Aboard the Star of Nostro

Gryff and Bryson look about the room, and then examine the petrified woman.

The baker boy leans down to touch the woman’s strange skin, when Gryff wallops his hand.

"Dont touch that! Could be catching!" he says, reproachfully.

Diverting his hand instead, the baker boy picks up the pick and feels it’s weight for swinging!

"What happened her, then? Magic?"

Bryson attempts to pick up the pick but it is mid-transformation into stone along with the body. As Dengus looks closely, he can see the stone ever so slowly growing on her body as its slowly transformed. You see no injuries and judging from the scroll that is open you conclude it is the work of magic. Unlike the other rooms there is no destruction or blood.

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Belamina reads another entry: "Four more taken tonight! Crew on double shifts. Some of the crew have been heard whispering ‘skrag’."

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The narrow ladder from the main deck descends into the ship’s cargo hold. The area is dark and cramped, and smells of yeast, rot, and whale oil. The entire area is crowded with crates and barrels carefully stacked and tied together. Along the bulkheads of the ship, tied down with numerous ropes and elaborate knots, are several masts, sails and other items in order to repair the ship while at sea.

Both fore and aft, you see many posts with rows of hammocks fastened between them. The crew’s lockers are neatly stacked against the port and starboard bulkheads. Five unlit lanterns sway over the bunks.

Several corpses of sailors lie rotting on the deck. Like the others you’ve seen, they are bloated and rancid, and appear to have been disemboweled. Rats feeding on the corpse’s extremities scurry away as you approach.

Exits include a ladder leading upwards, the cargo hatch overhead, and a smaller closed hatch in the deck.

Merilda looks down at the waiting Eggo and a moment of understanding passes between them. They split up, and both begin searching the cargo, too. They try to make quick work of it. Quick, and quiet!

The scroll Belamina reads is a spell called "Sleeping Stone." It puts the caster in a sleep-state while turning their body to stone to protect it. The spell is set to end when a pre-determined interrupt condition is said during the casting. Along with instructions for casting, it also describes how to reverse it before the interrupt condition is met. Two methods are detailed: one is the use of a dispel magic spell, and the other is through a ritual called "blood from a stone" where someone must draw a few drops of blood from the affected caster's heart before it turns to stone.

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Brother Longfoot sings to the Klabauterman. There is no immediate response, but he hears an answering song blow through the rigging on the ship. It seems to be a sign of acknowledgement.

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As Bryson, Eggo, and Merilda start searching through the expertly stacked and packed cargo, Bryson unwittingly unties a group of barrels that begin crashing down.

Eggo and Merilda both dive out of the way of the barrels, as one takes the baker boy in the head. It’s apparent that there’s nothing to be done for him. They look down at him a moment, not undisturbed by the act… and yet they turn back to their work a moment later, once the boy has departed this plane. There’d be time for grappling with what happened here later!

Dengus searches the room but finds no other clues. Eugene finds an assortmant of personal items but only one able to draw blood from the heart: a tattooing needle.

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Down below, Eggo finds two spare anchors while Merilda finds sail cloth.

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Baldwin tries to bravely draw out the creature but gets no response. He thinks he hears thumping on the outer hull, almost like footsteps. But maybe it was a shark or debris in the water.