Searching the ship

[Stik]

Martin treads lightly down the stairway, and calls out "Jonesey?"

[Breila]

Nothing stirs anywhere on the ship in response to Martin's call.
However, now that he's downstairs, he can see that there is a door leading to the center part of this deck. By his reckoning, it is in the place where the door to the lizardmen's quarter is on the deck above.

[Kafen]

Reller says in a loud voice as he follows along with the light. "Come out if you are there." He nudges his new found pet. "Stay close, you might in a chance to explore the ship."

[Breila]

The lintwuermchen purrs softly and rolls its tail loosely around Reller's neck, he gets a mental image of quiet contentment as the animal settles down on his shoulders.

Nothing stirs in the room. As the men look around, they realise that there isn't really a place where anyone human-sized could hide, except in the curtained-off area on starbord.

[mgbevan]

"Ah we made a hell of a noise bringing the ship in last night, If there's any sorry beggar down here he would have been pissed as a newborn deer not to notice." Gustas adds with a chuckle, "and by o by, he'd be facin' the fires of hell this mornin'!"

He unsteadily walks along and plonks himself on the bench. Noticing the chests under the hammocks he grumbles "Aye, you watch 'em things less you be bleedin' like the wee lad."

The bucket however seemed harmless to Gustas, so he has a quick nose through for any hidden morsels.

[Stik]

"Well, what are we waiting for? Chop-chop. We are not getting paid by the hour." Martin begins poking around the room, going first toward the curtained-off area and pushing the curtain aside with his dagger.

[mgbevan]

"Oy! Speak for yourself 'er Drake! Ha ha" Gustas calls back with a hearty chuckle.

[Breila]

Martin doesn't take long to see why the area is curtained off. This is done to give the sailors some privacy while they do what they must, and alas, also produce the smell that pervades the room. Except for the two buckets provided to that effect, nothing is behind the curtain.

[Stik]

"Found the crapper," Martin says. "Speaking of which, Tywin Lannister: worst Father's Day ever, right?"
"Onward, yes?"
Martin looks around for the next compartment, and heads that way, making no effort at stealth.

[Breila]

Just to Martin's right, he can open a door. When he pokes his head through it, he sees that the next compartment is the cargo hold. The cargo looks, at first sight, exactly as would be expected from what they have seen in the smuggler's caverns below the hounted house: bolts of cloth and small barrels, or casks. A few sheets of paper are strewn on the floor.

[Stik]

Martin takes a moment to look around the room for anything untoward, or anyone hiding amidst the cargo, although at this point it seems likely that any crew have been taken into custody. If nothing catches his eye, he will gather up some of the papers and review them. "Not a very tidy lot, for smugglers, eh? That will change."

[Breila]

The stack of papers that Martin gathered up is in fact the only untidy thing in the cargo deck. Everything else is orderly and securely fastened. When Martin looks through the papers, he sees they're a list of the cargo and the money the smugglers hope to make from it. if they're correct, the value of the cargo is some 15 000 GP, give or take a few hundred.

[Stik]

The papers bear studying more closely. Martin carefully, and visibly, rolls them (unless they're too fragile for such treatment) and tucks them into his hatband. "Pretty fetching, eh? Moving right along."

[Stik]

[OOC] If it will save time, and unless anyone else has an opinion or plan, Martin's intent here is to quickly go through the hold of the ship, not looking at every little detail, but keeping an eye out for any odd shapes to the walls or decking where the inside of the hold does not conform to the outside of the hull, which would suggest a hidden compartment. He's also watching for any indication of hatches or trap doors in the floor. This is a smugglers' vessel, and although the bulk of the cargo itself seems to be contraband, there might be very contraband contraband hidden from sight.

The upper decks probably bear closer examination than the hold. [/OOC]

[Breila]

Quite close to the entrance you've come through is a grille in the floor that seems to give access to the bilge. In the middle of the cargo hold, a broad stairway leads to the grille on deck that gives direct access to the hold during loading and unloading. In the stern bulkhead, there are two doors, each quite close to the outer hull. The cargo is stacked in such a way as to allow access to all the doors and grilles, but there is little room on either the floor or along the walls to see any other door or hatch.