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6-- "Below there, on deck! Land ho . . . and she's flying right toward us!"
The group is brought onboard, and introduced to the half orcs who just a minute ago were their mortal enemies. Ragna introduces the two as Mishkal and Hamm, her sons, and the Marrow Down's former ship-to-ship combat specialists. Mishkal and Hamm look less than pleased about their new shipmates, and the two groups stare daggers at one another while Ragna presents her first mate, the lieutenant and the bosun.
After getting the details of the Marrow Down, her routine, and their role in it, the party settles down for a hearty meal of salt beef and hard tack. Ragna tells them of a place called Haven that is the Marrow Down's port of call. She refers to herself as a privateer, and approaches her piracy with a religious dedication. Ragna, and her Raiders, oppose a group they call the Wind Dukes, great creatures of Elemental Law that seek to order and subjugate the free denizens of the Plane of Air.
Ragna herself was once a Prime Material denizen, but stumbled through a one way portal, and found herself marooned like so many others. She was taken in by a pirate (the father of her sons, by the way), and soon found a clerical calling serving Chaos, and opposing Law.
Kyreel bristles at this tale, but diplomatically refrains from argument.
Haven, she tells them, is protected from the scrying of the Wind Dukes. She says that the Marrow Down is due to dock there in a few weeks. Perhaps, if the group proves themselves worthy, she might introduce them to some friends of hers who possess the means to travel between the planes.
Ragna's Raiders, with the exception of her sons, are neither human nor orc. They call themselves Gith, and are thin, grey humanoids possessed of a sullen and generally disobedient nature. They all revere Ragna, that much is clear, and they call her the greatest pirate any of them have ever had the pleasure to serve under.
Below decks are the 'oars' manned by ogres. As velocity through the plane of air is determined by relative weight, the 'oars' are actually huge chairs set into the hull and oriented so the massive giants are seated with the prow of the ship as their 'down'. The ogres have the easiest job on board-- sit there and grow fat, the fatter the better. Indy remarks that he's never seen so many happy ogres in one place, and they certainly eat better than anyone else on board!
Several days pass, and the PCs play with "Head"-- a captive vargouille the Gith pirates have turned into a mascot. They practice 'falling' through the Plane of Air, and are tutored in some of the finer points of fighting in free-fall by Mishkal and Hamm.
Kyreel manages to debate with Ragna about her views on Freedom versus Order, without the issue coming to blows. Ragna is a zealous woman, fully in opposition to the Wind Dukes and what she terms as "their senseless and arbitrary oppression of our Natural right to determine our own destinies". Sartre, for his part finds himself agreeing with Ragna, and through his connection with Thelbar engages Kyreel in a lively argument about free will contending with duty to determine a creatures moral obligation. Kyreel contends that laws provide the structure that allows Good people to work together for the betterment of all, and without worldly Law, the consequences would be disastrous. Furthermore, she argues, the Pasoun (the central spiritual reality of the Ishlokian faith-- a type of reincarnation) proves that our temporal laws merely mirror irrefutable Metaphysical Principles.
Sartre contends that as long as an individual cleaves to the Good out of fear of a law, he has not really made a choice, and therefore is not really good. Laws, Sartre argues, are necessary only because the mass of sentient-kind are petty and scheming at heart. A true Being of Distinction should regard laws as beneath him, and strive for righteousness out of his own capacity for reason.
Thankfully, neither Ragna, nor any Wind Dukes were around to hear this.
On day three of their first voyage as Pirates of Elemental Air, an object is sighted. The crew hastily prepares the ship for a chase, and a tense waiting begins, with the crew attending their normal duties, but in a very subdued and tense manner. Over the course of the next day, the object gets slowly closer.
Ragna glowingly tells the PCs that she has caught "The Lighthouse", and seems eager for revenge against someone called Captain Philius and his associate Kruul. Philius and Kruul, she states, serve the Wind Duke B'hii, who has claimed this stretch of Air. As the day (a relative term in the plane of Air) wears on, it becomes obvious that the Lighthouse cannot hope to outrun the Marrow Down.
The Lighthouse itself looks like a narrow sliver of cliff face, cut from some rocky shore and suspended in space. On the top of the cliff is a narrow tower, the upper half of which is glowing with a magical and eerie light.
