Re: Skull and Shackles Gameplay Thread

by AgreeableChap Mon Jan 17, 2022 2:45 pm

Dug manages to surprise everyone, including himself, by actually doing a decent job swabbing the deck, but by the time he's done, every part of him is achy and covered in sunburn. Wandering belowdecks and whimpering with relief as he gets into the shade, he slumps into the lower hold and actually takes in his surroundings for the first time.

Slouching over to a red-haired young human woman sitting on one of the lower hammocks, he asks, "Hey, any of these beds free?"

by Shinigami02 Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:09 pm

Quinn looks up, brushing a lock of hair out of her face as she looks at the goblin. "Yeah, all of 'em. Bedding arrangement's real loose 'round here, big first-come-first-snooze system. Ye got somethin' ye really wanna keep ye claim a locker over there," She says, waving in the direction of a bunch of lockers arranged against one wall of the hold before looking back at the half-burned goblin. "Say, ye're one of those new-bloods, ain't'cha?"

---

"It's not too bad once you get some experience with it," The ratfolk says, nose twitching as his fingers deftly splice a couple bits of rope together, surprisingly quickly given his missing fingers. "The hardest part's keeping a hold of some of the bigger loops, 'tis a lot of rope after all. After that it's mostly a matter of followin' the rope back to where it's tied off, and getting it to stay in place," He continues, before setting aside the bit of rigging he'd been repairing. "When it comes to hangin' though, the key is to think in figure eights. Lemme show you," He says, taking up a length of loose rope, and coiling it towards a cleat on the main sail. "See these two arms here? You want the loops to go around those, and cross in the middle, like so." As he talks he starts unwinding the coil in his hand, wrapping it around the cleat in a figure eight as like he'd said. "The double-bollards are similar, the loops'll jus' be more flat. 'Nd then the single bollards you just wrap it around." At this point he approaches the end of the rope. "Then you just tuck the end of the rope under one of the coils and you're done," He finishes, tucking the rope so it's snug. "That way it's less likely to unwind and you won't have to just coil it up again. Or more likely, one of the rest of us won't have to coil it up again." He sniffles in what you think might be his way of laughing, before turning back to his repair-work. "If you think that's bad though, just wait until you have to start splicing ropes and getting the rigging knotting down."

---

"Ya really think so?" Rosie says, looking at one of the rats, then back up at Conchobar, who picks that unfortunate moment to look right at her. "Yeah, fuck it, gimme that." Taking the rat, she holds it by the tip of the tail before whirling it like a sling and flinging it at the crow's nest. Unfortunately, 60 feet in the air is a bit much for a non-aerodynamic rat to fly, so it doesn't quite make it half way, instead striking the main mast with a sickening crunch that can be heard back where the duo is standing. Conch, clearly disturbed by the attack even if it didn't come close to landing though, disappears back into the crow's nest. "Well damn, not quite the lucky fuggin' shot I was hopin' for, but was damned cathartic at least. If you find any more of those damned rats that'll actually fly worth a shit lemme know."

by AgreeableChap Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:33 pm

"Guess so," Dug says with a bit of a scowl, climbing into the hammock opposite Quinn. "Wasn't s'posed to be here though. Got places to be."

by Shinigami02 Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:39 pm

"Yeah, unfortunately from what ah've heard Harrigan ain't much've one for lettin' people quit his crew, whether they wanna be here or not," She says, before grabbing her backpack off the deck and digging through it. "While you're here though, I think this might be yers?" She says, before pulling out Dug's suit of armor he'd been pressganged in. "Wasn't able to get back everythin' they took, especially not those alchemist's fires and the blade, but when I saw ye this mornin' I figured ye might want this back," She adds, handing it across the aisle.

by AgreeableChap Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:42 pm

Dug's eyes widen as Quinn tosses the armor over. "My clothes! Thanks, miss... uh. I don't know your name. Mine's Dug though! I like fire. What do you like?"

by leonathemoth Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:49 pm

Yew pays attention rigorously, but grimaces at the last bit of of the lesson. "Not looking forward to that....not looking forward to the Bloody Hour either. Anyroad, I'm Yew. I think I like ya, so if anyone has beef with you, Yew has beef with them!" She smirks at her pun.

by Shinigami02 Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:52 pm

"Ah'm Sandara Quinn, but most just call me Quinn. And ah like... ah guess ah like being at sea. The wind in my hair, the rocking of the ship, the blue water as far as the eye can see, it's like paradise to me," She says, sighing and turning to lean against the pillar her hammock was tied to. "Fire though, huh? Looks like it might not be that fond of ye, if ah may say so," She adds, looking over at the goblin's burn scars.

