> Wake up, again

[bathymetric]

[Whether you've met an unfortunately end on the SS Swift, or deep in the depths, wrapped in the crushing tentacles of the kraken... You're not there anymore. You also don't seem to be dead. Maybe. It's difficult to tell, seeing as you no longer have any of the injuries you sustained on the ship... But you're also no longer on the ship.

Your eyes awaken to a cloudless sky, and a dry, dry, desert. A weak breeze struggles to blow even the dust from the cracked earth. There isn't a drop of water for miles around.

But what is around... is a ship. About a dozen yards away from where you've awoken is a tall, two-mast galleon, beached on the wastes, listing to the right.

How did it get here? Who knows. How did YOU get here?

Might be questions for a later time, seeing as you're waking up with your murderer.

Welcome to the Locker.]


[Map courtesy of Carmen Sandiego]

Comments

THE BUSINESS

[thekeyofsea]

[ Eventually, Calypso draws herself up and clears her throat. ]

The sun starts to lower in the sky... all of you, listen to me! I have a way you can aid your fellow passengers, but you will have to listen closely and make a plan. Without a plan, you have little chance. This is the business I would speak to you of.

When I send you back to the Triangle, the ritual will be underway. Your fellows will have moved to face LeChuck and end the ritual. You must do two things to succeed: sink the ship known as the SS Swift, and keep the Dutchman and her crew occupied until the ritual is completed. The first will draw the attention of the second.

If you do not, the ritual will fall in favor of LeChuck, and all your souls will be lost. What you do to accomplish these is your business - but so long as you are planning, I can tell you what Davy Jones will or will not do in pursuit of you - I know him well enough for that. You may ask anything of me to aid you, but the only material aid I can offer is the movement of this ship.

[ ooc: So! This is the final problem you guys have to face - you know the heist movie montage trope where the heist happens at the same time as the characters are plotting it? This is like that! Whatever plan you put into place, once you've icly settled on one, will determine what you guys do in the background of the final trial.

We want to give you guys as free reign as possible, or at least as much as you'd like, so go nuts! Calypso can, in fact, accurately predict Jones's actions for the sake of the exercise - just make a mod ping in the subject line if you want to ask her something that isn't in direct response to her, and we will be along as is possible. ]

[sharddrive]

Can you turn our abilities back on?

[He doesn't like the idea of his systems getting just. Magicked around with. But they probably already have been, so if that's what it takes to undo it...]

[dokkalfheimr]

I would like to know this as well.

[sharddrive]

Yeah, I can do a lot more flying and blasting than not.

[paucipan]

I would as well; I don't know how useful I can be in a fight, but I do believe my abilities may be able to help you all fight a little better.

[being a dancer in a fire emblem game: it has it's perks!]

[silentscout]

Mmm. It's much easier if we have our powers back.

[Lalli, with the power to fight off ghosts and monsters.]

[thekeyofsea]

No. You will have to fight as you are.

[scouserer]

[Constantine listens attentively to Calypso, frowning as he does so.]

Davy left me a parting note with this locket--said to "fire at the lower fore of the starboard side when the time comes." The man probably knows the SS Swift like the back of his hand after bein' trapped on there for so long--I figure there must be a weakness in the hull at that point.

[sharddrive]

Start off throwing our coconuts at that spot on the Swift, get it out of the way before Davy's crew gets all pissy at us?

[onlyyoucan]

And we've got plenty of ammo, even if only a little of it is real. We might have to end up using all the substitutes, too.

[oceangirlfriend]

Will the Dutchman be above or below water for this? And how well can its crew swim? If they're going to be underwater, I could probably lead some of them on a chase for a while.

[thekeyofsea]

Above. As for swimming, consider them... above average, though they prefer to move distances using the boons I granted Davy Jones.

[queceracera]

Oh, I can keep a bunch of people occupied.

[He's actually very good at keeping people occupied. With fighting. If that was not clear, Scott Pilgrim is proposing that he side scrollers his way through the Flying Dutchman crew.]

[scouserer]

You gonna share your plan with us, Mr. Pilgrim?

[He's using his last name like some sort of adult.]

[onlyyoucan]

[Sara stands at attention and nods.]

Sink the living's ship to draw out the other, then. They'll be able to escape in time?

Calypso!

[dokkalfheimr]

Two questions for you, if I may.

How much firepower does the Dutchman have at her disposal, approximately? Far more than us...?

And if they do in fact have more than us, will they try to take our vessel if we surrender after an exchange of fire?

Because if they're close enough to take the Queen Anne's Revenge, they're close enough to be boarded.

[thisaroma]

Queen Alice!!!

[hellahighwater]

[ yes, THIS! This is the attitude she's talking about ]

[queceracera]

Oh my god, I can finally live out my cool pirate takeover dreams.

[hypnowhip]

[Sylvando's already excitedly readying his sword at the potential of this!!]

[paucipan]

[Ohhh. Well, maybe all this insult sword-fight training will come to good use if we're all here to brawl, hell yes.]

[scouserer]

[Oh, he likes where this is going.]

Thinking of invoking parlay, are we?

[thekeyofsea]

[ She ponders a moment. ]

The Dutchman's firepower is formidable, but her strength lies in that she is unsinkable. She can be stopped, but never destroyed.

[ In case that was... something on the table. ]

And I imagine he will show you what mercy he can. If you yield, he will be moved towards what mercy he can show.

YOUR ANSWER...?

[thekeyofsea]

[ As the discussion continues and starts to center towards a conclusion, Calypso moves to sit on a barrel nearby, watching you all. ]

When you are ready, tell me your final plan and I will set you on the path back to the land of the living. You... will want to brace for it, though.

[ ooc: Mostly this is an invitation to consolidate what you're doing, and what each individual person is planning to do! Once you guys are all satisfied, there'll be a comment to wrap this up and... well, we'll see you on the other side Saturday if all goes well! ]

[scouserer]

[Constantine clasps his hands together, addressing Calypso.]

Right. So--here's the plan, as far as I understand it.

[He begins ticking off his fingers with each number he says out loud.]

One--when we get into range of the S.S. Swift, we shoot at the supposed weak spot and cause the ship to sink. We gotta make sure we hit our target--this'll require someone helming the ship and more than a few people tending to the cannons.

Two--once the ship goes down, the Dutchman will likely be drawn out. The Dutchman, as you mentioned, is unsinkable--not to mention the fact most of us are not actual pirates. A fight wouldn't be in our favor, and thus, we fly a white flag and request parley.

Three--we allow them to board our ship and begin negotiation. This'll be as long and as drawn out as possible to give the living time to interrupt the ritual. I can definitely assist with the negotiations--hell, I've spent years conning demons and gods--but any other efforts would be appreciated. We can use Jack as a bargaining token, but he'll have to be gagged before he blows the whole operation. I don't trust him not to run his mouth.

As an addendum, we'll have set up some traps aboard the ship in anticipation of the arrival of the Dutchman's crew. I know some of you mentioned you could help with that, yes? If shit hits the fan--which is more likely than not, let's be real--then we fight.

[He glances back towards the rest of the group, frowning.]

I'd like to suggest that in the interim, while we're busy negotiating, a few people might want to sneak aboard the Dutchman and commandeer it. Anyone else have anything that they'd like to add?