While listening to the echoes of the vampirate captain's speech, Bellandra appreciated BenKii's help and responded "Thank ye Cap'n, and aye, take the potion, ye need it more than I most like." She then thanked Durik and accepted a bandage, "This will do nicely Durik, thank ye. I will join ye as soon as I deal with this."

Bellandra grimaced and tried to extract the bolt, hoping it was not embedded with barbs. If it slid out she would apply the bandage around the wound.

After removing the bolt she was determined to get back into the fight. If she saw or heard any vampirates still coming from the darkness, she would fire her hand crossbow at them.

If the corridor seemed quiet, she would instead limp towards the bend with Kyp and Grog'tial, and shoot the vampirate on the south end of room 10 if she came into line of sight with it.

As usual, if she saw anything cataclysmically wrong about to happen she would use her sextant to stop it, or if any action of hers seemed about to go badly wrong she would use her fate coin.

Grog'tial positions himself in such a way as to present the smallest target to the crossbow wielding vampirates on the ship and the beach, ideally staying fully out of view of the ship, if he can do so while still having a view of the beach. If still necessary, he reloads two regular blessed bolts. (He was thinking about using explosive bolts to knock vampirates off the ceiling even on a miss, but to his trained eye, the ceiling doesn't look quite high enough for that to be safe with crew nearby.) He first shoots the vampirate on the beach (aiming for a heart shot), where he take his time to be certain of the shot, ideally waiting for that vampirate to be busy reloading its own crossbow. If it looks like the vampirate is going for the stairs (rather than climbing straight up to the ledge), he might wait for the vampirate to ascend if that significantly improves the odds of his shot. On a miss, he'll take a second shot. Afterward, he reloads with regular bolts.

After that, it depends on circumstances. He wants to shoot more vampirates and aims for heart-shots. If multiple opportunities to shoot vampirates appear, these are his priorities, ordered from most to least desired:
- If the shield on the ship drops for any reason, and he can do so without endangering Aylar, he steps forward, shoots the Captain or alternatively the crossbow-wielding vampirate on the deck, and steps back into cover again. He'll also take any other opportunity he can see to offer ranged support to Aylar. For this, he'll peek around the corner every so often.
- If any vampirates appear from the tunnel to the plaza, particularly if they're on the ceiling out of reach of melee-wielding crew members, the most threatening one (e.g. crossbow-wielding) gets it. If said vampirate is directly above a crew member, he first shouts out a warning to get them to move away from the possible ash fall.
- Any other target which presents itself, with priority for vampirates showing up spider-climbing on ceilings from other directions.

After thanking BenKii for taken care of the frozen vampirate, when he notices him wanting to take the stairs down to the beach, Grog'tial offers a gruff "whaddaya doin, ye fool? There's a vampirate still on the beach, coming straight for us, plus one shooting crossbow bolts at us from the ship!"

If/when Argy moves into the tunnel to the plaza, he grows concerned for her, and keeps a weather eye on vampirates coming from that tunnel, so he can shoot them. "Be careful, Argy! Icy might not prevent them from coming our way!" He knows well she can take care of herself, but also realizes she doesn't have the best equipment for fighting this particular threat.

If/when the vampirate on the beach has been taken care of, and if Argy has gotten a good way down the tunnel without vampirates appearing, then at a moment where it looks like the vampirate on the ship is no immediate concern (either through being dead/engaged in melee, or due to being busy reloading), he swiftly follows her. He's aiming to be around the bend before said vampirate can finish reloading. He'll take care not to get ahead of Argy and in the way of her pan or cupcakes. If, once around the bend, he sees Icy, he'll order him to prevent vampirates from coming close to the tunnel, but as a lesser priority also to try and keep a good distance from himself, Argy and Baldbeard (but not from Kyp, who might heal Icy, and will otherwise have to take care himself to keep sufficient distance). And, obviously, he'll shoot at vampirates, particularly those out of reach of the melee fighters.

[Grog'tial shoots at the beach vampirate, waits for opportunities to shoot others, and might follow Argy.]

