After a long silence the party follows Emerion along the ladderways and out of the ship next to the main deck. The stairs emerge quite close to the door to the captain's cabin.
Kenan starts up towards where the party are interested, looking out for danger at every turn. He flicks his fins at each step.
Emerion carefully examines the door to the captains cabin ...
Perception:
If he can hear nothing, find no traps and it is not locked, he will carefully open it. If it is locked, there are traps or it is otherwise required ...
Disable Device:
Heather removes a pair of bracers from the body and checks them for their power.
Spellcraft 1d20+12
However she is unable to determine the nature of the enchantment and decides to wit for a more opportune time to test them.
"Don't forget that we're going to need to provide a reciept for anything we take out of here."
Jeorik follows along after Emerion, weapon at the ready.
If Kenan notices anything out of the ordinary, he will warn Emerion with hand signals before the lock picks get used.
"Unless the hag was a passenger, I doubt her gear counts," Emerion chuckles grimly.
"I know this might seem..strange coming from me but ..well..couldn't we just..lie about what we found down here?" Heather asks "I mean why is the Queen so interested in this wreck all off a sudden..there wasn't any hint of an official salvage crew until we began asking around"
"Well, let's wait and see what we find first," Emerion replies. "I confess I have little faith in the Queen's desire to unravel this mess except insofar as it suits her ambition," he grins briefly at the others. "Myself I'd rather see a little more justice."
Neither Kenan nor Emerion find anything amiss. The door to the captain's cabin is not locked, but does seem to be stuck -- or barred from the inside. A little further examination by Emerion rules out a bar. You'll need some force, and perhaps a little leverage.
Heather and Jeorik:
"Time for a little less finesse," Emerion mutters, and sets his foot to the door as hard as he can.
Strength:
Emerion's fins slip and he pushes himself away from the door.
"Oh, quite impressive..." Istas laughs. She swims forward and gestures for Jeorik to help her push together.
strength:
Despite the decent amount of pain he is still experiencing from his untended wounds, Jeorik nevertheless tries to push the door open with as much strength as he can muster.
Kenan pushes Emerion back towards the front of the party again. And keeps his eyes firmly on Istas and Jeorik's efforts.
Jeorik muscles open the door.
Inside you see:
The sheets of a canopied bed twist like ghosts above the snapped wooden bed frame and wreck of a desk. A broken sea chest completes the scene along with a few other bits of ruined furnishings.
"I'm clearly better known for my brains and looks than for my muscles," Emerion laughs. "Thank you, friend Jeorik. Let's see what we can see in here ..."
Emerion carefully sifts through the remains of the shattered cabin ...
Perception:
Nothing else of interest. The desk drawers are empty except for a few writing supplies.
What was in the sea chest?
Some non-descript clothes, a couple of scrimshaw trinkets, a few other personal effects. All jumbled up.
Kenan takes a moment to slide one hand into his top and quietly calls on his faith twice. A black wave of energy drives out rippling the water as it hits each person. Just as quickly the energy fades and is gone. Then it happens again.
Jeorik, having recieved healing from Kenan, asks ERastil to finish the process
Laying on hands twice:
"This ... this isn't right. The captain should have charts, a log-book, at the very least," Emerion looks about, puzzled. He then checks the wooden walls and floor for any concealed compartments.
Perception (again):
Kenan fins in and starts looking around for secret panels in the cabin. He enacts detect magic to help him search more carefully.
"Maybe he took it elsewhere when the ship sank," I say, but I help in tossing the submerged room for any further clues.
Aiding in the search, maybe:
Caught in the waving sheets is an odd mask. It is plain leathe, lined with cotton cloth and sporting a long proboscis. You have all seen persons wearing such a mask on the streets of Korvosa since the plague began, official persons in the company of Korvosan Guards.
Heather pales slightly.."And that answers my question neatly " The young noblewoman looks grim.."If the Queens Physicians are mixed up with this then perhaps she has been guided by false counsel otherwise this bodes worse tidings....we can't let them know what we found down here."
At the sight of the mask, the face of Istas tightens grimly with a coldness she reserves only for those who truly kindle her anger.
"If this ship brought the plague to Korvosa...and the Queen's Physicians are supposedly the single group trusted and empowered to advise her on it...then this mask is the greatest clue we could ever find in this wreck. Did the physicians perhaps come to Korvosa aboard this ship and quietly slip away in their rowboats while having it continue to sail within reach of the city's catapults? That would be insidious indeed. As the wrecked vessel would then take its cargo of disease-ridden coffers to the bottom of the river, only to have them slowly drift to shore for the people of Korvosa to find...and consequently, infect themselves."
"I'm already of the belief that a cult of Urgathoa...the Pallid Princess of disease and undeath...is active in the city," the priestess explains, "I believe the derro we saw in Potter's Ward are involved with them. But these Queen's Physicians may be as well. I hope they've merely deceived her. But, if she's a willing accomplice in this intentional sickness, she too could be a supporter of the cult...perhaps in an effort to weaken Korvosa or eliminate it of citizens she finds undesirable or unsupportive of her rule."
"I realize that's a very treasonous thing to theorize. And I feel safer bringing it up here, under the river and out of earshot of the Guard or the Maidens. But we also need to carefully consider what we'll do with this mask. Do we take it straight to the Field Marshall? Do we tip our hand to the physicians by accusing them publicly? Do we risk the direct wrath of the Queen if she's involved? We need to think on these things...and now, while we're alone and no one else knows what we've found."
"Does anyone know who these physicians are?" Emerion asks. "I've yet to see one without their mask on. Rumour has it, though, that they are ineffective - which makes much sense. Istas, is there any way that the servants of Urgathoa can be recognised."
