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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 51148" data-attributes="member: 143">Book II, Part 8Once it was clear that the Raindancer would not outrun her pursuers before the fall of night, Captain Horath ordered his crew to trim the sails and they prepared for the attack.  The three pirate vessels were all well smaller than the Raindancer, with the Gray Raker perhaps half the size of the merchantman and the other two vessels even smaller, single-masted cutters each with a single deck.  Between the three of them, though, they looked to have at least twice the number of pirates onboard as Horath’s crew, and that wasn’t even considering the impact of the minotaur captain and the wizard he was rumored to have on board.  The three pirate vessels converged on the merchantman, the Gray Raker sweeping in from the port side while its twin allies came in from starboard.  As the pirate vessels neared bow range the companions could see the pirates eagerly waiting along the rails and even in the rigging of their ships, with bows, grapples, or cutlasses at the ready.  They were of mixed race, with humans, orcs, and hobgoblins represented, but all seemed equally ready to plunder the surrounded merchantman.  Horath’s men and women had equipped themselves for battle, setting up six crank-operated heavy crossbows in shielded mountings along the rail, and preparing the heavy ballista in the bow for use.  Several of the other crewmen had other missile weapons, light crossbows or short bows, and all carried a cutlass, mace, or club for melee.  The elf captain himself produced a massive longbow, and slung a quiver full of arrows over his shoulder.  The companions made their final preparations as well.  Cal used his wand of mage armor on himself, Delem, and Dana, and all of them prepared their missile weapons for use.  They were all positioned on the aft deck, where the enemy fire would first be concentrated, behind the bales and barrels that the sailors had placed along the rail for cover.  “If you see that wizard, be sure to take him out first,” Benzan reminded them.  The heavy twang of the ballista marked the opening of the battle, the missile flying across the waves to strike one of the smaller ships just below the rail, doing no damage.  The crewmen manning the engine rapidly moved to reload it, while the pirate ships drew swiftly closer.  And then the arrows started to fly.  Most of the missiles struck harmlessly in the deck or into the makeshift barriers they had erected, but a scream from the lower deck behind them spoke of at least one arrow finding its mark.  The men and women of the Raindancer returned fire, their missiles raking the decks of the pirate ships, scoring at least a few hits even at extreme range.  The barrage continued, as the ships drew nearer.  And then they spotted the minotaur.  The pirate commander, standing on the deck of the Gray Raker, was a monstrous creature, standing easily half-again the height of the tallest human pirate.  He hefted a massive composite longbow, and fired an arrow at the Raindancer.  The shot narrowly missed Captain Horath, striking the aft mast and lodging there.  Cal saw that a steaming wisp of smoke rose from where the arrow hit, and that a greasy yellow fluid had spread over the damp wood, eating away at it.  “Acid arrows!” he exclaimed, recognizing the weapon.“Let him have it!” Benzan cried, targeting the massive beast.  They could see that a smaller creature, recognizable as an orc even from several hundred feet away, had moved forward, standing in front of the minotaur.  Benzan’s arrow slashed through the air, and looked like a direct hit until the moment that it bounced off the orc’s chest, deflected by an invisible barrier. “I think I found the wizard,” he told the others.Cal was already casting a spell, and as they watched a fountain of water erupted in front of the charging Gray Raker, the spray resolving into a massive sea serpent that reared up out of the water.  The cries of the pirates could be heard on the Raindancer, but the ship continued to advance.  Cal’s illusion could do little more than block the line of fire of the pirates, as the gnome continued to direct it from his position of cover.  A few fired their bows uselessly at the figment, giving them at least some respite from the withering barrage.  But the other two vessels kept up their assault, and more hits were taken about the Raindancer.  A crewman went down with an arrow in his throat, and even though Ruath was there quickly, there was nothing that could be done for him.  Two others took less critical hits and fell back from the rail, arrows jutting from their torsos.  The exchange of arrows continued as the vessels neared to within three hundred feet, then two hundred.  Cal let the concentration on his illusion lapse, and he prepared another spell.  “Delem…”“Just a little closer,” the sorcerer said, as he reloaded his crossbow.Captain Horath plied his bow with deadly speed, launching missile after missile at the Gray Raker.  He’d scored several hits already, but then he staggered as another acid-tipped missile caught him on the shoulder.  The tall elf cried out in pain as the searing acid ate through his studded leather armor and ravaged his flesh beneath.  “Dana, help him!” Cal cried, as he readied his sleep spell.  As the ships closed to within a hundred feet, the spells started to fly, joining the barrage of arrows.  