D&D 5E (2014) Spell & Crossbones

[Quickleaf]

OOC: Ok, [MENTION=20005]Matthan[/MENTION] Blaise hasn't heard much about Blackbeard one way or the other. [MENTION=8058]Queenie[/MENTION] Katerina heard her father speak of Jon Blackbeard on occasion, never disrespectfully but not as friends either. Apparently Blackbeard is driven to create a "pirate republic" based out of Nassau. Naturally, Katerina's father was very skeptical of such idealism.

 

[pathfinderq1]

Zef laughed "Yeah, it be a lucky thing you ain't at the end of hangman's rope you scoundrel. But I'll vouch for the lad Kat. Handy to have around back then and by the sounds of it, handier now."

In a low voice that only Flynn can hear: Zef growls "And if you get handy with Kat you'll lose yer hands if not yer manhood"

Flynn gave the old dwarf a wink, then turned his attention to the others gathered around the table. He glanced at each in turn- some of them he had heard about, if only the briefest rumors; the others he didn't recognize. After a quick survey, he reached down for the bottle of rum he had set aside and took a quick sip- it looked almost like a reflexive movement, like he didn't even realize he was doing it. "Quite a scurvy lot you've put together, Captain. Is this the lot of them, or are there more aboard ship?" He paused, then looked out towards the harbor for a moment. "There is a ship, right?"

OOC: Just making sure nobody is waiting on me...

 

[Queenie]

The conversation continued on but Katerina's mind was elsewhere, stuck on the curious newcomer. She was aware he was speaking to the others, then herself, but she didn't seem to comprehend what he said.

"Flynn, is it? Si?" She said as she looked him over critically, "I'm a bit puzzled. You said you sailed with my father? On the Heart of the Sea? Yet you seem barely older than myself. I would know if you sailed with him in the last 20 years. I think perhaps you have me confused with someone else. Yet my guardian over here," she waved towards Old Zef, "Somehow knows you and confirms your story. So this makes me more curious and I imagine there is a tale to tell." She tapped her fingers on the table as her green eyes bore into the handsome man. "Perhaps this is not the time for stories. I leave that up to you, now or later, yet I would hear it from our new surgeon before we set sail."

Her mood lightened again after she said what needed to be said and enjoyed another sip of coffee.

In a low voice she continued, "Have a seat senor, we were just enjoying our first cafe` of the day and discussing our upcoming plans. Si` we have located a ship, we just need to arrange delivery, so to speak. The ship will need some... care... before we sail off on our next journey. We have some crew but we will need to add to our ranks. We need to gather our supplies for the long voyage, and I imagine Flynn, as our doctor, you will have a list of needs as well. We need to do all this with velocidad, ah, speed. We must beat your friend Captain Wallace to our shared goal. I know we do not all know each other well, but now is the time we all must prove our worth. It may benefit us to split up to get these chores done but we will need to be together at our full strength for tending to the ship tonight. Does anyone have anything to add currently?"

OOC: OOC: 1) Have we come across Captain Piet Hien Van Djik's crew yet? I'd like to at least question them about their experience. 2) Did we have a list of supplies? I thought maybe Baoudin had one? 3) How does one retrieve something from the bottom of the sea? Some sort of divers? Magic? I'm not too versed in this sort of thing. 4) Finally, have we somewhat assigned roles yet? Do we have a quartermaster? edit: Finally, finally, does anyone have anything to add to our to do list? Speak up! You definitely don't want to rely on me to remember everything

 

[Quickleaf]