CrimsonDM
Kenan:
Heather nods at Istas' words.."You are right..it is treason we consider..but then our actions regarding Trinia were not exactly in the most loyal vein were they...I for one hope that the Physicians have mislead Ileosa..because the alternative is too dreadful to contemplate. Yet her actions to date have not been in the best interests of the city..Take the Maidens for instance they are hers not Korvosa's.A way of the Queen to control the populace through fearfrom what I have gleaned of their methods...mind you with my dear sister in charge I am not in the least surprised Sabina always did like to torment those weaker than she was."
Jeorik, anti-monarchist that he is, nevertheless tries to be as charitable as possible in his thoughts, "It is possible, of course, that we are making a horse out of a pig-skin, so to speak. There could be more than one explanation for this being here. But either way, probably best to simply leave the mask somewhere else on our way up, somewhere on the bottom of the river. If this is a deception meant to harm the reputation of the queen and the city, then it is undone by 'not being discovered,' and if it is a legitimate clue, then it is of the sort that is best kept close to the heart until a more solid link can be established."
"If you want, I can hold the mask rather than risk it being swept downriver. And, with Pharasma's aid, I can walk my way across the bottom to the far side and then make it back to the Grey District. If the men above ask what happened to me, you can tell them I remained below to commune with the dead. If that doesn't deter them, just explain the ship's bodies have been savaged and taken further downstream by the sharks...and that I've gone to calm their spirits so the salvage operation can continue unhindered by haunts and ghosts."
"That's all very well and good, but if you remove the mask in that way, what use will it serve us later? Seems like an awful lot of effort for no actual benefit. Its not like you can bring it to court later and claim you found it at the bottom of the river,not after working to make sure that nobody knew you found it at the bottom of the river. And if we have to testify, the word of witnesses is going to stand with or without the actual mask, which detractors would just say we had taken from one of the actual healers."
"In the meantime, shall we search the rest of the ship to see if there is evidence of anything else?"
"Now you see it ..." Emerion takes the mask.
Slight of Hand:
"... now you don't." The mask vanishes beneath Emerion's mail.
"That's all very well and good, but if you remove the mask in that way, what use will it serve us later? Seems like an awful lot of effort for no actual benefit. Its not like you can bring it to court later and claim you found it at the bottom of the river,not after working to make sure that nobody knew you found it at the bottom of the river. And if we have to testify, the word of witnesses is going to stand with or without the actual mask, which detractors would just say we had taken from one of the actual healers."
"I see your point. However, even if we bring it up for the others to see, they may think we carried it down here with us to plant as evidence anyway."
"So, what do you suggest? That we leave it here for them to find? Will they even report it if they do? Or, if they report it, will the information actually be made public? If the Queen or her advisors are in league with this cult, they could more easily suppress what's been found if they only have to concern themselves with the salvage crew."
"Hmmm...you present an interesting dilemma, Jeorik. And, for once, I'm not sure I can divine an answer from Pharasma's will in this..."
"Now you see it ..." Emerion takes the mask. "... now you don't." The mask vanishes beneath Emerion's mail.
"That's a neat trick. If we do take it out of here, perhaps it's best that you carry it."
"In the meantime, shall we search the rest of the ship to see if there is evidence of anything else?"
"Yes. Let's proceed. In the end, though, I think it's best that we take this mask to the Field Marshall. She's stood by us on everything else we've done on the city's behalf. And, though her hands were likely tied in the Trinia matter, at least Blackjack helped solve that error. Let's keep looking and see what else we can find. Maybe there are other clues that will help reinforce this one?"
"Then let us search everywhere we can," Emerion nods agreement.
You've gone through the entire aft portion of the ship, except the lower hold, or orlop which you skipped earlier. That leaves the main deck ...
Reemerging from the captain's cabin you see nothing unusual on the deck. Of course you can only see 20' or so. Peering over the edge of the quarterdeck you can see back to the binnacle, the wheel, and another humanoid figure, bobbing in the current behind the wheel.
Approach the figure with caution ...
Stealth:
I once more adopt a position of support, moving behind Emerion.
Heather follows along behind knowing she has little in the way of magical strength left if this becomes another deadly struggle.
The humanoid form is the corpse of a rather scrawny man dressed in a long leather overcoat. He is shackled to the helm, the steering wheel, of the ship.
"I think you may gain more information by asking this poor soul's soul your questions, sister Istas. I would surmise that he was shackled to the wheel before the rest of the crew abandoned the ship, forcing him to make it appear that the ship was crewed. As such he may know more of what has gone on than the hag that may have happened upon the wreck after it sank."
Emerion works to release the hapless corpse .
Disable Device:
Once liberated, he'll bind the corpse to the Hag's so we have two stiffs with us.
"I think you may gain more information by asking this poor soul's soul your questions, sister Istas. I would surmise that he was shackled to the wheel before the rest of the crew abandoned the ship, forcing him to make it appear that the ship was crewed. As such he may know more of what has gone on than the hag that may have happened upon the wreck after it sank."
"Indeed. This is a most fortunate discovery. Pharasma has led us to our answers. And, through the proper ritual, she will lead us to many more."
"Some of you seem to have a rather strong urge to play with dead things," Jeorik comments with a wry shake of his head and a bemused smile, "You might check his pockets."
Under the leather coat, the corpse is clad in plain black robes. Around his neck hangs a brass pendant of a fly on a brass chain.
"Do you recognise this emblem, Istas?" Emerion asks. "It has the look of a holy symbol." He quickly searches the corpse.
Perception:
"Ur- ga- thoa," mouths Kenan.
Heather wracks her brains for anything that might be familiar about this symbol.
Kno. (Arcana)
Kno.(Local)
Kno..(History)[
Kno. (Religion)