As the pirates get close, the Lighthouse begins an unusual maneuver, sacrificing its forward motion in order to spin on its horizontal axis. Thelbar immediately realizes that this is a defensive maneuver meant to make it impossible for the Marrow Down to grapple and board.
Ragna looks confused (and a little worried), but says that this will only delay the inevitable. She is outlining her attack strategy when the call comes from the crow's nest:
"On deck, there! Object off the starboard bow! Half-noon and sinking fast, Cap'n"
Ragna dashes up to the lookout as nimbly as any rogue, and returns just as quickly. She pulls the party aside and summons her sons.
"Silver 'gainst gold that's a Wind Duke warship, comin' on. We don't have enough time to destroy that sodding rock," she points toward the lighthouse, "but I'll not run off without bloodying Philius and Krull." Ragna looks up toward the oncoming object, still only a speck in the sky. "The boys need me here, and we've got to get this ship ready to run - - the seven of you're gonna have to dry-jump over there, and give 'em what they got comin'."
She fixes each of the group with a cold stare. "I'm counting on you. All those who love Freedom are too. Let's black this Duke's eye, and slip their hangman's noose! Now get to it!"
The party follows the lead of Mishkal and Hamm, and for the most part land near the Lighthouse tower. Thelbar overshoots completely, and has a moment of panic, before he realizes he can move in any direction by believing in a "down" other than the one he's falling toward.
Indy, Taran, Rex and Kyreel land safely, but are separated from one another. Indy is invisible, but the others are swarmed by bloodthirsty bugbears wearing the Ducal livery.
Thelbar tries again, but overshoots his target-plane a second time. To the characters standing on the Lighthouse, the ground is their "down", and thus, they do not seem to be moving, rather, everything else is whirring around them like the sun and moon gone into overdrive. The roars and cheers of the Gith watching the fight from the Marrow Down slowly become louder as the ship "circles" into view, then fade just as suddenly as the rock blocks out the sound. Thus, Thelbar, falling in a straight line, seems to be flying a graceful curve over the battle site.
Taran would have wondered how Thelbar could fall in circles like that, but he is surrounded by bugbears. But he is not alone. Everyone is surrounded by bugbears, as they swarm out of the empty-looking lighthouse. The bugbears are all Ducal Marines.
"It's a trap!" screams Hamm, "Kill them all!" (Apparently, it's been awhile since Hamm went to strategy school, because 'Kill them all' does not generally follow 'We've fallen for a trap'.)
Rex has the presence of mind to drop to the ground and play dead, after facing off with six of the furry bastards. Kyreel rushes to Rex's side, fooled by his ruse, and the two of them proceed to cut a swath of death through the ranks of their foes. A swath that dies a premature death when a nine foot tall bull-headed behemoth "falls" toward them from the top of the tower, then gracefully "falls" the other way at the last moment, landing right behind Kyreel. Kruul the minotaur, right on schedule.
Magic missiles come streaking from the top of the lighthouse into Taran, weakening him. On the other side of the lighthouse, Mishkal joins Hamm, and the two of them start killing bugbears in a frenzied orgy of double-headed axe swipes and gore.
The vicious minotaur has a wicked looking brand on his chest that matches the symbol on the bugbear's livery. The first thing he does is bellow a challenge at Kyreel, sonically assaulting the paladin. Fortunately, Kyreel's inherent spell resistance is up to the task, and she is unharmed. Unfortunately, there is no resistance that will help against a minotaur's greataxe. Soon, Rex is forced to grab Kyreel's unconscious form and "fall" back to the Marrow Down where Ragna is able to provide some magical healing, and get her back into the fray.
Taran manages to get near to Kruul and lays into him, but cannot stand toe to toe with the beast for long. He falls, but is rescued in time by Kyreel who "lands" nearby, and administers some healing magic of her own to stop Taran's bleeding.
Meanwhile, Indy has used a spiderclimb spell to reach the top of the lighthouse, and spots an older man dressed in an outlandish outfit (replete with multiple buckles, no less) clutching a spear wreathed in a crackling blue electrical field. Unbeknownst to the man, he is stalked by a Master Thief. Indy creeps ever closer to the sorcerer, taking careful aim, then . . . he strikes! And misses! And stumbles!
Fortunately, Thelbar has finally landed, and yells "cover your eyes" in the foriegn language he and Indy share before enrapturing Captain Philus with a hypnotic pattern. Thel turns his attentions toward Krull, casting the last of his magic missiles at the beast.
