Ambergris Cays exploration:

[Spearmint]

It becomes apparent quite quickly that most items of immediate value have been taken from the cabin. The collection of cloaks, silken bedsheets and tailored clothing good sell nicely but you'd need to carry a big day sack full of stuff. Casting a spell, Siggard scans the room. One horse hair trimmed cloak radiates a faint glimmer as does a calendar left on the floor. Some pages are missing or ripped but the calendar shows various gypsy scenes. One page shows a birthday party and a man fanning his fingers. Flames radiate out to light up the cake candles. Looking at the text under the picture, you feel the numbers and letters rearrange themselves to become the words of a Burning Hands spell. A similar picture portrays a bazaar with halo tyoe outlines over a couple of items. This is Nystul Magic Aura spell. You may take the calendar and either cast the spell once as a scroll or attempt to learn and inscribe these new incantations in your spell book.

The two bodies appear an older man and a elder youth. No weapons are left with them but scattered about the floor are the remains of 43sp and one Iberian doubloon.

Apart from the cloak, the rest if the quality garments might fetch upwards of 50gp. You could change into them instead ( if you like gaudy Versace stuff).

The cabin has only the one door, so after searching you retire to the entrance.

Next moves please, you have a flooded trapdoor and a side cabin or go elsewhere.

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc "Shall we try the side cabin next?"

[Inferno]

"Aye lad," grunts Old Eli after he bites an Iberian doubloon with his cracked yellow teeth.

"Ready now," he whispers before he opens that door.

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc giving Eli the thumbs up sign to indicate he is ready.

[OGRE MAGE]

Siggard grabs up the magical calander and stows it away in his pack to study later. He picks up the cloak and inspects it thoroughly for anything nasty before donning it himself.

He watches the others backs as they head for the next cabin door.

[Spearmint]

'Gin'Van de Poel , finishes a random bottle of half empty wine, swigging from the bottle. He raises his glass to salute the grisly visage, [d]"Cheers."[/d] he says before covering the speared head and bodies with some bedsheets. He follows out of the quarters, wary of the trapdoor opening, though whatever comes that way would surely have gills. He shrugs at the question regarding who may be responsible for the attack. No native tribes about unless marauding from a long way off. Iberians can be ruthless, a pirate crew, maybe even this Djebel Tarik.

Siggard , puts on the cloak, within a few moments you feel warmer and drier. The two spell inscribed calendar pages put away you both follow Elijah and Pocc into the side cabin.

Elijah listens at the cabin door, he hears nothing and it is slightly ajar. Opening it he steps in...

The three men behind you suddenly hear a young girl scream in fear, two pistol blasts go off almost simultaneously and Elijah slumps to the floor, gripping his chest.

actions please

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc tries to drag Eli out so that he can begin casting a healing spell. Cure Light Wounds [1d8] = 2

[OGRE MAGE]

Siggard is almost happy to hear the shots fired, until he sees his new friend lying on the deck bleeding that is. He looks at Gin and motions towards his crossbow before springing into action.

He reaches into the sleeve of his puffy shirt and pulls out his own firearm as he rushes towards the door. Hoping that whoever did the shooting is now doing some reloading, he throws open the door to see what he can see inside.

If he spots a threat, he fires off his pistol as he charges inside the room.

Pistol Attack [1d20] = 11 Damage [2d4] = 5 Man, I haven't hit anything using this roller in about 2 months.

[Spearmint]

Elijah Crowthorne, hits the deck clutching his chest. He doesn't croak or crow much just gasps for breath.Pocc, immediately seized the old mariner by the ankles and tries to drag his heavy frame through the slim cabin frame. He expects to be leaving a trail if blood behind but rolling him over abd placing his hand upon Elijah's chest to cast his CLW, he finds Ni bullet wound.

Siggard cones in all guns blazing, well just the one. He misses, but is not sure what he his aiming at. A ghostly apparition dissipates in front of his eyes.

