The SSRS Kostroma lies idle in the southeastern bay of Mended Horn Island. Only the front portion, the two forward masts and the front of the superstructure that sits in the center of the freighter's hull, is illuminated by a pair of dim lights that glow orange-red, a sure sign that the boilers of the Kostroma are dying, and the lights will soon go off. The remainder of the ship's funnel, and the mast behind the superstructure are visible only in silhouette. The gibbous moon and starry night that would have provided a clear backdrop to the black hulk of the Kostroma have been smothered by the overcast skies and light rain.
A sound comes, not from the Kostroma, and indeed, not from anywhere at all. A low, vaguely tinnitus-like sound that drains out the sound of silence. It calls to you. It calls to everyone.
"Come to the Kostroma, good soldier. Join us here. Come."
1220 replies and 56 files omitted.
>>194424The room is not massive. At most, 20 feet. Actually, likely much less. 15 feet, maybe less
>>194424>>194423Actually, Kira is quickest. Except Posey is kind of in the way
Posey moves forward, limber with her dead nerves. As part of her movement, she draws her sword with a blinding flash, charging the blade with with destructive ki as she unleashes her bloodthirst. Her she charges to attack the creature that rolled 18 with her sword.
Iajitusu Focus check
[1d20+8 = (3+8) = 11]
Charge
[1d20+9 = (16+9) = 25]
Damage
[1d8+6 = (4+6) = 10]
>>194426Additional damage
[1d6 = 5]As part of this attack, Posey demoralizes her opponent
Intimidate
[1d20+15 = (19+15) = 34]Her turn is over.
(Sorry Kira. I didn't want to make you shoot into a melee, but Posey was blocking the door otherwise)
>>194425With Posey out of the way, Kira rushes into the room, quickly seeing the situation. With Posey tackling the quickest of the two opponents, Kira moves to grapple and coil around the other.
Touch Attack:
[1d20+9 = (2+9) = 11]Improved Grapple:
[1d20+13 = (6+13) = 19] >>194428That 11 might still hit, since he's flat-footed until he moves.
>>194426>>194427Posey launches forward into the room with her sword, and plants it in the chest of the creature, presumably breaking the breast bone. There is a sound almost like a whistle, or a quite scream, and the flashlight falls to the ground.
>>194428Kira lunges towards the only thing she can see, which is a blinding light. As she moves, she hits at high speed the edge of a table, causing pain and potential bruising. She makes it all the same to the source of the light and lunges, just to find that she didn't know exactly what she was aiming at in the first place. She guesses wrong and just barely misses - although she manages to get a hoof or a mouth full of feather all the same (whichever she is using) and perhaps collides with the creature
>>194427And yet, it isn't quite dead. It stabs at Posey with what seems to be a large knife or perhaps some kind of short sword
[1d20+3 = (10+3) = 13] >>194430Kira lets out a
hisssssssss, both at the bright light and the pain of running into something.
>>194430Posey lets out a reflexive cackle in battle ecstacy. She puts on a manic grin as she deflects the knife with a bracer.
Did it seem affected by Posey's demoralize check? That could tell us if these two are sane or not.
>>194416If they were going to identify themselves, they did not answer in the perhaps two seconds before Posey spoke
I think it's Silver's turn
>>194432https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWsnPx0wgcw&pp=ygUQSSBjYW4ndCBzZWUgc2hpdA%3D%3DNot enough to decide to just give up and die, as opposed to fight back
>>194433Silver, returning with the zeeb to find this chaos, I believe has a flashlight, and he shines it in the room at the two opponents.
>>194434Silver shines it in to see:
The room is some sort of armory or magazine, with a number of artillery shells, boxes, empty racks, and smaller shells.
Posey in combat with a griffin which is clearly stabbed. There is another griffin there who has an absolutely massive python looking thing in front of it
The scene does not at all please Zara
"STOP IT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP IT!"
>>194434The second griffin, which seems disturbed, takes out a sword, drops its flashlight to the ground, and swipes at Kira
[1d20+1 = (15+1) = 16][1d6+1 = (3+1) = 4] I freaking hate how I always get interrupted every time we finally get to combat in this game. I need you step out. I will try to be back soon.Pose full-attacks on her turn
She opens with a Charnel touch, stygian entropy surging from the stigmata on her frog
[1d20+4 = (15+4) = 19][1d8+1 = (5+1) = 6]She then leans forward in a nuzzling motion approaching her opponents neck, licking her lips: a veiled attempt at a bite
[1d20-1 = (19-1) = 18][1d4+3 = (4+3) = 7]She whips her mane like a witch, attempting to slash at the creature's eyes with the blade in her mane
[1d20-5 = (14-5) = 9][1d3+3 = (1+3) = 4]She then turns hoof and savagely bucks her opponent with a slam attack
[1d20-1 = (11-1) = 10][1d6+3 = (3+3) = 6]Free demoralize
[1d20+15 = (18+15) = 33]>>194435...
OR
She waits patiently to see if her opponents surrender at Zara's interruption. One of those two things.
I need to step out...
>>194436Is this all on the same creature that she already stabbed?
>>194437Yes
If the first creature she attacks dies, she 5 ft steps and moves on to the next opponent.
Unless it surrenders first.
G2g
Sorry, I can't skip Easter dinner with family.
>>194436>>194437>>194438The griffin looks past Posey. It does not offer speech
okay... >>194439Back for two minutes; prepping food.Posey observes for a moment for any reason to halt combat before taking her turn as I described earlier.
"Any last words?" she implores, clearly chomping at the but to go for the kill
(because speaking is a free action on anyone else's turn)
>>194435The sword finds purchase in the pony half of Kira, causing her to whimper. Silver rushes forward, his sword drawn and ready to parry any more swung blades, as he shouts out a, "
ENOUGH!" that's quite loud in such a small room.
Back
>>194439Posey gives the griffon a generous opportunity to surrender before killing him.
If the Griffins do not respond, Posey assumes they've lost their minds like the others and full attacks like I described.
That would be the end of her turn.
