Session 4: Voyage to Hecht Report

General Summary

Repairs, Scavvers, Kindori and Spiders

The crew spends two days doing makeshift repairs to the Reliant, to try to get the ship in slightly better shape. The repairs are successful, despite the hindrance of the stale air, and ultimately the state of the ship is slightly improved with an excellent quality repair. (In game terms, one wound of the 6 wounds of damage is fixed). During this time, some of the party (BN, Windellian and Hunter) fish to deplete the grey scavvers and get some fresh food. Hunter and Windellian creatively cooperate to catch the fish, channeling their more primal instincts and building a better rapport between them. The repairs are interrupted early in the process, when they see a small pack of kindori winding their way among the asteroids (Kindori are called space whales, and they are among the largest living creatures found in space. They resemble aquatic whales in general shape and are mammals as well. However, they lack any noticeable mouth, and the leading edge of their fishlike bodies is dotted with small eyes.)

The kindori are playful and peaceful, but unfortunately they must have intersected a web spun by asteroid spiders, because as one bumps against the Skyrunner, a sac of the creatures is deposited. A brief but fierce battle ensues as the rocky-hided, 10 legged, dog-sized creatures swarm up on deck, but the spiders are quickly defeated without any causalities among the crew.

The Grey Sword

As the repairs near completion, the lookout spots first one, then three galleons making their way towards the ship, from the antispinward direction of the asteroid belt. The party identifies the lead ship as the Cutlass, one of the ships of the Grey Sword pirates, captained by the self-styled Pirate King, Greelon (and who is on their Letters of Marque). Two other galleons are close behind, the Buccaneers Saber and the Rude Terror. Captain Greelon's ship approaches the Skyrunner's air envelope, and he dramatically greets them, and asks if they are in need of assistance.

The party isn't quite sure of what to make of this, or of the fact that the ships look well-cared for, but repeatedly repaired, and the pirate crews themselves look a bit malnourished. After they decline the offer of assistance, Captain Greelon says that they can offer him some assistance, and requests food, water, clothing, etc.--offering safe passage, and the location of an asteroid with an atmosphere to replenish the ships' air envelopes. After some negotiation, Prax (who has the conn) agrees to turn over about a month's-worth of supplies. The pirates seem content, the supplies are turned over, and the pirates head off. With the ships' air freshened by the encounter with the Cutlass, and suspicious of what might happen if they visit the suggested asteroid, the party duly marks it on their maps, and then prepares to get underway directly to Hecht. They put a skeleton crew on the Reliant, with Zayre on the helm, and Windy Clockitude to help with repairs if needed. Zayre plots a course, and Windellian on the Skyrunner does his best to follow it. The ships proceed towards Hecht, taking frequent breaks due to only having a single helmsman on each, but the rest of the journey passes uneventfully, and they arrive at Hecht 20 days later.

Arrival at Hecht

When they drop out of spelljamming speed, they immediately see the huge elven armada, the Leaf on the Wind, the ship of the elven Admiral StarRunner, and the official (mobile) embassy of the Imperial Elven Navy in Greatspace.

An elven Man of War on patrol quickly turns towards the newly-arrived ships, which signal their peaceful intent with semaphore. The ship pulls along side, and the crew explains that they are returning the derelict ship to the Greatspace Navy. The elven captain decides to let them on their way, and directs them to the city of Clekmore.

The ships head towards Clekmore, on the easternmost edge of the largest content, and the oldest human city (and only real spaceport, other than the elven base at Oloth Karak) on Hecht. The ships land at the port (the Skyrunner on land, the Reliant at the docks), with the Reliant bedecked with flags of mourning. The crew tell the Harbormaster their tale, and they are quickly directed to the local naval office. There, the Navy takes the party's report (although they omit their encounter with the Grey Sword), accepts the evidence they provide about Belalspace, and arranges to take the dead sailors off the ship and take ownership of the ship (which seems to satisfy the ghost of the bosun, and allow him to move on to the next world). The Navy is quite grateful, and arranges to provide a full resupply of the Skyrunner. The party spends the next couple of days on personal errands, and allow the crew shore leave to rest and recover. They are invited to dinner with Admiral Montgomery McClintock, admiral of the 4th Fleet and local representative of the Greatspace military, who wishes to meet and thank them personally.

Campaign

Vagabonds of Greatspace

Protagonists