Anything But Normal, Sailing the Endless Falls...
Kelleris
Explorer
(Sorry for the delay - term papers and parents visiting ate up all my time for a while there. But hey, all As! 
)
Lupaz trots over to Captain Merri, trying to avoid the glass shards and counteract the tilting of the deck as best he can. He seems placidly unconcerned about the possibility of going down with the ship - it's out of his hands, so if it happens, it happens.
Captain, how long till we catch up with the Shrew? Our party should perhaps be spending this time making its plans, bad weather notwithstanding.
)Lupaz trots over to Captain Merri, trying to avoid the glass shards and counteract the tilting of the deck as best he can. He seems placidly unconcerned about the possibility of going down with the ship - it's out of his hands, so if it happens, it happens.
Captain, how long till we catch up with the Shrew? Our party should perhaps be spending this time making its plans, bad weather notwithstanding.
The Khora Aisa heeves as she skitters around the maw of the Maelstrom, glass shards starting to thicken in the air as the ship picks up speed.
"An hour, me bonny blue hound, unless the Malestrom eats us first! Put yer backs into it!" he yells to the crew as he braces himself against the wheel to keep the ship on course. Shards pelt the captain, some of them pinging off his peculiar ghostly chitinous armor, and some scoring home, leaving sharp bleeding wounds. There is not a single member of the crew who's untouched by the flying glass, and the party, if they're not careful, is going to be bleeding from more than saberwing cuts.
Priestess Anna is quick to administer to the injured party members, stopping the bleeding from the deep cuts and patching together everyone else as best as she can, considering that her own hands are bleeding.
The Khora Asia strains to join the swirling glass in its trip to the center of the Maelstrom, but the captain won't let her, and despite bleeding crewmembers and contrary winds, the sky itself screaming in defiance as the ship finally breaks itself from the grip of the Glass Sea.
"Let the sails out, let's put some speed on her!" Captain Merri yells, and the airy sails come down and fill out as the fiery ropes surge and billow. The ship begins to pick up speed again, but this time heading straight out of the Glass Sea and into some more normal water. Ahead of you another ship is surging through the water, painted to look like woven grass, its sleek, clean lines and tall sides mark it a ship of swiftness.
"The Pungent Shrew! Well me lovelies, you want to pirate her, or you be intending to have words afore the slaughter?" the Captain asks.
OOC: The DM is slow, the DM is sorry, but the DM has much going on. But the DM will not abandon the game, just bear with me!
"An hour, me bonny blue hound, unless the Malestrom eats us first! Put yer backs into it!" he yells to the crew as he braces himself against the wheel to keep the ship on course. Shards pelt the captain, some of them pinging off his peculiar ghostly chitinous armor, and some scoring home, leaving sharp bleeding wounds. There is not a single member of the crew who's untouched by the flying glass, and the party, if they're not careful, is going to be bleeding from more than saberwing cuts.
Priestess Anna is quick to administer to the injured party members, stopping the bleeding from the deep cuts and patching together everyone else as best as she can, considering that her own hands are bleeding.
The Khora Asia strains to join the swirling glass in its trip to the center of the Maelstrom, but the captain won't let her, and despite bleeding crewmembers and contrary winds, the sky itself screaming in defiance as the ship finally breaks itself from the grip of the Glass Sea.
"Let the sails out, let's put some speed on her!" Captain Merri yells, and the airy sails come down and fill out as the fiery ropes surge and billow. The ship begins to pick up speed again, but this time heading straight out of the Glass Sea and into some more normal water. Ahead of you another ship is surging through the water, painted to look like woven grass, its sleek, clean lines and tall sides mark it a ship of swiftness.
"The Pungent Shrew! Well me lovelies, you want to pirate her, or you be intending to have words afore the slaughter?" the Captain asks.
OOC: The DM is slow, the DM is sorry, but the DM has much going on. But the DM will not abandon the game, just bear with me!
Kelleris
Explorer
Lupaz turns to his fellows -
Seeing that we are engaged in rather direct piracy here, I see nothing to gain from parlaying. My proposal is this: I will slip over to the Shrew as we approach, and attempt to get in a position to curse any likely targets while remaining out of sight until the rest of you close with the enemy vessel.
Lupaz pauses for a moment.
Perhaps friend Trebuchet could provide a helpful ranged distraction for my efforts?
Seeing that we are engaged in rather direct piracy here, I see nothing to gain from parlaying. My proposal is this: I will slip over to the Shrew as we approach, and attempt to get in a position to curse any likely targets while remaining out of sight until the rest of you close with the enemy vessel.
Lupaz pauses for a moment.
Perhaps friend Trebuchet could provide a helpful ranged distraction for my efforts?
Trebuchet lacks the capacity for facial expression, yet subtle cues in his posture and bearing make it clear that he brightens at Kelleris' suggestion. Broad panels over his oversized shoulders spring open, revealing double rows of ominous little nodules.
"Gladly!" he declares, turning to survey the other ship. "Removing the deck crew should provide a very effective distraction!"
"Do we wish to issue an ultimatum or demand surrender beforehand?"
"Gladly!" he declares, turning to survey the other ship. "Removing the deck crew should provide a very effective distraction!"
"Do we wish to issue an ultimatum or demand surrender beforehand?"
