Spelljammer Recap #6

 

Spelljammer Recap 6 Sunday October 20, 2024 @ 12:00-4:00 P.M.

 

<<WARNING SPOILERS FOR THE LIGHT OF XARYXIS! >>

CHAPTER 4: A FRIEND INDEED

       With the Astral Elves trying to chase them down, the group decided to bring Commodore Krux to The Moondancer rather than The Second Wind. Captain Elaina Sartell had Flapjack the Flumph navigate them out of the docks of the Rock of Bral and into Wildspace. Commodore Krux told them about an alliance in Doomspace forming to fight the Xarxyian Empire. He didn’t know how to get to Doomspace, but his friend Topolah could get them there. So the group headed to the asteroids at the outskirts of the system. The group had a short rest. In her room, P40-X saw the stuffed head of the Quaggoth. They then noticed a new ship chasing them that glowed with pink bioluminescent energy… 

        Suddenly a psychic scream emanated from the ship and a gurgling cry resounded from the deck below. The Moondancer juddered to a sudden stop. Captain Elaina Sartell ran below deck to see what fate had befallen Flapjack the Flumph.
       Suddenly a shimmering doorway appeared on the deck of The Moondancer and Hastain, a Reigar ally of the Xarxyian Empire emerged from the portal. Hastain seemed upset that they were trying to stop the destruction of Toril, which Hastain seemed to view as an artistic expression as if the devastation of a planet were an act of creation. Hastain also seemed to know something about Commodore Krux and Prince Xeleth of the Xarxyian Empire. Hastain seemed to focus on Commodore Krux as if killing him would be more valuable than the rest of the party. Hastain summoned an exact duplicate and they went to work skewering Krux with their tridents. Krux tried to counter with his long sword wielded in two hands but kept missing (This went on for a couple of combat rounds).
     WuKong summoned his arms and then missed with two dart throws. Tamayo burned Hastain with a Firebolt. Nebun missed with a Poison Spray. P40-X drew her rapier and landed a critical blow with her thrust followed by her metal fairy swarm. The crew sent out a single boulder from the mangonel and fired their ballistae at the Esthetic, hitting once with the boulder and once with a bolt. The crew then converged on a single ballista, as the three could only load, aim, and fire one at a time. The Esthetic kept getting closer and closer.
      WuKong missed and hit P40-X in the back. Tamayo cast a Lightning Bolt that did major damage to the clone of Hastain. Nebun tried to use Sacred Flame but it was dodged by Hastain. He sent out a pseudopod to help with the ballista. P40-X cast Hunter’s Mark on Hastain and hit Hastain with her rapier and metallic faery swarm. The crew fired their ballista and hit the Esthetic.
      WuKong struck Krux in the back and hit Hastain with his punches. Tamayo fried Hastain’s clone with a second Lightning Bolt. Nebun cast Cure Wounds on Krux and restored a spell slot. Nebun’s pseudopod fired the ballista and hit the Esthetic! P40-X hit Hastain once with her rapier and fairy swarm.

      Commodore Krux managed to hit Hastain with his long sword once. Hastain summoned an orb of blue lightning that discharged into Commodore Krux and disintegrated most of his body. Suddenly, a female voice echoed out from inside P40-X, “Worthy soul detected. Beginning Soul Preservation.” P40-X’s abdominal cavity flung open with a thwack sound and a vacuuming sound was heard from within. A blue ball of energy came out of Krux’s remains and then went inside the abdominal cavity. It closed shut with a loud thunk sound.  P40-X could hear Commodore Krux in her mind “Where am I?”  and she became even more confused. “In addition to visions of doom now must I also listen to another voice in my head?” Hastain taunted, “Thus shall all enemies of the Xarxyian Empire fall! You’re next!”

      The crew fired the Ballista and left the Esthetic bloodied. The Esthetic got close enough to extend its tentacles and reach The Moondancer. The Esthetic smashed the rear deck of The Moondancer for 1/6 of the ship’s HP.
       WuKong used his Ki to attack Hastain with a Flurry of Blows, managing to hit them once. Tamayo cast her final Lightning Bolt and killed Hastain. Nebun and WuKong went below decks to check on the Captain and Flapjack the Flumph. Flapjack was stable with the Captain’s help. Nebun cast Cure Wounds on Flapjack and they groggily regained consciousness. Flapjack told Nebun that he was stunned; he couldn’t even move his tentacles to float. The Spelljamming Helm was out of commission as well. Nebun asked permission to loot the enemy vessel. Captain Elaina Sartell granted the request. They left to loot the Esthetic using a Jolly Boat. They found five emeralds apiece on the ship. The ship slowly died while they were onboard, its light fading and its living walls turning from purple to crimson to black. P40-X and Tamayo looted Hastain and got 35 gold pieces and 105 silver pieces each as well as a potion that Tamayo pocketed. Tamayo brought out her Spelljamming Helm and tried to use it but couldn’t attune to the ship. Tamayo went below decks to see Flapjack the Flumph. Flapjack advised Tamayo on how to use a Spelljamming Helm. With his guidance, she finally got the hang of it. Commodore Krux told P40-X who then told Tamayo that their destination was Topolah’s Tower, east and towards the middle of the star system. Tamayo directed the ship that way and got her first crash course in Spelljamming. WuKong refocused his Ki. P40-X talked to Commodore Krux in her mind. Nebun wrote down his psychiatric evaluations of the fractured and in his opinion degenerating mind of P40-X.

