"Let's move quickly… I don't want to have to humor that guard for any longer than I absolutely need to," Claire says, shuddering slightly.  What I would have given for a spark of magic right then, she thinks bitterly to herself.  Her unreliable talent had somehow landed her on this journey, but she couldn't so much as produce a spark - let alone fend off one lecherous crewmate with anything more than brute force.  Maybe once I get out of here, I'll run away from it all and find a proper teacher.

The stubborn thought is as fleeting as a drifting cloud, quickly blown away by the heavy chains of responsibility to her family and her duty.  And what exactly would a proper teacher do, anyway, when she had no reliable skill to speak of?  Even the most fledgling of magical acolytes could accomplish more at a young age than she'd ever managed in 21 years.  She'd almost hoped she'd be able to pull some result out under duress, but if Burt had shown her anything, it was exactly how powerless she was.  This 'sensitivity' of hers to magic was nothing more than that - an awareness of the ebb and flow of arcane power around her, in much the same vague and obscure way as catching a whiff of the ocean breeze in the rank air of the ship's hold.  

She flexed her fingers, feeling the weight of the manacles on her wrists.  Well.  At least I can still use these to put that man in a chokehold, if need be.  Her family might have tried to eradicate any hints of the arcane in her life, but they'd spared no expense on her martial training.  It was best not to let the talents she did have go to waste.

Vaclav looks to the others. "We should wait till we're in port. Best not to get caught with things we shouldn't have." 

Salazar keeps the keys pinned to his side, seeking a place to hide them until it is time for them to be used. 

The moth is captivated by Ralfi's mesmeric words.  It tries to flutter out to do his bidding but after a few moments flitters back and reports that it cannot find a way out.   You realise that this room is below the waterline so there are no port holes.  And the only door out is shut.  It seems you are going to have to get that door open to release the moth.

It must be evening time as you'd just had your last gruel delivered by Burt and now you come to turn your attention to the ship you realize that the typical pitch and yaw of the ship at sea has subsided.   Almost as if to confirm your suspicions you hear the tell-tale rattle of the ship's anchor being released and the chains running out.  You realize this means the ship must have hove-to in some sort of secluded cove or bay for the night.

If tonight is anything like a usual night, you'd not expect to see any more from the ship's crew until the morning.  Depending on the morning winds and tides you might expect to be called upon to row at dawn when the ship sets sail once more.

Of course, under normal circumstances Burt would still have his set of keys dangling from his waistband.  Sooner or later, you realize, he is going to notice they are missing...

Vaclav looks to the others. "It's not a port but it's near land. Shall we start this?" 

Salazar smells DISGUSTING.  Usually, the man, in order to preserve good business, was clean if not perfumed.  And now, he hasn't cleaned in a long time.  At the moment, Salazar has been pinning the keys to his body as if he had some kind of stomach ache, trying to prevent the keys from jangling.  Several new layers of anxiety sweat make the man sheen.  What was I thinking... what was I thinking?  I can't do this.  It is all the man can do not to cry.  If he gets discovered, he will be thrown overboard or beaten or have his hands chopped off or... Wait, no that last doesn't make sense.  Then they wouldn't be able to make me row...  Anyway, bad things would happen.

Salazar watches the somehow dirtier man talk to a moth.  Poor bloke's gone mad.  

-After some time-  The ship has stopped.  They dropped the anchor.  Oh, we may have a chance.  Salazar checks for the guards and hears Vaclav say that it is now time.  "Agreed."  Salazar fishes out the blessed liberating keys.  He starts trying to find the key which will unlock his freedom, testing them against the lock in his shackles.

Nos Heliwr looks around in the dark gloom of the hold, "I figur' nows th' time me buckos fer us t' do a little dance outta this place, eh!" There is more than a touch of excitement in his tone.  He will rummage around under his rags in a rather furtive manner and, upon 'finding' some lock picks begin working on his manacle lock.

