JesseLowe/PirateMonkeySession26

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You say, "Let's get things off to a quick start."

Monkey . o O ( Hi, David. And sure, Jesse. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( OK. The Admirial's looking for a good part of ship wreckage to cling to. )

When we last left our heroes, Admiral Kaizoku was treading water near the quickly-sinking ruin of a Ragaran escort ship, while Monkey was a thousand yards off in the Stormhammer, having just patched a hole in the hull.

Monkey . o O ( And I still haven't figured a way of going past Mach 1 without a warstrider or custom charms. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Get somebody to throw you with Cascade of Cutting Terror or the like. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( push off the underside of a skyship? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Besides, everyone knows that the way to break the sound barrier in Exalted is to find the spirit who's in charge of it and coerce him into making an exception. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( So, who starts? Heroic Solars or evil Dragon-Bloods? )

The rest of the situation: The Stormhammer is about half a mile away, the enemy escort ships are pretty much right on top of the Admiral -- call it about a hundred yards to the nearest intact one, which is headed in his direction. The cargo fleet is about a mile off, as is the rest of the Solar Wind Fleet, though in opposite directions

Monkey . o O ( Cascade does nothing. Okay, technically there'll be lots of Monkey for a while and the total distance traveled for all Monkeys divided by time might look like it breaks the sound barrier, but that's false math there. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Admiral, your action. )

The Storyteller . o O ( But man! Multiple Monkeys! )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Scary! )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, and for range purposes: 1 mile = 1,760 yards )

Monkey . o O ( I know. Good thing it's not likely to happen, or Creation wouldn't be able to handle the sheer coolness and implode. )

Admiral Kaizoku tosses the back of his long coat over his head to hide the shine of his armor, treading water with the help of a piece of hull from the shattered warship, daiklave in his sash, laying low and waiting for the next ship to approach... and keeping an eye out for the sorcerer who ended his spell and must also be in the water nearby.

The Storyteller . o O ( Make a Dex or Str (whichever's better) + Athletics roll. )

Admiral Kaizoku rolled 5 dice on Dex+ath and got no successes but no botches either.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Well, that came up before I could type "botch." )

The Storyteller suppresses the temptation to say "You drown."

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Is there a bonus for clinging to wreckage? )

Monkey . o O ( I figure that no one in Creation ever broke the sound barrier, since most Exalts ended up cheating by teleporting. This means that once Monkey breaks Mach 1, some little spirit would be appointed god of sound barrier and will be personally indebted to Monkey. )

As the admiral clings to the floating bowsprit of the warship he smashed, he feels the water pulling at him with growing strength. Looking around, he sees the warship sinking. The suction from the wreck is pulling him down in its wake.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Time for dramatic and/or foolish action! )

The Storyteller . o O ( Make another Athletics roll to evade the suction... or do something else? )

Monkey . o O ( Something else! Something else! )

Monkey watches from a distance, urging the sailmaster to speed up.

Admiral Kaizoku grips the bowsprit in both hands and pushes up on it, doing a handstand and then curling back to land atop it, carefully balancing as he calls on the power of Emerald Countermagic. The water around him begins to circle the other way as he once again summons Stormwind Rider!

The Storyteller . o O ( That's workable. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( And the sorcerer who cast Countermagic should be busy drowning or using power to save him or herself instead. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( There is one slight downside though... that was 15 motes all out of peripheral, so he's glowing like a torch. )

Monkey . o O ( Arrow storm coming. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( No, wait, I spent two before, so it's the big show... )

Monkey . o O ( Heck, any sorcery by itself is obvious. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, so you're up in your whirlwind again, and you can hear shouts and such from the oncoming warship. Meanwhile, back on the Stormhammer? )

Monkey . o O ( Back in Stormhammer? )

Monkey . o O ( Nothing much to do except sail on. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, back to the admiral. )

A *chunk* echoes across the water and a hail of rock flashes past the Admiral's whirlwind. From his vantage point, he can see the catapult being winched back for another shot.

Monkey . o O ( You got off easy. :) )

Admiral Kaizoku bursts free of the growing vortex, riding the wind as a wave of golden sunlight cuts away the dusk... He steers for the ship that just fired, drawing his blade... leaping up and turning, he skims along the port side of the ship, dragging his blade into the hull.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Multiple attack, 2 hits, one for dodge. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( And no chance of return fire from this angle! :) )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, roll it! )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Stunt? )

The Storyteller . o O ( 2 dice )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( And using Hungry Tiger. )

Admiral Kaizoku rolled 15 dice on first slash and got 11 successes.

