Feery's Leap
Eyetalon
The Eyetalon is a ship that has been passed down through generations of Alryan wizards for twelve score years before passing to the party’s control (Gux, and later Edane). The boat was originally a sailing vessel, but it has been modified to rely entirely on magical propulsion (the sails have since been restored, and the elemental-driven engine disabled but not removed). It was carved from exotic wood, and at the owner’s command can shift from a full-sized ship to a very durable toy boat (commands: Draconic “Be it in my grasp!” and “May it break forth in splendor!”). The transformation to toy form includes all non-living material, outsiders, and constructs. Transforming to toy form instantaneously places the boat in the master’s clutched hand, and places him under a feather fall effect for six rounds. All other creatures on board fall normally. Transforming to boat form is also instantaneous, placing the owner at the helm of the ship, surrounded by any creatures he opted to include in the effect. Other creatures are pushed aside, taking 1d6 damage. The ship will transform regardless of whether it is safe to do so.
The previous owner, Nazar Miykolovich Zalekow (son of Miykol, filius of Zalekow, f Adreyska, f Natiyew), was a wizard of formidable repute, who was surprised and overwhelmed by a group of adventurers determined to free one of his newest “assets” from bondage. They modified his memory and allowed him to take most of his wares back to the City State via several teleport leaps.
There are several codices in the master’s cabin, which are actually part of the ship and cannot leave the quarters. These have been used as journals, lab notebooks, and jeremiads through the years. Teasing out the wisdom from rambling, madness, and misdirection will take some insight, experimentation, and effort [and likely DC 30 Spellcraft checks].
The boat once had spectral crew (similar to Mordenkainen’s capable caravel), but they are long gone and the ship has yet to see another owner with the skill and the will to replace them.
The figurehead of the ship is a red dragon’s talon clutching a gigantic eye-like crystal 2’ in diameter. The master of the ship (or any designated spellcaster) can use the eye to perform gaze and ray attacks. (Size M, AC 10, Hardness 8, HP 120).
The rails of the boat are scaled, as though carved to resemble a dragon’s skin. Ridges and barbs jut out on the sea side of the rail. As the result of an old and fitful enchantment on the ship, these outer edges occasionally sprout feather tokens (anchor, bird, fan, and sometimes whip). The barbs can even rarely be harvested as components for crafting wands.
The previous owner stripped the sails in favor of enslaving a water elemental to push water along a channel running through the belly of the ship. The elemental responds to mental commands from the bonded owner, or mechanical prodding from the helm. Gux freed the elemental, but Oervind reworked the enchantment to allow an elemental to be temporarily bound to provide propulsion in unfavorable winds. The elemental must be summoned normally, but is bound to toil for hours, not minutes, per caster level.
The last Alryan owner removed the sails and most of the rigging, but Edane restored them, providing mundane Gathrani sails and fine waterclear Tulani sails. There is evidence of a long-disabled enchantment that allowed the spectral crew to dimension door between the top and bottom of each mast.
The easiest way to make repairs to the ship is to command it to return to toy form. Each day in toy form repairs 5% of the ship’s total HP. If specific enchantments or enhancements are destroyed (the crystal eye, elemental slaves, etc.), those components will not heal; only the basic structure of the ship itself is self-mending. To modify the enchantments and other ship enhancements, the owner must command the ship to its third form (Draconic, “Be it offered up!”), a 10’ model. Because of the daunting task of modifying the model without ruining its overall enchantment or the many previous enhancements (as well as the specific craft, profession, and knowledge skills involved in keeping the vessel seaworthy), the ship has lasted long with only superficial modifications.
At a command, any of the chambers of the vessel can be rendered into a full-scale version of the toy form (Draconic, “May it sleep!”). This sequesters non-living materials, and turns all fixtures, doors, and windows into non-functional dummies. This is an emergency measure — damage to an inert room will not “heal” when the ship is in toy form.
