Behold H'Catha (Part 4)

[Cointhief]

Tarto and Saerthe took Celsior's assessment to heart, with Saerthe finally spilling the beans "...yes, we were waiting for the right time, but you should know sooner rather than later. Listen, Miken has confessed and been imprisoned. He told us agents of a mercane were paying him a large sum of money for the sabotage work, money he was hoping to use to finance a wedding to his betrothed...a Dame of some prestige so he tells it. He still claims ignorance of the mercane's name, but signs point to a particularly enterprising one called Vocath."

Tarto adds "And no, there have been no other incidents since...well since Ryeback was killed. For now Miken claims that part at least was an accident, but we'll probably never know for sure..."

When Lou mentioned the adamantine "Oh don't worry, I think you'll get a healthy bonus commission. There was talk of magic items being issued even when we though it was just a chunk of raw ore. The fact that now we see its shaped by demihumanoid hands, and Astral Elven no less? Well, that only increases its value. How would an artifact like this drift to H'Catha from the Astral Sea? Why transport that many dead crystals?"

~~~

Later Tarto stumbles into Yahs' kitty heaven "Ah, I was hoping you had acquired some fresh food stuffs from the planet. We had intel that githyanki were trading with some of the factions on the-'

*ZZZZP*

"Argh!" Tarto doubles over, her cigar ejecting from her lips and flopping end over end. Dark red blood quickly spread about her torso, the kitten's deadly eye laser had punctured clean through the officer's gut. "..ok...not fresh food..." she managed to stammer as Tuna McChewster the Bold sat proudly on his haunches, licking a grabby paw.

The conversation came to a halt as Tarto would black out from the blood loss nearly instantly (but later recover quickly). It came to mind that indeed the tins of bargain bin beholder meat (now with 20% more stalk) were dwindling just as rapidly, and fears of a feline mutiny were growing.

One night during her scrub duties, Yahs found a mysterious political pamphlet discarded with a tiny jingle bell. It was obviously some kind of underground propaganda engine the kittens had put together, in order to bond over their shared struggles. The scratchy strokes made the writing hard to decipher, while also making any sort of hand-writing forensics impossible. The author would remain anonymous.

One section was clear though, a 'Blacklist' of crewmen garnering the ire of the kitten collective. All humanoids were on the list, with Lazuli being Public Enemy Number 1. This was due to an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction with the plasmoid's disguise. Lazuli's three eyed doppelganger drew incredible suspicion...a chorus of arched-backs and sinister hisses drawing the lines of revolt. In her defense, it was hard to count without fingers.

---

ooc: All please go ahead and long rest refresh if you haven't already.

[DM-Tareth]

Yahs Anirys Plasmoid Monk (Way of Mercy) 4 CG

AC: 16 | HP: 32/32 | HD: 3/3 | PP: 13 | Inspiration: No | Speed: 40 ft | GP: 60
Str 11 (0) Dex 18 (4) Con 12 (1) Wis 16 (3) Int 11 (0) Cha 9 (-1)

Attacks: Spear (P)1d20+6;1d6+4 | Unarmed(B) 1d20+6;1d4+4 | Sling(B)1d20+6;1d4+4 | Quarterstaff-Mop(B) 1d20+6;1d6+4
Magic: Sacred Flame (DEX vs DC13; 1d8) | Shield of Faith(Bonus; +2AC) | Ki Pool: 4/4

---

"Oh my goodness!" Yahs exclaims as the beam punches a hole through Tarto. "Bad kitty." She adds shaking a jiggling finger pod at the snickering...she was pretty sure that was a feline snicker...kitten. "Naughty kitty. No more blasting the command staff or there'll be no more Scramsax treats for you." But her anger quickly drains away, or is removed, as the kitten's eye seems to grow twice its usual size and fill with water. Puffing out a breath of air, Yahs quickly relents and shakes her head. "Who could stay mad at that little face. You probably didn't even realize you could do that, did you." She says scratching the kitten behind its ear. "Well, just be more careful from now on. Now let me see to Tarto."

Later, upon finding the manifesto raging against the crew, Yahs once again grows suspicious of the kittens. That voice inside her head rumbles to life and hollers at her to warn the others. Unfortunately, Scarlet O'Whiskers chooses just that moment to sashay around the corner and snuggle up against the plasmoid's walking pod. "Mew?" Implores the kitten before jumping into Yahs' lap and settling in to purr softly as she burrows into place. Within moments all thoughts against the kitten and feline brothers and sisters are wiped clean and that voice of sense and reason is driven back into the dark depths of her mind. She falls asleep the fingers of her pod gently stroking the kitten along its back.

[JubalBreakbottle]

Celsior Loriniscil, Prince of Alfheim

Inspiration Yes | HP 27/27 | HD 4/4 | Step 2/2 | Shield 1/1

Bladesong 2/2 | Recovery 2/2 | 1st-level 4/4 | 2nd-level 3/3

---

Celsior nods with Miken's confession. "Did Ryebeck have family? I could tell them what happened to give them closure."

The prince stays as far away from the cat farm as possible.

Mechanics

Active spells: Prestidigitation

Action:

[KingGoblin]

Lazuli Lazali Lulura, AKA Squishy

AC 17 | HP 35/35 (THP 16) | HD 3/3 | Inspiration Yes | P.Perception 21 | P.Investigation 15

Saves: Str -1 | Dex +3 | Con +1 | Int +2 | Wis +6 | Cha +0

Resistances: Acid and Poison

---

Lazuli keeps on lazuling.

 

[Cointhief]

Tarto nods at the Prince "I know of at least one relative off hand, a fairly famous troupe member of the Royal Theater Company. Oh, that's on the Rock of Bral. Kiboko Ryeback. The two were somewhat estranged, but I'm sure he'd appreciate something more than the Fleet notices we've sent."

