Session 42: Fireship Down


 * We are on the way to the Eldeen Reaches. We have activated the ship and it went straight up, but it hasn't turned yet. We're very high up, above the clouds. Vanesse is airsick.
 * Gettafix says that he was a boatswain for 15 years in the Karrnathi navy, and wants to know if we have a plan. He brings us into the big room with a map on the table.
 * He points out that we'll need a navigator, and there are a lot of supplies to unpack, plus the wood on the boat needs to be finished repeatedly to protect it from dampness.
 * Cornerio tries to weasel out of work, Vikrit works on plotting a course, Sarienne is on watch, Orielle is helping Gettafix, Tork is steering, and Mogen is in the workshop with Dax.
 * Vikrit rolls a 1 on the navigation check and asks Tork to go below the clouds because he can't see shit (thankfully the next roll is better). The ship starts descending slowly. Sarienne doesn't see much.
 * After a while, Gettafix comes to the room Cornerio's hiding in with a sandwich to tell him that's all he's getting on the trip unless he helps out; he agrees and catches the sandwich in his mouth. While he's down helping Gettafix secure some supplies, he notices some kind of weasel in the storage room running from a small hole.
 * He peers into the hole and sees some kind of nest in there, so he pries it open with his hammer--just some bones and dust.
 * Vikrit checks where they are once they're below the clouds. There might be a storm ~100 miles away toward north near Silver Lake. Evening falls.
 * Tork figures out the controls as much as he can; he pushes the throttle forward, bells ring, and the fire glows brighter.
 * Gettafix asks what the plan is for the evening, Vikrit suggests we stop for the night. We try to figure out how to stop the ship.
 * Tork tries moving the "throttle" the other way. The ship lurches to a stop then accelerates backward, then Tork figures out how to stop it.
 * Gettafix makes the case for staying in a nicer room thank the shitty stalls below deck, and argues with Cornerio about "his" room on the upper deck that he apparently needs to construct a shrine to Mavadtorop in. Eventually Gettafix says he wants the comfy bed in the map room and Vikrit insists he'll sleep at the foot of the bed.
 * Vesun is working on scrolls; Dax is working on the Mogun; Mogen works on adding Spider Climb and Featherfall to her chair. She tests it by piling soft stuff down on the deck and scuttling up outside Vesun's room onto the spar. Vesun is annoyed by the noise and casts Silence, so while Mogen is announcing her drop she's cut off mid-sentence. "Ah, that's better."
 * It works! Beetle wings emerge to slow her fall. Orielle is the most excited.
 * Cornerio is on evening watch and decides to leave a bunch of caltrops around at the end of his watch. Just Vikrit and Cornerio are up.
 * Cornerio sees a pair of green lights floating in the distance, going up and down, apparently following us. Vikrit comes out and sees it, then it blinks out of existence. Cornerio hears something flapping over the ship and decides it's a "mystic sky cat". Vikrit runs to get his bow.
 * Cornerio decides he needs to move the ship and moves the throttle forward, setting off the bells. The ship shakes oddly and moves forward. Sarienne grabs her bow and runs upstairs; Mogen and Tork also come up, and Gettafix comes outside. After they're unable to spot anything else, almost everyone goes to bed.
 * Tork: "Do you have this for the night?" (simultaneously) Cornerio: "Yes!" Vikrit: "No." Vikrit uses the stars to navigate while Cornerio kind of steers.
 * Sarienne goes to check around the ship and ties a rope to herself and the ship just in case (at Vikrit's insistence). It's getting quite cold outside. She checks the aft and doesn't see much. Nothing else happens.
 * In the morning, Vikrit rolls a natural 20 on the navigation roll! They're south of the Byeshk mountain range. Vikrit suggests they follow the mountains on the far side and try to stay away from the storm that he saw the day before.
 * This morning it's colder and there are stronger winds, but Tork keeps it on course. We are getting close to the mountains themselves.
 * Sarienne sees something cross across the sun. It looks very similar to the thing she saw last night; it appears to be trying to stay in the light so it's hard to see. She keeps seeing it over the course of an hour, so she goes and drags Cornerio outside.
 * Orielle introduces herself to Mogen awkwardly and suggests they play cards later to get to know each other.
 * Vesun casts Invisibility and Fly on Sarienne to go check out the creature. She spots it but loses it.
 * Vesun spots a huge storm cloud that we are on course to hit; Vikrit determines we're drifting back over the mountains toward The Gloaming but suggests we try to stay on the other side to try to avoid the storm.
 * Orielle goes to introduce herself to Cornerio and despite stepping on his caltrops, she invites him to the card game.
 * Gettafix puts together a nice dinner for everyone to share in the state room. Cornerio begrudgingly agrees to take a plate outside and keep watch during the meal.
