So nothing different from normal pretty much.
Elain, his intentions seem pure. He seems the kind of man pleased to serve a powerful lord.
Regarding Klauth, the nasty brutality of this huge old red wyrm has become a watchword in the Sword Coast North, passing into common speech in such expressions as these: "Don't go near him early of mornings; he's apt to be a right Klauth until he's had a mug or two." Or, "Blood and bodies everywhere . . . it looked as though old Klauth himself had come calling!" Or the shorter variant (used to describe butchery): "Regular Klauth work!" The habitual facial expression of this much-scarred wyrm has won him the popular nickname of "Old Snarl."
Looking at his battered armor and the new armor offered by the others, Molok thinks to ask for it, but the young Elain spoke up, and the stone-man could not bear to see her harmed by not having proper protection, so keep his mouth closed on the matter.
Hearing the others at the entrance, Molok travels to the opening and looks up at the suspended ship floating in the air.
"Oh sh!t....."
Urth stops and stares at the flying ship. A smile slowly grows on his face as the gravity of the situation sinks in. He casually sheathes his longsword and slings his shield on his back.
The sailor walks up to the captain offering his hand his greeting, "Stormraven, Urth Stormraven. Great to meet a fellow sailor. Who the ruk is Grudd Haug? And how the ruk did you find us?"
Pindleton stares at the ship for a moment and then lets out an excited ”YES!!”
He clicks his heels then flies up to examine it in closer detail from every angle.
Melgrom stares speachless at the ship, before shaking his head.
"Don't like this, Ah dwarfs feet are ment to be planted firmly on dah ground, not in some thrice cursed flying ship."
"Aw come on Mel, don't be such a stick in the mud. Our own airship. How cool is that, right guys?"
Molok looks at the dwarf with a grim look on his face before he remarks.
"Perhaps there is something we agree upon. My place is on the ground...goliath have no business flying about..less in fact than sailing on water...it is...unnatural!"
The Goliath turns to look at the little triton lass, the same grim look on his face.
"Air is just a short shift from your own element Elain. It is the complete opposite of mine!"
Imagine the stories people will tell!
Illuvin looks up in wonder before remembering to close his mouth. "Yeah, that pretty good I guess. It beats walking at least."
Thumps looks up at the others. "A notorious evil red dragon has offered us a ride in his devout cultist crewed air ship. . . . I know I am supposed to say no but Tymora's Blessed Luck . . . AN AIRSHIP." He looks around, "For the greater good?"
"Ya it seems pretty worth it to me"
She lowers her voice so only the group can hear "And if it becomes necessary then we can always commandeer it"
"Stormraven, Urth Stormraven. Great to meet a fellow sailor. Who the ruk is Grudd Haug? And how the ruk did you find us?"
She gives a polite chuckle offering a cup of tea while taking some for herself "Well, you aren't exactly trying to hide yourselves. You're the talk of the Harpers and Emerald Enclave, likely you ran into some of their agents without realizing it...they are quite crafty. Your minor scuffles with the Lord's Alliance and Zhentarim are likewise not unknown."
"Grudd Haug was the name of the giant encampment you destroyed, where you fought the great b*@@$ queen Guh and her hobgoblin engineers." despite knowing what she knows, she doesn't seem to recognize your plate. "The Enclave made a big deal of disassembling the dam after you left."
"Now, we could leave at once if you'd like, but despite our well stocked kitchen my men have a hankering for fresh elk meat. If you have some things to discuss I could send some hunters while we wait."
*sip* "Good lord, where are my manners?! Delsephine, Captain of the Neptune Eclipse."
Harshnag has not left the temple and stands near the columned entrance, a column himself with greataxe in hand, the paragon of a sentinel.
"Come on Harshaag, we're gonna go and save the world"
Expecting a handshake, Urth accepts a cup of tea. These sailors were very different from who he is used to. He decides not to be offended.
He sips his tea while the captain tells her story. "Well, Captain Delsephine that's a unique ship up there. I don't suppose we're in much of a hurry. You could send your hunters out and tell us more about your Great Dragon and his service.
