Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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(OOC: @drumdigby - Is the captain an apparently human woman? When I started reading the description - tall, white hair, dark eyes, emotionless smile -- I thought that it was going to be a drow elf.)
(OOC: As usual, posting a bunch of what Xanrym wants to say to accommodate play-by-post. If Nithrissa or the captain responds, Xanrym would of course pause and respond. But if it's not exactly these words, these are the ideas that Xanrym wants to convey.)
If Xanrym is surprised, he hides it well. He simply shifts his initial attention from the captain to the tiefling and says, "Well met, Nithrissa! I've often thought of you in the months since we rescued you from the dungeons of the naga cult and armed you with a greatsword. I wondered where your travels took you and what you've been since we slew Explictica Defilus together. You see that our Company has grown and continues its travels. Little did I think that we would see you here on this wonderful ship!" He nods in respect to the captain and then addresses her, turning his attention away from Nithrissa: "My name is Xanrym, and this is Coriana. It is true that we boarded your ship just before the Malachite Hierarch left port -- it was the only ship leaving the City of Greyhawk at that hour! -- but as Coriana said, we boarded with the permission of your guards. One of them recommended that we wait up on deck so as not to disturb the captain or crew while the ship got underway. We were given to understand that there were free quarters aboard? W e hoped that you would be happy to welcome more passengers. After all, an empty cabin earns no coin! We asked to meet with you as soon as the ship left the Selitan River and crossed Midbay. We wanted to introduce ourselves and negotiate for passage across Nyr Dyv."
Xanrym is attempting to mollify Nithrissa and deflect the stowaway accusation. While The Company agreed that she had paid her debt to them (for rescuing her) by helping to fight the naga and troglodytes, he wanted to remind her that she might still be in a dungeon without The Company's assistance and that The Company is not powerless. He hopes that Nithrissa won't try to cause any trouble for them since they were never openly at-odds with her, and he attempts to redirect the conversation so that it's between The Company and the captain. Xanrym hopes that once he smooths over the initial surprise of finding Nithrissa, Coriana can help them arrive at a fair price. (The Company still has quite a bit of treasure with them from their adventures in pedestal.)
Persuasion: 26 (in game log)
(The captain appears as a large human woman.)
Nithrissa backs down, "You've caught me at a bad time, yet again. I suppose this is not my problem, but know that I've got an eye on everyone on this ship." She addresses the woman next to her, "My apologies, as you know I've got a lot on my plate, and I'll take my leave." She doesn't extent the same apology to you all as she walks out of the Stateroom.
The white haired woman talks finally through her straight smile. Her voice grates like metal, and is far higher and raspier than what you'd think, "Well then, I suppose it is time for us to discuss our business. My name is Captian Shuro Ironsmile and you are on board my ship, The Malachite Heirarch. I will ask you to answer a question for me before I do so for you... Why are you here?" She waits for your response, looking at you with her unnervingly small eyes.
Khessa is slightly surprised by Captain Shuro Ironsmile's question... She would have expected the captain to be more interested in how the Company intended to pay rather than the reasons for the trip. Would she have been equally curious about the other passengers? Not everyone, perhaps, likes busybodies...
In any case, the tall adventuress is convinced that the more talkative members of the Company will be able to come up with a convincing lie; therefore, it is with real, not feigned, confidence that she smiles brightly and extends her hand, introducing herself: "Blunt and direct, aren't you, Shuro? I like you! Khessa Cabbagefield, pleased to meet you!"
The blonde arcane warrior then gives the others space to say what they think is best.
