Elric shakes his head and motions for Shrike to bring them up alongside the port (left) side of the vessel. He looks for weak spots in the hull and uses the haft of his long lucerne hammer to feel below the waterline.
”At the bottom of a ship like this are the bilges. Noone goes there unless they have to. If we can get in that way, it’s our best bet for evading any guards.”
"I thought the plan was to magic ourselves an entrance," Audria whispers into Elric's ear.
”It is, but no sense in wasting a scroll if there is a hole in the hull. Abella, if we don’t find an opening, can you make one about a foot over the waterline? “
"Yes there is! Did you forget about the sharks? I'm not a good swimmer, especially in armor," she hisses, remembering the last time she was near the Jegarre and wearing armor. The dip had been accidental, but she didn't want to repeat the experience and risk meeting a jigsaw shark this time.
Abella is leaning back admiring her gloved hands when Elric says her name. ”Certainly, darling.”
”As you wish, Chosen of Shelyn. Abella, one entrance please. As quietly as you can.”
Elric smiles, tapping the hull about midship.
Elric can feel an area of decidedly weaker hull planks in an area near the bow, below the waterline. At some point the shaft of his hammer goes through the wood entirely and the weapon almost slips from his hands. Reaching it, however, would require a swim and diving underwater for a brief period.
There do not seem to be any jigsaw sharks nearby, fortunately.
”As you wish, Chosen of Shelyn. Abella, one entrance please. As quietly as you can.”
Elric smiles, tapping the hull about midship.
Audria breathes out a sigh of relief and actually smiles at Elric.
"Thank you, Elric. I appreciate it."
She pulls her scarf up to cover her face as Abella begins her spell.
Shrike brings the boat around to port in response to Elric's request, easing it slowly through the water as the group looks for weak spots from the stern to the bow. She pauses when they find one below the waterline, moving the oars gently against their previous momentum to keep them in place. Without a word, she reminds the others to keep their voices in a whisper and talking to a minimum by gesturing 'down' with the flat of her hand near her mouth.
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Although the boat itself cannot fit through the opening created by Abella's spell, the people can. The boat is tucked out of sight under the pier and tied to one of the pilings so that the current doesn't steal it away.
The old cargo bay beyond the breach is flooded to a depth of 2 feet. It is dark, with only the faintest glimmers of light reaching from the outside through the gap. Cautiously feeling their way around, those who emerge inside can tell that it is also partially collapsed, with sections of the hull floating freely on the water. Were it not for the fact the Eel's End is stoutly supported from below by several pilings and lashed to other ships and the pier itself, the ship would have sunk long ago. Caution must be taken to only step onto the more solid sections, else one could find themselves plunging through the rotten wood into the depths of the Jeggare.
Moving carefully and still using the haft of his polearm to feel for unstable planks, Elric wades further into the ship’s hold and waits for one of his companions to provide light.
I need to get one of those fancy ioun torches for situations like these.” he thinks as a mental note.
Shrike moves gingerly and tests each waterlogged area of the hull with her feet before putting her weight on it. She pulls flint and steel from a pocket of her pack, and her candle lamp from its main compartment. Sheltering the lamp with her body, she patiently strikes a spark several times until it manages to light the candle there, casting a faint, flickering glow before herself. She wants only enough illumination to barely see what is in this bay, not enough to draw any attention from outside or through other holes or doors. Shrike then passes the lamp around, so that the others can look next to themselves in silence, without having to cast noisy spells or shuffle about in the water.
With Shrike’s dim lantern illuminating the hold, Elric checks to make sure everyone has gotten safely off the rowboat, then silently motions for the group to move through the doors.
He takes point, his lucerne hammer at the ready.
Audria follows Elric and Shrike through the hole. The water comes up past her knees as she moves out of the way for the others.
"Right or left," she asks the others once they are all inside.
Shane follows the foosteps of others carefully.
