Jan's bolt would have completely missed even a drunken pirate, but a slowly moving zombie was a different story. She manages to clip the undead sailor in the side, tearing out a chunk of the torso. The combination of Avaria's blow, and Jan's bolt bring the zombie (zombie 7) to its knees. It's eyes fix on Avaria for a moment, looking like it will get back up but then face plants on the deck. 

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

((Didn't see Avaria's post earlier - edited the above - will update again when have a moment)).

The final zombie, not realizing that it's on its own, continues on with its mission of swinging its arms at anything not part of the dead crew. It attempts to club Avaria but misses so badly it swings around in a full circle before staggering to a stop where it began.

Ula steps forward, striking down hard with her warhammer. She would miss anything slightly more nimble than this zombie, but in this case manages to clip it with a glancing blow, causing an awkward bend in one elbow.

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

Marrin and Ethel are up.

Marrin opts to stay back and calls,

"Just lay down already, you're clearly not made for this."

Vicious mockery: 1

The Zombie looks slightly more depressed than it did but otherwise still strong.

——————

Ethel’s up.

Ethel focuses on the last zombie, slicing her spectral claw through the air.

Chill Touch

Attack: 15 Damage: 2

Dark splotchy decaying skin appears on the zombie’s neck where Ethel’s spectral hand finds purchase. The undead sailor is weakening but still a threat.

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Avaria and Jan are up.

Happy that no other undead appeared to be heading up the stairs, Avaria concentrates on the one remaining zombie, swinging her new greatsword again.

Attack: 15, Damage: 15

Avaria’s sword cleaves through the remaining tendons holding the neck together. The undead sailor’s head flies across the room and lands against the inner hull wall. The eyes blink at Avaria for a moment and the body gropes blindly for a few seconds but both head and body finally go still.

————————-

Out of combat.

"Yuck." Jan will look towards the jolly boat and the ship, and call to them if they are in range, if not then sending up a signal (shower of spark via prestidigitation, or eldritch blast into the sky if you're not bothered about it not targeting a creature?)

"I don't like that we brought bodies on board the Wish, then found bodies getting up and milling about over here..."

She will look to retrieve (and clean) her spent bolts before returning them to her case.

[Can Ethel resume her inspection of the altar from post #3338?  Investigation check was 24.  Or is a fresh roll required, after having been so rudely interrupted?]

The jolly boat is about 200' off the side of the derelict ship, while the Xanthe's Wish is about another 300' past that.

"You finished already," comes the call from the jolly boat.

Inside the cabin, you can now surmise from the debris that this was probably the captain's cabin - the broken up bed, shattered desk, splintered footlocker.

Ethel looks at the 'altar' again but really doesn't see much more than what it appeared at first glance - strange markings cover its surface, dried mud cakes the floor around it, and humanoid skulls ring the wall above (now with more time to look, it appears to be a collection of human, goblin, and orc), each mounted on a wooden spike. In the middle of the altar, in what appears to be blood, is the same outline of a skeletal hand, an open eye in the palm.

But her keen eye does spot a book that hasn't been completely destroyed sticking out from the remains of the desk.

Otherwise there are the mounds of debris and palm fronds in the corners, the staircase leading down to the deck below, and the doorway back to the deck, with the grate to the hold below and the stuck doorway to the cabin in the bow.

"Undead on board, careful of floaters, and let Bigge know!", Jan calls down.

Ethel grabs the book and spares it a glance.

[If it looks like something that might have imminently relevant information (like a captain's journal) she will stop to flip through it right here.  If it looks like anything else (a history book, an eldritch tome, a book of dragon poetry, etc.) she will throw it in her pack for later examination.]

"Nice work, everyone," she offers without looking up from the book.  "If we encounter any more of those simple-minded undead, don't fight them below decks or in close quarters.  Disengage and let them chase you.  They are slow but determined.  They will pursue, but not as fast as you can move.  Fall back and fight them from range, or better yet draw them all the way up to the top deck.  I can't risk fire spells here in these wooden halls, but out in the open air I can light them up."  She shakes her head.  "Fighting them up close and in tight spaces like this is about the only way they could pose a real threat to us.  Don't do it."

Marrin nods along to what Ethel is saying as she tries to scrape zombie off her rapier along the door frame.

"So, probably going to see more of that then. We still want to keep this up and find that box? I'm a bit bruised but game to keep looking for now."

She looks down the stairs and then over to jammed door across the deck.

"We want to go deeper or try that other door? I couldn't budge it but I bet Ava could take it off its hinges."

“Aye aye,” the jolly boat calls across the water in response to Jan’s warning. She can then hear the two sailors shouting to the Xanthe’s Wish.

What Ethel has found is indeed the captain’s log with ship’s ledger jammed inside of it.

The log provides an account of the terrible storm that battered the Emperor of the Waves. The captain also wrote of how one of the crew, the bosun, blamed the captain and some of the crew for the storm, accusing them of a lack of faith in their mission. Bosun Ghrolg attempted a mutiny and nearly pulled it off but was defeated and locked in the brig. The final entry records the captain’s fear that Ghrolg still has the sympathy of many in the crew but he can’t worry about that yet as there’s been another sighting of something moving in the water aft of the ship.

"Hmmn..." Ethel remarks as she flips through the pages.  "A schism between shipmates... a mutiny... the ringleader was thrown into the brig.  According to this, they were being pursued by an unknown shape in the water before the entries cease."

She shuts the book.  "All the more reason to wrap this up.  Do any of you know where the hold would be on a ship of this type?"

Avaria breathes hard as the rage starts to subside with the last of the combatents finally down.  Ethel's words somewhat sink in, but she is still looking for more foes.  As she hears words about the hold, she pipes up, "It's gotta be down, this way." And without waiting for the others, she starts heading down, her eagle totem giving her BA of a dash as she runs down, her greatsword wanting some actual blood, not zombie guts.

(if she runs into another undead on her way down, dashing, she is going to engage.  If not, her rage is gone.)

Seeing Ava run down Marrin says,

"Uhhh. Wait!?"

As Avaria darts down the stairs, Ethel startles.  "What... oh for all the saints...!"

She looks to Jan and Marrin.  "We mustn't let her get separated.  Quickly!"  Then she follows her down the stairs, trying to keep eyes on her while also trying to convince the others to follow behind.

Avaria thunders down the steep stairs to the deck below and finds herself in room about 10’ narrower than the cabin above as the ships hulls slopes slightly inwards.

Some dim light makes its way down from the captain’s cabin above, and some more light filters in from the damaged hull itself.

Judging from the stove along one wall of this room, this was once the galley. Now the area is cluttered with bones and debris. Badly damaged metal knives and other cookware hang from hooks in the ceiling, while the choking stench of rotting flesh fills the air.

Avaria sees a door in the wall towards the bow.

There also appears to be a trapdoor of sorts in the corner opposite the stairs she just came down.

She sees no visible opponents to vent her rage upon.