After disarming and binding the good Captain, Indy runs halfway down the side of the tower, and begins firing his bow at the minotaur. Hamm and Mishkal are still threshing bugbears like a drunken farmboy taking dad's plow out for a joyride. Kruul can't withstand the magic missiles and arrow barrage, and is felled. The surviving bugbears curse in Auran and "fall" in every direction, leaving the PCs alone on the rock with Captain Philius, and a dozen dead bugbears.
They return to the Marrow Down. Ragna congratulates the heroes heartily, bestows kisses on her embarrassed sons, and gives the command to shove off, and away from here!
She examines her prisoner, and removes his gag. Philius smugly regards the pursuing vessel and crows "You're done for now, Ragna. We have you at last. Surrender to me, and I can assure you the most civilized of treatment."
Ragna replies that the Marrow Down has a few tricks in her yet, and orders full sail! Three points into the wind! Thelbar seems disturbed at Philius' total composure and lack of concern.
The approaching object, it can now be seen, is a massive chunk of rock, shaped like a stalactite, swiftly gaining on the fleeing pirate vessel. "Thrice-damned Ducal Fleet," Ragna curses. She turns to the party and whispers conspiratorially "We won't win this fight. That's the D.F. Piercer, and she'll leave us in pieces. If you want to flee, well . . . I understand."
Thelbar asks for a moment alone with Ragna and questions her about the maneuverability of the Marrow Down. Can she rotate, like the Lighthouse? No. Can she turn? Much like a Prime Material sailing vessel. Thelbar proposes a bold strategy: Turn the Marrow Down around 180 degrees and charge the D.F. Piercer! At the last moment, the pirates will veer to one side, and use their position broadsides to board the Wind Duke's privateer. They will then battle the crew for possession of the ship. A do-or-die struggle, to be sure, the kind to inspire fierce fighting from the meekest scupper's mate!
Ragna looks at Thelbar with newfound admiration, and spreads the plan amongst the boys . . .
The group is brought onboard, and introduced to the half orcs who just a minute ago were their mortal enemies. Ragna introduces the two as Mishkal and Hamm, her sons, and the Marrow Down's former ship-to-ship combat specialists. Mishkal and Hamm look less than pleased about their new shipmates, and the two groups stare daggers at one another while Ragna presents her first mate, the lieutenant and the bosun.
After getting the details of the Marrow Down, her routine, and their role in it, the party settles down for a hearty meal of salt beef and hard tack. Ragna tells them of a place called Haven that is the Marrow Down's port of call. She refers to herself as a privateer, and approaches her piracy with a religious dedication. Ragna, and her Raiders, oppose a group they call the Wind Dukes, great creatures of Elemental Law that seek to order and subjugate the free denizens of the Plane of Air.
Ragna herself was once a Prime Material denizen, but stumbled through a one way portal, and found herself marooned like so many others. She was taken in by a pirate (the father of her sons, by the way), and soon found a clerical calling serving Chaos, and opposing Law.
Kyreel bristles at this tale, but diplomatically refrains from argument.
Haven, she tells them, is protected from the scrying of the Wind Dukes. She says that the Marrow Down is due to dock there in a few weeks. Perhaps, if the group proves themselves worthy, she might introduce them to some friends of hers who possess the means to travel between the planes.
Ragna's Raiders, with the exception of her sons, are neither human nor orc. They call themselves Gith, and are thin, grey humanoids possessed of a sullen and generally disobedient nature. They all revere Ragna, that much is clear, and they call her the greatest pirate any of them have ever had the pleasure to serve under.
Below decks are the 'oars' manned by ogres. As velocity through the plane of air is determined by relative weight, the 'oars' are actually huge chairs set into the hull and oriented so the massive giants are seated with the prow of the ship as their 'down'. The ogres have the easiest job on board-- sit there and grow fat, the fatter the better. Indy remarks that he's never seen so many happy ogres in one place, and they certainly eat better than anyone else on board!
Several days pass, and the PCs play with "Head"-- a captive vargouille the Gith pirates have turned into a mascot. They practice 'falling' through the Plane of Air, and are tutored in some of the finer points of fighting in free-fall by Mishkal and Hamm.