The owner has the power to designate a successor. If the successor has spent at least 24 hours on the vessel, control immediately passes at the owner’s designation or demise. Otherwise, the successor must spend 24 hours attuning to the boat before it will respond to any commands. Until the successor has attuned, ownership can be contested. If there is no successor, the ship itself will contest any attempts to claim ownership.
To contest ownership of the vessel, a party must understand the nature of the attunement (through instruction or reading the ship’s ledger and succeeding a DC20 Decipher Script and a DC 25 Knowledge (arcana) check, or casting identify and beating a caster level check against the current master or previous master, whichever is higher). Then after each complete day on board, the contestant may make a level check (d20 + character level, +2 if she spent the day meditating). The contestant must win three checks if the ship has an owner, or two checks if it does not. Once the ship accepts a new owner, the DCs for reading the ship’s ledgers drops by 10. Note that most entries require both the Decipher Script check and the Knowledge (arcana) check, though the difficulties may vary.
In the captain’s quarters rests a peculiarly enchanted cloth. Unlike most features of the captain’s quarters, this cloth can be removed from the cabin. Beylek’s Tacit Tablecloth is a richly brocaded and bordered cloth 4’ by 6’, which prevents any items placed thereon from tipping, sliding, or suffering temperature extremes. On command (in Draconic), any of these functions can be turned on/ off. With another command, all objects on the cloth become embroidered images on the cloth, and the cloth itself reduces to 12" by 18". Unlike many Alryan items, the commands are readily available via identify spell, and are also embroidered on the obverse of the cloth (though only the expansion command is visible in shrunken form). Faint transmutation and abjuration; CL 5; Craft Wondrous Item, shrink item, stick, endure elements; 40,500gp.
Details & mechanics
Caravel, manufactured in Warwick, ~230 years old
Temporary (6mo) seal from the Port Authority of Tula, to expire mid-5060
3 masts (rigging restored), choice of mundane Gathran-made sails or Tulani waterclear sails; fine Tulani rigging (~ silk rope)
Ship’s helm locks in place, throttle for “engine” (missing water elemental)
“Owner” must bond with ship, which takes days (must be a sensitive)
Some enchantments available to all occupants, or reveal to sensitives who spend days aboard. Others available only to owner.
Ship’s log in master’s quarters: huge book that’s part log, part spellbook, part research manual, part diary – can’t leave the room, but lots of cryptic insight into Alryan magical practice, sea wizardry, past and possible ship enchantments, and naval history
Intact enchantments:
Seacalm: all interior spaces feel only slight effects from unsteady seas and storms (not enough to spill a glass of wine)
Breachsafe: walls exist in all dimensions, as if made of force (incorporeal/ ethereal creatures cannot pass)
Illuminated: light effect available via command word anywhere on ship (Alryan command to start/ stop)
Compass: a shard of bone in a glass orb at the helm always points (almost true) north
Glaring eye: Eyetalon figurehead can be point of emanation for spell effects (and automatically applies the Extend Spell feat to rays)
Unseen servitude: unseen servant spells cast onboard are persistent (as per the feat), with a range of the entire ship
Railing: deck rails occasionally recycle spell energy to produce “blank” wands (up to four times a year), reducing construction costs by 50%. They also produce feather tokens (anchor, bird, fan, sometimes whip), 40% chance per month, up to 6 per year.
Sizing: ship’s owner can command vessel to turn into a wooden toy (feather fall on former occupants), or revert to full size (owner teleported to helm, allies brought onboard)
Repair ship: damage to ship slowly mends when in toy form (1hp per day)
Disabled enchantments:
Crow’s step: dimension door between base of main mast and crow’s nest
Broadcast: sending spell effect with command word, range limited to ship or any connected ships/ structures
Smart rigging: command word triggers animate rope effect
Dimensional storage: storage compartments and captain’s quarters have occasionally connected to extradimensional spaces
Mascot: stuffed parrot once produced feather tokens (fan) at least once per month
Shipsight: detect ship effect from crow’s nest
by:
kelurian