 * He tells a story about him and his former first mate, Morrow (a human Karrnathi noble), and they decided to go to Dagger Bay (where Sharn is). He says the Captain found out and they were imprisoned for desertion. He says "Don't mutiny unless you have a good plan!" No one but Vikrit claps.
 * Meanwhile, the wind has picked up outside. Orielle, Mogen, Sarienne, and Tork continue playing cards. Cornerio notices that it's raining and that Tork's mage hand has to move a bunch. Somehow Cornerio rights it with a natural 20.
 * Vikrit corrals everyone into securing things with rope as we enter the storm. Vesun rolls a 1 on securing Gettafix's supplies and thinks he did a great job. The turbulence has begun to interfere with the card game. Cornerio hangs onto the wheel.
 * Vesun buffs Tork (CHA) and Cornerio (STR). Mogen tries to secure things but slips off the cabin. Sarienne and Orielle do their damndest to continue playing cards.
 * Suddenly, a huge bird swoops down at Cornerio: it was a friggin' roc following us.
 * It appears to be flying low above the ship, but doesn't have its talons out; it lands. Cornerio slides his gnome hooked hammer toward Vikrit because his hands are free. Mogen gets Sarienne & Orielle and tells them to get their weapons. It lands on the deck in front of Vikrit; as we pass over some sort of threshold, its flesh begins to melt away, and an undead, skeletal version of it is left. Tork creates another mage hand with claws… Force Claw. Vikrit slowly backs up and casts Mark of the Hunter on the roc (completely uselessly, because Monica confused it for another spell; this mystic ranger thing is going great).
 * Cornerio again keeps the ship righted. Vesun summons a celestial giant eagle and has it attack the undead roc (hereafter referred to as Flybones). Vikrit continues backing up, says, "I don't know how to use this!" and gives Cornerio his hammer back, then takes the wheel and buffs himself with Bull's Strength. Cornerio attacks Flybones. Mogen takes her fire stick.
 * Flybones chomps on Cornerio. Tork asks Vikrit to let go of the wheel so he can try to convince Brezhnia to right itself; the nose drops and Vesun barely avoids sliding into the bird. He casts Cure Moderate Wounds on it and hurts it. Orielle whaps it with her flail while the eagle also attacks. Vikrit realizes he can now also do what Vesun did and tries to attack Flybones by healing it, but it clotheslines him with a wing. Sarienne shoots at it.
 * Cornerio hits Flybones with his hammer. Mogen charges outside. Flybones hits Cornerio and Orielle hard. Tork sees that ice is beginning to build up on the ship, and sees something rushing past in the distance… he realizes it's the ground. We are a LOT closer to the ground than we should be. Tork gets Brezhnia to pull up sharply; Vesun falls over, Sarienne and Orielle go flying (but Mogen rolls a nat 20 to catch Orielle).
 * The eagle and Orielle attack Flybones and Orielle kills it. Vikrit uses his attempted heal on Cornerio's butt since he was hurt the worst.
 * With the undead roc defeated, the ship is still out of control.
 * Cornerio runs up to try to help but can't grab the wheel. There's a loud "OW" from downstairs, and Sarienne runs to check on Gettafix… a bottle of olive oil that Vesun totally didn't secure smashed on his face (which he attributes to Cornerio). She tries to help him. Vesun helps Orielle up and Dimension Doors & Freedom of Movements Orielle directly between Tork & Cornerio at the helm so she can help. Tork realizes they're dropping because there is ice building up all over the ship.
 * Mogen tosses gunpowder into Brezhnia but it doesn't do much--it's too cold. Tork manages to land "well", or at least not catastrophically. We make a crash landing against ice, teetering on an icy cliff face. Vesun gets hit with some falling stuff and he and Mogen featherfall next to the ship.
 * The ship seems mostly intact but there's a gaping hole in the side. We regroup; Gettafix and Dax are okay. Mogen and Vesun see that there's a cavern nearby; Mogen goes to check on Brezhnia. Her crystal is glowing faintly. She says "I am very cold!" and that she could have left but didn't. Mogen thanks her.
 * Vesun checks out the entrance of the cavern and doesn't detect any magic; Vikrit thinks we're in The Gloaming and that it's odd climate-wise that it's so cold here. Mogen determines that the ship needs to be light enough and we need to repair the hull with soarwood, which is thankfully present in this area.
 * Vikrit looks at the cave. It looks like it was formed, and not a natural cave. He finds tracks of some kind but doesn't know what they are.
 * Up on the ship, they see smoke rising faintly to the south.
 * Vikrit heads back up to the ship and hears some kind of tinkling/rumbling sound coming from all around. The ship is slightly vibrating.
 * Vikrit realizes the tracks look "slithering", kind of like the yuan-ti tracks, except much, much bigger. He looks up and sees something in the cave… two huge mandibles. It's a fucking frost worm.