A cool breeze blows across the deck of the Lady’s Whisper, carrying with it the salyt aroma of the sea. Inhaling deeply, you turn to look at the ship you have so recently boarded. The pale canvas of the sails is billowing slightly on the triple masts as your eyes scan the rigging. All is very well-kept and orderly, and you can pick out a few neatly-mended holes in the canvas.

Deserted as it is, the ship is eerily quiet, the usual bustle of the sailors in the rigging and on deck absent. The calls of the gulls that circle overhead cut easily through the quiet.

As you move slowly towards the stern, you note the freshly-swabbed deck and smooth rails. The guns mounted at regular intervals along the rails seem an imposing force, and even the best of ships would count themselves unlucky to come under their fire.

You pass through the low door leading into the captain’s cabin. Just inside the door hangs a small oil lamp. It is unlit, but there is enough light for you to see without it. A good portion of the floor is occupied by a broad, sturdy table, which is covered with neatly-arranged charts and maps. In the center of the table is a large, intricate map of some Southern island. On it are a set of dividers and a small compass, pointing in a Southeasterly direction. There are a few handwritten notes in the margins and a quill and bottle of ink lie on the blotter beside it.

Pulling your gaze from the table, you see a low bed built into the back wall, with an oiled leather chest underneath it. It is flanked on either side by floor-to-ceiling shelves containing an assortment of books and small bottles. The shelves have a small lip at the front, presumably to keep the contents from falling in the frequent storms encountered at sea.

On a smaller table near the bed are a clay bottle and a bowl of fruit, as well as an hourglass and a short candlestick. There is a simple wooden chair beside this table, though the marks on the floor give the impression that it is usually to be found at the larger table, under a second oil lamp which illuminates the maps.