Count turns back abruptly from the source of stench in the tunnel and goes in another direction. He will accompany Argy on the way towards the plaza. Around the junction he will move quickly if crossbowman on the ship is still there.

If hearing/seeing incoming vampirates, Count will douse cat o' nine tails in holy water and use it in off-hand as a makeshift aspergillum. He would use it to whip those coming close and sprinkle those further away (especially on the walls/ceilings) while/before attacking them with a saber. All the time he remembers about the ash and that it should be avoided.

Seeing Argy or Grog'tial ready to send explosives, Count will allow them do that first by not rushing forth.

If no danger in sight, Count will carefully proceed towards the plaza and then the vaults (but not going inside yet).

If Vampirate Captain somehow gets to the beach area and still poses a threat and Count happens to be nearby, he will use cat o' nine tails' special power to entangle her and make her an easy target and prevent escape.

GM Announcement: Turn Extended to 7PM UTC, 29 November 2024.*
I will be extending the turn to give myself and our USA Crew a chance to catch up and post. Today is Thanksgiving, a major holiday in the USA especially for families. Since I had no plans I thought I'd be available to do the turn. However an elderly neighbor of mine's grandchildren are ill, so her family will not be able to come. She lives alone so I'll be going over to help her with the cooking and spend some time with her. Devin had hoped to post last night but was instead drawn off by other things and will be busy much of today with his own extended family and Kyp and BenKii are most likely busy with theirs as well.

Vote for your MVP 2024: Don't forget to vote for your 2024 Most Valued Pirate (MVP) Player award for this year. Time is running out. Voting will be open to all current Cursed Crew until 11:59 PM UTC on November 30, 2024. You may vote privately thru PM if you like, or publicly in the 2024 Pirate Day GA Thread. Only current Cursed Crew listed as sailing in the Cursed Crew List, Post 3 of this thread are eligible to vote.

Voting ends: 11:59 PM UTC, November 30, 2024
The 2024 MVP will be announced and Pirate Day GA games awarded sometime on December 1, 2024.

*Hurry and update your Booty List of games if you are going to! List will be frozen at the end of the MVP Vote.

FWIW, I edited my post to no longer use explosive bolts, since the tunnel isn't quite high enough to use those safely if crew is nearby.

Aylar tenses briefly at the activation of the wards, but his focus is quickly returned once he realizes with a momentary flash of delight that the Captain has, by a strike of her misfortune, locked herself in with him. As she starts on her gloating, he float-creeps upwards through the air and towards the nest, keeping his mind focused on the ascent. Ethereal should be quite thoroughly a blind spot for her, if he judged her wards correctly, and the Crew should keep her distracted - ah, there goes Baldbeard with his taunt.

As he reaches the nest and studies the vampirate Captain by the mast, ready to bide his time for that perfect step out of the in-between into a calculated strike, his focus is momentarily diverted as BenKii takes central stage. Cutlass half-drawn, the other ghostly hand stilled near his axe, Aylar can't help but fix the human Captain with a somewhat incredulous look. Moment of disbelief (and deja vu) passed, he finishes drawing his weapons, his processing of the current turn of events while BenKii rolls through his pitch echoing briefly in a faint twinge of paused confusion through Clíodhna's link.

Ultimately, a distraction is a distraction, even one gained through means as such. He'll shift into the physical plane with an instant sequence of strikes the moment Nerissa is most distracted by the goings on below, and moves away from the mast (so to deprive her of any dodging behind it for safety) into a position that would leave her most vulnerable for a thorough ambush. A fire cutlass through the back, an axe slash through the neck, a blast with repelling energies - he will go all out and according to the openings available to him, calling on his drow charm to shield him from the ash as soon as he judges that a mortal hit has connected.

If she is somehow still alive after all that, he will defend as necessary and continue fighting and disadvantaging her, focusing his charms on taking the edge off any life drain and disrupting any attempts to flee if he can. He be also using the nest and mast as cover from any vampirate fire from below.

True

Kyp repositions himself to be in a position to protect the nearby crew from close range attacks in case the bolts miss.

If Argy does go into the corridor to (7) Kyp will go along and help in any conflicts that may happen there.

