Sure enough, two distinct swarms of finger-sized grubs wriggle over and attempt to bore into the mage hand. A few, evidently sensing your presence above them, leap out of the greasy water, but can't quite reach you. (The water is about four feet below the bottom of the deck you are standing on. If you lean in to engage them with melee weapons, you risk them striking you. Ranged weapons might work, although there are a lot of them down there...)

Gerrard:

"Good thought, Master Fenwader, I have been meaning to practice with my knives more," says Gerrard, pulling slender throwing knives from various places on his body and trying out his aim at several of the grubs.

Slender Throwing Knives (1/10):  Attack: 10 Damage: 8

Slender Throwing Knives (2/10):  Attack: 8 Damage: 8

Slender Throwing Knives (3/10):  Attack: 16 Damage: 7

Slender Throwing Knives (4/10):  Attack: 20 Damage: 8

Slender Throwing Knives (5/10):  Attack: 19 Damage: 7

Qivys

The usually active dwarf is absent from the town proper. Peri, when coming and going from his room, may overhear the grumbles of the dwarf coming from behind closed doors. "Kasmen, did you see that?" "What do you mean you ate it?" "Bloody Stag. Wish it had never found me" can all be overheard in muted tones. He fails to answer the door if anyone comes knocking, however, half empty plates and completely dry kegs are piling up in the hallway.

Peri will continue splashing the mage hand and fire Eldritch blasts into the swarms. ((Let me know if you want rolls or if you're going to waive them, since eventually all of the grubs would be squished.))

Gerrard's five knives each strike individual grubs, but it's slow-going - that barely takes out half of one swarm.

Peri's Eldritch Blasts are more efficient, and soon the remaining grubs are destroyed.

The green, greasy water in the bilge now features a multitude of squashed grubs, floating in the inch or so of filthy water.

Gerrard:

Compared to hanging upside down in an ogre sack, this was pretty minor on the squeamish scale.  Gerrard hops down and starts retrieving his knives (having eventually thrown all 10 of them) and helps Peri look for valuables at the same time (helping him down to the bilge if he likes).

(Help Action — Perception/Investigation)

Edit:  If he thinks it will help, Gerrard will use his wind fan to blow the grubs and water away from the locations Peri is searching.

Peri:

He hops down into the filth of the bilge and heads toward the trash pile where he had seen the yellow glint. 7 (+4 if Perception, -1 if Investigation)

There's not much down here. Gerrard has to hunch, as there is barely four feet of headroom (plenty for Peri.) Your feet sink into the greasy sand under the shallow water. 

A number of rats eke out a precarious existence here, but they are of the normal variety and appear harmless. They skitter and hide as you walk forward.

A disappointingly paltry 2 gp - the source of the yellow glint - is found inside the nasty garbage island at the base of the mast.

Gerrard:

Shrugging at the pitiful haul, Gerrard says, "At least this will pay for a good dinner tonight.  Let's get back to the others and divide our treasure, then prepare to go to the goblin hole on the morrow.  What do you think, Master Fenwader?"

Peri:

"Aye, it's not a great haul, but I've cleaned the bilge for a lot less.  Still, no stone unturned, eh?" He will search the rest of the bilge, since they're already filthy.  17 (+4 if Perception, -1 if Investigation)

Satisfied there is nothing further to be gleaned from the ship, Peri will go up to the main deck and rinse himself off.  Looking up, he notices the crow's nest.  There's nothin' up there, you know.  Still, if you don't check you fret over it all day.  Might as well be done with it.  And who knows what you'll see from up there? He climbs the ladder to the crow's nest and looks around.  Afterward he'll head back to the Wicker Goat for a bath.

Qivys

The lunchtime patrons of the Goat jump in unison at the sound of an almighty crash. Moments later, empty kegs come rolling down the stairs, narrowly missing some of the slower diners. "Kasmen! Get back here you feathered fool." Another crash, this time echoed by what could only be a dwarven head hitting floorboards. Suddenly a half naked dwarf emerges from the stairs in hot pursuit of a brightly coloured bird. The bird frantically flapping and diving between the now standing guests. Qiv, dressed only in his undergarments, rushes past tables and people alike. The door to the bar opens, perfectly timed for an escaping parrot. And with that both are in the street. The stench of stale ale and sweat lingers in the tap room. The patrons organise their respective tables and take their seats, as if nothing has happened.

Peri finds nothing further of note in the bilge, nor in the crows' nest.

Peri, Gerrard, and Oceanus trudge back up the hill to the Goat, only to hear the lunch patrons - mostly off-duty guards and miners - tittering about a daft drunken naked dwarf chasing a bird through the tavern a short while earlier.

Gerrard:

Going to get cleaned up himself--though just his boots--Gerrard returns with the group's spoils of their latest few adventures.  During lunch, he works out how much each person should get and sets aside their share, though he counts on Peri to work out with Qivys and Dwal how to divide their spoils of adventure from the time before he joined them.  In any case, for the items that had direct monetary value he claimed, Gerrard reimbursed the party treasure so everything was fairly divided.

"Does this look right to you, Master Fenwader?" he asks, once they have finished lunch and he has everything divided properly.  "And do you think we can convince the dwarves to go with us to the goblin hole in the morning?" he adds as an afterthought.