>>194440>>194442A sound like a gurgling, blood filled squack. And a "
Yip! Yip!" from behind her
>>194441Everyone looks towards Silver. His words silnce a yipping Zara, who sits down
>>194444>Zebras bark like dogsAwww, that's adorable.
"Your protest is acknowledged, Zara, but you should know that piracy is messy work."
Posey does not hesitate to kill after hearing anything but unconditional surrender. She finishes the griffon in front of her before directing her remaining attacks at the other one (which should be flanked), as described above.
>>194444>>194445A flash of silver strikes out at Posey's blade as Silver attempts to parry her attack with his blade and stop the kill.
[1d20+12 = (16+12) = 28] >>194446They didn't respond after multiple attempts to communicate. What else can we do but fight?
I'm glad to hear any other plans, and I will comply with those plans if they are good, but combat seems like the only option right now.
Anyway, I guess I am done with my turn. Who's turn is it?
>>194447>>194448Kira, currently bleeding from taking a nasty cut, blinks. She looks at Silver parrying Posey's attack, then back to the griffons. "Um...I...suppose we should have tried...talking first?"
>>194449"We tried talking!" Posey snarls
>>194450Kira looks back to the previously barking zebra. "Um...do they even speak Ponish?"
>>194439Does the griffon who is not bleeding say anything?
>>194445Posey touches the griffin, and that seems to be enough to knock it out. She may continue with a bite on the neck, though biting the other griffin is less successful.Or maybe not
>>194448Ackshually I think Kira moves before Posey? But Silver is not until after the first griffin who is after Posey
>>194451Her tail curls around her jacket covered side
"I don't- No? Well, most do but a few don't. Ponish or Imperial"
>>194452He does not.
>>194453Kira holds onto her wound to try to slow the bleeding. "Do...you, speak any Imperial?"
>>194453I guess Kira moves first then.
Posey hisses, clearly preferring the bloodshed over having to deal with more language barriers.
>>194454https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8OKJ8ZIWd0No response, and they seem generally not especially responsive to most spoken statements except to acknowledge sensory input
>>194456Does he in any way indicate that he is not one of the brainwashed thralls we've been fighting so far?
Posey, well familiar with enchantment, squints to discern this:
Sense Motive (to discern enchantment)
[1d20+6 = (6+6) = 12] >>194456Wait a minute, there was a pony version this whole time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iunZg3LCZ4o&pp=ygUTZG8geW91IHNwZWFrIHBvbmlzaA%3D%3D>>194445Zehbruh bark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWIrcvr7Hb4>>194457Posey's ability to discern thralls is not perfect given that almost all that have been encountered so far have been showing obvious signs of exposure and therefore paying attention to subtler body language was unnecessary. However, it should be noted that both griffins turn their heads and ears as if to unheard stimuli, and neither attempts to communicate with the other, or with anycreature else for that matter.
>>194458Kira has an idea. She leans in and whispers to the griffon she was facing off with:
"The Traveler is a big stinky doo-doo butt." >>194459An artillery shell is knocked off of a shelf, and falls towards Kira's trunk
[1d20 = 19][1d3 = 1] What does Kira do on her turn?
>>194458Posey's ears flicker as she drinks in the lamentations of their jenny.
>unresponsive>unheard stimuli"These birds are already gone. Finish the job." she snarls
Posey takes her turn as mentioned after Kira
>>194459>t. has no butt>>194460"OW!"
Eeyup, that's definitely some muscle tissue damage. However, is there any reaction from the griffon?
>>194462GM already said that they make no attempts to communicate with anyone.
Are you done with your turn?
>>194462The shell lands about in the middle of Kira's body, a little under 2/3rds down her trunk, in the vicinity of her duodenum. It is perhaps providential that Hopper was there, and causing Kira's belly to slightly turn upwards, so that the tip landed on soft tissue instead of her spine or one of her ribs. Kira thinks it might have hit Hopper's head and even cracked it (more so). The rim and most of the shell lands second and hits the floor with a "thud." Honestly maybe it's best the tip of that shell didn't hit a hard surface.
The griffin whispers
"Sieh selbst"
>>194461>she drinks in the lamentations of their jenny.Kek. In fairness to Silver though, he's the only one trying to make a concubine of the prisoner. Posey could do the same with the Stalliongradian political officer, just saying.
>>194461I love lamias but they really do not have butts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8rUoWXksXo >>194464Kira may be disappointed by that fact if she knew what not having a butt was costing her.
If Kira is the only thing keeping Posey from ganking the one griffon, then she accepts the risk that this action she is about to take will pose to her and makes to grapple and subdue the injured griffon.
Touch Attack:
[1d20+9 = (18+9) = 27]Improved Grapple:
[1d20+13 = (6+13) = 19] >>194464>Posey could do the same with the Stalliongradian political officer, just saying.Maybe later. I want to clear this dungeon first, to remain professional.
Dust isn't getting away easy either.I have no idea who's turn it is, but Posey attacks the same way she did before on her turn, moving 5 ft between targets if necessary.
Charnel Touch
[1d20+4 = (16+4) = 20][1d8+1 = (2+1) = 3]Slam
[1d20-1 = (1-1) = 0][1d6+3 = (2+3) = 5]Braid blade
[1d20-5 = (3-5) = -2][1d3+3 = (2+3) = 5]Bite
[1d20-1 = (9-1) = 8][1d4+3 = (1+3) = 4] >>194466Well, these are some shitty rolls...
Also I keep forgetting I'm a lvl 4 Sorcerer instead of an actual frontline martial... Gotta save slots though.
>>194465To be clear, is Kira attacking the griffin that Posey has stabbed and is about to kill, and ignoring the one that is right in front of her and has stabbed her?
>>194466I need to see if I can drag Dust's player back so his character can be properly defloweredNot... great attack rolls. Let me figure out if Kira stole Posey's griffin
>>194469Wait, I thought I already killed the other one with the previous attack?
Idk. Posey is just going to do the same thing again next turn. Her turn is over.