OOC: I asked our Fair GM. The fire was a flash fire. It's "smouldering and smells of smoky garlic roasted vampirate" but safe to cross if we be careful of the ash.
-

Devin hears Bellandra be hurt [per GM] and be about to call the cat to deliver a Heals Wounds bandage to her when he hears Captain BenKii and Durik tending to her with potion and bandage. Instead he sends the cat to stealthily scout towards Icy, judging that while there is possibility of enemies coming up their backpath, other Crew are starting towards the fight there [at 7] and may need to know what they are walking into. He judges Argy's bat should be able to see if anything approaches the eastern tunnel from the open east end.

He notes the shimmer as the vampirate Captain drops to the crow's nest. "Save yer bolts," he tells Grog'tial, nodding towards the ship. "'Tis a shield can be used once the Captain be aboard, though it usually be to render the ship invisible. She be wanting us to see her." He listens as she taunts Captain Baldbeard. It be obvious there be history between them. "Stay aware," he warns the others, "it may be a distraction. Vampirates also often have shadow servants. Garlic won't affect them but light, holy water or blessed weapons can."

As Captain BenKii passes him, Devin is about to put out a hand to stop him from walking straight into the crossbow bolt crossfire, making himself an open target, when BenKii whispers he has a plan. Devin pauses then nods cautiously. He be ready to take a shot, pull Captain BenKii back or tackle him to the ground if necessary. As Captain BenKii talks, Devin listens incredulously and hopes this be a ruse to distract. Lady of Light, please let Captain Aylar be somewhere he can take advantage of this.

"She need not drop the shield to take ye aboard," he whispers to Captain BenKii. "And her way to get to ye now be either through the east passage coming upon our Crew there, or beneath the waters where we cannot reach her until she be at the beach and almost upon us. Vampirate captain's have influence that takes over the mind while they weaken ye, Captain BenKii. Charm does not work on them. Bait if ye will, but do not get close, and mind those crossbows."

Devin keeps his eyes on the vampirate Captain, the vampirate on the ship and the one coming from the beach while counting on the cat to warn of anything coming on them from the west. He is prepared to shoot or reposition to where line of sight be clear, pull Captain BenKii out of the line of fire or tackle him to the ground, and defend Crew as he can. He will leave the vampirate on the beach to Grog'tial if he sees him aiming, reserving his own shot for the vampirate Captain or possible shadows, but will shoot the vampirate on the beach if he sees Grog'tial either miss or is following Argy instead. Seeing Argy, Count and Kyp heading past Captain Baldbeard into the west tunnel, he will inform them of anything the cat perceives.

Priorities will be the vampirate Captain and any shadows first as his weapons be effective against such, then vampirates or other enemies. Use Moonbow if clear shots. If too close to Crew or melee range, then rapier and silvered dagger. Lightsheen if shadows arise and unable to use Moonbow.

[Devin sends cat to scout the west tunnel ahead of any Crew heading there and reports what it perceives. He tells Grog'tial about the shield and warns Crew the vampirate Captain may be distracting them and to watch for shadows. He warns Captain BenKii not to board the ship and of vampirate Captain's abilities, while . Priorities listed.]

The following is told to Devin before confronting the vampirate captain:

"Aye" BenKii whispers back, "Be trying to get her to come to us then. Need not go aboard her ship where she have the advantage." He then addressed Devin's concern about his Captain's Charm being ineffective against the vampirate, " And ye be correct, charm may not get her attention but power most definitely will. My offer may be too much for her to refuse. Be ready to strike when she makes her move. We'll try to hit her with all our attacks simultaneously to get a sneaky pre-emptive strike."

The following is an addendum to BenKii's talk with the vampirate captain:

To entice the vampirate captain to come to the beach, Captain BenKii pulls out his communicator badge and holds it up for her to see. The strange shape and material of the badge are unlike anything this world has seen. "This device is used to contact my ship." He then puts it away, " All you have to do is come down to the beach and we can return to my ship to plunder the stars for all manner of treasure." Obviously the device is not working but the vampirate captain doesn't know that. Perhaps it will be enough to convince her to come see for herself.

