large cavern bisected by a lava stream. Beyond, Cuauhtemoc stands on higher ground behind an altar of black stone, chanting in a strange language. Two mummified lizardfolk stand guard over “bridges” across the lava. Rodrigo sneaks back to the others to report.
The Welstand anchors a mile off or so offshore and the Captain, Rodrigo, William and Clever Dick get into the ship’s boat and head for the beach. William’s caiman follows behind the boat. As they row the boat through the shallows, the pirates are attacked by a giant crab. Bloody Mary is grabbed in its claws but manages to escape, only for the monstrous crustacean to seize William’s croc. After a short fight, the crab is despatched and the men of the Welstand are able to reach the shore. On the beach, swinging in a hammock, they encounter the ancient shipwreck, Herman Toothrot, who tells them “the Dark One”, Cuauhtemoc, has headed inland to the volcano, carrying several black tablets.
The pirates head inland through the jungle. As before, they spot a “magic parrot” of the same variety seen and shot on their first trip to the Shanty Isles. This time, the parrot strikes first, unleashing a colour spray on Rodrigo and the others, before flying off!
When the group reaches the lizardfolk camp, they skirt around the edges through the trees. Unfortunately, they’re not stealthy enough and are attacked by a band of lizardfolk armed with poison dart blowguns and savage clubs. After a few rounds of fighting, these smaller lizardfolk are joined by a larger blackscale lizardman. There is a big battle but the pirates prevail and are able to start climbing the side of the volcano through the sweltering jungle. After a few hours of tough walking, the crew start to near the top of the volcano where the jungle starts to give way to a barren area of slippery, sulphurous mud and steaming pools. Here, a tunnel enters the side of the mountain: a lava tube, twenty feet wide.
Bloody Mary and her men enter the tube, heading down into the bowels of the volcano. As they advance, a pair of flaccidly -flapping membranous kites of skin glide through the air towards them. These disgusting creatures attach themselves to Bloody Mary and Clever Dick and start to absorb their skin. Attempts to get these skin kites off don’t work but the others are able to kill them with carefully aimed blows from their cutlasses. From here, Rodrigo sneaks ahead, following the twisting lava tube further into the mountain until it opens up into a large cavern bisected by a lava stream. Beyond, Cuauhtemoc stands on higher ground behind an altar of black stone, chanting in a strange language. Two mummified lizardfolk stand guard over “bridges” across the lava. Rodrigo sneaks back to the others to report.
RichGreen
Adventurer
Session #24 The Not-so-Final Confrontation
Now joined by Merritt, the pirates drink the “potions of courage” given to them by Madame Laveau and enter the cavern. Unfortunately, the two mummified lizardfolk spot the party straight away and move up to attack. When William moves towards the lava river, one of them bull rushes him into the boiling hot molten lava where he is burned alive! Rodrigo attempts to turn the two lizardfolk but fails dismally; however, Bloody Mary gives one of the mummies a taste of his own medicine by knocking it into the lava flow. Next, she and Clever Dick attack the other one with their rapiers while Merritt leaps over the lava and starts sneaking round the side of the cave towards Cuauhtemoc.
Rodrigo decides that it’s now time to use the Feathered Staff of Quetzalcoatl. He scatters some corn meal and chants a prayer to the ancient Mayan god…… and transforms into the Plumed Serpent, a couatl. He casts holy smite at Cuauhtemoc, which does little damage but gets his attention. The Evil One responds by launching a spectral black hand at the Serpent, which rips off chunks of its flesh. The couatl grabs hold of Cuauhtemoc so he can constrict him, but the mummy priest escapes and damages the Serpent again with another spell, forcing him to retreat to the Ethereal Plane to heal himself. Meanwhile, Merritt struggles to climb up to the raised area where Cuauhtemoc and the altar are, and the others, having finished off the second mummified lizardman head up the slope to help out.
