Shipwrecked in Saltmarsh

All is quiet, the animated dead now still. Curious items surround you in this dark, long-unvisited laboratory.

     We will obviously explore and poke at and sniff at everything in the room and the others.  These people were up to untold shenanigans and we want to get to the bottom of it!  The one limiting factor will be how much examining and taking the guards allow us to do, but until they tell us to stop it would be Fianna's goal to examine everything and to pocket anything possibly magical and/or valuable. Prestidigitation will be used to distract said guards, when needed.  Creating a sound outside the room for them to investigate, or an illusionary trinket for them to examine instead of the actual items we want to look at. 

Dain has a quick look around, wondering if any of his gear might be located here, but unhopeful.

Investigation: 0

Dain sees little but his own significant wounds he received in the battle with the skeletons. He is really beginning to feel them, now that his rage has subsided. There is no obvious sign of his gear.

Butter and Farley were already nervous going into the skeleton room, and even more uncomfortable approaching the dark laboratory. Fianna's tricks just cement that. They both exit back into the torchlit barracks room, looking nervously around for unseen enemies. Butter, unsteady on his feet and slurring a little, has taken charge of the mission after Seth's gruesome death. "Les go! Les go!" he commands. "We're done here!"

Fianna finds a golden apple, a golden rose, and a set of five small golden discs on the table. The table also holds small stacks of gold coins totaling 47 gp. There is also chemical apparatus on the bench - racks and crucibles and scales and similar equipment.

Molo says to Fianna: “Clearly an alchemist, turning things into gold.”

     “Let’s grab the gold and maybe come back for the equipment?” Fianna suggests to Molo.  “May be too delicate to just cram into a bag...”

     That said, Fianna crams all the gold stuffs into a bag.

     Walking out and looking to the guards she asks “we ready to check out the upper floors?”

Kelnan retrieves the purse and stone "I'll examine these more closely later" and looks over the desks and tables for any hidden objects like he found upstairs.

Investigation: 25

"Odd that this place appears unused. I doubt our dear departed friend has done much research lately. Now take good care with the book, that may just be worth giving an elf tenure!"

"There must be a ways down into the caves below here," Dain tells everyone.  "Keep searching this area for other ways out before we heads up."

     “They did seem to be eyeing that corner there,” Fianna says pointing to the lower left corner as one looks at the map.  “I couldn’t find a thing about it though.” Fianna gives a shrug and waits to see...

Quote from cbaer8 >>

Dain examines the shelves next, and notices something Fianna and Molo did not: some of the shelves slide away; there seems to be a camouflaged door or panel behind them.

"Hang on," replies Dain.  "Me thinks me saw something behind them shelves in that corner, before the fight.   Let's go look."   Dain takes the group over and points out what he saw.

Kelnan's examination of the table reveals a concealed drawer - opening it, he finds another book - this one clearly of an arcane nature.

Returning to the bunkroom, Dain points out a hidden, sliding panel behind the empty shelves in the southwest corner.

Farley pokes around in the well-lit bedroom and finds a fancy floor-length oilskin coat hanging in the wardrobe. He puts in on and grins at Butter.

Dain hefts his frilly mace, ready for whatever might come.  But he is happy to let the guards take the lead and isn't planning on being at the front when the door is opened, but he will be in front of his other companions (though behind the guards).

((I do t think guards are at camouflaged room by shelves?  Well either explore ourselves or drag their attention to it?))

Kelnan carefully places the hidden book in his pack, and slowly follows the group back out into the room as he turns the stone over in his hand. Upon seeing the fallen Seth again, he frowns, looks away, and tucks the stone into a pocket.

"Let's keep moving then. We'll have to come back for this one..."

Neither Butter nor Farley seem too keen on opening up the secret door. Farley is much too interested in modeling his new fancy coat, and Butter looks old and unsteady.

"Let'sgetouttahere," he slurs. "Burn this place down." He eyes the lit torch on the wall warily. He looks at the group of you in the corner with a mildly annoyed air. "We don' need t' pry every panel an' tile up."

"We've yet to find the smugglers," Katernin says, "the whole reason we came here."

     “You do not want justice for your fallen friend?  You’ll have scum kill him and you’ll burn the body to hide your shame?  You disgust me!” Fianna says with a snarl.  “Man up and help us, or flee.  But you burn anything without permission and you shall regret that dearly!”

Dain growls menacingly at the guards.   "Open yonder door now.  Don't makes me show you what I'm like when I really loses me temper..."

Intimidation: 23

Butter's face turns red as he growls, becoming agitated. "Ye' KILLED all th' smugglers, and me idiot commander, too! Ye' freaks are gonna git us all killed!" He throws up his hands. "Fine! Go play with demons fer all I care. If ye' ain't out in thirty minutes we're torchin' the place and takin' the steeds home. C'mon, Farley!" He storms out of the bunk, nearly smashing the first secret door as he heads to the stairs you came down. Farley looks uncertainly at you, but then follows Butter, has fancy robes flapping behind him.

Molo flicks his tongue across his dagger. 
“Glory is at hand. Not for them, though. Let’s go.” And he will lead the way onward to prying up the floor and wall to find the secret tunnel