Mission 6 - Turn 5
*Turn Ends 11:59PM UTC, 2 December 2024.*

In order of initiative (this post): Bellandra, Devin, Aylar, Argy, Durik

Bellandra: (roll dice*5) "Ah, me lucky rabbit's foot, did ye leave yer luck at the casino?" you say as you wince at the bolt in your thigh. "That will need a bandage, and here be I without one." At least from what you were able to see by the light of the flash fire, there seems to be no more vampirates close by in the darkness.

While listening to the echoes of the vampirate captain's speech, you give Captain BenKii your Necrotic Resistance potion in exchange for his Healing potion and drink it down. It heals you for most, but not completely and does not stop the bleeding. You then thank Durik and accept a Heal Wounds bandage from him, keeping the normal bandage as reserve for the future. "This will do nicely Durik, thank ye. I will join ye as soon as I deal with this."

With a grimace you extract the bolt, happy to note it is not barbed. You tie the Heal Wounds bandage around the wound with a sigh as the bleeding stops and the Heal Wounds bandage goes to work. You will be completely healed at end of turn.

Your wound tended, and with the east corridor seeming quiet, you limp with increasing ease towards the south, determined to get back into the fight. You hear another loud bang of a musket before you come upon Devin, Grog'tial and Kyp as Captain BenKii is attempting to woo(?) the Vampirate Captain and hear Devin's caution about her and the crossbows. Looking past Kyp's shoulder you see the vampirate reloading his light crossbow on the beach ahead (upper 10). Carefully you raise your hand crossbow, staying in the shadows slightly behind and between Grog'tial and Kyp and shoot. *Success* The bolt hits his shoulder just above the heart. The vampirate jerks as the blessing on the bolt does extra damage and the shock damage takes him to his knees on the sand, stunned for this turn. [This vampirate is stunned and severely wounded.]

Devin: (roll dice*5) Your half-elven ears pick up the conversation of Bellandra being hurt and having no bandages. You are about to call the cat to deliver a Heal Wounds bandage to her when you hear Captain BenKii and Durik tending to her with potion and bandages. You send the cat to stealthily scout towards Icy, judging that other Crew are starting towards the fight there (7) and may need to know what they are walking into.

"Save yer bolts," you tell Grog'tial, nodding towards the ship. "'Tis a shield can be used once the Captain be aboard, though it usually be to render the ship invisible. She be wanting us to see her." It be obvious with her taunting of Captain Baldbeard and his biting response that there be history between them, but you wonder if there is also part ruse. "Stay aware, it may be a distraction. Vampirates also often have shadow servants. Garlic won't affect them but light, holy water or blessed weapons can," you warn the others.

You note Captain BenKii raise his musket and you wince as your ears ring from the loud report at close range, then he walks past you. "I have a plan just go with it," he says just as you are about to stop him from walking onto the crossbow bolt crossfire range, making himself an open target. You pause and nod cautiously, ready to react. As Captain BenKii first calls the Vampirate Captain a "Creepo lady" then offers himself and his ship, you listen incredulously and hope this be a ruse to distract, appealing to your goddess that Captain Aylar be somewhere he can take advantage of this.

"She need not drop the shield to take ye aboard," you whisper to Captain BenKii. "Her way to get to ye now be either through the east passage coming upon our Crew there, or beneath the waters where we cannot reach her until she be at the beach and almost upon us. Vampirate captain's have influence that takes over the mind while they weaken ye, Captain BenKii. Charm does not work on them. Bait if ye will, but do not get close, and mind those crossbows."

As you say this you suddenly see a well-aimed hand-bolt speed past you both and hit the vampirate on the beach, not quite ashing him but bringing him stunned to his knees, his shoulder wrecked by the blessed bolt and shock. You leave the kill shot to Grog'tial and reserve your own for the Vampirate Captain if possible.

