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spelljammer-sesh-recaps · 1 month

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Session 4 - Spelljammer

June 22, 2024

After nosing about on an Illithid ship and overstaying their welcome, the crew is able to escape - map in hand and Nautiloid ship hull towing behind. The Illithid ship that popped into the area doesn’t find them and they are able to regroup. That was a close one!

Upon returning to the ship, they take stock. With their new resources, the crew decides it’s a good time to head back to the Rock of Bral to upgrade the ship. Also, Stew’s nap has gone on long enough that it's becoming a health concern, so they think he might need to see a healer.

While they travel, the crew reviews the map with Wangye. Upon activation, the map projects around them, revealing the vast expanse of all known space. Wangye does some Minority Report hand swipies, manipulating the map to look for his path home. With chagrin, he finds that the way home is very long. So long, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to make it back, even in his extended lifetime.

Always the optimist, Gar asks the captain about the fastest way to get around this universe and learns that this is teleportation. They think this will be Wangye’s best option for getting home. Why not send him home today? Well, teleportation is like…really expensive, ya’ll. However, the crew says that they are willing to help raise the funds. The captain is eager to have Wangye (and his map) join the crew. Wange agrees and the crew takes on another member. The map is a liability as the Illithids will be tracking them for it. They agree to have Knyle hide it somewhere only he knows.

New Crew Member Unlocked: Wangye

Now that Wangye has joined the crew, the team has unlocked some new abilities and items!

Map of the Known Universe - Temporary use of the map while Wangye is part of the crew

Wangye’s language translation - Deep Speech, etc

Communication devices - Allow crew members to convey thoughts and images for non-verbal communication

Asteroid worm venom (hot pink, 2 vials) - Toxic, eats away flesh/bone. Can apply to a metal weapon, but the weapon will be destroyed after 1 hit.

Mysterious eldritch creature - It might have fur, it might be crystalline, it definitely has teeth. Wangye warns the crew he will release it if they fall into the hands of the Illithids and the map is in danger of being lost.

Once this is all settled, the crew sets about some tasks on their way to the Rock of Bral:

Frank - Starts tinkering with the hull

Needs to figure out how to install, power, and calibrate the new hull.

Captain provides him the “Glark’s Guide to Spelljamming Helms - Vol. 1”. He learns:

All helms are compatible with all ships - same magic spell

Different helms provide different perks.

Frank needs to find volumes 2 - 5 of the set.

Gar - Attunes to the Robe of Many Uses

Can use as a Bonus Action

Stew - Wakes up and eats a brain salad. All normal, here.

Finnley - Studies map and learns:

Spelljammers can move 100M miles in 2 hours. (Toril to Gith - 8 day trip at max speed (1B miles))

Can move against the current, but will move slower.

Planet knowledge

Glyth - Inhabited by Illithid and Beholder empires, constantly at war. Will attack approaching vessels.

Garden - Just past Glyth. Peaceful planet of wild growth. Inhabited by massive creatures immune to mind control. People live on the planet in symbiosis with them. Wangye knows of a safe place they could dock here, if they are able to get past Glyth.

H’Katha - Unexplored gas giant.

Anadia - Inhabited by creatures that can withstand extreme heat.

No other space hubs around like the Rock of Bral

Knyle - Studies the map

Looking for his people

Learns the orientation of celestial bodies and the UI, but is unable to read the words.

After a 2 day journey, the crew makes it back to the Rock of Bral. They go to sell their treasures:

Sell Metal bars and gemstones: 480GP -20% (captain’s share). Leaves 76GP per person.

The crew then hits up the local bookstore!

Frank finds:

“Glark’s Guide to Spelljammers, Vol. 2 - 5”

Finnley finds:

“Spherewalker’s Almanac” (5 book series).

While on the ship and able to access, Advantage on Space Knowledge Checks. If off ship, can take 1 book of choice along.

“Volo’s Guide to Monsters”

Knyle finds:

“Deep Speech for Dummies”

“The Five Love Languages”

Gar asks the bookstore owner if they have copper tomes. He gets escorted to a special vault in the back of the store. The vault is filled with ancient tomes, historic newspapers, and special issues of magazines. There is also one shelf display with 15 collected copper tomes, among them, Owlbear Man #1, in excellent condition.

Gar asks the store owner if he would trade for something from his personal collection. The store owner says they may be willing to bargain, but not for Gar’s collection. If Gar agrees to assassinate a man named Algrin the Fell, they will give him Owlbear #1. Gar asks why? The store owner, in addition to having a nice shop with a pleasant atmosphere, also dabbles in the politics of the Blood War. He wants to keep the hell creatures fighting amungst themselves. However, our good friend Algrin has information that could stop this war. And so, he needs to be stopped. Gar sees no issues with this and agrees to deliver some vigilante justice to a man for a comic book.

Gar is given a metal circle imbued with infernal magic that will trap the life essence of a creature within it. The store owner also casts the “Quest” spell on Gar. Over the next 30 days, this assassination is Gar’s main objective, giving him the character flaw that he will be magically compelled to make this his top priority.

