Demonwing

Demonwing
Greatest of all living heroes, Klysandral took setbacks in stride, and did not let the unexpected deter him. He knew that to achieve a goal, one must sometimes overcome unforeseen, even unrelated challenges along the way.
Michuth Gyl, the Eulogy of Klysandral
Demonwing is more than just a sailing ship—an obvious statement considering that it can sail between planes of existence. The secret of the craft is that it is actually an entire layer of the Abyss all by itself. The outer form of the ship gives the layer a unique sort of independent mobility, but that does not change the fact that, while on board or below deck, a character actually stands within the chaotic evil Abyss.
History of the Ship
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years ago, the demon god Demogorgon had an idea. Considering that the layers of the Abyss were uncountable (and thus expendable) as well as malleable, he commissioned demonic smiths and wrights to take an entire layer and make of it a sailing ship. This ship, called Demonwing, could take its passengers to any location on the Lower Planes. To serve as commander of this craft, Demogorgon appointed the balor Straoth.
Straoth, after many hundreds of years of service transporting passengers and cargo throughout the nether regions, grew discontent. He turned Demonwing over to his subordinate Un-gurth and passed into the "below decks" area of the ship. More hundreds of years later, in some dark pact, Demogorgon traded the ship to the mortal sorcerer Emirikol. Straoth began plotting to be free and unfettered to take his ship where he desired.
Now, with his domain well-defended, his servants forging new weapons day and night, and his own efforts in establishing various alliances with other dark forces of the multiverse finally bearing fruit, Straoth is almost ready to seize the ship once and for all.
Little did the balor expect that Emirikol would give up ownership of Demonwing to a group of heroes sailing directly into Hell....
The Environment of Demonwing
The ship's outer hull is made of stone. Subtle carvings of leering faces and horrific skulls give the whole craft an eerie, demonic appearance. The decks are laid with worn and weathered wooden planks. For the purposes of spells that affect matter (disintegrate, passwall, etc.), all parts of the ship— hull, decks, and the strange interior environment—possess magic resistance of 50%. This resistance also affects attempts to knock locked doors and direct attacks like lightning bolts. The ship and its environment give off an aura of evil and magic detectable by normal means (spells, etc.).
Coming Aboard
A gangplank extends from Emirikol's dock to the sterncastle of the ship. Any attempt to board the ship by any other means results in the boarder receiving an electrical jolt of 12d6 points of damage (save for half damage). In addition, the errant boarder finds himself repulsed by a wall of force that cannot be dispelled or disintegrated. Characters who attempt to teleport or use dimension door or similar means receive the same treatment. In short, the only way to get on board is by walking up the gangplank.
As soon as all of the PCs cross the plank, it slides away from the dock and the ship sets sail. As the PCs watch in horror, expecting to be chopped to shreds in the Metalstorm, the environment around the ship changes, becoming blurry and insubstantial. When things grow clear again (a few minutes later), the ship is making its way down a black, polluted river almost 400 feet wide. To either side of the river a stark, rocky wasteland stretches to the horizon. The sky roils with a brooding storm of red thunderclouds.
The Crew
Although many more creatures live below decks, the crew of Demonwing remains above deck at all times. That is not imme¬diately apparent because each and every one is permanently invisible (improved). The crew comprises 30 spectral trolls, three skeleton warriors, and a glabrezu demon. These beings are bound to the ship, never leave it, and do nothing but sail her and defend her if attacked. Without this specialized crew, the ship cannot navigate the River Styx and cannot travel between planes. Considering the nature of the crew, it seems obvious that the ship always sails at night.
Ungurth, the glabrezu, serves as the ship's captain. He will not accept orders or commands from anyone other than a higher-ranking demon (a nalfeshnee, a merilith, or a balor). He has already been told by Emirikol (via Straoth) to sail the ship to the easiest access to the special area between the fifth and sixth layers of Hell, where the Citadel Coldsteel and the Temple of Neheod lie (see next chapter). Unless they are attacked, Ungurth and his crew simply ignore the PCs while they are on board.
The Main Decks
The outside of Demonwing looks more or less like a large, double-masted sailing ship—albeit one constructed mostly of stone with large, batlike wings just above the waterline on the sides of the hull.
Sterncastle. The sterncastle is surrounded by a protective, indestructible wall of force similar to the one that keeps creatures from boarding the ship. This barrier keeps the PCs from climbing down from the sterncastle and getting to the other decks of the ship. The hatch in the center of the sterncastle provides the only way off. It leads below decks.