"And do you know where we're headed? Do you know where the burial mounds of the Great Worm tribe are? Any relationship between those barbarians and Klauth?" His speech is again surprisingly curse free. Maybe the female captain has an effect on him.
He shakes his head "No, Slayers. I must remain here as guardian. If Klauth is aware of this temple's location then others must be as well...but before you go, take my map...it has the locations of the burial mounds I am aware of."
She nods and turns to a few operators "Very well. Laz, Zalthia, you're on it. That herd we spotted was only a few minutes back, at most." they nod and pack up their longbows. They seem to be surprisingly unaffected by the cold.
At Urth's questions she seems a bit surprised Well no, I don't know where you're going! Haha, only that I am to offer my services wherever that might be. But now that you mention burial mounds, yes some are quite easy to spot from above...typically they resemble animals made of grassy hills. I've never bothered to study them much, the past doesn't interest me. Not one bit!"
She gives your other question some honest thought, sipping and staring off at the snowy peaks a moment "...no, I can't say I recall Klauth ever being interested in those snotty barbarians. Klauth doesn't consider the Great Worm to be a dragon, for whatever reason."
Illuvin feels right at home exchanging small talk with the sailors. He perks up at them mention of Harpers but does his best not to show it. He does interrupt when the barbarians are mentioned. "We ran a few of this Great Worm tribesmen off from here when we first arrived. We should pay them a visit first I think. If they were able to walk here then it shouldn't take long to get there in that fancy ship of yours."
"Perhaps not. Oriskus is our navigator, he should be able to make sense of whatever directions you have. Oriskus, the Slayers. Slayers, Oriskus." like the other crew members he is a human in his 20s perhaps dressed in the same exquisite black leathers. He carries a few triangles and an abacus along with wearing a little contraption that keeps an hourglass upright.
Hes got a gruff voice and accent, as if he was raised poor in some back alley metro area "Well wot have you got 'den? We've sailed on cloud from Neverwinter past the Anauroch....over the Spine and across 'teh Sea o' Swords."
"Well met Oriskus. What charts do you have of the area?" Urth asks, so they can keep the giant's map a secret awhile longer.
Urth is a navigator too, so he talks shop with Oriskus exploring any differences between ocean sailing versus air sailing.
Urth, Oriskus seems to have the plots necessary for getting between major settlements throughout the North, but the mounds shown on Harshnag's map do not appear to be indicated. Still, you get the impression you could learn a lot by studying with him for a while.
Urth enjoys learning so will observe and assist Oriskus for hours and hours. The sailor identifies the Great Worm burial mounds on Oriskus’s charts to practice his navigation.
He slides the beads of his abacus under Urth's direction "...yes, by the law of cosines thats right. Just shy of 2 days, it will be a high altitude climb to get inside that crater."
During this time, any of the party might be interested in learning or sharing in the duties. It seems a minimum of 2 people could theoretically operate this device: one on the propeller, and one on the furnace. However, given the unique nature of the fuel (wild fire elementals) and the heavy weaponry loadout (harpoon cannon on the bow, and a swiveling ballista), with time you can appreciate everyone's duty, not the least of which the captain. The most precarious seems to be the Crow's Nest watcher, perched high atop the great sphere...
You might prefer to keep below deck with the cold in this climate and altitude, and the crew is willing to share their quarters. You find a few sets of cards and even a Dragonchess board to help pass the time. You might at first be afraid to ask what happens when nature calls. Luckily its a short flight...
Jax, in the middle of the upper deck is the 10-foot-tall, cylindrical bronze furnace with a fire elemental magically trapped inside it. A narrow hatch in the front of the furnace has a small grill through which the elemental can be seen, and the heat pouring out through the grill seems to help keep the deck crew warm on cold days and nights. An iron wheel on the starboard side of the furnace opens and closes a bronze valve at the top of the cylinder, which has the effect of increasing or reducing the size of the fire spilling out of the furnace. The more heat that is allowed to fill the balloon, the higher the ship can rise.
