Having no ranged weapons or item or ability that would significantly damage an ice elemental, Captain Baldbeard carefully moves out of the way of his more ranged allies, and readies his cudgel for any oncoming attack.

Support for a member of Crew.
Our Cap'n Rummyfangs (a.k.a. matterbandit) just found out his best friend has been diagnosed with cancer. As he has announced it publicly in forum here, I'm sure he could use the support and a hug from Crew. (The admiral knows our rumball spitting Rummyfangs secretly likes hugs.)

Kyp goes along with other's plans since he can't think of any ways of actively helping the situation at the moment..

Any last minute opinions on which direction I should send Icy McIceface (that's now its official name) in? And how I should prioritize making speed versus engaging vampirates?

My thinking with sending it toward 5, is that this should draw most enemies from 6, 7, 8 and maybe even 9 and the 10s after it.

However, I noticed 16 and 17 are offices and headquarters, so it might be that the mage would be there, and if I send the elemental toward 5, that might make the mage show up at the most inopportune moment. Then again, that's probably going to happen anyway.

If I send it toward 17 instead, it might prevent the mage from coming toward us at all? Don't give that too much chance, personally, given that the mage will be a boss. Plus we'd still have fully alert vampirates from 7 coming toward us due to the alarm.

So, I'm thinking 5, and prioritize speed until it's around the corner from 7 toward 4 to give us a clear shot at the vault and allow us to make haste?

With 5 turns of control, if Icy proves to be effective at fighting vampirates, I can of course always send him to other places later on.

LOL. Okay then. Thanks for letting us know. I'll need to incorporate that into the turns.

Yes, the vampirate mage and captain are both bosses. Good Luck! *g*

Going from your previous plan (post and PM), the sound cues and a dice roll, Icy is currently going to the right towards 5. Since he sets the plotting and movements of enemy positioning from the start, if you are changing that I'll need to know soon to re-roll and start a replotting/rewrite of the turn, or risk being late posting again.

Edit: On second thought, I only need to roll it up, not write it in. Crew can't see much from the entrance, only hear things. *evil GM grin*

I'm okay with sending it towards 5. One elemental won't stop any mage, but it may create decent havoc with regular vampirates.

As the ice elemental stands up, waiting for instructions from him, Grog'tial feels an unfamiliar fluttering in his chest. He remembers treasured late evenings as a small child, wrapped securely in his blankets listening to his father on those rare evenings when he was around, telling stories of his own childhood - of the dog he'd had then, who could do tricks.

Dogs weren't allowed in the Dwarven tunnels, though. Any kind of pet was frowned upon. His half-brother used to call him silly for wanting one.

And now, this ice elemental. He could sense it. His to command, sure of his orders being followed loyally. This must be how it was for his father, and his beloved pet, Doggy McDogface!

Grog'tial shrugs off decades of trying to be the most Dwarvish dwarf he could be, and names the waiting ice elemental Icy McIceface, in honor to human naming conventions, no matter how weird they might sound to his Dwarven sensibilities.

After Devin finishes scouting, Grog'tial instructs the ice elemental to freeze and break the metal lock and then rush through the tunnel, staying along the right side wall. Any vampirate which comes within its reach should have its head ripped off (or frozen and immobilized if head-ripping isn't possible for any reason), but Icy should initially prioritize speed until it reaches the large cave labelled "Plaza" on the map. There, it should cause as much chaos as possible in a short time, ripping off heads where possible while continuing in a more or less straight line to the southwestern exit. Icy should make use of any available barriers to protect itself from attack. Once it's nearing the middle of that cave, it should send shards of ice to all vampirates in range.

If at this point it's still mostly undamaged, it should continue to the southwestern corner and again follow the rightside wall, with speed no longer being the priority once it's around the corner, instead focussing on attacking any vampirates it comes across by whatever means possible, though head ripping remains the preference. If, however, it's already taken heavy damage by the time it's in the middle of the Plaza, it should try to engage the primary sources of that damage, giving everything it has.

[Grog'tial has a rare moment of ... let's be charitable and call it character-growth, and then sends the ice elemental off to rampage, cause havoc, and kill as many vampirates as possible.]

While the crew it still moving cautiously, listening to the sounds of the havoc Icy is creating and waiting for the perfect moment to proceed, Grog'tial will jog in place to keep warm. Once they're moving faster, he'll pull up his knees high and make certain to keep the blood circulating through his fingers (occasionally cramming them into his pockets for added warmth) so that he can operate his crossbow when necessary. His eyes constantly scan the tunnel ahead, including the ceiling.

Bellandra moved with the others, trying to stay stealthy and keeping her crossbow and cutlass ready. While moving through the tunnel, Bellandra also used her knowledge from the Book of Puzzles and Treasures to try to notice and disarm any traps or to notice any markings that might indicate a hidden mechanism, signal marking of the vampirates, or treasure.


Regarding Grog'tial's suggestion to ensnare the elemental, she had commented it may not be wise, as though it could avoid this one fight, sending the elemental rampaging ahead could raise alarms for the vampirates before the Crew was able to reach their destination. However, since others agreed with it she reluctantly went along with it. She was glad to see Grog'tial took control of the elemental successfully. She hoped the alarm will only distract the vampirates, and not draw the smarter of them to the Crew.

She suggested that sending the elemental towards location 5 would likely be better as an immediate solution, as the mage might at worst simply break their hold on it.