Now that they are inside, and recalling that supposedly the ettercap lives in some lower compartment beneath Barvasi's 'throne room,' Shrike drinks her vial of antitoxin before they go any further. In response to Audria's question, she takes her time and slowly moves to each door to see what she can hear or otherwise sense about what's behind it.
Listening at both doors, Shrike hears the sounds of lapping water and creaking wood.
With a little shrugged hand gesture, Shrike points at the door closest to the hole Abella made for them to come in by as her choice for the next step.
Elric nods and motions for Shrike to open the door.
It takes a bit of pushing to open the door against the resistance of the water. Beyond lies the ship's bilge, flooded by murky water and occupying the rest of this lower level.
Towards the stern, a slimy knotted rope hangs from an opening seven feet above. A little light filters through the opening.
Shrike hands off the candle lamp to the person behind her and draws her spear before trying to ease open the southeastern door.
Seeing the empty bilge behind the door, she makes her way to the hanging rope and looks upward to see what she can see of where it goes.
Feeling carefully in the water for hidden tripwires or holes in the hull, Elric moves towards the rope.
Once he reaches it, he waits for everyone to catch up and listens intently for signs of movement from above.
If all is quiet, he holsters his hammer across his back and shimmies first up the rope.
Audria follows along behind Elric after checking to make sure the scarf is over her face. She moves as carefully as she can manage though the hold and prays that they'll be able to handle this without alerting anyone. Once he's up the rope, she hands her halberd up through the hole and follows him up. She finds herself envying the better night vision of elves and dwarves as she deals with the dim light.
Pava is right on Elric's heels. Should get at least someone good in close quarters up top as well.
All is silent upstairs, so Elric, Audria and Pava climb the rope with no issues, emerging in a corridor that runs most of the length of the ship.
To the north is a double door. On the eastern wall there are two doors, one to the north and one near the hatch. On the western wall there are also two doors in a similar configuration, as well as a side corridor leading west. A dimmed oil lamp is hanging on the eastern wall, providing a little illumination.
Audria points at herself then at the door next to the hatch before listening at it.
Seeing Abella and Shane following with no issue, Shrike puts away her spear and clips the candle-lamp to her belt as she ascends the rope.
At the top, with an oil-lamp already burning in the corridor, she blows out the candle-lamp, puts it away, and draws her spear again to be ready for anything when Audria tries the door. She keeps herself pressed to the wall behind the door, also listening: in case there is something or someone immediately hostile there, she would rather be concealed at first.
Straining and struggling , Shane finally gets up that rope. Well, that COULD have been more embarrassing.
And he moves quietly as he can still near the rear of the party.
And he's glad he is at the rear, as his attempts at stealth are mediocre at best.
Audria opens the western door into an empty, stinking room. The manacles on the wall and the mound of filthy straw in a corner suggest it might be used as a brig, but it is currently empty save for the half-dozen or so spiders that scatter as the door is opened, leaving behind a half-eaten rat corpse.
Elric casts a quick glance into the empty brig, then motions to the opposite door east of the hatch down to the bilges.
The eastern room is mostly empty as well, save for a low desk against the eastern wall. Scuff marks on the floor hint that more furniture may have been once present in this room.
Two closed doors are present, one in the north wall and one in the southern wall. The southern door is marked with a painting of a spider, while the northern one is slightly ornate, with wrought iron curlicues binding the thick wooden planks.
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Elric points to the southern door, wiggles his fingers to imitate a crawling spider, then firmly shakes his head.
He then takes position close to the north door and nods, indicating that they should try that next.
Shrike nods in agreement with Elric and then examines and listens at the north door. She takes her time carefully inspecting it over a couple of minutes. The fact that this door is more ornate makes her wary: this could be Barvasi's treasury, and if so, it is certainly locked and likely trapped.
Audria stands ready with her polearm as Shrike works. After finding the brig, something in her demeanor changed. There's a hardness in her eyes that wasn't there before. Seeing that Shrike as the door covered, she carefully moves up and listens for trouble that may come from the bow of the ship.