---

"They call me Ratline, I feel like the reasoning is obvious," Ratline replies, extending a hand for a handshake. "And I wouldn't worry about Bloody Hour too much, yeah you're not the greatest but it's only your first day and it doesn't look like you're doing that bad. Besides, rumor is ol' Magpie's gettin' keelhauled and the Cap'n usually skips the other punishments after a keelhaulin'."

by AgreeableChap Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:58 pm

"Fire loves me!" Dug says indignantly. "My tribe gave me the Brands when I was a baby 'cause I'm the new god of burning stuff! I was trying to get to Absalom to do the Starstone thingy, I was talking to a guy in that dock-city back there about getting a boat ride, he told me he'd bring me and then I woke up here."

by lapis-lazily Mon Jan 17, 2022 6:10 pm

Amira smirks. "Glad to be of assistance. Meet me before dinner tonight," she replies, grabbing one of the rats and slipping it quite obviously into a deep pocket. "There's more than one way to mess with someone using a rat."

by leonathemoth Mon Jan 17, 2022 6:12 pm

"Good info!" Yew says, giving a firm shake, "Guess I better put your lesson to good use before I forget it all"

by Shinigami02 Mon Jan 17, 2022 6:19 pm

"Uh-huuuh," Quinn replies, a bit confused. "Guess ye just lucked into the wrong sailor to ask then," She adds. "Maybe ye can consider this as training for yer Test though."

---

Rosie looks between the ever-so-slightly bulging pocket and the crow's nest, and a wicked smile grows on her face. "If ye're suggesting what I think ya are, then I think I like the way ya think. Give that bastard something think about besides what's in his damned pants for a change."

---

"Glad to be of help," Ratline replies, giving his spliced rope a tug to test the strength of the splice. "We've been short-handed so long it's nice to have another set of hands around."

by AgreeableChap Mon Jan 17, 2022 7:12 pm

Dug shrugs, then slumps back into the hammock. "Hey Quinn?" he asks. "What's Bloody Hour mean?"

by Perci Mon Jan 17, 2022 10:06 pm

For her part, Higanbana struggles with the rock for a while, though a steady pace of force and rest to avoid exhaustion gets the job done, if only adequately - but befrore she realizes, the day is over, and she's had no chance to do anything else

by Shinigami02 Tue Jan 18, 2022 11:26 am

"Bloody Hour, well, it's when Plugg and Scourge hand out their punishments for the day. Usually involving whip, or Plugg's beloved Cat, sometimes worse. Supposedly today's going to be one of those worse," Quinn says.

---

Soon enough Dug, as well as the rest, would learn first-hand about Bloody Hour, as all too soon the evening came, and at the tolling of the Dusk Bell everyone was gathered on the deck. Once again Captain Harrigan announces his arrival with a discharge of his pistol, stepping to the bannister of the fore-deck. "Welcome, one and all, to the Bloody Hour!" He declares, before letting out a deep, unsettling laugh. "Today, we have a special occasion. As I said this morning, Magpie was caught stealing from ol' Grok's store last night, and as you all know, everything in there is mine unless you pay up to claim it. As this is the second time we've caught him trying to steal from me, well, tonight we'll keelhaul that filthy landlubber, and send him down to the depths below! PLUGG, SCOURGE, BRING OUT THE PRISONER!"

At their cue, the Bosun and First Mate burst out of the door below, a small spit of a man with mostly-black hair except for a small stripe of white down the side hogtied between them. Carrying the man over to the main-mast, they secure his bindings at various points to a rope that seems to go over the bannister at either side of the deck, as the Captain comes down from the foredeck. Reaching the bound prisoner, Harrigan lifts him with one neck and carries him to the starboard side of the ship. "I always do love me a good Keelhauling," He says, seemingly almost to himself, before throwing Magpie off the side of the ship. "Now you lot, to your positions, and pull!" He says, as he, Plugg, Scourge, and the rest of the crew take up the rope, and start dragging it from port to starboard. A glance from Plugg implies there would be severe consequences for any of the new recruits not joining in, so everyone is involved.

The process only takes a bit more than a minute, but it feels like much longer than that before the body comes up the other side. The mangled, brutalized, and very un-cleanly decapitated body that comes up the other side looks more like fine-chopped hamburger than a person, dripping a pinkish blend of blood and seawater from countless deep gashes.

by Sawblader Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:52 pm

[Medicine Check: 20+4= 24; Critical Success]

As the body of the unfortunate Magpie is hefted up from the depths, Moira flinches as it lands with a bloody and unsettling smack against the deck. The jagged, uneven gashes score the body's back and torso at all manner of depths, with saltwater-logged blood dribbling from the wounds. The limbs, somehow in even worse shape than the midsection, hang onto the joints by strands of muscle and sinew. Magpie's head and left leg in particular have been violently ripped from their places, leaving little more than grotesque stumps. A murmur from the more experienced crew hint that the thief actually got off easy, despite the state of the body's injuries.