~~~ 

The days roll by as Tarto continues your training to keep your edge...and stave off boredom. You find yourself dreaming for another encounter with a goldfish-bowl-with-a-brain-in-it, space flux, or at least Popsicle's antics to liven things up. Finally the hadozee instructor gives in and breaks out a few boxes of ammo for an impromptu firearms training. The change of pace is welcome from what had been a rather drabby business.

Off duty, Saerthe likewise starts to let his guard down. Revealing his alchemical prowess, the silver-eyed enchanter breaks out some kind of distilled, nebulous drink. Its potent fumes fuel many a game of cards...and for better or worse you've now just about memorized every card in the Wildspace creature silhouettes deck he brought along.

One day, the crew is all gathered on the Command Deck for mealtime (the scorched graveyard of Ryeback's pork joint loosing its flair). Here, the pieces of dusty cardboard and solid stone they try to convince you is food makes you wish you had taken those H'Cathan doom radishes from the cave. Sometimes it seemed the kittens were eating better...it was easy to trust the little halfling with gold eyes who guaranteed a lead content of less than 25 ppb.

Then suddenly Saerthe startles saying, "Feels like an asteroid coming up on us...big one!" as the spelljammer's tyrant-heightened senses reach out into Realmspace. As expected, the ship lurches to a stop and Saerthe remarks "I'm sure I'm right but go get a visual to confirm...something doesn't feel right." Tarto hands you back the sending stone. "Just in case. Now go stretch them legs."

Assuming you heed the command, the best vantage can be had from the Hollow Deck...just a quick jump down the hole and across the gravity plane. Up near Lou's mangonel, Lazuli is the first to spot it. There is indeed a rocky debris field floating just outside your ship's air envelope. About half a mile away, a pock-marked asteroid rotates slowly. The asteroid is at least three times larger than the massive tyrant.

Lou and Celsior notice a brief glint, the shimmer hinting a metallic vessel...but it disappears behind the asteroid just as quickly.