As the Plumed Serpent battles Cuauhtemoc, Merritt, Bloody Mary and Clever Dick start grabbing the Tablets of the Smoking Mirror and throwing them into the lava. Cuauhtemoc turns into a cloud of tomb dust to escape another grapple, so the Serpent imprisons him inside a wind wall and then fireballs him when he changes back to his mummy form. However, the fight has taken its toll on the Plumed Serpent and another flesh ripper from Cuauhtemoc finishes him off, leaving Rodrigo standing in his place holding the drained Feathered Staff. The pirates beat a hasty retreat back into the tunnels. There, two more skin kites attack, one of them damaging Rodrigo by melding with his skin, but they are dealt with fairly easily. Bloody Mary orders her men back to the entrance to the lava tube to consider their options.
Now joined by Merritt, the pirates drink the “potions of courage” given to them by Madame Laveau and enter the cavern. Unfortunately, the two mummified lizardfolk spot the party straight away and move up to attack. When William moves towards the lava river, one of them bull rushes him into the boiling hot molten lava where he is burned alive! Rodrigo attempts to turn the two lizardfolk but fails dismally; however, Bloody Mary gives one of the mummies a taste of his own medicine by knocking it into the lava flow. Next, she and Clever Dick attack the other one with their rapiers while Merritt leaps over the lava and starts sneaking round the side of the cave towards Cuauhtemoc.
Rodrigo decides that it’s now time to use the Feathered Staff of Quetzalcoatl. He scatters some corn meal and chants a prayer to the ancient Mayan god…… and transforms into the Plumed Serpent, a couatl. He casts holy smite at Cuauhtemoc, which does little damage but gets his attention. The Evil One responds by launching a spectral black hand at the Serpent, which rips off chunks of its flesh. The couatl grabs hold of Cuauhtemoc so he can constrict him, but the mummy priest escapes and damages the Serpent again with another spell, forcing him to retreat to the Ethereal Plane to heal himself. Meanwhile, Merritt struggles to climb up to the raised area where Cuauhtemoc and the altar are, and the others, having finished off the second mummified lizardman head up the slope to help out.
As the Plumed Serpent battles Cuauhtemoc, Merritt, Bloody Mary and Clever Dick start grabbing the Tablets of the Smoking Mirror and throwing them into the lava. Cuauhtemoc turns into a cloud of tomb dust to escape another grapple, so the Serpent imprisons him inside a wind wall and then fireballs him when he changes back to his mummy form. However, the fight has taken its toll on the Plumed Serpent and another flesh ripper from Cuauhtemoc finishes him off, leaving Rodrigo standing in his place holding the drained Feathered Staff. The pirates beat a hasty retreat back into the tunnels. There, two more skin kites attack, one of them damaging Rodrigo by melding with his skin, but they are dealt with fairly easily. Bloody Mary orders her men back to the entrance to the lava tube to consider their options.
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RichGreen
Adventurer
Session #25 Victory!
Monday 17th July
Reunited with William who has somehow managed to survive his fall into the lava (although his face is badly burned), the pirates discuss the best course of action. This time, Clever Dick uses the Feathered Staff of Quetzalcoatl to transform into the Plumed Serpent. Using ethereal jaunt, the couatl scouts ahead, determining that the tunnel is guarded and that Cuauhtemoc is chanting to himself behind the altar.
Once the Plumed Serpent has returned to report, Bloody Mary and her men head down the tunnel to where a mummified lizardman and two skin kites block their way. Rodrigo manages to turn all three undead and the party are able to run past them to the entrance to the cavern. There, the Plumed Serpent starts casting spells to protect the party. This takes a while and the lizardman mummy and the skin kites return. One skin kite attaches itself to William and starts draining his charisma. The couatl deals with the mummy, grabbing it in its coils and constricting it while the others battle the skin kites. William, on the brink of collapse, just manages to kill the skin kite that has melded with him before his life force is drained away.