Upon seeing this gruesome handiwork, Moira visibly blanches and falters back from her place at the end of the rope line and stumbles against the railing. After a gasp or two, she retches at the sight of the body before finally losing the battle against her constitution. Twisting herself over the rail, she hacks the contents of her stomach over the side of the ship, which for a mercy was not much to begin with.

by lapis-lazily Tue Jan 18, 2022 3:39 pm

Amira grimaces at the state of the body. Sure it wasn’t the first heavily roughed up corpse she’d ever seen, but she also never takes pleasure in seeing such a grim sight. She doesn’t spend very long looking at, instead opting to stare out toward the sea.

by leonathemoth Tue Jan 18, 2022 4:27 pm

Yew offers a quick prayer and looks over to a more experienced member of the crew. "What do they do with the body?" She asks. She knows more than the gnollish way of dealing with the dead but she's not one to just leave a corpse.

by Shinigami02 Tue Jan 18, 2022 4:48 pm

"After something like this?" The large-eared and jewelry-overloaded woman Yew picked at random replies. "Probably toss it overboard. Cap'n doesn't believe any'ne what breaks 'is rules is worthy of a proper burial, 'n frankly not sure I disagree," She says, simply, spitting on the corpse before turning back to the group she'd been chatting with.

---

At the edge of the crowd, near the corpse, the fiery-eyed and angry young man from this morning, Crimson, approaches the body. Crouching, he seems to start chanting, slipping something into the corpse's slashed clothes. Before he can do much more though, Harrigan steps up behind him and roughly pulls him out of the way before picking up the corpse. "This bastard doesn't deserve your rites, he's barely worth feeding the sharks," He states, before cutting it loose from the keelhauling rope and unceremoniously throwing it overboard. The young man glares daggers at the Cap'n, but nonetheless scrambles away from the captain back into the crowd. Acting as if nothing happened though, Harrigan simply turns back to the lot. "Well now, what're we all still hanging around fer, let's go see what Fishguts and his new Mate have managed to cook up fer us tonight!"

While Moira continues heaving, Amira is unsettled, and even Dug looks greener than usual, the old-blood mostly cheers at this, and starts making their way in a disorderly mass down the ladder into the middle hold. A couple hold back though.

Rosie peels away from the crowd and approaches Amira, casting a glance at the bright purple of Conchobar's hat which somehow is still visible despite the much taller pirates surrounding him. "Disgusting fucking display that, but that's the damned Cap'n for ya. Ya still got the stomach for our plan?" She asks.

Meanwhile Quinn, looking ever so slightly green herself, makes her way over to Moira's side, and lays one hand on her back, patting gently. "First Keelhauling?" She asks.

by lapis-lazily Tue Jan 18, 2022 4:52 pm

Amira pats her pocket. ”Of course. The little bastard is going to have one hell of a dinner tonight.”

by Ferret Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:23 pm

Unfortunately for Amira, Sarah happens to be near enough to hear, and she turns to the other two with a stormy expression. "I'm sorry, the fuck did you just say about dinner?"

by lapis-lazily Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:34 pm

Amira shrugs. ”You know the gnome womanizer? Rosie isn’t too fond of his frequent advances. So I suggested we put a rat in his dinner tonight so that he has a bad time. It’s a funny bit of catharsis.”

by Sawblader Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:48 pm

Although she has long since voided her lunch, Moira continues to hang onto the railing, resistant to return to the ship. She flinches at Quinn's hand but calms somewhat at the sign of comfort. Sheepishly, she nods and murmurs in the affirmative.

by Ferret Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:52 pm

Sarah's expression turns from stormy to murderous in an instant. "Ah. I have just one question for you. Did you consider who, exactly, that would reflect on? Did you think that maybe, possibly, the person who cooked the meal might be blamed for a dead fucking rat in the godsdamn stew!?"

by lapis-lazily Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:57 pm

Amira pauses and thinks for a moment. ”You know that’s a good point. You have my apologies,” she says before turning to Rosie. ”You want to just take the rat and throw it in his face when he tries to hit on you tonight?”

by Shinigami02 Tue Jan 18, 2022 7:05 pm

Rosie takes a step back and looks between the two, clearly frightened of the other halfling. "Y-yeah. Or mebbe I can figure out which hammock he's gunna be sleepin' in and can slip it in there. S-should get the point across just as well," She stammers out.

---

"Well, ah won't say as it gets much better, but the first is always the hardest," Quinn murmers. "Less'n ye're one of them bastid types like our officers." As she continues patting with the one hand, she pulls off her backpack and rummages in it before pulling out a familiar pack. "Maybe somethin' in here might help? I think this was yers anyways," She says, offering the healer's kit.

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