Steven James Black's RPG Recaps and Musings: Return to 50 Fathoms Recap #39: Return to the Flotsam Sea

Sunday November 20, 2022@ 12:30-4:30 P.M.

< WARNING SPOILERS FOR 50 FATHOMS AHEAD MATEY!!>

DAY 326
PLACE: BRIGANDY BAY
WEATHER: OVERCAST
TIME OF DAY: NOON

The group got over their hangovers and began final preparations to face the Sea Hags...

The group headed to the Black Market and got a Farscope--a spyglass with incredible accuracy that could see the faces of sailors on deck enough to read lips from a distance--and a Talisman of Storms that would prevent storms from affecting the ship. Other Black Market sellers offered a musket with long range and a magical long sword but were turned down. Cyrus Black bought 500 rations.

DAY 327
PLACE: PIRATE SEA
WEATHER: RAINY

La Arcadia sailed into the Pirate Sea and started navigating around the east end of the island.

DAY 328
PLACE: PIRATE SEA
WEATHER: SUNNY
TIME OF DAY: NOON

Nimue spotted two large Razorwing swarms to the north. La Arcadia attempted to maneuver away from the swarms. Horventerous hit one of the swarms with a blast that split it in half. Nimue glided down towards a cannon on deck from a crow's nest.

One of the Razorwing swarms managed to reach the ship and surrounded one of the cannons. Everyone in the swarm was disorientated until Natsu Nara rallied them.
Tar-Tar was afraid and stood motionless in front of the stairs leading below deck.

[Summer played Rally.]

Horventerous cast a blast to kill off half the razorwing swarms still chasing the ship.

Nimue fired her cannon and exploded the other half of the razorwing swarm still chasing the ship. This left the other razorwing swarm that had reached the ship as the remaining threat.

      Horventerous used his devil's eye on the Razorwing swarm which caused chaos. The Razorwing swarm and Pinecone were not affected but everyone else was afraid. The sailors tried to run from the Razorwings and two of them were ripped apart from the back while another six fell unconscious from their wounds. Natsu Nara became afraid of birds (from the Razorwings) and Nimue became afraid of tentacles (from Horventerous).
      Pinecone cut a rope which caused a netting to fall on the Razorwings. This captured some of them and split the swarm.

[Chessie played Albatross Luck which I allowed to have an effect on the swarms.]

     Nimue and Pinecone flailed around in the middle of the Razorwing swarm, hitting individual birds to very little effect on the swarm.
     Horventerous cast burst above the heads of Nimue and Pinecone and managed to disperse the swarm. Natsu Nara faced her fear but gained a mark that permanently turned a streak of his hair white. He cast burst upward while inside the swarm and destroyed the remaining Razorwing swarm.

DAY 329
PLACE: PIRATE SEA/FLOTSAM SEA BORDER
WEATHER: FOGGY

La Arcadia sailed north to the boundary of the Pirate and Flotsam Seas.

DAY 330
PLACE: FLOTSAM SEA
WEATHER: OVERCAST
TIME OF DAY: NOON

Horventerous spotted a hulk in the distance. He jumped into the water and he was promptly captured by a giant octopus.

Nimue spotted the Kraken Greatship in the distance coming out from the Burning Sea nearby towing the Kraken Sphere. With the Farscope she saw the tentacles on their faces and it triggered her fear. She glided down and she tried to fire a cannon at the Kraken Greatship but the crew prevented her from doing so saying, "They are our allies!"

[Shaune played Here Comes the Cavalry.]

The giant octopus crushed Horventerous but his bone armor held preventing his ribs from being crushed.

[Andrew played Inspiration which gave him the boost on his Vigor roll to soak it.]

Horventerous struggled free of the giant octopus's suckers and brandished his scepter of fire to burn off two of its tentacles.

Draco saw bubbles in the water and dove into the sea after Horventerous.

