Trouble aboard The Tesla

Fact Sheet: Trouble aboard The Tesla

Players present: Dins, Marty, Meinhart and Vinnie. Tuur was excused. Ecchima was our GM.

Date: 08-11-23

Date in-universe: not specified, before Captain Magpie met any of our main characters

Notes

Shortly after The Young Kraken gathered provisions in the port town Saltmarsh, a mysterious seagull carried a letter to captain Magpie. He’s unwilling to disclose who sent it, he only mentions it’s an old friend asking for a favour. Suspicious souls might wonder if this has anything to do with the way he runs his frigate-looking ship with military precision… but who aboard The Young Kraken would be so rude? The message captain Magpie relays, is as follows:

A certain merchant who frequently frequents Saltmarsh port, appears to have struck a deal that skirts the line between trade and piracy. Neither side is very pleased with this development, all the more so because the captain is remarkably arrogant. He always was, but now he’s entirely intolerable. Please, be on the lookout for his ship The Tesla, with a stupidly misshapen T on its flag. Should you find it, do what you do best to take him down a peg!

The note isn't signed, captain Magpie's past remains a mystery!

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A few days later, The Young Kraken spots The Tesla at the end of the afternoon. We have the sun at our back, so we can sneak up on the ship. Captain Magpie is ready to give this captain a stern talking to, in the hopes that'll make him behave a bit more discreetly.

As we approach the ship, we notice the deck is empty, which isn't normal. Mei Ti reports that the steering wheel has been tied into position, so the ship is sailing straight ahead on its own. Light spills from some of the gun ports and port holes, but we can't detect any movement, neither below deck nor on deck. Nartheo can't detect any magic on board through his ritual.

Our Young Kraken is a little lower in the water, so we decide to board. The boarding party will be

Captain Magpie (played by Dins)
Mei Ti, a dependable fighter and skilled navigator who's been on board for a while as a crew member (played by Marty)
Nartheo Krisgeiros joined the crew as a way to avoid his family. He’s paying for his passage with magical help, dressing up the more necromantic aspects of his wizardry as "post-mortem healthcare" to make it palatable to captain Magpie (played by Vinnie)
Edel, an orphan travelling with her child-sized trident in search of the sole other survivor of a mysterious disaster that decimated her village in the northern fjords (played by Meinhart)

while the other pirates remain aboard the Young Kraken under Sigurd's leadership.

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As night is falling, we throw a rope ladder & start boarding:

Mei Ti gets aboard without issues, a seasoned pirate (with a DIRTY TWENTY)
Captain Magpie slips in the encroaching darkness & needs to be caught by Mei Ti
Nartheo falls into the water, Mei Ti fishes him out after safely depositing Magpie
Edel takes a leap, but misjudges the distance & also falls into the water. Nartheo & Mei Ti have to fish her out of the water too

Luckily the sea has been slapping the Tesla's hull, so there's still a tiny change no one noticed our boarding. Nartheo still senses no magic, so we sneakily spread out over the deck.

Mei Ti listens at the grate in the middle: with a DIRTY TWENTY he hears 2 people dragging crates around, while complaining about the extra work they have to do
captain Magpie checks the first of 4 doors at the right, but doesn't hear anything. As Mei Ti reports his findings, captain Magpie comes check out the grate too. All they can see, is typical cargo
Edel hurries over to the 3 doors on the left & Nartheo follows her, but all they find is light snoring behind one of the doors

As Edel pantomimes “there’s someone sleeping & snoring behind this door, or something…”, captain Magpie decides to talk to the snoring person. It might be the captain we’re looking for & then our mission will be accomplished. Captain Magpie gently shoves Edel aside & tests the door. It's not locked and he can easily peek inside. Three lizard folk and their pseudo-dragon are sleeping in temporary hammocks with a night light.

They're obviously not the captain we're seeking for: they're probably some sort of passengers. Since they're not the captain we're looking for & since they're not pirates, Magpie decides to take away their weapons one by one, but without robbing them of any of their other possessions. As Magpie hands the weapons to Mei Ti, Mei Ti throws them overboard.

