Zero's #6-00: Salt of the Ocean [Gameday XIII]

Game Master Super Zero

Please dot in.

Old enough to be a dwarven grandpa, childless Knab, a tall, broad-shouldered if hunched-over dwarf with thinning grey hair arrives at the dock.

"The Eye of Abendego..." he scratches a mottled spot on his mostly-bald head that looks like a giant hurricane in a sea of aged skin. If he is the first to arrive, having done so tardily, he awaits those with even less punctuality than he. Else, he sizes up those gathered, wondering about his place among them, trying to analyze what skills they bring to the mission, and how he could quietly assist them at realizing greater potential as a team.

But you wouldn't know it by his tone - he simply says "...To die, then" and unceremoniously fails to explain, leaving one's own inferences to be made, haphazard.

A goblin with an oversized white lab coat smiles "Ahh greeting fellow Pathfinders! The Eye you say... hmmm license not revoked here so that make me Dr. Ripfang Muk Muk. If you have any dental needs happy to cake care of them for small fee."

A small stuffed monkey peeks out of Dr. Ripfang's bag before hiding back inside.

A seemingly mute muscular man follows behind, with an ill-fitting labcoat and a hefty shovel.

Ripfang looks up again "Oh ya, almost forgot to introduce uhh, dental assistant." says Dr. Ripfang pointing at the man who looks more like a gravedigger than anything else.

The Monkey promptly pops out again spilling alchemicals everywhere.

"Uhh, Ripfang need minute to clean up mess, but promise to be good to go by briefing"

As part of the large group of Pahtfinder on the docks stands out a human male, handsome and extravagantly well dressed. His fine multicolored outfit, his big feathered hat and bright smile are in total contradiction with his cold eyes that sparks of electricity.

Almost home! Been a while. he murmurs to himself.

Seeing that his assigned group was already there he moves gracefully and silently towards them. He carries at his side a blade of Tian origin.

He bows towards them in a flourish of feather and hat and says Greetings comrades! I'm Kamil Durus, Expert in both Blade and Art at your service!

His features makes him clearly of Chelaxian heritage but his darker complexion and his speech tainted with hints of Mwangi makes him more acquainted to this side of the globe.

need to update him to the new CORE rules

Merian walks in, carrying a 6-Bulk barrel of salt water on her back, along with a backpack, a shield, and a trident.

"Hi, hi!" she yells, cheerfully, setting the barrel down with a thud. When it seems to attract a little more attention than she thinks it ought to, she shrugs, and says, "What? I like a nice salt water bath every night," as if that clarifies anything at all.

Merian is an azarketi and needs Hydration every 24 hours. The barrel is ... unnecessary. She purchased a decanter of endless water and will simply use that if this become too big of a mechanical burden: with the barrel, Merian is Encumbered, so she won't have an Exploration activity. I recognize this hinders the party mechanically, with zero benefit, so if anyone objects, she'll leave her barrel at home. And by home, I mean floating in the Arcadian Ocean, because that's where her home is.

Don't let me stop you from carrying around a giant barrel, but given the location of the adventure, it may not be an issue.

Knab hides his teeth - of which, the 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7 that are not missing are stained black and yellow from years of... misuse - from the goblin quack. And stands behind the Chelaxian Mwangi, unsure of what to make of such a contradiction, and avoids his electric eyes, in case they arc. And steps around the azarketi's barrel of water, unwanting of an incidental bath at this time. Indeed, the one he had had last year had remained sufficient for his own personal hygiene needs.

Looking around the group, he takes mental note: Two frontline warriors gifted with magic, probably in need of an ally to stand beside them to draw the attentions of more powerful foes. One, um, doctor to keep everyone whole who can support with medicines he had never heard of.

Keeping his hand protectively upon his clan dagger as he meticulously considers his coworkers...

A human female, shortish, with long blonde hair, and dressed only in shorts and shirt. A crocodile two-piece swimsuit can be seen under the wet patches of the cotton shirt. She leans over the railing and stares at the waves below, with an expression of longing.

She smiles and waves to Knab, having met him in Seedy's pub a while back

She also looks over to Merian. Room for two in there? she asks. I absolutely LOVE being in the water.

A dwarf in white shirt is coming your way, his skin has a metallic look and his hair are fiery red. He looks at barrel and person carrying it

"Lost a bet? Once I was carrying a fellow sailor on my back for 2 hours. I had really bad hand I tried to bluff my way to victory."

