The shipping lanes of Golarion's seas and oceans are filled with fat merchant vessels laden with trade goods both mundane and exotic, as well as the pirates and freebooters who prey on them. Under the banner of their Hurricane King, these buccaneers sally forth from that archipelago of lawless pirate ports and anchorages known as the Shackles, plundering the shipping of countless countries and trade consortiums, then vanishing back into the maze of islands and reefs they call home. The nations of the Inner Sea would like nothing more than to end the pirate menace once and for all, but the eternal hurricane known as the Eye of Abendego has thus far shielded the Free Captains of the Shackles from the threat of retaliation.
In the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path, the PCs take on the role of pirates, but they must make a name for themselves in piracy, plunder, and disrepute to truly become infamous Free Captains of the Shackles.
Being assigned her job on the Man's Promise Aya immediately suspects that she's given the worst job not for a random choice but as punishment for... something. Who else would put the weakest and shortest on the toughest and dirtiest job in the ship, the kitsune thinks. The first job her already reminds her painfully of her first time in the bilges of the Wormwood. Not because the job sucks so bad, which it of course does, but of the swab with the bucket that is dead now. She expects that the same act of kindness will not be given to her here.
While standing in the vile water she does not need to keep her sea krait on herself, letting the snake roam through the sickening fluid. The last bilges held some nasty creatures and maybe her familiar can at least keep those away from her.
Whenever the kitsune heads up to dump a bucket of brackish water over the railying the triest to make idle talk with Cog, teasing him about his sour look.
Yay! The job that requires the two equally worst abilities.
Day Job Action: Influence Cog. Take Ten: 21
Last edited by Hayabusa on Fri Feb 21, 2014 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
Rod works carefully, buying his time. Here, on the new ship, the odds are much better now, so he knows after some time, they would need to strike. For now, he does as told.
Toruk takes the first few minutes to get acclimated to the new vessel. He then gets busy at his task for the day, fishing. While getting ready to cast the nets, Toruk is also scanning the deck for would be allies. Seeing Scourge and Plugg remind him that without the Captains oversight this could end up being worse. For today, he decides to focus all his attention on catching enough fish for the days meal.
Daytime Action: Work Diligently
Number Two:"You are number six." Number Six:"I am not a number, I am a free man!" Number Two:"Muh ha ha ha ha!"
It might be a new ship, but the rules are the same, but the punishment's are worse. The group takes to the jobs, clearly being assigned the worst duties, or ones that Plugg knows you don't like. Throughout the day you can sneak peaks (Maggie especially among the rigging) of The Wormworm on the horizon still as the ships said in different directions.
Maggie in the ropes does her line work, its no different on the Man's Promise than on the Wormwood except that there are more ropes to deal with. She finds Maheem at one point and the pair team up working hard to get various sails up and down, the lines leading to them strung right, and fixed. There is plenty of damage from the attack left over and the two are soon laughing and sharing battle stories of the attack as they get their work done easily.
Aya is sent down to the small bilge area and is put to work. She works hard, in the sweltering heat, pumping the bilges. Luckily the pumps down there aren't damaged and she's able to keep up with her duties. Along the way she clears muck from the pumps and is forced to stab and killed about half a dozen fist sized bilge spiders. On her trips top side to drump the carcasses she runs into Crimson who is running messages, and the two start to talking. He can see things are getting worse now with the real Captain gone, and the pair speak in hushed tones about the dead, and the future of the crew. Seems "Crimson" Cog is on the same page as Aya when it comes to his attitude toward Scourge and Plugg. By the end of her shift Aya is exhausted, but she's done a good job and avoids the lash.
Rod puts his nose to the grind stone, and finds some extra elbow grease to help him. He keeps his head down, weighting the numbers, and the situation. He hauls ropes, ties and unties knots till his fingers bleed. He is pooped when the day is done, shoulder sour from tugging on the ropes, but he keeps under the radar of Plugg for the first day.
Toruk is upon deck, nets over the side. He fishes, getting better at it, but simply trying over and over again is enough for him to catch fish in this manner for the ship's dinner. It isn't that hard, just boring, and he leans on the rail much of the day hauling up nets and tossing them down, bringing the catch to Kroop who is drunk but not so bad that he can't debone the mackerel that Toruk brings him.
Maggie: Influence Maheem: Friendly to Helpful 17 Success.
Line Work: Prof Sailor: Take 10 = 20 Success
Fatigue: 20 vs 12 Success
Aya: Influence Cog: Friendly to Helpful 21 Success
Man the Bilges: STR: 15 Success
Fatigue: 2 vs 12 Fail -- Fatigued
Rod: Work Diligently +4
Hauling Rope and Knot Work: Sailor Take 10 = 20 Success
Fatigue: 11 vs 12 Fail -- Fatigued
Toruk: Work Diligently +4
Fishing: Prof (Fisherman): Unskilled no Take Ten: 11 vs 10 Success
Fatigue 19 vs 8 Success
When the dinner bell rings everyone is happy to be done with the first days work. You find a private corner and gobble up your dinner -- fish-gut soup, Kroop's specialty. The bloody hour is coming, and "Badger" finds herself on the wrong end of the lash for failing to swab the deck to Plugg's liking. She suffers the lash, and passes out from the pain, Fipps and Jape haul her down to the bunk area leaving her there. Plugg announces there is no entertainment tonight, "Nor any night on my ship!" So once dinner is done, you are expected to retire to your hammocks. There also isn't any rum for the sailors, which does create a bit of a rumble among those who like to drink.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Maggie goes down below decks and takes out her healer's kit. With it she makes as if she is treating Badger's wounds, though she uses a healing spell instead to make it work better. "Don't worry, Badger," she says. "We'll get through this."
Sacrifice Cause Fear to cast CLW on Badger. If I really crap out on the roll, Sacrifice Air Bubble to cast it again.
Badger wakes up to Maggie looking down at her, "Ah now I know I'm in hell!" She laughs and sits up slowly, the wounds are healed enough for her to get back on her feet, but she remains seated. "Curse that Scourge and his whip. He'll get what's coming to him eventually."
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Before beginning to eat Aya steps aside for a few minutes to clean the filth off of herself and her clothes after the tiring day in the bilges that make her arms feel like dead weight on herself.
Prestidigitation to clean stuff.
When they are sent below deck she isn't overly sad about the lack of any rum. Though that nothing else is permitted is quite discouraging. She hangs up the hammock she got from Grok, not too eager to sleep in one where who knows who has already been in. After hopping inside she sits in the center of it letting the gray and black snake slither from her sleeve and into her lap.
"So, back to where we set out with the Wormwood, huh?" She says smiling at the reptile although he words are not directed only at the creature. "What'll Plugg and Scourge do if we arrive there and the ship is sold?"
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
As she hops into her hammock to turn in, Maggie strokes Pluck, his feathers starting to come in now that he's no longer without a companion. "Stay up on top in the lines," she says. "Don't get in Plugg or Scourge's way. But keep your ears open. They might say things out of earshot of the crew that I might find interesting."
