Seri calmly returns from her brief circuit beneath the waves of the lagoon.  Dripping yet, yet somehow looking no different.

She too does not know what to think about any papers, and does not remember anything about them.  Unless they were... "Were these papers navigational charts?"  (The navigator in her kicks in subconsciously).  And the papers seemed to have perked Billy up even more than the rum.  Interesting.

"I may be able to channel Trondro's waters to help our..."  She begins but trails off with a start as Kairouani asks about the sea turtles.

Seri turns and waits for the islanders' answers.

The leader looks at Kairouani as if she is a particularly dim child.

"You get in the boat, then we go get them." He gestures up the coast, apparently indicating that the plan is to paddle up the coast in the canoes to collect the turtles.

"You want to go? All, in the boats now." He turns and strides toward the surf, seemingly having no intention of heeding the warnings about the overloaded vessels. The rest of his band has pulled the laden craft into the water, and are clambering in. Smiler is, predictably, smiling in your direction and waving an arm to beckon you aboard.

The Ankoai reappear overhead, circling. Roger the parrot seems a bit perturbed by their presence and flaps awkwardly on Billy's shoulder. The big man reaches up with one hand to reassure the bird whilst taking a fortifying slug of rum with the other. 

"Well then," he says, "I guess it's now or never. I hope your sea god is feeling generous today." He starts walking toward the boats.

William kept behind for a moment to get out of Billy's earshot. 'Best keep quiet about the papers for now.' He said in hushed tones to the others. 'When we get to an actual port, they might come in handy. I believe Thea has them?'

He took a gander at the boats to judge for himself if Billy's hesitance had any merit to it.

What can William's background as shipwright and proficiency with carpenter tools tell him about the islanders' seafaring capabilities?
EDIT: rolled an 11 for Insight

Also, if I am misremembering wrong who has the papers, I'll amend it after I have a chance to go over some notes.

I think some sort of Wis based check would be appropriate for William to make an assessment of the vessels. Maybe Insight.

I have a feeling the box of papers was buried on the beach somewhere wasn't it? Or did Thea take the journal?

OOC: I went back and looked, Thea did not take the journal. 

Thea walks towards the boat, getting in one with either Kai or Seri.

Gesturing mildly, Seri causes the water to flow calm and still around the canoe that Billy and/or William climb into, reducing any chop from the waves.  Casting Shape Water and continuing to do so repeatedly in an effort to calm the waters stabilize the least stable canoe a bit.

A thought has been building in her mind, but she has been distracted even when she was not swimming below the lagoon's surface, so she cannot remember if someone has already asked about it.  Praying for Trondro's Guidance, she speaks up.

"Wave brothers.  Your home island.  Is it much like this one?  Are there other peoples on nearby islands with whom passage through Trondro's currents allows you to trade?  I am Olona and was navigator on our ship, the Horn of Plenty, yet I do not know this area of the archipelago."

She is still slightly uncertain of the other islanders' intentions, and, though she is loathe to admit it, nervous if the other islanders have a temple to Trondro, whose priests might identify her as a renegade who was supposed to have returned to her home temple some time ago...

Seri's Insight plus Guidance:  13 + 1 = 14

Kairouani is slightly confused as to how this is going to work with the canoes already overladen......and why theirs arms were covered in gore this morning if it wasn't from butchering turtles....

But she remains quiet for now and boards...

( If necessary she will point out the patch of sand where all the papers are buried to the others further removed from their 'benefactors')

I added the Insight roll to my previous post.

I take it everyone is getting on the boats?

All the other men look at the leader as Seri speaks. They seem unwilling to talk, and defer to him to speak for them.

He stops and turns from his passage into the sea and eyes Seri for a moment, seeming to consider a response. Then says simply, "You see. Get in the boats now."

Not waiting for a response from Seri he climbs into one of the boats and starts pushing the others around until he is satisfied with the balance.

Billy puts both hands on the side of one of the canoes and heaves himself over the side. Roger is none too pleased with this manoeuvre and takes off into the air. The boat rocks and ships a little water but settles as Billy sits down in the middle as directed by the leader.

The rest of you climb in in similar fashion, and the leader grunts in satisfaction. The young men begin paddling along the beach to the west, in the direction that the turtle hunters had gone. They may be lean but the muscles under the bronze skin are like corded steel. Working as one, they propel the boat through the breakers at quite a pace despite the weight of cargo, and it is only ten minutes or so before you come upon a scene of death.

The turtle hunters had clearly killed two of the creatures and hauled them to the water's edge. Both are upside down, with bloody trails in the sand showing where they have been dragged from the trees. Their bellies have been cut open and tubes inserted into the swim bladders. The reason for this becomes clear soon enough as the men jump out and, with practiced ease, haul the creatures into the water and tie them to the canoes with rope woven from vines and fibres. As they leap back into the boats and paddle off east again, the turtles float behind thanks to the inflated swim bladders.

You pass the wreck of the Horn of Plenty and the site of your coming ashore. Cap'n Thorne's green hat stands as a memorial to his folly. Billy is gripping the sides of the canoe so hard that his knuckles are white and the tendons are standing out from his forearms, but as you pass your campsite, his eyes are glued to the hat until you pass the hulk and it is out of sight.

