Emperor of the Waves
The Emperor of the Waves was a medium-sized ship owned by the wizard Keledek and used for the study of magic too secretive or dangerous to be performed in Saltmarsh. It was sunk in 1496 by a young kraken.
History
The Emperor of the Waves was purchased by Keledek sometime before 1496. It was used to perform experiments and studies that were deemed too dangerous or secretive to be performed in Saltmarsh. Keledek's apprentice, Pearce, was stationed on the ship and had kidnapped a variety of humanoids for the wizard's experiments. Before mid-1496, Keledek dispatched Pearce to investigate the strange events happening along the Sword Coast North, which led to the apprentice's discovery of the Banesmark in the Styes. While escaping, the Emperor of the Waves was beset by a young kraken, destroying much of the ship, allowing the Drow prisoner Ardula to escape, before the vessel slipped into the Ethereal Plane. Ardula began transforming the other prisoners on the ship into spider-like abominations while Pearce killed himself to prevent himself from becoming a slave to the aboleth S'gothgah. When the ship reemerged from the Ethereal Plane near Saltmarsh, it was too damaged to do more than simply drift. Keledek dispatched the Heroes of Saltmarsh to investigate the ship and report back what had happened. The adventurers fought and killed many of Ardula's creations, incapacitating the woman herself, and recovered Pearce's lock box that hid his final message: a recreation of the Banesmark. However, the Emperor was also rediscovered by the kraken that had initially attacked it, and the monster returned to finish the job. The Heroes of Saltmarsh barely managed to escape with the lock box, and the ship was torn apart by the kraken, mistakenly believing it had successfully hidden all evidence of the Banesmark.Armor and defense
The Emperor of the Waves contained no traditional methods of naval defense. However, located on the ship's bottom deck, was a rare and experimental magical device that allowed the entire vessel to temporarily enter the Ethereal Plane in the event of an emergency. However, the device was broken during the kraken attack, temporarily stranding Lyra in the Ethereal Plane.
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