The orc, protected from the arrows that continued to fly around him, made a series of arcane gestures and pointed at the ship, summoning his magic.  A storm of icy cold erupted on the raised aft deck of the Raindancer, tearing into the companions and the nearby crewmen.  Balls of snow and ice tore into them from the point of origin of the spell, filling them with a cold that threatened to chill them to their very bones.  Captain Horath, already seriously hurt, went down, and two of his crew nearby fell also, succumbing to the numbing power of the spell.  Dana, caught in the full force of the blast, was staggered, and the rest of them felt some of its force wash over them as well, weakening them.    “Will somebody get that damned wizard!” Benzan growled in frustration.  He fired another arrow, but again it was deflected by the arcane magic of the orc wizard.  They realized that the orc was making an effective shield for the minotaur, too, who stood behind the wizard and continued to fire its mighty bow.  They saw their archer up in the crow’s nest crumple, a smoking arrow stuck in his chest.Delem fought off the numbing cold and pulled himself up to the rail.  Summoning his magic, he released a pair of magic missiles that sped across the distance and struck the wizard, burning through his protections and scoring his chest.  “Yeah, give him some more of that!” Benzan shouted in encouragement.  Delem’s action had unfortunately drawn attention to him, and several arrows came at him from the three vessels.  The first few hit the barriers or were turned by his mage armor, but one stuck in his shoulder, knocking him back.  “Delem’s hit!” Lok shouted.“I’m all right!” the sorcerer cried, although it was clear that he was seriously injured.  With a roar that erupted from all three ships, the pirates slowly slid abreast of the Raindancer, as the arrows and spells continued to fill the air between them.  The nearer of the two smaller ships blocked the other, so only one at first could come alongside.  Grapnels arched through the air and caught on the rail and in the rigging, pulling the smaller ship closer.  On the port side, the Gray Raker was doing the same, and several of its pirates were already clambering into its rigging, preparing to board the merchantman.  “Here they come!” Cal cried, as he launched his sleep spell into a dense cluster of pirates on board the Raker.  Four collapsed into magical sleep, but that still left nearly a dozen that started clambering up the side of the Raindancer. A human pirate swung across from the Raker and landed on the aft deck in front of them, his cutlass bare in his hand.  He’d barely caught his balance, though, before Lok barreled into him, his axe ripping the hapless pirate nearly in two.  Several others had already boarded via the main deck from both sides of the ship, however, and the crew there was taking heavy casualties from their attacks.  The small vessel on the starboard side quickly discharged its entire crew of ten pirates, at their head a massive half-orc who was wielding a battleaxe like a scythe as it cut through the defenders.  The last ship was already maneuvering toward the front of the lagging Raindancer, with another half-score of pirates eager to join in before the violence and looting were finished.On the aft deck, the companions held on, and the surviving crewmembers were retreating to that redoubt and to the raised foredeck, where the ballista crew and several additional crewmembers were still fighting.  Captain Horath rose unsteadily, his injuries partially healed by the quick intervention of Ruath, and he drew his rapier as he tried to rally the remnants of his crew to his side.  The halfling priestess called upon Tymora in a prayer to steady them and hinder their enemies, although it could not stop the deluge of pirates as they swarmed on them from all directions.  Cal stepped to the edge of the narrow stair that ran down to the lower deck as a wave of pirates pursued several injured crewmen.  Once the crewmen had passed, he fired a color spray into the pirates, blasting the first knot of men, orcs, and hobgoblins into unconsciousness.  Others came on over their fallen companions, but Benzan was there, firing an arrow into the throat of the first and knocking him back into his companions.  A pair of glowing bolts streaked over from the deck of the Raker, hitting Cal and Benzan.  Apparently the orc mage was still going strong.  “Somebody get that mage, damn it!” Benzan repeated as he dropped his bow and drew his scimitar.  The remaining pirates seemed reluctant to rush up the narrow stair, but then the half-orc charged forward, spittle falling from its lips as it slavered in mad battle rage, knocking aside two of its own comrades as it came.   Two more pirates swung over to the aft deck on ropes but were repulsed, as captain Horath stabbed one and Dana smacked the second in the face before he could gain his footing.  Both fell back into the narrow space between the ships, screaming as they were crushed between the vessels.  And then the minotaur stepped forward.  The orc wizard muttered an incantation and touched the creature, infusing him with some arcane magic.  The power of the spell was immediately evident as the minotaur leapt straight up into the air, clearing the rail of the Raindancer and landing with a powerful thud squarely in the midst of the embattled companions.  