Using a map that Araxie found in a secret compartment in the desk within the captain's quarters of her ship, She manages, with some help from the others, to plot a course that will bring them back to The Order back in Baldur's Gate. The journey will be long but they have an airship and gold enough to make it fly.
The days pass and each in the group finds activities to pass the time. Kame, the turtle, approaches Maddox one day to say he is concerned for Maddox's young ward. The boy, Tam, seems distant and speaks often of missing the "oneness" that he had experienced back in the village when several of the group became infected by the Mind Control Naga. Maddox promises to spend time with the boy. Training and focus will bring the boy around again. Soon enough, Tam's mood turns around and the group is treated to breakfast made by Tam every morning. Tam and Kame have longs talks in the netting by the bow every day.
The days pass peacefully until one day they notice a spot approaching them from direction of the sun. Hiding in the sunlight makes it hard for them to discern who or what is approaching. It could be the Emperor's army coming to exact some sort of revenge or control. Soon enough it is clear that it is a massive airship. Easily twice the size of the groups own ship. It overtakes them easily.
As it pulls along side they see a crew of dozens of goblins manning cannons. All pointed directly at their own ship. A goblin fires a bolt trailing a rope across the distance between the two ships hitting the main mast and soon a goblin slides across the rope. Landing at the base of the mainmast, the goblin begins to announce, in a loud and nasely voice, the arrival of the Dred Pirate Cortez. The scourge of the clouds, The claimer of vessels, The owner of the skies.
A handsome blonde man slides across the rope to land beside the goblin and gives the adventurers a choice of disembarking from and surrender their ship or die and the ship becomes the property of the Dred Pirate Cortez anyway.
The group answers with battle.
The battle is long and hard. Goblins fire cannons which rip apart the ship. It takes Captain Araxie all she has to control it while the others fend off a never ending stream of goblins.
Eventually, the group begins to gain the upper hand and takes the offensive. They swing their ship behind and begin to pursue the pirate ship. Most of the crew run aboard the pirate ship and clear away the remnants of the goblin crew. While Maddox confronts the pirate captain after chasing him through the ship.
Finally, cornered the Dred Pirate Cortez seems to have lost all his previous bravado. He holds his hands up towards Maddox and pleads for Maddox to wait. You see, he is not really the Dred Pirate Cortez. He's actually, Alex Swiller. He has just inherited the title and position from the previous Dred Pirate Cortez.
It's the ship and the name that put fear into people. Captain's don't surrender their ships to Alex Swiller. They will surrender to the Dred Pirate Cortez. His name is legendary and has been for almost a century. He doesn't even know who the original Dred Pirate Cortez. He begins to back away towards the railing as he tells his story. How the previous captain stays on for a bit while they hire a new crew. All the while the old captain calling Alex, Dred Pirate Cortez. Alex has always felt goblins are less likely to mutiny so he chose goblins.
The group begins to tell Alex to stop walking towards the edge of the ship. That's when he tells them that it has been wonderful that they let him monologue for so long. Long enough for his goblin shaman in the engine to complete the ritual that will blow the ship apart. The Dred Pirate Cortez vaults over the railing and plummets down towards the sea.
The group runs to the edge and looks down to see the Dred Pirate falling and turn back to face them and then gives them a rude gesture as he smiles. Creed immediately sends out a Fireball which engulfs the pirate. They watch as a burning, screaming, Dred Pirate Cortez disappears below the clouds.
The group looks at each other and remember something about the ship being blow apart. Then they begin to run towards their ship.
Many can make it across the distance between the ships, either with magic or flying. Vadania has no such skills and is stopped at the railing and looks towards the hole in the back of her ship and her waiting friends. They throw out a rope and Vadania takes a running leap off of the pirate ship which has now begin to glow and swell, orange-red glowing energy beginning to show through the ever widening gaps between the planks.
As the pirate ship begins to blow apart in a fiery explosion, Vadania is able to just grab the end of the rope and hold on. The others quickly begin to reel her back up into the ship.
They stand their, once again in their own now very damaged ship watching the sky and it's rain of fiery debris descend down towards the sea.
DM note: Level up everybody!
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