1. Main Deck
2. Forecastle
3. Poop Deck/Stern/Helm
4. Galley Stores
5. Ship Stores
6. Galley/Kitchen
7. Cabin
8. Deck Wizard's Cabin/Fane's Cabin
9. Captain's Cabin/Eron's Cabin
10. Crew Quarters
11. Cargo Hold
12. Navigator's Cabin/Arlynn's Cabin
13. First Mate's Cabin
14. Secret Brig
15. Secret Storage
16. Bilge

Ready to sail to the rendezvous anytime… 

As the days pass, Eron interviews and selects a new crew for the Lady Saradie:

First Mate/Quartermaster: Jory “Ironhand” Varnis

A weathered man in his late 50s, with a strong build and a hand scarred from an old accident that earned him his nickname. His salt-and-pepper hair is tied back, and he has a piercing gaze.  Jory demonstrates a firm grasp of leadership and logistics during the interview, detailing his ability to organize and discipline a crew, no matter their skill level.  He’s candid about his old injury, stating, "This hand may not work like it once did, but the mind steering it is sharper than ever."  Jory’s quiet demeanor belies his deep-seated pride in his work, and his  respect for the sea is clear.

Boatswain: Harken “Hardtack” Groves

A hulking man in his late 30s, Harken is built like a bear with rough, calloused hands and a face that seems perpetually set in a stoic expression.  His simple clothes are often patched with care, and his dark hair is always tied back in a no-nonsense fashion.  Harken doesn’t say much but leaves a strong impression through action.  During the interview, he examines a few loose boards on the ship and sets to work fixing them without needing to be asked.  His quiet nature makes him seem a bit aloof, but Eron sees that Harken is the kind of man who speaks through his craftsmanship.

Cook: “Tinker” Tovald Sandspit

A rotund man in his early 60s with a sunburned complexion and a perpetually jolly demeanor. He has a patchy beard and a talent for making music with almost anything, from spoons to pots and pans.  Tinker arrives for the interview humming a jaunty tune, a ladle tucked into his belt like a weapon.  He regales Eron with colorful tales of his culinary exploits, claiming to have once cooked a meal so good it ended a feud between two rival captains.  While Tinker’s stories are a mix of truth and exaggeration, his genuine love for food and keeping spirits high shines through.  "Captain, let me tell ya—keep a crew’s stomach happy, and you’ll have a ship full of smiles. I’ll make sure they’re singing your praises between bites."

Cabin Boy/Sail Monkey: Pip Steggins

A wiry human boy of 14, with messy blond hair and a mischievous grin.  Pip is agile and quick, darting around the ship like a squirrel.  His clothes are always a size too big, giving him a slightly comical appearance.  Pip bounces into the interview brimming with energy and eager to prove himself.  He recounts a daring escape from a crowded harbor market where he swiped an apple and evaded an angry merchant.  His agility and quick thinking are apparent, though his enthusiasm seems like it borders on recklessness.  Pip makes it clear he’s hungry for adventure and can't wait to put out to sea.

Sailor/Laborer:  Dannel Kreet

A wiry man in his late 20s with sun-bleached brown hair and a quiet demeanor.  Dannel is straightforward and efficient, with little time for pleasantries.  He talks about his years aboard merchant ships, where he learned to handle sails, rigging, and minor repairs.  While he’s not the most engaging personality, Dannel’s seems reliable.

Sailor/Laborer:  Sela “Slim” Mandor

A lean woman in her mid-30s with cropped black hair and sharp features.  She wears a bandana and carries herself with quiet confidence.  Sela is quiet but observant, often answering questions before Eron finishes asking them.  She hints at a troubled past but doesn’t elaborate, focusing instead on her skills with sails and her blade.  Sela’s confidence reassures Eron that she’ll be an asset, particularly in tense situations.

Ship's Surgeon:  Lyrric Greenbriar

[Lyrric and Eron can roleplay the introduction and interview if they like, to give everyone an introduction to Lyrric's character.]