The cat is in the top of the bend and let's you know that the fighting seems to have quieted just as you notice Argy turn into that west passage, near Captain Baldbeard. She is followed by Kyp with Count Karnstein behind them. You relay the information to them as you continue to carefully watch the Vampirate Captain and both crossbow vampirates as the one on the ship slowly stalks towards the stern stairs, ready to take a shot should the shield drop or the Captain emerge. You move as your brain registers the slight signal, hoping you will be in time.

Aylar: (roll dice*5) You tense briefly at the activation of the shield wards, but your focus quickly returns as you realize the Captain has locked herself in with you. As she starts gloating to taunt Captain Baldbeard you begin to float upward through the air towards the Crow's Nest. You keep your mind on the slower ascent. Going upwards takes you twice the energy and time in your current ethereal border state of being. Still, ethereal should be a blind spot for her, if you've judged her wards correctly, and the Crew should keep her distracted. Ah, there goes Baldbeard with his taunt.

You are just reaching the nest and studying the Vampirate Captain by the mast, while gauging the strength and length left on the spell, ready to bide your time for the perfect step out of the in-between into a calculated strike, when you hear musket fire and shortly after Captain BenKii steps onto center stage with "Yo! Creepo lady!"

Cutlass half-drawn, your other ghostly hand stills near your axe, as you can't quite help but fix the human Captain with a somewhat incredulous look. There comes that almost unbelievable moment of deja vu as Captain BenKii offers himself and his ship to the female vampirate Captain. (Perhaps you should have Clíodhna check that grog Argy is serving?) You watch as Nerissa's smirking scepticism turns into a smile as her eyes fixate on the item he is flashing at her and she leans over the Crow's nest towards Captain BenKii, her sultry assets on full display. You finish drawing your weapons, while BenKii rolls through his speech, and you sense an echo of confusion through Clíodhna's link. Ultimately, a distraction is a distraction, by any means. You are so focused on preparing the perfect ambush for the moment Nerissa is most distracted, moving away from the mast to deprive her of any dodge to safety, that you almost miss the slightest gesture of her hand.

Argy: (roll dice*2) You look with disgust at the heap of finger and toe nails, then suddenly scratch your head. "Wasn't we mateys goin' to fetch the treasure? That be the other way!" you tell the others with you.

You send your bat higher over the water to where it has a better image of the whole open harbor area where it be less likely to be noticed. It hovers just north of the bridge (22) and relays more sonar images to you. You see the sonar of the Vampirate Captain in the Crow's Nest and another vampirate on the ship, as well as one slumped over on the beach. Otherwise the area inside the harbor seems clear. Outside, however, near the point marked Nexus (1) on the map are several large ice blocks that look almost like forms standing sentinel.

With no further enemies seeming to come from the east, you cautiously head south towards the plaza (7), following Icy's trail of chilly destruction, your fiery pan ready to sizzle. You startle at the loud shot of the musket, but continue onward, making your way past Kyp, Bellandra, Grog'tial and Devin. You are nearing Captain Baldbeard when you hear Captain BenKii's invitation for the Vampirate Captain Nerissa to join him on his ship that travels the stars. You smile and shake your head, mumbling to yourself: "A ship that there sails the stars. Blimey, a jolly bluff!" You are so bemused by the thought that you almost miss Devin's warning from the cat that things have gone quiet ahead of you.

Durik: (roll dice*3) "No spideys? Durik kills wannabe-spidey too!" You take a mental note of the golden finger and toenails dropped by the vampirate, to remember to collect them after the battle, once checked\blessed of course.

You turn towards Bellandra when you hear she is hurt. "Durik has lot of healings, me feels like doctor," you tell her. "Me can give you a Heal Wounds bandage [correction per PM], but better if ye apply it yerself, so me stay ready to fight." You give her the Heal Wounds bandage and turn around, then stop. That's funny. You swear the golden finger and toenails were inside the ashes, not outside them closer to you.

You hear Captain BenKii's whistle and invitation to the Vampirate Captain to come away with him on his ship that travels the stars. You shake your head. Ono he's trying again tricks. But seducing vamp? you think as you catch the slight glimmer of golden movement. You turn and look again. As you watch the toenails tiptoe while the fingernails creep just a little closer, then they become still for a moment before it repeats and they edge a little closer, following you.
_____

Continued below ...