Opening the hatch or the valve doesn’t release the fire elemental, but destroying the furnace likely would. While the furnace chamber is intact, a fire elemental under the control of Abjurer Tralt can be trapped in the furnace. The furnace can contain only one fire elemental at a time, apparently.
Before leaving, while the hunters are out hunting, Illuvin takes the time to cast identify from his ritual book on both the fire stone and the armor.
Illuvin is all about building a rapport with the crew below decks. Whatever the task, he's up to it. Whether it's card games, singing songs, or playing music on his pipes or his lute. Not so much actual work though. He leaves that to those more... suited... to the task. Every couple hours he takes the time to cast Unseen Servant from his book as well just for the extra style. Whichever cabin he ends up sleeping in, he casts prestidigitation enough to make things smell nice and clean.
Unless we find the dragon, Elain will probably spend most of her time doing whatever with Illuvin and the crew, no evil to smite so she's gotta do something to avoid boredom.
Molok continues to look at the airship with something akin to loathing.
"No..no..no! I will not get on that..that..thing! If a Goliath was meant to fly the gods would have made us out of feathers, not stone!"
Thumps turns back and looks a Molok "Never seen a Goliath shrink back when others leap. Its only a little higher than the peaks your people love. Besides, you will be sung of as the first Goliath to do so."
Once aboard and traveling Thumps finds Illuvin a kindred spirit. He takes to juggling, gaming and comparing licks on the lute.
Well, we are the 3 nubsketeers, and then Mel is doing whatever lol
"Listen Molok, I barely know you, but from what I have seen you seem like a brave soul. We faced down that huge arse boulder, we can handle an airship, and if it falls than I got you like I did with the boulder. You would not have to go above deck, you could spend the whole time relaxing with the off shift crew members and members of the party, some well deserved downtime. Come on buddy you can't just stay here with Harshag, we need you up on the front lines of this war against the giants."
The Captain rubs her chin before "So humans were meant to fly? Look, if only did whatever we were meant to, this would be a pretty boring place!"
Molok looks over at Thumps, shaking his head.
"Our mountains are high, true, but we are ON them, not floating over them."
The speech from Elain has a little more persuasion to it, and the Goliath turns to speak with Sohar.
"I have known you sometime now, and trust your words. Will I be safe and is this the only way we can defeat these giant incursions?"
Molok looks back up at the floating boat, then down at the miles of wilderness, they would otherwise need to travel.
"First Goliath to fly you say??", he says to Thumps.
With a great sigh and more than a little trepidation, the stoneman mounts the ladder and climbs with the others onto the vessel...where he immediately goes inside and positions himself nearest the centre of the ship as he can.
On the hunt, Sohar's skill in the wilderness totally overpowers either of the crewman's efforts, and they together bring back a huge catch with thick meat. They clean it right there on the cliffside, packing the cuts in ice and hoisting it up into the Neptune's hold. However, he finds absolutely no sign of the wyrmling, who must've seen a chance to flee and taken it eagerly.
After the first night aloft, the balloon quietly peaks above the tallest stormcloud dwarfing the Spine of the World mountain tops below...it is a comfortable silence, only the slow roar of the fire elemental and the windy brushing of the propellor. The sky seems clearer up there than you've ever seen, with the points of the constellations burning through the void like the eyes of children.
After the second night you approach a large valley which Oriskus identifies as the Valley of Khedrun. An initial fly by shows no sign of the burial mound, but with a few more passes you notice a large chasm in the ice, nearly a perfect circle leading far down to a cavern. The Neptune makes its decent and you realize the oracle was right: there was no way to walk here, given the inverse slant of the surrounding ice you would've had to repell on ropes at the least.
A crewman jumps down to establish the mooring and instantly slips on the ice and falls flat on his face, blacking out briefly "Son of a b*@~#, that's slippery!" he shouts back, a smokey red streaming from his forehead. "Yeah...I see some kind of totem pole in there..." he explains.
+2 breastplate
Opal of the Ild Rune:
This triangular fire opal measures about three inches on each side and is half an inch thick. The ild (fire) rune shimmers within its core, causing it to be slightly warm to the touch. The opal has the following properties, which work only while it’s on your person.
