The Derelict Ship

As the Moon Dancer traveled through space, Thomas and Eeblock spent some time studying the manual that came with the helm provided by the gold dragon. Flapjack had relocated the helm below deck, adjacent to his quarters to keep it safe from potential thieves. Being happy to have someone new to talk to, he explained how the helm works and that the person operating the helm can hear the conversations of anyone aboard ship, feel all of the crews footsteps and movements and feels pain any time the ship is damaged. Thomas is now quite intrigued and highly motivated to try to pilot one of these ships. Flapjack calls himself a Spell Jammer and states that anybody with the ability to cast a spell can be a Spell Jammer and operate one of these helms.
 
Back atop the main deck, Captain Harry informs the crew that he has no idea how he is tied to the party's fate and he's never met a gold dragon. What he can tell the party is that the Moon Dancer can probably find a crew at the Rock of Bral and that his contact Commodore Krux might have more insight and be able to help the party. Harry describes Bral as being a somewhat rough and lawless place. There is no central government and the only way order is maintained is via gangs. Once they arrive at Bral, it is best to keep to themselves and not cause any trouble.
 
Just at the moment the Moon Dancer enters into an asteroid field to remain hidden and avoid further troubles from the Astral Elves assaulting our planet, Harry spies a ship floating past an asteroid, a ship that causes dread and fear in Harry. As the ship drifts closer, Harry realizes it has a giant hole in it and that it isn't manned. He exclaims the ship is a derelict Mind Flayer ship and it is beyond good fortune that there are apparently no Mind Flayers aboard. Believing there could be some treasure to help recruit a crew, the party decides to board the other ship. The Moon Dancer has a smaller ship powered by oars that the party can use to make their way from the Moon Dancer to the strange nautilus shaped ship. Harry provides each party member with something to chew on that will create an air bubble around each of their heads for 24 hours. So they make their way toward the ship, leaving Harry and Flapjack behind.
 
As the party approaches the ship, Thomas spots what appears to be a human peering through the hole in the ship but he quickly vanishes. The party guides their ship onto the most accessible deck of the derelict ship and begin to make their way around the various parts of the ship. The first thing they encounter is a human male, pretty roughed up and pleading for the party to help him and the others that are below deck. He informs the party his name is Benoto and he and the others were captives of the Mind Flayers who operated this ship. He has no idea as to what happened to this ship or the Mind Flayers. The party agrees to help Benoto and the others, but not until they've had an opportunity to investigate the ship. They make their way up levels finding a couple of dead, bug ridden Mind Flayer corpses. In their hopes to find a helm to operate the ship, they become extremely excited when a very ornate chair is found with a Mind Flayer body still sitting in it. Alas, it was just the captain's chair and the the navigation helm. Still a spell scroll is found in a secret compartment in the arm of the chair. Upon finding what was obviously the navigation deck, the party was disappointed to find that the helm had already been plundered from this ship. After finding nothing else of note in the upper decks, the party agrees to go below and help Benoto's companions.
 
Benoto leads the party to a door where the party could hear other voices. Benoto manages to reluctantly convince the party to send just one of them with him so as not to startle his companions. Jade volunteers to go alone. Thomas began to get suspicious of Benoto at this point, so as Jade and Benoto passed through the door into a new room, Thomas snuck carefully behind them. It was a good thing Thomas did this. As Jade approached another door and opened it, she immediately froze into place. Just past her, Thomas noticed a strange, spider like creature with a sac containing brains on its chest and a very long, probing tongue. Jade had been afflicted by a spell, freezing her in place and the creature slithered its tongue into Jade's ear. In an instant, the ring upon Jade's hand exploded. Thomas immediately began firing magical arrows at the creature as he called to Eeblock for help. At that instant, Thomas could hear a Thunderwave blast from behind, undoubtedly a spell cast by Eeblock. Jade eventually broke free of the Hold Person spell freezing her in place, but before she could do anything else, the spider creature cast a spell causing both Jade and Thomas to drop their weapons and flee in terror from the creature. Both the creature and Benoto pursued the pair with the creature continuing to assault Jade while Benoto made attacks versus Thomas. Knowing the greater danger was the spider creature, Thomas ignored the attacks from Benoto, drew his swords and relentlessly stabbed at the spider, causing it great harm. Jade, being unable to break free of the fear, fled back in the direction of the dropped weapons. At this point, Eeblock had gained entrance to this room where the strange worms attacking him could be held at bay in the doorway. Eeblock now sensing that the spider creature was the biggest threat in the room helped Thomas attack the spider creature and the two of the slayed it. Just as they were about to turn their attention to Benoto, he made a gesture, opened a portal and stepped through, vanishing. The party made quick work of the remaining worms that were attacking Eeblock and are now free to roam the ship in search of other treasures.