With Cuauhtemoc’s minions defeated, the pirates are ready to confront the Dark One himself. The Plumed Serpent enters the cavern ethereally and invisible, appearing just above the mummy and attempting to drop the captain’s cloak over his head! Unfortunately, he screws up completely, dropping the cloak on to the floor and is forced to retreat back to the Ethereal Plane. The others, meanwhile, have entered the cavern and are moving cautiously towards Cuauhtemoc. The mummy responds with a flesh ripper on the Captain as both Rodrigo and William are rooted to the spot with fear. The Plumed Serpent reappears and unleashes a devastating empowered fireball on the mummy who responds with another flesh ripper. Bloody Mary backs off as Cuauhtemoc approaches. Seeing his chance, the Plumed Serpent flies at high speed through the air towards Cuauhtemoc and bull rushes him into the lava! As the mummy tumbles in and perishes, the couatl is transformed into Clever Dick again. Cheers and huzzahs ring out among Bloody Mary and the pirates: their enemy has been defeated and the Caribbean is safe from destruction! Now they just need to get back to Tortuga without much in the way of a crew….
Monday 17th July
Reunited with William who has somehow managed to survive his fall into the lava (although his face is badly burned), the pirates discuss the best course of action. This time, Clever Dick uses the Feathered Staff of Quetzalcoatl to transform into the Plumed Serpent. Using ethereal jaunt, the couatl scouts ahead, determining that the tunnel is guarded and that Cuauhtemoc is chanting to himself behind the altar.
Once the Plumed Serpent has returned to report, Bloody Mary and her men head down the tunnel to where a mummified lizardman and two skin kites block their way. Rodrigo manages to turn all three undead and the party are able to run past them to the entrance to the cavern. There, the Plumed Serpent starts casting spells to protect the party. This takes a while and the lizardman mummy and the skin kites return. One skin kite attaches itself to William and starts draining his charisma. The couatl deals with the mummy, grabbing it in its coils and constricting it while the others battle the skin kites. William, on the brink of collapse, just manages to kill the skin kite that has melded with him before his life force is drained away.
With Cuauhtemoc’s minions defeated, the pirates are ready to confront the Dark One himself. The Plumed Serpent enters the cavern ethereally and invisible, appearing just above the mummy and attempting to drop the captain’s cloak over his head! Unfortunately, he screws up completely, dropping the cloak on to the floor and is forced to retreat back to the Ethereal Plane. The others, meanwhile, have entered the cavern and are moving cautiously towards Cuauhtemoc. The mummy responds with a flesh ripper on the Captain as both Rodrigo and William are rooted to the spot with fear. The Plumed Serpent reappears and unleashes a devastating empowered fireball on the mummy who responds with another flesh ripper. Bloody Mary backs off as Cuauhtemoc approaches. Seeing his chance, the Plumed Serpent flies at high speed through the air towards Cuauhtemoc and bull rushes him into the lava! As the mummy tumbles in and perishes, the couatl is transformed into Clever Dick again. Cheers and huzzahs ring out among Bloody Mary and the pirates: their enemy has been defeated and the Caribbean is safe from destruction! Now they just need to get back to Tortuga without much in the way of a crew….
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RichGreen
Adventurer
Session #26
Tuesday 18th July
The Welstand leaves the Shanty Isles, flying a Dutch flag.
Thursday 20th July
A tropical storm hits. The captain orders the crew to drop the anchors and wait out the storm. The Welstand springs a leak but plucky young Rob manages to patch up the holes and the water is pumped out.
Friday 21st July
The storm continues to rage.
Sunday 23rd July
The Welstand arrives at Tortuga, somewhat the worse for wear. The plunder is divided among the surviving crew: each gets a whopping 1,500 doubloons. William hurries off to the pub while Rodrigo is reunited with Fifi, Mimi et Gigi. At the Blue Boar, the pirates run into Saucy Jack again who tries to persuade Bloody Mary without much success that he should get a share of Black Bellamy’s treasure.
Monday 24th July
The captain arranges for Francois Montaigne to make repairs to the Welstand while she works on hiring a new crew, offering a generous signing on bonus of 20dbl – enough to attract 40 sailors. Meanwhile, Rodrigo sells some of his loot to William Credo.
Thursday 27th July
Visit Madame Laveau in the bayou. She is very happy and not a little relieved that the pirates have managed to defeat Cuauhtemoc. Rodrigo presents her with the now powerless Feathered Staff as a gift.
Friday 28th July
Set sail for Rigas Island, flying Bloody Mary’s pirate flag.
