Session 43 Battleships
Begrudgingly, Firien dictates the rules of the game to the morkoth. The ghost crew of the Draa’zvir must number the same as the Verity and if hit, they must disappear. Guy tarries for a moment, seemingly to conspire with the morkoth. As a gesture of good will, he relinquishes the weather gauge advantage before offering advice laced with truths and lies. The morkoth rubs its tentacles together in excitement, unaware of Guy’s plan. Spiro rubs his temples when Firien explains the situation. Captain Brush orders the crew to begin fortifying the Verity ready for battle.
The Verity’s maximum HP increases to 292.
The Verity
Following Guy’s advice, the morkoth sails straight into the Verity’s gunsights on a favourable wind. Traversing the gap between two earthmotes, the Verity mounts an ambush! Her opening dual-cannon salvo penetrates the spelljammer’s hull, revealing the morkoth’s putrid flesh beneath. Spotting a weak point, Gomruss launches a fireball, splintering the deck. Githyanki mages rush to douse the fires. Furious, the morkoth cracks its spelljammer shell in two, whipping its stern around to take aim at the Verity. Taken off guard by the morkoth’s duplicitous speed, Guy gives Firien the signal.
Firien’s sharp topaz eyes find the metal breech of the spelljammer’s giant cannon. Uttering a draconic prayer, they summon a tumultuous sleet storm. Unaffected by the slippery deck, the ghost crew attempt to load the cannon, only to find the breech frozen shut! In a fit of rage, the morkoth orders a longbow volley before the Verity can disappear behind cover. The volley punctures the Verity’s mizzen sail and Spiro staggers back as an arrow pierces his shoulder. The Grand Paladin plucks the arrow from his wound and tosses it aside, drawing the gaze of Firien.
Stoutmann relieves Spiro, joining one of two three-person gun crews. He and Arti load the starboard cannon while Eureka sets the elevation. Bantonio and Ulletar wheel the port cannon into position so Blythe can take aim. Using the Verity’s manoeuvrability to his advantage, Guy orders a rapid thruster ascent. The Verity appears above an ancient temple and the crews open fire. The bombardment cracks the morkoth’s wooden shell. Hoping to deal a decisive blow, Gomruss catapults a nearby earthmote toward the spelljammer. Unfortunately, the morkoth is able to evade the unwieldy attack.
Casting heat metal, the githyanki mages successfully thaw the breech and the morkoth turns its giant cannon toward the Verity once more. A plume of smoke follows a silent flash. A split second later, a devastating explosion rocks the Verity as a giant cannonball tears through the ancient temple and much of the Verity’s stern!
“BRACE FOR IMPACT!”
Guy.
Though the monks are quick to raise their shield, the impact shatters the stern ballista and several crewmembers are injured. Clara, Terry and Talia tend to the wounded. Through smoke and splinters, Gomruss sees an opportunity. The githyanki were reloading the giant cannon and he was staring down its throat. Toes to stern, Gomruss winds up to pitch the fireball of his career. The fireball sails straight down the bore of the cannon, igniting the gunpowder inside! The fiery explosion parts the two halves of the spelljammer, revealing the morkoth’s repulsive squid-like face.
“I’m not having fun any more.”
Morkoth.
The morkoth casts a dark shadow as it looms over the Verity, its dreadful eyes consumed by fiery revenge. Its tentacles seem to multiply as they extend toward the smaller ship. The game had ended. The ghost crew were free. The githyanki leap over the bulwarks to swarm the two-faced aberration! The morkoth writhes in pain as silver swords pierce its flesh like a thousand needles. Firien reaches out with sparkling talons to enshroud the morkoth in a storm cloud. Their lightning strikes with deadly precision. The morkoth screeches. Its tentacles shrink away as it abandons the remains of its shell and flees into the Miasma. Both crews roar in victory! The kith’rak offers Firien an appreciative nod before one by one the githyanki disappear.
Abandoned Spelljammer
While the crew set about repairing the Verity, the Six of Steel investigate the spelljammer. Guy finds a plethora of salvageable resources including timber and canvas. In the bowels of the ship, Gomruss discovers the morkoth’s treasure hoard. His eyes gleam as he digs through the mounds of gold and platinum. He estimates there must be at at least 36,000 gold! Amongst the curious items and weapons buried in the hoard, Firien finds three diamonds suitable for casting revivify. Gomruss is especially excited to find two candles of invocation. He could use these to reach the plane of mirrors.