The person seems to not carry much weapon, but as he walks he radiates heat from his body, like he would start burning.

"My name is Rawiri, I served on many ships and I guess my experience at sea could be useful."

**HOUSE GM ANNOUNCEMENT**

You may begin the Introduction: Into the Storm now!

Good luck, and have fun!

Table GMs, please begin the Introduction

There is an awkward wince as Zarina waves to Knab. He... panics. And pretends not to see that she had waved at him. It doesn't work well, instead, he ends up just being obviously rude. Or rather, well, obviously awkward.

But the strange dwarf catches Knab's attention. He had known forge dwarves, but not one whose very flesh burned hot as one!

All magic-users. And one doctor. And Knab. Hmm...

The briny smell of the ocean fills the air, mingling with the scents of tar, fish, and unwashed bodies. The docks teem with stevedores, sailors, pirates, and Pathfinders making their way toward a massive galleon that dwarfs the other vessels in the harbor. A carved dragon head juts defiantly from the front of the ship, and several smaller jolly boats hang from its side. A flag bearing the Glyph of the Open Road flaps in the wind, and a name painted in bold letters on the ship’s stern proclaims it the Snapdragon.

Zarina frowns as Knab seemingly ignores her. She continues heading towards the Snapdragon, carrying her haversack by it's straps.

I guess that's my ride

Rawiri looks at the Figurehead "Snapdragon? sounds mighty!"

Dr Ripfang Muk Muk starts his morning off with a delicious roll containing vegetables, greens, and fine, clear noodles, all wrapped in transparent, edible starch paper and alchemically treated and laced with a tangy sauce.

Dr Ripfang can now scout and avoid notice at the same time.

He'll also put a few vials through an Alembic and grin wildly.

Dr Ripfang will hand out some goodies to his allies, each in a vial made out of recycled and reglued together glass.

Here's a Cat's Eye Elixir for everybody. You can drink it and ignore concealment within 30ft for a minute.

Dr Rigfang then pops in some sugar-free dentist approved galvanic chew and his quicksilver mutagen addiction.

Dr. Ripfang regains 2 versatile vials every 10 minutes, which he can use to create alchemical items with a maximum duration of 10 minutes. He'll be using this to keep his Chew and Quicksilver up. Both are reflected in his stat line.

Merian is very confused by the sailing terms because she's used to seeing boats from below, not above. She boards the ship by jumping into the water, swimming to the bow, and climbing up the side of the boat, and then hauling a giant barrel of seawater up behind her.

You need a hand with that? Zarina calls down from the deck. And it's usually customary to use the gangplank.

She looks highly amused.

Knab has sailed on many boats.

He usually just keeps the surfaces clean, and makes sure the captain has a drink, easily sinking into the background, an invisible helper.

When handed the doctor's eyedrops, he shrugs, tucks into back pocket.

And goes over to help the azarketi board, reaching out a thick, strong hand to hoist her, and her bucket, onto the deck.

Dr Ripfang spits out their gum. "Here Rawiri, try this!"

It's unclear exactly where Dr. Ripfang keeps getting all these mixed glass vials from, but it doesn't seem like he's going to stop.

We'll give Rawiri a 10minute Drakeheart every 10 minutes instead of my gum. +5 Item to AC(Max dex +2), +2 Item to Perception, -1 Will Saves, Reflex and RK. + Final Surge Action.

It's unclear exactly where Dr. Ripfang keeps getting all these mixed glass vials from, but it doesn't seem like he's going to stop.

The bounty of the ocean is truly endless.

**HOUSE GM ANNOUNCEMENT**

"Quiet down!" Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry hollers, her voice cutting through the din and drawing all eyes to the quarterdeck. She’s joined by Venture-Captain Eando Kline, who grimaces as a third figure joins them. The newcomer’s face bears a sly smile, as if she’s laughing at something only she knows.

"Welcome to Quent." Eando calls out. He gestures to the smiling aiuvarin woman at his side. "We’re here at the invitation of the Hurricane Queen, Tessa Fairwind, who brought a discovery of some interest to Calisro."

"Sure," Tessa interrupts with a grin and a glance at the Venture-Captain. "I know Callie recently left the Grinning Pixie, so I assumed she was just sitting around with nothing to do. I wanted to help a friend out with a possible adventure."