Sunday 30th July
Run into the Wooden Nichol again. This time, Bloody Mary orders the crew of the Welstand to intercept and attack the English schooner. The pirates open fire and do enough damage to sink the Nichol, forcing Captain Michael Ross to surrender. His cargo is plundered but Bloody Mary’s recruitment speech is ineffective and the Nichol’s crew decide to take their chances in the long boats rather than going on the account. As they row away, Rodrigo takes a potshot at them but misses. Captain Ross goes down with his ship, shouting “You’ve not seen the last of me, you rapscallions!” as the Welstand sails away.
Monday 31st July
The Welstand reaches Rigas Island. The pirates search the abandoned and damaged Majestic, Bullhead Willows’s ship, but find no one aboard but do recover the ship’s log. An away team composed of Bloody Mary, Rodrigo, Clever Dick and William plus eight others rows ashore but are attacked by fierce natives when they head inland. Bloody Mary triggers some kind of noisy magical alarm when she passes between two large stones and this kicks off the battle: she’s forced to retreat after being struck by several javelins. Eventually, with the help of the other sailors, the pirates are able to kill all eight native warriors.
Tuesday 18th July
The Welstand leaves the Shanty Isles, flying a Dutch flag.
Thursday 20th July
A tropical storm hits. The captain orders the crew to drop the anchors and wait out the storm. The Welstand springs a leak but plucky young Rob manages to patch up the holes and the water is pumped out.
Friday 21st July
The storm continues to rage.
Sunday 23rd July
The Welstand arrives at Tortuga, somewhat the worse for wear. The plunder is divided among the surviving crew: each gets a whopping 1,500 doubloons. William hurries off to the pub while Rodrigo is reunited with Fifi, Mimi et Gigi. At the Blue Boar, the pirates run into Saucy Jack again who tries to persuade Bloody Mary without much success that he should get a share of Black Bellamy’s treasure.
Monday 24th July
The captain arranges for Francois Montaigne to make repairs to the Welstand while she works on hiring a new crew, offering a generous signing on bonus of 20dbl – enough to attract 40 sailors. Meanwhile, Rodrigo sells some of his loot to William Credo.
Thursday 27th July
Visit Madame Laveau in the bayou. She is very happy and not a little relieved that the pirates have managed to defeat Cuauhtemoc. Rodrigo presents her with the now powerless Feathered Staff as a gift.
Friday 28th July
Set sail for Rigas Island, flying Bloody Mary’s pirate flag.
Sunday 30th July
Run into the Wooden Nichol again. This time, Bloody Mary orders the crew of the Welstand to intercept and attack the English schooner. The pirates open fire and do enough damage to sink the Nichol, forcing Captain Michael Ross to surrender. His cargo is plundered but Bloody Mary’s recruitment speech is ineffective and the Nichol’s crew decide to take their chances in the long boats rather than going on the account. As they row away, Rodrigo takes a potshot at them but misses. Captain Ross goes down with his ship, shouting “You’ve not seen the last of me, you rapscallions!” as the Welstand sails away.
Monday 31st July
The Welstand reaches Rigas Island. The pirates search the abandoned and damaged Majestic, Bullhead Willows’s ship, but find no one aboard but do recover the ship’s log. An away team composed of Bloody Mary, Rodrigo, Clever Dick and William plus eight others rows ashore but are attacked by fierce natives when they head inland. Bloody Mary triggers some kind of noisy magical alarm when she passes between two large stones and this kicks off the battle: she’s forced to retreat after being struck by several javelins. Eventually, with the help of the other sailors, the pirates are able to kill all eight native warriors.
RichGreen
Adventurer
Session #27
The pirates search the natives’ bodies finding three potions of blur, then head inland following the native tracks found by William. They come to an abandoned village which they search round, finding nothing of interest. Next, they reach an inhabited native village, but decide to detour around it. By the afternoon, the crew are in the jungles of the southern part of the island, heading towards the volcano. A “magic parrot” is spotted in the trees: the wary buccaneers hurry past!