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Having disarmed the lizard folk, captain Magpie asks Mei Ti to take one of the lizard folk outside, so we can interrogate that one, while we lock the others in their cabin! Alas, Mei Ti is not stealthy at all, so with one step inside (with a NATURAL ONE) his heavy armour & a creaky plank wake everyone up!

As a bluff, Captain Magpie explains the ship is not up to code, since the steering wheel isn't manned. Alas, they appear to only speak draconic, which none of us speaks.

Nartheo uses the one word in draconic he knows, but the lizard folk stare at him like he asked how much for a night with their grandmother.

Captain Magpie & Mei Ti try charades, but the only thing we successfully communicate is that the door next to their cabin leads to a set of stairs going down. Mei Ti gives them a copper piece, and that seems to calm them down enough that they leave us be & start seeking their weapons. Thanks to Mei Ti's totally not suspicious behaviour, they notice that their bows and shields are floating in the water next to The Tesla... They're a bit exasperated, but not aggressive toward us. One of them starts fishing out the gear he can reach, the others just sort of mill about on the deck.

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We decide to check another door. This is indeed the stairs.

The last door on the left opens to the ship's galley. It's a typical ship's kitchen, empty at this time of night. Mei Ti makes the observation that these knives are better quality than the Young Kraken's equipment, even though they look a bit boring. Sighing over the disrespect for his ship’s equipment, Magpie allows Mei Ti to loot the galley knives for our own kitchen. At the back of the galley, there's a door leading to the ship's pantry. Magpie readies the ale and the flour for transport back to our ship.

At the back of the pantry, there's a hatch to a disused storage area, just some ropes and planks.

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As we cross the middle of the ship, we see there's a tiny rowboat set on the deck near the middle mast. We marvel at this decision:

Nartheo figures a better habit would be to pull the lifeboat behind the ship, so it's ready to go
captain Magpie thinks the Rosarian navy has the best idea: the lifeboats are waiting in easy access at the side of the ship, wait what?
Edel thinks this position is very handy: you can just get in and wait till the ship sinks around you. Mei Ti and captain Magpie don't want to destroy her creativity, but this is an insane idea, so how can they give her gentle feedback...?

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Edel figures she's seen how the captain does it, so she's basically an expert now.

She tries to open one of the 4 doors on the right. Mei Ti intervenes & indicates she should listen first. Thanks to a three, she thinks there's no one behind the door... but Mei Ti hears footsteps approaching. He yanks her back & we're confronted by a tall human man in his 40s. His flamboyant red velvet captain's outfit & his waistline loudly announce he likes the finer things in life. With an arrogant sneer, he roars at us: “what's all this ruckus then”?!

Magpie tries to continue the bluff we’re some sort of nautical health and safety inspection department: “what kind of good for nothing captain sails with an empty deck and an autopilot”? Alas, the velvet-clad cad is having none of it & a confrontation begins as he reaches for his weapon! The lizard folk are alert too, even though they still don’t quite understand why we are aboard as non-crew, nor why the velvet-clad captain is glowering so badly.

Magpie readies an action, should the velvet-clad captain dare to wound one of The Young Kraken’s crew members
the velvet-clad brute bursts out in laughter, the low sound carries a sort of slow and mean menace: “you think you can win then”? As he screams for his crew to join him on the deck, he looks up to the crow's nest. Even as we wonder what he’s looking for, he lunges with his longsword at Mei Ti, triggering Magpie's response. The velvet-clad captain misses Mei Ti, but Magpie hits the velvet-clad beast with a crossbow bolt for 16 damage! Angered by the attack, the velvet-clad captain shoots his own crossbow at Edel, totally disregarding the fact that she’s an 11 year old child. Luckily he misses her
two crew members join their velvet-clad commander
Edel lunges at the velvet-clad captain with her trident, but with Mei Ti's arm still in the way, she misses. She chooses a new position, dangerously close to the railing, hoping to flank the velvet-clad barbarian
a new crew member runs up to Magpie and slaps him. Another crew member comes out onto the deck. A small nerdy looking guy also steps onto the deck. He's looking very frail & appears to be cosplaying as a sailor. He scurries onto the upper deck and cowers near the steering wheel
Nartheo jumps in the middle of the crew members & claps his hands. The sound reverberates like a thunderclap, followed by the wailing of the dead... but the 2 targeted crew members resist
Mei Ti nods at Magpie's order to take out the velvet-clad captain with Edel's help if needed, while Magpie and Nartheo keep the others at bay. Mei Ti gives the velvet-clad thug a serious shove & grapples him in a choke hold!