... Mission 6 - Turn 5 continued from above.
*Turn Ends 11:59PM UTC, 2 December 2024.*

In order of initiative (this post): BenKii, Kyp, Grog'tial, Devin/Argy, Baldbeard, Karnstein, Aylar

Captain BenKii: (roll dice*4) "Nice swing, Durik", you say, "That's what I call a home run."

With the vampirates dealt with you turn your attention to Bellandra. "You're hurt!" You move to put pressure on the wound and look in your inventory but realize you have no bandages, "Damn! Anyone have any Heal Wounds bandage? Bellandra is in need of medical attention!" you call out. "Bellandra, I've got to help our team on the beach but I don't have any defense against this necrotic ash. I don't suppose I could use your Necrotic Resistance potion? I can trade you my Heal potion. That should get you back your health a bit but you'll still need bandages."

She accepts and you trade potions. You drink the Necrotic Resistance potion on your way south. Motioning Kyp to back away from the vampirate frozen to the wall you say, "How's it hanging bud?" before blowing its head off with a loud shot from your musket, leaving Devin's and Kyp's sensitive ears ringing as it turns to ash mostly inside the ice covering it.

Upon arriving on the beach, you see the Vampirate Captain... a Female Vampirate Captain... a Hot Female Vampirate Captain. You can tell Baldbeard and the Vampirate Captain have some history from their verbal exchange. You think about lining up a musket shot but hold off as you see a shimmer emanating from the ship, perhaps some kind of shield technology. So, if we can't get to her, we'll just have to bring her here.

You walk past Devin and whisper, "I have a plan just go with it." Devin warns you she doesn't need to drop the shield to bring you aboard and that Vampirate Captains have influence and are impervious to Charm. "Aye" you whisper back, "Be trying to get her to come to us then. Need not go aboard her ship where she have the advantage. And ye be correct, charm may not get her attention but power most definitely will. My offer may be too much for her to refuse. Be ready to strike when she makes her move. We'll try to hit her with all our attacks simultaneously to get a sneaky preemptive strike."

You make a loud wolf whistle. "Yo! Creepo lady! You say you have everything but you don't! You only have what's available on this Earthly plane of existence. What I offer you is to go beyond that. My ship can travel the stars and obtain treasures that you could only dream of. Leave Baldbeard alone. Leave this crew alone. And take me. I will offer you my ship and my services." You pull out your communicator badge and hold it up for her to see. The strange shape and material of the badge are unlike anything this world has seen. "This device is used to contact my ship." You put it away, "All you have to do is come down to the beach and we can return to my ship to plunder the stars for all manner of treasure." You then give her "The Look" for good measure. [GM: What is "The Look"? Do I need to ask Argy? I have no clue here except that it sounds some sort of kinky, Captain BenKii. :P]

(roll dice=04/100) *Fail* Captain Nerissa looks to Captain BenKii and narrows her eyes on the device he holds. Her eyes shift to where BenKii just used his musket to blow the head off her crewman, then slide to where she can barely see Devin as she remembers a glimpse of that glowing bow. She smirks at Captain BenKii and preens, leaning over the Crow's Nest before him with a sultry air, displaying her ample bosom as her hand makes a subtle motion to her crossbowman. She did not become Captain by being a fool. She can just as easily take the device from BenKii once he is suitably weakened and her servant.

Although she cannot figure out how he is seemingly here when she has his body frozen on his trapped ship, it is Baldbeard she wants to see on his knees to her. She has the treasure, but she wants him as well. Once he is broken to her will he will make an excellent captain of a second ship in her fleet. There must be another ship for this new crew of his to have come on. It will be hers! She scoffs in her thoughts as she licks her lips and intentionally entices the poppinjay that dares call her "Creepo" and thinks, as most men do, that a beautiful woman knows not an insult, nor that she can sense this one's weakness. A ship that can travel the stars. Ridiculous!

Captain BenKii, you are so entranced by the ample display that you fail to notice anything else until you are suddenly jerked backwards as Devin throws you towards safety by the rock wall as he dives for Argy.