Later, the pirates reach what appears to be a hunting camp: there are three huts ahead. Rodrigo and Merritt creep closer, unseen by the four Tulcan warriors hiding in the undergrowth. Rodrigo cuts a hole in one of the straw huts and peeks inside to spot a bound and gagged aristocrat and three unconscious and badly wounded pirates. He moves back to the others through the bushes, blundering into two native warriors he hadn’t spotted before. He casts cause fear and they run off but the other four move in to attack. The rest of the Welstand’s crew arrive to help and the Tulcan warriors are soon dealt with.
With the battle over, Rodrigo questions the gagged nobleman who claims to be William Haverford, Governor of Jamaica. He is very grateful for being rescued but at something of a loss for words when Rodrigo, clearly a Spaniard, asks to be made Deputy Governor. Meanwhile, Merritt, Bloody Mary and Clever Dick check out the other two huts where they find Bullhead Willows (also bound and gagged). Bullhead tells them that Albert de Montblanc’s treasure chest has been taken to the “Golden Temple” at the base of the volcano by the Tulcans. After some deliberation, the pirates untie both Bullhead and the Governor and bring them along as they head up the trail having decided not to stay in the camp. When it starts to get dark, they camp for the night, setting watches. It starts to piss down with rain and everyone gets soaked, but otherwise the night passes uneventfully.
Tuesday 1st August
The pirates trudge further into the jungle, reaching the gold-covered temple after an hour or so. They scout around, but there are no signs of habitation and no back entrances they can find: just a pair of stone doors.
The pirates search the natives’ bodies finding three potions of blur, then head inland following the native tracks found by William. They come to an abandoned village which they search round, finding nothing of interest. Next, they reach an inhabited native village, but decide to detour around it. By the afternoon, the crew are in the jungles of the southern part of the island, heading towards the volcano. A “magic parrot” is spotted in the trees: the wary buccaneers hurry past!
Later, the pirates reach what appears to be a hunting camp: there are three huts ahead. Rodrigo and Merritt creep closer, unseen by the four Tulcan warriors hiding in the undergrowth. Rodrigo cuts a hole in one of the straw huts and peeks inside to spot a bound and gagged aristocrat and three unconscious and badly wounded pirates. He moves back to the others through the bushes, blundering into two native warriors he hadn’t spotted before. He casts cause fear and they run off but the other four move in to attack. The rest of the Welstand’s crew arrive to help and the Tulcan warriors are soon dealt with.
With the battle over, Rodrigo questions the gagged nobleman who claims to be William Haverford, Governor of Jamaica. He is very grateful for being rescued but at something of a loss for words when Rodrigo, clearly a Spaniard, asks to be made Deputy Governor. Meanwhile, Merritt, Bloody Mary and Clever Dick check out the other two huts where they find Bullhead Willows (also bound and gagged). Bullhead tells them that Albert de Montblanc’s treasure chest has been taken to the “Golden Temple” at the base of the volcano by the Tulcans. After some deliberation, the pirates untie both Bullhead and the Governor and bring them along as they head up the trail having decided not to stay in the camp. When it starts to get dark, they camp for the night, setting watches. It starts to piss down with rain and everyone gets soaked, but otherwise the night passes uneventfully.
Tuesday 1st August
The pirates trudge further into the jungle, reaching the gold-covered temple after an hour or so. They scout around, but there are no signs of habitation and no back entrances they can find: just a pair of stone doors.
RichGreen
Adventurer
Session #28 The Golden Temple
After a bit of a struggle, a concerted effort from the crew gets the stone doors into the Golden Temple open. Inside is an entrance hall, dominated by a giant statue of a snake (representing the Tulcan God of War), and guarded by four jaguar-skin clad warriors. These temple guards are dealt with only one casualty: Ernie Greeneyes. Bloody Mary calls on Selfish Hardy to replace him and the exploration of the ground floor gets underway. Two more groups of Tulcan warriors are encountered, backed by priests armed with nasty poison-coated daggers. These foes are disposed of without too much trouble, although William’s caiman ends up getting quite badly wounded and both William and Rodrigo are poisoned.
