Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Return to 50 Fathoms Recap #30: Escape to the Flotsam Sea?

 

 November 8, 2020 @ 2:00-8:00 P.M.

 

 < WARNING SPOILERS FOR 50 FATHOMS AHEAD MATEY! SPOILERS FOR PLOT POINTS IN HERE!> 

Day 256
PLACE: KIERAN SEA
WEATHER: SUNNY

     Due to their late night revelry slowing La Arcadia down, the Kierans soon caught back up to La Arcadia.  Kieran galleons chased them from the east and Kieran cutters approached from the southwest from the Pirate Sea. La Arcadia was caught in a vice. The only escape routes were disastrous and fraught with danger: west to the Flotsam Sea, north back to the Kieran Sea, and southeast towards the northern tip of Torath-Ka. 

 



      Captain Red Pirate Roberts decided the best course to escape was the Flotsam Sea. The Kieran cutters ended their pursuit and continued sailing northeast towards Kiera, but the galleons continued to follow La Arcadia into the Flotsam Sea!

     So concerned with what was following them, the group missed what was ahead of them.

[Kahoola rolled a critical failure on Notice and Captain Red Pirate Roberts and Horventerous took turns with her spyglass looking at their pursuers.]

     A dinghy made of pure iron sidled up to La Arcadia hidden by the wreckage of the Flotsam Sea and its two fire salamander crew attached chains to the ship. They climbed aboard and stealthily stabbed two sailors.  The effect on La Arcadia was like a dropped anchor. The sudden decrease in speed allowed the two chasing Kieran galleons to gain on La Arcadia.   

 



     Fortunately, Cyrus was paying attention and cut off one of the chains and threw the other grappling hook into the Flotsam Sea, setting the fire salamander's ship adrift. A sudden whirlpool appeared next to one of the Kieran galleons and the fire salamander's iron dinghy and flotsam smashed into it, sinking the vessel. The other Kieran galleon narrowly avoided the same fate.
     Meanwhile, on the ship, Kahoola engaged one of the fire salamanders with her pincers, managing to kill one of them.  Horventerous sent a water bolt to the head of the other fire salamander, dousing it and causing steam to rise from its skull as it dropped dead. 
    
[Andrew played Luddite's Revenge on one ship and Whirlpool (with an extra card play for bringing refreshments). Ellen played Hidden Cove on La Arcadia. Kahoola was set on fire, but soaked it with a Bennie.]









      The pursuing Kieran galleon tried desperately to get close to La Arcadia for a boarding action, but the drag of the whirlpool and the flotsam prevented it from reaching La Arcadia. The Kieran galleon crossed the T and fired eight cannons. However (due to Luddite's Revenge) two of the cannons malfunctioned.  La Arcadia managed to slip away from the Kieran galleon after that. One of the sailors survived the fire salamander attack, the other did not. Kahoola grabbed the two fire salamander cutlasses.

[It was pretty crazy, even with a +2 from the Joker; the attack was at -2. (-2 for Luddite's Revenge and -2 for not having Steady Hands).]

 

Day 257
PLACE: FLOTSAM SEA
WEATHER: OVERCAST

        The crew of La Arcadia rescued a sailor adrift in the Flotsam Sea. The Kieran galleon was soon but a mote in the spyglass as La Arcadia continued to outpace her.

[Ellen played Abandoned Crew to replace the sailor that they had lost.]  

Day 258-259
PLACE: FLOTSAM SEA
WEATHER: RAINY 

       La Arcadia sailed quickly through the center of the Flotsam Sea with the Kieran galleon no longer even seen in the spyglass.

Day 260
PLACE: FLOTSAM SEA
WEATHER: OVERCAST

       The group spotted a wrecked hulk in the Flotsam Sea. Kahoola spotted a tentacle peeking out the wreckage. Horventerous and Kahoola dived in anyway while Cyrus jumped on top of the vessel. Cyrus found twenty pieces of eight on the deck above. 


My underwater map got wet!

      Kahoola swam ahead and was nearly crushed to death by the four tentacles of a giant octopus! Fortunately it grabbed her fire salamander cutlass instead which seemed to become brittle in the water before it snapped by the might of the octopus. However, another tentacle whipped and broke one of Kahoola's ribs.

[Chessie played the Relics card, which works like Lucky Break but has an additional ship saving clause.]

 

     Horventerous unleashed a mighty bolt of water that crushed the giant octopus. Horventerous healed Kahoola of her wounds using healing and greater healing for her older wound suffered in the battle against Torquemada. Horventerous found a tempus stone that enhanced his power. Kahoola found 700 pieces of eight to put in the general ship fund. The sailors collected edible pieces of the octopus and they ate calamari that night.