Admiral Kaizoku rolled 14 dice on second slash and got 2 successes.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( I think the first one may have done it... )

The Storyteller . o O ( Soak is 6L and you need 24 damage to sink her. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( 33 damage... so yes! )

Monkey . o O ( I think it's sinking. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Indeed it is. )

Admiral Kaizoku strikes true with his first blow, cutting a clean gash along the waterline of the ship from the stern to the stem, forcing the vessel to tip over under the weight of the flooding almost instantly, just after the Admiral speeds away, dodging his Stormwind around the mast as it crashes into the sea.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Unfortunately, the Captain can't demand their surrender over the noise of the spell. )

TonyC waits.

There is only one warship remaining, about two hundred yards from the captain. On the forecastle, he can see the glowing sigils of sorcery coruscating and blazing around a Dragon-blooded figure.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( How's the fleet doing regarding getting into range? Any closer, or was this too fast? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey's still sailing, correct? The fleet is now about 3/4 of a mile, while the Stormhammer is now 1/4 mile away. )

Monkey . o O ( Stormhammer is closing as fast as she can. )

The Storyteller . o O ( admiral, what do you do? )

Admiral Kaizoku changes direction and moves to the remaining warship... he knows well the limitations of Emerald Countermagic, and before he comes within range, he hurls himself high into the air with the Stormwind, up to the level of the deck of the craft, sword pointed right at the Dragon-Blooded in the middle of a spell.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( So if it's not dispelled, he'll dodge around said person at the last moment and instead make an attack on the mast. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, just moving? )

Monkey . o O ( IIRC, isn't dispelling near-instantenous? )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Hmmm... move-by? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Yes, it is. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( And yes, but only out to 30 yards, so it won't help vs. momentum, and he might be trying another spell. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( if it is dispelled, his momentum will be used to attack the mage. )

The Storyteller . o O ( okay. describing. )

TonyC whispers, "Dispel. Sorcery done. Kaizoku attacks. DB uses reflexive charm? This is one possibility anyway."

Waves of fire, red and gray, burst from the sorcerer's palms as she finishes the spell. The flames rush towards the Admiral in a dark and glorious fountain, slashing through his whirlwind without impediment.

The Storyteller . o O ( You can attempt to parry with a Charm. )

You rolled 8 dice on Internal Fire Attack and got 2 successes.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Dipping Swallow Defense? )

The Storyteller . o O ( That would work. )

Admiral Kaizoku rolled 15 dice on DSD and got 5 successes.

You rolled 14 dice on _corrected_ Internal Fire Attack and got 6 successes.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Describe? )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Crap. )

Monkey . o O ( No dodge? )

Monkey . o O ( I mean, undodgeable? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Yes, undodgeable. Can only be parried. )

Monkey . o O ( Don't worry, Kaizoku's tough. Right? )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Yes, but that's a nasty spell. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( And the extra wound penalties might interfere with cutting this person up. )

Monkey . o O ( Heh. )

The flames burst on the edge of the Admiral's daiklave. Most of the fire falls into the sea, but a few tiny flames enter his mouth and nostrils. The pain is intense as he feels the fire in his lungs.

The Storyteller . o O ( No damage, but you do take a -2 wound penalty. )

The Storyteller . o O ( And it's your turn. Also, they're shooting arrows at you. )

5 arrows!

You rolled 5 dice on arrows! and got 1 success.

Admiral Kaizoku is breathing fire metaphorically and literally... his blade flashes past the offending mage, close enough to send a strong wind shaking his clothes. Holding his blade sideways as he flashes by the mast, he digs his blade into it!

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Can DSD + stormwind stunt to parry arrows? )

As the Admiral writhes in agony, a hail of arrows rises from the deck to pierce his body, but they are caught up in the whirlwind and scatter harmlessly.