Thanks to Seri's magic, the early part of the voyage is simple enough. As you travel away from the coast, though, the swell builds. The canoes are surprisingly buoyant, but the combination of human and other cargo makes them sit very low in the water. The gunwales are mere inches from the sparkling surface as it races by. Every so often the water breaks over the top and sloshes into the bottom of the boats. The leader of this band is obviously very confident that the weather is not going to change from the almost dead calm that prevails at the moment. His crews continue paddling like automatons, in perfect unison and faces set in determination. They don't seem to be breathing hard but before long you do see sweat beading on their skin as they power their paddles through the water again and again.

You see the Ankoai overhead, tracking the boats from their lofty vantage point.

After maybe an hour or so of travelling in this manner, a pod of curious dolphins appears alongside. They break the surface with their grey dorsal fins before diving down and then coming back up again, the sun glinting off their slick hides. They keep pace with the boats, coming within a few feet. The paddlers don't react to their presence, remaining stony faced as they go through their mechanical actions. The leader, though, looks at the dolphins and nods once in what seems to be satisfaction.

The dolphins accompany you for most of the afternoon, while the weather does indeed remain calm. The sliver of land on the horizon grows gradually into an island not dissimilar to the one that you came from. It too is surrounded by white sand and is covered in a thick carpet of jungle. Your course is taking you toward the northern tip of the island, and as the sun sinks toward the horizon you draw up on a sandy spit. As you approach, the paddlers stow their paddles and one by one leap over the side into the surf. They drag the heavy craft as high up the beach as they can until they are securely wedged on the sand. 

The leader motions for you to disembark. "We stay here tonight. You wander off, you get eaten. Nothing here to see."

The crew make no effort to unload the cargo. It seems this is just a stop-off and not your final destination. 

The first leg of the journey seems to have gone rather well Kairouani thinks, so she simply nods to the leader and helps the others ashore.

She wonders what dangers lie here and walks the sand for a bit looking for tracks....

Survival- 18

Thea does not care much for the turtles, since that's how life goes, but she will provide comfort to Kai or Seri, as they would probably be saddened by their death. Maybe.

When she sees the dolphins, Thea claps with delight, and an infections grin spreads across her face, her rough exterior peeling away to, for just a moment, reveal the young, curious girl she truly is.

When they reach the 'stop-off', Thea tries to leap out of the boat as nimbly as the natives (Acrobatics check: 20)

Once she is out of the boat, she looks around at the island. Feeling the hot, white sand burning against the setting fire of the dipping sun, she kicks of her shoes, digging her feet into the sand, and closes her eyes for a second. For the first time since they wrecked, Thea seems at peace.

When the Leader tells them not to wander off (assuming Kai or Seri is translating), she stops, then gets a wide grin on her face. She takes out her pack and starts digging around for something. While she does this, she mutters to herself "Nothing here to see. We'll see about that."

Seri gazes at the leader of the islander hunters for a long moment after he issues his warning, continuing after he turns his back.  The sea elf turns, then, to Kairouani, her face troubled.  Her lips move in a whisper as she gestures with her hands.  (Casting Message).  The Igneri woman hears in her head:

"Elder Sister.  A grave doubt laps at my heart like ripples onshore before a tsunami.  These islanders may themselves be slavers, which makes us their prospective slaves for sale.  It was their first assumption of you when glimpsing you at the river, and explains how they carry steel, and tools and decorations only found in large towns or through trade with Easterners.  They treat us with the terse indifference one shows to cargo, not people."

(Passive Insight 16) Having seen Thea wander off before and sensing the impetuous young Aseri woman may do so again now, having been forbidden, Seri gestures at her mildly to hold for a moment (not demanding as in "no", just asking "not yet").  Both palms in front of her at her waist, facing down.

William noted with some interest the way the islanders prepared the turtle carcasses for transport across the water. It was quite ingenious to utilise the animal's own biology to accomplish it and he wondered how and how long it had taken someone to figure it out. More of interest to him however was Billy's behaviour when they passed the wreckage of the Horn of Plenty and the remnants of their former campsite. Billy's reaction to seeing the captain's hat was peculiar to William. The intensity suggested to the boat surgeon that there was a personal connection. Had Billy perchance sailed with captain Thorne? William pondered. Was the captain connected to why Billy had been marooned on the island?

These were all questions he filed away for later. The situation at hand deserved his more immediate attention. The dolphins were a welcome sight, even if William's stomach wondered for a bit how a slice of dolphin steak would taste, but the rest of the travel passed without much hassle. After they made landfall William took the time to observe what the islanders were doing. He found it odd that the leader specifically mentioned that there was nothing to see here. That blatantly screamed that there was something. Though he did not believe he would be able to sneak away from an open beach. For the moment he contented himself with the aforementioned observing as well as keeping Billy in his line of sight.

