Book 3 - Act 1: Perilous Waters

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.

A Paizo Adventure Path

Run by the Pirate King Vardaen
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Re: Book 3 - Act 1: Perilous Waters

Post by Grimbold » Sat Jan 04, 2020 5:26 pm

"Rickety Hake!" Rod exclaims, smiling. "Good to see you again, ye old scoundrel. Come on up and let's talk. We need some stuff done on our ship."

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Re: Book 3 - Act 1: Perilous Waters

Post by Hungry Xenomorph » Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:15 am

Ready to spend sometime with some land beneath his feet Xie grabs his fishing gear and heads out of his cabin, happy to get a break from all the craziness he walks on to the pier and stops by Rod and an unknown man, with a bow Xie introduces himself to the stragner. "Xie Zhang, it's an honor to make your acquaintance."

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Rickety Squibs: Shore Leave

Post by Vardaen » Wed Jan 08, 2020 8:54 pm

The longboat from the shore has pulled up along side your ship and Rickey has climbed on board The Thresher. He smiles at Captain Roderick and shouts, "Roderick Belmonte! What happened to the Man's... er the Banshee? You do get around don't you." He can see after a moment that Rod is the new captain, "And captain too? Well well, going up in the world." He gives a fake salute to Xie, "A pleasure to meet you too Mr. Xie, name's Rickey Hake, this is place is mine. You behave yourselves and we'll be best of friends." He looks around and eyes the crew. "Well I take it you aren't here for pleasant conversation. This ship needs some help. Come on, you are welcome to come to shore." He shakes hands with the officers and gives a toothy grin to Flavina, she's his type. He looks Meri up and down, "Well Captain Belmonte, this here blue tuna is a better looker than that last one you came here with. You do get around don't you."

The old man invites you to shore. And so you climb into your own longboat and row in, leaving the Thresher in the deep water in the bay.

First on the list of things is the sale of your plunder, booty, treasure, and loot! Some of it you might hold on to, some of it you dump at the first chance you get. You hit the docks and tie up the jolly boat. A pair of docks reaches out into the muddy waters of the estuary. Three small dinghies are moored here beneath canopies made of wooden poles and dried palm fronds along with your boats.

You notice that the heat is intense once you leave the ship. There is little wind and the buzz of insects is incessant. A few sun-darkened workers squat on casks splicing rope and mending nets here. They pay you no mind as you head down the docks inland.

Then its near and past the boathouse. Two piers extend out into the river from a long building of rough cut wooden planks with large openings to allow passage within. Ropes, pulleys, and other equipment common to a boathouse hang inside. Rickety's longboat Peccarine is moored inside the boathouse with its masts stepped. There are a handful of workers here also but other than a friendly wave or a nod they pay you no mind.

From here you can see the dry dock all the way north of the settlement. A massive, wedge-shaped wooden ramp rises directly from the river. It is large enough to hold a ship of the line and has huge mooring points to allow such a ship to be stabilized in place. Wooden scaffolding is erected all along its sides to allow workers easy access to all points of a ship and its hull.

Scattered around are smaller huts and homes, personal and private residences that you pay no heed.

You however turn west inland to the Commons. A once-grand building with broad wings extending from its ground floor stands at the end of the docks, its octagonal dome topped by a cupola. It was obviously a fine villa in its day but time and the harsh sun and rains of the Slithering Coast have faded its paint and cracked its boards, leaving it a gray ghost of its former self. A painted board above the veranda names it as "Rickety's Squibs". Smaller, less grandiose hovels and sheds clapped together of flotsam and jetsam surround the larger building and merge into the jungle behind it.

Everything is handled at the Commons. Guests of Rickety's Squibs are put up in the somewhat shabby accommodations of the main house, which does at least have a taproom, a small market, and a functioning chow hall that serves the entire settlement. The shade of the jungle canopy here is welcome, as the heat is merciless and many of the trees are wilted with browning leaves that show the effects of an extended drought.

Anything you might want to do its going to happen at the Commons. Inside you you will eventually find your crew laughing, drinking, eating, and telling tales!
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"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

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Re: Book 3 - Act 1: Perilous Waters

Post by Grimbold » Wed Jan 08, 2020 9:04 pm

Rod has Flavinia organize that a small group of guards is on the ship at all times, otherwise he'll let the crew spend their hard earned money. He sits down with Rickety, buys him a drink and talks business, ie refitting the ship and their new found prow and what else could be done to make her faster.
"Go tell everyone about our deeds!" He tells his officers. "We need to gain our own reputation."

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Re: Book 3 - Act 1: Perilous Waters

Post by GuyWithSword » Fri Jan 10, 2020 9:29 am

The mermaid smiles at Rickey, "Hi, I'm not blue tuna. My name is Meri! Nice to meet you!" It takes her a few seconds to realize that Rickey implied that he saw another mermaid. "Oh, you must've met my sister. I'm looking for her actually. I don't suppose you know something about her whereabouts?"

To Rod, Meri asks, "You want me to brag about what we did? I guess I could do that. How do you suggest I go about it? I could also help you talk business with Rickety if you wish."

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Re: Book 3 - Act 1: Perilous Waters

Post by Grimbold » Fri Jan 10, 2020 11:32 am

"Yeah, brag about our finding the long lost treasure. We'd like to have word get around." Rod says. "Of course you can also help me talk to Rickety."

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Re: Book 3 - Act 1: Perilous Waters

Post by Zorbeltuss » Fri Jan 10, 2020 3:28 pm

"I'll be telling the tale!" Flavinia grins, acting the naive blueyed girl straight off to her first shoreleave, the way she handles herself in the face of attention on the ship, that's obviously just an act, this is hardly her first shoreleave. "Pays for the booze it does, or is that just all the men wanting more than just the little song and dance they'll get?"