Day 261
PLACE: PIRATE SEA, WHIP ISLANDS
WEATHER: SUNNY

       La Arcadia navigated around the Whip Islands on the way towards Tuck. 

Day 262
PLACE: PIRATE SEA
WEATHER: RAINY

        La Arcadia continued west towards Tuck.  

Day 263-264
PLACE: TUCK, TARATOS
WEATHER: SUNNY 

       The group disembarked at Tuck and headed for The Clockwork House. Kahoola gave Joshua Goldstein the calculations for Brigandy Bay, Torath-Ka, and Kiera. In return, Joshua gave Captain Red Pirate Roberts the prototype chronometer. Joshua asked Kahoola if she would return to her job guarding the shop, but she decided to leave with La Arcadia to look after the prototype. 

        The group bought and sold items at the local market. Horventerous sold a jade Masaquani statue and kitchenware for 463 pieces of eight. Kahoola bought a scimitar and traded a suit of plate corselet for a second one. The merchant tried to sell Kahoola a strange suit of tailored leather armor for Scurillians to replace it but she wasn't interested. The Captain bought provisions and hired four sailors. Cyrus used his abilities as a merchant to facilitate these deals but was unable to find any additional sailors to recruit.

        Captain Red Pirate Roberts paid the crew and they went carousing. While carousing she overheard a conversation about the prince, learning that he was last spotted in Tulago. The pair talked about a ransom but could not figure out who would pay it since the father, King Amemnus, was dead.  

       The next day, Cyrus pleaded with Captain Red Pirate Roberts to turn north to New Madrid to sell cargo and resupply, especially gunpowder and cannonballs that they couldn't get in Tuck. She refused and La Arcadia headed off south towards Tulago. 

       When the group left port, they noticed that Felicity was nowhere to be found... 

Day 265
PLACE: PIRATE SEA
WEATHER: SUNNY 

        The group found some game and filled a ship's hold worth of food.

Day 266-268
PLACE: PIRATE SEA
WEATHER: SUNNY 

        La Arcadia headed south towards Tulago. 

Day 269
PLACE: TULAGO, CUWAYO
WEATHER: OVERCAST 

        La Arcadia headed towards the bay of Tulago. They saw seven ships anchored in the bay but continued towards the village. The lookouts on the ships spotted them approaching and raised seven pirate flags. La Arcadia responded by raising their pirate and Spanish flags. In response, seven brigantines weighed anchor and moved to engage them. 

Leroy Jenkins!

        Suddenly, the center boat seemed to hit a low part of the bay and veered left, colliding with another ship. That ship collided with a third ship, and then the third ship collided with a fourth ship. The fourth ship started to carom towards the eastern shoreline. The third and fourth ships struck each other a second time and tumbled into the eastern shoreline of the bay.

[Andrew played Bad Maps with a Bennie. Club complications further exacerbated the situation for the pirates.]   

 



    La Arcadia surged forward and rammed a brigantine, pushing it backward. This cleared the path for a broadside that took out two brigantines.


      A brigantine attempted to cross the T but failed. La Arcadia rammed the brigantine on the starboard side, causing heavy damage to the ship. Horventerous cast blast on the stuck brigantine, which then spun out of control southward towards the western shoreline of the bay. La Arcadia fired at the northern ship and caused damage to the port side.

 



       La Arcadia rammed the center ship and it rolled end over end into the center of the bay shoreline with the captain falling onto the beach and being crushed to death under the capsized ship.

 


       La Arcadia then spun about and rammed the southern ship into the western shoreline of the bay. The last northern brigantine sailed away realizing the bay was a death trap with a maniacal captain hell-bent on using her galleon's greater size to crush the smaller brigantines into the shoreline.

     Captain Red Pirate Roberts dropped anchor and did not pursue. Horventerous took a nap for thirty minutes. Cyrus promoted a crewman to be his henchman. The crew prepared the longboats to go to shore. Captain Red Pirate Roberts perused the town of Tulago at her leisure and saw pirates mulling about...

[Andrew played Catnap with a Bennie and David played New Henchman.]

[End of session.]

XP: 3 Heroic, 4 Veteran, Missed XP 2

MINIMUM XP: 57

LOOT: 2 fire salamander cutlasses, Tempus Stone, 720 pieces of eight

MAPS

     I used the center of DramaScape's Sunken Ship map for the somewhat intact hull in the Flotsam Sea. The outer ring of the map has modern mines, but removing those sections and you can use it in fantasy games easily.


https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/135049/Sunken-Ship?affiliate_id=12615

 

MINIATURES 

      Ships used include ships from Letters of Marque by Fantasy Flight Games and a porcelain ship from Red Rose Tea.  

     Trifolds used are from 50 Fathoms Figure Flats and the metal Kraken miniature made by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Octopus top down is from Deadly Missions First Edition by Grey Matter Games.



 



 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment