Deep Water and Shoals - A Swashbuckling Campaign

[Xael]

Let's dance!

Thinking captain and the boatmen as better shooters than him, Jonah decides to give them a target. Concentrating on his innate powers, he brings forth four globes of light (OOC: Dancing Lights) and sends them flying towards the elven archer. "There's one of them!", he shouts while kneeling to reaload his pistol (which he can only do next round).

OOC: Jonah knows elven.

 

[Bob Aberton]

Jonah,

The spheres of light, like disembodied taffrail lanterns, outline the unfortunate elf in a soft glow; enough for Captain McCrenshaw to shoot by. Two pistols shots ring out, so close together they sound like one single explosion, and the smell of burnt powder wafts along the misty air a moment later.

The grugach recieves two bullets in his chest; coughing up blood, he slowly sinks to the ground.

Somewhere in the mist, you can hear a grieved cry, then:

"Murderers! The forest will drink your blood!" or something to that effect is shouted by a grugach who is beyond range of your vision. Two arrows whistle through the air, one grazing Captain McCrenshaw, and the other cutting rather deeply into your shoulder, before sticking in the ground behind you.

(OOC: 7 damage. And good idea with the Dancing Lights and all...)

Antheos,

One of the shapes sinks to ground, quelled by your magic. The other two are either unaffected, or shake off the effects of the magic.

Captain McCrenshaw shoots off into the fog, in the direction of a soft glow, and then smiles with satisfaction.

"Bagged one, anyways..." he says, then grimaces as an arrow grazes his arm, tearing his sleeve and scratching the skin.

All,

The death of the grugach restores some heart to the boatmen, and for a moment, there is an almost eery silence. Then, a pair of arrows whistle through the fog, grazing the Captain and Jonah.

In the arrow's wake, a pair of large, almost too large, grey wolves prowl closer to the camp, just out of the firelight, apparently waiting for some signal from their elven masters. As they are beyond the firelight, you can only make them out when the fire occassionally flares up with renewed vigor.

The boatmen grip their weapons nervously. And everyone around the fire waits...

 

[Xael]

Arrow hitting his shoulder, Jonah gags, drops his pistol, and falls to the ground, apparently passed out of shock.

OOC: At -1 HP. Stabilization check for next round: 9.

 

[Bob Aberton]

(OOC: Waiting for Antheos to post.)

 

[Bob Aberton]

(OOC Jonah: You stabilized; for all future % rolls, you want to roll a lower number; thus, for a 10% chance, you want to roll a 1-9.)

Antheos,

An instant after the grugach dies, you and the Captain see Jonah recieve an arrow wound to the shoulder, and fall to the ground, apparently in shock or even dead.

The captain, however, rummages around in his pockets until he brings out a small vial of amber liquid which resembles brandy.

"Healin' grog," he explains, to no one in particular, as he moves toward Jonah and prepares to administer the mixture. "Three parts University standard healin' brew an' one part brandy...last one in th' medecine chest, too..."

However, as he brings the vial to Jonah's lips, a large grey shape leaps out of fog and bowls him over, its teeth piercing his thick seaboot.

At the same time, another flurry of arrows is launched from somewhere in the fog, this time at the boatmen.

One arrow goes wildly astray; the other impales itself right through the forearm of one of the boatmen. The wounded boatman drops his musket next to you and capers about, clutching his arm.

The other two boatmen fire into the mist; both apparently hit their mark, for a pair of shrieks resonate through the cloudy air a moment after the echoes of the musket shots die away.

The boatmen don't have long to exult, however, as the second wolf is soon loose among them like a whirlwind. Its jaws close around the neck of one of the boatmen with a horrible crunch, and the wolf wrestles him to ground and shakes him like a rag doll; drops of blood fly everywhere, sizzling when they land in the fire.

"C...Calypso..." chokes the boatman, and he sinks to the ground, his neck nearly severed by the wolf's jaws. The wolf continues to worry the body with its teeth.

The sight is too much for the other boatmen; the unwounded one drops his musket and runs, and the wounded boatman follows, leaving his (presumably loaded) musket lying next to you. From the riverbank come the sounds of a keg raft being hurried poled away, presumably downriver.

"Come back, yer damned cowards!" Captain McCrenshaw bellows, his leg still in the wolf's mouth. He draws his cutlass and strikes a pair of bloody gashes across the wolf's snout with great force.

So, to summarize:

One boatman is dead, and the other two have booked it, most likely taking the keg raft with them.