Finally, giving Tinker a shopping list and a budget of 100gp, the new cook is able to fill the galley stores with the following:

• Staples: Ship’s biscuit, salted pork, dried beans, rice, flour, and pickled vegetables.
• Extras: Jars of honey, smoked fish, and a variety of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and dried chili).
• Luxuries: Casks of wine and rum, a small crate of lemons and limes, and ingredients for his famed “Drunken Pudding.”

FYI, level 4 I took the Piercer feat.

As ship Wizard, figure I should embrace the role, so I scribed Gust of Wind and Fog Cloud into my spell book from Punketah's book. (150 gold paid)

Am I able to find and buy the following in Salt Marsh? Identify scroll and a suit of Studded Leather armor?

If we have 3 days of down time, Fane will craft 3 Healing Potions. (75 gp, will pay when confirmed we have 3 days, if less days she'll make less potions)

This is what I see as items left from the boat, assuming we keep all books/maps for ourselves for our nerdy book club group. We can sell or just trade for Tinker's shopping trip!

• A fine grey cloak (Captain's Quarters)
• A fine blue cloak (Masters Cabin)
• A gem-encrusted bronze peg leg sitting on a display stand (Captain's Quarters)
• Men's fine leisure clothes and slippers (Captain's Quarters)
• A pack of well-used, greasy playing cards (examination reveals the deck has two aces of spades) (Crew Quarters)
• Two sets of dice, one of them loaded  (Crew Quarters)
• A pirate's wardrobe, used but clean

Eron smiles as Lyrric enters the Captain's quarters of the Lady Saradie, he gets up from his seat and gestures to an open chair.  "Welcome aboard, my name is Eron I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew in a minute but first, would you like a drink?"  Eron pulls a couple glasses and a bottle of rum from a nearby drawer.  "We are in dire need of a good ships surgeon, since it is our last necessary position, I'm assuming that's what you're applying for.  Tell me about yourself any related experience in such a position?"  Eron turns to pace but stops and pours himself a glass of rum, he sits and takes a sip.

The halfling entered the cabin with a sailor’s easy gait.  A broad smile was upon his face that made his brown eyes light up, and his auburn hair fell in an unruly mess.  He wore a chain shirt, a dagger upon his hip and bore a shield emblazoned with the cornucopia of Yondalla — mother goddess, and protector of all halflingkind.

"Lyrric Greenbriar," He said, his voice steady and measured. "Sailor, healer, and, when pressed, an adventurer.  I’ve the skills to tend wounds and fever — sea or shore, it’s all the same."

Taking the offered seat, Lyrric continued, waving off the offered cup of rum.  "I’ve been adrift ever since my last company met an ill fate."

He paused for a moment.  "I was the only one to make it out." 

His hands tightened briefly on the shield, and his grin faded somewhat.  Before too long, the moment passed, and he was his usual chipper self.

"Figured it was time to start over.  Saltmarsh seemed as good a place as any."

He glanced at Eron, his tone light but guarded. "I’m competent, practical, and most of all ... discreet. No questions where they aren’t wanted."

"Reckon we’ll get along just fine."  His grin had fully returned, and then his halfling curiosity got the better of him as he answered his potential employer's question with a question of his own.

"Where is it we would be sailing the Sea Gh— ... I mean ... the Lady Saradie?" 

“Our first mission is reconnaissance and diplomacy.  Ever deal with Lizardfolk?  Seems there’s such a threat looming they felt the need to purchase arms, from the pirate crew we just liberated this fine ship from.

What happened with your last company, if you don’t mind my asking?  And yes Saltmarsh is my new home too a good place to begin a new life.”

Eron sits back, downs his rum, adjusts his coat.  "Honestly we need all the help we can get."

Lyrric hesitated, his fingers tightening along the edge of the shield that bore his holy symbol.  His eyes flickered with something unreadable — regret, perhaps, or pain carefully masked.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low, stripped of its usual confidence.

