The hold itself is about 40' across, with the door you came through right in the middle of the 'west' wall. It then extends about 40' back to the aft of the ship with the rear corners being slightly tapered in, matching the curve of the ship.

Some of the crates are stacked quite high and obscure the back half of the hold. Tarps cover other stacks and some hang from the rafters.

Marrin gives Erran a sweet smile she is totally feeling,

"I'm full of surprises."

((At some point she'd have changed out of her nice clothes into a simpler, but still well fitting, dress.))

"Should have asked for a couple days. Next time."

Marrin ties her hair back in a short ponytail once in the room and looks around, until Ava starts changing. Then she only has eyes for the shifter, taking in all the changes from face to legs. Once she's taken that in she looks around.

" Lovely. Ava, Ula, if you'd be so kind to flush them out. Jan and I can get the runners. Ethel... Sit down, you look a mess."

She hums up a rousing battle song and taps Ula and Ava on the back sharing some bardic inspiration.

"These little things aren't going to stop us from getting some deserved time to enjoy ourselves."

She readies some mean things to yell at the vermin when they appear.

Even Ula is a little taken aback at Avaria’s shift. She looks back and around the party before squinting into the hold, “Rats… Hells bells!… Istishia guide us!…”. ((casting bless on herself, Avaria and Val before combat if possible)).

Then she walks forward until she sees a rat.

Perception rolls please for anyone looking around.

Ula’s perception: 7 

Avaria sniffs the air..

Perception: 22

Janellae looks around the hold, feeling slightly queasy, but slightly alarmed by Ava and slightly buoyed by Ula. It's a lot.

Perception: 18

Marrin stays back but does scan the shadows and listen for the beasties.

Perception: 12

Ula stumbles a little, she's still getting used to the roll of the ship and she's finding it distracting.

Marrin, you notice that some of the crates of food stuffs appear to have claw and teeth marks around the edges and corners. They appear much larger than a common rat. Much larger, more in line with the size of a bite a small child might make if it had massive incisors.

Avaria and Janelle, you hear the subtle scratching of clawed feet above you. Avaria, in the lead with Ula you spot the movement first as five large shapes drop from the support beams above.

Initiatives please (plus a perception roll from Ethlehyn).

Giant Rat Pack: 12  

Ula’s initiative: 13 

Avaria initiative 22

Initiative: 7

Jan Initiative (with barfing disadvantage): 11

Upon arriving in the dimly lit hold, Ethlehyn again raises her staff and mutters "Lux incip - hurk."   She leans against a crate to avoid tumbling into a puddle of her own vomit.  The nausea is unimaginable.  Eventually she composes herself enough to properly cast the light cantrip, illuminating the end of her staff.

Perception:  4

Seeing the rats drop into their midst, she tries to steady herself for combat.  Initiative:  7

[Rolling all checks at disadvantage.  Ethlehyn is a mess right now.]

As the five rodents of unusual size, assuming of course you find a rat the size of a three-year old unusual, drop down from the ceiling, Ula, despite being next to the hyper vigilant and sensitive Avaria is taken completely by surprise. Ethlehyn, even knowing rats were present in the hold finds herself equally surprised by the sudden appearance of the creatures.

Two of the giant rats face off against Ula (Rous 1 and Rous 2) and the other three face Avaria (Rous 3, Rous 4, and Rous 5).

Initiative Order (those in bold can act now in any order):

Avaria
Val
Marrin
The ROUS Pack
Ethlehyn – surprised in the 1st round and can only react
Ula – surprised in the 1st round and can only react

Janellae mutters and flicks a hand towards one of the rats on Avaria, her ring glinting in the light cast by Ethlehyn's light.

"میرے لیے مرو"

A dagger flashes as she hurls it at the rat.

Attack: 9 Damage: 5 piercing, plus 6 necrotic and 2 bludgeoning.

((Casting hex, disadvantage on DEX checks to the affected rat.))

((Also bless: 14 to hit plus 2))

Rous 3, distracted by Ethlehyn's light, cocks its head to one side as it feels the effects of Janellae's spell. It has no time to decide whether it should flee or not before the dagger pierces its skull and it drops to the ground, for all appearances, dead.

Avaria grips her great axe as the rage of the fight seeps into her.  She swings it at Rous 4 after nodding approval at Janellae’s swift work

Attack: 24 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.

bless: 3

 She then tries to move her body as best she can to get inbetween the Rous’s and Ethlehyn without giving the creatures an attack of opportunity.

Any who speak elvish: