Flora was many things, and among them was seriously artistic. All of that practice with makeup had given her a seriously good eye for changing outlines with the help of a little painted light and shadow and under her expert directions the ram soon took on the outward appearance of an oddly-proportioned figurehead. It would fool any but the keenest-eyed lookout from a distance, and even then only if they were paying close attention.
Unsurprisingly, Jack knew his way around a set of sails. Creating false damage was a bit different from the more usual task of repairing them, but the dashing captain had been around the seas enough to know what maritime monster attacks should look like and what sort of wreckage they would leave. Painting and smudging sails that were either tied up or at full bell was no easy task, however. The results were certainly passable from a cursory inspection, but looked a bit odd up close.
And then there was Koa and Hadama. As it turned out, the art of making something seem weathered and damaged without actually damaging it was harder than it looked. Hadama offered his assistance from the water, doing whatever tasks Koa asked down near the waterline so the sailors wouldn't be put at risk of being swept away by a large wave, but either because the sea spray interfered with the paint or the motion of the ship made sanding specific sections difficult, the work was, at best, rather sloppy.
By the time the sun had drifted to the west they had entered the waters where the last pirate attack had occurred. The buckets of paint were cleared belowdecks and Flora's food was being distributed to the crew The lookout called down that there were islands north and west, just barely coming into sight in her spyglass. As she turned to scan the other direction, her voice raised again, this time with more excitement. "Ship ahoy!" And it was cutting across the waves towards them.
The Hel's Blessing held her course, limping along like a wounded bird while the other ship ate up the distance between them. Sea chases were slow, drawn-out affairs and so time sped up until the sun sank below the horizon to the west in a fiery blaze while the first stars of evening were winking into view on the eastern horizon. The Blessing's white sails reflected a bloody hue from the dying sun, but the black sails and dark hull of the pirate vessel blended eerily into the gathering dusk. It was close enough now to see individual pirates swarming the rigging and the rails, loading cannons as they prepared to board.
And then a call came down from the pirate lookout: a warning shout as they gestured to the hull of the Hel's Blessing, and then up to her sails. A dashing figure in a long coat and tricorn hat gestured imperiously and the black ship began to turn, cutting away from the Blessing as the pirates broke off pursuit, clearly sensing something amiss with the 'damaged merchant' and turning to flee.
"After them!" The captain of the Hel's Blessing commanded the steersman and the bosun passed down orders as the ship shed its pretense of fragility and turned to the chase!
Due to some bad rolls on our part and the pirate lookout being far too good at his job, the pirates figured out something was wrong and have broken off to try and run! However, they came close enough the the Blessing has a chance of catching up to them.
In order to improve the Blessing's chances there are several options:
- Magic! - an end-based check to use wind or water to increase the ship's speed
- Assist the riggers - a dex-based check to scamper into the rigging and help the crew adjust the sails
- Assist the pilot - a str-based check to help the pilot wrestle the wheel around for more efficient turns
- Assist the lookout - a luck-based check to watch the enemy ship and swiftly read their maneuvers
Please roll for yourself and put the result at the bottom of your post. Less than 3 is a critical failure (it will cost a success point). Less then 10 is a simple failure (no penalty, no aid). Ten and over is a success. 18-20 is a critical success (aka 2 success points). The Blessing needs a certain number of success points to catch the pirates before they escape into the night!
Unsurprisingly, Jack knew his way around a set of sails. Creating false damage was a bit different from the more usual task of repairing them, but the dashing captain had been around the seas enough to know what maritime monster attacks should look like and what sort of wreckage they would leave. Painting and smudging sails that were either tied up or at full bell was no easy task, however. The results were certainly passable from a cursory inspection, but looked a bit odd up close.
And then there was Koa and Hadama. As it turned out, the art of making something seem weathered and damaged without actually damaging it was harder than it looked. Hadama offered his assistance from the water, doing whatever tasks Koa asked down near the waterline so the sailors wouldn't be put at risk of being swept away by a large wave, but either because the sea spray interfered with the paint or the motion of the ship made sanding specific sections difficult, the work was, at best, rather sloppy.
By the time the sun had drifted to the west they had entered the waters where the last pirate attack had occurred. The buckets of paint were cleared belowdecks and Flora's food was being distributed to the crew The lookout called down that there were islands north and west, just barely coming into sight in her spyglass. As she turned to scan the other direction, her voice raised again, this time with more excitement. "Ship ahoy!" And it was cutting across the waves towards them.
The Hel's Blessing held her course, limping along like a wounded bird while the other ship ate up the distance between them. Sea chases were slow, drawn-out affairs and so time sped up until the sun sank below the horizon to the west in a fiery blaze while the first stars of evening were winking into view on the eastern horizon. The Blessing's white sails reflected a bloody hue from the dying sun, but the black sails and dark hull of the pirate vessel blended eerily into the gathering dusk. It was close enough now to see individual pirates swarming the rigging and the rails, loading cannons as they prepared to board.
And then a call came down from the pirate lookout: a warning shout as they gestured to the hull of the Hel's Blessing, and then up to her sails. A dashing figure in a long coat and tricorn hat gestured imperiously and the black ship began to turn, cutting away from the Blessing as the pirates broke off pursuit, clearly sensing something amiss with the 'damaged merchant' and turning to flee.
"After them!" The captain of the Hel's Blessing commanded the steersman and the bosun passed down orders as the ship shed its pretense of fragility and turned to the chase!
Due to some bad rolls on our part and the pirate lookout being far too good at his job, the pirates figured out something was wrong and have broken off to try and run! However, they came close enough the the Blessing has a chance of catching up to them.
In order to improve the Blessing's chances there are several options:
- Magic! - an end-based check to use wind or water to increase the ship's speed
- Assist the riggers - a dex-based check to scamper into the rigging and help the crew adjust the sails
- Assist the pilot - a str-based check to help the pilot wrestle the wheel around for more efficient turns
- Assist the lookout - a luck-based check to watch the enemy ship and swiftly read their maneuvers
Please roll for yourself and put the result at the bottom of your post. Less than 3 is a critical failure (it will cost a success point). Less then 10 is a simple failure (no penalty, no aid). Ten and over is a success. 18-20 is a critical success (aka 2 success points). The Blessing needs a certain number of success points to catch the pirates before they escape into the night!