"I do just fine, thank you," Calisro shoots back, before turning her attention back to the Pathfinders on deck. "Tessa brought us a report from some of her scouts about a shipwreck in the Eye of Abendego. They didn’t stop to investigate—Tessa failed to mention why exactly they were in such a rush—but they noticed a Pathfinder flag flying from the mast."

Eando continues. "Now, we haven’t sent any missions into the hurricane recently, and happily we don’t have any reports of missing Pathfinder ships. So that led us into the archive. We think this ship might be the Whippoorwill. For those of you who haven’t been studying your Chronicles, the Whippoorwill was one of our very first ventures, from the first 10 years of the Society. Venture-Captain Kimma Atyi led her crew to investigate an island with strange architecture. Unfortunately, we lost touch with her in 4316 ar, and—"

"If Kimma was anything like Callie as a sailor, no surprise." Tessa interrupts again, leaving Eando gritting his teeth. The Hurricane Queen laughs before giving way to the Vigilant Seal’s leader once more.

"As I was saying, they were eventually given up for lost."

"She probably ran into Abendego’s Squall," Tessa says, sounding a touch more serious.

"Or some other mythical sea monster," says Calisro. "At any rate, because of the historic significance of this mission and the dangers of sailing into the Eye of Abendego, we’re marshaling all our forces. The Snapdragon here is the Society’s largest, most durable vessel. She’s not as pretty as my usual ship, but she can hold more people and will see everyone safely through the storm."

"As long as you don’t sail her into some rocks!" Tessa gibes.

Calisro takes a deep breath. "We’ll be fine. As I was saying, this will be a dangerous mission into the teeth of the storm, so we understand if anyone chooses to return to the docks right now."

"There’s no need to worry though, Pathfinders," Tessa says, pulling a pearl from her pouch. "I have duties here in Quent, but I’m sending some of my pirates with you to show Callie where to go. They can take over too if she falls overboard. I’m also loaning her my magical pearl of depths. That way, when she inevitably sinks the Snapdragon, you can breathe underwater long enough to swim to safety!" With those final mocking words, she saunters off the gangplank.

As sailors start casting off lines, Eando calls out. [b]"We’ll be underway in moments, Pathfinders, so if you have any questions, now’s the time to ask.

Table GMs, please begin Act 1

So .. as it happens, my day job is diving sunken ships Zarina states. So I'm quite used to exploring shipwrecks. I'm just curious though. Would it be easier to reach the Whippoorwill by going under the hurricane?

And if anyone does go overboard, I'll go save them. No one drowns if I can help it.

"How fast do the currents move underwater?" Merian asks, entertaining Zarina's question about going under the hurricane.

I'm guessing there's no cheat code for PCs with Swim speeds, but we can have fun with this.

"Is that date correct - 4316 AR? The ship is still intact after 408 years at sea??"

Depends on the conditions that the ship finds itself in. Zarina replies. I've seen stuff in Absalom Harbour that's been remarkably well preserved.

Knab remains on the ship.

Though hardly buoyant by sheer density and low center of gravity, he makes up for it with exertion and adapted technique as a swimmer, not unlike a turtle on land.

He wants to ask "What was the nature of the strange architecture on the island the Whippoorwill was originally sent to?" but he is too shy to pipe up (but for the lump in his throat)...

Dr Ripfang points out. "I've got some glue if it's falling apart. Helped Bigtusk keep his teeth together. Can stick together anything."

Rawiri drinks the potion that Muk Muk gave him, and he curls a bit, feeling something from within coming out, his skin covers with scales and his pupils morpth into slitted.

"Ugh, I like this, I feel like fire dragon now!" He laughs joyfully,

"I've been on the ship during hurricanes, I stay here."

He wonders for a moment

"Do we know if the Whippoorwill was transporting something?"

Added a handout to the Slides, though the same information is below.

There seem to be a few different potential tasks that could use Pathfinders' attention. What would this team like to address first?

Sailing Mission 1: All Hands on Deck (Skill Challenge)
Sailing Mission 2: Loose Lips Sink Ships (Puzzle)
Sailing Mission 3: Headwinds and Windfalls (Social Skills)
Sailing Mission 4: Win Some and Flotsam (Skill Challenge)
Sailing Mission 5: Red Sky in the Morning (Hazard)

As there are still a few days of sailing left, the team should have plenty of time to rest between tasks.

