“Great, more spaceship-jackers.” There were numerous murmurs in the crowd.
Kildo and the rest of the party stood on the hammerhead spelljammer called the Space Dragon. On the ship's deck, in front of them, were twenty-four crew members. The current state of their clothing indicated they were slaves instead of hired crew. While their demeanor seemed meek, they were fed well enough and likely hand-picked by the Slaver Lords to service the ship.
Kai stepped up and cleared his throat. “Crew of the Space Dragon. I’m Kai, and we have dispatched your captors. You were once enslaved, but as of this moment, you are now free. Each and every one of you will be allowed to disembark the ship at the next port. However, you are also invited to continue to sail with us. In return for your hard work and dedication, the crew will earn a one-fifth share of any and all treasure.”
“How do we know we can trust you and aren’t just trading one slaver for the next?” shouted a voice from the crew.
Kai turned and introduced the prior crew of the Space Ghost. “This is Jonny One-Bags, Red Fred, Chutney Vic, Crag Ear, Silas, and Odium. They will confirm the truth about what I said.”
“What about the other one!” the crew member pointed to the flesh golem behind them.
“Oh, 9 of 5. Technically, we won him by answering a question by a powerful sorcerer and not technically a crew member,” Kai said.
“So, he’s a slave?” This started mumblings from the other crewmembers they were trying to convince to join them.
“No, no, no. He’s part of the crew, but due to his animated condition, won’t take part in the normal running of the ship duties,” Kai explained, gulping hard. “Take advantage of this opportunity and make a go of it. Again, if anyone wants to reject this offer, you are free to leave at the next port.”
The twenty-four crew members talked among themselves for a few minutes. One turned, and their leader said, “You have yourself a crew. That is as long as you don’t tell us you are flying into the sun.”
As Kildo watched the crew disburse and return to their ship duties, a little more satisfied by their smiles as their fortunes turned their way, he said quietly to Kai, “Lad, we be knowing our next course be heading 0, 0, 0 and straight into the sun.”
“Alleged sun.”
****
“Alright Odium, we be wanting some answers and we be wanting them now,” Kildo announced as he and the rest of the party entered the bridge of the Space Dragon.
Kai came behind and placed a calming hand on the dwarven cleric’s shoulder. In a calmer voice, the paladin asked, “Odium, what happened after we left the Space Ghost?”
“Thugs from the Slaver Lords stormed the ship and took everyone captive. There was nothing we could do. All of my spell energy was dedicated to the spelljammer. We didn’t have any fighters,” Odium explained.
“What about 9 of 5?” Kildo asked.
“All it took was a couple of brutes waving torches at the flesh golem, and he cowered away. He gave them the least amount of resistance,” Odium answered.
“Then what?” Kai questioned.
“They took us to this vessel. I heard they were planning to sell us, except myself, of course. Instead, they gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. So, now I find myself strapped to the pilot seat,” Odium replied.
“What about the Space Ghost?” Kai asked.
“I didn’t see. My best guess is they either sold it or someone else would have piloted it someplace else.”
Kai nodded to Odium and placed his hand on the tiefling in thanks. The paladin turned to Kildo and said, “Captain-”
“Nay lad, I be relinquishing my command back to ye Kai. As captain, I should have been on the Space Ghost. Them slavers wouldn’t have be taking the ship with me on board,” Kildo explained.
“You were needed with the party. We wouldn’t have made it without your healing abilities,” Kai said.
“Perhaps, but me destiny isn’t about being a captain of a ship, but be adding good to the world to offset me brother Dido, who seems to be a Slave Lord himself. Disappointing, but it not be surprising. Besides, right now, yer destiny be with Vanifer, and to get to her, ye be needing a ship and this one seems to be a fine ship at that,” Kildo replied.
A smirk appeared on Odium, who was overhearing the conversation. “Heading, Captain Kai?”
Kai walked to the ship's bow and peered into the vastness of space. He placed his hands on the small of his back and said, “Course heading 0, 0, 0.”
****
Over the next week, the Space Dragon coursed through the interstellar void toward the sun. As they traveled, they quickly realized it was much larger than their planet, Abeir-Toril. With each passing day, the sun became larger and larger. It took up half the sky and continued to grow.
“This is strange,” Silas, the hippo-like humanoid, said.
“What?” Kai asked, coming up to their navigator.
“Two things. First, I’m surprised we aren’t completely blinded by the sun, but we can look straight at it. Second, there’s a line across its middle,” Silas said, scratching his large head.
“What’s that line?” Guo Gan asked.
“Unknown. We’ll have to get closer. It’s like the sun has two hemispheres. It seemed like one object from a distance, but definitely two parts, almost touching,” Silas said.
“Is this normal?” Guo Gan asked.
“I’ve seen many suns, but I’ve never seen a bisected one.”
The Space Dragon continued to speed through the vacuum of space. Massive pillars of flames, a hundred miles wide, connected the two hemispheres throughout. The gap between the two would easily allow the spelljammer vessel to pass without fear of touching the top or bottom. In the far distance was an unusual dark center.