Peri, Oceanus, and Gerrard sit in the Goat, digesting their lunch, and sorting out the arithmetic of their spoils.

Dwal has not been seen these past few days - he's been locked in his room at the Mining Company with his little dragonoid. It's not even clear if he's gone to work at the docks.

Qivys, meanwhile, is newly missing. He's been gone for a couple of hours now, clad only in his undergarments.

The Council meeting is in two more nights, so you still have a couple of days at your disposal. 

It's certainly possible to go to the goblin hole and back in one day, provided you don't get too lost or delayed.

Gerrard:

Gerrard counsels that we go visit the goblin hole in the morning, just to give us a cushion before the council meeting.

Qivys

If Qiv was of his right mind and not running around like a madman, he would certainly be interested in pursuing the proverbial goblin down the goblin hole.

Peri:

He peruses the noble's figures, rubbing his chin and nodding sagely with the occasional "hmm."  Then he shrugs and says, "I don't know.  I've no head for numbers.  But I trust you not to cheat me.  I'm livin' better than I ever have, and have more coin than I'd ever scratch up on my own, so even if you were cheatin' me I'm more than happy with that share, and so long as I never know I've been cheated I'll be none the worse, eh?  But if you want someone to check your sums, you should pry Dwal out of his room.  Don't know what's got him all discombobulated; we weren't at sea for even a full day.  I'm hopin' he's not regrettin' being all tangled up with us.  I checked with the carpenters and he hasn't even stopped by to criticize their 'shoddy human work!'  We might have a job of it gettin' him out of his room before the Council meeting, much less draggin' him all the way to the goblin hole."

((OOC: I'm on board with trying to check out the goblin hole before the council meeting, if Dwal is willing.  But if he wants to hole up for character reasons Peri won't push him and will spend a couple of days relaxing and training with the spear.  How many days between the ship returning and the council meeting so I can deduct living expenses? I deducted 1 gp for that first day; I'll deduct 1 gp + 1sp (to feed Elbin) for each day thereafter.))

That afternoon, he pulls Elbin aside and has a talk with the boy.  "I've done some askin' around, and Mrs. Owland has a reputation of bein' a fair boss.  No slackin', mind, but she'll treat you fair.  I'll be seein' her at the Council meeting and figure she'll be of a friendly mind toward us after bringin' in that ship, so I can ask her to take you on if that's what you want.  You've seen some life at sea, though that lot you were with aren't exactly a fair representation of a normal crew, but you know the work that goes into keepin' a ship afloat.  Are you still interested in bein' a sailor?  If it ain't for you, we'll look into some other options like the carpenter's guild, or maybe hirin' out to a farm.  Think about it and get back to me before the meeting.  I don't want to ask Eda Owland for a favor and then have you sully my good name in this town, so be sure it's what you're after."

Gerrard:

Expecting Qivys to eventually return to his room, Gerrard goes to seek out Dwal.  Knocking on his door, the noble says, "I have your share of the loot, should you want it, Brother Fiercehammer.  Also, if you would care to join us on the morrow, we will be setting out after breakfast to investigate the goblin hole."

When Qivys returns to the inn, Gerrard will seek him out and give much the same invitation.  If the streaking dwarf does not return by mid-afternoon, Gerrard will go out looking for him.

You have been in port four days now. The Council meeting will take place in two days from now, for a total of six days in port. (Make sure you pay your daily expenses corresponding to your lifestyle - a minimum of 5 sp for room & board at the Goat - see https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/equipment#Expenses )

Dwal is still absent, presumably still holed up in his room at the Mining Company. Gerrard knocks on his door but gets no response.
Qivys is missing, too; evidently still chasing his parrot somewhere in his underwear. Gerrard walks the streets in vicinity of the Goat, but finds no trace of the crazed dwarf.

Gerrard returns to the Wicker Goat, where he, Peri, and Oceanus continue to hash things out at the table, and discuss preparations for tomorrow's venture into the goblin hole. There's a growing afternoon crowd in the tavern - larger than usual, and quite a bit of ale is being tossed back by the patrons. A lot of loud, older men at the moment having multiple simultaneous arguments over very little.

Elbin has joined you in the tavern, and expresses his interest in a job. He is appreciative and respectful of Peri's help, and eager to take Peri up on his offer to help.

That's when the arguing patrons boil over into a brawl. A hugely obese and drunken off-duty guard tears a fake beard off a man in a green robe with a whip coiled at his waist, and a flurry of fists fly in all directions. Lankus shouts at the top of his lungs. It happens too quickly to even process what is happening, but the man in green is grappled in a bearhug and bum rushed out the door by the big guard and his buddies.

Elbin looks shocked, gawking at the man in green as he is hustled by. "...Uncle Kei...?"

Gerrard:

Gerrard will leave word (and a note under his door) for Dwal to join them in the morning if he cares to.  Failing to find the other dwarf as well, he sighs in exasperation and goes back to the inn after checking on the progress of the carpenter and making sure they get paid for their work and the raw materials.

Later, at dinner, Gerrard watches the proceedings with interest and prepares to join in the fight, but it is over almost before it started.  At Elbin’s quiet words, he turns and says to Peri, “I wonder if that is the man from the Styes we heard about a few days ago...Should we go help Elbin reunite with his kin?”