---

Lou feel free to post a followup to the kittens if you like, can retcon it back in.

Edited March 9 by Cointhief (see edit history)

[BobtheWizard]

 

 

"Lou" Louis Dufray (Goblin Ranger 4) sheet

---

AC: 16 | HP: 40/40 | Initiative: +4 | Passive Perception: 17 | FeaturesAdv. on saves vs. charm
60' Darkvision
BA Hide or Disengage
BA Command Opal
Fury of Small: 2 / 2 LR
Favored Foe: 2 / 2 LR
Spell slots, 1st: 3 / 3 LR
Hit Dice: 4 / 4d10+2 LR
Conditions: none

Opal AC: 16 | HP: 25/25 | PP: 14 | FeaturesSize small
Bite: +5, 1d6+2 piercing
Rx: infusion +1d6 fire
immune to fire

---

Lou sees the glint of metal and deduces that some sort of ship is using the asteroid as cover.

"Someone get to the helm and get us out of here. It's a trap!"

He moves over to the mangonel. It's a pitiful defense with only a few stones, but it's the best we have.

"Battle stations!"

Opal helps him load the first stone and prepare the mangonel to launch.

---

Mechanics Main Hand: bow Off Hand: none Lou's Action: prepare mangonel Move: none Manipulate: none Bonus Action: none   Opal's Action: prepare mangonel Move: none Manipulate: none Bonus Action: none Reaction: none Gnarley's Knack: You have Advantage on the next roll you make regarding ship repairs or ship weaponry.

 

 

[JubalBreakbottle]

Celsior Loriniscil, Prince of Alfheim

Inspiration Yes | HP 27/27 | HD 4/4 | Step 2/2 | Shield 1/1

Bladesong 2/2 | Recovery 2/2 | 1st-level 4/4 | 2nd-level 3/3

---

A fraction of a second after Lou raises the alarm, Celsior starts toward the Command Deck, "Saerthe! There's a ship behind the asteroid! Battle stations! Ready the Mangonel!"

He continues to repeat until he can see Saerthe.

Mechanics

Active spells: Prestidigitation

Action:

[DM-Tareth]

Yahs Anirys Plasmoid Monk (Way of Mercy) 4 CG

AC: 16 | HP: 32/32 | HD: 3/3 | PP: 13 | Inspiration: No | Speed: 40 ft | GP: 60
Str 11 (0) Dex 18 (4) Con 12 (1) Wis 16 (3) Int 11 (0) Cha 9 (-1)

Attacks: Spear (P)1d20+6;1d6+4 | Unarmed(B) 1d20+6;1d4+4 | Sling(B)1d20+6;1d4+4 | Quarterstaff-Mop(B) 1d20+6;1d6+4
Magic: Sacred Flame (DEX vs DC13; 1d8) | Shield of Faith(Bonus; +2AC) | Ki Pool: 4/4

---

Following a long nap filled with dreams of three-eyed cats, a black, crackling orb filling a crimson sky, and buildings constructed of tins of Scramsax Select blasted into ruin by the aforementioned orb, the voice inside Yahs' head decided its current approach just wasn't going to work. If you can't beat them, figure out a way to make them useful. Was the adage it had decided to go for. Thus upon waking that morning, the plasmoid was determined to start implementing some kind of training regime for the cuddly passengers. But to do that a few tests seemed in order.

The first involved a resewn stuffed elf toy dipped in brown ink, tied to a string, and sporting a bit of Select treat tucked just behind the elf-rat's pointed ear. Unleashing her charges, she pulled the string to keep the makeshift rat just out of reach of the pursuing kittens. What became abundantly clear to the plasmoid in just a few moments, was that having only one-eye severely hampered the kitten's aim and she needed a much longer string. Setbacks were to be expected, but progress was made.