12 With a soft click the lock springs open and Nos Heliwr swings into action, heading for the ladder leading to the rowing deck and 'hiding' in the shadows to guard against any unwanted visits.  As he goes he'll whisper to Salazar, "I'll be watching fer the guards, you free the others 'n try t' find our gear.  The die are cast this moment and 'tis do 'r die."  He pulls a thin wire from his hair and deftly make a loop, one end slipped through an 'eye, (there is one at each end of the wire) takes a steel needle from his mouth and fits it into the other small loop so that it makes a 'T' handle that will allow him to pull the loop of the garrotte tight without cutting his hands; then he goes still in the shadows, patient as a spider.

Vaclav pulses a bit of flame in his hand to give Salazar enough light to make his task easier. prestidigitation

Aided by Vaclav's magical light Salazar uses the keys and soon finds a match.  He springs his own manacles, quickly releasing himself.

 With the door to the main hold now open a tiny moth flutters out of the door and past Nos Heliwr's guard position at the foot of the ladder up.  It drifts on lazy currents up to the oar deck and out of sight, off to scout the lay of the land for Ralfi.

Did he just pull a picker set out of...  Wait.  One thing at a time.  Forehead glistening with sweat, Salazar finds the right key.  "Thanks, magician.  Alright, now time to let you all out.  Once we do that, we can start getting our gear.  I think it's back there."  

He goes to release everyone else, starting with Vaclav, then Claire.  "You did a good job distracting the guards so I could snag these, Pink.  Could you keep watch to make sure your lover doesn't surprise us and make any loud noises?"

Vaclav heads slowly towards where Salazar indicated their things might be, since it matches with his own mental map. 

Stealth: 10

Claire rubs her aching wrists as the manacles pop free.  She gives a grim smile to Salazar.  "Just find me my gear.  I'm ready to take on these guys with my bare hands, but it will be that much more satisfying if I have my blade with me."  She pauses, and spares a look at the other prisoners.  "What of them?" she whispers.  "I think we should free them as well.  No one deserves the life of a slave.  If you think they'll cause too much trouble, we can wait until after we've taken care of these slavers, but we can't just abandon them on this ship."  There's a glint of determination in her eyes; it's clear that Claire is not going to leave the other slaves to their otherwise miserable fate.

Claire moves as quietly as she can across from Nos and gives the other man a quick nod.  Then she crouches down and closes her eyes in concentration, relying on her ears to tell her what the guards are doing, and if any are approaching the steps.  

(Perception for hearing: 12)

Vaclav looks back over his shoulder at the other prisoners. "Do any of you want to try your luck now that there's more hope? Or are you just waiting to find out the conclusion? Best get up on your feet a fight."

(Claire can you add a Stealth check to your Perception check please?)

The other prisoners look scared out of their wits and entirely uninterested in joining you crazy fools who are preparing to make an escape and perhaps take on the guards.  The life of a slave is a desperate one, but it also sucks the will out of you.  You don't think you'll get any luck convincing anyone else to join this mad cap scheme, but suspect that if you were to somehow deal with the guards, the slaves would probably appreciate being released.

Vaclav has quietly reached the door which leads aft from the main hold (aft out of Area 26).  Claire and Nos Heliwr are both guarding the ladder up to the deck above.   What are Ralfi and Salazar doing?

Claire stealth: 16

Salazar, seeing that the others unwilling to effect an escape doesn't waste his time with them once he is free.  Instead, he runs to where he suspects the gear is, searches for the key on the ring, and seeks to unlock it.

Salazar rushes across the cargo hold, around all the stashed crates of who-knows-what and reaches the aft door, next to Vaclav.  The two of them look through the keys on Burt's ring but quickly ascertain that these keys don't fit the lock on the door they are faced with.  You assume that Burt doesn't have permission to access whatever is through this door for some reason.

You are aware that the ladder Claire and Nos Heliwr are guarding leads up to the lower deck, where an aft ladder descends into the space which must, logically, lie behind this door.   So there is another route you can take but it means venturing up onto the higher deck.

About this time a small moth flutters past Nos Heliwr and Claire and lands on Ralfi's outstretched fingers.   It proceeds to do a strange little dance in his hands, fluttering its wings and turning intricate circles.

The big floating tree is bobbing in the sea. 
The shore is nearby, just a short fly.
The beach is grassy, the flies are crunchy.
A river flows, slow and fat
I flew back here when I saw a bat.