Kyreel manages to debate with Ragna about her views on Freedom versus Order, without the issue coming to blows. Ragna is a zealous woman, fully in opposition to the Wind Dukes and what she terms as "their senseless and arbitrary oppression of our Natural right to determine our own destinies". Sartre, for his part finds himself agreeing with Ragna, and through his connection with Thelbar engages Kyreel in a lively argument about free will contending with duty to determine a creatures moral obligation. Kyreel contends that laws provide the structure that allows Good people to work together for the betterment of all, and without worldly Law, the consequences would be disastrous. Furthermore, she argues, the Pasoun (the central spiritual reality of the Ishlokian faith-- a type of reincarnation) proves that our temporal laws merely mirror irrefutable Metaphysical Principles.
Sartre contends that as long as an individual cleaves to the Good out of fear of a law, he has not really made a choice, and therefore is not really good. Laws, Sartre argues, are necessary only because the mass of sentient-kind are petty and scheming at heart. A true Being of Distinction should regard laws as beneath him, and strive for righteousness out of his own capacity for reason.
Thankfully, neither Ragna, nor any Wind Dukes were around to hear this.
On day three of their first voyage as Pirates of Elemental Air, an object is sighted. The crew hastily prepares the ship for a chase, and a tense waiting begins, with the crew attending their normal duties, but in a very subdued and tense manner. Over the course of the next day, the object gets slowly closer.
Ragna glowingly tells the PCs that she has caught "The Lighthouse", and seems eager for revenge against someone called Captain Philius and his associate Kruul. Philius and Kruul, she states, serve the Wind Duke B'hii, who has claimed this stretch of Air. As the day (a relative term in the plane of Air) wears on, it becomes obvious that the Lighthouse cannot hope to outrun the Marrow Down.
The Lighthouse itself looks like a narrow sliver of cliff face, cut from some rocky shore and suspended in space. On the top of the cliff is a narrow tower, the upper half of which is glowing with a magical and eerie light.
As the pirates get close, the Lighthouse begins an unusual maneuver, sacrificing its forward motion in order to spin on its horizontal axis. Thelbar immediately realizes that this is a defensive maneuver meant to make it impossible for the Marrow Down to grapple and board.
Ragna looks confused (and a little worried), but says that this will only delay the inevitable. She is outlining her attack strategy when the call comes from the crow's nest:
"On deck, there! Object off the starboard bow! Half-noon and sinking fast, Cap'n"
Ragna dashes up to the lookout as nimbly as any rogue, and returns just as quickly. She pulls the party aside and summons her sons.
"Silver 'gainst gold that's a Wind Duke warship, comin' on. We don't have enough time to destroy that sodding rock," she points toward the lighthouse, "but I'll not run off without bloodying Philius and Krull." Ragna looks up toward the oncoming object, still only a speck in the sky. "The boys need me here, and we've got to get this ship ready to run - - the seven of you're gonna have to dry-jump over there, and give 'em what they got comin'."
She fixes each of the group with a cold stare. "I'm counting on you. All those who love Freedom are too. Let's black this Duke's eye, and slip their hangman's noose! Now get to it!"
- DM's note-- The party was attempting to 'dry jump' (without a rope) from one plane of a slowly moving object to one plane of a rapidly rotating object. They were aiming for a spot at the base of the tower, and were using an untrained skill. I was giving the smarter characters an Int check, and the more nimble characters a Dex check, depending on what tactic they would use. To hit the target (a 5' x 5' square on the combat map) was DC 25, to land within 10 feet was DC 20, and to hit the right plane at all was DC 15. Mishkal (Jump skill at +8) and Thelbar (Int 18) were the only ones to miss entirely, but landing across the face of the rock so spread out almost got them all killed:
The party follows the lead of Mishkal and Hamm, and for the most part land near the Lighthouse tower. Thelbar overshoots completely, and has a moment of panic, before he realizes he can move in any direction by believing in a "down" other than the one he's falling toward.
Indy, Taran, Rex and Kyreel land safely, but are separated from one another. Indy is invisible, but the others are swarmed by bloodthirsty bugbears wearing the Ducal livery.
Thelbar tries again, but overshoots his target-plane a second time. To the characters standing on the Lighthouse, the ground is their "down", and thus, they do not seem to be moving, rather, everything else is whirring around them like the sun and moon gone into overdrive. The roars and cheers of the Gith watching the fight from the Marrow Down slowly become louder as the ship "circles" into view, then fade just as suddenly as the rock blocks out the sound. Thus, Thelbar, falling in a straight line, seems to be flying a graceful curve over the battle site.