Also the demoralize should actually be on the first attack, so he has -2 AC if not Shaken.
Also, DC 19 will be her Frightful Presence.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
>>194471>so he has -2 AC if not Shaken.*-2 AC if Shaken (assuming not immune to fear)
>>194471>will be*vs
I need to stop speed-typing.
>>194470Cavaliere is... not so great on the initiative.
However, because he missed the first round, he can jump in after Kira has clarified what she's doing
>>194471So ackshually Kira is first in initiative order, not Posey. So unlike Silver, Kira actually can stop in and stop Posey's kill, because Kira is actually supposed to go before Posey
>>194471 >>194469>>194474Kira is indeed, trying to knock him out and keep a body between Posey and the griffon.
>>194474I have no idea what to even do in this situation. I feel like we messed this encounter up.
Uh, grapple?
>>194476>>194475What is even the plan after you grapple them?
>>194471>>194475Posey sees an absolutely giant python like thing move in, grab the griffin, and knock it to the ground, disabling it. Posey touches the second griffin and channels her evil energy into it. But unlike the first griffin, it is not so hurt as that this is enough to disable it. The Traveller must have cursed her swings (or at least, that's what she tells herself) because her swings miss the griffin.
>>194476Viable
>>194477May as well ask Kira that
although I suppose the answer is "squeeze them" >>194478Okay. The two of them can knock them out with subdual damage after I attack the other one on my next turn.
I guess it's Silver's turn now?
>>194480You're a monk, right? Punch them and do nonlethal damage.
>>194479>>194480Cavaliere, then Silver, then the griffin, then Kira, then Posey
>>194482Roll for it. You have flurry and can flank.
Posey draws her blackjack.
>>194483He punches one enemy, presumably the closest.
”Your haste is going to get us all killed!” he exclaims.
I don’t have my character sheet with me >>194485Do you remember your Strength/Dex? Let's extrapolate. Your BAB should be +5, I assume at least 16 to your primary attack stat, then +1 for brawl.
Your flurry should be at least +6/+6, I think. +8/+8 with flanking.
You only need to hit each of them once or so, then the rest of us can incapacitate them with normal attacks.
>>194486I can’t remember if Cavaliere has Flurry of Blows. I have only his ranged attacks memorized.
>>194487It's a first level ability so I think that he does
>>194486The enemy
>>194487If he has monk levels, he has flurry, unless you used an obscure ACF which I know you did not. I know he has monk levels. His BAB is 5 with any combination of Ranger/Monk levels at lvl.
Just roll. This encounter is taking longer than it needs to.
>>194488Regardless, should the griffon still be conscious, Silver goes to smack the griffon in the head with his sword pommel.
[1d20+8 = (15+8) = 23][2d6+8 = (6+8) = 14] >>194489[1d20+8 = (11+8) = 19]What was the damage die again?
>>194490Great Celestia, how strong is Silver?!
>>194491That hits
1d6 plus strength
>>194493>>194490>>194489Posey stings the griffin with her touch, and there is a yelp. Cavaliere hits the griffin and its head moves back. Then Silver knocks it the fuck out.
Both griffins are down.
>>194494Heal: Silver immediately goes to tend to the wounds of the griffon Kira has incapacitated to try to keep him from dying.
[1d20+5 = (20+5) = 25] >>194495The griffin's jacket is removed, and a bedsheet taken from a room above, fetched by Stained Sand and then delivered to Silver by Zara, serves well to plug the wound and stop the bleeding, then is quickly wrapped around the griffin. It seems stabilized, if not well.
>>194496Silver nods after finishing up, confident in the quality of the work he has performed. Kira gives Zara some headpats. "It's okay. If the Traveler possessed them, Ouroboros can free their minds once we turn the lights back on!"
>>194496Cavaliere assists however he can, even if it’s only by providing light.
>>194497”If. I doubt thralls would have need for lamps. They may have been merely impaired, and spooked into action.” >>194497Zara is pat, temporarily parting her ears. She looks down at the griffins, inspecting them.
"They were part of the boarding party..." She turns back and looks to Kira, though she turns her head away. She speaks,
"What's this.. 'possess'"? Turning her eyes back at the end of the question and placing a forehoof down.
>>194498A flashlight is helpful under these circumstances
>>194494Posey frisks the downed griffins for loot, before proceeding to open the door to cargo hold five.
She licks the bloodied edge of her sword as she moves through the darkness and into the door to the next room, savoring the bitter sting of enchanted silver on her tongue.
>>194495"You know, going through the effort to patch them up now only increases the chance of fighting them for their ship when all of this is done..." Posey says, swishing her tail nonchalantly as she walks by
(Also, they were knocked out with nonlethal damage: It's not necessary to stabilize them. They will recover on their own)
>>194498Kira
does look uneasy. She still doesn't know if they were for sure. "Well...they did well to disorientate us..."
>>194499Silver looks over to Zara, and replies. "This entity, 'Traveler' or 'Chernobog' depending on who you ask, can take over minds of creatures, make them puppets to its will. It whispers to you, tries to get you to agree to join it in exchange for it helping you with whatever desire you have, and then it has you..."
>>194500Admittedly, Posey
did run a griffon through the chest with her sword. Silver's the only one who can run someone through with his sword without killing them, here.
>>194501It doesn't matter if they took lethal damage if the nonlethal damage is what knocked him out. If the sword strike were enough to cause him to bleed out, he would have just died on the spot.
>>194500Short swords, hoofcuffs, ammunition for guns they do not hold, their flashlights, and small amounts of money that don't seem to match their nationalities. Small necklaces to Eyr and Boreas respectively. One has a locket shocking a griffin, one has a pocket watch. They carry no IDs.
It tastes like griffin blood and, well, enchanted silver
>>194501Zara blinks
"How is that different from anyone else? I mean, I will take that over the Chiropterrans. They don't ask, they just steal creatures. I'd rather someone who asks first..."
>>194502It lost 85% of its HP to a sword strike and some kind of magical thing. I'd rather the wound be bandage than just "nah, it'll be fine."