The bull-headed monstrosity stood over seven feet tall, dressed in a breastplate and carrying a massive double-bladed axe.  Lok was there to greet its arrival.  The genasi did not hesitate, ripping into the towering creature with a powerful stroke to the hip that dug deeply into its muscled flesh.  Delem’s knees shook at the appearance of the minotaur, and he knew that Lok would need help, but he also knew that the enemy wizard was still a deadly threat.  Still hurt from the effects of the snowburst and the arrow he’d taken, he staggered across the aft deck and past the deadly melee to the port rail.  He looked down on the deck of the Gray Raker, now virtually empty save for a few pirates that had been crippled by arrows.  And the orc wizard, who spotted him and started moving his hands in arcane gestures.“No you don’t!” Delem shouted, summoning his own magic.  The flames came quickly to his call, extending from his hands in a stream that slammed into the chest of the orc.  The flames washed over it, burning away even its screams as it crumpled into a burning heap on the deck of the pirate vessel.   The half-orc barbarian led a blind charge up the stairs to the raised aft deck, his axe sweeping ahead for Benzan’s head as he came.  Benzan gave ground, letting the axe cut through the air before he countered with a slash that tore into the pirate’s lightly armored chest.  The barbarian staggered but its rage kept it coming, countering with a heavy blow that was fortunately partially absorbed by Benzan’s magical armor.  Even so, the tiefling was hurt, and it was clear that a blow-for-blow exchange would not be enough to defeat this adversary.Into the opening forged by the half-orc came another rush of pirates, but even as the first reached the aft deck Cal fired another color spray down the stair, sending several unconscious pirates back into the arms of their fellows.  The minotaur roared a challenge and swept its axe at Lok, the swing backed by the incredible power of its muscular frame.  The blow looked strong enough to cleave even the doughty genasi in two—had it connected.  Lok managed to dodge back, and the blade only lightly clanged off of his shield, missing wide.  Allies came to the genasi’s aid before the minotaur could recover and attack again.  Captain Horath came up behind it and struck with his rapier, but the slender blade could not penetrate the massive pirate’s heavy armor.  And then, from the opposite flank, Dana charged in, slicing a shallow cut in its side with her kama.  “Dana, no!” Lok shouted, realizing that the young woman was far outmatched by this adversary.  The warning came too late, as the minotaur twisted nimbly around.  Its axe caught Dana on the shoulder, only her sudden dodge keeping it from separating her arm from her body.  Even so, the impact spun her around, a fountain of blood flying into the air as she staggered and crumpled to the slippery surface of the deck.  The minotaur grinned in feral satisfaction as it came around again to face the more dangerous adversary, grunting as the genasi scored another hit to the beast’s torso.  The minotaur seemed possessed of an incredible fortitude, however, as it raised the deadly axe to strike again.  Benzan, too, was finding himself hard-pressed.  The barbarian’s rage was driving it on with a violence that shrugged off the hits the tiefling got in with his scimitar.  The tiefling’s agility and magical armor gave him the edge, but even so his side burned where another blow had been only partially absorbed by the mithral links of his chainmail.  If that axe caught him solidly, he knew that the battle would be over quickly.  And then he caught sight of Cal out of the corner of his eye, and took heart.  The half-orc came on again in a rush designed to barrel Benzan right off the edge of the ship.  He staggered, though, as the gnome cast a spell that clouded his senses, drawing off his rage into a confused daze.  The half-orc’s strengths were physical, not mental, so he had little chance of fighting off the spell.  The barbarian could only stand there, unable to act, as Benzan grabbed onto it and used its own momentum to toss it over the side of the ship.  The splash from below was very rewarding.  A few short paces away, the battle with the minotaur captain raged on.  The beast ignored the feeble thrusts from Horath and focused on Lok.  It caught him with a blow that knocked his shield aside and cleaved into the shoulder underneath, but Lok returned the stroke with a counter that ripped another bloody, frost-rimmed gash in the minotaur’s side.  The two combatants traded blows like a smith hammering on a forge, but even though Lok was half the size of the minotaur, he refused to give ground.And yet the contest was heavily weighed toward one outcome.  After Lok turned yet another stroke from the minotaur’s massive axe, but before he could counter, the beast suddenly swiveled back and jammed the hilt of the weapon into the genasi’s face.  Lok staggered back a step and fell hard, blood flowing in a fountain from his shattered nose.  Horath tried to stab at the minotaur again from the flank, but the massive creature spun, and with a speed that belied its considerable size, slammed its horned head down into the elf captain’s face.  Horath too crumpled to the deck, unconscious.  The minotaur let out a bellow of triumph over its two fallen foes as it stepped forward, axe lifted high to put an end to Lok’s life.</blockquote>

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