Part I: Boarding Vengeance

So much for their stealthy approcah... The bloody encounter with the sharks, the four of them fumbling around in the darkness, and now this. Prying open a rusted iron portcullis. Garvan prayed they had not been found out.

"Well lads" He whispered into the dark, "Lets get 'er open.." He pushed an arm through the corroding bars and crouched down for leverage.

This portcullis would take them up to the deck of the ship if he remembered correctly. The fisherman had spent some time aboard an imperial vessel such as this before when he had paid safe passage back to Marienburg. He had been travelling north with a merchant company as a sellsword when their fleet had been ransacked by pirates. Left stranded he had no choice but to join a Imperial warship bound for Marienburg. Much to his surprise, he had made fast friends with the crew; playing dice and signing their whole voyage home.

The memory left a bitter taste in his mouth as he looked about his surroundings. Feelings of comraderie and joy were replaced wth fear and death. This could very well be the same ship for all he knew...

He shook the thoughts from his mind and focused ont he task at hand, struggling to lift the gate...



===================



STR 4D6 +1 (MID) = 15 SUCCESS

The member 'Garvan' has done the following action : Diceroller

'D6' : 1, 3, 6, 4

Fellowship - The 31st of Auguste - 11:25 PM

[MIGHT check vs. Portcullis = Success]

Garvan, Artimus, and Midnorton pulled their arms back through the grate as the portcullis was raised, swiftly and silently thanks to their combined strength. The water that pooled around their feet gave way to a stairway that wound upwards, and silently they began their ascent away from the sunken cabin upwards.

As they climbed it began to lighten, until they could distinctly see light coming from the top of the second set of stairs. Quietly, they approached.

[...]

Midnorton peeked his head out around the corner as Artimus kept an eye out for a lantern or torch, and suddenly the Bowman could see that they were not alone.

Ahead there was a hallway, perhaps 50 yards deep, lined with cells and lit with dim torchlight that spilled across the dark floorboards that lined the brig. At the end of the hall another set of stairs lead upwards, presumably to the lower cabins or decks, but Midnorton's eyes were currently fixated upon the humanoid settled in atop a battered old chair.

It was a beastly orc, dozing quietly in front of the cells with a fat ring of keys dangling from his waist next to a wickedly curved scimitar.

Suddenly his snoring stopped, and the yellowed eyes of the beast opened up as it let out a thick cough. The orc gave a cursory glance over towards the cell in front of him, and then its heavy lids drooped down and once again he dropped into slumber.

A light sleeper, it seemed. Fortunate for them that they took care with the portcullis...

===================================

Ok gents, youre at one end of a 50-yard long hallway. Behind you is the staircase leading back down into the sunken storage cabin, while at the other end of the hallway is a staircase leading, presumably, up into the other annals of the ship.

About 25 yards away is the orc jailer, sleeping soundly around the cells. There are 4 cells in total, and you can see in none of them at your current angle of observation.

Approaching the orc or moving down the hallway requires a sneak check on all your parts, whether youre approaching or not, in order to maintain silence.

The orc is unarmored and any attacks against him automatically hit, providing he has not been wakened.

EXP: +50 EXP to Art, Garv, and Mid for posting
EXP: +25 EXP to Art, Garv, and Mid for the portcullis success.

Midnorton moved back down the stairs a little as he motioned for the others to follow him, but also putting his finger up to his mouth to represent silence. He then motioned for them to put their heads together and then moved his head closer to whisper to them.

In a very low voice, “There is a lone orc, sleeping down the hallway. He has some keys, I suspect for the cells along the hallway. Here is my idea. Those of us with bows, take careful aim and shoot him from where we are now, while one rushes toward him to possibly finish him off if our bows don’t take him down. I didn’t see any weapons on him, but it would still be bad if he is able to yell for help.”

If plan is agreed upon

Midnorton moved back up the stairs with his bow at ready and took aim at the lone orc and quickly pulled back the bowstring then released the arrow in it’s deadly path.

If different plan is discussed

Midnorton listened to the others to hear their thoughts.

==================

Bow attack vs. Lone Orc (if applicable)

[Roll 1: 1,4,5,3 +2 = 15 damage]

The member 'Midnorton' has done the following action : Diceroller

'D6' : 1, 4, 5, 3

The inside of the ship smelled like fish and clumps of weeds from the ocean. As the orc slept, its enormous hands rested on his bursting belly, up and down, bobbing with each breath. Wulfric counted down:

Five.

