FLUFF: Jammers: Turn 9 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.

Why not -since through life's little day
Our heads such sad effects produce?
Redeemed from worms and wasting clay,
This chance is theirs to be of use.

'Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed From a Skull'
6th stanza, Lord Byron

IC:

Back on the NIGHTWIND:

There is a cacophony of loud BANGS as if several 
wheel-lock pistols had been fired from deep 
within the galleonŠ

Hearing the noise, Sekeht looks over at the 
MAIDEN. "Was that some kind of explosion?" he 
calls out.

As the echoes of shots are heard on the Nightwind 
Kain makes a move towards the poles they used 
earlier. Looking back at Holland he asks "You 
want us to push the ships apart again?"

Holland pauses for a second and then nods, "Yes, 
let's get a little breathing room, so we don't 
have to worry about anything sneaking back 
aboard."

With pole in hand Kain begins the process of 
untieing the ships and pushing them apart again.

Grabbing a pole, Dhebun assists Kain in loosing 
the ships one from another.  Groaning as he puts 
his back into the task, shoving his pole against 
the MAIDEN, the dwarf allows a momentary flicker 
of concern to pass over his normally dour 
features.  "Do you think they're okay over there 
Kain?"

"Um, I hope so" Says Kain as he levers the ships 
apart, "They all came back alright before."

-----------

Meanwhile on the galleon, below decks...

With Cutlass in hand, Talus leads the group to 
the main deck and the room across from the room 
filled with the brass-bound chests (#6).  Talus 
checks out the door first, for traps or locks. 
Finding neither, he checks to make sure everyone 
is ready behind him and then opens the door, 
stepping to the side so he isn't in the open 
doorway and to allow the others access to the 
room.

As soon as he opens the door, there is cacophony 
of loud BANGs as multiple wheel-lock pistols fire 
on the half-elf.  Talus staggers back as several 
balls slam into him.

Round 1:

At the loud explosion, Freneth once more drops to 
an almost prone position, as he rolls to just to 
the side of the door, glancing in.

Allagan chants, "Father, bless these warriors".

Ferric leaps into the doorway and sees the mass 
of undead taking aim with their pistols. 
Immediately he dives forward tumbling low in 
attempt to throw off the aim of his foes as he 
closes distance.

BANG! BA-BANG! BANG!  Lead splatters the wall 
behind him, but none of the shots hit Ferric.

Popping to his feet Ferric lashes out with his 
rapier and elven blade, shattering one of the 
skeletons.

Talus draws cutlass and cold dagger and speeds 
into the room, shattering one of the skeletons.

Nilaroo vaults deeper into the narrow passage. 
Quickly, his shipwright's eye selects a spot in 
the cabin wall which seems to have suffered the 
wear of time worse than its neighbors.  Coiling 
up against the far wall, Nilaroo quickly launches 
his mail-clad shoulder against the wall, aiming 
to emerge in the back of the room.  The wood 
splinters and splits beneath his massive bulk and 
he bursts through into the cabin.

Raken draws his own weapon.

Round 2:

Allagan wades into the room and attacks the 
nearest undead, using the blunt end of his spear 
as a quarterstaff. The skeleton shatters beneath 
his blow as it works to reload a pistol.

Ferric continues battling the skeletons, making 
vicious cuts with the rapier before following up 
with a slash of the elven blade.  Two more 
skeleton's collapse beneath his blows.

Freneth, gripping his hand axe tightly, rushes, 
in a crouch, into the room, angling to the 
opposite side of the room.

Talus continues to attack, and another skeleton is downed.

Nilaroo grabs the nearest skeleton and rips the limbs off of the undead torso.

Raken waits for an opening to get in the room to attack some skeletons.

Round 3:

The three remaining skeletons are swiftly reduced 
to bone shards in a flurry of slashing and 
ripping.

Freneth frowns at the shards of bones lying about 
the room.  "I can't wait to get away from this 
cursed place," he says in the dwarven tongue. 
Switching back to the common parlance, he says, 
"This ship must have been part of great evil to 
have been cursed this badly."

Raken eyes the bones scattered across the room. 
"Ten skeletons, a starwheel in each bony hand? I 
wonder...how many guns did this tub carry? 
There's enough bloody arms here to start a minor 
war!"

Allagan says apologetically to Talus, "Sorry, I 
don't have any healing spells left."  Allagan 
adds with a wink, "Try not to get shot any more."

Talus sheathes his weapons and says gruffly, "I 
am starting to get tired of all these undead!" 
Talus then moves through the cabin, securing up 
all of the pistols, powder, and shot.  Talus then 
searches the cabin for anything of value.

After Talus says, "Okay, two more cabins on this 
deck."  Talus leads the group back to the 
portside room (#7).  Talus goes through his 
normal procedures of checking to see if the door 
is trapped or locked.  Talus then opens the door.

Inside, the chamber has been torn apart, Several 
broken sea chests are lying about, and ripped, 
rotten clothing covers the floor.  A search turns 
up nothing of interest in the room, however.

The starboard side stern chamber (#8) is then 
searched.  But it is torn up like the portside 
room, and just as devoid of interest.

Freneth follows the others.

Talus says, "Okay, steerage deck next.  Then the 
only thing left will be the helm room."

Allagan says, "Lead on Talus." and follows.

Talus leads the group forward, floating a few 
inches off the ground, to the forward stairs. 
Talus' body flips vertically as they near the 
stairs, so that his feet are pointing straight up 
and his head pokes down the stairwell so he can 
get a look into the cargo hold.

The cargo hold is filled with many barrels, boxes 
and crates.  The most obvious cargo is ten great 
wooden thrones, each carved to look like a seated 
giant.  Behind these the barrels, boxes, and 
crates are stacked to the ceiling blocking the 
aft part of the cargo hold thoroughly.

But, none of that catches Talus' immediate 
attention.  Instead, it's the long, coiled line 
of burned ash from the burning fuse which 
disappears out of sight into the stacked barrels, 
boxes, and crates.  The fuse can still be heard 
sputtering towards its destination, but for how 
much longer is difficult to tell...

Date/Time: 6:20 pm, 7th day of the 1st Month, 5050 OC





-- 
"'If they valued what they stole, if they knew 
what they were destroying,' says the old Vadhagh 
in the story, The Only Autumn Flower, 'Then I 
would be consoled.'"  Michael Moorcock, _The 
Books of Corum_.

Paul Westermeyer, westermeyer@???????.net