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Magpie hits the crew member in front of him with a NATURAL TWENTY. Thanks to his sneak attack, he kills the crew member with his filleting knife. Magpie also shoots at the velvet-clad captain, but misses
the velvet-clad yahoo fights off Mei Ti & fucks him up hardcore with his longsword. His second attack is blocked by Mei Ti's grapple
one crew member pales when he feels Magpie's stare & hears his "don't mess with us"... but he's even more afraid of his own velvet-clad captain! So he does attack Nartheo. The other crew member runs up to the nerdy guy & shakes him : do something!
Edel tries to stab the velvet-clad lout, but misses. When Mei Ti encourages her "I hold 'im, you stab 'im", she tries again & it works! She chooses a new position in the doorway the velvet-clad captain came from
one crew member hits Nartheo, using up Nartheo's last temporary hit points
the nerd promises he'll do something, if they just stop shaking him! He chooses a position behind Magpie & tries to blow him overboard with a magical gust of wind! Fortunately, as a seasoned sea captain, Magpie is immovable! He snaps back: “you'd better put down your weapons, nerd, or I'll have to do something we'll both regret”! The nerdy kid gulps nervously
Nartheo uses the thunderclap again & both crew members next to him cringe when the dead wail into their ears
Mei Ti's choke hold is starting to hurt the velvet-clad fiend & because no one heeded Mei Ti's demand everyone stops, he decides to push the velvet-clad captain overboard. It takes a lot of strength, but Mei Ti stares into his eyes & shoves him into the water. The velvet-clad klutz doesn't manage to grab the railing, so he starts falling towards the water (thanks DnD dynamics). Mei Ti turns around and stares menacingly at everyone. He hurries over to the nerd & chuffed with his success with the velvet-clad captain, he punches the magic nerd in his face! It's a NATURAL TWENTY so the nerd is weeping & Mei Ti can also grapple him

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captain Magpie decides the nerd looks terrified, just like the other crew members & attempts the diplomatic approach again, with a whole speech of spilled blood and wasted opportunities and our quarrel only being with the velvet-clad ruffian who just fell overboard… Alas, captain Magpie is interrupted by the arrival of the first mate & the boatswain, so the crew doesn't dare respond with mutiny. Captain Magpie blocks the railing where the velvet-clad captain is still falling, hindering anyone who might try to help him. He shoots at the 2 new leaders. The first mate looks bloodied immediately
we hear a huge splash as the velvet-clad scoundrel hits the water. He demands his crew help him, as he ineffectually flails about, trying to grab The Tesla as it slowly sails on, without any regard for any non-boat users in the vicinity
one crew member hits Nartheo with a NATURAL TWENTY, hurting our wizard badly. The other guy misses Mei Ti
Edel drops her trident & shoots one of the crew members threatening Nartheo, it's her first kill thanks to a NATURAL TWENTY. She cheers while Mei Ti first moans. When she side-eyes him for the sensuality in that moan, Mei Ti turns it into a simple hum of approval
the boatswain strides up to Mei Ti, shows him his hook & plants it into Mei Ti's side! With a groan of pain, Mei Ti goes down! The boatswain shows the blood on his hook to his own crew, but Magpie keeps repeating his call to mutiny: “together, we can stop them! How many friendship speeches do you want from me”?!
the nerd's eyes flit between Magpie and the boatswain. Surprisingly nimble, he chooses a new position, in preparation for a witch's bolt on the boatswain. Fuelled by his spite, the spell does max. damage! The boatswain has to grind his teeth to keep on his feet
the first mate growls "you dirty coward" at the nerd but before she can do anything... an arrow slams into her shoulder, from the crow's nest. She howls "damn you, you little shit, I knew you'd be the first to betray us. It’s because of you they even managed to sneak up on us"! She walks over menacingly to Nartheo and doesn't even notice Edel (ineffectually) tries to use her crossbow as a club. The first mate misses Nartheo
Nartheo uses a thunder wave, and the first mate dies. In disbelief, we see how the spell somehow keeps going & some sort of ectoplasm is sucked from the first mate into Nartheo, whose wounds appear to scab over rather quickly. The remaining crew member is barely standing, feeling very threatened by Nartheo and his quarterstaff
Mei Ti succeeds a death save

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Magpie congratulates the nerd for his help & then shoots at the boatswain with his crossbow. After a successful attack, the boatswain goes down & Magpie tries once again:

There is a free spot for anyone brave enough to stand up to a master who doesn't deserve to be a master. Was your captain so good to you that you remain loyal to him and his officers, even now they’re gone?