She was just about to start the second test, involving her in a thickly padded suit pretending to steal a tin of Scramsax Selects from the pantry when the alarm cries started echoing through the halls. Unfortunately, it took her several long seconds to remove the protective gear, so she was rather late getting on station.

Animal Handling

Edited March 9 by DM-Tareth (see edit history)

[Cointhief]

@KingGoblin Any reaction here before I update?

[KingGoblin]

Oh, shoot, I forgot I hadn’t posted.

[KingGoblin]

Lazuli Lazali Lulura, AKA Squishy

AC 17 | HP 35/35 (THP 16) | HD 3/3 | Inspiration Yes | P.Perception 21 | P.Investigation 15

Saves: Str -1 | Dex +3 | Con +1 | Int +2 | Wis +6 | Cha +0

Resistances: Acid and Poison

---

Lazuli activates her spores as they see the ship. The hen moves to help Lou with the siege weapon.

OOC

Doing what I said sorry, forgot to post. Long couple of days

 

[Cointhief]

Lou, Opal, and Lazuli notice a strange light distortion in space moments before a winged, sharklike creature de-cloaks just feet from the mangonel. Blue skin, four wings, and a hornlike protrusion on its head...a star lancer. Reincarnations of the astral sea's dead god's most ardent worshipers.

But an armored figure rides on its back. With a strong feminine voice the rider says, "Hail to you. I've come to retrieve something that is of interest to my employer. Please produce the human named Miken Haverstance, and all will be well."

---

Update on the animal handling roll tomorrow, out of time today.
 

[BobtheWizard]

 

 

"Lou" Louis Dufray (Goblin Ranger 4) sheet

---

AC: 16 | HP: 40/40 | Initiative: +4 | Passive Perception: 17 | FeaturesAdv. on saves vs. charm
60' Darkvision
BA Hide or Disengage
BA Command Opal
Fury of Small: 2 / 2 LR
Favored Foe: 2 / 2 LR
Spell slots, 1st: 3 / 3 LR
Hit Dice: 4 / 4d10+2 LR
Conditions: none

Opal AC: 16 | HP: 25/25 | PP: 14 | FeaturesSize small
Bite: +5, 1d6+2 piercing
Rx: infusion +1d6 fire
immune to fire

---

Lou isn't sure if he has the authority to hand over Miken, so he responds to the powerful-looking armored creature with the best he can do given the restrictions of the Spelljammer Academy.

"I'm not sure where Miken is right now, but if you wait here for a few minutes, I will go get you form 3671B, "Request to Appropriate Spelljammer Cadet," and I'll be happy to file that with our command once we return to our base. They should be able to give you a response in just a few weeks. What name and address should I use for the request?"

He then starts to leave to go find Tarto and Saerthe.

---

Mechanics Main Hand: bow Off Hand: none Lou's Action: none Move: none Manipulate: none Bonus Action: none   Opal's Action: none Move: none Manipulate: none Bonus Action: none Reaction: none Gnarley's Knack: You have Advantage on the next roll you make regarding ship repairs or ship weaponry.

 

 

[Cointhief]

The rider sighs "Lies. We know he is aboard this vessel. Why risk your lives to protect a traitor? My employer only wishes to talk to him, but we've no time for your deceit. I offer you one last chance to turn him over immediately."

[KingGoblin]

Lazuli Lazali Lulura, AKA Squishy

AC 17 | HP 35/35 (THP 16) | HD 3/3 | Inspiration Yes | P.Perception 21 | P.Investigation 15

Saves: Str -1 | Dex +3 | Con +1 | Int +2 | Wis +6 | Cha +0

Resistances: Acid and Poison

---

Lazuli looks confused. “I mean, it’s not like we have him in our pockets. What do you mean, last chance to turn him over immediately? At best, we would need to get the captain to approve a prisoner transfer, and find wherever he is stashed. Be reasonable.”

OOC

Nothing here

 

Edited March 10 by KingGoblin (see edit history)