OOC: Well, my memory (er, and my word file) is happy to fill in the gaps 1) You haven't yet spoken with the crew of Captain Piet Hien Van Djik (former captain of the Coral Curse) nor with the dwarf himself. 2) Yes, I posted a list of suggested supplies Badouin wrote up, totaling about 1,500 gp. I can repost that below. [SBLOCK=Badouin's list of estimated gear (1,500 gp)] This list is for outfitting a 1-month treasure-hunting voyage with a crew of about 50 men. It does not include a diving bell, which would be a huuuge expense probably close to 4,000 gp. Melee Weapons - 365 gp 50 handaxes 250 gp 20 boarding pikes 100 gp 25 marlinspikes (daggers) 15 gp Food & Drink - 302 gp Month’s provisions for sixty men (3 tons) (water, bouillon, oatmeal, flour, salted meat, hardtack, peas, beans, salt, etc) 150 gp 4 barrels of rum 120 gp Barrel of assorted fruit (oranges, limes, pineapples, sopadillas, sour-sops) 15 gp Chef’s cooking spices & culinary tools 12 gp 2 goats, some chickens, and a pig 5 gp Month’s feed for two livestock 3 gp Naval Supplies - 296 gp Ship’s bell 60 gp Bilge pump 50 gp Five lanterns (four hooded, one beacon) 30 gp Spare main sail and spars 25 gp Hourglass 25 gp Bunk cots and linens for sixty men 25 gp Chest, lock, and key 15 gp Lamp oil, pipe (105 gallons) 12 gp Ship’s logbook, oversized waterproofed vellum 10 gp Ink bottle (1 ounce) and pen, 10 gp Scuttlebutt, 4 empty barrels, buckets and mops 10 gp 5 block and tackle 5 gp Cordage, sounding lines, three lengths of 50-ft hempen rope 5 gp Two sculling oars 4 gp Captain’s chart table 4 gp Two fishing nets and ocean fishing tackle 3 gp 20 square yards of patching canvas 2 gp Signal flags 1 gp Firearms - 275 gp 25 pistols 250 gp 600 bullets and powder 25 gp Auxiliry Craft - 157 gp One ship’s boat (1 ton) 150 gp 4 oars and a hand pump 7 gp Cannon Supplies - 105 gp 400 shot and powder (4 tons) for culverins 80 gp 200 shot and powder (1 ton) for demi-culverins 20 gp Cannon cleaning tools 5 gp[/SBLOCK] 3) Retrieving treasure from under the sea! The best way would be with a diving bell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_bell You can jump to 7:00 in this game video to see a diving bell in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3nxr9nrwwU Of course water breathing would work too. 4) Regarding ship duties...I think most of you have it figured out, though [MENTION=20005]Matthan[/MENTION]'s Blaise and [MENTION=6787234]peterka99[/MENTION]'s Etienne I am not sure about. IIRC, Katerina ( [MENTION=8058]Queenie[/MENTION] ) = captain, Old Zef ( [MENTION=2820]Fenris[/MENTION] ) = boatswain / carpenter / artillerist, Nia ( [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] ) = sailing master, Flynn ( [MENTION=48394]pathfinderq1[/MENTION] ) = surgeon, NPC Badouin = purser. So that's leaves first mate, gunner, and quartermaster up for grabs. [SBLOCK=First Mate]A large ship might have several Mates serving aboard it, hence the designation "First Mate." A Mate acts as apprentice to the Sailing Master and Boatswain. Their responsibilities include the fitting out of the vessel, examining whether it is sufficiently provided with ropes, pulleys, sails, and all the other rigging necessary for the voyage, hoisting the anchor, and at port seeing to the care of the sails, yards, mooring, anchor, and cables of the ship. Proficiency in water vehicles is recommended.[/SBLOCK] [SBLOCK=Gunner]The Gunner (formally called Master Gunner) is responsible for the Ship's guns, cannons, and ammunition. This includes sifting powder to keep it dry and prevent it from separating, insuring cannons and ordnance are rust free, and that all weapons are kept in good repair. Proficiency in martial ranged weapons (including pistols, muskets, and cannons) is a must, and proficiency in metal-working tools could come in handy.[/SBLOCK] [SBLOCK=Quartermaster]Representing the interests of the the crew, the Quartermaster resolves quarrels, distributes food and booty, and keeps the account books of the ship. As the Quartermaster is usually elected by the crew, he or she is empowered to punish minor offenses (though major crimes are tried before the crew) and to determine what plunder to take from a captured ship. A high Wisdom or Insight proficiency can come in handy, as can Charisma or Persuasion proficiency. The player should keep track of treasure found.[/SBLOCK]

 

[Shayuri]

"Time touches everyone, though not always where it can be seen," Nia intones, gazing steadily at Flynn with her blank silvered eyes. "I'd like to hear your story, doctor." The corner of her mouth twitches into a half smile. "When dere is time."