"We were hired to track down slavers operating near Helm Rock."  He said, his tone clipped. "The plan was mine. Disguises, infiltration — it should have worked."

His jaw tightened briefly. “It didn’t.”

He paused for a long moment, staring at a knot in the wood of the table as if it held the answer to some unspoken question. "It was a trap. We were outnumbered, overwhelmed."

He exhaled sharply, shaking his head as if clearing away the unwelcome thoughts. 

“I lost some good friends that day ... some of them died right in front of me.  I was injured, left for dead.  I still don't even know what happened to the others."

Eron listens as Lyrric tells his tale the rum doing its job dulling the not so distant pain.  The color drains from his face his reactions slow down as he remembers his own unit being overtaken and his subsequent captivity and torture.  Eron stands at the end pacing the floor, "Listen I can understand.  I...  One day I'll share my story with you.  For now let's step out and meet the rest of the crew."  Eron opens the door and steps out onto the deck, still feeling a little post traumatic stress.  "Everyone I'd like you to meet our surgeon Lyrric Greenbriar.  Please feel free to introduce yourselves.  Pip get down from the yard-arm!  Come be civil, that's an order."

"Be civil? You ask a lot from your crew...Captain Colborn." Comes with a teasing smile from a blue-haired half-elf that just have come aboard the Lady Saradie, carrying some gear but no visible weapons of any kind, and she playfully bows to Eron with an amused smile. "So this is the crew then? Good to meet you all." She says with a small wave to the gathered. "I'm Arlynn and I will make sure we find our way on the Azure Sea, be civil with me and I will be civil with you."

Hearing the Captain's call, Fane leaves her room, which is adjacent to his. It was the first time she was out all day, lost in her books.  "Awyyyy" she says softly, squinting in the sunlight. As she takes two steps out of her room. On cue, an owl, pure and white as snow flies down from the masts and lands on her shoulder. The small bird buries it's head into her own shoulder, and appears to be asleep instantly.

"Hello crew! I am Fane, I am the ship's wizard. But..." she does a quick spin runs up the wall and does a backflip, landing with two short swords drawn, "in a fight, I prefer to be the first one to our enemy. Though it is hard to beat the captain. she says with a smile.  "OWW" she gasps, as the owl bites here ear. "Sorry" she says to the little bird, still perched on her shoulder, "This is Leo, she is the ships wizards' eye's and ears. Keep her safe, and she keep Lady Saradie safe."

"And welcome aboard!" she say smiling.

She then looks at Eron and tosses him the book in her hands, entitled Grog Hovels, which describes taverns and inns along the coastline suitable for patronage by a pirate.

"Check out page 46, think it's right up your alley!"

Captain Eron stands on the quarterdeck, looking over his new crew.  The sun gleams off the freshly polished brass fittings of the ship, and a gentle breeze fills the air with the scent of salt and sea.

The new first mate steps forward, resting his scarred hand on the ship’s rail.  “Name’s Jory. You’ll answer to me as you would the Captain, understood?  I’ve spent my life working smaller ships like this one, and I expect discipline and hard work.  Slack off, and you’ll hear from me.  Work hard, and we’ll get along just fine.”  He gives a short nod, his piercing gaze scanning the crew.

The boatswain speaks next, his deep, steady voice matching his hulking frame.  “Harken.  I keep the ship in one piece.  You break it, I fix it—just don’t make it a habit.”  He shrugs, his expression unchanging, and steps back into the shade near the mast.

The new cook waddles forward, hands on his hips and a grin on his face.  “Tinker’s the name, and feeding you lot’s my game.  Keep me in good graces, and you might even get seconds!  Oh, and if you hear a tune from the galley, feel free to join in.  Even a sailor’s work goes better with a bit o’ song!”  He winks and strolls back toward the stairs leading to the galley, humming a jaunty tune.