Xanrym is satisfied that Nithrissa won't cause them problems, at least not at the moment. He glances at Coriana, wondering whether it's typical for captains to inquire into the business of their passengers. He turns his attention to Captain Ironsmile and tries to give a bland answer: "Captain Ironsmile -- or do you prefer Captain Shuro? -- as I said, we are here because your ship was the only one leaving the Free City this evening. Or, I'm sorry, maybe I misunderstood the question. Do you mean to ask why we want to cross Nyr Dyv? Well, as I said, some of us who rescued Nithrissa have formed a Company. Like everyone, we must earn coin to pay our creditors and put food on our tables. We have a lead on a possible job in the north, and our next step is to cross Nyr Dyv. It seems that the Luckbringer must have smiled on us when we went down to the docks today because we arrived just before your crew pulled up the gangway! We were happy to find a ship that's making the crossing so quickly! Why, we didn't even have time to decide which port we're headed for, did we? But I'm sure that we can come to mutually-agreeable terms for passage to some city north of Nyr Dyv."
Deception: 27 (including min value from Silver Tongue feature)
Xanrym is mixing truth and lies here. The Company was looking for passage to the north, but that's only because the trail Syllen was following from the storehouse led them to the Malachite Hierarch. It's true that we arrived just in time to board the ship. Khessa has a lead on a job in the north (with Lord Alaric), but of course, she didn't find that lead until after we boarded the ship.
Captian Ironsmile lives up to her name, not betraying any sign that she even acknowledges Xanrym or Khessa’s remarks. “Very well then. I don’t know what jobs I have for you unfortunately. I’ve already signed over most of the security of my ship and its cargo to The Broken Crown. However, there are likely jobs for you to earn your keep, but you’ll have to uncover them yourselves. For example, the Wegwier and Horned Society on board are not getting along, there’s already been a few scuffles before we set off. Additionally, the small group dressed in green are an anomaly. It might be worth someone’s while to uncover their secret.” The captian shifts back a little in her chair. “Find something if interest. Get to the bottom of it. And I will grant your passage on the ship, and not have you thrown overboard. And if you don’t think that’s much of a threat, I invite you to step outside and have a look at the majesty of The Malachite Heirarch.”
As she speaks, you feel some mechanism at work deep within the bowls of the ship.
Khessa is increasingly surprised: Captain Shuro just met them... and she plans to use the Company to prevent two factions from killing each other? Or to uncover the secrets of a third faction? And threatens the Company to 'force' them to cooperate? But if Shuro feels strong enough to threaten the Company and believes the Company can be stronger than the other factions (a necessary condition for completing the various tasks)... why hasn't Shuro herself threatened the other factions, so they won't fight or so they reveal their secrets? Maybe the captain is too busy?
Too many questions—and the blonde arcane warrior brushes them aside, glad that the Company not only has permission to stay, for now, but also a good excuse to meddle in the other factions' affairs! She therefore pats Ironsmile on the shoulder: "Deal! We'll find something for you, Shuro! After all, I told you I like you..."
The tall adventuress doesn't deign to respond to the threat. After the dangers of all kinds that the Company has already faced... before starting to threaten them, the captain would do well to remember that, oh, yes, of course she is big, maybe even bigger than Khessa, but the bigger they are...
Khessa then in fact steps outside and takes a look at the majesty of The Malachite Heirarch, wondering idly what mechanism is at work... Perhaps one to stow the cargo properly?
Theldrin isn't quite sure what to make of the strange captain's conditions, so remains silent for the moment. He does note with interest however, that she seems to want someone to investigate the Greens.
Xanrym is also surprised. He thought that they'd simply be negotiating over the price of passage. The Company has plenty of treasure from Pedestal, but they're not in a great negotiating position. Since they're already on the ship, if they can't reach an agreement, the captain could have them thrown overboard. Or...she could try! Xanrym wonders for a moment whether the crew would continue to serve if The Company ended up fighting off the guards and overthrowing Nithrissa and the captain. That would be one way for Coriana to get her ship!
To Captain Ironside, he simply reinforces what Khessa said: "We would be happy to check on the other passengers and help ensure a peaceful crossing of Nyr Dyv!" He also checks how often the captain wants updates from The Company. Should they notify her when they have something to share? Or will she call on them at some point to report? Basically, Xanrym is trying to get a sense of whether they have a deadline for finding "something of interest" for Captain Ironside.
