Ambergris Cays exploration:

[Inferno]

"Hmm!" grunts Old Eli at the wreck. The ancient mariner squints so fiercely his entire face resembles a tight, sunburnt fist.
"What make ye o' that, lads? Looks recent. Thar might be crewmen in needin' o' help. Let's pull alongside, quiet now."

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc eyeing the shipwreck "Aye might see if there is anyone we might aid." the sea druid proceeds to row.

[OGRE MAGE]

Siggard just shrugs and continues rowing. He keeps an eye on his little friend so he doesn't get himself into trouble.

"I don't suppose they had a load of this ambergris on board before they sank." He mumbles to himself.

[Spearmint]

You find you can almost row your boat right up into the hull of the wreck. The stern and prow sperate by a massive ckeavage of the ship. It looks like a catastrophic explosion in the middle of the hull has ripped the ship apart. Certainly the above water timbers show signs of serious burning from oil and what sails are left fly ragged and singed in the breeze. A couple of cannon lie cockeye under the water line, more ship accruements can be seen in the shallow waters. The merchant vessel took a savage beating and is beyond salvage. The only place above the water that offers any hope is through what you might expect to be the officers quarters under the stern deck. A door lies on a broken hinge and a dark room lies beyond.

Rowing closer to the wreck you can see that an anchor lies weighed off the stern, as if the ship was berthed here rather than ran aground. The smell from further around the coast is sickly, of rotting vegetation. It is almost nauseous but the breeze dissipates the worst of it.

actions please, if any folk wish to leave the jolly and clamber aboard the wreck, dive in the stricken hulls of row further around the cape of the island.

[Inferno]

"Be this a cannoneer accident? Or be this a pirate attack?" Old Eli grunts in a hush as his wild eyes squint fiercely at the horizons for other ships.

Then, if he sees nothing, he looks for a way aboard the wreck.

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc looks around at the mention of pirates "Pirates or maybe the natives?" the druid too looks around if not seeing any pirates or hostile natives he to will look for a way to board the wreck.

[OGRE MAGE]

Siggard

"Could be a magical experiment gone wrong too, I suppose. You never know aboard ships these days. Everyone is always looking for some kind of an advantage out here on the high seas."

The mage follows the others if there is room for him to board. He seems very interested in what might be found aboard if his hypothesis is correct.

[Spearmint]

'Gin' Van de Poel rows between the broken hull halves and ties off the jolly to a part of the mast. It is a short step onto the flooded deck, with the boat at odd angles the footing looks a bit insecure but what remains of the deck, even below the waterline appears quite solid. The sides of the ship and several areas of mast looks riddled with shrapnel, grape shot and chain shot effects. The deck however has been blasted from inside with shocking splinters of wood protruding upwards like long thin glass shards. VdP shins up the remains of the mast to look out, scanning in every direction with a crossbow loaded ready for any unknown and unseen threat.

Several small shapes dodge in and out of the hull as you look below deck, small fry fish picking a feast from grain and staples leaking from in the hull. You will need to dive inside to inspect below decks further. The ship is a small merchant galleon, and seems to have just the single cargo hold. No armaments can be seen on deck though as mentioned before some do cannon lie slipped in the water. The top of the stern castle and wheel have been burned, this looks a deliberate fire. Maybe a boarding party got here first and ransacked the ship before you, leaving it to burn and beach on the reef? From the design of the doors and smashed cabin, the merchant vessel was intricately decorated and carved, star shapes, dolphin designs, octopi. A gypsy trading vessel perhaps?

actions please if you want to either swim below decks into the hull, enter the dry quarters above or follow the stink, or something else.

[Inferno]

Old Eli whispers, "Best we be stickin' together, lads, and keepin' real quiet-like."
The hoary sea priest advances toward the dry quarters and tries the door.

[OGRE MAGE]

Siggard follows the lead of the old salt, hoping to get a look inside of the quarters to see if anything was left behind.