Taking a few minutes to thoroughly inspect the door, Shrike finds no signs of it being trapped. Audria moves a few steps down the corridor and listens, but hears nothing in the immediate vicinity.
On the other side of the door, Shrike can hear the faint noises of someone sleeping.
Pava gestures to Audria, Elric, and Shane, telling them to wait. They point to Shrike and themself, gesture into the door, and gently ease it open.
Shrike makes a 'sleeping' motion to the others and holds up one finger. She looks at the ornate door with new eyes. Could this be his bedroom?
Shrike takes up her spear again when Pava reaches for the door. She peers in to see what she can see before deciding whether to enter.
When Pava motions for him to wait, Shane nods to them, and does so. MORE than happy to leave this to the experts This group acts like this whole situation is standard fare for them. What have I gotten into?
Audria nods at Pava, agreeing to wait. She points at herself, then her eyes, before pointing down the passageway to the bow of the ship. She sees Shrike miming someone sleeping and wonders if she should go help her, but seeing Pava already at the door, decides that she'd be one too many and resumes keeping an eye out from trouble from the parts of the ship they haven't cleared.
Elric nods, keeps his hammer ready and waits for Pava and Shrike to move into the room first.
Easing the door open, Shrike first notices the smell - liquor, stale breath and unwashed body with a sharp, acidic undertone. By the distinctive leather armour he wears even when he sleeps and the palm-sized spiders scuttling around the room, the man currently snoring in the bed can only be Devargo Barvasi. Faint light filters in from three portholes in the eastern wall, outlining his sleeping form and the furniture in the room - a round, low table in the middle with a singular chair, a sea chest at the foot of the four poster bed, and a dresser against the western wall.
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Shrike's focus narrows to the sleeping man in the spider-themed armor. All else they have come for — the letters, the ambassador, even Dal — is secondary. Once again, the King of Spiders, the architect of so much misery, is only a man. Only a man, after all. Without haste, and with the same care for silence she has maintained since entering the ship, she pads across the decking to stand a few feet from his bed. No more Tiras. Not from you. Not ever again.
Shrike raises Thorn, and in one swift, economical motion brings the spearpoint stabbing down at Devargo Barvasi's unprotected throat.
Elric tenses for a moment when Shrike makes her killing move, but does nothing to intervene.
Guess that settles any moral discussion about what to do with him. Audria is not going to be happy, but I suspect she’ll live. I sure hope he has those letters stached somewhere we can find them, tough.
”Search the room. I’ll help the others keep watch for any stray guards.” he whispers, then moves to join Audria by the stairs.
Devargo's eyes fly open as the spear point pierces through the soft hollow at the base of his throat. His hands claw at the spear and he opens his mouth, but only a gurgle and a spray of blood emerge. He begins thrashing in his bed, the blankets and sheets kicked into a tangle before he expires with a final convulsion.
Patting him down, Shrike finds a thin chain around his neck that holds a keyring with three keys - two iron ones, one larger and one smaller, and a tiny brass key. Aside from the armour, Barvasi was also wearing his spiked gauntlets.
In a bandolier hanging on one of the bedposts she finds a few vials, and a beautifully crafted crossbow is resting on two iron brackets on the wall above the bed.
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Hearing the order to search the room, Shane goes in to do that "I'll search for magic", gesturing to detect magic and then gapes. As he sees a dead Devargo Barvasi!
His jaw drops open, "The flagitious fiend is dead?" He manages to keep it a whisper. It's not too hard to realize Shrike is the one who did it.
Recovering, he continues with detecting magic on things Shrike finds, but he whispers, "Please, look for any evidence he was hired at one time to frame a woman? Last name Drisoll"
Shane identifies the magical armour, as well as the two potions - one would render the drinker invisible for a while, and the other is a medium potency curative.