A sinking exhalation.

Four.

The great sleeping Orc had captured his focus, but worse thoughts began stewing in the back of the bowman's brain. Forget about the jailer...what about the prisoners - who were they? More importantly, could they be trusted?

Three.


Wulfric took sight on the orc-jailer, as he would for a sitting duck, nesting quiet in a thorn patch. Quietness was the focus. No louder than a breeze. Though the orc was outnumbered, Wulfric had no intention of waking it....death and sleep were not so different and he aimed to make the transition a speedy one. Wulfric aimed to kill; he wondered if the orc ever dreamed of death.

-------------------------------

Wulfric fires a slew of arrows at the guard, hoping to puncture him well enough that he dies instantly, without a peep

Kislevite Longbow Damage: =MIGHTDice+2D+3
=4D6+3
= (5+2+ 3+5) + 3
=18dmg

The member 'Wulfric' has done the following action : Diceroller

#1 'D6' : 5, 2, 3, 5

--------------------------------

#2 'D6' : 2

The member 'Artimus' has done the following action : Diceroller

#1 'D6' : 2, 2, 4, 4, 6

--------------------------------

#2 'D6' : 3, 5, 1, 2, 5

--------------------------------

#3 'D6' : 5, 2

Fellowship - The 31st of Auguste - 11:26 PM

The swoosh of arrows punctuated the air as Artimus stepped out of the shadows, in full charge at the sleeping gaoler. But the mariner slowed himself mid-stride as he watched the shafts penetrate the sallow flesh of the beast, one through his neck and one through his breast.

The jailer reached up wide eyed, and felt the bolt as he fell to the floor in a heap, gargling pitifully from his throat. The keys jingled merrily as the orc convulsed twice, and then lay still.

The lanternlight cast a macabre shadow across the floorboards where the corpse lay, but as Artimus approached his felled foe, he could hear a sharp gasp from one of the cells next to him.

"By the Gods..." hissed a voice, one of three silhouettes from the cell.

The figure approached, and Artimus could see the face of a beaten man. His clothes were torn and ragged, cut and bruised with a blackened circle under his left eye. But he stood tall enough, and it was apparent the strength had not completely left him. He eyed Artimus, putting his hands upon the bars as he gazed through.

"For three weeks I've prayed to Sigmar for the Emperor to send for us, and I can scarcely believe you stand before me. Heavens, mercy has been made for us."

The other two figures behind him stayed still, slumped over in the cell.

"I am Ronal, of Altdorf. Navigator of The North Sword. We were harboured out in the channel a month ago, and waylaid by orcs. The captain raised sail as the brutes set upon us...but as they swept over our decks the fool scuttled us upon this blasted island and we were overwhelmed by two full galleys of orcs. I've no idea how you've come to be here, friends...but there are at least forty of the brutes above us as we speak, and another sentry will be down here within moments."

====================================

EXP: Art, Wulf, and Mid
+75 XP (+25 for the great arrow plan)

-LK

The member 'Artimus' has done the following action : Diceroller

#1 'D6' : 2, 3, 1, 4, 5

--------------------------------

#2 'D6' : 6, 1, 3, 1, 3

--------------------------------

#3 'D6' : 2, 3

Garvan grimaced as Artimus heaved the corpse onto his outstretched arms. He held his head to the side as he struggled to drag the stinking beast out of site.

When the deed was done he peered through the bars into the cell. "Are there more of you lads aboard the ship?" Garvan kept glancing over his shoulder as he waited for a reply, paranoia getting the best of him. "What about goods? Anything worth its weight aboard this tub?" The look on the mans face was a sight to behold. The man who had surely thought himself dead, now overcome with dreams of freedom, food, and the warm embrace of a woman.

Thick orc blood still clung to his garbs as Garvan slunk to the shadows aside Artimus. He was confident in their position. 40 Orcs or 100 Orcs made little difference in such a bottle neck. Escaping would not prove too difficult provided the archers could keep a steady barrage on the stairwell.

Clacckk.

He pulled back the firing mechanism on his hand cannon, the silvery metal shimmering eerily in the torch light. He had yet to use the thing and the fisherman buzzed with anticipation.