Xanrym isn't sure whether The Company will need to remain on the ship until it reaches Iuz. He asks the captain: "We were told that you're headed to Iuz, but do you plan to stop at other cities on your way up the Veng River?" If they want to disembark at Critwall, that leaves them a lot less time to figure out which group has the relics of the Forgotten King. Of course, now that they know that Nithrissa, a knight of Iuz's Order of Desolation, is onboard the ship, it seems more likely that the she and the captain are the ones who received the bones from Fadheela.
As they head back onto the deck of the ship, Xanrym wonders whether that makes sense. Why would Fadheela defy Orinielle and Iuz only to hand the Forgotten King's bones over to Nithrissa? He feels like they're missing some critical piece of this puzzle.
Concentration: Enhance Ability (CHA) on Coriana
(OOC: If we're done with the captain, Xanrym's next priority would be to secure quarters for The Company. He doesn't want to spend the whole trip in a corner of the deck! In particular, since that seems to depend on Darci and Coriana, he wants to ensure that they sort that out while Coriana is still benefitting from his spell. Then they can meet with Lord Alaric and see what job he is offering them.)
Ironsmile just motions for you all to step outside at these questions.
You step out onto the deck, where you realize the ship is travelling at a much faster pace than any ship you've been on before. The whirring noise you notice was the sides of the ship opening themselves up. From these flaps two extra sails extend out, and combined with the extra speed the ship seems to have taken on, Begin to slowly ascend you above sea level. Up and up the ship flies, and you see the Nyr Dyv below you getting further away, little islands dotted all around and Greyhawk a speck in the distance.
The crew and The Broken Crown don't seem phased by your new position up in the air, but the rest of the passengers are speechless, all looking over the sides of the ship in wonder and fear. You notice that Lord Alaric Thandrel's face is bright red as he walks over to Captian Ironsmile, who's exited the Stateroom and stands unnervingly tall next to the door. You can't quite make out what Alaric is saying to the white haired woman, but his scribe is taking it all down and wincing every few words.
Back on deck, Theldrin is about to make a comment as to Captain Ironsmile's eccentricity, when suddenly the ship starts to move up into the air. Rendered speechless he dashes to the ship's rail and watches as the surface of the water recedes below. Hanging on with a white knuckle grip he ducks down on one knee and tries to remember if he's ever come across anything like this in his studies.
History: 19
Khessa momentarily (but completely) forgets all her doubts about the captain and all her thoughts about who might have the precious cargo, as she witnesses the incredible phenomenon of the ship's takeoff!
The blonde arcane warrior had often wondered, as a child, while watching birds fly, what it would feel like to soar through the sky, to be able to ascend without limits and survey the world from a height not even the tallest tower could reach. Now she finally knows! Now, as the houses and walls, the constructions of men (who believe themselves so powerful) shrink to toys, revealing the futility of the ambitions of the powerful, she feels simultaneously ecstatic, euphoric, at peace...
"Theldrin, this is fantastic!" tall adventuress needs to share the overwhelming euphoria with someone - and the war wizard is currently the closest. After that, laughing happily, she runs to the bow of the titanic ship and, positioning herself almost like a human figurehead, squints and opens her arms, savoring the sensation of the wind rushing around her as if she were flying on her own...
[[ OOC: Although I hope this ship has better luck than the Titanic... ]]
To sail... unburdened by the call of the deep... the emotions swell in Coriana as she notices the ship begin to fly.
She is shaken from her introversion by trying to understand on any level how the ship is controlling its position without having a keel and the pressure of the water to push against.
She finds Darci and will arrange quarters for the Company.