[Notes: The Moondancer has 53 points of damage sustained in this fight.]

CHAPTER 5: LIVING ON THE EDGE

     After a short rest, the party arrived at Topolah’s Tower. Captain Elaina Sartell decided the dock looked too rickety for The Moondancer and deployed two of the Jolly Boats with the party and a crewman with them. Topolah unleashed a Firebolt to scare away some Gray Scavvers who were fighting each other over the right to eat the corpse of a pelican. Topolah asked the party why they were here. P40-X told her about the passing of Commodore Krux and her capturing of his spirit or soul. Topolah said Commodore Krux was one of the kindest souls she had ever met and he was certainly a worthy soul. P40-X and Topolah talked about her purpose as an Autognome and Topolah theorized she was some sort of soul preserver for spirits that were worthy perhaps based on her creator’s specifications. P40-X worried that she could collect more souls and her mind space become even more chaotic or perhaps even worse a new worthy soul would replace the old one making her swap souls. What would happen to the old soul, would it be thrown out like garbage? Topolah didn’t know if either hypothesis was the case, only her creator knew the answer to that. She told them about Orwyck Cogworth, who had created her eight Autognome servants, Orwyck 1-8. They had their creator’s gnome inventor looks including a metallic moustache. They were created to follow the three laws of their kind and to protect her first and foremost. P40-X said she understood.
     P40-X told Topolah about Commodore Krux thinking she had a map to Doomspace. Topolah said she didn’t have one unfortunately. Nebun bade the lone crewman to stay with the jolly boats.
     Topolah gave them a tour of her tower. The first floor was a garden tended by four Autognomes. Topolah showed them how to use the rope and pulley system to ascend to the second floor. The second floor was a kitchen and dining room with two Autognomes working as cooks. The Autognomes were serving Scavver steak with a lunar béchamel. The party sat down and had their first home cooked meal since they had fled Toril.  Nebun looked over the texts in the room and found them to be astrological books filled with horoscopes. On the third floor, Topolah showed them her telescope and her room full of star maps, and astronomical texts. Topolah touched the tower wall and made a hole appear in it and offered the party a look into her telescope. WuKong looked at it and saw a close up of Toril. The crystalline vines were coming out of the planet’s stratosphere and gave the world an appearance like a burr. Topolah said she could help them by giving them her Wildspace orrery if they could get rid of Big Momma, a huge Void Scavver, who was prowling around her asteroid lately.    
      The party agreed and returned to their jolly boats to return to The Moondancer. Halfway back to the ship, Big Momma dived at WuKong. WuKong punched Big Momma in the face and then she opened her maw wide and swallowed him whole. For the rest of the fight, WuKong fought inside the belly of Big Momma, sliding and falling down inside the stomach while he tried desperately to punch his way out with a Flurry of Blows. WuKong only stayed alive from his Hadozee Resilience; otherwise he would have been digested by Big Momma’s acidic digestive juices.
     Tamayo cast Chill Touch and partially froze Big Momma. Captain Elaina Sartell fired a ballista bolt that struck Big Momma. Nebun cast Guidance on P40-X. P40-X shot her pistol and struck Big Momma twice. Big Momma fired a Ray of Fear at Tamayo. She started paddling away from Big Momma. Then Big Momma moved to block her path. Nebun cast Guidance on P40-X a second time. P40-X shot her pistol and hit Big Momma twice. Captain Elaina Sartell shot her ballista and it tore through Big Momma’s abdomen. Surprisingly, WuKong came out of the stomach holding the ballista bolt as a dwarf skeleton in a Fish Suit flew out of the stomach like candy from a piñata. WuKong grabbed the Fish Suit and removed the dwarf skeleton and donned the armor. The party rowed back to The Moondancer.  
     After they arrived on the deck of The Moondancer, Topolah cast Fly and came aboard. She gave P40-X the Wildspace Orrery. She also told them about a potential ally, Grimzod Gargenhale. She said she could guide them to his fleet. The party accepted her offer of help.
     Topolah guided them to where she had last seen the fleet. They found Astral Elf star moths and ships from Grimzod’s fleet destroyed. Topolah didn’t see any wreckage of Grimzod’s flagship, the Last Breath. The party didn’t go through the wreckage but went around it. They saw an elf being picked apart by three gray Scavvers but decided to not intervene. After skirting the wreckage, a Wisp appeared and offered to guide them to Gargenhale. The party hesitated but eventually agreed. The group took a Long Rest as they traveled for a day looking for the Last Breath…    

[Characters have leveled up to 7!]