Taran would have wondered how Thelbar could fall in circles like that, but he is surrounded by bugbears. But he is not alone. Everyone is surrounded by bugbears, as they swarm out of the empty-looking lighthouse. The bugbears are all Ducal Marines.
"It's a trap!" screams Hamm, "Kill them all!" (Apparently, it's been awhile since Hamm went to strategy school, because 'Kill them all' does not generally follow 'We've fallen for a trap'.)
Rex has the presence of mind to drop to the ground and play dead, after facing off with six of the furry bastards. Kyreel rushes to Rex's side, fooled by his ruse, and the two of them proceed to cut a swath of death through the ranks of their foes. A swath that dies a premature death when a nine foot tall bull-headed behemoth "falls" toward them from the top of the tower, then gracefully "falls" the other way at the last moment, landing right behind Kyreel. Kruul the minotaur, right on schedule.
Magic missiles come streaking from the top of the lighthouse into Taran, weakening him. On the other side of the lighthouse, Mishkal joins Hamm, and the two of them start killing bugbears in a frenzied orgy of double-headed axe swipes and gore.
The vicious minotaur has a wicked looking brand on his chest that matches the symbol on the bugbear's livery. The first thing he does is bellow a challenge at Kyreel, sonically assaulting the paladin. Fortunately, Kyreel's inherent spell resistance is up to the task, and she is unharmed. Unfortunately, there is no resistance that will help against a minotaur's greataxe. Soon, Rex is forced to grab Kyreel's unconscious form and "fall" back to the Marrow Down where Ragna is able to provide some magical healing, and get her back into the fray.
Taran manages to get near to Kruul and lays into him, but cannot stand toe to toe with the beast for long. He falls, but is rescued in time by Kyreel who "lands" nearby, and administers some healing magic of her own to stop Taran's bleeding.
Meanwhile, Indy has used a spiderclimb spell to reach the top of the lighthouse, and spots an older man dressed in an outlandish outfit (replete with multiple buckles, no less) clutching a spear wreathed in a crackling blue electrical field. Unbeknownst to the man, he is stalked by a Master Thief. Indy creeps ever closer to the sorcerer, taking careful aim, then . . . he strikes! And misses! And stumbles!
Fortunately, Thelbar has finally landed, and yells "cover your eyes" in the foriegn language he and Indy share before enrapturing Captain Philus with a hypnotic pattern. Thel turns his attentions toward Krull, casting the last of his magic missiles at the beast.
After disarming and binding the good Captain, Indy runs halfway down the side of the tower, and begins firing his bow at the minotaur. Hamm and Mishkal are still threshing bugbears like a drunken farmboy taking dad's plow out for a joyride. Kruul can't withstand the magic missiles and arrow barrage, and is felled. The surviving bugbears curse in Auran and "fall" in every direction, leaving the PCs alone on the rock with Captain Philius, and a dozen dead bugbears.
They return to the Marrow Down. Ragna congratulates the heroes heartily, bestows kisses on her embarrassed sons, and gives the command to shove off, and away from here!
She examines her prisoner, and removes his gag. Philius smugly regards the pursuing vessel and crows "You're done for now, Ragna. We have you at last. Surrender to me, and I can assure you the most civilized of treatment."
Ragna replies that the Marrow Down has a few tricks in her yet, and orders full sail! Three points into the wind! Thelbar seems disturbed at Philius' total composure and lack of concern.
The approaching object, it can now be seen, is a massive chunk of rock, shaped like a stalactite, swiftly gaining on the fleeing pirate vessel. "Thrice-damned Ducal Fleet," Ragna curses. She turns to the party and whispers conspiratorially "We won't win this fight. That's the D.F. Piercer, and she'll leave us in pieces. If you want to flee, well . . . I understand."
Thelbar asks for a moment alone with Ragna and questions her about the maneuverability of the Marrow Down. Can she rotate, like the Lighthouse? No. Can she turn? Much like a Prime Material sailing vessel. Thelbar proposes a bold strategy: Turn the Marrow Down around 180 degrees and charge the D.F. Piercer! At the last moment, the pirates will veer to one side, and use their position broadsides to board the Wind Duke's privateer. They will then battle the crew for possession of the ship. A do-or-die struggle, to be sure, the kind to inspire fierce fighting from the meekest scupper's mate!
Ragna looks at Thelbar with newfound admiration, and spreads the plan amongst the boys . . .