During the Ashen Winds event, I was confident that the Ashen lord's ash cloud effect was a test for a new smokescreen item in Sea of Thieves. It might still be, but if it isn't, I'd like to suggest it be a new kind of cannonball in the same vein as the blunderbomb or fire bomb.
It can be a Jar of Forsaken Ashes, hitting a ship with it covers the ship in an ashen smokescreen decreasing visibility unless the hit players get to the Crow's Nest to look over the cloud of ash. This will help both aid in the escape of fleeing ships and for the boarding of sneaky pirates. And in land combat and logging off for the day, make for a dramatic exit.