"Can't promise any quality singing, but the dance will be on the tables, and the only way to make people love that any more would be to wear a skirt". If there were any strong and handsome man here, he might get lucky, odds are that, no, no there isn't, present crew excluded, and she doesn't fraternize aboard the ship, because that never goes well. Come morning, the party would have entered her by the one ear and marching slowly and loudly through her head to come out the other.

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Rickety Squibs: Shore Leave

Post by Vardaen » Fri Jan 10, 2020 6:55 pm

Rickety shakes his head at Meri, "What? No, no this was no mermaid that Rod used to sail around with. Undine, Toruk or Torus or some name." He looks to Rod as he starts off to his office, "What ever happened to that fish flogger anyhow? Seemed a good sort, left an impression that one did." Rickety and Rod head to Rickety's office off the common house, with whomever also joins. That conversation is about as exciting as watching waves crash. Its all business, carpentry, coins, and timelines to 'squib' the ship. Once Rod decides on something Rickety has his men and your men bring The Thresher into dry dock -- all hands off the ship (but Flavina makes sure three men are on watch at the dry dock at all times).

The rest of the crew heads for drinks and food, song and story. Flavina knows just what she's doing, and for the rest of the day she carouses, sings, dances -- on tables with short skirts, and generally improves the infamy of the crew. Rickety's is visited by a good many pirates, and your fame and disrepute will spread from here like wild fire.


Your ship's cook, a young man, of only 17 sets foot in the common room and the locals cheer! Henric you see signed on to the Banshee from this port right here, and he left friends behind. Almost at once he's welcomed back into the fold and isn't seen again until its time to leave as he goes about catching up with all his old friends.
Read up on Infamy and such: viewtopic.php?p=287658#p287658

Winning Infamy and Disrepute: A few things are required to gain Infamy: an audience, a deed to tell about, and a flair for storytelling. Proof of the group's deed in the form of plunder doesn't hurt either.

To gain Infamy, the PCs must moor their ship at a port for 1 full day, and the PC determined by the group to be its main storyteller must spend this time on shore carousing and boasting of infamous deeds. This PC must make either a Bluff, Intimidate, or Perform check to gauge the effectiveness of her recounting or embellishing. The DC of this check is equal to 15 + twice the group's average party level (APL), and the check is referred to as an Infamy check. If the character succeeds at this check, the group's Infamy and Disrepute both increase by +1 (so long as neither score is already at its maximum amount). If the result exceeds the DC by +5, the group's Infamy and Disrepute increase by +2; if the result exceeds the DC by +10, both scores increase by +3. The most a party's Infamy and Disrepute scores can ever increase as a result of a single Infamy check is by 3 points.

If the PC fails the Infamy check, there is no change in her group's Infamy score and the day has been wasted. Occasionally, deeds of exceptional daring or depravity might win a party increases to its Disrepute. This sort of discretionary bonus to Disrepute is noted in the context of an adventure or determined by the GM.

Groups Max Infamy 35
Groups Current Infamy 20

Flavina Bluff 16: DC 15 + 14 = 29
No Taking Ten or 20
Roll: 18 +16 = 34 Success by 5: +2 Infamy and Disrepute

Ship Sheet Updated: Both at 22 Now


Henric Durriken Cook Human Male "Henric is a young Varisian boy of seventeen that hails from Riddleport, the same city that Toruk grew up in. Left behind from another ships makeover roughly two years ago, Henric has taken up residence at Rickety Squibs doing odd jobs. A combination of his eagerness to leave and Toruk's interest in his origin, brought them together as if by fate. Rickety always told the boy he was welcome to leave whenever he saw fit, with the only disclaimer being the goings on at this particular port did not exist. Perhaps the crew of the Besmara's Banshee appealed to Henric as they were not perceived as the normal run of the mill vile pirates you usually encounter. Toruk, with Kroop's approval have agreed to take the boy on as an apprentice cook, much like the Undine was on The Man's Promise.

Toruk also notes that he feels Durriken is a false last name, not something uncommon from a Varisian who may be hiding from a family names reputation. To date he has never inquired with the boy on this topic..."
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"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

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Re: Book 3 - Act 1: Perilous Waters

Post by Othniel » Fri Jan 10, 2020 11:39 pm

On the voyage from Lilywhite to Rickety's, Seroneth spends most of her downtime in her cabin. Having claimed for herself the gilded tattoo kit found in the underwater lair, she now spends several hours diligently working on a new magical decoration for her skin. A Calistrian, the elf woman is not one for modesty, and while she will likely never rise to the level of Meri's somewhat innocent approach to such, she leaves the door open to display her work for any who chance by. Art ought to be appreciated by more than the artist, after all. Seroneth's shoulders are emblazoned with several magical tattoos, colorful scenes of figures exercising the very arcane power now at rest in her but ready to be called upon in an emergency.

When the crew disembarks their vessel, Seroneth joins the others in the common room, she watches the goings on, and in the case of Flavinia's display not a little admiration and interest, but declines to take part. Let the crew have their fun, tell their tales, and perhaps entice more sailors to join them. She would be ready for the Captain to call upon her should he require her silver tongue for negotiations.

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Re: Book 3 - Act 1: Perilous Waters

Post by Hungry Xenomorph » Tue Jan 14, 2020 6:27 pm

Xie waves to the rest of the crew as he heads towards the beach with his fishing rod in hand. "I will be fishing if anyone needs me, please try not to get stabbed in the meantime." Xie gives the crew a smile and walks on. Once at the beach Xie looks for a nice spot to sit down and cast his line.

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