>>194503Posey takes 10 to Apprause the jewelry and the currency to tell what they are worth.
>>194503Silver shakes his head at the misunderstanding zebra. "They made prisoner of your body. Traveler, it makes prisoner of your mind. It takes you over wholly, both body and mind subsumed into something else. There is no more 'you', just Traveler's will. You can not resist its commands because you are no longer in control of yourself, even if its command is to attack your friends and allies who have refused its offer..."
>>194504Perhaps two hundred or so bits. Well, more, if the currency can be converted.
>>194505"A message?"
Zara asks
>>194506"Oh..." she says, reduced to silence
>>194507>convertedI have to count my currency individually then. How much of each type?
Could you tell me what the watch and necklaces cost individually?
I know I said we should divide treasure at the end of the adventure, but it's been over a year and I don't think anyone has been keeping track.
>>194507Silver comes a bit closer to the mare, and wraps his forelegs around her in a hug. "We will stop him, and free your friends."
>>194509squeakThe zebra is huggedZara is pushed down by Silver, as her shoulder is higher than the top of Silver's barrel.
She tilts her muzzle up and looks into Silver's eyes with her own ice blue
"Are you- are you sure?"
>>194510Blackheel and Stained Sand are in the room now
Stained Sand:
"I would be on edge, absolutely. Especially with an armed party"
Blackheel:
"I am skeptical that there are hold outs... but if there are, they would expect hostile forces before friendly."
Also, GM, I have a bunch of unappraised jewelry items on my character sheet. I have asked to appraise them before, but you were busy those times so I just decided to do it later.
I am just going to list them all as their minimum value on the standard treasure tables, for convenience. I don't mind potentially losing money so long as I know how much money I actually have.
>>194512I think this would be better to put a pin in and wait till later so that we can see about actually moving the party. We actually have all three players plus me here right now and that has become very rare
>>194513Alright. It's a work night, but I can be here for maybe a other hour or two.
What does Posey see as she goes through the next door?
>>194514Shouldn’t we investigate this room first? And isn’t there another adjoining one of similar size?
>>194515I guess we should, if there is anything to see. It would probably be easier to turn the boiler on first though, so we can come back when the place is lit.
>>194511Silver's eyes, blue like the sky, match very well with hers. He looks into hers with steeled determination as he replies, "I am sure."
Kira looks about the room they're in. "This looks like an armory...maybe there's still some weapons in here we can use?"
>>194513Is there anything else of note in this room before we proceed to the next?
>>194516Posey has dark vision. Just tell us if there’s anything important.
Also sorry for being a drag during combat >>194516Peaking through the door, at a quick first glimpse, Posey sees...
A large room, the far wall extending further even than the extent of Posey's dark vision. There is a light on on the left near the back, casting an orange-tinted light on a steel floor. There are some large boxes, barrels, and metal ingots. Mostly the room is empty, 30 feet to the ceiling. There is a big rectangular hole near the center front which rain droplets fall. Below it, another hole to an even lower level.
You must descend stairs to enter
>>194515There is indeed an adjoining room
>>194518The room is a magazine and part of an armory. It contains 4 inch shells, 20 millimeter cannon shells, and other boxes of ammunition, as well as empty racks that presumably held rifles.
>>194520Search: Silver and Kira decide to see if there's anything left that's actually useable inside the armory.
Silver -
[1d20 = 1]Kira -
[1d20+5 = (17+5) = 22] >>194521Kira finds:
A rifle (singular), and ammunition to two distinct kinds of machine guns that do not seem to be present.
>>194517"That could be useful."
Posey looks for any magic weapons (because surely Stalliongrad isn't so broke that they would send their sailors out with literally zero ways to fight enemies impervious to nonmagical attacks)
Rolling Arcana
>>194520Posey checks to see if the ammo is magical
Arcana
[1d20+11 = (10+11) = 21]With her horn, she opens the door to the adjoining room
>metal ingotsOoh, now we're talking
>>194524I would make a lock picking check if I knew my modifier.
>>194524Okay, Silver can break down the door this time. Let's investigate the adjoining door before we move into the cargo hold, but I really want to help myself to some gold bars right now.
>>194522Kira blinks, and flicks her tongue. She finds the haul to be...well, honestly kinda impressive considering the description of the room. She has no idea what type of rifle it is, much less how to use it, but she imagines someone in the party might know. She silently laments how no one seems to carry anything for bows on these modern style ships. She looks to the adjoining room, hoping she might find the missing ammo for the rifle and the missing gun for the ammunition.
Open Lock: Using the knife and lockpick she got from the dead griffon outside, Kira attempts to pick the lock to the adjoining room.
[1d20+3 = (6+3) = 9] >>194521Use your Greatsword to break down the door. With Power Attack, you are basically guaranteed to succeed on the first try unless you roll a 1.
>>194527>>194528Kira scrunches, finding that locks are just a bit outside the range of her apparent skills. Before she can attempt to make this one listen to the will of her God, Silver steps in, sword drawn, and nudges her aside. "This, I think I have."
Power Attack: Channeling his strength into a single almighty blow with his sword, Silver attempts to bust the doors down or in.
[1d20+7 = (13+7) = 20][2d6+20 = (3+20) = 23] >>194529That should meet its break threshold.
>>194530The sword seems to glow as its wielded. It hits the door, and its hinges snap until it barely remains in place. A single kick or tug and it is out of the way
>>194531Cavaliere gets on one side to help lay it down quietly, instead of letting it fall.
>>194524>No magic detected in the armoryMagehold will be thrilled when Posey reports to them that a single CR 3 Shadow can kill off the entire Stalliongrad Navy, or so Posey thinks to herself.
>>194529>>194524Waiting to see what's behind the door Silver broke down before Posey proceeds into the cargo hold.
>>194531Oh, there we are.
What's behind it?
>>194532Well, it's not
quite open enough yet to get on the other side of it just yet, so silence is unfortunately not a possibility...
>>194531Turning around, Silver smiles as he lifts up his hindlegs and delivers a might
BUCK to the doors, sending them flying open.