A derisive snort rings out from the crow’s nest, followed by the strident “He's worth less than the shit that comes out of his ass!”. Hearing this mutinous declaration at the heels of the waifish wizard’s defection, the last crew member surrenders.

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We hurry over to Mei Ti, but none of us can help or heal. We’re very worried!

Captain Magpie turns to the nerd & asks his help. We find out the kid has no name, he had no parents & aboard the velvet-clad reprobate only ever called him "hey you", causing the crew to follow suit. Magpie names him Siderӕl. Receiving the nickname Sid turns the waif into an eager puppy, ready to help us! He tells us he often makes healing potions & quickly fetches one for Mei Ti.

As we help Mei Ti, first to swallow the potion and then to get up, we spot the crew member from the crow's nest sneaking down to check that the velvet-clad captain Morgan is properly drowning... They sigh that they can't see the captain anymore in the dark waves stretching in all directions around the ships & they aren't sure he's dead.

We see a young tiger shifter, with defiance burning in their eyes. They introduce themselves as Ezra. They were the spy who informed people on both sides of the law in Saltmarsh about captain Morgan's new venture into smuggling. They're relieved his reign of terror & bad ethics has ended. They're ready to join the Young Kraken, if captain Magpie’s offer was sincere.

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We spend a while exploring the different rooms of The Tesla. What we find, paints an even less flattering picture of captain Morgan:

where he paraded around in velvet & had nice slippers in his cabin, his crew’s gear is pretty basic
he had letters from several sweethearts in different ports, signed with Captain Sexy Snake Eyes
where he had a chest full of trinkets and his first mate had several interesting books, the crew had to make do with a single greasy set of worn playing cards
he actually drew up a contract for smuggled "ironwares"

Most damning of all, he kept several essential supplies under lock and key, accessible to him alone:

some healing potions & antitoxins
several local maps drawn by professionals & one crudely drawn map with an X
10 electrum ingots

In the boatswain's cabin, we were surprised to find Colette, a bright blue parrot who kept screaming "pieces of eight"! When the bird flew down to the floor in front of captain Magpie, they had an intense moment, where the centuries-old gnome met the modern dinosaur stare. Then Colette started screaming "pieces of eight" again. We're uncertain if that's a clue we need to unravel, or if our captain Magpie just can't resist rehabilitating caged creatures, but one thing is obvious: Colette will be travelling with us for a while!

In the cargo hold, we find

50 bolts of silk
40 casks of brandy and 40 casks of fine wine
1 crate of mining tools
500 silver pieces

Thanks to captain Magpie’s careful instructions, Edel’s boundless enthusiasm, Nartheo’s attention to detail and Mei Ti’s stubborn perseverance, we also find several secret caches:

the smuggled weapons
a chained up sea elf Oceanus, badly dehydrated and clearly suffering from a prolonged imprisonment

As we bring him another healing potion, and drinks and food, he tells us his story: on behalf of the town of Saltmarsh, he was investigating the smuggling. Weapons in unknown hands always make people nervous, both the city council and the pirates who consider Saltmarsh their turf. Alas, Oceanus got caught sneaking around for his investigation & captain Morgan just slammed him in manacles and in that hole, where he was slowly dying.

In the end, with Oceanus’ information and our new crew members’ input, we decide to give The Tesla to the lizard folk: they ordered the weapons, so they can just sail the Tesla to their lair. Oceanus promises he'll accompany them to finalize his report.

Images


Saltmarsh on the Rosarian coast, on the Chelmian sea	Captain Morgan, the velvet-clad cad captain of The Tesla	the twinkish wizard without a name till Captain Magpie named him Siderӕl, nicknamed Sid