Rodrigo’s sharp ears can hear drumming from upstairs, so the bucccaneer sneaks up for a look. In the hallway above, a group of guards and priests lie in wait for the pirates. Getting the others to sneak up the left-hand staircase, Rodrigo moves stealthily up the right-hand flight and leaps out on the Tulcan warriors with a fearsome attack that shakes up the enemy! The others rush in to engage the natives with Hardy acquitting himself particularly well. Bloody Mary is struck by a poisoned dagger and suffers badly from the venom, but the pirates are again victorious. Ahead is a door from which a rhythmic drumming can be heard. Bloody Mary gives the order to open the door…..
In the center of the room beyond is a tile mosaic depicting a giant snake with seven naked women kneeling before it in worship. Standing in front of this mosaic is a tall man dressed in feathers, a bone breastplate, and wielding a strange-looking club or mace of some kind. On either side of this man are two knights: one is wearing a jaguar skin, the other is wearing an eagle-feathered costume; both are armed with savage looking clubs. Surrounding these men are twenty kneeling cultists, dressed in feathered skirts and painted in gold. Ten scantily clad and naked women sit behind them, beating drums and chanting. A large treasure chest stands on the floor next to the trio of standing men. At a command from the high priest, the kneeling men spring into action and attack!
After a bit of a struggle, a concerted effort from the crew gets the stone doors into the Golden Temple open. Inside is an entrance hall, dominated by a giant statue of a snake (representing the Tulcan God of War), and guarded by four jaguar-skin clad warriors. These temple guards are dealt with only one casualty: Ernie Greeneyes. Bloody Mary calls on Selfish Hardy to replace him and the exploration of the ground floor gets underway. Two more groups of Tulcan warriors are encountered, backed by priests armed with nasty poison-coated daggers. These foes are disposed of without too much trouble, although William’s caiman ends up getting quite badly wounded and both William and Rodrigo are poisoned.
Rodrigo’s sharp ears can hear drumming from upstairs, so the bucccaneer sneaks up for a look. In the hallway above, a group of guards and priests lie in wait for the pirates. Getting the others to sneak up the left-hand staircase, Rodrigo moves stealthily up the right-hand flight and leaps out on the Tulcan warriors with a fearsome attack that shakes up the enemy! The others rush in to engage the natives with Hardy acquitting himself particularly well. Bloody Mary is struck by a poisoned dagger and suffers badly from the venom, but the pirates are again victorious. Ahead is a door from which a rhythmic drumming can be heard. Bloody Mary gives the order to open the door…..
In the center of the room beyond is a tile mosaic depicting a giant snake with seven naked women kneeling before it in worship. Standing in front of this mosaic is a tall man dressed in feathers, a bone breastplate, and wielding a strange-looking club or mace of some kind. On either side of this man are two knights: one is wearing a jaguar skin, the other is wearing an eagle-feathered costume; both are armed with savage looking clubs. Surrounding these men are twenty kneeling cultists, dressed in feathered skirts and painted in gold. Ten scantily clad and naked women sit behind them, beating drums and chanting. A large treasure chest stands on the floor next to the trio of standing men. At a command from the high priest, the kneeling men spring into action and attack!
RichGreen
Adventurer
Session #29 & last (for now....)
Having closed the door to the sacrificial chamber, the pirates (now joined by Merritt) discuss tactics. When they open the door again, Bloody Mary charges in to attack one of the Tulcan fighters but succumbs to a hold person spell cast by Cihuacoatl, the high priest. With Bloody Mary helpless, the eagle knight moves in and performs a coup de grace, bashing in her skull [loses her fifth life!]. Merritt, keen to avenge his beloved captain, charges in to attack the eagle knight, helped by his monkey which pulls the beak of the Tulcan’s headdress over his eyes! William and his caiman attack the jaguar knight and acquit themselves well while Clever Dick gives Merritt a hand. Meanwhile, Rodrigo completes a daring dash around the back of the enemy to get to the treasure chest. Unfortunately, it’s far too heavy and he is unable to lift it much with his one good arm, let alone throw it out of the door, and he finds himself surrounded by fanatic cultists. Hardy enters the fray but is cut down almost immediately, as is his hapless comrade Bert Benson.
