Avaria can't tear her eyes from the ship during Geffroi's recollection.  The fog hangs thick around them and her fur is feeling damp with it.  As Marrin's words sink in, she looks to her friend in surprise, "Really?  what if... what if we end up like that?" and she nods her head towards the corpse on the deck.

Marrin follows Ava's eyes to the ravaged corpse before offering up,

"I'm optimistic we won't, but we doesn't need to include you. It's fine to wait here. I can just go take an invisible peek alone."

Ethel pinches the bridge of her nose with her finger and thumb.  "Gheldeneth.  Always Gheldeneth..." she mutters. 

She claps her hands to shake away the ill-tidings and places a hand on the shifter's shoulder.  "Never fear, Avaria.  Our destiny is not to float and fester in fog shrouded seas."

She gazes at the derelict vessel.  "And... I can't help but believe Marrin is correct.  If possible, we should go have a look.  The gods make mockery of us with these loose threads and breadcrumbs.  Let us pluck at and follow the mixed metaphor until it unravels a path for us."  

Bigge looks at the group, lingering longest on Avaria, kindred thoughts to hers echoing from his eyes.

"We're not going to bring the Wish any closer but if you're set on going aboard, Lun and Bukril can get you along side in the jolly boat." Bigge says.

Ula has been quiet since the ship appeared but she looks to the sea and to the body on the deck.

"If there are more like him over there, they deserve a proper sea burial instead of just falling in as the ship decays," Ula says. "I'm going over too."

Hammerdasher and Geffroi seem less inclined to join you though.

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All four plus Ula going over?

"As long as we can agree on a plan, and not get distracted. Find out what we can about what the ship ran into. I'm less worried about storms, and more worried about Gheldeneth and the Hargroves and that whole mess being involved. Find the chest, if it's there. Ula, you able to do a quick prayer over the lot of them? If it gets dicey, we're not staying."

Ava returns Bigge's look, her respect for the man has increased several fold over the time they have spent at sea together, even if it has been short.  

She finally nods to her friends, "Yes, let's see what is going on, especially if it came from Gheldeneth.  Any information on that would only help us."  She looks back at the corpse again then asks Bigge, "What would you like me to do with the body?  I'm assuming you don't want us to leave it there?"

She then smiles at Jan, "Yes, if it gets dicey, we aren't staying."

Marrin ignores Jan's unsubtle jab in her direction.

"No time like the present. Who knows how long the Emperor is going to stay afloat."

She'll grab her gear so she is ready.

Once in the water she'd suggest,

"Lun, Bukril, would you mind taking us in loop around the Emperor? I would like to see if there is anything moving aboard, if we can. From there we can make a plan."

She gives the we in the last sentence a very slight emphasis.

Perception: 15

((I think everyone is going, ya?))

Ethel takes a moment to grab Ula before they depart.  She tries to keep this low key to avoid alarming the others.  "I know we can count on you, but you had best be prepared.  Geffroi speaks of that crew having a connection to the undead of the desert, and that man's throat was bitten out with human teeth.  I strongly suspect we may encounter undead on that vessel.  We may need to rely on your holy protection if we are to make it there and back unharmed."

Ula grimaces but nods at Ethel's warning.

The five of you clamber down the side of the ship into the jolly boat. Lun and Bukril hold it steady as you climb in.

The water is eerily calm for being the sea, with barely a swell detectable. But how long that will last is anyone's guess.

At Marrin's request, Lun and Bukril don't navigate straight to the Emperor, but take you on a route that goes all the way around the ship.

Marrin doesn't see any movement on deck, but she does note that the hull is slick with algae. The crew have clearly been neglecting routine maintenance. She also notes that there are no portholes or large openings of any kind in the hull of the ship. The main deck looks like the only place to gain access.

Lun swings the jolly boat along side the Emperor, while Bukril secures two grappling hooks to two lengths of rope. With relative ease the sailor is able to toss the hooks up and get them to attach to the rail of the ship.

"In case this calm ends suddenly, we're going to stay between the Wish and this derelict, but we'll keep close eye on the deck for when you're ready to come back."

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Bukril's done a good job with the ropes - DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check to climb up with no problem.