Monkey . o O ( So, David, what does that spell do, exactly? )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Or not. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Nah, they couldn't make it past the wind. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Turns your marrow to molten lead. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( It's like breathing in napalm, looks like. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( OK, two actions, one attack, one defense. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Mechanically, 3L + successes on the first turn which can only be soaked by natural soak, plus a further 1L of damage for caster's Essence in turns which can't be soaked. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Barring medical attention. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, and one-die stunt bonus )

Admiral Kaizoku rolled 13 dice on Mast cutting slash! and got 7 successes.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( So, 18 damage. )

The Storyteller . o O ( That's enough to cut the mast off. )

Admiral Kaizoku 's mighty blade parts the tough wood as easily as woolen thread... the mast falls backwards to the forecastle with a creak, the sails falling over the captain and the mage, along with the troops gathered there.

The Storyteller . o O ( You've got the initiative, so tell me what you're doing. )

Monkey . o O ( Double aposthropes will get rid of that extra space. For example.... )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Ah... On other places, it's ; to do that, but things get ugly using it here. )

Admiral Kaizoku heads to the bow of the ship in his Stormwind, then over the edge, slashing at the catapult at the bow along the way... the ship is out of action, and he plans to head to the lead merchant now.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Two actions and a lot of movement. )

Monkey's crew gives a cheer when they see Kaizoku cripples the last warship.

Monkey . o O ( Oops. That's double colon. ::. )

Monkey . o O ( ::'s mighty blade etc. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Jesse? )

The Storyteller . o O ( The merchants are helpless, so do what you will. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( The catapult's taken out? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh. You dropped the sail on it... )

Admiral Kaizoku ends his spell, landing at the back of the merchant ship. Breath still steaming, he meets the eyes of the captain on deck. "Heave to and prepare your ships to be boarded" he instructs firmly. "No others need to die this day."

The Storyteller . o O ( Since the forecastle is over the bow... )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Whoops. )

The merchant ships heave to and await their terrible fate.

Shouts draw Kaizoku's attention back to the warship he crippled. There, he sees a whirlwind vanishing toward the north -- the sorcerer, making good her escape.

Monkey . o O ( I'm idling for a few moments to take care of laundry. Sorry. But feel free to describe the scene, both of you. Boarding procedures should be routine for pirates like Monkey and Kaizoku, after all. )

Admiral Kaizoku is a glowing presence that cannot be missed... he waves the oncoming biremes to secure the merchants, then has his own merchants pull alongside to secure the cargo. "The penalty for smuggling goods to an outlaw nation is siezure of your cargo, Captain..." he says before searching the cabin and strongroom.

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, I figured out some numbers, btw... check out http://exalted.xi.co.nz/wiki/wiki.pl?Ships to see how much each ship is carrying. These are all Large Merchant Ships, IIRC. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( We've got to get some of those Large Merchants... )

The cabin yields little, save the rutter and the ship's log, but in the strongroom, Kaizoku finds a small chest of cut jewels and other precious things. In the hold the crew finds bolts of cloth, sacks of grain, and ingots of iron.

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Let's see... we have seven coastal traders and a blue water merchant to carry loot... take the iron first, then the cloth, finally the grain. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Wait a minute. Remember, this is the first of 10 ships. )

Monkey . o O ( back. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Oh, right... and there's jade on one of them. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Right. )

The Storyteller . o O ( You have 255 tons of cargo capacity. The fleet is carrying 8,000 tons. )

Admiral Kaizoku has the precious chest lowered to the Stormhammer, and instructs the marines to secure the cargo until he returns, making an inspection tour of the captive fleet with Monkey.

The Storyteller . o O ( Y'know, you could just hijack the ships. )

Monkey . o O ( I was just going to suggest that. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Well, borrow them, at least... there's something to be said for the impact of empty ships constantly arriving back at the Realm. )

Monkey says, "Captain, moving around the cargo is a lot of trouble. Why don't we just move the captives to one or two ships and send them along while putting prize crews on the rest?"

Most of the cargo is mundane, but on two ships you find jade, blue and green. Much of it is in jewelry, but about half is in blocks suitable for crafting. In total, you would find about a ton of jade.

The Storyteller . o O ( Because you don't really have 400 trained sailors to spare. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, wait. You'd need about a hundred. nevermind. )

Monkey . o O ( Minimum crew. We'll provide escort. )

Admiral Kaizoku has the jade moved to the Voyager and gathers the captains of the merchant fleet together. "Your cargoes are forfeit, but your ships are not... they are being comandeered to deliver your cargoes to a suitable port, at which time the crews we will allow to remain aboard can return them to the Realm. Is that clear?"