By now, Rodrigo is in serious trouble in the centre of the room. He survives the high priest’s slashing darkness spell but falls soon afterwards. The Tulcan warriors lay into his lifeless body with their clubs [loses a life]. Merritt falls unconscious in combat with the eagle knight and Clever Dick’s luck runs out: he falls over and is gutted. William, last man standing, finishes off the jaguar knight and then moves in to attack the high priest. The caiman is the next to die but William stabs Cihuacoatl, killing him. With the high priest’s death, the drummers stop drumming and run for the doors, closely followed by the cultists. Close to death, William staggers towards the eagle knight who has managed to slay half the party. He raises his sword, strikes true, and runs the native through.
With the pirates’ enemies dead or fled, William and Merritt (who has come round by now) manage to drag their fallen comrades and the heavy chest down the stairs and outside where their comrades are waiting. Incredibly, Rodrigo and Bloody Mary have somehow managed to survive the fight, although the captain will be forever weakened [weathered] by her ordeal.
Back on the ship, the pirates open the chest and are pleased to find it is full of doubloons and other treasure, as well as a sarcastic note from Albert de Montblanc.
Friday 4th August
The Welstand arrives in Port Royal, Jamaica, slipping into dock as discreetly as possible. Governor Haverford gives the pirates a letter to be delivered to his cousin, Captain Daniel Wilmslow, in town. He intends to hide below decks on the ship until Bloody Mary can let Wilmslow know what has happened. Deciding that caution is the better part of valour, the crew don disguises: Merritt reprises his “spanish widow” outfit (last seen in Cartagena), Mary dresses as a noblewoman and William scrubs up to become their servant. Rodrigo, dressed in his smartest clothes, goes on ahead, while Bullhead Willows follows behind. As the party heads along Thames Street, Rodrigo is recognized as “that pirate Rodrigo Whatshisname” by a wealthy merchant who calls for the guard! As whistles are blown and guardsmen hurry to the scene, Rodrigo casts obscuring mist and disappears.
Following this distraction, the pirates reach the Silver Tankard on Lime Street where they find Captain Wilmslow. He accompanies them back to the Welstand with a dozen of his men. After a brief conversation with the governor, the two of them and the soliders head up to Fort Charles where James Galloway is exposed as an impostor and killed trying to escape. Meanwhile, back at the ship, the slightly paranoid pirates have sent a few men out in a rowboat to keep watch for an ambush!
Saturday 5th August
With all well, Bloody Mary and her men divide the plunder, shop for fine clothes, and blow their ill-gotten gains on drink (William) and French whores (Rodrigo). Rodrigo casts detect magic on all the loot. Strangely, the chest is magic, radiating a strong aura of both necromancy and abjuration.
Tuesday 8th August
Bloody Mary and her men, dressed in their finest clothes, head to the Purple Orchid to meet the governor of Jamaica for the second time. However, on this occasion, all is well: Governor Haverford pays them the money he promised on Rigas Island, issues them with an official pardon and asks Captain Scarlett to accept Letters of Marque and Reprisal.
A day or two later, the pirates are relaxing in the pub when a young lad comes up to Bloody Mary and asks if all the stories he’s heard about her are true: did she really get swallowed by a sea serpent? How about defeating Albert de Montblanc twice? And the escapes from Port Royal and Santo Domingo? The lad listens to her replies, pauses for a moment, thoughtfully and then says “When I’m older, I’m going to be a pirate just like you!” The pirates ask him his name; he says he is Edward Teach but everyone calls him “Thatch”.
Having closed the door to the sacrificial chamber, the pirates (now joined by Merritt) discuss tactics. When they open the door again, Bloody Mary charges in to attack one of the Tulcan fighters but succumbs to a hold person spell cast by Cihuacoatl, the high priest. With Bloody Mary helpless, the eagle knight moves in and performs a coup de grace, bashing in her skull [loses her fifth life!]. Merritt, keen to avenge his beloved captain, charges in to attack the eagle knight, helped by his monkey which pulls the beak of the Tulcan’s headdress over his eyes! William and his caiman attack the jaguar knight and acquit themselves well while Clever Dick gives Merritt a hand. Meanwhile, Rodrigo completes a daring dash around the back of the enemy to get to the treasure chest. Unfortunately, it’s far too heavy and he is unable to lift it much with his one good arm, let alone throw it out of the door, and he finds himself surrounded by fanatic cultists. Hardy enters the fray but is cut down almost immediately, as is his hapless comrade Bert Benson.
