Karrion's Spelljammer Academy Starboard

"Oh yes," Kip replies, "many of the things that swim in planetary waters are but shadows of denizens of the astral—"

"—seas. And it's kind of a tradition to make ships look like scary"—Pik wiggles her fingers to demonstrate the concept of scary—"things like sharks. Our little Flighty Foundling here is—"

"—a Hammerhead class, a popular design with merchants, but also pirates, with it generous 30 ton cargo capacity, and a gravity plane that typically runs below the—"

"—lower deck, so no tricky deckside-up business! It can sail on water but don't try to land on solid ground or floop! You'll tip right—"

"—over. Its recreational spaces are another draw, with the starboard cephalofoil typically set up as a saloon and the port used as—"

"—the ship's mess. The spelljammer has their quarters near the helm, which is at the stern of the main—"

"—deck; the captain's quarters are located in the fore, and the rest of the crew's are below that, in the forward compartment of the cargo deck..." Kip and Pik continue to lecture about the facilities of the ship as they lead you around, then begin teaching you how each piece of equipment should be handled, operated and maintained. Eventually you end up on the sterncastle, being shown the proper care of the ship's aft mangonel.

[Everyone make a Wisdom (Perception) check, please]

Gloix is transfixed by the sight of the ship and his pace slows as he works to take it all in.  As the gnomes talk he shifts his gaze between them and the vessel and one of his hands rises to try and sort out port, fore, stern, aft, taking a moment to point in the right direction of each as they talk.  Or try to point in the right direction at least.  

Perception: 22

Roy Perception: 18

Zaius follows along with the tour, looking back and forth with interest between the two gnomes finishing each other's sentences and the items they point out.  He pays special attention to the weaponry, including the mangonel they end up by.  Perception: 10.

.

Xavier trails behind the group meticulously looking at the ships. He needed to learn all he could about the ships. He wasn't sure if he was going to stay a Corp member, but if he wasn't he'd be the best damn corps member he could

Percep: 18

 Rel hums a sea-shanty as they tour the Hammerhead.  He shows interest in the mess, both from a cooking and a consuming standpoint.  He coolly evaluates the saloon, the way a play director would evaluate a theater stage, considering the angles, the acoustics and the sight-lines of the facility.   He is already planning where he will set up to make his first performance to attract the most attention and avoid distractions.  He pays attention to the other portions of the ship, but doesn't linger as long as he'd like at the spelljamming helm as he knows some of his comrades have mixed feelings about him applying to be a 'jammer.  He figures he'll get a better look during spelljamming training anyway.

Perception 18

[Rel, read this spoiler and act on it, or not, as you see fit:]

Rel will feign curiosity about the merchant vessel and ask the gnomes about its name, captain, cargo, and the name of the academy officer inspecting it.

Kip seems much happier talking about the ship than its crew. "Oh, the Pegasus? Shrike class, the very latest in spelljamming ship design. She's quite a beauty, isn't—"

"—she? Only two-thirds the cargo capacity of a Hammerhead, but real zoomy,"—Pik mimes a fast-flying ship—"twice as fast at—"

"—flying speed. I'm afraid I don't recall the captain's name, and I don't know exactly what she's carrying, I presume the usual back-and-forth of goods and materiel between Toril and the Rock of—"

"—Bral. That's Lieutenant Vrorz on inspection duty, quite a popular guys around here; graduates speak very highly of him, apparently he's known for making time to greet returning sailors—"

"—personally. Notice the extendable beams on the bottom of the hull—"

"—like little legs—"

"—that allow a Shrike to land on solid ground, a very unusual ability for a spelljamming vessel, though it sacrifices the ability to travel on water..." Kip continues to give a point-by-point comparison of the Pegasus to the Flighty Foundling.

Rel decides to keep to himself his observation of the interchange between Vroz and the ship captain.  A platinum for a small vial of liquid?  I've never heard of any liquor that expensive! I wonder what this contraband is? And he greets all returning sailors personally?  I wonder what his angle is...

