Cove of the Piratical BureaucratsDevan fires a single shot at the nearest ship. He aims near the water-line but not below it, so that water may pour into the hole but the cannonball will not lose momentum. If he succeeds, the ship may very well begin to sink.
"I LOVE ME THE FEELING OF MURDERING SOME VAGABONDS."
Combat: 1
You manage to hit the side of the gigantic ship, but nowhere near the waterline. It creates a hole the size of somebody's head. The pirate ship measures maybe 70 feet long, with a deck twelve feet above the water. You begin to feel self-conscious about the size of your weapon.
Shoot those pulleys as directed by the captain!
Bluff: 2-1
You miss completely.
Check the assorted scraps and pages shoved inside the Schematics Journal, seeking a set of instructions related to the arcane to get us out of this mess.
Something... something... anything...
Techiness:4
You flip through the pages, scanning each one for something relevant, probably risking a little sanity in the process. Coming across a chapter on "the pulley and nautical advantage", you discover a schematic that would allow you to use a system of pulleys much like the one in place to propel a smaller vessel round a larger one in a circle, using the force acting on the larger one and thus slowing it. You just need to attach one end of a rope to the central part of the pirates' contraption, and the other to your ship, looping the rope round one or two parts of the contraption first. An idiot could probably manage that.
That Bloody Cat hears this.
That Bloody Cat downright sprints onto the deck.
Ready my weapon's and get ready to fight if nesscary.
You get out your candy knives, sticking one between your teeth for ease of access, which is probably the one thing they're good for. That Bloody Cat rushes up onto the deck, then begins sunning itself as nothing of interest is going on.
((there's an island? Past it's range, we are heading toward another beached ship? Oh, you mean we got inside it's range, got it. Eight grapples, and a volley of projectiles from the shore. gonna be tough.
Is our speed enough to make it difficult for those who have latched on to hold their lines? I would figure their ropes would jerk out of their hands, thouhg havingi them dragged along behind would be amusing, to say the least.))
"Steady as she goes, mates! Cat! prepare to repel boarders! they're coming now!the finest tuna our destination has to offer if we get out of this alive! Cannon! shoot those pulleys! don't let them launch! Everyone watch for arrows and other projectiles, we got incoming!"
Steady as she goes, Arc Desmond will keep her pointed on course, and do his best to keep the ship steady so the cannon can fire at the stuff the pirates are using to move the ship. He stands tall and proud at teh helm, because there is no sense in dying cowering behind the wheel.
Devan fires a single shot at the nearest ship. He aims near the water-line but not below it, so that water may pour into the hole but the cannonball will not lose momentum. If he succeeds, the ship may very well begin to sink.
"I LOVE ME THE FEELING OF MURDERING SOME VAGABONDS."
I believe we are currently dealing with one ship, which is beached and being put into the water via pulleys. I think it is armored beyond what a hand cannon might affect, but the archers lining the shore are another matter, and might be a better target for you.
The Gareth continues on its course, heading straight past the island
The first volley of crossbow bolts (contructed from the painful metal bits of office shelves) is fired at the Gareth.
Piratical Bureaucrats' Aim:1
It thuds harmlessly against the side and the portholes, possibly injuring a few peacocks. The pirates begin furiously reloading, now better able to gauge the distance.
The marauders with grapples swarm along the ropes, all eight of them making it to the side of the ship. They prepare to climb up it, but shelter under the curve of the bow for now, waiting for the next volley of arrows to pass over their heads, which will happen imminently.
Another dozen pirates with grapples emerge:
Grapplers: 5
Almost all hit their marks, and begin dragging themselves towards the your vessel along the grapple lines.
At the speed the Gareth is going, it will get past the pirate ship in time, but will be vulnerable to people leaping onto it from the higher deck.