FLUFF: Jammers: Turn 6 Chapter 8

The Adventures of my Jammers PBEM game.

I hope folks are enjoying these, if there is a consensus that they 
suck I will be happy to stop posting them. Let me know what you folks 
think. (My players should feel free to comment as well:))

Website: http://lost.spelljammer.org/Jammers/

----------- = Meanwhile, elsewhere...
*********** = Later...
{} = Actions and descriptions within these brackets take place within 
the psionic mindscape and are OOC knowledge for all accept the 
parties directly involved.

Better to hold the sparkling grape
Than nurse the earthworm's slimy brood,
And circle in the goblet's shape
The drink of gods than reptile's food.

'Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed From a Skull'
3rd stanza, Lord Byron

IC:

Back on the NIGHTWIND:

The corpse looting continues...

Holland continues searching and disposing of bodies until he has gone 
through all of the corpses on the NIGHTWIND.

Once Oquid assures her that the battle has died away, Leera stows her 
fiery dart and, unbolting the door, returns topside. There she pokes 
about with a dagger among the undead's gear, but is careful not to 
touch the unholy flesh herself.

She walks over to Holland and asks, "If the other ship is now empty, 
how shall we get her home? Much as I dislike it, we should stay here 
for a bit and rest up.... we're short on Helmsmen and spells now.... 
I've just come off the Helm, as have you. And Oquid is on now. 
Perhaps we could select a skeleton, as opposed to a wight, crew." She 
chuckles and then continues. "We could then take both ships to Braal."

Holland is looking at the piled finds, the goods passed over from the 
galleon and the booty taken from the wights: 20 rusty cutlasses and 
10 wheellock pistols.

Holland replies to Leera, "We need to see if it has a functioning 
helm first.  Though, it would fetch a pretty price."

On the galleon...

Once the goods have been transferred to the NIGHTWIND, Raken motions 
for Nilaroo and Freneth to head to the sterncastle. "Ok, we'll take 
it room by room. We're looking for more undead, bodies, and 
easily-transported loot. Keep an eye out for journals and logs, but 
please, nobody reads ANYTHING. I've already been scorched once today, 
I'd rather not experience that again, thank you. We'll have our mages 
detect any writings for magic before we try to read anything. And 
keep an ear out; at the first sign that Ferric's team needs us, we 
abandon our search and render aid to him, post-haste."

Freneth steps forward.  "This one would examine the room first, if it 
is acceptable."  Though presented as a request, Freneth's tone 
suggests he isn't exactly asking.

Raken smiles, "it is acceptable. But be careful, there could be more traps."

Freneth moves cautiously into the room, and begins examining areas 
similarly in nature to Talus's normal mode of operation.  Freneth is 
obviously a student of Talus's techniques, whether the other man is 
aware of it or not.

Raken follows Freneth into the room and does some snooping of his 
own, but keeps out of Freneth's way while searching for loot or 
monsters.

The first room (#8) appears to be a store room of some sort.  It's 
filled with smashed barrels and a large amount of fine, grey powder 
that appears to have been inside the barrels.

Freneth wipes a finger through the grey powder, and sniffs at it 
cautiously. Turning to the others, he asks, "This is similar to the 
powder used by Ives, is it not?"

Raken takes a whiff of the powder and says, "I believe you're right. 
That should make Ives a might happy. Happier still if we should 
uncover a bombard or two.
Leave it be for now, we'll transfer it later. And keep flame away 
from it, least its Starry Jones' Locker ye seek!"

The next room (#9) appears to be the ship's galley, but looking 
through the shattered door the room is covered with brown and yellow 
molds.

Freneth approaches the door cautiously, preparing to enter.

Raken puts a steady hand on Freneth's shoulder, "I'm not sure we 
should investigate this room yet. Mold of these colors can be quite 
dangerous."

Freneth's face grows slightly confused, "Mold?"

Raken nods. "Mold be those green 'n white fuzzies that grows on bread 
left too sitt'n long. Most be harmless, but some be deadly if 
disturbed."

"This one thought it was more powder like the room before," says 
Freneth, with a glance back into the galley. "This room should be 
skipped then."

On the main deck...

Ives and Grigree finish tossing the corpses over board.

Meanwhile, below decks...

Looking through the two shattered doors into the cabins in the bow, 
reveals that the starboard cabin is empty save for some nondescript 
rubbish scattered about the deck.  The portside cabin, however, has 
thirteen mildewy hammocks hanging from the bulkheads, and they appear 
to be occupied.

"Be ready." Ferric whispers then advances cautiously on the balls of 
his feet with blades at the ready.

Talus sheathes a dagger and draws his ruby-hilted dagger and 
repositions his grip on the Cutlass. Talus carefully looks around the 
room as Ferric advances.

Allagan holds his spear at the ready.

As Ferric enters the room the hammocks start to twist and writhe, 
disgorging bodies to the floor.  The corpses rise up and begin 
shuffling towards the trio with a slow, disjointed zombie lurch. 
There are thirteen of these dry, dusty undead, but there is limited 
space in the cabin, so each of the trio can only really face one at a 
time...

Round 1:

Allagan says, "Stay close together so they can't overwhelm us."

"I am less worried about them then about who did the animating." 
Ferric replies as he awaits the oncoming undead.

Allagan replies, "They could have just been waiting for an intruder, 
the magic can work that way."

Allagan attacks and wounds the zombie approaching him with his spear.

Ferric uses his speed to slash at the first zombie then recoils to an 
en garde position preparing to parry with his rapier.

Talus attacks the undead in front of him with the Cutlass and his 
dagger, dropping him to the deck.

Round 2:

Allagan attacks the first zombie again, dropping him to the deck.

Ferric attacks with both the elven blade and his rapier, dropping his zombie.

Talus attacks the next undead attacking him with the Cutlass and his 
dagger and drops him to the deck.

Round 3:

Allagan attacks a second zombie with his spear.

Ferric makes another vicious cut with the elven blade, harming a 
zombie, and holds his rapier ready to parry.

Talus attacks another undead attacking him with the Cutlass and his 
dagger and drops him as well.

The slow, clumsy zombies continue shuffling forward to attack...

Round 4:

Allagan destroys the zombie approaching him with his spear, then 
Allagan glances
over his shoulder.

Ferric says "These are not as bad as I had feared.  Let us finish 
them off quickly and be done with this hulk."  The tall, gray skinned 
swashbuckler begins attacking with greater ferocity felling the 
zombie in front of him with another stroke of the elven blade. 
He then punctures the next in line with a fast lunge and delivers a 
cut as he recovers his stance, dropping that zombie as well.

Talus laughs, "You guys need to catch up." Talus slays a zombie with 
Cutlass and
dagger.

"Bah, the dead taste awful!" Cutlass says.

Round 5:

Allagan attacks the next zombie with his spear, digging the spear tip 
deep into its gut.

Ferric attacks once with each of his blades as the mass of undead in 
front of the group begins to lessen, droping another.

Talus slays another zombie with Cutlass and dagger.

Round 6:

Allagan kills another zombie.

Ferric once again goes all out on the attack cutting twice with his 
rapier and finishing with a stab of the elven blade in his other 
hand. He drops another zombie.

Talus slays the last of the zombies with Cutlass and dagger.

The room is empty of moving corpses now, but the litter the floor.

Date/Time: 5:13 pm, 7th day of the 1st Month, 5050 OC





-- 
"War is the father of all and king of all, who manifested some as 
gods and some as men, who made some slaves and some freemen."
Heraclitus, Late 6th century, BC (DK22B53)
westermeyer@????????.net