Quote from Tybard >>

Seri gazes at the leader of the islander hunters for a long moment after he issues his warning, continuing after he turns his back.  The sea elf turns, then, to Kairouani, her face troubled.  Her lips move in a whisper as she gestures with her hands.  (Casting Message).  The Igneri woman hears in her head:

"Elder Sister.  A grave doubt laps at my heart like ripples onshore before a tsunami.  These islanders may themselves be slavers, which makes us their prospective slaves for sale.  It was their first assumption of you when glimpsing you at the river, and explains how they carry steel, and tools and decorations only found in large towns or through trade with Easterners.  They treat us with the terse indifference one shows to cargo, not people."

(Passive Insight 16) Having seen Thea wander off before and sensing the impetuous young Aseri woman may do so again now, having been forbidden, Seri gestures at her mildly to hold for a moment (not demanding as in "no", just asking "not yet").  Both palms in front of her at her waist, facing down.

Kairouanis eyes flashed in alarm but then recognised it was the Wise One within her mind.

Thea sees Seri's gesture, and stops. She tilts her head ever so slightly, as if to ask "What's going on?"

As Seri uses Message to talk with Kai, Thea approaches casually, then stops. Sneakily, she sinks to her knees, and covering the next part, draws her knife. She grabs a coconut and begins carving a random symbol into the coconut. She stands, coconut in hand. She walks over to Seri and says loud enough for any nearby islanders to hear "Look at this cool coconut I found, Seri. Is this symbol normal? Or is something wrong with it?"

Seri nods, not quite so serene as before, yet slightly heartened by Kairouani's telepathic reply.  Appearing to benevolently admire the "cool coconut" Thea presents, Seri summons the others, including Billy.

Speaking quietly in Veridian, she lets them all know the suspicions she had voiced previously only in Kairouani's mind.

"You all deserve to know my suspicions.  I believe these islanders may be slavers.  Or rather, intent on selling us, or perhaps just myself and Kairouani, to slavers once we reach our destination.  I know little of slavery except that it is a perversion of the freedom offered by Trondro's open horizons.  Yet it would explain why the islander leader's first words to Kairouani were to ask if she is a slave.  It also may account for their steel and other tools typically found only in cities or through trade with Easterners.  And up to this point, they have treated us more like cargo than free people."

"Kairouani is confident and not overly concerned.  I am heartened by my Elder Sister's strength of body and spirit, yet I know little of these matters, being but a lowly acolyte of Trondro recently blessed with his unexpected gifts.  I will follow your suggestions in this."

When given time, Seri will begin the ritual for Speak with Animals, hoping to communicate with the Ankoai.  I should have found a way to warn the giant sea turtles, she remonstrates herself.  I have failed Trondro.  A small failing, yet a failing nonetheless.  And not small for the turtles.

"You know, Seri, you're right. The shell of this coconut is really imprisoning the flesh inside. We should free it, and be rid of this restraint" Thea is once again speaking almost overly loud in her "secret code", using metaphors to communicate "Kai, Should we leave the coconut, maybe go into the jungle and bury it? As an offering to Trondro"

Kairouani looks at Thea carefully....she is missing something....but has no idea why Thea is holding a decorated coconut or thinks it a fitting gift to Trondro........even if it were to be one it would be best off set where the tide could take it....

Insight= 2

The islanders pay little attention to you as they begin gathering broad leaves from the vegetation fringing the beach and laying them down to form rudimentary sleeping pallets. Two set about building a fire whilst several of them disappear into the jungle and come back soon after clutching leaves full of fruits and two dead monkeys, blow-darts protruding from their hairy hides. The beasts are quickly skinned and set over the fire, and the smell of roasting meat fills the air as the islanders settle cross-legged around it. They converse little but what they do say is hushed and private. From time to time Smiler grins in your direction and nods his head. You begin to wonder if perhaps he is a bit simple. He is the only one who pays you any mind throughout this process of setting camp. The rest roundly ignore you and your huddled conversation.

At Seri's mention of potentially being captives of these people, Billy's eyes flash with an anger you have not seen before. He glances in the direction of the busy men, but quickly controls his emotions before growling low,

"You're a sharp one, sister. Sharp as that cove's steel, I'll wager. Well, if that's their game they don't scare me. I've handled worse than them in my time. Strikes me, though, that if we make a move now, we might never know where civilisation lies and we'll be as stuck as before, albeit with some boats. Unless we make them our captives, of course..."

He raises a quizzical eyebrow and looks around the group.

William nudge Billy in the side when the women congregate and the two of them walked over. He listened intently to what Seri had to say. It did not sound as farfetched as one might think and the more he thought about it, the more it added up.

'So what do we do?' He lowered his voice to a whisper. 'If we fight them, we are just going to be stuck again on a different island. Those boats are not made for long distance travel.' He swiftly glanced at the islanders to take a quick count. 'Taking them prisoner does not do us any good as well. The roles would be reversed for them to wait for an opportunity to get the drop on us. And I don't think they'll be as friendly the second time around.'

William mulled over what Thea was proposing. Or at least what he thought she was proposing. 'Running off into the jungle is dangerous. They will know the lay of the land better than us. It would just delay the confrontation.'

He looked intently at Seri and Kairouani. 'You are certain they are slavers? 'Cause if blood is going to be spilled, at the very least it should be of those who deserve it.'