He whispers to anyone listening. The way this looks, they might have had a store of gunpowder below decks. We might find something below the waterline if those who were here before us were lazy or couldn't swim.

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc nods agreeing with the old salts wise words "I'd prefer to stay out of the drink this time." the sea druid follows suit to the dry quarters and assists if need be in opening the door.

[Spearmint]

With Van de Poel staying guard over the boat, the three wade cautiously from the jolly across the stricken deck. Despite his desire to stay out of the water, it is knee deep in places until you step up into the rear stern quarters. The outer door lies on a broken hinge, so access is easy. The entrance room is about 10'ft deep and 30'ft across, running the width of the vessel. A broken stained glazed window at each end. Several bench seats are fitted along the sides, their seat hinges open or torn and contents spewed across the floor. Raincoats, blankets, colourful gowns, tambourines and smashed picture frames. Two doors, sway open, moving with the swell of the ship. One iron bound and imposing, is in the centre, the slimmer pink and floral decorated second off to the left side. A decaying smell, not fish but of a macabre nature comes from the larger centre room. The entrance has signs of fire from the ceiling deck above, though the fire seems not to have taken hold inside. The way the door was smashed open to gain entrance makes you think this was perhaps a last bastion before combat became too close and too personal. On the far right a small closed trapdoor seems to be another entrance to below decks.


actions please

[Inferno]

"Gin Van de Poel, I've not heard ye to be a lily-livered man. Tie her off an' join us, lad. She'll be fine. And we'll be needin' all hands on deck," Old Eli whispered.

The ancient mariner crept to the door with the macabre smell and listened at it. If he heard nothing, he'd nod once at his fellow crewmen and open it.

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc stands aside allowing Eli room to do what he will before following the old salt. Keeping quiet as he was asked.

[OGRE MAGE]

In his usual compulsive manner, Siggard begins to pick up the scattered goods. He looks closer at all of the clothing and the tambourine, wondering if any of it is salvageable. He has always wanted to play with a minstrel, but always lacked the proper instrument.

He watches out for the others as they begin to enter the room of certain death.

[Spearmint]

Face shakes the bells of a tambourine, it rattles like a snake tail. Rather ominous as the maw of certain death opens into the cabin waiting to swallow the impulsive who enter.

Elijah finds a room wrecked, Tables overturned and cabin bunk hacked to bits, chests and drawers scavenged, contents spilled out across the room. Likewise the two bodies who lie dead, hacked and quartered ferociously, just hunks of shark bait remain. A head stands on the end of a spear like a welcoming bust. It is grisly as a sight and the stink attracts only carrion birds and crabs through the broken window.

The room doubles as an office and bedchamber. Again lots of loose clothing and bed fabrics remain, great for a bazaar but hardly ballroom fashion. A bookshelf offers hope of something interesting though most volumes lie scattered on the floor. Siggard and Pocc wait in the entrance for Elijah's death cries but get none. Van de Poel arrives with crossbow loaded. Impulsive too he fires at the head on the spear, it groans not as it's forehead is blasted with a bolt. "Just in case," he shrugs.

actions if you want to specifically search an area or a casual search or move next door or below

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc will go directly to the bookshelf and examine the scattered volumes carelessly scattered as if by some illiterate moron. "So careless." is the only comment.

[Inferno]

"Any of ye recognize this handiwork, lads?" Old Eli asks in a gravelly hush.
His wild eyes regard the spear. "Island savages p'rhaps?"

The sea priest rifles through the desk and bookshelf looking for answers.

[OGRE MAGE]

Siggard speaks as the others advance further inside.

Careless? I think that was probably the point here.

I have never seen the likes of monsters that would do something like this, and I sure wouldn't want to run into them now. Lets get this search over with quickly. We only have so much daylight and I think we better check those abandoned buildings soon so we can make a better camp for ourselves tonight.

On a whim, the mage casts his detect magic cantrip and looks around the place, hoping to find something that the pirates accidentally left behind.

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc "Doubt it be the work of pirates, but someone or something else sure to spear a head after cutting it off."