Rystil Arden
First Post
"I think that we shouldn't try to convince them to help us--we should take the reagents from them by force," Nissa agrees with Lupaz, "Are you surprised that I said that? Well, it isn't safe for them to help us. Even if they wanted to, it's better if they can say, under oath and truth-telling magic, that we took it by force. The Time Elementals do not look well on failure, but direct insubordination they would punish only and surely by death. Their only chance to survive is if we make sure they are not culpable. That said, these are probably good people who have no idea of the dire implications of the goods they carry, so please let's not kill any of them, okay? If we don't think we can take what we need without killing people, we'll have to try diplomacy and convince them to flee the Time Elementals' reach, since if we kill them here and now, it sort of invalidates the whole point of trying to keep them safe from blame, right?"
There's a disappointed pause, and Trebuchet's shoulder panels clap shut again.
"If that is your order," he says, more subdued. "My nonlethal capabilities are of shorter range but should provide adequate distraction, though are unlikely to be effective in overcoming concerted resistance."
"If that is your order," he says, more subdued. "My nonlethal capabilities are of shorter range but should provide adequate distraction, though are unlikely to be effective in overcoming concerted resistance."
Kelleris
Explorer
(Heh, I was hoping Erekose would weigh in, but then I let this get away from me again.)
I tend to see our opponents more as enemy combatants... But I suppose overt piracy should probably be avoided. That makes any prospective combat tougher for us, though. I can disable without killing without much trouble, but I doubt the rest of you are so gentle in your preferred tactics, Nissa's tears at the saberwing's plight notwithstanding. Lupaz laughs, a surprisingly human-like sound. Are we agreed with the general outline of the plan, then?
After waiting a moment to hear replies from the others, Lupaz turns to Captain Merri, and adds, What is the estimated speed of this vessel as we approach the Shrew? I can shift over there once we move into about 600 feet. How long do you think that will give me to move through their vessel as we approach? He glances at Nissa. I suspect that you will have to deceive them for some time until I have located their commanders and made it possible for Trebuchet to disable them efficiently. Are you comfortable with that?
And finally, looking to the warforged, How should I weaken the opposition to best open them up to your nonlethal attacks? Their minds, their bodies, or their agility? I can strike at any or all of them, but I suspect that with Nissa's tongue on our side if their captain and first mate are immediately stricken with madness or something upon opposing us, we will have no trouble convincing them to take a hit on their cash flow rather than fight this thing out, when we will be at a disadvantage if we must resort to nonlethal attacks.
(OOC: I can inflict a -8 on any one saving throw, a -5 on attacks, damage, saves, ability checks, and skill checks, or a -13 on any two skills (Diplomacy and Sense Motive?). I'm fishing for advice as to which penalty on, say, the captain and the first mate would be most effective in helping along Vaukriel, Nissa, and Trebuchet's offensive. Left to my own devices, I plan to find the captain, drop the -8 Will save penalty on him, and then use nightmare lullaby to confuse him.)
I tend to see our opponents more as enemy combatants... But I suppose overt piracy should probably be avoided. That makes any prospective combat tougher for us, though. I can disable without killing without much trouble, but I doubt the rest of you are so gentle in your preferred tactics, Nissa's tears at the saberwing's plight notwithstanding. Lupaz laughs, a surprisingly human-like sound. Are we agreed with the general outline of the plan, then?
After waiting a moment to hear replies from the others, Lupaz turns to Captain Merri, and adds, What is the estimated speed of this vessel as we approach the Shrew? I can shift over there once we move into about 600 feet. How long do you think that will give me to move through their vessel as we approach? He glances at Nissa. I suspect that you will have to deceive them for some time until I have located their commanders and made it possible for Trebuchet to disable them efficiently. Are you comfortable with that?
And finally, looking to the warforged, How should I weaken the opposition to best open them up to your nonlethal attacks? Their minds, their bodies, or their agility? I can strike at any or all of them, but I suspect that with Nissa's tongue on our side if their captain and first mate are immediately stricken with madness or something upon opposing us, we will have no trouble convincing them to take a hit on their cash flow rather than fight this thing out, when we will be at a disadvantage if we must resort to nonlethal attacks.
(OOC: I can inflict a -8 on any one saving throw, a -5 on attacks, damage, saves, ability checks, and skill checks, or a -13 on any two skills (Diplomacy and Sense Motive?). I'm fishing for advice as to which penalty on, say, the captain and the first mate would be most effective in helping along Vaukriel, Nissa, and Trebuchet's offensive.
Left to my own devices, I plan to find the captain, drop the -8 Will save penalty on him, and then use nightmare lullaby to confuse him.)
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The captain purses his lips as he considers the Shrew.
"The Shrew is no faster than we, but she's faster on the get-go. If she decides to cut and run and we're stopped, we're a tad hard-pressed to catch her, says I. O'course, she tends to stick to water and grass for her running. We get her up against the glass and she's cornered," he says thoughtfully.
As you start to draw a little closer, you can see humanoid figures of various shades of green in the rigging of the boat. The one in the crow's nest has pointed a spyglass in your direction and seems to be staring.
"The Shrew is no faster than we, but she's faster on the get-go. If she decides to cut and run and we're stopped, we're a tad hard-pressed to catch her, says I. O'course, she tends to stick to water and grass for her running. We get her up against the glass and she's cornered," he says thoughtfully.
As you start to draw a little closer, you can see humanoid figures of various shades of green in the rigging of the boat. The one in the crow's nest has pointed a spyglass in your direction and seems to be staring.
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