>>194534>>194533>>194532BoomAssuming Silver gets it before Cavaliere is done. I can almost imaging Cavaliere starting on it, then Silver bucks it. Or maybe not
Inside, it is another armory. This one focuses on small arms as opposed to anti-aircraft. It also does not appear to have been raided. At least not to the same degree.
Clearly visible is more ammunition, a couple Stalliongrad Automatic Rifles, a submachine gun, and a light machine gun. Besides nets, rope, pink tipped cannon shells, a harpoon, flare guns, and a grapple hook launcher
>>194535Silver immediately feels himself drawn to the light machine gun. It speaks to him, almost as if it was like the Traveler, as he picks it up to inspect it.
>>194535>Clearly visible is more ammunition, a couple Stalliongrad Automatic Rifles, a submachine gun, and a light machine gun. Besides nets, rope, pink tipped cannon shells, a harpoon, flare guns, and a grapple hook launcherI'm not proficient in guns (or am I?), but we should take all of these. All of them. I will add them to my sheet if no pony takes them.
Posey, as the party arcanist, checks for any inscriptions or runes to suggest magic weaponry or ammo.
>>194536It's reasonably large with a bipod. A massive pan magazine makes it less practical than the UPA light machine gun, however
>>194538Posey sees: Cyrillic, interspersed with Arabic numerals
>>194537Is he looking for anything in particular?
>>194539Silver looks for a sling for it, and adds it to his inventory. Kira meanwhile calls in Black Heel after giving the machine gun ammunition she found to Silver. "Hey, I don't know much about firearms, but...are these any good? Could these be enough to arm everyone?
>>194535Arcana, to check for signs of magic weaponry.
[1d20+11 = (15+11) = 26]Posey levitates a couple flare guns into her satchel, since they're simple weapons. If the harpoon has a launcher, she takes that too, since it's an archaic weapon. If any of the weapons look masterwork/antique, she grabs them.
"Warriors had best arm themselves. We have a lot of fighting ahead of us. I will continue to scout ahead." she says, moving to the next room.
>>194539I take it that means not magic? Okay. Posey moves on, pocketing her flares.
Seeing a golden opportunity, Posey proceeds down the stairs into the darkness to where she saw those metal ingots, eager to help herself to gold before Blackheel can object.
"~Come to mama." she whispers, her golden eyes glowing in the dark
>>194540Possibly
Blackheel looks at it
"Yes, if you have the corresponding gun."
>>194541The weapons, at least, are not magic
>>194542Posey leaves the weapons to the characters more familiar with them as she looks for those metal ingots she saw earlier.
>>194544Roll Search>>194543On the floor, they are big, shinny, and silvery
>>194542After getting set with the light machine gun, Silver decides to inspect one of the SARs.
Kira nods at the commissar. "I think we should get the rest of these out to the others who don't have a weapon. I just wish you had some bows and arrows. I know they aren't really the style, but..." She lets out a wistful sigh. "...I don't know, I still like them. They're...elegant. And they can still pack a punch. I mean, you need a lot of strength to pull back a drawstring, and that results in a lot of power behind the arrow when you loose it."
>>194545I don’t know what modifier I have.
>>194544Good thinking. Take as many as you can find.
>>194545>shinny, and silveryPosey reflexively recoils at the sight of polished silver, her vampire heritage kicking in, if it is silver.
Nevertheless, she approaches.
How much do these ingots weigh?
>>194547Just take 10. You have like three characters assisting you. Blackheel probably knows where everything in the armory is anyway, so ask him.
>>194548Cavaliere is at carry limit. He’s not taking anything. He does converse with Blackheel, however.
>>194549Posey appraises, taking 10 to judge its weight
This is silver, right? How many are there?
(I repeat what I said about wanting to know how much money I have)
I need to sleep soon.
Pisst cautiously investigates the cargo hold. Picking up the silver ingots while looking for those gold bars that Captain Waters mentioned.
>>194551Literally hundreds of pounds of white metal. There must be dozens of them.
>>194554Okay. Posey takes as many as she can carry, which is about 390 pounds.
>white metalThe pic you linked is an iron ingot. Is this actually silver?
>>194546The Stalliongradian Automatic Rifle is a battle rifle a larger and heavier bigger than the Lavender's Silver is familiar with. It uses the same rimmed ammunition the vlazhnyy bolt-action rifle does (or the same as the light machine gun for that matter), but the five round stripper clips feed into a 10 round detachable box magazine rather than a five round internal magazine. Steel heat shield and wooden furniture make it more stylish than anything else Silver has seen out of Stalliongrad.
>>194546Blackheel shrugs
"Would you believe me if I told you that most of our sailors don't have as much muscle as you do? And we expect to engage from long ranges. It doesn't actually work like that, but... those were the specifications set by the Navy when they set their orders. Weapons that would allow a conscript with six weeks of training who has only just seen the ocean for the first time be effective against pirates or boarding actions or entering hostile foreign ports. Oh, and they have to use the same factory lines the army uses.
Bows are a hell of a lot quieter, I'll give you that. And probably just a little less dangerous to hurt yourself with."
>>194555Iron?1?!?!?
No, this isn't iron. This is much harder than iron. Denser. Shinier. This is what Iron wishes it were. And it doesn't provoke Posey's silver allergy either
>>194556Kira just shrugs in response. Silver, meanwhile, lets out a whistle. "These must be new. Last I knew, Stalliongrad did not have semi-automatic rifle like this."
>>194556>>194546Bows are also more useful if you have high strength, like Kira and Posey.
What's useful about machine guns is that they're AoE attacks.
>Denser. ShinierFor a second I thought that meant platinum and got exited, but
>harderSo probably not that...
This does not tell Posey how much an ingot is worth. Can she appraise this?
>>194559>>194556Posey tries to tell if this metal is valuable before proceeding to search the rest of the cargo hold for treasures/hazards.
>>194559>>194560Curious about where Posey's ran off to, Kira goes looking for her, not having to go far before she finds her in the cargo hold investigating the metal ingots. "Oh, you've found the chrome!"