Kyp: (roll dice*3) You back away from the frozen vampirate as Captain BenKii raises his musket and blasts its head apart. Luckily most of the ash is contained by the ice covering it and you are far enough away from the small amount that isn't. You reposition yourself to be in a position to protect the nearby crew from close range attacks. You are about to follow Argy into the westward corridor when you see Devin jerk Captain Benkii backwards to the ground and dive for Argy as you leap back away from the flying crossbow bolt yourself.

Grog'tial: (roll dice*4) You position yourself to present the smallest target to the crossbow wielding vampirates while you reload two regular blessed bolts. You think about using explosive bolts to knock possible spiderclimbing vampirates from the ceilings, but to your trained eye, the ceiling doesn't look quite high enough for that to be safe with crew nearby.

You thank BenKii for taking care of the frozen vampirate, but when you notice him wanting to step out to entice the Vampirate Captain and hear Devin's warning, you offer a gruff "whaddaya doin, ye fool? There's a vampirate still on the beach, coming straight for us, plus one shooting crossbow bolts at us from the ship!"

Bellandra shoots a bolt from slightly behind and above you and you see it hit but not finish off the vampirate on the beach. You take aim at the stunned vampirate and shoot to finish him. *Success* With the vampirate stunned it is an easy shot for you and he explodes into ash on the beach. You reload another blessed regular bolt.

As you notice Argy moving towards the tunnel to the plaza (7), you become concerned for her. You keep a weather eye on the tunnel in case any vampirates come, so you can shoot them. "Be careful, Argy! Icy might not prevent them from coming our way!" You know she can take care of herself, but also realize she doesn't have the best equipment for fighting this particular threat. Your worry grows upon hearing Devin's warning that the cat says things have gone quieter. A moment later your pink ribbon returns. Your attention is drawn for only a moment, but that is all it takes. You barely see Devin move swiftly to jerk Captain BenKii back and throw him towards you and the safety of the wall as he dives for Argy.

Devin: (roll dice*5) You see the slight signal the Vampirate Captain gives the vampirate on the ship and manage to jerk Captain BenKii backwards by his collar and throw him towards Grog'tial and safety as you dive and grab for Argy [per PM], as she nears the corner into the west tunnel towards the plaza (7). *Success* You manage to swat the bolt off course with your arm and the Moonbow as you bear Argy to the ground with you, twisting to shield her from the fall and sliding to Captain Baldbeard's feet. In the excitement you miss the alert from the cat. Your shoulder is bruised but you are otherwise unharmed.

Argy: (roll dice) You are startled and a bit shaken but otherwise unharmed.

Captain Baldbeard: (roll dice*3) With your back against a wall, and thus less fearful of foul things creeping up on you, you swiftly drink a Heal potion to bring you back up to full fighting strength and movement, then call out to the woman you once knew. "Nice ta see ye, Nerissa. As ye ken, these here luscious locks are icicle free" You brush off some of the icicles that are forming in the cold. "If I be yers, why not come here and take me, 'stead of preening about cave walls like a Daddy-long-legs? Meantime, I dinna quite recall if ye ever had time to meet my pets. Let me introduce them ta ye and yer new mates"

You are about to summon your shark pack when Captain BenKii first shoots his musket at the frozen vampirate nearby, making your ears ring, and then steps out with a wolf whistle and engages Nerissa with an offer to take her to the stars on his ship for treasures she could only dream of if she leaves you and takes him instead.

Despite Nerissa's shout, you keep an eye on the vampirate crossbowmen. Bellandra and Grog'tial have taken care of the one on the beach, but you notice the one on the ship moving towards the stern. So you see the subtle raising of the crossbow and the shot as Devin jerks Captain BenKii backwards then dives for Argy. He uses his arm and bow to swat away the bolt and he and Argy slide to your feet.

You look up to see Nerissa smiling and beckoning at you. "Come, my bald love. Come back to me and I'll forgive you make you a captain in my own treasure fleet. We can sail the seas as we planned. What say you?"

Raising your harmonica to your lips you summon the shark pack. They circle once and then take off for the ship, eager to make Nerissa and the crossbowman's acquaintance.