"As for de ship, we know what to do...we must simply do it."

 

[Matthan]

OOC: Blaise was built for the Gunner role. That's my intention at least.

 

[Matthan]

As Flynn joins them, Blaise nods towards the man and introduces himself with a smile, “Blaise Arceneau, Master Flynn. I’ve never known a singing doctor, but every ship sails better with a fine voice leading the shanty.”

He turns to Katerina, “The fates are blowing in our favor today, Captain. Let’s be about our business before the winds change. You have cannons to retrieve from a seller? If Etienne is willing, he and I can go to complete the transaction and arrange delivery to whatever holding our expedition’s sponsor may have on the island. My friend has been looking for a purchaser of some of his furs as I recall. Perhaps he can make a deal with the merchants that will gain some of the funds we’ll need to outfit the ship. Beyond that, I’d like to have a look at the cannons myself. Simply to make sure they pass muster, you understand.”

OOC: I'm fine with splitting up as needed to cover ground or keeping everyone together for narrative sake. We've discussed different approaches for Blackbeard, but, nature of the game, Captain has to make the call. Sorry to throw it all at you Queenie, but we're your crew. How do you want this day to play out?

 

[peterka99]

OOC: First Mate or Quartermaster. My character has ship proficiency (ok, more boat proficiency) but has a marine background. He was first mate before in La Marine Royale but never quartermaster- but as a jack-of-all-trade and a merchant, he can learn it fast.

 

[Queenie]

OOC: OOC: I don't mind too much Matthan, I just want to make sure everyone's voices are heard, you know what I mean? Kat as a new untried yet driven Captain was a juicy storyline but I didn't take the role of Captain to boss everyone around Personally, I'd like to get going hunting for the real treasure, we've been arranging things for almost a year and a half so I'm ready to sail! @ peterka99 Why don't we put you down as First Mate as you planned. I do think Quartermaster should be voted by the crew / assigned by everyone. I assume that means it'll be someone Charismatic but who knows? With the minimal amount of people we have, I'd also think Quartermaster is going to have two jobs, whatever they are trained for in addition to working with the crew & treasure. Kat *could* do it, but she probably shouldn't.

Trust was a hard thing to come by for Pirates and those who rode the high seas. Allegiances and alliances changed on a light wind out there on the endless blue and there were always very few who could be relied on to keep secrets. Katerina knew in the moment that she was going to have to go way out on the line, trusting the most secret of details to strangers. Yet she knew most if not all had their reasons to be looking for the Gloriosa and that alone would make them all try to be as successful as they possibly could. She imagined them, this particular group of people, to be the ones to help her attain what she so desperately and life threateningly needed. Whatever the reason, it, they, just felt right.

She threw the last scrap of her breakfast to the ground for Bella, drank up her coffee then grabbed her large weathered hat in her hand. "I realize we do not know each other that well but I can almost assure you that we each hold the other's lives in our hands. This mission, our goal, it will not be so easy. Si, it will most likely take all we each have just to survive. From this moment on, we must care for each other as family so that we can all achieve whatever it is we are each looking for."

Kat stands as the corner of her lip turn up unbidden. "Let us all go see Blackbeard together and hope we do not need all of us there." The thought of the negotiation, the confrontation of it all, as a captain, scared her and exhilarated her at the same time. Bella runs up her to perch on her shoulder and she pulls the well worn hat onto her dark, wild hair. "After that is finished we will split up to save time. Si`?"

 

[Queenie]

OOC: Also, thanks for updating the first post QL. I usually try to check there first before nagging you for info