Monkey says, "Alternatively, we might be able to simply escort them all to our port of choice."

The Storyteller . o O ( Such as? )

Monkey . o O ( The choice of port if Kaizoku's prerogative. )

Monkey . o O ( is )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( What's the nearest Lookshy-friendly port, compared with the place we sold the last batch at? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Hang on a sec. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Once the loot's disposed of, the Admiral's going to establish a base and clear that Shadowland, and pick up some Large Merchants to carry the future booty. )

Monkey . o O ( Basically, tell the cargo ships to stick to a close formation. Any ship that leaves formation will be shot. At night, require multiple lanterns on each ship. If lanterns drift away or extinguished, we'll sink that ship. So on. )

The Storyteller . o O ( It's 750 miles to the Marin Bay Redoubt, or about 9 days sailing. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Exactly, maybe with a few marines on each one. )

The Storyteller . o O ( So why isn't the captain just taking ships? )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Make it so. That's the destination. )

Monkey . o O ( Kaizoku is making a point. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( That, and the same reason wounding troops is more efficient than killing them... piracy is normally a total write-off, but with the ships coming back empty, it's more expensive. )

Monkey . o O ( In Monkey-speak, Kaizoku is going "Nyah nyah, I'm so cool I can afford to do this! And this! And there's nothing you can do about it! )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. In any case, I need to go to bed now, since I have to be at work at 8. )

TonyC [to Apollonian]: Good night. And when's next session?

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( How much of the fleet's expenses is this covering, first? Ballpark? )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Either Monday or Tuesday works for me, BTW> )

Apollonian [to jetman]: Actually, it's not. The way you're doing it now, they still get their ships and crews back, and probably aren't having too much trouble signing new crews on.

The Storyteller . o O ( Next week it's back to the regular schedule, unless I hear otherwise from work. Also, this is covering just about all of the fleet's expenses, especially after this haul. )

jetman [to Apollonian]: And then they go out and pick up another load and get nailed by the Navy again.

Apollonian [to jetman]: Okay. Of course, they also know where you are now.

TonyC [to Apollonian]: Could you hang on for a moment?

Apollonian [to TonyC]: Sure.

Monkey . o O ( I want to make this a habit. Before we all leave, let's establish what we are going to try doing next week. )

Monkey . o O ( Judicious use of Calling The Wind's Kiss and weather-working thaumaturgy can probably ensure good weather all the way to Marin Bay Redoubt. )

Monkey . o O ( Can we assume we get there no problem? )

Monkey . o O ( And David, what's next week? )

Monkey . o O ( I propose a visit to the Imperial City. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Actually, you're very likely to be intercepted by Barada's fleet on the way. )

jetman [to Apollonian]: We'll need more intelligence soon, since the rest of the ones on the list sailed while we dropped off this loot, so we have to look into that, and going to the Floating Dead's island to take it over.

Monkey . o O ( Ah, so next week it'll be Barada's fleet then? )

Monkey . o O ( So the "mission" is evade or drive-off Barada? )

jetman [to Apollonian]: That would put a kink in the above plans...

The Storyteller . o O ( Yup, if he makes the rolls. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Need an ECM spell to stop Infallible Messenger. Need the next level of sorcery... )

Monkey . o O ( If I may suggest, make the rolls sometime and inform us the result via email, that way we can establish opening scene by the time we actually play. )

The Storyteller . o O ( It wasn't infallible messenger, it was the escaping sorceress. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Ah... I misread the signs then. )

Monkey . o O ( And... being a self-admitted munchkin, gimme the xp. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( No, wait, that was the first battle in the area that had the messenger. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( I thought Monkey would have more to do by commanding the lead elments... didn't mean to hog the spotlight with the ship-cutting technique. )

Monkey . o O ( The first was Infallible Messenger. But you disabled the last warship without sinking it. After you landed and gave your ultimatum, the sorceress used Stormrider to get away. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Shoot, I almost forgot about the XP. 5 each, I think. )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Looks back "Ah, I missed that pose" )

Admiral Kaizoku . o O ( Enough for another charm again! )

Monkey . o O ( Cool. Anyway, let us know whether we made it to Marin Bay without incident, or got intercepted, or got caught in a freak weather, or get attacked by Leviathan, etc. )

Monkey . o O ( I'll be waiting for the email. Good night. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Will do. See you later. )

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