By now, Rodrigo is in serious trouble in the centre of the room. He survives the high priest’s slashing darkness spell but falls soon afterwards. The Tulcan warriors lay into his lifeless body with their clubs [loses a life]. Merritt falls unconscious in combat with the eagle knight and Clever Dick’s luck runs out: he falls over and is gutted. William, last man standing, finishes off the jaguar knight and then moves in to attack the high priest. The caiman is the next to die but William stabs Cihuacoatl, killing him. With the high priest’s death, the drummers stop drumming and run for the doors, closely followed by the cultists. Close to death, William staggers towards the eagle knight who has managed to slay half the party. He raises his sword, strikes true, and runs the native through.
With the pirates’ enemies dead or fled, William and Merritt (who has come round by now) manage to drag their fallen comrades and the heavy chest down the stairs and outside where their comrades are waiting. Incredibly, Rodrigo and Bloody Mary have somehow managed to survive the fight, although the captain will be forever weakened [weathered] by her ordeal.
Back on the ship, the pirates open the chest and are pleased to find it is full of doubloons and other treasure, as well as a sarcastic note from Albert de Montblanc.
Friday 4th August
The Welstand arrives in Port Royal, Jamaica, slipping into dock as discreetly as possible. Governor Haverford gives the pirates a letter to be delivered to his cousin, Captain Daniel Wilmslow, in town. He intends to hide below decks on the ship until Bloody Mary can let Wilmslow know what has happened. Deciding that caution is the better part of valour, the crew don disguises: Merritt reprises his “spanish widow” outfit (last seen in Cartagena), Mary dresses as a noblewoman and William scrubs up to become their servant. Rodrigo, dressed in his smartest clothes, goes on ahead, while Bullhead Willows follows behind. As the party heads along Thames Street, Rodrigo is recognized as “that pirate Rodrigo Whatshisname” by a wealthy merchant who calls for the guard! As whistles are blown and guardsmen hurry to the scene, Rodrigo casts obscuring mist and disappears.
Following this distraction, the pirates reach the Silver Tankard on Lime Street where they find Captain Wilmslow. He accompanies them back to the Welstand with a dozen of his men. After a brief conversation with the governor, the two of them and the soliders head up to Fort Charles where James Galloway is exposed as an impostor and killed trying to escape. Meanwhile, back at the ship, the slightly paranoid pirates have sent a few men out in a rowboat to keep watch for an ambush!
Saturday 5th August
With all well, Bloody Mary and her men divide the plunder, shop for fine clothes, and blow their ill-gotten gains on drink (William) and French whores (Rodrigo). Rodrigo casts detect magic on all the loot. Strangely, the chest is magic, radiating a strong aura of both necromancy and abjuration.
Tuesday 8th August
Bloody Mary and her men, dressed in their finest clothes, head to the Purple Orchid to meet the governor of Jamaica for the second time. However, on this occasion, all is well: Governor Haverford pays them the money he promised on Rigas Island, issues them with an official pardon and asks Captain Scarlett to accept Letters of Marque and Reprisal.
A day or two later, the pirates are relaxing in the pub when a young lad comes up to Bloody Mary and asks if all the stories he’s heard about her are true: did she really get swallowed by a sea serpent? How about defeating Albert de Montblanc twice? And the escapes from Port Royal and Santo Domingo? The lad listens to her replies, pauses for a moment, thoughtfully and then says “When I’m older, I’m going to be a pirate just like you!” The pirates ask him his name; he says he is Edward Teach but everyone calls him “Thatch”.
RichGreen
Adventurer
For a great picture by one of my players of the final battle scene, go to
http://richgreen01.livejournal.com/
Cheers
Richard
http://richgreen01.livejournal.com/
Cheers
Richard
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