"I might as well try to go up while you're down here to break my fall.", Jan says, looking in Ava's direction.

Athletics: 18

Marrin will follow Jan up with an encouraging smile at Ava.

Athletics: 1 (6)

Once up she scan the deck then ask Jan,

"Can your dust fairy do a check for anything alive?"

While helping the rest over, maybe even helping to pull Ethel up.

((If the consequences of that 6 aren't worse than needing to try again, here is another try: 14 (14)))

((Speaking of K, how long has it been since she sent them off with letters? She'd have wanted to make sure to give plenty of time for the letters to have been delivered before recalling them.))

[Before departing the Wish, Ethel casts false life on herself, gaining 7 temp hp.]

Ethel looks up at the rope, instantly regretting her decision to join this expedition and wondering if she could instead remain behind in the jolly boat.  Still, her pride wins out over her fear, and she attempts the climb, tucking her walking stick under an elbow as she awkwardly tries her best to get up the rope without falling or embarrassing herself.  

Athletics: 5

Avaria breaks into a grin at Jan's jab and as Marrin starts to fall, "You better pay attention to what you're doing!"

But as she sees Ethel's attempt, her grin fades and she asks, "Can I hold your walking stick for you?  That would make it easier to climb."

(Ava will wait for everyone else to head up first, then attempt herself)

Athletics: Lol 9

Apparenty the walking stick thwarted her as well

Jan scans the deck, and provided there are no dangers that present themselves, turns back to help any of her companions that get close to the deck. As she sees them struggle, she can't help but feel like she got lucky on her attempt.

Jan clambers up the side fairly quickly. Ula gives Ethel a smile and then holds out her cupped hands to give the wizard a boost. It takes a couple of tries but between Jan at the top and Ula steadying the rope and supporting Ethel from the bottom, they get her up there.

Marrin tries it on her own at first but can’t get the right grip and slides back down. But Ula steadies her and gets her set up properly for the climb, showing Marrin how to loop the rope around her foot. On the second try, Marrin scampers up easily and can choose to ignore Jan’s offered hand if she likes.

Ula then muscles her way up. There’s nothing graceful about her motions. Just all power.

Avaria remains in the jolly boat until everyone is up then quickly and athletically climbs the rope with an economy of movement that one would expect in a wild cat.

Bukril and Lun maneuver the boat away from the Emperor and take up a waiting position about 200 meters away.

The grappling hooks remain hooked around the railings with the ropes dangling down to the water.

The group find themselves on the main deck. The Emperor’s upper decks slope gently down toward the ship’s port side. From what you can see from where you’ve come up, the forecastle and quarterdeck are empty, and short wooden stumps are all that remain of the ship’s masts. The double doors leading to cabins fore and aft appear intact, as does the metal grate in the deck that offers access to the lower decks. Aside from the rhythmic creak of the ship’s badly weathered timbers, all seems quiet.

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K, Jan’s dirt pixie, has been away about 24 hours. There’s a good chance they’ve made it back to Spandeylion and delivered the letters, but it’s not a sure thing. A head wind, or difficulty finding Mard could slow them down a little (straight roll now, DC10 if they made it or not – or can wait another 6 hours and make it DC5 – another 6 on top of that  to get it down to a sure thing).

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((Jan will just hold off until she's sure, if she calls K back before the job is done, it's going to take that much longer for them to set out and fly all the way back to Spandelyion from where they are now, on top of her familiar needing to navigate from wherever the Wish is currently.))

Jan readies her crossbow and loads in a bolt with a shrug. "Better to have it to hand and not need it.", she mutters.

 Once Martin is up, not taking Jan's hand, she'll ask about the mud magpie. Presumably hearing that said resource is unavailable she'll wait until the rest have been dragged aboard before asking at a whisper,

"What's the plan."

She'll have her hand on her rapier but not have it drawn.

Moving gingerly after a painful climb up the rope, Ethel walks toward the floor grate in the center of the deck.  Grasping a piece of wood from the broken mast, she casts light and then drops the glowing splinter down. 

Perception:  18

Peering below, she also calls over Avaria.  "What do you think?  Can you hear or smell anything unusual down there?"