Eventually Pik gently and good-humouredly reminds her bother that he's supposed to be teaching you about the ship-to-ship weaponry, and he returns to doing so, describing the different effective ranges of the mangonels (one here on the sterncastle and one on the prow; minimum range 60', nominal 200' and maximum 800') and the ballista (on the forecastle; no minimum range, nominal 120' and maximum 480'), and how each is generally operated by a small team of crew members to load, aim and fire.

"So, any final questions?" Asks Kip at last. "Otherwise you're dismissed to—"

"—have fun with the rest of your orientation!" Pik finishes with a wink.

Though not exactly cut otu for manning ship weaponry, Gloix pays attention to the two as they describe the weapons and the general facts about them.  He does eye the Shrike a bit too, new and shiny and all, but the Hammerhead is just as exotic to him and he is actually standing on it so it gets most of his attention.

A shake of his head is given when asked for final questions and he sends a telepathic thank you to each of the gnomes.

Roy marvels at the ship’s weaponry, wondering in his head if, at some point later in his career, he might have a chance to improve them once he’s had a chance to use and understand them properly. 

Zaius is perched atop the mangonel as the gnomes finish their lesson, getting an up close look at the weapon. He nods as the gnomes release them to the rest of their orientation “But where to next” he asks his new crew excitedly “the spelljammers have training, but that leaves the rest of us free to do what?” He looks over at Xavier

Rel will inquire of the gnomes where he should go for the spelljammer-specific training.  "I'll catch up with you guys later!"

[You don't have to split up; Corps members are able to watch the 'jammers take the training. But if you'd like to for character reasons, we can say you go get a coffee at the refectory (it being still too early for something harder in the Weeping Goddess tavern) and catch up afterwards. For the record, who is taking the training? I have Rel and Gloix down in my notes, and I think Roy didn't declare one way or the other? Unfortunately Enarie has had to drop out for RL reasons.]

As you arrive at the entrance to the Spelljammer Nexus, security officers posted outside check your insignia and direct Corps members up a short flight of stairs to a viewing gallery above the main floor. The Spelljammer recruits are directed into the nexus itself: a large, high-ceilinged chamber. Dominating the space is a thirty-foot-high orrery depicting a scale model of Realmspace: a tight cluster of five planets spinning around a yellow sun, with three more strangely shaped bodies further out. Toril, the planet you're currently on, is identifiable by Selune and her Tears orbiting it in turn.

Eight small but not-to-scale miniature ships are also attached to the orrery; they are colour coded to eight spelljamming helms positioned in a circle around it. You don't immediately see any other people in the Nexus.

[I'll give you a moment to look around before your teacher show up...]

Roy, seeing that Rel and Gloix had picked the jammer route, decides to apply his skill to the much more interesting pursuits of the Corps, especially the heavier ship mounted weapons. He settles into one of the chairs in the viewing gallery to watch his crew-mates’ first attempts at the helm.

Rel will step closer to the orrery, watching in wonder as the planets proceed in their orderly paths, orbiting the central star.  The music of the spheres plays through his mind as he watches the colorful globes spinning effortlessly.  Not having been a student of astronomy previously, he gazes with interest at the other celestial orbs in the system, and especially at the 3 stranger shapes in the distant reaches of space.

Xavier would probably head into the Nexus, and like lean up against a wall. Just surveying, a little begrudgingly. He needed to soak up as many details as he  could.

Zaius is happy to follow the others to the spelljamming hall, bounding up the stairs to the viewing gallery.  He springs up to the balcony railing, grasping the edge with his toes, and looks down at the orrery with a sparkle of curiosity in his eye, trying to determine what he knows of the planets and other objects featured there, and interested to see what his classmates do.  He looks back at Roy “Why didn’t you go through the training Roy? Not interested in jamming?”