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Xanrym feels his stomach lurch as the entire ship lifts out of the water and into the air. He looks around, initially just as shocked as the other passengers, and then slowly follows after Theldrin to the rail. The rapidly receding world below gives him a dizzy, unstable feeling similar to when he looked out of the secret door that opened in the side of the Necromancer's Spike, high above the floor of the Great Grotto. He feels almost as strange as when he took the potion to turn into a mist earlier this morning. In that case, of course, the strange feeling was the dissolution of his body, and drifting from room to room didn't strike him as particularly unusual. Now, his body is intact, and it's just reacting to the strange circumstance of flying through the air. Trying to inspire himself to have courage, he exclaims (to no one in particulary), "This must be what it would feel like to ride on the back of a great dragon!"
If allowed, Xanrym moves to the sterncastle of the ship. That way, he can look back at Midbay, the mouth of the Selintan River, and the Cairn Hills. As the ship climbs higher, the Free City suddenly becomes visible again beyond the Cairn Hills. The cartographer in him is fascinated. From this height, the world really starts to look like one of his maps. He images what a boon this flying ship would be to cartographers. They could sail the skies even in the flattest plain, taking measurements and making more accurate maps.
Xanrym's thoughts eventually drift back to their current job. The Company needs to find their quarters, but it seems that Coriana is already seeing to that. Remembering his last question to the captain, he looks to see whether Captain Ironside is on deck. If not, he'll look for the sailing master, first mate, or quartermaster. Someone who would know the captain's plan for this journey. He asks, "This ship is amazing! I've never seen its equal. How long can it stay in the air like this? Do you plan to descend once you cross Nyr Dyv and returning to the water at the mouth of the Veng River? Or is the plan to keep to the skies all the way to the Whyestil Lake?" Basically, he's trying to learn what the next port of call will be.
Persuasion: 21 (min value from Silver Tongue feature) in case he needs to convince them to share that information with a passenger
Theldrin has read a little about the existence of flying ships, but they are mostly passed off as rumors of fancy in the textbooks. Coriana will note that a couple of the crew members have their eyes closed and are muttering, the ship must be kept afloat by some combination of machinery and magic.
The crew member answers Xanrym simply, "I don't know why people keep asking that question. The destination is Iuz, as it has always been and was advertised. If you have a problem, get in line behind the Shield Lander." He nods toward Lord Alaric arguing with Ironsmile.
Khessa savors the ecstatic sensation for as long as she can... but eventually resolves to refocus on the problem at hand: recovering the ancient bones.
With a radiant smile still on her face, the blonde arcane warrior returns to the fellow adventurers and murmurs: "Shall we wait for Alaric to return to his cabin and then discreetly join him? Given his disapproval of the current turn of events, I'm inclined to discount the possibility that he's the one seeking to deliver the bones to Iuz..."
Theldrin regains his composure, stepping away from the rail as he shakes his head, muttering with a wry grin, "Never a dull moment traveling with the Company..." He nods in agreement with Khessa, ready to plan a meeting with Alaric as the next step.
Xanrym agrees. But if Coriana has secured a cabin for The Company, he amends that idea: "Let's go to our cabin and unburden ourselves of some of this gear. We're not all as strong as you, Khessa, and my shoulders would thank me if I could take off this backpack for a while."
That is, go to their cabin and wait for Alaric. Assuming that we can see Alaric's cabin, we could just wait in our quarters with the door open and have someone watch the hallway until we see Lord Alaric or Clayton return to their quarters.
While The Company waits, Xanrym shares what he learned from one of the sailors: the Malachite Hierarch plans to travel directly from the Free City to the land of Iuz! They do not plan to stop at any other cities along the way.
Khessa accepts the bard's proposed change, and when she learns from him that the ship won't be making any stops, she reassures everyone: "It won't be a problem... Once we've secured the ancient bones, we can abandon the ship at any time. I always have a spell ready to slow our falls — we'll jump overboard, and the only thing we'll have to worry about is traveling back to Greyhawk."
"Besides," adds the blonde arcane warrior, "this way, even if agents of Iuz discover what we've done and decide to hunt us down, they won't have an easy time tracking us down."
(OOC: Re: using Feather Fall wondering approximately what elevation are we traveling at?)