Quarterdeck. This U-shaped deck holds little except for the massive ship's wheel made entirely of bones. Ungurth spends most of his time here while the ship sails. Anyone observing can see the wheel occasionally turning, seemingly of its own accord (unless the viewer can see the invisible Ungurth).
Main Deck. This is where the undead crew mans the rig- ging and performs the duties necessary to sail the ship. The wide deck seems empty because the crew is invisible, giving the ship a ghostly, quietly chilling atmosphere. A wooden hatch in the center of the deck provides access down to Straoth's chamber (see The Tower of the Balor, below). In order to exit the ship, the PCs need to go below decks from the sterncastle and reach this hatch from Straoth's chamber. This trip is much more difficult to make than it sounds.
Hidden compartments directly under the main deck hold four 15-foot longboats and two rusted (but functional) iron diving spheres. The latter craft have a diameter of about 10 feet, providing a cramped ride for up to four man-sized creatures with about an hour's worth of air. Those inside can control the ballast of the diving sphere, allowing it to float or sink, and they can project blasts of air which direct it backward, forward, right, and left. A sphere can move at a movement rate of 12. A single hatch provides access inside, although six round windows allow those inside to see out. Each sphere can sustain 7 5 points of damage before rupturing. If that happens, the sphere and all it contains are destroyed. Like Demonwing itself, the boats and the diving spheres display a garishly demonic decorative motif.
Forecastle. This fortified structure conceals Demonwing's only means of offense (aside from its frontal ram, which can be quite effective considering the ship's mass). With the press of a hidden stud on the floor here, a tall iron pole topped with a greenish gem rises up out of a tiny, concealed hatch. The pole
reaches 20 feet into the air. Pressing the stud again causes the gem to fire a lightning bolt that inflicts 12d6 points of damage out to a range of 150 yards. As this bolt projects a great deal of force, it works well against the hulls of enemy craft. This weapon can be used every third round. Ten rounds of inactivity cause the pole to sink back below the forecastle.
The Sails. Two masts rise 80 feet above the deck. Demon-visaged sails made of stitched human skin unfurl as directed by the crew. These hideous, enchanted sails function even when no wind is present. The ship simply moves as the captain manning the wheeJ directs it.
Below Decks
Even though the outside of Demonwing displays some strange properties, when explorers make their way below decks they truly begin to realize that this is no ordinary ship. The area below decks looks like an underground construction hewn from solid rock; in fact, if a character tries to damage the walls, floors, or ceiling, he finds only solid rock beyond them no matter how far he digs. Even the tunneled-out areas are much more extensive than the outside of the ship appears to allow. Nevertheless, these areas are within the bounds of the ship. Even the infinite expanse of Straoth's tower (see below) is still a part of the same Abyssal layer and therefore still a part of the ship.
An important fact to remember is that while Straoth knows what occurs on deck and keeps up with the overall status of the ship, most of the "below decks" inhabitants are isolated and secluded. Unless explicitly told otherwise, they consider anyone coming into their domain to be an intruder and a threat to the ship.
If the PCs destroy some of the inhabitants and then leave the below-decks area or pause for an extended rest of more than an hour or so, the demon defenders reorganize, reposition themselves, and in some cases (DM's discretion) gate in replacements for fallen demons. Characters that flee and then return may find a whole new force to contend with. Except for those placed as guardians, the DM should feel free to assume that the demons move about the below-decks area. Inhabitants

can be encountered anywhere, and often come running when they hear fighting in other areas.
Compass directions used on the map and in the descrip¬tions refer to fore, aft, port (left), and starboard (right).
Snake Tubes
The below-decks inhabitants communicate with each other across quite a distance by using snake tubes. In many rooms, a stone carving of a snake juts out from a wall, rearing back as though to strike. The mouth of the snake stretches open revealing a tube extending down its throat and into its body. The snake serves as a magical speaking tube, allowing the speaker to talk with other occupants of the ship as long as they also stand near a snake tube. The individual initializing the conversation decides which rooms to call.
Layout 1. Grand Cabin. This room directly below the sterncastle could serve as a fine cabin if it held any furniture. The windows are narrow and protected by the same wall of force barrier as the sterncastle. The floor is wood. 2. Large Cabin. This simple wooden-floored room contains enough beds and hammocks to allow 20 man-sized creatures to sleep comfortably (more if they sleep on the floor). 3. The Watchman. A manes (see statistics in Random En¬counters section, above) watches the passage from the port-side room #3. If it sees any intruders, it warns the rest of the

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STR	DEX	CON

Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, unconscious

SHIP COMPONENTS

Hull

Control:

Movement:

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Actions