There is another body in the floor of the cabin. A teenage girl in nightdress, a pistol lays at her feet. The body has a point blank wound to the temple as if she shot herself.

Gin kicks open the door but finds no one to fire at.

Actions please

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc "What just happened? Something very wrong here."

[OGRE MAGE]

Siggard grabs up the pistol to see if it has indeed just been fired. He also inspects the female to see if there is anything he can do for her.

What did you see in here, Eli?

[Spearmint]

Elijah, recovering slightly due to the healing arts of Pocc is still momentarily stunned. Searching for a pistol wound you just find severe bruising around his heart probably from some 'unseen internal damage. He is winded and due to being stunned only able to take defensive actions for the next couple of rounds. Van de Poel heaves his limp body onto the cabin mattress. Siggard checks over the pistol and body. The body has lain fallen by the cabin for several days, the pistol barrel cold. The girls brains splattered on the wall and broken glazed pane. It seems as if Elijah was attacked by some ghostly apparition, replaying the terrified girl's last traumatic moments before shooting herself.

A search of the room finds both teenage and young baby girlie clothes, cuddly toys and broken gypsy musical toys, a clockwork cat, a small telescope ( lens smashed), wind chimes and crib mobile. Out of the window a long thin sheet lies, a wooden hook attached to the end. Looking out of the window you see nothing floating on the reef surf but get a nauseating smell from further around the coast. With a half bloating body beginning to stink, the smell in the cabins is not so welcoming.

actions please

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc "I'm beginning to think we should just leave this wreck it appears there weren't survivors left behind and nothing of value to salvage."

[OGRE MAGE]

Siggard inspects the pistol in detail, trying to determine its quality. He just chuckles at the "nothing of value" comment as he tries to determine the guns worth. He reloads his own pistol, stowing it away as secretly as possible. He then loads the new weapon as well, if it seems sound.

He wonders how accurate he could be firing one pistol from each hand, just like the captain does. He assumes the position, aiming both guns out over the horizon. An instant later, he realizes what he is doing and quickly stops his shenanigans.

These people deserve a better resting place than lying here being eaten by the local fauna. Something terrible has happened here. And I think we will find more evidence of that if we follow our noses.

Sig pulls up the hook for a closer look, takes the cat and anything else that will fetch a few gold, then speaks again before departing.

Do you think there is anything left of value below the waterline? We could stop searching for that black goo right now if this hold is filled with gold.

[Spearmint]

The team debate next actions as Elijah slowly recovers from being stunned. The incident has left an indelible mark upon him. "Perhaps we should bury the poor lass, give her soul rest and comfort in the arms if her gypsy god."

Sea Reverend Crowthorne takes the girls body and carefully wraps it in a blanket and sheet, tying her hair back and prepares her for a burial on land. While he does this 'Gin' Van de Poel takes the bedsheets rope and hook, fastening himself on and gives an end to the druid Pocc to hold.

"I'll take a dive through the trapdoor, any nonsense down there and I'll tug twice. You tug once, and fast to bring me up." He opens the trapdoor in the entrance, a step ladder goes down but after a few rungs descends underwater and into the dark of the hull. Dagger in hand he holds his breath and jumps in...

...it is a few rounds later that VdP emerges through the splintered hull sections in the middle of the boat. A large reef pike and a small chest his only trophies. "There are bodies down in the hull. Sailors shot by cannon action. The vessel broke her back quickly. Not much is left, a lot of grain stock is just a feast for fish who in turn are a feast for predators like this toothy one. I haven't been under the prow end but this stern section is a soup of random brik-a-brak."

Not bothering to check for traps on the chest he opens it, the expectation of finding a pile of doubloons quickly erased by several leather and shiny buckled boots and shoes, ladies fashion ware. Another bazaar sale to reap a few silvers.

He doesn't sound hopeful of finding any further goodies of value, instead changing into some dry clothes from the officers cabin.