Looks like our crew is gearing up for another great adventure! Will Frank and Frank Jr get the ship up and running? Will Knyle learn his and his crew’s love languages? Will Gar kill a man for a comic book? Tune in next week!

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futureman34 · 7 years

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Part 1: The Beginning

Parthax pulled hard at the net full of fish. His muscles straining under glistening white scales against the combined efforts of dozens of fish fighting for their collective lives. It was ultimately a futile effort as he dragged them up into the boat. It was a pretty decent haul, truth be told. Pops, the business owner, would be pretty happy with the day’s catch. As he tied off the net and began to lazily row back to shore, he thought about what he had done to get to this point in his life. He wanted to do so much more than this, but it seemed fate had other plans.

Growing up with a father figure like Ioth, a man who spent 80 years as a spherewalker, someone who made it their goal to see something new each and every day all in the name of Desna, made Parthax want to go out and see the world as well. It was difficult to see himself doing it because nobody had left the village since Ioth had over 80 years ago. It discouraged such thoughts. Besides, he had Faedalynn, his loving wife of 3 years at home whose status meant he could have whatever he wanted right here in Sarcen. She had been the village head twice in the past 15 years and 5 times in her whole life, something that made people think she was blessed by Desna. It helped that she brought about changes that were since adopted regardless of who the new leader was. It was her idea to create the wall of force that now surrounded the city to protect from outside threats. “Walls of wood and stone can be burned or knocked down. We have the greatest collection of Sorcerers the world has ever known who can provide us with the greatest protection the world has ever seen,” she said all those years ago in her first reign. It made her popular. It made her influential. It made her powerful. By proxy now, it had made Parthax popular. He appreciated the attention, but he would much rather have spent his time quietly in their marital home than running to the various meetings and gatherings of Sarcen’s elite and rich personalities. It made him antsy and uncomfortable. Growing up in the temple under the parenting and tutelage of someone as harsh and unforgiving as Ioth, he had been drilled to be quiet, subservient, and to shy away from attention. Seen and not heard. Now here he was the center of attention and the husband of Faedalynn, the most sought after woman in Sarcen. It didn’t matter that she was 134 and nearing the end of her life, people wanted her for her influence and her money. Parthax didn’t want any of that. He loved her since the first time she met him.

She had come to the temple wanting some spiritual advice from Ioth. She knew she wasn’t going to be on the earth many more years and she began to seek guidance about the afterlife and Desna was the largest temple, mainly because it had a large observatory. Ioth was more than happy to lecture and read from his battered copies of The Eight Scrolls. She came in often to listen and talk. She first met Parthax during the summer Ritual of Stardust. Parthax was building the large bonfire out in front of the temple. She admired his strength and dedication. He simply saw it as doing his duty and helping out his adoptive father. She introduced herself with the air of someone who expected everyone to know her name. He introduced himself with the air of someone who expected no one to know his name. They were both wrong. She had heard his name mentioned by Ioth, but in a tone of shame or talking about something he had done wrong. He was never allowed very many friends, much less to go to social gatherings so her name was foreign to him. They intrigued each other. Almost no one knew his name and no one had ever not heard of her. She loved that there was finally someone she didn’t have to put on airs with. He loved that he was able to talk to someone other than Ioth and occasionally his best friend Vergatrix when he came around. After that, often times Faedalynn came to the temple to talk to Ioth, then ask to see Parthax. Ioth was hesitant or would outright deny the request, but after a few tactful yet nonetheless very real threats to his temple, he relented. They began seeing each other regularly and a new burgeoning relationship was formed. It didn’t matter that she was almost 120 years older than he was, an almost literal lifetime, they were in love with each other.

Parthax had been an adult for almost 3 years and still had not left the temple when they finally decided to wed and live together. It was her who pulled the strings to return his family’s home to him and it was her who decided to sell her own mansion on the richer side of the river to live with him in his old family home. It was a marvel of engineering, pipes of different sizes on the roof were pointed in all directions, catching the wind to play beautiful melodies. It hadn’t been lived in in over 15 years, ever since Parthax’s parents were exiled because of their relationship. Spellscales of the same color were not allowed to sire children as it would create a child too close to their original draconic roots. Something not only Sarcen, but all of Okarthel had long since decided was something they did not want to acknowledge. Parthax wasn’t punished for his birth. It was not his choice to be born. His parents, however, were banished from all of Okarthel before being killed by wild beasts on their way to the Elven kingdom of Morkosari. Their bodies were found and brought to the gates of Sarcen, but were denied entrance. They would not be buried on Okarthel soil, but rather buried just across the border. Ioth was the only one who volunteered to take the infant Parthax in and raised him harshly and brutally. Nothing was ever good enough and nothing was ever correct. He verbally abused him every day and some days were more physical. Parthax was raised by Ioth to think that if he had not been born, his parents would still be alive. He wanted to drive Parthax away from Sarcen. His own knowledge about what Parthax represented meant that he needed to get him out of Sarcen before the worst happened. Now that Faedalynn was involved his hands were tied. He could only watch and pray that nothing became of her...

#PCStories D&D

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