==================================


After speakign with prisoners Garvan will hide. If a sentry comes down and we can kill him silently with Artimus' plan then Garvan will assist by attacking with sword.


If 40 Orcs come charging down Garvan will sit back with the archers and mess them up in the bottle neck, attcking when he needs to reload and the orcs are too close long enough for everyone to safely escape down the way they came.

Pools of blood emerged from under the great Orc, and as he paled, the earth around him reddened.
Wulfric assessed the corpse quickly, mindful of the oncoming sentinel. He addressed the company:

"I trust these men. And if you do not, do you not trust that we could deal with their violence accordingly?"

He did not intend to threaten the prisoners, but he made their deadliness known.

"You are now free. Come along, and take vengeance on your captors".

----------------------------
Wulfric requests for the prisoners to stand back against the wall and attempts to open their cells while the other stand guard, on watch for any sentinel. Offers the idea for Garvan and Artimus to hide and wait near the entrance where the guard is expected to emerge

EDIT: Thought I was the first poster...luckily our plans match up pretty well. Hide and Attack the sentry.

Midnorton was glad the orc jailor went down quickly, however when he heard about 40 orcs above, he was not sure about Artimus’ plan. But he decided to agree to it, while he hoped the goddess of luck was be on their side.

He scanned up and down the hallway and looked at the cells, not liking the idea of being trapped in one of the cells while the battled raged and knowing his strength lied with his archery. Midnorton went back to the stairs and waited for the next sentry to arrive, an arrow notched in his bow ready to snipe.

While he waited, he looked down at the gate they just opened and formed a plan in is mind to use that as an escape route if things go really bad. He hoped the others would be able to make it back here if it did go bad.

==========

Midnorton simply waits on the stairs, listening for the potential fight instead of potentially exposing his presence. Waits at the top of the stairs though, so it would only take him a simple step to give him line of sight for any enemies.

Fellowship - The 31st of Auguste - 11:30 PM

The sound of footsteps roused the senses of the fellowship as they felt their muscles tense in the dim lanternlight. The staircase opposite them was suddenly filled with the form of a shadowy figure, heavily muscled and hunched, with two axes hanging from beltloops.

The orc appeared before them, jaundiced eyes darting about as it grunted under its breath. The beast sniffed twice, pausing to put its hands upon its axes as it gazed down at the dark stain upon the floor.

Suddenly, Garvan emerged from the shadows in tandem with Artimus, blades whirring as the two warriors plunged their weapons deeply into the wayward scout. The beast scarcely made a noise as Wulfric and Midnorton watched on, blood spilling into another sticky pool as the orc fell upon the floor.

Ronal broke the silence a moment later, staring with hatred down at the twitching corpse.

"That bastard brained Smee." he spat, gesturing over to one of the silhouetted corpses in the prison behind him. In the torchlight, the fellowship could more clearly make out the form of Ronal. He was a tall man, worse for wear but handsome nonetheless, and wore his blond locks tightly cropped about his head.

Still, the man shook when he spoke, and he looked tired and worn from the undoubtedly cruel prison term. Placing his hand upon his forehead, he spoke frankly.

"Gentlemen, I've no idea who or where you've come from. As far as I can tell, you're no Imperial guardsmen, and if you're pirates proper I'm no less grateful for the rescue. The North Sword was bound for Marienburg carrying agreements of trade between here and Sulkporte worth thousands of gold to independent trade guilds in the city, but damned if I'm going to die for a leatherbound stack of parchment. I've no idea your agenda, but if it behooves you I would advise that we make our exit."

=======================================|

EXP: +50 EXP each.

-LK


*note; the other 2 prisoners behind Ronal are dead

Midnorton rejoined the group as he took up what Ronal said.

“The parchment sounds like it would advantageous for our Captain if we could get our hands on it. Of course, since we would be putting our necks at risk, do we think it is worth going after.”

Midnorton turned to the prisoners they just freed. “Where would these parchments be kept? I imagine they would still be there, for these orcs don’t seem to be the reading type or the type to view parchments as valuable.”

He then turned to his companions, “Shall we try to retrieve the parchments before we leave? Also remember, we have to leave enough time for us to get back to the Vengeance II before sunrise.”

==============

Midnorton will go with what the group decides. Either leave or go for the parchment.

With another orc laying dead in that hallway, Wulfric agreed it was a good time to exit. He surveyed the dimness. It was a cavernous space, and through the graininess, he could only make out certain features about the prison and the slain jailors....

