The pirates are very very sneaky and are keeping out of the way of the light, so nobody should be able to see nor hear them unless and until they make themselves known.

I did you one better on the owl and transferred its CS to the character section. He's a rather biggish owl who once dug his claws into Randold's shoulder and threw him off balance with a few flaps. Maybe he still has Randold's blood on his claws.

The spores aren't thick enough to cause breathing problems, I don't think. Unless one has allergies!