       Draco stabbed at the giant octopus twice with his dagger, but the attacks bounced off its rubbery integument.
       Horventerous cast another bolt from his scepter of fire but the giant octopus avoided it.
       The giant octopus flailed its tentacles and struck Horventerous and Draco, but the attacks did not stun or wound them.

[Andrew played Ace with a Bennie to soak two wounds and Draco soaked a wound.]

Draco lunged with his dagger and struck the ink sac of the giant octopus. The resulting red mist was a blinding combination of blood and ink.

[Nick played Mighty Blow and he rolled 25 x 2 = 50 damage to the giant octopus to count coup.]

With the giant octopus defeated, Draco swam towards the empty hulk and grabbed 200 pieces of eight.
Horventerous was blinded by the ink and swam back to La Arcadia by accident. Wiping the ink off his eyes, he jumped over to the Kraken Greatship as it sidled up to La Arcadia. Horventerous told Great Admiral Caspian that it was time. The Kraken Greatship made preparations to follow La Arcadia to the Devil's Cross while towing the Kraken Sphere. Pinecone screamed out, "The gods are following us!"

Draco swam back to La Arcadia after pocketing the loot.

DAY 331-332
PLACE: FLOTSAM SEA
WEATHER: RAINY, STORMY

La Arcadia and the Kraken Greatship sailed north. A storm hit on the second day. La Arcadia wasn't affected because of the Talisman of Storms. The Kraken Greatship seemed almost buoyed by the Kraken Sphere it was towing.

DAY 333
PLACE: FLOTSAM SEA
WEATHER: FOGGY
TIME OF DAY: DUSK

Zombies attached to flotsam clambered up the bulwark of La Arcadia. They caught the sailors completely unaware and five sailors died bitten and clawed to death. Nine others were unconscious and they were only revived later with Horventerous and the ship surgeon's help.

[The sailors failed their Notice roll and then the Zombies got the Joker. Surprise + Joker is a nasty +6 attack/damage.]

       Draco took out two zombies with his knife.
       Natsu Nara cast bolt and three earthen cannonballs defeated the closest zombie.
       Nimue drew out her rapier and cutlass. She couldn't pierce the zombie's decayed flesh with either blade. Pinecone did an acrobatic flip, attacked, and left the closest zombie to Nimue staggered.
       Tar-Tar decapitated the closest zombie and sent his hatchet flying into the chest of another zombie.
        Horventerous cast bolt and a stream of water struck at the closest zombie and dropped him to the deck. Two other bolts hit the staggered zombie and the zombie with the hatchet in the chest to drop them as well.
        The sailors brandished their spears and missed.

      Draco plunged his dagger into the closest zombie's eye and the force of it exploded the skullcap sending gray matter flying everywhere. He then flung his dagger at the closest zombie, slit its throat, and grabbed the returning dagger while casually looking at Tar-Tar.
       Tar-Tar cut a rope and swung in between two zombies. He spun in a circle and decapitated them both with his secondary battle-axe.
       Nimue dropped her swords and drew out two pistols, hitting the one next to her and the last zombie on deck, dropping both of them.

The group found 220 pieces of eight and strangely a pirate pistol in a brace on one of the zombies.
Tar-Tar removed his hatchet and he kicked the zombie into the Flotsam Sea.

[Relic chance for 14 zombies...2%. Rolled 2% exactly.]

DAY 334
PLACE: DEVIL'S CROSS, FLOTSAM SEA
WEATHER: OVERCAST
TIME OF DAY: NOON

La Arcadia and the Kraken Greatship arrived at the center of the Flotsam Sea. The Great Admiral Caspian told Horventerous he would need a human from another world to activate the Kraken Sphere...

[End of session.]

XP: 2, Missed XP: 1

MINIMUM XP: 81/Legendary

LOOT: 420 pieces of eight, Pirate's Pistol

MAPS

DramaScape's Above Decks Volume Two: Smuggler's Sloop and The Wave Cutter Smuggler's Sloop side print on demand used for La Arcadia.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/114448/Above-Decks-Volume-Two-Smugglers-Sloop-and-The-Wave-Cutter?affiliate_id=12615