In case they met any elementals not in their control, Bellandra took note of Devin's advice on camouflaged tactics of ice elementals, She also heard BenKii's suggestion of simultaneous fire and agreed with it as a future strategy. Since she did not have a flame-based weapon, she would instead try to shoot at such elementalls (if it was not trapped) with a hardened bolt She would try to shoot a hardened bolt either at any part of the elemental that seemed most likely to break off, or if another Crew member had managed to hit first with a flame attack, then she would aim at a location already weakened by fire. Moreover, though ice did not carry electricity well, water did - so she hoped the shock enhancement her new hand crossbow had would have increased effect on any melting parts of the elemental. If such attacks did not subdue the elemental she would be ready to continue fighting at close range with her cutlass.

Also thinking ahead in case any vampirates attacked, she recalled from their earlier adventure aboard the vampirate ship Denuvo that she had been immune to the necrotic effect of the vampirates' ash, and hoped this would remain so here as well. She had a necrotic resistance potion ready in any case, but would be ready to use it to help others of the Crew too.

Mission 6 - Turn 3
*Turn Ends 11:59PM UTC, 25 November 2024.*

Grog'tial, you name the ice elemental Icy McIceface in honor of your father's humanish naming conventions and instruct it forward. You tell it to freeze and break the metal lock and then rush through, staying along the right side wall. You tell it any vampirate which comes within its reach should have its head ripped off, or frozen and immobilized, but Icy should initially prioritize speed until it reaches the large cave labelled "Plaza" (7) on the map. There, it should cause as much chaos as possible in a short time.

(roll dice - oh so many dice!) :P Icy McIceface does as he's told, moving down the tunnel. Icy soon freezes and smashes through the lock of the iron grate door. It charges forward and a loud shrill screeching alarm sounds. As it comes down into the vampirate hideout, it continues forward into to the right fork towards the Plaza (7).

The cat darts into the shadows at the bottom of the entry, careful to avoid the completely wrecked trap there. It watches the ice elemental plow through several vampirates, ripping the head off one and freezing another as a solid block against the wall before continuing out of sight to the right. The cat waits for further instruction.

The Crew arrive. The screeching alarm has stopped, but managed to cover the sounds of your quick arrival. Going down the stairs into the entry to the hideout, you can see where Icy must have tripped a last trap as several frozen darts lie broken on the icy ground. Looking ahead into the right hand fork, you all see one frozen headless vampirate lying on the frozen ground near the ledge over the beach (red x, upper 10), and another frozen immobile to the wall (red v).

(roll dice*3) There is plenty of yelling and the sound of smaller crossbows being fired, bolts shattering, wood creaking and breaking, the icy sound of icicles impacting hard surfaces at speed, and more shouts. The happier sounds of carousing have definitely changed. Also from ahead past the ledge over the beach comes the fainter sound of several footsteps pounding across wood slats. From somewhere out there echoes what sounds like an incantation. From the left hand fork comes the skittering sounds of something scuttling quickly on stone just around the bend.

Argy, you have your bat ring ready. It will take a drop of blood shed on it to activate.

(roll dice*2) Bellandra, you noticed nothing beyond the traps Devin disarmed in the tunnel. (per PM) Devin is happy to show you the traps and how he disarms them for the future. You notice the feeling you had felt before has vanished once in the tunnel and you detect nothing within this sea cave that resonates with you. There are no shipkin here. You recall the Denuvo and how you were immune to the necrotic effect of the vampirates' ash, and hope this remains true, but you have a Necrotic Resistance potion ready in any case.

Count, you've been taking rear guard but now you are keeping an eye on that left fork from which the the skittering sounds are closing in. You take your Necrotic Resistance potion.

*Hypothermia rolls: Gilius, having no thermals or woolens you have begun to shiver badly, even as a more cold resistant dwarf. Perhaps your Cold Resistance potion would help.

[Grog'tial instructs Icy McIceface to create havoc. The Crew arrive just inside the entrance to the vampirate hideout. Argy is ready with her bat ring. Bellandra notices nothing beyond traps in the tunnel and senses no shipkin here. Count takes his Necrotic Resistance potion. Gillius has started to shiver badly.]

Time to Vote Your MVP
Voting ends: 11:59 PM UTC, November 30, 2024

It is time to vote for your Most Valued Pirate (MVP) Player award for this year, 2024. Who do you think best exhibited camaraderie, stuck to the Code of the Grog Brethren, was helpful to the Crew and kept a weather eye on teamwork while furthering the goals and helped make things fun? 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.

The 2024 MVP will be announced and Pirate Day GA games awarded sometime on December 1, 2024.

Wow, already? If I'm not mistaken, last year we were halfway through fourth mission when the voting was held, and now we barely started second. Well, that should be two more turns before deadline, so I'll wait with my vote.

I know. Last year we were doing turns every other day though, and this year it's twice a week. That slows us down getting through the missions (but keeps my sanity). However I need to award the other games and have this vote done before that and in time for Winter Sale.

Although the elemental rampage looked like quite a fun entrance to her, when hearing all the sounds around, Argy rolls her eyes. "Blimey, we be goin' to get surrounded. Durik's plan was better"
But when did things go according to plans, anyway? Let's hope vampirates can't smell blood at this distance...
Argy will send the bat to scout the beach ahead, and will inform the rest of the crew about the position of the enemies, searching specially for the spellcaster.
She'll also take out a cupcake and keep an eye on the left hand tunnel, ready to throw it at whatever is coming through it. Anyway, unless it's such a big menace that can't be taken easily by the crew, she'll hold it. No need of more noise right now.