Knab knows that the Eye of Abendego is a massive hurricane that formed off the western coast of Garund following Aroden’s death. It destroyed the nations of Lirgen and Yamasa, forming the Sodden Lands. Despite the fact it can easily smash a ship to pieces, Shackles pirates use it to ambush passing merchants or flee pursuers.

[ooc]Anyone else who wants to see if they can Recall any relevant Knowledge can post their Nature or Society bonus, or an easier check if they have a relevant Lore skill (such as Sailing Lore or Shackles Lore) to remember pertinent details about the Eye of Abendego.

Sailing Lore +9, Nature +12; Voting for All hands on deck first ;) I am fine with going from top to bottom, or bottom to top ;)

The waves surge as the Snapdragon enters the teeth of the hurricane. The mighty galleon climbs dozens of feet up each wave, its prow aiming at the sky above, before tipping over the crest and racing down to crash into the trough. Gripping the wheel alongside her helmsman, Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry calls out, her powerful voice carrying over the moaning timbers, snapping sails, and roar of the Eye of Abendego, “All hands on deck!”

The first thing each Pathfinder must do is try to keep their footing--or at least their lunch--aboard the lurching ship.
DC 21 Sailing Lore, DC 23 Acrobatics check to Balance, or DC 23 Fortitude. Failure makes you Sickened 1 for the duration of this encounter. Critical failure makes you Sickened 1 for the duration of Act 1.

Once that's settled (or unsettled, as the case may be), each may attempt to help Benarry and the crew maintain control.
A Perception check to keep watch for any developing calamities; a Nature or Survival check to judge the wind and waves; or a Diplomacy, Intimidation, or (2 points easier) Sailing Lore check to help pilot the ship. Or perhaps they have a clever idea?

Acrobatics, DC23: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (16) + 14 = 30

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (17) + 17 = 34

Rawiri is able to keep his balance as he runs towards the deck. He runs to help with the sails

"The seas be ours
Beyond the powers
Where we will, we'll rule
Yo, ho, all hands
Hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die!"

Rawiri yells to other sailors "With energy, like your life depends on it, as let me assure you it does!" He laughs with eyes shining like they were just about to light in flames.

Wheee! Dr Ripfang does their best to keep their balance.

Acrobatics DC 23: 1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 14 + 2 = 17

Dr Ripfang slips and barfs overboard.

Despite his problems, Dr Ripfang works on shoring up the masts and sails, looking for and quickly repairing any minor issues before the storm can cause any more damage.

Crafting: 1d20 + 19 - 1 ⇒ (12) + 19 - 1 = 30

If that's not acceptable, I'll follow the expert Rawri and help by singing as well, at +11 for a 22(Assuming they are a master, +10 if only expert)

Acrobatics (M): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (15) + 17 = 32

Kamil easily keeps his balance on the ship's deck.

He starts yelling at the crew to make sure they follows Benari's orders!

Intimidation (M): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (4) + 19 = 23

Fortitude: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (1) + 14 = 15 vs DC 23

Merian, leaning over the railing to feel the ocean spray in her face, gets thrown back onto the deck, and is about to barf all over the deck when ...

Fortitude, Hero Point Reroll: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17 vs DC 23

... she finds a barrel and throws up in there instead. Suddenly, she realizes that it's her bath barrel, and now she has to toss the entire contents overboard. It breaks her heart to have to empty such a nice barrel of East Arcadian Northern Current seawater, the 4723 vintage with the algal overtones and low krill. She feels sick.

Weather Lore, if allowed, Sickened 1: 1d20 + 12 - 1 ⇒ (5) + 12 - 1 = 16
Nature +9 if not allowed.

"Steer the ship parallel to the waves so that the ship rolls along with the waves!"

Merian regrets being on the boat instead of being beside it.

Rawiri is highly effective at wrangling the crew.
I'm giving you a +2 circumstance bonus for "unique solutions or good role-play," which pushes that to a critical success and earns 2 Sailing Points.

Dr. Ripfang is unwell, but his work managing real-time repairs is effective all the same.
The critical failure means that Sickened condition will persist, but that success earns 1 Sailing Point.

Kamil moves with the lurching of the ship and maintains his balance expertly, but pushing the crew to do what they're already doing doesn't seem to make them significantly more effective.
[ooc]A failure earns no Sailing Points, but also loses none.