A small, wiry teenage boy scrambles up onto a coil of rope to make himself more visible.  “I’m Pip, your sail monkey and messenger.  I’m quick, I’m clever, and I’ll keep this ship tied together faster than you can say ‘reef the mainsail!’”  He leaps down and scurries up the rigging with ease, laughing as he goes.

Another pair of sailor, Dannel and Sela, also introduce themselves before getting back to work prepping the ship for departure.

As morning turns into day, the crew gathers on deck, and the docks below begin to fill with the curious faces of Saltmarsh’s townsfolk.  A small group has gathered specifically for the ceremony: Welgar Brinehanded, the crusty high priest of Procan; Tom Stoutly, representing the town’s marines; and Will Stoutly, standing in for the council.

Welgar steps forward, raising his hands to quiet the murmurs of the crew and onlookers.  He holds a silver chalice filled with seawater, which glimmers in the sunlight.  His weathered face is serious as he speaks in a booming voice:
“Procan, Lord of the Deeps, Protector of Sailors, hear our prayer! We ask for your blessing upon this vessel, now named Lady Saradie, and upon those who sail her. Guide her through storm and calm, and see her safely to her journeys’ end.”

He sprinkles seawater across the deck and bows his head, chanting a brief hymn in the ancient song of mariners.  The salty spray sparkles as it falls, catching the light.

Welgar then raises a bottle of rum, smashing it against the prow.  “I name thee Lady Saradie. May the tides be ever in your favor!”

The crew cheers, and Tinker can be heard leading a few sailors in a spontaneous sea shanty.  Townsfolk applaud politely before getting back to their business on the docks, and Tom and Will step forward.

Tom claps Captain Eron on the shoulder.  “May the wind be always at your back, Captain.  Bring her back in one piece—and yourselves with her.”

Will nods, smiling warmly.  “Good luck on your mission, Captain.  Saltmarsh is counting on you.”

With the ceremony complete, the crew returns to their tasks, rigging the sails and securing supplies.  The docks come alive with movement and sound as lines are cast off and the Lady Saradie begins to drift away from the pier.  A breeze fills the sails, and the ship glides out toward the open sea.

Eron joins in the well known shanty ; )

Eron thanks Will and Tom for their support and training over the years.  He then heads over to High Priest Welgar Brinehanded, "I can't thank you enough for your benediction, if there's anything you want or need from me just ask."

Afterwards as the ship gets underway Captain Eron, waves over Jory nothing formal just discussing routines and weekly schedules...

The blue-haired half-elf would spend some time mingling with the crew to get a better feel of them personally, sharing her pleasant and easy-going personality, then getting to her cosy cabin to chart a course for the landing point at Hool marshes, then joining the captain to set the course, spending the rest of the day admiring the azure sea.

(Any roll needed for course or is the acquired information sufficient in itself?)

Eron:

[No rolls needed... it is a 10 mile trip west along the coast.]

As the Lady Saradie pulled away from the Saltmarsh docks, the crew sprang into motion.  Jory "Ironhand" Varnis barked orders with the calm authority of a seasoned sailor, keeping the crew focused.  Pip darted about the deck, eager to impress, though Jory kept a sharp eye on the boy to prevent overreach.  Tinker manned the galley door, leaning out now and then to observe the activity with a wry grin, offering a thumbs-up whenever someone glanced his way.

Harken “Hardtack” Groves adjusted the rigging with practiced ease, his gnarled hands moving as if the lines were extensions of his own limbs.  He muttered to himself as he worked, a habit the rest of the crew tried to get themselves used to.

Once in open water, Jory worked to get the crew settled into a steady rhythm.  Harken climbed the rigging to secure the top sails, his movements surprisingly agile for his years.  Pip, from below, tried to mimic Harken’s knots on a smaller line, earning a low chuckle from the older sailor when he noticed.

Jory prowled the deck, his gaze sweeping over every detail of the ship, from the tension of the lines to the angle of the sails.  When finished, he leaned against the rail for a moment, his eyes fixed on the horizon.  He seems satisfied, though whether with the crew, or with his own performance on this maiden voyage, it couldn't be said.