>>194557Blackheel:
"It was designed a few years ago. The roll out has been slow because of the high costs of the rifle, but with potential threats from Nova Griffonia, and now even the Changelings and the Fascists, more are being made."
>>194560>>194559Exact values? No. Obviously it must be worth
something if it's worth placing in a ship and sending thousands of miles. But neither will a few ingots pay of your mortgage.
>the remainder of the holdEmpty air, mostly. Barrels. Steel oil drums. They seem to be empty, or mostly empty. Most of them anyways. They are stacked especially along the starboard and port sides. More ingots. And some kind of rock.
>>194550"Grenades? I believe so."
>>194562>Exact values? No. Obviously it must be worth something if it's worth placing in a ship and sending thousands of miles. But neither will a few ingots pay of your mortgage.So what you're saying is that it's not treasure, at least not for an adventurer. Okay then.
>some kind of rockPosey examines the rock before signaling to Kira that this room is clear and moving to open the door to the next room.
>>194564"Some of them have, certainly. We took what we could on our way out of the ship. The Navy hasn't exactly prioritized stocking grenades. Explosives in enclosed spaces, and all."
>>194565Posey opens the door to cargo hold 5.
>>194562Silver takes one of the SARs and some ammo for it, before telling Black Heel, "See about arming whoever needs weapons with what is left. Someone must have lost key to this room and we can use that to our benefit." He then goes over to see how Mala is doing.
Kira, meanwhile, makes her way down into the cargo hold. She inspects the chromium ingots, and has a look around for ventilation and other possible entry points into the room, as well as trying to get a feel for how strong the Traveler's influence is in this particular part of the ship.
>>194566I think you're already in 5, and the next you're going to is 4. If GM is not prepared to show us the next cargo hold room and/or just doesn't want Posey wandering ahead alone, Posey instead comes back to stock up on grenades in the armory as she hears Blackheel mention them.
"Nothing in the next room." she reports
"Did I hear there are grenades here?" she asks
>>194571The sable-clad griffon talks to Posey, aside.
"While we have a breather, let's be clear on something. Interrupting an attempt to negotiate without good reason is not just counterproductive, it's dangerous for all of us. We don't know how affected those griffons were, but if they were still conscious your threat may have given them good reason to attack. Let's decide beforehand on who speaks, but I will not interrupt and I expect the same from you." >>194591"I was negotiating, and analyzing the enemy." Posey replies
"I clearly stated the reality of their situation clear to give them a chance to respond. Based on their reaction, or rather lack thereof, it was obvious that they were already under the command of the Intruder. Free-willed creatures who valued their lives would have either immediately made verbal attempts to negotiate, or defiantly shouted in anger: these birds did neither; they were silent without so much as a squak, as apathetic to our arrival as they were to their bisected comrade in the next room over, whom I will point out they did not even afford the courtesy of closing his eyes. To top it off, they were simply standing here alone doing nothing, attacking us with knives instead of helping themselves to the armory was so close by; no true pirate would waste time like that." she continues, still with her stoic, professional expression, as she rummages in search of grenades
"I served on the northern shores of Farbrook as a Necrologist and warmagus repelling slave-takers from across the watelands. When you have fought vampire thralls and shambling corpses in the dark as many times as I have, you learn to quickly tell the difference between a creature that is free-willed and a creature that is not, because your survival depends on telling the difference before they charge you."
>>194565How many grenades are there? Posey takes as many as she can.
>>194605>>194591Blackheel walks up
“How many griffins do you know speak Equestrian as a first language? You stated your threat in a language they obviously could not understand and long before you knew they were in the thralls of ‘Our Fellow Traveller’.”
Stained Sand follows shortly thereafter,
“What does it matter? They are pirates of Haukland. They are vermin. We’re told to sink their vessels when we see them, if we can and if they can’t we’ll shoot us back. It’s a wonder there isn’t a bounty on them.”
Blackheel:
“Well, there are a couple griffins among my crew. Well, among
the crew. They are with the Skynavian contingent. I don’t really trust them much. They would be in blue and white uniform, not like the pirates. I don’t know if they survived.”
Stained Sand:
“Why save the Hauklanders at all?”
Blackheel’s eyes move towards Cavaliere
“Honor among thieves.”
Then to Posey
“Or not.”
>>194605Two. The container seems to have held 6, and most have been taken.
>>194606"Whether or not they understood the language, their silence spoke volumes." Posey said
"I will admit, the well-being of our competition in crime is not my priority. Securing the escape of my crew and the hostages is what is on my mind, as well as what is necessary for our alliance, which is why I am risking life and limb to destroy the Intruder instead of taking that ship and leaving right now."
Rolling Diplomacy to improve the attitude of these NPCs
[1d20+10 = (15+10) = 25]Posey takes one of the grenades, levitating the other out for whoever wants it.
>>194605>>194607"You may well be right. Still, it's our duty to determine whether they are free-willed or not. If they are, to get them to work alongside us we may have to threaten them, but we should avoid provoking them considering these conditions. They would respond better to an offer of help, but either way talking over each other won't help us. Let's decide beforehand who gets to speak.">>194606To Stained Sand Cavaliere responds,
"The boat of these 'vermin' as you call them is your best bet to get out of here with body and mind in one piece. They may have yet more to offer. We all have one goal in common and playing fast and loose with life is not going to help us to reach it."What language do Hauklanders speak?
>>194608"If we want to take their ship, that only puts us at odds with them later. They will not simply give it to us. It is not our job to rescue them either. If the Intruder already took care of the pirates, that makes our work easier."
She leans in, her face stern
"Surely you know that in this line or work. You
are a pirate, right? You took ships before. You killed anypony who in your way. You even came here to take those airponies hostage."
Bluff, for the NPCs listening
(since apparently I am the only pony who is taking Captain Waters's pirate cover story seriously)Bluff
[1d20+14 = (12+14) = 26]"Some of us, myself included, would like to finally retire from this line of work when all of this is done, but that does not mean we should let up now. Or profession, hesitation means death. Always strike first."