Ignite. As an action, you can ignite an object within 10 feet of you. The object must be flammable, and the fire starts in a circle no larger than 1 foot in diameter.
Fire’s Friend. You have resistance to cold damage.
Fire Tamer. As an action, you can extinguish any open flame within 10 feet of you. You choose how much fire to extinguish in that radius.
Gift of Flame. You can transfer the opal’s magic to a nonmagical item — a weapon or a suit of armor — by tracing the ild rune there with your finger. The transfer takes 8 hours of work that requires the two items to be within 5 feet of each other. At the end, the opal is destroyed, and the rune appears in red on the chosen item, which gains a benefit based on its form:
Weapon. The weapon is now an uncommon magic weapon. It deals an extra 1d6 fire damage to any target it hits.
Armor. The armor is now a rare magic item that requires attunement. You have resistance to cold damage while wearing the armor.
Some things are not worth the inspiration, sorry infinity
Do you require medical assistance sir?"
Molok looks back up at the floating boat, then down at the miles of wilderness, they would otherwise need to travel.
"First Goliath to fly you say??", he says to Thumps.
With a great sigh and more than a little trepidation, the stoneman mounts the ladder and climbs with the others onto the vessel...where he immediately goes inside and positions himself nearest the centre of the ship as he can.
Thumps spreads his arms like he is offering his idea like its a tangible thing. "Long have the Goliath run the mountain trails where men would feint. Your elders have climbed to touch the stars but even the highest mountain cannot escape its roots. But Molok sails higher with a few steps of the gang plank and the roots are severed with a slip of the moorings."
Thumps shrugs, "Its either that or we have Harshnag tap you on the noggin and you wake tomorrow far from this place thanking the gods in turn for the swaying planks of the airship."
As Molok steps up onto the craft, the entire vessel seems to pitch down suddenly a few feet, to the surprise of everyone one board "Woah! Turbulence!" and another "No you idiot, its that stone-kin..." the fire burns brighter and the buoyancy is quickly corrected.
The unfortunate crewman mutters something under his breath, waving away Elain's concern "...nay, just solid ice down here...feels like a bit 'o the ol' Icewind permafrost..." With the mooring secure, the fire is reduced until the Neptune Eclipse is there hovering just about a foot off the ice. The captain inquires "Oriskus seems to think this is the place. We'll wait for you here no matter what, you have our word." Tralt shouts to back her up "Aye! Or we face the wrath of Ol' Snarl!" grinning madly.
"You know, I've heard of a pipe weed that if you smoke it has a similar effect but it's much more pleasant than getting knocked on the head by a giant. At least that's what I was told by people that have tried it... certainly not personal experience. "
Illuvin climbs nimbly down the ladder and takes a look around. "So ah, where do we go from here? Anyone see a cave or something?"
Thumps lays out a light rhythm and invites Illuvin to improvise over the lively chord progression. He starts to sing.
He is comfortable with performance but falters and looks at Illuvin often smirking at the man's more practiced skill. He croons a fun whimsical song the icy air has been hard on his throat which cracks some of the high notes hard.
"Once, I loved a sailor
Once, a sailor loved me
But she was not a sailor
that sailed on the wide blue sea
She, sailed in an airship
Sailed like a bird on the wind
And every evening at midnight
he would come to my window and sing
Come take a Trip in my Airship
come sail away to the stars
We'll travel to Venus
we'll sail away to Mars
No one will see while we're kissing
No one will know as we swoon
So come take a Trip in my Airship
and we'll visit the Man in the Moon
One night while sailing away from the crowds
we passed by the Milky White Way
While idly drifting, watching the stars
she asked if I'd name the day
Just by the Dipper, I gave her my heart
the sun shone on our honeymoon
We swore to each other, we never would part
and we'd teach all the babies this tune."
During the trip, Urth would try to understand from the captain why Old Snarl wants to overtly help them with an airship.
As the party decides what to do in the silence, the mouth of the cave (clearly visible to Illuvin) is struck with a chill wind, playing the great gap like a pan flute...a long bass note echos up to the surface.
Neither things are much use to me