Jonah is stable, but out cold.

Captain McCrenshaw is locked in a death struggle with one of the wolves.

Two of the three grugach that you know about are dead or wounded.

The other wolf has just killed a boatman and is right now eating the body.

You know have access to a loaded musket as well as your other weapons.

 

[wings]

Ze Musket.

Antheos's eyes widen at the maelstrom of evensts that whirl by, much quicker than he can respond. He picks the musket up by the barrel, and as he turns to the wolf on the captain, he whips it around so he holds the correct end. He pushes the barrel of the gun towards the wolf, and only wastes a moment before firing. [12 + 4 = Hit AC 16]

Despite a hit or miss, he yells out to the captain."We've gotta catch up to them yellowbellies!"

 

[Bob Aberton]

Jonah,

As you lie there, stunned, something penetrates the red haze of pain; liquid being forced down your throat. It burns like brandy, but as you swallow it, you can feel yourself becoming stronger. You open your eyes; Captain McCrenshaw is holding an empty vial and your loaded pistol is still in your hand.

You can hear a musket shot, then Antheos shouting:

"We've gotta catch up to them yellowbellies!"

An arrow whistles over your head like an angry wasp and hits the meager fire with a shower of sparks. Another arrow gashes Captain McCrenshaw's neck, staining his cravat red. You also notice a growling wolf, its snout and flank stained with blood, gathering itself to leap over the fire at Antheos. Another wolf stands behind him with bloody fangs.

(OOC: You're back in the positives; 2 hit points. Also, you and Antheos are now flanking the wounded wolf.)

Antheos,

Despite the fog, your shot hits home, staining the wolf's flank with blood. It looks up from Captain McCrenshaw and pierces you with a baleful glare, and gathers itself to charge.

The captain uses the distraction to force the healing grog down Jonah's throat, reviving him enough that the black-skinned elf can sit up.

Two more arrows whistle out of the mist, one missing badly, the other gashing Captain McCrenshaw's neck. You still cannot see your assailants.

You hear a growl behind you and realize that the other wolf is uncomfortably close.

"Aye," says Captain McCrenshaw, hearing your shout. "But th' devil's in the details, ain't it? Got any suggestions how ter proceed without endin' up like yonder clamdigger?"

(OOC: You and Jonah are flanking the wounded wolf. The unwounded one is between you and the river bank.)

 

[Xael]

Jonah shakes his head and rolls a little farther (5-foot-step/adjustment) from the wounded wolf, and then aims his pistol to it and fires. Still staying at the ground, he then sends the light globes to move in the general direction of where the arrows seemed to come, trying to pinpoint the archers (this is, if the globes are still there, don't know your rulings about spellcaster going unconscius).

OOC: Attack roll: 6 + 3 - 4 = 5

 

[Bob Aberton]

Jonah,

Your pistol recoils violently, adding its own cloud of sulphur-scented smoke to the thick fog. However, the bullet misses its mark by a wide margin. Captain McCrenshaw is luckier; one of his pistols barks again, and this time both shots tell; the wolf stumbles on unsteady legs, now leaving a visible trail of blood.

You have more luck with the globes of light; they zoom about fifty yards into the mist, and begin probing left and right, getting further away until they are barely candle flames even to your superb night-eyes.

"Jonah, here!" the captain says, seeing your lights sweeping the mist. He tosses you his other pistol, which is still loaded.

Suddenly, they stop, outlining the form of what is probably an elf about a hundred yards away from the clearing.

Another arrow whistles out of the fog, missinging you, but only narrowly. The elf outlined by your lights has put down his bow and appears to be making arcane-looking gestures.

(OOC: The elf has 75% [3/4] concealment from everyone, but only 50% [1/2] concealment from you, because your darkvision disregards the darkness.)

Antheos,

As the wounded wolf leaps on you, both the captain and the newly revived Jonah fire their weapons; Jonah misses, but the captain's shot hits the wolf just behind its right front leg.

It is then that you feel sharp teeth remove a fair-sized piece of flesh from your shoulder. The other wolf, the one that killed the Standishtowner, is crouched behind you, with your blood on its snout.

(OOC: 5 points of damage; also, you are now flanked by the two wolves.)

 

[Xael]

"A spellcaster!", Jonah shouts and shoots at the shape. He is still staying on the ground to avoid arrows.

OOC: Attack roll: 17 + 3 = 20 (Well finally!)
Damage roll: 9

"...down.", he says if the shape falls down. He also continues to search the forest for the (apparently) last elf.