>>194606If you are ready, Posey proceeds to the next room in the cargo hold.
>>194608>LanguageHerzlandish (Imperial), Equestrian-Ponish, Feathesian, Aquelian, other griffin languages
>>194612What languages would Posey realistically have access to being from Northern Griffinia?
>>194612That's not too much of a language barrier.
Cavaliere is not deterred.
"And there are others who would like to take up your mantle. As you know, experienced crewmates are at a premium and we've been rather short. We'll have proven our mettle by the end of this which will prove to most of them who's the better employer. As for troublemakers there will always be the bottom of the sea." "I am going to go check the next cargo hold room now." Posey says, walking off with her new grenade
>>194613The Arcturian Order, near Magehold, is composed of a multi-national order of griffins, with Imperial/Herzlandish presumably dominating. Further to the West are the Everfrost and Cubrian ponies, who speak what we could call "snow pony." To the East and south are the various nations of the River Republic. The three nations to the north of the main Riverlands, and bordering the Arcturian Order, are of a single linguistic group referred to as the Hill Ponies. Below the Hill Ponies are the nations of the River Republic, who are south-slavic coded and speak languages like serbo-croat, or greek, or in one instance, a variation of the hill pony language. To the West of the snow ponies are the Vedinans, and two griffin nations that are colonial states created by refugees from the Herzland. Magehold definitely has ponies of Equestrian origin, and I would assume, ponies, griffins, and zebras from elsewhere. This is besides geographically close nations of diamond dogs and changelings that are fairly isolated.
I apologize for the lack of posts, work for me has been brutal and the schedule does not provide much time for playtime.
>>194615Kira notices in the middle of checking out this hold for air passages that Posey is moving to go to the next cargo hold with her grenade. With a flick of her tongue, she slithers behind her in line. "So, how did you become so stabby-stab kill-kill? I thought ponies were creatures of Harmony. Isn't it harmful to you to be like that?"
>>194618Okay, I will revise Posey's languages to be more appropriate for her background and career as a scholar/spy later. Thank you for clarifying.
>>194619>I thought ponies were creatures of HarmonyPosey chuckles momentarily, a rare sight on her otherwise paralyzed face
"We like to tell ourselves that in Farbrook, but we are surrounded by creatures who want to kill us on a daily occurrence . In Farbrook, Harmony is the utmost ideal, but with enough pressure everypony only cares about survival."
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0XEgAkvcVAkShe puts on a subtle, unsettling smile
"And yes, it is harmful, in more ways than one. " she says, a bit too a-matter-of-factly for comfort
"But nopony ends up in my line of work if spiritual health is their priority. When your opponents are vampire slave-takers and eldritch horrors from across the ice ring, you learn to suppress your herbivore instincts and strike fast." she continues, tossing her glamorous mane as she resheaves her now-clean sword
>>194620Cavaliere will be following Posey. His flashlight will be off if she's still sighting for the party.
"That is the sad truth for all creatures, that desperate circumstances will make them do desperate things. It's important to never lose sight of oneself and a moral compass or else survival itself will lose meaning. For those creatures, they become hollow, pitiful things." >>194620>>194621Kira's tongue flick seems to come from a place of concern. Or...did it? It's hard to tell, she seems to respond to most anything with a tongue flick. Just one of those things that helps give away that she isn't a pony. "You helped me out with this neat little...cutie mark thing? That's what they're called right? Anyways, if you wanted I could ask Ouroboros to give you a blessing to help with your spiritual health. He cares deeply about all of His children, not just lamias." She smiles widely at the most certainly not prey animal pony. "I'm sure He'd love to help you and see you succeed!"
>>194621swish-swishclippity-clop>>194622>"You helped me out with this neat little...cutie mark thing? That's what they're called right?Posey's expression sours and she speeds up towards the cargo hold, saying nothing.
I lost the ability to do that when I got hit with the nerfbat >>194618Posey puts her ear to the door of the next room to the cargo hold and listens for any creatures/movement on the other side.
[1d20+3 = (17+3) = 20] Having established that Posey speaks Imperial...
"If you all insist, I will try speaking to them a bit more clearly this time." Posey says quietly, her ear to the door.
>>194646A distant tapping, and the sound of drops of water. A smaller clang. But what is more notable is what is not heard. Posey has only been in this brave new world a week or so now, yet she is familiar with its ubiquitous sounds. Outside, always the moving of vehicles, the sounds of engines. Every building has the sound of the moving of air. But none of that can be heard here. Like an old house it makes random noises in the night, but where houses of wood make creeks and cracks, the cold steel of the vessel make taps, clangs, and drops. And much like an old home, those unexplained noises are a little unsettling when no one else is around to make them.
>>194731So, you are saying that the next room is devoid of ambient noise, as if it were supernaturally silenced?
Posey knows she is at a disadvantage as a spellcaster if this is the case, so she brainstorms to see if she can deduce the meaning of it:
Arcana:
[1d20+11 = (4+11) = 15]Architecture and Engineering (untrained):
[1d20+3 = (4+3) = 7]Earth and Life Sciences (Untrained):
[1d20+3 = (3+3) = 6]Dungeoneering (untrained):
[1d20+3 = (7+3) = 10]Spellcraft:
[1d20+11 = (16+11) = 27]Religion (because Silence is a Divine spell)
[1d20+11 = (2+11) = 13]She also carefully steps away from the door (taking 10 on stealth), to communicate this information to the rest of the party.
>>194732Okay, if this is the effect of a spell or supernatural effect, Posey should know it.
>>194732>>194733It's not supernaturally silenced, it's just quiet relative to what you would expect from the same vehicle, but with its engines on. And it's not even entirely quiet, there are still sounds that could ambiguously be hoof steps or doors opening/closing with the movement of the ship, or other sounds
>>194734Oh, okay.
"We can only go forward..."
Having extracted all of the information she can, Posey readies an action to draw her sword, and opens the door with her horn to proceed to the next room.