"Which way is out gentlemen?"

-------------------

Wulfric searches the dead jailers for any items and seeks direction from the newly liberated prisoners

The member 'Artimus' has done the following action : Diceroller

#1 'D6' : 4, 6, 6, 1

--------------------------------

#2 'D6' : 6, 1, 1

Garvan Stepped back off the fallen Orc as he finished wiping his blade on its garbs.

"A book?" Gold might have piqued his interest, "A spend weeks in barter trying to get rid of the damn thing? I think id rather escape with both my arms." At that he dropped his sword back into his scabbard.

Garvan glanced momentarily at the corpses waiting in the cell, almost to verify they were dead. "Aye, burn the btich," The Mariner had a sound plan in that respect and Garvan had a deep hatred for Orcs. "Lets send as many of these Demon spawn to the bottom of the sea as possible."

Garvan took the latern from Artimus and got to work.


================


Garvan will douse the stairwell (going up) in Oil and set it ablaze with the orc corpse nearby added fuel.

If Rolan knows of where Garvan can get any oil/grease to assist in producing a smokey fire he will attempt to procure that.

The fire should cover their exit and cause enough panic that no one will see them leaving. If any party memebers are foolhardy enough to stay behind Garvan will not leave them.

Fellowship - The 31st of Auguste - 11:33 PM

Ronal stared in earnest at the mariner as Garvan grabbed hold of the lantern, the light swinging eerily around the brig.

He coughed, staring into the eyes of the Brettonian.

"We've been scuttled for three weeks, mate, and from what I can glean the orcs have a settlement on the shores of the beach not far from here. They've commandeered the North Sword as a prison and a scouting post, though the brutes spend more time beating upon each other and slitting their comerades throats' for pickings from our holds."

Ronal paused, the faroff sound of footsteps drawing his eyes nervously to the stairwell.

"Like as not they've piled up the valuables somewhere, stripped the place bare. It's a leatherbound stack of parchment I'm speaking of, so whether or not they've moved it I can't say. The treasurer kept it locked in his trunk, in his coachroom on the floor above this one...the last door on the right, made of black oak and gilded with iron flowers. If it's not there, then I've not a clue."

============================

Ok guys, I need a concrete plan and some checks if you're going to execute on something here.

Ronal clearly has no idea what kind of patterns the orcs have in terms of patrolling or inhabiting the ship. The manuscript is allegedly on the floor above this one, down some sort of hallway. It's a cabin floor though, so there wouldn't be any windows or portholes to exit from.

I need a specific, exact plan. And then I need appropriate checks (no abstract attack rolls, please).

EXP: +50 to all

-LK

“Artimus plan sounds reasonable. Stealth seems to be the route to go but the more of us that go the worse chance we have of succeeding. So like discuss, I’ll lead the former prisoners back to our dingy.”

Midnorton waved for the prisoners to follow him, “There will be some swimming involved. Hopefully no more sharks appear.”

He went back to the stairs and to the gate, he waited at the gate and directed the others to go through. Once they go through he went through and took the lead again. As they reached the water, Midnorton dived in as he hoped nothing else is waiting below to surprise the group.

Upon the arrival at the dingy, Midnorton pulled himself out of the water and shook as much water off as he could before he helped the others into the dingy and took out his bow and waited.

"You damn fool."

Garvan was growing resltess and tired of urging Artimus to leave with the others. He ahd thought long and hard about staying to help Artimus acquire the ledger, but in the end he decided it foolish.

"If you get cornered in a room where the book may or may not be yer as good as dead. No breaking through these walls and you sure as hell aint cuttin' through 40 Orcs if they smell yea." By the look on his face Garvan did not think he had convinced his foreign friend.

He spat on the floor and drew his sword. "Lets get on with it then." He didn't have it in him to let his friend die alone. "You owe me a bloody drink."


====================

If we are going to do this we CANNOT start a fire and block our only escape so I suggest we stealth up and get it and get out, killing a few sentries if need be. We can burn the boat when we leave.

Garvan will head upstairs with Artimus using stealth. When we get the the hallway he will stand guard in one of the rooms at the end while Artimus contineus to go to the last room, that way I get the jump on any orcs that could walk by.

*DICE*

Stealth = 2D6 = 8