Siggard practice's being quick on the draw. Face mimics his actions with a couple of found banana fruit. The mage realises he needs to practice more or face death by banana every time.

Returning to your jolly, it is a short journey to the shoreline and Elijah carried the young girl to a place he can dig a small grave, marked with loose rocks and a small ankh shaped branch.

It is early evening, you can progress inland to search for the remains of a farm that once occupied the centre or use the remaining light to walk around the coast. On land the nauseous smell is greater, not overpowering but an ever present waft carried by the west blowing breeze.

Elijah perks up, not sure if another ghostly sound, he shakes his head not sure if Poseidon is playing tricks with him. He thought he heard a muffled baby cry.

Scenting the tiny powder and nugget of Ambergris that you have, the smell from around the coast us nothing like it.

Inferno has to withdraw from the game so I will NPC him for now. I narrated over a search of the boat, to save time, there isn't much left there. Next actions please.

[OGRE MAGE]

Siggard makes a suggestion to nobody in particular.

"Lets investigate that stink, and possibly the crying. Then we need to get to those buildings before nightfall!!! I don't want to deal with another episode like last night. I could use a nice enclosed bedroom to sleep in for a change!"

He helps out with the sad chore of Eli's and tries to motivate the others to get moving towards the bad smell.

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc being motivated by Eli and Siggard gets up to see what is going on "Lets investigate then. I agree I don't want to deal with fighting off more of the local inhabitants to rest. I was imagining the smell was from ambergris, but then again I fear it may well be a sight not unlike what we saw on that wrecked ship."

[Spearmint]

Having dug a small grave and cairn of loose rocks for the unnamed gypsy girl, the party stow the boat safely on land and walk around the coast to tge southern cape of Big Ambergris Cay. This island is much greener and from a distance you can see the remains of attempts to cultivate neat rows of wild sisal, crabby orchard trees and vines. It looks a tangled mess with lots of overgrowth and wild bushes fighting for space and access to rare irrigation pools.

Around the coast the beaches of small pebbly coves give way to wave wracked steep drops and then a thick barrier of prickly pear cacti and wild thorn bushes. Beyond that you can see the reef which is thick with seaweed in massed clogs and a sheltered cove boarded with straggly palm trees, bent over heavy with fruit, hunched like cripples. They bear a large melon sized fruit, yellowish and taut blue with purple bruising. Several have fallen and split their membranes open, rotting in the sun they give off a sick nauseating, vomiting inducing smell.

Somewhere in the distance a baby cries.

Elijah, "Could be the sorry lass put out a crib or raft for a babe to escape on." he muses, knowing what it is like to be desperately stranded. Maybe the ghost he encountered is playing on his imaginations. He rubs his chest, still sore from a spectral pistol wound and ties his tartan ribbon around his face like a mask.

'Gin' Van de Poel , does likewise, loading his crossbow. He taps Pocc, "Maybe we pair up and go this way, them pair go to the right."

Taking a dagger he begins to cut a narrow way through the cacti towards the cape and rock strewn seaweed filled reef.

actions please and let me know if you prepare any spells....and oh yes, give me a d20 roll each please as you go.

[OGRE MAGE]

Siggard

Seeing no immediate threats, Sig lets Face tear around in the brush and trees, wondering if the primate can spot something that the humans cant.

He nods to Eli as if he understands the reason for splitting the group. "Two sets of four eyes is better than one set of eight I guess. Lets go around to the right and see if we can find this baby before it becomes a menu item for the mini monsters on this rock."

With that, the mage moves through the bush to seek the source of the crying. His pistols are out and aimed and ready.

Random d20 [1d20] = 3

[GreyWolfVT]

Pocc half shrugs "I guess that works, then shall we divide and conquer if there be any enemies?" the sea druid will do as suggested spiting into two groups and proceeding on. Despite a nagging thought of dividing forces being a bad idea.

Random d20 Roll [1d20] = 11