As the Lady Saradie passed the shadow of a ruined tower built upon a rocky outcrop on the shore, some of the crew stole glances at the crumbling structure.  Harken spat over the side, muttering about "old magic and bad luck," while Tinker emerged from below deck with a loaf of bread in hand, squinting toward the shore.  “It’s a sight, I’ll give it that,” he remarked to no one in particular before tearing off a piece of bread and retreating back to his domain.

Jory didn’t look at the tower, keeping his focus on the crew and the ship’s course.  His only comment was a curt reminder to Pip to keep his eyes on the lines, that he wasn't paid to sightsee.

The voyage westward brought calm seas and vivid sights.  A school of flying fish broke the surface near the ship, drawing quiet murmurs of appreciation from a few sailors.  Harken paused in his work to point them out to Pip, though the boy had already spotted them and was practically bouncing with excitement.

Jory remained watchful, keeping the crew focused.  He nodded approvingly as the team adjusted the sails in unison, the ship cutting smoothly through the tropical waters.

Three cheerful hours pass.

When the ship neared the location marked on the map, the crew grew quieter, their movements more deliberate.  The dense canopy of a promontory of land loomed ahead, its green expanse almost impenetrable to the eye.  Looking at her map, Arlynn can see that this appears to be the place the Sea Ghost had been expected to deliver their weapons.  Harken took the wheel briefly, guiding the ship into position several hundred yards offshore with a gruff confidence.

Jory ordered the anchor dropped and stood at the rail, scanning the shoreline.  He said nothing but crossed his arms, his expression a mix of caution and readiness. Tinker  emerged once again, wiping his hands on a towel.  “Well, I've got lunch ready, while you decide what's next,” he muttered, eliciting a quiet nod from Harken.

The crew began unfastening the longboat, but Jory stopped them with a look.  He turned to Eron, instead.  "Orders, Captain?"

After speaking with Jory Eron meets with Arlynn give what help he can with routing a course referencing what maps and notes the former Captain kept, in the end Arlynn proves a better navigations officer, to Eron’s great relief.  

Eron speaks quietly with Harken….  

 It’s quite calming to see Pip watching the other sailors tying knots and fearless at the mast arms and prow.  It’s also reassuring to see Leo keeping an eye on the boy.  “Pip come here quick!”  Eron looks the young man in the eye, “Warsn’t much older then you when I got my sea legs.  Listen now I’m nothin without my crew and your a part of it now, you ever have a disagreement or need anything you can talk to me.  No special favor just fair treatment and help when you need it, okay?” 

Noticing the ruined tower and the comments it brought, Arlynn checks her map for any reference as she speaks to the present crew. "You must excuse me, I haven't sailed these waters before, the tower, please tell me what you know about it?" She asks with a curious tone in her warm voice.

Persuasion if needed: 14


Later as Tinker announces lunch is ready the blue-haired half-elf sniffs the air, hoping to catch a decently pleasant scent of nice food. A last meal before heading into the Hool marshes...
"Yeah, lunch orders captain." She says with wink to Eron. 

The crew began unfastening the longboat, but Jory stopped them with a look.  He turned to Eron, instead.  "Orders, Captain?"

“We’re not here to sneak in, give them time to see us out here.  Let’s take our repast topside, then we’ll lower the long boat and make our diplomatic approach.  Any other thoughts on it?  We don’t come with hostile intent so let’s take our time.”

"Agreed, but we can't be sure they are waiting here now, and if we need to venture forth we should be ready for other dangers of the marshes. Having lunch while waiting for the Lizardfolk to make contact seems like an excellent idea though. Just remember that the last Lizardfolk we dealt with left in anger and has most likely reported that the Sea Ghost will deliver no arms. With some diplomatic skill I'm sure we will still be able to make peaceful contact and enter fruitful negotiations captain." Arlynn says with a confident smile.