“Order’s captain?” Odium asked hesitantly.
“Take the ship in,” Kai ordered.
“Isn’t there a concern about the ship burning up?” Odium asked.
Scoffing, Kildo said, “This be fire and we be a hundred miles away from it. We be away from the heat source. It be like when we left the planet. On the ground, it be warm and, when we left into space, it got cold.”
Silas cleared his throat. “A sun doesn’t work quite like that, so I suspect this is something entirely different.”
“Bah, it be no different than being far away from a campfire. Ye don’t be feeling its warmth when ye walk away. Now, we be a hundred miles away from both the top and bottom flames,” Kildo rationalized.
“Again, the sun doesn’t work like that.”
“Fire be fire,” Kildo said, waiving off the hippo.
****
After another half day of travel, the center of the ‘sun’ grew nearer. It was like a massive structure of heated rock. In the middle was another island surrounded by a lake of fire. A burning ember in the middle and a rocky bridge leading to the east. It appeared like a large eye focused on the Space Dragon.
“Odium, take us into a low orbit,” Kai said.
Avoiding the flames, the central spark in the middle began to take shape. It was a vessel made of fire.
“That be Captain Vanifer’s ship alright,” Kildo said. He couldn’t see any movement on the craft or the rock. However, as sweat dripped from his armpits, he could feel it getting warmer, like a hot summer’s day.
“Agreed. Land the ship near it,” Kai ordered. “Command crew, prepare for departure.”
Exiting the Space Dragon, the ground felt hot, and Kildo could feel and see the heat radiating off the rocks. As they approached the fire ship, it was made of flames. Boarding the vessel would be like entering a raging inferno.
“I’m fire strong. I can board the ship and take a look around,” Kai said, adjusting his efreeti chainmail armor.
“Nay, we all need to be going,” Kildo said.
“Agreed. Let’s use the Gem of Energy Immunity we retrieved from the Rock of Martek along with the Impossible shovel,” Guo Gan said.
“Finally, someone be reading my campaign notes,” Kildo exclaimed, smiling.
“Release notes?” Scomatch inquired, scratching his head.
Grumbling under his breath, Kildo reached into his hat of holding and pulled out a palm-sized gem. “Fire,” Kildo said as his form was surrounded by an orange shield, which pulsed momentarily. The dwarven cleric then handed it to Guo Gan and Scomatch, who repeated the command word.
Finding a plank made of fire leading to the ship's deck, they made their way up. Walking in the middle of the flames was surreal as they licked at them. While not alive, the fire flared in anger every so often, unable to consume them. The ship seemed abandoned, as there was no movement. Finding stairs into the belly of the vessel, the party entered several cabins, all made of fire and empty. At the deepest level, they did find a large cage made of iron surrounded by flames, likely where they kept prisoners who they didn’t want to be burned alive. Every other part of the ship was a blasting, roaring inferno. It was the epitome of a fire ship.
Exiting the flaming vessel, a massive stone bridge to the east was the only other plausible direction. Bending down, Kildo saw disturbed rocks moving in that direction. Whoever was on that ship went this way. Crossing the bridge, he peeked over the side. He looked straight down into a raging firestorm. He was unsure how this rock hadn’t already melted away. After an hour, in the distance was a cave opening going into the rockface. Entering, the heat was trapped inside. Without the gem, it would be like walking into an oven. A short distance in, they came across a ten-foot-wide platform with a small podium. On it were two arrows. One pointing up and the other down.
Shrugging, Kai pressed the down arrow.
Kildo heard a progressive whine beginning. He felt a tingling throughout his body. It was like a thousand thousand needles pricked everything from his head to his toes. Everything went dark, like falling asleep. Maybe he was dead. An unspecified period of time passed as he was jolted awake from a deep sleep. He felt disoriented. A blast of hot air slammed into his face. His eyes opened. He was on a small island in the middle of a magma lake. Protruding from the semi-molten rock, ten stepping stones led from the platform to a chamber to the northwest. There were two other rocky platforms, one to the southwest and another to the north.
“Char! Char!” Charmander squealed as Scomatch’s familiar jumped from the halfling's shoulders into the magma and began swimming.
Before they could take a step. On the southwest platform, a person appeared in fiery, brownish robes. He had a black mohawk with rugged brown skin. He sported a long, braided pencil mustache. To the north, another figure appeared in robes wreathed in flames. He had long, straight white hair and red eyes. He had tattoos across his forehead. An armored figure came from around the corner across from them at the end of the stepping stones. Bald, his skin was sunburnt brown with a very muscular build. The three looked at the party in surprise.
“Intruders!”
Slave Lord’s Treasure
· 69,000 gp
· +1 Dagger
· +1 Leather Armor
· +1 Shield
· +1 Mace
· +1 Long Sword
· Ring of Warmth
· Boots of Elven Kind
· Bracers of Defense
Party Split:
· 69,000 gp / 5 = 13,800 gp
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