Merian handles the reeling deck better than Ripfang, but the world is still spinning too much for her to read the weather.
I'll give you the +2 bonus as well, though it's not enough to help. Failure, but not critical failure, for no gain or loss.

Knab and Zarina?

No quicksilvers for me for the rest of this act either since I can't consume.

Dr Ripfang continues to throw up multicolored liquids over the side, clearly he's maybe drunk a few too many elixirs over the years.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

Maybe keeping a lookout at the bow wasn't such a good idea but she's managing to keep her lunch down. And, by now, she's only wearing her green crocodile hide two piece swimsuit.

Nature: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (3) + 15 = 18

All she can see is seawater - large waves of it.

Parallel to the waves? That's a STUPID idea. Are you TRYING to tip us over? Perpendicular is the way to go. Trust me.

Maybe she's going to have to show the azaketi how ships work.

Zarina and Merian arguing doesn't really get in the sailors' way, but it isn't especially helpful.

Eventually the sailors get through the worst of it and the seas calm a little, though they seem exhausted as they set about repairs. It isn't obvious that the Pathfinder team had a big impact here.
Knab's check won't matter--even with a critical success he can't earn the two Sailing Points necessary for a success here.

And so far, "I am fine with going from top to bottom" is the only vote I've got for next mission, so on to Mission 2 it is! If anyone wants to request anything else, please say so.

The team has several hours' respite before Calisro calls for them again. Though Dr. Ripfang's stomach still hasn't quite settled as the seas are still a little agitated.

Calisro frowns as she looks up from the desk in her cabin. Eando stands behind her, looking furious. “Pathfinders, we’re in the bilges,” Calisro says, gesturing for the field agents to gather ‘round. “I just discovered someone’s stolen my logs and nautical charts from my cabin. I have to get this ship through this storm without killing us all, so I don’t have time to find the thief myself. Eando wants to go through everyone’s bunks, but we can’t afford to upset the sailors. We need them focused on keeping us all alive!

“We had a decent view from the quarterdeck, and we’ve identified eight people who entered the rear cabins. One of them must be our thief. We need you to find out which one and get the charts back! We can’t alert the whole crew, so ask around quietly.”

She identifies the eight possibilities, who entered the cabins in the following order:
1. Joya Ferndown (female halfling Pathfinder scholar) wears rose-tinted glasses to protect her sensitive eyes. The diminutive scholar is short even for a halfling, and always seems to be underfoot.
2. Dostall Krakenbait (male dromaar pirate) takes after his orc parent, with dark green skin and prominent tusks. His head is shaved, revealing a tattooed kraken whose tentacles cover his face.
3. Khizrunk (male kobold Pathfinder inventor) is a green-scaled kobold who joined the Pathfinder Society to learn more about traps. He carries extendable leg braces to help him reach traps set at human eye level.
4. Aulasden Jennirian (female elf pirate) has dark skin and long, densely coiled black hair. Her bright clothing stands in stark contrast to the religious symbol of Besmara that hangs from her neck.
5. Maspad (female vanara Pathfinder trailblazer) is a mischievous Jalmeri monk with golden fur and short, spiky hair. She has a dripping leaf tattoo on one cheek.
6. Tsaraka (male tengu pirate) is a black-feathered beauty, whose talons are adorned with rings and painted the bright colors of sunset.
7. “Fair Wind” Fedge (male iruxi pirate) is a hulking green-scaled iruxi who wears a talisman cord that seems like it’s about to break under the weight of luck charms attached to it.
8. Beliwa Helequin (male human Pathfinder agent) is a dusky-skinned Bonuwat from Vidris, with short hair in cornrows. Descended from generations of sailors, he goes barefoot while at sea.

The running water and storm around the ship foil detection spells like locate, but the PCs can get clues from the crew with an Easy Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, or Performance checks. Each PC has time to attempt two checks, but no PC can attempt the same skill check twice, as that would raise suspicions.
Also adding the suspect list handout to the Slides.

Knab Fortitude to Keep Footing: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (2) + 16 = 18
Knab Nature to Help Maintain Control of Ship w/ Assurance: 22 = 22

Feeling seasick, Knab releases his stomach's contents a couple of times over the deck. He keeps his eyes on the stars however, and informs another PC - perhaps the other dwarf - if the ship gets off track.

He tries his best to judge his crew on account of the missing knapsack, asking Calisro if he can inspect it. First Investigation: Missing Knapsack! And chooses one suspects at random to investigate.

