Avaria looks to Marrin, "I mean, this was your idea, what's your plan?"

But seeing what Ethel was up to she smiles, "My thoughts exactly!  Though... not the light, that was brilliant, I can't do that." and she chuckles a bit trying to lighten the creepy atmosphere.  She peers over the grate next to Ethel and sees what she can.

Perception: 17

Ava shrugs at Ava's question on plans.

"I was just going to be invisible and check out what I could then come back. Now we're all here that seems like a poor use of everyone else's time."

She watches Ethel before heading to the intact door and listening for movement.

Perception: 3

If she doesn't hear anything she try the handle.

"We stick together and have each other's backs. Surely we can manage to do that while all on the same ship.", Jan says tartly.

Having missed the previous exchange between Jan and Marrin on the Wish (being below deck at the time), Ethel merely raises a curious eyebrow at Jan's comment and files it away to inquire about later.

Ethel easily finds a splinter from the broken mast to light up. It fits through the grating and spirals downward until it comes to rest on the floor below.

The grating does obscure what lies beneath quite a bit. It might be a hallway below but until the group goes down or removes the grate, they can’t see much else.

Ethel does notice that there appears to be a ladder underneath the grate but that there’s a fair bit of rust that will prevent it from moving easily.

Avaria isn’t able to see anything more than Ethel was. She sniffs a few times and realizes it’s going to be difficult to distinguish much. The whole ship smells of death and decay. She’s able to point out several places on the deck that are stained with blood.

Jan, looking around as the others investigate the grate and the level below, sees that the ship’s wheel on the quarterdeck spins freely with each rock of the ship.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Which door is Marrin listening at then trying? There’s one doorway to a forward cabin (underneath the forecastle) and one doorway to an aft cabin (underneath the quarterdeck).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Forward cabin))

"Before we check out what is below, we should make sure there is nothing up here first."  Ava sees that Marrin is listening to the door a the forward cabin, so Ava heads to the aft cabin and listens.

Perception  20

Ethel nods to Jan, Marrin and Ula.  "No sign of movement below... no sign of much of anything.  Let's stick together and move as one.  If we run into trouble, fall back to the main deck here were Ula and I will have room to use our spells to greater effect."

Ethel then gets into position to follow into whichever door is breached first.

Marrin listens at the forward cabin door. She hears nothing but the lapping of shallow waves at the edge of the ship.

The door handle turns relatively easily, but the door itself is stuck; perhaps warped in the frame. It will take some effort to push it open.

At the aft cabin door, Avaria listens carefully, all of her instincts focused on what might be on the other side.

She hears nothing but the creak of the ships timber and the splashing of waves – but then as she’s just about to turn from the door, she hears a faint rustling; like a rat through old paper.

Jan nods at Ethel saying they should move as one, then grits her teeth as Ava and Marrin immediately head to two different cabins.

As Marrin moves to open the door, Jan is covering her with her crossbow.

Marrin let's the handle go and turns back to the others from the door.

She gestures over her shoulder, 

"Stuck."

She'll walk over towards Ava to see if her door opens, staying clear of that rusty grate.

Ava, head near the door, Ethel and Jan taking up a position about middeck, Ula just behind Avaria, all watch as Marrin tries the door.

It sticks a little but swings inward relatively easily.

An odour of decay wafts out about the trio by the door, causing Avaria to blink several times as she gets caught inhaling it.

Looking in from the doorway, Marrin can see what looks to be a a rough stone altar dominating this cabin. Strange markings cover its surface, dried mud cakes the floor around it, and humanoid skulls ring the wall above, each mounted on a wooden spike. In the middle of the altar, in what appears to be blood, is the outline of a skeletal hand, an open eye in the palm.

The corners of this room are piled with garbage and debris — crudely cut wooden logs, smashed furniture, torn sacks, shattered crates, and small piles of dried palm fronds. A staircase descends from the southeast corner, and the acrid decay odor fills the air.

-------------------------------

Anyone going in?

"Well. That's just disgusting."

Marrin steps back to let the others get a good look into the room.

"Not at all ominous. Maybe we shut this door and hope that the other door has less viscera once opened?"

How old does the blood look (investigation): 14

Without getting closer, Martin can tell little more than the blood appears dry.

 "Seems a lot like undead type stuff to me. Ethel, that symbolism ringing any bells? If it is undead... mebbe we get Bigge to take the heads and hands off those bodies and pushed them back in the water?"

"The symbology is consistent with death magic," Ethel tentatively agrees.

[Is the eye in the palm in the same style as the eye described as appearing to Mayor Klein in is vision?  Do we have enough information to make such a connection?]

"I'm going to have a closer look.  Cover me as I approach the altar, and keep your eyes on those stairs, please...".  Ethel then slowly enters the room.  She intends to circle the altar, look for any materials stashed behind it, marking on it, or other items of interest.  Then, she intends to place a hand on the altar.

Investigation:  24

Ava walks into the room instep with Ethel, she wasn't going to let anyone or anything catch her wizard friend unawares.  The stink though... ooh the stink was a lot to take in.  "Do you think those stairs are connected to the hold in the middle of the ship?"  She asks to no one in particular.  Her hackles are raised as she checks out the altar with Ethel.

What the dust fairy spotted sounds more like someone trying to create what you’re looking at then actually making  the same image – blood dripping from a hand to create and eye, whereas this image is an eye in the center of the palm of the hand.

Avaria can tell the stairs lead down to the deck below.

As Ethel and Avaria walk to the altar, the deck boards creaking under their feet, the piles of garbage on the port and starboard sides of the room stir.

Two foul, humanoid creatures rise up from the detritus that litters the room. The one to the port looks as pale as a corpse, but is hairless with a carnivore’s sharp teeth and jagged claws.

The one rising from the starboard garbage pile looks similar but more muscular and lithe. Its eyes burn like hot coals in their sunken sockets. As it moves, the stench of decay becomes even stronger.

Thumping, dragging  sounds on the stairwell – and the heads of horribly wounded, corpses appear, their bodies following, their motions jerky an unsteady.

-----------------------------------------

Initiative rolls please.

Avaria Initiative: 19

Ethelnitiative:  0