Count Karnstein: (roll dice*3) You turn back abruptly from the source of garlicky stench in the tunnel and decide to accompany Argy on towards the plaza. (7) You watch as Captain Benkii first shoots the head of the frozen vampirate to pieces, then uses a page from your own playbook to entice the Vampirate Captain. Honestly, it isn't enough that this new captain is hitting on Aeshma, now he claims to have a ship that sails the stars and is using the same offer you got blamed for to solicit this flouncy Vampirate Captain!

Bellandra and Grog'tial take out the vampirate crossbowman on the beach, but the one on the ship is behind some sort of shield. You are about to move quickly around the junction when you see the bolt coming and dodge back as Devin pulls BenKii backwards and dives for Argy, hitting the bolt away. Captain Baldbeard summons his sharks and they take off for the ship, but seem to be stopped by the shield.

"Now is that any way to treat my offer, Baldbeard?" Narissa says. "Did you think I wouldn't have my ship shielded against your ghostly crew should any make it here?"

Aylar: (roll dice*4) You see the slight gesture and the vampirate crossbowman shoot. You see Devin jerk Captain BenKii back towards safety and dive to grab Argy while deflecting its path. You see Captain Baldbeard summon his spectral sharks and notice the shield actually does stop them from entering the ship ... but you are already inside. As Nerissa leans further forward, her attention on the sharks and gloating, you judge your time has come. *Success* You step from the Ethereal plane back into the material one. As you materialize you slip your fiery cutlass from the back unerringly through her heart then behead her with a single stroke of your axe. Nerissa explodes into ash. Your Phoenix charm repels the evil energies and your Fey charm turns it back away. As you watch the ash drift away, you look down to see the Captain's medallion, much like the one which controlled the Denuvo, dropped on the floor of the Crow's Nest.

(roll dice)As the Vampirate Captain dies, the shield falls and Captain Baldbeard's sharks savage the vampirate crossbowman, who is also soon ash on the deck.

Back on shore the black cat comes streaking around the bend of the western passage and out of the shadows as Crew feel the unmistakable weakening drain. Looking up you see 6 vampirates, 3 spiderclimbing walls and ceiling, arrive at the NE curve of the bend.

Before he can realize what his ribbon returning to him means for the fate of his most loyal and trusting companion, Grog'tial has spotted the mass of vampirates pouring into the tunnel, and desperately calls out to anyone looking like they intend to rush in, "Wait for the cupcake!"

If there's no immediate explosion, or if there is but any vampirates escape its effects, he steps forward to where he has an unobscured view of the tunnel, and starts methodically firing crossbow bolts at the most opportune targets, reloading regular bolts. If any vampirates come within melee range, he'll use holy water and stake.

If the fighting is over, and there was an explosion, he'll check the corridor for risk of collapse - though he's feeling pretty confident that it'll hold - help clear away any rubble, and then carefully proceed to the plaza, with a growing feeling of loss as he confronts what it'll mean that Icy is no longer wearing the ribbon.

[somewhere at the seas] .....a boootle in water! lemme see.... ha! tis old salt still alive.... crack on...

It's from the game Slay The Princess which I featured on my video for that game. Link below for my video at the 8:44 marker is where the phrase shows up.

https://youtu.be/RdXu-ssXtFk?si=fFdjE80D-X99Eic7

The moving appendages scared the hell out of Durik. Was it a shadow servant as Devin warned? He had no idea
"Ono why golden fingers still moving?! Magic frens, help!"

Durik jumped back and quickly backtracked towards the crew, keeping his stare on the creeping things.
He prepared the sack in one hand, ready to catch the fingers\toes if they attacked. And readied the cudgel to knock them away.

If he failed to stop them, nobody helped him, and the situation became critical, he used Dakka to entrap them.
However, if Devin confirmed it was a shadow servant, Durik splashed it with 1 holy water.

The other vampirates took a moment to appear in the western tunnel.
If the fingers situation was resolved, Durik turned towards them and, if necessary, he threw 1 holy water onto the group.
Then prepared to fight with the cudgel.