>>194735Oh, Posey gives everyone else opportunity to have their weapons drawn and actions readied before she opens the door.
>>194737"I heard nothing. Be ready to engage with whatever appears." Posey says, before she opens the door
>>194737There is a light on in the room, to the left of center, closer to the end of the cargo hold. It flickers off, and for a portion of a second the room is dark. The light comes back on, though the shadow made by a stack of barrels seems to grow.
>>194736>>194738The door is heavy steel and latched down, but unlocked
>>194738>>194739Kira stays back to guard the rear of the group from any ambushes, her bow held and an arrow ready to be drawn at the first sign of danger. Silver presses close to the door with his sword drawn, whatever light that's present glinting off the silver metal, ready to go in the vanguard.
>>194740Cavaliere will be behind Silver and will take up one of the flanks. His flashlight will be out but turned off, in case they need to see. He wishes somepony had brought a flare.
>>194739>heavyPosey can push/drag up 1950 pounds along the ground.
I guess you mean to say she can't move it with her horn, so she opens it with her hooves while keeping her horn glow on her sword, bracing for entry.
>>194741Posey gives him one of the flares she picked up earlier.
Hmmmm.... I'm unsure if I should wait, or just make things happen
>>194742"I have to focus on carrying and positioning this rifle. Give it to Silver or Sands," he replies.
>>194743Are you asking us to backseat GM?
>>194741>>194740Silver and Cavaliere are not in complete darkness, as the light casts a dim glow. There's the sound of rainwater coming through the open hole in the deck, clinging to the roof of the hold, and then dripping down, sometimes in tiny streams, sometimes in isolated dropplets.
>>194740Kira might just wonder to herself, is Darkness supposed to grow like that? Move and grow in defiance of the light, like it's some kind of plant, growing and moving in real time, a thousand times faster than the quickest plant?
>>194742The door creaks as it is opened. Like its loose in its position, and gravity drags it down, making a sound as the top hinges moves and grinds. Dare she open it all the way?
>>194744Eh, fair enough
>>194743I will be leaving work momentarily, and it takes me about 30 minutes to get home.
Considering how long it takes to post some descriptions or do one turn of combat, I encourage you to keep going without me. I will rejoin shortly.
If I am not present for my turn, assume Posey followed orders to assess the situation before attacking, and took the Total Defense Action.
>>194745>Dare she open it all the way?She peeks inside to see what's there before she opens it all the way.
>>194746Peaking into the room, Posey can see that it is busier than the previous, being defined by smaller objects rather than larger ones. From the color of what is inside - tinted red and orange, with a splotch of blue - she can tell there are internal sources of light, besides the black and white of her dark vision. Two are blatantly visible, lighting up as a dim red, and a dim, yellow, pair of orbs, hanging down somewhat near the center. Close to these are a couple tables, a mattress on the ground, a couple hammocks hung between boxes, and assorted items not necessarily easy to see from this angle. Broken glass on the wooden floor shimmers blue. The far end of the room extends beyond her dark vision, although a portion of the wall is visible, reflecting red light.
>>194745Kira shakes slightly as she speaks to herself. "Keep it together, Kira...it's just a trick of the mind...you'll be okay..."
Back from work
>>194747So no visible creatures?
Posey cautiously enters the room, curious about these light sources.
>>194747Can Posey tell the nature of the lights, or the source of the broken glass as she enters?
>>194749They seem to be from lightbulbs. Basic, 40 to 60 watt incandescent light bulbs. They hang low, not close to the ceiling, and can't possibly have been intended to be there as a part of freight carrying operations.
A creaking sound, and the door behind Posey seems to be closing.
>>194752Some kind of glass vessel seems to have broken on the floor. The lights are electric. More so, they are under powered. Or at least the one on the left is.
>>194748It extends outwards in tendrils. Like smoke, really
>>194744>>194740Posey goes through the doorway, and either she closes it behind her, or it starts to close itself
>>194754Cavaliere holds the door open for the other creatures to follow.
>>194754>closing Posey holds the door open with her hips, and ushers the rest of the party through.
>tendrilsIs Kira the only one seeing this?
>>194755Once Cavalier catches the door, Posey walks further into the room.
>>194754Kira is most certainly unsettled by the development of the creeping darkness.
"...meep...">>194755Silver assists Cavaliere in holding the door open against whatever force is trying to close it. Though Silver does wonder if it's being closed by an outside force, or just by the boat leaning to one side. If it even is leaning to that side.
>>194756Blood wets the floor next to the door.
Looking inside, posey can see that there is clearly some sort of improvised sleeping arrangement, with mattresses and blankets on the floor, and crates used to help hold up lights and hammocks, as well as lamps that seem to be turned off.
>>194757The tendrils harden, and become longer. It's more like darkness moving than the texture of smoke.
>>194755>>194757Are silver and Cavaliere standing in the doorway
>>194757>>194758"Do you see anything?" Cavaliere whispers to Posey and a now distraught Kira.
He is just inside, leaving space for others to move past but holding the door open.
>>194758>improvised sleeping arrangement"Did the boiler workers sleep here full time? I thought Stalliongraders prided themselves in their good labor conditions." Posey ponders out loud, her paralyzed face making it impossible to tell if she is being sarcastic.
She moves deeper into the room
Unless of course she sees those tendrils
>>194759"Broken glass and some hammocks. Blood on the floor. A fight broke out here, possibly between the boiler workers and the pirates. Anyone who was asleep here you have already fallen to the Intruder. Look for the wounded, we want the workers alive."
>>194759>>194757Kira is at the back of the cargo hold, far from the action, right?
>>194762>>194761Why is the Ranger far from the action?
>>194763She's watching for ambush.
>>194764Has she found one? Should we turn around?
>>194760Cavaliere turns on his flashlight and pans the room.
>>194765No, she's just watching the rear in case there is one.
>>194760>>194759Now visible, off to each side, are objects. This isn't out of the norm as very obviously there are many crates, rolls of metal, and barrels in each room, and these were noticed before now. What is different, is they seem to have ears.
>>194766Golden eyes reflect back at him