Joya, Dostall, Khizrunk, Aulasden, Maspad, Tsaraka, Fair Wind, or Beliwa?: 1d8 ⇒ 6 vs Tsaraka
Intimidation to Get a Clue vs Suspect w/ Sick (-1) w/ Pursue a Lead (+1): 1d20 + 9 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 9 - 1 + 1 = 19

He walks up to the tengu, and gives him a weak browbeat.

↺) Clue In @ Each PC to make their investigation (+1 circumstance to your next check)!

Zarina sighs. Someone stealing from the captain in the middle of a tough voyage? That's just low. So she goes to see what she can find out.

diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15
intimidate: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
((hero point))
intimidate: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Zarina doesn't have any luck getting useful clues--nobody she talks to admits to witnessing anything. Knab scares off Tsaraka, though whether that indicates guilt or innocence is a littler harder to assess.
Knab fails. Zarina fails twice.

No clues earned so far.
Dr. Ripfang, Merian, Rawiri, or Kamil? Knab can make one additional check as well.

Dr. Ripfang will start by asking some pleasant questions.

Clued/Sickened Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (7) + 10 + 1 - 1 = 17

After throwing up some more colorful liquid over the side again Dr Ripfang begins starts dropping hints that he needs to see some charts to get a better route so that he stops vomitting.

Sickened Deception: 1d20 + 0 - 1 ⇒ (6) + 0 - 1 = 5

With regards to: 'Knab's check won't matter--even with a critical success he can't earn the two Sailing Points necessary for a success here.' Shouldn't on the last try the success threshold be 3 or 4 sailing points? That's usually how Paizo is doing it - half of the PC?

Rawiri goes to kobold first

Diplomacy (master), clued in: 1d20 + 17 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 17 + 1 = 26

"Look we are looking for anyone who acted odd"

Deception untrained, clued in vs Dostall: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 1 = 6

It was a hard encounter--the threshold was number of PCs. His success brings you to 4/6.
This one is easier with large groups: There are no thresholds, you just get a clue for every success. Succeeding at the encounter requires identifying the thief from the information you got.

Dr. Ripfang seems a little preoccupied and isn't having much luck.

Rawiri finds a little information: Only female Pathfinders and male pirates went near the captain's quarters!

Clue obtained: If the thief was a Pathfinder, it was a woman, but if it was a pirate, it was a man.

Merian or Kamil? Knab can make one additional check as well.

Knab analyzes the clue, eliminating male Pathfinders and female pirates, absolving the following from guilt in his steel trap mind:

He approaches Joya, Dostall, Maspad, or Fair Wind: 1d4 ⇒ 1 Joya Ferndown from afar, and pretends not to be looking at her...

Deception (Trained) w/ Sick (-1) w/ Pursue a Lead (+1): 1d20 + 9 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 9 - 1 + 1 = 28

Intimidation: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

Merian is ill-tempered from the loss of her seawater, and she makes the most of it by being surly and brusque with the crew. She (presumably) gathers a hint, and ponders it while in the hold, when she notices some seawater leaking in.

She lays down in it and makes some brine angels, and feels better. She goes back up to do some more investigations, and her chipper attitude really shines through.

Kamil, you don't have to worry about making checks--though this time it's because the party already has all the clues.
Incidentally, the encounter instructions mention that they assume the characters are familiar with the ancestry terms in the descriptions, and if anybody is confused they should feel free to look them up or ask--you don't fail just because none of the players remember what a "vanara" is out-of-character.

Knab and Merian pick up a few more details.

There was a witness who did notice someone go into the captain's door, but they weren't watching closely and had assumed it was the captain. But there was someone else nearby at the time... the witness remembers the color green.
Yes, the thief was in the cabin immediately before or after someone who was green.

One goblin said she thought the person going that way was the captain. They were tall enough, anyway. The goblin lookout said it was definitely a longshanks.

Another crew member was sweeping up around there. There was definitely something distinctive in that area, but the sweep doesn't remember for sure whether it was feathers or fur after being asked hours later. The thief had feathers or fur.

The Pathfinders have gathered a series of clues to compare their list of suspects. Can they figure it out?

• If the thief was a Pathfinder, it was a woman, but if it was a pirate, it was a man.
• The thief was in the cabin immediately before or after someone who was green.
• The goblin lookout said it was definitely a longshanks.
• The thief had feathers or fur.